End Time Beliefs
Revelation 2:1–7 (KJV)
Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; 2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: 3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. 4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. 5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. 6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Secular Humanism
Secular humanists believe that all religions were created by people. They consider people, rather than God, supreme in the universe. Their worldview seeks to push religious thought and life to the outer perimeter of human concerns—if not eliminate them altogether.
Secular humanism has usurped Christianity as the guiding social force in Western culture. It determines what is true in the areas of ethics, religious practices, social behavior, and modern science and psychology. Contributing secular humanist philosophies include the following.
Evolution. The belief that life came into existence accidentally through natural, random processes over immense periods of time without the aid of a Higher Being. There is no God.
Materialism. The belief that all of reality is material (matter). Nothing spiritual or nonmaterial exists. Immortal souls or spirits do not exist; no mind exists independent of the brain. Even our thoughts can be reduced to chemical and neurological processes. There is no God.
Naturalism. This philosophy asserts that the universe is all there is and ever was and that all within it operate according to eternal, universal, unchanging natural laws. All of reality can be understood in terms of natural processes. There are no supernatural beings or supernatural events such as miracles and answered prayer. There is no God.
Postmodernism. The traditional form of secular humanism is rapidly evolving—especially in academia—into a new worldview that rejects objective truth and reason. In postmodernism, absolute truth is non-existent. “Truth” is subjective in that it is directly related to one’s cultural beliefs and experiences.
Pluralism and relativism are the foundational presuppositions of postmodernism.[1]
Religious pluralism loudly condemns any form of “narrow-minded bigotry” that seeks to elevate one religion as supreme over any other.[2]
Polytheism Proliferated
Polytheism is an ancient religious practice that believes in the existence of numerous personal gods and goddesses. /[3]/
----
[1] Story, D. (1998). Christianity on the offense : Responding to the beliefs and assumptions of spiritual seekers (14–15). Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications.
[2] Story, D. (1998). Christianity on the offense : Responding to the beliefs and assumptions of spiritual seekers (15). Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications.
[3] Story, D. (1998). Christianity on the offense : Responding to the beliefs and assumptions of spiritual seekers (17). Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications.