Thoughts and Realities

Some very interesting thoughts have surfaced in my being as of late. I like to picture them as coming from a deep well...somewhere beyond my finite grasp and cynical mind....but nonetheless they surfaced in me. They did not come from a book, or the outside world that influences us all too easily. No, they came from somewhere far more real, the profound nature of truth has a way of baffling us even though it is always so simple. What are those thoughts you ask? Read on...perhaps I will tell you.

I think often on the topics of God, existence, love, truth, and morality. I have often wrestled with the seemingly insatiable questions that life throws at us mercilessly, only to leave them behind me unanswered...as I arrogantly strive forward---towards what? I hardly know, only that it was nowhere exciting. It was quite easy to leave any meaning for my existence to the 'professionals'--those that study intently every atom, of every thing....except that one thing--the idea of God, a Creator of the universe, a Lord, and a Savior. I still marvel at their ability to focus on everything else so determined, while outwardly just as determined that such an idea of immense proportions should be relegated to the delusional...that dreamer of dreams...that wishful thinker.
I cannot side with them, for reasons that do indeed defy logic. I cannot let their perspective go unchallenged, for reasons that do indeed go directly against our soceity. Why do I feel such a need to stand against the growing consensus? To never again let such professionals seduce me into selfishly thinking that life can have meaning beyond God? Why must I, who you had hoped was intelligent, 'lower' myself to believing in myths and legends, as they say?

So I had a few thoughts, I wondered how it was possible for me to think or conceive of the impossible...or at best, the improbable. I wondered how my mind...a mere machine, could formulate a hypothesis about a Supreme Being so great and beautiful that indeed it could do nothing but breathe love. And yes, I wondered aloud: when will I be able to imagine anything greater? But no, I did not stop here...I remembered that I wasn't the first to conceive of such ideas. So I asked myself, "Where and how did those who have come thousands of years before me conceive of such extraordinary things?" Was it in the same manner I conceived of the very same thing? I proposed that they must have been extremely bored...perhaps an intense loneliness that threatened to overwhelm, so they escaped to an imaginary realm--one that I do not need to explain how infinitely beautiful it could potentially be. I wondered further how they must have evolved such an idea. Was it their intense longing to have meaning? Peace? Joy? Life beyond the certainty of death? What was it that drove them to such madness!?

Have we now, even while humanity is so young, already begun to realize the truth of the universe? Are those that claim there is no meaning to the universe accurate in their deductions? I pondered many things, but Finally, I wondered if it was wrong to ask for proof that God does not exist? Is such a request an insult to logic? I hear it is much like asking for proof the flying spaghetti monster does not exist--speaking of him, I wonder exactly what his (or is it a she?) characteristics are...anyway. They say science cannot deal in absolutes, is this true? Is there always a margin for error? What then does it absolutely deal in? Sure...what we can test, what we can manipulate gives us a good understanding of what we perceive...but what more? Anything? I cannot have purpose from such a subjective reality, I need more. I need the absolutes that God has instilled within me. I want them to permeate the whole of my existence. I want the beauty of the universe to mean more than chance--what is chance? Does it bring meaning to life? I need more than to understand how it works. I want life beyond death. I want what meaninglessness cannot have--I want meaning. I want peace, understanding of the unknowable, joy in suffering...indeed, I have found all of this. I have not found it in the mechanical wonders of science-- I have found that in the very person of Jesus Christ...just a few thoughts. Good night.

The reality of atheism

I have been doing a bit of reading from Ravi Zacharias' book Can Man Live Without God? It is truly an insightful book that brings many things into the open that seem to be kept hidden for reasons that also become evident as you read. A very honest couple of excerpts from Aldous Huxley, who by the way was not a Christian, tell of the reasons for an atheistic philosophy and the real reasons behind what it seeks to achieve. Bear in mind that atheism allows for no purpose beyond death, life is not a gift from a Divine Personality...it just happened. The talk of meaninglessness in the piece is based on the logical flow that brought Nietzsche to his poetic proclamation that "God is dead, we have killed him."

If you are an atheist, realize that there is little room for denying that the following insights are the heart and core of what you believe. I am not writing all of this to make you believe that you are a terrible person and that your philosophy will doom you to being a particular way. What I am writing for is to help atheists realize the 'why' of their beliefs, the logical outflow of its affect on one's worldview, and the way it plays out in everyday life. For if the atheist cannot admit outright to humanity's need for God, I hope they should be able to recognize, perhaps, the true reasons for why they so adamantly believe what they do. It is too easy to hide behind lies and fallacies...this goes for every person of every belief, and we must realize this if we are to come to the truth. Without further prefacing, the excerpts from Huxley's Ends and Means:

"For myself, as, no doubt, for most of my contemporaries, the philosophy of meaninglessness was essentially an instrument of liberation. The liberation we desired was simultaneously liberation from a certain political and economic system and liberation from a certain system of morality. We objected to the morality because it interfered with our sexual freedom; we objected to the political and economic system because it was unjust. The supporters of these systems claimed that in some way they embodied the meaning (a Christian meaning, they insisted) of the world. There was one admirably simple method of confuting these people and at the same time justifying ourselves in our political and erotic revolt: We could deny that the world had any meaning whatsoever."

