The article, the absurdity of life without god by william craig. Apr 11, 2001 the veritas forum invites students and faculty to ask life s hardest questions. And really, what is meant by the claim that life is absurd without god. Hedonism is the worldly doctrine that pleasure continue reading a meditation on the utter absurdity of the. William lane craig has written at length about this subject, so lets examine. In your work on the subject, you seem to put forth. Jan, 2018 the arguments were pretty weak but what i found worse was the conclusion they wanted me to make. Why i must believe in god because i am terrifi ed of dying william lane craig why on atheism life has no ultimate meaning, value, or purpose, and why this view is unlivable. The article the absurdity of life without god by william. If we accept this thesis about lifes essential absurdity, and camuss.
William lane craig argues that, if there is no god, then life itself lacks meaning, value, and purpose. Every religious believer, and every nonbeliever, should read this powerful presentation of the absurdity of life without god. My contention is that craig not only fails to establish his conclusion, but fails to advance any cogent or coherent argument at all. And how could there be the evening and the morning on the first day if there was no sun to mark them. The necessity of god and immortality man, writes loren eiseley, is the cosmic orphan.
The absurdity of life without god william lane craigs. The absurdity of the bible and biblical beliefs religion. Dec 16, 2008 the absurdity of life without god by william lane craig, a lecture given at biola university on 5 march, 2002 this a topic that is most serious and somber. The absurdity of life without god 1 of 3 by william lane craig. Properly read, the bible is the most potent force for atheism ever conceived. Absurdity definition of absurdity by merriamwebster. Jan 11, 2015 in a famous 1971 paper, the absurd, thomas nagel argues that lifes absurdity has nothing to do with its length. Our lives are mere instants even on a geological time scale, let alone a. Albert camus on the three antidotes to the absurdity of life. William lane craig on the absurdity of life without god michael hauskeller is life meaningless without god. Dec 16, 2008 the absurdity of life without god by william lane craig, a lecture given at biola university on 5 march, 2002 painstakingly transcribed from tape this a topic that is most serious and somber. But in the final analysis dont we get the god we deserve. The indignation of the modern world against the cross borders on outrage. Craig explains that mankind has no purpose, no value in life without god.
Northwestern chicago university 2001 is life any good or meaningful without the existence of god. The absurdity doctrine is predicated on the idea that congress enacts legislation against the constraints of limited foresight, resources, and time, and that general language will sometimes produce unanticipated results. I the thought is, if this question had an answer, then it would give meaning to the various pieces of your life e. Here are what i take to be the four main arguments in craigs the absurdity of life without god. Apathy, atheism, and the absurdity of life without god. In sundays gospel the lord sets forth the theology of the cross and redemptive suffering. Rejecting god leads to the absurd situation of not being able to know if everything you think is real isnt actually a dream, or an illusion. A major turning point in my life happened when i was 18 and i experienced god s presence in a powerful way during a church service. If atheism is true, then there is no god and there is no immortality. If existence precedes essence then there wouldnt be much life left. To put it simply, william lane craig demolishes any shred of a claim that atheism can offer any ultimate meaning, any ultimate value, or. Now it might also be suggested that to say that something is absurd it simply to say that it is meaningless. The solution to this absurdity is accepting revelation from god who tells us in the bible that he is real, that he cannot lie hebrews 6.
The absurdity of life without god by william lane craig, a lecture given at biola university on 5 march, 2002 painstakingly transcribed from tape this a topic that is most serious and somber. Hitlers values are just as good as those of a saint. The absurdity of life without god by william lane craig, a lecture given at biola university on 5 march, 2002. He goes on to say that without the existence of god mans life becomes absurd. Jul 08, 2017 life is absurd, they claim, because death robs us of a future and puts an end to all our projects, desires, and aspirations. Other animals have instincts to guide them, but man has learned to ask questions. Jun 21, 2017 northwestern chicago university 2001 is life any good or meaningful without the existence of god. The absurdity of life without god the veritas forum. If however your point is actually without a god your life can.
