My Creed

From Summa Bergania

(aka the original "Summa Bergania")

by David Bergan - March 7, 2005, updated as needed since then

Following is a concise outline of the philosophical things that I believe to be true. I contend that each of these statements can be backed up with sound reasoning or (when necessary) scientific evidence, except for the axioms. The axioms are the self-evident bedrock assumptions necessary for sane thinking. Explanations are provided where requested. Please do not hesitate to criticize or ask questions on the discussion page. I will be delighted to revise or throw out any statement that is shown to be false or improbable.

Contents

I. Axioms

  • It is impossible for both sides of a contradiction to be true.
  • Anything that is self-contradictory is automatically false.
  • We think.
  • We exist.

II. Truth and Certainty

  • Definition: Truth is to say of what is that it is, and of what is not that it is not. (Aristotle)
  • To say that truth does not exist is self-contradictory and therefore false.
  • We come to know truth in three ways: reason, experience, and authority. (C.S. Lewis) (Further Explanation)
  • By far, we learn the most by authority. (Further Explanation)
  • There are two levels of knowledge: a) certain knowledge (a priori knowledge, which is based on universal/eternal principles and reached through reason) and b) probable knowledge (a posteriori knowledge based on temporal, physical, or historical events and reached through experience). (Further Explanation)
  • If something is demonstrated to be true in the realm of certain knowledge, it is and always will be true.
  • In the realm of probable knowledge, the best we can do is establish degrees of certainty, but never reach 100% certainty. Common descriptions in this realm are to consider things true “based on a preponderance of the evidence,” “beyond a reasonable doubt,” and the highest label is to consider something a “scientific law.”
  • Scientific laws are not certain knowledge because they are based on experience and interpretation… for instance, the paradigm used to be that the sun revolved around the earth (based on the observations and equipment available to ancient astronomers), but now the paradigm is that the Earth revolves around the sun (based on the telescopes and other scientific equipment of our age). New equipment enabling more precise observations may spin our most trusted paradigms in a different direction in any given year.
  • A reasonable man conforms his beliefs to objective evidence; meaning that he changes his mind when presented with new (sound) evidence that would contradict his previous belief.

III. God

  • God exists. (Further explanation)
  • "The true God has neither sex, age, nor body" -Augustine (ie God is not male, but He is closer to the masculine pronouns than anything else we have, so I use Him, He, and His for convenience.)
  • God is supernatural. (He is not a part of nature Himself, but can act in nature)
  • God is transcendent. (He is not the sum of human consciousness, or a vital force inside all living things, but an independent and separate Being.)
  • God is omniscient. (He knows everything there is to know, and could beat you at Chess every time.)
  • God is omnipresent. (God is everywhere and He exists outside of time.)
  • God created nature.
  • God is the source of all power and existence, but He imparts power and existence to some of His creatures in varying degrees… we call this Free Will.
  • All of nature is subject to God’s direct intervention, if He so desires it. (He can revoke Free Will.)
  • God can do miracles, and occasionally does. (Further explanation)
  • God knows everything we are going to do before we do it, but His knowing the outcome does not cause the outcome. Therefore we still have Free Will.
  • To all questions that are similar to “Why did God create nature?” “Why did He create us?” “Why did He give us free will?” my answer is this: God seems to want three things. (1) Love – and He cannot have real love unless the thing loving Him does so out of its own Free Will. (2) Participation – It means more to Him that we participate in His Goodness and Glory than merely observing it. And (3) Stories – right now, as we are living, 6 billion stories are being made, each with its own main character, its own supporting cast, and its own set of trials, conflicts, and emotions. Stories are the most important things in our lives; it only makes sense that it would be one of the most important to God, too.
  • God is a Person, not a mere abstraction.

IV. Humans (except for Jesus, He gets His own Roman numeral)

  • Humans have the capacity for reason.
  • Humans have free will (Further Explanation), unless they give their will to something or someone else.
  • Humans have souls.
  • “Humans are the only animals that blush, or need to.” –Mark Twain
  • Humans recognize an implicit standard of right and wrong. (Further explanation)
  • Humans spend a lot of time justifying their own behavior and judging other people’s behavior.
  • All humans fail to live up to the standard of right and wrong that they acknowledge.

V. Jesus

  • Jesus is a real, historical figure. He is not a mere legend, myth, or abstraction.
  • Jesus is the Son of God, meaning that unlike we who were made by God, Jesus was begotten by God.
  • Jesus was also begotten by Mary, and thus was fully man and fully divine. (Further explanation)
  • Jesus is the Messiah foretold by the Old Testament scriptures.
  • Jesus left us with many sermons and parables teaching us how we ought to live.
  • Jesus performed many miracles, but often said that they were done through the faith of the recipient. (“Stand up and walk. Your faith has made you well.”) This emphasizes God’s desire for participation.
  • Jesus never denied that He was the Son of God, even when He was faced with torture, humiliation, and execution.
  • Jesus never explained away His status as the Son of God by saying that all people (or some other people) are children of God in the same sense that He is. It was clear that He considered Himself unique and refused to deny it.
  • Jesus was crucified for blasphemy.
  • Jesus died so that we might have eternal life. His death paid the debt of our sins so that we may freely have forgiveness from God if we only choose to accept it and repent.
  • Jesus rose from the dead, appeared to His disciples and many others, and then ascended into Heaven. His resurrection marked the victory over death and evil for all who believe and repent.
  • The best thing you can do for your life is to ask and seek for a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
  • Many people need a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, everyone else needs a closer one.

VI. The Bible

  • The Bible plays an essential and necessary role of bringing people to the knowledge of Jesus and His closest followers.
  • The teachings of the Bible are very often sound advice for living, since they are written by men who were usually close to God and stressed out to the maximum human limit. Such men almost always have the best advice for us on how to live.
  • Much of the Bible only makes sense with an allegorical (not a literal) interpretation.
  • Certain parts of the Bible, especially the prophesies that have already come true (e.g. the Messianic prophesies), were inspired directly by God.
  • However, I have not found where either God or reason compels us to believe that all of the Bible was directly inspired, infallible, or inerrant.
  • I think it is a sin (akin to idolatry) to hold the Bible above God or Jesus.
  • While the Bible provides more fruit for a good and holy life than other books, there are still many sources outside the Bible that can lead us to many of the same virtues.
  • Other books of wisdom, instruction, or history could have been included in the Bible, but for whatever reason, they weren’t.
  • Historically, the Bible should be treated like any other history book.
  • Scientifically, the Bible has very little to say unless one takes certain figurative passages as literal. (e.g. “Corners of the Earth” from Job 37:3 implies flat world…) This should not be done.
  • The Old Testament provides many of the world’s greatest stories, and stories are the most powerful things in our lives. We should live by these stories, but not insist that they were historical. When Jesus told the parable about the Good Samaritan, He didn’t mean for us to think that such a person lived exactly as He described him – but He did mean for us to love our neighbors in that way.
  • One is better off not reading Revelations past the 3rd Chapter.
  • I love the Bible more than any other book, but that’s not because I think every chapter is useful or relevant to us. Instead, I love it so much because the parts that are good are greater than any other wisdom or literature in the world. (Matthew 5-7, John 8, Psalm 23, Matthew 19, Luke 6, Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes)

VII. Christians/Christian behavior

  • Christianity is a community of believers who are seeking a closer relationship with Jesus.
  • Christians shouldn’t get picky and petty about each other’s beliefs and actions unless they see that another’s beliefs/actions are clearly leading away from a closer relationship to Jesus. Getting on a person’s case for seeing rated R movies, for drinking socially, or anything of the like should not be a matter of correction… except in the case of a parent instructing his or her children.
  • All correction should be in the nature of helping the fellow Christian, like you want to help someone who is ruining their own life with a drinking problem, or help them get out of credit card debt with sound financial planning.
  • Rebuking should never be done in a spirit of judgment or asserting power/authority over the other person.
  • You should never rebuke someone just to prove that you are right or more knowledgeable.
  • You should never refuse to do something (like pray or share communion) with a fellow believer just because of a difference in theology. If they believe Jesus is the Son of God and seek a closer relationship, that is sufficient. Positions on infant/adult baptism, the perpetual virginity of Mary, etc. should not restrict our brotherly/sisterly love.
  • When a Christian does something good, the credit usually goes to the individual (e.g. Mother Theresa saving orphans in India). But when a Christian does something bad, all of Christianity usually bears the blame (e.g. Torquemada burning Jews at the stake during the Spanish Inquisition). Therefore our culture tends to slant the story that while Mother Theresa was a good woman, Christians are on the whole hypocrites. Rarely is it brought up that it was Theresa’s devotion to Christianity that inspired her to be "good."

