Basic
Worldview:
104
Why Christianity?
Study
Conclusions and Overall Comparisons
Judaism
and Christianity Introduction and History
History
of Judaism Continued
Scholarly
Objections and Historicity of Daniel (P. 1)
Historicity
of Daniel (P. 2) & Judeo-Christian Syncretism
A
Few Words on Gnosticism
Christianity
- A Sect of Judaism (P. 1)
Christianity
- A Sect of Judaism (P. 2) & Prophecy in Judaism
Is
Jesus the Jewish Messiah? (P. 1)
Is
Jesus the Jewish Messiah? (P. 2)
List
of Messianic Qualifications & the Resurrection of Jesus
(P. 1)
The
Resurrection of Jesus (Part 2)
Study
Conclusions and Overall Comparisons
Additional
Material
The
Sufferings of Eyewitnesses
Comparison
of Mystical Religions to Judeo-Christianity
Rabbinical
Judaism Accepts Christian Interpretations (P. 1)
Rabbinical
Judaism Accepts Christian Interpretations (P. 2)
Rabbinical
Judaism Accepts Christian Interpretations (P. 3)
Rabbinical
Judaism Accepts Christian Interpretations (P. 4)
Rabbinical
Judaism Accepts Christian Interpretations (P. 5)
Rabbinical
Judaism Accepts Christian Interpretations (P. 6)
Introduction | Section 1
| Section 2 | Section
3
Individual Study Conclusions
We have now finished our individual examination of religions,
which we began in order to understand how we should understand
God, the universe, and man's relation to both. We have performed
this individual examination of each religion because we did
not want to indiscriminately or hastily disregard a religious
view without good reason. We did not want to simply or conveniently
categorically dismissing an entire group of religions without
any genuine assessment having been done. To that end we sought
to examine each religion on its own, assess its origins, evidences,
beliefs, and relationships with other religions so that we
could truly determine whether a particular religious view
should be accepted or discarded. As we stated at the beginning,
our goal was to determine the most reasonable assessment of
the available evidence. We have now completed this task.
By examining the claims and evidences offered by each religion
individually, we have demonstrated why the most reasonable
assessment of the available evidence, including specifically
the historical record demands that Christianity should be
accepted as the accurate and reliable understanding of God
and why these other forms of religion should be rejected.
We have shown Judeo-Christianity to be substantiated by the
evidence it offers through two independent tracks of evidence.
First, we established that Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament
messianic prophecies of Judaism. This demonstration provided
the final argument that Christianity is the correct and accurate
understanding of Judaism and that the two are, in fact, one
religion, which we have referred to as Judeo-Christianity.
And simultaneously, we demonstrated that the Old Testament
scriptures contained legitimate prophecies that were historically
fulfilled, thus providing corroborating evidence for the divine
origin of the Judeo-Christian religion. Second, we have shown
that Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead as proof that
his message and teachings were from God. By accomplishing
these two tasks we have demonstrated that Judeo-Christianity
is, in fact, a reliable and accurate understanding of God
as demonstrated by a reasonable and objective evaluation of
the evidence it offered in support of these claims.
On the contrary, we have previously shown that all forms of
Propositional Mysticism including Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism,
and Taoism, as well as Zoroastrianism and Islam cannot be
accepted as reliable or accurate understandings of God. This
was either due to a total lack of objectively verifiable evidence
to support the theological claims, to the evidence contradicting
the claims, or to the evidence being available but not possessing
a corroborating relationship to the claims of the religion.
Now that we have completed our individualized look at religious
systems, an overarching comparison of Propositional Mysticism
and Judeo-Christianity (Evidentiary Monotheism) can be performed,
which is also effective, in a more "big-picture" perspective,
for demonstrating the superiority of Judeo-Christianity over
other theological systems.
Overarching Comparison
As we concluded our study on Propositional religions we noted
that all the various religious systems that we had studied
in that section could appropriately be viewed as a single,
overarching theology, which we called Propositional Mysticism.
We defined Propositional Mysticism, by the fundamental characteristics
exhibited by its member religions. These fundamental characteristics
are:
1. The propositional nature of the religious claims.
This is identified by a lack of objective or verifiable evidence
(offered by the religion itself) by which the claims can be
substantiated or accepted. Instead of being supported by evidence
the claims of such religions are merely proposed and the potential
follower is expected to accept the accuracy of these claims
solely upon presumption, circular reasoning, and subjective,
personal experience.
2. The mystical view of God, the universe, and human
spirituality. Mysticism is identified as any religious system,
which incorporates the idea that the believer can transcend
material existence and become one with God through subjective,
personal, or intuitive experience by participation in mysteries
or initiation rites.
Beyond these two foundation traits have seen that Propositional
Mysticism is also defined by:
3. Syncretism. The incorporation, combination, acceptance,
or fusion of different concepts and different belief systems
into a single, comprehensive whole. (These incorporations
do not first require that the adopted belief be substantiated
or that potential contradictions be reconciled.)
4. Obscurity of Origins (or lack of historicity). Many
of the foundational religions, from which Propositional Mysticism
is derived do not have historically identifiable origins or
founders.
[Common beliefs which are held by Propositional Mysticism
also include, but may not be limited to: reincarnation, karma,
a path of steps to achieve enlightenment, escape from the
reincarnation cycle through enlightenment, a dualistic view
of the God or the divine, polytheism (possibly taking the
form of emanations of the supreme God), practice of magical
arts, mystical rites, and meditation, etc.]
At the conclusion of that section of our study we also promised
that we would later compare Propositional Mysticism with Judeo-Christianity,
which we have just completed studying. By comparing these
two religious traditions side by side we can also effectively
demonstrate the superiority and overwhelming reasonableness
of the Judeo-Christian religion over all forms of Propositional
Mysticism.
