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 Index To All 16 Chapters
ON THIS PAGE
A Brief Recap of Chapter I
It is but common sense to apply logical and objective reasoning to your spiritual life which all too many people seem disinclined to do...
The Choice... Faith Without Evidence Or Faith Based on Evidence
Whether you are aware of it or not, faith plays a huge part in many, if not most religions of the world. Anyone can claim to be divine, or divinely inspired. What we need to do is stop checking our brains in at the door and ask the million dollar question... what evidence supports the many claims made by various religions, regardless of whether it comes from the founder of the religion, their holy book, or one of the leaders/teachers of that religion?
What's Different About Christianity?
It is often thought that the entire Christian faith is nothing more than 'religious wishful thinking'. Much to the contrary, the Christian faith is a commitment based on evidence. The Judeo-Christian faith consistently stresses the importance of truth and appeals to evidence to support its truth claims. It is actually quite remarkable as to how many times, God, Jesus, and the prophets of both the Old and New Testaments, appealed to facts to support what they said and taught.
A Brief Recap of Chapter I
As said by Dr. Philip G. Ryken. pastor of Tenth Presbyterian Church
Insisting that Jesus is the only way is an especially unpopular stance in a culture based on freedom of choice. If you can go to the school of your choice, root for the team of your choice, watch the cable channel of your choice, and eat the yogurt of your choice, why can't you pray to the god of your choice? Why can't religion be like the Mall of America? It is a fair question. If Christians are going to insist that their religion is true and that all other religions are false, they have some explaining to do. [01]
Although there is little doubt that (particularly when it comes to Eastern faiths) a vast number of people feel that something has changed within them as a direct result of their spiritual practices. Many experience a sense of peace and physical and/or emotional well being that affects how they relate to the world around them. Some see these internal experiences as "enlightenment" or a "spiritual awakening". However, taking it many steps further, others ascribe these changes to the 'awakening to the divine within themselves' or 'becoming one with Deity'.
However, if "feelings" are the sole arbitrator of spiritual truth, a lot of people may be in very big trouble - just because something makes you feel good doesn't mean it is good for you. A sense of emotional and physical well being does not necessarily mean that this spiritual path is wise in the long run, much less that it leads to Deity. The reality is that there is no evidence that tells us these experiences are from God or even have anything to do with Him.
(See Footnote I : How The Brain Contributes To 'Spiritual' And 'Mystic' Experiences)
It is but common sense to apply logical and objective reasoning to your spiritual life something that many people seem not inclined to do... preferring to believe that their 'spiritual experiences' actually validate the religion or spiritual path they are connected with.
However, what most people do not seem to realize is that Christianity is perhaps the only religion that does not demand 'blind faith' from its followers.
Surprised?
Read on...
The Choice... Faith Without Evidence Or Faith Based on Evidence
Whether you are aware of it or not faith on the part of the adherent plays a huge part in most religions of the world. However, faith can mean two different things. It can mean reasonable trust based on evidence. On the other hand, faith can also mean belief without evidence or even contrary to evidence.
".. a person who accepts faith as the basis for their beliefs effectively gives up the means for critiquing the beliefs of others. A belief based upon faith is not a belief based upon reason, logic, and evidence. If a person is not going to use reason, logic, and evidence as standards by which they judge their own beliefs, then it would be hypocritical to try and use them as standards for judging or critiquing the beliefs of others." [02]
Anyone can claim to be divine or divinely inspired. However, should the claimant have a charismatic powerful personality, spout profound sounding statements and/or feel good messages their assertions suddenly becomes 'truth' to millions of people. It sometimes seems to me that the more convoluted the language the more people will firmly latch on to the coat tails of the speaker. What we need to do is stop checking our brains in at the door and ask the million dollar question... what evidence supports their many claims?
