Monday, September 21, 2009

How To Make An Airplane Disappear Before Your Eyes!!

How do they do it?

I can remember years ago watching Illusionist David Copperfield make an airplane vanish...right before the eyes of millions of T.V observers...another time...he made the Statue of Liberty vanish!

Again, I ask...how does he do it?

It is all illusion...Copperfield is a master of making you see [or not see] what he wants...and not what you want.

This also happens in our discussion of God...there are many "illusionists" out there who can actually make it seem like God vanishes...right before your eyes...

these illsionists don't use mirrors...they use faulty arguments!

Let me show you one that many dishonest philosopher use to deceive people with.

In my last post I showed how without God you could have no absolute standard of morality...

Our illusionist philosophers begin by turning things upside down on their head, by saying...if God existed then absolute morality would be impossible!

...and here are the two reasons to prove it! [the audience begins to get drawn in...waiting to hear of the two arguments to make God disappear from the realm of morality].

Reason #1- If morality depended upon the arbitrary whims of a god, the god could decide that torturing people was evil/immoral at one point in time, and then later on change his mind and decide that torturing people was good/moral.

"So, you see"...they tell you..."the very existence of a god would actually destroy a absolute standard of morality."

..."but there is more!"...they explain...as they try and make God disappear.

Reason #2- If you try and respond by saying that God doesn't make up rules...but he himself followers a higher law...a higher law of morality...then these philosophers begin to smile the grin of victory.

They tell you triumphantly..."if there is a higher law above this being called god...and god himself has to follow this law...then we don't need god to have an absolute standard of morality...we can do away with god...and merely follow the same higher standard of morality."

With these two arguments the atheistic philosophers have made it seem like God is not needed to have an absolute standard of morality...in fact...the existence of a god would actually fight against an absolute standard...

But they haven't been honest with you...like the illusionist, they have been showing you...what they want you to see...and not what is really going on.

They have given you two options to choose from...reason #1 or reason #2...could there be a third option?...and within these two options...they have stacked the deck to make you think how they want you to think.

Is there a higher law above God? No!

"Aha"...they shout..."then morality is destroyed because God can make good evil and evil good!"...er...no...

The God of the Bible doesn't make up morality out of thin air...morality is a reflection of God's perfect, good and unchanging character.

God is love...God is morally perfect...so when God reveals to us what is good...He is revealing His perfect character [that does not change]...and when God reveals to us what evil is...He is showing us things that go against His perfect unchanging character.

Over the years I have heard this argument many times...men building up a weak argument...only to tear it down...and try and look like heros.

Interestingly enough...in their argument to try and disprove God they talk about some higher law above God...but never...NEVER...show what this higher law is...how it exists!

The reason for this...is that there is no higher law above God.

Morality is God's unchanging character!

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Grab Your Crayon!

Let me show you what I was talking about in my last post...and it doesn't have to be complicated...so grab a crayon...any color you want...and we will begin...

As a Christian I make judgment calls. I believe that truth and morals are universal [for everyone] and absolute [not want each individual makes up].

Is it enough to announce this? I believe in "good"...I believe certain actions, words, thoughts are "evil"!

I declare this...but does my Christian belief system support this declaration?

Let's find out...

Grab a piece of paper...to go along with your crayon...and we will begin...

At the top of your paper draw a circle and write the letter "G" in it...this will represent the God revealed in the Bible.

Now, below...on the lower part of the page...start drawing little circles...when you get to six and a half billion you can stop [ok, ok...do as many as you want...and pretend it is the full population of planet earth].

Next, draw a line from "G" down to each of the little circles...

The Bible teaches that God has created everything...and as Creator He is Owner...He is the King!

As King...God sets the laws for His kingdom!

And as King and Lawgiver...God will also judge all offenses.

And there you have it...Christianity not only speaks of universal, absolute morality...it also has an overall belief system that explains why?

Here is the challenge for our atheist friend. Take away the "G" at the top of the page...and then try and explain to the six and a half billion little circles why there is absolute good or evil...or truth...

...once God is out of the picture...you have each little circle playing "king"...

...and what gives one circle...or even a group of circles...the authority to tell other circles what is good and evil?

Once God is out of the picture...Hitler's Germany wasn't really evil...it was just one group of circles exercising their beliefs upon another...weaker group of circles...

But murdering millions of people is evil...rape is evil...torturing little children is evil...aren't they?

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

That's Impossible!!!

What do you do when you slam face first into a wall!

Not a literal wall...like ol' Wile Coyote from the Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Hour...but a wall in a discussion or argument?

You talk with someone...at length...about your views of reality and finally you and your opponent both come to the realization that each of you is standing upon an ultimate authority that you are presupposing and not proving.

What do you do then?

Do you say..."Well, you have your unproven ultimate authority [or presupposed beliefs] and I have mine...so there is no real way to show who is true and who isn't?"

No, that is no solution!

Instead there a form of reasoning to test to see if your presupposed ultimate authority is true, or false.

Some philosophers called this type of reasoning a "transcendental" argument.

It was reasoning that asked, what beliefs give the "precondition" for reality.

How this might look in a real life situation today is when you have a Christian arguing with a moralistic atheist. Both say they believe that certain things are wrong or evil. Both talk about love, fair play, and morality.

One side says that the Triune God of the Bible exists and that He has created all things and now governs all things...

The other side says we live in a world without a personal God...and that we are here because of random chance...

You can't merely look at what each side says they believe...LOOK DEEPER!!!

LOOK BELOW THE SURFACE OF THINGS!!!

One side presupposes the ultimate authority of the Triune God [as revealed in the Bible]...

The other side presupposes the ultimate authority of man and his reasoning...

Both say they believe in morality, love, good and evil...but what beliefs...actually make sense of these things?