Is freethought a wrong thought according to Christianity?

Question

Freethought is a philosophical doctrine that holds that beliefs should be formed on the basis of science and logical principles and not be comprised by authority, tradition, or any other dogmatic or otherwise fallacious belief system that restricts logical reasoning.

My English teacher who is a fundie became angry when I gave a speech on freethought.

Answer 1

You're right - in the accademic sense the Christian viewpoint is that freethought is impossible. Philosophers such as Karl Barth (who was also a dogmatition) did a lot for Christian dogmatics in establishing that Christians start from a different starting point to atheist philosophers and it's silly to try to get around this.
The Christian view point is that our ability to reason etc come from the dogma that we are created beings and are made in the image of our creator (though Barth had considerable issues with saying we are in still in any true sense the image of God)

Volatair and other proponants of freethought were deists, and event the atheists had strong presuppositions about the morality of humanity and the external influences on it - even if it was only to say that we are all mini gods to the extent that we have the ability to reason (as Plato said).

Ironically Barth ended up as believing in a sort of Christo-freethought - all religion is as useless as eachother (as a mere human attempt to meet the Divine) but it is merely Christ that has any affect. He is "the way the truth and the life" (Jesus self identifying in John's gospel) so truth is not external to Christ - he defines it, and this is what we are to seek, unhindered by merely human traditions (even in religions)

Hope that makes sense
It's a complicated topic - I think you'd enjoy reading Barth though.

Sally

Answer 2

I think they have to coexist, because God gives us the ability to freely choose Him. God does not force anyone to follow any specific belief system and without free thought Eve would have never been tempted by the serpent in the garden. And concerning this phrase "Free thought...should be formed on the basis of science and logical principles"; I believe logic is a constant, something we are all born with and that has been here since the beginning of time. I believe that Adam and Eve, just as all humans, were given free thought and logic from the beginning. Without free thought, logic would not exist, without logic, science would not exist. Basically science is just man's version of how something came to be, but we must not forget about the most important quandary; how did man come to be? Our egos have us so wrapped up in figuring out the riddles of the universe, believing we have all of the answers, but the question of our origin is seldom talked about because it always leads back to religion (besides the big bang). Why we refuse to accept the oldest recorded history book (The Bible) is beyond me. Do we feel that someone made it all up? Can we not trust our ancestors to record historty just as we do? Noone ever questions other records of history (Greeks, Romans, Renaissance, etc.) but the Bible is always thrown under the bus when it comes to being a historical document. Sometimes the Truth is the hardest thing to believe, especially when the most powerful part of our being, the Ego, pushes us so violently against it.

Answer 3

I doubt freethought is wrong, but basing your thinking totally on science and logic is not necessarily right because somethings defy logic and science changes it's mind.

Well, is Pluto a planet or not? One day they may decide the Sun isn't a Star, because it doesn't meet some criteria!

How do you explain irrational numbers. Pi, for example. Infinity goes on forever and ever. How do you rationalize that! Something is infinite! Sounds religious! You just justified God, something that always is and always will be and goes on forever and ever.

How does that affect your freethought process.

Einstein said without religion science is lame and without science religion is blind. Hence, not taking religion and spirituality into account in your freethought is limiting your horizions and input of data.

Answer 4

Freethought brought me to Christ.

Is choosing to believe in Christ wrong according to science? If so, I have seen what both have to offer, and I choose Christ.

Religion is in harmony with science. The only problem is it had to be written for the people at the time to understand what was going on. You can't write about chemistry to a 5 year old and expect them to get it. But if you told them that bread as it ages grows mold and we use the mold to make medicine, they might get that.

You must realize that everything was written in the Bible from Gods perspective in a way men could understand. The earth being the center of the universe does not mean everything revolves around it, it just means in importance it is the center. Men of the time assumed this and God explaining the movement of the sun was almost poetic.

Twinkle Twinkle little star for instance a star doesn't blink but the changes in temperature on the surface and the movement of the fiery gasses create the illusion of twinkling from our perspective. Teach a child chemical and gravtiationally change over time, little star. lol. They will look at you like you are a nut. Both are correct one in terms of details the other in terms of perspective.

Answer 5

At the end of the 5thC BCE Socrates' and Plato's philosophies became human centered with less emphasis upon gods. Free-thinking was embraced and a conflict began between those who described the world in terms of myth and the supernatural, the theologi, and those that sought to account for it by natural causes, the physici. Philosophic enquiry rationalized mythology, it completed the destruction of the Homeric pantheon by placing the gods on trial

Answer 6

I could see how freethought could be interpreted as going against the 'laws' of Christianity, as Christianity was not formed on the basis of science. Freethought seems almost to undermine any religion [other than scientology] as all of them are based on pure faith, and not logical principles. If your teachers a Christian, I could see why she would get upset, but it's just an idea of philosophy....

Answer 7

The Christian Church has opposed freethought for a very long time.
Anyone that has ideas or views (Thoughts) that differ from the church is called a HERETIC!

For over 600 years being labveled a heretic was a death sentence!
Galileo was threatened with being burned alive for saying the earth revolved around the sun!

Answer 8

Is freethought a wrong thought according to Christianity?

No, quite the contrary, Christ himself admonished his apostles about having blind faith and simply trusting that is said to them. Christ was a freethinker.

That said, the so called Christian Right is not the same as Christ, either in its beliefs or its thinking.

Answer 9

Just because you define "Free thought" as science and logical doesn't make it so.
I have looked at creation through the eyes of science and still believe it! Ever hear of creation science? And I have looked at evolution and it is NOT logical, life from non life, life from a warm soup that came from nothing. This is NOT logical.

Creation is logical because our existence and the universe has design written all over it IE DNA.

The man Jesus was here, this is easily proven by non religious people, Pliny the Younger, Tacitus Josephus. Jesus was a man here with a following called Christians.
After viewing all the evidence, my verdict is God is real, he loves me and he gave his son to die for my sins.
†

Answer 10

What you call "free thought", is just what you have learnt from mankind. Mankind is not perfect and what one day is fact to him, tomorrow maybe foolishness. Science has proven my statement. Christianity basing its beliefs on the infallible Word of God, the Creator of all things, including science. So who is right and wrong here? I prefer to trust in God than man.