And the following was Huxley's preface to the above section:

"I had motives for not wanting the world to have meaning; consequently I assumed that it had none, and was able without any difficulty to find satisfying reasons for this assumption. Most ignorance is vincible ignorance. We don't know because we don't want to know. It is our will that decides how and upon what subjects we shall use our intelligence. Those who detect no meaning in the world generally do so because, for one reason or another, it suits their books that the world should be meaningless."

I, for one, find it truly amazing how most atheists will go to great lengths to bring meaning into the world apart from a Creator. This certainly can be done, but it is in denial of what is at the very heart of the atheistic philosophy--meaninglessness. As Huxley points out, it is very easy to find reasons not to believe in a God. He also alludes to these reasons being chosen specifically to justify our desire to live without morality...or at least any form of absolute morality. It is not difficult to deduce the danger of such thinking...and those who are honest will not deny this.

Can Atheism Save...?

I am hoping that those who read this agree that our nation is in a dire need for change--and no, not the 'Obama change'. What sort of change it needs is exactly what I am writing all of this about…be patient, I will get there. It should be noted that what I am attacking is any philosophy or worldview that simply cannot stand the test of reality. That reality is to include the physical, psychological, AND spiritual nature of life. To deny that any of these exist in a real sense is to deny that humans are human. Assumptions must be made somewhere, and that is where I start. This paper does not seek to establish scientific backing for a spiritual realm or provide reasons why there must be a Creator that loves and cares for his creation. It is solely to weed out those philosophies that simply cannot handle the rigorous demands of the human heart in its search for purpose and meaning beyond life. If you find yourself needing desperately some hard, cold evidence for the following, I suggest you look at the world around you without the aid of your scientific box…the 'data' is everywhere.

To be blunt and honest, I happen to be growing increasingly less fond of the atheistic movement, or as Dr. Zacharias would call it, the antitheistic movement. Perhaps I shall butcher the English language and term myself an antiatheist…or maybe I could establish a foothold among other than the all-too-real religious groups that often act without thought, and speak with less.

It is true, I am increasingly critical of those who claim to know truth and follow Christ as their Savior, claim to have "accepted him into their hearts", and have cried a tear as they realize they are sinful and that they don't have it all figured out. The reason, I so fervently hope, is obvious. Christians are not only leading lives that are ridiculously hypocritical, but are TERRIFIED to correct and help one another and are even more sternly against anyone EVER telling them that they are wrong. Let's wake up and smell the roses…WE ARE HUMAN, WE ARE OFTEN WRONG, AND WE DON'T KNOW IT ALL. This goes for everyone--non-Christians as well. If we can start here and work our way up, that would be a thousand steps in the right direction compared to what we think we are accomplishing right now in our little bubbles. It's time for a broader approach to reality than most of our current boxes will allow for. I commend the effort of those who want a better world, but without any understanding of reason and logic or consideration for a carefully discerned reality, the effort is entirely useless.

If you are feeling under attack right now by these words, that's O.K. I am not here to make you feel good--like a preacher might do, or a comedian. If you feel something is just slapping you in the face as you read, don't take it personally, please. I do not know it all, and never will. But I do know that the philosophies that dominate our culture today are pure and simple bullshit and we need to do some serious thinking, something which many of us may not have done for quite some time. Something that our entire culture has not done often since we began to rely on knowledge as opposed to wisdom…many years ago. Our bastions of learning are now steeped in such knowledge, with little-to-no idea how to use it. I refer to the correct implementation of knowledge as wisdom, for it is quite evident today that the masses are indeed educated…but there is offered no plausible explanation for the fact that our society is only getting worse--apart from the consistent claims that "we are drifting away from our Judeo-Christian values". I will vehemently argue that this is due to a lack of understanding of the place that knowledge should hold in our society.

So what is the correct way of using this knowledge? Let's start by fleshing out the knowledge first. This knowledge consists almost entirely of scientific advancements--whether they be strictly technological, biological, cosmological, or any other '-ogical' derivative. It is plain to see our society is obsessed with the material…those things which they can readily get their instruments on--to manipulate, test, prove, disprove, understand, and control. Is this not the heart and core of the atheistic and naturalistic philosophies that enshroud most of Europe and have all but taken control of our public school curriculum? Are we not already, despite our claims of belief in God, a nearly atheistic nation?? What may be the only revealing factor--that some still passionately live out their belief in God--is that our communication network is alive and buzzing with voices who will not give up the fight. The "ordinary" working American is conveniently dismissed and drowned in the roar and clamor of the elite media and political charlatans, supported by those who have "earned" their right to declare truth in contradicting tolerance/absolute claims--almost always from the omniscient pulpit of our established universities. Of course, the only thing they have earned is a right to be a part of the propagation of philosophies and theories that only have the potential to leave the naïve listener feeling less than worthless, used, confused, and often-- seriously depressed. The knowledge that is in the hands of these fools not only has the potential to change America's course from destruction to its original prosperity, but it has the potential to truly inspire and provide foundation for worldwide change. Not domination--a change, purely a neighbor helping a neighbor sort of change.

