Purpose Without Objective Morality is Philosophy
Evidential Christianity and Philosophy are both simultaneous pursuits that correlate in their goals, yet diverge in their origin, belief, and approach. Both require the implementation of passion, time, research, and other factors. However there remains one evident absolute constant found in response to all things that exist on this planet, and that is proof of God. No matter how philosophers can interpret our world, there exists no evidence to counter the only viable explanation for our existence. Christian Evidence, like Philosophy, pursues truth and purpose, functioning to provide confidence within our decisions, relative to the basis of some form of absolute certainty. The most significant distinction between Christianity and Philosophy is the belief in objective morality. If good and evil exist, what is the basis on which they can be defined, relative to some form of an absolute model or [origin] point of reference? Good and evil cannot be simplified to be defined as “current feelings,” but instead must be referenced on some form of consistent moral law. Then what of philosophy?
Philosophy differs from Christian Evidence due to its lack of objective reality. This means, while many statements and assumptions may feel conclusive there exists no physical definitive proof that these parabolic interpretations hold validity. Instead, Philosophers have historically searched through every possible scenario to interpret a meaning beyond what exists, often searching desperately for an unattainable alternative. What many philosophers often overlook, however, is the already existent absolute Christian Biblical principles by which our nation’s initial Founders were raised and influenced. These objective moral Christian principles would thereby later be drafted both into our Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. To state that America’s exceptionalism is purely anthropic fails to account for the magnitude of influence behind the public access and awareness to overwhelming evidence of knowledge there is an absolute Creator responsible for the design of all that we know and all that we can perceive. This debate within philosophy leads to the manifestation of many seemingly valid interpretations and explanations of our collectively shared reality. These philosophical interpretations of life as we know it can then be packaged into a single-serving synthetic pseudo-confidence to be exhibited within the public square. People are quick to accept many exotic philosophical positions which are objectively fallacious in order to further distract themselves away from positioning their lives relative to an absolute reference to reality. Many do not wish to ask themselves, “Am I living in the way I was created to? Who is that version of myself that I see inside my head? At what point did I go wrong to end in this state of eternal longing?” These are just some of the symptoms that modern secularists wish to avoid. In doing so, society begins to accommodate these distractive and unproductive forms of lifestyle in order to profit off their current state of discontentment, encouraging an even greater number of individuals to abandon God. However, when we experience turbulent winds from the storms of life, should we not turn to something Supernatural to sustain our spirits? Once depravity becomes socially acceptable it becomes harder to discern one’s true purpose, and more accessible for those who have gained this vision to achieve a personal advantage, in defiance of God’s order. Christianity prevents this form of spiritual slavery which seeks to condemn society into a perpetual state of personal purgatory, whose goal remains unbalanced contributions to the system. God on the other hand provides us with exceeding abundance, and immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine, through receiving His grace. This only happens with objective morality, given to us not by human beings, but an intelligent and eternal Creator, who wants to build a relationship with us in our lives.
Evidence of God
It is impossible that we evolved due to the complexity of our biological structure down to the cellular level, however, many continue to debate the obvious answers that lie before us. Although some may boast of their own understanding of human biology, at a certain point, even “the most intelligent human beings” cannot physically comprehend how it is that we are created. Worse, not a single person has been able to prove what happens before or after death beyond the oldest evidence known to our species. While to some it sounds as if the Bible must follow a law based on prehistoric pictographs and ancient rituals, the most shocking revelation is how applicable the literal interpretation of every verse throughout Biblical Scripture continues to remain, over two thousand years after its creation. Beyond this, there exist many versions, interpretations, and commentaries which reveal ways these moral objective principles and values should be applied.
In Genesis, God warned against philosophical truths, forbidding Adam to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In many ways, philosophy has become the modern tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Instead of relying on God’s word to shield us against maleficent forces, many turn to the depravity of humans for answer to our purpose and the meaning of life. While apples themselves are not evil, reliance on external factors outside of Scripture correlates greatly to the betrayal which occurred in the Garden of Eden.
