“Intelligent people interpret data differently, largely based on presuppositions and training. Currently, those espousing the undirected natural processes scenarios are in control of the vast majority of scientific clout... Studies have repeatedly shown that the public holds views that are more compatible with ID [Intelligent Design], yet undirected naturalism is taught as ‘truth’ in public school systems, despite its lack of scientific evidence. Since Atheism and Secular Humanism have been confirmed as religions by US courts, and Evolution has been declared a religion by evolutionists, this teaching is actually against the First Amendment religious establishment clause and may be addressed in court.” —Dr. Don Johnson of ScientificIntegrity.net, in his new book Probability’s Nature and Nature’s Probability, p. 101.
It is true that much of what people believe today is based more on personal preferences, rather than on what they have discovered to be actually true by careful study.
Just ask anyone, if they base their beliefs on what they “feel to be right”, and the response you get generally will be the same (with a few exceptions of course). The general idea is that feelings are more accurate than facts when it comes to determining reality.
Are feelings an accurate way to test truth or reality?
Some tell us there is no such thing as truth, and that whatever is true for you may not be true for someone else. But that idea confuses the very definition of truth.
Truth is that which agrees with reality or facts. Often we contrast it with fiction. To say there are no absolutes, or no absolute truth, is to say that the postmodern idea of relativism is in fact the truth. It’s like saying, “It is true that there exists no objective truth.”
Such a statement contradicts itself and is absurd, yet many people in our day (perhaps even you dear friend) have blindly accepted such a belief without question.
Let’s consider: if our president affirms something to be true, does that therefore make it to be true? Of course not! We all know that is often not the case, yet when it comes to so many matters of opinion, we blindly let people tell us how and even what to think without any examination of the reliability of their claims, simply because we feel it must be right.
As much as we love to point fingers and shift the blame on others, yet we also need to admit our own laziness in learning how to think critically.
We clearly love to base our beliefs and values on what we want, rather than on what is right. Personal preference has become the rule. Tolerance is virtually intolerant when it comes to those who reject liberal views. Just witness the many episodes of outrage broadcast over the news recently, showing advocates of sexual tolerance who themselves behave with intolerance toward their opponents. Such a scene shows no desire to act reasonably, only to beat down the opponent with aggressive verbal abuse. The very attitude of those who advocate tolerance is glowing with hypocritical intolerance. This is the result of a cultural denial of absolute standards whenever it feels like the right thing. Hypocrisy becomes inevitable.
If we carefully examine ourselves, our actions, our thoughts, our attitudes, our speech and our conduct, we will certainly find many inconsistencies and areas of hypocrisy. Does this mean we should never make any judgments about anyone morally?
It is ironic that some say that all forms of judging are wrong, even while they act out the very process of judging the same people they accuse of being judgmental. Such conduct is laughably sad, yet far too common in everyday life.
Nevertheless, there are forms of judgment based on facts and reality. Such judgments are necessary, while judgments based on personal preferences and hypocrisy need to be avoided. Therefore, we can judge truth, reality, right vs. wrong, as long as it is based on factual evidence.
Therefore, when it comes to the Bible, we can judge it to be true on many matters of life, simply by reading and comparing what it teaches to the world around us.
Although critics of the Bible like to say it contradicts itself in many places, or that it speaks about killing and many other horrible things, they often avoid context and ignore the main message.
So when we examine the truth of the Bible, we do so by understanding rationally what is being said and by comparing that with reality. This is not hard to understand, yet very difficult to do for someone who has already rejected (with bias) their own idea of what the Bible teaches. Such a person is right in their own mind and cannot think critically or accurately. Yet these are they who seek to impose their own biased rejection of the Bible on others, sometimes forcefully, thus turning the table on themselves. Learning to recognize these kinds of inconsistencies will greatly help us when examining the truth claims of the Bible, or of any other book.
With that said, I will leave my reader to go do his own research with some things in mind:
First is that faith in God is not unreasonable, no matter what some big-shot atheist says about it. We know that we are creatures, which means we have been made by a Creator, One who is more skilled than we are, more wise than we are, more true than we are, greater and more powerful than we are. To ignore this great Being would be to ignore reality itself.
Second, we only know as much about this great Creator as it is given to us to know. Our intelligence has an intelligent Designer. One who has determined our capacities for us. The Bible is the only book that explains how this Creator has chosen to reveal Himself to His creatures by choosing a family and a nation of people (the Jews), making them distinct from every other nation, giving them His divine Law, revealing to them prophecies about the future which come to pass with alarming accuracy, choosing a virgin woman from among them by whom He sent His very Son into the world, showing Himself to a world filled with wicked and hateful people. It admits to the absurdity this message has to the faithless mind, yet reveals the greatest love and glory in the One who would identify with His own people by becoming one of them, living a perfect life for them, dying for their sins and rebellion, rising back to life and calling them to repentance and faith unto reconciliation, then sending them to spread His message in the world until He returns in final judgment.
Based on what I’ve discovered in my own research, I can say to you that no other religious book compares to the Bible and no other person compares to Jesus of Nazareth, and I dare you to test it for yourself with a clear mind.
God bless!
No comments:
Post a Comment