For example
Buddhism requires one to accept some things on a "working hypotheses" and then proceed to test them. Siddharta Gautama, the father of Buddhism based his teachings on having achieved nirvana ( the cessation of desire and hence the end of suffering) and bodhi (enlightenment). Undoubtedly, Buddha experienced something just as thousands of his followers do. However, can we please remember that feelings and experiences are not necessarily indications of truth. See Footnote I - How The Brain Contributes To 'Spiritual' And 'Mystic' Experiences
Hinduism: Similarly, Hinduism that has no known founder, starts with blind faith strengthened only by understanding Hindu philosophy. Certainty only comes with spiritual experiences which are explained by various yogis etc. as "experiencing the Divine". The problem being ... how is one supposed to know whether or not this explanation is true, or whether these men were either completely wrong or themselves deluded?
Islam: Muhammad claimed to have been visited by the angel Gabriel and given messages that were later compiled and recorded in the Qu'ran. Evidence? Zero! Everything in Islam flows from the first of its five pillars which states there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet. Again, where is the evidence behind the Qur'an's declaration that there is no god but Allah? And, as you will see, Muhammad was a very unlikely prophet.
See Footnote II - Faith in Three of The World’s Major Religions
Mormonism : Do we have to take Joseph Smith's word for it that he was visited by an angel? In fact, the Mormons claim that the way to confirm the truth of the Book of Mormon is to read the book upon which God will confirm its truth by creating a burning in the bosom. This takes 'asinine' to previously unheard of limits. How can anyone cast their eternal destiny on something so subjective, so haphazard, and so risky. As my husband said pepperoni pizza always gave him a "burning in the bosom". But I guess this is all they have to resort to because Mormonism collapses under scrutiny. See Section on Mormonism
Bahai: The Bahai faith is no different. Bahá'ullah might have declared himself to be the latest messenger from God, with a stirring message of peace and unity, but where is the evidence that he was indeed God's emissary? In fact, Bahá'ullah's statement about all the world's religions representing different stages in God's revelation to man regarding His will and purpose does not ring at all true when you consider that the various religions flatly contradict each other regarding key doctrines such what the nature of God is much leass how many gods there are, what lies on the other side of death etc. etc. etc
Sikhism: Similarly, while few can argue with the essential message of Sikhism Nana the founder said he had a mystical experience in which he visited heaven and spoke with a god called Sat Nam.
Zoroaster: Similarly, one has to have faith that Zarathusthra (Zoroaster) the Iranian prophet was a messengers of God, divinely inspired, or had God given visions.
Also See Chapter 6: Comparing Jesus With Other Religious Leaders... Why Jesus Is Without Equal
The New Age: New Age spirit guides who call themselves "Ascended Masters", the "Masters of Wisdom, the "Hierarchy of Light" etc. have indulged in philosophical exchanges (aka. great torrents of gobbledygook) that have been duly written down by their compliant minions, then presented to the world as "ancient wisdom". The fact is that we have to simply take their word for it that they are benevolent spirits and do not intend us any harm. See Overview of the New Age
And then there is
Evolution
Which is almost solely based on theory... not observable data. In fact, it takes a tremendous of faith to believe some of the ridiculously impossible ideas they come up with. But that is a whole other topic. [See Section on Evolution]
In Summary...
all of these religions stand or fall on something which no one can prove or disprove. As someone once said... "Faith must have adequate evidence, else it is mere superstition."
"We have, therefore, nothing on which to base our decision about the truth of any of these religions except what the founder of the religion said, and whether the teachings seem to work in our own lives. Whether we reject one religion or accept another is simply a matter of blind faith". [03]
The more than adequate evidence for the truth of the Christian Bible is the goal of the rest of this piece. But, before you continue reading, perhaps you would answer an extremely pertinent question asked by pastor Bryan Ross of Grace Life Bible Church ...
If someone could provide reasonable answers to the most significant questions and objections you have about Christianity... reasonable to the point that Christianity seems true beyond a reasonable doubt - would you then became a Christian? If your honest answer is no, then your resistance to Christianity is emotional or volitional, not merely intellectual. [04]
What's Different About Christianity?
There is no question that "faith" is one of the central elements of Christianity. In fact, the word is found almost 250 times in the New Testament alone. As Hebrews 11:6 states,
"And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him."
