"philosophy #3" Response

     Non-Naturalism, the opposite of Naturalism and the philosophy of Cosmic Humanism (the New Age), argues that everything is a part of God and in essence, spiritual. The things that we can see and feel are only a manifestation of spirit, and all matter will melt away when universal consciousness in achieved (Noebel 115). In other words, only the spiritual realm (in which everything in the Universe is One) exists, and the tangible, physical world is all an illusion. Essentially, it means that each one of us has a "God-force" within us. While Non-Naturalism may seem rather comforting to a lonely soul that feels disconnected from those around it, this philosophy is equally dangerous. That is, its absolute belief in the nonphysical world justifies one's abuse of the physical environment, or one's sinful actions within it, since the solid world is not actually "real". Further fundamental problems of Non-Naturalism are emphasized in the areas of truth, reality, and knowledge.
     If asked what truth is, the Non-Naturalist's response would be, "What do you think?" David Noebel explains Non-Naturalism's beliefs of truth: "When we get in touch with the God-force within, we can intuitively know truth without limits...Each of us creates our own truth according to the principle if it feels like truth to you, it is" (Noebel 114-115). The problem with the Non-Naturalist approach to truth goes back to its principle that each one of us is part of the great universal God/God-force. If each one of us is God, and therefore control truth according to what we believe it to be, then due to the individual nature of each person there will be no solid Truth. Even for the most basic rules, like simple mathematical principles such as "one plus one equals two", it just takes one  person who feels that it should equal ten to shake the foundations of mathematical knowledge (at least for that one person, since feelings create personal truth). Such a dangerous, illogical concept of truth threatens both stability and order in the world; if this is the price for attaining truth through godhood-consciousness, it would be absurd for anybody to either want the truth or achieve inner "God-ness".
     Ultimately, Non-Naturalistic reality is derived from the spiritual dimension alone. Therefore, all reality must be God, "from a grain of sand to the Milky Way" (Noebel 114); some even go so far as to claim the Gaia theory, that the entire universe is one living organism. If this is so, then by nature, every living organism is a parasite. Plants steal energy from the sun and the earth itself, while heterotrophs, like Man and animals, eat both plants and each other. How can God steal from and consume Himself without ceasing to exist? Worst of all (and rather ironically), because each of us are apparently God, we have nothing to look forward to but our own destruction. In addition, trying to force everything possible into the spiritual realm and godhood ultimately exposes the person doing so to be stooping to flawed human philosophy. He or she is trying to feel religious and mysterious, as if he or she has a special connection to something beyond the rest of the world. Ultimately, this attempt at feeling "guru-esque" is the Non-Naturalist's biggest self-esteem booster; if they can "feel the God", then they can come to the truth much faster than before. The Non-Naturalistic approach to truth leaves no foundation for genuine humanity; rather, it fools a person into losing his or her humanity in exchange for a misplaced sense of control in his or her own life.
     The Non-Naturalist sees knowledge as a continual progression into getting fully acquainted with one's higher self. Like truth, knowledge is an emotional, subjective experience rather than a solid set of reliable facts. In fact, "[k]nowledge does not contain the meaning of life" (Noebel 115). If this is true, then the purpose of knowledge, which is  (obviously) to know truthful ideas, becomes meaningless because of its constantly changing nature. Neither emotions nor experiences remain the same for long; how, then, can a Non-Naturalist hope to know anything for sure? If nothing can be relied upon permanently, especially by people who have a portion of "God-ness" inside them, then God, also, is permanently ignorant. Perhaps, such  a foundation-less approach to knowledge  is precisely what Jesus was referring to as the House on the Sand.
     Non-Naturalism takes the fundamental disciplines of truth, reality, and knowledge, and cuts the stable foundation away from each one of them. By reducing truth, reality and knowledge to subjective, emotional interpretations, Non-Naturalism renders human progress impossible because of its endless cycle of person-by-person disagreements and confusion. This also tears apart the Non-Naturalist concept of a Universal God. Since the term "universal" indicates a sense of obvious, accepted truth. The idea that each of us, who all make up one part of God at a time, have a constantly changing knowledge, shows that "God" has an incomplete understanding of the Universe He is supposed to keep alive and working. In conclusion, the over-spirituality of Non-Naturalism is no more fit to describe what the Universe is really like than is its opposite philosophy of Naturalism.