| 3. Fundamental Integration -> Hermeneutics -> Relativism Not Rational |
Now the "Details"
Relativism is not Rational
In this New Age of "everything is relative" and "truth to you is whatever you want it to be," we need to establish certain specific understandings at the start.
We are calling these "Basic Interpretation Agreements I-III." Apart from an agreement to these, we can have no rational dialogue with anyone; nor is any consistent or reliable interpretation of written language possible. These Agreements are absolutely "basic" to human communication.
In ultimate fact, all human communication is based upon the concept of moral absolutes, otherwise all words would be rendered meaningless and incapable of interpretation. First, we must recognize at the outset, that "moral absolutes" and "moral relativism" are contradictions that cannot both exist. Indeed, only one can exist and the other cannot. You must answer which. This is a basic infant necessity of mentality like, hopefully, a diaper. Either you have a diaper or you don't. Either we accept moral absolutes as a sane rational necessity or you say, "No, I do it my way." If you intend this then you probably haven't read this far in this website.
By moral, we mean an "ought" of right or wrong; an obligation for which a person shall be held accountable. By absolute, we mean a concrete unchanging (not subjective), eternal (not temporal), and universal (not local) understanding of right and wrong, good and bad.
Now either we have moral absolutes for man to mentally recognize and behaviorally observe, or everything is absolutely relative (meaning no standards), as the New Agers say. But let us ask, absolutely "relative" to what? Something can only be relative to an absolute. There can't be a relative to a relative, since there would be nothing to which relative would be finally relative, and ad infinitm to nothingness or nihilism: the negation of all being or value (Friedrich Nietzsche). Plainly, this is pure antinomian lawlessness.
Therefore, moral relativism is self-defeating, an irrational flight of delusion. Even relativists or situationalists assign values to concepts or objects to serve their selfish purposes.
Even in the physical world, Albert Einstein's theory of relativity (1930's) makes everything relative to the absolute of the speed of light.1 But we now know that even this constant must be replaced with constancy equivalents, depending upon conditions, as our understanding of universe-energies have improved. We now know that light may be many times faster than originally thought. In Quantum Physics now we are learning that there is an absolute vortex of energy (not particle) beyond which things cannot be divided in this time-space-"other" (5 dimension) universe, as physicists now know it. Today, the ability of Quantum Physics to detail 5 dimensions of our universe is based on absolutes, not relative or situational values. Some go farther to theorize 10 diimensions. Today, Quantum Physics would be quite untruthful to say that there is not an unknown power that is holding it all together. Thanks to God, form and function could not exist otherwise. Just as the Bible says.
Even the moral relativists of this New Age culture often say that things are getting better or worse. But this concept can only be with a background concept of what is Perfect or worst, otherwise better or worse relative to what? All such moral judgments imply an absolute moral standard by which such statements can be made. 2
Therefore, it is plainly evident that the moral relativists of today who sadly occupy the highest positions in our society are obviously intellectually dishonest people by definition. This moral relativism of today is plainly nothing more than a self-pleasing, totally hedonistic, philosophy of "lie." No intellectually honest person can pretend that "all things are relative" or "choose what you prefer to believe" or "truth for you is what you think it is." "I will do it my way." 3
Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! Isa 5:20-21
And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie. II Th 2:10-11
The fact that these people would die for their relativism only proves their accepting a delusion, otherwise obviously a delusion to a little child.
The truth of the matter is that moral relativists or situational ethicists are all conscious liars who use the philosophy of relativism among naive and patronizing ignoramuses to justify their lies and self serving.
The honest crook or moral profligate who squarely admits to his self-serving is much more closer to the kingdom of God than these Pharisees (hypocrites, play actors) of political and religious rhetoric.
Relativism has corrupted Scripture Interpretation
Aristotle, Logic = the organ of all science and meaningful discourse
Contradiction = Unintelligible = By definition: not factual, not reality We intuitively affirm there is no contradiction in reality, in truth.
