by jimwalton » Sun Feb 14, 2021 4:34 pm
Nihilism views humans as no more than animals—a total devaluation of human significance, and it runs against the biblical theology that we are made in the image of God and therefore have intrinsic worth and dignity.
Aletheiological nihilism also denies objective truth. There is no truth, so the position is self-defeating since it can't claim it's true. And without ultimate truth, there is no standard of value to determine right and wrong, good or bad, true or false. Nothing is false; nothing is true. But if there is no truth, there is no knowledge, so it's a self-defeating claim. These beliefs are in contrast to John 14.6 and many places in the Bible where truth is a reality that can be known.
In moral nihilism, killing a child is no different from squashing an ant on the sidewalk. This is not a biblical position and is even humanly untenable. Without any human meaning or dignity, there is no norm of right or wrong. All is equally permissible and conscience is an illusion. The true nihilist subscribes to nothingness. There is no moral test for killing a puppy for the fun of it for for raping a person. Nothing has meaning, and carried to its edges, it's an abhorrent philosophy of life that can result in the cruelest atrocities with only a shoulder shrug. "I'm a loser, baby, so why don't you kill me." These beliefs are in contrast to the passages that God is good.
In nihilism, free will is a myth, against all of the Bible, from the choice Adam and Eve are able to make in the Garden of Eden to the legitimate choice that everyone is free to make to choose for God or against Him.
Nihilism is ultimately fatalistic, which biblical theology argues against. It is only a divorce from the transcendent that nihilism is possible. It is the negation of the infinite that leads straight to nihilism. But since God is both transcendent and immanent, nihilism is not a biblical worldview. If God is dead, there is no alternative.
In ontological nihilism, nothing even exists, which is contrary to science, reason, observation, and the Bible.
Even the writer of Ecclesiastes is no nihilist. He does not praise nothingness. He does not prefer inactivity to meaningful human activity. We are not doomed to negation and self-destruction. All is meaningless, but not nothingness. Ultimately, the author has a zest for life, and the greatest tragedy is in those who are unable to find joy in life. If nihilism is our only logic, all that is left is void. There is no difference between up and down. Jean-Paul Sartre said that if we embrace nihilism, life is a useless passion.
In the book of Job we find that he is not willing to accept either agnosticism or nihilism. He stakes a position between the two based on integrity, meaning, and justice.
I find the entire position to be impossible, self-contradictory, self-defeating, and thoroughly unbiblical.
Nihilism views humans as no more than animals—a total devaluation of human significance, and it runs against the biblical theology that we are made in the image of God and therefore have intrinsic worth and dignity.
Aletheiological nihilism also denies objective truth. There is no truth, so the position is self-defeating since it can't claim it's true. And without ultimate truth, there is no standard of value to determine right and wrong, good or bad, true or false. Nothing is false; nothing is true. But if there is no truth, there is no knowledge, so it's a self-defeating claim. These beliefs are in contrast to John 14.6 and many places in the Bible where truth is a reality that can be known.
In moral nihilism, killing a child is no different from squashing an ant on the sidewalk. This is not a biblical position and is even humanly untenable. Without any human meaning or dignity, there is no norm of right or wrong. All is equally permissible and conscience is an illusion. The true nihilist subscribes to nothingness. There is no moral test for killing a puppy for the fun of it for for raping a person. Nothing has meaning, and carried to its edges, it's an abhorrent philosophy of life that can result in the cruelest atrocities with only a shoulder shrug. "I'm a loser, baby, so why don't you kill me." These beliefs are in contrast to the passages that God is good.
In nihilism, free will is a myth, against all of the Bible, from the choice Adam and Eve are able to make in the Garden of Eden to the legitimate choice that everyone is free to make to choose for God or against Him.
Nihilism is ultimately fatalistic, which biblical theology argues against. It is only a divorce from the transcendent that nihilism is possible. It is the negation of the infinite that leads straight to nihilism. But since God is both transcendent and immanent, nihilism is not a biblical worldview. If God is dead, there is no alternative.
In ontological nihilism, nothing even exists, which is contrary to science, reason, observation, and the Bible.
Even the writer of Ecclesiastes is no nihilist. He does not praise nothingness. He does not prefer inactivity to meaningful human activity. We are not doomed to negation and self-destruction. All is meaningless, but not nothingness. Ultimately, the author has a zest for life, and the greatest tragedy is in those who are unable to find joy in life. If nihilism is our only logic, all that is left is void. There is no difference between up and down. Jean-Paul Sartre said that if we embrace nihilism, life is a useless passion.
In the book of Job we find that he is not willing to accept either agnosticism or nihilism. He stakes a position between the two based on integrity, meaning, and justice.
I find the entire position to be impossible, self-contradictory, self-defeating, and thoroughly unbiblical.