How Certain are You?
- _anothersteve
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- Location: Toronto, Canada
How Certain are You?
I'm curious to find out where everyone stands on the certainty they have about this subject.
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Avatar...My daughter and I standing on a glass floor. well over 1000 feet above ground at the CN Tower in Toronto...the tiny green dots beside my left foot are trees.
Re: How Certain are You?
Hmm...I'm not content with the difference between the first two answers and the second two answers. I don't think that being 100% certain about your view means that you're closed to the possibility of changing your mind.
Being open to the possibility of changing your mind is a matter of being willing to listen and seriously consider opposing views. You can be certain about your understanding of what Scripture teaches, and open to hearing new arguments. In that case, you're certain because of how you've evaluated the evidence so far--you might change your mind with new evidence.
Certainty is your attitude toward your conclusions. Openness is your attitude toward new arguments.
But I understand what you were getting at.
Being open to the possibility of changing your mind is a matter of being willing to listen and seriously consider opposing views. You can be certain about your understanding of what Scripture teaches, and open to hearing new arguments. In that case, you're certain because of how you've evaluated the evidence so far--you might change your mind with new evidence.
Certainty is your attitude toward your conclusions. Openness is your attitude toward new arguments.
But I understand what you were getting at.
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- _anothersteve
- Posts: 46
- Joined: Thu Sep 14, 2006 11:30 pm
- Location: Toronto, Canada
Jugulum wrote

Good point. In the first two options I likely should have said "I've made up my mind". In the second two options I probably should have used less firm language like "The scripture appears to me to teach" or "I see the scripture as teaching".Hmm...I'm not content with the difference between the first two answers and the second two answers. I don't think that being 100% certain about your view means that you're closed to the possibility of changing your mind.
I'm glad you read between the linesBut I understand what you were getting at.

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Avatar...My daughter and I standing on a glass floor. well over 1000 feet above ground at the CN Tower in Toronto...the tiny green dots beside my left foot are trees.
I'm also fond of, "I'm pretty sure it's this way, but I see a couple issues I haven't resolved to my satisfaction yet." Mainly because that describes me pretty well.anothersteve wrote:Good point. In the first two options I likely should have said "I've made up my mind". In the second two options I probably should have used less firm language like "The scripture appears to me to teach" or "I see the scripture as teaching".

My first thought was to respond, "That's why I'm a Calvinist!" and let you interpret it as you will.I'm glad you read between the lines

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- _anothersteve
- Posts: 46
- Joined: Thu Sep 14, 2006 11:30 pm
- Location: Toronto, Canada
Perhaps you do have some insight !My first thought was to respond, "That's why I'm a Calvinist!" and let you interpret it as you will.

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Avatar...My daughter and I standing on a glass floor. well over 1000 feet above ground at the CN Tower in Toronto...the tiny green dots beside my left foot are trees.
My insight tells me that what you're saying is, my exegesis is superior, and you secretly know I'm right. It was right there between the lines!anothersteve wrote:Perhaps you do have some insight !
Er, wait. There was only one line. Hmm...
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I think it does imply that ... no matter what the issue. We are not 100% certain about very many matters. But those in which we are sure (or 100% certain), we are not open to changing our mind.I don't think that being 100% certain about your view means that you're closed to the possibility of changing your mind.
An example:
I am 100% certain that the sum of 2 and 3 is 5. I am closed to the possibility of changing my mind about that sum.
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Paidion
Avatar --- Age 45
"Not one soul will ever be redeemed from hell but by being saved from his sins, from the evil in him." --- George MacDonald
Avatar --- Age 45
"Not one soul will ever be redeemed from hell but by being saved from his sins, from the evil in him." --- George MacDonald
Well, your example shows a case where you are both 100% certain and closed, but it doesn't show that the two are inextricably linked.Paidion wrote:I think it is ... no matter what the issue. We are not 100% certain about very many matters. But those in which we are sure (or 100% certain), we are not open to changing our mind.I don't think that being 100% certain about your view means that you're closed to the possibility of changing your mind.
An example:
I am 100% certain that the sum of 2 and 3 is 5. I am closed to the possibility of changing my mind about that sum.
To some extent, this is a semantic quibble. But the reason I see a distinction is as I said: Certainty refers to your attitude toward your views, and openness of mind refers to your attitude toward new arguments.
As I see it, you can form an opinion of total certainty based on all the evidence you have seen and arguments you have evaluated, but remain aware that new information could cause you to change your mind. That awareness does not, as I see it, translate to uncertainty.
But honestly, I can see it from your perspective too, so I'm not going to pick this hill to die on.
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If that were the case, then you would not be 100% certain. You might be 90% certain, or even 99.9% certain, but not 100% certain. There would be a bit of doubt there, even if miniscule.As I see it, you can form an opinion of total certainty based on all the evidence you have seen and arguments you have evaluated, but remain aware that new information could cause you to change your mind.
Uncertainty probably translates to somewhere around 50% certain.That awareness does not, as I see it, translate to uncertainty.
So you are right about that. If you were even 90% certain, you would hardly call that "uncertainty."
Last edited by Guest on Wed Dec 31, 1969 7:00 pm, edited 0 times in total.
Reason:
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Paidion
Avatar --- Age 45
"Not one soul will ever be redeemed from hell but by being saved from his sins, from the evil in him." --- George MacDonald
Avatar --- Age 45
"Not one soul will ever be redeemed from hell but by being saved from his sins, from the evil in him." --- George MacDonald