Kurt Baier
Kurt Baier
The Medieval Christian Picture: This view holds that man is a divine creature with a purpose assigned to him by his Maker. There is nothing and no one in the world in which we can have faith or trust, or look to for guidance, etc. -- except for other humans. This means that life cannot lie in submission to God’s will. Christians cannot justify the enormous amounts of undeserved suffering in the world.
Modern Scientific Picture: Scientists and educated men feel the Christian attitude towards the world and human existence is inappropriate. While science has both robbed us of any purpose that we had before, it has also furnished us with enormously greater power to achieve these purposes.
The Purpose of Human Existence: The conditions necessary to sustain life will not last forever. We are to live lives full of activities devoid of purpose are futile and worthless.
-Contemporary Astronomy: By referring to the Big Bang Theory Baier says refutes the Christian ideas and agrees with the modern scientific view.
-Contemporary Biology: “Science does not rob human life of purpose, but rather helps us to comprehend what our purpose of life is.”
Two Conceptions of Purpose:
Reason Based:
1.The universe is intelligible
2.Life has a purpose
3.All men’s hopes and desires can ultimately be satisfied
Artifact Based: Uses examples such as hieroglyphics and fossils.
Divine Plan: The earthly life is not worth living because there is another eternal life of happiness and joy.
Is earthly living worth living?
Two Disappointment Propositions (Christian View):
1.) Earthly life is not worth living
2.) There is another perfect life of eternal happiness and
The Medieval Christian Picture: This view holds that man is a divine creature with a purpose assigned to him by his Maker. There is nothing and no one in the world in which we can have faith or trust, or look to for guidance, etc. -- except for other humans. This means that life cannot lie in submission to God’s will. Christians cannot justify the enormous amounts of undeserved suffering in the world.
Modern Scientific Picture: Scientists and educated men feel the Christian attitude towards the world and human existence is inappropriate. While science has both robbed us of any purpose that we had before, it has also furnished us with enormously greater power to achieve these purposes.
The Purpose of Human Existence: The conditions necessary to sustain life will not last forever. We are to live lives full of activities devoid of purpose are futile and worthless.
-Contemporary Astronomy: By referring to the Big Bang Theory Baier says refutes the Christian ideas and agrees with the modern scientific view.
-Contemporary Biology: “Science does not rob human life of purpose, but rather helps us to comprehend what our purpose of life is.”
Two Conceptions of Purpose:
Reason Based:
1.The universe is intelligible
2.Life has a purpose
3.All men’s hopes and desires can ultimately be satisfied
Artifact Based: Uses examples such as hieroglyphics and fossils.
Divine Plan: The earthly life is not worth living because there is another eternal life of happiness and joy.
Is earthly living worth living?
Two Disappointment Propositions (Christian View):
1.) Earthly life is not worth living
2.) There is another perfect life of eternal happiness and