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Added for You - Importance and Necessity of Special Revelation - Part One
You never thought this day would come, the day when you can’t stop working and you don’t want to. You’re a workaholic. These days, more and more people are succumbing to this lack of work-life balance. Ironically, being a workaholic can make your work decline in quality and effectiveness, as you allow your work-obsessed life to turn you into a miserable person. Far from being a conscious decision, this typically happens slowly over time in the form of several small yet repeated sacrifices of personal time to allow for more work time. Usually this is done with the mentality of - just this once. This is a slippery slope. Overtime this behavior can become a pattern called workaholism. In order to startup a business or to keep their career on the path to success, many people have become workaholics unbeknownst to themselves. Most entrepreneurs love their businesses and are willing to do whatever it takes to make it successful, but they must remember to love and take care of themselves, too.Oftentimes, the realization of being a workaholic comes with repeated comments from others or through self-awareness of how your work schedule differs from that of others. Working hard to achieve a goal that is very important to you is OK. What is not OK is neglecting yourself, your loved ones and feeling that the decision to do so is no longer a conscious one you have control over, but is a habit that you can no longer control. The long-term
Consistent empirical epistemology leads to skepticism, as in the case of Scottish philosopher David Hume. Allegedly, Emmanuel Kant was awakened from his dogmatic slumbers when he saw the effects Hume’s skeptical consistency were having on empirical epistemology. Kant tried to save epistemology by positing that man’s mind organized empirical data by a priori categories through which sensations could be understood. Whether he did or not is another issue. Another problem for the empiricist is that it is impossible to know the totality of empirical data on any subject with the endless complexities of inter-related details, which always leaves open the possibility that the empiricist is mistaken in more than just his perceptions. Moreover, empirically, how does the empiricist assimilate the numerous sensations such as sight and touch into a coherent basis for knowing what anything is? The empiricist needs to explain his process of abstraction and demonstrate that it is free from error. Assuming the system works without demonstrating the process is nothing more than begging the question. Empirical scientists are notorious for making unjustified metaphysical assertions. See Gordon H. Clark’s The Philosophy of Science and Belief in God 2 and John W. Robbins, The Sagan of Science3 for a number of instructive examples of this.
End Notes Par
When kids learned how to count, they basically just learn numbers as some kind of continuum that continues and continues. As they go to a higher level of schooling, children might not understand how it goes in groups of tens and hundreds and thousands.For children to understand place value, otherwise known as the decimal system, they have to learn first how to do simple additions and subtractions with small numbers. Later, you can explain that if you have lots and lots of objects, the efficient way to count them would be in groups, not individually. Here’s how you can introduce decimals to kids:1. You can use white, red, and blue inexpensive poker chips. The white are ones, the blue are tens, and the red are hundreds. Dump a bunch of them on a table and show how it is easier to count them in groups of ten. Then you can count them in groups of tens. Introduce the words 20, 30, 40, etc.2. got It is better to use same size objects so children can picture the color chip in their mind as representing a group rather than belonging to a group. That is because in writing numbers, the digit '5' represents fifty when written on a structured place.3. Then write this down. The crucial point in teaching a child about decimals is that a certain column represents a certain size group. The digit in the columns tells the child how poker chips are organized. For example if white is ones, blue is tens, and red is hundreds then two re
The article was challenged regarding to the accuracy of these assertions and how assertions of this nature could be harmonized with the teaching of Scripture that shows matter does speak using passages such as Romans 1:19,20, dealing with creation's testimony, and is therefore not silent. To start with, the claim "matter is silent" must not be understood apart from the context of the article: to point out that the materialistic worldview is philosophically unable to arrive at truth from any source, particularly matter. Matter according to this view is ultimately just an accident and is therefore meaningless. As will be seen, the crux of the problem is with fallen man. The article in question did not deal with the broader subject of general revelation from a Christian perspective.
