Lesson 2 Notes – Philosophy & Ethics: Says Who?

Truth is not simply an academic concept. The way we think about truth has a direct bearing upon the way we live our lives. What's more, our understanding of right and wrong is directly dependent on our worldview: is the universe God’s creation or a closed cosmic cube?

I. Introduction – Have you been taken captive? - 2 Timothy 2:24-26

A. Scriptural warning against hollow and deceptive philosophy – Colossians 2:8

• A warning addressed to believers
• About deceptive philosophies
• To be taken captive by empty deceit according to human tradition

B. Example of a hallow and deceptive philosophy

• Carl Sagan’s Worldview – “The Cosmos is all there is, or ever was, or will be”
• What is he telling us? >> to believe that matter is the only reality à there is no God
• Everything-including thought, feeling, mind, and will, can all be explained in terms of matter and physical phenomena.
• Naturalist - to believe that all can be explained in terms of natural causes and laws.
• Nothing has moral, spiritual, or supernatural significance.
• Sagan: “Our feeblest contemplations of the Cosmos stir us — there is a tingling in the spine, a catch in the voice, a faint sensation, as if a distant memory, of falling from a height. We know we are approaching the greatest of mysteries."
• Interpretation >> We are the product of it all
  

C. Assumptive language – A powerful and dangerous form of knowledge

• Dangerous because assumptions are caught and bought without an open conscious, dialogue
• Without discernment, we buy into them without knowing it. If you buy intoa statement, you buy into the underlying assumptions as well. (assumptive truth claims)
• Sagan: “We are made of “star stuff”.
• These underlying claims bombard us from everywhere

D. The Cosmic Cube

• Illustrates the naturalistic worldview belief that there is nothing outside the cosmos; reality is a closed box and all truth must be materially perceived
• The philosophy that has consciously or subconsciously capturedculture that says the material world is all that is, was, or ever will be.
• This philosophical position has severely damaging implications.
• The largeness of the cube somehow allows us to begin to believe that it is big enough to actually say that it’s all there is.
• Nothing exists outside of the box.

E. Biblical presuppositions

• God is and He has revealed himself to us
• General revelation through our world (creation)
• Specific revelation through His word

F. God’s Nature - Transcendent and immanent – He is above and works within the box

• Do you believe in the omnipresence of God?
• If yes, you need to live as such

• We’ve added a 3rd element to the box in order to remove God from the equation.

II. Philosophy – What is it?

A. Webster 1828 definition

• Literally, the love of wisdom.
• The objects of philosophy are to ascertain facts or truth, and the causes of things or their phenomena
• To enlarge our views of God and his works, and to render our knowledge of both practically useful and subservient to human happiness.
• True religion and true philosophy must ultimately arrive at the same principle.

B. Current definition – God has been removed from the discipline of philosophy in today’s culture

• A search for a general understanding of values and reality by chiefly speculative rather than observational means
• An analysis of the grounds of and concepts expressing fundamental beliefs
• We no longer arrive at the same point >> we are now searching for reality in the box.
• Science dropped-off from philosophy

C. Philosophical Questions – The great quest of philosophers

• What are the universal truths of life?
• What is existence?
• What is the meaning and purpose of life?
• Universal and Particulars (the huge gap in between)

Raphael’s Masterpiece painting: The school of Athens

Aristotle and Plato’s philosophical dilemma – How do we arrive at Truth? How do we make sense of the unity and diversity of our world?

i. Plato believed that you begin with the upper level ideas. He just didn’t knowwhere to get them.

ii. Aristotle believed the only things we have are the particulars and you must begin with them.

iii. Both were trying to find the answers in the box. The philosophers were trying to find the universals but they shut themselves off from the Sourceof ultimate Truth.

D. What has God done for us?

• He gave us (the particulars) the universals so we might understand the Particulars.

E. Hollow and Deceptive Philosophy – Contradictions

• Materialism - matter is the only reality
• Idealism - ideas are the only reality
• Empiricism - knowledge comes from experience
• Rationalism - knowledge is gained by reason without experience
• Naturalism - true knowledge only comes from scientific study
• Determinism - there really is no knowledge, only reaction to stimuli
• Relativism - there are no absolutes
• Mentalist - mind is the true reality and objects exist only as an aspect of the mind’sAwareness
• Mechanism - everything can be explained in terms of physical or biological choices
• Selfishism - self is all that needs to be known
• Subjectivism - knowledge is dependent upon and limited by your own subjectiveExperiences
• Intuitionism - knowledge comes primarily from some kind of inner sense
• Hedonism - pleasure is good, pain is evil. If it feels good do it.

