Category: Worldviews
Man is the measure of all things!
This declaration means that man determines what is true and what is not true. Man, not as mankind, but as each individual man. Each man measures what is true for him. This phrase could serve as the motto for America, but it was not written by an American. In fact, this statement was made four centuries before Christ by a Greek sophist named Protagoras. Nevertheless, the number of adherents of this worldview in his day is a drop in the bucket compared to today.
Today, we call this worldview relativism. It is the idea that there are no absolute truths; truth is determined by the individual. If I think that something is good and true, then for me it is. But for you it may be utterly false. For Christians, Jesus exists as Lord. For non-Christians, Jesus does not exist as Lord. Both are right, according to relativistic thinking. The relativist is willing to let Christians believe whatever we want to believe, as long as we don’t try to persuade anyone else to our way of thinking. Because everyone’s belief is equally true, we should not try to force others to accept our truth.
Relativism is absurd. For example, the Christian assertion that Jesus is Lord means that He is Lord of the universe. He is the Cosmic King. Now either Jesus is Lord of the universe or He is not. If not, my belief does not make Him the Cosmic King, even for me. And if so, someone else’s disbelief does not make Him cast Him from His throne. (The old adage about their being no atheists in foxholes would probably hold true for relativists.)
Furthermore, relativism is blasphemous. Jesus declared Himself to be the Truth. To say that truth is relative is to call Jesus a liar. Someday, unrepentant relativists will find out if God’s wrath is only true for those who believe in God’s wrath. Meanwhile, we should work to prove to as many people as possible the existence of Absolute Truth.