Also, when stated that "matter is silent" this assertion should be understood as meaning that matter does not speak in or with an audible sound like human speech and does not communicate or have any meaning at all within the framework of a non-believing worldview. This is especially true when dealing with specifics, notably in the areas of science, ethics, and logic. Considering the Christian worldview in contrast, it can be said that matter does have a testimony. Its testimony is imprinted in it by virtue of its creation. In this reply, there will be a brief account of general revelation (creation knowledge) and special revelation (biblical knowledge) along with additional challenges to materialistic philosophy, contrasted with biblical philosophy. However to clarify things, reformed Christians believe that God conveys truth through both of these avenues. There is no conflict between these two forms of revelation. I believe that all creation testifies that God exists e.g., Psalms 19:1-3, Romans 1:18-20 and that God has spoken authoritatively in the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. As will be seen, the problem is with man and specifically fallen man.
The article in question points out that the non-believing worldview is unable to articulate in a credible way a theory of ethics. The transcendental argument, or as some might say a worldview apologetic, was briefly used to illustrate the deficiency in non-believing thought. The transcendental argument shows the Christian worldview to be true because of the impossibility of the contrary. A worldview must have a theory of knowledge that can account for certain things, such as ethics, logic and science. The non-believer has never shown how one can get from matter like rocks to a concrete argument of why Stalin’s murder of millions of people, in particular the Ukrainians was wrong. The thrust of the aforementioned article is against atheistic materialistic philosophy, which produces death and destruction recorded repeatedly in history.
To start with, in light of the truth of Christianity and within the framework of the Christian worldview it can be said that creation has a testimony, albeit not audible like human speech. Creation does testify of God's existence. In contrast, within the framework of a materialistic worldview, matter is absolutely silent. This is a suppressed or imposed silence, the result of fallen man’s ethical state reflected in his apostate philosophy. Within the Christian worldview the testimony of creation or general revelation is absolutely true but limited in its scope. Being limited does not imply deficiency. God always intended to give special or biblical revelation. Jesus is God's fullest revelation to man and He is revealed to us in the Scriptures. General revelation does not tell us about Jesus' death on the cross and how men are to be saved. The book of Romans and the Gospels do.
Matter is not alive. God creates matter. Because of this, matter has God’s imprint. Therefore, matter's testimony mirrors or is reflective. It reflects God's glory like the moon reflects the light of the sun. This testimony is general in scope. In the article it is said, "matter is silent" which is to point out the bankruptcy of materialistic philosophy and its inability to speak with intelligence concerning specifics in the area of ethics, since its worldview is deficient. The materialist starts with time and chance and matter. If non-believers start with matter, how do they get from A (matter) to B (ethics)? Matter does not logically lead to anything within the framework of materialism. There are obvious disagreements between Christians and non-Christians in the area of interpretation of matter. The reason for these disagreements can be accounted for by the way in which evidence is interpreted. In essence, fallen man rejects God’s interpretation of creation and imposes his own autonomous interpretation on created things, thus suppressing the truth. As will be seen, the materialist has nowhere to turn except his own conflicting autonomous capricious subjective evaluations.
The Christian sees all of creation as testifying of God’s existence. The Christian looks to God to find the true meaning of matter and the facts surrounding it. The non-believer, however, sees nothing except matter, which cannot mean anything nor have anything to say apart from man’s imposed interpretation. From a Christian perspective, man is governed by presuppositions. These presuppositions are determined by his nature, that is either fallen or redeemed. He interprets matter consistent with these presuppositions. Fallen man is still committed to the Satanic lie that “ye shall be as gods knowing good from evil” (Gen. 3:5). In the fall mankind rejected God given knowledge
Many are not epistemologically self-conscious, including some Christians, and therefore are unaware that they have presuppositions, which govern their interpretations. In particular, fallen man generally refuses to acknowledge that he has presuppositions and that his presuppositions govern interpretations of matter or anything else. To many, what is put forward as evidence and interpretation seems self-evident; but in reality is nothing more than a subjective evaluation. Escaping from subjectivity is no easy task. Does non-believing philosophy enable man to get beyond his subjectivity? Can non-believing man’s rationalism (reason alone using logic) save him? Can the laws of logic within the framework of a non-believing worldview accomplish this? How can they, since the laws of logic cannot even be explained or justified within the framework of this philosophy? For example, where did these laws come from? Are they universally interpreted in the same way? The laws of logic within the framework of non-belief are nothing more than a philosophical construct, which ends up collapsing into irrationality.
