Faith: Presuppositions and Conclusions
While in graduate school at a rather large state university, in the mid 1980’s, I faced a lot of spiritual challenges. Largely, I was a believer because I was raised by parents who were believers. This, and the fact that I respected and loved both of my parents made becoming a faithful Christian a rather simple thing to pursue. However, being challenged with the Secular Humanism that was taught by one of my professors, I was forced to think about what I believed, and why. I came to a rather simple, but I think profound, series of presuppositions and conclusions for which Secular Humanism was not giving me answers.
Presupposition 1: Design Demands Designer. I wrote another article about this topic. For my purposes here, it will suffice to say that, by definition, design demands that there is an intelligence behind the design.
Presupposition 2: A Designer always has a reason for the object of their designs, whether it is in the formal appearance of their creation (beauty), or the meaning of their design. To think that a Designer would create something as wonderfully designed as a human being, with our ability to think, reason and love, along with the beautiful world we live in, with no purpose, is unthinkable.
Presupposition 3: In concluding that the Designs of this Intelligent Agent must have had purpose, it follows that this Intelligent Agent would communicate His purpose to His intelligent creation…mankind.
Conclusion 1: This narrows it down to which world religion is, in fact, this Intelligent Agent’s communication of the purpose.
Conclusion 2: John 1: 1-5 sums it up nicely. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Although I do not blindly trust Artificial Intelligence, AI does offer a good explanation of John 1: 1-5. The following is a quote of an AI analysis of John 1:1-5.
Context and Interpretation
John 1:1-5: The verse is the beginning of a passage that explains the identity and role of the Logos (the Word).
The Logos: In Greek philosophy, the Logos was the divine reason or principle behind creation. In this passage, John identifies the Logos with Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God who became flesh.
Eternity and Divinity: The phrase "In the beginning" points to a time before creation, before even time itself, highlighting the eternal nature of the Word. The verse also declares that the Word was not just with God, but was God, establishing Christ's divinity.
Creation and Light: The passage continues to state that all things were made through the Word, and in the Word was life, which serves as the light for all humanity.
Significance
Jesus as God: The verse is a foundational statement in Christianity, asserting the pre-existence and divine nature of Jesus Christ.
The Revelation of God: The "Word" is also understood as God's eternal message or revelation. John shows that the person of Jesus is the definitive message of God to humanity.
Foundation for the Gospel: John 1:1 sets the stage for the rest of the Gospel, which details how the Word (Jesus) became human and brought light and eternal life to the world.
-John Keller