Copyright © 2006 [Dennis H. Karpowitz]. All rights reserved
God is all knowing and all powerful. God embodies all good.
God is a creator and organizer.
God is our creator, our Father in Heaven.
God is interested in and concerned about us, His children.
Any theory attempting an accurate perspective of humankind must include God. Over 90% of human beings world wide recognize a Higher Power.
The most common vehicle for knowing God is prayer.
Other vehicles include visions, dreams and spiritual impressions.
Revelation can have three sources: God, the Devil and the individual him/herself.
The process of coming to know God is different than the scientific method. The process of coming to know God is individual, personal and subjective. The scientific method is impersonal, rational and distant. Both approaches seek truth but in very different ways.
Choice occurs within context and is not unlimited.
Choice brings responsibility.
Consequences follow choices. We may choose but we may not determine the consequences of our choices.
Within every context, their are moral absolutes, just as their are absolutes regarding natural laws.
God communicates to human beings these moral absolutes.
He calls these absolutes commandments.
Adherence to commandments brings growth, development, progress and happiness.
Failure to adhere to commandments brings the stinting of growth, failure to develop, the cessation of progress and unhappiness.
All actions have consequences. Some are positive. Some are negative. Some are short-term. Some are long-term. Some are easily seen, others are subtle. Some consequences are very meaningful, others are trivial.
Life is an opportunity, a time for growth, a testing experience.
One goal is joy and happiness.
Marriage is pleasing to God and is good.
Husband and wife have a responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children.
Children have a right to be wanted and to be nurtured.
If there is one who is all good (God), then it stands to reason that there is one who is all bad (Satan or the Devil).
Satan has power and influence. His power and influence is not as great as is God's power and influence. God allows Satan to influence individuals. Satan temps us and we must choose between good and evil.
Evil prevents progress and development in individuals. Evil leads to sorrow and misery in the long run.
There is opposition in all things.
Because individuals have agency, much evil in the world is brought about by choices that individuals make. Likewise, much good results from good choices.
Truth is knowledge of things as they are, as they were and as they are to come.
Truth leads to understanding, wisdom and peace.
Science is a method for understanding truth. God reveals truth. These are different methods with similar goals. Science is always "becoming," the law of successive approximation. God reveals truth which is absolute. Philosophy, including humanism, also seeks truth and understanding.
Humans see in part. God sees all.
Regardless of the immediate source, truth is truth.
In order to fully understand the human situation, one must go beyond an understanding of human cognition, affect and behavior; one must also consider the influences of both God and the Devil.
Factors which influence the human situation:
The nature of the physical laws of the universe
The culture and society with all its complexities
The family
The cognitions, affect and behavior of the individual
The biological self
The influences of God and Satan and the choices humans make.
Life is not always fair. Individuals make choices that may help or hinder themselves and others. Disease, genetic mishaps, accidents, natural disasters, war, hate and selfishness bring unwanted experiences into one's life. Many of these experiences are beyond our control.
While we cannot control many of these experiences, we can determine our attitudes and actions regarding them. Much growth can occur as a result of difficulty dealt with effectively. Just as muscles become stronger through strenuous exercise, character is shaped by our response to adversity.
If one purpose of life is to test us and provide growth promoting experiences, then hardships may be a part of the process. Equity and fairness may only be seen when one looks at the bigger picture of pre-mortal, mortal and post-mortal experiences.
Laws exist which govern every aspect of the universe. It is easy to see the orderliness of the physical universe. For example, the law of gravity. In our atmosphere one can throw a ball up and be assured that it will come down. This is great at baseball season. On the other hand if I drive my car off a cliff, negative consequences follow due to the same law. Laws exist in every aspect of human endeavor. Commandments reflect the laws of spirituality. If a married person is faithful to his or her spouse, the probability of a successful, happy marriage increases. In contrast committing adultery brings pain and sorrow.
We cannot really break a commandment, but we can break ourselves against the commandment. Sin is the breaking of a commandment. The just result of sin is to distance oneself from God, to curb self development and happiness and to hurt others. The law of justice demands its consequences just as the car going off the cliff results in injury.
The process of change allows one to learn from his or her mistakes and proceed differently in the future. In the spiritual realm this is called repentance. The process includes 1) recognition that one has done something wrong, 2) sorrow for the pain and suffering one's actions have caused oneself and others including pain to a loving God, 3) a commitment to stop the sin, 4) confessing the sin and getting help from God and others who can be of help, 5) attempts to repair the damage caused by the sin in oneself and others, and 6) a self-renewal which includes a commitment to move ahead in a positive direction. This process is wonderful but also requires one who can remove the eternal consequences of our sins. For this reason we need a Savior.
Jesus Christ who lived without sin, offered himself as a sacrifice for our sins. In essence He paid the debt we have incurred through our own sins and are unable to pay ourselves. His action of paying for our sins is called the atonement. It occurred in the Garden of Gethsemane where the pain was so great that blood issued from every pore, and it occurred at Golgotha where he willing gave up His life for us.
Given what He has done for us in bringing about the atonement and given His exemplary life, it easy to love Him and want to become more like He is. Our acts of love helps us, helps us help others and gives great hope for ourselves and for all humanity who will take advantage of his offering through personal change or repentance.
Beyond His atonement for sin, Jesus Christ also offered to sooth our suffering, heal our spiritual wounds and strengthen us in meeting life's challenges. What a great gift this is.
Faith is the substance of things hoped for which are true. The assurance of the truthfulness of things unseen. Faith is not knowledge. Knowledge comes through the senses. Faith differs from belief in that it impels one to action. In other words faith causes one to act, to do. Faith is understood in the mind and felt in the heart. Faith is personal and cannot be demanded of someone else. Each person must come to an understanding of their own faith. Others may teach and be good examples, but each person develops his or her own faith.
Faith comes through sincere searching, learning of a truth and receiving a confirmation from God of the veracity of the truth. The Spirit of God communes with the spirit of man, woman and child. In this sense faith comes by revelation. It is a gift from God.
Experience plays a role in the development of faith. As one tests a principle by attempting to live that principle, consequences follow which attest to or deny the truthfulness of the principle. One wise author suggested that it is like planting a seed. In the beginning one simply hopes that the seed is a good seed when planted. As the seed is nurtured, if it is a good seed, it grows. Eventually a mighty tree may develop and yield its own fruit. All along the way one's faith in the goodness of the seed grows from desire to hope, from hope to belief, from belief to faith, and in some cases from faith to knowledge. One sees the real fruits of the tested principle.
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