Greg Laurie to Elon Musk, Richard Dawkins, and Other ‘Cultural Christians’: "Take the Next Step!"
(churchleaders.com)
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From what i know of Dawkin's
Richard Dawkins argues that morality predates religion, including Christianity, suggesting that pre-Christian societies were moral based on evolved social behaviors. He believes Christianity absorbed existing cultural practices rather than creating morality. Roman and Greek thought significantly influenced Christian doctrine, blending with older moral codes rather than supplanting them.
Dawkins would reject the notion that ancient tribes like the Saxons or Vandals were immoral, instead emphasizing that morality varies by context and evolved across all human societies.
Regarding perception and energy, Dawkins, a proponent of scientific skepticism, would be critical of spiritual or metaphysical claims unsupported by empirical evidence. While acknowledging energy's foundational role in physics, he would reject supernatural interpretations.
On indoctrination, Dawkins strongly opposes religious education that imposes dogma on children. He advocates for fostering critical thinking and intellectual freedom, emphasizing reason and evidence over tradition and religious authority.
My own views
From a Christian perspective, the moral codes of pre-Christian societies were shaped by natural law, a reflection of God's eternal law written on the hearts of all people. While these societies exhibited moral behavior, Christianity introduced a transformative ethic centered on Christ's teachings of love, forgiveness, and the sanctity of every individual, fulfilling and transcending earlier codes.
Christianity did not simply adopt the morals of various tribes and regions; it redefined them in light of divine revelation. Roman and Greek thought, particularly in philosophy and ethics, influenced Christian theology, enriching its intellectual foundation. However, Christianity uniquely emphasized humility, mercy, and self-sacrificial love, values that were less emphasized in classical philosophy.
Regarding the morality of ancient tribes like the Saxons, Goths, or Gauls, Christianity acknowledges that all people, created in the image of God, have the capacity for good. Yet, like all humanity, they were in need of redemption through Christ. Ignorance, in this context, is not merely a lack of knowledge but a spiritual blindness that can lead to the rejection of truth. Christianity offers a path to overcome this ignorance through faith, grace, and the transformative power of Christ's teachings.
Ultimately, Christianity encourages individuals to seek truth, not merely through their own authority but through the guidance of divine wisdom, as revealed in Scripture and the teachings of the Church. The goal is not control but freedom—the freedom that comes from living in accordance with God's eternal law, which leads to true life, liberty, and the pursuit of holiness.
Part one is well received, thank you.
From your own views, well, they are yours. But technically, your nice overview, which I read with interest and gratefulness, comes down to one single issue:
All else is dependent on that, is it not?
So where does it converge, these two positions?
On the one hand we have the mind, well molded by Church and scripture, and on the other a mind well molded by nature.Where do these converge?
Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
If that is holiness, as defined by your church and whatever is considered scripture (which is a thought that is imaged through words which in turn are imaged through symbols, which are copied and translated into other symbols, so basically, a copy of a copy of a copy pertaining to be holy), then that is your choice.
Thank you for your thoughts. -Christianity teaches that moral truth is objective and grounded in the unchanging nature of God, rather than being relative or shaped solely by evolutionary processes. Morality is the very nature of God and what Christians use to determine what is good, bad, or immoral. In other words, Gods nature is the foundational truth of what morality is. While human brains and moral intuitions have evolved, Christianity argues that true morality cannot be fully explained by evolution or survival of the fittest alone. Instead, moral law reflects God's eternal nature and is revealed through Scripture, providing a consistent standard of right and wrong. This divine moral framework complements and transcends natural moral insights, offering a unified and enduring guide to genuine freedom and flourishing.