I would just like to say that it never ceases to amaze me how angry the people are who write negative letters to your organization. After reading even just one, I find myself so frustrated and filled with pain for these people who want to make it their aim to trash AIG and the truths that it represents. But I want to tell you that when I get to the end of AIG's reponses to these negative emails, I'm at peace again knowing that God's Word is quick and powerful and sharper than any 2 edged sword and that's what the editors use to answer the negative feedback that comes in. Thank you for standing by His Word and being an example to me - A soft answer turneth away wrath....
– C.W., U.S.
you say.. “Challenging the presuppositions of the other person (many are unaware they have these).”
a presuppostion is a sentence or utterance in which people derive information, ie: “my tattoo iches”
presupposition: i have a tattoo...
this is quite a brilliant tool for confusing people the way you choose to use it...
“Forcing the debater to logically defend his position consistent with science and his own presuppositions (many will find that they cannot do this).”
i can do it, and i am quite sure that i have none of the presuppositions you would think i have.
anything i would have to say wouldnt be arguing any presuppositions, as i do not think that this particular use of this word is valid.
i can and have put on the christian glasses, in fact i am sure that most non-christians could as well.
“However, if you had helped the person to understand this issue of presuppositions, then they will be better able to recognize this for what it isa different interpretation based on differing presuppositionsi.e. starting beliefs.”
this is excessive running of the mouth to confuse people, that is what religion is based on. i was raised in a family that believes in god, my grandfather is a preacher and my mother thinks the rapture will happen any day, but i have never believed in a higher power, i have never forced negativity on anyone, and i am far more spiritual and respecting than EVERY christian i know, which is the majority of people i know, since your confusion and scare tactics work well on the smaller minded in the world. ken ham, i would welcome any debate with you and i am sure i would not lose, i can explain step by step how this planet has evolved, how humans came up with religion and why man has gotten so out of control with their crazy notions. there is no god, this is reality, i CAN explain it, with out going in pointless circles the way you do.
i am currently co-authoring a book about the truth of reality, i would love to have a documented debate of sorts, it could only help. thank you :)
–A., USA
I will be responding to both of your emails in this one article. Please see my comments below regarding your emails and please remember they are meant with sincerity and respect.
you say.. “Challenging the presuppositions of the other person (many are unaware they have these).”a presuppostion is a sentence or utterance in which people derive information, ie: “my tattoo iches”
presupposition: i have a tattoo...
Actually, this is incorrect. A presupposition is defined as “the act of presupposing; a supposition made prior to having knowledge (as for the purpose of argument)” (presupposition. Dictionary.com, WordNet® 2.1. Princeton University, accessed: March 01, 2007).
Therefore, a presupposition is based on an idea or belief that is not testable, observable, or repeatable; it is immaterial, abstract. How you interpret what you see, feel, and think is based on what you presuppose.
“I have a tattoo” is an observation of something material, you already know you have it. However, how a tattoo’s meaning is interpreted is based on presuppositions. For example, let’s say someone has a tattoo of a dove. Depending on what you believe (your presuppositions) you may interpret the meaning of that tattoo differently from someone else. Let’s say a Christian looks at this tattoo and interprets it as representing the Holy Spirit. This interpretation is probably based on his or her beliefs/presuppositions that God exists and that the dove signifies the Holy Spirit based on what the Bible says (Matthew 3:16). However, an atheist may look at this same tattoo and, based on his or her presuppositions (there is no God and the Bible was written merely by men), interpret the tattoo as simply a symbol of peace and freedom.
One does not have to presuppose that his or her own tattoo exists in order for it to itch. The only way a tattoo can itch is if it actually exists.
this is quite a brilliant tool for confusing people the way you choose to use it...
Actually, our intentions are to enlighten people of their own or others’ underlying assumptions about what they claim.
“Forcing the debater to logically defend his position consistent with science and his own presuppositions (many will find that they cannot do this).”
i can do it, and i am quite sure that i have none of the presuppositions you would think i have.