Moving towards the implementation of this knowledge, we must put it in the context of our culture. As I will argue, our culture is void of purpose beyond the here and now. Atheism, materialism, and naturalism all demand this to be so. Some would argue that the push to be 'green' is anything but a purpose focused on the 'here and now.' By here and now I do not mean without thought for the future, I mean without thought of anything beyond death…or even more immediate--without thought beyond the physical--that obsession with modern knowledge that I speak of. No, the implementation of such radical knowledge as we possess is worthless if it is not brought into light of the human condition. That condition being an inherent flaw, the fact that we are so easily motivated by our own needs and desires. Also, the reality that when push comes to shove, most of us will choose to take the easy way out instead of going against the grain and doing what (I will argue) is the right thing, anywhere and always. To those who claim education is the cure-all to the diseases of religion, superstition, and 'evil' in our world today, I need you to provide an honest estimate of how this could be true, and how long it would take. Provide sound reasoning as to why this hasn't already happened, and furthermore, what makes you think then that it could ever happen? When you answer these questions honestly, provide proof that education satisfies the deepest longings and questions of the heart. Surely you do not believe love has anything to do with the equation…or could you educate people on how to love? If you go down that road, you might as well start educating people on the life of Jesus, straight from the New Testament.

What we see today is an absence of something…can you put your finger on it? Do you think all your education prepares you to provide your friend--who is suffering of depression--with a solid reason to live? Or to convince a drug addict that there is more to life than drugs? Or the prostitute that is dying of AIDS to completely turn her life around to become someone who can love again? Or give that mother, who just lost her baby girl in a tragic car accident, a way to see beauty in loss? Or to inspire your lazy brother to do something of value and purpose with his life? Sure, you could propose the standard psychological treatment, detox, medical, whatever our knowledge-obsessed-society would prescribe; but never would today's education provide you with the answers to give to your hurting neighbors that would have the potential to completely change their life for the better. Could you even muster the desire to be concerned for these people to the point where you HAD to do something about it? The inevitable consequence to allowing every individual to design their own purpose in this life is a gaping hole that they can never fill. This nonsense is what is pushed ever harder in our education system. Left unchecked, it will soon render an entire generation without purpose beyond the precious knowledge that we have accumulated. And this is what the reliance of knowledge without the understanding of how to use it results in. There is simply no relation to anything sound or consistent beyond the physical. It is devoid of something very foundational--a claim to absolute truth. You cannot claim absolutely that there are no absolutes, your very own misused tool--logic--prevents it.

What I propose is vastly different and capable of so much more beauty, profound inspiration, power to heal and unite, and real meaning that can and will extend beyond that very real part of life we call death. This is to include suffering, as there is indeed meaning in suffering in this philosophy. There is the ability to determine truth in all things, and to have the peace of mind that you can ALWAYS do the right thing. There is no need to sway with the culture as it flounders about in the wild seas of purposelessness and confusion. It is a philosophy that demands the surrender of atheism, materialism, naturalism, and any other worldview which cannot provide solid foundation when the difficulties of life threaten to overwhelm. It demands supremacy not to rule the masses or to make you feel good, but because it is the only worldview that can provide a complete understanding of reality. It not only provides broad understanding, but it requires that each person love unconditionally, it ONLY encourages peace and unity, and NEVER attempts to tolerate lies or injustices--which is all too common among those who are left to choose their own purpose in life. It does not contradict with the findings of science. It is not opposed to free-thinking. It always seeks to free people of the chains of guilt, hatred, and jealousy that keep humanity from loving. It is not dependent on the findings of science, on which the dust never settles, but is independent and above the musings of flawed humanity. It is none other than the perfect life and teachings of Jesus Christ--who loved unconditionally, inspired endlessly, and fought valiantly against the forces of evil…and won.

It may be easy to laugh at such a conclusion that can never be based on any solid physical evidence. But it is far too easy to live a life of bitterness, hatred, resentment, doubt, and confusion when you cannot even entertain the notion that there may be more to life than what is able to be tested or evaluated, especially when you must remain completely inside the confines of human logic.

Hello World! All Things Candid Has Arrived!

I am hereby beginning my journey into blogging. Mostly my thoughts will be on philosophical topics and of the profound nature. I do not care for shallow conversation and those things that will never be remembered by anyone 5 seconds after you say "goodbye".

The majority of our population here in America lets everyone else do the thinking that they are responsible for doing...I would like to, somehow, see that stop. I am not someone who merely talks and "complains" about everything that I can't stand...no, I do something about it. I intend, while I attend Full Sail in Winter Park, FL, to write as much of a book that I can. This book will be a very reasoned and logical weapon, with which (I hope) those of you that are literally dying to live a life fully alive, will be able to relate and use to inspire your cause and your pursuit of truth, life, freedom, and everlasting peace.

May we never cease to think for ourselves, that is the one thing that nobody can ever take away from us.