From OP
Claim: The religious text contains many prophecies that have accurately been fulfilled, proving it is a divine source. (A terrible claim; a better claim would actually to established the historical accuracy, with the context of the literary genre of course, and then the argument given for using a religious text to prove God exists is then valid because it goes like this:
1. The text is accurate and reliable
2. The text is truthful
3. The text says that God exists
4. The text also claims it is the Word of God
)
Rebuttal (my comments in purple)
1. There are several mundane ways in which a prediction of the future can be fulfilled:
o Retrodiction. The "prophecy" can be written or modified after the events fulfilling it have already occurred.
o Vagueness. The prophecy can be worded in such a way that people can interpret any outcome as a fulfillment. Nostradomus's prophecies are all of this type. Vagueness works particularly well when people are religiously motivated to believe the prophecies.
o Inevitability. The prophecy can predict something that is almost sure to happen, such as the collapse of a city. Since nothing lasts forever, the city is sure to fall someday. If it has not, it can be said that according to prophecy, it will.
o Denial. One can claim that the fulfilling events occurred even if they have not. Or, more commonly, one can forget that the prophecy was ever made.
o Self-fulfillment. A person can act deliberately to satisfy a known prophecy.
There are no prophecies in religious texts that cannot easily fit into one or more of those categories.
Provide a valid example. The only one that is of any interest is 'denial' which is to look for any prophecy that hasn't been fulfilled and thus say the text is wrong. Though some prophecies are not yet fulfilled nor were they predictions but rather telling it as it is.
Inevitability - it is more so how and the timeframe (roughly) that makes it less of inevitable. It is the detail that nullifies this and the vagueness of the prophecy (in most cases).
Retrodiction - provide a valid example please
Self-Fulfillment - any example in this category does not nullify the rest of the text, as it is still a fulfilment abeit intentional. I see no problems with this.
2. In biblical times, prophecies were not simply predictions.
Not always. Sometimes they were declarations particularly in the book of Isaiah. Prophecy also has two meanings, foretelling and forthtelling, telling as it will be or telling it as it is. Daniel 9 has a remarkable prophecy that accurate predicts the coming of the Christ in 31AD (Palm Sunday).
Also the book of Luke was written as an orderly historical account.
They were warnings of what could or would happen if things did not change. They were meant to influence people's behavior. If the people heeded the prophecy, the events would not come to pass. A fulfilled prophecy was a failed prophecy, because it meant people did not heed the warning.
3. Specifically, the Bible contains failed prophecies, in the sense that things God said would happen did not (Skeptic's Annotated Bible n.d.). For example:
o Joshua said that God would, without fail, drive out the Jebusites and Canaanites, among others (Josh. 3:9-10). But those tribes were not driven out (Josh. 15:63, 17:12-13).
I am not sure whether this would classify as prophecy, not does it mention ‘all’ nations will be wiped out. I read and think motivational speaking.
o Isaiah 17:1-3 says that Damascus will cease to be a city and be deserted forever, yet it is inhabited still.
(1) Damascus was indeed destroyed, no mention of it being rebuilt, no mention of being destroyed forever.
(2) Ephraim is actually a reference to Israel. There is a book that sits on my shelf that has countless examples of ancients cities that have either been destroyed or rebuilt, I should put together a list, and their exact destruction is foretold.
o Ezekiel said Egypt would be made an uninhabited wasteland for forty years (29:10-14), and Nebuchadnezzar would plunder it (29:19-20). Neither happened.
Some people suggest errors in Egyptian chronology. One other suggestion is to note that Jewish use number symbolism, particularly the numbers 7, 12, 40 and 1000 are very significant.
I attached a relevant link in response to these. The second one is likely fulfilled in the defeat of Egypt at the hands of the Babylon.
4. Other religions claim many fulfilled prophecies, too.
Unsubstantiated claim without example,
5. For Christians, divinity is not shown by miracles. The Bible itself says true prophecies may come elsewhere than from God (Deut. 13:1-3), as may other miracles (Exod. 7:22, Matt. 4:8).
Miracles are not the same as prophecies, so the first statement is not really relevant, although it is true. (2) I dispute ‘true’ prophecies, also the quoted text is taken out of context. Elsewhere it says that you know if a prophet is a false prophet (not of the Lord/God that is), if the prophecy does not come to pass (in the case of a prediction).
Side Note:
Christianity is an interesting case because it is verifiable through Jesus. (Insert comment regarding other religions)
Credible historians agree that Jesus exists.
To investigate the case for the resurrection, and to prove it had happened, is the best proof in my mind, because if Jesus was a liar then he wouldn't have been raised from the dead. (To say the resurrection is false on the basis, it doesn't occur in nature, is a fallacy appealing to nature)
