WHAT IS TRUTH?

(PART 3)

There are many revolutionary ideas or concepts of truth

In our present times, the postmodern world, many of these concepts of truth are based in the very rooted revolutionary ideas of the 19th century. There are three of them. The first powerful concept is evolution - the theory that all life, including humankind, is the outcome of a natural, mindless progression from lower to more complicated forms of life. Britannica describes evolution as the theory in biology postulating that the various types of plants, animals, and other living things on Earth have their origin in other pre-existing types and that the distinguishable differences are due to modifications in successive generations. The theory of evolution is one of the fundamental keystones of modern biological theory.

Evolution removes the need for a Creator and makes science the arbiter of truth.

A second philosophy that has shaped the thinking of many Europeans, and more people in the United States than most would like to admit, is communism. The effects of the teachings of Karl Marx on Western society are greater than many realise, especially in our institutions of higher education. The political system called communism appears to have failed in Eastern Europe, but many of its philosophies are alive and well.

Marx once said, "Society is not based on the law… Rather, law must be based on society… Any attempted assertion of the eternal validity of laws continually clashes with present needs."

This concept sees rules and boundaries as only the means to an end. There is no absolute truth, only the shifting sand of moral relativism with the agenda of the state being the ultimate good.

Marx also referred to religion as the opium of the people. He wrote, "The basis of irreligious criticism is this: man makes religion; religion does not make man. Religion is indeed man’s self-consciousness and self-awareness so long as he has not found himself or has lost himself again… The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of men, is a demand for their real happiness. The call to abandon their illusions about their condition is a call to abandon a condition which requires illusions. The criticism of religion is, therefore, the embryonic criticism of this vale of tears of which religion is the halo… It is the task of history, therefore, once the other-world of truth has vanished, to establish the truth of this world."

A third powerful influence is psychoanalysis. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t good therapists helping people deal with emotional problems and mental illness, but it is difficult to underestimate the anti-biblical impact some in this field have perpetrated on our society. Many popular psychological theories promote premises that see human beings only in biological terms. They ignore the biblical revelation that many human emotional problems are rooted in spiritual sickness.

Christianity has also been influenced by these philosophical trends; and in some cases, Christians have been leading the way. It’s not unusual for religious leaders in today’s world to see the Bible as anachronistic, at best; others see it as downright oppressive. Christian churches once claimed to be the beacons of biblical truth. What happened?(to be continued)