Sadly, the word "faith" in Christianity is usually misunderstood. Many, if not most, non-Christians assume that Christian faith is "blind faith" defined as a strong, unshakeable belief and unquestioning loyalty to an absolute belief system without proof or evidence. It is also often thought that Christians ignore reality or believe contrary to the evidence and facts. In other words, the entire Christian faith is nothing more than 'religious wishful thinking'.
This is as far from the truth as it gets.
As pastor Greg Koukl says “The Bible knows nothing of a leap-in-the-dark, hope-against-hope faith... ie. a faith with no evidence”. [05] Much to the contrary, the Christian faith is a commitment based on evidence. And, because there is much evidence in favor of believing that it is He who said these things, this is not in any respect 'blind' faith. Rather it is an intelligent response.
Faith And The Bible
Christianity is unambiguous about the fact that it is not a philosophy nor something dreamed up by a self styled religious leader. Much to the contrary, it is a religion revealed to man by God Himself who seems to have absolutely no problem with people who have genuine doubts and questions. Besides which there is no question that emotions and feelings are an integral part of what makes us human however, there is not a single example in the Bible of a godly person's beliefs stemming from their feeling, emotions, or experiences. The Judeo-Christian faith consistently stresses the importance of truth and appeals to evidence to support its truth claims.
Consider the many examples...
Truth
The appeal to truth is found in virtually every single book of the New Testament... Some instances include,
In John 8, Jesus told the Jews that they sought to kill a man (Himself) who told them the truth He had heard from God, which even Abraham (the man they saw as their 'father' did not do (V. 40). He asked why they did not believe Him when He told them the truth (V. 46). And added that they were of their father the devil... a murderer in whom there was no truth.
The Messiah then went many step further not only claiming to speak the truth but to be the truth... "Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me". (John 14:6 NASB)
The Holy Spirit is called "the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father" (John 15:26).
The Gospel message is called the "message of truth" (Ephesians 1:13),
Paul told both the Roman governor and king Agrippa that he was not out of his mind, but spoke words of "sober truth" (Acts 26:25). He asked the Galatians how he had become their enemy by telling them the truth (Galatians 4:6). And, in his letter to Timothy, Paul told him that God desires "all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:4). When he wrote to the church in Corinth, he urged them to celebrate the Passover "with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (1 Corinthians 5:8)
Believers are urged to accurately handle the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15) and gently correct those who "are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth" (2 Timothy 2:25)
Paul also foretold one sign of the times of the end... "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths". (2 Timothy 4:3-4 NASB)
Evidence
The Bible is also surprisingly indulgent towards skepticism that is not antagonistic. In fact, it is actually quite remarkable as to how many times, God, Jesus, and the prophets of both the Old and New Testaments, appealed to facts to support what they said and taught.
God
When in Genesis 15 God told Abraham that He would give him the land of Canaan as an inheritance, Abraham asked how he would know this. God neither rebuked him nor did He chide Abraham for his ‘lack of 'faith'. He, instead, made a covenant with Abraham.
In Deuteronomy 18:18-22, God very explicitly stated if even one of the predictions made by a prophet was not fulfilled that prophet was not from Him. In other words, the people were to base their decision regarding the trustworthiness of the prophet on the evidence.
In Ezekiel 13:2, God told the prophet to tell those who prophesied from their own inspiration, to "listen to the word of the Lord!". Only the prophecies that came from the Lord were legitimate. The false prophets were accused of misleading the people and would have no place in the council, would not be written down in the register of the house of Israel, nor would they enter the land of Israel
In Judges 6: 36-40, Gideon wanted confirmation that God would deliver Israel through him as an angel had told him. The test proposed by Gideon was that a fleece left out all night would be wet with dew, the surrounding area left dry. Even after this happened, Gideon asked to God to re-confirm the results.... this time with the fleece bone dry and the surrounding area wet.
Daniel, captive in a foreign country and in training to enter the king's personal service, did not wish to go against Jewish dietary laws and eat from the kings table, but requested only vegetables and water. When the commander balked at this request, Daniel did not ask the official to trust him but to test that his health had not suffered on this diet. (Chapter 1)
In Isaiah 5, God Himself rebuked king Ahaz for not asking for a sign, then proceeded to give him one.
