September 3rd, 2009
Quick Quips and My Presuppositions
Below is a list of quick thoughts to get out of the way before more lengthy posts:
- There really is absolute truth out there. Your truth and my truth are merely our perceptions of the truth. Perceptions do not create truth. They reflect – accurately or inaccurately – individual knowledge of truth.
- Likewise, reality is what’s real. Individuals don’t create reality, they participate in understanding reality. When understanding and reality don’t match up, there is misperception.
- If I believe you’re a cat and you agree that you’re a cat, our consensus doesn’t create your “catness.”
- Faith also doesn’t create reality. If I believe there is a God, that doesn’t create a God. Just the same, if I don’t believe there is a God, that doesn’t prohibit the existence of God.
- If there is a God, it’s probably foolish to think your individual opinion perception, or experience of Him defines who he is. Likely, finite cannot adequate perceive infinite.
- The source of defining right and wrong isn’t a matter of voting. If you believe right and wrong are socially constructed, then the majority can tyrannize. If you believe right and wrong are a matter of individuals, then probably you won’t mind me coming to your house and stealing your prize possession.
- Cutting up baby seals into pieces while alive is wrong regardless of our opinion. The same is true of rape, murder, incest, and a whole lot of other things. We can debate smoking in the non-smoking section, dress codes, table manners, and etiquette.
- Philosophy implies some individual or group choice. The stoics chose one philosophy. The hedonists chose another.
- Philosophy and theology are not the same. Theology’s correctness has bigger consequences.
- Just because most “Christians” in the media are portrayed as wife abusers, cheats, or foolishly absolutist, doesn’t really create that reality. You can believe it is true, but truth usually doesn’t derive from fiction.
- You can assert there is not absolute truth, but that’s an absolute truth. Everything I say is a lie.
- Most social debating seems to have become fascist.
- I think everyone should dress in blue. You think everyone should dress in yellow. I know, let’s all wear green.
Enough for now. If you think any of these are foolish (except the last one), please tell me why. You don’t have to tell me I’m stupid because I have a local cheering section for that.
Joe Johnston Sr.
Tags: absolute truth, existence of god, Faith, God, hedonists, philosophy, stoics, truth
Filed under: Christian Apologetics
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