Philosophy

  • Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.

    If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!

    To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.

Lanolin

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2018
23,460
7,188
113
#21
in the Dewey Decimal system, for some strange reason, philosophy is categorised under thoughts, feelings, ideas in the 100s rather than in the 200s as beliefs or religions, and then customs come under 300s.

the occult section is in the 100s too.

Christianity is a lot more than just the mind...it involves the body, heart and soul as well.

We are to love God with all our our minds, all our heart and all out strength. What loving God entails is what Jesus showed us through his word and deeds. So not just a philosophy but a way of life...the way, the truth and the life.

philosphy is a part of it (having the mind of Christ) but not the total of it.
 

Dino246

Senior Member
Jun 30, 2015
25,325
13,713
113
#22
But you can't be both, since theology and philosophy are opposed to each other.
That's circular reasoning. Come on Neh, you're smarter than that. Perhaps your closed-mindedness is the problem.

The definition of philosophy is "The study of the nature, causes, or principles of reality, knowledge, or values, based on logical reasoning."
Logical reasoning is a good thing. ;)

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?
Logical reasoning would accept that as a fiat assertion, to be proven (or, potentially not), by other supporting evidence, which is amply supplied in Scripture and attested by millions of Christians. Divine revelation in no way inherently contradicts human logic. Logic is merely one of the ways God has given us to test the veracity of ideas.
 

Lynx

Folksy yet erudite
Aug 13, 2014
27,114
9,214
113
#23
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?
Well if we are inventing our own definitions now...

There's no point in talking about this further. Every time we answer one of your questions you will just change the definitions to make our answers invalid.

Have fun being bitter about intelligent, insightful people.
 
Jan 12, 2022
798
178
43
#24
Does religion or Christianity go hand in hand with philosophy?
No, they do not really go hand in hand together. There is much conflict between the adherents of philosophy and the apostles of Lord Jesus. This conflict is shown quite a bit with Apostle Paul in the scriptures when he begins to go to the Europeans to spread the Gospel he comes into contact with many adherents of various philosophies, and there is always conflict between the Apostle and the Philosophers.

Even just common sense thinking about it, in the most benign ways, philosophy is just pointless compared to the one true religion of Christianity as most of the cliche philosophical questions and such are answered in the Bible which means there's no point to the philosophy which hinges on such questions. In the most severe ways, a lot of philosophers, especially in the past few centuries are outright antichrist and they are rather open about their adversity to God.

Colossians 2:8
See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.
 

Buckle

Junior Member
Jun 3, 2016
47
24
8
#25
No, they do not really go hand in hand together. There is much conflict between the adherents of philosophy and the apostles of Lord Jesus. This conflict is shown quite a bit with Apostle Paul in the scriptures when he begins to go to the Europeans to spread the Gospel he comes into contact with many adherents of various philosophies, and there is always conflict between the Apostle and the Philosophers.

Even just common sense thinking about it, in the most benign ways, philosophy is just pointless compared to the one true religion of Christianity as most of the cliche philosophical questions and such are answered in the Bible which means there's no point to the philosophy which hinges on such questions. In the most severe ways, a lot of philosophers, especially in the past few centuries are outright antichrist and they are rather open about their adversity to God.

Colossians 2:8
See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.
Another example of using someone's use of something as the definition of that thing. This is like defining computers as a technological theft device because many use them to steal and cheat.

Philosophy is the study of reality, from the Greek word which means a love of wisdom, can this of anything more wise than studying the reality that God explains to us in His word.
 
Jan 12, 2022
798
178
43
#26
Another example of using someone's use of something as the definition of that thing. This is like defining computers as a technological theft device because many use them to steal and cheat.

Philosophy is the study of reality, from the Greek word which means a love of wisdom, can this of anything more wise than studying the reality that God explains to us in His word.
Well, this is where in the most benign cases philosophy is just pointless because God himself told you the answers to the questions.
 

Buckle

Junior Member
Jun 3, 2016
47
24
8
#27
Well, this is where in the most benign cases philosophy is just pointless because God himself told you the answers to the questions.
so you are saying there is no value in studying the bible to understand reality as God defines it and for that matter the reality of God Himself or even the new life reality he wants us to live? I am absolutely certain neither of us knows all the answers.
 