III. Postmodernism

Cluster of philosophies with the underlying assumption that no one worldview or belief system (metanarrative) can claim to be the truth, which often results in relativistic thinking and the use of language as a power play.

A. What is Right? What is wrong?

• Ethical implications of postmodernism
• There is no basis for ethical standards or ethical language in a naturalistic worldview
• Can you live in a world like that?
• It’s not possible to live in a world where nothing is real.
• Who makes the rules?
• Examples of what people say – People should do the right thing because:
  i. my parents told me so
  ii. man will either be governed by force or by his own heart
  iii. if you feel guilty, then that is wrong
  iv. there is no set doctrine
  v. it’s good for society
  vi. it makes people feel better about themselves (good mental health)
  vii. it prevents people from getting hurt
  viii. there must be laws or else anarchy

B. Might Makes Right

• Plato’s Question – “Is an act right because God said it, or did God know it was right and told us about it?”
• His laws are an expression of His nature
• William of Ockham: “Whatever God wills must be done simply because He says so. If God had wanted; He could have ordered men to obey the opposite of the TenCommandments. Even now, He can rescind those laws and will their opposition.”
• This is wrong because it implies that God can change.
• Why is lying wrong? >> Lying is wrong because it’s counter to the nature of God and His character. à God is the ultimate source of Truth.
• If might makes right à what about the minority? >> A lot of people would be oppressed and crushed.
  

C. Naturalistic philosophy implications

• Darwin’s views in non-assumptive language
• There’s no foundation for ethics
• Naturalism: It cannot explain ultimate meaning so it resorts to proximate or relative meaning.

D. Statistical Ethics – Our culture determines ethics through normalcy and survey data

• R. C. Sproul: “Morality looks at the verb ‘is’. Ethics looks at the word ‘ought’.The distinction has been obscured in our day. People use the term‘morality’ and ethics as synonyms. That leads to statistical morality.We go around the nation seeing what people are doing, how manyPeople are cheating on their spouses.”
• Morality vs. Ethics >> this distinction has gone obscure
• Good is determined by what is instead of what ought to be.
• Normal is Good
• Crisis of the loss of ethics
  

IV. Worldview

A. Formal worldview vs. personal worldview

What is your world view?

Formal world views carry a comprehensive set of truth claims

Our worldview drives how we think, act, and feel – What we really believe

B. Consequences of a non-biblical worldview

• We buy the lies and conform to the world
• Only 9% of Evangelical Christians have a biblical world view
• Lack of a personal, biblical worldview in America – We fail to see Christianity as a worldview that governs every area of life.
• We live in a society of anti-intellect, anti-mind (we become lazy thinkers)

V. Conclusion and Solution

C. Renewing of the Mind – Metamorphoo

• Romans 12:2 “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
• A new mind brings a new heart >> when the mind changes, the life changes also.
• We must seek to be “metamorphed’
• This is the primary goal of The Truth Project: for individuals to be transformed into the likeness of Christ by gazing on the face of God. This process is not easy and we often struggle with God’s Truth claims in the “cocoon.”

Lesson 1 Notes – Veritology: What is truth?

Veritology: The study of truth

Why is the concept of truth so important when it comes to the biblical view of the world and God's purpose of the universe, His will for mankind, His plan of salvation, and the way we live our personal lives?
God has given us fundamental answers to all the questions in life.
God has provided a social order prescribed for man.
Truth was fundamental to the mission of Jesus Christ.


Fundamental concept >> To gaze upon the face of God.
We are talking about looking at the glory of His attributes, His Character, His nature.
God is Truth and the ultimate source of all Truth .
We are called to "look" at who He really is.
It is the essential part of "knowing Him" that should be our number one objective in life.
Why did Jesus come into the world?Why was He born? For what reason? For What purpose?

When he was on trial for his life Jesus spoke some words which give an answer to these questions. He said in John 18:37, "You are a king, then!" said Pilate. Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."

This statement doesn’t override any other of his objective statements. It actually helps to clarify many of them, such as:

to fulfill the prophecies (Matt 5 :17)
to set the captives free (John 8 : 32)
to save the world and have everyone come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2 : 3-4)
How can one man save the world? (Who can fathom that?)

Jesus on the witness stand >>> Truth is on trial
When Christ wanted to get our attention for something really important, He would begin, “Truly, truly I say unto you.” John quotes Him 25 times speaking these words.

Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ – John 1:17
I am the way and the truth and the life – John 14:16
We are sanctified by the truth – John 17:17
We must worship in spirit and in truth – John 4:24
The truth will set you free – John 8:32
The spirit of truth – John 14:16-17
Knowledge of the truth – John 16:13

Salvation and truth >>> a very close link with each other

The sword of the spirit >>> The Truth of God
How does mankind react (respond) to the Truth?

Men will not put up with sound doctrine and turn away from truth – 2 Timothy 4:3-4

According to the world, to claim that there is absolute truth leads to intolerance and prejudice against what others think.
The real trial >>> Truth vs. Lie

There are other sides to the Truth.
“Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

The Cosmic battle (from the very beginning)
Truth (reality) vs. Lie (illusion)
Satan had his truth claims vs. God’s truth claims.
Scene in heaven between God and Satan – Job 1:2 – “Did God really say?”

Two Fathers
John 8:44 – "You belong to your father, the devil"
When we begin to renounce Satan's lies and to receive God's Truth, our eyes will be opened to receive God's Truth and to walk in the light.

Connection between sin, lies and deceit
Every sin that besets us can be traced to
a belief in a lie – Our sins take us captive to the lies of the world

Dealing with outsiders
2 Timothy 2 and Colossians 4:5-6 – They have been
taken captive and we must "gently instruct them" and let our "speech be seasoned
with salt"

Battle of Worldviews
An antithesis between God’s truth claims and the lies of the
world, the flesh, and the devil

Definition of Worldview according to TTP:"A worldview is a comprehensive set of truth claims that purport to paint a true picture of reality. A comprehensive biblical worldview is one that includes and fundamentally understands God's truth claimed over every area of life. Our personal worldview is the total set of truth claims that we have bought, consciously or subconsciously, which drive our emotions and what we think and do in unguarded moments — reflecting what we believe to be really real.

Today's culture vs. God's truth:
Unity vs. Division
Diversity vs. Unification
Roles vs. Jealousy
Responsibility vs. Blame (We live in a world of blame)
Authority vs. Rebellion
Delegation vs. Tyranny
Freedom vs. Bondage

Glimpse at Anthropology- Goo Man- Product of the Cosmos- Basically Good- Perfectable

What is Truth? “this question could well be the most important question that we and our culture must answer”

Primary Truth >>> Truth as it relates to Reality
Noah Webster – 1828:
Truth: “Conformity to fact or reality; exact accordance with that which is, or has been, or shall be… We rely upon the truth of the scriptural prophecies.”
The Supression of Truth >>> We exchange the Truth of God for a Lie

Equating an idol to a lie - Isaiah 44 – Lies are powerful and lead us to insane notions
Perception by definition is relative. Truth by definition cannot be relative. There can be no perception of truth. There is only truth.


What is Insanity?We all suffer from "Common Insanity" - losing touch with reality

Connecting faith with our actions and emotions: God is the object of our
faith and our hope – Our actions are the most reliable indicator of our
beliefs.

God is the ultimate source of Truth – Colossians 2:2-3
Jesus is the reflection of God’s character and nature.
God’s character >>> “Jehovah Jirah” (Matthew 6:25-34 – God provides)
God’s nature >>> Source of truth


What is Faith?
Faith >>> is a big word used today: “People of faith” >> faith in what?
Conclusion:
"Do you really believe that what you believe is really real?"
Reflect on the faith of a child towards his mother or father.
Our faith should overcome our feelings.
We need to reach out for the claims of God and hang on to them when dealing with worry.
We should act on what we believe rather than what we are feeling >> that is faith
Truth should be the reference point for everything we do in our lives.

In almost every case, the perspective of contemporary culture stands in direct opposition to the Truth-centered worldview presented in the Bible.
Our culture is not only filled with lies but is actually heading in the direction of social insanity.

Alan Keyes on Obama and the Constitution

Alan Keyes ran as an Independent in the 2008 presidential election and is now a plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging Obama's citizenship and eligibility to serve as President of the United States. In Part One of this interview, he shares with Molotov Mitchell why the Constitution still matters, the potential ramifications of defying it and if doing so could justify revolution.


In Part Two of this interview, Dr. Keyes elaborates upon his experience in dealing with terrorism, the "Manchurian candidate" scenario and why the Founding Fathers created the presidential citizenship requirement in the first place.

36th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

Today we mourn the deaths of over 44 million aborted babies on this 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

Take the time to examine the facts and checkout the resources below to learn the truh about abortion:

http://www.abort73.com/

http://www.22weeksthemovie.com/



Planned Parenthood Hits Suburbia (WSJ)
Abortion Provider Goes Upscale; Aid For Poor Questioned

The Awful Treatment of President Bush

The Treatment of Bush Has Been a Disgrace (Wall Street Journal)
What must our enemies be thinking?