This depends; some presuppositions can be determined by observing how someone interprets the world around them. Many times people will indeed deny that they have presuppositions. I do not claim to know everything you believe (only God knows that); however, from your email I should be able to determine some of your beliefs (i.e., presuppositions).
anything i would have to say wouldnt be arguing any presuppositions,
So are you presupposing that anything you argue isn’t based on presuppositions? How do you know?
as i do not think that this particular use of this word is valid.
Then you disagree with the plain definition as given by most dictionaries. Why is it that you disagree with how we use it? How are we misusing it?
i can and have put on the christian glasses, in fact i am sure that most non-christians could as well.
What do you mean by “i can and have put on the christian glasses?” What is it that you see? And how do you truly know that you have put on Christian glasses? I am not asking these questions to be mocking but to see what it is you believe.
“However, if you had helped the person to understand this issue of presuppositions, then they will be better able to recognize this for what it isa different interpretation based on differing presuppositionsi.e. starting beliefs."
this is excessive running of the mouth to confuse people, that is what religion is based on.
How is this statement a “running of the mouth?” In fact your assertion is an illogical argument. This is what’s known as a composition fallacy—using a statement to judge the whole, using some small thing to illustrate the whole thing. This would be like saying, “Jeffrey Dahmer was an evolutionist and a murderer; therefore all evolutionists are murderers.”
Actually, your emails are, as you say, a “running of the mouth” and are somewhat confusing; so what religion are you purporting? It would seem your religion is naturalistic humanism.
i was raised in a family that believes in god, my grandfather is a preacher and my mother thinks the rapture will happen any day, but i have never believed in a higher power, i have never forced negativity on anyone,
I’m sorry if you have had a bad experience with Christianity. However, we do not force negativity on anyone. What Christ did for us is the most positive message ever. How is it negative to tell someone that they can live in eternity with God where there will be no pain, death, disease, suffering, or sadness? Wouldn’t you want to live in a place like that?
By the way, the very thing you claim not to do ( i.e., “i have never forced negativity on anyone”) is indeed what you are doing in your emails. If you tell people that there is no God, that no one created them, and that they are just chance accidents of history with no ultimate purpose, then what you are telling them is extremely negative.
By what standard do you judge something as positive or negative? In other words, how do you know something is positive or negative? If there is no God setting standards for what is considered “positive” or “negative,” then mankind must decide this for itself . With that I am sure you would agree. But then we run into a bit of a dilemma. Something you may consider negative will be positive to someone else, or something you may consider positive will be negative to someone else. So then how do we decide who is right? The only way to know absolutes is if they are defined by an all-knowing God. Because God exists and because He made us in His image, He has the right to define right and wrong, or positive and negative. So when you claim something is positive or negative, you are actually borrowing from my worldview, and not being consistent with your worldview. Many evolutionists are aware of this fact. One in particular was the famous mass murder Jeffrey Dahmer:
“If a person doesn’t think there is a God to be accountable to, then—then what’s the point of trying to modify your behaviour to keep it within acceptable ranges? That’s how I thought anyway. I always believed the theory of evolution as truth, that we all just came from the slime. When we, when we died, you know, that was it, there is nothing…”
—Jeffrey Dahmer, in an interview with Stone Phillips, Dateline NBC, Nov. 29, 1994.
and i am far more spiritual and respecting than EVERY christian i know, which is the majority of people i know, since your confusion and scare tactics work well on the smaller minded in the world.
To say that people who believe in God and the Bible are “small minded” is very disrespectful and inconsiderate. It is unfortunate that you have probably had some bad encounters with Christians; however that does not negate the truth of God’s Word or His existence.
And on what basis do you claim to be respectful and spiritual? Since God created us as physical and spiritual beings, only Christians have a basis for the spiritual, since we are told this in the Bible. Those who deny the Creator must accept materialistic explanations, which by definition discount the spiritual. By claiming you are respectful and spiritual you are, once again, borrowing from the Christian worldview and being inconsistent with your own worldview. However, I would contest that you are actually being disrespectful based on some of your comments.
ken ham, i would welcome any debate with you and i am sure i would not lose, i can explain step by step how this planet has evolved, how humans came up with religion and why man has gotten so out of control with their crazy notions.
