The "Who Made God?" Question as a Logical Fallacy


My 13 year old daughter Emma and I have been working through The Fallacy Detective: Thirty-Eight Lessons on How to Recognize Bad Reasoning by Nathaniel Bluedorn and Hans Bluedorn.  This book is an introduction that teaches the reader how to identify logical errors in someone's thinking.

One of the fallacies the book highlights is asking a Loaded Question.   A loaded question is when someone asks two questions, but one is hidden behind the other.  For example, if I were to ask you, "Have you stopped hitting your dog?," I am presupposing the fact that you have been hitting your dog!  And this line of reasoning is fallacious.

In the same way, when skeptics ask the Christian theist questions such as, "Who made God?," they are guilty of asking a loaded question because they are assuming that Christians believe that God was created; however, that is not what Christians believe.  Due to what Scripture teaches1 and good philosophical arguments2, Christians believe that God has always existed.  In the same way, when the skeptic asks, "Who designed the designer?," they are guilty of asking a loaded question because Christians do not believe that God (the designer) was designed.

Now, if the skeptic offers an argument that somehow demonstrates why God requires a creator or a designer, then the Christian theist should be obliged to offer reasons why this is not the case.  But until this is done, the skeptic should save the "Who made God?," question for those who actually believe in a created God.

Courage and Godspeed,
Chad

Footnotes:
1. See Isaiah 40:48, Psalm 90:2, Romans 16:26, Deuteronomy 32:40 and 1 Timothy 1:17.
2. Philosopher J.P. Moreland makes one such argument here.

Related Posts

Dr. Rick Cornish on "Who Made God?"

Video: Worst Objection to Theism- Who Created God?

Frank Turek Answers the "Who Made God?" Objection

Comments

Was God uncreated? Great--then show why God gets an exception. Simply saying, "God was uncreated by definition; I win" is simply an assertion. It's not an argument
Chad said…
Hello Mr. Seidensticker,

Thank you for taking the time to comment!

Please see the 7 minute video I provided in footnote #2. In the brief clip, philosopher J.P. Moreland offers one reason Christian theists believe that God is uncaused.

Respectfully