William lane craig gives a lecture on whether life has meaning without god. If god does not exist, then both man and the universe are inevitably doomed to death. No doubt absurd is used in this sense when, for example, religious apologists speak of the absurdity of human existence without god. Textual support for each argument can be found in the footnotes. He wrote about his battle in a recent vanity fair article. Pdf william lane craig on the absurdity of life without god. He also explains life without god mankind and the world we live in is meaningless and is doomed to death. Modern man has tried to come up with a lasting meaning for life without god in. Jul 24, 2017 camus who years earlier had asserted that there is no love of life without despair of life answers.
The primary motive of this conclusion is the idea that, without god, there is no immortality. In a famous 1971 paper, the absurd, thomas nagel argues that lifes absurdity has nothing to do with its length. This particular topic, the absurdity of life without god, starts from the very beginning. All i can do is reply on my own behalf, realizing that what i say is relative. Craig reveals the deadends that modern scholars have run into when trying to make sense of life without god and shows that the god of the bible has provided what humans have been seeking all along. To put it simply, william lane craig demolishes any shred of a claim that atheism can offer any ultimate meaning, any ultimate value, or any ultimate purpose whatsoever. The arguments you proffer to support this are quite superficial, and it is unfortunate that intelligent philosophers like yourself have fallen prey to accepting these monstrosities. A meaningful life only makes sense in the context of theism, the very worldview hitchens has given an entire lifetime to destroying. Yet in the passion, the absurdity of the world is met with the absurdity of christ, as he lays down his life for those who are taking it. It is largely geared towards individuals who view meaning, value, and morality as being wholly independent of a divine being. Now some at this point will bite the bullet and embrace the despair that their life has no ultimate value without god and that for them that serves to allow such freedom in choosing ones own way that theyd say its a far happier way to live in the end as long as you.
Let us call this the meaningless sense of absurdity. For man and the universe would then be simple accidents of chance, thrust into existence for no reason. Michael foley has clearly been brooding for some time over the causes of his dissatisfaction with the world, and has produced a comprehensive, convincing, and enjoyably readable, analysis of why he feels it is so. Camus who years earlier had asserted that there is no love of life without despair of life answers. Like prisoners condemned to death, we await our unavoidable execution. Craig uses the example of a science fiction book he read as a child where an astronaut is marooned on a barren planet. If something was formed without the drive to survive or to find purpose, then they wouldnt adapt or wouldnt want to adapt. Our lives are mere instants even on a geological time scale, let alone a cosmic one.
It derives from the latin absurdum meaning out of tune, hence irrational. In addition, despite the recent increase in judicial and scholarly attention to issues involving topics of statutory interpretation, the principle, its theoretical foundations, and its 3. Christian apologists have argued that life is absurd without the christian god. The veritas forum invites students and faculty to ask lifes hardest questions. Fernandes examines these questions and points out that apart from the revelation of god to provide a firm foundation and grounding for human existence noting truly makes sense. With a commitment to courageous discourse we put the historic christian faith in dialogue with other beliefs and invite participants from all backgrounds to pursue truth together. For if there is no god, then mans life becomes absurd. Without god the universe is the result of a cosmic accident, a chance explosion. Perhaps hopelessness is the very soil that nourishes human hope. Four arguments in craigs the absurdity of life without god. That was the view of king solomon when he wrote the book of ecclesiastes 3000 years ago and it is the view of many of the modern philosophers today.
Yet he didnt make the light producing objects the sun and the stars until the fourth day. Because of this ultimate endwithout immortality and godlife is ultimately meaningless, valueless, and purposeless, objectively speaking. If there is no god, then man and the universe are doomed. Fernandes looks at the competing worldviews and shows the absurdity of life without god. Absurdity quotes isnt it the moment of most profound doubt that gives birth to new certainties. Im still waiting to be struck dead by lighting by a god who seems to spend most of his time smiting, flooding the earth to kill everyone, and if were created in the image of god, weve got a very troubled, insecure and generally messed up creator. Accepting the absurdity of everything around us is one step, a necessary experience. He is the only creature in the universe who asks, why. Man is left with nothing but speculation and emptiness. Apr 24, 2018 for the reasonable person, reflection on the absurdity of life without god should be enough to extinguish any remaining apathy regarding the question of gods existence. The absurdity of life without god and immortality if there is no god, then man and the universe are doomed. The absurdity of the bible and biblical beliefs by justhappy.