Jan 12, 2022
798
178
43
#28
so you are saying there is no value in studying the bible to understand reality as God defines it and for that matter the reality of God Himself or even the new life reality he wants us to live? I am absolutely certain neither of us knows all the answers.
No, I am saying there is no value in philosophy and that philosophy does not go hand-in-hand with the one true religion of Christianity but is at best, pointless, and at worst, in total conflict with Christianity.
 

Buckle

Junior Member
Jun 3, 2016
47
24
8
#29
No, I am saying there is no value in philosophy and that philosophy does not go hand-in-hand with the one true religion of Christianity but is at best, pointless, and at worst, in total conflict with Christianity.
That is because you r defining it incorrectly. If you are engaging in the study of God's word learning more about who He is, what He has for us and how he wants us to live you ARE engaging in philosophy, by true and literal definition.
 
Jan 12, 2022
798
178
43
#30
That is because you r defining it incorrectly. If you are engaging in the study of God's word learning more about who He is, what He has for us and how he wants us to live you ARE engaging in philosophy, by true and literal definition.
Well then, all the more reason why philosophy is a pointless field of foolishness in the most benign cases.
 

Lanolin

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2018
23,460
7,188
113
#31
if you were greek philosophy would be pretty much all you would be talking about in the forum
But thats because back in the day the greeks, who cherished wisdom, had an unknown God.

And they were trying to found out who He was. (This is why they had forums)
 
Jan 5, 2022
1,224
620
113
37
"A higher plane," hehe
www.youtube.com
#32
Does religion or Christianity go hand in hand with philosophy?
Mainstream philosophy is pretty godless. I only took one philosophy course in uni. The prof went out of his way to bash Jesus Christ and Christianity at every opportunity.

Some apologetics writers wax philosophical. I love C.S. Lewis' nonfiction works.
 

VineyardsOfEngedi

Well-known member
Nov 26, 2019
899
297
63
#33
Mainstream philosophy is pretty godless. I only took one philosophy course in uni. The prof went out of his way to bash Jesus Christ and Christianity at every opportunity.

Some apologetics writers wax philosophical. I love C.S. Lewis' nonfiction works.
I like his Problem of Pain book :D
 

VineyardsOfEngedi

Well-known member
Nov 26, 2019
899
297
63
#34
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.

View attachment 235254
The Bible does seem to be more complicated and full of riddles and maybe you’re right it could be the answers to those philosophical questions.

I’ve heard the allegory of the cave and if my memory serves me right, I think the person of the left was priest to keep people from leaving the cave? How ironic? And you brought up something interesting. What is the the reality? I’ve thought of this too before. I also asked in one of the threads that why did Paul say let no one judge you in feast etc because they are a shadow of things to come?
 

KarynLouise

Active member
Jan 15, 2022
215
137
43
46
Arkansas
#35
"The study of the nature, causes, or principles of reality, knowledge, or values, based on logical reasoning."

Are you saying that you can't believe the Bible based on logical reasoning? The definition isn't saying that the Bible can't transcend logical reasoning. It's just saying that that's how far philosophy goes. I'd say there's a lot of logical reasoning to Christian belief once one accepts the Bible as truth.
 

Dino246

Senior Member
Jun 30, 2015
25,325
13,713
113
#36
I agree with you. When you quote someone else's post, just make sure your words are after the /QUOTE marker so it's clear which are theirs and which are yours.

And welcome to CC. :)
 

Nehemiah6

Senior Member
Jul 18, 2017
26,074
13,769
113
#37
Logical reasoning could never arrive at Gospel truth. Try it for yourself.
 
Jan 26, 2022
18
8
3
#39
In a sense it is. There are four primary relationship.
1. Relationship with God.
2. Relationship with ourselves.
3. Relationship with others.
4. Relationship with the world.
Developing those relationships can be an exercise in philosophy but clearly should be based on what is written in the word of God.
 

p_rehbein

Senior Member
Sep 4, 2013
30,650
6,841
113
#40
Question:

How do 3 and 4 differ?

Are "others" not the "world?" Or are you speaking of "nature?"