Theistic Absurdism

Theistic absurdism is the natural intellectual result of all theism apart from special revelation from a deity--not that many theists throughout history have realized or acknowledged this.  The only possible solution to absurdism [1] is knowledge that a god alone can imbue life with objective meaning, yet absolute certainty that there is a god--and therefore that objective meaning and purpose can be ontologically grounded in something that does exist--does not in any way mean that we can know what that meaning is.  In fact, theism, apart from divine revelation other than natural theology, will inescapably lead to theistic absurdism. 

Absurdism does not deny meaning and morality; instead it holds that we cannot know what these things are due to inherent limitations in our epistemology and awareness, and that this ignorance makes life absurd.  Absurdism is not nihilism, as the former holds that we cannot know what is objectively meaningful, while nihilism denies that anything is meaningful at all.  And the former is where reason leads apart from divine revelation.

This is the natural end of life without special divine revelation in the form of something like the Bible or Quran.  Reason alone can prove the finite nature of the past and that therefore the universe began to exist and requires an external cause.  Reason alone can prove that there is no such thing as morality or justice or beauty or meaning unless a god exists.  Reason alone can prove that since there is an external uncaused cause of the material universe, morality and meaning can exist and be grounded in this cause if it is personal.  However, even knowing that objective morality, beauty, and meaning exist or could exist does nothing to tell me what specifics are contained in each category.  If I know good and evil exist, does that knowledge alone reveal to me what acts are evil and which are obligatory?  Does that inform me what wrongs should be punished as a crime by the state and what the just punishments are?  Does that tell me how to respond to an overwhelming ethical dilemma?  "No" is the sole legitimate answer to each of these questions.  If I know a god exists, does that mean this being loves me?  That doesn't logically follow.  Does this being necessarily wish to reveal itself more intimately to humans?  No.

Theism or deism alone will always be accompanied by skepticism about values if there is no additional revelation to communicate the specifics and generalities of the morality grounded in God.  Without specific divine revelation, we are only left with nothing but subjective perceptions regarding ethics, aesthetics, and existential significance, and thus we have no idea if our perceptions align with reality--and someone who desires certainty will despise this.  That is the inescapable end of the intellectually honest theist or absurdist who does have a basis for commitment to a particular religion.  Such a person is brought by logic to the admission that he or she does not know what good and evil are, what beauty and ugliness are, what is meaningful, what actions or goals have objective purpose, and what particular religious claims are correct.  This creates a vacuum of certainty and can destroy someone's will to live or discover further truths.

Terror, skepticism, ignorance, and subjectivity are what await anyone who is a mere theist.  This is an unpopular conclusion, but it follows with absolute logicality.  There is no actual basis for values in mere theism.  For values, something far more specific is necessary.  Of course, many people believe in ideas or concepts that give them hope even though they have no idea if those beliefs are true.  This is rationally unacceptable.  Though I am currently a rationalistic Christian, I've experienced the emptiness of a fitheistic blind faith and the despair of ordinary theism.  Neither can produce genuine hope constructed on knowledge and certainty.

The end of general theism is theistic absurdism.  Indeed, it is all that awaits us in the absence of more specific divine revelation.


[1].  http://thechristianrationalist.blogspot.com/2016/09/on-absurdism.html