In Isaiah 43, Isaiah describes what is very similar to a courtroom scene that entails witnesses testifying of things they have seen or heard. In it, God called on the pagan nations to bring their witnesses and He would bring His. As he said, the gods they worshiped had no power.... none of them had been able to so much as predict future events. Therefore, the people who trusted in these false gods had eyes but were blind... they had ears, but were deaf. He then asserted his superiority to all idol-gods - His people were His witnesses that everything He had predicted had, indeed, been fulfilled. They were proof that he was the only true God. Through them, He would reveal Himself to the nations, so that they may know, believe, and understand that, in His words... "I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me".
Old Testament Prophets and Leaders
In Deuteronomy, Moses urged the people to keep the word of the covenant based on all they had seen God do for them, including their deliverance from Egypt, and the fact that they had wandered 40 years in the desert... had been fed all that time with neither their clothes nor shoes wearing out.
In Exodus 33, God's anger burned against the Israelites because they had made and begun to worship a golden calf. God told them they could make their way to the land He had promised to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. However, He would not go with them because they were an obstinate people. Instead He would send an angel to guide their way. Moses then argued with God saying that if He (God) did not go with them there was nothing to distinguish the nation from every other one on the face of the earth.
When Korah and his company rebelled against leadership, Moses appealed to the evidence of God's immediate and physical judgment upon them.
In Joshua 3, Joshua gave the people a visible sign by which they would know that the living God was among them... He would dispossess from before them all the nations in the promised land. But before that, when the priests entered the Jordan carrying the ark the river that usually overflowed its banks stopped flowing, allowing the entire nation to cross over.
Jesus And The New Testament Apostles
No one was asked to just believe in the New Testament but urged to do so based on what they had seen.
In his introduction, Luke made it very clear that after investigating everything carefully he was completely convinced of the truth of the whole matter and was compiling a full, authentic, and accurate account of all that had taken place in chronological order. The verb Luke used means to trace accurately. He followed up everything to the source.
The opening chapters of the Gospel of John begin with the declaration that he was proclaiming what they had seen and touched.
Jesus continually referred people back to the Old Testament as a basis for judging His claims, simply because He fulfilled all the prophecies about the Messiah made hundreds of years earlier. See Section on Prophecy
Similarly, in Acts 17:11, Paul called the Bereans noble minded simply because they continuously checked the Scriptures to see whether what they were being told was true.
Paul, author of two thirds of the New Testament thus one of the most important figures of the apostolic age, was initially strongly antagonistic to the Christian faith going as far as to put Christians to death. While there is no question that it was a vision that triggered his conversion, he subsequently proved that he was a critical thinker debating and teaching based on proof and logic. For example, he
1. often appealed to eye-witnesses in support of his claims. (Acts 13.31; I Corinthians 15: 2-9).
2. reasoned with the Jews from their own Scriptures. (Acts 17.2-3)
3. When accused of stirring up dissension his appeal to the governor was based on facts and logic. (Acts 24: 10-21).
4. When brought before king Agrippa, he not only appealed to his experience on the road to Damascus, but to the fact that Christ's remarkable life, and death and the events surrounding them were well known in the region. He also made appeal to the prophets who, centuries earlier, had made prophecies about the Messiah which were fulfilled down to the smallest detail, in Christ. (Acts 26)
The Resurrection
The central claim of Christianity is that 2000 years ago God took the form of a man, came down to earth and died on a cross, but rose from the dead three days later. In fact, the entire Christian hope depends solely on His resurrection. So much so that, in a first-century letter to the Corinthian church, the apostle Paul wrote the following very strong words... "and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain". (1 Corinthians 15:14 NASB).
In other words, if Jesus didn't rise from the dead we could just as well take everything He said, write it down on little bits of paper. and stuff them into fortune cookies. Which is why the overwhelming appeal in the New Testament was not just to believe but to believe based on the fact that Christ had risen from the dead, testified to by the many witnesses that had seen the risen Christ.
