What Exactly Is Humanism? and thoughts on faith
"Humanism" is a popular word in the Christian world. It is often equated to all that is evil in the world. In the Christian world, there seem to be two distinct philosophies: (1) Man is sinful by nature. Sin affects every part of our being. Everything we want, according to the flesh, is sinful. (2) Anything that denies this is "humanism."
For instance, if there is a psychological theory that presents the idea that individuals' actions today are influenced by how someone from their past treated them, that idea leaves out sin and personal responsibility. Therefore, that idea is humanistic. That idea has no Biblical basis. It should be left alone. Emphasize sin and personal responsibility. Leave out anything "human."
To me, this is a great tragedy. This extreme idea of sin vs. humanism is not presented in the Bible that I love and study. God understands each of us. He understands how our pasts affect us. He understands, as the Bible so eloquently says, that we are but dust. He does not expect perfection. He shows us grace through our fears, our hurts, our trials. He never leaves us.
That established, what exactly is humanism?
By definition, humanism is generally thought to be the elevation of humanity to the level of God. It is taught in Christian theology that this was the primary sin of Lucifer, who would become Satan. He wanted equality with God.
The Bible is distinctly clear that God will not share His glory with anyone. He stands alone. (Again, this does not mean He is not with us and does not understand our every human weakness. It means that He alone is God). Therefore, when we rely upon our own reasoning and logic, we create an idol out of ourselves. Instead of trusting in what seems logical, we are to have faith in God.
Faith is a unique topic. I do not believe faith is supposed to make sense to our human mind. It goes so far beyond that. It does not make logical sense that miracles exist. It does not make logical sense that God sends supernatural protection. It does not make logical sense that there are angels surrounding us that we cannot see. But this is exactly what the Bible teaches.
When we get out of our "humanistic" ideas that we can control our own destiny, we experience God on a whole new level. I believe this is so difficult for us because we are taught to do our best. We are taught to protect. We are taught self-reliance. "God helps those who help themselves," to quote Benjamin Franklin.
Oh, but on the contrary, God helps those who trust in Him alone.
For instance, if there is a psychological theory that presents the idea that individuals' actions today are influenced by how someone from their past treated them, that idea leaves out sin and personal responsibility. Therefore, that idea is humanistic. That idea has no Biblical basis. It should be left alone. Emphasize sin and personal responsibility. Leave out anything "human."
To me, this is a great tragedy. This extreme idea of sin vs. humanism is not presented in the Bible that I love and study. God understands each of us. He understands how our pasts affect us. He understands, as the Bible so eloquently says, that we are but dust. He does not expect perfection. He shows us grace through our fears, our hurts, our trials. He never leaves us.
That established, what exactly is humanism?
By definition, humanism is generally thought to be the elevation of humanity to the level of God. It is taught in Christian theology that this was the primary sin of Lucifer, who would become Satan. He wanted equality with God.
The Bible is distinctly clear that God will not share His glory with anyone. He stands alone. (Again, this does not mean He is not with us and does not understand our every human weakness. It means that He alone is God). Therefore, when we rely upon our own reasoning and logic, we create an idol out of ourselves. Instead of trusting in what seems logical, we are to have faith in God.
Faith is a unique topic. I do not believe faith is supposed to make sense to our human mind. It goes so far beyond that. It does not make logical sense that miracles exist. It does not make logical sense that God sends supernatural protection. It does not make logical sense that there are angels surrounding us that we cannot see. But this is exactly what the Bible teaches.
When we get out of our "humanistic" ideas that we can control our own destiny, we experience God on a whole new level. I believe this is so difficult for us because we are taught to do our best. We are taught to protect. We are taught self-reliance. "God helps those who help themselves," to quote Benjamin Franklin.
Oh, but on the contrary, God helps those who trust in Him alone.
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