First, the basic meaning of the concept
Materialist theism holds that materialism and theism are not mutually incompatible, and this opposition may only be staged. On the one hand, people's understanding of nature is still limited, and human beings are far from understanding the whole picture of the macro universe and the micro world. Our understanding of nature is still at the relative "middle view" level, and some natural and material existence is doubted or denied by us because of its unique attributes that cannot be understood by us. On the other hand, due to the continuation of various religious traditions, theists tend to make "God" absolute, which is not only super-material, absolutely omnipotent, but even super-logical and super-rational.
Because of the opposition between materialism and theism, science and religion are often antagonistic. If not completely opposite, at least they are separated from each other. For example, in the study of the relationship between science and religion, some scholars divide it into antagonistic and non-antagonistic types, while others divide it into four types: conflict, independence, dialogue and integration [5]. The "fusion" relationship did not achieve the unity of religion and science. For example, in the integration of science and religion through deism or process theology, deism actually denies the existence of personality god and prefers materialism and atheism; Although process theology does not admit that the completely unchanging God is absolute control [6], it does not explain what God really is, and it seems to be just a novel force that injects things into development, so many people simply regard it as atheism.
If we no longer regard God as a spiritual existence that is absolutely beyond nature like traditional religion, but only as a special life form, as a part of nature, as a part of nature that we have not fully understood, and as a powerful living body with a certain material and energy foundation, then materialism and theism will no longer be able to oppose each other, and it is possible for science and religion to achieve unity (unity here, It mainly means that natural science may reasonably explain the existence of religious elements such as soul, gods and miracles, without involving the moral norms, codes of conduct and ritual settings advocated in specific religious teachings, because these are parallel to science and there is no conflict and unity).
Second, two premises are postulated.
Materialist theism requires two hypotheses. The first is that the structure of the system determines the function of the system, and the function depends on the structure of the system. Generally speaking, the complexity of system function is consistent with the complexity of its structure. The more complex the structure of a system, the more complex the functions it may have; If a system wants to have complex functions, it must have a complex structure. The advanced functions of the whole system cannot be explained by the isolated characteristics of its components. In particular, it should be emphasized that "under the same external environment, systems with the same structure must have the same function, and systems with similar structures also have similar functions".
The second postulate is that the real structure needs the support of the material carrier, and the abstract structure without the support of the material carrier will not have the function of the real structure. The house on the drawing can't live, and the car on the design can't exercise. This is a very simple truth.
With the above premise, we can infer that if the soul and God exist, it means that they show various functions, such as punishing evil and promoting good. If God exists without showing any definite function, it is no different from non-existence. God in deism is a god with no function, so whether he exists or not is the same. Since the soul and God must be functional, they must also have an internal structure, and only this structure can guarantee their functions. Since there is an internal structure, then the soul and God must have a material basis and a material carrier to maintain their structure.
Third, the substance that may constitute the soul and God.
First of all, let's think about what it would be like if there were substances that make up the soul and God. First, its density should be very small, because people or animals can't find bodies after death ... >; & gt
Question 2: I am a materialist theist. Can't I believe in God? Materialism is atheism, and matter determines thinking. First of all, you should ask yourself, do you really understand and believe in materialism? Secondly, do you really understand Christianity and believe in God?
Agnostics believe that the world itself is unknowable except for feelings or phenomena. It is a philosophical theory that the world denies the possibility of knowing the world or knowing it thoroughly. In his view, an agnostic refers to a person who doubts Christian theological dogma but rejects atheism, thus advocating putting aside the question of the existence of God.
If there really is an incredible God, his existence will not be appreciated by materialists or idealists, but may just be unknowable. Idealism is idealism, even God is his own idea, and the God in everyone's heart is not unified.
Question 3: Factionalism is based on materialistic philosophy, so it includes atheism, and any religion is theism in essence. Does that mean that your knowledge of materialism, theism, atheism and religion comes from school books?