So, are you claiming that you have witnessed what happened in the past, that you can repeat what happened in a laboratory, and that you can record it for everyone else? For whatever history you devise, I’m sure there are hundreds of other scientists with different stories—so how do we decide who is right?
there is no god, this is reality, i CAN explain it, with out going in pointless circles the way you do.
How have we gone in pointless circles? How do you know there is no God? Are you all-knowing? I’m not trying to be mocking, but if you can explain everything then you will have no problem answering all of the questions I have posed.
i am currently co-authoring a book about the truth of reality,
So what then is your definition of truth? How do you know that what you believe is indeed the truth? What basis do you have for truth? How do you define reality? And how do you know that what you believe about reality is correct? What is your basis for that reality?
i would love to have a documented debate of sorts, it could only help. thank you :)
I believe there is a reason you contacted us, though it is not the same as what you think it may be. Hopefully my responses and questions will get you thinking critically about your worldview and about the Christian worldview. I challenge and encourage you to read the Bible with an open heart and mind and see the truth of what Jesus Christ has done for mankind.
wow... really?? religion scares you from reality i have read several of the articles in the get answers section... the way you have explained everything i have read was, well, so incredibly far from reality.
young earth article quote: And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. Compared to what God knows, we know next door to nothing! This is why we should be so careful to let God speak to us through His Word, and not try to impose our ideas on Gods Word.
wow... really?? religion scares you from reality, i watch christian programs on television and your belief structure is based on fear... fear is a negeative emotion, emotions exsist only in humans, your emotions are not truth. being afraid of life is a negative way to live. that quote i pasted says“dont think for yourself”. religion controls you, and most christians dont even actually behave in what they call a“christianly way”. if everything that exsists is comprised of the same basic matter, then everything that exsists is equal. this means there is no higher power. i know this. my life is lived with great kindness, courtesy, confidence, self control. i am content and happy, well observed and well thought out, i put out positivity and positivity comes back to me 10 fold. i have no personal problems that confuse my mind, because i have not pulled a veil over my eyes. if you disagree with me i welcome you to please let me know, explain to me how your beliefs are based in reality and i will gladly listen. then i will let you know exactly where you are incorrect and why. please do this, for i would love to hear why the bible, a mere book written by a person, is an infallible means for truth. i do not mean any disrespect, i am an open person. but i do disagree sooooo strongly... if you feel as though you are correct then you will welcome an opportunity to prove it, to me and all others.
–A., USA
i have read several of the articles in the get answers section... the way you have explained everything i have read was, well, so incredibly far from reality. young earth article quote: And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. Compared to what God knows, we know next door to nothing! This is why we should be so careful to let God speak to us through His Word, and not try to impose our ideas on Gods Word.
The fact that God exists, created everything, and redeemed us is reality. The idea of reality only makes sense within the Christian worldview since it is God, the only absolute source, that defines what reality is. However, if defining reality is left up to humans, who are finite and fallible beings, then how do we decide whose reality is correct? What you consider reality may be considered an illusion by someone else.
You accuse us of being scared away from reality yet you have not defined what reality is. Once again I pose my questions: How do you define reality? How do you know that what you believe about reality is correct? What is your basis for that reality?
i watch christian programs on television and your belief structure is based on fear...
If you are only basing your opinion about Christianity on what you see on TV then you’re not seeing our actual belief structure. Some of what you are probably seeing is either exaggerated, misleading, incomplete, or blatantly false. Christianity is based on the Bible (i.e., God’s Word/His reality) not necessarily what the preachers proclaim. How can you form such an opinion when you aren’t even going to the source, the Bible?
In reality, when you become a Christian you no longer have anything to fear, not even death. And once again you have committed a composition fallacy by making the assertion that a few preachers on TV define what Christianity is all about. This is of course false and once again would be like saying, “Jeffrey Dahmer was an evolutionist and a murderer; therefore all evolutionists are murderers.”
fear is a negeative emotion, emotions exsist only in humans, your emotions are not truth. being afraid of life is a negative way to live.
We totally agree!
that quote i pasted says “dont think for yourself”.
No, that’s not what it is saying. Let’s look at that verse in context: “Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him” (1 Corinthians 8:1-3, NKJV).
