10 Reasons Everyone Wants Christianity To Be True
In this video, we begin to make a case for Christianity.
The Master Argument For Christianity (MAC) Review
In the last video I talked about the Master Argument For Christianity.
It goes like this:
If Christianity is true, then a lot of good things we want are also true
Christianity is true
Therefore, a lot of good things we want are also true
The purpose of this video is to demonstrate that first premise of the argument.
The purpose here is to show that if Christianity is true, then a lot of good things we all want are also true.
I take it for granted that these 10 things are desirable to us, meaning that I think these are natural desires grounded in human nature. If someone says they do not desire one of these things, I assume they are not being intellectually honest, like a man who says he does not like to eat delicious food or enjoy sexual pleasure. If a discussion is going to be productive, all parties have to be honest.
Note: Many of these reasons might be considered just corollaries of some other reason and so not all 10 reasons are necessarily independent. That is ok however, since making things that are implicit, explicit can still be a powerful motive for the mind.
10 Reasons Everyone Should Want Christianity To Be True
1 - If Christianity Is True, Then You And Your Loved Ones Never Really Die
One of the greatest pains we have to go through in this life is the loss of a loved one. And this will always hurt, no matter who you are.
But the Bible says this:
“Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him." - 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14
If Christianity is true then we don’t have to grieve like there is no hope.
God can give us eternal life.
So we don’t really die.
And neither do our loved ones.
And this is something we all want.
2 - If Christianity Is True, Perfect Happiness Is Possible And Within Your Control
The classical definition of happiness is the satisfaction of desires. As human beings, we all have a natural desire for happiness. Everything we do is motivated, ultimately, because we think it will bring us happiness.
And when we fulfill our desires we do experience some happiness. But then it kind of goes away.
But when you think about it, that perfect happiness that we all want, by that I mean a complete and permanent satisfaction of all desires is not possible in this world.
But if Christianity is true then perfect happiness is both possible and within your control.
Perfect happiness comes from possessing God, who is the Ultimate and Infinite Good. He and He alone is able to satisfy ALL of our desires and once we gain eternal life with Him this perfect happiness can never be lost.
Not only that, unlike lesser kinds of happiness in this world, GAINING THIS PERFECT HAPPINESS IS 100% IN YOUR CONTROL.
The Bible says in 1 Tim 2: 3-4; “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, Who will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
So, if Christianity is true, PERFECT HAPPINESS IS POSSIBLE AND WITHIN OUR CONTROL
And this is something we all want.
3 - If Christianity is true, all pain and negative emotions will be eliminated forever
This is a corollary of perfect happiness but its important to mention it explicitly to better understand what perfect happiness means, and that we can benefit from it now during times of suffering in this life knowing that NO PAIN IN THIS LIFE IS PERMANENT.
Let me say that again.
If Christianity is true, ALL PAIN AND SUFFERING IS TEMPORARY.
Christ says in the third Beatitude – “Blessed are they who mourn: for they shall be comforted.”
And also the book of Revelation says “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes…” Rev 21:4
For those who love God, we are talking about complete absence and wiping out of ALL negative feelings and emotions: pain, worry, sadness, anxiety, fear, etc.
These things will be eliminated from your mind forever.
And this is something we all want.
4 - If Christianity is true, then knowing perfect truth is possible
The Greek philosopher Aristotle observed that man by nature desires to know. It is in our very nature to desire truth. As rational beings, We naturally wonder and want to know things. And we want to know as much as we can.
But of course, there is a very big gap between the desire for all knowledge to its realization. You need a lot of free time (leisure). Also, studying is hard work and fatiguing.
But if Christianity is true we can see God in the Beatific Vision. God is the source of being and all truth.
Aquinas says "for perfect happiness the intellect needs to reach the very Essence of the First Cause. And thus it will have its perfection through union with God as with that object, in which alone man's happiness consists" (S.T. II-II.3.8)
So if Christianity is true, we can come to know all things and fulfill that natural desire for knowledge.
In fact, our intellects can be perfectly satisfied.
And this is something we all want.
5 - If Christianity is true then morality is real
What I mean here is that there is a moral law that comes from God. We are obligated, by God, to do good and avoid evil.
The moral law is objective, it is not subject to human opinion.
There are real rights and duties.
Also, there is perfect justice which means that no good act goes unrewarded and no evil act escapes punishment. (Now unjust people, of course, may not want perfect justice for themselves, but they probably want it for others.)
