Tools of Apologetics 1.19.3
Responding To Debating Techniques
Chapter 3
Responding To Debates
Responding to debates is not easy because most of the time a debate is not a normal conversation. Further, some debaters are not honest or sincere inquirers. They use everything in their verbal arsenal to distort the discussion and win. Thus responding to debates requires much preparation, especially if it takes place in front of a large crowd (which can mindlessly side with error). The first few stages of preparation involved an analysis of Twisted Arguments. For this the Apologist will have to go through several stages of analysis and preparation, as explained below:
Anatomy Of A Twisted Argument
When twisted arguments are suddenly thrown upon an Apologist, and that during a tense debate, it is often very difficult to analyze the constituents of the argument. However, going to a debate after doing sufficient homework will help Apologists to recognize at least the major constituents of their opponents’ twisted arguments. Actually almost all crooked arguments have only four parts. They are:
Human Limitations + Fallacies Of Logic + Propaganda Techniques + Debaters’Techniques (Crooked Speech)
HUMAN LIMITATIONS: Even the most learned humans are quite finite and limited in the knowledge they possess, specially outside their areas of interest or specialization. Thus every person is ignorant about many things, and debaters know how to exploit this ignorance.
FALLACIES OF LOGIC: Though the rules of deductions are well defined, applying them is often very difficult. Clever debaters thus exploit fallacies of logic to fool people into believing them.
PROPAGANDA TECHNIQUES: Human intelligence must sift through all the evidence and arguments presented in any debate. Such sifting often separates valid from invalid arguments. However, using propaganda techniques it is possible to bypass human intelligence and appeal directly to human emotions. Clever debaters exploit this weakness by employing Propaganda Techniques.
DEBATERS’ TECHNIQUES: We have already seen the six basic techniques and the scores of variations upon them. Crooked debaters use these techniques freely. All Christian apologists must make a point of it to read debates and writings directed against the Christian faith. Then they should mentally analyze their anatomy and identify the four components mentioned above. Then they should formulate the way they would defend themselves if challenged in the same manner. Repeated mental exercise in this way will make them skilled at detecting these components even in a live debate. This will, in turn, greatly increase their ability to face hostile situations during a defense of the Christian faith.
How To Counter Twisted Arguments
It is easy to discuss a subject with a sincere inquirer, but very difficult to continue exchange with a person inclined to twisted thinking and speaking. The situation becomes more complex when a large audience is involved. Large groups of people behave with what is known as the Mob Mentality. Once the audience moves into this mentality, further discussion becomes impossible. Unfortunately, many people given to crooked arguments know the value of Mob Mentality for their cause. Somehow or other they will manipulate the audience and then further discussion becomes impossible.
The best method is to discuss person-to-person, without a large crowd. If this is not possible, then systematic analysis of the opponents’ position and debunking their arguments are the only alternatives left. This is easier said than done, specially due to the Mob Mentality factor and the crookedness of the opponents. However, the following techniques will help the Christian Apologist to analyze and debunk the opponents’ tactics:
1-The Basic Approach: In the heat of the moment and due to insults piled upon the Apologist by the opposing camp, there is always a tendency to lose sight of what one is doing. This should not be allowed to happen, and one should always keep the Basic Approaches in mind. These are:
FOCUS ON THE BIBLE: In all discussions involving Doctrines, keep the focus on the Bible. Bible alone (Sola Scriptura) is the foundation upon which every Bible-believing Apologist stands. All theories, interpretations, assumptions and opinions of experts are to be examined in the light of the Bible, and only the Bible. The Bible alone provides the framework for examining doctrinal subjects.
FOCUS ON FACTS: In all discussions involving non-doctrinal subjects, keep the focus on FACTS. Ignore assumptions, theories, opinions and fads. Demand facts and use only facts.
ASK LEADING QUESTIONS: As said many times before, debates should always go in a specific direction — the direction closer to truth. This can be done by affirming the truth, but affirmation is the weakest form of statement in a debate. The best approach is to ask Leading Questions.
Leading Questions force the opponents to make statements and then justify those statements. In this way they are forced to draw a reasonable conclusion. Since the deduction as well as justification come from the opponents, they cannot cheat easily. Nor can they disown the deductions they made. This is the strongest method of argument. Fuller details on formulating and asking Leading Questions are given in another section of this series.
2-The Basic Attitude: Victory in debate does not depend upon words alone, but also upon one’s attitude. Though rough, brash and scorching speakers are able to attract a great deal of attention, people forget them in the long run. Only the debater with the right attitude will leave a lasting impression upon people. The Basic Attitude has two parts:
BE FIRM IN YOUR CONVICTIONS: Do not go for debates on subjects about which you have no conviction. Enemies of truth are relentless and many and thus in the long run you will tire and withdraw if you had no firm convictions to begin with. Study a subject till your conviction is firm and only then debate it with people.
