Wed 1 Nov 2006
Knowing God
Posted by Darren under Apologetics , Atheism , Epistemology , Faith , God , Naturalism , Skeptics , Superstition , World ReligionsIf God exists (here I am referring to a monotheistic God) then God would necessarily be in a wholly different category from every created, materialistic thing we see and study around us. Thus, God couldn't be studied in the same way as we study rocks, or trees, or calculus. What kind of "God" could be comprehended merely by using the same methods used to study everyday objects we can hold in our hand or under our microscope? No "God" that anyone has every believed in for very long, that's for sure. Of course, science and philosophy and critical inquiry have an important place in the discussion of religion. But perhaps in addition to those there is more to it.
Brian McLaren put it this way:
But what if … [a certain viewpoint]'s preferred type of knowledge is not the appropriate medium of experience? … What if all forms of knowledge, which are appropriate for every single other entity in the universe, are in this one case inappropriate for "knowing" God – since an uncreated God would, by definition, be in a separate category from every created thing? What if, simply because God is in a category apart from every other thing or force or entity in the universe, another medium of experience is required, and what if this medium of experience requires faith of some sort? And what if this sort of faith is not an example of "bad faith" (i.e., make-believe, self-hypnosis, and so forth) and not an unwarranted claim of certainty, but rather an honest kind of good faith, worth of the self-investment of intelligent people, an act of integrity and humility, not escape and self-deception? (McLaren, Finding Faith, p.103)
Again, this isn't to belittle at all the role of rational, philosophical, historical and scientific inquiry. Those methods are all important as far as they go. But instead I am suggesting that rigidly applying the same methodology used for studying mundane things would be in some sense deficient when considering divine things.
Further reading:
- Finding Faith (book) – I can't recommend all of Brian McLaren's books, but this one is one of the best books I've ever read.
- It is possible to know about God – A previous blog entry that explores this topic
- Why Bother Searching for God? – Presented by Skeptical Christian
- Jesus: Fact or Fiction? – Scholars in many different fields examine the evidence
3 Responses to “Knowing God”
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July 10th, 2007 at 8:53 pm
Hello Darren
I have just found your site and it is quite interesting. In reading you post "Knowing God" you make the statement "I am suggesting that rigidly applying the same methodology used for studying mundane things would be in some sense deficient when considering divine things." I agree with this statement, but I would like to know if you have a particular methodology when studying God.
July 11th, 2007 at 11:24 pm
Hi Jeffrey,
Glad you found the site interesting!
You asked about "studying God"; I'm not sure if you're using that as a synonym for "knowing God" or mean something different.
In McLaren's book, he suggests a bunch of ways to "experience God" including: ritual, nature, worship, art, obedience, suffering, joy, solitude, etc. Those are all valid in their own way but not really what I'm getting at.
To study God (or know "about" God) I think that natural theology (what we can discern about God from observing our created world) can tell us some valid things about Him. However, to know God is something that natural theology can't do; that more personal relationship has to begin with God's revealing of Himself to us. That is, through His Word … His Son and the Bible.
At least, that's what I was able to come up with just now
I didn't have a particular methodology in mind when I made the post; I was sort of saying that studying (or knowing) God would necessarily be more varied, more complex, require more thought and determination and flexibility, than any other knowledge we might hope to attain. If that makes any sense. 
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