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PEOPLE OF G-D, MESSIANIC
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Todays' "world mindset" has been many centuries in developing, and is based upon loose definitions now applied as a "modern" approach to all areas of life. The Greek Humanistic "Ideal" of "Democracy", for instance, is cited as a watchword in societal applications. The Greek concept of "Democracy" in reality was one where the Humanistic Element (Man as the Center of the Universe) all the people were never granted "equal rights", and the "ideal" of "Philosopher-Kings" (as per Platos' "Republic") the aristocracy had final word, and not the "masses". All people and groups were not granted the rights that we are told represent "True Democracy".
Actually, there has been a "semantic reinvention" of the term "Democracy" to have it become "Presto!" whatever someone says it is. The word is used, but the shift toward concepts totally alien to Democracy in its' Classical Sense and redaction has taken place. The application of an "Antique name" (in all sober seriousness) to validate a position is misleading at best or outright deceit at worst, especially since Greek Democracy never would have permitted many of the ideas that we are told are to be automatically accepted because of "Democratic Toleration" being put forward in its name.
One such example would be Absolutes. Greek thought always included Absolutes as a "Given", even if they were Humanistic. Today, one is taught that "there are no absolutes" and this is somehow linked to "democratic thinking", which is a patent falsehood. Let us examine this.
Greek thought and Greek concepts conveniently serve these purposes: they are taken to represent some sort of "older (Humanistic) wisdom" [1] (i.e. pre-New Testament, and thus excluding all New Testament Thought, or even properly understood Old Testament Thought) and touted as "imminently workable", even an unquestioned "Pristine Ideal", in every sense of the term. "The Grandeur that was Greece, the Glory that was Rome" type of "Ideal". In this, an entire body of Thinking based upon Divine Faith alone is rejected in favour of "The Greek Ideal" or The Socratic Ideal (later syncretized with "The Roman Ideal") using Rationalism and\or Empiricism as a base-model, which is substituted for Divine Faith as the Objective Absolute [2]. This has led to man as "superiorily-evolved animal" versus Man as Created in the Image of G-d. The "Sciences": Psychology, Behavioralist Psychology, Sociology, and the hard Sciences are given a base-model as "true" by means of this reasoning. Philosophy and the Arts, including Literature, Music and the Cinema are also not immune as we shall see.
The Believer that may be trained in this way of thinking, must necessarily think one way with regard to "secular\intellectual matters" and another with regard to "Sacred". This is a sort of "Intellectual Schizophrenia" [3] where "There are no Absolutes" is met head-on by the fact that G-D Is the Ultimate Absolute, which is versus the idea the "everything is relative" (not what Einstein meant [4]). Humanistic Syncretism applied to life is the only acceptable solution for those caught-up in this, but many will not accept syncretism, and instead become disillusioned which opens the Pandoras' Box of Relativism. Not having Faith as an alternative, many times they find themselves in despair or living by a philosophy of Existentialism without knowing that is what they are actually doing. Relativism leading to Existentialism has no Resolution. How could it? It has rejected all the Absolutes (even if they were originally derived from a Humanistic base) that had previously validated all Resolution!
This almost imperceptible shift toward the idea that "Everything is Relative" can be traced to several sources, here is one:
"The investigator who undertakes the historical studies suggested above need not be concerned with the problem of what is ultimate truth. Interrelationships have now become evident, both in the present and in history[5], which formerly could never have been analyzed so thoroughly. The recognition of this fact in all of its ramifications gives the modern investigator a tremendous advantage.... It is precisely our uncertainty which brings us a good deal closer to reality than was possible in former periods which had faith in the absolute." Karl Mannheim, "Ideology and Utopia", New York: Harvest, 1936, p. 84.
"It is imperative in the present transitional period to make use of the intellectual twilight which dominates our epoch and in which all value and points of view appear in their genuine relativity. We must realize once and for all [6] that the meanings which make up our world are simply an historically determined and continuously developing structure in which man develops, and are in no sense absolute." Ibid. p. 85.
Karl Mannheim is considered by the bulk of secular institutions to be "really on to something", and his philosophy is accepted as truth in modern thought.