BE HUMBLE: Humility is not seen as a virtue in our generation. When the debate takes place in front of a crowd, people often prefer the brash and mocking speaker over the self-controlled and humble one. However, such speakers never leave a lasting impression. Thus the Apologist should blend a humble attitude with a firm stand.
3-Use The Power Of Repetition: Repetition is a very strong friend of truth. The Christian Apologist should keep exposing error and keep repeating the truth, because ultimately all debate and discussion is meant to defend truth. Thus contradicting error alone is not sufficient.
DRAW ABSURD CONCLUSIONS USING THE SAME ARGUMENTS: Debaters often manipulate the emotions of the audience by making emotionally touching appeals. For example, this popular justification is produced by people who have developed a love affair: We have not stolen anything, only fallen in love. The statement is so powerful that many young people are trapped by it.
Here the thrust of the argument is this: “We have not stolen anything, thus what we have done is not wrong”. To counter statements like that, the same sentence should be recast to show the absurdities. The Leading Question would be: does an act become justified if it does not involve stealing? For example, suppose someone says: “We have not stolen anything, but only committed a murder”. Is the murder justified because no stealing is involved ? Many emotionally coloured statements look totally different when the same arguments are used in other contexts and this is often a helpful strategy.
PRESENT A STEP BY STEP EXPOSITION OF TRUTH: No amount of dismantling of error is sufficient in itself. Truth to replace the demolished error should always be presented. A step-by-step presentation might be necessary because people influenced by error might not always be able to grasp the full truth. Thus dismantling evolution is not sufficient in itself. The doctrinal and scientific aspects of Creation should be taught to people in gradual steps so that they might gain fuller insights into truth and also into the issues involved.
How To Present Arguments Concretely
After persons have become adept at analyzing twisted arguments, and after they have developed a feel of how the opponents put together a good number of factors to create an atmosphere favourable for them (not favourable to discovering truth), Apologists are ready for debates. They should begin debating with individuals and gradually progress to larger groups. Do not take shortcuts because debating against infidels, perverts and heretics is no joke. Most of them have no ethics to bind them and they are ruthless once they get a chance to attack Truth. The Christian Apologist ready to debate those who are opposed to truth must remember:
KNOW YOUR STAND: In the middle of a debate it often dawns upon Christian Apologists that while they feel attached to a subject, they do not have any idea about the details of the subject. Such apologists cannot project Truth or win a debate. Rather than being outwardly attached to a nice-sounding spiritual stand, Apologists must know their stand in and out. Else they will lose the spiritual battle. Thus a person defending Creationism should know what brand of Creationism he is defending – whether it is young-earth creationism, old-earth creationism, or progressive creationism.
KNOW THE PREMISES OF YOUR STAND: Every doctrinal stand depends upon several premises. These premises might include other doctrines, your brand of hermeneutics, or the way you understand certain passages in the Bible. Such knowledge is essential because in all meaningful debates the opponents ultimately analyze every aspect of the other party’s belief and premises. Thus unless one is quite knowledgeable about the premises upon which one stands, one might have to face some very embarrassing moments. For example, one should know whether one stands upon the premises of Bible Alone, Grace Alone, Faith Alone and Christ Alone.
KNOW THE STRENGTH OF YOUR PREMISES: Not all premises in a debate have equal strength. Some might be so strong than neither of the sides can question them, while others might be so weak that none might even want to mention them. Thus one must clearly know the relative strength of the premises upon which the parties debate. Thus, as mentioned elsewhere, when discussing the Tongues issue, basing the discussion upon whether Tongues have ceased is weaker than basing the discussion upon the nature, function and regulatory principles governing tongues. The former can be disputed more easily than the latter three.
PRESENT ONLY STRONGEST ARGUMENTS: All subjects have both strong as well as weak arguments in their favour. The Apologist will always be tempted to pile up all the arguments upon the listeners, specially when the debate proves to be tough. However, this is a foolish strategy. Points in a debate are not like weak thread which, when collected together, become strong. Rather, these points are like links in a chain. Since under stress a chain breaks at the weakest link, no weak links should be allowed in the debate. The opponent will simply overlook the strong point, discuss the weaker point, win the appreciation of people and conclude. You might not even get a chance to remind them that the stronger points have been left untouched. Weaker and peripheral arguments should be reserved for the stage when the debate has been won and someone approaches the Apologist for further instruction. Once a person has left the debating mentality to become a seeker for truth, the arguments work not like the links of a chain but like the threads which spun together make a strong rope.
