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Author | Topic: Would confirmation of the "Biblical Exodus" add any support for God | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
jar Member (Idle past 424 days) Posts: 34026 From: Texas!! Joined:
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It is sometimes argued by creationists that certain Biblical accounts and events are evidence for the existence of God. Using the Exodus as an example, this thread will explore the rationale that leads from "the Exodus was real event of history" to the conclusion that "God exists."
A side discussion will inevitably develop around this question: "Using the scientific method, how do we figure out what the evidence is telling us?" For example, how do we know that a chariot wheel found at the bottom of the Red Sea came from the Exodus? Or, given that the Exodus really happened, how do we establish scientifically the accuracy of the details in the Biblical account, or more specifically for one example, how do we know God parted the waters, or even that the waters parted at all? Obtaining answers to these types of questions would be a key aspect of this thread. But the key question is that even if we're able to reach some rough agreements about dates, events, travel routes, number of people, how does one get from "the Exodus happened" to "God exists"? Whatever rationale is identified, it must be one that is sufficiently nuanced that it doesn't reach wrong conclusions about other similar circumstances. For example, this rationale cannot begin with "Troy exists" to reach the conclusion that "Athena, Eris, Aphrodite, Zeus and Hera exist." Anyone so limited that they can only spell a word one way is severely handicapped!
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jar Member (Idle past 424 days) Posts: 34026 From: Texas!! Joined: |
Frako writes: If the exodus happened it would go a long way to the credibility of the Bible tough it would not provide much support for God. Why would it add support for even the Bible? Does the actual existence of the City of Troy add support for the veracity of the Odyssey? The Bible is a collection of stories written by different authors, edited over thousands of years. If one part happened to be shown to be historically accurate, how would that add support for some other story? Anyone so limited that they can only spell a word one way is severely handicapped!
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jar Member (Idle past 424 days) Posts: 34026 From: Texas!! Joined: |
Panda writes: I would expect the theist's thoughts to be:1) The Exodus happened. 2) Therefore nothing in the Bible has been disproved. 3) Thefore the Bible is true. 4) Therefore God exists. The exodus is mainly used as corroborative evidence of god rather than conclusive proof. Well, I'm a theist and so let's look at your argument as presented above through a theist's eyes. First issue, item three is not sound. as I point out in the response above, if one story of a collection of stories even by the same author happened to be shown to be factually true, it does not imply that a different story even by the same author is factually true. Even if the Exodus could be confirmed (and so far I have not seen anyone present a way to confirm that the Exodus even happened), all that it can show is that one particular event is true. Anyone so limited that they can only spell a word one way is severely handicapped!
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jar Member (Idle past 424 days) Posts: 34026 From: Texas!! Joined: |
So if someone took the step that the Exodus as a fact means support for the existence of their God, does the fact of the existence of Troy support the existence of Zeus, Hera, Athena, Eris and Aphrodite?
How would the two differ? Anyone so limited that they can only spell a word one way is severely handicapped!
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jar Member (Idle past 424 days) Posts: 34026 From: Texas!! Joined: |
The reason I mentioned the Odyssey is that it is a second story (although possibly by the same author). The question I was addressing was whether finding that one story in might have a factual base adds support for some other story?
Anyone so limited that they can only spell a word one way is severely handicapped!
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jar Member (Idle past 424 days) Posts: 34026 From: Texas!! Joined: |
To see if someone can show how the two examples differ.
Anyone so limited that they can only spell a word one way is severely handicapped!
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jar Member (Idle past 424 days) Posts: 34026 From: Texas!! Joined: |
Suppose that chariot wheels were found along or in the Red Sea, Egyptian borders of the Red Sea, Gulf of Suez, Gulf of Aqaba or on the Sinai Peninsula. What would that mean?
The first question might be asked is "How likely would it be for chariot wheels to be there in the first place?" The areas involved were all under the direct military control of Egypt, Assyria, Rome, the Second Baylonian Empire and the Persians as well as some minor players like the Phoenicians, Macedonians, Greeks. Each of those powers used chariots so it would not be at all surprising to find chariot wheels in those areas. The question is, what would be needed to connect a chariot wheel that was found to a given event, for example our alleged Exodus? How could we tell whether a chariot wheel was the result of normal occupation forces in the area or some specific incident? Anyone so limited that they can only spell a word one way is severely handicapped! |
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jar Member (Idle past 424 days) Posts: 34026 From: Texas!! Joined: |
I see no way that things like a conversation could be verified.
Anyone so limited that they can only spell a word one way is severely handicapped!
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jar Member (Idle past 424 days) Posts: 34026 From: Texas!! Joined: |
I'm not sure how anyone could confirm that an east wind blew all night, but even if that could be confirmed I cannot see how it would support anything more than the fact that an east wind blew all night.
Anyone so limited that they can only spell a word one way is severely handicapped!
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jar Member (Idle past 424 days) Posts: 34026 From: Texas!! Joined: |
And I agree that would be remarkable if it was shown to have happened.
But would it support much more than the fact that three million people, together with their livestock and etc., survived for decades in a desert? Anyone so limited that they can only spell a word one way is severely handicapped!
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jar Member (Idle past 424 days) Posts: 34026 From: Texas!! Joined: |
Well, if there was evidence that a large population lived for 40 years on the Sinai Peninsula, I would imagine part of the evidence would include the structures they created and used.
Water, and water use leave evidence, even miracle water needs containers, distribution systems, access controls. Remember, you are talking about numbers that are at least double today's current population loading. So what evidence should be seen if a large population did exist on the Sinai Peninsula for four decades? Anyone so limited that they can only spell a word one way is severely handicapped!
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jar Member (Idle past 424 days) Posts: 34026 From: Texas!! Joined: |
Not really.
From the OP...
quote: How would we know that people lived there? Anyone so limited that they can only spell a word one way is severely handicapped!
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jar Member (Idle past 424 days) Posts: 34026 From: Texas!! Joined: |
And I await someone showing how part two might get confirmed.
Anyone so limited that they can only spell a word one way is severely handicapped!
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jar Member (Idle past 424 days) Posts: 34026 From: Texas!! Joined: |
I think the question of what the Exodus is really depends on what the evidence shows.
In all the years we have been discussing this, the sum of evidence has been zilch. But for this thread I am willing to close my eyes real tight and really truly belief in fairies. I believe, I believe. So three basic questions. If we did find some evidence, for example a chariot wheel, is there any way to connect that to a particular even like the Exodus? And if we did find some evidence that something like the story happened, does that add more support to there being some Judaic God than the fact of Troy adds the existence of Zeus and Hera and Aphrodite and Eris and Athena? And the third question, would verification of the Exodus add any weight or support to unrelated biblical fables and stories. Would the existence of Troy lend weight and support to the veracity of the Odyssey? Anyone so limited that they can only spell a word one way is severely handicapped!
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jar Member (Idle past 424 days) Posts: 34026 From: Texas!! Joined: |
Does it provide any more evidence for the Judaic god than the existence of the city Troy provides for Zeus, Athena, Hera, Aphrodite or Eris?
Anyone so limited that they can only spell a word one way is severely handicapped!
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