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Introduction: How to reason

Section 6: Don't jump to conclusions

Examine all the evidence before coming to any conclusion. Proof of a part of theory is not proof of the whole.

fall of Jericho: pic origin to be confirmed

The sixth chapter of Joshua in the Old Testament tells us how the city of Jericho, which was occupied by Canaanites, fell to the Israelites.

Under God's instructions, the Israelite priests and army marched round the city every day for seven days, blowing their trumpets. On the seventh day "When the trumpets sounded, the people shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the people gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed." (Joshua 6:20, New International Version)

Archaeologists have found the site of ancient Jericho. It really existed and there is evidence that it was destroyed around 1400 or 1500 BC. A Creationism website points out that according to the Old Testament the event occurred in the springtime or harvest season and one team found buried bushels of grain. The fact that the food was uneaten, the site argues, is proof that the population had no chance to escape - exactly as described in Joshua 6:21 (text at the foot of this column).

Doesn't such evidence prove that the Bible is true - and if it's true it must be the Word of God? Most Christians are persuaded by such an argument and many others, who have no strong feeling about religion, feel that such an argument makes sense.

The problem is, the argument is false. Jericho lies in an area that has been prone to earthquake. Whether or not an army


How good is your reasoning?

Can you distinguish lies from truth? Or a good argument from a false one? Can you when tell someone is trying to pull the wool over your eyes?

We keep physically fit by exercising regularly and eating healthy
food. The same is true of our minds - we need regular mental exercise and a good diet of solid facts and logic.

This chapter offers basic reasoning skills to help you understand the contradictions that lie at the heart of all religion.

0.1: Basic principles
Start at the beginning

0.2: What do we know?
Separate fact from fiction

0.3: Start with the question ...
... not with the answer

0.4: All the evidence ...
... not just some of it

0.5: Cause and correlation
They're not the same

0.6: Don't jump to conclusions ...
... or you could land in the ...

0.7: No way
Proving a negative

0.8: Occam's Razor
The simplest solution

0.9: Facts, knowledge and science
What we know and how we know it

0.10: Reason and faith
Understanding the difference

0.11: Summary




Finished the introduction? Move on to

Chapter 1
Defining God


Does God exist? Before we try to answer that question we need to have a clear idea of who or what God is. How do we describe God? What versions of God are on offer?



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marched round the city blowing trumpets and shouting - and there is no evidence that one did - it is clear that the city collapsed from natural causes. (An alternate explanation is that such an army did march and the repeated thumping of feet weakened fortifications to the extent that they eventually collapsed.)

A thorough review of the text of Joshua confirms that God's only role in this story was to suggest the circumambulation of the city under attack. Every other aspect of the story is attributable to natural causes.

When we read that the LORD told the Israelites to do something, we ask ourselves, how did God do this? Did he bring them all together in a public meeting, or did he tell one or two priests that these were his orders? If he spoke to priests, can we trust what they say? And given that Joshua was written several centuries after the events it records, how much can we trust it as a record of actual events...?

Take another, non-Biblical example. In Section 3 we compared two detectives examining a murder scene. The first detective was convince that the murderer was the victim's rival in love and looked for evidence to confirm that theory. The second detective was open-minded. Now imagine a third detective who starts open-minded, but he's lazy or not very good at reasoning. He sees the same evidence as the first detective does and immediately assumes that the rival was guilty. And if he makes the arrest, the real criminal escapes...

Here's a third example - the appearance of design. Believers - particularly Creationists and proponents of Intelligent Design - observe that elements of the universe and life on earth appear to have been designed. From "appear", they jump to the conclusion that those elements must have been designed. But in order to reach that conclusion, they ignore other evidence, as we will see in Chapter Three: God the creator? - evidence which confirms that a designer is unnecessary.

There's a simple lesson to be learnt here: don't jump to conclusions. Examine all the evidence before coming to any conclusion. And remember that proof of part of theory (ancient Jericho collapsed) is not proof that the whole theory (the Bible confirms that God exists) is true.


Joshua 6:20 concludes: "so every [Israelite] charged straight in, and they took the city." It is followed by Joshua 6:21: "They devoted the city to the LORD and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it — men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys." Leaving aside the question as to how the city walls fell, what does this sadistic violence tell us about the Old Testament God and his followers?




Next: Introduction: Section 7
No way



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If God existed, he would...

admire the beauty of a universe that he did not create

recognize that eternity is meaningless

deny both heaven and hell

disown all men and women who speak in his name

denounce the harm caused by religious "morality"

help the human race to thrive without him

If God existed, he would be an atheist.





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