Do Extraordinary Events Require Extraordinary Evidence?

http://www.reasonablefaith.org - Dr. William Lane Craig answers a common reply that extraordinary events require extraordinary evidence.

Related:

Do Miracles Violate the Laws of Nature?:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJk_TnDHhZo

Bart D. Ehrman's Error and Blunder:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqZJvStSr-8

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Miracles
• Extraordinary
• Events
• Evidence
• David
• Hume
• William
• Lane
• Craig
• Atheism
• Naturalism
• Christianity
• Philosophy
• Religion
• God
• Apologetics

[legionjdw]

it's all so horrid, this reasoning thing. those who are predisposed to believe a thing will find a way to make it reasonable. talk long enough and loud enough and you can talk yourself and anyone else into anything.

[drcraigvideos]

@legionjdw Don't look in the mirror now.

[HiJon89]

Congratulations Dr. Craig, your argument can be used to prove the truth of any religion.

[drcraigvideos]

@HiJon89 ... and atheism too. It's just common sense: better thinking atheists even know that Hume is wrong on this one.

[HiJon89]

@drcraigvideos I don't necessarily agree with Hume, but your "correction" gets us nowhere if it is applied as loosely as you have done. Corroborating evidence all within the same fictional book does not tip the probability as you suggest.

[drcraigvideos]

@HiJon89 You don't agree with Hume, yet you made the statement that Craig's arguments can attain to any religion? So, you were thinking randomly I guess. Look, listen to the video and you'd know that extraordinary events DON'T need extraordinary evidence.

[Jayjs20]

This makes sense...if you remove common sense and one's capability to think critically.

[FreeSilio]

@daveoftheweek Of course! A winner for a lottery is necessary, so it's not strange finding his name/number on the newspaper, while the claim for a "miracle" is truly extraordinary and needs to be proven.

It's more likely all the story in the gospel to be false than a "miracle" really occours. For a first Hypothesis (which is not the only one possible!) about how the "resurrection" story could have been made up watch "The Domino Effect - Judaism and Christianity and the parting of ways".

[EdwardFalzon]

Crucially, note Craig's word-selection. Hume discusses "extraordinary CLAIMS," not "extraordinary EVENTS." The event IS the evidence for the claim.

In the lottery case, yes, it's a very unlikely combination of numbers, and this is why the lottery draws are filmed, often in a single take to minimise tampering, and broadcast live on at least one channel. That's the evidence.

Consider if there was no filming of the draw and the CEO of the lottery company won. That's an extraordinary CLAIM.

[snuffygg]

The evidence of a lottery winning is in the reporting and the fact that they do lottery drawings live and there is a physical ticket. That's the evidence required.

[emil0rable]

@MagnusCattus Haha... that was a highly amusing comment :)

[MagnusCattus]

Craig makes a good point. Although I find bothering to try to answer an atheist is an unsavory experience. Even when you win the arguement you feel like you broke even since atheism, evidence, probability, and common sense are all subjective. It is alot like aeguing with a feminist.