Examined Christian Faith 'The Final Frontier' Part 1.4 - What is Christianity

Just to set the record straight, I am a fan of science.  I am frequently amazed at some of what science 'discovers', and thankful for some of the benefits of science to humankind.  The field of science is made of some of  the most intelligent and observant people on earth, because that is what science is 'observation'.  Which takes us to considering the universe.  Ever since men have been able to think for themselves, we have been wondering about this universe and how it came to be.  Before I delve into the two different camps, do not fool yourself into thinking that one viewpoint was held long ago, and the other has gradually over a period of recent time taken its position.  No, men have always held two viewpoints on this.  Everyone who has ever thought about it has fallen into one of two camps.  

There are those of the materialist viewpoint or more precisely those who think that it all just happens to exist, that it has always existed.  No one really knows why, it just happened.  Moreover, that this matter, by one in a million chance happened to collide to form our galaxy, and then another something happened to form our sun, and still another to form the planets.  Yet by another fluke, our planet just happened to have the right temperature, and chemical makeup to support life, and then some of this matter on earth that had been floating around forever, just happened to come alive.  Then by another incredibly long chain of events leaving creatures developed into creatures like us, who could think and reason, and have emotions, creatures that also just happened to have an inner voice telling directing each of them to believe in the same concept of right verses wrong. 

Then there is the religious view.  According to those who hold this viewpoint, what is behind the universe, what created the universe is more like a mind then anything else we can describe it as.  It has a purpose and prefers one thing over another.  In addition, it was with this view that it made the universe, for reasons we do not know, but one of the reasons was to create beings like us, who like itself have minds. 

You will also notice that science cannot answer the question, because all science works by experiments, no matter how complicated it is, in the end science is simply a matter of observing what happens when x and y interact.  It does not explain the why it happens to, just that it does.  If like in the “Wizard of Oz” there is, anything behind the curtain is a different question, one that science can never answer.  If you suppose as some do, that some day we will know everything in the universe (I personally do not adhere to that), but I would argue that the questions that we have always asked would still be left unanswered “Why is there a universe?”  “Why does it go on and on as it does?”  “What is the meaning of this?”

However, to understand the answers to that, perhaps we should examine the one thing in the entire universe that we know more about than we can learn by science (the art external observations).  This is my point, anyone who was studying humans from the outside as we do the stars, animals, plants, rocks, etc...  would never guess that we have this law of human nature, this moral law.  He would be observing what we do, so his observations would merely be a reflection of what we did, and the law of human nature is about what we should do. 

The point of this is that in our quest to know if there is a power behind the universe, it would not be one of the things we could observe.  There is only one instant in the entire universe, which we can know weather there is anything more than what can be observed.  Namely our own case, or specifically as it pertains to me, in my case.  As C.S. Lewis said “If there is a controlling power outside of the universe, it would not show itself to us as one of the facts inside the universe, it could not show itself to us as one of the facts inside the universe – no more than the architect of a house could actually be a wall or staircase in that house.”    

The only way in which we should expect it to show itself would be inside ourselves as an influence or a command trying to get us to behave in a certain way.  As troublesome as it is, that is precisely what we do find inside ourselves, we find that moral law.  In the only case where we can get an answer, the answer turns out to be yes.  

Therefore, in the only instant where I can peek behind the curtain, I find that I do not exist on my own, as any external observation would deduce, but rather that I am under a law, that somebody or something wants me to behave in a certain manner.  Therefore, I can logically reason that as I am under an unseen law, all other matter in the universe is under unseen laws as well (as we can observe) but more importantly I should expect to find that there is a power behind those facts, those laws as well.

So the origin of the universe is either matter or something with a mind.  I personally have a difficult time trying to envision a clump of matter giving instructions, or laws.  You know where I am headed with this, but do not jump ahead of me, I am not talking about the God of Christian theology.  All we have been able to conclude so far, by observing the universe and examining what is unseen within each of us, is that there is in fact a ‘Something’ which is directing the universe, and which it shows itself in me, by giving me a law urging me to do the right thing, and making me feel uncomfortable and responsible when I fail to do so.  

