| Becoming Caring Christian solutions to life's tough problems Programs of Family Life, Personal & Spiritual Growth, Study Skills, & Educational Enrichment 600 North 7th Street Crockett, TX 75835 |
How do you know? A question we too often neglect to ask. How do we know that salesperson is telling us the truth? In fact, what is truth? How do we know the truth about anything? Should we give up on the concept of truth? Some of us are too trusting. On the other hand, some of us cannot trust at all. How do you know you can trust anyone? The question can lead to disillusionment. How we answer the question of trust determines our approach to knowledge and to relationships. Can we trust knowledge derived from scientific investigation? Can we trust self-evident knowledge? Is knowledge about anything wishful thinking? If we cannot trust we avoid relationships or we destroy relationships. Trust is essential to relationships. In Thoughts (a philosophy of life), Don Mize explains the approach that works for him and extends the application to important areas of life. If you are a religious person experiencing doubt, or if you are a religious person whose faith is strong, you must deal with the epistemological question: How do you know? Can doubt ever be good? Are doubt and faith mutually exclusive? Is doubt an essential part of faith? Your own crisis of faith may demand an answer to the question of doubt. On the other hand, when you share your faith, others may ask you: How do you know? All too often a believer is frustrated with the inability to answer in a meaningful way. Many people are completely turned off by organized religion and God-talk. Yet, the ultimate questions of life are religious questions: Who am I? What am I doing here? Where am I going? Religion can be a barrier to God. Is there an approach that can make sense out of the inconsistencies of religious institutions or the hypocrisy of religious people and honestly allow for an encounter with God? Do many current reactions against religion turn out to be shallow? What happens when opponents of religion are asked how they know? This fifty-page essay by Don Mize is written in a readable style. The discussion is an approach to answering the epistemological question and applying the answer to important areas of life. The essay by Don Mize is divided into the following sections. I Finding a Place to Start II Searching for Certainty III Escaping the Dark Closet of the Mind IV Reading a Text V Knowing God VI Understanding Faith VII Dealing with Moral Law VIII Discovering Love IX Valuing a Secular State X Unlocking Happiness To receive this gift copy you agree to honor the copyright, not change the text, and to give credit when citing the source. Becoming-Caring Christian Solutions is a 501(c)(3) non-profit offering programs of Family Life, Personal Growth, Study Skills, and Educational Enrichment. For more information see our web site at www.becomingchristiansolutions.org. Your donations are tax deductible as per current law. Check with your tax advisor for application to your situation. For further questions, contact donmize@yahoo.com. |
| Your Personal Copy of Thoughts a philosophy of life |