Start quote.
"Henry Dodwell argues that matters of religious faith lie outside the
determination of reason. God could not possibly have intended that
reason should be the faculty to lead us to faith, for faith cannot
hang indefinitely is suspense while reason cautiously weighs and
reweighs arguments.
`The Scriptures teach, on the contrary, that the way to God is by
means of the heart, not by means of the intellect . . .(What is the
basis of faith? Dodwell answers that it is) the faith-producing work
of the Holy Spirit . . .
Now Alvin Plantinga . . .
Alvin Plantinga has launched a sustained attack on theological
rationalism. Plantinga maintains that belief in God and in the
central doctrines of Christianity is both rational and warranted
wholly apart from any evidential foundations for belief . . .
Then William Lane Craig says . . .
I think that Dodwell and Plantinga are correct that, fundamentally,
the way we know Christianity to be true is by the self-authenticating
witness of God's Holy Spirit."
End quote
Source:
Reasonable Faith
by William Lane Craig
pages 35, 39, 43
Alvin Plantinga and William Lane Craig are considered to be
Christendom's top Christian apologists.
____________
JAG Writes:
Christianity is a FAITH.
The word FAITH occurs hundreds and hundreds of times in the Bible
and is presented as being absolutely essential to sustaining
the Christian FAITH.
So?
So demonstrate with empiricism and logic that Christianity is true
at the certainty-level of 2 + 2 = 4 and you then no longer have to
exercise FAITH in God.
It does NOT require any FAITH to believe that 2 + 2 = 4.
These 5 Bible verses below would no longer be needed and
would no longer be true.
■ "without faith it is impossible to please God"
■ "for by grace are you saved through faith"
■ "he that comes to God must believe that He
exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him"
■ "believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved"
■ God gave His only Son that whoever believes on Him shall
not perish but have eternal life
■ And the HUNDREDS of other Bible verses that demand faith
would no longer be needed or be true.
Demonstrate with empiricism that Christianity is true at the
certainty-level of 2 + 2 = 4 and then you would have this:
He that comes to God need NOT exercise faith because we
now know, based upon empirical evidence that rises to the
certainty-level of 2 + 2 = 4, that God exists. It is just as
certain as is the fact that New York City exists.
No faith is needed to believe that New York City exists.
So?
So . . .
Eliminate FAITH from Christianity and Christianity has just been
destroyed and wrecked.
■ "for by grace are you saved through faith" Ephesians 2:8
■ "without faith it is impossible to please God" Hebrews 11:6
■ "God gave His only Son that whoever believes on Him shall
not perish but have eternal life" John 3:16 --- Its impossible
to eliminate the need for Christendom's core Bible verse
John 3:16 without wrecking and destroying Christendom.
____________
Here are a couple of quotes that readers may find interesting:
(1) " . . . the role of rational argumentation in knowing Christianity to
be true is the role of a servant. A person knows Christianity is true
because the Holy Spirit tells him it is true, and while arguments and
evidence can be used to support this conclusion, they cannot
legitimately overrule it . . ." __William Lane Craig, Reasonable
Faith, page 51
(2) ". . .I'd say that with most people there's no need to use
apologetics at all . . . " __William Lane Craig, Reasonable Faith,
page 57
_______________
Note: My Opening Post does NOT say that Christian Apologetics is not
useful and needed. Christian Apologetics IS useful and IS needed ---
but Christian Apologetics can NOT eliminate from Christianity the
necessity to exercise faith in God
However the opening Post does NOT advocate for Fideism.
The Opening Post makes one {1} main point --- that faith
cannot be eliminated from Christianity without destroying
Christianity.
"Strict Fideists assign no place to reason in discovering or
understanding fundamental tenets of religion. For them
blind faith is supreme as the way to certitude and
salvation."__off the web
Again . . .
I do not argue for Fideism. There are some evidences to support
the existence of God and the truth of Christianity, but these evidences
must be evaluated on the basis of Probability and Plausibility which
are subjective and are saturated with our human biases, prejudices,
and presuppositions. Nonetheless these kinds of arguments are valuable
to many people.
________
I post all the above as "food for thought" --- each reader can
draw his own conclusions regarding how much importance
he puts upon rational argumentation to support Christianity.
