tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23266478479904826412024-03-05T00:18:53.092-06:00God and LogicMeanderings and ponderings concerning the larger issues of life from a logical, historical, scientific, and theological point of view.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326647847990482641.post-32628773979528716202018-12-28T12:00:00.002-06:002018-12-28T12:03:24.116-06:00Evolution versus Intelligent Design?<b>The article below was written in response to the request: "Can you compare and contrast the Theory of Evolution vs. the Theory of Intelligent Design?"</b><br /><br />First off, there is no inherent conflict between the Theory of Evolution and the Theory of Intelligent Design, so it is difficult to compare and contrast or set up a “versus” between two things that are not at odds.<br /><br />Perhaps it would be better to compare or contrast Undirected vs. Directed Evolution. Undirected Evolution (pure naturalism) states that evolution is a purely blind chemical process with no ultimate goals or supervising principles. Directed Evolution (Intelligent Design) states that evolution has been guided by a supervising agency with goals.<br /><br />When evaluating these two paradigms (models) we have to look at evidence in the following fields: Biology (primarily DNA), Probability Mathematics, and Chemistry (and physics to a lesser degree, but only in the sense of time and those features which support chemical activity), and finally Paleontology (fossil record).<br /><br />When we look at Biology (DNA), we are astounded by the sheer complexity and total volume of genetic information encoded into the nuclear material of cells. As the famous Atheist, Richard Dawkins, recently admitted:<br /><i><b><br />“You contain a trillion copies of a large, textual document written in a highly accurate, digital code, each copy as voluminous as a substantial book. I’m talking, of course, of the DNA in your cells.”</b></i><br /><br />The problem for those who accept Undirected Evolution (pure naturalism) is that they must account for the random, unguided assimilation of more complex information than contained in thousands of books written by “intelligent” authors. As Dawkins admitted, the digital information encoded in DNA is both a storage mechanism (codons of nucleotides) and it is a language that can interpret that information. BOTH are required simultaneously.<br /><br />There is a <b>(1) LANGUAGE of DNA </b>(syntax, letters, words, punctuation, etc) and then there is (2) the actual, physical, <b>SYMBOLIC INFORMATION</b> stored in the nucleotides embedded in our double-helix. You have to have BOTH (1 and 2) in order for DNA to function (it is analogous to the “which came first: the chicken or the egg?” conundrum). The rules and syntax and guiding principles of DNA (it’s LANGUAGE) must ALREADY exist in order to interpret the physical encoded information that is actually there. But, even a child can see the inherent paradox.<br /><br />The language of DNA is useless without any actual information to process, and yet the information itself (about 3.1 billion nucleotides in the human genome) is only a series of meaningless bits of chemistry without the necessary language of DNA to interpret and act upon them.<br /><br />For instance, imagine that I wrote the 5 physical letters <b>HELLO </b>on a piece of paper with a pencil. There are 5 letters physically written with graphite on paper (similar to nucleotides “written” on the double-helix). BUT, unless you have the English language in your mind when looking at those letters (<b>LANGUAGE</b>), those 5 letters are worthless, useless <b>INFORMATION</b>. To a person who only understands Mandarin or Arabic, those 5 letters are meaningless. They are only “functional” if the person using them has the built-in language of English to aid in the processing of that encoded, symbolic information.<br /><br />This is the unanswerable and insurmountable barrier to the model of Undirected Evolution. Those who espouse this model have to admit, that at the very outset of the basis of all life, is a system that cannot be arrived at without a level of intelligent planning and design that is orders of magnitude even beyond our own. Since the digital, encoded information in our DNA was discovered several decades ago, it has taken thousands of scientists, utilizing supercomputer processing to try and unravel the mysteries and intricacies of DNA, and yet we are only beginning to grasp the various mechanisms and principles that are contained within the molecule of life. New discoveries are being made regularly.<br /><br />Those who espouse Undirected Evolution have to account for the existence of the (1) LANGUAGE OF DNA (which are the rules, letters, words, punctuation, etc) that is IMMATERIAL (it does not exist physically in the cell) and (2) the INFORMATION stored in the genome. BOTH must exist for any processing of the “written” and “encoded” digital information that Atheist Richard Dawkins spoke of. Even if the genetic information was there (3.1 billion nucleotides) to create “you” — without the LANGUAGE of DNA to process and interpret and utilize that information, there could be NO YOU. Imagine trying to read this page if you did not know English…no reading of any meaningful sort would ever occur (and you are an intelligent being who is capable of complex thought processes, and yet you still would not be able to decode this page unless you had the language of English in your mind).<br /><br />You see, the decoding of the genetic information (“reading”) does not follow pure, chemical necessity. There is nothing chemically that forces the cell to interpret the codons and then use them to symbolically account for a 20-Amino Acid “look up table” to then begin the process of protein synthesis. There are precise parameters (principles), exactly like a language, that supervises this process. And since there is no natural law or chemical process that can create language (with syntax, letters, words, punctuation, etc) then one must logically concede that an intelligent source has led to (at least) the formation of the DNA information storage-and-retrieval-and-processing system. This conclusion can be arrived at using nothing but empirical science (DNA) and logical reasoning.<br /><br />So, Intelligent Design (Directed Evolution) is considered by many to be a scientific and logical necessity. It is not a “religious trick” or “metaphysical sleight-of-hand” as its detractors insist, but rather, the logical consequence of an unbiased evaluation of readily available facts.<br /><br />Secondly, to account for genetic change (“evolution”) over time, those who espouse Undirected Evolution have to rely on the fuel of random mutations to drive the engine of change (remember, Natural Selection can only function based upon material to act upon, and this material is random by nature). Once we apply mathematics (the frequency of mutation occurrence) and probability mathematics (the chance of a “beneficial” mutation) to the number of estimated organisms in a species over the amount of time estimated, we are left with a statistical improbability that defies any rational justification.<br /><br />Added to that, recent studies of HUMAN DIRECTED Evolution (where researchers have simulated hundreds of thousands of generations of various species in an attempt to force change over time), the results have been stunning and yet not surprising. The researches find that even HUMAN Directed Evolution yields only marginal change, within very precise boundaries. Simple changes can be forced, but these do not BUILD upon each other to create new systems or new features. Simple changes, such as color, size, and the ability to consume various materials can be forced, but left alone, these populations inevitably return to a norm that does not continue to change to build upon any of these changes.<br /><br />Finally, the other area of evidence to consider is the fossil record itself. Unfortunately for those who espouse gradual change (molecules-to-man) models of Undirected Evolution, the fossil record provides little verification. Instead of a tidy “tree of life” starting with a single ancestor and branching out into various sub-categories of life, we find what is more properly defined as BUSHES of life. We have different groups who experience (1) sudden appearance (2) basic stasis (little change) (3) then Extinction. This basic obstacle is freely admitted by famous evolutionary paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould:<br /><br /><b><i>“The extreme rarity of transitional forms in the fossil record persists as the trade secret of paleontology. The evolutionary trees that adorn our text- books have data only at the tips and nodes of their branches; the rest is inference, however reasonable, not the evidence of fossils. Yet Darwin was so wedded to gradualism that he wagered his entire theory on a denial of this literal record…”</i></b><br /><br />So, in conclusion, once we examine the Biological evidence (DNA—both an immaterial LANGUAGE and SYMBOLIC INFORMATION), Mathematics (frequency of mutations, improbability of beneficial change (even allowing Natural Selection), and HUMAN Directed Evolution experiments), Chemistry (there is no chemical necessity to drive the formation of a genetic language or in processing of the genetic information), and Paleontology (the fossil record which indicates abrupt appearance, relative stasis, then extinction) one is logically and empirically driven to consider a more reasonable DIRECTED Evolutionary model (Intelligent Design).<br /><br />Consider the scientific model involving Intelligent Design (Directed Evolution):<br />(Science looks at available phenomena and then makes educated hypotheses to attempt to explain the phenomena).<br /><br />1. We find highly complex life capable of intelligence<br /><br />2. Question: Did this life arrive by purely naturalistic (unintelligent processes) or by intelligent processes?<br /><br />3. If it arrived by purely naturalistic processes, we should be able to account for that series of processes along purely chemical lines of evidence.<br /><br />4. If life arrived by intelligent processes, we should be able to find evidence of that intelligent engineering in the physical makeup of the creature.<br /><br /><br /><b>HYPOTHESIS:</b><br /><br />To account for this highly complex, intelligent, life, we would expect to find a highly complex, intelligently engineered mechanism to account for the existence of this highly complex intelligent life.<br /><br /><b>RESULT OF RESEARCH:</b><br /><br />In the field of Biology (DNA) we discover an irreducibly complex (both a language and encoded information) system with all the necessary features of a functional language (syntax, letters, words, punctuation, etc).<br /><br />In the field of Probability Mathematics, we discover that random mutation (even allowing Natural Selection) is inadequate to account for the volume of biological function and diversity. This is confirmed by research attempting to simulate hundreds of thousands of generations of forced evolution to bring about substantial change, which results in marginal adaptation and often reversion to previous norms over time. The only basis of mutations as the driving force of actual Evolution would be Directed Mutations at a level of understanding much higher than current human knowledge.<br /><br />Finally, Paleontology provides evidence of sudden appearance and a lack of gradual transition (which is best predicted in a model of Intelligent Design).<br /><br />So, scientifically and logically, Directed Evolution (Intelligent Design) is not only an alternative to Undirected Evolution (pure naturalism), according to empirical research and logical reasoning, it is the only acceptable and tenable model to account for known phenomena. It is not pseudo-science, it the logical consequence of unbiased scientific investigation. Just as Forensic Science can point to intelligent (murder) vs. natural (accidental) causes of death (through examining evidence and utilizing logical reasoning), we can also apply these same principles of inference and induction/deduction to arrive at the logical conclusion of Intelligent Design when we examine the evidence without presuppositional bias.<br /><br />I will let scientist (Astrophysicist) Sir Fred Hoyle have the last word:<br /><br /><b><i>"A common sense interpretation of the facts suggests that a super intellect has monkeyed with physics, as well as with chemistry and biology, and that there are no blind forces worth speaking about in nature."</i></b>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326647847990482641.post-74753589067359994952018-04-25T19:55:00.003-05:002020-09-20T11:13:10.050-05:00FREE Quotes and Memes about Atheism, Science, and Logic<span style="font-size: large;">Here is a small collection of photos, quotes, and memes to challenge a secular culture. Feel free to copy and share:</span><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326647847990482641.post-25611777897021820042016-07-26T21:27:00.001-05:002016-07-26T21:29:47.127-05:00Video Archive<b>The videos embedded below represent a wide range of topics in the fields of theology, science, and apologetics.</b><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">THE KALAM COSMOLOGICAL ARGUMENT:</span></b></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6CulBuMCLg0/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6CulBuMCLg0?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">THE FINE-TUNING OF THE UNIVERSE:</span></b><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/EE76nwimuT0/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EE76nwimuT0?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">GOOD WITHOUT GOD?</span></b></div>
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<b style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />THE UNIQUENESS OF CHRISTIANITY:</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">HAS SCIENCE BURIED GOD? (John Lennox)</span></b></span></b><br />
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<b style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;">AN ATHEIST JOURNALIST EXAMINES THE EVIDENCE:</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">WHY CHRISTIANITY IS TRUE:</span></b></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326647847990482641.post-55187301170067050792014-04-19T16:24:00.003-05:002014-04-19T16:55:21.441-05:00Defending the RESURRECTION<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">THE RESURRECTION: The foundation of Christianity</span></b><br />
