"There are no Eternal TRUTHS," they say.
"Stealing a car may be wrong for you, but right for the car thief.
We shouldn't judge head-hunters.
Killing people is right for them, in their society."
This article blasts away at this "educated" philosophy.
ONE OF our Ambassador College graduates, now serving in God's Work in one of America's major cities, writes that recently he was in conversation with two professional psychologists.
They brought up the subject of "eternal truth." This appears to be a favorite subject of those who have absorbed without question the modern university teaching in psychology. Many times I have wanted to write something on this pseudo-scientific concept, but it seems to have taken this letter to get me at it.
No Eternal Truth?
These two men appear to have expressed the accepted "educated" teaching. There is no such thing as absolute, or eternal TRUTH, they averred. What is true today may not be true tomorrow. What is truth for you, may not be truth for me.
There is no God, they assured the Ambassador graduate, who has revealed eternal TRUTH, for no such truth exists. History, they argued, shows the evolution of man's views. Our views today are not the same as the views of the ancients. So who are we, to judge? How can we say that another is wrong? What is wrong for us may be right for him.
We must learn to be broad-minded, they declared. We must not condemn a person for stealing a car. It may be wrong for us, but right for him!
The Ambassador man asked, "What about head-hunters?"
"O, we shouldn't judge the headhunter," they replied. "Killing other humans is right for him, in his society."
Perhaps we ought not to judge, or blame, these modern "educated" psychologists for expressing such ideas.
Perhaps we ought to be "broadminded" — and surely, at the very least, we ought to consider the SOURCE! I mean that literally. The source of such ridiculous concepts is not erroneous thinking on the part of these men. They did not think these absurd conclusions out, in their own minds. HOW did such nonsense become lodged in their minds?
It is well that, first of all, we realize once again the vicious system of education employed by this world. From kindergarten and the first elementary grades on, pupils and students are not trained in thinking, in examining, investigating, PROVING, and finding established, proved truths. Modern education is a process of memory-training. I have said it before. It is like teachers sticking funnels through the top of the heads, into the brains of their pupils and students, and then pouring in the theories, postulates, ideas — right or wrong — of the teacher, or the textbook. Students are graded on how well they memorized and recited, or wrote down, whatever was stuffed in their minds. They are not expected to think, to question, to examine or PROVE what thus enters their receptive and unsuspecting minds.
Psychologists Are BRAINWASHED
It is a process of BRAIN-WASHING!
These modern dignified-appearing psychologists were merely a pair of brainwashed automatons. Of course they had come to believe this modern so-called "psychology." They had been inoculated with it, and the inoculation had induced mental slumber against admission of truth. They had absorbed it without question. Now it saturated and permeated their docile minds.
No, perhaps we ought not to judge or condemn them. They are the unsuspecting victims of a vicious, diabolical SYSTEM that grips the whole world today. No wonder the whole world is DECEIVED!
But we ought to take these "intellectual" concepts out, and examine them, and see what is wrong about them, and why.
Education lists "psychology" as one of the sciences. Modern science is something NEW in the world — still in its infant swaddling clothes. It really hasn't learned much, yet! About 90% of all the scientists who ever lived are among the present living generation — and perhaps another 9% were in the two generations preceding.
Science is wholly materialistic. By that, I mean that its recognized tools are observation, measurement, and reason. They are confined to the physical, material realm. Scientists are fallible human beings. Scientists know only what knowledge comes through the eyes, ears, mouth, nose, or sense of feel and touch — only what they can see, hear, taste, smell, or feel.
They know absolutely NOTHING of the spiritual realm. Spiritual facts, principles, laws, and values are beyond their scope of vision — completely out of their field.
What, then, is wrong with this so-called "intellectual" concept that there are no eternal truths — no fixed true values? What they are in ignorance of is the fact that spiritual values do exist — that spiritual LAWS are in actual motion — and that these principles, these laws, these forces are even more real than matter, and that they work on, and effect, matter and physical action.
The basic error of all this modern supposedly educated "intellectualism" and vain "rationalism" is that they are able to see, comprehend, examine, or weigh only a PART of the existing facts that bear directly upon their problems.
In a word, the basic error is that they leave GOD out of their knowledge. (Read it in Romans 1:28) Professing themselves to be wise, they have become FOOLS (Rom. 1:22). That is what the Eternal GOD says of them!
What, therefore, they cannot see is that there are spiritual LAWS and principles which the Eternal GOD set inexorably in motion — laws as real as the physical laws of physics and chemistry — which act on matter and material forces and actions.
