"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence" is a bad argument. Agree?

Question

This statement is misleading because there is evidence.

It's called the Bible. Actually read it for once and pray and you will see the power of prayer and feel the Holy Spirit and you will know that it is true.

There is evidence.

Agree? The historical and archeological evidence is there.

Answer 1

No, that is a good argument. If I claim that I had coffee before coming to work, it wouldn't take much evidence to establish that I, indeed, did such a thing. However, if I said that I said some magic words and a cup of coffee appeared in my hand, you would want more convincing evidence of such, because that type of thing is well outside the realm of our experience.

The Bible is not evidence. Actually, it is a list of extraordinary claims, with not much to back it up. I have read the Bible and I have prayed. I now know that it is a book of superstitions and prayer is a waste of time. The Holy Spirit is nothing more than your feelings and wishful thinking.

A book that makes claims is not evidence of those claims.

Answer 2

I am surprised at you.

If you believe in a god, wouldn't you regard him as extraordinary? Indeed, by definition a god must be extraordinary. So, if you cite the bible as evidence of your god, should you not regard that as being extraordinary too? Yet you claim the argument is bad and refer to the bible as evidence. So therefore the bible is not extraordinary evidence.

If I made an extraordinary business pitch that I was able to turn lead into gold, would you not require very good evidence that I could do this? An extraordinary demonstration to prove my claim before you invest your life savings in my business? Of course you would.

And yet, you are prepared to believe in an extraordinary being (god) on the basis of what you have defined as less than extraordinary evidence. That is quite peculiar.

How could a thinking person accept what you say?

Answer 3

I'm a skeptic that was once a believer. I went to ministerial school and learned all there is to know about the Bible and the History of Christianity. I also learned that what I had believed as a child was not the real truth. After a crisis of faith that lasted many years, I finally broke away from the falsity of religion and became a skeptic.

Extraordinary claims indeed require extraordinary evidence.

Answer 4

Many things said in the Bible are true (historical things, yes).

But let's see.. I'm going to say a list of things, and you're going to tell me if they're all true.

World War II ended in 1945.
The Vietnam War ended in 1975.
George Washington was the first president of the United States.
Mike Tyson was vice president of the United States under George Bush.

You know that the first 3 are correct. Are you going to assume the last one is as well because the first 3 are? I hope not.

Just because one or two things in the Bible are historically correct does not make everything historically correct, or any other sort of correct.

Answer 5

Do you feel better for defending your irrational beliefs and Stone Age dogma? GOD DOES NOT EXIST, NOR JESUS, NOR THE HOLY SPIRIT. Get over it. Use your mind to think rationally for a change.

The Bible is another example of the kind of mythical ideology that dominated primitive man's mind and life. As such, it is a childish document that humanity has far surpassed in intelligence to waste any further consideration. Isn't it time you put your childish book and primitive religion away? The world needs rational solutions to today's problems.

Answer 6

The Bible holds numerous historical facts. It also contains numerous historical errors.

However, none of the metaphysical or supernatural components have any substantiating evidence.

In essence, the Bible is garbage.

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As an example:

Recently, archeologists have found a site they find meets the description of Sodom and Gommorah. The Bible records that S&G were destroyed by fire from the sky. However, the archeologists have found it was destroyed by a pyroclastic flow.

Fire from the sky, versus lava on the ground.

Even the ancients knew the difference.

Answer 7

There is nothing misleading about the claim.

The claim says "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."

By citing the Bible, you don't put forth a counter claim to that. You put forth what you consider the extraordinary evidence.

Whether you're correct about that is debatable.

Answer 8

The answer to you question is yes, extraordinary claims do require extraordinary evidence, it's just basic logic.
And by the way, one book written by men doesn't count as evidence, extraordinary or other. What do you say to followers of other religions who make the same claim about their holybooks?

Answer 9

The thing about spiritual beliefs, as a general rule, is that one can manipulate the evidence to support their own theory. I can tell you what I believe and why, but if you do not agree, I won't be able to convince you, no matter the proof.
I am a Christian. God made an extraordinary claim to me, saying that He would fulfill all of his promises to me that are in His Word. It didn't take a momentous confirmation for me to believe He was telling me the truth. All it took was me opening my eyes to past situations to see how He delivered me, even when I didn't realize I was in danger.
So, I would have to say that, at the very least, that statement does not always ring true for every circumstance.

Answer 10

You know what's funny? I did that exact same thing with the Book of Mormon. I read it, I prayed and I "felt" the Holy Spirit and "knew" that it was true.

Feeling the "holy spirit" is completely subjective.

Liesel.