Relativism naturally brings about Nihilism and Intellectual Apathy. The Humanistic Model (again Man as the Center of the Universe) was already exhausted or soon would be, into Fragmentation and Malaise depicted in the Arts and Philosophy, most notably with Jean-Paul Sartre and his Existenialist novels "No Exit" and "Nausea" together with the Impressionistic School of Painting leading to DaDaism and beyond, starting with the works of Monet, Cezanne, leading to van Gogh, Picasso, and on. This is what is known of course, as "Modern Art" which many people honestly say they "cannot understand". This is because these artists are attempting to accurately picture their reaction to the dissolution (or denial) of Philosophical Absolutes in an attempt to find their own Absolute! Order out of Chaos. Man striving for meaning in an "impersonal Universe". Yet the staticity of their works deny any Resolution to Order, and so remain frozen in Fragmentation. Musically, we can see this same Fragmentation commencing with Claude DeBussey and moving forward to the works of John Cage and into jazz, modern rock and the drug culture, where "truth was inside ones' own head" as per Aldous Huxley who recommended drugs be given to healthy people. This was added-on to by Harvard Professor of Philosophy Dr.Timothy Leary and his I.F.I.F. group. (International Foundation for Internal Freedom), advising people to take L.S.D. and "Turn on, Tune In, Drop Out" psychedelic philosophy. Cinematically, this can also be seen in "The Hour of the Wolf" and "Silence" by Bergman, and "Juliet of the Spirits" and others by Fellini, as well as many other cinematographers. In literature, "The Wasteland" by T.S. Elliot is an example [7]. The "ideal" of "artistic expression" has taken on a life of its' own and has become a vain search for the new "absolute", at the same time depicting Fragmentation [8] and Despair leading to the acceptance of "Non-Reason" as a philosophical choice. What else is left? Modern ideology has todays' students using the Socratic ideal to replace Faith in an Ojective Divine Absolute.
Without an Objective Divine Absolute, i.e., G-D Exists and we are His Creatures, the descent into the maelstrom is proportionally accelerated[9]. The "Theatre of the Absurd" becomes an alternative to reality, or, reality itself; Marcel DuChamps the artist is foremost here. Man always seeks an Absolute, even when none is offered except Zen Buddhisms' "No Mind": Satori. Every Absolute that is "invented" becomes a "religion" and concentration upon it for answers is a natural outcome. So while secular man is taught to be assured that "there are no absolutes", he is all the while extremely busy devising his own. Enter: This is a rerun of a "living large" sequel to "Lord of the Flies", or Paul Gaugins' search for "The Noble Savage" among the Tahitians which also led to despair [10]. The vast majority of people are unaware that the Socratic ideal and also Humanism met its' Waterloo long before Post-Modernism.
WHEN THE ABSOLUTE IS REJECTED IN FAVOR OF "THERE ARE NO ABSOLUTES" WHAT IS LEFT?
Man is only left with an Impersonal Universe, the product of "Chance", which is Neutral as far as Good and Evil is concerned.
This soon results in what is "expedient" or "helpful" rather than what is Moral. This becomes Sociological Law, which is not concerned with what is Moral, but only with what can be declared "legal" at any given point in time. Arbitrary Law becomes the norm.
"When The Absolute is rejected by Society, Society itself becomes Absolute." Dr. Francis Schaeffer
There are other theologians and philosophers who have addressed these difficulties inherent in rejection of G-d as the Ultimate Divine Absolute:
"The apparent success of modern science should not blind us to the fact that the whole structure is built upon sand. The success of modern science, we believe, is due to the fact that it really works with borrowed capital [11]. If there really were brute facts there would be no science. There can be no brute facts. All facts are, as a matter of fact, created by G-d. So too the mind of man is created by G-d. There are real universals in the world because of the creation of G-d. Even the mind of sinful man can see something of this in spite of his sin. Hence, though built upon a metaphysic which is basically false, the science of the non-Christian may reveal much of truth. When the prodigal son left home he was generous with his 'substance.' But it really was his Fathers' substance which he expended." Cornelius Van Til, Introduction to Theology, II, p. 140.
HOW LONG HAS THIS BEEN GOING ON?
Incredible as it may seem, the Humanist System has been going on since Eves' temptation in the Garden of Eden. The Humamnist System, frankly, is the best that man has been able to produce in opposition to the Kingdom of G-d.
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Footnotes
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