Posted on 04/12/2013 10:59:53 AM PDT by EaglesNestHome
Thank you, everyone in my previous post, who gave well thought out, articulate answers to these important questions of life (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2998030/posts )! Now, in philosophy class, we are exploring these questions in even more detail, and with an additional assignment of follow-up questions:
What do you believe, regarding ultimate reality? God? Matter? Something else?
Do you believe in God? If so, why? Why are you here on earth, and where are you going, for eternity?
If you believe in God, what is the most convincing evidence, for you personally? Is there any possibility that you may be wrong about the existence of God? If so, what are the consequences of being wrong, and believing in a God who doesn’t exist?
If you do not believe in God, why not? If you do not believe in God, is there any possibility that you might be wrong—no matter how small the possibility? If you are wrong, what are the consequences of being wrong?
What is truth; Are moral values absolute or relative? Are at least some moral values absolute? If so, where do these absolute moral values come from? Is the possibility of evil necessary, in order for human beings to be allowed free will?
I’ll start. I believe in God as the ultimate reality and first cause of the universe. I believe in God because of the convincing evidence of Christ’s perfect life, given for me, as well as the evidences of my own personal experiences. In addition, I find further support in my belief, from considering cosmological arguments; Everything which begins to exist requires a cause--the universe did not come from nothing. Why am I here? My answer is that I am here to have a love relationship with God and serve him by serving others. I can only have a relationship with God, through accepting Christ as my Savior. Where am I going? I have accepted Jesus as my Savior, because I cannot save myself. He is my King, and I will eventually join Him in His Heavenly Kingdom. Without Christ, I cannot save myself, because I am guilty of what the Bible calls sin—anything less than perfection. Not one of us can honestly claim perfection, yet if God allows anything less than perfection into heaven, it would be just as bad as earth. That’s why we need a Savior, Christ. (If you don’t know what I mean here, it is all in the Bible; a good place to start is reading the book of John.) What is truth; is there such a thing as moral values that are absolute, for all people? Yes, we all know instinctively that there are moral values that are absolute—every one of us will draw a “moral line” somewhere—usually when it comes to those people that we love. Each of us knows how we would like to be treated by others, although we may have a hard time recognizing when we don’t treat other people right. For instance, which one of us would not object, to the idea of someone breaking into our house and stealing all of our children’s toys? Clearly, there are moral absolutes, such as stealing is wrong—at least when it comes to our own property! (Some people could argue that it is okay to steal if your children are starving, but not if you want a new electronic gadget—but these are exceptions.) Not one of us can claim to be perfect, and yet we all know that certain things are wrong. Ravi Zacharias, in Addressing the Problem of Evil, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9b0PJDDof4 , eloquently and lovingly affirms the philosophical case that the question of evil; the recognition of the question of evil reveals the obvious existence of moral good. Zacharias noted that "When you say something is evil you assume something is good...a moral law...a moral Law Giver." C.S. Lewis also presents a well-reasoned explanation, here: In Mere Christianity, Book 1 (http://www.truthaccordingtoscripture.com/documents/apologetics/mere-christianity/Book1/cs-lewis-mere-christianity-book1.php ), Chapter 1, C.S. Lewis states that "human beings, all over the earth, have this curious idea that they ought to behave in a certain way, and cannot really get rid of it. Secondly, that they do not in fact behave in that way. They know the Law of Nature; they break it. These two facts are the foundation of all clear thinking about ourselves and the universe we live in." Without the possibility of evil, there cannot be free will, to choose to do evil or good. If we were not allowed free will (the possibility to do evil) and our Creator forced us to do good, then the resulting (forced) good would be an evil. It is clear that this idea of good and evil is in all of us. Stories of good and evil are the mainstay of classic literature. This moral argument points to the existence of a Creator, who I have experienced as the risen Christ.
The answer is “42”
It’s all mind over matter. If you don’t mind it don’t matter. :-)
No, no. 42 is the ultimate answer to the ultimate question. The ultimate question was, indeed, what is 6x7?
Hebrews 11:1: Faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen.
“I believe in God as I believe the sun has risen, not because I can see it, but because by way of it, I can see everything else.” - C.S. Lewis
What do you believe, regarding ultimate reality?
God?
Matter?
Something else?
First of all, the assumptive premise of the first question is incorrect for a believing Christian, since there is no ‘ultimate’ that must be differentiated between “God” and “Matter”. To a believing Christian, they are both one and the same in terms of ultimate “reality”. It is the old ‘trick’ question... “When did you stop beating your wife”.
Do you believe in God? If so, why? Why are you here on earth, and where are you going, for eternity?
If you believe in God, what is the most convincing evidence, for you personally? Is there any possibility that you may be wrong about the existence of God? If so, what are the consequences of being wrong, and believing in a God who doesn’t exist?
If you do not believe in God, why not? If you do not believe in God, is there any possibility that you might be wrong—no matter how small the possibility? If you are wrong, what are the consequences of being wrong?
What is truth; Are moral values absolute or relative? Are at least some moral values absolute? If so, where do these absolute moral values come from? Is the possibility of evil necessary, in order for human beings to be allowed free will?