Parting Shot (Michelle Malkin)

People Throw Their Shoes At Huge Bush Blow Up Doll:


The liberal response to George W. Bush's announcement at the Inauguration of Barack Obama, as well as his later departure from Capitol Hill.

With all the ongoing MSM media outrage over reported threats made to President-Elect Obama, let's not forget death threats towards Republicans are the fantasy world of the left. They even made a "critically acclaimed" wish upon a sitting president.
Death of a President:

Obama signs order to close Gitmo prison

Today, President Obama issued four executive orders to demonstrate a clean break from the Bush administration on the war on terror, including one requiring that the U.S. military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay be closed within a year.

A second executive order formally bans torture by requiring that the Army field manual be used as the guide for terror interrogations. This essentially ends the Bush administration's CIA program of enhanced interrogation methods.

A third executive order establishes an inter-agency task force to lead a systematic review of detention policies and procedures and a review of all individual cases.

A fourth executive order delays the trial of Ali al-Marri, a legal U.S. resident who has been contesting his detention for more than five years as an enemy combatant in a military brig without the government bringing any charges against him.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Conservative Americans worth noting

Martin Luther King Jr. was a registered Republican.
Martin Luther King "I have a dream" (YouTube video)



Colin Powell



Angela McGlowan
BAMBOOZLED: How Americans Are Being Exploited by the Lies of the Liberal Agenda



Michael Steele
Michael Steele outlines conservative ideas in Civitas speech



Dr. Condoleezza Rice is the second woman to be US Secretary of State, after Madeleine Albright during the Clinton administration. She is the first black woman to be Secretary of State, and she holds the highest position in a presidential cabinet that any black woman has held. Rice describes herself as a moderate Republican. She mastered the piano at three, and was told that she could have had a career as a concert pianist. She skipped first and seventh grades, entered college at 15, holds three degrees including a doctorate in political science, and earned her Master's in just one year's study.



Alen Keyes was an ambassador to the United Nations from 1981 to 1985. He has run for President of the United States on the Republican ticket three times (1996, 2000 and 2008), failing all three times to earn the party nomination. A political conservative, considers himself pro-life, pro-family, pro-security, pro-economy and pro-sovereignty.
Archived Videos



Star Parker is at the forefront of the Christian conservative movement to motivate and lead others away from the lies of the culture to a life full of grace and truth.
She is the founder and president of CURE, the Coalition on Urban Renewal & Education
Star Parker on ChristiantyToday.



Justice Clarence Thomas



J.C. Watts (born November 18, 1957) is an American conservative Republican politician, CNN political contributor, former Representative from Oklahoma in the U.S. Congress, and former professional Canadian football player and much celebrated quarterback for the University of Oklahoma from 1977 to 1981. Watts is, to date, the last black Republican to serve in Congress.
Watts captured national attention in 1996 with a speech before the Republican national convention, when he said, “You see character does count. For too long we have gotten by in a society that says the only thing right is to get by and the only thing wrong is to get caught. Character is doing what’s right when nobody is looking.”

Allen West, an African American conservative and retired army officer, ran for Florida's 22nd congressional district in 2008. A veteran of Desert Storm/Desert Shield, Col. West served as Battalion Commander for the Army's 4th Infantry Division in Operation Iraqi Freedom, receiving numerous honors including a Bronze Star and 3 Meritorious Service Medals. Col. West and his wife, Angela, a financial planner, have been married 17 years. They have two daughters, Aubrey, 14, and Austen, 10.

What's a Good Worldview?

1- There is no such thing as a neutral worldview.

2- A good worldview should have a high degree of coherence or internal consistency. (A logically contradictory statement cannot be true.)

3- A good worldview would have a strong foundation in fact. This is called correspondence.

4- A good worldview has explanatory power.

5- A good worldview would avoid the two extremes: Occam's Razor and Reductionism (oversimplification)

6- A good worldview is established not by one line of evidence or one knock-out argument, but by accumulative evidence.

Another reason I drink Coke

The Truth about Fuzzy Math: A Failed Experiment

A new math fad has infiltrated our public and private education systems with a constructivist curriculum. It mostly targets students from grades 3 through 5 and in some cases it does not require individual text books. This new approach to teaching math is based on the notion that children understand and learn only those concepts that they "construct" or discover on their own. The teacher is discouraged from providing information or imparting knowledge, and is instead encouraged to act as a “facilitator” of learning.

