At Mars Hill in the city of Athens Paul encountered a religious concept based on an appeal to ignorance. To establish the fact that every god was acknowledged the Greeks set up an altar to an unknown god. This was done perhaps sincerely by men who desperately wanted to acknowledge the correct god.
This is a fallacy of irrelevant evidence. The Greeks were basing this religious concept on an appeal to ignorance. (Argumentum Ad Ignorantiam) This is a common fallacy among religions and is appealed to by many Christians today. It is the basis of a 'feel good' religion that is desperately seeking 'happiness'. It goes like this: "flying saucers do exist, for no one really knows for sure they don't."
The master of debate, apostle Paul, seized this occasion to present the particular God to a group of people who worshipped an indefinite god.. Their god was far away beyond the reach of the human mind and only their heart could reach out to him in 'feeling'. Paul said the "up close God" uncreated by humans predestines all things beforehand. Even to the Greeks Paul said, "WE are his offspring." "In Him WE live and move and have OUR being." Can we as modern day evangelicals say this to the world? These are bold words from a great courageous man. These words engender common men to rally gladly and enrages religious men to destroy. Why? Common men know that they have little recourse in life and go with the flow of the good and bad. They understand fate and live with it everyday. But religious men live by their beliefs and their destinies are sealed by their decisions. They make life work! When Paul says God alone makes life meaningful and your fate is in His hands; this angers religious men!
When you tell a 'sold out man' to his convictions that he should sit down and wait on God who will save the pagans when He gets ready to do it, he rushes out on his own determination.
He will not wait on God! This is the core of American Evangelistic Evangelicalism. They rush off without God all the while God 'let's them go' but He does not wink at their ignorance.
The adoption of this appeal to an ignorant rush into destiny, a holy guess, you could say is contradictory. They have pragmatically resolved that Christ's atonement not specific in application is specific only when it is believed. They say that our believing makes it true that Christ died for us. The contradiction is they say Christ died for everyone in general, which should make everyone saved (universalism) but specifically only the ones believing are saved.
This makes Christianity just another religion reaching out to God in hopes of 'feeling' after Him.
Rather we say Christianity is a relationship and God is nigh unto us determining our bounds of habitation. This is good news to the common man. A voice cries out in the night "everyman for himself. The mighty ship is sinking swim to shore and if you can't swim hold on to something. An angel assured me in the hull of the ship we would all be saved. Captains and mighty men, "do thyselves no harm" God cares for you also!"
You who are his offspring, not everyone in general, repent. God has changed your mind not you, obey him while you can. "You have another mind" (metanoia) use it. Turn from your wicked ways all you He died for. You will be saved.
Arminianism and it's free will beliefs are rooted in religious ignorance! If a man chooses to be ignorant let him be ignorant.
April 2, 2009
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1 comment:
The answer is NO.
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