Final answer:
The statement explores the view that the Bible can become the Word of God through an individual's encounter with the divine, yet it highlights the argument's fallacy due to circular reasoning. It points out that private religious experiences alone cannot ascertain the existence of a deity without external validation.
Step-by-step explanation:
Analyzing the Argument
The statement suggests that "the Bible may become the Word of God if a person encounters God when reading it." This perspective acknowledges the possibility that the Bible serves as a spiritual conduit rather than being inherently divine. To understand this view, let's dissect the following premises and conclusion:
- The Bible states that God exists.
- The Bible is true because it is divinely inspired.
- Therefore, God exists.
This argument carries a problematic assumption in its second premise, which suggests that by claiming the Bible is divinely inspired, one is also asserting it to be the Word of God. However, the argument's objective is to establish the existence of God, which inadvertently causes the second premise to assume the conclusion—the existence of God—resulting in circular reasoning. Such reasoning is fallacious because it begs the question, meaning it presupposes the argument's conclusion.
The argument from revelation implies that through sacred scriptures, such as the Bible, Koran, Vedas, and others, individuals have reported encounters that affirm the existence of a deity. However, the efficacy of sacred texts in confirming divine existence to a non-believer is often challenged by alternative explanations rooted in human psychology and sociology.
To claim a religious experience as evidence of God's existence, there must be public confirmation; private experiences are insufficient for such a declaration. Hence, before using personal experiences to assert the existence of God, other means must establish it.