The Resurrection Factor - Part 3

McDowell puts forward the following bit of reasoning in Chapter 1 of TRF:

Christianity is not a religion. Religion may be defined as humans trying to work their way to God through good works. Christianity, on the other hand, is God coming to men and women through Jesus Christ, offering them a relationship with Himself. (TRF, p.5)

Here is McDowell's reasoning in standard argument format:

1. Christianity is God coming to humans through Jesus Christ, offering them a relationship with Himself.
Thus,
2. Christianity is NOT humans trying to work their way to God through good works.
3. Something is a religion if and only if it is humans trying to work their way to God through good works.
Therefore:
4. Christianity is not a religion.

On the next page (p.6), McDowell mentions his attempt "to refute Christianity". This implies that Christianity is a belief or set of beliefs. Claims and beliefs are the kinds of things that can be refuted. In fact, McDowell specifies (p.6) some of the beliefs that Christianity involves:

- Jesus Christ is God's Son.
- Jesus died on the cross for the sins of mankind.
- Jesus arose [from the dead] three days later.

So, Christianity is the sort of thing that one can attempt "to refute" because Christianity is a belief or set of beliefs (or if it includes a set of beliefs).

Premise (1) involves an obvious category mistake. If Christianity "is God coming to men and women through Jesus Christ..." then Christianity can neither be proven nor refuted. God "coming to men and women" is an event, and events cannot be true or false; events cannot be proven or refuted. Beliefs about events, however, can be true or false, and can be proven or refuted.

Premise 1 can be reconciled to McDowell's comments on the next page (p.6) by making it clear that it is a belief that is under discussion:

1a. Christianity includes the belief that God comes to humans through Jesus Christ, offering them a relationship with Himself.

This makes perfect sense. But if we clarify premise (1) this way, to reconcile it with McDowell's other comments about Christianity, then we need to make similar clarifications to the other premises, so that the reasoning in McDowell's argument is logical:

1a. Christianity includes the belief that God comes to humans through Jesus Christ, offering them a relationship with Himself.
Thus,
2a. Christianity does not include the belief that humans must work their way to God through good works.
3a. Something is a religion if and only if it includes the belief that humans must work their way to God through good works.
Therefore:
4. Christianity is not a religion.

To be continued...