New Contest: Name That Logical Fallacy
Here's an email that was originally sent to the forum, Why Won't God Heal Amputees? It is a thoughtful response to the infamous "10 Questions" video.
A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed.
As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation.
They talked about so many things and various subjects..
When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said:
"I don't believe that God exists."
"Why do you say that?" asked the customer. "Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn't exist.
Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people?
Would there be abandoned children?
If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain.
I can't imagine a loving God who would allow all of these things."
The customer thought for a moment, but didn't respond because he didn't want to start an argument.
The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop.
Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard.
He looked dirty and unkempt. The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber:
"You know what? Barbers do not exist."
"How can you say that?" asked the surprised barber.
"I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you!"
"No!" the customer exclaimed. "Barbers don't exist because
if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside."
"Ah, but barbers DO exist! That's what happens when people do not come to me."
"Exactly!" affirmed the customer. "That's the point! God, too, DOES exist!
That'swhat happens when people do not go to Him and don't look to Him forhelp. That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world."
Iapologize for the length, but it explains your questions in your video"10 questions that every intelligent Christian must answer" Iappreciate your for being respectful and civil about yourargument(unlike most athiest youtubers), but you are still incrediblyignorant. To argue God or no-God, you need to fully understand bothsides; meaning go to a church, talk with a pastor, etc. Imagine atoddler arguing how to drive a car: they have never drove and don't yethave any logical reasoning. This is my point of view of you arguingthat God does not exist.
P.S. ;God can heal amputees, thrusomething called prosthetic limbs. It doesn't have to be the same thingbut it functions just fine
Thank you for your time.
Now here's the challenge: name the logical fallacies in this post. Name as many as you can, and explain each fallacy briefly.
Please note I said, "briefly."
Here's the important bit: DO NOT POST YOUR ANSWER IN THE COMMENTS. THEY WON'T BE PUBLISHED. EMAIL THE ANSWER TO CODSWALLOP@COMCAST.NET.
The whole business of logical fallacies can be a bit tricky. Some fallacies overlap, or go by different names. There are some broad categories of fallacies which contain narrower definitions within them. So be specific and be thorough.
As always, this is just for fun. Decision of the judges (OK, it's just me) is final and subject to logical fallacies of my own. Prizes will be awarded. Also, I reserve the right to make mistakes.(It's just a tin of frikkin' mints, for FSM's sake!)
Contest closes Monday, August 24, 2009 at 9:00 EDT.
Comments