[2
Divine Faith, on the other hand, truly withstands all the pressures of life because its' Source is G-d, and not man.
[3
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PEOPLE OF G-D MINISTRIES
PART TWO
"If you begin with the finite, no matter how far you project it, you will never come to an Absolute, never." Dr. Francis Schaeffer.
There are patterns to history. Human history and human thought can be divided according to two basic world-views: G-d-Centered or Man-Centered. Either G-d is the Ultimate Absolute [1], or Man is the Center; reflected in Humanistic thinking [2]. Both of these world-views are present to a greater or lesser extent all throughout history, and even up to our own day.
A persons' world-view or philosophy does affect his actions. A cultures' world-view or philosophy, likewise. People and nations are guided by their philosophies; their apologetic. If that philosophy is in error, then error is the end-product. Humanism can be shown to be nothing less than false doctrine and false teaching. It begins with the greatest expectations, but always ends in despair and defeat. Let's take a look at both of these positions through the eyes of history.
G-d-Centered Thinking, or Theism (Based on Divine Faith), places G-d at the Center of the Universe, as The Absolute.
Humanism finds its' source in Genesis 3:5 where it is stated, "ye shall be as gods knowing good and evil." Humanistic philosophy is man seeking to become Autonomous and to find Absolutes within himself by means of his own Fallen intellect; his human reason. We will begin with the Greek civilization and trace Humanistic thinking from that point right up to our own day. [3]
The Greek philosopher Socrates stated that unregenerate man was already autonomous, and had to have faith in his own reason. Much of todays' thinking still rests upon this widely accepted Humanistic philosophy and belief. Greek civilization fell.
Then came the Roman empire. Much of Western thought and governments still use many of its' ideas and cultural mores that Scripture has not authorized. Rome at first built its' empire on the ideas of accepted citizens, then still later turned to its' gods. Their gods were created by man, and were subject to infighting among themselves at times. They were built upon a Humanistic (man-centered) idea of how gods would be. The Socratic Ideal was gaining momentum: the Roman orator, Cicero said:
"Socrates was the first to call philosophy down from the heavens." [4] [5]
The Roman civilization then took Greek philosophy to its' ultimate conclusion, and said that man himself was to be an object of worship. Emperor Domitian, for example (81-96 A.D.), decreed that all Roman citizens were to address him as "L-RD and G-D". He became the Humanist Ideal personified. Autonomous man as Absolute.
In 313 A.D., Constantine came to power as Emperor. He ended the persecution of Christians, and in 381 Christianity was made the state religion. There was a resurgence of culture based upon the Bible but most of the citizens still continued in the old ways, and many Humanistic elements still remained.
Charlemagne became king of the Franks in 771 A.D. Not long afterwards, he was crowned Emperor by the pope in a Roman-style coronation. In Charlemagnes' time, Church and state coincided. Humanists in the Renaissance spoke of this time as "the dark ages". There were many cultural advances made however, and their Humanism would not allow a proper recognition. There was a resurgence of learning and the arts in Charlemagnes' time.
Then came a Dominican monk, Thomas Aquinas. He was the foremost theologian of his age, and he introduced the Greek philosophies into the Church (emphasizing Aristotle and the "Particulars") while Pope Urban IV had previously forbidden it. The Roman Catholic Church, by accepting Aquinas' view, accepted Aristotle. Later, this would result in the heresy trial of Galileo because Galileo rejected the Aristotelian view that the sun revolved around the earth.
RESULT: THE VISIBLE CHURCH SHIFTED TO HUMANISTIC PRINCIPLES
This was a major shift, and resulted in Humanistic elements accepted as truth and added to the Church and the society as well. One could seemingly arrive at ultimate truth without the Scripture, and the Churchs' and popes' opinions were now put forward ON AN EQUAL PLANE with what the Bible said! Church approval and sanction was now given to the Greek philosophical base of human reasoning powers to arrive at "absolutes". Mans' reason had been declared "unfallen", and the Church now approved of Greek philosophy as a valid answer.
The Renaissance. The acceptance by the Church of Aquinas' teaching placed man again at the center, and the Renaissance was the apex of the Romantic Humanistic Ideal put into action. They were promising "a return to 'The Golden Age' of Greece and Rome"! These fallen cultures were resurrected once more as "the ideal"! The Renaissance was man "in charge of his own destiny". The Humanistic Ideal was now foremost, and there was disdain for the Middle Ages as the "Dark Ages" (where the name came from) because those earlier times (pre-Aquinas) had not "seen the light" of "man as autonomous" but had rejected Greek Humanistic thought. Autonomous man would now conquer all! Or so he thinks. The arts remain as reminders of that time. Much came out of the High Renaissance, but at some point became totally man-centered because the Church had now sanctioned Greek philosophy as totally valid. When Michaelangelo created his "David", it was not the Biblical David, but a statue of man as victorious. The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, also by Michaelangelo, depicted the pagan Greek prophetesses alongside the Old Testament Prophets. Raphael painted "The School of Athens" with Plato and Aristotle as the subject, still hanging in the Vatican. Dante wrote "The Divine Comedy" mixing Biblical characters with Greek and Roman historical figures and Greek philosophy. In his great work, the two biggest sinners were Judas who betrayed Yeshua (Jesus), and Brutus and Cassius who had betrayed Caesar. Then there was Leonardo Da Vinci. He was the ultimate "Renaissance Man": he could do almost all things well. He went so far in this direction as to try and depict mans' soul using mathematical calculations based on the human skull in order to find an absolute. He failed. Later in life, Da Vinci was in despair and pessimism. Renaissance Man had still not found the absolute he was looking for.
