Well, I kind of feel like I have made the big time. It appears that David Brensilver of The Daily Maul has tried to maul me. Basically, it is a blog post blasting me personally for holding a Christian worldview and for explaining some of the differences between a Christian view of reality and that of a Naturalist.
One thing he has accomplished is to provide another outside link to the MarketFaith Ministries website. That can’t help but improve our position on the search engines, and I want to thank Mr. Brensilver for the publicity. In fact, I want to repay the compliment by sharing with you the link to his article. You will find it at http://thedailymaul.com/?p=3738.
Obviously, his purpose in writing this piece is to put me down. However, all he has done is given one more very clear example of the implications of a Naturalistic worldview. What you will find below are the specific quotes from the article in which he affirms his Naturalistic worldview.
“Mr. Davis attempts unsuccessfully to demonize those who do not believe that we are entitled to hold dominion over other species, as well as those who do not believe that a woman’s right to choose is anyone’s business but hers.”
“The lives of humans are no more precious to me than those of other species — less precious, in fact. And I’ve supported a woman’s right to choose ever since I saw John Waters’ 1981 masterpiece, Polyester.”
“Mr. Davis, the “radical animal rights crowd,” as you so petulantly refer to it, is motivated to defend other species from those humans who are indeed much “worse than any other animal,” in terms of the above-mentioned entitlement.”
“Mr. Davis, would you please assign me to the gang whose members are looking forward to the extinction of mankind?”
Here are the specific points Mr. Brensilver has made about his worldview beliefs.
- Human beings are not made in the image of God (in fact, God does not even exist) and are not responsible as stewards of this world. This is, of course, a complete denial of the Christian view that God created human beings special and has revealed himself to mankind in the Bible.
- If a woman wants to kill her pre-born child, there is nothing morally wrong with it whatsoever.
- Other animals are superior to humanity. In fact, human beings are so bad that humanity ought to be exterminated from the face of the earth.
While Mr. Brensilver has made every attempt to demonize me, all he has really done is give another example of the implications of a Naturalistic worldview. Don’t feel sorry for him, though. He truly believes he is right and Christians are wrong about the structure of reality. He really does believe that God does not exist and feels sorry for the superstitious people who do. Because of his Naturalistic faith, he really does believe that there is nothing special about humanity. And because of his faith structure, he really does believe that human beings are a scourge to the earth.
Of course, he has nothing to base his beliefs on. His entire belief structure is pulled out of thin air. He can produce no empirical evidence to back up any of his statements (which, interestingly, is one of the demands of a Naturalistic approach). But that is the nature of worldview beliefs.
As Christians, we have to realize that there are many people out there who despise us for any of a number of reasons. Some because they don’t want to be held accountable for their personal morality. Some because they are running from God. Some because they have their own religious belief system which runs contrary to Christian beliefs. Regardless of the reason, it is important for us to know not only what we believe, but also why we believe it. Unlike Mr. Brensilver’s faith system, there is very profound evidence to support our Christian faith. By having this knowledge, it becomes possible for us to not only be confident in the truth of our faith, but also to effectively share it.
It seems to me you misunderstood Brensilver’s point of view. He’s not against Christianity- he’s against the arrogant version of Christianity that puts man above every other animal, puts people of faith above every other person, and puts Christians above all other religions. Love they neighbor, man – that means loving all animals and the natural world too. Says so in the scriptures.
Tom, thanks for your comment. But it seems to me that you are the one who has misunderstood Brensilver’s point of view. He is, without question a person who believes that animal life is, in his own words, more valuable than human beings. His is in no sense a Christian point of view.
From your comments, you seem to also think that way. The belief that man is not above other animals is not a Christian viewpoint. Where do you get the idea that loving one’s neighbor means loving the animals, too? Your approach to Scripture is simply not accurate.
I firmly believe that the Bible teaches for humanity to be good stewards of the planet – including animals. But both you and Mr. Brensilver have taken that to a point that goes beyond what the Bible teaches.