Rational man, in other words, has no basis for his rationalism. The statement "matter is silent" should be understood in contrast to the statement that "God is not silent." This second assertion is the Christian solution to obtaining knowledge. God has spoken clearly to all men through the Scriptures. We have a biblical foundation for seeking knowledge and obtaining it. God given revelation is objective. Ungodly men reject biblical revelation, they suppress the truth that God has revealed to them through creation (Romans 1:18). God has clearly spoken in the Scriptures, i.e. special revelation to mankind concerning what is required of him. The suppression of God’s revelation by fallen man is evidence of his epistemological rebellion.
In addition, regarding matter it can be said that, whatever testimony general revelation has, it is because God is the author of it. In and of itself, matter has nothing to say. Someone may object and say, "we can learn many things from rocks." This type of assertion is naive. Evidence is interpreted within the framework of a worldview. The presuppositions that govern a worldview determine what may be learned. If the presuppositions are false, evidence will be misinterpreted or suppressed. The mind of man does not interpret raw data without the aid of controlling presuppositions. Some deny this. For example, empiricists, those who believe that man’s mind is blank in the beginning of life and then knowledge comes through sensations, believe that man’s mind is capable of assimilating and correctly interpreting these raw data.
For example, empiricism historically argues that knowledge comes through sensations in the following order: (a) sensations, (b) perceptions, (c) memory images, (d) and the development of abstract ideas. In this system of interpretation perceptions are inferences from sensations. How does the empiricist know valid from invalid inferences? Given this uncertainty, how can the empiricist be sure of anything, let alone what type of matter he has? In addition, studies have shown that some individuals do not have memory images. How can this group of people know things empirically? This is no small problem for empirical epistemology. Tiredness, drugs, and optical illusions can deceive the senses, particularly in the area of sight (color) and hearing (sound) causing further uncertainty. The Christian would also not rule out sin and demonic deception as factors leading to false conclusions. Assuming that empirical epistemology has resolved these difficulties is just that, an assumption.
Consistent empirical epistemology leads to skepticism, as in the case of Scottish philosopher David Hume. Allegedly, Emmanuel Kant was awakened from his dogmatic slumbers when he saw the effects Hume’s skeptical consistency were having on empirical epistemology. Kant tried to save epistemology by positing that man’s mind organized empirical data by a priori categories through which sensations could be understood. Whether he did or not is another issue. Another problem for the empiricist is that it is impossible to know the totality of empirical data on any subject with the endless complexities of inter-related details, which always leaves open the possibility that the empiricist is mistaken in more than just his perceptions. Moreover, empirically, how does the empiricist assimilate the numerous sensations such as sight and touch into a coherent basis for knowing what anything is? The empiricist needs to explain his process of abstraction and demonstrate that it is free from error. Assuming the system works without demonstrating the process is nothing more than begging the question. Empirical scientists are notorious for making unjustified metaphysical assertions. See Gordon H. Clark’s The Philosophy of Science and Belief in God 2 and John W. Robbins, The Sagan of Science3 for a number of instructive examples of this.
End Notes Part
If you're currently unemployed and without health insurance or you have a job that does not provide you with health insurance coverage, you may need to consider getting yourself a catastrophic health insurance coverage plan. Catastrophic health insurance is setup to cover major health problems and normally has high deductibles and low monthly premiums.With a catastrophic coverage health plan, you will normally have to pay out of pocket for doctor office visits and prescription drugs, but major expenses are covered. These types of expenses may include hospital stays, surgery, intensive care, lab tests and X-Rays. You will rarely find pregnancy and maternity care covered on these types of plans.Catastrophic coverage may be purchased individually or as group plans. You will have to pass pre-existing medical condition screenings. This means coverage for conditions you had prior to getting coverage wouldn't be covered. A few examples might include diabetes, emphysema, heart disease and cancer (but there are countless more possibilities).Normally, catastrophic medical insurance coverage is purchased by healthier people in their 20's and sometimes for people nearing the retirement age (50-65 years of age). It is also a popular alternative for self-employed individuals who don't have a health insurance plan.Should you get a catastrophic health insurance plan? That depends. If you are healthy with no pre-existing conditions
The article in question points out that the non-believing worldview is unable to articulate in a credible way a theory of ethics. The transcendental argument, or as some might say a worldview apologetic, was briefly used to illustrate the deficiency in non-believing thought. The transcendental argument shows the Christian worldview to be true because of the impossibility of the contrary. A worldview must have a theory of knowledge that can account for certain things, such as ethics, logic and science. The non-believer has never shown how one can get from matter like rocks to a concrete argument of why Stalin’s murder of millions of people, in particular the Ukrainians was wrong. The thrust of the aforementioned article is against atheistic materialistic philosophy, which produces death and destruction recorded repeatedly in history.
To start with, in light of the truth of Christianity and within the framework of the Christian worldview it can be said that creation has a testimony, albeit not audible like human speech. Creation does testify of God's existence. In contrast, within the framework of a materialistic worldview, matter is absolutely silent. This is a suppressed or imposed silence, the result of fallen man’s ethical state reflected in his apostate philosophy. Within the Christian worldview the testimony of creation or general revelation is absolutely true but limited in its scope. Being limited does not imply deficiency. God always intended to give special or biblical revelation. Jesus is God's fullest revelation to man and He is revealed to us in the Scriptures. General revelation does not tell us about Jesus' death on the cross and how men are to be saved. The book of Romans and the Gospels do.
Matter is not alive. God creates matter. Because of this, matter has God’s imprint. Therefore, matter's testimony mirrors or is reflective. It reflects God's glory like the moon reflects the light of the sun. This testimony is general in scope. In the article it is said, "matter is silent" which is to point out the bankruptcy of materialistic philosophy and its inability to speak with intelligence concerning specifics in the area of ethics, since its worldview is deficient. The materialist starts with time and chance and matter. If non-believers start with matter, how do they get from A (matter) to B (ethics)? Matter does not logically lead to anything within the framework of materialism. There are obvious disagreements between Christians and non-Christians in the area of interpretation of matter. The reason for these disagreements can be accounted for by the way in which evidence is interpreted. In essence, fallen man rejects God’s interpretation of creation and imposes his own autonomous interpretation on created things, thus suppressing the truth. As will be seen, the materialist has nowhere to turn except his own conflicting autonomous capricious subjective evaluations.
The Christian sees all of creation as testifying of God’s existence. The Christian looks to God to find the true meaning of matter and the facts surrounding it. The non-believer, however, sees nothing except matter, which cannot mean anything nor have anything to say apart from man’s imposed interpretation. From a Christian perspective, man is governed by presuppositions. These presuppositions are determined by his nature, that is either fallen or redeemed. He interprets matter consistent with these presuppositions. Fallen man is still committed to the Satanic lie that “ye shall be as gods knowing good from evil” (Gen. 3:5). In the fall mankind rejected God given knowledge
Many are not epistemologically self-conscious, including some Christians, and therefore are unaware that they have presuppositions, which govern their interpretations. In particular, fallen man generally refuses to acknowledge that he has presuppositions and that his presuppositions govern interpretations of matter or anything else. To many, what is put forward as evidence and interpretation seems self-evident; but in reality is nothing more than a subjective evaluation. Escaping from subjectivity is no easy task. Does non-believing philosophy enable man to get beyond his subjectivity? Can non-believing man’s rationalism (reason alone using logic) save him? Can the laws of logic within the framework of a non-believing worldview accomplish this? How can they, since the laws of logic cannot even be explained or justified within the framework of this philosophy? For example, where did these laws come from? Are they universally interpreted in the same way? The laws of logic within the framework of non-belief are nothing more than a philosophical construct, which ends up collapsing into irrationality.