Luke summed it up in the opening chapter of his second book.. The Acts of The Apostles... "The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen. To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. (Acts 1:1-3 NASB)
Peter was very clear when he said they did not "follow cleverly devised tales" when they testified to the power and coming of Jesus Christ, but stressed that they were "eyewitnesses of His majesty". (2 Peter 1:16)
Speaking to the Roman centurion, Cornelius, Peter stated they were witnesses, not only of all the things Jesus did, but that they "ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead". (Acts 10:39-41 NASB)
Thomas, one of the disciples, did not believe the others when they told him they had seen the resurrected Christ. When Jesus appeared again, He showed Thomas His scarred hands, told him to feel the wound in His side.... then believe. (John 20)
In Acts 22:15, God told Paul that he would be "a witness for Him to all men of what you have seen and heard."
In Acts 4:19-20, Peter and John told the Jewish council, that they could not stop speaking about what they had seen and heard.
In his letter to the Corinthians Paul did not appeal to circumstantial evidence to prove the resurrection of Christ but to the testimony of more than 500 eyewitnesses most of whom must have still been alive at the time of writing. Paul mentions some of those whom the risen Lord appeared to... Peter, the other disciples, Jesus’ brother James, the apostles, five hundred others, and to Paul himself. (1 Corinthians 15:4-8 NASB).
See Section on The Resurrection
In short, the truth of Christianity's absolute claims rest squarely on historical facts that can easily be investigated.
One problem is that even many Christians are often unaware of the solid factual foundations of their faith. All too often their faith is largely limited to "this is what I believe because this is what the Bible says". While this may be commendable it can also be very dangerous simply because it is, as Joel Stephen Williams says,
a "naive, untested, unexamined faith" that can fall flat on its face when confronted with difficult questions. As he goes on to say, this type of faith is sufficient for some people for a whole lifetime, but for others it will not last. Some Christians with such a naive faith are unable to handle a setting such as many of you face on a daily basis on a state university campus. You and I both have seen too many people with a naive faith simply walk away from the church at some point in their adult life. The cause for a sudden change to disbelief is often nothing more than a brief encounter with an aggressive, skeptical person who throws one or two challenges their way which they cannot handle. [06]
(Unfortunately, there are those in the Christian world who seem to regard debating the Gospel as not only in opposition to 'faith', but also condemned by Scripture. The latter due, in part, to the unfortunate decision made by the translators of the King James version.
See Contending For The Faith and The Need For Apologetics
However, if you do undertake such an investigation, do please remember that when the most difficult and obstinate disputes in other fields are resolved by very definite standards, it is both unfair and illogical to dismiss similar reasoning and standards just because the subject being investigated happens to be Christianity.
A very important example is that witnesses are assumed to be telling the truth unless the facts tell a different story or they are proven to be lying or shading the truth.
Footnote I - How The Brain Contributes To 'Spiritual' And 'Mystic' Experiences
One of the most common, yet least understood, reasons behind some of our 'spiritual' feelings can very well be attributed to brain wave frequencies - the brain's spontaneous electrical activity generated by millions of neurons as they communicate with each other. These frequencies or electrical activity, which will change depending on what the person is doing, are measured in cycles per second (Hz) by an electroencephalography (EEG).
The brain waves of someone who is sleeping is very different from the brain waves of someone who is wide awake. The usual frequencies range from Beta waves (emanated by individuals who are alert and actively engaged in some form of mental activity) through Delta which is the slowest of the frequencies experienced by those in deep, dreamless sleep.
The Alpha or "resting state" of the brain occurs when one's brain wave activity slows down from its usual 14 to 27+ cycles per second to 8 to 13 cycles per second. It is a passive state in which the person is awake but relaxed. They feel peaceful, have a sense of stillness, and are non-critical and non-analytical. Thus it is not at all surprising that this reduced brain wave activity is said to alleviate stress, relieve tension, and increase creativity.