The Reformation came next. Some of the most influential people of the Roman Church had gone so far as to actually canonize the Greek philosophers by this time! Erasmus of Rotterdam was the foremost intellect of the Church; here is one of his prayers:
"Sancte Socrates, ora pro nobis!"
(Holy Socrates, pray for us!)
Greek philosophy was rampant in the Church, the Church-dominated governments and society as well. Recognized authorities within the Church were now calling on Greek philosophers as "saints" to pray for them! Things were about to undergo a change. The Humanistic elements which led to widespread error were to be challenged and overcome. Martin Luther in Germany, basing his apologetic on Romans 1:17, debated Erasmus as representative of the Church of Rome in "Bondage of the Will" and defeated Erasmus. The Popes' word was no longer considered Infallible. It was no longer necessary to "Merit the Merit of Christ". Religious war began. Zwingli in Zurich led the break with the Roman Church. Calvin in Geneva wrote his "Institutes of the Christian Religion". England then separated with the Church of Rome. Idols of the saints and the Madonna were destroyed. The Bible was translated into other languages so that everyone could read it. The Pilgrims published The Geneva Bible and brought it with them to America. The Jewish people were returned to English shores after hundreds of years of exile and banishment. The Humanistic elements of the Gospel were sought out and removed, and the cry was, "Grace Alone!" and (Divine) "Faith Alone!". The focus centered properly on G-d as the Absolute, and not man. There were great advances in culture, government and society as well that came forth from the Reformation; Rembrandt, Dutch Reformation painting and Johann Sebastian Bach. Many Western governments owe their basic stability to Reformation-based thought-forms. The Reformation was not perfect, but the return to Scripture alone as Absolute authority was a return to the early Assemblies.
In 1609, Galileo improved the telescope and studied the stars. He came to the conclusion that the earth revolved around the sun and not (as the Roman Church taught) that the sun went around the earth. The Roman Church was still accepting the Greek Aristotelian view (following Aquinas) of the sun revolving around the earth, and to them this was heresy. Galileo was put on trial and he recanted his belief to avoid drastic punishment for recognizing Copernicus was right and going against "saint" Aristotle!
Next followed the "Age of Enlightenment" and "The Age of Reason". In the 18th Century, once again, a resurgence of Humanism. Man again rose up to assert his autonomy. In France, following Voltaire, they paraded an enthroned woman through the streets of Paris to pay homage to "The Goddess of Reason", and recommended destruction of the Cathedral at Chartres to once again show their rejection of the Assemblies and acceptance of the Greek philosophies. Voltaire himself returned from exile in England to supervise the enacting of his philosophy. The French Revolution and the Reign of Terror under Robespierre was at hand. The guillotine was busy, and the Revolution executed most of its' own nobility. A young lieutenant from Corsica in the French artillery, Napoleon Buonaparte (later Bonaparte), stopped the revolutionary mobs on the streets of Paris, but he did not stop the Humanism. Napoleon I was later crowned Emperor with a Roman-style coronation ceremony. Napoleon however, crowned himself Emperor of the French by snatching the crown from the hands of the pope and placing it on his own head: a distinct Humanistic twist.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote, "Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains". He recommended the "bohemian ideal" where that man was the hero who defied all morals and all authority. "The Noble Savage" was the only man who truly was free. Once again man attempting to assert his autonomy according to the Humanistic Ideal. This led on the one hand to the Marquis de Sade with his cruelty toward women, and on the other to Paul Gaugin, the painter, who left France and went to Tahiti to find this "Noble Savage". He did not find him. He came to despair and pessimism, tried to commit suicide and failed. This is the ultimate end of Humanism as a system being foretold. It always ends the same way. Mankind, beginning with itself (a finite being) although it seems to embark well, can never reach the absolute that the philosophy of Socrates promises. He ends in despair and pessimism.
ART AND PHILOSOPHY BEGIN FRAGMENTATION
There was a noticeable shift here in how to find the Humanistic Absolute. The arts began depicting "Fragmented" themes. Paintings such as those of Claude Monet, Paul Cezanne and Vincent Van Gogh show this very well. Later, Pablo Picasso with several others continued into what is now known as "Modern Art" although few understood this shift. Few still understand that it was a noticeable shift away from the standard accepted "Realistic" themes into the area of Fragmentation and toward Non-Reason for an answer. Painters were presenting a philosophic statement. "Reality" itself was now undergoing Fragmentation because mans' search for the Humanistic Absolute there had came up empty. Music also began Fragmentation with the works of Claude DeBussey. The idea of "Resolution" in "No Resolution" was pursued further.
END OF PART TWO; PART THREE NEXT: Post Modernism From Hegelian Dialectics and Kant to Kierkegaard and Sartre and Existentialism leading to Non-Reason and present-day Postmodernism.
FOOTNOTES
[2
Divine Faith, on the other hand, truly withstands all the pressures of life because its' Source is G-d, and not man.
[3
[4
[5