Nihilism is the zero point. Nihilism is the philosophical idea that nothing matters. The only logical course of action that flows from nihilism is apathy. I will show in this article that an implicit nihilism has crept into the philosophical underpinnings of contemporary western culture. It has to do with the embrace of Secular Humanism by the political and educational elite.
The Bible prophesies that in the end times before the second coming of Christ there would be a "falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition" (II Thes. 2:3). We have seen a great falling away from the Christian faith in western civilization over the last several generations.
The falling away has progressed to the extent that numerous secular humanist organizations have appeared. Secular Humanism is essentially a religion that denies God and worships man. Human beings are considered by them to be the highest order of being in the universe.
The humanists have issued several manifestos over the years expressing their beliefs. Humanist Manifesto I was written and signed by humanist leaders in 1933. Humanist Manifesto II came along in 1973 and Humanist Manifesto III in 2003.
Humanist Manifesto II, under its section heading "Religion" under the second clause makes the claim that humans have no souls and then says "There is no credible evidence that life survives the death of the body".
This denial of life after death by humanism has radical implications for them and for society at large. It has radical implications for the larger society because humanists hold many positions of power especially in education. I will also show that humanism is the de facto state religion of the United States. More on that later.
The humanist denial of life after death means that humanists believe that human beings have no future. People live for 70 or 80 years and then lose consciousness forever. The individual human has no future according to the humanist. This is the humanist abolition of the future. I will show you logically that if humans have no future they have extremely little value under a humanist worldview.
Consider this illustration. If I were to give you a brand new Mercedes Benz you would be excited to have a valuable car. But suppose I told you that a certain kind of acid was introduced into the car saturating everything from the crankcase oil to the interior upholstery. The car would dissolve away to a rust heap in a month. You could drive the car for a month but then lose it forever. How valuable is that car? I would say its value is next to nothing! A car that lasts ten years and goes a hundred thousand miles has value. A car that self destructs in a month has very little value. Length of existence is crucial to determining the value of an object.
By saying that people have no future (no afterlife) the humanists are really telling us that human lives have very little value. No wonder so many young people in our society turn to drugs, illicit sex and other pleasures of the moment. Their lives are destroyed by addictions and venereal disease. They feel that they have no future and must live for the moment. Deferred gratification is foreign to them.
Children are taught from an early age in the public schools that they are mere products of nature. Darwinian atheistic evolution is the origins myth of humanism and this destructive myth is taught at taxpayer expense!
The US Supreme Court has recognized Secular Humanism as a religion in several court cases most notably Torcaso v. Watkins, 1961. However, those cases only affirm that humanist organizations are eligible for tax exempt status not that they qualify as a religion under the first amendment of the US Constitution.
So we have the worst of both worlds: a humanist meeting hall gets tax exemption but humanist religious doctrine can be taught as fact in the public schools! Hence Secular Humanism is the de facto established religion of the United States.
There has never been a government that has not established one religion or another. One wise commentator pointed out that government is nothing more than religion applied to economics. We criticize Iran for being a theocracy yet, as I've said, every government sponsors religion either explicitly or implicitly. It can be said that every government of every country on earth is a theocracy. Most are more subtle about it than Iran. The US is a humanist theocracy. The secular elite are the humanist gods of the US.
If people have no future they have no value. This leads to nihilism which is destroying many people's will to live. The whole cultural mosaic from empty entertainment to drug abuse to mass murder shooting sprees to suicide is driven by atheistic humanistic nihilism.
Jesus came in fulfillment of over 300 Bible prophecies and He worked miracles proving that He is the Son of God who came to die for our sins. The Bible tells us that people have futures that last to eternity. Human life is sacred because it is created in the image of God and it lives forever in either heaven or hell. We can receive forgiveness of sins and entrance into heaven on the basis of Jesus' death and resurrection on our behalf. Once we receive salvation through Christ, God gives us the will and power to live a meaningful life full of love and good deeds.
The Bible is scientifically accurate! Find the evidence at www.icr.org.
Steps to salvation:
Jesus said "Ye must be born again." (John 3:7)
- Believe that God created you and loves you and sent the Messiah (Messiah is Hebrew for Christ) to redeem you.
- Believe that Jesus the Messiah came in fulfillment of over 300 Bible prophecies to die for you to take upon Himself the penalty for your sins. (Isaiah 53:5-6, John 6:29, Romans 4:5, First Peter 3:18)
- Turn from sin and call on the name of Jesus to receive forgiveness. (Romans 10:13)
- Receive Jesus as Savior and experience the new birth. (John 1:12, Acts 2:38)
- Follow Him as Lord. (John 14:21)
"Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13)
To receive the salvation that Jesus purchased for us at the terrible cost of His suffering and death on our behalf I invite you to pray this simple prayer:
"Dear heavenly Father, I thank you for sending Jesus, the promised Messiah, to die for my sins. I admit that I am a sinner and I ask for your forgiveness on the basis of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I ask you to fill me with your Holy Spirit to empower me to serve you under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, Amen."
If you prayed that prayer in the humble sincerity of your heart then you have received everlasting life, which includes power to live right in this life and entrance into heaven in the afterlife!
Bill Nugent, Overcomer Ministries of West Harrison, New York, USA
(C) 2009 William P. Nugent, permission granted to email or republish if credit given
Read Bill Nugent's award winning Christian book, Lawful or Legalistic: How New Testament Believers Must Understand Old Testament Laws. For more information and to order click here.
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DEFENDING THE FAITH
APOLOGETIC ARTICLES
Bill Nugent currently writes a series of articles called "Defending the Faith" which, as the title suggests, defend the Christian faith from the many attacks leveled against it in our postmodern world.
The articles deal with such topics as evolution, UFOs, cults, modern/postmodern philosophy, liberal theology and popular culture. At the end of each article is an invitation to receive Christ as Savior and Lord. These articles are sent out over the Internet to several opt-in email lists. People who receive these articles are encouraged to resend them to their own lists and in this way reach their own unsaved relatives and friends with the Gospel.
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