Gospel Disproof #10: Rigged score-keeping [View All]

[cleanhippie]

Suppose you start flipping a coin and keeping track of the results. What are the odds against getting heads 100 times in a row? Normally pretty high, right? But with a simple technique, the odds go way down. In fact, if you apply this trick consistently, you can virtually guarantee success every time. Know how? It’s easy: every time it comes up tails, you just say, “That one doesn’t count.” By only counting the ones that come up heads, you can get as many in a row as you like.

Rigged score-keeping is a big part of Christian apologetics. You want proof that God answers prayer? Here, let me show you my scars: I was in a terrible accident and the doctors said I had only a 4% chance of survival, but my family prayed for me and here I am today. Well, that’s all well and good for you and the other three people who survive similar injuries, but what about the 96 that didn’t survive, despite their families’ prayers? Those don’t count. You only count the ones that come up heads.

Rigged score-keeping is a major part of Christian interpretation of prophecy. Take a closer look at any so-called “fulfilled” prophecy, and you’ll find rigged score-keeping. For example, Isaiah 7:14 says, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Christians claim this is a prediction of the (alleged) virgin birth of Jesus. But Mary didn’t call her son’s name “Immanuel,” she called him “Jesus.” Fail? Not according to believers. The only part that really counts is the part that seems to fit the fulfillment; any prophetic failure is automatically disqualified. You only count the heads.

Rigged score-keeping is usually accompanied by some form of rationalization. For example, believers will use the excuse that the Bible did not fail, we just misinterpreted it. Thus, when the Bible says “she shall call his NAME Immanuel,” ho ho, silly skeptic, that does not mean the Bible is predicting the actual NAME she would give him. Immanuel (our trusty footnotes tell us) is a name that means “God with us,” so when the text predicted that she would call his name Immanuel, what it really meant was that Jesus is God incarnate.

http://freethoughtblogs.com/alethianworldview/2011/11/05/gospel-disproof-10-rigged-score-keeping/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook