What Does The Phrase "Empty or Man-Made Philosophy based on Human Tradition," Mean?

[Uber Genius]

I keep running into the claim, "You're relying on human philosophy,"

          Or

 "human tradition,"

          Or

"Man-made philosophy"

followed by part of a scripture reference or two. Is philosophy wrong?

[Riverwalker]

2 hours ago, Uber Genius said:

I keep running into the claim, "You're relying on human philosophy,"

          Or

 "human tradition,"

          Or

"Man-made philosophy"

followed by part of a scripture reference or two. Is philosophy wrong?

It means that you are relying solely on what can be comprehended by Man and God is SO much more bigger than the narrow limits of our understanding. But you must only satisfy yourself with the experience of God, because we simply do not possess the tools to comprehend him.

If your tradition or philosophy is limited to the narrow confines of our comprehension and perception, you will never reach beyond yourself, to see God.

Its like trying to explain a rainbow to a blind man...you can get the idea across, but if he has never experienced color or light, he has no reference to understand it

Edited February 8, 2021 by Riverwalker

[Jayne]

Man-made doctrine, philosophy, creeds and more have one fault that cannot be corrected.  They cannot save anyone from hell and they cannot cleanse anyone from sin.

Only Jesus Christ can do that. Only the Bible contains the words of life  to save.

Sure, man-made doctrines can be clever,  or contain some truth, or even make great quotes.  But they do not lead people to Jesus Christ nor save them.

Man-made ideas of philosophy can any times exclude God and make man "the captain of his soul" as Henley puts  it. That is not what the Bible teaches.

 

[JohnD]

3 hours ago, Uber Genius said:

I keep running into the claim, "You're relying on human philosophy,"

          Or

 "human tradition,"

          Or

"Man-made philosophy"

followed by part of a scripture reference or two. Is philosophy wrong?

Isaiah 55:8 (NASB95)
8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.

Proverbs 14:12 (NASB95)
12 There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.

Mark 7:7 (NASB95)
7 ‘But in vain do they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’

Mark 7:13 (NASB95)
13 thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that.”

The overall point the Lord Jesus was making in this passage is the contrast between all things God and all things man. All things of man comes from the devil.

Observe:

Matthew 16:13–23 (NASB95)
13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”
15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17 And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
18 “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.
19 “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”
20 Then He warned the disciples that they should tell no one that He was the Christ.
21 From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day.
22 Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.”
23 But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”

The philosophy of short-sighted, mere mortal man...

who is satanically induced, opposition to God and his

truth, which nullifies God's word, and makes worship

of Jesus in vain...

What could go wrong?

[johnthebaptist]

4 hours ago, Uber Genius said:

I keep running into the claim, "You're relying on human philosophy,"

          Or

 "human tradition,"

          Or

"Man-made philosophy"

followed by part of a scripture reference or two. Is philosophy wrong?

The majority of people can believe something that isn't so. I think a majority of Christians can believe something that isn't so.

[Michael37]

7 hours ago, Uber Genius said:

I keep running into the claim, "You're relying on human philosophy,"

          Or

 "human tradition,"

          Or

"Man-made philosophy"

followed by part of a scripture reference or two. Is philosophy wrong?

Hi Uber, This was Paul's advice to the ekklesia at Colossae. . .

KJV Col 2:8  Beware lest any man spoil* you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

Berean Study Bible Col 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, which are based on human tradition and the spiritual forces of the world rather than on Christ. 9For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity dwells in bodily form. 10And you have been made complete in Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

It is not so much that we shouldn't acquaint ourselves with philosophies, but rather that we shouldn't be taken in by them, or be brainwashed into accepting them as preferable to the teachings of Christ and the Scriptures. In the OT, Israel was repeatedly warned against adopting the beliefs and practices of pagan nations. When Greek philosophy was introduced following the conquest of Judea by Greece it led to civil war and revolt against the captors.

Wkpd: The Maccabean Revolt

The Maccabean Revolt (Hebrew: מרד החשמונאים‎) was a Jewish rebellion, lasting from 167 to 160 BCE, led by the Maccabees against the Seleucid Empire and the Hellenistic influence on Jewish life.

 

Wkpd: Hellinisation  Hellenisation of Jews

The continuing Hellenization of Judea pitted traditional Jews against those who eagerly Hellenized.^[20] The latter felt that the former's orthodoxy held them back.^[21] Jews were divided both between those favoring Hellenization and those opposing it and over allegiance to the Ptolemies or Seleucids. In 175 BCE, conflict broke out between High Priest Onias III (who opposed Hellenisation and favoured the Ptolemies) and his son Jason (who favoured Hellenisation and the Seleucids). A period of political intrigue followed, with both Jason and Menelaus bribing the king to win the High Priesthood, and accusations of murder of competing contenders for the title. The result was a brief civil war. The Tobiads, a philo-Hellenistic party, succeeded in placing Jason into the powerful position of High Priest. He established an arena for public games close by the Temple.^[22] Author Lee I. Levine notes, "The 'piece de resistance' of Judaean Hellenisation, and the most dramatic of all these developments, occurred in 175 BCE, when the high priest Jason converted Jerusalem into a Greek polis replete with gymnasium and ephebeion (2 Maccabees 4). Whether this step represents the culmination of a 150-year process of Hellenisation within Jerusalem in general, or whether it was only the initiative of a small coterie of Jerusalem priests with no wider ramifications, has been debated for decades."^[23] Hellenised Jews are known to have engaged in non-surgical foreskin restoration (epispasm) in order to join the dominant Hellenistic cultural practice of socialising naked in the gymnasium,^[24][25][26] where their circumcision would have carried a social stigma;^[24][25][26] Classical, Hellenistic, and Roman culture found circumcision to be a cruel, barbaric and repulsive custom.^[24][25][26]

* Strong G4812
συλαγωγέω
sulagōgeō
soo-lag-ogue-eh'-o
From the base of G4813 and (the reduplicated form of) G71; to lead away as booty, that is, (figuratively) seduce: - spoil.
Total KJV occurrences: 1

[teddyv]

Most early doctrines were formulated to counter heresies arising from various false gospels and teachers. For many just to ignore this fact is pretty presumptuous and ignores history.

[Michael37]

10 minutes ago, teddyv said:

Most early doctrines were formulated to counter heresies arising from various false gospels and teachers. For many just to ignore this fact is pretty presumptuous and ignores history.

Hi teddyv,

Can you give an example of an early doctrine formulated to counter heresies.

[Regenerated-Adult]

My understanding is that Paul was speaking to the gentiles in Greece or elsewhere in his epistles with regard to the idea that the Grecians considered the cross foolishness to their way of thinking, steeped as they were in endless philosophies that didn't help them spiritually in much of any way.  Not that philosophy per se is somehow wrong.

Of course, I personally consider it quite sad that there are people out there who identify as Christians who only seem to read and know one book their entire lives and look down on the slightest deviation from said book as somehow contemptible.  All that makes for is a dumb, uninformed, bigoted, stupid colossal idiot.  I have nobody in particular in mind when I say that.  It's just a general observation.

[teddyv]

10 hours ago, Michael37 said:

Hi teddyv,

Can you give an example of an early doctrine formulated to counter heresies.

Athanasian creed, Nicene creed.

 

ETA: I realize some might see a difference between a creed and doctrine as related to the OP and others posts here.

Edited February 9, 2021 by teddyv
Clarity