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The resurrection of Jesus was the primary, fundamental, and conclusive proof that the early Christians offered to the truth of salvation through Christ.<br />
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The early Christians pointed to the prophecies in the Old Testament that predicted that the Messiah would die and rise from the dead (ignored by most of the Jewish leadership who only wanted a political Messiah--not a soul-saving Messiah).<br />
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To demonstrate how important the resurrection was as evidence to the early followers of Christ, we only have to look at the earliest book that discusses their lives--the Book of Acts in the New Testament.<br />
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<b>The RESURRECTION is referenced 28 times in one book!</b><br />
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Acts 1:3, 22<br />
Acts 2:24, 27, 30, 31, 32<br />
Acts 3:15<br />
Acts 4:2, 10, 33 (key verse)<br />
Acts 5:30<br />
Acts 9:40,41<br />
Acts 13:30,32,33,34,35,37<br />
Acts 17:3,18,31,32<br />
Acts 23:6<br />
Acts 25:19<br />
Acts 26:8,23<br />
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<b>Acts 4:33</b><br />
“And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.”<br />
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<b>I Corinthians 15:17</b><br />
“And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!”<br />
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<b>EVIDENCE FOR THE RESURRECTION:</b><br />
1. Empty tomb<br />
2. Changed lives of the Apostles (people do not die for a lie)<br />
People will die for what they BELIEVE/THINK is true (like the hijackers of 9/11), but normal, sane people do not die for a lie that they created (and if it is a lie--the apostles created that lie)<br />
3. Testimony of the women (the first to arrive at the empty tomb)<br />
4. Testimony of the early followers (eye-witnesses of early post-resurrection appearances)<br />
5. Early Christian writings speak of resurrection immediately after crucifixion—not decades later<br />
6. Old Testament prophecies<br />
7. Jesus predicted His own resurrection<br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">THE BEST EXPLANATION FOR THE FACTS is that Jesus Christ rose from the dead and appeared to many (just as the scripture says)</span></b><br />
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Let’s consider what challenges modern skeptics of Christianity use against the evidence of the RESURRECTION:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Stolen Body Theory/Missing Body</span></b><br />
<b><b><span style="font-size: large;">Swoon Theory</span></b></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Drugged-Body Theory</span></b></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Twin Theory</span></b></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Hypnosis Theory</span></b></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Spiritual Resurrection Theory</span></b></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b><br /> Stolen Body Theory/Missing Body</b></span><br />
<br />
<br />
1. The disciples stole the body/someone else stole the body<br />
<br />
<b> PROBLEMS:</b><br />
1. How could the disciples overpower the Roman guard?<br />
2. WHY would they steal the body???<br />
-they just spent 3 years believing in Jesus<br />
then He DIES. Their hope for a Messiah is DEAD<br />
<br />
WHY STEAL THE BODY?<br />
<br />
THE JEWS DID NOT BELIEVE IN A RISEN MESSIAH (so why invent it?)<br />
<br />
They would have DIED FOR A LIE--and sane people do NOT die for a lie.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Swoon Theory</span></b><br />
<br />
-Jesus only fainted, He didn’t actually die, he woke up in the tomb, escaped<br />
<br />
<b>PROBLEMS:</b><br />
1. Two Roman doctors had to sign a certificate of death (on pain of their death)<br />
2. Blood loss of flogging and crucifixion would lead to death anyway<br />
3. How could a nearly-dead Jesus, in a pitch black tomb, with no food or water, roll away a stone<br />
4. How could a half-dead Jesus fight off a Roman guard<br />
5. How could a half-dead Jesus convince his followers He was the Lord of all, conqueror over death<br />
6. Ascension to heaven<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Drugged-Body Theory</span></b><br />
<br />
-Jesus was drugged with a special chemical to make him appear dead<br />
(same problems as swoon + a whole lot more)<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><br /> Twin Theory</span></b><br />
<br />
-Jesus had an identical twin brother. When Jesus #1 died, his twin (that no one knew) took over<br />
<br />
<b>PROBLEMS:</b><br />
1. FAR FAR fetched<br />
2. No historical account of a twin (which is rare anyway)<br />
3. How could a twin convince the early followers of Jesus that he was Jesus (he would not know them, any details)<br />
4. Ascension<br />
5. WOUNDS---where are the wounds?<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"> Hypnosis/Hallucination Theory</span></b><br />
<br />
-Jesus was able to hypnotize people, and he made them think that he rose from the dead<br />
<br />
<b>PROBLEMS:</b><br />
1. Hypnosis was not understood in ancient world, certainly not in Israel<br />
2. Not everyone is susceptible to hypnosis<br />
3. The early followers were not expecting a resurrection<br />
4. Physical contact with Jesus, eating, etc<br />
5. Ascension<br />
<br />
<div>
<br />
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Spiritual Resurrection Theory</span></b><br />
<br />
-Jesus did not BODILY rise, it was only a “spiritual” or “ghostlike” rising from the dead<br />
<br />
<b>PROBLEMS:</b><br />
1. Old testament predicted a physical resurrection<br />
2. Jesus prophesied a physical resurrection<br />
3. Paul taught a very clear PHYSICAL resurrection in I Cor. 15<br />
4. The disciples spoke of physical contact with a risen Christ (eating, etc)<br />
<br />
______________________________________________________</div>
<div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br />3 VALIDATIONS OF THE RESURRECTION:</span></b><br />
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red;">1. It validated that Jesus was our sinless substitute whose sacrifice was accepted</span></b><br />
- Old Testament reveals that those who were not accepted, they died. <br />
- High Priest had a rope tied, in case He died when He appeared before God<br />
- Jesus emerged ALIVE after His sacrifice<br />
<br />
IF JESUS HAD NOT RISEN—that meant that His offering for our sins was not accepted, he was a sinner, and a sinner cannot save a sinner. <br />
<br />
<b>I Corinthians 15:17</b><br />
“And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!”<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red;">2. It validated that He was Who He said He was --- God in the flesh</span></b><br />
<br />
-Jesus said in John 10—No one takes my life from Me, I have the power to lay it down, and the power to take it up again.<br />
<br />
THE RESURRECTION validates that He was God in the flesh, and therefore we should believe what he says.<br />
<br />
<b>Romans 1:3,4</b><br />
“concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, 4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. “<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red;">3. It validates the believers own guaranteed resurrection.</span></b><br />
<br />
Jesus said: Because I live (am resurrected) you shall live also.<br />
<br />
Paul said that Jesus was the firstfruits of the resurrection, and that our resurrection would follow<br />
<br />
________________________________________________________________<br />
<br />
Following Excerpt from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Atheist-Delusion-Ph-D-Phil-Fernandes/dp/1607915820/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top">The Atheist Delusion</a> by Dr. Phil Fernandes, Ph.D.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">First, </span></b>the first eyewitnesses of the empty tomb (and the resurrected Christ) were women. This is something the apostles would not have made up, for a woman’s testimony was held highly suspect in the first-century ad. It offered practically no evidential value to fabricate a story of women being the first witnesses.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Second</span></b>, if Jesus did not rise from the dead, then the Jewish religious authorities would have produced the rotting corpse of Christ, thus refuting Christianity and stifling its growth at its earliest stage.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Third</span></b>, New Testament scholars agree that the sermons of Acts chapter 1 through 12 are the earliest sermons of the church-they date back to the early 30′s ad. Their antiquity is accepted by scholars because these sermons show no signs of theological development (this type of theological development is found in Paul’s letters which were written twenty years later). .<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Fourth</span></b>, Jesus was buried in the tomb of a well-known man-Joseph of Arimathea. It would have been easy to locate the tomb to ascertain if it was empty. <br />
<br />
For further investigation:<br />
<br />
(video) <a href="http://www.josh.org/video-2/evidence-for-the-resurrection/">http://www.josh.org/video-2/evidence-for-the-resurrection/</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/historical-evidence-for-the-resurrection">http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/historical-evidence-for-the-resurrection</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.reasonablefaith.org/evidence-of-jesus-resurrection">http://www.reasonablefaith.org/evidence-of-jesus-resurrection</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.leaderu.com/everystudent/easter/articles/josh2.html">http://www.leaderu.com/everystudent/easter/articles/josh2.html</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://carm.org/there-are-no-non-biblical-accounts-resurrection">http://carm.org/there-are-no-non-biblical-accounts-resurrection</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.probe.org/site/c.fdKEIMNsEoG/b.4223639/k.567/Ancient_Evidence_for_Jesus_from_NonChristian_Sources.htm">http://www.probe.org/site/c.fdKEIMNsEoG/b.4223639/k.567/Ancient_Evidence_for_Jesus_from_NonChristian_Sources.htm</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326647847990482641.post-63728742128710743842014-02-06T16:12:00.000-06:002014-02-09T10:04:38.273-06:00MORALITY cannot exist in Atheism (how to deal with challenges of slavery, rape, immorality, etc)<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFmSd2mY5vMPr1lJiH-QXPiJTT4BThKq7wrPviq57AxSss1UYYpCm_a4zGlMQ5KSisX_BcELa1m5avdWOc0WH50Pm6uTv7h47wZDkx9l3OUfg-1uUN6iwXPNZDFhfBPkPtbzJP7uLUSp0/s1600/the-god-delusion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFmSd2mY5vMPr1lJiH-QXPiJTT4BThKq7wrPviq57AxSss1UYYpCm_a4zGlMQ5KSisX_BcELa1m5avdWOc0WH50Pm6uTv7h47wZDkx9l3OUfg-1uUN6iwXPNZDFhfBPkPtbzJP7uLUSp0/s1600/the-god-delusion.jpg" height="200" width="125" /></a></div>
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Skeptics of Christianity and/or the Bible (as demonstrated in the first 100 pages of "The God Delusion") love to cherry-pick certain verses, or fragments of verses, especially from the Old Testament, and then they will accuse God, or the Bible of being "immoral" or "evil".<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR6M-a6My4eiDETduX5sPeA_2MudbDuTUHoVq0AjxKMqKldTg-b20x4_BOYoPoWfYkG8EdZqs_cH-N-CU5N6qW9LIqP4nj1GOCfGzfdQ4zMW_q38vPCw3n1vse1e8l6TQAAW68migU2Zw/s1600/lipstick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR6M-a6My4eiDETduX5sPeA_2MudbDuTUHoVq0AjxKMqKldTg-b20x4_BOYoPoWfYkG8EdZqs_cH-N-CU5N6qW9LIqP4nj1GOCfGzfdQ4zMW_q38vPCw3n1vse1e8l6TQAAW68migU2Zw/s1600/lipstick.jpg" height="200" width="193" /></a><br />
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<br />
Let's put this to rest, once for all---<br />
<b><span style="color: yellow;">Morality cannot exist in Atheism</span></b>. <br />
<br />
Listening to a skeptic challenge the Bible as immoral is like listening to a prostitute giving a lecture about sexual purity--it is amusing at best, hypocritical at the least, and pointless for all concerned.</div>
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A logical flowchart of why MORALITY cannot exist in Atheism:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="color: yellow;">SECTION ONE: Is Morality possible in an atheistic Universe?</span></b></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Let’s pick just one “bad moral issue”---SLAVERY (or put in RAPE, or whatever)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b>Question 1:</b> What is the Universe/reality?</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Atheist Answer 1:</b> Physical matter/energy, space, time,
natural law (basically)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b>Question 2</b>: Are all actions that people do (in reality) just
atoms moving due to energy over time following natural law?</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Atheist Answer 2:</b> Of course, there is nothing else possible.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b>Question 3:</b> At the atomic level, is there a fundamental
difference between slavery and, building a computer?</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Atheist Answer 3:</b> Well, actually, no, there is no
fundamental difference between any action and any other human action, because
only physical matter/energy/time/natural law exists.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b>Question 4:</b> Is SLAVERY then immoral or “wrong” based upon
your own definition of the Universe?</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Atheist Answer 4:</b> I believe and feel that slavery is
immoral. Owning people is an evil concept.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b>Question 5:</b> I didn’t ask if you FELT or BELIEVED something,
I asked: is slavery IMMORAL based on your own view of the Universe?</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Atheist Answer 5: </b>Well, at the physical level….NO, but I
