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Beliefs of modern
man
Naturalism
and belief in human evolution are contemporary trends in the
West. But who is conservative and who is not? There are
different ways to look at the issue.
This article
highlights some of the beliefs that exist in modern society.
You come across them when talking to people or when
following the media. They repeatedly feature the same types
of thought structures and ideas that may be emphasized.
These beliefs, of course, vary from person to person, but
many are general and common to most people. Next, we will
explore this area. Topics to be explored include:
Content:
Is the universe
closed to the influence and existence of God, as is believed
in the naturalistic and atheistic worldview? Man cannot
prove this view to be correct from his limited knowledge.
2.
Faith in progress and human wisdom
The idea of
evolution is based on Darwin's theory. However, Darwin
himself was unable to provide any examples in this area. His
examples are only variations within basic species.
On
the other hand, if everything has evolved from simpler life
forms, it is difficult for anyone to justify the rationality
and wisdom of their thoughts, even if the person themselves
consider themselves wise. How can one trust the rationality
of any person's thoughts if their origin is in primitive
life forms?
In modern times, conservatives and a
conservative worldview are spoken of as a negative thing.
For example, the Christian worldview is considered outdated
and conservative, but from the perspective of the Bible, the
matter is different. When a person turns to God, he is
reborn, receives a new life, he wants to repent of his past
sins, he lives in constant change and eventually he enters
the new kingdom that God has created.
4. Concept of God
Is God’s love that He
accepts evil and does not react to it in any way? The God of
the Bible is not like that. He has two sides: hatred for sin
and love for people. He condemns unrepentant people to hell,
but saves the person who turns to him and wants to give up
his sins
1. Naturalism or
the closed universe
One of the modern
beliefs is naturalism. It is a worldview that many people
who consider themselves scientific are inclined to, and
which is typical of Western society. Its most important
feature is that matter is all that exists. The universe is a
closed system, so naturalism does not recognize the
supernatural world and God. Miracles are also impossible, so
such people do not believe in the Bible's descriptions of
healings, walking on water, or fulfilled prophecies. These
things are considered impossible because they do not fit
into the naturalistic worldview. Many liberal theologians
are examples of this way of thinking.
However,
each of us is a child of our time – even those with a
naturalistic worldview. None of us live in a vacuum, and
naturalists have also adopted their views of the surrounding
society and the present time. Their understanding is not
wiser and more scientific, but is based on a philosophical
view. It means a view in which the starting points are
atheistic and agnostic, and the supernatural element is
excluded from the very beginning. The possibility that this
naturalistic approach and worldview could be wrong is not
even considered. The possibility of error is not taken into
account.
A
good illustration of the naturalistic attitude is found in
the book of Acts. There Paul preached to Greek philosophers
and others about the resurrection of Jesus, but some of them
were skeptical and mocking. They found it completely
implausible. The same attitude is common today, when
supernatural reality is denied.
- (Acts 17:18,
32-34) Then certain philosophers of the
Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some
said, What will this babbler say? other some,
He seems to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he
preached to them Jesus, and the resurrection.
32. And
when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some
mocked: and others said, We will hear you again
of this matter.
33 So Paul departed from among them.
34 However, certain men joined to him, and believed: among
the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named
Damaris, and others with them.
Another similar
description is found in the Acts of the Apostles. This time
Paul encounters the Sadducees and Pharisees, the former of
whom did not believe in the resurrection or angels and the
spirit at all, but the Pharisees confessed the same things.
The Sadducees are the forerunners of today's naturalists and
their views are almost identical:
- (Acts 23:6-10)
But when Paul perceived
that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees,
he cried out in the council, Men and brothers, I am a
Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and
resurrection of the dead I am called in question.
7 And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between
the Pharisees and the Sadducees: and the multitude was
divided.
8 For the
Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel,
nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both.
9 And there arose a great cry: and the scribes that were of
the Pharisees' part arose, and strove, saying, We find no
evil in this man: but if a spirit or an angel has spoken to
him, let us not fight against God.
10 And when there
arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest
Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded
the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from among
them, and to bring him into the castle.
Is the box closed? The
assumption in the naturalistic worldview is that the
universe is closed; like a sealed box that cannot be
influenced by supernatural things or God. It is not
considered possible that miracles can happen or that God can
influence the world. Therefore, the descriptions of these
things in the New Testament are believed to be based on the
worldview of that time, but that the same model of thought
no longer works in our time. Now we have been freed from
that, because we think that we are better informed about
things. Now we know that supernatural things have not
actually happened.
