Think on These Things

My atheist friends would disagree here, but it will be with Bacon and not with me. It is he who said:

"A little philosophy inclineth a man's mind to atheism; but depth in philosophy bringeth men's minds about to religion."

It raises two questions:

What do we mean by philosophy?

What do we mean by "deep?"

It also makes me think that a person might be religious without thinking himself religious or non-religious with a profound belief in God.

I take the classic and literal definition of "philosophy" as a guide. To derive it, deconstruct the word into their two parts and you have "love of wisdom."

Wisdom, in the Solomonic tradition, is practical and moral. It is practical in the sense that it is the practice of what is right and as such, an application of truth in daily living. It is moral in the sense that a man or woman might be clever and, at the same time, dishonest, rude, harsh, uncaring, ruthless, violent, or unjust, but he or she cannot be considered wise.

To be wise one must wrestle with what is ultimate and, in some unwritten dictionaries, ultimate issues are, by their nature, religious issues.

Deep things are also ultimate things. They are questions that penetrate beneath the surface and delve into the uncharted waters of the spirit. Questions such as, "What is spirit?" must be addressed with language that is essentially religious.

In some taxonomies, religion is a category of philosophy. To the theologian, it is the opposite. However one classifies the disciplines, philosophy is about how we think and what we think. Religion must be naturally deeper and brings a third party into our thought processes, who reveals, enlightens, troubles, challenges, and resolves issues in the realm of faith and experience.

The theologian presupposes, as do I, that the third party exists. The atheist or agnostic is either sure that He does not, suspects He does not, or wonders if He does. Nevertheless, there is a sense that in the search for ultimate concerns, one is standing on holy ground.

For theists like myself, the words of Ecclesiastes 3:11 help explain the experience of encountering wonder and awe in deep thoughts:

"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end." (New International Version)

Since we cannot fathom it, we need to continue to think about it. In the meantime, nothing prevents us from experiencing its beauty and, if we will, worshiping the God who first thought about it.

I have no big problem with my atheist friends who are co-seekers of truth. They might have a problem with me because I have stopped considering a god-less universe to be an option in much the same way I have stopped doubting my own existence. However, that is not to say that I am, in any way, an expert on God, that I understand God, or that I can speak with certainty on every question regarding God's will.

I have experienced God in Jesus Christ and that has brought me perspective, conviction, encouragement, and most of all, grace.

It does not necessarily make me religious in the best sense of the word unless I am willing to go deeper with and in my philosophy. Thinking will never be obsolete, even for the one who has settled on God.

"Whatsoever things are ... think on these things."