Introduction
While it is true that the fundamental task herein is to engage perusal of a summary of the book, Mind Siege: The Battle for Truth, the focus involves a summarization of the clash between Secular Humanism and biblical principles of morality played out on the American stage of life. Some would argue that the term ‘worldview’ only has to do with the fields of sociology, the political realm, theology, psychology, ethics, economics, and so on, other hold the position that Secular Humanism is indeed a religion just as much as the classic Christian philosophy is a worldview. Nevertheless, the book focuses on “three broad cultural trends,” as the companion Leadership Guide states written by the authors to expound on the theme, to explore “theological atheism, moral relativism, and political globalism” (p. 6). The overarching scope, to be fair, centers on Christian Biblical philosophy as a correct view of how humanity should conduct its affairs, and that such has its roots in early American history as a religious tradition, is discussed. The conflict between secular humanist philosophical views of the world do irrefutably clash with mainstream viewpoints today. The book is divided into four main sections. The expanded conversation and summary begins below.
Parts One & Two: The Conflict and the Situation
As aforementioned the book is neatly, and logically, divided into four key sections. Respectively they are: (1) Part One the Conflict, (2) Part Two the Situation, (3) Part Three the Truth, and (4) Part Four the Challenge. It would be remiss to neglect the fictional-style writing which opens the book. A fictionalized character, a man by the name of Bruce Van Horn in the highlight of the mini-allegory, attends a church meeting from which his pastor gets forcibly, physically hauled away by representatives of the powers-that-be for preaching biblical truth to his congregation. The authors’ point is that secular humanism has come to represent a draconian stance which eventually (and inevitably?) invade our lives to the point where Christian philosophy is outlawed, while the religion of all-pervasive skepticism against it drowns biblical-based principles and morality in the sea of a godless world. Anyway, the scene snaps back to reality and narrators LaHaye and Noebel explain that although the fiction character Bruce is not real, that the constantly present and encroaching evil upon our society comes in the form of secular humanism, and that it has taken over virtually every facet of life such as “government, the United Nations, television, and most of the other power centers of life” (LaHaye & Noebel, 2000, p. 35). The sector of people who believe in the Jesus Christ of the Bible, the authors argue, essentially is the last vestige the humanists wish to conquer – albeit crush – and by scoring it have disrespected the religious traditions of the Founding Fathers of the United States.
Part One: Distinctions
Part one of the book, as an introduction to how dangerous Secular Humanism is while being veiled and cloaked as something else, reminds readers of two things. First that the man-centered philosophy devoid of God’s admonitions, rode into the world on the back of the devil’s original lie. Secondly, that Secular Humanism has heralded all the progress of mankind’s society in the rubric of post-modernism (LaHaye & Noebel, 2000, p. 38). The purpose of the book’s message is reiterated for the aim of resurrecting a ‘wake-up’ call for Bible believing Christians to attending to being lights of righteousness in the world, and that the moral climate in our country would elevate to decency in the culture. The biblical mandate of course, for these two protocols is established upon Philippians 2:15, and Matthew 5:16 respectively which read in the King James Version: “That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world,” and “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Thus a distinction is made.
The so-deemed ‘science’ and naturalism of the Secularist Humanism view disdains the Bible message as unworthy of any serious logic, claiming that there is no rationally scientific basis for it. The Secular Humanism view assumes that its rationalism is grounded in the ‘truth’ of materialism. This basis plants the seeds of conflict, by comparing the wisdom of God to the wisdom of mankind. Wonderfully, the book discusses how incredible the brain is, recognizing it as “the most complex mechanism in the world,” capable of amazing feats beyond mere recognition of material or natural phenomena but rather additionally is capable of enabling the mind to “think, remember, love, hate, feel, reason, imagine, and analyze” (LaHaye & Noebel, 2000, p. 38). More than a sophisticated computer, the authors posit that although myriad scientists might argue over the extent to which we have conscious control over many traits that a certainty is we choose our philosophies of living – which entails how we act, think, as great influencers in intellect, will, and emotion. This is the context of the battle lines between Christian Philosophy and the Secular Humanism worldviews.
In this line of reasoning, an interesting caveat is made by LaHaye and Noebel. They argue that it is a myth human emotional feelings emerge from ‘nowhere’ as spontaneous flurries of expressions. Reasoning through their argument, the authors cite the factor that even medical doctors have documented that many illnesses spring from the conditions of the heart (emotions), in that anger, fear, and tension have led to diseases such as cardiac problems, strokes, and ulcers. Conversely, the Secular Humanism view only acknowledges what can be seen in the material world, designating all things natural as the basis for science.
Part Two: The Situation – God’s Wisdom or Man’s
Observing movements up through the twentieth century, LaHaye and Noebel point out that as early as the Mayflower’s arrival at Plymouth Rock the United States beginnings were steeped in principles of Christ and Christianity. So the idea the authors trace is how America had such a glorious biblical-believing past, which influenced areas of educational, governmental, and legal systems could have gone so wrong in its moral decay of decadence. Obviously at the time of the original writing of the text, the U.S. Supreme Court had not yet ruled the legality of homosexual marriages being honored by the state, at the federal level, simply to point out that what the authors condemn as toxic beliefs have become further divorced from the Christian worldview in the cultural transformation. An especially forthright confession of LaHaye and Noebel is of their deliberate intention to focus on the importance of understanding the historical heritage of both secular and Christian-based influences in our nation.
