Philosophy and Logic
Extra Credit Options

Rules: You can answer only one “packet” of questions per quarter. You can answer these questions during any quarter, and in any order (that is, you don’t have to answer packet #1 first). This grade will replace your lowest grade for the quarter (unless that lowest grade is a zero).

PACKET #1: JESUS AND PHILOSOPHY
(from the “Bible Answer Man” program)

Directions: Listen to the audio of each of the following two programs and answer the relevant questions. You must answer questions from BOTH programs to get extra credit. (Pardon the commercials. I do not necessarily endorse or recommend any materials that are advertised.)

6/26/2003 - Thursday
"On Jesus", pt. 1
Guest: Doug Groothuis

Questions:

1. What are the three main areas of philosophy?
2. Why do many not consider Jesus to be a philosopher?
3. Why is it important to see Jesus in the Gospels as a philosopher?
4. What did Bertrand Russell write about Jesus? How does Groothuis respond?
5. In what ways did Jesus appeal to evidence during his earthly ministry? (Make sure to include the example given from Matthew 11, and the other Groothuis gives.)
6. In what ways does Jesus escape the horns of the dilemma posed to him in Matthew 22.
7. Why does Groothuis challenge those who say that Christians don’t need reasons for belief (that is, fideism)?
8. How should Christians approach philosophy? Do (or should) Christians approach philosophy in the same way?
9. In what way does Groothuis believe that some public schools exclude God?
10. How does Groothuis compare the teachings of Jesus and Confucius?
11. What was Christ’s worldview?


RealAudio (copy and paste link into the browser window)
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Windows Media (copy and paste link into the browser window)
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"On Jesus", pt. 2
Guest: Doug Groothuis
Jesus, Philosopher & Apologist

Questions
1. Discuss what Jesus taught about the nature of God and the idea of the soul (or person)?
2. What was Jesus’ view of women? How did it differ from that of his Greek and Jewish contemporaries? Include biblical references.
3. What are the three areas of Jesus’ ethics? Discuss each one.
4. How would Groothuis respond to the “hard core” skeptic?
5. What statement does Alan Dershowitz make about right and wrong? Can we know what’s wrong without knowing what’s right?
6. What does Christianity have to do with Greek philosophy?
7. Is something right because God commands it? Is good independent of God?
8. How does Jesus deal with the woman caught in adultery (John 7:53-8:11)? Was Jesus “overriding” the Bible? How does Groothuis reply?
9. In what way were Jesus’ parables philosophical?
10. Does the Incarnation (that is, that Jesus cannot be both God and man) violate the Law of Noncontradiction?
11. Why do Eastern philosophers use koans? How do they get into trouble by abandoning the laws of logic?


RealAudio (copy and paste link into the browser window)
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Windows Media (copy and paste link into the browser window)
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