These laws are eternal. They are fixed, undeviating, unchanging. Matter is subject to constant change. As Elbert Hubbard said of the material world of matter and its forces and energies, "nothing is permanent but change." YOU are a physical person — you are constantly changing, and you are not permanent. You are here, in this life, for only a little while!
But GOD is not changing. God is the same, yesterday, today, and forever! God is ETERNAL. God's Truth is ETERNAL. God's spiritual LAWS are ETERNAL — fixed, unchanging. The TRUE VALUES, likewise, are ETERNAL. But men of "science" confine themselves to the physical realm. Of these ETERNAL values, laws, principles, facts, they are in total ignorance. Yet, in their vanity, they fancy that they are educated! Well, the simpleton doesn't know he is a simpleton. And what the strutting turkey gobbler or parading peacock doesn't know,, he just does not know that he doesn't know! And what these deluded ignorant "scientists" don't know, they just simply don't know that they don't know these things!
Perhaps we ought not judge them. As I said, they are victims of a vicious and satanic SYSTEM!
Psychologists Ignorant of Spiritual Law
Now take a look at God's great Spiritual LAW. It's principle is LOVE — a spiritual love the "scientific" world knows nothing about.
The whole law is summed up in that one word, LOVE. Then it is sub-divided into the two Great Laws, love to GOD, and love to neighbor. Then it is further sub-divided into ten points (James 2:10, and 8-11), of which the first four of the Ten Commandments instruct us in how to love God; and the last six in how to love neighbor. Then this inexorable spiritual Law is sub-divided much farther, until the whole BIBLE is a magnification of it in its myriad details.
Now notice the connection: The Ten Commandments involve physical acts — but they are spiritual principles! To break the letter of the specific law by committing adultery is a physical act. It involves material things — two people, plus a third and possibly a fourth, the husband and/or wife to which one or both guilty parties are untrue. It involves physical action. But also it is a spiritual principle.
Now modern psychiatrists and marriage counselors who see only the material and physical factors involved are coming more and more to the view that in committing adultery NO HARM IS DONE, provided the physical factors are "right." If the faithful wife does not know of her husband's infidelity with another woman, what's the harm? That's about as far as they can see.
But GOD ALMIGHTY created a spiritual LAW, and set it in motion. God created sex in the first place. He created it for two major purposes, plus a third. The two are 1) the magnet to draw a husband and wife together in marriage, to set up a home, and to be the source of a physical-spiritual LOVE, and to become the frequent supreme expression of that love and respect and endearment of each other, thus increasing this bond of love which is shared with no one else, binding the marriage, protecting the home inviolate; and 2) the means of reproduction, and of bringing into the home the God-given blessing of children to love. The third purpose is the great blessing of a means of building character — of developing faithfulness toward mate and toward children; of developing a sense of purpose, fidelity, self-restraint under temptation; of developing a sense of responsibility in providing and keeping the home and training the children.
Now take the "educated" ignoramus who cannot see much past the end of his nose — who sees only physical factors — and reasons that adultery can do no harm, if the circumstances are "right," and the wife doesn't find out. The man is very careful. He begins "cheating on his wife" — he commits adultery.
What happens? You might think NOTHING, if his wife never hears about it. But you are wrong!
GOD'S LAW is an invisible, spiritual law. There could be no law without a penalty. This law has two penalties. One, the CURSE it imposes here and now, in this life. Two, the final punishment, which is DEATH — and it is eternal punishment — death for eternity.
Penalty for Broken Law
What is the CURSE the Law will exact, here and now? It is this: Very soon, this adulterous husband will begin to realize that his wife doesn't seem the same any more. She isn't as physically attractive as before. More and more he begins to realize he isn't in love with her any more. Her glamour — her loveliness — isn't there. He doesn't understand it.
Poor fool — of course not — this is an invisible spiritual law at work! This is something he can't see. If it were a visible, physical action, the "scientists" would see it, and warn him. But they can't see it. This man BROKE the law God set in motion to preserve LOVE — to increase marital love. And, breaking that law, he has broken that love! More, he has broken his own character-building. He has impaired his own self-respect.
One tragic result of ignorance and violation of this point of God's Law is the breaking up, in divorce, of almost a third of all American homes — and the divorce rate now is climbing in other nations, too! It results in children growing up without normal homes — usually without the vital companionship and influence of a father. It results in juvenile delinquency, and ruined lives of children.
Don't think there are not CURSES! There are — and they are inexorable.
Break God's Laws, and they break YOU!
