Essay talk:The Million Dollar Question

Too many "valid" answers to this question

1. The fundie answer: it's all literally true, especially the parts science has long since demonstrated to be untrue. Evidence is lie; book is truth.
2. The "Jesus in my heart" answer: by being true and faithful to Jesus and praying, the truth of things will be naturally apparent to the faithful. Asking questions like these are merely a reflection of your own lack of faith.
3. The "It's all allegory" answer: the bible is a book of divine value and what we learn from it has nothing to do with scientific fact blah blah blah non-overlapping magesteria
4. The "I don't know" answer: it's a divine mystery and the struggle of figuring it out is good.

These are very common schools of thought in modern Christianity, and the fact that you've probably encountered a fair amount of Christians who haven't thought about it at all doesn't really undercut the fact that plenty have. It's not so much a million dollar question, as it is a question that basic intellectual curiosity might lead one to ask. And unfortunately, lots of crappy, thought-ending answers are available. ikanreed ^{🐐Bleat at me} 17:34, 6 December 2018 (UTC)

While all of that is true, @Ikanreed, very few theists I've asked have ever been intellectually brave enough to even attempt to answer the Question, so based off of my prior interactions with theists, I see fit that it be called "The Million Dollar Question", whoever can answer it honestly will get the proverbial one million dollars.--Don Juan (talk) 17:40, 6 December 2018 (UTC)

That's a big payout. Now I'm thinking of becoming religious for a weekend for a stab at that kinda cash. ikanreed ^{🐐Bleat at me} 17:48, 6 December 2018 (UTC)

You'll have to contact the National Bank of Nigeria for the money though, I stored it there.--Don Juan (talk) 17:51, 6 December 2018 (UTC)

This is a common mistake, but when moderates talk about the Bible being "allegorically true", it's just a convenient way of saying "Oh you don't need to pay too much attention to that part." It's an alternative to the supersessionism business which is popular among literalists. 141.134.75.236 (talk) 17:57, 6 December 2018 (UTC)

Which makes the question all the more important to answer, the religious moderate's intellectual credibility depends on it.--Don Juan (talk) 15:22, 7 December 2018 (UTC)

Oh man, I remember when I thought people naturally cared about their intellectual credibility. ikanreed ^{🐐Bleat at me} 15:25, 7 December 2018 (UTC)

Apparently delusional beliefs are more important to a person than their own reputation. Sad, isn't it?--Don Juan (talk) 15:27, 7 December 2018 (UTC)

You're thinking too narrowly. Not just superstitions. We're all wrong about a lot of things, just from ignorance and incorrect inferences, and a lot of people, almost everyone is willing to commit to things they're wrong about to the point of sacrificing intellectual honesty along the way. You, me, we're not immune. ikanreed ^{🐐Bleat at me} 15:30, 7 December 2018 (UTC)

True, which makes it more important that we recognize where our biases are and work to correct them.--Don Juan (talk) 16:21, 7 December 2018 (UTC)

Can't disagree, but even when accounting for your own biases you're still biased. ikanreed ^{🐐Bleat at me} 18:39, 7 December 2018 (UTC)