A lie by definition is a contradiction. No lie is of the truth (1 Jn. 2:21) Child simple. Whenever we think the God created child is not made to understand God's Truth we may be deceiving ourselves (Luke 18:17; Mark 10:15; and Rom 1:19; 7:23). Titus 1:2 tells us that "God . . . cannot lie." Therefore, even God's entire Word must be in harmony with the law of non-contradiction. One clear, irresolvable contradiction would be enough to destroy the trustworthiness of the whole. That's why the enemies of truth are so eager to try to prove that God's Word contradicts itself.
Non-contradiction.
Western Cultures,based on the presupposition of Law of non-contradiction,either/or.
Law of non-contradiction is accepted as dogma: either/or Logic, true or false, right or wrong, good or evil, black or white, inside or outside, etc.. Truth by definition is exclusive = Reality = non-contradictory. Reality (truth,the way things really are) is knowable, definable, and exclusive. A "fact" in reality is the way things really are. All true "facts" must be non- contradictory. If there is a contradiction, we don't have the facts right. We intuitively know that a contradiction of any facts means we don't have the truth. This is called "inductive" thinking. [Find all the scriptures containing the single word whose meaning is in question, inductively harmonize all the contexts to one sensible meaning for the single word in all contexts used, then one must substitute that one meaning in every place used, regardless of ones biases or previous understandings.] This will be explained in detail as we proceed. Eastern Cultures, based on the presupposition of dialectic thinking, a both/and.
Dialectic thinking, a both/and . Whenever have two opposed ideas ,accept both or something else, as a both/and. The Yin /Yang thinking. Not yea or nay, but yea and nay. Truth is to be discovered, it is unknowable by human mind, not to be understood. The Law of Non-contradiction does not apply, they say.
Reality (truth,the way things really are) is unknowable and indefinable in Eastern cultures. The person can only try to conform himself to oneness of mind with the "unknowable" by accepting the teaching (assertions) of ascended masters.
This is called "deductive thinking." This is the thinking of "the satan' and his method with us in regard to concepts,get us to accept an asserted idea of any kind without critical inductive examination of origin or inductive scriptural derivation. Just accept assertions as some aspect of truth.
Ecumenical Churches and New Age thinking in our recent culture have accepted this Dialectic Thinking, both/and. An acceptance that Truth is unknowable and anyone's ideas or neither right or wrong. Differences in behavior or doctrines are unimportant, they say.
No need to conform to Law of non-contradiction or any laws of human logic, they say.
Two Practiced Approaches to the Bible. Have Resulted in our churches from this Dialecticism.
- Syncretism. Man must do something out of his own inherent self to achieve salvation. This derives from the lie that man is not truly and totally reprobate in all aspects. This is Catholicism, Mormonism, Jehovah Witnesses, and all other cults. They are pure salvation by man's works involved in some way in addition, along with, the grace of God being offered.
- RELATIVISM. Truth is unknowable and all things are relative in nature to the real truth, so that one person's truth may be just as valid and acceptable as my truth. Who can say which is the best? This has given rise to two subsets in relation to following the Bible.
- Eclecticism. A little truth of one group and a little truth of another group, although both exclusive of one another, are nevertheless acceptable within our fellowship. We will just refuse to dispute over it, because who can know the truth? This they refer to as love in our fellowship. This is Interdenominational Bible Schools and Seminaries.
- Pluralism. The truth is not unified anywhere, so that we can know it. Each of our contradictory "truths" don't have to concern us. We will just accept the contradictions and wait until we get to Heaven to know the Truth. This is Calvinism (man's responsibility vs. Sovereignty).
It is of SPECIAL NOTICE!! Whenever this "deductive thinking" occurs with the Bible, there must necessarily be a special redefinition of words and synonyms used to support to others the "logicalness" of the interpretation. Obvious tall-tail sign !! Otherwise, the pure Word becomes obviously illogical to others. When a lie has been asserted for a pure word of scripture, one then needs to redefine the pure single word in the Bible to make their assertion for it to "seem" logical with the rest of the pure Word.
