How We Acquire Knowledge

There are two kinds of knowledge

Objective Knowledge
Independant Knowledge which is based upon the actual characteristics of the thing known and which is independant of the thoughts, feelings, or opinions of the one acquiring knowledge.
Subjective Knowledge
Knowledge which results from the thoughts, feelings, or opinions which develop in the learner when confronted with a new piece of information, without consideration of the actual characteristics of the thing observed.

When two people walk into a room, one may feel chilly, while the other feels warm. This is subjective knowledge. A third person might look at the thermometer and announce that it is 70 degrees Farenheit. This is objective knowledge.

In the natural world, we acquire objective knowledge through observation and experimentation with external phenomena. We acquire subjective knowledge based upon our intuitions, our emotions and our biases.

However the Bible teaches that a knowledge of the will of God is not acquired by either of these two methods. How is a knowledge of the will of God acquired?

 

Sources of Religious Authority

Silence of Authority Prohibits

Other Religious Paradigms Distinguished from the Authority Paradigm

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