Ray A wrote:Mister Scratch wrote:Perhaps the most classic thing in this essay is this contradiction, which Prof. Peterson apparently overlooked. First he makes this claim:(emphasis added)DCP wrote:Critics of FARMS and FAIR commonly make several claims. Among them is the notion that writers for each organization offer neither evidence nor analysis in support of Mormon beliefs, but simply bear their testimonies. Honest readers of the FARMS Review or articles on the various FAIR Web sites will know how seriously to take that allegation.
And then, later in the essay, he says:(emphasis added)Daniel Peterson wrote:We who write such things engage in apologetics because we believe that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, that the two of them appeared to Joseph Smith in a grove of trees near Palmyra, New York, in the spring of 1820, that the Book of Mormon is the record of ancient inhabitants of the Americas, and that the Church and gospel of Jesus Christ have been restored. And, what is more, we believe that defending these and related claims against attack, misunderstanding, and distortion--very often from writers who offer a great deal more in the way of evidence and reasoned analysis (it would be difficult to offer less) than anything Alvin, Beaver, Caleb, Doogie, and Eeyore have provided thus far--is a worthwhile thing to do, and something that we're obligated to do.
LOL!!!!
There is no contradiction here, Scratch.
Riiiiight. And "Apologetics by the Numbers" is a serious piece of work. C'mon, Ray, the descriptor on the FAIR webpage describes it as a "humorous look at critics." Face it: DCP was trying to craft a straw man out of the critics. Instead, he stuck his foot in his mouth.
Is this really the best you can do?