Do not deceive yourself into believing that I am going to propose that the ‘Something’ is cuddly like the puppy dog modern American Christian churches are purporting, Quite the opposite, that ‘Something’ should be feared, as the universe while beautiful is not especially a hospitable place for humans, and the moral law that has been placed inside each of us is as hard as nails.  But I get ahead of myself.  It is time for you to decide which view you hold of the universe, but to me, to propose that all of this is just a matter of chance, a one in a billion long-shot, on top another one in a billion long shot, on top of another one and then to suppose that a clump of matter would instill in me a moral code is simply delusional, and denying what your own moral code tells you.  

If you have never read   THE SHACK  is a great place to begin to realize that not everything can be seen.  Desiring to truly understand 'What is Christianity' is not always easy. .

Examined Christian Faith 'Benedict Arnold' 1.3

So it would seem to be two really strange things about the human race, 1^st that we are haunted by the idea of a behavior that we should practice (you can call it whatever you like, morality, fair play, law of human nature, or just being a decent human being)  and 2^nd that we fail miserably at the 1^st.  It is strange because what we call the laws of nature are really in fact simply observations of what always happens.  As Isaac Newton observed, if I cut an apple loose from it’s tree, it will fall, it is not because the apple just remembered that it that it should fall, it just happens.  

However, the law of morality is a different matter entirely, it does not mean that this is what humans do; in fact, many humans choose to ignore the law completely, and none of us follows it all of the time.  The law of gravity tells you what an apple will do if you cut it loose from its tree, but the law of human nature tells you what humans should and should not do.  It is the only law that seems to have something outside of it beyond the actual facts and there is no explaining it away.

I was having this very conversation with a friend of mine, and it occurred to me that his example is one we have all shared.  If I am in a parking lot looking for a place to park my car (picture Black Friday at a busy shopping mall) I respond completely different to the person who is parked in a stall because they got there before me, and the person who cuts me off to sneak into the parking spot I had been waiting for.  They are both an inconvenience to me; however, while I am not angry with the first man, I am furious with the second.  

Or perhaps this explains it better, if once I am inside the shopping mall and I accidentally trip over another shopper and hurt my arm, I may be upset for a second, before I realize it was a mistake, however I would be really ticked off at a teenager who stuck out his leg in an attempt to trip me (which I nimbly jumped over).  That’s the strange thing, because the person who actually hurt me, I am not angry with, yet I am boiling at the one who actually did me no harm.

Alternatively, from the American viewpoint, think back to our own Revolutionary War and Benedict Arnold.  He was handsomely rewarded by the British for his betrayal of this fledgling country, yet once he was in England, he was treated like the jackal that he was; because while they paid him for his service, even they were repulsed by his behavior. 

Therefore, it would seem that decent behavior is not behavior that is useful to us or that does not cause us harm, and it is certainly not behavior that pays.  What is it?  It is being content with what you are paid for a job, when you might have made three times the amount, taking a test honestly when you have a chance to cheat, respecting a woman when she says no, when you want to make love to her, keeping promises that you would rather not, and telling the truth even it the truth may hurt you.  The law of morality does not concern itself with what is best for society, because really why should I care what is best for society except when it pays me personally? 

That is what we are left with.  The law of human nature, the law of morality is that ‘you should be unselfish.  Not that you are unselfish, or even that you like being unselfish, just that you should be’.  In fact, it is an idea that we cannot get out of our minds.  It is not a statement about how we want others to behave for our own convenience, for actions that we call  unfair are not the same as that which we find inconvenient, frequently they are the exact opposite.  We are left with no option other then to conclude that in regards to the law of right and wrong, good and evil, that there is something beyond the normal facts of our behavior, none of us made it, but it is definitely a real law that presses on us constantly to obey.

For a really good book that can explain all of this in manner far beyond my humble skills, I again recommend Timothy Keller's  The Reason For God

You will have noticed that I have not yet addressed the issue of ‘God’, especially not in the Christian context (I will get there). What I am concerned with at this point is understanding what we can observe as evidence for what we can not.   Think about the law of human nature and what it tells you about the universe we live in.  

Which is where we will head next.

Examined Christian Faith 'Law of Human Nature' 1.1 - What is Christianity

What is Christianity?  How to explain what I am about to undertake?  Or even why I am doing so?  Where most of those who believe as I do see no need to explore the questions, no reason to  ponder the deep underlying currents that drive our beliefs;  I am compelled to do otherwise.  I do not fully understand the reasons myself, so I doubt that I can explain it to you.  It is just something I must do.  I must understand why I believe what I believe, because if I do not understand the basis of my faith, how can I be the witness that I am called to be?  I am probably the least qualified person I know to attempt such an undertaking, and I do not suppose that I will answer every question that others may have.  Just the ones I have, the ones that connects all of the dots in my heart and mind.  Just the ones that explain why and what I believe to be the truth. 