It
is clear that this view is difficult to prove to be true. If
someone says, “There is no God,” it still does not prove
that he does not exist. Or if someone says that miracles
have never happened, it still does not prove that they could
not have happened. Such ideas are based only on
preconceptions and not on what can be known for sure.
Whenever such claims are made, the person should have
unlimited knowledge of the universe. To claim, “I know that
miracles could not have happened and that God does not
exist,” is the same as if someone were to say that he knows
all the things in the world and the events of history. That
would require him to have complete and exhaustive knowledge
of all things, but no one can have that level of knowledge.
The
following picture shows the limitations of our knowledge. It
shows how it is impossible to conclude from limited
knowledge that God does not exist or that miracles have not
happened. If a person knows only a few percent of all
knowledge, he cannot refute things that he has not observed
himself. They may belong to the area that he himself does
not know about.
2.
Faith in progress and human wisdom
Belief in evolution
and human wisdom is a common feature of modern society. It
refers to a kind of progressive belief in the continuous
development and perfection of humanity, given enough time.
This Enlightenment belief, modernism, which originated in
the 18th century, is based on an almost unlimited faith in
man, but rejects God's revelation. Darwin's theory, in which
the idea of development comes to the fore, plays a
particularly important role.
Furthermore,
privately, many people consider themselves wise and
rational. They believe that their own views are reasonable
and based on facts. It is characteristic that almost
everyone considers their thoughts and views to be
infallible. They do not doubt their reliability at all.
To
get a sense of this area, let's first look at Darwin's
theory of evolution. This is important because the current
idea of development is largely dependent on this theory.
Was Darwin right?
As noted, many people believe in development, which is
usually connected to Darwin's theory of evolution. It is
thought that everything has developed from a simple
primitive cell or life form so that today we can see
thousands of complex life forms. This is the idea that
appears in the theory of evolution in a nutshell.
Furthermore, it can be said that the entire theory rests on
Darwin's ideas. If he was right, science has been moving in
the right direction for 150 years. If he was wrong, others
have gone astray with him.
What
about the evidence? It must be stated that evolution and
development do indeed occur, but it has always been observed
to occur within certain limits. These are so-called
microevolution, modifications that occur within basic
groups, but not macroevolution, which would give rise to new
species. This is generally known.
Amazingly,
Darwin himself could not provide any examples of
macroevolution, or actual changes in species. They are not
found in his most famous book, “The Origin of Species,”
although it is known by that name, nor in other literature.
The examples that Darwin, as a keen observer, provided were
always limited to changes and variations within basic
groups, such as the finches he studied on the Galapagos
Islands. They are not about macroevolution, the creation of
new species.
The
following quote brings up the same idea. It is from a letter
by Darwin, in which he admits that he had no direct evidence
of the transformation of one species into another. He had
originally drawn too great conclusions from ordinary
variation and variation within basic groups:
I am actually tired
of telling people that I do not claim to present direct
evidence of the transformation of one species into another,
but that I believe this view to be correct mainly because so
many phenomena can be grouped and explained by it. (1)
Darwin could not
therefore provide examples of macroevolution, of actual
changes in species. His examples were limited to minor
modifications, such as those that occurred in the finches of
the Galapagos Islands.
The
following quote brings up the same problem. It shows how the
intermediate forms required by macroevolution are
questionable or non-existent. If Darwin and his theory are
true, such problems should not exist, but they do occur
repeatedly or permanently. The best conclusion from the
fossil record is that species have been ready-made and
distinct from the beginning. This clearly points to
creation.
The late Dr Colin
Patterson was a senior palaeontologist at the British Museum
(Natural History) – an evolutionist and fossil expert. He
wrote a major book on evolution – but when someone asked him
why his book had no pictures of transitional forms
(organisms in transition), he wrote the following response:
" I
completely agree with you about the lack of illustrations of
evolutionary transitional organisms in my book. If I were
aware of any such, fossil or living, I would have gladly
included them in my book. You suggest that an artist should
be used to illustrate such intermediate forms, but where
would he get the information for his drawings?
To be honest, I could not
obtain this information for him, and if I had to leave it to
the artist's view, would it not mislead the reader?