Humans have a tendency to take pride in how much knowledge they possess. However, the human mind is finite and imperfect and so each person’s knowledge is very limited, especially when compared to God who is all-knowing. So compared to Him we know nothing. The best knowledge is the knowledge He reveals to us, such as the knowledge of knowing Him and knowing how we may enter eternity with Him (this is the most important knowledge since it decides our eternal fate, but scientific knowledge about the world around us is also important—and complementary, not contradictory to our faith and to our knowledge of God). But the kind of knowledge that sets itself up against God is no knowledge at all (Psalm 53:1).
religion controls you,
Bible-believing Christians have a personal relationship with God, so are not controlled by religion. However, many religions can control. For example, within naturalistic humanism (i.e., atheistic evolution), you are not allowed to question the belief in molecules-to-man evolution and billions of years; any opposition to it is simply discounted (unsubstantially) as ignorant and stupid. Even though no one knows how it happened or has seen it happen or has a recorded eyewitness account of it happening, it is believed unwaveringly. In this religion no one knows how it happened, but they believe, by faith, that it did happen.
Having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is so freeing compared to the stifling religion of evolutionism. As Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31b-32). True freedom from false religion is found in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
and most christians dont even actually behave in what they call a “christianly way”.
This unfortunately does happen. No Christian is perfect nor should they ever claim to be perfect. And this is because we still live in our flesh (i.e., sinful nature; Romans 7:14–25). Remember, the basis for Christianity is based on the Bible, God’s Word, not man’s actions.
if everything that exsists is comprised of the same basic matter, then everything that exsists is equal.
You’re assuming that everything is made of matter; however God is not made of matter. He created it (Genesis 1:1). He is spiritual (John 4:24), immaterial. Since God is immaterial and not made up of matter then your presumption is incorrect.
this means there is no higher power.
No, it just means you started from the wrong presupposition.
i know this. my life is lived with great kindness, courtesy, confidence, self control.
I would somewhat contest your kindness and courteousness (at least at times) based on prior statements you have made. Though, overall, I do not doubt you are these things. However, within your worldview these virtues and morals have no basis and once again you are borrowing from the Christian worldview.
i am content and happy, well observed and well thought out, i put out positivity and positivity comes back to me 10 fold.
I don’t doubt that you are content and happy; so am I. However, I’m not quite sure what you mean when you say, “I am well observed and well thought out.” But I will agree that you were “well thought out” by God who created you in His image (Psalm 139:13-14; James 3:9). As I stated earlier based on your worldview “positive” and “negative” are subjective. In these emails I believe you are being very negative not only towards this ministry but towards all Christians. Therefore, your actions contradict what you claim to be. The very thing you accuse Christians of doing, you are doing.
i have no personal problems that confuse my mind, because i have not pulled a veil over my eyes.
God disagrees: “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God (2 Corinthians 4:3-4).”
if you disagree with me i welcome you to please let me know, explain to me how your beliefs are based in reality and i will gladly listen. then i will let you know exactly where you are incorrect and why. please do this, for i would love to hear why the bible, a mere book written by a person, is an infallible means for truth.
Here is another presupposition you probably are not aware of. You believe that the Bible is merely a book written by men. How do you know it is “merely a book written by men?” However, I will admit that we start with the presupposition that it is the Word of God, written by men through the Holy Spirit (Mark 12:36; 2 Timothy 3:16). I will also admit that there is no way to prove that the Bible is the Word of God, but neither is there any way to prove that it is not the Word of God. Both are unprovable presuppositions that we both start off with in order to make arguments. But the Christian presupposition about the Bible is the only one that can make sense of the world around us logically, consistently and correctly.
i do not mean any disrespect, i am an open person.
If you were truly open minded then you would be open to the gospel but as evidenced by your emails you are actually close-minded to the gospel (2 Corinthians 4:4).
but i do disagree sooooo strongly... if you feel as though you are correct then you will welcome an opportunity to prove it, to me and all others.
Just as people believe, by faith, that there is no God and that the Bible is not God’s Word, Christians, also by faith, believe there is a God and the Bible is His Word. It is impossible to know God unless you first believe in Him.
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him (Hebrews 11:6).
– David Wright, AiG–U.S. http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2007/03/30/feedback-presuppositions