VIII. The afterlife – Heaven and Hell, Sin and Redemption, Love and Justice

  • There is a bewildering number of Bible verses about Heaven and Hell, and I have not found one theological position which makes all of them clear.
  • Reincarnation is not a Biblical concept. It is neither useful nor provable. Therefore I have no reason to believe in reincarnation.
  • I would like to believe that God saves everyone… but since I believe in human Free Will, the question arises: Will God save people who do not want salvation? The only logical answer to that question is no… therefore I believe God only saves those who seek salvation.
  • But is it possible that some people do not want salvation? Who in their right mind would choose to go to Hell? My answer is that some people simply choose to do their own works rather than God’s. Either a person says to God, “Thy Will be done,” or God says to the person, “thy will be done” and then they reap what they sow. God’s Will is to make us fit for Heaven by purifying us of every sinful thought and deed. Without purification, Heaven is out of reach. So what keeps people away from wanting salvation is their unwillingness to let go of their sins: pride, lust, hate, shame, envy, fame, power, money, etc. God offers forgiveness for any sin so long as it is repented – but it must be repented. We can’t be forgiven of our hatred for another man until we first stop hating him. We can’t be forgiven of our pride until we humbly accept that we are equal to the beggars and the lame. We can’t sit at the King’s Banquet until we are clean. Christ is there to give us the clean clothes, but we have to recognize first that the clothes we have now are dirty and stop wearing them. We have to first recognize that it’s wrong to hold our grudge; second, stop holding it; and finally, replace that grudge with love. To enter Heaven a person has to love God and desire to serve Him rather than building a life of their own with money, fame, and power.
  • Because I don’t believe that anyone could reach this level of perfection before death, it seems necessary that some kind of "purgatory" exists where we can cleanse ourselves of whatever un-repented sins remain. "Hell" may coincide with this "purgatory." Those who decide to repent will ascend to Heaven and call the other place purgatory in retrospect, while those who never do repent are forced to dwell with the other angry, impatient, arrogant, selfish, and envious sinners in a place they call Hell.
  • What about belief in Christ? Christ offers everyone redemption from their sins so long as they choose to accept it. Believing in Him and surrendering your life to Him is the first step toward purifying yourself for Heaven. Without the first step, the journey is impossible.
  • What about those who have never been introduced to Christ or the Bible? I believe that on the Last Day, everyone will be introduced to Him face-to-face, in a purer way than any of us have experienced in this life. Even St. Francis and Billy Graham will meet a Jesus that dwarfs their human conception of Him. At that time, even those people who had never heard of the name of Jesus would then recognize that the voice inside them that told them to do good things was Jesus’s voice. If we followed that inner voice all our lives, we would follow it in the afterlife as well.
  • And I even think that it is possible that some people may have rejected a "Jesus" that was presented to them in this life, yet still followed Jesus in the sense that they followed their conscience and acted unselfishly. For example, if a Hindu followed her conscience, yet verbally rejected a "Jesus" that was introduced to her by the Nazis as an Aryan racist, I believe that she would be excused for her verbal rejection. She would find on the Last Day that Jesus was not an Aryan racist, but instead the voice of love she always listened to – and on that Day she could believe in Him and be saved by Him.
  • Is salvation by faith or by works? Both. It starts with faith to surrender your life to Jesus, but then He will help you with the repentance necessary to enter the purity of Heaven.
  • An excellent allegory of this description of Heaven and Hell is found in The Great Divorce [CS Lewis]. I consider this book to be the greatest book I have read outside the Bible.
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