I
wrote the text for my book four years ago [in the book he
says he believes in some intermediate forms]. If
I were to write it now, I think the book would be quite
different. Gradualism is a
concept I believe in. Not just because of Darwin’s
authority, but because my understanding of genetics seems to
require it. But it’s hard to argue against
[the famous fossil expert Stephen J.] Gould
and the people at the American Museum when they say there
are no intermediate forms. As a paleontologist, I work a lot
on philosophical problems in identifying ancient forms of
organisms in the fossil record. You say that I should at
least ‘present a photograph of a fossil from which a
particular group of organisms evolved.’ I’m telling you
straight—there is no such fossil that would qualify as
infallible evidence.” (2)
Is human knowledge
and wisdom reliable ? When
we have the idea of evolution and various concepts and
seemingly wise ideas, it is secondly necessary to ask how
reliable they are. If our intellectual abilities originate
from primitive life forms, as Darwin's theory of evolution
assumes, or even from the Big Bang, does it make sense to
trust such knowledge and wisdom? This is because random
evolution cannot provide a solid foundation for human ideas,
even though they themselves may consider them wise. If the
beginning of everything is impersonal, rational reasoning
loses its foundation. Then we have reason to doubt all our
ideas and their rationality. We cannot assume that anyone's
intellectual abilities are reliable. They can produce false
as well as true information.
If
everything begins with random origin and development, we are
faced with this problem. If our intellectual abilities do
not originate with a personal God who has given them to man,
then it is questionable to trust any knowledge and wisdom of
man. His supposed wisdom may be a fallacy. Even Darwin had
to admit this. He stated that if man has evolved from lower
forms of life, his beliefs may not be reliable. Rational
reasoning and a sense of one’s own wisdom cannot be based on
a solid foundation if man’s beginning is in random
processes:
I always have a
terrible doubt whether the beliefs formed by the human mind
have any value, whether they are at all reliable,
considering that the human mind has evolved from the minds
of lower animals. Would anyone trust the beliefs developed
in the mind of an ape, if its mind has any beliefs at all?
(3)
3. Who is a
conservative?
It is common in the
media that if someone believes in creation or, for example,
that homosexuality is a lust and sin that can be freed from
and must be repented of, they are called, among other
things, an ultraconservative. Many prejudiced journalists
who may consider their own views to be the best and most
reasonable are prone to this.
Of
course, it is true that if someone believes in creation or
God's revelation through the Bible, they are conservative in
a sense. They are conservative because they trust things
that were written centuries ago. They believe them to be
true, even though they are old things. That can be called
conservatism.
However,
we are all in the same boat and are somewhat conservative in
our interpretation of historical events. This is
because each of us usually trusts historical events and
considers them to be true. It is a common practice and there
are hardly any exceptions to it. This attitude is evident in
the following examples:
- We believe that
Alexander the Great conquered a large part of the world
because information about him has survived to modern times.
- We trust that the
historical information related to Caesar is accurate.
- We believe that
Napoleon lived because he is mentioned in various sources.
So everyone is
conservative in a sense. They are conservative because they
trust events that are mentioned in ancient historical
sources. Some of these people trust only secular sources,
while others also consider the writings of the Bible and its
teachings to be reliable. It is a question of different
sources that are considered reliable.
The
question of what is conservative and what is not also
depends on the time in which we live. Although it is
fashionable nowadays to speak positively about, for example,
sexual minorities, there were completely different currents
in the early 20th century. Back then, a hundred years ago,
communism represented a new, modern and radical way of
thinking and spread to many countries, but today the same
way of thinking is not very popular. Countries after
countries have abandoned communism. This ideology was
popular for about one generation.
So
it all depends on the time we live in. It is possible that
current trends will seem ridiculous and stupid to those who
live after us. This is a common observation from history.
Each generation may consider its own views to be the best,
but later the same views and ideologies may lose their
popularity.
One
can also ask, is it worth following all trends? Radical and
new ideologies are not always beneficial and can cause harm
to people. Therefore, it is often more sensible to stick to
old values that have been proven to be beneficial and
sustainable. Those who consider themselves modern and
progressive often advocate things that are not beneficial to
society. The following quote is very relevant to the topic.
Not everything new is always good, but can be harmful:
The media portrays
liberals and conservatives as polar opposites, although in
reality, the value conservative and the classical liberal
are quite close to each other on most issues. In the
propaganda of tolerance, the conservative is a kind of
proto-fascist, just a step away from Nazism. However, Nazism
can be characterized rather as a radical ideology, rather
than conservatism, which first had to push aside
conservative institutions such as the church and classical
concepts of human dignity.
