13. Countering False Ideologies
This chapter is a little different.
It consists of a list and description of just a few of the many false philosophies that teach a view of reality and truth that is contrary to what is clearly revealed by natural revelation (Creation) and special revelation (Scripture). Its purpose is to educate - and in educating, to arm believers against them.
These philosophies and ideologies are examples of both man’s intentional rebellion and simplistic ignorance of the knowledge of God. Our intention is not to rid the earth of these philosophies. These false worldviews are never going to go away completely, any more than the sin nature of mankind is going to disappear.
It is a biblical principle that false philosophies and their deceptions will continue to grow and increase as the end draws near. Jesus explained in Matthew 13:24-30 and 36-43 that an enemy has sown “weeds” - defined as people who have accepted false doctrines and the corrupt philosophies of Satan. In the parable, when someone asks if the weeds should be pulled out of the field (i.e., the world) the answer given is, “No, because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest.”
Paul tells us even more clearly that near the end there will be a vast manifestation of “all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12).
The goal of righteous people cannot be to end false philosophies but to expose them. We must fortify our soul against deception and to be ready to make a strong defense that supports our faith. There is no place in reality or truth for the censorship of opposing opinions or the extermination of those who hold false ideologies.
Rather we are told to:
Expose Error - “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.” (Ephesians 5:11)
Fortify Our Soul with Truth - “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)
Defend Our Position - “In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.”
(1 Peter 3:15-16)
Here, then, is a short list of some of the false philosophies we must be prepared to battle.
Secular Humanism
Secular Humanism is a religious worldview that believes the universe to be self-existing and not created. It is a philosophy based on naturalism in which man slowly emerged through a continuous process of evolution. It teaches that the perfect realization of human personality (i.e., everything related to being a human person) is the purpose of life. We must seek our own personal fulfillment right here right now, because once a person dies their “human personality” will be gone forever.
Since humanity is simply an anomaly that sprang up randomly in a pointless universe, our lives have no real, objective purpose. Thus, the greatest good is our own personal fulfillment in this life.
Any behavior accepted by law is ethical. Which also means that any behavior not accepted by law must be harmful to the common good. A culture’s ethics are the foundation for social law, and are established by those who control society’s communication systems - such as public schools, media, entertainment, and whoever has a voice able to influence the masses.
How is secular humanism shown to be false by Natural Revelation (that is, by Reality)?
The “Humanist Manifesto I” was written in 1933 with an eye on human and social perfection. The word “religion” or “religious” was used 28 times in the work. The Manifesto states:
- Today man’s larger understanding of the universe, his scientific achievements, and deeper appreciation of brotherhood, have created a situation which requires a new statement of the means and purposes of religion….While this age does owe a vast debt to the traditional religions, it is none the less obvious that any religion that can hope to be a synthesizing and dynamic force for today must be shaped for the needs of this age.
These lofty but impossible goals of the 1933 manifesto were addressed exactly 40 years later in 1973 by the next generation of humanists (in the “Humanist Manifesto II”), who admitted that “events since 1933 make that earlier statement seem far too optimistic.”
One of the signers of this 1973 document was the world-renowned atheist Antony Flew. Thirty-four years later in 2007 Flew wrote the book, “There is a God”, with the subtitle “How the world’s most notorious atheist changed his mind.” In 2006 Flew added his name to a petition calling for the inclusion of intelligent design theory into the UK science curriculum.
Flew described his conversion from atheism to a form of deism like this:
- I now believe that the universe was brought into existence by an infinite Intelligence. I believe that this universe’s intricate laws manifest what scientists have called the Mind of God. I believe that life and reproduction originate in a divine Source. Why do I believe this, given that I expounded and defended atheism for more than a half century? The short answer is this: this is the world picture, as I see it, that has emerged from modern science. Science spotlights three dimensions of nature that point to God. The first is the fact that nature obeys laws. The second is the dimension of life, of intelligently organized and purpose-driven beings, which arose from matter. The third is the very existence of nature.… This was a consequence of my continuing assessment of the evidence of nature…. ‘We must follow the argument wherever it leads’ ... the origin of life cannot be explained if you start with matter alone ... I must stress that my discovery of the Divine has proceeded on a purely natural level, without any reference to supernatural phenomena. It has been an exercise in what is traditionally called natural theology.
As we see so often in human intercourse, a strong opponent becomes a strong ally.
How is secular humanism shown to be false by Special Revelation in Scripture (that is, by Truth)?