"Atheism" has a specific meaning in the western context, especially denying the existence of a single true god who creates the world and dominates all life destiny. In this sense, Buddhism only determines whether this transcendence exists. According to Buddhism, the world and life are all caused by "origin" (karma comes into being and disappears, and there is nothing eternal and independent of other things), so the world and life are not created by a god (or Brahma), and their fate is also caused by their own "karma", not by external gods.
From this narrow perspective, Buddhism should be "atheism". Atheism here is to deny the only god who dominates and creates the world, not to deny the existence of some so-called "heaven and man" whose ability is stronger than that of ordinary human beings. According to Buddhism, Heaven and Man (God) are just a form of life, and in The six great divisions in the wheel of karma, they are influenced by the cycle of karma. In essence, it is no different from life forms such as man and beast and hungry ghosts in hell.
Key point: Atheism is a word with a specific meaning in the western context. We can't just think that atheism means denying the existence of all forces beyond human ability.
Supplement: In the western context, atheism is still a word of moral evaluation. Saying that someone is an atheist means that someone is morally corrupt. Because in the Christian world, people generally believe that morality is legislation promulgated by God, and people should abide by God's laws. But to deny the existence of God is to deny morality.
The word "religion" comes from the west. If the English word religion itself is used to explain, Buddhism cannot be regarded as a religion, because the meaning of religion includes the meaning of acknowledging the existence of God. Some people in the west don't think Buddhism is a religion because Buddhism doesn't recognize the existence of the creator. In the past, some Buddhist monks and Dade also held the same view, saying that Buddhism is not a religion. I don't think Buddhism is a "religion" defined by westerners, because Buddhism never recognizes the existence of God.
Question 4: Why are quite a few scientists theists rather than materialists? Can't scientific theory be equated with materialism? Science has its own scope of application.
Question 5: Why must * * * members be atheists or even materialists? Marxism-Leninism is a kind of political belief, and the belief is unique, so we can't believe this and that.
Question 6: From the social and economic point of view, adhere to materialism and analyze theism. The mass historical view holds that people are the creators of history, while the heroic historical view holds that individual heroes are the creators of history. The proletarian historical view is the mass historical view, and the bourgeois historical view is the heroic historical view. The fundamental difference between the two views of history lies in what the world is made of, matter or consciousness? Standing at the historical juncture, when making decisions, individual heroes will always fully understand their historical background and deeply analyze the advantages and disadvantages of all aspects before making correct decisions. It can be seen that the reason why individual heroes can influence the trend of history is the result of their correct understanding and application of realistic conditions, rather than the consciousness generated out of thin air. Realistic conditions belong to the material category and are created by the people. The greatness of individual heroes lies in their foresight, which belongs to the category of consciousness, but it must be based on matter. Thorough materialists adhere to the mass historical view, while thorough idealists adhere to the heroic historical view. It is extremely difficult for an incomplete materialist or idealist to give an accurate answer in the view of history. One of Lenin's greatest contributions is historical materialism and dialectical materialism, which accurately gives the historical materialism: the mass historical view.
Question 7: It is said that Marx believes in Christianity and is theistic. Is this contradictory to materialism? Not contradictory. A fundamental problem of Christianity is to explain the origin of the world, and materialism is the answer to this problem. It is another branch of Christianity, its opposition and realistic expression.
Question 8: What is the difference between theism and idealism? Theism:
As opposed to "atheism". The theory that supernatural gods exist outside the material world. It is the theoretical basis of all religious and theological theories. Generally, when clans and tribes were formed, the concept of God appeared. There were all kinds of gods in primitive society, and monotheism was formed in slavery society. With the emergence and formation of monotheistic religions (such as Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism and Christianity), religious philosophy came into being.
Idealism:
One of the two basic schools of philosophy against materialism. Advocate that spirit is the origin of the world, the world is the product or expression of spirit, and spirit determines matter; People's knowledge is innate, or it is produced in their own minds. There are two basic forms: subjective idealism and objective idealism.