Philosophy

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VineyardsOfEngedi

Well-known member
Nov 26, 2019
872
292
63
#1
Does religion or Christianity go hand in hand with philosophy?
 

Buckle

Junior Member
Jun 3, 2016
47
24
8
#2
Philosophy is the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, so yes Christians who study the Bible are engaging is some level of philosophy.
 

p_rehbein

Senior Member
Sep 4, 2013
30,095
6,479
113
#3
philosophy
[fəˈläsəfē]

NOUN
  1. the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, especially when considered as an academic discipline.See also natural philosophy.
 

p_rehbein

Senior Member
Sep 4, 2013
30,095
6,479
113
#4
Christianity
[ˌkrisCHēˈanədē]

NOUN
  1. the religion based on the person and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, or its beliefs and practices.
    "the writers seem to find a rapprochement between Islam and Christianity"
    • Christian quality or character.
      "his Christianity sustained him"
 

p_rehbein

Senior Member
Sep 4, 2013
30,095
6,479
113
#5
1642575754052.png
quora.com
Can religion and philosophy go hand in hand? If yes, how? If not, is there any point where they are interrelated?

Truth is non-duality, so it does not go hand in hand with anything, because there isn’t anything other. Spirituality is spirituality. Truth is. You cannot say w…
See more
 

Buckle

Junior Member
Jun 3, 2016
47
24
8
#6
View attachment 235188
quora.com
Can religion and philosophy go hand in hand? If yes, how? If not, is there any point where they are interrelated?

Truth is non-duality, so it does not go hand in hand with anything, because there isn’t anything other. Spirituality is spirituality. Truth is. You cannot say w…
See more
That's alot of stuff to say truth is not philosophy, you could have just said that. That is only true if you know perfect truth perfectly, which as imperfect being we don't. Yes we can know a perfectly true God, but we don't know him perfectly, thus we study the truth that is his word for more and better understanding of perfect truth about reality and existence, particularly His and his part in ours, thus the study of philosophy.

Note: the suggestion that natural philosophy is all of philosophy is also an incorrect premise since by its very name, natural philosophy, tells you there is more than just that option. At the very least it means there is unnatural philosophy, the study of existence outside our 'natural' one(ie. Supernatural).
 

Buckle

Junior Member
Jun 3, 2016
47
24
8
#8
Christianity is based on divine revelation. Philosophy is based on human reason. So they are poles apart.
Philosophy is human's studying life/reality. There are areas of philosophy focused on what we can reason (as if we are so smrt), but philosophy itself is just the 'study of'.

That's like saying science and Christianity are way apart because some people have decided that Darwinian evolution is a thing. How people use something does not necessarily define the thing itself. For example, Computers are not evil but how people use them can be.
 

Lynx

Folksy yet erudite
Aug 13, 2014
24,799
8,103
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#9
I'm not aware of too many things
I know what I know, if you know what I mean
I'm not aware of too many things
I know what I know, if you know what I mean

Do ya?

Philosophy
Is a doggone cereal box religion
It's a smile on a dog

Philosophy
Is a doggone cereal box religion
It's a light in a fog
 

Nehemiah6

Senior Member
Jul 18, 2017
24,167
12,763
113
#10
Philosophy is human's studying life/reality...
...Apart from God and apart from the Bible.

Which means that it is VANITY (as noted by the Preacher Solomon). Philosophy cannot deal with the deepest issues of humanity which are separation from God and reconciliation to God through the Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed Christians are warned to AVOID philosophy: Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. (Col 2:8) Paul was totally aware of all the philosophies of his day (which have also come down to us). He says that they are totally worthless and deceitful.
 

Dino246

Senior Member
Jun 30, 2015
24,555
13,320
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#11
Indeed Christians are warned to AVOID philosophy: Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy ... after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. (Col 2:8)
The problem is not all philosophy, but only that philosophy that is after the traditions of men and the rudiments of this world rather than after Christ. We engage in the latter regularly on this site.
 