Genesis 1:16,17 (ESV) “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, ‘You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’”
Unlike Adam, Jesus was born through a virgin as the son of God and lived a sinless life. After Jesus died at the cross and was resurrected three days later, technology and society began to change. Today, these same objective moral values have undergone a complete cultural overhaul with little regard for holding value to tradition under modern circumstances. Yet, Biblical life principles continue to remain the foundation and blueprint to achieving true happiness. This comes through the promise of eternal life, after death. Rather than succumbing to the great distraction, which seeks to numb the fact that we are all going to die, Christianity provides us with absolute conclusive truths to the expectations of life and death. Once this is understood, purpose can become engaged, allowing us to spread this good news to humanity. Although many fear the consequences of their actions while being alive on this Earth, Jesus Christ provides us with reassurance that God loves us unconditionally, no matter our sins and spiritual betrayals. The difference between Christians, philosophers, Satanists, and atheists, is their direct and personal relationship with God, or lack thereof.
As Jesus Christ stated in John 13:34 (ESV) “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
God must be the explanation for the origin of all things. He remains evident, as an intelligent and necessarily existent creator, for the Lord needs no further explanation. As apologetic author William Craig writes in his book[1], “Defending Your Faith,” “[I}n order to recognize an explanation as the best, you don’t need to be able to explain the explanation. In fact, such a requirement would lead to an infinite regress of explanations, so that nothing could ever be explained and science would be destroyed!” (Craig, W. L. 2013, 155). As shown by the author’s example, a more comprehensive explanation of man’s origin remains to be seen. The Bible functions as the instruction manual of life, applicable to all things, which helps direct the individual toward goodness and happiness. This, in turn, ensures the longevity of a society.
Knowledge of God in Society
Since the beginning of time, we have searched for further instructions for our purpose. The only possible explanation we have found that is supported by historic physical evidence is that there is a God. Beyond this, further evidence of a Holy Spirit who wrote the Bible, and Jesus Christ, who was born, lived a sinless life, produced miracles, died at the cross, and whom God resurrected. This was all done to prove to us that there is in fact an eternal Creator and He determines our objective morality. Through experiencing this personal revelation we can become reborn by these instructions and begin to implement them in our lives.
Critics of Christians warp the context of the doctrine’s exclusivity which divides those from non-Christians. The truth is, that Christianity’s exclusivity only applies to the separation from our former lives before Christ, and after, and should not be applied to non-believers. Directly contrasting this position, like philosophy, society is an inclusive environment that requires a level of tolerance, in order to sustain life and civil order. This means we can no longer apply Mosiac Law to our current state of affairs, but must instead present the loving Christian view found in the New Testament, specifically the Gospel in our approach with apologetics. Many dangerous obstacles lie within the secular simulation of today’s society, including persecution not unlike that found in Scripture. In America, this doesn’t mean evangelists run the risk of crucifixion, however many other comparable threats exist as a result of pushing Christian philosophy in the secular domain. Although God gave us dominion over all things upon this Earth, He certainly did not give us dominion over each other.
In society the government and other special interest groups with nefarious agendas have given humanism dominion over Christian doctrine and philosophy. Today, it is the philosopher who is revered, and elevated to an even higher position than the apostles in the minds of many. This is not to say Christianity is forgotten. According to a 2022 Gallup Poll, 17% of Americans do not believe in God, with only 81% affirming their faith[2]. Gallup states that when the poll was first conducted in 1944, 98% of Americans believed in God. According to Gallup, today, “[a]bout half of those who believe in God -- equal to 42% of all Americans -- say God hears prayers and can intervene on a person's behalf.” Without Divine intervention through discipleship and evangelism, this number will continue to fall until it inverts its original value. A nation without God, is a neofeudalist state of control, where the only source of authority is an artificial one. In this deranged future potential iteration of a Godless nation, there can be no objective truth, as principles, beliefs, and values exist relative to the subjective tastes of the ruling class. A society without God, is not a world that would be worth living. Instead, we would function as organic batteries to perpetuate a state of slavocracy, under the pretext of an up-and-coming future utopia. They may even call this spiritually tyrannical state an inclusive “democracy.” However, without an absolute objective groundwork for us to lay our faith, we rely only on government intervention. As Christians it is our duty and mission to preserve God’s Kingdom from its spiritual erosion, ensuring that the objective truths found in God’s eternal knowledge remain prosperous and preserved.