The human mind demands "non-contradiction" to make sense. so whenever a false assertion is accepted, the one accepting the false assertion must accept further redefinitions of other words and scriptures. The Word is so pure throughout that this results in more and more redefinitions to make any coherence of the whole. This is why we have different distinct systematic theologies of different denominations. Each have developed their own system of redefinitions of single words. After accepting an unfounded assertiion, they go about establishing, by many redefinitions, a seeming "logical" coherence of the whole Bible.
To subvert one's intellect to accept a contradiction (false assertion) as dogma (truth in fact) is truly revealing a willful self-subverted mind. "Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself." (Titus 3:11). All men are created with an intuitive knowledge of the rightness of Logic. He cannot understand anything unless it is "logical" to him. Otherwise he is simply accepting someone's assertion. Any seeming contradictions immediately makes something sound "funny" to anyone.
Some people for their own purposes (emotional needs, approval, desire for power and respectability, physical or scholastic survival, etc.) willfully, hypnotically, accept an assertion and thereafter reason upon that accepted assertion. This has been referred to as brainwashing in the military or to coming to an understanding of proper doctrines in certain religious circles. They all willingly accept obvious contradictions upon a relativistic assertion, like Pluralism or Eclecticism saying they will wait to learn the truth when they get to Heaven.
This happens to students in strict high scholastic Calvinistic seminaries, for instance, in order to receive approval from their peers and professors. They all say that they came to an epiphany of enlightenment after much struggling within themselves because the acceptance of the doctrines were contrary to their mental makeup. Only after they forced themselves to cling to an interpretation of Romans 9 as applying to individuals, could they bring themselves to over-look the contradiction of responsibility of man verses the asserted "ONLY DETERMINATE" characteristic of any pagan god, his sovereignty, as they assert it must be understood. Then when confronted with an Attribute as Love in explaining their conceptual god's actions, they demonstrate great difficulty and apparent contradictions.
[[ Pagan gods only have characteristics of sovereignty, immutable, spiritual, omniscience, omnipotent, and omnipresent. They have no demonstrated Attributes of our True Creator God, of Love, Truth, Holiness, and Wisdom, which govern all of our Creators Characteristics that the pagan imagine about their gods. ]]
In order to do this the person must deliberately necessarily redefine or change what to him had been previous reality definitions common and inherent in all men--the laws of every created human mind. Thereafter, others may discern this person's obvious weird redefinitions and self-contradictory beliefs, but the person himself will be oblivious of all this because he has accepted a false (lying) assertion at the beginning and, thereafter, reasons all things and concepts around and upon that accepted lie. He is blinded to his acceptance of a lie, because he deliberately opened his mind to accept it.
To another, making reason and truth only his objective, he will be looking for a conclusion to his thinking by intuitively employing "logical" means which eliminates any "contradiction," whatsoever. He will not accept any contradictions in his understanding of God. He either arrives there or he doesn't in his theology. He refuses equivocations and contradictions. This makes redefinitions (more lies) unnecessary. His is an honest man. He has not compromised his intellectual integrity for approval and status among peers or professors.
Since we are dealing with the pure (no mixture) single words in the Word of Truth, there can be no synonyms or contradictions between any words, or doctrines, if the Word contains no contradictions (lies). God not only created humans with this intuitive test of truth, but then gave us " The words of the LORD are pure words" (Psa 12:6 and Prov 30:5), and even His Spirit of Truth "to teach you " (1 Jn 2:27), and to "guide you into all Truth" (Jn 16:13).
Isa 35:8 And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein." Rule: Any contradiction between any scriptures means:
- We accepted an assertion (a lie) somewhere among our assumed non-contradictory words and meanings, and
- We have not followed "inductive thinking process" to infer a correct meaning.
A lie by definition is a contradiction. No lie is of the truth (1 Jn. 2:21) Child simple.
The Law of Non-contradiction means that two antithetical propositions cannot both be true at the same time and in the same sense. X cannot be non-X. A thing cannot be and be simultaneously. And nothing that is true can be self-contradictory or inconsistent with any other truth. All reason (logic) depends on this simple principle. Rational thought and meaningful discourse demand it. To deny the Law of Non-contradiction is to deny all truth in one fell swoop.
