As I have read and analyzed the messages of the two utopian, or rather anti-utopian novels, Brave New World by Alduous Huxley and Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, I did not originally view these two works as being truly prophetic in their bleak depictions of futuristic societies. Extreme technological advancements, obliteration of history and religion, large scale deception of the masses, and vaporization of those who rebel—it all seemed a bit far fetched to me. As I explored these novels, I did not realize that the authors who penned them were not only giving a general warning about the encroaching power of government, but were making distinct and exact predictions of what our world will look like a few centuries down the road—if our course is not changed. It was a comparative article titled ‘Conclusion: The Two Futures A.F. 632 and 1984,’ that provided me with valuable insight into the minds of these authors and their beliefs about government in our world of the future. I was astounded to find that these novels actually represent the author’s genuine beliefs for the future. It caused me to reflect on my own beliefs for a worst case futuristic scenario. It didn’t take long before the term “End Times” came to mind, referring to the Christian eschatological prophecies and beliefs (aka. What Christians believe life will be like at the end of time). I could not help but find countless similarities between the predictions of Huxley and Orwell, and those of the Bible. Some of the closest similarities include extreme technological advancements, obliteration of history and religion, large scale deception of the masses and vaporization of those who rebel. Hmmmmmm, who’d of thunk?
Christian eschatology has been long studied and interpreted in many ways over the years, yet nearly every Christian will agree on many fundamental beliefs for end time prophecies. One of these fundamental prophecies predicts that as the “last days” draw near, human kind will experience an incredible growth of knowledge and technology in a short time (Daniel 12:4). Just as the ruling governments of Oceana and the World State rely heavily upon technology to allow them to maintain control of the governed, many Christians feel that the evil government that will reign in the end times will only exist in a modernized world that has experienced an immense increase in knowledge.
The Biblical prophetic books also go to great extent to speak of a final dictatorial leader who will rise to power in the end times. He is often referred to as “the Beast” or the “Anti-Christ by Christians.” This deceptive and power hungry figurehead is largely comparable to the “Big Brother” of Nineteen Eighty-Four. It is written that he will lead an unstoppable regime that will abolish all who oppose it (Daniel 7:23, Revelation 13). It is also said that the arrival of the Anti-Christ in the end times can not take place until “the time of rebellion comes” (2 Thessalonians 2:3). This description of a rebellion immediately brought to mind the Huxleyan prediction of an “ultimate revolution,” which he believes will be a precursor to his futuristic society. Huxley seemed to agree with the biblical prediction that there must be some type of a political rebellion in order for such a society to become reality.
Huxley and Orwell both seem to agree that their futuristic societies will bring with them an incredible deception of the masses and a denial of the “whole truth.” Yet again, I discovered that Biblical prophecy concurs. The book of Daniel states that the Anti-Christ will have every intention of changing the established times and the laws (Daniel 7:25). It also describes him as being one who will “hurl truth to the ground.” Perhaps this abolishment of truth is close akin to the removing or rewriting of history that Huxley and Orwell guess will become reality in their futuristic governments. It is fact that all three books predict that their future governments will be masters of deception who will lead the majority of the masses to trust their faulty messages and resultantly subject themselves to dictatorial rule:
“The arrival of the lawless one will be by Satan’s working with all kinds of miracles and signs and false wonder, and with every kind of evil deception directed against those who are perishing, because they found no place in their hearts for the truth so as to be saved.” (II Thessalonians 2: 9-12)
But what will happen to that small minority who realize the deception and choose to rebel. These are the Hemholtzs, the Savages, the Bernards, Leninas, Winstons, and Julias of these futuristic societies. The Bible uses the term, the remnant—those who continue to remember the “whole truth” and who refuse to accept deception. All who have read 1984 and Brave New World know without question what happens to the rebellious remnant. They are suppressed, exiled, disposed of and forgotten. They are ultimately vaporized. Similarly, Christian eschatology affirms that even the men and women of truth who will live in the end times will be defeated by the power of the Anti-Christ—at first. Yet here is where I finally found my first clear divergence of the Biblical prediction from those of Orwell and Huxley. The two modern authors most likely did not allow for a happy ending in order to motivate their audience to take action to prevent such a future from becoming reality. The Bible, having an entirely different purpose and audience, does promise an ultimate victory in the end to those who stand firm. While it does not promise that the road will be easy, it does assure an ultimate victory for that which is true, good, and righteous. At last, someone will finally dare to proclaim that those who rebel will not be forgotten, but will finally find the truth that they seek. I am glad that is God is the someone making that prediction. Aren’t you?