Rational man, in other words, has no basis for his rationalism. The statement "matter is silent" should be understood in contrast to the statement that "God is not silent." This second assertion is the Christian solution to obtaining knowledge. God has spoken clearly to all men through the Scriptures. We have a biblical foundation for seeking knowledge and obtaining it. God given revelation is objective. Ungodly men reject biblical revelation, they suppress the truth that God has revealed to them through creation (Romans 1:18). God has clearly spoken in the Scriptures, i.e. special revelation to mankind concerning what is required of him. The suppression of God’s revelation by fallen man is evidence of his epistemological rebellion.
In addition, regarding matter it can be said that, whatever testimony general revelation has, it is because God is the author of it. In and of itself, matter has nothing to say. Someone may object and say, "we can learn many things from rocks." This type of assertion is naive. Evidence is interpreted within the framework of a worldview. The presuppositions that govern a worldview determine what may be learned. If the presuppositions are false, evidence will be misinterpreted or suppressed. The mind of man does not interpret raw data without the aid of controlling presuppositions. Some deny this. For example, empiricists, those who believe that man’s mind is blank in the beginning of life and then knowledge comes through sensations, believe that man’s mind is capable of assimilating and correctly interpreting these raw data.
For example, empiricism historically argues that knowledge comes through sensations in the following order: (a) sensations, (b) perceptions, (c) memory images, (d) and the development of abstract ideas. In this system of interpretation perceptions are inferences from sensations. How does the empiricist know valid from invalid inferences? Given this uncertainty, how can the empiricist be sure of anything, let alone what type of matter he has? In addition, studies have shown that some individuals do not have memory images. How can this group of people know things empirically? This is no small problem for empirical epistemology. Tiredness, drugs, and optical illusions can deceive the senses, particularly in the area of sight (color) and hearing (sound) causing further uncertainty. The Christian would also not rule out sin and demonic deception as factors leading to false conclusions. Assuming that empirical epistemology has resolved these difficulties is just that, an assumption.
Consistent empirical epistemology leads to skepticism, as in the case of Scottish philosopher David Hume. Allegedly, Emmanuel Kant was awakened from his dogmatic slumbers when he saw the effects Hume’s skeptical consistency were having on empirical epistemology. Kant tried to save epistemology by positing that man’s mind organized empirical data by a priori categories through which sensations could be understood. Whether he did or not is another issue. Another problem for the empiricist is that it is impossible to know the totality of empirical data on any subject with the endless complexities of inter-related details, which always leaves open the possibility that the empiricist is mistaken in more than just his perceptions. Moreover, empirically, how does the empiricist assimilate the numerous sensations such as sight and touch into a coherent basis for knowing what anything is? The empiricist needs to explain his process of abstraction and demonstrate that it is free from error. Assuming the system works without demonstrating the process is nothing more than begging the question. Empirical scientists are notorious for making unjustified metaphysical assertions. See Gordon H. Clark’s The Philosophy of Science and Belief in God 2 and John W. Robbins, The Sagan of Science3 for a number of instructive examples of this.
