Does John 10:34 Support The Mormon Teaching That Men Can Become Gods?

          Mormons interpret the phrase "you are gods" in John 10:34, which cites Psalm 82:6, to mean that humans can become gods in the afterlife. This belief aligns with their doctrine of celestial marriage.

          However, Jesus Christ never stated, "You are able to become gods." The phrase, "You are gods," is written in the present tense. This interpretation creates an inconsistency within Mormon theology, as Mormons do not believe that humans currently living on earth are gods. Instead, Mormon doctrine teaches that humans can attain godhood after death, rather than in their earthly existence.

          Psalm 82 refers to human judges, divinely appointed but flawed, who would ultimately "die like men" (Psalm 82:7). In John 10, Christ used this reference to highlight the doctrinal errors of the Jewish teachers of His time. These errors mirrored those of the judges in Psalm 82. Jesus was openly critical of the scribes and Pharisees, often rebuking their teachings and behavior. He referred to them as "whitewashed tombs" (Matthew 23:27) and declared that their father was the devil (John 8:44).

          The Bible repeatedly emphasizes the uniqueness of God. Isaiah 43:10 states, "...before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me." Similarly, Isaiah 44:6-8 declares, "Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any." These passages affirm that humans cannot become gods in the afterlife. While Christians are promised perfected, glorified bodies in eternity, the truth remains that we cannot attain godhood. There is only one God, and none can compare to Him.

No Archaeological Evidence Supporting The Book Of Mormon

        The Church of Latter-day Saints, which is traditionally known as the Mormon Church, is notorious for its claims regarding a total apostasy. This world religion claims to be a restoration of lost spiritual truth. It is argued that Christianity drifted into a complete state of corruption and that biblical revelation has also been lost. The Mormon Church claims that Joseph Smith, its founder, had received special revelation from God in Palmyra, New York, to start a completely new religion to recover the original teachings of the Christian religion. This group claims that the Book of Mormon was translated by Joseph Smith from Golden Nephi Plates.

        There is abundant historical evidence for the ancient cities, rivers, nations, leaders, and events that are recorded in the Bible. This religious text accurately identifies ancient cities. It confirms the antiquity of different religious customs and ways of life. The original languages used in the process of recording the Bible into manuscript form were used in Israel and the Greco-Roman world for centuries (Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic). As for the text of the New Testament, it has thousands of manuscripts and fragments of manuscripts backing it up. Bible translations are not simply translations of translations, but are translated directly from the best manuscripts available. It is consistent with world history and does not contradict archaeological finds. 

        The Book of Mormon is rejected in toto by historians and archaeologists. Globally famous scientific research and educational institutions such as the Smithsonian Institute and the National Geographic Society have come to the conclusion that the Book of Mormon is essentially a worthless guide when it comes to archaeology. There is no evidence existing whatsoever for the cities, or even names found on inscriptions, to support the Book of Mormon. The material is simply the product of one's own imagination or forgery.

         The Book of Mormon has no standard to verify its accuracy because the “Angel Maroni” supposedly took the Golden Nephi Plates from the hands of Joseph Smith. Not only does the world not have the Golden Nephi Plates to examine, but the Book of Mormon also contains thousands of verbatim quotations, including translation errors, from the 1611 King James Version peppered throughout its pages. It has been estimated that 27,000 words have been reproduced from this translation and incorporated into the text of the Book of Mormon. How could this be when Mormonism claims that the entire text can be dated before A.D. 421? How does this process of translating "reformed Egyptian" into the English language appear identically as if one is translating Koine Greek to English?

        "...compare Isaiah, chapter 53 in the King James translation of the Bible with Mosiah, chapter 14, in the Book of Mormon. This reveals that the King James translation has been copied almost word for word. Also compare Matthew, chapter 6, verses 1 through 23, with the Photo-reproduction No. 11, of page 482 of the 1830 Edition of the Book of Mormon. Here the King James translation has been copied even using the word "which" for "who" which was perfectly proper at the time of the King James translation but not so in 1830 when the Book of Mormon was written. On this page 482 of the Original Edition the words, "Father which" occurs seven times, but in later editions of the Book of Mormon, but "which" has been changed to "who" (See 3 Nephi 13:1-18)." (Arthur Budvarson, The Book of Mormon: True or False?, p. 25)

        Furthermore, there have been approximately four thousand alterations to the Book of Mormon since it was originally published in A.D. 1830. Moreover, there is no known evidence for the language called "reformed Egyptian," which was the language that Joseph Smith supposedly translated from the Golden Nephi Plates into the Book of Mormon. This language remains completely hidden from Egyptologists. Any notion of ancient Hebrew people living on the ancient American continent is foreign to the pages of history.

