HOW
DO PEOPLE
WORK OUT WHAT IS TRUE?
1. REASON
* Think things
through without
referring to the senses.
2.
EXPERIMENTAL
* Investigation
- organisation
of data - a hypothesis - confirmation of the hypothesis.
* It only
describes parts
of the truth but not able to give the whole truth or a framework for
truth.
3.
FEELINGS OR INSTINCT
* Flashes of
insight.
4.
DIALECTICAL
* Make a
statement (thesis)
will lead to another statement (antithesis) then join together for
harmony
(synthesis).
5.
MYSTICAL
* Prophecy or
vision
* Meditation
6.
REVELATION
* The Word of
God or Scriptures.
* Church Canon
7. SYNOPTIC
* Truth about
reality can
only be found by looking at the whole and taking all the above methods
together.
TRUTH
Hypothesis
Groundless assumption,
opinion.
Theory
Proposition not proven,
An interpretation of facts.
Fact
Proven to be
true.
PROBLEMS
IN FINDING THE
TRUTH
1. People are
not 100% objective
and have bias in opinions.
2. Does reason
involve faith?
Does faith involve reason?
3. Experience is
subject
to reality, not reality subject to experience.
4. People are
flawed in
their thoughts and are influenced by both known and unknown sources
from
both nurture and nature.
5. Many
investigators work
off unproven assumptions eg. there is no God, UFO's are false therefore
I will always find an alternative reason for what has happened.
Consider
this attitude to prayer, speaking in tongues, conversion, miracles.
6. Investigators
regularly
work from what they don't believe.
7. There is a
supernatural
world revealed by Jesus in a unique way.
8.
"Historical" truth
and "scientific" truth are both valid.
9. Truth is
transcendent.
It is revealed by God to mankind through the Scriptures.
10.
Investigation of events
doesn't actually provide an understanding of the whole, science
normally
describes, not explains.
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HOW THEN,
DO PEOPLE KNOW
ANYTHING?
DIRECT
1.
INSTINCT
Inborn patterns of activity common to a biological group.
2.
FEELING
Appealing to emotions (hutch, in my bones).
3. SENSE
EXPERIENCE
I saw it. However, all experiences are also subject to
"common"
sense.
4.
INTUITION
Knowledge based on reason eg. flashes.
SOCIAL
1. CUSTOM or
habit
"this is the way we do it here."
2.
TRADITION
"this is the way we have always done it here."
3. UNIVERSAL
AGREEMENT
"Everybody knows that."
PHILOSOPHICAL
1.
CORRESPONDENCE
An idea corresponds with reality but how do we know what is real.
2.
PRAGMATISM
truth is what works.
3.
COHERENCE
Consistent with itself, All facts considered, analysed, Hypothesis
and verification But are all facts considered?
4.
REVELATION
There is a God who has communicated to Mankind through
creation,
the prophets and ultimately his Son Jesus who is God in human form.
BIBLE INPUT
GOD IS
TRANSCENDENT
1 Cor 1:25 "For
the foolishness
of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger
than man's strength. "
GOD IN
CREATION
Psalm 19:1-6
"The heavens
declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
19:2 Day after
day they
pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.
19:3 There is no
speech
or language where their voice is not heard.
19:4 Their voice
goes out
into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the
heavens
he has pitched a tent for the sun,
19:5 which is
like a bridegroom
coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his
course.
19:6 It rises at
one end
of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden
from
its heat.
Acts
14:15-17 "Men,
why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you. We are
bringing
you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the
living
God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them. 14:16 In
the past, he let all nations go their own way. 14:17 Yet he has not
left
himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain
from
heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food
and fills your hearts with joy."
Romans
1:18-25 "The
wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness
and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 1:19
since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has
made
it plain to them. 1:20 For since the creation of the world God's
invisible
qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly
seen,
being understood from what has been made, so that men are without
excuse.
1:21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor
gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish
hearts were darkened. 1:22 Although they claimed to be wise, they
became
fools 1:23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made
to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. 1:24
Therefore
God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual
impurity
for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 1:25 They exchanged
the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things
rather
than the Creator - who is forever praised. Amen."
Isaiah
55:8-9 "For
my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,"
declares
the LORD. 55:9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my
ways
higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."
JESUS IS
GOD
Matthew 1:23
"The virgin
will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him
Immanuel" - which means, "God with us."
John 20:28
Thomas said to
him, "My Lord and my God!"
John 1:1-3"In
the beginning
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 1:2 He
was
with God in the beginning. 1:3 Through him all things were made;
without
him nothing was made that has been made."
CREATION
AND GOD
Hebrews
11:1,3 "Now
faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not
see.
By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command,
so
that what is seen was not made out of what was visible."
Genesis
1:1-3 "In
the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 1:2 Now the earth
was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and
the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 1:3 And God said,
"Let there be light," and there was light."
TRUTH
Psalm 31:5 "Into
your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth."
John
14:6-11 "Jesus
answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through me. If you knew me, you would know my Father as
well.
From now on, you do know him and have seen him." Philip said, "Lord,
show
us the Father and that will be enough for us." Jesus answered: "Don't
you
know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time?
Anyone
who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, `Show us the
Father'?
Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in
me?
The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father,
living
in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the
Father
and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the
miracles
themselves."
Hebrews
1:1-3 "In
the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many
times
and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his
Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the
universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact
representation
of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had
provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the
Majesty
in heaven."
PRACTICAL
RAMIFICATIONS
1.
What is
true when discussing theology?
2.
What makes
a work of art good?
3.
What makes
a work of art true?
4.
Can two
things be true but not agree with each other?
