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Red Herring

Red Herring. “The bodily resurrection claims made in the Scriptures are open to alternative explanations. The gospels that relate these events also may have been different versions of the same witness, so the gospels do not necessarily give us 4 accounts of the resurrection, but one.”

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Red Herring

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  1. Red Herring “The bodily resurrection claims made in the Scriptures are open to alternative explanations. The gospels that relate these events also may have been different versions of the same witness, so the gospels do not necessarily give us 4 accounts of the resurrection, but one.” • Problem – The discussion about the resurrection claims morphs into a point about the number of gospel witnesses available. Whether one counts the gospels as 4 witnesses or 1, the resurrection claim needs to be accounted for and the speaker has not addressed the point.

  2. Reduction Fallacy Inaccurately reduces a complex issue into one part of that issue. “People turn to religion to deal with their anxiety about death. I am at peace with that issue, so I don’t see the need for Christianity.” • Problem – There are a number of issues that Christianity deals with outside of death – life’s purpose, relationships, morality, personal accountability, etc.

  3. Genetic Fallacy Also called a fallacy of origin. Focuses on the source of a point/issue and argues against the point/issue by attacking the source.

  4. Genetic Fallacy “At the Council of Nicaea, the participants discussed the composition of the Bible. The council was called together by Constantine – a pagan emperor concerned with unifying his empire. Considering the political concerns of Constantine, we should question the Bible.” • Problem – Constantine’s motivation for calling the Council of Nicea together does not automatically discredit the motivations of the other participants. Unless one can show that Constantine was directly involved in deciding the contents of the Bible, this is a genetic fallacy.

  5. Category Mistake A fallacy based on confusion. An “apples-to-oranges” comparison that assumes something is part of a category to which it does not really belong. “Who made God? Where did God come from?” • Problem – The question assumes that ‘God’ belongs in a category of “things that require a maker” or “things that have a beginning”. God is the pre-existent Creator, and does not belong to those categories.

  6. Faulty or Weak Analogy Analogies are often used in arguments, and a point can be manipulated by offering an analogy that does accurately reflect the issue at hand.

  7. Faulty or Weak Analogy “There are lots of different kinds of cars, but in the end they are all vehicles that get you from point A to point B. In the same way, there are lots of different kinds of religions, and there’s no reason to prefer Christianity over any others, except as a matter of opinion or culture.” • Problem – Christianity can be distinguished from other religions based on objective criteria such as historical claims, prophetic fulfillment and trans-cultural application. The “different cars” analogy does not fit.

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