         The earliest Christian writers after biblical times make no mention of any uniquely Mormon doctrines. One can read through the writings of early Christians such as Ignatius of Antioch, Clement, Eusebius, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Polycarp, and others only to find no mention of any peculiarly Mormon doctrines. We find no mention of any major articles of the Mormon faith such as polytheism, polygamy, celestial marriage, temple ceremonies, or any other distinctive. We do not even find an inkling of the coming of a complete apostasy of the church in the volumes of writings produced by the earliest Christians. If the Mormon Church today is the prototype of the original churches of the first century, then we should find mention of distinctly Mormon doctrines in every corner of the early church. But this is certainly not the case.

We Walk By Faith; Not By Sight

          "So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad." (2 Corinthians 5:6-10)

          In context, the Apostle Paul exhorts the church of Corinth to not be focused solely on the earthly aspects of life. He places greater emphasis on the things of the transcendent realm of God. We should not center our lives around worldly passions because the things of this world are fading away. It is to be our desired purpose to serve Him faithfully, no matter our station in life. That is what God wills and recognizes for our lives.

          The phrase "walking by faith" is a reference to how we should conduct ourselves while on earth. It describes how our lifestyles ought to be in Christ. When we walk by faith, we are considering the possible eternal consequences of our actions. Therefore, we look through a lens of faith into the future, things of which we cannot see or know.

          To walk by faith involves continually entertaining the things of God. Those who obey God are promised heavenly rewards. Those who reject Him and die in that state stand eternally condemned. To walk by faith requires acting against the corrupted whims of society. We live according to His moral precepts by grace. Christians need to focus on the unseen realities of this world, which would be God Himself and our eternal destinies. 

          The bema seat was an elevated platform in which victors in athletic contests would be rewarded with crowns. That imagery is used here in regard to Christians receiving commendation from Christ for their service to God. The true nature of ministerial work will be brought to light on that day. It will be shown for what it really is. Works done with selfish or impure motives will be cast aside. Such will not be grounds for being given praise by God.

Peace Is Perfection

          The promotion of peace in our world is a fight that takes place daily. However, human beings have an inherent tendency to act contrary to such principles by provoking others to anger and despair. As a result of our fallen nature, Jesus Christ became incarnate so that He could enter into this world to make the perfect, final propitiatory sacrifice to God for our deliverance from sin and its ensuing condemnation. It is for this reason that God has appointed members of His church to be ambassadors to spread the good news, followed by repentance and holy living. While some plant the seeds of conversion, others water to provide spiritual nourishment to the spiritually weak, and God is the one to cause growth. We can promote peace in this world by spreading the message of salvation to the lost and by revealing clemency to those who wrong us.

          Giving others an understanding of the character of the Lord Jesus Christ will stimulate their knowledge of Him as being the Prince of Peace. Christ taught us to love our neighbors as ourselves. He has also instructed Christians to love their enemies. We should emulate His example on the cross by giving up ourselves for other people who are in need. When we serve others, we are also serving Jesus Christ. The foundation of peace is mercy. The two concepts are inseparable. In fact, they presuppose the existence of each other. Peace and mercy spring forth from the fountain of love. In order to promote tranquility, we must always find ways to become reconciled as much as can possibly be done. We promote peace by preaching the gospel because its heart pumps on the Blood of Peace.

          We must be merciful as Christ instructed us to be, whether we be insulted by words or physically injured by enemies. Us repaying evil for evil never works because that sort of a response only results in further hatred, wrath, and bitterness. How can we thrive if there is a constant state of anarchy? Only through a state of peace can we see things in life clearly. It therefore helps us to maintain a sense of sanity and rationality. Life makes sense because of peace. Keeping the peace is one of the best things that we can do for ourselves and others. Further, we find true and lasting peace in Jesus Christ. He is merciful to us when we implore His mercy through our prayers. Mercy is an underlying component of peace. It is a built on the foundation of loving-kindness.