I believe that this is an exercise that everyone needs to undertake in their life; to paraphrase Socrates’ "The unexamined life is not worth living."  into “The unexamined faith is not faith at all”, for when the first sign of trouble, hardship, or opposition comes, and it will; faith unexamined is faith abandoned.  Oh you may appear to return to it at a later point, but inside, where it matters most, you know the truth, that your faith is only your faith as long as it gives you what you want. 

How long will this take, “only my father knows”.  

Part 1.1  Laws. 

It seems to me that there are two laws that govern our world, ‘the law of nature’ and ‘the law of human nature’.  Some may think they are the same, but I would disagree.  The ‘law of nature’ means things like gravity, heredity, biology, chemistry, etc., while the ‘law of human nature’ is really the law of right and wrong.  It is the ‘law of human nature’ where I begin my pursuit.  The reason is actually quite simple, all creatures, all matter including man, must obey the ‘law of nature’.  That a rock or a man could choose to obey the law of gravity or choose not to, is not an option. However a person may choose to either obey the ‘law of human nature’ or not.

To visualize this, all one has to do is imagine a body supported in mid air, if you remove the support, the body has no option about falling, be it a rock or a human; the law of nature is shared by all things.  However the ‘law of human nature’ is peculiar only to humans.  We can either choose to obey it, or not to.  But it is a law that is not shared with any other thing on earth, no animals, no plants, or any inorganic thing.  It applies to humankind, and humankind alone. 

What is the ‘law of human nature’?  It is the law of decent behavior, of right and wrong.  One may deny that the law exist, that there is no real right and wrong, but the person who says this will soon prove themselves to be blind or mistaken.  For while he may use that excuse when he breaks a promise to you, if you try to break on to him, he will be screaming the loudest that it is unfair.  The simple act of arguing with someone is in itself proof of this law, because to quarrel with someone means that you are attempting to show that they are wrong, if there is not some sort of agreement about what is right and wrong, then there would be no  point in arguing.

It does not matter what society, what culture, or what time period you look at, the same core belief of morality exist. Compare the Romans, Egyptians, Hindus, Chinese, Greeks, or the Waodani, they all held the same essential belief of right and wrong.  Yes, there will be differences between the details, as in how many wives a man may have, but they all agree you do not take another man’s wife; the core tenant of right and wrong has existed in all of them.  

Try to imagine a country where it is admirable to betray your friends, to steal from others is praised, where lying is a good thing, where murder is exalted,   Countries and cultures may have different views in regard to what people should be unselfish towards (family, friends, co-workers, countrymen, or everyone) but they have always agreed that you should not put yourself before others.  That the selfish man is the most detested man. 

It seems that there is no option other then to accept that there is in fact a real Right and Wrong, and none of us are very good at keeping the ‘law of human nature’.  Maybe I should simply say that at least no one I know is; because like it or not, this year, or this month and much more likely today, we failed to practice  the type of behavior we expect from others.  When it is pointed out to me  (even if only by my own conscience) I myself have come up with thousands of excuses as to why I failed.  It does not matter if it is a good excuse (not very often), rather that they offer more proof at how deeply we believe in ‘the law of human nature’.  If we did not believe in a real right and wrong, there would be no reason why I would need to make an excuse.   

The truth is that the law of human nature is pressing on us so much at all times, that we cannot bear to admit that we are breaking it, so rather than fact the fact, we attempt to shift the blame.  Yet it occurs to me that it is only for our poor behavior, our rotten actions, our short temper, our sins (if you care to use the word) that we delegate the responsibility to something or someone else. 

All clear thinking about ourselves and the universe we live in is based on these two points. 

 

1. Human beings all over the earth, regardless of time, place, or culture have this idea that they should behave in a certain manner, and try as we may to deny it, we cannot shake it. 
2. That none of us in fact behave in the way we think we should.  All of us know the ‘Law of Human Nature" and none of us keep it.  

If you are so inclined, a good place to begin your examination of what you believe may be The Reason for God