Tools of Apologetics 1.20.2
Leading Questions
Chapter 2
Types of Questions
Once it is understood that only leading questions will help the apologist to lead discussions into meaningful directions, it is time to look at questions in general. Before going further into the details of leading questions, it would be good now to have a look at all the possible types of questions and their results. Leading questions can be isolated and studied after getting this general orientation.
Questions are of two types. Intelligence-based and intelligence-devoid. Both of them have various subsections, and it will be helpful to study all of them briefly. 1-Intelligence-Based Questions: We learns many things in life through curiosity. Curiosity creates many questions in our hearts, and in seeking their answers we discover much about our surroundings. This questioning eventually becomes such a part of our nature that often no intelligence is needed for asking random questions. However, such random questions do not lead in any definite direction. For that we shall have to ask questions that are more specific and goal-oriented. Since forming such specific questions needs intelligence and insight, they are called Intelligence-Based Questions. Not all Intelligence-Based Questions are used for good purposes. Clever people can misuse them for destruction also. Thus the Christian apologist should clearly understand the various types of Intelligence-Based Questions, used for good purposes as well as for destructive purposes.
1. Intelligence-Based Questions: It can be divided into the following categories
INQUIRING QUESTIONS: Questions that are purposefully asked to inquire into a subject fall into this category. The progress of science, technology, philosophy, theology and numerous other fields of knowledge and information depends upon asking inquiring questions. At the same time, not all intelligence-based inquiring questions lead in a specific direction. Since moving in a specific direction is essential in many fields, questions often have to be asked with those goals in mind. This type of activity is placed in another category of intelligence-based questions, called leading-questions.
MISGUIDING QUESTIONS: Many debaters use questions to confuse their opponents. As mentioned several times in this book, the observations, the real issues, their mutual relationship and the correct deductions are often all very complexly related to one another. In such a situation it is very easy for even knowledgeable people to get sidetracked into insignificant and irrelevant subjects. Debaters know this weakness of people and they often throw in questions to sidetrack everyone.
Misguiding questions do not come randomly. Rather, they are the products of clever minds. These people know that they would lose the argument if the issues were analyzed systematically. Thus they ask misguiding questions so as to confuse the whole debate. Since the real issues are avoided, these people emerge as the apparent victors.
LOADED QUESTIONS: Guns are loaded for firing and killing. In a similar manner, a clever person can use a judicious combination of words in such a way that they hurt the recipients. These questions are of such a nature that whatever the answer recipients choose, they are hurt. There is no easy way to escape from the destructive effects of a Loaded Question.
The Pharisees, Judaizers and even the Scribes at the time of Jesus were in the habit of asking Loaded Questions to hurt Jesus. For example, when they asked Him whether it was lawful to give taxes unto Caesar, a YES answer would have antagonized the Jewish hearers while a NO answer would have antagonized the Roman Rulers. Similarly, when the woman caught in adultery was brought to Him, a suggestion to stone her (according to Old Testament Laws) would immediately antagonize the public who thought that Jesus was a teacher of love. On the other hand, asking them to leave her would immediately make him an enemy of the Old Testament Law, the infallible Word of God. The ultimate purpose of Loaded Questions is to destroy the opponent and unless Christian Apologists are trained in detecting these, they cannot effectively counter the ill effects of this attack.
LEADING QUESTIONS: All difficult discussions have a way of going astray from the main point and confusing the entire effort. Leading Questions are those that lead the entire discussion in a definite direction. If either opponents or respondents are dishonest persons given to crooked thinking, to confusing their opponents, etc., it becomes very difficult to proceed in the right direction. At the same time, if the issues being tackled are quite complex and if they involve a large number of variable factors, then also it is possible for the discussion to go astray. In all such cases it is necessary to refocus the discussion to the right direction and concentrate upon the right aim. Questions asked to achieve these goals are called Leading Questions. Such questions help all persons who are attempting to find truth whether they are apologists, counselors, or researchers.
2-Intelligence-Devoid Questions: Though it is assumed by most of us that questions can be posed only by people with reasonable intelligence, this need not always be true. All human beings are capable of asking questions, whether they be morons or super-geniuses. Thus not all questions can be called intelligence-based questions. Further, not every person is capable of perceiving and analyzing every subject in the world. Thus even super-geniuses might be unable to understand the basics and fundamental issues of many subjects. Thus they might end up asking questions on that subject which might not be very intelligent. Further, it must be remembered that for correct interrogation, insight is needed in addition to intelligence. When all these factors are taken into consideration it becomes obvious that in many situations even intelligent people may end up asking Intelligence-Devoid questions. Inquirers for truth or Apologists must understand this possibility clearly lest they lose the battle to lead by erroneously assuming that all questions asked by people of intelligence are Intelligence-Based Questions. The Intelligence-Devoid questions can be of many types, some of which are explained below:
IRRELEVANT QUESTIONS: In this case the inquirer might ask numerous questions that have an appearance of intelligence. In fact they might even have used much intelligence to formulate these questions. However, not having insight into the problem under discussion, their questions become irrelevant in the given context.
In a mutual discussion many counselors and debaters fail to reach a conclusion because almost all their carefully crafted questions leave them stranded without leading in any definite direction. Thus even though the interrogator might be an intelligent person, such questions are rightly labeled as "intelligence devoid". Further, since they are not useful for attaining their goal, they have to be labeled Irrelevant Questions.
CONFUSED/CONFUSING QUESTIONS: Irrelevant and Intelligence-Devoid questions posed continually by intelligent people many times result in great confusion. What is worse, at times they confuse the issues to such a degree that no meaningful discussion is any longer possible. Unfortunately this benefits only those who would like to confuse the issues and cloud the subject.
There are many clever debaters who resort to the tactic of asking "Confusing Questions" with the sole purpose of misguiding the discussion, and this tactic has already been mentioned. However, even sincere people often produce the same effect upon the ongoing discussion by asking Intelligence-Devoid questions that confuse everything and ultimate aid only those who would like to oppose truth. Sincere people who in all sincerity ask Intelligence-Devoid Confusing questions can greatly hinder the process of debate. The Intelligent debater and Apologist must learn to spot these people and the harm they can cause because of their lack of insight. It is always advisable to keep this kind of people away from the occasions of serious debates.
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