Apologetics. Assignment for Next Wednesday. Go to the Vatican website and open up the document . Fides et Ratio. . Either Google. . “fides et ratio” and follow the link or go to this web address: . ID: 165468
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Fr. Matthew Zimmer
Apologetics
Slide2Assignment for Next Wednesday
Go to the Vatican website and open up the document
Fides et Ratio
Either Google
“fides et ratio” and follow the link or go to this web address:
http
://
www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_15101998_fides-et-ratio_en.html
Outline the entire document, print out your outline, and bring to class
next Wednesday
The outline should follow this model:
Introduction – know thyself (1-6)
Chapter 1 – The revelation of God’s Wisdom (7-15)
Jesus, revealer of the Father (7-12)
Etc.
Read Chapter 4 (36-48)
Be ready for a quiz over this chapter if it seems like you didn’t read it
Slide3In Class Assignment
Split into groups
Put your names (first and
last initial
)on one sheet of paper
Using complete sentences, answer the following questions
Have I ever been challenged on some element of the faith? What was it?
Has there ever been a time when I couldn’t answer a question about the faith? What was it?
For each person, write one question about the Faith that you wish you knew the answer to next to your name.
Slide4Apologetics, What is it?
1. Pick a topic that you are passionate about and know a lot about.
2. Pick a partner: Convince your partner why it is important to be passionate about your topic.
3. 3 groups to volunteer to demonstrate their persuasive discussion.
4. What two elements are necessary to be an effective apologist?
5. In regards to conveying a message in a persuasive and effective way, what did you learn?
Slide5What is Apologetics
Although it might sound and look like it, apologetics is NOT apologizing in the sense of “being sorry for the faith”
We are not sorry for what we believe
The faith comes from God and therefore it is good
Comes from the Greek word
apologia
which means “speaking in defense”
Apologetics
= the discipline of defending a position through the systematic use of
reason
Slide6What is apologetics
Apologetics is a discipline
Word originally was used in a courtroom setting – prosecutor delivered the case against the defendant and the defendant offered the
apologia
As a discipline, there is a structure to good apologetics
This is not simply a matter of spouting off truths but rather putting forth a rational argument
Slide7What is apologetics
Apologetics is about defending a position
Strictly speaking, apologetics can be used for any position
3 Types of Apologetics:
A. Natural Apologetics:
Existence of God, God’s attributes:
B. Christian Apologetics:
How God’s presence is known.
C. Catholic Apologetics:
God’s intention to build the Church and empower the Church with His own grace and authority so that the jaws of hell shall not prevail against it.
We are going to try to focus on C.
Slide8What is apologetics
Apologetics is about using reason
We are given intellect/reason by God
We should be able to use our intellect to defend His teachings
Slide9Why Study Apologetics?
There are challenges to the Faith in our lives
Some will come from non-Christians
E.g. There is no God
Some will come from non-Catholic Christians
E.g. Marriage is not a Sacrament
Some will even come from Catholics who don’t always accept the teachings of the Church
E.g. Contraception is fine
It is important to be able to explain the Faith to those who ask
It is even more important to know that there is a reason why the Church teaches what she does
Slide10Why Study Apologetics?
Even the Bible tells us that we should be able to defend the faith
“Always be prepared to make a defense (
pros
apologian
)
to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and respect.” (1 Pet 3:15)
Note the gentleness and respect – apologetics is not about beating down an opponent
“You are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense (
apologia)
and confirmation of the Gospel.” (Phil 1:7)
Slide11Why Study Apologetics?
“Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense (
apologian
) of the Gospel.” (Phil 1:15-17)
“When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities, do not worry about how or what your defense
(
apologesesthe
)
will be or about what you are to say.” (Luke 12:11)
Slide12History of Apologetics
The notion of defending the Faith comes about from the very beginning of Christianity
One of the most important examples is Paul debating with the Athenians in the
Areopagus
(Acts 17:16-34)
Unlike defending the Faith against the Jews in which Paul uses the Old Testament, here Paul uses philosophical language
Argues against the inconsistency of the Athenians in their beliefs
Result of his argument: some believed, some scoffed, some converted. These will happen to us as well.
