Thread: Writing argumentative essays

I am going to take an English composition course during the summer where I will learn how to write argumentative essays. If I have a teacher who says that you should not use the Bible to defend your thesis or point of view because not everyone accepts the Bible as authoritative, how should I respond?

Where are you going to study?

Originally Posted by cih1355

I am going to take an English composition course during the summer where I will learn how to write argumentative essays. If I have a teacher who says that you should not use the Bible to defend your thesis or point of view because not everyone accepts the Bible as authoritative, how should I respond?

Be a true presup. Take this time to practice blowing up the oppositions worldview.

CT

Well, with an argumentative essay of course!

Ha, not everyone even believes in logic anymore either. Postmoderners always end up arguing like Jerry Springer because there is nothing else to fall back on except force.

Originally Posted by cih1355

I am going to take an English composition course during the summer where I will learn how to write argumentative essays. If I have a teacher who says that you should not use the Bible to defend your thesis or point of view because not everyone accepts the Bible as authoritative, how should I respond?

I would ask your teacher what work you could go to that everyone accepts as authoritative...No such source exists. Then proceed to explain you've finished your homework, and since there's nothing to test you on...ask if you can have your A now, or if you should wait to receive it at the end of the term.

Do it in a nice way...but really, your teacher is really just prejudicially dismissing the Word of God.

Originally Posted by JBaldwin

Where are you going to study?

The Community College of Denver. I'm enrolled in their distance learning program. I'm not working towards a degree.

Originally Posted by Craig

Originally Posted by cih1355

I am going to take an English composition course during the summer where I will learn how to write argumentative essays. If I have a teacher who says that you should not use the Bible to defend your thesis or point of view because not everyone accepts the Bible as authoritative, how should I respond?

I would ask your teacher what work you could go to that everyone accepts as authoritative...No such source exists. Then proceed to explain you've finished your homework, and since there's nothing to test you on...ask if you can have your A now, or if you should wait to receive it at the end of the term.

Do it in a nice way...but really, your teacher is really just prejudicially dismissing the Word of God.

Not everyone is going to accept the same authority because different people have different worldviews.

Originally Posted by cih1355

I am going to take an English composition course during the summer where I will learn how to write argumentative essays. If I have a teacher who says that you should not use the Bible to defend your thesis or point of view because not everyone accepts the Bible as authoritative, how should I respond?

What is an essay?

Originally Posted by cih1355

I am going to take an English composition course during the summer where I will learn how to write argumentative essays. If I have a teacher who says that you should not use the Bible to defend your thesis or point of view because not everyone accepts the Bible as authoritative, how should I respond?

Usually it will be framed as something like, "I believe God exists because the bible says so, and everything in the bible is true". Of course that begs the question, and is viciously circular. If this is how it is presented (which it usually is), you can agree with your teacher and move on.

Don't be that guy ...