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Meditation 605
Inerrant, irrefutable, infallible can be proven?

A discussion has been opened on this Meditation. To contribute your own thoughts to this exchange, please use the Contact form.

I was reading the Letters to the Editor in today's Calgary Sun. One particular letter[1] defended the Bible's prohibition of homosexuality. I'm not going to rehash that particular issue as the Biblical prohibition can only apply to those who accept the authority of the Bible. What I do want to address is the letter's closing sentence:

For all mature and literate Christians the Bible is the inerrant, irrefutable, infallible Word of God in its entirety, and can be proven by any knowledgeable Christian. (emphasis added.)

Yes - we have a published claim that any knowledgeable Christian can prove the Bible to be the inerrant, irrefutable, infallible Word of God in its entirety.

Combine that with the fact that no-one has apparently ever produced such a proof. What are the possible logical conclusions?

One possible conclusion is that such a proof has not been produced because there is not and never has been a knowledgeable Christian. But I would disagree. I have known knowledgeable Christians. They do exist.

So the logical conclusion is that while a knowledgeable Christian can prove it, not one has ever bothered to do so.

In the interest of expanding theological knowledge, I feel I should provide an incentive. A prize of $100[2] will be awarded to the first Christian, knowledgeable or otherwise, who submits for publication[3] here a complete and valid logically unassailable proof that the Bible is the inerrant, irrefutable, infallible Word of God in its entirety. Any assumptions required for the proof must be explicitly stated, must be independent of religious bias[4], and must not, implicitly or explicitly, contain the conclusion.

Also, before anyone quotes a Bible verse as their proof, I recommend studying Meditation 95.

I await submissions with interest. I am not holding my breath.

Footnotes

  1. Bible is irrefutable; Bill Shaw[5]; p 14, Calgary Sun, Friday, March 30 2007
  2. All I can afford right now, not that I have any expectation I will ever have to pay out.[6] Others are welcome to make pledges to add to the size of the prize pool.
  3. All submissions, except the totally incoherent, will be published. However, only a complete and valid logically unassailable proof will be eligible for the prize.
  4. Proofs which are solely in a Christian context will be considered for publication, but not for the prize. Any assumptions should be acceptable to the vast majority of Christians.
  5. Should the winning proof be submitted by this particular Bill Shaw, the portion of the prize offered by me will be doubled to $200. So, if anyone in Calgary knows him, let him know.
  6. In the event of my demise prior to submission of a winning proof, this offer will not be a charge upon my estate. The offer dies with me.