As you might expect, Scripture is overflowing with truth that shows the tenets of Secular Humanism to be false. Here are just a few of them.
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” – Genesis 1:1
“For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” – Romans 11:36
“Walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” – Colossians 1:10
“The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” – Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
“There is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.” – 1 Corinthians 8:6
“I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.” – Psalm 139:14
“O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.” – Isaiah 64:8
“I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God.” – Luke 12:8
“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” – Colossians 2:8
“Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared.” – 1 Timothy 4:1
“Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.” – Romans 1:22-23
In summary, secular humanism is opposed to truth because it is based on several fallacies.
Through the application of logic (part of natural revelation) and God’s Word (source of special revelation), we find secular humanism to be false.
- Secular humanism denies the existence of a God and opposes all theistic religions.
- Secular humanism must deny that anything other than material is the source of thought, logic, personality, soul, etc. Naturalism is a necessary doctrine of humanists.
- Secular humanism must defend evolution and deny divine creation since evolution is their explanation of the origin of the universe and life.
- Secular humanism must reject any absolute in human values or morals so ethical relativism, which is as solid as shifting sand, is the foundation of their morality.
- Secular humanism believes that humans are the highest form of life. Humans are self-sufficient and responsible to solve their own problems to the extent that the survival of humanity depends on the individual human behavior. The only hope of the human race is human reason and secular education.
Humanism is wrong because:
- God does exist
- Naturalism is illogical
- Evolution is false
- Morals are absolute
- Mankind’s only hope is Christ
The fallacy of secular humanist thought is destructive to humanity, environments, and institutions.
Materialism
Materialism is a theory stating that physical matter is the only reality - and that all existence, processes, and occurrences are the result of nothing but matter. This includes, of course, human consciousness.
In the 1800’s, materialists began thinking of the world as a machine that could be fully explained by the material from which it was made. Being a machine, there was no room for such things as values or freewill. Accordingly, materialism is a philosophy that finds no meaning or purpose in existence.
In the philosophy of materialism, ethics are only meaningful as personal preferences and are not based on any absolute standards. Values are regarded as useful fictions to aid the human experience. Words such as “good” and “evil” have meaning only in relation to the person speaking, so the meaning of these words can vary greatly, depending on the individual. The material machine certainly cannot define good and evil in any objective sense.
How is materialism shown to be false by Natural Revelation (Reality)?
The philosophy of materialism fails to agree with reason and reality in several ways. A couple of the most accessible relate to this image of the universe - and all that is within it - as a machine.
The most obvious breakdown in the “godless machine” theory of all things is the fact that every machine has a designer and a maker. And so, even the materialist’s own self-chosen image carries with it the need for a Creator.
Another problem began way back in the 1600’s when materialism first denied mental substance - and in the 1700-1800’s when it denied the validity of all supernatural and religious experiences. And finally in the 1900’s materialism tried, but failed, to explain human consciousness in its own terms.
Acknowledging the existence of matter is one thing, but the materialist takes it to the extreme. For matter to become self-aware, analytical, and capable of forming thoughts that are expressed as words is totally beyond explanation.
While materialism claims that material is eternal and existed before the mind, we must recognize this as science fiction and nothing more than an example of blind faith. Claims like these have no basis of support.
Much more defensible is the view that reverses this order, explaining that there is an eternal mind from which matter was created. It is easier to understand man as a mind existing in a material body, than it is to accept the material body as the cause and source of man’s mind and all that it experiences and expresses. It is simply not possible for bundles of nerves and neural stimuli to explain universal human experiences such as reflection, purposefulness, and planning ahead as we anticipate the future.
In fact, recent advances in quantum physics have revealed that the behavior of the smallest particles in existence do not support the picture of a deterministic machine envisioned by the earlier materialists (determinism being the philosophical doctrine stating that all events, including all human action, are ultimately determined by causes external to the will).
Basically, the only thing that materialism has proven is that the science which investigates the natural system of the material world cannot explain all that we humans know or experience. Materialism cannot satisfactorily explain what we as humans are, and it does not understand what we are becoming.
Ultimately, the philosophy of materialism is self-defeating because “human consciousness” cannot analyze physical matter if it is nothing more than physical matter itself. The “thought” produced by matter cannot be both outside of matter making evaluations, while at the same time being caused by the matter it is evaluating. This would be illogical. Mind can only transcend matter if it is something other than, and outside of, matter.
How is materialism shown to be false by Special Revelation in Scripture (Truth)?
