From: Don Winterstein (dfwinterstein@msn.com)
Date: Thu Apr 10 2003 - 06:15:10 EDT
George wrote:
> ...The attempt to know God from nature, independently of revelation,
usually
> results in the construction of idols - of which the Intelligent Designer
or the God who
> "left his fingerprints all over the evidence" may be examples.
St. Augustine in his Confessions describes how he came to know God first
through study and practice of Neoplatonism. Philosophy is nature perhaps
one step removed. After his conversion to Christianity, Augustine still
considered this religious experience to have given him valid knowledge of
God. It was, however, he concluded later, not saving knowledge.
If by "revelation" you mean more than just Scripture, then Augustine's
Neoplatonic experience might be included. Abraham and Melchizedek, etc.,
obviously had no Scripture, but they had revelation. So I suppose I agree
with you if you're willing to accept a definition of revelation that
includes more than just canonical Scripture.
However, I don't think people become idolaters by attempting to know God.
True idolatry--i.e., the setting up and worshiping of idols--is just the
natural human response to the "powers of the air." Implicit forms of
idolatry--such as the Bible worship that leads to efforts like "creation
research"--is often an attempt to substitute the authority of a thing for a
relationship with the Person. So implicit idolatry would be done to avoid
the attempt to know God. Who needs the Person if you have the Thing? Both
true and implicit forms of idolatry thus do not involve any effort to reach
God but rather detour around him.
Don
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