I am teaching a worldview course at our co-op. The curriculum is good, but it may be too simple for some of the thinkers in our class. After discussing philosophy (what is true and how can we know), I got an essay back from one young man. He holds the belief tht we can not know what is real and what is not. He can decide what is likely and probable, and he can have faith in something, but in his paper, he claims that we can not know anything for sure. I think he's been influenced by movies like The Matrix and some other that propose worlds in which the presumed reality is only a simulated environment. He's not being a smart alec; he's a wonderful young man, but I think I really need to challenge his thinking. He says that He believes their is a God, because He had faith and He thinks it is highly probable, but he can't KNOW for sure. I think the ramifications of this line of thought are dangerous. Would you all help me think it through? He asks...how do we know that we are not hooked up to machines and living inside a computer like they were in Matrix? How do we know that this isn't just a dream? So...how do we know? I could argue that you can not be a Bible believer and think that truth is unattainable, because Scripture is full of references to the Truth, but I want to address his question. Any thoughts?
I agree with you. From a Biblical point of view - We are told in Scripture that we can come to a knowledge of Christ. Christ IS the Truth. To know Him is to know truth. So to say we can't know truth is to say we can't know Christ. And, well, that's the whole point of Christ/the Bible/Christianity, isn't it? If he truly has faith, then he MUST believe that God's creation is real, in a tangible way. Otherwise, all of Scripture is a lie. Either God created the Earth, or He did not. And if He did not, and we're all just hooked up to a computer somewhere, then the entire rest of the Bible is a lie, too. It says Christ came to EARTH as a human. If there was no Earth, then there was no birth, life, death, and resurrection. Then there is no salvation. Then either God doesn't exist at all, or He's a liar not worth serving. You can't tread a middle ground on this one. It is IS, or ISN'T. Life can't simply be probable.
Ugh, I'm kinda in a brain dead state, so I'm not going to delve as completely into this as I could/would like but: the discussion, then, is between faith and knowledge. Faith is belief in something that you cannot see. I have faith that Christ is my Savior. Knowledge is more concrete. I have felt the lifting of my sins from me via the power of His atonement. Faith is: I believe that God is my Heavenly Father, that He exists and loves me. Knowledge would be seeing Him firsthand. Though the case could be made for a knowledge of His love for me through witnesses, answers to prayer, etc. I have faith that the sun will rise every day. But until it happens, I "only" have faith. I do not have knowledge. After all, the sun could implode, the planet could veer off course, something catastrophic could occur. I don't KNOW the sun comes up until...it does. In "Lectures on Faith," Joseph Smith (the LDS/Mormon prophet) discusses the difference in the two. There are quite a few good points that I think would be embraced by non-LDS Christians, and it's a pretty short read. I suggest it; it's not highly LDS-preachy, though I think it does take some things for granted as an expected belief. Although I can't think of anything off the top of my head. /sigh long day, sorry. As for your Matrix-boy, this is what I would tell him: We can operate only within the world we can perceive. And we can only do the best with what we know. Therefore, let's say we are, in fact, stuck in the Matrix. What can we do about it. Nothing. So we can continue to doubt and question, or we can accept what things are within our world view as unable to change. Does that mean we accept everything? Nope. But there's no use creating problems to not accept. If someone comes up and offers us a blue pill or a red pill, then we act within THOSE resources. If something comes to us that challenges what we know, then we can use the intellect GOD gave us to reason through it. And we can also use the faith He gave us to turn to Him for answers. I'm a huge believer in questioning things, reasoning it out, and logic. One of the things that drew me to my church (I'm a convert) was that I was never told that I "had" to accept things, but that I should pray about it myself. I think we *should* question things, but in a reasonable, calm way. In questioning the things he learned about God, he in fact has a chance to develop a testimony of Him for himself, and grow closer to Him. I hope I said that well...llike I said, this whole week has been meh.
But technically he's right. You cannot know what is absolutely true outside of faith. Truth cannot be proven beyond a doubt. I can say that I believe the Bible is true, that Jesus is Truth. But those are statements I make out of FAITH. I have circumstancial evidence to back me up, but without faith, even that falls short.
I've never been to the moon, but I trust the reports of others who have. Really, though, we are living in a limiting world--and we only see as through a mirror dimly. Someday we will know the truth in whole, not in part.
Awesome...keep it coming...I'm taking notes! I told them that I'd grade them on the thoughtfulness of their essay and how logically they supported their points and not on whether or not they agreed with the curriculum. I was thinking small deviations from the text...not sci-fi deviations. This young man is making me work for my money -- if I were getting paid, that is!
Oh, gosh, this is creepy! I just read the OP to Rachael, curious of her response. And she said pretty much the same thing I did. LOL!!! She is absolutely her mother's daughter!
In many ways, your student's line of thought is good. Faith is "confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." In our current state of existence, we can infer various things from the evidence around us - such as whether there is a God. What's the probability? Is it a reasonable proposition? For sure, I don't believe that 'feelings' get us anywhere; we are misled by feelings all the time. What's missing in his argument, though, is that - over time - our confidence in the existence of the one we trust grows and grows. Not only are we inspired by words from the Bible, but we sense more and more God's very real presence. At one point in our lives, we take a leap of faith and believe in Jesus as the risen Christ - and view life through a new lens. All of a sudden, we're aware of his existence and presence, albeit through circumstances and moments of private communion. There's a critical point made over and over again in the Bible, and repeated by Jesus: "They have eyes but cannot see; ears but cannot hear." In other words, there will never be any way to prove God's existence - not scientifically, not experientially, not emotionally. Studies reveal no mathematical difference resulting from prayer, for example. But to those whose eyes are opened, it's a whole new world. We see the Savior everywhere. It's as if we've been fitted with new lenses. Is that to 'know?' It depends on your definition of the term. Personally, I think it's good to be a skeptic: It sharpens our faith. We're spoon-fed so much junk from Christian radio and TV and even from pulpits; we need to question it all. So, the spirit of skepticism exhibited by your student will, ultimately, serve him well.
I knew you'd show up, Steve. Thanks! I sent the paper back to the young man for some correction in grammar, wording and clarity. When he sends me the revised version, I'll be able to look at his argument and evaluate it. I want to encourage the "thinker" in him, but I want to challenge him to think his position all the way through. The way he stated his position in the paper led me to believe that the pursuit of truth is futile. Judging by his interest in the class and his impressive repetoire of books read, I'm sure that's not what he meant. I think I have enough now to help him articulate his views more clearly.
