December 14th, 2012
Immanuel Kant’s Religion Within the Limits of Reason Alone synopsis
- How the free will, even though radically evil, can regenerate itself
- How Christianity as rationally interpreted exemplifies this process of moral regeneration
- As such, two views about humanity are rejected by Kant
- Rejects the view of the enlightenment (Aufklarung) that humans are basically good
- Rejects the view of human depravity
- How can the evil disposition be converted to a good one? How is it that oughtness is a can?
- There must be a revolution of habits, which Kant understands to be the new birth (Jn. 3)
- How, if we are corrupt, can we cause ourselves to be born again?
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March 30th, 2012
One of my friends, who is also in the philosophy class I help teach, emailed me several weeks ago asking why God loves us? It’s a great question. In light of our sin and the darkness within us why would a perfectly moral and holy being love us? I responded to her question and I thought I’d share it online here. So, to jump to the end and give you my answer up front: I have no idea why God loves us.
This is one of those things that you can surely put the puzzle pieces together to say that God is just and that God is loving. Any philosophy of religion text or systematic theology can articulate the theological coherence of these things. The hardest thing about this is that, like you, I still don’t get it. It’s certainly not a simple answer in my opinion. I’m an existentialist at heart. I think we find ourselves on the scene thrusted into existence without any ability to say otherwise.
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