“For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.” – Colossians 1:16
“By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.” – Hebrews 11:3
“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” – Revelation 4:11
“To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”– 1 Timothy 1:17
“I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, ‘To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!’”– Revelation 5:13
“Of the angels he says, ‘He makes his angels winds, and his ministers a flame of fire.’” – Hebrews 1:7
“When the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you.’”– Jude 1:9
“…Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.” – Ephesians 1:21
Idealism
Idealism is a theory stating that reality is not objective (i.e., is not real), but is instead constructed by mind and consciousness.
How is idealism shown to be false by Natural Revelation (Reality)?
There is no way for a person operating from the position of idealism to rationally accept that things perceived cannot exist without the mind. For example, idealism claims color and sound are perceptions and cannot exist in any physical way since they exist only within the mind that perceives them. The famous declaration of idealism is “to be is to be perceived.” Thus, perception gives things existence.
Now you decide. Is the book or electronic device you are reading at this moment an actual thing made of matter that will continue to exist even if your mind ceases to function - or not? If this book or device continues to exist when your mind and your senses stop perceiving it, idealism must be incorrect.
How is idealism shown to be false by Special Revelation in Scripture (Truth)?
“God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” – Genesis 1:3
“Then the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.”– Genesis 2:7
“By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.” – Hebrews 11:3
“In six days the LORD made heaven and earth.”– Exodus 31:15-17
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.” – John 1:1-3
“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” – Revelation 4:11
Atheism
The word “atheism” itself means “no belief in god(s)”.
The prefix “a-” indicates the absence of something. And “theism” means “belief in the existence of god(s)”.
How is atheism shown to be false by Natural Revelation (Reality)?
All design implies a designer.
Since the universe, genetics, the human body, mathematics and so much more (essentially, everything that exists) have order and design, it follows that there must be a designer. All these things could not possibly have become ordered as they are by random chance.
There is a designer, and that Designer is God.
Also, the fact that something (rather than nothing) does exist means there must be a cause for all things existing. The universe was caused to exist in its beginning, and something is causing the universe to continue to exist even now. Things are not self-creating. And (as identified in the second law of thermodynamics, which says that as energy is transferred or transformed, more and more of it is used up; this law also states that there is a natural tendency for any isolated system to degenerate into a more disordered state), things are not self-sustaining.
The Cause of created things and the Sustainer of the created universe is God.
Science tells us there was a beginning. Mathematics and time prove there was a beginning - since neither time nor numbers can be counted backward forever. At some point there had to be a beginning.
This logically-necessary beginning of the universe is identified by science as big bang cosmology, which can be seen today in the “red shift” (or Doppler Effect) seen three ways:
- In light from stars as they continue to move away from their point of beginning
- In the radiation echo from space with the same wavelength expected from the cosmic explosion at the beginning
- In the discovery of a mass of energy as expected from the beginning big bang
This beginning is described in God’s Word - Genesis 1.
How is atheism shown to be false by Special Revelation in Scripture (Truth)?
“Are there any among the false gods of the nations that can bring rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Are you not he, O LORD our God? We set our hope on you, for you do all these things.” – Jeremiah 14:22
“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” – Psalm 90:2
“‘Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him?’ declares the LORD. ‘Do I not fill heaven and earth?’ declares the LORD.” – Jeremiah 23:24
“God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ And he said, ‘Say this to the people of Israel: “ I AM has sent me to you.”’” – Exodus 3:14
“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.” – Psalm 19:1
“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.”– Psalm 90:2
“No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.” – John 1:18
“For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens (he is God!), who formed the earth and made it (he established it; he did not create it empty, he formed it to be inhabited!): ‘I am the LORD, and there is no other.’” – Jeremiah 45:18
“O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth.” – Isaiah 37:16
“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign.” – Revelation 11:17
“The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good.” – Psalm 14:1
Agnosticism
Agnosticism is a view that declares human reason cannot rationally know or be certain of the existence of God, spiritual beings, or anything supernatural. There are two forms of agnosticism. The first is known as limited agnosticism, and teaches that our finite knowledge cannot attain the infinite knowledge of God. The second form is called unlimited agnosticism; it claims that God and reality are simply unknowable.
How is agnosticism shown to be false by Natural Revelation (Reality)?
Unlimited agnosticism defeats itself when it claims that God and reality are unknowable. It is completely illogical to claim to know that this position is true on the grounds that nothing is knowable - which is what must be done for unlimited agnosticism to be taken at all seriously. How could anyone claim to know anything, if their philosophy is based on the belief that no one can know anything?
