A message can sound true just because its source looks authoritative. Some famous experiments in the 60’s showed just how psychologically powerful authority is, revealing that over two thirds of normal adults will unwillingly hurt someone just because an authority figure says to. Knowing how persuasive authority can be reminds us that God, not man, must be our authority.
Is a message true because many people seem to think so? Logic says no, but psychology shows that popular opinion is incredibly persuasive. Research reveals that a third of students will give a wrong answer to an easy question, just because everyone else does. People are also less likely to think ...
Some researchers think that part of human spirituality may be linked to genetics. So, you might hear people suggest that we only believe in God because our DNA tells us to. Is that valid? Let’s see how to respond to this argument using the 7 Checks of Critical Thinking.
Analogies can make arguments sound persuasive, but they can’t prove anything is true. Tips for answering analogies that argue against the Bible include finding an important difference between the things being compared and using big-picture questions to make the analogy argue for a biblical worldv...