          Promoting peace is an essential aspect of Christian ministry. In fact, it is a necessary element for human survival. Consequently, it would be wise that we reflect on what ourselves we can do to promote a peaceful environment. We also need to know how to maintain a state of peace within ourselves and others. Further, we can do these things by preaching the gospel of everlasting life to lost sinners, reflecting on the moral principles taught therein, and by being merciful to those who work to harm us. Helping others to understand that Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace equips them with the knowledge necessary for growing the seeds of His teachings in minds that are inquisitive and open to receiving them. We must be merciful as Jesus Christ taught us to be, even if people continually work against our best interests.

Is Confession Of Sins To A Priest Biblical?

• Defining The Issues:

          -The Roman Catholic Church teaches that in order to obtain God's forgiveness of "mortal" sins, we must confess them to an ordained, ministerial priest (CCC # 980). In Catholic theology, this practice and water baptism are said to be necessary for the salvation of our souls (CCC # 1257, 2020). Roman Catholicism further maintains that Jesus Christ gave the twelve apostles the authority to absolve sins confessed to them. The primary biblical text cited to support this concept is John 20:23. 

          -The premise of this teaching is elaborated on by the claim that apostolic authority was passed on to successors (i.e. Roman Catholic bishops and priests of future generations) from the original apostles. Roman Catholics are required by the papacy to embrace the practice of confessing mortal sins to a priest, under penalty of anathema. The idea of confessing sins to an ordained priest is found in Eastern Orthodoxy, but the focus here is primarily the Roman Catholic Church.

• Confession To A Ministerial Priest Is Contrary To Biblical Teaching:

          -The New Testament Scriptures are silent about the church having an ordained ministerial priesthood. Never do we see the Greek word "hiereus," which is the Greek word for priest, filling in the role of any New Testament church offices. Instead, we are told that all Christians have been called to be priests (biblical references where that Greek word is used), who offer spiritual sacrifices to God under the High Priesthood of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:5-9; Revelation 1:6; 5:10). We serve God through the preaching of the gospel and living according to its principles.
          -In the Bible, we see that the confession of sin took place in the presence of the offended individuals (Matthew 3:6; 18:15-17; Mark 1:4-5; Acts 19:18-19; James 5:16). In the New Testament, confession of sin was never done privately, as in a Roman Catholic confessional. It was a public act for all members of the church to see and hear. Further, primitive Christians confessed their sins to another. In Scripture, we always see people praying directly to God for mercy without going before a priest (Psalm 32:5; Luke 18:13-14). 

• Do Matthew 16:19 And John 20:23 Affirm That We Must Confess Our Sins To A Priest Or That They Have Been Given Power To Forgive Them?:

          -These passages say nothing about the confession of sins. They say nothing about apostolic authority being passed on to future leaders of the Christian church in a line of successors. In the New Testament, we never see the apostles acting as if they had been given the authority to absolve sins. Matthew 16:19 and John 20:23 do not even limit the ability of "binding and loosing" or "forgiving and retaining sins" to the leaders of the church. The comments provided here are equally applicable to both passages.
          -The "keys" represent the authority to proclaim the salvation of converts and the condemnation of sinners (Luke 10:16). They are knowledge of the kingdom of God (Matthew 23:13; Luke 11:52). The door of salvation is opened to those who accept the message of the gospel, whereas the door of condemnation is opened to those who reject it (Acts 14:27; Romans 1:16). John 20:23 occurs within the context of the great commission (Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:14-18; Luke 24:45-49). It uses more judicial language for the idea of sending disciples into the world to declare the message of salvation.

          -In the Book of Acts, converts such as Paul and Cornelius received the gift of the Holy Spirit. They rejoiced as a result of hearing the proclamation of eternal salvation from sin. However, note that Jesus instructed the original disciples to shake the dust off their feet when they encountered cities who rejected them for preaching the gospel (Matthew 10:14-15; Mark 6:11; Acts 13:51). This is a perfect way of applying the principle of "loosing," or announcing the condemnation of sinners. Today, we serve as ambassadors for Christ by performing the ministry of reconciliation through the preaching of the gospel and conversion of perishing souls (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). Christians have been authorized to declare the terms of forgiveness as provided by the gospel.