personally just KNOW that it is wrong.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b>Question 6:</b> Is absolute RIGHT or absolute WRONG even
possible in a Universe that is just matter/energy, space, time, and natural
law?</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Atheist Answer 6:</b> Right and wrong are intensely personal and
communally-derived.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="color: lime;">SUMMARY OF SECTION ONE:</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: lime;"><br />
<b>
Conclusion: By your own admission, since the Universe is just matter moving due
to energy through space over time according to natural law, then absolute RIGHT
and absolute WRONG are impossible. Morality therefore cannot exist without a
Creator that is external to the Universe.</b></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">SECTION TWO: Is Morality the result of community over time?</span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b>Question 7:</b> Is Morality merely derived from communal
activities and needs of the species?</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Atheist Answer 7: Well, yes, of course. Over time, we evolve
different views based on needs and this propagates throughout the local
community or even the whole species. So, yes.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b>Question 8: </b>So morality can change over time (in other
words, it is not absolute)?</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Atheist Answer 8: Yes, I just said earlier that it changes
according to societal or even interpersonal needs. So, yes, it changes.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b>Question 9: </b>Is slavery a moral issue?</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Atheist Answer 9: Well, yes, of course it is a moral
issue…and it is wrong.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b>Question 10:</b> Is it possible that there was ever a time in
the past, or there could ever be a time in the future, when society will
condone/allow/encourage slavery?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Atheist Answer 10: Well, duh..of course, slavery was
practiced for thousands of years as a way of life, and it was only recently
challenged and pronounced immoral in the last three hundred years or so.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="color: lime;">Conclusion #2:</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: lime;">So, in the past, slavery was considered moral,
and a way of life. Yet now, times have changed, and most types of slavery are
now considered immoral. So, according to your answers in SECTION ONE (absolute
right and wrong are impossible) and your admission here in SECTION TWO
(morality can and does change) THEN IRREFUTABLY Slavery is not wrong or
immoral according to atheism.</span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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In an atheistic view, things can be convenient or
inconvenient, they can be pleasurable or painful, they can be preferred or
disdained, but nothing can be RIGHT or WRONG at the fundamental level…because
at the fundamental level the universe is just matter/energy, space, time, and
natural law.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Morality is not a feeling (like empathy or sympathy),
morality is absolute RIGHT or absolute WRONG.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Confusing <b><i>feelings </i></b>of morality and <b><i>morality </i></b>itself is a common misconception. Here
is an example of the difference. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp7DPX20BOUxMQwYzUTfdq01gJWVyJZlJXmTWO6ObXzZ4NMzZ2MbosPsXbfWOvpHFGFrB8ee10h_I7rP-fHF4TqlB0-2gfeP1x1NvHPAZWLaVHh9GnVlfY7NnRcJuba10tfk4UxFg_BVk/s1600/tips.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp7DPX20BOUxMQwYzUTfdq01gJWVyJZlJXmTWO6ObXzZ4NMzZ2MbosPsXbfWOvpHFGFrB8ee10h_I7rP-fHF4TqlB0-2gfeP1x1NvHPAZWLaVHh9GnVlfY7NnRcJuba10tfk4UxFg_BVk/s1600/tips.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
If someone was a waiter, and a customer gives them a $50 tip, they FEEL good.
But that feeling doesn’t make sense unless MONEY itself exists fundamentally.
The feeling of getting a good tip is not the same thing as the existence of
money. </div>
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If someone gave you a handful of small pebbles for a tip, it wouldn’t make you
feel good, because in most cultures, pebbles aren’t valuable. The feelings associated with “doing good” or “doing bad”
have nothing to do with MORALITY as a fundamental issue. Right or Wrong exist
regardless of how I feel about it.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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In any discussion of morality, therefore, it is illogical to
talk about the physiochemical ramifications of your own adherence to your own
concept of right or wrong…that is illogical.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326647847990482641.post-46965148869705958532012-11-01T00:16:00.001-05:002012-11-01T00:22:42.404-05:00Is God Guilty of MURDER?Nonsense questions are fun to explore. There is something fascinating and intriguing about asking or positing questions for which there can be no actual answer.<br />
<br />
<b><i><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">What does the color blue taste like?<br /><br />How far is it from here to insanity?</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><br /></span></i></b>
<b><i><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">What time is the sweetest sound?</span></i></b><br />
<br />
Indeed, these are questions. But this small collection of humorous inquiries shares at least one thing in common: they have no logical answer. They can be ASKED but they cannot be ANSWERED. These are nonsense questions.<br />
<br />
Color and taste involve two different, unrelated senses. Distance and states of mind are not comparable, and temporal reality (time) and audible tones make strange bedfellows.<br />
<br />
How does color, taste, distance, time, or sound have anything to do with the question of God murdering? Well, actually...everything.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: lime;">SECRET WEAPONS...OR FANCY DUDS?</span></b><br />
<br />
Skeptics of Christianity in general, and of the Bible in specificity, have a small and cherished collection of skeptical "Trump" cards. This tiny assortment of questions and accusations are presumed to be great "unanswerable" silver bullets, clever one-trick ponies to silence those pesky and gullible Bible-thumpers. A survey of atheistic and skeptical forums and blogs quickly reveals this to be the case.<br />
<br />
While the mockery of the miraculous, such as Jonah and the great fish, or the virgin birth of Jesus, can be found by the bucket-load, most of these one-shot-wonders involve claims of immorality against the very character of God Himself. In fact, atheist professor Richard Dawkins devotes a large portion of the opening of his book, The God Delusion, to a glib tirade against the God of the Old Testament as the worst of all moral monsters.<br />
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<b><span style="color: lime;">THE DEATH OF INNOCENCE</span></b><br />
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Perhaps topping the list of these moral challenges is the accusation that God is evil because He has murdered CHILDREN. (Side note: a challenge of evil, like murder, is a humorous contradiction when made by an atheist--since morality cannot exist in atheism; right or wrong are not even possible in a purely naturalistic viewpoint!)<br />
<br />
It is amazing that seemingly intelligent people use a term like MURDER in a sentence involving God, the Creator. Can we ask the question: Is God guilty of murder? Ummm...yes, you can ASK it, but the question is nonsense. Here's why.<br />
<br />
Let me ask you a question: Have you ever taken something out of your house/apartment? Well, of course you have, so have I. But then, let me ask you: <br />
<br />
<b><i><span style="color: yellow;">Well, then, aren't you guilty of STEALING, then?</span></i></b><br />
<br />
Well, of course NOT, you would say, and rightly so. Why? Because you CAN'T steal from yourself. If you own something, then you have the right to it. Now---if I go into your house, without permission, and I take something of yours, without permission, now that is something different altogether. That IS STEALING.<br />
<br />
Why? Because it wasn't mine to take. I had no right to it.<br />
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<b><span style="color: lime;">DRAWING A CONCLUSION</span></b><br />
<br />
Imagine taking a piece of paper and a pen and roughing out a sketch of a tree. You look at it and smile, but then, you decided to crumple it up and throw it away. Have you committed some great moral evil? Absolutely not. It was your creation, and you have the right to choose what you do with that creation. But if I took it away from you forcefully and then proceeded to tear it up...now that is wrong.<br />
<br />
Here are 3 distinct reasons why it is nonsense to challenge that God has murdered anyone, whether baby, child, or geriatric.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: yellow;">REASON ONE: The Creator has the right to govern every aspect of His own creation.</span></b><br />
<br />
God is the ultimate Creator. He has made all physical things. He has given life to all those that have life. He chooses when life begins, and He must allow the physical death of each person. Think about it: God owes no one anything. God did not have to give physical life, and there is no logical or moral reason that prevents Him from bringing that undeserved physical life to an end.<br />
<br />
God has never promised that each person will live to be a certain age physically. When a teenager is killed in a car accident, or tragically, a baby dies of SIDS, we hear people say: "They were so young!" Even though this seems true, and indeed is correct on a certain level, in reality it betrays our improper view of what God is doing.<br />
<br />
He has purposes and plans that are far beyond our understanding. There may be incredible and world-changing reasons why one is taken away at birth, and another lives into a "ripe" old age. We only see the tiniest of slivers of what God is doing, and what He has been doing, and what He will do in the future.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: yellow;">REASON TWO: Only people can murder people.</span></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
The ending of life is not <b>murder</b>. People die every second from sickness, accidents, and the fatigue of bodily systems. These deaths are not <b>murders</b>. Murder is the unlawful taking of a human's life <b>BY ANOTHER HUMAN</b>. Only people can murder----because we do not have the ultimate right to decide when someone else's life should end. If someone trips and falls onto a sharp spike and dies, we do not say that they were <b>murdered </b>(unless another human planned out that "accident" and made it happen) but they did die.<br />
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<b><span style="color: yellow;">REASON THREE: Physical death is not the end of a person's life.</span></b><br />
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It is almost comical to hear an atheist say that God has committed murder! Ponder that statement for a moment---by making that statement they are "allowing for" the existence of God. In other words, they say, IF I allow the possibility that God exists, well then, THAT God is guilty of murder.<br />
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But here comes the trap that they have stepped into of their own free will: <br />
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If you say (for sake of the argument) that <b>God exists</b>, then you are allowing for the possibility of "life after death", in other words,<b> physical death is not the END</b>! Physical death just changes the state of life, from an Earthly state to some type of spiritual life (after life). Since the Bible clearly teaches that humans are created in the image of God, that we have an eternal spiritual aspect that will never cease to exist, then the concept of death or murder takes on a completely new perspective.<br />
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<b><span style="color: lime;">A STEP IN A NEW DIRECTION</span></b><br />
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If a person is standing on the shore, they are experiencing the life of a land creature, a land-lover, as the sailors say. But if that same person gets on a boat, he has stepped into a new experience of life, a life at sea. These are merely two different experiences of life, the person does not cease to exist when they step onto the deck of the boat, it is the same person, just a <b>different </b>experience of life. Similarly, when a person dies (by any means) they <b>do not cease to exist</b>, rather, they step into a new phase, a new experience of life.<br />
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Now, I am not justifying one human killing another human, that is forbidden, except in war and execution of certain criminals (as the representation of God's judgment for their actions). Murder is wrong, because I do not have the right to decide when your life ends. That is not my decision, I did not create you.<br />
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But when the atheist challenges that children died in the flood of Noah, or that babies died in the conquest of the land of Canaan by the armies of Israel, their accusation against God falls into the realm of nonsense questions. First, God has never promised a certain physical life span. Secondly, only people can murder people, because murder implies an action without right, and God, as creator, has all rights. Finally, death is not the end of existence, rather, physical death is a transition into a new phase of life.<br />
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<b><span style="color: lime;">APPLES AND PRESIDENTS</span></b><br />