End Notes Par
If we were to define culture, we would need quite some time. But think about this "fact"; "In the US and Canada, Multi Listing Systems support about Eighty percent of the private real estate market." Now would such a system provide similar performance in Spain? Such a question moves us into the area of culture.Some call it a system, other a service. A service is probably the most appropriate because you do not get to own what you buy. In fact it is a subscriber’s fee you pay to get connected – to the system.The most important part of A Multi Listing System (MLS) is the database, like any significant sales method starts with collecting client data. The first step in selling the MLS is getting property data that is available in the market from real estate agents that intermediate between buyers and sellers.This is however a catch-22 situation. The MLS provider should collect as much as possible properties that are for sale, and with this collection (the central database) the value of the service increases. Yet how do you sell a system that is still empty. This is why the producers of an MLS originate from Real Estate Agents.Imagine that you are a stand alone real estate broker, with limited access to potential house sellers. Your business requires turnover, and therefore you need a significant number of property offerings to be a party for both buyers and sellers.The single real estate is not far from a catch-2
The Christian sees all of creation as testifying of God’s existence. The Christian looks to God to find the true meaning of matter and the facts surrounding it. The non-believer, however, sees nothing except matter, which cannot mean anything nor have anything to say apart from man’s imposed interpretation. From a Christian perspective, man is governed by presuppositions. These presuppositions are determined by his nature, that is either fallen or redeemed. He interprets matter consistent with these presuppositions. Fallen man is still committed to the Satanic lie that “ye shall be as gods knowing good from evil” (Gen. 3:5). In the fall mankind rejected God given knowledge
Many are not epistemologically self-conscious, including some Christians, and therefore are unaware that they have presuppositions, which govern their interpretations. In particular, fallen man generally refuses to acknowledge that he has presuppositions and that his presuppositions govern interpretations of matter or anything else. To many, what is put forward as evidence and interpretation seems self-evident; but in reality is nothing more than a subjective evaluation. Escaping from subjectivity is no easy task. Does non-believing philosophy enable man to get beyond his subjectivity? Can non-believing man’s rationalism (reason alone using logic) save him? Can the laws of logic within the framework of a non-believing worldview accomplish this? How can they, since the laws of logic cannot even be explained or justified within the framework of this philosophy? For example, where did these laws come from? Are they universally interpreted in the same way? The laws of logic within the framework of non-belief are nothing more than a philosophical construct, which ends up collapsing into irrationality.
Rational man, in other words, has no basis for his rationalism. The statement "matter is silent" should be understood in contrast to the statement that "God is not silent." This second assertion is the Christian solution to obtaining knowledge. God has spoken clearly to all men through the Scriptures. We have a biblical foundation for seeking knowledge and obtaining it. God given revelation is objective. Ungodly men reject biblical revelation, they suppress the truth that God has revealed to them through creation (Romans 1:18). God has clearly spoken in the Scriptures, i.e. special revelation to mankind concerning what is required of him. The suppression of God’s revelation by fallen man is evidence of his epistemological rebellion.
In addition, regarding matter it can be said that, whatever testimony general revelation has, it is because God is the author of it. In and of itself, matter has nothing to say. Someone may object and say, "we can learn many things from rocks." This type of assertion is naive. Evidence is interpreted within the framework of a worldview. The presuppositions that govern a worldview determine what may be learned. If the presuppositions are false, evidence will be misinterpreted or suppressed. The mind of man does not interpret raw data without the aid of controlling presuppositions. Some deny this. For example, empiricists, those who believe that man’s mind is blank in the beginning of life and then knowledge comes through sensations, believe that man’s mind is capable of assimilating and correctly interpreting these raw data.
For example, empiricism historically argues that knowledge comes through sensations in the following order: (a) sensations, (b) perceptions, (c) memory images, (d) and the development of abstract ideas. In this system of interpretation perceptions are inferences from sensations. How does the empiricist know valid from invalid inferences? Given this uncertainty, how can the empiricist be sure of anything, let alone what type of matter he has? In addition, studies have shown that some individuals do not have memory images. How can this group of people know things empirically? This is no small problem for empirical epistemology. Tiredness, drugs, and optical illusions can deceive the senses, particularly in the area of sight (color) and hearing (sound) causing further uncertainty. The Christian would also not rule out sin and demonic deception as factors leading to false conclusions. Assuming that empirical epistemology has resolved these difficulties is just that, an assumption.
