Misguided Philosophy

          For one to say that they don’t believe in God, then they have to replace that with something else. What can spring forth and replace this infidelity which avows that God does not exist? What replaces the negation of their being a God and denies the reality and knowledge of a Divine Being?

          One such polluted thought is that of Materialism which strongly depends on “matter” as the source and the only element to which one draws upon. Anything material is contrasted to anything spiritual and materialism denies the existence of spirit or of the spiritual. A person who finds and holds to the belief that in material forces one can find the complete explanation of life is considered a Materialist. To a Materialist there is no guiding principle or controlling intelligence ruling over the affairs of the universe and that there is no sin nor resurrection. To a Materialist, evolution of matter, not God, is the cause of the order of the world.

          Another polluted thought is that of Rationalism which solely relies on reason or a system or doctrine agreeable to reason. A person who holds to the belief that he is guided in his opinion solely by reason and independent of outside authority, especially in religious matters, is considered a Rationalist. To a Rationalist, reason is the sole and sufficient factor of faith and nature is the sole and sufficient revelation of God. Faith is no more but replaced by reason.

          Another polluted thought is that of Agnosticism, where man can’t arrive at knowing anything. An Agnostic is one directly opposite of a Gnostic. A Gnostic professes to know everything and says, “I know it all”, whereas an Agnostic says, “I know nothing” representing a midway position between unbelief and faith where one can conveniently straddle issues of scientific doubt with ignorance or indifference. An Agnostic can neither affirm or deny the existence of God or the immortality of the soul. I once worked with an individual who claimed to be an Agnostic and when I asked him the question of what happens after death his reply was simply stated that we do not know and that will be the next great adventure.

Proclaiming the doctrine of God will convict the Materialist who says, “I need no God” or the Rationalist who states, “My reason is all the God I need” and finally the Agnostic who declares, “I do not know if there is a God and can’t tell whether there is a God or not”. David makes this statement in his prayer of trust in God, “There is no one like Thee among the gods, O Lord; nor are there any works like Thine”, Psalms 86:8, NSAB.

- Larry Bumgardner