Student Essays

     

The main focus of this thesis is to demonstrate the contrast of Philosophy to Theology in their approach to the existence of God and the destiny and purpose of man.   Religion, knowledge and faith all play a major role in the divine search, but the method of search is the question. Although Philosophy and Theology are attempting to accomplish the same goal, only one can hold the card of truth in its hand.

 

Throughout human history man has plotted an intensive search for answers to his existence and purpose. This search has led him to recognize that there is a Superior Creator seemingly involved in the affairs of all men and in order for man to uncover the mystery to his existence, he must discover a way to get in touch with this Creator. 

 

This search has caused man to establish for himself a system of religion. Religion is defined as the search for the ultimate. In a wholesome search for God, many religions have been formed according to each man’s decided course of approach. These various forms have lead many toward certain idealistic perceptions of God such as Deism, Polytheism, Pantheism and such like. The evolution of religion has transformed itself many times over into various forms of approach toward a supernatural God. 

 

Man’s ceaseless infatuation for obtaining a supernatural encounter with the invisible God has led him to arrange numerous religious obscurities ranging from inadequate religious superstitions to poor philosophical assumptions. The problem of finding God does not lie with mans desire to find Him, but it resides with the method of his search. Man is seeking for the ultimate Creator through his own mind’s eye and distorted philosophical thought. Man believes that God hides Himself within the seams of religion and this has led to the many disappointments of his search. His view becomes skewed of the reality of God because his insufficient religious experiences can never satisfy the longing of his spirit. The unstable expressions involved in the various obscurities in religion have caused man to seek an alternate viewpoint. This alternate viewpoint has spawned and propelled a diverse speculative opinion in the school of thought known as Philosophy.

 

Philosophy is an attempt by scholarly individuals to answer the questions of man’s existence and purpose through an intellectual process. Philosophy’s main objective is to cause man to impartially examine his preconceptions, convictions, prejudices, and beliefs while progressively aiming toward the goal of what is known as knowledge. Philosophy has become a secular alternative to religion. With so many variables to the religious experience, the philosophical approach has made great progress. This school of thought has not only caused man to question the existence of God, but it has led him to question his very own existence. The pursuit of a theistic encounter has been stalled by an aggressive intellectual quest.  The only way to keep man aware of God’s existence and mans purpose is through an organized or systematic discipline known as Theology.

 

Theology is the study of God Himself, through His own words. These words of God are found in the many writings enclosed within the book known as the Bible. Theology takes these various writings and begins a systematic examination of their meaning, context and intent with the goal of discovering God and the very purpose of life. It not only rivals the intellectual scholars; it also exposes the inconsistencies of religious ambiguity.

 

The goals of Philosophy and Theology are the same. Each discipline sets out to answer the confounding inquiries of life. Whether it concerns the origin of man or the orderly structure of the universe each field of thought attempts to bridge mans unawareness to knowledge of himself and the purpose of his existence within the earth.  Although the aspirations are the same, each field of thought takes a different approach to reach an answer. Philosophy’s approach is through the intellect of man, while Theology’s approach is through the Spirit of man and the results of each discipline lies within the borders of their approach. 

 

The intellectual approach consists of many variations that have evolved from within the school of Philosophy. Philosophy has given birth to many branches of studies which include physics, psychology, anthropology, sociology, metaphysics, logic, ethics and much more. Each branch is formed to address the intellectual aptitude of man through reasoning and rationalization while negating the propensity of his spiritual person. The entire realm of philosophical thought views mans existence as a total mishap, possessing no internal life force (spirit, or soul); however, he is conscious of his personal life experiences. David Hume, a Scottish Philosopher, disputes the notion of a self or rather any persons having a soul. He believes that possession of a soul is most likely fiction. “You”, he explains, “are merely a bundle of perceptions. You have consciousness of a continuing succession of experiences, but not of a continuing experiencer”.[1]  

 

The spiritual approach is aware of the intellect of man; however, it also addresses the spirit of man. Within the writings of the Bible, it explains that the spirit of man is what connects with the very Spirit of God Himself. According to the author of the first epistle to the Corinthians, Paul, explains that God has actually given us his Spirit so we can know the astonishing things He has prepared to share with us, but he let’s us know that this is only revealed through the Spirit of God.[2] What the Spirit of God reveals to man through Theological studies, man must receive by faith. Faith is not just a religious or spiritual expression it applies to a simple act of believing in something. Faith is an essential tool used for both Philosophy and Theology. The difference is the application of faith. Philosophy chooses to apply its faith in the intellectual, scientific theories and implications of man; while, Theology chooses to apply its faith in the testimonies and revelation from God through the Bible.