This superiority can by looking at four key areas.
First, both Propositional Mysticism and Judaism emerge in
the pages of human history at roughly the same time. Propositional
Mysticism is first seen in the Hindu religion sometime at
around the 15th century B.C. Likewise, Judeo-Christianity
begins with the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the
19th -18th century B.C. followed by Moses in the 14th -13th
century B.C. Thereafter, all subsequent forms of religion,
which appear in history follow after one form or the other
or a blending of the two. So, while Judeo-Christian theology
originated in the most ancient period of known human history,
most forms of Propositional Mysticism have a much more recent
origin.
Second, Judeo-Christian theology and origination possesses
a level of historical documentation, which far exceeds not
only that offered by almost all other ancient religious systems,
but which also surpasses that of most ancient non-religious
historical figures and events. Because of this overwhelming
historical documentation we cannot dismiss the historicity
of Judeo-Christianity without also forfeiting a significant
portion of ancient history. By comparison, however, the Propositional
Mysticism is noticeably lacking in historical documentation
regarding its main figures and events. Likewise, the origin
of the beliefs of Propositional Mysticism are shrouded in
obscurity and uncertainty, not to mention totally lacking
in corroborating evidence of any kind for their claims.
The result of this overwhelming inequality between the historicity
of Judeo-Christianity and Propositional Mysticism is clear.
While we cannot be very confident in the historical actuality
of the accounts of the origins, figures, and events of Propositional
Mysticism, we can be very confident that the accounts of the
historical actuality of the origins, figures, and events of
Judeo-Christianity. Thus, again Judeo-Christianity presents
a more reasonable and compelling argument for the acceptance
of its claims as accurate and reliable. Furthermore, the historically
legitimate events surrounding the lives of the leading figures
of Judeo-Christianity do provide corroborating evidence for
the truth claims, whereas Propositional Mysticism neither
possesses nor even offers any evidence, historic or otherwise,
to corroborate its claims.
Third, the various forms of Propositional Mysticism are generally
defined by the preference for subjective experience over objective
evidence, by their acceptance of what is not and cannot be
known over what can be and is known. On the other hand, Judeo-Christianity
exhibits a pervasively reasonable and objectively verifiable
view of God.
To discard what can and is known and/or knowable in favor
of what cannot and is not known and or knowable is nothing
more than utter foolishness and complete absurdity, especially
since we have set out in this investigation to arrive at the
most reasonable assessment of the available objective evidence.
Instead, we must accept that which can be objectively verified
through reasonable standards, as we do in all areas of our
life, and discard that which cannot and is not known or knowable.
To do otherwise is nothing less than insanity.
There are two defining characteristics to our human existence.
One, that we learn of the universe we live in through experience.
Experience teaches us what we can know and what is known and
knowable. Likewise, human thought is inherently a logical
and reasonable processes, cause and effect, each thought leading
to the next.
To accept the claims of Propositional Mysticism we must deny
both of these two fundamental truths and accept the truth
of what we cannot know and do not know instead. We must deny
the meaningfulness that is expressed all around us, which
we experience everyday and instead empty the world, our thoughts,
the words we use of all meaning. We must adopt a contradictory
view of the world. We must accept the truth that there is
no truth. We must know the unknowable. Because Propositional
Mysticism requires such absurd notions in order to be accepted
and even offers them as evidence of its correctness, everything
about our human existence teaches that we must conclude that
Propositional Mysticism is a total absurdity.
But, Judeo-Christianity works within and depends upon these
two precepts of human existence. It draws upon our reason
and logic and experience of the world to confirm for us its
truths in a manner that not only makes sense of our world
instead of destroying sensibility, but is unavoidable to the
objective, serious-minded, and conscientious person. Only
by neglecting the important questions and pursuits of life,
ignoring what is apparent all around us, and accepting the
inconsistencies, which enable us to indulge ourselves in all
of the acts that contradict what we learn from our universe
can we deny the reality and truthfulness of the Judeo-Christian
theology. Only by remaining inconsistent and in deliberate
ignorance can we avoid what is known, knowable, and true.
Only by remaining inconsistent and in deliberate ignorance
can we avoid or circumvent the theological conclusions demanded
by the academic standards for determining historicity.
Fourth, a serious and unbiased study of Judeo-Christianity
reveals a surpassingly comprehensive, detailed, and meaningful
(technical) understanding about the God who created us, His
plan for us, the universe we live in, and our place in relation
to both. By contrast, Propositional Mysticism is a very limited,
speculative, and vague understanding of the unknowable. Any
reasonable person sincerely interested in achieving the most
reasonable assessment of Truth must look at this startling
difference in content and meaning and recognize the superiority
of Judeo-Christianity over all other religious systems, which
we have collectively referred to as Propositional Mysticism
(including Zoroastrianism and Islam).
Having completed this long study, we arrive at the conclusion
that the most reasonable assessment of the available evidence
demonstrates that Judeo-Christianity alone is the correct
and accurate understanding of God, the universe, and man's
relation to both. Of course, there are no small number of
Christian denominations and sects. Many of these various forms
of Christianity have both incorporated elements of pagan Propositional
Mysticism and discarded elements of the ancient and orthodox
Jewish and Christian teaching. Further investigation into
modern Judeo-Christianity is needed in order to identify these
deviations and remove them in order to facilitate a return
to the original, authentic Judeo-Christian faith, purified
from any outside influence. For a more in-depth look at which
form of Judeo-Christianity we should uphold (in terms of more
specific beliefs and doctrines) we recommend reading the rest
of the various articles on this website.
