I was totally cool looking at “pseudo science” claims and seeing how the evidence doesn’t hold up. Those weren’t my beliefs anyway. But, I loved the science process. And, I enjoyed the examination they would do on Skeptics Guide. I’ve always loved science, and there is something to be said for using the scientific method to address these kinds of questions.

Here’s the rub. For me, faith wasn’t something that could be examined by evidence. You can’t weigh faith. Can you break down the molecular components of the soul? These things are just outside the reach of science. In my mind, I could separate religion and science. And, it made sense to me.

The problem for me is that I don’t stop thinking. Something is always going on in my head, whether I want to or not. And, something kept bugging me about those logical fallacies. What if I did apply those logical fallacies to my religious arguments? What would happen? Can God stand up to criticism?

I’d like to rewrite my previous paragraph from the last post, but this time inserting a logical fallacy in bold after each question:

“The Bible’s been around for thousands of years, it’s endured the test of time. (argument from antiquity) 90% of the world is religious. (appeal to popularity) We all are born with a moral compass. Where did that come from? (the naturalistic fallacy) At the very least, how could anything exist if there wasn’t a God to make it? (argument from ignorance) I mean, could you imagine if there was no God, and nothing was ever made … ever? (argument from personal astonishment) Or, just the random chance that life could exist if it wasn’t designed? (appeal to probability)The DNA code alone has got to be proof that a God designed it. (appeal to complexity) And, what about all these PhD’s that call themselves apologists, and say everything in the Bible is true, and I should believe it? (appeal to authority)”

If you’re curious about reading up on these logical fallacies and seeing for yourself whether or not it makes sense to apply them to these questions, I recommend you look up these logical fallacies for yourself. It was my investigation of these logical fallacies that forced me to re-examine my faith. Once I began to apply skepticism to my own religion, things began to unravel for me.