RLGN 101 Mid-Term

ad hominem

"to the man"; Seeking to discredit a person's argument by attacking their personal character, origin, associations, etc.

Overgeneralization

(Stereotyping) Making a judgment about an entire Group based on behavior, mostly undesirable, of a few from that group

a worldview is not (3)...

- Merely our perception of the world - Limited to those who study philosophy - does not determine truth

false analogy

Arguing on the basis of a comparison of unrelated things

Syncretism

The idea of an indiscriminate blending of values and concepts from opposing systems

essentialism

What is right flows from the very essence and nature of God

five question that reveal a worldview

-origin -identity -morality -(meaning)purpose -destiny

atheism

Belief that God does not exist

selective perception

Looking only for things that support our current ideas, and ignoring evidence that does not

theism

a belief in one or more supernatural deities

Law of Non-Contradiction

if one statement is true, its opposing positional statement is false

Bandwagon

justifying a course of action because "everyone is doing it"

Anthropocentric

man centered perspective

argument

offering evidence to demonstrate the reasonableness of, and thus persuade others to accept, an opinion or conclusion one holds

characteristics of a critical thinker (10)

-constantly evaluate their own attitudes, values, and opinions -understand that having a right to an opinion does not mean every opinion is right, including their own -do not pretend to know what they don't know -don't blindly adhere to tradition -resist, and refuse to use, manipulation -seek clarification of terms -explore the many sides of an issue -base their opinions and judgements on evidence -eager to learn -look for common logical fallacies

Late assignment policy (3)

-contact professor immediately - 10% deduction for every week its late -not accepted more than 2 weeks late (or after course final date)

a worldview is (2)...

-the basis for our moral decision making -a set of presuppositions by which we order our lives and determine our religious and social beliefs, values, and practices

What do you do if you miss a test?

-you have up to five days from the date the test was issued to make it up -they are made up in the Tutoring and Testing Center (DeMoss 1080c) UPON APPOINTMENT -fill out "Request for Excused Absence" form signed by the professor in order to take the test -automatic 11% reduction from the grade for unexcused absence

problems with subjective relativism (5)

1. "there are no absolutes" is an absolute 2. two opposing views can't both be right at the same time 3. the moment a relativist tries to get you to believe their position they have contradicted their position 4. people want to LIVE by a subjective morality but want to be TREATED according to an objective morality 5. Denying God and moral absolutes is often a strategy for guilt free permissiveness

problems with conventional relativism (3 (but 1 has 2))

1. If socially approved morality cannot be criticized, then it's meaningless to speak of or strive for social moral improvement and criticism of any practice of any other culture is unjustifiable 2. One may be a member of two "societies" with opposing views, making some acts both right and wrong 3. The majority is not always right

concepts of the "big picture" metanarrative of the biblical worldview (4)

1. creation 2. fall 3. redemption 4. restoration

Problems of Cultural Relativism (4)

1. the disagreement between cultures is overstated 2. you can justify any moral behavior 3. the conclusion doesn't follow the premise (disagreement doesn't destroy objective truth and cultural conditioning doesn't destroy objective truth) 4. considered uneducated ignorant to insist that morality may be OBJECTIVE (and consequently universal and absolute) rather than relative to culture or individuals

basic components of a biblical worldview (5)

1. there is a God 2. God has revealed Himself to mankind 3. Jesus Christ is God's son who is the redeemer of the world 4. The Bible is God's Word 5. Christians are to follow the teachings of the Bible

Attendance policy (2)

1. university approved -provide written documentation in advance -work may be made up 2. student elective absences -discretion of faculty -more than 10 minutes late= tardy but present -3 tardies= 1 absence -3 tardies allowed (for my class) per semester -absences over permitted number= 75 point penalty

straw man

A person simply ignores another person's actual position and substitutes a distorted, exaggerated or misrepresented version of that position (so you're saying...)

basic difference between cultural relativism, subjective relativism, and conventional relativism

CULTURAL: no universal moral principles exist SUBJECTIVE: morality= dependent on individual choice and preference CONVENTIONAL: morality= dependent on social convention (51% morality)

special revelation (def and 4 ways)

God makes vital truths about himself which He has not made known through nature 1. dreams and visions 2. God's voice 3. OT appearances of Christ 4. God's Word

general revelation (def and 4 ways)

In a general way, God has revealed himself and continues to reveal His moral will to all mankind 1. codes ("golden rule") 2. conflicts 3. conduct 4. conscience

Hasty Conclusion

Making a judgment on the basis of one or even a few samples

False Dilemma

Oversimplifying a complex issue to make it appear that only two alternatives are possible

How many Quizzes and Tests does this course have?

Q: 15 T: 2

go over video notes

R.C. Sproul

relative truth

Truth that is true at only one time and at one place; true to some people and not to others; true now but it may not have been true in the past and it may not be again in the future; it's SUBJECT TO CHANGE

opinion

any belief or conclusion about reality that is not based on absolute or indisputable knowledge (but rather seems valid or probable to the one who holds it)

appeal to false authority

appealing to the opinion of a person who agrees with yours because they are generally respected by the audience, but have no real authority on the topic at hand

slippery slope

arguing against an action on the unsupported assertion that it will inevitably lead to a much worse condition

Appeal to Ignorance

claiming that something is true simply because it cannot be disproved, or that something is untrue because it cannot be proved

is/ought or naturalistic

concluding about the way things ought to be simply on the basis of how things are or are assumed to be

Oversimplification

concluding that an effect has only one cause when it is really the result of multiple causes

red herring

raising an irrelevant issue to draw attention away from the real issue

Sweeping Generalization

stating a general principle and then applying it in a specific case as though it were a universal rule

logical fallacies (15)

straw man, red herring, false dilemma, selective perception, is/ought or naturalistic, bandwagon, appeal to ignorance, appeal to false authority, ad hominem, sweeping generalization, slippery slope, false analogy, overgeneralization, hasty conclusion, and oversimplification

Theocentric

the existence/reality of God is at the center of all that is evaluated

worldview

the way that we view the world and make value judgements about life

absolute truth

whatever is true at one time and at one place is true at all times and at all places; true for all persons, true whether we believe it or not; is discovered or revealed; not invented by a culture or by religious men.