Do not accept easy answers. A ccording to one author, we’ve seriously lost our way. 1 Corinthians 10:31 tells us, “So, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Can this activity glorify God in some way? When communicating about morality we cannot help … How do we know what is right and wrong What is the meaning of human history from PHILOSOPHY 180 at Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion And which path do we follow in order to experience eternal life: the four yogas of Hinduism, the Noble Eightfold Path of Buddhism, the Mosaic code of Judaism, or the laws of Allah in the Qur’an? So “right” and “wrong” are concepts in the mind of Man that have developed as we have examined human actions and motivations (meaning as all rational cultures have examined it). 22 Reasons to STOP Believing in God This is an excellent question. We are complex people, and life itself is complex. Often we do not have all the answers, but we move in the direction in which the evidence is pointing. How do we know Christianity is the right religion? You can read more about this in the article MessianicProphecies. Were the Jews in the first century aware that the Christians claimed they were responsible for the death of Jesus? A brother and sister may “love” each other, but that doesn’t mean it’s right for them to marry. There is such a thing as right and wrong and Christians are admonished by God to do what is right. The most important thing in the proper formation of a young child is in learning to be able to tell right from wrong. Does God know all future events, including possible events? Nor are “right” and “wrong” subjectively determined so that, practically speaking, each person functions as his own law-maker. J. P. Moreland is an American philosopher, theologian, and apologist. But God’s moral requirements are not a list of rules. Even though the government says I am old enough to drink in moderation, I will not, because it can and has caused my brother to stumble.”. How do you respond to the claim that acc. Therefore, the natural question arises, "Upon what do we base our moral standards?" It is messed up because we have a world full of people who are determining for themselves what is right or wrong with no regard for God. Copyright © 1997, Dawson McAllister Live!, All Rights Reserved—except as noted on attached “Usage and Copyright” page that grants ChristianAnswers.Net users generous rights for putting this page to work in their homes, personal witnessing, churches and schools. The problem is people have a sin nature and intense emotions often impair judgment. To say all religion is the same would be to despise Jesus’ suffering and death for our sakes. Of course, we have valid reasons to be a bit uncomfortable about the implications within the question. I had just come in from a four mile run and was very thirsty. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.” Will I be enslaved by this? In light of passages like this, we must keep in mind that the Christian response to sin is, at times, silence. “Right” and “wrong” exist. First, God is absolutely sovereign. Will we know our loved ones when we are in heaven? Therefore, any behavior between consenting adults is OK as long as the people involved care for one another or don’t hurt one another. The only explanation I know of is that the Bible is inspired by God. We’re both right. Even more important … Is it Gnosticism? If God created nature perfect, and if nature has two sexes, how should we act toward LGBT and hostile feminists? If Jesus is wrong, then Christianity is wrong. We’re afraid to trust the evidence we don’t accept because if we do, we’re afraid of the following implications. There's a kind of a soft Gnosticism that goes on with conspiracy theories, where we just want to know because we think knowledge is power in and … Knowing Right from Wrong from the Bible The Bible does not cover each and every issue in the Christian’s walk and so we must use wisdom to discern the will of God and whether something is right or something is wrong. But why? This is not because Christianity is right or wrong, but because faiths carry their own momentum that is not derived from the truth or falsity of the beliefs. We are adults, or we are to become adults (Hebrews 5:11-14), who live in Christ, motivated by love for God and others. The apostle Paul had a strong faith; he knew there was only one God. How do we know what is right and wrong? Again, perhaps we are made in the image of a God whose character is good, or right and wrong are determined by human choice alone or what feels good, or the notions simply developed under an impetus toward cultural or physical survival. It’s disconcertingly easy for the Pakistani Muslim, the Indian Hindu, the Thai Buddhist, the Israeli Jew, and the American Christian to each simply assume that their native religion is the true one. And the foundation that makes the most sense is the character of a perfect and holy God who provides sure, unwavering, guidelines for social interaction. However, we make our decision based on the evidence we see at the time. JP Moreland. So today, I’m asking: Where did Christianity go wrong? How do we know that Christianity is the right religion to be…Because there are other religions that have a Bible and different gods…. One of the big problems we face in understanding this matter relates to how we understand morality in relation to God. This is what the Prophet meant when he said: “Appeal to your heart, and to your soul, for a verdict. So how do we know Christianity is right? If "everybody is doing it", then downloading pirated software and sharing stolen music files must be OK. We can both be right if we… This is an excellent question. Your question can be taken in at least two very different ways: 1. We are not children to be given a list of do's and don'ts and gold stars and check marks. We know that faith and feelings can be used to believe in any god at all – including non-existent gods. First we need to know if absolute truth exists. In this passage, the principle is not to do things that will cause someone else to stumble. Experts compile statistics about what humans do … (Mark 12:29–31). Consider carefully the scriptures of other religions, even if it means finding them and reading them for yourself. How do we know that Christianity is the right religion to be…Because there are other religions that have a Bible and different gods…. Used properly, logic is a potent weapon against pluralism because it clearly demonstrates that contrary truth claims cannot both be true. One could approach your question by comparing the theology of different religions and showing that Christianity is the “best” religion because it involves a loving God, grace and so forth. At this point, what you really should do is pick up a copy of Reasons for Belief: A Handbook of Christian Evidence which is my book on the subject, available at www.ipibooks.com, but since you do not have it, let me make a couple of points and refer you to a couple of articles. Religion is not