Argument From Religious Experience

What is Standard Argument Form?

 

The standard form of an argument is a way of presenting the argument which makes clear which are premises, how many premises there are, and which proposition is the conclusion. In standard form, the conclusion of the argument is listed last.

 

In a standard argument, you must have at least one premise and only one conclusion. 

 

 

P = Premise (add a number with each premise you add such as P3, it is your third premise). These are your reasons for your conclusion.

 

SC = Sub Conclusion (use this if you need to make a conclusion in something else before the main conclusion of the arguement. Usually, this is only done if another conclusion needs to be made to get to the final conclusion).

 

C = Conclusion (This is the concluding result of your premises, this is your last statement that determines the result of the arguement).

 

Why does Standard Argumentation Matter?

 

It matters because this is the standard way widely accepted by the world as the structure and form for an academic argument. For many of the arguments that directly deal with reason, this format will  be used to show the unity in process with current academic tradition and christian apologetics. 

 

Religious Experience

 

P1: Many people of different eras and of widely different cultures claim to have had an experience of the divine.

 

P2: It is inconceivable that so many people could have been so utterly wrong about the nature and content of that experience.

 

P3/SC: Therefore, there exists a “divine” reality which many people of different eras and cultures have experienced.

 

C: If the divine exists, then God exists.

 

Sources: Peter Kreeft and Ronald Tacelli