As time moved forward, it has probably become common knowledge when the phrase is tossed about mentioning the ‘Judeo-Christian’ ethic. In terms of the conflict between the two worldviews, LaHaye and Noebel discuss the Bible as a basis and guide for proper morality, and the term ‘Judeo-Christian’ ethic refers to Christian principles of moral conduct as well as the Jewish reference to their writings of ancient words in what is known as the ‘Old’ Testament. Both sets of writings and admonitions, based upon the holy commands of the Living God, had set forth certain precepts for living. The basic concept contrasts the two philosophies and highlights the fact that each are as diametrically opposed as the East is from West, in terms of radical distances in geographical parameters. Thus, the blame for the moral decay in American culture is cited as a gradual – yet unrelenting – infiltration and hijacking of the Christian standards for ethical behavior, and that these precepts had been rejected in every human sphere of life from the Secular Humanism point of view. The outcome, to coin a phrase of the proof being in the pudding, then, is that there are specific ways society has been affected and would be different had the standards of righteous conduct as outlined in Exodus Chapter 20 been adhered to. The famous passage in the Bible, most everyone will remember is note is the basic set of the Ten Commandments. The dictum includes such authoritative proclamations as:
You shall not murder (verse 13)
You shall not commit adultery (verse 14)
You shall not steal (verse 15)
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor (verse 16)
So these read from the New American Standard Version of the Biblical text.
Yet, ultimately, the problem is not as much as a dichotomy of the supposed scientific reason against the so-called blind faith of Christianity’s worldview. The bottom line, seemingly made by the authors, suggests that the most important thing in fighting against secularized humanism in society that Christians can do, is to make conscious pro-active decisions and efforts to be salt and light in the world. Humans are naturally fallible – because of this men and women are bound to sin, require God, and are in need of the Saviour who is Jesus Christ the Lord of all. The Christian worldview is rejected, based upon the claim that it ignores natural principles of science, yet for example, evolution may be viewed as nothing more than pseudo-science relying upon a string of illogical theoretic assumptions which cannot be proven. Thereby, Secular Humanism is referred to as just as much a ‘religion’ as the Christian worldview. Additionally, they have insisted America’s Christian influenced historical context must be examined to fully comprehend the rise of secularism throughout the society at every level.
Part Three/Four: The Truth & the Challenge
At this juncture, it is important to note that the inveterate author pair seem to be aware of the trap pointed out by others, as to the insidious free-labor system which was legalized, and condoned by the American system’s governance of economy. They recognize it as a ploy to detract from the reality of all the evils facing society today. Determined to stick to the main points of their theme, LaHaye and Noebel want their readers to consider all the societal problems such as drug/alcohol abuse, sexual immorality, criminal violence, environmental breakdown, terrorism, and governmental ineffectiveness. The very titles of chapters in this section of the book speak for themselves, like: Humanism is Unscientific, Humanism is a Religion, and Humanists Control America. Thus, the emphatic declaration is made that Secular Humanism is the culprit and is a threat which has five pillars of confrontation. Also, oddly enough one would do well to remember that the human figures in the Biblical text were not fictional characters – such as LaHaye and Noebel boldly used in the opening of their text – but Paul the Apostle, John the Baptist, and Christ Jesus Himself were all historical people referred to by non-religious (secular) historians and scholars of the day.
Paul the Apostle had admonished the hearers and readers of his epistles to pay attention to the deeper reality, of the real inward struggle which advocates that our true fight at the core is not against flesh and blood found in Ephesians 6:12. The connection and inference holds the implication that Christian attitudes in terms of morality in practice are scorned by the wider scope of society, and this factor leads true believers to bristle against the secularist humanist principles of curriculum biased thought. In other words, the rise of immorality and debauchery is repugnant to those who hold dear the Judeo-Christian ethic. As these notions of secularism have been publicly professed and adopted in a widespread scope, the authors give a warning of possibly never being able to calculate the insalubrious damages caused by its unceasing hatred against Christianity, which appears as a well-planned military attack from the darkest spiritual places, which manifest in the hearts of men to implement their Secular Humanist activities. Also, it is a rare refreshment for the authors to point out that government should have checks and balances, which ultimately stem from honoring God and striving to be obedient to His Word.
A Necessary Companion
Interestingly, the video companion to the book Mind Siege, takes time to conduct man on-the-street interviews to ask people whether Secular Humanism is dangerous. In the video podcast, companion presentation to the book, both authors breakdown the five humanist pillars, referring to the philosophy as a “clever game of semantics,” and “they use it constantly in their attempt to deceive the student” (“Mind Siege, five pillars,” 2010). Targeting the editor of Prometheus Books, Paul Kurtz writer of the Humanist Manifesto II, denies in the video companion that secularist humanism is a religion. He prefers to describe it as based on the “frontiers of sciences,” and says that the definition of human beings should derive from “genetics, biology, the social sciences, the behavioral sciences” as an advocacy claimed to be science, and not a religion (“Mind Siege, five pillars,” 2010). A careful analysis and evaluation had been discovered by LaHaye and Noebel in refutation of the flaws in humanism.
