Revelation vs. Discovery

Big Questions

   Every person is a religious being. A religious being asks the “big questions”  Are we (humans) alone, or is there something greater than us?

     Comic books, science fiction, instincts say “Yes” Is there “another world”?

 A world after death?  A world of invisible “souls” or beings?

How did everything begin?

 And why?

Who is God? Does he care about us?

Why are we here? What’s the point?

What are some possible answers?

Big Questions

  The answer to these questions are a mystery.

These mysteries are solved either by  Natural reason     We try to figure things out on our own using whatever information we can get Usually relies on empirical data Divine revelation   What we don’t know and can’t figure out is made clear to us The hidden is revealed Both  We use our minds to figure out what God has revealed to us

Discovery

   Natural reason can lead on to discover “god” This discovery of “god” is made on the basis of  Empirical data    Looking at the world Reflections on human psychology, human instincts and innate knowledge Logical Reasoning (natural reason) Natural reason, if rigorously followed, opposes    Animism and pantheism Atheism Agnosticism

Discovery

  Natural reason, if logically followed, reaches these conclusions:  There is an “Ultimate Being” or “Ultimate Reality”  The “Ultimate Being” is one, not several Discovery may also conclude that    The “Ultimate Reality” is person (not “I) – monotheism The “Ultimate Reality” is personal but detached and uncaring – Deism The “Ultimate Reality” is a force or flow – theism

Discovery

  Discovery also leads to the conclusion that     Humans are “god” Humans need to escape the material word to be “god” When humans are “perfected” or “enlightened” they become “god” True enlightenment is when a human loses himself in “god”  Like a drop of water in an ocean Discovery reaches these conclusions from “the bottom up”   By mystical experience (looking inward, reflecting, meditating) By logical reasoning (thinking)

Discovery

 Discovery, using natural reason, is the method used by the major Eastern religions  Hinduism   Buddhism Daoism

Revelation

  Revelation admits that we can’t know what we can’t know  We learn partly by discovery, but mostly by being told    Example: We discover the round bouncy object, but someone must tell us that it is a ball Example: We discover simple arithmetic (quantity, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division), but we must be told about mathematics Example: We discover our own selves, but must be told who are parents are and how we came to be Revelation requires two things:   Being told what we don’t know and can’t figure out Believing what we’re told

Revelation

 The JoHari window helps us understand the importance of revelation

Revelation

 Revelation of God works from “the top down”     God tells us about Himself God tells us how things came to be God tells us about ourselves    What we’re really like inside Why we do what we do The point of our existence God tells us the goal

Revelation

 God must reveal Himself   Directly  Speaking directly to humans Indirectly   Speaking through mediators  Specific humans (prophets)  Oral tradition (stories handed down) Through events     Miracles Omens History (sacred history) Sacraments

Revelation

 Revelation concludes that      There is one God God is the cause of all things God is a personal being (an “I”) We are not God We are separate beings from God   There is a “visible” world and an “invisible” world  Material dualism The goal of life is to be in relationship with God

Revelation

 Revelation is what three major religions depend upon    Judaism Christianity Islam

God Reveals Himself in the Old Testament

The Christian Understand of Revelation

Word

   God Reveals Himself through His Word   Logos Torah Pen-ultimately, the Scriptures   Old Testament: the curtain slowly pulls back New Testament: the play is plainly shown Ultimately, Jesus

Scriptures: Old Testament

  God reveals Himself in Myth  Fiction or non-fiction stories that explain origins       Origin of all things (Gen 1) Origin of humans (Gen 2) Origin of sin (Gen 3) Origin of death (Gen 4-5) Origin of second chances; the reboot (Gen 6-10) Origin of languages (Gen 11) God reveals Himself in Sacred History  History is told or arranged to point to God  Not made up, but told with God in mind

Scriptures: Old Testament

  God reveals Himself in types  Hints left, on purpose, to point ahead  Genesis 22 God reveals Himself in Covenants     Adam (Gen 3.15) Noah (Gen 9) Abraham (Gen 22) Moses & Israel (Ex 19 & 20)  David (2 Sam 7)

Scriptures: New Testament

God Reveals Himself in the New Testament

The Christian Understand of Revelation