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Can people ask: <b>"Is God guilty of murder?"</b> Sure, but remember, you can ask all kinds of nonsense questions, like "How many apples does it take to elect a president?" You can ask it, but that question is just wrong all the way to the <b>core</b>.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326647847990482641.post-53706106521524020572012-08-13T22:12:00.003-05:002012-08-13T22:13:13.875-05:00Painting God as Immoral: Watch out for the corner!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The image in our mind is vivid. We see the ambitious painter, with broad strokes of great zeal and skill, laying down the latex on the freshly sanded floor. Back and forth, taking a step back, covering more and more of the spacious area with glistening and colorful paint. <br />
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But, there is a problem...<br />
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After a certain point of committal in the process, the fervent worker has inadvertently done two equally disparaging travesties...<br />
(1) he has painted himself into a corner<br />
(2) his own effort has blocked any hope of escape or recovery.<br />
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What does paint, corners, and unexpected unfortunates have to do with God and Logic? Lately, well, um--- <i><b>everything</b></i>. Within skeptical circles of reasoning, certain types of attacks upon theism or Christianity or the Bible (which were dealt with many decades, and sometimes hundreds of, years ago) have become the latest darling, and the pop culture feeding frenzy begins afresh.<br />
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Many skeptics (atheists) and sadly, many Christians, have not taken the time to do the real work of research and investigation into what has already been debated and discovered. Like a joyful but soon-to-be-disappointed-scientist who claims that he/she has recently discovered the existence of atoms, these trendy-but-out-of-date zealots have, far too quickly, grabbed the nearest brush and bucket and have started slinging paint everywhere.<br />
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There is an old expression: let your opponent continue to speak, because the more one says, the greater the chance that one will make an error. When it comes to skeptical challenges against theism in general, or Christianity or the Bible in specificity, there are several tempting hues that the naturalist may be eager to grab, but they only serve to undermine their entire position.<br />
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Like the golden idol at the outset of the Indiana Jones franchise, the lure to "grab and run with it" is quickly demonstrated to be near-folly as the tragic and destructive results begin to cascade. <br />
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But isn't that always the way temptation works? Take it NOW, don't worry about the consequences?! A viral youtube video, or a pop-culture book, or a charismatic pundit appears on the talk show circuit proudly bearing this "new" bucket of god-coating goodness, and voila! Everyone on the blogosphere is hailing the argument as the silver bullet that will finally silence the imaginary god of the religious right. Praise the non-god!<br />
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So, what is this golden idol of an opportunity, this new bucket of "god-is-a-lie" latex? The late atheist, Christopher Hitchens, used this concept in the formation of the title of his book, "God is Not Great" and Oxford professor, Richard Dawkins, devoted the opening chapters of his volume, "The God Delusion" to this attack strategy. Enough--you say, what is it?<br />
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Put simply:<br />
<b> It is the angle that the God of the Bible is a moral monster.</b><br />
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I'm not joking. Dawkins refers to the God of the Bible (primarily the Old Testament) as perhaps the most hideous of any evil character in all of literary history, more or less. To sum up their argument, the God of the Bible, in and through His dealings with mankind, is not worthy to be called God, and is certainly not the Creator.<br />
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Carrying this bucket further, some skeptics will even challenge theism to explain evil and suffering in general, not just the specific accounts such as the Flood, the history of Israel, etc. They demand a reconciling of the existence of a good god and bad events. In a way, their challenge is that for God to even merely allow evil or suffering (forget about direct causation) is to implicate Him as a moral monster.<br />
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Why skeptics fall into this obvious trap is truly a mystery. Why they are so often eager to take the brush and then begin swinging away is hard to understand, since this argument (if taken to it's logical beginning and end) completely destroys the skeptics cherished position. It is like a survivor of a sinking ship hacking away with an axe on the floor of his rescue boat...it will only serve to surely drown him and those with him.<br />
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Let's take a huge step backward and see why this line of assault is suicide to the skeptic. The skeptic accuses the God of the Bible of being a moral monster. We didn't ask them to go there, but they did. Now, logically--there can only be two fundamental explanations for the existence of a "moral code" within humanity.<br />
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First, there is the traditional view that the Creator placed a basic moral framework within the heart of all mankind. This divine programming is evidenced by the existence of a conscience, with attendant feelings of guilt or elation due to either violation or conformity, respectfully. Right and wrong exist because our Creator tells us so.<br />
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Secondly, there is the skeptical, or naturalist explanation for morality. While there is no general agreement on the mysteries of this process and product, invariably biochemical evolution is invoked to account for the moral makeup of man. <br />
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Over millions of years, somehow and in some way, homo sapiens evolved a moral code to benefit the species as a cultural whole, rather than the survival of the fittest individual.<br />
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We will not look into other abstract formulations, such as social contract theory and it's offspring, as they fail to account for the Universal nature of man's condition.<br />
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So, morality is either an external truth given by our Creator, or an imaginary condition inferred upon us by blind chemical forces. If the latter (evolution) is the mechanism, then serious flaws begin to be seen in the skeptics entire argument. Why? <br />
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Simply put, if morality is merely a survival aid conferred upon us by an amoral universe, then it has no ultimate or legitimate authority. <br />
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If we merely evolved our sense of fairness, or right and wrong, or justice and injustice, then these are no more "real" or binding as some set of eternal immutable laws, rather they are chemical processes, worked out over aeons of time, with the real possibility of changing the next time a dominant gene is expressed that exhibits benefit to the species.<br />
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If morality is a product of evolution, then it loses it's authority to judge anything as right or wrong, because our current morality is along a continuum of adaptions that began as something far different in the distant past, and will morph into something even more bizarre in the not-so-distant future.<br />
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The reason people are arrested and even jailed is because they (allegedly) have broken an established law. There is a documented code of acceptable behavior on the books, so to speak. Their actions (or inactions) are then compared against that standard, and conformity or violation is confirmed.<br />
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Morality, like a legal system, operates in a similar and analogous way. Behavior is compared against an authoritative standard, and consequences follow. But, alas---here is the rub, the catch-22, the fly in the ointment, for atheism: Without an ultimate authority, NO ONE can call any action good or evil, right or wrong, just or unjust, fair or unfair. <br />
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A Universe comprised only of:<br />
(1) matter/eenrgy/chemical processes <br />
(2) space <br />
(3) time <br />
cannot magically produce eternal moral laws. It may have laws of gravity, or electromagnetism, or laws of chemistry (and even those are suspect), but it cannot, and never will have, eternally binding moral laws.<br />
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<b>Impossible. </b><br />
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You have to have an ultimate authority to accomplish that, and in the atheist worldview, they cannot allow that divine foot in the door. It is inescapable, and actually even worse than that for naturalists, for as
Stephen Hawking admitted recently, if there is nothing higher than
the Universe, then indeed, even free will and choice are merely illusions. <br />
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This brute "fact" and condition is called Determinism.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAalGrFwLYK3vJzgoSEIPlpvjuE9HAt7V75kaRg-0CPfuJz4m47YYUZrkiOlg1Bo8BFMuNYitCmsfVLI7CRQXXV8nCpjxnMbXsartz0SUyshjjNNzUwrqsgDOBZk2eh36WYWgDRWP1wXY/s1600/determiniam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAalGrFwLYK3vJzgoSEIPlpvjuE9HAt7V75kaRg-0CPfuJz4m47YYUZrkiOlg1Bo8BFMuNYitCmsfVLI7CRQXXV8nCpjxnMbXsartz0SUyshjjNNzUwrqsgDOBZk2eh36WYWgDRWP1wXY/s200/determiniam.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
How could we actually have free will, since we are nothing more than chemical factories (according to the atheist) and chemicals will always act a certain way in accordance with chemical (natural) law? <br />
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<b>SIDE NOTE</b>: Actually, it is even MUCH WORSE than that for the naturalist, because ultimately naturalism mandates that certain people will be atheist, or theist, Christian, Buddhist, or even liberal Democrat or right wing Republican---it all just depends on the collection of chemicals in their brain. It is not the arguments, or the logic, or the rationality or reasonableness of a case, we all are forced to "believe" or "accept" what we consider to be "right" based upon our cerebral chemistry. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqjd2eERgIlB4sA5QLAl_BouJMFFe30Gc9QvDPmfmQuqeMaWbk9gCZ8QWrdt1WEmiHaQ2HTHaoIcN9fJZ1O55uMD2ndxRxUVjSjnUz9nPzGaQ2vrp3apiLFYDQI3Y28G2COhrbhEwKsno/s1600/no-authority.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqjd2eERgIlB4sA5QLAl_BouJMFFe30Gc9QvDPmfmQuqeMaWbk9gCZ8QWrdt1WEmiHaQ2HTHaoIcN9fJZ1O55uMD2ndxRxUVjSjnUz9nPzGaQ2vrp3apiLFYDQI3Y28G2COhrbhEwKsno/s200/no-authority.png" width="200" /></a></div>
Realizing this, it is almost funny to think that atheists continue to write and publish books to "convince" people to accept atheism, since, according to atheism, a person has no free will or choice in the matter. We are merely chemical factories, and we will only obey natural law.<br />
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It is a bit weighty, and a read that takes a couple of passes to really absorb the full impact of it's conclusions, but it is a worthwhile quote nonetheless, from theoretical physicist John Polkinghorne (my clarifications are between brackets [ ]):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuDRAOHpQts5t1qNP9mMijlk8p1FpD0m2Pq53elL8e8v2OJNbdztzd_91lzLtD07t7_dfc5cZT6uBtVuO3qvJBn3q-3f417VT8fwoNboPb85Ygu2cbkYLWsZEBPzTZvdpKpD_z4A8JTyQ/s1600/polkinghorne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuDRAOHpQts5t1qNP9mMijlk8p1FpD0m2Pq53elL8e8v2OJNbdztzd_91lzLtD07t7_dfc5cZT6uBtVuO3qvJBn3q-3f417VT8fwoNboPb85Ygu2cbkYLWsZEBPzTZvdpKpD_z4A8JTyQ/s320/polkinghorne.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<b><i>"...human freedom is closely connected with human rationality. If we were
deterministic beings [just a collection of atoms obeying natural law], what would validate the claim that our utterance
constituted rational discourse? Would not the sounds issuing from our
mouths, or the marks we made on paper, be simply the actions of
automata [the natural result of purely natural processes, not the result of logical deduction or reasoning]? All proponents of deterministic theories, whether social and
economic (Marx), or sexual (Freud), or genetic (Dawkins and E.O. Wilson),
need a covert disclaimer on their own behalf, excepting their own
contribution from reductive dismissal?"</i></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPqR3j0LPYJW-K0p4g-co4hWVXccACBl35uVMAme4Z1zLLlznY8Yc6a4shT2dQQghzWexpEH2KG4Ds941R-grw35Vd8A8DEsIJ36PICAERVmSgMfw645LYg_ycDHx4rhLfOqfCj5ebHZc/s1600/nonsense_logo_messy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPqR3j0LPYJW-K0p4g-co4hWVXccACBl35uVMAme4Z1zLLlznY8Yc6a4shT2dQQghzWexpEH2KG4Ds941R-grw35Vd8A8DEsIJ36PICAERVmSgMfw645LYg_ycDHx4rhLfOqfCj5ebHZc/s320/nonsense_logo_messy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
In other words, if we are merely a collection of atoms, acting according to unintelligent and immutable chemical and natural law, then nothing we say or write can be considered more or less logical or rational than anything that anyone else says or writes, whether nutty lunatic or nobel laureate. He concludes that the major proponents of an atheistic worldview, such as Dawkins or Freud, need a simple warning at the front of their books/papers telling readers that nothing can be trusted and nothing should be absolutely believed, except for THEIR writings, of course. <br />
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He is undeniably "right"...and even Stephen Hawking agrees with that conclusion. <br />
