The Outsider Test Disallows Faith
So many people are writing about the Outsider Test for Faith (OTF) I can't keep up anymore. I've made my arguments. Let them talk among themselves about it. The test is straightforward, simple and elegant. It's all about not having any double standards when critically evaluating religious faiths. In the end, the OTF disallows faith when examining the reasons to accept or re-evaluate a religion. For having faith in one's own culturally inherited religion unfairly exempts that religion from an objective evaluation.
What this means is that when examining Christianity a person who is already a Christian cannot punt to faith when encountering problems, since doing this is disallowed by the OTF. In fact, to the degree a person must repeatedly do this is the degree his or her religious sect is false. One cannot have his thumb of faith on the weighing scales. One is left with reason and evidence. No more using the omniscience escape clause either. Christians must seek to justify what they consider the facts apart from faith.
My contention is that Christians cannot do this. My contention is that this is NOT any fault with the OTF itself since it is a reasonable, objective and fair test. The fact is that Christianity MUST pass the OTF. Otherwise, people who could not be convinced to believe because they were raised as outsiders will be thrown into hell. If Christianity does not pass the OTF God is to be blamed when outsiders cannot be convinced to believe. So there can be no legitimate objection to the OTF. Q.E.D.
What this means is that when examining Christianity a person who is already a Christian cannot punt to faith when encountering problems, since doing this is disallowed by the OTF. In fact, to the degree a person must repeatedly do this is the degree his or her religious sect is false. One cannot have his thumb of faith on the weighing scales. One is left with reason and evidence. No more using the omniscience escape clause either. Christians must seek to justify what they consider the facts apart from faith.
My contention is that Christians cannot do this. My contention is that this is NOT any fault with the OTF itself since it is a reasonable, objective and fair test. The fact is that Christianity MUST pass the OTF. Otherwise, people who could not be convinced to believe because they were raised as outsiders will be thrown into hell. If Christianity does not pass the OTF God is to be blamed when outsiders cannot be convinced to believe. So there can be no legitimate objection to the OTF. Q.E.D.