“You can’t doubt belief A except on the basis of some belief B you are believing instead at the moment. So, for example, you cannot say, ‘No one can know enough to be certain about God and religion,’ without assuming that you know enough about the nature of religious knowledge to be certain about that (emphasis author’s).”- Timothy Keller
As Timothy Keller moves on in Chapter 2 of Making Sense of God, he observes that virtually every ancient thinker never reasoned that the existence of great evil meant that no God existed. Because ancient people never assumed that the human mind possessed enough wisdom to sit in judgment of an infinite God. To opine on how God disposed of things.
However, in modern times, people believe in the power of their own intellect to carry out a trial of God. That people trust the sufficiency of their own reason. Yet, as Augustine understood, faith and reason always work together. That reason always operates “under the guidance of antecedent belief.”
Certainly, the Christian believer uses faith and reason to arrive at his/her beliefs. Just as one’s secular neighbor uses faith and reason to get to his/her beliefs.
In addition, Pastor Keller notes, most secular people today hold to a set of ethical beliefs about human life. Above all, they contend removing the influence of religion aids in realizing those values. But two problems exist with these humanistic moral strategies. It’s impossible to prove them by means of observation and experience. And they fail to follow logically from a materialistic world view.
Hence, beliefs in human rights, individualism, and equality fail to align with the survival of the fittest. Obviously, they don’t. Russian philosopher Vladmir Solovyoz sarcastically offers this summary: “Man descended from the apes, therefore we must love one another.”
Our Christian and biblical heritage provides the source of our moral values. Not scientific reasoning.
Today’s question: Do you agree that you doubt belief A on the basis of some belief B? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “The supreme love of your heart”
