Why are morals getting more lax? It largely stems from a view that ‘what may be true for you may not be for me; I can make my own truth.’ This is the essence of postmodernism. Postmodernists claim that all knowledge is culturally determined and therefore not objective.1
Buzz words like ‘meta-narrative’ and ‘discourse’ identify postmodernists. Many of the humanities faculties (arts, sociology, education, etc.) at universities push this view. It’s quite the fashion.
Postmodernists deny that objective truth exists. But how can they know that their claim, ‘truth does not exist’, is true if there is no such thing as ‘truth’? So postmodernism is self-refuting: its absolute truth is that there is no absolute truth; its absolute ethic is that all ethics are relative; and its objective worldview is that all worldviews are subjective—a quagmire of suffocating, soul-destroying subjectivism.
In postmodernism, gravity does not exist as an objective reality. So someone operating under a different ‘meta-narrative’ (worldview) where gravity did not exist might walk off a cliff and not kill themselves. But no matter what you believe, you will hurt yourself. Also, the fact that they can walk at all and not float off into space is due to gravity! All beliefs are not equal.
What would have happened if the Wright brothers (see 100 years of airplanes—but these weren’t the first flying machines!) had been postmodernists? Would they have sought to discover the principles of flight? Hardly! What if an engineer designing a bridge decided that gravity was just a ‘Western’ concept and he decided to take the Hindu view that life is an illusion and (logically) so is gravity and the equations that prescribe the bridge? Would you drive over the bridge?
Some Christians have taken comfort from postmodernist attempts to undo the scientific worldview, which they see as opposed to faith in God. But they are confused in this. There is nothing about experimental science that is at odds with biblical faith, as many scientists have testified in Creation magazine.
Postmodernism is self-refuting: its absolute truth is that there is no absolute truth.
The conflicts come from historical science, where people who were not there dream up what happened in the past. But eye-witness accounts (from the Bible and elsewhere) contradict the modern view of history that opposes the Bible, as the careful scholarship of Ussher shows (see Archbishop’s achievement).
Some have even tried to recast the Gospel in postmodern terms to interest those influenced by postmodernism. This is ill-conceived. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me” (John 14:6). The logic is clear: Jesus is either the only way, as he says; or he is wrong, in which case he is not the Son of God so we can forget about him. But the postmodernists say that ‘that’s just “Western”? logic, the product of Western culture’. However, by saying this, they use the same ‘Western’ logic to say that Western logic is not true! Postmodernism denies the very truth claim that Christian faith stands upon, so Christians should vigorously oppose postmodernism.
As Tom McLeish, Professor of Polymer Physics at Leeds University (UK) says, “Our dear friends in the humanities do get themselves awfully confused about whether the world exists, about whether each other exists, about whether words mean anything. Until they have sorted out whether cats and dogs exist or not, or are only figments in the mind of the reader, let alone the writer, then they are going to have problems talking about God.”2
I recall talking with two students at the University of Melbourne. One was indoctrinated in modernism (evolutionism); the other, postmodernism. I had a fruitful interaction with the first student because we both believed in objective truth—that we actually were standing there in time and space discussing real things.
The postmodernist fellow wasn’t sure whether we were really there or not—we might have been in a sort of cyber-dream (like the movie, The Matrix). I pinched him. He said, “What did you do that for?” I replied, “Do what? Maybe you were dreaming.” I pointed out that if there is no objective reality, how is it that he felt it when I pinched him? This shows that postmodernists can’t live consistently by their beliefs.
Because postmodernism says that there is no objective truth, it denies that God has spoken. This is not ‘modern’ at all. Didn’t Satan get Eve to doubt the truth of what God told Adam (Genesis 3:1)? And didn’t Pilate ask, “What is truth?” when he interrogated Jesus (John 18:38.)?
Postmodernism aptly fits the description of ‘futile’ thinking that people are given over to when they deliberately abandon the knowledge of God (Romans 1:18ff.). But this teaching also immunizes many against the Gospel, putting them on the road to Hell.
Creation magazine, now celebrating its 25th year of publication [in 2003 when this was originally written], seeks to draw people back to the knowledge of God through affirming the absolute truth of His infallible Word, beginning in Genesis.
References and notes 1.In contrast, modernism says: Truth is ‘out there’ to be discovered using the tools of rationalism (man is the measure of all things; matter and mind are all there is). Evolution is a modernist concept. Return to text. 2.Radford T., Science cannot provide all the answers, The Guardian (UK), 4 September 2003; education.guardian.co.uk/higher/sciences/story/0,12243,1035026,00.html, 24 September 2003.