Conservatives
fought the Nazis – or wasn’t Winston Churchill a
conservative? To everyone’s surprise, Germany soon after the
war built a stable democracy and an economic miracle based
on conservative values. The first chancellor of the Federal
Republic was from the conservative CDU party and his
election slogan in 1957 was Keine Experimente – No (social)
experiments. Conservatism was an ideology opposed to
National Socialism before 1933, between 1933 and 1945, and
after 1945. (4)
We get another
perspective on “conservatism” when we read the Bible,
especially the New Testament. It is interesting that these
ancient writings also speak to us on this subject, although
in different words. We repeatedly find verses in the pages
of the New Testament that urge us to be free from our
“conservatism,” which means our former wrong way of life.
This is evident in the fact that we must be born again,
repent, change, and that God will create new heavens and a
new earth. These are all things that war against
conservatism and the old way of life. Are we ready to meet
this challenge?
Born Again .
Jesus spoke about being born again to the religious
Nicodemus. He said that unless one is born again from above,
he cannot see the kingdom of God:
- (John 3:1-3) 1
There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler
of the Jews:
2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said
to him, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God:
for no man can do these miracles that you do, except God be
with him.
3 Jesus answered and said to him,
Truly, truly, I say to
you, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom
of God.
Repentance is
something that appears repeatedly in the sermons of Jesus
and John the Baptist, but also in the teachings of the
apostles. It of course means that the old, wrong way of life
must be abandoned:
- (Matthew 3:1,2) 1
In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the
wilderness of Judaea,
2
And saying, Repent you: for the kingdom of heaven is
at hand.
- (Luke 13:2-5)
And Jesus answering said
to them, Suppose you that these Galilaeans were
sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such
things?
3 I tell you,
No: but, except you repent, you shall all likewise perish.
4 Or those eighteen, on whom the tower in Siloam fell, and
slew them, think you that they were sinners above all men
that dwelled in Jerusalem?
5
I tell you, No: but, except you repent, you shall
all likewise perish.
- (Acts 17:29,30)
29 For as much then as we are the offspring of God, we ought
not to think that the Godhead is like to gold, or silver, or
stone, graven by are and man's device.
30
And the times of this
ignorance God winked at; but now commands all men every
where to repent:
The following
verses speak of change, among others:
- (2 Cor 3:18)
18 But we all, with open face
beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord,
are changed into the same image
from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the LORD.
- (Romans 12:2)
2 And be not conformed to this
world: but be you
transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and
perfect, will of God.
New heavens and a
new earth . The best thing that appears in the book of
Revelation is God's promise of a new heaven and a new earth.
Every person can get there if they thirst for eternal life
and turn to God. On the other hand, if we remain in our sins
and despise God's grace, then we will be lost:
- (Revelation
21:1-8)
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the
first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there
was no more sea.
2 And I John saw the
holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of
heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying,
Behold, the tabernacle of
God is with men, and he will dwell with them,
and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with
them, and be their God.
4 And God shall wipe away all
tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death,
neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more
pain: for the former things are passed away.
5
And he that sat on the throne said, Behold, I make all
things new. And he said to me, Write: for these words are
true and faithful.
6 And he said to me,
It is done. I am Alpha
and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to him
that is thirsty of the fountain of the water of life freely.
7 He that overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be
his God, and he shall be my son.
8 But the fearful, and
unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and
fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars,
shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and
brimstone: which is the second death.
4. Concept
of God
One very common
belief is that God is only a God of love. If a person
believes in the existence of God, he likes to think that God
is only loving and good and full of grace. He sees only
these good sides of God and thinks that he himself is on
good terms with God. Liberal religious people are especially
prone to this attitude, who do not want to appear
narrow-minded, but present themselves as open-minded,
progressive and tolerant. Usually, such people are very
popular among the media.
The
question, however, is what is truth and what is man's own
wishful thinking. For if we take the teaching of the Bible
into account, both sides of it come to the fore. God is of
course love (1 John 4:8: …for God is love.) as shown in many
verses, but he is also a judge who condemns the sinner to
perdition if he does not repent. This issue comes up so
often that it is not worth ignoring it just because it seems
narrow-minded. The question is whether it is true or not.
This issue, God's wrath, comes up in, among others, the
following verses. They show that God could not even be a
good God if he did not side with good against evil. An
indifferent God who closes his eyes to evil and does not
react to it in any way could not be such.
