Logic or Faith?

Are the laws of logic truly universal? Must a person choose between logic or faith? Have we moved beyond superstition? Dr. Jason Lisle, AiG–U.S., responds to a critic’s challenge.

RE: Dr Jason Lisle Imagine No Creator Feedback

Logic is a way of thinking that involves the ability to reason. There are no laws of logic that need to apply “everywere and be invariant”. Can you please reveal the laws of logic. Also how did you come up with the idea science “borrowed” logic from Christianity because Christianity is a faith based philosophy. There is no logic to the bible it is the word of God. If you try and introduce logical thinking it makes no sense...the creation, the flood, the holy trinity, the whole Christian system of serving God to get salvation in an afterlife. None of this stands up in the face of reason and evidence. It has taken a long time for logical thinking to win over superstition. But now it has and enormous progress has been made of course a pandora’s box of problems goes with that but at least its real and not fictional!

Good luck Dr Lisle

—A., Australia

Food for Thought

In As Easy as Pi, Dr. Lisle did a great service by calling attention to the topic of accuracy v. precision in Bible numbers, as well as significant figures. I have seen so many pro-Bible sites and materials that overlook this important basis for accepting Biblical accuracy, and thus give a less-than-adequate answer to skeptics. As he points out, “pi = 3” is a perfectly accurate mathematical truth, regardless whether it is as precise as some might like in this pocket-calculator age.

Thanx, Dr. Lisle, for showing that true science—especially the Queen of the Sciences!—and the Bible are mutually supporting!

—C.M., U.S.

Have Something to Add?

Let us know what you think.

Logic is a way of thinking that involves the ability to reason.

Logic is not just “a way of thinking”; rather, logic describes the correct way of thinking. Laws of logic are God’s standard for reasoning. But why would there be a universal standard for reasoning in a random-chance universe? Any standard of human invention would necessarily be subjective and arbitrary.

There are no laws of logic that need to apply “everywere and be invariant”.

If there are no laws of logic, then why are you trying to use laws of logic in your email? You see, you had to use laws of logic to write your email, and you assumed that they apply just as well in the United States as they do in Australia, and that they haven’t changed with time. In other words, you have assumed that laws of logic apply everywhere and are invariant in order to argue that this is not the case. Your argument is self-refuting.

Can you please reveal the laws of logic.

The law of non-contradiction is one such law of logic, which states that you can’t have A and not-A at the same time and in the same relationship, where A is any proposition. I would suggest you get a textbook on logic if you want to learn about the laws of logic. I recommend Copi & Cohen, Introduction to Logic.

Also how did you come up with the idea science “borrowed” logic from Christianity because Christianity is a faith based philosophy.

Only the Christian faith can account for laws of logic. The law of non-contradiction, for example, stems from God’s internal consistency. God cannot deny Himself (2 Timothy 2:13), and all truth (all knowledge) is in Christ (Colossians 2:3); thus, truth will not go against itself. But apart from God as revealed in the Bible, no one can account for the existence and properties of the laws of logic. Therefore, other competing philosophies must implicitly assume the truth of the Christian worldview in order to have laws of logic by which their adherents attempt to argue. Since they cannot account for logic on their own terms, competing worldviews must borrow logic from Christianity.

There is no logic to the bible it is the word of God.

On the contrary, apart from the biblical worldview, there would be no basis for logic at all. Logic is entirely contingent upon the biblical God.

If you try and introduce logical thinking it makes no sense...the creation, the flood, the holy trinity,

All of these are perfectly rational. There is no violation of any of the laws of logic.

the whole Christian system of serving God to get salvation in an afterlife.

No, salvation is not earned in the “Christian system.” It is God’s gift to us, given entirely by His grace, and received through faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:8). We serve God out of gratitude and love.

None of this stands up in the face of reason and evidence.

Unfortunately, you didn’t provide a single example of this reason and evidence (and, with respect, I don’t think you can). If you can come up with an actual argument against the Bible, and not just an arbitrary opinion, I’d love to hear it.

It has taken a long time for logical thinking to win over superstition.

I wish that were so. But, unfortunately, logical thinking has not entirely triumphed over superstition; after all, superstitions like evolution and the big bang are still widely accepted in our culture. These are indeed superstitions by definition; they are a “blindly accepted belief or notion.” The Christian worldview is rational because it alone provides the foundation for logic, science, and other things we need to make sense of the universe. So, I have a good reason for my faith; it makes reasoning possible. I hope that eventually logical thinking will “win over superstition,” which is why we promote the Christian worldview here at Answers in Genesis.

But now it has and enormous progress has been made of course a pandora’s box of problems goes with that but at least its real and not fictional!

Apart from the Christian worldview, we could never distinguish what is real from what is fiction. The presuppositions that our senses and memory are basically reliable, that there are laws of logic, that there is uniformity in nature, and that people have dignity and freedom are all necessary for rationality and science. Yet these all are contingent upon the biblical God.