Everyone holds a world and life view which is predicated on some presuppositions underlying his system of thought. Of course, the question is where will the logical conclusion of the system take us? This is a critical question because a sound, consistent system will take us somewhere. I list myself among those who suggest that Christianity is the only known system that provides man with an acceptable conclusion.
All humans act daily with trust in certain presuppositions and assumptions. As to the value of the goals and the aims which he is following, he does not act upon proof, but upon belief. For example, if a person sits in a chair, he has acted in faith or belief (used here interchangeably). He was given no prior proof that the chair would not collapse once weight was imposed upon it. Thus, his sitting was not an act of certainty but belief; though if challenged to do so, he could provide reasons for his belief viz., the past reliability of the chair.
Christianity does not claim that the existence of God can be conclusively proven; and we cannot claim in good conscience, that our world view can be established by pure logic or pure reasoning. What we do claim is that we who are Christians believe what we do, and seek to live it out on the basis of a known, chosen and well reasoned perspective.
Understand clearly, the Christian faith is not a humanistic leap in the dark. It is not fideism which reduces all reason to faith, and it is not rationalism which reduces faith to logic. Rather, it can be thought of as the middle position between fideism and rationalism. In Christianity, there IS a leap of faith. But that faith does not leap toward just anything. Otherwise, astrology, the occults, Christianity and such would all have equal claims. A sensible system will only lean toward a footing that appears to be fairly secure. Now, here is where reasoning enters the scenario.
Though we cannot establish the Christian faith by reasoning; reasoning can help to point toward the most feasible and plausible of the alternatives.
In my early personal experience, being raised in a religious tradition which claimed the existence of God, I often searched for real proofs other than philosophical arguments and unconvincing sermons. After a few years of skepticism, while I remained unconvinced that conclusive proofs of God were possible, I did find that many of the arguments and sermons effectively pointed toward the plausibility of the basic elements of the Christian faith. These arguments showed the probability of Gods existence was far greater than the possibility of His non-existence.
We Christians do not affirm that we believe there is a God. Rather, we affirm I believe in God. Believing that someone or something exists is quite different from believing in that something or someone. Believing IN suggests complete trust and confidence in a person. When Christians assert belief in God, we are declaring that ultimately our faith is built not on a distinctly proven set of facts, but upon a person, upon God, whom we have learned to know and trust. As Hans Kung so adequately described:
Like basic trust, belief in God is a matter not only of human reason, but of the whole, concrete, living man: with mind and body, reason and instinct, in his quite definite historical situation, in his dependence on traditions, authorities, habits of thought, scales of values, with his personal interest and his social involvement. therefore super-rational; as there is no logically stringent proof that reality is real, neither is there such a proof of God. The proof of God is no more logically stringent than is love. The relationship to God is one of trust; not however irrational: there is a reflection on the reality of God emerging from human experience and calling for mans free decision. Belief in God can be justified in face of a rational critique. It is rooted in the experience of the uncertainty of reality, which raises ultimate questions about the condition of its possibility; thus not blind decision, devoid of reality, but one that is substantiated, related to reality and therefore rationally justified in concrete existence. Its relevance to both existential needs and social conditions become apparent from the reality of the world and of man. [On Being Christian, 1976].
Christians then, believe IN and trust IN God.
Christianity provides for consistent living. The presuppositions underlying Christianity are revealed in the Bible. Man cannot perceive the world correctly outside of Biblical truths. The Biblical world view meets all the tests of a valid system. It is coherent, unified, constructive, consistent, and to a great extent verifiable. Everything in the Christian life corresponds to the Biblical world view. We can live out consistently what we believe.
For non-believers, there is no answer to those gnawing questions of human life. Questions such as: Why am I here? What is my purpose? Why was I born? The non-believer has no answer. All things including man are meaningless. There is no logical conclusion to the non-believers system of thought.
The logical conclusion of the Christian system is immediate as well as ultimate meaning, purpose, and significance for all things and all people. It gives hope, love, morals, happiness, and life to all through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
You are welcome to visit AMEN Ministries: Your Soul's Service Station for reviewing spiritual services being offered, obtain spiritual refreshing and soul edification, browse our newly expanded Stop & Shop Specialty Store or review our recommended books you may want to add to your personal library.
Blessings to all!
Witchcraft Exposed - REAL Magick Secrets.....
Adriana Spells - Learn to Cast Powerful Spells Quickly!.....
Custom Spells for for Love, Money, Luck, and more!
.....