<b><br /></b>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjphZPLE54C1m_l3_-xde_7vBwu2WerDElL3sWCvsMCP0t3lR1FXVsqlEd73nSKaEBvwnM_HRAN7l7CNoTM8xR-YKx4JAFQjrDSLhzRq2FVKm2L2wbPPWHmIFZca5mvR5qohf-V9kKd_Ws/s1600/201203_034_OTGod.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjphZPLE54C1m_l3_-xde_7vBwu2WerDElL3sWCvsMCP0t3lR1FXVsqlEd73nSKaEBvwnM_HRAN7l7CNoTM8xR-YKx4JAFQjrDSLhzRq2FVKm2L2wbPPWHmIFZca5mvR5qohf-V9kKd_Ws/s200/201203_034_OTGod.jpg" width="166" /></a><b>Back to buckets and brushes.</b><br />
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To restate our earlier premise, a trendy (but historically resolved) challenge issued of late by skeptics is that God is a moral monster, especially the God of the Old Testament in the Bible. <br />
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By virtue of His "evil" behavior He is either not worthy to be worshipped at best, or rejected altogether at worst.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi34p-xUlrQWjaC4GTD-2qgXpVoXBAr03z6XPwP8k4oNwoq86kiZPCMAPlKC09ajXwLhp58agKTqWkJo7OX_fRMZqS_jIvyhFkBRg6WsSFfO6bgPtajdjLvvsqDsxZd9oxoDduOQaXNS0U/s1600/evil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi34p-xUlrQWjaC4GTD-2qgXpVoXBAr03z6XPwP8k4oNwoq86kiZPCMAPlKC09ajXwLhp58agKTqWkJo7OX_fRMZqS_jIvyhFkBRg6WsSFfO6bgPtajdjLvvsqDsxZd9oxoDduOQaXNS0U/s200/evil.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
This unfortunate challenge places the atheist in a pitiable condition. The entire crux of the argument hinges upon the existence of eternal, immutable laws of morality, and that somehow, this deity has violated those laws that even He must somehow obey. Yet, in an atheist worldview, neither god nor morality can exist. <br />
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But, some would protest, they are arguing from the viewpoint "given that a god exists, the god of the Bible cannot be god because He is immoral." This perspective shift does nothing to aid in their argument, because then what is the supposed source of this "morality" that god has "violated"?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWPgBWozb28AX6vWb3aIt3pKgA-G5-f3gp1iGTX2B-kx1Y8JSv9qxjrEo5ZWuURqfVmUYb9_G5E3rc21dUcRagx9npSXPEzFV8b-416ADdUujOi7Pl8Mnj2b13YZsDVew4VSipTGdMmHo/s1600/law.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWPgBWozb28AX6vWb3aIt3pKgA-G5-f3gp1iGTX2B-kx1Y8JSv9qxjrEo5ZWuURqfVmUYb9_G5E3rc21dUcRagx9npSXPEzFV8b-416ADdUujOi7Pl8Mnj2b13YZsDVew4VSipTGdMmHo/s320/law.jpg" width="289" /></a></div>
If human morality is determined by god, then no accusation of immorality could ever be labeled against the Creator Himself/itself. Where would the skeptic receive knowledge of an even higher law of morality that even this god must obey? <br />
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The only morality we could "know" would be human morality, i.e. the code of acceptable and unacceptable human to human behavior as mandated by the Creator.<br />
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Nothing the Creator does or commands to be done could be labeled as immoral or "evil." Actions of people (created beings) could be determined to be good, bad, evil, fair, or just---but since we are not privy to all of the counsels and understandings of our Creator, we could never judge ANY of His actions. <br />
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There are two fundamental reasons why we could never judge our own Creator to be immoral: <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAHWtju6UhZVzwbV836ye6q7gRR0MOE-VEAdv8Qqv5Cz4IC5FofxbhSl5ui6Nn7fGS6G-AzFvWl9FhIs5Kco9lUHoMhmeYbtSegj2ntvNkEF105Xra7PLJbIuIUOoRNCizY0MPObmTbBE/s1600/facts.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAHWtju6UhZVzwbV836ye6q7gRR0MOE-VEAdv8Qqv5Cz4IC5FofxbhSl5ui6Nn7fGS6G-AzFvWl9FhIs5Kco9lUHoMhmeYbtSegj2ntvNkEF105Xra7PLJbIuIUOoRNCizY0MPObmTbBE/s320/facts.png" width="320" /></a><br />
(1) We do not have access to all of the facts surrounding any decision that God makes, therefore we cannot say with (anything even remotely resembling) 100% certainty that God does not have very good reasons for His own actions.<br />
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(2) Our own sense of morality has been given to us by our Creator, and we are subject to Him, not He to us. We may not understand why He would do a certain thing, but our morality is for created humanity, not an eternal god. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit7lwqBs69ZLqT25m-pV1NMwBFv6IDeilOd0lbYerMmgaqiXBn7-lOKtvZoVD0SOGzb_S-gHgVP3nJH4HUgkv9QXFZjlmK6I96k5rOFYd6K-tNiE-0PEeaa0ouaF8eV_LuFfavlmvhiqI/s1600/programmer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit7lwqBs69ZLqT25m-pV1NMwBFv6IDeilOd0lbYerMmgaqiXBn7-lOKtvZoVD0SOGzb_S-gHgVP3nJH4HUgkv9QXFZjlmK6I96k5rOFYd6K-tNiE-0PEeaa0ouaF8eV_LuFfavlmvhiqI/s320/programmer.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
To put this into a more modern analogy, God is like the computer programmer who has written a new game. The digital (created) characters within the game are subject to different parameters and restrictions than the programmer himself is subject to. <br />
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You cannot logically apply the same "rules" and restrictions to the designer of the game that he has assigned to created individuals within the virtual world.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGIFwVE4L7F8iOLIbQa7o4JQxxLMozzBxcQu6WWySbyrTbq9JakIe7WM77PpaU7fRJckvrKgSFcpUN9bPVW1B6guRlCMolG811t_Wl_S8We6y2GBUhRHoBUEcb9fsLineWaq3-q97b0Qk/s1600/shigeru-miyamoto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGIFwVE4L7F8iOLIbQa7o4JQxxLMozzBxcQu6WWySbyrTbq9JakIe7WM77PpaU7fRJckvrKgSFcpUN9bPVW1B6guRlCMolG811t_Wl_S8We6y2GBUhRHoBUEcb9fsLineWaq3-q97b0Qk/s320/shigeru-miyamoto.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Surely the programmer has the right to rewrite the code, or to remove characters, or to change parameters or to assign new rules---but, as Creator, that is His right. <br />
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We can no more challenge God as being immoral, than Super Mario can challenge Miyamoto Shigeru in a court of law for his choices of programming. It is that absurd.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS6zjZXTweLyAeidRITzXMUgSJUkQL0w0qS0WU0tFsTMrBM4TidGrTKCwUnFsfAfvXxU_Xu0o1CD8fRDJQ1DJL9b9Ru86gx352NKx3Ww_wSEF8V9t1f05Asp5VVAA1WvpM8JuJyp-KwLY/s1600/tough+question.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS6zjZXTweLyAeidRITzXMUgSJUkQL0w0qS0WU0tFsTMrBM4TidGrTKCwUnFsfAfvXxU_Xu0o1CD8fRDJQ1DJL9b9Ru86gx352NKx3Ww_wSEF8V9t1f05Asp5VVAA1WvpM8JuJyp-KwLY/s320/tough+question.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The best an atheist can say is that, perhaps, the actions of God are emotionally challenging, or difficult to understand, but an atheist or skeptic can never, logically, accuse God of immorality, and certainly not attack him as a "moral monster" as Dawkins and his crowd have done.<br />
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Once the accusation is made by the atheist he has painted himself into the corner of admitting that ultimate morality exists, and that deep down inside he experiences a legitimate revulsion at the actions of a deity he does not accept. It is an awkward position! (and frustrating)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ZWPZ1YEXMNvxf31xqCJWI5h7alMKTZsJn8PUi3GDjgZ2lMhiANwuEICJdd8nTI_3_wtOguClQ_cWBofzvUyyCNf3GGNVxVl83neDPXy5mcUnyvynCNRBJckeg9jKwtZWpmIipOgJ4CQ/s1600/tough.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ZWPZ1YEXMNvxf31xqCJWI5h7alMKTZsJn8PUi3GDjgZ2lMhiANwuEICJdd8nTI_3_wtOguClQ_cWBofzvUyyCNf3GGNVxVl83neDPXy5mcUnyvynCNRBJckeg9jKwtZWpmIipOgJ4CQ/s200/tough.jpg" width="177" /></a></div>
Secondly, if, for the sake of argument, God does exist, then the atheist cannot accuse him of immorality because morality has been given BY GOD, it cannot be used to judge the God who gave it. <br />
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At best the atheist can only say that the actions of God are difficult to understand, tough to comprehend, but that skeptic cannot say that they are unequivocally WRONG.....<br />
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<b><i>EVER.</i></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7seXPfCkrhyphenhyphenG5vnG1PR9xweFWd61MMFNg7Whdxosn6sVGuzNNNzZf7h27NBGYhZcjOXSXwDPiacTIu1UvA8djmvhxsCb0CxYbegXz6XAlR98DK7sAJFQ4kOFfiQCLBK6S7ef3PX9yujo/s1600/CraigCBS_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7seXPfCkrhyphenhyphenG5vnG1PR9xweFWd61MMFNg7Whdxosn6sVGuzNNNzZf7h27NBGYhZcjOXSXwDPiacTIu1UvA8djmvhxsCb0CxYbegXz6XAlR98DK7sAJFQ4kOFfiQCLBK6S7ef3PX9yujo/s200/CraigCBS_2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
The famous scholar, Christian philosopher and apologist, William Lane Craig, responded to atheist Christopher Hitchens claim that evil and suffering in the world proved that either God did not exist or that He was evil. Craig, in his typical grace-under-pressure disposition, calmly asked Hitchens (and I loosely quote)<br />
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"Is it possible that God has a morally justifiable reason for allowing evil or suffering?"<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfB93iHY1FGPLzBaqJxpy5D75rXbDwHyeDA2AeDD1UjjwMJp96tYeUv2GDFPDLW9IBuDLPWcGoafGCcP82zZ1r9nC3Ac0d2u2Mc3YjXGTgSgWSHTE_R0RCqSHHeXw7Yogo76D8uBfWF9k/s1600/Timebomb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfB93iHY1FGPLzBaqJxpy5D75rXbDwHyeDA2AeDD1UjjwMJp96tYeUv2GDFPDLW9IBuDLPWcGoafGCcP82zZ1r9nC3Ac0d2u2Mc3YjXGTgSgWSHTE_R0RCqSHHeXw7Yogo76D8uBfWF9k/s200/Timebomb.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
That response and question is a ticking time bomb to the skeptic. Answered either way, it completely destroys both their credibility and case. Hitchens answered the only way a sane person would answer, he basically said:<br />
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"Yes...it is possible." Then the conclusion is inescapable---if it is possible that God has reasons for these supposed "moral atrocities" then the entire case of the skeptic collapses instantly.<br />
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It doesn't have to be probable...it merely has to be <b><i>possible</i></b>.<br />
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A simple example from history illustrates this: Imagine teaching a young child about World War II. Imagine that you tell them about evil president Harry S. Truman. <br />
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You tell them that he dropped two nuclear bombs on mainland Japan, killing and injuring hundreds of thousands of innocent people. <br />
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No doubt the child, in their sense of fairness and justice, would be filled with understandable rage and resentment. They would, no doubt, perpetuate that account of Truman being a moral monster, maybe even go on to write books about it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaZbaKNLAzrTjBL756eLpIdXNWdJZZvBCtJa5TUi8hGbbxkQ0jBCodKfuTxOOCP60Gl87eb_7Dn3XuKIsFmQ1PLKx-M1sjnj-zEnB_byHQdC7ERdkGJiVwJb68yn_-72Yo8ybOPXIY8sw/s1600/truman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaZbaKNLAzrTjBL756eLpIdXNWdJZZvBCtJa5TUi8hGbbxkQ0jBCodKfuTxOOCP60Gl87eb_7Dn3XuKIsFmQ1PLKx-M1sjnj-zEnB_byHQdC7ERdkGJiVwJb68yn_-72Yo8ybOPXIY8sw/s200/truman.jpg" width="156" /></a></div>
But what is the problem? Well, their education is missing a huge component of information, information that, if they knew it, would completely change their entire feeling and/or judgment about "evil" Harry. Once they learn that he actually agonized over that decision, and that he did it to SAVE LIVES, and to end a long and drawn out war as quickly as possible...<br />
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...well, now...that changes everything. <br />
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I think we can give the Creator of the Universe, a being so intelligent as to design DNA, enough of the benefit of the doubt when it comes to difficult to understand actions that He has taken. We do not know the whole story...yet.<br />
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Remember, just because we do not understand WHY God would do or not do something, does not, in any way, mean that He does not have morally justifying reasons for doing so. <br />
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We have seen enough CIA and covert-operations type of movies and TV shows to be familiar with the phrase "Need to know basis". Sometimes documents or photographs are classified TOP SECRET, with a "Need to Know" status decreed upon them.<br />
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If this is true in human dealings for purposes of security and national integrity, then surely the Creator of the Universe has dealings and plans so far above us that we, in our present condition, are not necessarily in a "need to know" status. It is both impossible that we could know all that God knows, and it is illogical to mandate that He must answer to us for His actions. <br />
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Let's be honest...about 99% of the challenges of skeptics in this line of reasoning involve the idea of death. Why would God allow this or that person to die, or why would God wipe out this or that group of people, or why would God "kill" this or that child?<br />
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The first question to ask them, of course, is simple: What is wrong with death? Isn't it merely the movement of atoms, because of energy, through space and time? Why is physical death such a moral evil? Think about it. I doubt they have.<br />
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And, since the Bible says that physical life is not all there is, that man has been made in the image of God, that we have a spiritual aspect that survives physical death, then death has truly "lost it's sting." Death is not the cessation of existence (that is only true in an atheistic worldview), death for a human is merely the crossing over into the next realm. You will survive your own mere physical death.<br />
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So, now what is the challenge of the skeptic? Everyone dies physically-- the flood in the days of Noah thousands of years ago, or the gunman at the Colorado movie theater in recent weeks, did not increase the amount of death in the world--it is still the same ratio as since the beginning of time--one death per person. <br />
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I am not condoning anything, I am merely pointing out cold, hard facts.<br />
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And, since no one is promised even one more day on this Earth, then a child dying or a centenarian passing away is no different, except for perhaps our own emotional response. Compared to eternity, we all have the same amount of time. <br />
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As the ultimate Creator of life, God has the right to choose the time and manner of the ending of physical life. No charge of immorality or of moral monstrosity could ever logically be laid at the feet of our Creator.<br />
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The same could be said for any of this type of flawed reasoning. Any attack on the moral goodness of God can be silenced with one simple question: "Does God have the right to govern His own creation?"<br />
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The answer is, of course, YES (I actually had one atheist, who had painted himself into this uncomfortable corner say "No!" and he was nearly laughed off the online thread, even by those not theistically bent). So, since God has the right to govern His creation, and death is not the end, then what is now the argument for immorality of our Creator?<br />
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[crickets]<br />
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God is not a moral monster...<br />
<br />
...He is the Moral Mandater.<br />
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The next time a skeptic wants to challenge you with the idea that evil, suffering, or the actions of the God of the Old Testament make the Creator out to be an evil being, beg him to let you have the bucket and brush. Tell him it's not a corner he wants to put himself in. You have the MORAL obligation to warn him/her not to go there.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326647847990482641.post-21851240820866188512012-07-10T14:26:00.000-05:002012-07-16T23:10:18.046-05:00Universal Dominion Theory: A fresh insight into the mystery of our massive Universe<b><span style="color: yellow;">THE DIVINE RADICAL</span></b><br />
<br />
In the 21st century we acknowledge that Jesus is our <b>REDEEMER</b>, but in the 1st century, we need to realize that He was a <b>REVOLUTIONARY</b>. His statements and actions challenged hundreds of years of empty ritualism and dead religion. Imagine confronting a Supreme Court justice and telling them that they have completely misunderstood the foundational meaning of the Constitution.<br />
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That is exactly what the Savior did when He approached the Scribes and the Pharisees, two groups that were considered to be the guardians and experts in the Old Testament Law. He looked them in the eye and declared: "You say (according to the Law) that thou shalt not kill. BUT I SAY UNTO YOU, that whoever has hate in his heart towards his fellow man is guilty of murder!"<br />
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Now <i><b>THAT </b></i>my friends, is revolutionary, radical--a complete revitalization of not only the letter of the Law, but the spirit and intent of the Law. He framed familiar verses in a whole new light and perspective that did not contradict what was generally understood...no, no, but rather deepened their comprehension in ways not previously imagined.<br />
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Now, what does the example of the paradigm-shift Savior have to do with cosmology and theology? Stay with me, this is going to be one wild ride, maybe even a bit uncomfortable, but I promise you that it won't be <b><i>explicitly </i></b>heretical, so please put your stones, stakes, and torches away (for now). <br />
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<b><span style="color: yellow;">WHEN WORLD'S COLLIDE</span></b><br />
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History is replete with examples of revolutionary ideas that intersected scientific discovery with supposed religious dogma, often with controversial outcomes. Most Junior High students can recall at least a passing familiarity with the famous standoff between the religious authorities and the claims of Galileo.<br />
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It wasn't (as is often told) a conflict between Theology and Science, rather it was the clash of the ancient Greek models of Heliocentrism(Aristarchus) with Geocentrism(Aristotle). To put it another way, it wasn't religion versus reality, rather it was an incorrect philosophical position (NOT based on the Bible) pitted against a correct scientific position (based on empiricism). <br />
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The mathematics that must be used to describe our Universe defy any real comprehension. Our most recent estimate places the diameter of the cosmos at around 100 billion light years across (some physicists say it could be infinite). Adopting the more conservative view, since light travels about 186,000 miles per second, so (crunching the numbers) that puts the Universe at 795,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 miles wide (almost 800 Septillion miles).<br />
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Not only are the distances overwhelming, but the contents of the Universe wear out a calculator quickly. It is estimated that there are over 100 billion galaxies (100,000,000,000), and some galaxies have up to 1 trillion stars (1,000,000,000,000). To attempt to guesstimate the number of possible planets orbiting these zillions of stars is a fools errand, but the number would surely make any family of exponents proud.<br />
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<b><span style="color: yellow;">TWINKLE TWINKLE</span></b><br />
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Over 3000 years ago, David the Shepherd-turned-King gazed out into the brilliant night sky above the Judean outback and penned these famous words: <span class="text Ps-8-3" id="en-NIV1984-14016"><br /></span>"When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers,...the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him?" (Psalm 8:3,4)<br />
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Who hasn't looked up into the velvet blackness of a cloudless night sky and felt two opposing yet complimentary feelings: (1) the vastness of space (2) the near insignificance of man.<br />
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After the sublime amazement of a moment like this, some have moved from the <b><i>wonders</i></b> to the <b><i>WHY's.</i></b> Why is space so huge? Why are there so many stars? Why did God create a Universe so large and complex? Why would God create things that we will never even have a chance to see, let alone study or utilize?<br />
<br />
Even the world's most distinguished theoretical physicist, Stephen Hawking (an agnostic), weighed in when considering the issue of "Why would God create a Universe so large?" The Oxford professor observed: <br />
"Our Solar System is certainly a prerequisite for our existence, but
there does not seem to be any need for all these other galaxies." (Brief
History of Time)<br />
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<b><span style="color: yellow;">IGNORANCE ISN'T BLISS</span></b><br />
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Before we discuss some of the more plausible and theo-intellectually satisfying answers to this interesting question (I purposefully use the word <i>interesting</i>) it is important to make one significant, and often overlooked, point:<br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<b>Just because we (perhaps) do not currently know WHY God would create such a large Universe, does not, in any way, mean that He does not (did not?) have a reason.</b> Ignorance does not equal Absence. In a simple Earthly example: just because a child does not know why their parent has asked them to do a certain thing, does not mean that the parent does not have a very good reason. <br />
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Ignorance of information does not equivocate absence of information. For most of human history, we did not know the basic structure of the atom, but that unawareness did not mean that atomic structure did not exist. The logic is unassailable. Let's leave that dead horse, and focus our energies on something more stimulating.<br />
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<b><span style="color: yellow;">A BIG QUESTION ABOUT A BIG UNIVERSE</span></b><br />
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Let's restate the question: "Why would God create a Universe so large?"<br />
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Earlier I called this inquiry INTERESTING. I didn't say that it was important, or relevant, or even significant, rather, it is just interesting. And actually, that is all that it really is. Interesting. The reason that we must relegate it to this category is that the answer to it does not change our theology, our Christology, or our cosmology, per se. To accept or not accept, agree or disagree with any of these possibilities or assumptions does not substantially alter our understanding of God, Christ, or of His incredible plan of salvation.<br />
<br />
Before I break into radical, even revolutionary, new ground, let's review the typical traditional and plausible answers to the question of "Why would God create a Universe so large?"<br />
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<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">1. The immensity of the creation (Universe) reveals the power and attributes of God.</span></b><br />
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The Psalmist once said: "The Heavens declare the glory of God..." (Psalm 19:1)<br />
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God says that the night sky is like a giant electric billboard that clearly shouts out for all mankind to read that the Creator is powerful, and that He is far above us.<br />
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In the book of Isaiah, the Lord invites mankind to look up into the night sky and He asks: <br />
"To whom will you compare Me? Or, who is my equal?” says the (Lord) "Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? It is He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength..." (Isaiah 40:25,26)<br />
<br />
This one verse easily settles this entire question once you consider what the Lord is saying here. God declares that He made the immensity of the Universe so that we would know that there is no one and nothing that could even begin to compete with Him and His power. Why so many galaxies and so many stars? To demonstrate the limitless knowledge of God, for He has named each one of them, and has individually crafted each one in His great creative power.<br />
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(Interesting side note- the number of Bacteria in the world leaves the number of the stars in the dust (no pun intended). It is estimated that there are over 5,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 bacteria---that's 5 Nonillion. But stars still outnumber grains of sand by an estimated factor of ten to one!)<br />
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In fact, the size of the Universe, though immense to us, is nothing to the Creator. Again in Isaiah the Lord says that He has: "...<span class="text Isa-40-12" id="en-NIV-18433">measured the Universe with the width of His hand." </span><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"></span><span class="text Isa-40-12"> In another well-known passage the Lord shows that not only is distance meaningless to Him, but time is just as irrelevant:<br />"For a day with the Lord is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as a day." Neither distance nor time affects or hinders the workings of our God.</span></span><br />
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<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-40-12" style="color: #9fc5e8;"><b>2. The size of the Universe humbles mankind.</b></span></span><br />
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<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-40-12">If there is one thing we know about mankind, it is that we tend to become arrogant at the slightest opportunity. Let someone just praise you one time and our egometer goes off the charts. An immense Universe is a great safeguard against our heads expanding like a hot air balloon.<br /><br />If we look at it in perspective, each of us is just one of the many billions of people, on just one planet among many gadzillions of planets, a speck, on a speck, in the western spiral arm of a nondescript galaxy, in a Universe that is impossible to even fathom. An electron seems huge by comparison.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-40-12"> If your ego makes your reflection in a mirror seem huge, look not out but up...up into the vastness of space.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-40-12"><b> </b></span></span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-40-12"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">3. A huge Universe magnifies our appreciation of God's love for us.</span></b><br />When we truly understand just how insignificant we are (as David said: "What is man that (God) is mindful of him?") we then can truly begin to see the size of the love of God for us. Think of the immensity of the Universe, but then realize that God Himself became a man and was born into a poor family, from a poor nation, right here on planet Earth. Not only that, but He also was crucified, bearing our sins upon a cruel Roman cross, and died. </span></span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-40-12"><br /></span></span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-40-12">But, out of this entire Universe, Jesus came HERE, and lived HERE, and suffered HERE, and died HERE. This proves to us, that even though we may be small, the love and focus of God is upon us. It is amazing that a super-sized Universe reveals God's super-sized passion for us.</span></span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-40-12"><br /></span></span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-40-12">What a perfect combination--a huge Universe to humble us, and then a huge Universe to reveal how much God loves us. Amazing.</span></span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-40-12"><br /></span></span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-40-12" style="color: #9fc5e8;"><b>4. A huge Universe magnifies the greatness of God's salvation.</b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-40-12">This is the other side of the coin, so to speak, from the previous answer. Reason Number 3 is kind of from our perspective looking "up", this one is from God's perspective looking "down". When one considers just how small and insignificant planet Earth is, it reveals the immensity of God's humility that He even would consider becoming a man to die for us.</span></span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-40-12"></span></span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-40-12">Psalm 113 tells us
that God has to humble Himself just to behold the things that occur in
the Universe, and even more so to behold what is occurring on the Earth.</span></span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-40-12"><br />The author of Hebrews challenges us: "How can we escape if we neglect so GREAT A SALVATION...?" (Hebrews 2:3) When we really consider the greatness of God's plan, the greatness of His humility to become a baby, and the greatness of His love to die for us, we can see why it is a serious and deadly thing to "neglect" this great salvation that He has provided.</span></span><br />
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<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-40-12"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><b>5. The
Universe must be at least a certain size for things to operate the
way the Lord has revealed to us</b>. </span><br /><br />In Genesis it plainly says that the
extra-terrestrial bodies (moons, stars, planets, etc) are there for
"times and seasons" and their measurement. Even though "modern" man of
the past 100 years or so does not depend upon the stars and
constellations for directions, locations, and times--that does not mean
that they have not served that purpose wonderfully since the dawn of human history.</span></span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-40-12"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-40-12">Maritime
travel, especially, would have been orders of magnitude more difficult
without precise measurements based upon certain star-to-star locations
at precise times. It takes a Universe just about as large as ours to
accomplish that.<br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-40-12"><br /></span></span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-40-12" style="color: yellow;"><b>NOW WE SEE THROUGH THE GLASS DARKLY</b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-40-12"></span></span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-40-12"><b></b></span></span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-40-12"><b>Remember, </b>regardless of our reaction to these 5 reasons given, that does not alter the fact that God could have had many thousands, if not limitless reasons for creating a Universe this large and this complex. These are just <i><b>some </b></i>of the possible, plausible reasons that we can discern with our very limited understanding. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-40-12">Imagine an Aboriginal tribesman watching the creation of the latest Intel multi-core CPU's. Nearly 99.9999999999999999999999999% of what is being done is a complete mystery to him. But his lack of understanding does not, in any way, mean that the engineers at Intel do not have very good reasons for absolutely everything that they are doing. <b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">Mystery does not equal Meaningless.</span></b></span></span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: yellow;">BIG IS JUST A TINY IDEA</span></b><br />
<br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-40-12"><b> </b></span></span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-40-12">Secondly, size is a completely relative and "human" emotional concept, for the most part. What is size really? It is just a perceived scale anyway. An ant may be "small" to us, but ants are unimaginably large to a bacteria. A bacteria may be "small" to an ant, but it might as well be the size of the Universe compared to an an electron. Do you see how arbitrary this entire idea of size actually is? </span></span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-40-12"><br /></span></span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-40-12">Size comparison is merely an emotional concept, not nearly as empirical as we would like to think. We "feel" small by the size of the Universe, but smallness or bigness do not actually exist outside of our minds reaction to a concept.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-40-12">Now, are you ready for a completely radical, revolutionary, complete paradigm shift type of thinking about "Why did God create such a large Universe?" (even though now we have to admit that "large" is just a state of mind, an emotional concept) ?</span></span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-40-12"><br /></span></span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-40-12">I am not saying that this theory is completely valid, but I do offer it as a possible, potential, and theologically "sound" proposal. It is called the UDT. Are you ready? Do not just read this next sentence and then close this webpage dismissing me as a heretic, please hear me out on this.<br /><br /><b><span style="color: lime;">Universal Dominion Theory (UDT): The proposition that God created the Universe in such a way that it could hold an unlimited number of people, through the colonization of space.</span></b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-40-12">Now, this is not the complete theory--it is supported by a number of important points that need to be enumerated. Let's look at them one by one:</span></span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-40-12"><br /></span></span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-40-12" style="color: yellow;"><b>1. God originally created man to live physically forever.</b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-40-12">The book of Genesis makes it clear that death was not in the original plan. The Lord explicitly told our first human parents that only sin would lead to death. The converse of this is that a sinless human would not have physically died. Without sin, mankind would simply have lived forever, in an edenic setting, in perfect fellowship with the Creator and all of creation.<br /><br />What about the sun running out of nuclear fuel, or the Earth slowing down to a mere crawl rotationally, or the core of the Earth cooling to a solid mass? Obviously, since God created the Universe, He has the ability to have originally made it to endure and function as long as He desired it to...even eternally. Perhaps that is the reason for the mysterious actions of the quantum aspects of the Universe, the ability to eternally "feed" and sustain the motions, mass, and energy of the Universe.</span></span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-40-12"></span></span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-40-12"><br />With the Creator interacting with it, the Universe is definitely not a closed system, in anyone's book.</span></span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-40-12"><br /></span></span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-40-12"><b> </b></span></span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Isa-40-12"><b><span style="color: yellow;">2. God commanded mankind to reproduce.</span></b><br /><br />Even non-Bible-thumpers are familiar with the verse "Be fruitful and multiply..." It is perhaps the only command of God that humanity has ever obeyed, yet, not without strong incentive. The basic equation is: 1 man + 1 woman (can) equal 1 child. So, starting with an original pair, the first child born would have increases the planet's population by 50% (going from 2 people to 3 people). The next child increases it by 33%, yet it has also doubled it from the original pair.</span></span><br />
<br />
The rate of population growth has obviously varied throughout time (initially it would have been HUGE since the overall population was smaller) but then tapered down. At present, it is estimated to be about a 1.5% growth rate. It is calculated that our human population did not reach over one billion worldwide until just about 1800. In a short two hundreds years later, we have just passed seven billion.<br />
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(Side note: Even though people are always complaining about OVER-population, it is interesting to note that every single living person on planet Earth could fit within the city limits of Sarasota, Florida.)<br />
<b><span style="color: yellow;"><br /></span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: yellow;">A FLOOD OF FOLKS BEFORE THE FLOOD</span></b><br />
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Using the numbers in the book of Genesis, comparing average life spans, and average family sizes, and by calculating dates, conservative estimates reveal that the Earth's population at the time of Noah's flood could have been between 8 and 12 billion people. But then, after the flood, with drastically reduced life spans, a much harsher climate, and widespread war, disease, and competition for resources, it took humanity triple that Pre-flood period just to get back to one billion people. <br />
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But before you scoff, realize that we added SIX BILLION people in the last 200 years alone, so, in a world of increased longevity as existed before the flood, along with large family sizes (due to longer life), a lush, tropical environment....well, it is no stretch of the imagination or the data to see how the Earth's population could grow rapidly.<br />
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Population, like money, grows at a faster rate the more you have. Someone once asked a rich man if it is hard to make money: "Not really, " he said, "it is just the first million that is slow, the rest comes pretty quickly!"<br />
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<b><span style="color: yellow;">3. God gave mankind dominion over the entire Universe.</span></b><br />
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Mankind is unique among all of God's physical creation. Of all the living, sentient beings, only of man was it said that God created him in His own image. Only of man did God impart an eternal spiritual dimension, when the scripture records that God, in effect, "breathed" into man spiritual life, not just physical life. Mankind was the only species that God gave moral commands to. Mankind alone communicated with the Creator. It was only of mankind that it said that God "walked" with in the Edenic paradise, communing as friend with friend. And finally, it was specifically given to man to have "dominion" over all of God's physical creation (the Universe).<br />
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Twice in Genesis 1 it declares: <span class="text Gen-1-26" id="en-NKJV-26">"God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion..." God made man as a mini-creator, so to speak. Man is nearly godlike over the rest of God's living creation. The superiority of man above the rest of creation is a picture of God's superiority above everything. We were created in His image, the image of authority, dominion, and moral consciousness. </span><br />
<span class="text Gen-1-26" id="en-NKJV-26"><br /></span><br />
<span class="text Gen-1-26" style="color: yellow;"><b>MAN--WAY OVER QUALIFIED</b></span><br />
<span class="text Gen-1-26"><br /></span><br />
<span class="text Gen-1-26" id="en-NKJV-26">Even looking at the condition of mankind from a purely naturalistic, atheistic viewpoint, mankind is extreme overkill in many areas. The gap between man and the next most "advanced" animal is nearly infinite. Whether dolphin or chimpanzee, man towers above them intellectually, morally, physically, and spiritually like a New York skyscraper. It's no contest. As we look at the animal kingdom, there is a certain range of intelligence and capability (all based on instinct) and then....there is man.</span><br />
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<span class="text Gen-1-26" id="en-NKJV-26">Evolution cannot account for man's impressive arsenal of non-survival skills and "unnecessary" attributes. The fact that Darwin used advanced reasoning to formulate his naturalistic theory should have invalidated his own argument. As former atheist, Anthony Flew remarked, our self-consciousness alone is enough evidence to demonstrate the necessity of a Creator. There is no simple CELL and there is no simple SELF. </span><br />
<span class="text Gen-1-26" id="en-NKJV-26"><br /></span><br />
<span class="text Gen-1-26" id="en-NKJV-26">From our incredible brain, capable of discovering the very fabric of reality, demonstrated by Einsteinian Relativity to the Higgs boson of the Standard Model, to our moral compass, inexplicably and universally linked by a common conscience that shows remarkable consistency across the globe and across time, to a level of interpersonal communication that knows no equal, and indeed, knows no competition. Mankind alone possesses the ability for complex discourse, and alone possesses the symbolic tools of language embodied in written communication.</span><br />
<span class="text Gen-1-26" id="en-NKJV-26"><br /></span><br />
<span class="text Gen-1-26" style="color: yellow;"><b>UNNATURAL SELECTION</b></span><br />
<span class="text Gen-1-26"><br /></span><br />
<span class="text Gen-1-26" id="en-NKJV-26">Mankind alone passionately records his own history, and builds enduring monuments to his own achievements, mankind alone not only dreams of the stars, but actively creates the vehicles to take him there. Mankind alone constructs libraries and research centers, schools and churches, museums and theme parks. Mankind alone will spend countless hours and countless resources seeking knowledge rather than nourishment, conclusions rather than comfort, and science rather than safety.</span><br />
