Welcome

Thanks for checking out the site! Feel free to poke around and don't worry if you break things, (we're in early development).

Archive
Needs sources

A survey of by Cornelius Van Til

Added by Postmilstill archive ·

The charge is made that we engage in circular reasoning. Now if it be called circular reasoning when we hold it necessary to presuppose the existence of God, we are not ashamed of it because we are firmly convinced that all forms of reasoning that leave God out of account will end in ruin. Yet we hold that our reasoning cannot fairly be called circular reasoning [i.e., begging the question], because we are not reasoning about and seeking to explain facts by assuming the existence and meaning of certain other facts on the same level of being with the facts we are investigating, and then explaining these facts in turn by the facts with which we began. We are presupposing God, not merely another fact of the universe.

Source Evidence

A survey of
A survey of Christian epistemology

Community verification

Help verify accuracy, sources, and attribution. Pick one action below — you don't need to fill out everything.

Needs sources

0 ratings

Rate this quote (sign in required)

Sign in to rate this quote and affect community trust scores.

Contribute

Choose what you want to add. Each option opens its own short form.

Discussion

Share context, ask questions, or discuss this quote. Comments are separate from source proposals and verification ratings.

All discussions →

    No comments yet.

Related Quotes

Related by source, book, author, or topic.

Added by Postmilstill archive ·

The criticism that is valid against Kant is valid against later idealism as well. All idealism is at a loss to interpret the phenomenon of error or evil. As was already noted earlier it will not do to limit the question…

Added by Postmilstill archive ·

If there are no brute facts, if brute facts are mute facts, it must be maintained that all facts are revelational of the true God. If facts may not be separated from faith, neither may faith be separated from facts. Ever…

Added by Postmilstill archive ·

he Christian apologist must place himself upon the position of his opponent, assuming the correctness of his method merely for argument's sake, in order to show him that on such a position the 'facts' are not facts and t…

Added by Postmilstill archive ·

Now the question is not whether the non-Christian can weigh, measure, or do a thousand other things. No one denies that he can. But the question is whether on his principle the non-Christian can account for his own or an…

Added by Postmilstill archive ·

It ought to be pretty plain now what sort of God I believe in. It is God, the All-Conditioner. It is the God who created all things, Who by His providence conditioned my youth, making me believe in Him, and who in my lat…

Cornelius Van Til · What I Believe and Why I Believe What I Believe
Open quote →
Added by Postmilstill archive ·

But if it be said to such opponents of Christianity that, unless there were an absolute God their own questions and doubts would have no meaning at all, there is no argument in return.