You Cannot Show Me!
You cannot show me and therefore you cannot prove to me and therefore I no longer believe.
No longer do I believe in some physical things. For example, no longer do I believe in wind, show me wind! Show me microwaves. Show me radio waves. What does electro-magnetic energy look like. Show me a light wave-particle. I have never seen one of these things therefore none of these things exist.
Oh then there is theoretical mathematical physics theory. Draw me a picture of theory. Or maybe you could tell me what theory feels like. Is it course or smooth--certainly you must have touched it.
No longer do I believe in good, show me good! Show me love, when I touch love what does it feel like! Prove to me rationally that love exists, quantify it for me. Give me a formal proof that love exists. Show me what kindness looks like. What color is patience or what does it taste like? So if I cannot rationally understand it, measure it, or sense it I no longer am going to accept its existence.
If you can give me a picture of any of these things I will gladly put it up where now exists a black (absence of color) square! These things are simply absent. But there are many more!
No longer do I believe in trust. For the same reasons, trust simply does not exist. What I mean is no one can show me trust, paint a picture of trust, rationally prove trust. Therefore, trust does not exist. Want more of what I no longer believe? I am convinced that even believe does not exist. Show it to me, what does it sound like, look like, feel like when touched.
One can readily see that much of what people argue gives quality to life is not longer existent in my life. Oh, there you are two more. Draw me a picture of life. Is it big or small? What color is life? Show me the other one, quality. What does quality taste like? Have you touched quality? Paint a picture of quality. "Can't do it," you say. Okay then give me measurable formal proof or a formal rational argument that proves quality! See you cannot do it so therefore quality goes on my list of things that no longer exist.
Well now you may argue that Alvie has completely lost it, gone over the edge of mental-emotional health. Okay then explain to me "it." Draw me a picture of "it" whatever that is. Prove to me the existence of mental--have you seen it, tasted it, etc. If you cannot show it along with emotion to me then obviously I've not gone over any edge for if the descriptors do not exist then the edge does not exist. There is no edge to go over!!!
Of the millions and millions of images and videos on the www, there are none of these things and therefore they simply cannot be proven or experienced and so in my new belief system they simply do not exist.
What a hopeless mess in which to live you say. Well, then, what is hopeless? Show it to me. Drop on by the house with a piece of hopeless for me to see. Do you have a formal proof? Give me a rational argument for hopeless or any of these other things. Oh, before I forget, the one who says that they do not agree and yet cannot prove these things tempts being arrogant for they postulate that their "I believe" will count for more than my "I no longer believe."
Besides, they do not know what it is like to "no longer believe" while I know what it was like "to believe" in these things so again, they are bested in the argument. So therefore, since none of these things exist and you argue that you "believe," whatever that is, you are then setting yourself up as an the authority for their existence and that means that you value your authority more than my authority for saying that they do not exist and such makes the one who counters my claim nothing more or less than arrogant.
Argument by Outcomes:
Simply stated we can know that these and other thing exist not because of formal measurable proof, not by rational explanation, not by some sense experience or another but by outcomes.
For example the microwave heats water, I can experience the outcomes of wave-particle light frequencies, mathematical concepts such as number make logical sense even though one has only seen the script representative of a particular number, and the way of a man with a maid gives ample proof of love. The list goes on and on of how we cannot sense or in some cases define a reality such as those listed above.
If you then can accept the reality because of the outcome, it is not too much of a next step to look at faith in these terms. The following does not apply to people who call themselves Jewish or Christian but to those who follow the teachings of the Jewish Torah and the Christian Scriptures. It will be mostly termed by that which I am most familiar, Christian.
The Veracity of Being a Christ Follower:
Scrutinize those who are Christ followers, no matter their particular label (Liturgical or not) and you will find that amidst all of the differences in tradition and practice, there has been a history of service, even at the risk of life.
It was in the "glory" of Rome and little girls were often left out in the elements to die of exposure. Christians would go to the garbage dumps of Rome and take in these little babies and raise them as a part of their own families.It was during the Black Plague, that Christians took in and took care of the sick and dying often in the course of those activities losing their own lives.
In Nazi Germany it was a Christian Pastor, Dietrich Bonhoeffer who openly withstood Nazism and paid with his life. It was not uncommon in the concentration camps for Christians to take the place of another in the death chambers. How many of other faiths took such courageous actions.
