Autologous Man

I recently read an article by Michael Tsarion entitled the Age of Revealing. From what I make of it, he is building the case for autologous man. Self-reliance. Self-awareness. I think that it is deceptive in its argument for self-discovery. It is appealing to rational man's desire to be His own god. That if we could truly understand our own depths we would find all the truth we desire. This is simply not true, and someone who claims that they believe in some form of deity should understand it to be false. If there is a creator, then man alone cannot find all he seeks in his own thought. However, the bible teaches that the Holy Spirit resides within those who have accepted His promise. Therefore, those who have been enlightened in this way can look within for answers. Not because the man himself has answers, but because the creator resides within him.

This statement from the article, "Every faculty we possess is ours alone, and so is the intellectual understanding we gain through life." That is totally contrary to scripture. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." Colossians 1:16-17 "For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities;all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." We can't, while present on this earth, fully comprehend what is. 1 Corinthians 13:12 "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known."

If the focus in one's life is on the self (autonomous man) or humans in general (humanism), life will be disappointing. Life that is focused on the self leads to depression. Even if your focus is on your own self, your self-awareness, or self-improvement, or self-achievement, you will always be disappointed. You will never live up to the ideals you have for yourself. Romans 7:15, "For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate." C. S. Lewis reasons it this way, "These, then, are the two points I wanted to make. First, that human beings, all over the earth, have this curious idea that they ought to behave in a certain way, and cannot really get rid of it. Secondly, that they do not in fact behave in that way. They know the Law of Nature; they break it. These two facts are the foundation of all clear thinking about ourselves and the universe we live in."

Within the context of the Holy Spirit residing within you, introspection can be healthy and revealing, but self-introspection apart from Him has little value. Man is limited, Yahweh is not. However, introspection within the Holy Spirit does not mean loss of the individual, I actually think it provides greater self awareness, because one can then better understand his own soul. "If you want joy, power, peace, eternal life, you must get close to, or even into, the thing that has them." ~ C.S. mere christianity. Yahweh is that source. Man is not.