Insightful razz Fairly basic, I think, but I believe in starting with basics when you're lost on something. I've actually begun writing a thesis on emotional dependency in God, so this is a nice little introduction to post-modernism. I've always had a general idea of this stuff, but it's getting time to suck it up and really start hitting the books like nobody's business 3nodding
Could you point me in the direction of a post made about the dangers of the New Age if at all possible? I think that ought to be helpful too. It seems like those two are the most infectious. Although, if you'd like to suggest something, be my guest. Just make sure to include what I asked for along with it xp
Tantei_Saru3
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Garland-Green
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Posted: Mon May 09, 2016 3:31 am
Tantei_Saru3
Insightful razz Fairly basic, I think, but I believe in starting with basics when you're lost on something. I've actually begun writing a thesis on emotional dependency in God, so this is a nice little introduction to post-modernism. I've always had a general idea of this stuff, but it's getting time to suck it up and really start hitting the books like nobody's business 3nodding
Could you point me in the direction of a post made about the dangers of the New Age if at all possible? I think that ought to be helpful too. It seems like those two are the most infectious. Although, if you'd like to suggest something, be my guest. Just make sure to include what I asked for along with it xp
Hope this helped. smile Good luck with your thesis.
Posted: Mon May 09, 2016 8:32 am
Quote:
Postmodernists deny that objective truth exists. But how can they know that their claim, ‘truth does not exist’, is true if there is no such thing as ‘truth’? So postmodernism is self-refuting: its absolute truth is that there is no absolute truth; its absolute ethic is that all ethics are relative; and its objective worldview is that all worldviews are subjective—a quagmire of suffocating, soul-destroying subjectivism.
This paragraph is especially telling.
Lady Vizsla
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SARL0
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Posted: Mon May 09, 2016 1:28 pm
subjective truth and objective truth is a tough one for me because i can see how both are valid.
of course objective truth is the real REAL truth, but the REAL truth is not always true to someone else. of course that doesn't change what's true and it just means that they're believing a lie, but to them that lie is their truth. stressed
Posted: Mon May 09, 2016 3:01 pm
SARL0
subjective truth and objective truth is a tough one for me because i can see how both are valid.
of course objective truth is the real REAL truth, but the REAL truth is not always true to someone else. of course that doesn't change what's true and it just means that they're believing a lie, but to them that lie is their truth. stressed
Haha, TELL ME ABOUT IT lol It's frustrating, isn't it? It still feels like it really bothers me, even though I think God's been teaching me to deal with it fairly recent. But yeah, it's always been a tough one for me too, I know exactly what you're talking about.
I know it's not really the most faithful statement in the world, but the way I used to look at it is I can either go with something that's definitely wrong, or something possibly wrong. Me being possibly wrong cause I know it's not God, though there was a time when I would've considered Him too out of fairness of where I was at mentally. Not today though, thank God. Literally wink
But really, the most important thing to realize is that God's provided us with ALL the information we need, we just need to seek Him, better our relationship with Him. We don't have to guess, unlike the post-modernists for example. Our God is true and absolute, so it's continuing to seek Him as He enlarges our coasts. My suggestion? Seek to understand His relationship(s) with us, with you. Father/son, Counselor/patient, King/servant, Teacher/student, He sets the bar on ALL of them. Even I've come to see myself as a bride of Christ, though that took a while for me to get used to, haha. I'll be honest wink I don't know, that's my advice smile
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Posted: Mon May 09, 2016 3:07 pm
Lady Kariel
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Postmodernists deny that objective truth exists. But how can they know that their claim, ‘truth does not exist’, is true if there is no such thing as ‘truth’? So postmodernism is self-refuting: its absolute truth is that there is no absolute truth; its absolute ethic is that all ethics are relative; and its objective worldview is that all worldviews are subjective—a quagmire of suffocating, soul-destroying subjectivism.
This paragraph is especially telling.
Yeah, I thought so too emotion_c8 (Is it just me, or is that smiley face just a tad creepy? Yeeeah, I'm not so sure about that emote lol)
Posted: Mon May 09, 2016 3:17 pm
Garland-Green
Tantei_Saru3
Insightful razz Fairly basic, I think, but I believe in starting with basics when you're lost on something. I've actually begun writing a thesis on emotional dependency in God, so this is a nice little introduction to post-modernism. I've always had a general idea of this stuff, but it's getting time to suck it up and really start hitting the books like nobody's business 3nodding
Could you point me in the direction of a post made about the dangers of the New Age if at all possible? I think that ought to be helpful too. It seems like those two are the most infectious. Although, if you'd like to suggest something, be my guest. Just make sure to include what I asked for along with it xp
Hope this helped. smile Good luck with your thesis.
Oh, yeah. This should help a lot. I wasn't expecting that much information honestly, but hey! Go big or go home, right? xp Thank you.