VineyardsOfEngedi

Well-known member
Nov 26, 2019
872
292
63
#12
I don't know but I like to ponder the questions of life and all it entails, including God. :D
 

Buckle

Junior Member
Jun 3, 2016
47
24
8
#13
...Apart from God and apart from the Bible.
You are adding your bias to a definition based of what you think philosophy means. The word itself has no such bias, Philosophy is a word derived from the greek word philosophia which means love of wisdom. If the study of reality using the bible does not constitute a love of wisdom I don't know what does.
 

Nehemiah6

Senior Member
Jul 18, 2017
24,167
12,763
113
#14
The problem is not all philosophy, but only that philosophy that is after the traditions of men and the rudiments of this world rather than after Christ.
Give us some examples of godly philosophers.
You are adding your bias to a definition based of what you think philosophy means.
If that is what you imagine, then kindly list for us ALL the philosophers who believed God and believed on the Lord Jesus Christ.
 
Jan 19, 2022
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#15
Does religion or Christianity go hand in hand with philosophy?
The leaders of the early Church and the “Church Fathers” certainly valued philosophy. Heck, you can even see this as immediate as the Gospel of John where the Hellenistic philosopher Philo’s concept of the “Logos” is applied to Christ.
 

Lynx

Folksy yet erudite
Aug 13, 2014
24,799
8,103
113
#16
Give us some examples of godly philosophers.
Easy! Isaac Newton. He was a scientist, a Christian and a philosopher who saw no problem juxtaposing science and faith.

George Washington Carver would be another. I've always admired his philosophy. Also he was another Christian scientist.
 

Buckle

Junior Member
Jun 3, 2016
47
24
8
#17
...Apart from God and apart from the Bible.

Indeed Christians are warned to AVOID philosophy: Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. (Col 2:8)
This clearly is actually telling you to avoid worldly and deciept
Give us some examples of godly philosophers.

If that is what you imagine, then kindly list for us ALL the philosophers who believed God and believed on the Lord Jesus Christ.
That is easy, with the real definition of study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, tying in the entomology of the word from the greek, the love of wisdom, then all who study the bible to better understand God, the nature of man, reality, wisdom, etc is by definition is a Christian philosopher. That likely means you are one too ;)
 

blueluna5

Well-known member
Jul 30, 2018
529
316
63
#18
Does religion or Christianity go hand in hand with philosophy?

Philosophy has thought provoking ideas and questions on life and death. It also includes ethics. Christianity has more of the answers, although it's told in metaphors and parables a lot.

The nice thing about Philosophy is that there's no judgment to it. I was into Philosophy a lot in middle school, being a "rebellious" child. I liked that it's a very independent study, unless you take a Philosophy course obviously. Those are rare.

Philosophy offers out of the box ideas. The Bible is much more in depth and complicated in my opinion.

Allegory of the cave stands out to me. I loved this idea as a child. Of course the idea is that the person on the right is only seeing a shadow of the real thing. He has no idea it's just a shadow of the real. This is how life is here on earth, just a shadow of the real.

Of course as an adult I also see a brainwashing scenario in which the person on the left is deliberately hiding the real and showing the person what he wants them to see. The irony is that as a child I was the brainwashed one and the person on the right was me.

1642733264385.png
 

Nehemiah6

Senior Member
Jul 18, 2017
24,167
12,763
113
#20
C.S. Lewis, Francis Shaeffer, William Lane Craig.
Lewis (professor of literature) is not regarded as a philosopher, and the other two are presented as both theologians and philosophers. But you can't be both, since theology and philosophy are opposed to each other. The definition of philosophy is "The study of the nature, causes, or principles of reality, knowledge, or values, based on logical reasoning."

However Bible Christianity is based upon divine revelation, and not only transcends logical reasoning, but contradicts human logic. For example, how can human logical reasoning explain how the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin?