Is there more to us than brains?
(The problem of freedom of thought)

Does man have the ability to think freely? Can we entertain different notions, compare their validity and determine a course of action that we might take? Is there more to us than simply brains? By brain, we mean brain in the more or less technical sense of tissue that is found inside the cranium. Brain tissue is something physical. What controls the actions of physical things? The scientist or naturalist would tell us (in unscientific terms) the laws of nature, physics, biology, chemistry control what physical things do.

Think about this for a moment. If all of my though processes are controlled simply by brain tissue, which itself operates according to the laws of physics, biology, etc., then there is in fact no freedom of thought. In other words, there is a certain kind of stimulus which comes into the system, and that stimulus, according to the laws of biology and physics, controls what happens in my brain, and my brain gives me the thoughts I have.

What are the implications of that? First, if a person believes that to be true, then one has no reason to be proud of thinking that. What one thinks, one cannot help but think. For this person, the only thing that is real under this view of the world, is the physical world. That world operates by the laws of physics and biology.

So when this unbeliever says, Naturalism is true, we have no reason to respect his opinion. Why not? Because on his view of the world, that is just the laws of biology and physics leading him to say that sort of thing. He could not help it. It is not they he considered all the options and weighed the evidence in favor of that opinion and made an intelligent choice. No, there is no choice based on his view of the world!

You might protest and say, But I did think through supernaturalism, and I have looked at the various options, and I have concluded that the natural one is the best option.

But it could not have happened that way on your view of the world. On your view of the world, certain stimuli came into your ears and eyes, and your brain tissue did certain things as electrical stimuli ran through your nervous system, and you had an idea. You just uttered the idea as the vocal chords responded to the stimuli and you said, Naturalism is true. That is no more an intelligence of process than the growth of weeds. Weeds grow according to the laws of biology and physics, too. Your thoughts and weeds are on the same level, according to your view of the world.

As a Christian, I do not think that is true. I think that your saying Naturalism is true has such eternal significance that, unless you have a change of heart, you will go to hell for it. So as a Christian, I honor the freedom of thought that is there. But on your view of the world, you cannot encourage me to believe anything. Because I do not have the choice to believe anything any more than you do. My brain just operates according to the laws of physics and biology.

As an unbeliever, if naturalism is true, you have no reason to think that naturalism is true because you do not have a brain that operates with freedom of thought.

It is only the Christian view of the world that makes sense out of arguing over these things. As a Christian, we can account for why a person believes wrong things. The Bible tells us about that person and his rebellion against God. More importantly, we can account for why we even debate these things.

The natural conclusion for the naturalist is that a person's brain is no different than a weed. No one goes out there and tries to persuade a weed not to grow. So it does not make any sense to appeal to the gray tissue up there in a person's cranium not to do the things that gray tissue does. Some people have gray tissue that leads them to say sentences that do not make any sense under the non-Christian view of the world, but naturalism is true. Some people have gray tissue that leads them to say that supernaturalism is true and that is the end of the story.

Are we more than brains? Yes, we are. We are made in the image of God and we have mind, soul, spirit, the invisible personality of man. That personality enables me to decide what I will think about right now. If I wanted to, I could stop thinking about writing this article right now. I could image myself on a beach on the Outer Banks of North Carolina in the middle of summer getting a nice tan, getting somewhat hot because it is warm there. I can weigh options. Do I want my coffee black, with cream, with sugar, with cream and sugar, with flavored cream? That is because on the Christian view of the world, God has made me in His image. I am like God in that I have freedom of thought. I am unlike God in that I often use my thoughts in a way that is disobedient to Him.

In fact, I have the freedom of thought to use that freedom to deny that God even exists, and to tell myself that only what is natural is real. I can use my freedom to suppress the truth that I have that freedom and claim that this is a deterministic world, without freedom at all. How unfortunate! The Bible says that you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. Take a few minutes to read through the FAQ's of Faith and get to know this God who gives you such freedom.