There are countless other examples in the New Testament of various authors (especially Paul) defending the faith to others such as the Jews
Slide13History of Apologetics
The early Church Fathers also spent a lot of time with apologetics
By Church Fathers we mean the early Theologians of the Church who taught and wrote about the Faith in roughly the first 8 centuries of the Church
St. John Damascus is considered the last Church Father in the Roman Catholic Church
After the Apostolic age there was a great need for apologetics for two major reasons
Persecutions
Heresies (especially Gnosticism)
Slide14St. Justin Martyr
One of the most important of the early Apologists
Lived around 100-165 AD
Converted to Christianity from Platonism
Had studied Philosophy looking for truth
Major apologetic works
Dialogue with
Trypho
the Jew
– used messianic prophecies from Hebrew Scriptures to prove that Jesus is the Messiah
Apologies
– two works in which he appealed for the civil toleration of Christianity and argued that it was the true philosophy
Not particularly consistent but given his early writing that isn’t surprising
Slide15ST. Clement of Alexandria
Lived around 150-215 AD
Continued to use arguments from both philosophy (especially Plato and the Stoics) and Jewish writings
Wrote
Protrepticus
, an apologetic work that was much more sophisticated than the earlier attempts
Slide16Origin
Lived around 185-254 AD
Considered the most important of the 3
rd
century apologists
Most important work was
Contra
Celsum
(“Against
Celsus
”)
Replied to the critiques of Christianity made by
Celsus
Offered a historical defense of the Resurrection
Showed that the miracle stories of paganism are far less credible than those of the Gospels
Slide17St. Augustine
Lived 354-430
Bishop of Hippo
Converted from
Manicheism
(dualistic philosophy of good and evil gods) to Platonism and then to Christianity
Wrote many apologetic works
Highlighted the importance of faith and reason working together
“For understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore, do not seek to understand in order to believe, but believe that thou
mayest
understand” (
fides
quaerens
intellectum
)
“For faith is understanding’s step; and understanding faith’s attainment”
Slide18St. Anselm
Lived 1033-1109
Bishop of
Cantebury
Focused on the priority of faith
“For I do not seek to understand in order to believe but I believe in order to understand” (
credo
ut
intelligam
)
Comes up with the ontological proof for the existence of God
Starts with idea of “that than which nothing greater can be thought”
Infers the being (
ontos
) of God
Not the strongest argument, but evidence of attempts to “prove” the existence of God
Slide19St. Thomas Aquinas
Lived 1225-1274
Aristotle had been recently reintroduced into Europe by the Muslim philosophers
Aquinas created a Christian philosophy using the structure and logic of Aristotle
Seen primarily in his
Summa
Theologica
Thoughts on Faith and Reason
Some truths about God are discoverable through reason or through faith
Some truths about God are discoverable only through faith
Even those truths discoverable through reason are commended to faith as reason is finite and faulty
Slide20Method of Apologetics
Reminder:
Apologetics
= the discipline of defending a position through the systematic use of
reason
This class will use the classical method of apologetics to look at various Church teachings
We’ve already followed that in some manner in looking at the history of apologetics
We will use
Scripture and Tradition
heavily in the various questions we look at
We will also use both
Faith and Reason
as we look at the various questions
Slide21Fides Et Ratio
Fides
= Faith
Ratio =
Reason
“Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth – in a word, to know himself – so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves.”
Blessed John Paul II – introduction to
Fides et Ratio
Slide22Fides Et Ratio
While Blessed John Paul teaches the importance of both faith and reason, he continues to stress the primacy of faith in matters of Theology
“It should nonetheless be kept in mind that Revelation remains charged with mystery. It is true that Jesus, with his entire life, revealed the countenance of the Father, for he came to teach the secret things of God. But our vision of God is always fragmentary and impaired by the limits of our understanding. Faith alone makes it possible to penetrate the mystery in a way that allows us to understand it coherently.”
