To be spiritually dead is to be diabolically alive
R. C. SproulRead
Without God man has no reference point to define himself. 20th century philosophy manifests the chaos of man seeking to understand himself as a creature with dignity while having no reference point for that dignity.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Without a divine reference, humans struggle to define their inherent dignity.
This quote by R. C. Sproul emphasizes the belief that a connection to God provides essential guidance in defining human identity and dignity. In the absence of this divine reference, individuals may experience confusion and chaos in their attempts to understand their self-worth and place in the universe, reflecting the philosophical turmoil prevalent in the 20th century.
Themes
ReferenceDignityIdentityChaosPhilosophyGod
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared during a philosophical discussion about the nature of identity.
More from R. C. Sproul
All quotes →I’ve often wondered where Jesus would apply His hastily made whip if He were to visit our culture. My guess is that it would not be money-changing tables in the temple that would feel His wrath, but the display racks in Christian bookstores.
R. C. SproulRead
The real crisis of worship today is not that the preaching is paltry or that it's too drafty in church. It is that people have no sense of the presence of God, and if they have no sense of His presence, how can they be moved to express the deepest feelings of their souls to honor, revere, worship, and glorify God?
R. C. SproulRead
We talk about predestination because the Bible talks about predestination. If we desire to build our theology on the Bible, we run head on into this concept. We soon discover that John Calvin did not invent it.
R. C. SproulRead
Without God man has no reference point to define himself.
R. C. SproulRead
I do not want to drive across a bridge designed by an engineer who believed the numbers in structural stress models are relative truths.
R. C. SproulRead
Similar quotes
Nothing can have as its destination anything other than its origin. The contrary idea, the idea of progress, is poison.
Simone WeilRead
Latter-day Saints are not obedient because they are compelled to be obedient. They are obedient because they know certain spiritual truths and have decided, as an expression of their own individual agency, to obey the commandments of God. . . . We are not obedient because we are blind, we are obedient because we can see
Boyd K. PackerRead
I was devastated when I got the review for my first book. The book came out a couple years before the women's movement broke through, and people were putting it down, asking, 'Why does the woman in this book need to get a divorce? Why can't she just shut up and be happy?'
Gail SheehyRead
A tomb now suffices him for whom the whole world was not sufficient.
Alexander The GreatRead
A Conspiracy of silence speaks louder than words.
John LennonRead
Truly thou art damned, like an ill-roasted egg, all on one side.
William ShakespeareRead