In the companion film, LaHaye identifies Secular Humanism definitely as a religion. In a mockery of the futility of secularism, it is also pointed out that the ‘humanists’ fail to come up with a definition of ‘religion’ that excludes their philosophy of secularist humanism. The man-centered belief system proclaims the five pillars of humanism as: (1) Atheism, (2) Evolution, (3) Amorality, (4) Autonomous man, and (5) Global socialism. The explanation offered by LaHaye and Noebel on the atheist secular pillar, is that the philosophy is not scientific, neither is their proof of their belief that God does not exist. Furthermore, they posit the fallacy in this pillar that all the intellectuals who claim atheism are mere philosophers of vanity, not scientists. Attacking evolution, the second pillar, is approached as one of silliest ideas which has no rationally sound or scientific basis for its acceptance. Given this pillar, the secular humanists expect people to automatically believe and accept that all physical and natural manifestations in the world to have appeared suddenly – out of nowhere – like, poof! And there is was.
The next tenet is that of amorality. Described by LaHaye and Noebel as when the person denies “a Bible-based morality and is completely without a conscience aware of God” (“Mind Siege, five pillars,” 2010). The pride of man comes into play particularly setting the tone of deciding to ignore any codes of ethics or morality. Examples cited are euthanasia, abortion, and all types of sexual promiscuity in all forms. The excuse given for amorality is that humans can be free to embrace self-expression at will. The problem comes in that man is not naturally righteous, with a natural bent to sin. Jeremiah 17:9 of the King James Version of the Bible asks, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: Who can know it?” Thus, in reality, according to the Christian worldview of thinking, these practices enslave people to disease, early deaths, and a hopelessness of despair. The autonomous position of man, as the fourth tenet of secular humanism, staunchly takes pride at the helm of men’s hearts. The common cry for people embracing this humanist philosophy would state: “I can do whatever I want, it is my body, and my life.” But what people fail to realize, is that the Biblical view has correctly predicted a one-to-one ratio that every person will die. So far, even the richest movie stars have not escaped death. The Bible reads that afterwards, comes the judgment. Global socialism is disdained by the authors as failures, citing China, the Eastern European bloc, Africa, Cuba, and Russia as a “detrimental way of life offers no motivation to individuals causing them to under-produce, and plunging them into a second-rate existence” (“Mind Siege, five pillars,” 2010). Brilliantly, to prove evidence as a test Noebel asks the audience how many people are clamoring to gain entrance into the United States, versus the number of Americans trying to permanently move to countries like Russia or China.
Moving along, these forces have been instigated by recognized figures throughout history such as Nietzsche, Marx, and Freud, each of whom contributed to the dominating beliefs of Secular Humanism. The point to be made is that the ensuing influences of these philosophes have tainted the mindsets of people, thus creating a battlefield for the mind. The choice is clearly designated. Choose God’s way, or man’s way devoid of any acknowledgement of God, and there is no gray area. Americans by the millions, according to the book’s authors who quoted George Barna, claim to be Christians, but look and act no differently from their secularist counterparts. While a mandate to participate in evangelism is encouraged, the authors also advocate being ‘salt’ and ‘light’ in the world by confronting politics with letter writing, voting, and to pray for America’s elected officials.
Conclusion
The Challenge of What You Can Do
The choice of which worldview you embrace will dictate the way you live. The utmost importance is that how a person commits to living, on this side of existence, will determine where he or she will spend eternity. Evangelism is highly esteemed, by LaHaye and Noebel, as an obligation and not an option. A Christian knowing the Biblical/Christian worldview is part of the imperative in 2 Timothy 2:15, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth,” from the King James Version. Tim LaHaye and David Noebel were courageous to write so boldly about the errors of Secular Humanism since its philosophy has permeated every aspect of human life in society. Many of the book reviews are harshly critical, condemning, and take a tone of despising ridicule. However, at the end of the day, truth is truth and the authors actually can be acknowledges as taking the heart of the gospel seriously by encouraging people to equip themselves in the war against humanism.
Personal Comments
The book’s perspective encroaches upon the ubiquitous nature of Secular Humanism. It seems to embody ideas that try to swim upstream, against the roaring tide of the dark days of evil in modern society. Certainly offering food for thought, nimble minds will be stimulated to seek out further study to investigate for him or herself. Eternity is too long to be wrong, no matter how unpopular true Christianity is in the world today.
B4 - Bibliography
References
Darkwaterhermit. (2010, December 28). Mind Siege, the five pillars of secular humanism, part 4 of 6. [Web video podcast comment]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugnio6rmJJA
LaHaye, T.F., & Noebel, D.A. (2000). Mind siege: The battle for truth. Nashville, TN: W Pub. Group.
LaHaye, T.F., & Noebel, D.A. (2001). Mind siege: A study in discerning the times. Nashville, TN: Word Pub
