![]() It is a well-established hermeneutical principle among biblical interpreters that the difficult verse or passage must be interpreted in light of the clear and simple parallel verses or passages. What we need to know is if the Bible as a whole supports a given position. Read in context, the Bible may be a liberal document, but it is not that liberal. Out of the Bible can be drawn phrases or verses that justify everything under the sun, including contradictories. Selecting texts to give a one-sided presentation of the truth is a widespread method of propagating erroneous views. Not a Christian theologian, but a professor of logic, made the following astute statement regarding what is required for the logical interpretation of the Bible: For instance, with the exception of a few “proof texts,” the idea that “Jesus is God” is not consistent with the New Testament when considered as a whole. By isolating verses that appear to support a particular theological or doctrinal position, but by weighting them too heavily, contradictions are created with other verses on the same subject. “Proof texting” is a common way that the fallacy of accent is employed. But if the comma is moved to the other side of “today,” an entirely different emphasis results: “Truly I say to you today, you shall (in the future) be with me in Paradise.” This is, in fact the correct rendering. Luke 23:43 ( NASB) says, “And he said to him, ‘Truly I say to you, today you shall be with me in Paradise,’” indicating that Jesus will be with the malefactor in Paradise later that same day. Likewise, “Woman without her man would be lost” is a seemingly straightforward sentence, but watch how the meaning can be dramatically changed by the addition of a period and a comma: “Woman. For instance, the addition of a comma can dramatically alter the simple sentence, “God made man,” (as in God created man) to “God, made man” (as in God became man). A common form of this fallacy is the altering of punctuation, which is particularly significant for biblical research because the original text of Scripture contained no punctuation marks. Without changing a word, a piece of written material can be made to say something entirely different from what was intended by the author. This misplaced emphasis can occur quite subtly. To interpret any piece of literature logically, one must be sensitive to the context and original meaning intended by the author and not alter that meaning by misplaced emphasis. The fallacy of accent is employed whenever an emphasis is placed on a written or spoken communication in a way that materially alters its original or intended meaning. “Informal” fallacies are those employed in everyday speech, and for the most part involve different ways of slanting or avoiding evidence en route to a conclusion. “Formally” fallacious logic involves some transgression of the proper form of syllogistic reasoning. The “formal” fallacies revolve around the syllogism form, which involves a major premise, a minor premise and a conclusion. Though the systems of classifying fallacies vary from author to author, we find that there is general agreement among teachers of logic that fallacies come in two general forms: formal and informal. What follows are the main types of fallacious reasoning that we have encountered in the course of researching our book, One God & One Lord. One of the best ways to understand and apply the basics of logic is by becoming familiar with logical fallacies, that is, examples of faulty reasoning. 2:15), we are going to have to learn to think correctly. But, if we are ever to “correctly handle the word of truth” (2 Tim. Feelings, emotions and rhetoric (persuasive speech) are most often the basis of what passes for “reasoning” today. The disciplines of logical reasoning are fast becoming a thing of the past, an artifact of a classical education. That is, does our conclusion necessarily follow from the premises, or have we “jumped” to conclusions. Logic addresses the relationship of premises (or evidence) to conclusions, and helps us determine whether our reasoning is straight or crooked. “Logic,” from the Greek word logos, is the science of correct reasoning, and provides tools for analyzing the form and content of arguments. ![]()
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