Byzantium
On the Good Life
To live the good life - Submit to the divine universal plan.
Proof of the Existence of God:
God is that than which nothing greater can be conceived. Therefore, God must exist. If God did not exist, then anything that does exist would be greater than God. This is impossible because God is greater than anything that can be conceived. Therefore, God must exist. Some may not find this proof completely adequate because it begins with the assumption that God exists. Of course, the existence of God cannot be found by scientific means. Because of the special nature of the subject, a leap of faith is required. This subject must be approached differently than others. Once the leap of faith has been made, then the believer will find the evidence to prove that his leap was correct. Some will say this is intellectually dishonest, but then we are not talking about science, but about faith.
God and the universe:
God is separate from the universe. Man exists separately from God in a state of sin. God is unknowable (see: On God and Human Reason). God has created the universe with natural laws. The universe was designed to operate perfectly, but sin has caused the world to decay. God must constantly renew His creation. He stops the rain to stop the flood, he brings rain to end the drought. Soon, he will establish a new heaven and a new earth and death and decay will no longer be the natural order. Man begins life separated from God. Only God's power can reconcile sinful man with God. Man is not predestined. Man can make his own choices. The unbeliever chooses to be his own god, a sin that leads to suffering. The believer, by God's grace, sees his sin and works to please God.
Differences from other schools:
Stoicism - While Christianity and Stoicism have much in common, especially on morality, there are very fundamental differences. Christianity is not pantheist. Pantheism is one step away from atheism. God is not personal and is only important to the extent that He is useful. In Christianity, there is no predistination.
Epicureanism (today called atheism or naturalism) - God is not matter (see: Life, Entropy, and the Epicurean God). He cares about man. The universe is not eternal. This is an invention made up to avoid the problem of creation. There is no logic (or evidence) to back it up. The Epicureans made it up because if there is no creation, you don't need God.
Living the good life:
This is what all faiths and philosophies strive for. To live the good life, man must become reconciled with God. Man is separated from God, a result of his sin. This separation must be overcome. God has done this through Christ (see Anselm - Meditation on Human Redemption). Man must submit to God's will. However, man is only capable of doing this through the power of the Holy Spirit. Reconciliation with God only comes by God's Grace through faith.
Morality:
Man's morality comes from God. God created man as a social being. For man to be social, he must know how to live in a society. He needs morality, so God has given it to him just as He gave man arms and legs. As the natural strength of one man's arms differs from another's, so too does the strength of one man's morality differ from another's.
Principles:
Justice - Treat all equally
Temperance - Never indulge
Fortitude - Accept what comes
Wisdom - Know your faith and your place
Commandments:
Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind.
Love your neighbor as yourself.
See With All Your Heart.
Theory of Knowledge:
Certainty is never absolute without faith. An understanding of the physical world is not a complete understanding since the physical world is only a reflection of the realm of perfection. True knowledge is understanding the realm of perfection, and such knowledge is only gained by faith since this realm cannot be experienced physically. All is a matter of faith. Reason must be guided by faith if one wishes to understand Truth.
First, believe (Primum, crede). Then reason will tell you if your belief is right or wrong. Without faith, reason has no direction and therefore will never lead to Truth. Nearly any concept, idea, or position can be supported with a rational argument. Only faith can tell what is true and what is false. Only faith shows the path to the realm of perfection.
The search for Truth is supported by man’s senses and reason, and divine revelation. Since man is fallible, what is learned through these channels can become corrupted, therefore faith is necessary to keep the search on track. Seeing is not believing. When I see a circle drawn on a piece of paper, I can tell how close that circle gets to being a perfect circle. But, I’ve never seen a perfect circle, it cannot exist in the physical world. So, I believe there is a perfect circle. I have no proof of the existence of a perfect circle other than instinctive knowledge which I can choose to deny. Therefore, I accept the idea on faith. Through this faith in perfection, I have come to understand the circle that I see drawn on the paper. Without faith in perfection, there would be no way to understand the quality of the circle. I can prove, without faith, that this physical circle exists. However, I cannot understand it without faith because I cannot understand the Perfect Form that the physical circle reflects. So, there is a distinction between knowing and understanding, and knowledge is not helpful without understanding.