Precautions To Be Observed
Every debate is a war, often between forces defending error and Apologists defending Truth. The enemy uses plenty of tactics and often moves about in the debate very strategically. Further, we sinful people have a greater inclination toward falsehood than toward Truth. Thus sufficient precautions have to be taken, lest there is a surprise defeat. Some of the precautions to take are:
1-Beware Of Causes That Work Against You: Not only are your opponents working against you, but there are many extraneous factors also that work against you. You must be aware of these.
AUDIENCE IS OFTEN SYMPATHETIC TO FALSE CONCLUSIONS: Because of the continued presence of our old sin nature and also because of non-renewed minds, the majority of people are not sympathetic to Truth. Their natural inclination is towards error. Thus Apologists should never assume that the audience will favour them if they simply present the facts. Rather, in addition to presenting facts, they will have to appeal to them by quoting appropriate Scriptures. The Word of God is alive and powerful and it will do its work when used repeatedly.
AUDIENCE IS OFTEN UNABLE TO OR UNWILLING TO STRAIN THEIR BRAINS: Right thinking often demands much sifting and analysis of complex data. This is a mentally taxing job for which the audience might be unprepared or unwilling. Since error needs no such hard work, that is easier for their brains. Thus the speaker should always be conscious of the mental limitations and willing tendencies of the audience and should always go to their level to present facts and arguments.
AUDIENCE IS OFTEN NOT EQUIPPED TO COMPREHEND THE SUBJECT: The implications of simple truth can often be very complex. The audience might have enough capacity to understand the simple truth, but not to comprehend the often hidden and difficult implications. Thus instead of taking their capacity for granted, the Apologist should be prepared to go to their level and educate them.
AUDIENCE IS OFTEN MORE INTERESTED IN AMUSEMENT: Reasoning is a tough mental affair. In our anti-intellectual and anti-doctrine generation, the audience often tends to be more interested in humour and amusement than in a mentally demanding argument. Thus the opponent might be able to exploit their mentality by cracking jokes, using sarcastic language and by doing anything to lull them. Thus a touch of humour, or an ability to present the subject suitably for such an audience is very essential in such a situation.
AUDIENCE IS OFTEN LOST THROUGH THE OPPONENT’S SARCASM, MOCKERY AND RIDICULE: The decreasing affection for doctrine, philosophy and mental activity means that many people are not easily attracted to truth. Nor are they committed to objective and deep analysis of issues involved. When such people populate the audience, the opponent’s sarcasm, mockery and ridicule can cause a great loss to the Apologists; more so, if they do not deliver their arguments with conviction, forcefully and in a manner that the audience can appreciate.
2-Keep Analyzing The Receptiveness Of The Opponent: The opponents might have chosen a subject which they are incompetent to handle. Alternatively, they might not be willing to listen to the Apologists for a number of reasons. If the opponents are not receptive and responsive to what the Apologist says, no meaningful dialogue is possible with them. Instead, the Apologists might have to consider the audience as their main target and would have to address them instead of addressing the opponents. A continuous analysis of the receptiveness of the opponent as well as of the audience is essential if meaningful communication has to take place.
3-Keep Bringing Both Audience And Debaters Back To Point: Straying from the main and important points is a common malady of all debates and committee meetings. This might be due to carelessness, lack of understanding of the way things move in a debate, or even due to the deliberate attempts of some people opposed to Truth. Whatever the cause, it is essential to bring everyone back, repeatedly, to the main points being discussed.
4-Stick To The Major Argument: As said before, do not try to dish up major arguments, minor arguments and peripheral issues, all in a public debate. Whether it is public or private, in a debate only the major and strongest arguments must be presented. The Apologist should reserve the minor arguments and related issues for sincere seekers.
5-Handle In Manageable Segments: Nobody can easily handle a subject that actually requires five hours in one hour and win. Thus the debater should never take up a general and all-encompassing subject. The breadth of subject chosen and the time available should match each other. Also, when the arguments are presented, that too should be done only in manageable steps.
6-Learn To Present With Seriousness As Well As With Humour: All debate must be conducted with all seriousness and in all solemnity. However, this does not mean that the lighter side of speech is taboo. On the contrary, every successful debater should learn to blend conviction, seriousness, solemnity and humour in a balanced manner. This will make the debate more attractive and will lead people to be more attentive.
Summary
Public debate is not, these days, the best method for discovering Truth. All Apologists should try to confine discussions and debate to a one-to-one basis. If that is not possible, they should debate in front of as small a group as possible. They should also ensure that the listeners are all interested in the subject. Whether private or public, debates often bring our the worst in people who hate Truth. They might use all kinds of approaches to defeat Truth. The Apologists should do their preparation thoroughly and scientifically so that unscrupulous people do not take advantage of the debating situation.
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