DEFECTS IN CHRIST'S TEACHING
Russell erred by committing what is known as the ‘Fallacy of Incomplete Evidence”.
This is when someone picks and chooses evidence to give a skewed representation of
something. In other words, Russell cherry-picked verses to support his own position.
In this section he declared, “He [Jesus] thought that His second coming would occur
in clouds of glory before the death of all the people who were living at that time.
There are a great many texts that prove that. He says, for instance,
‘There are some standing here which shall not taste death till the Son of Man
comes into his kingdom.’” (Matthew 16:28)
However, Russell failed to acknowledge other verses that showed Jesus being noncommittal
regarding the time of his return. Verses such as “… For as the lighting comes out of the east,
and shines even unto the west, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. …. But of that
day and hour knows no man …” (Matthew 24:27, 36).
Russell tried to paint Jesus as being one who gave defective prophecies.
However, Russell erred by not acknowledging/addressing other verses that
contradict his own assertion.
Russell’s approach was to state a position, then find ‘data’ to support his position.
However, he did not address counter points.
Therefore, Russell erred by committing the Fallacy of Incomplete Information.