Consistent empirical epistemology leads to skepticism, as in the case of Scottish philosopher David Hume. Allegedly, Emmanuel Kant was awakened from his dogmatic slumbers when he saw the effects Hume’s skeptical consistency were having on empirical epistemology. Kant tried to save epistemology by positing that man’s mind organized empirical data by a priori categories through which sensations could be understood. Whether he did or not is another issue. Another problem for the empiricist is that it is impossible to know the totality of empirical data on any subject with the endless complexities of inter-related details, which always leaves open the possibility that the empiricist is mistaken in more than just his perceptions. Moreover, empirically, how does the empiricist assimilate the numerous sensations such as sight and touch into a coherent basis for knowing what anything is? The empiricist needs to explain his process of abstraction and demonstrate that it is free from error. Assuming the system works without demonstrating the process is nothing more than begging the question. Empirical scientists are notorious for making unjustified metaphysical assertions. See Gordon H. Clark’s The Philosophy of Science and Belief in God 2 and John W. Robbins, The Sagan of Science3 for a number of instructive examples of this.
End Notes Par
Pricing your products on eBay can really cut into your revenue unless you are careful. Most anything will sell on eBay and this is what makes it an attractive place to sell your products. The problem with eBay though is that there are so many sellers selling a lot of the same products that the prices are well below retail value. This can really cut into your profit margin and to make it worse, some companies will use eBay to try and sell a large quantity of products to try and make up for the profit loss.eBay RealityeBay should really only be used to auction off any products that have set in your inventory for a long time. The supply curve on eBay is extremely high even for those products with a high demand. The best result for using eBay is to use it as a product search directory. This is a very cheap way to get new potential customers in your front door. Post your products that do not cost much or those that don’t bring you a good return on investment. This will give you a sales template to get your potential customers to click a link to your website. Use your eBay sales page as a pitch page for your company’s products and website.Making Backend SalesOnce you get customers in your front door of your website, you can gain the trust of your customers through your branding strategies and product information pages. This will allow you to make backend sales with eBay shoppers not seeing competing prices a
Rational man, in other words, has no basis for his rationalism. The statement "matter is silent" should be understood in contrast to the statement that "God is not silent." This second assertion is the Christian solution to obtaining knowledge. God has spoken clearly to all men through the Scriptures. We have a biblical foundation for seeking knowledge and obtaining it. God given revelation is objective. Ungodly men reject biblical revelation, they suppress the truth that God has revealed to them through creation (Romans 1:18). God has clearly spoken in the Scriptures, i.e. special revelation to mankind concerning what is required of him. The suppression of God’s revelation by fallen man is evidence of his epistemological rebellion.
In addition, regarding matter it can be said that, whatever testimony general revelation has, it is because God is the author of it. In and of itself, matter has nothing to say. Someone may object and say, "we can learn many things from rocks." This type of assertion is naive. Evidence is interpreted within the framework of a worldview. The presuppositions that govern a worldview determine what may be learned. If the presuppositions are false, evidence will be misinterpreted or suppressed. The mind of man does not interpret raw data without the aid of controlling presuppositions. Some deny this. For example, empiricists, those who believe that man’s mind is blank in the beginning of life and then knowledge comes through sensations, believe that man’s mind is capable of assimilating and correctly interpreting these raw data.
For example, empiricism historically argues that knowledge comes through sensations in the following order: (a) sensations, (b) perceptions, (c) memory images, (d) and the development of abstract ideas. In this system of interpretation perceptions are inferences from sensations. How does the empiricist know valid from invalid inferences? Given this uncertainty, how can the empiricist be sure of anything, let alone what type of matter he has? In addition, studies have shown that some individuals do not have memory images. How can this group of people know things empirically? This is no small problem for empirical epistemology. Tiredness, drugs, and optical illusions can deceive the senses, particularly in the area of sight (color) and hearing (sound) causing further uncertainty. The Christian would also not rule out sin and demonic deception as factors leading to false conclusions. Assuming that empirical epistemology has resolved these difficulties is just that, an assumption.