The fact that modern life can make it hard to be happy is undoubtedly true. My bigger concern is the thousands of young people christopher hitchens has influenced. However, such is the logical outworking of atheism. What is the one truly serious philosophical problem. The argument against atheistic meaning and significance 1 1. God creates light and separates light from darkness, and day from night, on the first day. I grew up going to church from the age of about 5 after my mum became a christian, and when i was i gave my life to jesus at a church youth camp. Graylings position merges into the deflationary position taken by baggini that once we.
The absurdity of life without god page 2 christian forums. Defending your faith with reason and precision st john in the. The absurdity of life without god reasonable faith. The absurdity of life without god william lane craig youtube. The absurdity of life without god related resources from.
The theatre of the absurd focuses on the absurdity and uncertainty of life and time. Absurd is an adjective used to describe an absurdity, e. One of the apologetic questions that contemporary christian theology must treat in its doctrine of man is what has been called the human predicament, that is to say, the significance of human life in a posttheistic universe. This piece is a critique of william lane craigs piece the absurdity of life without god, in which he attempts to argue that under an atheistic worldview life has no ultimate meaning, value, or purpose. Life without god popular writings reasonable faith. The meaning of life i the question of the meaning of life is the question \what is the ultimate justi cation of the signi cance of my life. Pdf william lane craig on the absurdity of life without. Moreover, there are no objective standards of right and wrong. An absurdity is a thing that is extremely unreasonable, so as to be foolish or not taken seriously, or the state of being so. The absurdity of life without god the veritas forum the. Dec, 2014 this piece is a critique of william lane craigs piece the absurdity of life without god, in which he attempts to argue that under an atheistic worldview life has no ultimate meaning, value, or purpose. If a short life is absurd, he says, a longer life would be even more absurd. The absurdity of life without god william lane craig.
Related resources for the absurdity of life without god on. In so doing he sets forth a doctrine that is utter absurdity to this world. This line of thinking is laid out most clearly in william lane craigs essay the absurdity of life without god. Absurdity and the meaning of life university of notre dame. Absurdity definition is the quality or state of being absurd. However, the duration of existence alone does not take away the absurdity of life. The necessity of god and immortality man, writes loren eiseley, is.
In a way, camus echoes the themes of the passion, which acknowledges the absurdity of our conflicting realities. The arguments were pretty weak but what i found worse was the conclusion they wanted me to make. William lane craig provides a devastating existential ethical refutation of atheism in an article i posted entitled, the absurdity of life without god. The absurdity of life without god 1 of 3 by william lane.
Craig the absurdity of life without god by william lane. The absurdity of life without god william lane craig duration. Internationally renowned theologian and apologist william lane craig invites us to imagine a world without god. Redemption is possible because there really is a redeemer. The astronaut has two vials, one filled with a deadly poison, and the other with a. If young people buy hitchens atheism, theyll not only lose god, but themselves.
Craig, though i respect you as one of todays most rational christian thinkers, i passionately disagree with your assertion that life without god is absurd. The absurdity of life without god common sense atheism. The absurdity of life without god the christian apologetics. For the reasonable person, reflection on the absurdity of life without god should be enough to extinguish any remaining apathy regarding the question of gods existence. It is argued that nagel confuses the epistemological problem of how one could gain a subjective guarantee that ones life is meaningful with the metaphysical problem of whether ones life is meaningful. A major turning point in my life happened when i was 18 and i experienced gods presence in. The absurdity of life without god by william lane craig the. Perhaps then, apathy or apatheism is not something that can be changed directly, i. Wlclec010a format audio cd length in minutes 96 speaker william lane craig, ph. Pdf religion, ethics, and the meaning of life researchgate.
Let us call this the incongruity sense of the absurd. A meditation on the utter absurdity of the cross to a. So not only is the life of each individual person doomed. He holds out hope, even to the hostile cancerstricken atheist, until the very last breath of life is.
906 1436 1315 1108 39 707 287 1517 1063 1536 1104 1399 468 914 748 92 735 1229 169 1491 760 1326 64 110 145 1541 542 1227 154 145 1126 1192 1069 90 929 65