Implications of Naturalism

Naturalism is the view that the universe is composed only of physical properties. This means that there would be no gods or spirit beings. According to Naturalism, all things are the result of physical dominoes, so to speak.

This view obviously goes against the foundational teachings of Christianity. We Christians clearly believe in the existence of one personal God named YHWH, who is a Spirit. YHWH created us in His image, therefore we are created by God as spirit beings. Angels and demons are also, of course, spirit beings.

If Naturalism is true, then we cannot truly attain knowledge or make choices. This has a great impact on the moral accountability. If Naturalism is true, then Ted Bundy could not have chosen to be a serial killer, therefore he is not accountable for his actions. In the Naturalistic model, our lives and choices have basically been pre-decided by chemicals in our brain. I find this highly unlikely, as I don't think any gene or chemical in my brain explains aspects of my personality: such as me being a big fan of movies and of theology and scholarship. I have very few family members that are as interested in these things as I am.

Morality is something everyone believes in, even if they claim to hold to moral relativism ("What's wrong for you isn't wrong for me"). Morality cannot truly exist without a Creator. Since we are made in the image of God, whatever is against God's nature is sin. For example, murder is universally agreed to be immoral. Even Atheists and Agnostics agree on this. I would like to ask them to give me an answer as to why murder is wrong. I believe that murder is wrong because it is against God's nature.

Anyway, Naturalism is essentially Atheistic Calvanism. Free-will would be an illusion. Will is not merely a physical thing, as physical things cannot be resisted in my opinion. It is very possible to be forced to do something that you don't want to. Will is a property of personal beings only. Trees, water, and the sun do not have a will of any sort. If you agree that I have established the existence of non-material things, then you must also confess the existence of God.

The scientific law of Biogenesis tells us that only life can generate life. God is the Source of all life and has eternally existed. The naturalistic view contradicts Biogenesis, as it assumes that life would come from a non-living source. Evolution teaches that the earliest organisms evolved from abiotic material. Life can only come from life, therefore there must have always been a source of life in order to create living things. An eternally existing Spirit is the only logical conclusion that can be reached.

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