Since the dawn of our existence, man has always sought to discover the truth of meaning. A myriad of schools of thought have developed over the centuries, contrasting in depth and scope, all seeking the answer to the same stirring question. Why are we here? For what purpose do we exist? Some seek the answer through means of varying religion, others through a specifically Christian lens, while many more choose to view our existence as not an important event, but rather, a mere accident with no lasting value beyond death.
If this is true, then how can human hearts beat with such passion for life? How can eyes shine with excitement as anticipation for a new day rises within? Why do we feel the deepest pain when we lose those we love, and experience the tragedies and toll life can bring? If we are truly creatures with no purpose beyond our relatively short lives, then all this would mean nothing. In the words ahead, I will attempt to contrast the beliefs of such naturalist thinking with the Christian worldview.
Do we, as a collective whole, have lasting value other than our earthly achievements? For one realm of thought, humanity’s value is not in who we are as people, but rather how efficiently we can perform. In the view of man as a machine, the end always justifies the means. Such thinking is consequentialism at its core, in which morally questionable actions are ‘swept under the carpet’ in favor of a desired consequence. The uniqueness of the individual is all but eradicated, as we are seen as mere cogs in a massive collective machine run by the powerful.
Julien Offray de La Mettrie, a French philosopher of the 1700’s, wrote a book so riddled with controversy, its publication forced him to flee from his native homeland Paris to Holland. Titled “Man a Machine”[1], the book was an expression of his atheistic and humanistic views. In this book, he wrote, “Experience and observation should … be our only guides ... Both are to be found throughout the records of the physicians who were philosophers, and not in the works of the philosophers who were not physicians. … Only the physicians have a right to speak on this subject. What could the others, especially the theologians, have to say? Is it not ridiculous to hear them shamelessly coming to conclusions about a subject concerning which they have had no means of knowing anything?”[2] In its entirety, the book promotes a thoroughly atheistic view of the world, supporting the secular theory that man is but a machine.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, but ironically just as hopeless in its result, is the theory purported by many that man is simply a pawn of the universe. French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre frankly explained this vein of thought in a lecture he gave in 1946, titled “Existentialism is a Humanism”. “Man is all the time outside of himself: it is in projecting and losing himself beyond himself that he makes man to exist; and, on the other hand, it is by pursuing transcendent aims that he himself is able to exist…this is humanism, because we remind man that there is no legislator but himself; that he himself, thus abandoned, must decide for himself…”[3] Sharing the same beliefs with philosophers such as fellow Frenchman Albert Camus, famed for his retelling of “The Myth of Sisyphus”, both believed humanity to have no eternal worth or meaning. In this worldview, it is stated that we, as human beings, may pursue all manners of frivolity during our lifetimes, but in the end, we will never escape the brutal hostility that is the universe. Man is truly helpless and meaningless, and this view supports a thoroughly defeatist mentality.
In an entirely stark contrast to the two theories described above, the Christian’s view of humanity is far different. Instead of being a product of mere chance, destined for a meaningless existence, the Christian view of humanity states that we are handcrafted by God, made specifically for His purpose. Genesis 1:27 states, “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.” The Christian worldview upholds several other beliefs that stand in direct opposition of the two above. As I just explained, God made man in His own image.
Secondly, man has a spiritual element, destining us for eternity, and not just our earthly lives. Theologian Dr. W. Gary Crampton explained how man was more than a natural creature, saying, “Most obviously, rationality, knowledge, righteousness, holiness, and the internalized law of God are all spiritual or mental characteristics.”[4] Thirdly, it is clearly stated in the scriptures that God gave man dominion over the earth. Genesis 1:26 says, “Then God said, “…And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth…”
French theologian John Calvin vastly supported the Christian worldview, having said, “God preordained, for his own glory and the display of His attributes of mercy and justice, a part of the human race, without any merit of their own, to eternal salvation, and another part, in just punishment of their sin, to eternal damnation.”[5] Unlike the thoroughly humanistic worldviews, the Christian worldview is one of hope, giving a firm sense of meaning and purpose to those who otherwise would feel lost and aimless in our fallen world.
Though incredibly different, and nowhere near in agreement in most realms of thought, one thing that all three beliefs hold is that man has a reason for existing. The theorist who surmises we are machines still must admit that in their thinking, we exist for the purpose of producing. Likewise, even though the existentialist believes that we are destined for a cruel fate of nothingness, we still are doing something. In a noticeably twisted way, both secular theories mirror the Christian’s view of meaning, albeit for darker purposes. Where the Christian believes man was created for infinite meaning, both theories point to man’s destiny as infinitely lacking.
There is obviously only so much to be found in where these three views agree. In fact, it is far easier to see where they don’t, starting at the most fundamental level. Both the humanist and the existentialist do not believe in creation. Wholly Darwinist in approach, (who ironically, popularized his ideals long after Julien Offray de La Mettrie’s), they believe not only in man’s meaningless destiny, but man’s random chance of existence. In contrast, the Christian worldview proclaims man’s special creation, purpose, and eternal outcome. There is no other view that provides us with such an incredible reason to live, as well as a promise that one day, all that is wrong with this world will be made right, and all questions of meaninglessness will be swallowed by the hope that is found through Jesus Christ.
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