- (Romans 1:18)
For the wrath of God is revealed
from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of
men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
- (Hebrews 10:30,31)
For we know him that has said, Vengeance belongs to me, I
will recompense, said the Lord. And again, The Lord shall
judge his people.
31 It is a fearful thing to fall into
the hands of the living God.
- (Revelation
20:12-15) And I saw the dead,
small and great, stand before God; and the books were
opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of
life: and the dead were judged out of those things which
were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead
which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead
which were in them: and they were
judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast
into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whoever was not found
written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Fortunately, we have
also been shown another side of God. Although he is perfect
(Matthew 5:48: "Be you therefore perfect, even as
your Father which is in heaven is perfect.") and light
(1 John 1:5: "This then is the message which we
have heard of him, and declare to you, that God is light,
and in him is no darkness at all.”), he is also a loving God
who wants the best for us. He wants everyone to be saved and
that no one should perish. This is evident from the
following verses:
- (1 Tim 2:3,4) 3 For
this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior;
4 Who will have all men to be
saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
- (2 Peter 3:9) … not
willing that any should perish, but that all should come to
repentance.
Love is best shown in
what Jesus has done for us so that we can have forgiveness
of our sins and eternal life. God loved us so much that he
wanted us to be saved and that is why Jesus came. Let's look
at some Bible verses:
- (John 3:16) For
God so loved the world, that he
gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life.
- (1 John 4:9,10)
In this was manifested the
love of God toward us, because that God sent his only
begotten Son into the world, that we might live
through him.
10
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us,
and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
LET YOURSELF BE
SAVED!
If you have been
separated from God or have never believed in him at all, you
too can be saved and have your sins forgiven. We will now
look at what that involves.
Correct knowledge is
the first important topic. In it, two important things can
be seen. They are that man cannot save himself and that
Jesus has come to save us:
Man cannot save
himself . This means that each of us is lost, sinful,
and like a drowning person, unable to improve our condition
by ourselves because we are so imperfect. This is evident in
the following verses:
- (Romans 3:23)
For all have sinned, and come
short of the glory of God;
- (1 John 1:8) If we
say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth
is not in us.
- (John 7:19) Did not
Moses give you the law,
and yet none of you keeps the law? Why go
you about to kill me?
Jesus has come to
save people. The solution to the previous hopeless
situation is that Jesus came to save people. He has become
the mediator and bridge between God and man. No one needs to
earn salvation and God's approval on their own anymore,
because he did it for us:
- (Luke 19:10) For
the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was
lost.
- (1 John 4:9,10)
In this was manifested the
love of God toward us, because that God sent his only
begotten Son into the world, that we might live
through him.
10
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us,
and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
- (Hebrews 8:6)
But now has he obtained a more
excellent ministry, by how much also he is the
mediator
of a better covenant, which was established on better
promises.
- (1 Peter 3:18)
For Christ also has once suffered
for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to
God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened
by the Spirit:
Surrendering one's
life to God is another important topic. It means that a
person must repent of their sins and turn to God with all
their heart. Many religious people skip this step, but it is
necessary because unrepentant sinners will not inherit the
kingdom of God:
- (1 Cor 6:9,10)
Know you not that the
unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not
deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor
adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with
mankind,
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor
revilers, nor extortionists, shall inherit the kingdom of
God.
Trust. When a
person has realized that he cannot save himself and when he
wants to unconditionally surrender his life to God, that
still does not save him.
Instead,
salvation occurs when we place our complete trust in Jesus
for salvation and no longer believe in ourselves. The basis
of salvation is outside, in what he has done for us. When we
look to him, we experience salvation:
- (John 1:29)
The next day John sees Jesus
coming to him, and said, Behold
the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world.
- (Acts 16:30,31) And
brought them out, and said, Sirs,
what must I do to be saved?
31
And they said, Believe on
the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved,
and your house.
- (John 3:16) For God
so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whoever believes in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life.
If the above things
have touched you and you truly want to experience salvation,
you can recite the following prayer:
PRAYER FOR
SALVATION. Lord Jesus, I turn to you. I confess that I
have sinned against you and have not lived according to your
will. However, I want to turn from my sins and follow you
with all my heart. And I also believe that my sins have been
forgiven through your atonement and that through you I have
received eternal life. I thank you for the salvation you
have given me. Amen.
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