(p. 13)
Slide23Fides Et Ratio
Credo
ut
Intelligam
(“I believe that I may understand”)
Intelligo
ut
Credam
(“I understand that I may believe”)
Both of these are important for Blessed John Paul
“There is thus no reason for competition of any kind between reason and faith: each contains the other, and each has its own scope for action.” (p. 17)
This is also not purely theoretical but practical
“No less important than research in the theoretical field is research in the practical field – by which I mean the search for truth which looks to the good which is to be performed.” (p. 25)
Slide24Fides Et Ratio
Paul in the
Areopagus
“Frequent allusions to popular beliefs deriving for the most part from Stoicism”
A
n ancient Greek philosophy from early 3
rd
century BC
Saw philosophy as a way of life to remove destructive emotions
Since he was speaking to non-Jews, he realized that Christians needed to use language they could understand
Gentiles wouldn’t accept “Moses and the prophets”
They could accept natural knowledge and the voice of conscience
We might have to use language appropriate to our situation as well
Slide25Fides et Ratio – Philosophy
Christianity adopted philosophy early on
There was a danger to this
Philosophy is properly understood as practical wisdom and an education for life
Some of the “philosophies” of the time (and even now) were considered to be reserved for those who were “perfect” (e.g. Gnosticism)
Early Christian writers warn not to subordinate the truth of Revelation to the interpretation of philosophers
Slide26Fides et Ratio – Philosophy
The first task for Christians was to proclaim the Risen Christ
They still desired to deepen their understanding of the faith
“The encounter with the Gospel offered such a satisfying answer to the hitherto unresolved question of life’s meaning that delving into the philosophers seemed to them something remote and in some ways outmoded.” (p. 38)
This is, in part, why we have as much equality as we do in the world – Christianity was for all, not just the “perfect”
Slide27Fides et Ratio - Philosophy
Although wary of an incorrect use of philosophy, many of the early Christian writers began to use philosophy, especially Platonic, to make their arguments
This methodology of “Christianizing” philosophy would be used throughout most of the Church’s history
The study of philosophy was what led St. Augustine to Christianity and he worked to make the two work together
“In him too the great unity of knowledge, grounded in the thought of the Bible, was both confirmed and sustained by a depth of speculative thinking.” (p. 40)
Slide28Fides Et Ratio - Philosophy
Even though they used philosophy to make their arguments, early Christian writers didn’t blindly accept everything that the philosophical systems put forth
“What does Athens have in common with Jerusalem” – Tertullian
Slide29Fides et Ratio – Philosophy
“It
is here that we see the originality of what the Fathers accomplished.
They fully welcomed reason which was open to the absolute, and they infused it with the richness drawn from Revelation.
This was more than a meeting of cultures, with one culture perhaps succumbing to the fascination of the other. It happened rather in the depths of human souls, and it was a meeting of creature and Creator. Surpassing the goal towards which it unwittingly tended by dint of its nature,
reason attained the supreme good and ultimate truth in the person of the Word made flesh
. Faced with the various philosophies, the Fathers were not afraid to acknowledge those elements in them that were consonant with Revelation and those that were not. Recognition of the points of convergence did not blind them to the points of divergence
.” (p. 41)
Slide30Fides et Ratio - Philosophy
The function of reason is NOT to pass judgment on the contents of faith
The function of reason is to find meaning, to discover explanations which might allow everyone to come to a certain understanding of the contents of faith
There is a fundamental harmony between the knowledge of faith and the knowledge of philosophy
“Faith asks that its object be understood with the help of reason; and at the summit of its searching reason acknowledges that it cannot do without what faith presents” (p. 42)
Slide31Fides et Ratio - PHilosophy
Thomas Aquinas is given a high place of honor in this entire process
“The Church has been justified in consistently proposing Saint Thomas as a master of thought and a model of the right way to do theology.” (p. 43)
Faith has no fear of reason, but seeks it out and has trust in it
Faith builds upon and perfects reason
Aquinas sees two types of wisdom
Philosophical wisdom which is based upon the capacity of the intellect to explore reality
Theological wisdom which is based upon Revelation and which explores the contents of faith
Slide32Splitting Faith and Reason
Thomas held that although there is a link between philosophy and theology, there is also a need for a certain level of autonomy between them so they can perform well in their respective fields
Unfortunately, this legitimate distinction became a separation from the late Medieval period on
Due to the separation, there has been the tendency to completely remove either Faith or Reason from a person’s understanding of the world
Slide33Fides Et Ratio – Removing Faith
When Faith is removed, we enter into rationalism
Rationalism
= the idea that human reason is the sole source and final test of truth
Tendencies of rationalism
Philosophical speculations are taken as scientific facts
Science is falsely supposed to be in opposition to religion
Either completely rejects religion and revelation or pushes them off to the sidelines as something having no place in the public sphere
Some philosophies that fall under Rationalism are Atheism, Materialism, Pantheism, Nihilism, etc.
“Deprived of what Revelation offers, reason has taken side-tracks which expose it to the danger of losing sight of its final goal” (p.48)
Slide34Fides et Ratio – Removing Reason
When Reason is removed, we enter into Fideism
Fideism
= the idea that unaided human reason is incapable of reaching any certitude and human knowledge consists entirely in an act of faith
Tendencies of Fideism
Distrust in human reason
Science and Religion are seen as complete opposites
Some philosophies that fall under Fideism are Agnosticism, Fundamentalism, etc.