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Thursday, April 10, 2008
I Have Faith
In a recent conversation, I was discussing the conflict between faith and reason with a friend. The following quote was brought to my attention: “Faith is the crucifixion of reason.” I, being a person of devout faith, found that quote to be quite fascinating. It is truly an absolute statement to be make, although it does hold truth on many levels. It begs the question; can faith and reason truly coexist in one’s life? For me, however, the more appropriate question may be can you have one without the other? While faith and reason are often thought of as polar opposites that compete for precedence in the life of the decision maker, it has been my conclusion that the decision maker can not function properly without the use of both.
Humans are not all knowing beings. We never have been, and we arguably never will be. It is simply impossible for our brains to completely and wholly comprehend the vast nature of our universe, though we may make our best attempts. In fact, we spend the first twelve years or more of our life in a vigorous effort to learn and gather all information possible, that we may be educated decision makers who work under the banner of logic and reason. Yet even after extensive education, there are still so many questions that remain unanswered. Indeed, some of the most educated people I know are the ones who will be the first to remind me that we never stop learning—simply because there is too much information to fathom. As Aristotle once said, “The more (knowledge) you own, the more you know you don't own.”
If we as human beings are simply unable to understand everything, then at some point in our decision making, we must make a leap of faith—a choice based on insufficient information. Just as the deist requires faith to believe in the existence of God, so too an atheist requires just as much faith to deny the existence of God. Both of these opposite parties simply do not have enough information to prove their beliefs to be correct, so both must have faith. No matter what your belief may be, faith is required on some level to truly and fully hold to it.
It was said once a long time ago that faith is “the assurance of things hoped for and the certainty of things not seen.” By that definition I would confess that I have an incredible amount of faith, and I’m sure that you do as well. We all have hopes and dreams that we believe in. Is it provable that those hopes will become reality? No. But we must have faith that they will. Without faith, all the reason in the world is literally useless, because our faulty human condition does not allow us to realistically know all. Logic and reason absolutely hold appropriate place in the life of any decision maker. Knowledge is undoubtedly necessary in order for the individual to make wise and accurate decisions. Yet still at some point, human knowledge is insufficient. The human race needs to admit it—we don’t know everything and we never will. We all need faith
Humans are not all knowing beings. We never have been, and we arguably never will be. It is simply impossible for our brains to completely and wholly comprehend the vast nature of our universe, though we may make our best attempts. In fact, we spend the first twelve years or more of our life in a vigorous effort to learn and gather all information possible, that we may be educated decision makers who work under the banner of logic and reason. Yet even after extensive education, there are still so many questions that remain unanswered. Indeed, some of the most educated people I know are the ones who will be the first to remind me that we never stop learning—simply because there is too much information to fathom. As Aristotle once said, “The more (knowledge) you own, the more you know you don't own.”
If we as human beings are simply unable to understand everything, then at some point in our decision making, we must make a leap of faith—a choice based on insufficient information. Just as the deist requires faith to believe in the existence of God, so too an atheist requires just as much faith to deny the existence of God. Both of these opposite parties simply do not have enough information to prove their beliefs to be correct, so both must have faith. No matter what your belief may be, faith is required on some level to truly and fully hold to it.
It was said once a long time ago that faith is “the assurance of things hoped for and the certainty of things not seen.” By that definition I would confess that I have an incredible amount of faith, and I’m sure that you do as well. We all have hopes and dreams that we believe in. Is it provable that those hopes will become reality? No. But we must have faith that they will. Without faith, all the reason in the world is literally useless, because our faulty human condition does not allow us to realistically know all. Logic and reason absolutely hold appropriate place in the life of any decision maker. Knowledge is undoubtedly necessary in order for the individual to make wise and accurate decisions. Yet still at some point, human knowledge is insufficient. The human race needs to admit it—we don’t know everything and we never will. We all need faith
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