On God and Human Reason - Why God won't fit into a logic box
Those that argue that God does not exist because He defies logic and reason are mistaken. Thomas Jefferson wrote, "To say that the human soul, angels, God, are immaterial, is to say, they are nothings, or that there is no God, no angels, no soul. I cannot reason otherwise . . . " This is a typical Epicurean argument. And, as is typical with Epicureanism, is wrong. Of course you cannot reason otherwise. That’s the point. To think that God could be understood by Human logic and reason is folly. If man could understand God through reason then either God would descend to man's level or man would ascend to God's. In either case, God would become irrelevant (which is what the Epicureans teach, and which we know to be false and impossible). God is unknowable, that is what makes Him God. That is why Christianity is a faith, not a science.
On Evolution
Evolution is the mechanism of Creation. On it's own evolution does not go very far very fast. The theory of evolution requires random mutations in organisms. These mutations are piled on top of each other to move up to the next species.
Problems with random mutations:
1. Mutations are caused by cosmic rays from space. However, the Earth's magnetic field protects us from this radiation. If radiation does make it through, it must hit the DNA in a cell.
2. Mutations must occur in reproductive cells so that it will be passed on to offspring. The mutation will only occur in one cell, and that cell must be the cell passed on to the offspring.
3. Mutations occurring in reproductive cells would not cause a change in the parent, only the offspring. Therefore, there would not be a competitive advantage caused by the mutation that would allow the parent to live longer, get more food, mate more, etc.
4. Higher species have mechanisms to prevent mutations, or to kill mutated cells. Most mutations are not helpful. Mutations occur all the time. They’re called cancer.
5. Just one mutation is not enough, many mutations must occur.
6. The fossil record does not show the gradual movement from species to species. We should see small steps. Instead we see giant leaps.
So we see how improbable evolution is. But the evolutionist would say given enough time, the improbable becomes probable, and the probable becomes certain. Yes, but there's one problem: there isn't enough time.
Possibility of Evolution:
It is possible for life to occur spontaneously when liquid water, an energy source, and organic molecules are present. It is even possible for that life to evolve into slightly more complex forms, but no further.
Creation:
Creation occurs through evolution by divine anointing. The fossil record does not show a gradual movement from one level to the next, but leaps from one species to the next. There is no missing link. According to evolution, this could not happen. There must be intermediate organisms.
On Life, Entropy, and the Epicurean God
All living things are made of matter. Matter is subject to decay. It is a natural force called entropy, the tendency of things in nature to move from order to disorder. Entropy is the natural order in this fallen world. Life can be recognized because it acts against this force. We do what we do because we are fighting against entropy. Eventually, though, entropy wins and all life grows old and dies. The body decays and returns to a state of disorder.
The Epicureans believe that God is made of matter, just like we are. It may be rare ethereal gasses, but it is still matter. This means, of course, that God is subject to the same forces that we are. So, God is also fighting against entropy. God's matter may help Him survive longer, but eventually He too will grow old and die like the rest of us. So, if God is not already dead, then he is dying. An Epicurean has no choice but to conclude that God is not relevant. In other words, God doesn't matter because God is matter. This is folly because if it were possible for God to die, then God would not be God. God, by definition is eternal. No wonder the Epicureans believe God is not relevant. They reasoned Him into irrelevance. Again, God does not fit into a logic box.
On the Bible
The Bible gives us information that meets these criteria:
1. Something we need to know.
2. Something we are ready to learn.
3. Something we cannot find out on our own.
The Bible is a record of man's experiences of the divine.
Love as proof of God's existence
Man is imperfect, fallible, and finite. Therefore, anything that man does is also imperfect, fallible, and finite. Any of man's qualities can be improved and even perfected. If man, being imperfect, fallible, and finite, can love then it must also be true that there is a love which is perfect, infallible, and infinite. This Perfect Love must exist, otherwise it would not be perfect. Man's love is a reflection of this love. If it were not so, then man would not have love. This perfect, infallible, infinite Love is God.
Love exists. God is Love. God exists.
1John 4:8
Beliefs
1. There is one God, experienced as the Trinity.
2. Jesus is Christ, the Son of God through whom man is redeemed.
3. All human life is sacred.
4. All people are equal.
5. Justification by faith. Redemption is necessary for a good life, is available to all, and obtained by faith in Christ.
6. Priesthood of the believer. Communication with God is open to the believer.
7. Authority of the scriptures. The Bible is authoritative for resolving questions of theology and morality.
8. Freedom of worship. The government should not interfere with the free exercise and expression of faith.
9. The church is composed only of believers.
10. To live a good life, one must become reconciled with God and submit to His plan for the universe.
© Copyright 2004, Jason E. Heath
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