Looking at today's plethora of religions, you find that by enlarge there is only one which has as a central plank selfless service. It is only one that calls upon the individual to live up to their full God given potential and it is not the Muslim, nor the Buddhist, nor the Hindu. It is those of Judeo-Christian Faith.
It is not hard to find and read the biographies of Christian missionaries who packed what they would need at their place of service in their coffin and embarking upon the ship, knowing that their feet would never again stand upon the soils of their homeland. The only vision that was greater than their final glimpses of their homes and families was that of their place of service.Many military bases have a memorial if not a chapel dedicated to the memory of four chaplains who gave away their life preservers to soldiers and sailors and went to their death, arms linked, and praying in their own tradition. One Jew and three Christians. They are not alone in those who have given their all in serving those to whom they are called.
While the Muslim even today seeks to over throw more peaceful cultures with violence, it is the Christian who goes in harms way to provide care for the downtrodden, the out cast, and the one who is in bondage. Keep in mind Mother Teresa was not a Buddhist nor a Hindu, nor a Muslim, but a Christian woman who made the choice to spend her life in service to the lower castes of India. She is the one who is known for her service but there were and are multiplied millions who throughout the years of church history and even today go and do the same.
Untold thousands upon thousands of pastors work to pay their own way and not be a burden on those they serve.Many Christ followers today travel the world to serve, even in cultures hostile to their message. Quietly serving those who are in physical, mental, emotional, and relational need.
A college classmate of mine went behind the Iron Curtain and served those in need at personal peril. Another serves today in a place that if discovered would at the very least be deported or even killed. Why do they go? Simply they go because the heart changed by Jesus Christ is touched by the needs of the downtrodden, the uneducated, the sick, those in jail and other kinds of bondages and they go and go and go and go.
How and why is it that the opponents of Christian faith conveniently look past the indications of the veracity of the Christian way and look at the excesses to bolster their case? How is it that they focus upon Northern Ireland, the sale of Indulgences, the Inquisition, the Crusades, and deviant doctrine that leads to erroneous and destructive actions and fail to see that there is a vast wealth of good done by those of Judeo-Christian faith in general and Christ followers in particular? In fact, put on a balance the good would far outweigh the bad.How is it that they can champion their atheistic beliefs, view people of faith as out of touch with reality and conveniently look past those atheists like Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Pal Pot, and the like?
It is Christians who even though defamed, physically attacked, and tortured when given the opportunity to respond, returned kindness to their captors. Often those very captors and abusers have been so touched by the response of the Christians they in turn became Christians and were killed.
It was Christians who started most higher level academic institutions (Oxford, Yale, Harvard, Cambridge etc.); Christians gave to the world hospice that gave rise to hospice, hotels, and hospitals (Council of Nicaea 325 AD); Christians gave us foundational science; the reason the Red Cross has a red cross symbol is that it was begun by Christians; there is the YMCA--Young Men's Christian Association; and the list goes on.
Social movements? Christians are responsible for the abolition of slavery; intervening in the selling of young girls into the sex trade, and here again the list goes on and on. Even today while politicians and governments talk, it is Christians who are there even though in personal peril seeking to buy back young girls and even interrupting other forms of human trafficking.
As well, it does one well to remember that Christians were the ones who came to the new world to further the gospel and settled this land. It was Christians who laid the legal foundations for our country and it was the black robed regiment that the Brits feared more than the Revolutionary Army. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlfEdJNn15E for a brief history of Christianity in America.
It seems to me that the prudent would take a look, a very serious look at the Christ followers who have so much good and yet remain under greater attack than any other philosophy, belief system, or whatever.
Even today there are multiplied millions across the earth who are becoming followers of Jesus despite living in repressive cultures. Why would people who know that to become a Christ follower is to tempt the possibility of being martyred still by the millions turn to follow Him? And yes in answer to your questioning thought, they die by the scores for their decision.
Conclusion:
It follows then that if you can argue by outcome for the veracity of wind, love, kindness, belief, etc., then by that same sort of argument you should be able to argue by their activities for the veracity of the Christ follower and then by implication the veracity of the existence of a Christ.
