Relativism

[MisterE]

Relativism is self-defeating

There is a great presumption in relativism, in that it claims to know the ultimate truth without explaining from where this knowledge comes. In effect, the relativist does not believe that everyone is right, but rather that everyone is wrong – that the Christian is wrong for believing that Jesus is truly God and the Muslim is wrong for believing that Jesus was truly only a man. From where do relativists gain this macro-truth that discounts all other beliefs? For whenever relativists say, ‘Each person has their own truth – it’s all relative’, they are presuming to know a greater truth yet to be discovered by the vast majority. And they never stop to tell us how they know this.

Another major problem with relativism is one that Plato identified when his contemporary Protagoras first introduced the philosophy of relativism. Plato showed that relativism of the strict kind proposed by Protagoras refuted itself. As soon as you believe relativism to be True you prove that it isn’t, for at least one truth (the relativist philosophy) would then be universal, not relative. Or, as the English journalist and poet Steve Turner puts it:

We believe that that there is no absolute truth
Excepting the truth that there is no absolute truth.

 

[Carry_Your_Name]

Relativism is not just about morality and truth, it's also showing in bible interpretation, despite the fact that the bible interprets itself, no private interpretation is valid: "knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." (2 Pt. 1:20-21) There're some arrogant, egotistic and incorrigible folks out here who think they can arbitrarily determine which passages of God's word are "prescriptive" and which are "descriptive", translation, which portions they like and which they don't like, which portions are essential doctrines that all believers must adhere to, and which they consider irrelevant historical facts that have no bearings in modern day-to-day life, not even allegorical value.

 

[Dave...]

Hi Carry

I think the best way to understand relativism is that it's just a modern day term for idolatry. It's a lie that people want to believe so badly that they will even suppress the truth in unrighteousness and heap up for themselves false teachers who tell them what their itching ears want to hear.

Dave