Rationalism Defined

There is a cultic belief system that says that the human mind can generate knowledge without the benefit of observation or revelation. This belief system goes on to say that this internally generated "knowledge" is superior to observation or revelation. Those who will not believe in this supposed ability of the human mind are deemed anti-intellectual, if not insane. Webster's dictionary assigns the name, "rationalism," to this belief system.

"In theory, there isn't any difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is." Yogi Berra

God doesn't care about my opinion any more than He cares about yours.
God has His own opinion.

God doesn't need our ideas; God is full of ideas.
God demands obedience.
Br. D. Whitter

Dear Lord, we pray that you deliver those who think that the human mind has the ability to manufacture wisdom, knowledge, or understanding without the benefit of divine revelation or direct observation. We pray that our hearts be right, that we love the rationalists-even those who hate us. Anoint us as we pray for them who despitefully use us.

We pray that you help us, as Christians, to turn from our own fleshly tendency toward rationalizing the Scripture and getting off into speculative doctrines and extra-biblical heresy. We pray that Your Holy Spirit minister to the rationalists and cause them to turn toward You, Lord, Jesus. Open their closed minds, dear Lord. Let them turn to you that they may be washed totally clean from all their sins. We pray that You minister to the hearts of all rationalists and teach them of Your grace and mercy. Let them be humble and open-minded enough to accept the fact that they have no righteousness in themselves and they must depend on You for salvation and for revelation. Make real to them that You have paid the price and that they are able to receive You and be at peace with Your Father. Reveal to them the fact that there is no other way of salvation other than through Your holy blood, dear Jesus. Give them a soft heart and don't let them be so arrogant as to reject your free gift of salvation.

What is a cult?

You should also know that cults do not want to be identified as cults, and rationalism is no exception.

It is true that cultic rationalism, in addition to being followed in may anti-Christ organizations, is also followed in many churches and Christian organizations. Some of these have even become disconnected from the Head, Christ Jesus. Is your church one of them?

Through acceptance of rationalism, it's possible to accept as normal such ideas as perversion, promiscuity, global warming, the government as god, made up stories instead of the Bible, or evolution. The creatively generated "knowledge" of rationalism has made it possible for people to believe that there are errors in the Bible.

When the rationalists say, "science," they mean, "I made it up." When they say, "reason," they really mean, "I made it up." When they say, "logic," they really mean, "I just made it up."

This "I made it up" idea seems to be too simple, like a cheap magic trick. How could such a cheap trick fool so many people?" There are intelligent people who actually think that "I made it up" is proof. Intelligent people are fooled by rationalism. How could this be? (The obvious answer is, "Because they want to be fooled.") Sometimes, they realize that they are making it up as they go along, and sometimes they are just fooled--blinded by hidden presupposition. The reality is that rationalism is just lying.

You can't imagine data into existence no matter what kind of intellectual you imagine that you are. Yet, that is exactly the basis of rationalism. Rationalism is closely tied to the cult, liberalism, because liberalism requires many made up "facts" for its survival. Rationalism is also closely tied to the cult, evolutionism, for the same reason.

Rationalism, like many cults, is just a formalizing of what is already a natural human weakness. It's part of the human weakness to fill in the blanks and make assumptions. It's part of human weakness to be bound up by our own presuppositions, and to think that we are right in doing so. You will find rationalism in every organization, secular and religious. Christians need to turn from rationalism and turn to Christ.

Rationalism is the basis of many of the divisions within the Church. Rationalism caused the disorders of the inquisition and the crusades. Without rationalism, there would be no denominational Babylon as we see it today. It is the force that adds to and takes from the Scripture. It is behind every family and church disorder. It is a source of endless torment and suffering. See The Cult, Dogmatism.

Numbers 15:39... and that ye seek not after your own mind and your own ability to observe, with which you used to commit fornication:

Rom 8:7 because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the Law of God, neither indeed can it be.

Psalm 53:1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.

Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness to him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Proverbs 28:26 He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walks wisely, he shall be delivered.

Jeremiah 23:16 Thus says the LORD of hosts, Hearken not to the words of the prophets that prophesy to you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD. They say still to them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say to every one that walks after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.