Limited agnosticism however, which distinguishes between finite knowledge and infinite knowledge, does line up with biblical revelation. Man is finite and so limited to finite knowledge. Infinite knowledge exists, but can only be known entirely by an infinite being. So, there must be an infinite being that we call “God”. Limited agnosticism leaves the door open to the possibility that infinite knowledge - including the existence and character of an infinite God - could be made known to us by God. This is also the biblical position. God has revealed himself in creation and by special revelation.
How is agnosticism shown to be false by Special Revelation in Scripture (Truth)
“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” – Deuteronomy 29:29
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” – Matthew 7:7-8
“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” – Hebrews 11:6
“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.” – Hebrews 1:1-2
“Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” – Matthew 6:33
“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.” – Psalm 19:1-4
“The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” – Romans 1:18-20
“No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.” – John 1:18
“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” – Jeremiah 29:13
“The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” – 1 Corinthians 2:14
“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.” – Isaiah 40:28
“You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” – James 2:19
“And one called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!’” – Isaiah 6:3
“Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” – Isaiah 55:6-7
Evolution
Cosmic evolution holds that matter has existed eternally, and the universe as we know it evolved out of this eternal matter over a very long period of time. The simple structures that existed billions of years ago have changed and evolved through various forces of energy into everything that exists today - stars, planets, all life forms, human beings, and modern technology.
Biological evolution can be subdivided into two categories - microevolution and macroevolution.
Microevolution is the process of various forms of life adapting to their environment. This is natural selection as we understand it, where the random desirable and success-inducing genes of one generation of a species are passed onto the next generation and become part of that species’ standard makeup. This part of evolution is consistent with biblical revelation.
Macroevolution is what we normally think of when we think of “evolution”. It is the idea that things turn into other things. For example, a microbe will, in time, become a human being. And since the process is still ongoing, human beings are even now slowly evolving into the next higher level of being. This part of evolution is not consistent with biblical revelation.
How is macroevolution shown to be false by Natural Revelation (Reality)?
As well-known and generally-accepted as this worldview is, it is not without problems. Here are a few reasons we would do well to remain skeptical.
- Explosions of new life forms are found in the fossil record with no sign of the transitional forms that are necessary for evolution to have occurred.
- Random mutations do not lead to new species - they lead to mutations. If drastic enough, these mutations will lead to an early death of the individual, or even the extinction of the species itself.
- DNA evidence destroys evolution’s “tree of life” diagram often seen in textbooks. Instead, DNA supports the process of species producing more of their own kind, which creates clusters with none of the connecting branches the so-called “tree of life” presents in evolution-supporting textbooks.
- The provable and observable small-scale changes occurring within a species - such as the size of a bird’s beak or color - are not demonstrating macroevolution (the transformation of life from simple to complex), but instead are adaptations of a species to its environment. The ability to adapt genetically (microevolution) has been in DNA since Creation, and is a demonstration of design placed in the DNA by the Creator.
In addition, evolution has been proven to be a false theory for the origin of life in several scientific fields:
- Genetics shows that random mutations cause harm to organisms and do not build complexity.
- Biochemistry suggests that random and undirected processes do not seem capable of producing cellular complexity.
- Paleontology - meaning, the fossil record, shows the abrupt appearance of species and generally lacks intermediate fossils.
- Taxonomy tells us that despite increasing DNA discoveries, biologists are failing to reconstruct Darwin’s ‘tree of life’.
- Chemistry has not been able to prove that the origin of life is the result of chemical processes. From the perspective of chemistry the origin of life remains an unsolved mystery.
How is evolution shown to be false by Special Revelation in Scripture (Truth)?
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” – Genesis 1:1
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.” – John 1:1-3
“They exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.” – Romans 1:25
“By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.” – Psalm 33:6
“You are the LORD, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.” – Nehemiah 9:6
“It is he who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out the heavens.” – Jeremiah 10:12
“By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.” – Hebrews 11:3
“For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God.” – 2 Peter 3:5
“For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.” – Hebrews 3:4
Racism
According to the Merriam-Wester online dictionary the definition of racism is “a belief that race is a fundamental determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.”
How is racism shown to be false by Natural Revelation (Reality)?
