Comment

Dr. Tiller Shot to Death at Wichita Church

95
Wild Knight5/31/2009 10:49:16 am PDT

re: #76 kansas

No True Scotsman Errors in usage

In situations where the subject’s status is previously determined by specific behaviors, the fallacy does not apply. For example, it is perfectly justified to say, “No true vegetarian eats meat,” because not eating meat is the single thing that precisely defines a person as a vegetarian.

Therefore because the definition of Christian involves specific behaviors, i.e., following the teachings of Christ, no true Christian murders anyone and the fallacy is being misused by people who have no true understanding of it.

About Christianity, it’s not as simple as that. Generally, the historical definition of Christianity is someone who believes and confesses the items on the Nicaean Creed or their equivalent (keeping in mind that in the Nicaean Creed, Catholic is simply Crasis for καθόλος = universal and therefore not a reference to ROMAN Catholic). This means that YOU can be a Christian and commit “unchristian” acts (defined as sin by Christians). But then, orthodox Christian doctrine does provide a theological framework for the notion that a “sinner” can be a Christian.