(quote from RealReality.org/Real_Faith_and_Reason_Vol_2_-_Scientia.pdf)
One well-known Christian apologist made the following statement:
“An axiom is a presupposition, assumed true, from which theorems are deduced. It makes sense to use the propositions of Scripture as axioms.”
This statement seems to make sense at first. When we hear phrases like these, it takes time to untangle the statements so we can understand them. So let’s break down these two sentences into normal English. Then we’ll unscramble this confusing claim into a simple statement down the page. But first, let’s understand these phrases:
- “It makes sense”
- If something makes sense, it’s rational or reasonable.
- To be rational is to be sane.
- We need true premises and valid form to think rationally.
- “An axiom is a presupposition, assumed true.”
- Axioms are unknown claims (Someone made them up.) we call “true” without proving they’re true.
- “from which theorems are deduced”
- If we deduce, we use deductive reasoning.
- We can’t base sound deductive reasoning on made-up stuff. We must know the premise is true.
- A theorem is a statement we proved by sound deductive reasoning. Sound deductive reasoning has true premises and valid deductive form.
- And yet he says we can base sound deductive reasoning on made-up stuff.
We can already see the internal conflicts even though the language is deceptive and clever. Why would we use this deceptive way of thinking about Scripture? Don’t we know Jesus Christ? Doesn’t the Holy Spirit confirm to us that Scripture is God’s word without error? Doesn’t the Holy Spirit speak to us through Scripture?
And yet, it’s not that this man is trying to deceive us. That’s not his intent at all. Rather, the brute-beast mind in each of us deceives us sometimes, so we have to sort through the nonsense. We need to sort through our own nonsense and the nonsense of others. God wants the nonsense out so the truth remains.
(end quote)