Consistent empirical epistemology leads to skepticism, as in the case of Scottish philosopher David Hume. Allegedly, Emmanuel Kant was awakened from his dogmatic slumbers when he saw the effects Hume’s skeptical consistency were having on empirical epistemology. Kant tried to save epistemology by positing that man’s mind organized empirical data by a priori categories through which sensations could be understood. Whether he did or not is another issue. Another problem for the empiricist is that it is impossible to know the totality of empirical data on any subject with the endless complexities of inter-related details, which always leaves open the possibility that the empiricist is mistaken in more than just his perceptions. Moreover, empirically, how does the empiricist assimilate the numerous sensations such as sight and touch into a coherent basis for knowing what anything is? The empiricist needs to explain his process of abstraction and demonstrate that it is free from error. Assuming the system works without demonstrating the process is nothing more than begging the question. Empirical scientists are notorious for making unjustified metaphysical assertions. See Gordon H. Clark’s The Philosophy of Science and Belief in God 2 and John W. Robbins, The Sagan of Science3 for a number of instructive examples of this.
End Notes Par
Your domain name choice can be critical to your business yet many do not know how to choose a domain name. If you want a successful business you will need it to be accessible from the internet. To achieve that you will need a website, and hence a domain name. The domain name is the name by which your site is known, such as mysitedotcom and the number of domains registered on the internet has increased from about 10 million in the year 2000 to over 50 million now.There are a few approaches that can be taken to choosing a domain name, and each can be appropriate according to the circumstances. It is not always a good thing to name your website after your product, especially if you are trying to get it established in the market place. For example, if you invented an ionic hydrogenator that no one had ever heard of, the domain ionichydrogenatorsdotcom would not be one that many people would search for, and neither would the keyword ionic hydrogenator.It is important that the name you give to your website will have the possibility of being found by somebody searching for an answer to their problem on the internet. If your ionic hydrogenator made your car go faster, then fastcars.com or fastengines.com would be more likely to attract traffic.If you already have an offline business that you want to put online, you will need a domain name that is either the same as that of your business, or that describes what it does. For
Consistent empirical epistemology leads to skepticism, as in the case of Scottish philosopher David Hume. Allegedly, Emmanuel Kant was awakened from his dogmatic slumbers when he saw the effects Hume’s skeptical consistency were having on empirical epistemology. Kant tried to save epistemology by positing that man’s mind organized empirical data by a priori categories through which sensations could be understood. Whether he did or not is another issue. Another problem for the empiricist is that it is impossible to know the totality of empirical data on any subject with the endless complexities of inter-related details, which always leaves open the possibility that the empiricist is mistaken in more than just his perceptions. Moreover, empirically, how does the empiricist assimilate the numerous sensations such as sight and touch into a coherent basis for knowing what anything is? The empiricist needs to explain his process of abstraction and demonstrate that it is free from error. Assuming the system works without demonstrating the process is nothing more than begging the question. Empirical scientists are notorious for making unjustified metaphysical assertions. See Gordon H. Clark’s The Philosophy of Science and Belief in God 2 and John W. Robbins, The Sagan of Science3 for a number of instructive examples of this.
End Notes Part One
1. Jack Kettler, Pagan Philosophy, Unbelief, and Irrationalism, (Minneapolis: Contra Mundum, 1998). 2. Gordon H. Clark, The Philosophy of Science and Belief in God, (Jefferson, Maryland: Trinity, 1987). 3. John W. Robbins, The Sagan of Science, (Jefferson, Maryland: Trinity, 1988).
© 2001 By Jack Kettler
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