• Sins Have Been Forgiven Or Have Already Been Forgiven?:

          -The Greek grammar of John 20:23 is notable. The first pair of verbs in this passage, "forgive" and "retain," are in the present tense. In the same verse, the second pair of verb phrases—"are forgiven" and "are retained"—are in the perfect tense, which typically indicates an action that has occurred in the past but has ongoing significance. This grammatical structure may suggest that God's response to a person's reaction to the gospel precedes any proclamation of that decision. The passage appears to express a declaration of what has already taken place in God's response to an individual's acceptance or rejection of the message of salvation. The verse could be understood as saying, "If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have already been (or 'shall have been') forgiven." In this sense, Jesus granted His disciples the authority to announce the forgiveness of those already justified in the sight of God, confirming through their proclamation what has been accomplished by God's work.

• Background Information On The Historical Development Of Auricular Confession:

          -The idea of auricular confession evolved over centuries, influenced by various cultural, theological, and pastoral needs. To declare that the Roman Catholic Church’s process of confession was “always understood” in a certain way neglects the evolution and flexibility present in the early Christian community. For example, St. Augustine’s confessions were personal reflections more than a template for communal practice, and his interpretations cannot be straightforwardly equated with modern sacramental confession.

          -The early Christians viewed confession as a public matter. It was specifically pertinent to grave sins against other people. Confession of sin could only be done once to an offended party. The early church did not see sins forgiven through a priest through judicial absolution when confessed. It was not until the end of the second to early third centuries that we begin to see penances being introduced into the Christian church as a means of obtaining forgiveness of sins from God. 

          -The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that the concept of confessing sins privately to a priest did not begin in the Western church until the seventh or eight centuries: "…During the seventh century Irish missionaries, inspired by the Eastern monastic tradition, took to continental Europe the “private” practice of penance, which does not require public and prolonged completion of penitential works before reconciliation with the Church. From that time on [i.e., from the seventh century], the sacrament has been performed in secret between penitent and priest. This new practice envisioned the possibility of repetition and so opened the way to a regular frequenting of this sacrament… " (CCC # 1447)

• The Words Of Church Historian J.N.D Kelly:

          -“With the dawn of the third century the rough outlines of a recognized penitential system were beginning to take shape. In spite of the ingenious arguments of certain scholars, there are still no signs of a sacrament of private penance (i.e. confession to a priest, followed by absolution and the imposition of a penance) such as Catholic Christendom knows to-day. The system which seems to have existed in the church at this time, and for centuries afterwards, was wholly public, involving confession, a period of penance and exclusion from communion, and formal absolution and restoration—the whole process being called exomologesis.” (“Early Christian Doctrines,” p. 216)

• Words From The New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia Online:

          -“Great difficulty is caused by varying terminology and practice during the lengthy time expanse under consideration. The word “penance” was used to designate both the entire sacramental procedure and the satisfaction performed by the penitent… Though confession was a necessary presupposition to reception of the Church’s sacramental Penance, it is not always certain what sort of confession was required… But to repeat, documents of the patristic period are difficult to interpret on this score, and unanimous agreement has not been reached among scholars."

• The Words Of Roman Catholic Priest S. B. Smith, D.D., In His “Notes on the Second Plenary Council of Baltimore” (October 7-21, 1866):

          -"Public confession was practiced during the first ages of the Church. Yet it was restricted generally to sins that were public, or at least publicly committed. Not infrequently, however, secret crimes and sins were openly avowed. This was a voluntary confession on the part of the penitent. However, public confession soon gave rise to various abuses, and was consequently abolished under Leo I., in 459.” (Chapter XVII, paragraph 52, #237, page 208)

A Discussion On The Morality Of Homosexuality

• A General Survey Of Biblical Teaching: 

          -The Levitical Law expressly forbade homosexuality and prescribed the sentence of death to those who partook in such actions (Leviticus 18:22-25). In fact, God destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah because of sexual immorality, which included homosexuality (Genesis 19:4-13). Interestingly, Jude describes this instance of divine judgment happening as a result of men going after "strange flesh" (Jude 5-8). The Apostle Peter described those same people as "lawless" (2 Peter 2:7-10). Thus, sexual sin is associated with apostasy in the New Testament. Paul warns that any person who practices homosexuality will be excluded from the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10; 1 Timothy 1:9-11). Homosexuality involves the reversal of a creation ordinance, and so degrades that which is sacred. It a form of idolatry that prioritizes personal desires above divine design, aligning with the worship of 'me, myself, and I' over God’s intended order for marriage.