Rationalism (every thing relative) is Taught in Bible Interpretation TODAY
Unfortunately, our esteemed teachers in Seminaries and Bible Schools have said and forcefully demand that the "meaning of any single word is determined by the verse in which it occurs or the immediate verses surrounding it, called context" As we have said before, this is manifest idiocy. It is idiocy for several obvious reasons to anyone:
1. This means that sentences determine single word meanings. IS THIS RATIONAL? NO !! Word meanings determine sentences. And for any individual to presume that he can determine God's use (meaning) of that word from the "ONE" context use of that word is building in everyones' personal preferences. This is relativism being taught in Biblical interpretation. God's pure Word cannot possibly be rationally interpreted by this method. BUT THIS METHOD IS TAUGHT AS AN ABSOLUTE RULE. Our Bible teachers are irrational.
If God's Word is subject to as many different understandings as can be derived from many different and disparate single word meanings each individual may prefer, and then have the multiplied many different and disparate scripture meanings, God has given us nothing but chaos and confusion. This is the Christian "world" today. So they are discarding their Bibles for other preferences in playing "church". NO, this is not God's work. This is only from the evil one in our Bible Schools and Seminaries today.
We must know the meaning that God gives to every single word he uses by a better method. The meaning of a single word can only be determined by every scripture in which that one Greek word is used through out the New Testament, regardless of its "relative" and "equivocal" translated meaning, in order to infer the "one" meaning that makes sense in every place of use, that God gives to the single pure word, no mixture in any word, without shadow of turning, child simple Word of God. One word is given only one meaning, determined by comparing spiritual to spiritual use in every place that one single Greek word is used. Child simple.
2. Does God's Word have single Greek words that are equivocal, meaning they are nonspecific with two or three or four or as many as 40 different meanings, depending upon different context? If this is true, depending upon the number of different scriptures, does any translator give the single Greek word many multiple meanings. YES, MOST OFTEN !! Or conversely, how often does a translator make five or ten or eighteen different Greek words have the same single translated meaning? VERY OFTEN !! Is God's Word "equivocal" ? Is it, therefore, relative. YES, ACCORDING TO OUR PROFOUND BIBLE SCHOLARS TODAY.
3. Is there any wonder that we can have every Denomination and cult using the BIBLE, God's PURE WORD, as an excuse for their beliefs that they prefer to have. NO! NOT AT ALL. Our Bible Schools teach it.
Summary, God's single words are not equivocal, two or more meanings; they are univocal, only one meaning. Therefore, His entire Word is of a single noncontradictory, unequivocal meaning. Written for a little Greek child, and all little children in the world. Remember, He said, "you will in no wise enter the Kingdom of Heaven except ye be as a little child." One word at a time, learning as a little child, comparing one use of a word to another use of the same word. Eventually, as a child we will have some understanding.
NOTE: These above statements, about every Greek word having only one meaning, has been found to be totally true in our understanding through the years. For instance, thousands of Greek words conform to one distinct specific meaning to each separate word (lemma), despite their extreme disparate meanings found in all translations. And the most diverse of translated words, the prepositions, all have been found to have only one global meaning per each preposition. But with prepositions, as with some very rare special words, as akouo, the nuance of the one meaning may vary depending on the limited and defined cases (one to three in number) used for the specific preposition and its substantive. For instance, the preposition meta has only one meaning use in all instances, as "associated". However, a different nuance of that one meaning, as with the genitive case, "with", but with the accusative case, "after".
CONCLUSION
God's single words are pure (Holy), and God's total Word is pure (Holy). Only one meaning, so pure and so the embodiement of THE TRUTH, that God hold's HIS WORD even above HIS NAME. It MAY BE clearly understood without any equivocal interpretations at all. This is done by two immutable witnesses.
1. The New Testament was written in Koine Greek, an extremely specific language. The syntax of grammar of this Greek text give every intended detailed nuance to the use of any single word as it relates to the intended relationship to every other word in a sentence.
2. The single meaning assigned to each single word is extremely specific and immutable.
Therefore, with (1) pure words, and (2) extremely specific and detailed nuances between words, God has given a written Word that we can have no excuse for not understanding Him and His purposes in entirety--all Truth.
SELAH
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