In other words, as we say in philosophy, moral realism is true.
This rescues us from moral nihilism – the idea that morality does not exist at all.
So if Christianity is true then morality is real.
And this is something we all want.
6 - If Christianity is true then human dignity is real
We all have this idea that human beings have special value. And that is an important concept when we are talking about say the foundation of human rights.
If you think that humans have rights and other things like mosquitoes don’t, then you believe in human value to some degree.
But what is the basis of human value? On say atheism, there is nothing really special a out humans. We are just accidental byproducts of a chancy universe.
But if Christianity is true then we do have a foundation for human dignity.
On Christianity, human beings are created in the image of God.
In the created order that means humans are like God in their powers of intellect and will.
But also in the order of grace, a person can receive a supernatural grace and become more like God, the source of all value and dignity.
So, if Christianity is true then human beings have real value, both a natural and supernatural-based dignity.
And human dignity is something we all want.
7 - If Christianity is true then God loves you
Unlike the gods of most other religions, the God of Christianity is not indifferent to us.
Jesus taught us to call God Father, or “Abba” which is a term of close endearment.
And He taught us that our God is a God of Love who loves you.
That is an incredible thought and teaching. We should not let familiarity with that idea let us forget how amazing that idea is.
The creator of the entire universe, all things visible and invisible, loves you.
This is the doctrine of divine filiation – that you and I can be a child of God. This is a source of comfort in times of trial. I am a beloved child of God!
This is true even when you sin. In the parable of the Prodigal son, the father (who stands for God) waits in loving patience for his lost sinning child to return home. And when he does the father greets him with open arms.
If Christianity is true, then God truly loves you, and this should give you a powerful sense of peace of mind.
And this is something we all want.
8 - If Christianity is true then your life has a purpose, value, and meaning
Studies on happiness show that one of the important elements people desire is to have a sense of meaning or purpose in life.
Now we can all make up a meaning or purpose for our life, but that doesn’t satisfy a lot of us for long. Anyone can make up a subjective purpose and that can have value.
But I think the deeper thing we want is an objective purpose. Not one we just make up. But a real reason why I am here.
What is the real purpose of my life?
But if Christianity is true then your life does have a real objective purpose.
You are here for a reason.
Your life is not meaningless.
And this is something we all want.
9 - If Christianity is true then the entire created universe is governed by God’s providential plan
It is a very comforting idea to think that the entire universe in every detail is governed by God’s providence.
That means when we look at the world through the eyes of faith, all of the lower “secondary” causes, namely everything that happens in the world, is under the control and plan of an all-powerful, all-loving God who sees all and knows all.
This means that nothing happens without His will or at least permission.
This can give us comfort and a reason for hope during times of suffering and uncertainty.
And this is something we all want.
10 - If Christianity is true, you have permanent reasons to be happy and optimistic in this world, no matter what happens
Studies show that having a positive outlook on life is important. But this requires stable goods, goods that we can count on to always be there.
But no goods of this world are like that.
Even if, that is, if you attain goods of this world like money, relationships, security, health, and so on, those things can be wiped out at any moment.
You have no control over this.
Take your health for example. Your health can take a nosedive at any time. You eat healthy, you are into wellness, etc., and then you have a car wreck. Or some thug sticks a knife in your stomach. Now you have health problems.
But if Christianity is true, then you have permanent reasons to be happy and optimistic in this world, no matter what happens.
No matter what happens to your wealth, relationships, health or whatever.
God never changes.
God still loves you.
Salvation and perfect happiness are still real and possible.
And this is something we all want
Summary
The purpose of this lesson was to prove that the first premise in the MAC (Master Argument For Christianity) is true: If Christianity is true then a lot of good things we all want are also true.
We looked at ten reasons to think that this claim is true.
If Christianity is true then…
- You and your loved ones never really die
- Perfect happiness is possible and within your control
- All pain and negative emotions will be eliminated forever
- Knowing perfect truth is possible
- Morality is real
- Human dignity is real
- God loves you
- Your life has a purpose, value, and meaning
- The entire created universe is governed by God’s providential plan
- You have permanent reasons to be happy and optimistic in this world, no matter what happens
This by itself does not show that Christianity is true, but it doesn’t attempt to do that.
Rather what it shows is that Christianity is good, that is, deep down we all want these good things that Christianity, if true, would provide.
In other words, in this sense, apart from things like sinful desires, we all want Christianity to be true.
In the next video, we will look at 10 reasons to think it is true.