particularly good at teaching what is wrong or what is right. I would say that Douglas Jacoby has done a better job of answering this question than I will ever be in his book “True and Reasonable” which is available at www.dpibooks.com Let me give you a short version of the answer anyway, and you can get and read Douglas’ book at your leisure. This ethic starts with "experts", which should immediately arouse suspicion. So faith and feelings cannot help us determine if Christianity is true. What makes Christianity right? What is right is Biblical covenant theology. Evidence doesn’t care whether I accept it or not. That is, He has predestinated everything. His heart tells him whether what he is doing is right or wrong. Author: Dawson McAllister of Dawson McAllister Live! Right and wrong are decided by majority vote. to Josephus John the Baptist died 5 years after Jesus and that the gospel writers rewrote history to fit the Jesus narrative? If there is no religion, how do we know what is wrong, and what is right? We also learn to distinguish between right and wrong by knowing the Word. Many many other proofs that the Bible is from God could be quoted. Does Zoroastrianism predate Christianity and is the idea that Christianity borrowed the resurrection of Jesus from the religion believable? When we overlook another’s sin we are lovingly modeling for them the mercy and patience that we ourselves have received from God. A biblical definition of right and wrong is based, first and foremost, on honoring and revering God. 1 Corinthians 8:7-13 gives the third guideline for knowing right form wrong. The apostle Paul had a strong faith; he knew there was only one God. When we want to know whether something is right or wrong, we simply have to consult the Bible in areas where the question lies. The Koran is a nice book, but it is not from God. He knew God had given him freedom to eat certain meats, but if it made others fall, he would not eat the meat. USA. Mysticism? The individual, in numerous instances, is able to distinguish between right and wrong, to determine what is satisfactory and what is censurable. Something has gone terribly wrong. Judaism and Christianity teach that the proper direction of man is to seek to align his will with the will of God, and everything else becomes easier. Part of maturing as a Christian is recognizing that the freedom we receive in Christ comes with a responsibility to live as Christ. If it does not, then we really cannot be sure of anything (spiritual or not), and we end up either an agnostic, unsure if we can really know anything, or a pluralist, accepting every position because we are not sure which, if any, is right. Site design and hosting by Whistlepig Softworks, LLC. I took a drink from the bottle of beer, and it tasted terrible. All that is left for Christians is faith and their feelings. Does the woman leave the diamond ring on the counter because she knows it is wrong to steal and she doesn’t want to do what is wrong, or is it because of the security camera that is panning the store? Please ask me more questions if you are not finding the answers you need. Think of some things that are addicting; for example… cigarettes, alcohol, TV, pornography, and so on. He cannot do evil, but must hate it and judge it. Many religious systems provide moral codes or standards for their followers, yet the Bible presents a unique look at truth. He knew God had given him freedom to eat certain meats, but if it made others fall, he would not eat the meat. These concepts allow us to more easily describe actions as being consistent with God’s will or against it, although various philosophers would have called it by different names. He says we are like men adrift at sea without a compass.As a result, moral dilemmas plague us as we look ahead to the 21 st century. To this we might answer: to realize the purposes of God or the gods, to … And what can we do about it? All of these amazingly specific prophecies came true, despite the fact that many of most of them were outside Jesus’ control. It would be the same as saying He didn’t need to do that, that we would have been able to reach God on our own if we only did enough good works, followed the right rules, meditated enough, or offered enough sacrifices. There are 100’s of religions, why is Christianity as a religion right. If God commands an action because it is right, then the rightness and wrongness of the action lies in its very nature as an action, and we human beings, by using our reason to analyze the action, can in principle discover for ourselves whether it is right or wrong. Will this help me to become a better Christian, a better friend, a better brother or sister? I had not had a drink for four years and late one afternoon my roommate, who was also my director with the church group I was working with, had a quart of beer and offered me some. The Christian answer is that right and wrong are defined by God. How does sin become “unforgivable?”. I heard a friend once tell this amazing story: “I remember so clearly the first time I had a drink of beer after being a Christian. I think that Christians often do not take the time to ask this obvious question. W. L. Craig says that the Jews believed in a kingly Messiah would free them from Rome. Christians believe that if objective principles of right and wrong exist, there must be a foundation for them. The bottom line is that you should be a Christian because the Bible is God’s inspired word. He is the God of all that is good. They are not merely evolved inclinations that were humanly contrived in order to introduce a sense of order and security into society. And yet it is not a fact in the ordinary sense, in the same way as our actual behavior is a fact. Why do the right thing? View all resources by JP Moreland A friend says before the universe existed, there was a quantum vacuum that created it. Watch the Video: Session 1 of Discussing Mere Christianity. Before Jesus told us to "love your neighbors as yourself," he said that the greatest commant was to "love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength." How can I decide whether a particular activity—such as smoking, gambling, etc.—is wrong? If Jesus is not God in flesh, then we should denounce him as a madman because you … The same could be said for the Vedas and Sutras (scripture of Hinduism), the Ganth (Sikkhism) and so forth. The author of Hebrews speaks of those who are immature in their faith, who can only digest spiritual “milk”—the most basic principles of God’s Word (Hebrews 5:13). And that is all Christians have. What kind of person was Pontius Pilate? I think that Christians often do not take the time to ask this obvious question. Jesus cannot be both God and not God. All other religions are false religions and their founders are false teachers because the Bible is the one and only inspired word of God. For new and growing Christians I have at my web site Koran is a nice,... Had a strong faith ; he knew there was a quantum vacuum that it. 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