In my last post I talked about the true source of wisdom and understanding as stated in Job 28:28.
And today I add a warning from Paul. "Don't let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ." Colossians 2:8
We are living in perilous times. Cultural influencers long ago forsook the fear of the Lord and embraced evil in the guise of high-sounding nonsense.
Ungodly philosophers and the so-called scientists, known as evolutionists, turned their backs on the revealed truths of Christianity and set about to change the world system by undermining truth and replacing it with their own ideas which were often influenced or dictated by evil spiritual forces.
They deceived themselves and turned their deceitful philosophies loose into society through books and lectures and foolish college professors who taught the nonsense to their adoring and unwitting students.
I've been reading Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton. It was written in 1908 and is a deep and rich source of information concerning the causes of the downward spiral of society over the last hundred years. Even in his day the spiritual rot was evident in England and he could foresee the cultural decline we are dealing with in the West today. He said, "In so far as religion is gone, reason is going." How scary is that? (Contrary to what ungodly thinkers spout, Religion aka Faith and Reason go hand in hand and cannot be successfully separated for long.)
In Orthodoxy, Chesterton spoke of Friedrich Nietzsche and his "preposterous" ideas. Now, I'd heard of Nietzsche and was aware of the notoriety he gained by proclaiming "God is dead." But, I knew nothing else about him so I became curious when Chesterton mentioned how his life ended. He said, "Thinking in isolation and with pride ends in being an idiot. Every man who will not have a softening of the heart must at last have a softening of the brain." And that sent me into an Internet study of the man. And this is what I learned.
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) was a German philosopher and philologist. He was the son of a Lutheran pastor. His father died when he was four years old and he was raised by his believing mother and other devout female relatives. He rejected his father's faith due to academic influences in his college years and became a lifelong rebel against Christianity. He then spent his productive years seeking to undermine the foundations of Christianity and traditional morality. He felt that traditional morality was okay for the masses but rejected the idea that one standard of morality could fit all persons. Thus, superior men are essentially a law unto themselves, and are free to be who they are.
"Nietzsche's atheism — his account of "God's murder" (section 125) — is a reaction to the conception of a single, ultimate, judgmental authority who is privy to everyone's hidden and personally embarrassing secrets. His atheism also aims to redirect people's attention to their inherent freedom, the presently-existing world, and away from escapist, pain-relieving, heavenly other worlds." Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
"The fear of the Lord is true wisdom; to forsake evil is real understanding."
And today I add a warning from Paul. "Don't let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ." Colossians 2:8
We are living in perilous times. Cultural influencers long ago forsook the fear of the Lord and embraced evil in the guise of high-sounding nonsense.
Ungodly philosophers and the so-called scientists, known as evolutionists, turned their backs on the revealed truths of Christianity and set about to change the world system by undermining truth and replacing it with their own ideas which were often influenced or dictated by evil spiritual forces.
They deceived themselves and turned their deceitful philosophies loose into society through books and lectures and foolish college professors who taught the nonsense to their adoring and unwitting students.
I've been reading Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton. It was written in 1908 and is a deep and rich source of information concerning the causes of the downward spiral of society over the last hundred years. Even in his day the spiritual rot was evident in England and he could foresee the cultural decline we are dealing with in the West today. He said, "In so far as religion is gone, reason is going." How scary is that? (Contrary to what ungodly thinkers spout, Religion aka Faith and Reason go hand in hand and cannot be successfully separated for long.)
In Orthodoxy, Chesterton spoke of Friedrich Nietzsche and his "preposterous" ideas. Now, I'd heard of Nietzsche and was aware of the notoriety he gained by proclaiming "God is dead." But, I knew nothing else about him so I became curious when Chesterton mentioned how his life ended. He said, "Thinking in isolation and with pride ends in being an idiot. Every man who will not have a softening of the heart must at last have a softening of the brain." And that sent me into an Internet study of the man. And this is what I learned.
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) was a German philosopher and philologist. He was the son of a Lutheran pastor. His father died when he was four years old and he was raised by his believing mother and other devout female relatives. He rejected his father's faith due to academic influences in his college years and became a lifelong rebel against Christianity. He then spent his productive years seeking to undermine the foundations of Christianity and traditional morality. He felt that traditional morality was okay for the masses but rejected the idea that one standard of morality could fit all persons. Thus, superior men are essentially a law unto themselves, and are free to be who they are.
"Nietzsche's atheism — his account of "God's murder" (section 125) — is a reaction to the conception of a single, ultimate, judgmental authority who is privy to everyone's hidden and personally embarrassing secrets. His atheism also aims to redirect people's attention to their inherent freedom, the presently-existing world, and away from escapist, pain-relieving, heavenly other worlds." Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
For all his high-sounding nonsense, he had no power to control his own circumstances in this life, much less, in the life to come. He was plagued with physical problems and held captive by philosophical deceit. His own pride would not allow him to yield to a higher power than himself-- yet it could not preserve him.
On Jan 3rd of 1889, he suffered a psychotic breakdown. He was only 44 years old when he lost his mind and he continued in "demented darkness" until he died on August 25th of 1900.
What a personal tragedy for Friedrich Nietzsche! And what a national tragedy for us today. Our colleges, even Christian colleges, are teeming with ungodly professors who indoctrinate unsuspecting students into these vain, anti-Christian philosophies. By offering them "freedom" from all moral restraint they lead them away in the chains of spiritual darkness.
Ungrounded young people are like dry sponges. They'll soak up anything you immerse them in-- especially if it sounds like fun and brings them temporary pleasure. Be on guard!
My purpose is that (you) may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that (you) may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that (you) may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. Colossians 2:2-4