Although Alpha brain waves usually occur prior to and just after falling sleep, this passive state can be induced by any number of activities both intended and unintended. Exactly the same brain wave activity is found in people who are sitting near running water or simply daydreaming. The Alpha state can also be brought about by many kinds of repetitive activity or sounds, like listening to waves crashing onto the beach. The freeway driver who suddenly cannot remember what he or she has been doing for the last few miles is a perfect example of someone lulled into an altered state of consciousness. It is believed that listening to a certain kind of music like Baroque Music (especially the adagio movements with a 40 to 60 beats per minute cycle) can put the brain into Alpha.
Meditation, yoga, chanting, biofeedback, electrical stimulation of the brain, sensory deprivation, and even the pure but wavering, sound of Crystal singing bowls are all intended to produce Alpha or even Theta brain waves. Native Americans have used certain patterns of drumming to induce a trance like state for hundreds of years. Rhythmic dancing can do so as well, as attested to by the Sufi dancers who whirl themselves into ecstatic trances.
In other words, an altered state of consciousness can induce not only a feeling of calmness and peace, but sensory and psychic sensations including a mystical oneness with one's surroundings. In other words, these sensations and feelings could have absolutely nothing to do with attaining oneness with Deity, drawing nearer to God etc. but may, in fact, be exalted terms used to describe normal brain activity. See Alpha and Contemplative Prayer
Footnote II - Faith in Three of The World's Major Religions
Buddhism
Because Buddhism leans towards exploration and experience Buddhists rarely speak of Buddhism as a "faith". In an article entitled What Do Buddhists Believe?, Barbara O'Brien states that...
What the historical Buddha taught was a method for understanding oneself and the world in a different way. The many lists of doctrines are not meant to be accepted on blind faith... [07]
As said by Geoffrey DeGraff aka Thanissaro Bhikkhu the fact that "The Buddha never placed unconditional demands on anyone's faith", is one of "Buddhism's most attractive features", especially for those "from a culture where the dominant religions do place such demands on one's faith". He goes on to say that in Buddhism... (Emphasis Added)
you should take certain things on faith, as working hypotheses, and then test them through following his path of practice. [08]
Which boils down to ... try it and see if it works. However, none of the above means that faith is nonexistent in the Buddhist world. As blogger Kathy Kiefer rightly points out (Emphasis added).
Buddhist practice nevertheless requires a degree of trust, primarily in the spiritual attainment of Buddha. Faith in Buddhism centers on the understanding that the Buddha is an Awakened being, on his superior role as teacher, in the truth of his Dharma (spiritual teachings), and in his Sangha (community of spiritually developed followers). [09]
In other words, before one accepts the truth of the Buddha's teachings, one has to have faith that he was 'enlightened'.. with the authority and/or credentials to give spiritual insight to the rest of us. (Note: Buddha based his teachings on internal experiences, but where did those experiences originate? It is entirely possible that it was brain wave activity. See Four Levels Of Brain-Wave Activity and Science and an Altered States of Consciousness on THIS page.
Islam
Muslim life is founded on what is called the 'Five Pillars' of Islam, which include daily prayers, alms-giving, fasting, and at least one pilgrimage to Mecca. However, the first, and probably the most important, is the Shahadah or first pillar - the "declaration that there is no god but Allah and Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, is the Messenger of Allah". [10]
As the web site islamwebnet states... (Emphasis added)
"... The difference between believers and unbelievers is not the result of merely uttering a few words. The real force lies in the conscious acceptance of this doctrine and its stipulations and complete adherence to it in practical life. [11]
One has to have faith that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad was his Messenger. But one has to ask what this faith is to be based on?
Hinduism
Hinduism, the religion of some 900 million people is, as succinctly put by Ken Raggio, "a vast, complex religion that did not evolve from a single person, a single book, or a single point in time. Its written history contains many epic tales that are based on oral traditions, and contain many conflicting concepts. Its teachings are countless and quite diverse, ranging from polytheistic, monotheistic, agnostic, to atheistic". [12]
Is it any wonder that Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami, head of Kauai's Hindu Monastery and publisher of Hinduism Today magazine, says (Emphasis Added)
"The mystery of life and beyond life, of Siva, is really better understood through faith than through intellectual reasoning", since "The intellect in its capacity to contain truth is a very limited tool".