Quoting from a 2019 book called “The Genealogical Adam and Eve”:
- All of us, in actuality, shared a common ancestor just two to three thousand years ago…. For a population of one million, universal ancestors arise in about twenty generations. For a population one thousand times larger, one billion, universal ancestors arise in about thirty generations. Going back just a little bit further, we reach the identical ancestor point (IAP) where everyone at that point and more ancient is either ancestor of everyone alive today or ancestor of no one…. For a population of one million, for example, the IAP would be at about thirty-five generations. Using a generation time of twenty-five years, that is less than 900 years ago…. Very quickly, all our genealogies begin to “collapse” by sharing more and more of the same ancestors.
2019, InterVarsity Press, Grove, IL, 2019 by S. Joshua Swamidass, p. 44-49)
The findings are summed up thus: “Recent universal ancestry affirmed the unity of all humankind… [and that] much of what we understood of race was naïve, an illusion not rooted in biology.”
Besides genealogical research, DNA evidence also confirms that all humanity stems from a single human. The maternally-inherited mitochondria in our cells connects us all to a common ancestral mother.
Recent findings confirm that polygenesis (a theory supporting racism which states the races originated from a number of independent stocks of humanity) is scientifically unsupported and false. On the other hand, monogenism (the theory of a single origin of humanity) is now widely accepted as true and accurate.
Natural revelation rejects the concept of, and destroys the basis of, racism.
How is racism shown to be false by Special Revelation in Scripture (Truth)?
All people are created in the image of God (Gen. 1:27) and are the seed of one man Adam (and, then again, the one man Noah, Gen. 10:32). In this way, Paul could explain to the philosophers in Athens in 50 AD that “from one man God made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth” (Acts 17:26).
Throughout the text of Scripture and through the prophets and apostles, the Lord directly addressed many nations and ethnic groups. While Israel alone was chosen to preserve the knowledge of God, it was done in an effort to help facilitate God’s plan for all nations.
In the Bible God is recorded as being involved with many cultures and people groups for both blessing and judgment. The Lord is clearly presented throughout the Bible as being impartial.
Jesus came to the Jews, but also ministered to people from other nations and cultures (Matt. 8:5; 15:22). In fact, Jesus’ final commission to his Jewish disciples was to go to all the world and make disciples from all the nations (Acts 1:8; Matt. 28:19).
Paul taught that salvation in Jesus Christ goes beyond race, sex, or social standing (Gal. 3:28). In the end, when all believers are gathered to stand before the throne of God, there will be “a great multitude that no one [can] number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb” (Rev. 7:9).
Scientism
Scientism is the belief that science is the best - or only possible - source of knowledge.
How is scientism shown to be false by Natural Revelation (Reality)?
The first problem with scientism is that its claim that science is the only source of knowledge was not developed through the process of science. It is not an experimentally proven fact, but a philosophical statement about the nature of knowledge.
Science is undeniably a source of knowledge - but we also know that logic, mathematics, history, and psychology are also sources of knowledge. Even science leads us to understand there is something beyond the limits of what science can examine.
As we’ve seen, science itself (as well as physical reality) leads us to believe there is a Creator and Sustainer. One could even make the case that science (and life) even suggests the need for a Redeemer, since it shows there is death and decline in a world otherwise designed for life.
How is scientism shown to be false by Special Revelation in Scripture (Truth)?
“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.” – 2 Timothy 3:16
“The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens; by his knowledge the deeps broke open, and the clouds drop down the dew. My son, do not lose sight of these—keep sound wisdom and discretion, and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck. Then you will walk on your way securely, and your foot will not stumble.” – Proverbs 3:19-23
“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” – Deuteronomy 29:29
“They exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.” – Romans 1:25
“God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” – John 4:24
“For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” – Romans 8:19-20
“He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” – Colossians 1:17
“Just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to walk in Him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” – Colossians 2:6-8
“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.” – Isaiah 40:28
“Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much. Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” – Job 38:4-7
“Guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called ‘knowledge,’ for by professing it some have swerved from the faith. Grace be with you.” – 1 Timothy 6:20-21
“Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” – 1 John 4:1
“For Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.) Jesus then asked him, ‘What is your name?’ And he said, ‘Legion,’ for many demons had entered him. And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss.” – Luke 8:29-31
“Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons.” – 1 Timothy 4:1
“Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?” – 1 Corinthians 1:20
“The ‘wise men’ shall be put to shame; they shall be dismayed and taken; behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD, so what wisdom is in them?” – Jeremiah 8:9
“Claiming to be wise, they became fools.” – Romans 1:22
Naturalism
The philosophy that natural laws are the only forces that determine behavior and govern the structure of the universe is called naturalism. According to this way of thinking, there is no supernatural realm, let alone any manifestation of the supernatural in this world.