Biblical Opposition
As Norman L. Geisler reminds us through the title of his legendary book, “I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist,” for the antithetical philosopher, it takes more faith to believe against Christian doctrine. Philosophers who oppose Christianity aim to dispute the origin of man against the evidence which supports that we have a Creator. To achieve this, better answers must be given for all Christian explanations. However, physically there remains an overwhelming amount of evidence in favor of a purposeful intelligent creator. In the history of humanity, there has not been a single individual able to disprove Christianity. We must remember this principle as followers of Jesus Christ, and come from a position of victory through kindness. If a Christian is unable to support a specific Christian principle, this does not negate the legitimacy of the ascribed doctrine. Instead, it opens both sides to discussion, encouraging an arrival at the truth, apart from accordance. By helping Biblical opposition break down each premise to better analyze their own conclusion, we can hold a meaningful and essential Creation-driven conversation with those who may not otherwise consider it. Beyond this, it is our Christian duty that God calls us to evangelize with all those created in His image. No matter one’s beliefs, feelings, or opinions, there exists only one truth, to be debated. In the face of theological opposition Christians should debate interpretations of Scripture from a place of peace, to better understand God’s intention for us both individually and collectively upon this Earth. The Doctrine of Christianity is based on inherited sovereignty through objective morality, therefore we must live and operate as products of our practice.
As German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche proclaimed, “Life has not been devised by morality: it wants deception, it lives on deception.” Refuting the Bible, Nietzsche went on to ask[3] “God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him…Must we ourselves not become gods simply to appear worthy of it?” It is important to note that while their positions may not be Christian, not all philosophers deny the existence of a higher power. Instead of reliance on relativity of an absolute moral standard, philosophy functions as an evolving exercise of logic.
Logic itself would not exist without the culmination of variations of philosophical positions. As author Stephen M Rice writes in his book[4] “The Force of Logic,” “The study of logic is a study of philosophy. Philosophy has designed many different frameworks and classifications of logic…” (Rice, S. M. 2017, 21) When building sound logical syllogisms, one must use truthful premises to avoid making fallacious claims which are physically unsupported through objective evidence but instead rely on subjective belief. This discernment requires some form of absolute reference to produce truthful premises. When all the premises are presented as truthful, a logically sound conclusion can be drawn. But what constitutes absolute truth? Without objective morality, there can be only subjective experience. Just because something feels good to one person, does not mean that it is good. As an example, Feudalism, Communism, and Socialism deprive the majority of resources in order to create an artificial wealth gap that exists to force compliant allegiance to the government in order to sustain their system. As a result of these methods of governance, the minority who rules over the working-class attain exceedingly abundant wealth by depriving others of essential needs. Although elites in these positions are able to attain a state of fantastic wealth and their own personal utopia, does that constitute an overall state of good? With extreme historic examples, it becomes horrifyingly apparent that personal feelings have nothing to do with morality, and that there must be some form of objective reality. Sadly, this also represents the conditioned inversions of our modern nation.
Philosophical Differences
Though logic is rooted within philosophy, Christians must utilize its formula to devise a formal defense against secular opposition. This includes government mandated diversion from God’s natural order, resulting in a revocation of individual belief. Having solidified absolute beliefs which can be based upon objective truth allows us to discern fact from fiction, while navigating the diverse landscape which we inhabit. As Aristotle put it[5],[6] “[a]ll men by nature desire knowledge… [a]ll men by nature desire to know.” Christians can conclude that this natural desire has been fulfilled by God, Jesus Christ, Scripture, and the Holy Spirit. Philosophy takes the pragmatic approach, attempting to revise the origin of man and our purpose on this Earth with varying incentives. This does not mean that philosophy is an abomination. Historically, philosophers have participated in meaningful contributions to society, including politics, literature, logic, spirituality, and various ideologies. However, one thing philosophy has failed to provide alongside its contributions is evidence that both affirms there is no God and exceeds the current supporting evidence which exists that there is. Those who seek covenant in philosophy find that there is neutral morality in science.
