tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5299407302611232843.post650226559952464094..comments2023-05-23T01:09:27.258+10:00Comments on Gordon Cheng's blog: School league tables and School ScriptureGordon Chenghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07588151868151940982noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5299407302611232843.post-49653797927743336312010-02-18T19:57:08.871+11:002010-02-18T19:57:08.871+11:00Spot on, Alexb... spot on.Spot on, Alexb... spot on.Timaahynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5299407302611232843.post-76284784132201756372010-02-10T13:06:16.731+11:002010-02-10T13:06:16.731+11:00Of course you have prior commitments, as do every ...Of course you have prior commitments, as do every other Christian. My point is that Christians filter everything through their prior commitments to the point of distortion, so that their opinions are usually not backed up by evidence, but only by the internal consistency checks provided by their particular picture of the world (in this case: their version of Christianity). <br /><br />Let me give you an example of how this can go terribly wrong: suppose I am committed to the belief that childhood vaccination is linked to autism. I read an article which contradicts my belief. By your reasoning, I can disregard the statements in this article because it conflicts with my prior commitments. What if I read a hundred such (credible) articles? At what point should evidence correct an erroneous belief?Alexbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16199000302343258446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5299407302611232843.post-67349584715874215512010-02-09T06:46:08.410+11:002010-02-09T06:46:08.410+11:00Hi Alexb,
apart from my New Year's resolution...Hi Alexb,<br /><br />apart from my New Year's resolution never to use the term 'cherry picking' in a sentence voluntarily used by me, which you've now caused me to break, you are right to think that I've got prior commitments in the way I look at the world.<br /><br />The evidence may point one way or the other, but all of us have prior commitments. It's just that mine is that 'Jesus is Lord', and that yours are unexpressed.Gordon Chenghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07588151868151940982noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5299407302611232843.post-71597922507852125392010-02-09T00:31:01.597+11:002010-02-09T00:31:01.597+11:00This kind of reasoning is precisely the kind of ch...This kind of reasoning is precisely the kind of cherry picking endemic in Christianity: if the evidence is good we'll use it, if it's bad, well it doesn't matter anyway because we're right.<br /><br />I can see this kind of bad thinking pervading through many articles of this blog, and represents a deeper problem in Christianity itself.Alexbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16199000302343258446noreply@blogger.com