02 – The basic problem

We live in a chaotic world that is increasingly full of violence and injustice. People who can’t solve problems peacefully simply kill those who oppose them. Corporate executives line their pockets at the expense of stockholders and retirees. Extremists resort to violence to force their will on society. Fascist elites use unjust laws or arbitrary court decisions to impose their morals on citizens who just want to be free.

Every faction in society is its own tribe, and conflicts multiply at every hand. No one can prove what is right or wrong. Some even insist there is no such thing as right and wrong, that individuals and societies create their own values as the need arises. The whole world seems to be slowly spinning out into chaos.

Religion seems to be no help. Every man has his own god, each woman her goddess. Ancient religions and the newest cults offer truths as varied as all the diverse cultures of the world.

Philosophy and science seem to be no help. Philosophers argue endlessly about obscure ideas that make no difference in the real world. Scientists can diagram your DNA but can’t isolate truth or justice in a test tube.

Most educated people say religious and moral truth are nothing more than personal opinion. Religious people can’t lecture others on morality because the others don’t share their beliefs.

Conservative Christians say they believe in absolute truth, but none of them can explain how they can prove the truth to those who reject their revelation. When you ask them how they know what is true, they reply, “Because God says so.”

But “because God says so” carries no weight with people who reject the reality of God or who claim the divine reality is not what Christians say it is. If a religion can’t prove to unbelievers what is true, it is nothing more than personal opinion.

What’s more, if religion is merely personal opinion, then even evil religions are true. And if morals are merely personal opinion, then no act is really wrong or unjust. If no one can know for a fact what is true and just, no one should be punished for following their own law.

What hope does a society have if it believes no one can know what is true and just? What happens to a society that believes right and wrong are merely matters of personal opinion?

What do we do? How do we get justice for the weak and oppressed? How do we protect freedom from tyrants who want to force their will on others? How can a society even agree on what justice is? What could persuade an unbelieving world to accept the moral guidance that Christian truth has to offer?

Think about it!
Why would the conscience of a God-denier be an unreliable guide to what is right and just?

Get involved!
Ask an unbelieving friend how much authority the Bible has for him.

Next installment
03 – The crucial question

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