8. Philosophical concepts underlying the age of reason.docx

8. Philosophical concepts underlying the age of reason

The Age of Reason saw the introduction of the Scientific Revolution and various progressions of new schools of thought. Dualism advocated by Descartes taught that God (mind) and man (nature) were distinct. Baruch Spinoza introduced the idea of pantheism, namely, God and the universe are one and further that, “God was a substance consisting of infinite attributes.” Believers in Deism, described as the religion of reason rejected Christianity as a body of revelation, mysterious and incomprehensible. God’s revelation, believed Deists, was simple, logical and clear-cut, a natural religion which always existed.

v      DUALISM

Ø   Dualism – The concept
Dualism is the concept that our mind is more than just our brain. This concept entails that our mind has a non-material, spiritual dimension that includes consciousness and possibly an eternal attribute. One way to understand this concept is to consider our self as a container including our physical body and physical brain along with a separate non-physical mind, spirit, or soul. The mind, spirit, or soul is considered the conscious part that manifests itself through the brain in a similar way that picture waves and sound waves manifest themselves through a television set. The picture and sound waves are also non-material just like the mind, spirit, or soul. 

The alternative concept is materialism. Materialism holds that everything in our universe is made from physical materials including the human mind or brain and that spiritual attributes do not exist in the universe. This concept holds that our mind and brain are one and the same.

Ø      Dualism – Expectations of a material only mind
If dualism is not true, the mind is limited to the physical brain. Assuming this scenario, what kind of a mind would we expect? We certainly would not expect to have consciousness strictly from materials. Perhaps we could expect to see a mechanical mind similar to a computer that is run by a program. We would not expect things like consciousness, sensations, thoughts, emotions, desires, beliefs, and free choice. Such a mind would behave in a deterministic way based upon the laws of matter. Many scientists and philosophers are now concluding that the laws of chemistry and physics cannot explain the experience of consciousness in human beings. 

We would not expect people with such a mind to be responsible for their behavior because everything they do is determined by the attributes of matter. We all know that is absurd. Also, we could not trust our minds since they are just a random collection of materials not produced by an intelligent mind.

Ø      Dualism – Expectations of a spiritual mind
With dualism we would expect the spiritual mind to have similar attributes to that of its source. If the source is the God of the Bible, the concept of dualism is consistent with the Bible. Genesis 1:26 (NKJV) states, “Then God said, ‘let Us make man in Our image, according to our likeness . . .’” Genesis 2:7 (NKJV) states, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” Luke 23:46 (NKJV) states, “And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, ‘Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.’”

Ø      Dualism – Rational and scientific support
A British study published by the journal “Resuscitation” provided evidence that consciousness continues after a person’s brain has stopped functioning and he or she has been declared dead supports the truth of dualism. In their journal article, physician Sam Parnia and Peter Fenwick, a neuropsychiatrist, describe their study of sixty-three heart attack victims who were declared clinically dead but were later revived and interviewed. About ten percent reported having well-structured, lucid thought processes, with memory formation and reasoning during the time that their brains were not functioning. The effects of starvation of oxygen or drugs were ruled out as factors. Researchers also found that numerous cases were similar. 

J. P. Moreland, PhD, author and theologian states during an interview with Lee Strobel, “People are clinically dead, but sometimes they have a vantage point from above, where they look down at the operating table that their body is on. Sometimes they gain information that they couldn’t have known if this were just an illusion happening in their brain. One woman died and she saw a tennis shoe that was on top of the hospital.” This is strong scientific evidence for the validity of her experience and the existence of a conscience mind that separates from the body at death. 

There is no place in the brain where electric stimulation can cause a person to believe or decide. 

When Roger Sperry and his team studied the differences between the brain’s right and left hemispheres, they discovered the mind has a causal power independent of the brain’s activities. This led Sperry to conclude that materialism was false. 

Our thoughts can be true or false. However, brain states cannot be true or false. 

Nobody can tell what we are thinking by measuring brain waves. We must be asked what we are thinking. 

When empirical information is used to as a basis for validating dualism, we can come to a consensus that it is true. However, dualism vs. materialism is tied to the creation vs. evolution debate. Consequently, evolutionists need to take unrealistic positions against dualism to defend evolution. If dualism is true, we are created by God and macroevolution is false. 

In a similar way, if only the objective scientific empirical facts are considered, evolution has no support and creation is true by default.

v      PANTHEISM

Ø      The word "pantheism," like many theological words, comes from the Greek language. Pan means "all" or "everything" and Theos means "god." So, pantheism is the belief that everything somehow is a part of god. Our galaxy, the stars, our solar system, all living things, all thoughts, all people, everything is part of who or what god is. Much of the pantheistic view can be summed up in the statement, "All is god, and god is all." Although a form of the word "Pantheism" was first used in English in 1705, its roots go far back into antiquity. Many current religious and philosophical systems that have their basis in Pantheism include Buddhism, Confucianism, Darwinism, Freemasonry, Hinduism, Occultism, Taoism, and the New Age movement. These are based on three broad types of Pantheism. 

Materialistic Pantheism holds that the material universe is all that exists - there is nothing else. Our thoughts, feelings, hopes, dreams, and aspirations are nothing more than biochemical reactions occurring in the cells of the brain, glands, and organs. We are nothing but organic machines. In addition, since nothing but matter exists there was no one or nothing to create this matter. Thus matter must be eternal. "God" is just another name for the material universe. This form of Pantheism has more in common with atheism than with other forms of theism. 