The secular experience entails suffering without an absolute cause. Christianity serves as a platform to inspire others to live according to the words of God, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus Christ. This includes evangelism, meaning that we should view those in opposition to Christianity as our mission, placed in our lives to engage. This means placing God within every aspect of the human experience, even in our suffering. While it’s true that the majority of suffering is directly unexplainable, it should not sway our faith in an absolute Creator. If anything, moments of peril should drive us closer to our faith and a personal relationship with God. Though we may experience worldly suffering, the Lord uses Biblical Scripture to remind us of the magnitude of agony which Christ endured through His own crucifixion. However, it was through Jesus’s resurrection that God provided us with the greatest gift of hope and power. To Christians [and non-Christians] who experience suffering, the death of Jesus Christ stands as a foundation for us to lay our faith when storms arise.
Conclusion
While philosophy relies on faith for a yet-to-be-discovered alternative meaning of life, Christianity relies on grace and evangelical action. Philosophers can equate God’s grace to halting the cycle of personal suffering. The best method by which we as Christians should convey the message of Jesus Christ and the absolute Biblical principles of our faith to non-believers is through our own total commitment to God, in all that we do. Christian Evidence stands as a blueprint for a preservable transformation. Yet, in engagement with Biblical opposition, we must not succumb to our intrinsic human tendencies to sin in defense of our Christian doctrine. This certainly doesn’t suggest that another individual’s faith should influence or sway our Christian truths, but implement Biblical critical rationalism, the best evangelistic approach. It is through relentless certainty of believing and understanding the world around us in a Christ-like way that we can encourage others to gain theological interest in the resurrection of Jesus.
Biblically, we can conclude that every secular opposition is a potential mission field of calling by God to enact our apologetic skills in peaceful Christian argument, allowing us to sustain the image that God created. Today, the Lord’s image and authority, have been counterfeited by various institutions for personal gain, mandating a state of omnism, and encouraging society to collectively rise against God’s strategically designed order of good and evil. Although belief in God remains on a consistent decline, the growing number of those who fall out of faith are not to blame. We must remember it is the institutions of aristocratic bureaucracies and malevolent antitheist doctrines that we are at spiritual war with, not each other, for the Bible clearly and specifically states that all human beings are made in the image of God. (Gen. 1:27, 9:6). This does not exclude “those with an alternative agenda” or “some conflicting ideology.” Theology, unlike philosophy, relies not on personal feelings, nor perseveration of self-image relative to society’s current state of affairs, but on the direction of His Holy Spirit to guide us. By God’s illumination, we can uphold the image of His kingdom, and embolden others to build a covenant with our eternal loving personal creator.
[1] Craig, William Lane. On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision (p. 155). David C Cook. Kindle Edition.
[2] Gallup. "Belief in God in U.S. Dips to 81%, a New Low." News. https://news.gallup.com/poll/393737/belief-god-dips-new-low.aspx.
[3] Philosophybreak. "Nietzsche Quotes: 97 of his Cleverest Statements | Philosophy Break." Philosophybreak., https://philosophybreak.com/articles/nietzsche-quotes-97-of-his-cleverest-statements/.
[4] Rice, S. (2017). The Force of Logic. pg. 222. Aspen Publishers.
[5] Todayinsci. "Aristotle Quotes - 175 Science Quotes - Dictionary of Science Quotations and Scientist Quotes." Todayinsci., https://todayinsci.com/A/Aristotle/Aristotle-Quotations.htm.
[6] Metaphysics, 980a, 21. The Complete Works of Aristotle (1984), Vol. 2, 1552.