He also says Hinduism has three stages of faith, which he outlines as follows
We progress from blind faith to conviction bolstered by philosophy, and finally to certainty forged in the fires of personal experience
And goes on to say that in Hinduism... (All Emphasis Added)
faith is not a static state; rather, it is constantly deepening through personal experience and growth. The spiritual truths of Sanatana Dharma, initially accepted without proof, are ultimately proved through personal experience. Swami Chinmayananda, founder of Chinmaya Mission, succinctly conveyed this concept: "Faith is to believe what you do not see. The reward of faith is to see what you believed."
And...
Faith in its initial stage is simple belief without the support of either knowledge or experience.
Faith in its second stage is belief strengthened by a sound understanding of Hindu philosophy. Gurudeva
In the third stage of faith, personal experience transforms informed conviction into certainty.
Veylanswami describes the "personal experience" that 'transforms conviction into certainty' as "unsought-for, unbidden revelations, visions or flashes of intuition" which, verified by "what yogis, rishis and sadhus have seen and heard", create an unshakable faith that is "more a knowing than a conviction". [13]
In other words, one has to accept as true the explanations for these supernatural experiences given by yogis, rishis and sadhus over the . This boils down to having blind faith that mere men were right in what they said and taught and that we can trust them.
Continue on to Chapter 4: God and His Bible
What is truly interesting is how many people seem to be prejudiced against the Bible but well disposed towards other 'scriptures'. In fact, if you quote the Bible, it is quite likely that you will hear something like "everyone knows the Bible is full of errors and contradictions". However if you were to appeal to... say... the writings of Buddha, you would probably be viewed as a wise or even enlightened, person.
This is a rather illogical situation, because there is far more evidence in favor of the Bible being true than there is for any of the other 'holy books'. This evidence includes it's humanly impossible authorship, fulfilled prophecy, and it's archaeological and scientific accuracy... none of which are seen in the books of other religions. HERE
Endnotes (Chapter 3)
[01] How Can Jesus Be the Only Way? By Dr. Philip G. Ryken. pastor of Tenth Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. https://www.monergism.com/how-can-jesus-be-only-way
[02] Kathy Kiefer. Faith and Religion. https://kathykieferblog.wordpress.com/2014/01/31/faith-and-religion/
[03] James BeauSeigneur. Acts of God (Christ Clone Trilogy, Book 3) Pg. 121
[04] Pastor Bryan Ross. Grace Life Bible Church.
http://www.gracelifebiblechurch.com/PastorsPen/Teen%20Winter%20Retreat%20Lesson5.pdf
[05] Greg Koukl. Faith and Facts. Stand to Reason Ministries. http://www.str.org/articles/faith-and-facts#.U6w5tdLn9cY
[06] Joel Stephen Williams. The Real Jesus of History.
https://www.doesgodexist.org/Pamphlets/TheRealJesusofHistory/TheRealJesusOfHistory.html
[07] Barbara O'Brien. What Do Buddhists Believe?
http://buddhism.about.com/od/introductiontobuddhism/a/budbeliefs.htm
[08] "Faith In Awakening", by Geoffrey DeGraff aka Thanissaro Bhikkhu. Access to Insight (Legacy Edition), 12 December 2010,
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/faithinawakening.html
[09] Kathy Kiefer. Faith and Religion. January 2014. https://kathykieferblog.wordpress.com/2014/01/31/faith-and-religion/
[10] Shahadah. Albalagh Children. http://www.albalagh.net/kids/understanding_deen/Shahadah.shtml
[11] The Islamic concept of faith. 30/12/2012. http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/index.php?page=articles&id=134445
[12] Ken Raggio. Will The Real antichrist Please Stand? http://kenraggio.com/KRPN-AntichristStand.htm
[13] Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami. The Three Stages of Faith. October/November/December, 2009.
https://www.hinduismtoday.com/magazine/october-november-december-2009/2009-10-the-three-stages-of-faith
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