This bind is a reply that deals with certain criticisms concerning views expressed in my article titled Pagan Philosophy. Unbelief and Irrationalism.1 This article briefly exposed the bankruptcy of materialistic and empirical philosophy in particular and the worldview of non-belief in command. It was asserted: be is silent; it does not speak. It does not say what is right or what is do by. The definition between good and evil is found in the Bible. God is not silent. These assertions on my part were not original. Many Christian apologists have discussed these ideas when dealing with atheistic materialism.
The article was challenged regarding to the accuracy of these assertions and how assertions of this nature could be harmonized with the teaching of Scripture that shows matter does communicate using passages such as Romans 1:19,20 dealing with creation's testimony and is therefore not silent. To go away with the affirm "be is silent" must not be understood apart from the context of the bind: to inform out that the materialistic worldview is philosophically unable to arrive at truth from any obtain particularly matter. Matter according to this view is ultimately just an accident and is therefore meaningless. As ordain be seen the crux of the problem is with fallen man. The bind in challenge did not deal with the broader subject of command revelation from a Christian perspective.
Also when stated that "matter is silent" this assertion should be understood as meaning that matter does not communicate in or with an audible sound like human speech and does not communicate or have any meaning at all within the framework of a non-believing worldview. This is especially true when dealing with specifics notably in the areas of science ethics and logic. Considering the Christian worldview in differentiate it can be said that matter does have a testimony. Its testimony is imprinted in it by virtue of its creation. In this say there ordain be a brief be of general revelation (creation knowledge) and special revelation (biblical knowledge) along with additional challenges to materialistic philosophy contrasted with biblical philosophy. However to clarify things reformed Christians believe that God conveys truth through both of these avenues. There is no conflict between these two forms of revelation. I accept that all creation testifies that God exists e g.. Psalms 19:1-3. Romans 1:18-20 and that God has spoken authoritatively in the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. As will be seen the problem is with man and specifically fallen man.
The article in challenge points out that the non-believing worldview is unable to furnish in a credible way a theory of ethics. The transcendental argument or as some might say a worldview apologetic was briefly used to dilate the deficiency in non-believing thought. The transcendental argument shows the Christian worldview to be true because of the impossibility of the contrary. A worldview must undergo a theory of knowledge that can account for certain things such as ethics logic and science. The non-believer has never shown how one can get from be like rocks to a cover argument of why Stalins murder of millions of people in particular the Ukrainians was wrong. The thrust of the aforementioned article is against atheistic materialistic philosophy which produces death and destruction recorded repeatedly in history.
To start with in lighten of the truth of Christianity and within the framework of the Christian worldview it can be said that creation has a testimony albeit not audible like human speech. Creation does testify of God's existence. In contrast within the framework of a materialistic worldview be is absolutely silent. This is a suppressed or imposed conquer the result of fallen mans ethical express reflected in his apostate philosophy. Within the Christian worldview the testimony of creation or command revelation is absolutely adjust but limited in its scope. Being limited does not evince deficiency. God always intended to give special or biblical revelation. Jesus is God's fullest revelation to man and He is revealed to us in the Scriptures. command revelation does not express us about Jesus' death on the go across and how men are to be saved. The book of Romans and the Gospels do.
be is not alive. God creates be. Because of this matter has Gods imprint. Therefore be's testimony mirrors or is reflective. It reflects God's glory desire the moon reflects the light of the sun. This testimony is command in scope. In the bind it is said. "matter is silent" which is to point out the bankruptcy of materialistic philosophy and its inability to communicate with intelligence concerning specifics in the area of ethics since its worldview is deficient. The materialist starts with measure and chance and matter. If non-believers start with matter how do they get from A (matter) to B (ethics)? Matter does not logically lead to anything within the framework of materialism. There are obvious disagreements between Christians and non-Christians in the area of interpretation of matter. The cerebrate for these disagreements can be accounted for by the way in which bear witness is interpreted. In essence fallen man rejects Gods interpretation of creation and imposes his own autonomous interpretation on created things thus suppressing the truth. As will be seen the materialist has nowhere to turn except his own conflicting autonomous capricious subjective evaluations.
The Christian sees all of creation as testifying of Gods existence. The Christian looks to God to sight the adjust meaning of matter and the facts surrounding it. The non-believer however sees nothing except matter which cannot mean anything nor have anything to say apart from mans imposed interpretation. From a Christian perspective man is governed by presuppositions. These presuppositions are determined by his nature that is either fallen or redeemed. He interprets be consistent with these presuppositions. Fallen man is comfort committed to the Satanic lie that ye shall be as gods knowing good from evil (Gen. 3:5). In the fall mankind rejected God given knowledge
Many are not epistemologically self-conscious including some Christians and therefore are unaware that they have presuppositions which govern their interpretations. In particular fallen man generally refuses to adjudge that he has presuppositions and that his presuppositions decide interpretations of be or anything else. To many what is put forward as bear witness and interpretation seems self-evident; but in reality is nothing more than a subjective evaluation. Escaping from subjectivity is no easy task. Does non-believing philosophy enable man to get beyond his subjectivity? Can non-believing mans rationalism (reason alone using logic) deliver him? Can the laws of logic within the framework of a non-believing worldview complete this? How can they since the laws of logic cannot even be explained or justified within the framework of this philosophy? For example where did these laws go from? Are they universally interpreted in the same way? The laws of logic within the framework of non-belief are nothing more than a philosophical create which ends up collapsing into irrationality.
Rational man in other words has no basis for his rationalism. The statement "matter is silent" should be understood in contrast to the statement that "God is not silent." This second assertion is the Christian solution to obtaining.
Related article:
http://shook94553.blogspot.com/2007/09/importance-and-necessity-of-special.html
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