Idealistic Pantheism teaches that just as the human soul or mind resides in the human body, the universal soul or mind (i.e. god) resides in the physical universe. God infuses, works through, and expresses the divine essence through the material world. Ultimate reality is found, therefore, not in the material world, but in the spiritual world. Some go so far as to say that the physical world is merely an illusion - either god's or mine - in which I play my part. The sum of all thoughts and feelings is therefore "god." 

Neutral Pantheism is like a hybrid of the other two. Both the material and immaterial emanate from a single neutral substance or energy. God is this energy that generates all mind and all matter. God creates physical reality out of this divine substance and then extends spiritual attributes to it from this divine substance. Then, in the end, all things return to god. Therefore, the totality of all thought and all matter is what we call "god." 

There are at least two significant problems with Pantheism. First, it cannot account for the existence of the universe. Most scientists today accept that matter, energy, space, and even time (our universe) had a point of beginning. But, if god is just part of the universe or another name for the universe, who or what began god? God could not create himself! Second, since our universe includes beings with personality (you and me for example), the Creator of the universe must have personality also. An effect cannot be greater than its cause. 

In contrast to Pantheism, the Bible teaches that God is a Person (Exodus 3:7; Hebrews 6:17), that He created the physical universe (Genesis 1:1; John 1:3), and that He wants to have a relationship with you and me (John 3:16; 1 John 4:10). 

v      DEISM

Ø      Deism – Enlightened EmptinessDeism is the belief in a supreme being, who remains unknowable and untouchable. God is viewed as merely the “first cause” and underlying principle of rationality in the universe. Deists believe in a god of nature -- a noninterventionist creator -- who permits the universe to run itself according to natural laws. Like a “clockmaker god” initiating the cosmic process, the universe moves forward, without needing God’s supervision. Deism believes that precise and unvarying laws define the universe as self-operating and self-explanatory. These laws reveal themselves through “the light of reason and nature.” Reliance on the power of reasoning exchanges faith for human logic. Here are some examples of deist reasoning:

§         God is identified through nature and reason, not revelation. Deists who believe in God, or at least a divine principle, follow few if any of the other tenets and practices of Christianity, Judaism, or any religion believing in a personal God. Any deist god is an eternal entity whose power is equal to his/her will.

§         Some deists believe in Jesus Christ, while others do not. Most deists give regard to the moral teachings of Jesus.

§         The Bible is not accepted as the infallible Word of God. Deists refute evidence of Jesus’ incarnation of God on earth. They deny the credibility of any writings from the Apostles or any “Spirit-inspired” writings.

§         Deism has no creed, articles of faith, or holy book. Neither Satan nor hell exists, only symbols of evil which can be overcome by man’s own reasoning.

§         Man is qualified to decide what reasonable path to follow regarding morals. Deists refer to themselves as “freethinkers.”

§         Deists reject revelations and visions. There is no place for the nonsense of miracles and prophecies in an enlightened deist’s life.

§         Deism has no need for ministers, priests, or rabbis. All an individual requires is their own common sense and the ability to contemplate their human condition.

Ø      Deism – A Stepping Stone to Atheism

Since the latter part of the 18th century, deism used science to justify its stance. Scientists, like Sir Isaac Newton, were able to elaborate more and more to explain how the universe and everything around us worked. Many of the mysteries that man attributed to God, yielded simple mechanistic explanations. The increase in knowledge spurred the decline in religious faith among the intellectual elite. As a philosopher and mathematician, Descartes reduced God to a “mathematical abstraction.” Reason pushed faith off into the realm of mythology and superstition, while deism quickly deteriorated into atheism (belief in no God at all). Science seemed to engage in a centuries-old battle with religion for the mind of man. Life became a product of blind change -- a cosmic game of chance played throughout time.

Ø      Deism – Something Missing

Humanity continues to spend billions of dollars on ventures such as the Hubble Space Telescope. Man is still passionately pursuing his origins, attempting to understand God’s design in creation. Dr. Patrick Glynn, Harvard University graduate and associate director at George Washington University, concludes that, “Physicists are discovering an unexplainable order to the cosmos . . . psychologists, who once considered belief in God to be a sign of neurosis, are finding that religious faith is a powerful elixir for mental health.” Like love, spirituality can’t be intellectually or mathematically proven, but our emotions tell us there is a dimension to life that transcends the logical, physical realm. What is it that missing ingredient?

Knowledge and reason are of little value if not utilized wisely. Wisdom is the key ingredient that deism lacks. While man tries to attain enlightenment, God provides a transformation (Romans 12:2). By disregarding faith and divine revelation from God, deism forfeits wisdom (Proverbs 2:2–6). The deist doubts the true Source of all knowledge and understanding (Isaiah 11:2; Colossians 2:2–3). By disengaging themselves from the Creator, “freethinking” deists limit knowledge (Jeremiah 10:12–14).

Dr. Gerald L Schroeder (MIT-trained in physics and biology) has published articles in Time, Newsweek, and Scientific American. He marvels at the wisdom encoded in our DNA and vast human consciousness. “There is a brilliant design in the brain, and to make it requires the nature of our universe, which means we need a metaphysical force, a potential not composed of time, space, or matter that created the time space, and matter of our universe.” God is touchable and knowable. He is never “far from any one of us . . . For in him we live and move and exist” (Acts 17:22–27).