By Michael Davis
How do you know what the truth is? What is the truth? How do you know it is the truth? How can you know? I have been asked these questions and similar ones. These questions have actually been very effective in stunning me in a debate.
All fields of thought and study, empirical or otherwise, must begin with particular assumptions. These assumptions form the basis/lay the philosophical groundwork for any field of thought or study. My philosophical basis of thought comes straight from the pages of the Holy Scriptures. Those who reject the Holy Scriptures as having any bearing on real life have challenged this. I wish to counter them. What is their basis of thought? I bet most of them haven’t even reached such a state of self-consciousness…if I am not mistaken this state of being is referred to as epistemological self-consciousness. “What is meant by epistemological self-consciousness? It means a greater understanding over time of what one's presuppositions are, and a greater willingness to put these presuppositions into action” (North). I on the other hand am aware of what I believe and why I believe it. I believe the Bible is our only earthly source of absolute truth (Sola Scriptura). What do they start off with as their basis? Their own thoughts…Hollywood productions/pop culture and all the witless catchphrases that accompany…as a general rule most people won’t discuss politics, money, and religion. Why is this? These subjects are the three most distinctly impacting subjects of everyday life. I enjoy discussions of these points in full. I will debate anyone willing to debate with me; not because I think I know everything, but because I have the absolute truth as my basis for understanding. If I do not stray from the framework set by the Bible I cannot err in my thinking. Therefore I labor to know what the Scriptures teach, and I study to understand what it all means. If you are reading my column, chances are great that you were probably taught in a government school. I was not. There are disturbing differences in what I regard as “facts” and what public schooled students believe as “facts.” Why is this? It goes back to presuppositions/assumptions. These assumptions provide you with your perspective. I have a Theo centric perspective on life and history. I am currently involved in ongoing studies to subjugate other areas of thought (economics, law, the arts, etc.) to a Theo centric perspective. This is the presupposition that I have selected as my basis for understanding everything. I pity those who haven’t given a second thought to what they believe, let alone why they believe what they believe. Up to now I really haven’t answered the question, in fact I may not have clarified what was being asked. In short, how can I trust the Bible? And can I prove that the Bible is trustworthy without using a circular argument (i.e. the Bible testifies of itself)? You won’t like my answer-in fact you will look down upon my answer. No, I cannot prove that the Bible is without error without using the Bible itself to prove it. In the final analysis, it comes down to faith. Simply faith…simply earth rending, ground quaking, sky shattering, faith. I must first have faith, and then I will be able to build my entire intellectual/philosophical framework. So does my admission that my entire belief system, even my scientific beliefs, rests on faith devalue my arguments? God forbid. My assumptions are no different than any other person’s assumptions. Take skeptics for example. They believe in science alone. If science explains it, then it is plausible. They look to science to find answers to their questions. They look to science to find what they are looking for. They must have faith that it is science that will answer their questions and solve their problems. My faith is based in the metaphysical; their faith is based in the physical. Everyone begins with assumptions whether they have put much thought into it or not. These assumptions are grounded in your faith. This is how religion or faith affects all of life. In placing my faith in that which is unseen, I place my faith in The Sovereign Lord of the Universe. In placing their faith in that which is seen, they place their faith in [terminal] entropy. St. Augustine said, “Credo ut intelligam (I believe in order that I may understand).”