Jesus Christ came magnifying this great Law, as Isaiah prophesied. Getting to the spiritual principle, He said that for a man even to lust after a woman (though she may be unconscious of it and unparticipating) is to commit adultery in his heart. It defiles him. It cuts him off from GOD. The law works the same curse on the adulterous woman!
The greatest blessing that can come to man is to KNOW GOD — to have contact and communion with God — to have God's SPIRIT within.
Here's how this works. Once the rebellion is put down — once one has really repented, and accepted Christ, he becomes reconciled to God and then God impregnates him with His Holy Spirit. This is the life, the very divine NATURE, the love, faith, and POWER of GOD entering into man. But it is not static. It flows, like electricity through a light bulb. Two wires go into the electric light bulb. The current flows in a circuit. So with God's Spirit.
Man was made of matter — made to need God's Spirit flowing into and through him to energize him — yet made without this necessary Spirit. It can be received only as God's precious GIFT, upon utter submission to His will, repentance for having broken His Law. Jesus Christ paid the penalty IN OUR STEAD, and when we then accept Him, the penalties of past sins are wiped out. Without God's Spirit people are restless, dissatisfied, empty. They don't know WHY. But they need a "food" they are not getting — spiritual food. Nothing will satisfy until they receive it! They are, literally, not all there! God made Adam incomplete! He was physically complete — but he needed God's Spirit. God offered it. The "tree of LIFE" in the garden in Eden simply represented the Holy Spirit. But Adam rejected this SPIRITUAL food, and instead stole the poisonous material fruit.
You were born merely in the image of Adam (I Cor. 15:49, and then 42-54). You were born incomplete. Your MAKER made you to need His Holy Spirit, and real happiness that fully satisfies CAN'T COME OTHERWISE. No human philosophy can impart this truly satisfying happiness. It leaves one EMPTY.
Yes, the most important and necessary and needful thing in all this life is a living contact with GOD. The greatest penalty that can be inflicted on any person is to be cut off from God.
Take the ignorant head hunter. Of course, in his ignorant and pitiful society, it may seem right, in his ignorant human eyes, to murder other people and collect human heads. But God's inexorable spiritual LAW brings retribution and CURSES on him, when he breaks this Law, whether he sees it or not!
This insane and ignorant platitude that "what is wrong for you may be right for me" is merely the false philosophy that ancient Israel degenerated into — of doing whatever is RIGHT in their own eyes.
God commanded them — as He commands you and me today — "Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day" (Moses is speaking of what God commands), "every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes" (Deut. 12:8).
Lesson of Living Experience
See the inevitable result — the CURSES this brings: "These Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Eternal," — but of course right in their own eyes! Then they fell into the captivity of invading plunderers, or spoilers. They became unable to defend themselves from invading nations. "They were in a sore plight" (Judges 2:15, Moffat translation).
They cried out to God to free them.
Then God had mercy. He raised up judges (Judges 2:16) — that is, generals, administrators, heroic leaders chosen by GOD. Remember Israel was a THEOCRACY in those days. And these heroic leaders delivered the Israelites. They enjoyed freedom again.
But the Israelites refused to listen even to these human heroic leaders God had raised up to lead them to freedom. They went after pagan gods, bowed to their idols. They returned to doing what was right in their own eyes, but evil in GOD'S SIGHT. Whenever these human leaders God chose for them died, they relapsed into evil ways (right in their sight) more than ever. Then the King of Mesopotamia invaded and conquered them, and they became his subjects for eight years (Judges 3:8).
In this sore plight, they cried out to God — promised obedience if He would only save them — just like people in desperation today! Then God raised up another champion leader from among them, to set them free once again. For 40 years they remained free, then this righteous leader died. Then "the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Eternal" (verse 12). Then Egion, king of Moab conquered them, and they became his slaves 18 years. Again they cried out to God for mercy, promising anything, for freedom. And so it went, round and round — doing what was right in their own sight, getting into TROUBLE — then crying to God for help — gaining deliverance — then again doing what was evil in God's sight, and bringing more punishment on themselves!
But it has never paid man or nation to do what is right in human eyes, but evil in God's sight! Yet 6,000 years of human experience has failed to teach mankind this lesson!
Modern universities persist in teaching susceptible, naive youths that there are NO ETERNAL TRUTHS — what is wrong for you is perfectly O.K. and right for me — IF I want to do it!
"Every way of man is right in his own eyes" (Prov. 21:2). Also, (12:15), "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes." Yes, "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death" (Prov. 14:12 and repeated in 16:25).