Metaphysical Naturalism – the belief that the natural world is all that exists.

The idea that science can account for everything we know or will ever know has become more than a respected theory, it has become a dogmatic commitment on the part of those who believe. And contrary to their banner of “tolerance,” naturalist scientists are intolerant of any person professing Jesus Christ as Savior. How has this been accomplished?

In his book, “Reason in the Balance,” Phillip E. Johnson states, “One of the most important stereotypes in naturalistic thinking is that “religion” is based on faith rather than reason, and that persons who believe in God are inherently unwilling to follow the truth wherever it may lead because that path leads to naturalism.” 1

Johnson also discusses how this stereotype marginalizes religious viewpoints. We are living in a society that believes only the naturalistic explanation is worthy of “serious” consideration. When someone approaches anything from a religious perspective, you are relegated to the land of Ned Flanders and his “fiddle dee dee” religious approach on the Simpsons! This is a serious problem considering that naturalism cannot account for everything we know.

A commitment to metaphysical naturalism would deny the life of the mind, an afterlife, and any knowledge of an origin of the universe. The life of the mind might be thought to be explained away by chemical reactions in the brain, but these cannot account for the mind’s awareness of itself, or consciousness. I believe consciousness is yet unexplainable through a naturalistic means. Near-death experiences are not conclusively accepted as evidence yet, but are being investigated through medical practices. If, as being journaled, it can be proven that there is something, rather than nothing, after death, we will have quite a dilemma with naturalism being the “way things really are.” Also, we can never know the cause of the origin of the universe unless we are able to investigate or speculate on that which is “not the way things currently are.” If the universe had a beginning, this would suggest creation by something other than what currently is; the effect cannot be it’s own cause.

In fact, the statement, “science can explain everything in the universe,” cannot itself be proven scientifically. So what we are dealing with is a philosophical commitment and not a scientifically proven commitment, and by those grounds, religious viewpoints are credible.

1 Johnson, Phillip E. Reason in the Balance: The Case Against Naturalism in Science, Law, and Education. InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove: 1995. pg.198.

Why do you believe what you believe? Do you stand on a firm foundation of truth and facts? What is it that makes your ground firm?
A few years ago there was an amusement park ride called something like the “gravitational pull”. Once you entered the round room you were supposed to place your feet and hands against the wall. Once the ride began the walls would spin faster and faster in a circular motion. After you felt like you were moving in a rapid circle your hands and feet would stick to the wall and the floor would drop about five feet not allowing you to touch the floor. You were left hanging on the wall in a spinning room hoping the floor would soon return to your feet.
Too often people today claim they believe certain things without having a firm foundation to stand on. When the bottom falls out they do not know what to do, being left in a spinning room hanging on the wall. If someone were to ask you today why your belief is true then do you have a firm foundation? The truth is the only firm foundation.
My ground is firm because of the facts and the truth. Here are a few facts:
1. The Bible has over 5000 historical documents of testimony. Caesar only has 1000 document and Aristotle 1400.
2. The Bible was written by over 40 different authors and has 66 books, yet holds consistency.
3. The Bible holds the greatest wisdom ever told.
4. Jesus was a person who changed the world.
The truth is that the facts lead to the truth. Jesus is “the truth, the way and the life” and no one can get to the one true God except by knowing the truth. Do you believe the truth or are you believing a lie? Weigh the facts and see the truth. The truth is firm ground.

Deanna

Ahh…Postmodernism. You gotta love it. The whole idea that everything we know is a construct of language is such a beautiful construct of language. What? Did I just say that the very foundation of Postmodern thought cannot even be considered under its own premise? Why, yes, I did. Okay, well now you’re just talking jibberish. (And I am conversing with myself, I might add.) Actually I am talking jibberish. That is what postmodern ideology will do to you.

Let’s think as a postmodernist for a moment…. everything we know to be true is a construct of the “language game” that we have been brought up in. We can never get to the actual things “as they really are.” So according to postmodernism, I can have Jesus, you can have Buddha, and our friend can be Muslim, but we all have the truth according to the social constructs of where we were raised. Wow, really?

So how did we ever get to an understanding of the knowledge that everything is just a construct of our social environment if our minds cannot escape this social context? We cannot. “That’s correct….now tell them what they’ve won, Bob. Well, they’ve won an all-expense-paid trip to Reality. Reality is the land where truths are just that….true. Sometimes offensive, but never invented. It’s the truth. Back to you, Alex.”

Yes, how did Wittgenstein (an innovator in language constructs) pull himself out of this social construct to be able to achieve a special knowledge over all “social constructs?” Well, he did not, and this problem creates a self-defeating argument for Postmodernists.

Truth can be known. Now let’s discuss what it is! 🙂

Mary Jo