EXISTENTIALISM

Existentialism is the name of a philosophical movement that began in Germany just before World War II. It attempts to probe the meaning of "human existence" apart from divine revelation and the restrictions thereof. It argues that man must never surrender his freedom to a set of rules or a religious code. Rather he must resolve the conflicts of life on his own terms. This decision to find himself, exert himself, and regulate himself -- as his own person -- is, supposedly, the result of God's unconditional acceptance of man. Allegedly this concept enables human beings to have the courage to be themselves. This ideology, which exudes from the very pores of modern society, manifests a total rejection of the authority of the Holy Scriptures. It reflects a vain attempt on the part of rebellious man to do that which is right in his own eyes (Judg. 21:25).