“Deprived of reason, faith has stressed feeling and experience, and
so runs
the risk of no longer being a universal proposition…faith then runs the grave risk of withering into myth or superstition.” (p. 48)
Slide35Fides Et Ratio
“This
is why I make this strong and insistent appeal—not, I trust, untimely—that faith and philosophy recover the profound unity which allows them to stand in harmony with their nature without compromising their mutual autonomy. The
parrhesia
(speaking truth)
of
faith must be matched by the boldness of reason
.”
Slide36Argumentation
Although it is important to be able to defend the faith using reason, it is also important that we use reason properly
One thing that is often done in arguments is using a fallacy to try to prove your point
This can be done on either side of the argument
Fallacy
= Deceptive arguments which seem to be valid and true but are not
It can be fairly difficult to recognize fallacies although our world is rife with them
Fallacies can be seen on television, in movies, in political debates, in religious debates, on YouTube, and practically anywhere somebody is talking
It should be noted that just because an argument has a fallacy that does not necessarily mean that the conclusion is false (although it might be). It merely means that the argument is not sufficient to prove the conclusion.
Slide37Examples of Fallacies from TV
Slide38Three general Types of Fallacies
Fallacies of Language
These fallacies involve using words in various ways to try to confuse your opponent or obfuscate (make unclear) what you are actually saying
Fallacies of Relevance
These fallacies are based around trying to turn the argument away from the actual issue into something that is easier to prove
Fallacies of Presumption
These fallacies are based around supposing the truth about some statement that may not be true
Slide39Fallacies of Language
Equivocation
Amphiboly
Composition
Division
Accent
Figures of speech
Slide40Equivocation
Using a word with the same spelling or sound that has different meanings
Examples
You shouldn’t take a course that teaches you how to
argue
. You
argue
too much already.
What is
natural
is good, but to make mistakes is
natural.
Therefore it is good to make mistakes.
No U-turn. No, you turn.
Slide41Amphiboly
Using a phrase in which the meaning is ambiguous (unclear)
Examples
You would be lucky to get him to work for you
Because he’s that great or because he never works?
I can assure that no person would be better for this job.
Is it that there is nobody else who is better qualified or that it would be better to hire nobody than to hire this person
If Croesus wages war against the Persians, he will destroy a mighty kingdom
Doesn’t say which kingdom will be destroyed – turned out to be his own!
Slide42Composition
Taking words or phrases as a whole which should be interpreted separately
Example
Thieves and murderers won’t go to heaven, but I will get to heaven because I’m a thief and not a murderer
You like beef, potatoes, and green beans, so you will like this beef, potato, and green bean casserole
Do you like eggs, pizza, cake, fish, oranges, milk, and yogurt? Together?
Slide43Division
Taking words or phrases as separate which should be interpreted as a whole
Examples
Bill lives in a large building so his apartment must be large
Men get paid more than women so the male janitor must get paid more than the female CEO
The ball is blue, therefore the atoms that make it up are blue
Slide44Accent
Using a word or phrase that can be interpreted differently by its emphasis
Examples
John is
not
a depraved murderer
That’s good
John
is not a
depraved
murderer
Hey, he may be a murderer but at least he’s not depraved
John is not a depraved
murderer
He may be depraved but at least he’s not a murderer
This is really only a problem in written argumentation
Slide45Figures of Speech
Wrongly inferring similarity of meaning from similarity of word structure
Example
What is immaterial is not material
What is insoluble is not soluble
Therefore, what is inflammable is not flammable
Slide46Fallacies of Relevance
Red herring
Ad hominem
Ad
populum
Ad
misericordiam
Ad
verecundiam
Ad
baculum
Suppressing the facts
Slide47Red Herring
Proving a conclusion other than the one that should be proved
Examples
There have been bad popes; therefore the pope is not infallible
Infallibility does not mean impeccability. To prove that the pope is not infallible would require finding a case where he taught something as infallible but it wasn’t.
That guy couldn’t have murdered his wife. He was always nice to me and helped his mom mow her lawn.
Slide48Ad Hominem
Attacking the person instead of the argument
This is a very common fallacy in politics and on the elementary school playground
Examples
Personal abuse
Attack on character, nationality, or religion
Mud slinging
Name calling
Charges of inconsistency
Etc.
Slide49Ad populum
Appeal to popular prejudices
Basically, if most people agree that something is correct then it must be correct
Example
Most people believe the world is flat. Therefore it must be flat.