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Posted: Tue May 10, 2016 7:16 am
Tantei_Saru3
Lady Kariel
Quote:
Postmodernists deny that objective truth exists. But how can they know that their claim, ‘truth does not exist’, is true if there is no such thing as ‘truth’? So postmodernism is self-refuting: its absolute truth is that there is no absolute truth; its absolute ethic is that all ethics are relative; and its objective worldview is that all worldviews are subjective—a quagmire of suffocating, soul-destroying subjectivism.
This paragraph is especially telling.
Yeah, I thought so too emotion_c8 (Is it just me, or is that smiley face just a tad creepy? Yeeeah, I'm not so sure about that emote lol)
I think it's supposed to be a creepy happy face lol like overly eager or something
Posted: Tue May 10, 2016 7:30 am
SARL0
subjective truth and objective truth is a tough one for me because i can see how both are valid.
of course objective truth is the real REAL truth, but the REAL truth is not always true to someone else. of course that doesn't change what's true and it just means that they're believing a lie, but to them that lie is their truth. stressed
I can certainly understand the emotions connected to a subjective "truth" as someone who used to belong to another religion. Many people can not get past the emotional connection to something they have felt was true. It is hard to break past that. Sometime it takes a real blow to demolish strongholds and make room for the real truth to come in.
We also make conscious decisions to believe in lies for a variety of reasons and we are held responsible for how we handle the truth that is available to us all. God doesn't withhold truth, unless we reject Him like we see in Romans 1 and in 2 Thessalonians 2. Then we are not only rejected, but also left to embrace the sins we like so much more than our Creator.
Romans 1:18-32 God’s Wrath Against Sinful Humanity 18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.
24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
It is important to love the truth. That is that we should reconsider something we hold to emotionally, if we discover evidence that it is not true. When we are exposed to the truth, and we let it in - things will be easier to spot in terms of error and lies.
2 Thessalonians 2:9-11 The Man of Lawlessness …9The coming of the lawless one will be accompanied by the working of Satan, with every kind of power, sign, and false wonder, 10and with every wicked deception directed against those who are perishing, because they refused the love of the truth that would have saved them. 11For this reason, God will send them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie,…
Like you though, I do see the appeal of subjectivity. It appeals to our sinful nature making man his own master, determining his own rules based solely on a pleasure principle. "If I have a positive experience then that it true." "If someone has a good experience that is true for them, even though they are conflicting with mine." In the world of religion there are those that apply the same principle, but the end result is a complete disregard of meaning. They abandon rational thinking. When you think of it - it destroys any really meaning of the word truth and makes people unable to find the truth and make moral judgement. If everything is true - then truth is not important. If it isn't - then it is without value. If it is without value then why should we concern ourselves with it at all?
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Posted: Tue May 10, 2016 7:35 am
Lady Kariel
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Postmodernists deny that objective truth exists. But how can they know that their claim, ‘truth does not exist’, is true if there is no such thing as ‘truth’? So postmodernism is self-refuting: its absolute truth is that there is no absolute truth; its absolute ethic is that all ethics are relative; and its objective worldview is that all worldviews are subjective—a quagmire of suffocating, soul-destroying subjectivism.
This paragraph is especially telling.
I agree. There is no room for statements that are absolute if denying the existence of absolutes. Someone said to ask a postmodernist when they make this claim if they are absolutely sure of this. lol
Posted: Tue May 10, 2016 7:36 am
Garland-Green
Lady Kariel
Quote:
Postmodernists deny that objective truth exists. But how can they know that their claim, ‘truth does not exist’, is true if there is no such thing as ‘truth’? So postmodernism is self-refuting: its absolute truth is that there is no absolute truth; its absolute ethic is that all ethics are relative; and its objective worldview is that all worldviews are subjective—a quagmire of suffocating, soul-destroying subjectivism.
This paragraph is especially telling.
I agree. There is no room for statements that are absolute if denying the existence of absolutes. Someone said to ask a postmodernist when they make this claim if they are absolutely sure of this. lol
lol that's a good once to ask in the future.
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Posted: Tue May 10, 2016 7:39 am
Tantei_Saru3
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Tantei_Saru3
Insightful razz Fairly basic, I think, but I believe in starting with basics when you're lost on something. I've actually begun writing a thesis on emotional dependency in God, so this is a nice little introduction to post-modernism. I've always had a general idea of this stuff, but it's getting time to suck it up and really start hitting the books like nobody's business 3nodding
Could you point me in the direction of a post made about the dangers of the New Age if at all possible? I think that ought to be helpful too. It seems like those two are the most infectious. Although, if you'd like to suggest something, be my guest. Just make sure to include what I asked for along with it xp
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