• Homosexual Behavior Is Plagued With Problems:

          -Homosexuality is unnatural for us in that all are born heterosexual by bodily design. It is, therefore, not a matter of when we choose to have an orientation, but something fundamental to who we are. Further, homosexual unions do not result in the production of human life, which at least remains a possibility for heterosexual couples who utilize contraception. If homosexual behavior were to be practiced on a wide enough scale and for a long enough time, then a populace would be guaranteed to face self-extinction. Homosexuality, therefore, can be said to be, in a very real sense, destructive to life. Finally, such behavior carries with it risks of getting HIV, Syphilis, AIDS, and even abnormal personality changes. Even if methods of prevention or cure were successfully discovered for these conditions, that would only reinforce the notion that homosexuality is harmful. The ethical thing for Christians to do in that scenario would be to remain opposed to that way of living and continue in reaching out to such people with the gospel.

• What About Equal Rights?:

          -If the legalization of same-sex marriage means equal rights for members of the LGBTQ community, then why cannot there be equal rights for people who want more than one partner in marriage? If we redefine the concept of marriage to include two homosexual people, then why would it be wrong for us to also redefine marriage to include more than one person? The move to officially change the definition of marriage as being something other than a male and female union is unprecedented in history. Even societies like ancient Greece did not take matters this far, judging by available historical records. It would be incorrect to say they were opposed to homosexual practice. 

• Sex And Gender Are Different Things?:

          -Sex and gender have always been interchangeable terms. The only reason that they have been separated in our culture is to enable people to identify as something other than what they were at birth. The terms "male" and "female" were basic categories that were not intended to represent our views of reality, how one's brain is wired, or hormone levels. Those are determined by our chromosomes and genitalia.

• Interaction With The "Born Gay" Argument:

          -Homosexual desire is acted on, just as heterosexual desire is. It is in that way distinguished from our skin color, height, and gender, which are genetic traits. Those things are not behaviors. They exist independently of our thoughts and cannot be acted on.

          -Possible causes of homosexuality are environment, culture, and free will (i.e. genetic identity disorder, women getting abused by men, children getting abused by homosexuals, etc.). It involves a complex combination of factors. 

          -There is no credible evidence to rule out the claim that homosexuality can be caused by social issues: "LGBTs report childhood sexual abuse at 3x-8x the rate of heterosexuals. LGBTs have similar order of magnitude higher rates of substance abuse, suicide, mental illness and obesity (among lesbians). The failure to consider this possible causal relationship has lead to a widespread assumption that homosexuality is an inborn and immutable characteristic." Cramer, Clayton E., An Open Secret: Child Sexual Abuse as One Possible Cause of Homosexuality (July 10, 2015). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2629445 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2629445

          -"Of 327 homosexual and bisexual men participating in an ongoing cohort study pertaining to risk factors for HIV infection who completed a survey regarding history of sexual abuse, 116 (35.5%) reported being sexually abused as children. Those abused were more likely to have more lifetime male partners, to report more childhood stress, to have lied in the past in order to have sex, and to have had unprotected receptive anal intercourse in the past 6 months (odds ratio 2.13; 95% confidence interval 1.15-3.95). Sexual abuse remained a significant predictor of unprotected receptive anal intercourse in a logistic model adjusting for potential confounding variables." Lenderking WR, Wold C, Mayer KH, Goldstein R, Losina E, Seage GR 3rd. Childhood sexual abuse among homosexual men. Prevalence and association with unsafe sex. J Gen Intern Med. 1997 Apr;12(4):250-3. doi: 10.1046/j.1525-1497.1997.012004250.x. PMID: 9127231; PMCID: PMC1497098.
          -Even assuming that genetics can influence homosexual behavior, being born with the potential to act in a certain manner in no way provides justification for any behavioral patterns. There is no genetic excuse for homosexuality, anymore than there is a genetic excuse for theft or lying. Note that the Apostle Paul himself placed all these acts in the category of sin (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). The moral standard reflected here is that of the Old and New Testaments, not public opinion, which is not reliable because it is always changing.