Since when did philosophy class become an inquiry into ones beliefs? In my classes, we studied what other folks believed and how they came to believe.
I was graded on how well I had learned. This assignment sounds just wrong.
What do you believe, regarding ultimate reality?
God?
Matter?
Something else?
First of all, the assumptive premise of the first question is incorrect for a believing Christian, since there is no ‘ultimate’ that must be differentiated between “God” and “Matter”. To a believing Christian, they are both one and the same in terms of ultimate “reality”. It is the old ‘trick’ question... “When did you stop beating your wife”.
Didnt he make a mistake and write 6 x 9?
The greatest proof of God are the miracles, including the resurrection. Only God could suspend the laws of nature in such a way as to, for instance, raise Lazarus after his being four days dead in a hot environment. Consider Jesus’ own reply to this question:
24 The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”
25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me,
[From John 10]
If Jesus Himself says the miracles are the key to faith, we can take it to be that was their purpose. Also notice the miracles themselves were never disputed in Jesus’ day. The Pharisees condemned him for working miracles on the Sabbath, while the multitudes flocked to Him in hopes of seeing miracles. When it comes to Lazarus, here is the Pharisees’ & Sadducees’ response:
47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.
“What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.”
[From John 11]
Note that no one disputed the miracles—not even the raising of Lazarus. Rather, they realized that if Jesus kept it up, the whole world would believe.
God the Father cited miracles in a similar context:
Numbers 14:11
The Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among them?”
If God Himself argued His existence on the basis of miracles/the suspension of the physical laws of the universe, then it is the case that faith is meant to be founded upon them.
In other words, if the evidence of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead were not so historically sound, we would not believe. But the evidence for His resurrection is overwhelming, & it is the cornerstone of our faith.
“I think, therefore Obama gives me a headache”
Great verse, and quote! Lewis was the original skeptic, but instead of silly mocking, he sought truth in a serious, logic way.
They did get it wrong, yes. All of that, a five book “trilogy”, destroying he Earth for a hyper-space bypass and they got the answer wrong. The best laid plans of mice...
“Since when did philosophy class become an inquiry into ones beliefs? In my classes, we studied what other folks believed and how they came to believe.”
Yes me too. Nobody asked me what I believed.
I like your sig! The assignment is to find out what you believe—you are one of the “folks,” and I care what you think. I’m not sure why that would be wrong, to post what I think, and ask you what you think? So, what do you think? Would you like to answer?
Why, isn’t this still America? Okay, here’s your chance. What do you believe?
“The Truth Is Out There”
I’ll start. I believe in God as the ultimate reality and first cause of the universe. I believe in God because of the convincing evidence of Christ’s perfect life, given for me, as well as the evidences of my own personal experiences. In addition, I find further support in my belief, from considering cosmological arguments; Everything which begins to exist requires a cause--the universe did not come from nothing.
Why am I here? My answer is that I am here to have a love relationship with God and serve him by serving others. I can only have a relationship with God, through accepting Christ as my Savior.
Where am I going? I have accepted Jesus as my Savior, because I cannot save myself. He is my King, and I will eventually join Him in His Heavenly Kingdom. Without Christ, I cannot save myself, because I am guilty of what the Bible calls sin—anything less than perfection. Not one of us can honestly claim perfection, yet if God allows anything less than perfection into heaven, it would be just as bad as earth. That’s why we need a Savior, Christ. (If you don’t know what I mean here, it is all in the Bible; a good place to start is reading the book of John.)
What is truth? Is there such a thing as moral values that are absolute, for all people? Yes, we all know instinctively that there are moral values that are absolute—every one of us will draw a “moral line” somewhere—usually when it comes to those people that we love. Each of us knows how we would like to be treated by others, although we may have a hard time recognizing when we don’t treat other people right. For instance, which one of us would not object, to the idea of someone breaking into our house and stealing all of our children’s toys? Clearly, there are moral absolutes, such as stealing is wrong—at least when it comes to our own property! (Some people could argue that it is okay to steal if your children are starving, but not if you want a new electronic gadget—but these are exceptions.) Not one of us can claim to be perfect, and yet we all know that certain things are wrong. Ravi Zacharias, in Addressing the Problem of Evil, eloquently and lovingly affirms the philosophical case that the question of evil; the recognition of the question of evil reveals the obvious existence of moral good. Zacharias noted that "When you say something is evil you assume something is good...a moral law...a moral Law Giver."
C.S. Lewis also presents a well-reasoned explanation, here: In Mere Christianity, Book 1, Chapter 1, C.S. Lewis states that "human beings, all over the earth, have this curious idea that they ought to behave in a certain way, and cannot really get rid of it.
Secondly, that they do not in fact behave in that way. They know the Law of Nature; they break it. These two facts are the foundation of all clear thinking about ourselves and the universe we live in." Without the possibility of evil, there cannot be free will, to choose to do evil or good. If we were not allowed free will (the possibility to do evil) and our Creator forced us to do good, then the resulting (forced) good would be an evil. It is clear that this idea of good and evil is in all of us. Stories of good and evil are the mainstay of classic literature. This moral argument points to the existence of a Creator, who I have experienced as the risen Christ.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.