It goes by many names and conventions:

• Fuzzy Math
• New-New Math
• Whole Math
• Social Math
• Everyday Math
• Reformed Math

Elementary students today are not expected to master basic math or know their multiplication tables. Instead of promoting individual problem-solving skills, fuzzy math claims to provide a "deep conceptual understanding" of math. However, it emphasizes "self-confidence" over proficiency and it fails to prepare students for college and higher education.

An example of Fuzzy Math would be if the group agrees that 2+2=5, then that's the right answer; in that case, 2+2 does not equal 4.

Other example “math” problems in a fifth-grade “Everyday Math” textbook:
A. If math were a color, it would be –, because –.
B. If it were a food, it would be –, because –.
C. If it were weather, it would be –, because –.

The Negative outcomes:

• Inability to work alone
• Lack of math fluency
• Lack of basic math skills
• Dependence on Calculators

The Mathematically Correct web site documents the history of today's "Math Wars".
NCTM Principles and Standards has become the "bible" for a progressive education theory known as "constructivism".

M.J. McDermott exposing the truth about "Fuzzy Math" video:




Sources:
Fuzzy math: A nationwide epidemic - by Michelle Malkin

How Not to Teach Math (City Journal) - by Matthew Clavel (New York City teacher)

2+2=5: Fuzzy Math Invades Wisconsin Schools) - by Leah Vukmir

Parents concerned with latest math curriculum - by Laura Diamond (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

CNN forced to remove staged video without explanation or retraction.

Norwegian doctor Mads Gilbert, a radical Marxist who openly supports Hamas and the 9/11 hijackers, is seen once again in this CNN video about the death of a “freelance cameraman’s” brother in Gaza — and the footage in the hospital room was very likely staged for propaganda effect.



Here’s another version of the suspect footage at the UK’s Channel 4. (Whose coverage is horrifically biased against Israel.)

A 66 pound load feels like the weight of the world on the shoulders of an IDF Warrior.

Raw Video: An IDF unit fight their way thru North Gaza coming up against enemy fire and discovering Hamas weapons, uniforms and bombs along the way.

Truth and Reality: Two Distinct Concepts

Truth and Reality are intimately related, but distinct concepts.
Truth is conformity with fact or reality.
For one entity (truth) to conform to another entity (reality), the entities must be, in some measure, distinct from one another.

Reality is the "bedrock" -- it exists whether anyone makes claims about it.
Said another way, reality is that which exists independently of ideas concerning it.
So for example, God existed before humans; sub-atomic particles were a component of reality long before humans knew they existed. These are examples of the presence of objective reality in the absence of truth claims.

Truth exists in the context of a claim about reality. Claims can be true or false as measured against reality. Once someone claimed that sub-atomic particles exist, that claim could be evaluated as true or false, and that claim does not alter actual reality.

Jesus claimed to be "the way, the truth and the life." His claim can be evaluated as true or false via general and special revelation. (To be clear, I believe the evidence clearly suggests His claims are true, and all will one day know whether our beliefs aligned with reality, and subsequently were true -- and therefore represented Truth -- or whether they were false)

So (for clarity) I would not make the claim "I believe in tithing"; I struggle with the many potential meanings of that statement. I might make the claim "The Bible calls us to tithe" -- I can get my head around the truthfulness of that statement. While whether I tithe is related to whether I actually *believe* the claim is true, it also seems to be realted to other factors. I agree that we would be justified in quesioning the veracity of a person's claim to believe they are called to tithe, when they do ot tithe.

So when Jesus said he was born to testify to truth, he came to affirm that we can "really believe" that what God has declared is "really real". He lived a life affirming the reality of this Universe as God created it. And (as an aside) as the author of this universe, God gave us the rules of logic, which allow us to have this discussion!

Truth does not depends on one's belief, in fact just the opposite: beliefs can only be declared to be true if and only if they conform to reality.

So to summarize:
Reality exists independent of any claims against it. Truth exists in the context of claims against reality. Beliefs (which are claims) do not influence Truth; beliefs can be labeled as true or false.
By "testifying to the truth", Jesus affirmed the reality of God's nature as evidenced through general and special revelation.


Other Sources:
Confusing "Truth" & "Reality"

Pro-Hamas Rally gets violent in San Fransisco, CA

A glimps of the future in America...

Pro-Hamas Demonstration in Downtown Fort Lauderdale, FL

As a resident of South Florida, I would think this type of demonstration is done in other parts of the world, but not from within our own "back yards".
Checkout this video and judge for yourself if we need to be concerned with the clash of worldviews, especially from within our own communities...



Here's the Sun-Sentinel's mediocre coverage of the story.