For those inclined to rational argumentation:
Here are Peter Kreeft's 20 Arguments for The Existence Of God.
http://www.peterkreeft.com/topics-mo...-existence.htm
"Henry Dodwell argues that matters of religious faith lie outside the
determination of reason. God could not possibly have intended that
reason should be the faculty to lead us to faith, for faith cannot
hang indefinitely is suspense while reason cautiously weighs and
reweighs arguments.
`The Scriptures teach, on the contrary, that the way to God is by
means of the heart, not by means of the intellect . . .(What is the
basis of faith? Dodwell answers that it is) the faith-producing work
of the Holy Spirit . . .
Now Alvin Plantinga . . .
Alvin Plantinga has launched a sustained attack on theological
rationalism. Plantinga maintains that belief in God and in the
central doctrines of Christianity is both rational and warranted
wholly apart from any evidential foundations for belief . . .
Then William Lane Craig says . . .
I think that Dodwell and Plantinga are correct that, fundamentally,
the way we know Christianity to be true is by the self-authenticating
witness of God's Holy Spirit."
End quote
Source:
Reasonable Faith
by William Lane Craig
pages 35, 39, 43
Alvin Plantinga and William Lane Craig are considered to be
Christendom's top Christian apologists.
____________
JAG Writes:
Christianity is a FAITH.
The word FAITH occurs hundreds and hundreds of times in the Bible
and is presented as being absolutely essential to sustaining
the Christian FAITH.
So?
So demonstrate with empiricism and logic that Christianity is true
at the certainty-level of 2 + 2 = 4 and you then no longer have to
exercise FAITH in God.
It does NOT require any FAITH to believe that 2 + 2 = 4.
These 5 Bible verses below would no longer be needed and
would no longer be true.
■ "without faith it is impossible to please God"
■ "for by grace are you saved through faith"
■ "he that comes to God must believe that He
exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him"
■ "believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved"
■ God gave His only Son that whoever believes on Him shall
not perish but have eternal life
■ And the HUNDREDS of other Bible verses that demand faith
would no longer be needed or be true.
Demonstrate with empiricism that Christianity is true at the
certainty-level of 2 + 2 = 4 and then you would have this:
He that comes to God need NOT exercise faith because we
now know, based upon empirical evidence that rises to the
certainty-level of 2 + 2 = 4, that God exists. It is just as
certain as is the fact that New York City exists.
No faith is needed to believe that New York City exists.
So?
So . . .
Eliminate FAITH from Christianity and Christianity has just been
destroyed and wrecked.
■ "for by grace are you saved through faith" Ephesians 2:8
■ "without faith it is impossible to please God" Hebrews 11:6
■ "God gave His only Son that whoever believes on Him shall
not perish but have eternal life" John 3:16 --- Its impossible
to eliminate the need for Christendom's core Bible verse
John 3:16 without wrecking and destroying Christendom.
____________
Here are a couple of quotes that readers may find interesting:
(1) " . . . the role of rational argumentation in knowing Christianity to
be true is the role of a servant. A person knows Christianity is true
because the Holy Spirit tells him it is true, and while arguments and
evidence can be used to support this conclusion, they cannot
legitimately overrule it . . ." __William Lane Craig, Reasonable
Faith, page 51
(2) ". . .I'd say that with most people there's no need to use
apologetics at all . . . " __William Lane Craig, Reasonable Faith,
page 57
_______________
Note: My Opening Post does NOT say that Christian Apologetics is not
useful and needed. Christian Apologetics IS useful and IS needed ---
but Christian Apologetics can NOT eliminate from Christianity the
necessity to exercise faith in God
However the opening Post does NOT advocate for Fideism.
The Opening Post makes one {1} main point --- that faith
cannot be eliminated from Christianity without destroying
Christianity.
"Strict Fideists assign no place to reason in discovering or
understanding fundamental tenets of religion. For them
blind faith is supreme as the way to certitude and
salvation."__off the web
Again . . .
I do not argue for Fideism. There are some evidences to support
the existence of God and the truth of Christianity, but these evidences
must be evaluated on the basis of Probability and Plausibility which
are subjective and are saturated with our human biases, prejudices,
and presuppositions. Nonetheless these kinds of arguments are valuable
to many people.
________
I post all the above as "food for thought" --- each reader can
draw his own conclusions regarding how much importance
he puts upon rational argumentation to support Christianity.
For those inclined to rational argumentation:
Here are Peter Kreeft's 20 Arguments for The Existence Of God.
http://www.peterkreeft.com/topics-mo...-existence.htm