Naturalism divides into two opposite camps of thought - the material naturalist, and the pantheist naturalist.
The material naturalist reduces everything that exists (including soul) down to matter. Everything that exists is made of material. Nothing non-material exists.
The pantheist naturalist reduces the source of all existence to the mind or spirit. In this view, the entire world is made of mind and spirit. An unexplainable event to a pantheist naturalist would be identified as merely an unusual manifestation of mind or spirit. In this case it would be identified as supernormal - yet still a natural, explainable event coming from the mind or spirit.
In a similar way, reductionism is a philosophical idea that tries to explain complex life forms and scientific processes merely with terms from the laws of physics and chemistry. It oversimplifies complicated things, such as the make-up of man, which is both material and immaterial (i.e., the physical and the soul). There are two layers here, but the reductionist would oversimplify man into merely a physical being. The simple physical nature of the man would then be the source of man’s thoughts, attitude and words.
How are naturalism and reductionism shown to be false by Natural Revelation (Reality)?
Naturalism cannot replace an eternal God with eternal material or with the mind/spirit. This position is insufficient for the same reason as the theories of atheism, evolution, etc., because it reduces everything that exists to only one type of thing - in this case, either mind/spirit, or matter.
Like other false philosophies, naturalism cannot explain the origin of material, order, design, time, or the morality of mankind. A scientific explanation that claims that material (and, mind/spirit) came from nothing at all is much more ridiculous than the biblical position that material, mind, and spirit are the creation of an eternal God who exists outside of material and time.
Naturalism strives to explain everything by saying that everything is caused by material, which itself has no evident - or explained - cause. Man’s mind, soul, and emotions would have to be the result of materialistic chemical reactions.
The interior of the physical body of a man can be examined in every aspect, but the thoughts of the soul can never be known unless the thinker speaks. Yet scientists and philosophers that follow naturalism and reductionism use thought and logic - which are supposedly caused by materialistic chemical reactions - to form thoughts and logic to explain that thought and logic are merely chemical reactions. The theory they form and the logic they use to explain the material universe cannot be material itself.
How are naturalism and reductionism shown to be false by Special Revelation in Scripture (Truth)?
“For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.” – Colossians 1:16
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.” – John 1:1-3
“Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, ‘Where is this “coming” he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.’ But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly…But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.” – 2 Peter 3:3-7; 10-14
“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” – Revelation 4:11
“They exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.” – Romans 1:25
“God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” – John 4:24
“To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” – 1 Timothy 1:17
“The angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day.” – Jude 1:6
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” – Ephesians 6:12
“When the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you.’”– Jude 1:9
“God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment.” – 2 Peter 2:4
“Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them.” – Job 1:6
“Then Elisha prayed and said, ‘O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.’ So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” – 2 Kings 6:17
Moral Relativism
Moral relativism is the view that morality (that is, ethical positions of right and wrong) are merely cultural opinions. Morals are established using a socially-determined standard for right and wrong. Morals may vary from culture to culture, or from time period to time period. Since there are no absolute ethics or any universal moral code, every culture and time period selects its own morals based on its own current cultural norms. Different cultures and time periods must be tolerant of the wide variety of moral standards. If there is any conflict between cultural norms, tolerance becomes the primary virtue.
How is moral relativism shown to be false by Natural Revelation (Reality)?
The establishment of the social expectation that there are no absolute universal morals is itself an establishment of an absolute universal standard. This ironic fact, combined with the call to societies to practice tolerance, establishes yet another absolute - which should not exist, given the definition of moral relativism. The establishment of any absolutes in moral relativism defeats the concept of moral relativism and situational ethics.
How is moral relativism shown to be false by Special Revelation in Scripture (Truth)?
“God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.” – Genesis 1:31
“In him was life, and the life was the light of men.” – John 1:4
“You set a boundary that they may not pass, so that they might not again cover the earth.” – Psalm 104:9
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” – Ephesians 2:10
“For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” – Romans 1:21
“And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them…You have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God?” – Romans 1:28-32; 2:1-3
“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” – Isaiah 5:20
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” – John 14:6
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” – Romans 12:2
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” – 2 Corinthians 5:10
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” – John 14:15
“You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” – John 8:44
“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” – Colossians 5-10
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” – Hebrews 13:8
“For I the LORD do not change.” – Malachi 3:6