So I have a question. But to start an issue. I ask questions because I still have so much to learn... So here goes... what about all the people aren’t Christians, who believe something other than Christianity who says their belief system works for them? They will say to a Christian, “you don’t know for a fact either” or they will say, “you believe a lot of stuff you don’t actually know for sure either”.... What do you say to that? Because the sincere truth is nobody knows hardly anything for sure. We have our beliefs. We trust a lot of people and most would argue they have good reason to trust but by the simple fact that we need trust, faith, or belief is simply because we honestly and sincerely do not know for certain. Fur what reason do we need trust, faith or belief if we are certain? So in this sense what give the Christian the right to say another doesn’t know when that also applies to them as well. Any help understanding this from anybody is appreciated. I keep coming back reading but I’m getting even more confused lol. Thanks a lot
First, I encourage you to take this post and re-post it in the apologetics board because many in CF will be able to provide a diverse defense of the faith pertaining to these inquiries.
Second, I encourage you to pick up a copy of
Francis Schaeffer's trilogy. That book will helpe you develop a Christian worldview applicable to all arenas of life and provide an explanation for how we got to the post-modern thinking that begets the kind of relativism underlying your otherwise very real and valid inquiries.
As to the rest of your post I'll offer a summary set of responses because the individual questions could generate lengthy individual discussions, most of which are off-topic from this op.
Faith/belief is not an all-or-nothing condition. There are folks with a little faith and folks with a lot of faith. I happen to be among the latter but I have had my season of doubt as have most Christians. Many a noted theologian have written of their struggle. The kind of faith Christianity asserts is not a "blind faith;" it is a faith based on logic and observation and the presuppositional belief God and creation are knowable because God has made it that way.
Logic cannot get us all the way to intellectual assent of God, or more importantly the faith entailed in knowing and being known by God, but it can definitively negate certain theological or religious paradigms. For example, any conceptualization of a god existing solely within the universe can be negated in comparison to externally existing Gods because the internal-only god is bound or limited by the limits or structures of the universe. That God cannot escape time or space, etc. That's a finite god, not an Infinite God. Similarly, any theology asserting multiple gods can be dismissed because in such cases no god is all mighty. Why believe in such a god when there is an alternative God? Imperfect, but useful, and most importantly:
rational.
By definition, God's existence cannot be proven. If the finite could prove the Infinite we'd be the Infinite. The only reason a finite creature even knows of an Infinite Creator's existence is because that Creator has made Him/Her/Itself known. Our condition is akin to the amoeba's awareness of the elephant, or the amoeba's awareness of Alpha Centauri. This is why any valid religion
must be based on faith. This is why "certainty" is not certain. As you read through Exodus and consider how often God manifested His existence in very undeniable ways among the wandering Hebrews you can't help but ask, "What's wrong with those folks? How can they not believe after waking each day to see a pillar of smoke moving before them and bread and quail popping up for sustenance to fade away when all were full? Not to mention the parting of the sea, the opening of the earth, and all the other many miracles.
Miracles are not sufficient.
Sin makes sure of that.
Besides, the reliance on miracles leads to idolatry, the antithesis of faith in God. So folks relying on something more tangible have a fundamental foundational flaw in their understanding of the relationship between creature and Creator in a broken world.
As I sad, any of this could take up many posts. I encourage you to pick up some books on the apologetics of Christianity. Not books on how to do apologetics; books asserting the reason(s) to believe. After reading the aforementioned Schaeffer
trilogy, I recommend starting with "
The Reason for God," by Timothy Keller and following that up with "
Beyond Opinion," edited by Ravi Zacharias. Schaeffer's a demanding read but the other two are quite accessible.
There's one more idea I'll run by you in answer to your inquiries but it'll have to wait because it'll take some time to write and post and I have to leave for work now.
