Starting with the end in mind? (1)

Last updated on: October 28, 2019 at 8:09 am by Dan Peterson

Starting with the end in mind? (1) 2019-10-28T08:09:46-06:00 Dan Peterson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Fort Lauderdale Florida Temple (LDS Media Library) is far to the south us.

A common accusation against apologists and apologetics is that they start with the conclusion in mind and then marshal cherry-picked evidence in order to reach that predetermined conclusion. This, we are told, is an inversion of the “scientific process” — starting with the sought-for bottom line and forcing the evidence to fit it — and something for which the academic community has little or no patience.

This is always a danger, of course. And it doesn’t affect only apologetics. A notable scandal in recent science, for example, has come from the recognition that there are a large number of published papers whose results cannot be replicated, in which the data have been carefully selected, cherry-picked, or even flat-out invented in order to support the conclusion desired by the “researchers.”

Here’s just one example that’s currently in the news:

“Is this “one of the worst scientific scandals of all time”? Hans Eysenck comes under fire – again. Stephen Fleischfresser reports.”

But is it true, as a general or even universal rule, of apologetics?

Speaking of the area of apologetics that I personally know best — apologetic scholarship relating to the unique claims of the Restoration (e.g., of the Book of Mormon and the Book of Abraham) — it doesn’t seem to be true.

There is, for example, nothing in acceptance of the claims of the Book of Mormon that commits a believer to the proposition that the Nephite record’s River Sidon was today’s Rio Grijalva rather than the roughly parallel Usumacinta. (Those who prefer the so-called “Heartland” theory of Book of Mormon geography, for example, don’t accept either of the two rivers.) Nothing requires of a believer in the Book of Mormon that she affirm Mary to be represented in the Tree of Life that appears in 1 Nephi 11. Sheer acceptance of the Book of Mormon as an authentically ancient record doesn’t entail that those who accept it expect Semitic and/or Egyptian borrowings to appear in the vocabulary of Uto-Aztecan languages. No believer in the Book of Mormon expected complex chiasms to appear in its text. Nobody, including those who discovered its presence, was anticipating Early Modern English to show up in the vocabulary and the syntax of the original dictated Book of Mormon manuscript.

Ironically, it sometimes seems to me, critics of Latter-day Saint apologetics start with their conclusion and then force their cherry-picked evidence to fit that conclusion, which is that apologists and apologetics start with the conclusion in mind and then marshal cherry-picked evidence in order to reach that predetermined conclusion.

One could get dizzy with this sort of silliness. How about simply examining the evidence and the logic with which it’s treated, rather than attempting to pre-emptively rule out any serious consideration of it?

Posted from Orlando, Florida

Uncategorized

Previous Post

October 27, 2019

"Plenty of opportunities"

Next Post

October 28, 2019 A musing on the "God of the gaps"

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 March 2014 August 2013 February 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who pleaded with Joseph for Benjamin's release?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Reuben Levi Judah Naphtali