Most people in the 1960’s thought that blacks and whites should be segregated. Therefore it was good that they were segregated.
Slide50Ad Misericordiam
Appeal to pity rather than deal with the issue at hand
Examples
You should hire me because my grandmother is dying.
I should receive an A in this class because if I don’t I won’t get a scholarship.
Slide51Ad verecundiam
Appeal to misplaced authority
This happens when somebody who is well known or experienced in a particular area makes a claim about an area in which they are not experienced. Because they are well known, people assume they are an expert.
Be careful of biased opinions in this one, even from somebody who truly is an expert
For example, Bob is an expert on stocks. He recommends you buy
Walmart
stock. What he isn’t telling you is that he is currently trying to sell all of his
Walmart
stock and needs somebody to buy them.
Slide52Ad baculum
Appeal to force or fear
Example
You know, Professor, I really need to get an A in this class. I’d like to stop in later to talk about that. I’ll be in the building anyway to see my father. You know, the guy who is your boss.
Slide53Suppressing the facts
Ignoring any facts that are contrary to what you are trying to prove
Examples
Many movie posters include the good reviews. What about the negative reviews?
A friend tells you to wager money on a certain college football team X because they have won all 10 of their games up to this point. Further investigation shows that they have played only lower ranked FCS teams, barely beat them, and are playing Alabama in their next game.
St. Thomas Aquinas says “It seems that God does not exist.”
This comes from the Summa but is in a part where he lays out the argument against the existence of God.
Slide54Fallacies of Presumption
Accident
Confusion of Absolutes
Begging the question
False cause
Non sequitur
False assumption
Illicit generalization
Ad
ignorantiam
Argument from silence
Slide55Accident
Affirming or denying a thing wrongly according to accidental characteristics
Example
You say that you ate the food that you brought. However, you brought raw meat. Therefore, you must have eaten raw meat.
Whether or not it is cooked, it is still the meat you brought
Alcoholic drinks lead to drunkenness and should therefore be forbidden
Good food leads to overeating and should therefore be forbidden
Slide56Confusion of absolutes
Interpreting an absolute statement as qualified, or vice versa.
Examples
Germans are good musicians; therefore, a particular German is a good musician
True for German’s as a whole, but not necessarily true for individual Germans
Slide57Begging the Question
Assuming the truth of the conclusion in the premises
This is also known as circular reasoning
Examples
If such examples were not illegal, then they would not be prohibited by the law.
Why are they prohibited by the law? Because they are illegal.
An employer needs a reference from Bob. Bob says Jill can give one. Employer asks how he can trust Jill. Bob says he can vouch for Jill.
Have you stopped beating your wife yet?
Slide58False Cause
Assuming cause-effect relationship to before-after effects
Confusing causation and correlation
A and B regularly occur together. Therefore A is the cause of B.
Example
There have been many examples of people playing violent video games and then becoming violent in real life. Therefore, anybody who plays violent video games will become violent in real life.
There have been wars fought over religion. Therefore, all religious people want to start wars.
Slide59Non Sequitur
The conclusion doesn’t follow from the premises
Example
Cows give milk; But sheep have wool; Therefore, goats chew cud
Men are human; Mary is human; Therefore, Mary is a man
Slide60False Assumption
Using an implied premise that is false
Example
All men are smart. John is a man. Therefore John is smart
Slide61Illicit Generalization
Making universal statements on insufficient evidence
Example
Tom is driving through Lincoln for the first time. He sees 10 people, all of them are children.
Therefore, Tom says that only children live in Lincoln.
Slide62Ad Ignorantiam
Assumption that what cannot be proven is false or that what cannot be refuted is true
Examples
You cannot prove that God exists. Therefore God does not exist.
You cannot prove that aliens don’t exist. Therefore, aliens must exist.
Slide63Argument from Silence
Assuming falsity from silence
Your opponent doesn’t answer your questions so you assume that you are right and he is wrong
Example
John: Do you know your password?
Bob: Of course I do.
John: What is it?
Bob: I’m not telling you.
John: Obviously you don’t know your password.
We fall into this frequently in criminal trials. When a defendant pleads the fifth, what do we assume?
Slide64Refuting a Fallacy
Identify the fallacy
Giving the name shows knowledge of the error
Give a similar, preposterous example of this fallacy
Avoid illicit analogy
Many of the examples I gave were ridiculous
Take the fallacy to a further, condemning conclusion
Show it leads to a
non sequitur
Offer an opposing argument that is sound
Slide65Slide66Love is a Fallacy
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