Assumptions on my search for God
Opinion Article
After I decided that I could not remain an atheist and that I must be agnostic; always searching for information and knowledge about God. I began to wonder how would I know anything with certainty. How could I differentiate between all the competing TRUTH CLAIMS?
These are my foundational thoughts and criteria for evaluating the veracity of allegations whether God exists and whether any religion contains God’s word.
All human decisions arise from assumptions and inadequate information and knowledge. Our challenge …. discard desire, emotion, and pride.
Kolan Wright
Postulate ONE: Truth Exists
Absolute Truth and Logical Truths Exist
Everything going forward is based upon how do we know anything? In my first-year philosophy class, I learned about logical truths. We did not delve into full-blown epistemology or the study of how we know, but these two areas are central to reason, science, and understanding. Basically, we are able to reason and know about reality.
Postulate TWO: Revelation
The Only way to KNOW God is for Him to reveal Himself to us.
I was recently listening to RC Sproul’s “Consequence of Ideas” about Immanuel Kant. Supposedly Kant built an impenetrable wall that we are unable to make any ontological or cosmological argument about the existence of God. While I think both those arguments for God are compelling to begin the journey searching for God, these proofs can only bring you to the edge of the chasm.
The only bridge across is for God to reveal Himself. We might see signs and proofs everywhere for a designer, but unless God speaks to man our knowledge about God is general. Later I learned about the difference between general and special revelation.
Postulate THREE: Communication Characteristics and Purpose
If God reveals Himself, that communication would have a purpose
This may seem curious, but ask yourself, why does anyone speak? God too, if He spoke would have a purpose. Is His goal worship? Submission? Laws? In addition whatever His reasons, would He desire a large audience? How would you convince a group that you are God?
God’s Communication …..
How would God convince the hearer of who He is? He would display the Omni’s: All-Knowing and All-Powerful. He would tell the future. He would read the hidden human hearts and minds. He would perform feats that seem unbelievable.
Communication has purpose. God would want to let people know from an early time.
If someone who you believed to be God said, “I want you to….” people would listen. Especially if God could read minds, He would know who is receptive.
When I tell my kids to clean their rooms, I repeat my message until my desired outcome is accomplished. God, who has a purpose in communicating, would opporate in much the same way. He would keep speaking until His will message was followed.
Postulate Four: Knowledge Needed
A Religious System would form
If anyone were convinced that God spoke to them and we assume God would want others to hear the message, then a religious system would form based on that knowledge and the information that God would want to be communicated.
This knowledge would be at least twofold.
- Information God thinks is important
- Information we don’t know that He wants us to know
Postulate Five: Reveal Truth of Life and Death
There is one Truth about death and life after death.
All living men were born. All men die. There is one truth in each of those lives and death. So too there is one truth about life after death. If all religions lead to God, then that is still one truth. My assumption would be that any communication from God would include this knowledge.
Postulate Six: Religious Non-Contradiction
Two religious systems or ideas cannot have opposite views on a single point and both be correct.
Either Jesus was born of a virgin or not. Either Jesus died on the cross or he did not. Ether Jesus is the Jewish Messiah or he is not. Either Joseph Smith restored the Aaronic priesthood or he did not. Either Muhammad was a greater prophet than Jesus or not. These are all various religious traditions. When religions make directly opposite truth claims only one can be right. Choose wisely, consider reviewing the religion decision tree.
Next Steps
This is an outline of my postulates. If you struggle with these assumptions, consider reviewing each one in more depth. If you are like, bah, these are just common sense, the proceed to evaluate religions based on these criteria.
- Religion Communication Decision Tree
- Religion Non-Contradiction Decision Tree