When questions are answered for the skeptic which meet all the criteria of their challenge, the skeptic should discard the question as no longer relevant. Check it off the list of objections, and throw it onto the rubbish heap, so to speak. For a skeptic who is a rational thinker, this makes perfect sense. But more often than not, today’s skeptic continues asking the same question to other people with an opposing view, presumably in hopes that they will trip someone up enough to say, “Aha! Gotcha! I knew you wouldn’t be able to answer this!”
In my mind skeptics can be divided into two camps; the Honest Skeptics, and the Agitators. Honest Skeptics use their knowledge of philosophy and the world to reach rational conclusions based upon the evidence presented to them. They may have a predisposition, but they are at least open enough to hear and consider new evidence which contradicts their own theory. The Agitator takes his knowledge of the opposition’s argument and highlights the differences between his own conclusions and those with differences. He then uses those points to ridicule the opposing view as not being as intellectually sound as his own, and then sites people who share his view as proof.
The Agitator is the most shortsighted type of skeptic because no matter how salient, no matter how rational the argument is against his own, he will not accept it.
“A scoffer does not like to be reproved; he will not go to the wise.” (Prov. 13:5)
But on the contrary:
“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advise.” (Prov. 12:15)
Let us pray the Lord brings us those honest, rational skeptics, who seek out truth and knowledge no matter where it may lead them.
