A study adapted from the book by

Dinesh D’Souza

Dr. Gary VanDeWalker

Evangelical Free Church of Mount Shasta

Study Five: Christianity and Philosophy

·         The atheist sees himself as superior because he is armed with reason

o   He believes reason is the only way to comprehend reality

o   This is an assumption with no evidence

o   It is a faith in rationalism as opposed to being rational

o   Reason does not open all of external reality

·         There are two levels of reality

o   The human perspective

o   God’s perspective

·         Immanuel Kant

o   Reason must seek its own limits

o   Human reason is based on the 5 senses

o   How do we know that our experience matches what is real?

o   Humans are limited by their perceptions

o   Humans assume their perceptions show reality

o   There is part of the world that can be know by reason

o   There is part of reality that cannot be known by reason alone

o   Morality and free will cannot be found by scientific reasoning

o   Human reason cannot fully grasp reality

o   Some want to turn to common sense, but this too fails

o   The world we perceive is one of appearances

§  By faith we move beyond to the rest of reality

§  Faith based on reason, trusting in what is not seen

·         Why miracles are possible

o   Christianity is the only major religion that depends on miracles

§  The resurrection is the key miracle

§  Without it, Christianity fails

o   Miracles are improbable, but the improbable does happen

o   Hume’s argument against miracles

§  A miracle is a violation of the known laws of nature

§  We know the laws through experience

§  Witnesses to miracles announce contradictions of these laws

§  No one can rationally believe in miracles

o   Hume’s own principles defeat his argument

§  A miracle is a violation of the known laws of nature

§  Scientific law cannot be verified

§  Violations of scientific law are possible

§  Therefore, miracles are possible (the conclusion Hume wanted to deny)

o   Scientific law is based on the law of cause and effect

§  Cause and effect cannot be proved by experience

§  Science can disprove, but not prove theories

o   A miracle might contradict a law of science or may be the result of a law we do not know

o   There is no scientific evidence that a law of science cannot be broken

o   God made the universe and He made and controls the laws that govern it

·         So is faith reasonable?

o   Faith is not opposed to reason

o   It is reasonable to have faith

o   We make many decisions made on faith

§  We believe in the Battle of Waterloo

§  We believe Papua, New Guinea exists

§  We trust the air traffic controller

§  We trust the way things work

o   Faith makes special claims about God

§  God is not part of the Universe

§  Scientist want to use scientific reason to find Him

§  Supernatural truths cannot be found by natural means

§  These truths are, however, reasonable