          -These tendencies, whether they are genetic or not, cannot simply be justified on the grounds of being born with proclivities for them. Human nature is the breeding ground for all sorts of atrocities. The presence of temptation in our hearts is not sin, but acting on such is. God forgives those who repent of their homosexual sin, just as He would forgive repentant thieves, adulterers, murderers, or anyone else (1 Corinthians 6:11). People who struggle with homosexuality are not without hope of redemption, but they may need ongoing counseling assistance.

• Refuting Attempts To Justify Homosexuality By Appeals To Nature: 

          -Just because animals do senseless things to each other, does not mean that human beings ought to follow suit. We should actually be able to rise above that of the life of beasts. The following behaviors have also been observed among various animal species: 1.) Raping other animals, 2.) Eating their young when threatened, 3.) Eating their sex partner, 4.) Injuring sex partners, and 5.) Having intercourse with their own offspring. If this means anything at all, then it would only be that homosexuality is brutish behavior. It represents the absence of culture. Christians, like the Jews of old, are called by God to reject pagan notions that are not pleasing to Him.

Demonstrating His Love For Sinners

                                   Christ died on the cross because of His love,

                                   He ascended into heaven above.

                                   We spread His love by the words we preach,

                                   So others know it is not out of reach.

                                   We demonstrate God’s love through our good action,

                                    So more join Love’s magnetic attraction.

                                    We show love though generous deed,

                                     So that putrid sin will therefore impede.

Is Faith Irrational? (A Refutation Of Scientism)

• Introduction:

          -Atheists commonly portray Christians as establishing their beliefs on an empty shell of faith. It is claimed that religious people base their beliefs on superstitions or personal hunches. Religion is made out by atheists to be a mere coping mechanism. Many of them reject the validity of anything that cannot be tested or proven in a laboratory. People who subscribe to this view, known as scientism, automatically deem the supernatural realm to be nonexistent because it transcends the scope of the study of the natural world. A tendency of atheists is to automatically rule out the possibility of truth in anything miraculous because they subscribe to naturalism, which is the philosophy that nothing exists beyond the material world.

• The Inherent Inconsistency Of Scientism: 

          -It is unreasonable to dismiss any given idea (i.e. the miraculous) as being false when there is no scientific basis for establishing such a denial. Thus, people who subscribe to scientism (including famous proponents such as Richard Dawkins) are being inconsistent with their own ideological framework. Those who hold to this view are not making a verdict in accordance with established fact, which is how they claim to operate.

• Misrepresenting The Concept Of Biblical Faith To Advance An Argument:

          -Biblical faith is not simply a mental conviction that is founded without evidence or equivalent to blindly accepting ideas as true. It is not a form of wishful thinking. If biblical faith were any of these things, then God never would have sent prophets who foretold future events or take on human flesh and perform miracles for people. These are things which can be seen, heard, and felt. Our faith must be tested or proven (1 Thessalonians 5:21). Thus, biblical faith is not at odds with scientific investigation. It is based on what we know to be true and reasonable. What Christians argue against is a "science only" worldview, not science itself.

• Scientism Is An Unworkable Philosophy:

          -It is impossible to examine the truth of everything that we encounter on a daily basis. Our lives are simply too short to test the validity of everything that we may have learned, whether we obtained knowledge from experience or education. To doubt the truth behind everything would inevitably result in infinite regression. Asking ourselves how we know that things we see or hear are true past the point at which they can be broken down to their simplest forms renders truth unattainable to human reason. This only goes to show the interplay of faith in daily life. Human beings inescapably possess a degree of it in something or something else. Do atheists have faith in their own existence?

• The Limits Of Scientific Investigation Undermine Scientism:

          -Let us consider for a moment some of the essential features of human life. We have free will. We have conscience. We have rationality. We have intellect. We acknowledge the existence of moral truths. We know that human life has intrinsic value. We yearn for an ultimate purpose in life. Mathematics consists of several infallible formulas, proofs, and theorems. Universals, propositions, and possible worlds are examples of abstract realities. There are principles of beauty and artistic innovation, which are known as aesthetics. The universe came into being for a reason. Physical constants have a fine-tuning. Scientific laws themselves are based on foundational, yet empirically unverifiable, assumptions. If scientism is true, then all of the aforementioned ideas must be rejected as false because they cannot be verified by the scientific method. In fact, science itself would be self-refuting.