<span class="text Gen-1-26" id="en-NKJV-26"><br /></span><br />
<span class="text Gen-1-26" id="en-NKJV-26">Both the written word of God revealed in the scriptures, and the unwritten word of God revealed in nature, alike agree that mankind is distinct, superior, and unique. He was created in the very image of God (authority) and was specifically given dominion.</span><br />
<span class="text Gen-1-26"><br /></span><br />
<span class="text Gen-1-26" style="color: yellow;"><b>A MAN'S REACH SHOULD EXCEED HIS GRASP</b></span><br />
<span class="text Gen-1-26" id="en-NKJV-26"><br /></span><br />
<span class="text Gen-1-26" id="en-NKJV-26">But just how far does his dominion reach? For that answer we must look at an important passage in Psalm 8, speaking of God in the creation of the Universe: "</span><span class="text Ps-8-3" id="en-NKJV-14016">When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, t</span><span class="text Ps-8-3">he moon and the stars, which You have ordained...</span><span class="text Ps-8-4" id="en-NKJV-14017">"</span><br />
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<span class="text Ps-8-4" id="en-NKJV-14017">What is the Universe? It is the "works of His fingers..." Like a potter with clay, God molded all of physical reality to His own exacting specification.</span><br />
<span class="text Ps-8-4" id="en-NKJV-14017"><br /></span><br />
<span class="text Ps-8-4" id="en-NKJV-14017">But now, look a few verses down as it discusses mankind:</span><br />
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<span class="text Ps-8-4" id="en-NKJV-14017"> </span><span class="text Ps-8-4" id="en-NKJV-14017">"What is man that You are mindful of him...</span><span class="text Ps-8-4"></span><span class="text Ps-8-5" id="en-NKJV-14018"></span><span class="text Ps-8-5"></span><span class="text Ps-8-6" id="en-NKJV-14019">You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;</span><span class="text Ps-8-6"> You have put all <i>things</i> under his feet."</span></div>
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<span class="text Ps-8-6">God created mankind to have dominion over the "works of (His) hands". What are the works of His hands? Not just the Earth, but also the Moon, and the stars and all the heavenly bodies throughout the entirety of space. </span></div>
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<span class="text Ps-8-6"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="text Ps-8-6">According to the Lord Himself, ALL of the Universe is to be "under" our feet, i.e. that mankind is to be above it, in dominion, in authority. As of 2012 we have only claimed and actually exercised that dominion over a small portion of that promise, specifically the Earth and the Moon. If the Lord delays His return for a few more decades, I fully expect, because of these verses, that we will be traveling literally, among the stars.</span></div>
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<span class="text Ps-8-6"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="text Ps-8-6" style="color: #9fc5e8;"><i><b>But we should have ALREADY been there.</b></i></span></div>
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<span class="text Ps-8-6"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="text Ps-8-6" style="color: yellow;"><b>THE ORIGINAL PLAN</b></span></div>
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<span class="text Ps-8-6"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="text Ps-8-6">Here is where things start getting real interesting. It is time to start using those Darwinian-Evolution-Cannot-Account-For Neurons in your brain. I'm going to take you back in time and look at where we should have, could have, and would have been, had not sin entered the picture, and destroyed not only man's perfect relationship with God, but also all but destroyed our true potential.</span></div>
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<span class="text Ps-8-6"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="text Ps-8-6">Imagine a world without SIN. The differences would be nearly incomprehensible. We cannot even watch the first two minutes of an evening news broadcast without seeing the faces and hearing the names of countless victims of suicide, homicide, and even genocide. From the greed of Wall Street, to the gross immorality of Main Street, from sickness and disease, to heartache, pain, and death. The evidence and proof of sin in mankind is undeniable. But just try to imagine Earth without sin.</span></div>
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<span class="text Ps-8-6"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="text Ps-8-6"><b><span style="color: lime;">No death.</span> </b>Here in 2012 we could still talk to Adam, or go visit with Moses---how about have breakfast with Aristotle, or a quick lunch with Jefferson, Locke, or Newton. Try to imagine the wealth of knowledge that a person could accumulate with a life expectancy of, well, of eternal. And then imagine how much more knowledge and technology would flourish as all of that previous knowledge is being perfectly passed down and built upon by newer minds, with newer ideas and innovations. </span></div>
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<span class="text Ps-8-6">Because of death, Isaac Newton never had the privilege of personally meeting with Einstein, and because of death, the possible discoveries and potentials of both of these great men will NEVER be realized. Imagine a world where the greatest minds of all of history could collaborate without t</span>he tragedy of at least one of the only two things said to be sure in this life.<br /></div>
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<span class="text Ps-8-6"><b><span style="color: lime;">No language barrier.</span></b> Had there been no sin, then there would not have been the divine dividing of the languages at the famous Tower of Babel. There is no telling the amount of time and labor that goes into just attempting to bridge the language barrier that hinders business, technology, medicine, and politics. The benefits of a true global language are incalculable. Ideas, innovation, data, and concepts would move effortlessly and knowledge would only be aptly described as explosive. </span></div>
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<span class="text Ps-8-6"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="text Ps-8-6"><b><span style="color: lime;">No distraction.</span></b> So much of our time is wrapped up chasing meaningless ventures, and much of the world devotes the majority of it's day seeking food and shelter. But in a world of no sin, Genesis records that man's every need was met with bounty. Hunger would be unknown, and the endless pursuit of the basic necessities of life would be the stuff of poor fiction. Without the constant need to barely meet the demands of body and community, the incredible intellectual capital of mankind would be best described as logarithmic. </span></div>
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<span class="text Ps-8-6"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="text Ps-8-6"><b><span style="color: lime;">No competition.</span> </b>In a world without sin, no one would be seeking to "get it before the other guy get's it." Instead of competition (driven by greed and pride) we would have collaboration. Instead of fighting each other, we would be working with each other to answer any challenge, and overcome any obstacle. Associated with this would be equitable and necessary utilization of resources (such as energy, metals, property) to best meet the needs of the enterprise.<br /><br />Consider how many of the great minds throughout history who devoted most of their true genius to creating weapons of war. Even in the 20th century, the intellectual prowess of Europe was concentrated on bombs, aircraft, and the technology of mass death. Look how far we progressed in a short amount of time when the leading scientific minds in America came together in the space program mandate initiated by President Kennedy. Simultaneously, on the other side of the globe, the prodigies of the USSR were also pushing their own extra-terrestrial goals, in heavily shrouded and guarded secrecy. </span><br />
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In the past few hundred years, many of the greatest minds have been focused on two opposing goals---one group on weapons to kill, the other, on medicines to heal. Imagine all of those dreamers working together, for a common purpose.<br />
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<span class="text Ps-8-6"><b><span style="color: lime;">No sickness. </span></b>The amount of any nation's gross national product as well as government expenditure related to medical care is staggering. And not only the financial aspects of health issues, but the toll on people is incalculable. Add to that how much time and effort is spent by some of the brightest scientists in the world, who are working on discovering cures rather than discovering solutions to the great mysteries of the Universe about us. Consider even one man, Stephen Hawking, revered as the greatest living theoretical physicist, yet sadly debilitated by a cruel and progressive malady.</span></div>
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<span class="text Ps-8-6"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="text Ps-8-6">Think about this---mankind went from riding horses to walking on the Moon in less than 100 years, in that same time frame we went from interpersonal communication to international global communication. In less than 50 years we went from a slide rules to supercomputers. In less than a few years we went from exploratory surgery to non-invasive medical imaging, revealing every structure inside of a living being with the clarity of pure vision. </span></div>
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<span class="text Ps-8-6"><br /></span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;"><b>TRACES REMAIN</b></span><br />
<span class="text Ps-8-6"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="text Ps-8-6">And all of this in a world where SIN has taken it's toll, where man has fallen, and lost much of his original potential and promise. Even in this sin-cursed world, where will we be (technology-wise) in the next 10 years, 50 years, 500 years? Surely FTL travel (Faster Than Light) will be possible. Surely we will gain the technology to make a hostile and uninhabitable planet habitable. As of now, we are almost able to make the incredible reality of cheap nuclear fusion energy----so where will we be energy-wise in the distant or even not-so-distant future?</span></div>
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<span class="text Ps-8-6">Now, think back to a world without sin. Surely we would have achieved the level of technology where we are today, many thousands of years ago in the past. Without death, distraction, competition, or any language barriers inhibiting progress, mankind would have achieved 21st century knowledge many, many centuries before. Newton, Oppenheimer, Einstein, and all of the great mathematical and philosophical minds of ancient Greece would be able to collaborate. </span></div>
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<span class="text Ps-8-6"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="text Ps-8-6">It is not unrealistic to conjecture that we would have Faster Than Light travel, nuclear fusion, the ability to manipulate the laws of nature, to transform matter and energy into materials with properties hitherto unknown, to synthesize artificial life, in short, to have dominion over the "works of His hands."</span><br />
<span class="text Ps-8-6"><br /></span><br />
<span class="text Ps-8-6" style="color: yellow;"><b>BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER</b></span><br />
<span class="text Ps-8-6"><br /></span><br />
<span class="text Ps-8-6">The surface area of our amazing Earth is almost exactly 200 million square miles, of which, about 60 million square miles is land. For the sake of argument, let's assume that ratio was the same in the original creation. Granted, 60 million square miles is a tremendous amount of land, but it will only hold a finite number of people. Even granting a very generous plot of land of over one hundred square yards per person, this still yields an impressive figure of roughly 20 billion people that could be easily supported on the Earth. </span><br />
<span class="text Ps-8-6"><br /></span><br />
<span class="text Ps-8-6">But, in a sinless world of no death, no sickness, no infant mortality...we would, without divine intervention and control (which are entirely possible and practical) mankind would have "outgrown" this Earth in 5 or 6 thousand years, quite possibly. </span><br />
<span class="text Ps-8-6"><br /></span><br />
<span class="text Ps-8-6">Perhaps, early on, man would have devoted technological efforts to discover ways to inhabit the vast regions of the oceans, or to even build layers of civilization, stacked vertically (skyscrapers), which certainly would have increased the possible total supportable population, perhaps even doubling or even tripling it.<br /><br />But, eventually, mankind would have run out of space. <br /><br /><b><span style="color: yellow;">LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION</span></b><br /><br />Some would offer that we would have then built giant floating metropolises in space, enormous centers of culture, knowledge, art, and science. But even then, we still would need more room. The Moon would have been renovated, perhaps, and that would hold for awhile, but the need for more room would continue to come.<br /><br />Man would eventually have to set out for the stars. Leaving the cozy and familiar home of this inhabited solar system, human population growth, matched with genius technological progress would, no doubt, lead us to take more and more dominion. Planet after planet, galaxy after galaxy, super cluster after super cluster would be visited and colonized by man.</span><br />
<span class="text Ps-8-6"><br /></span><br />
<span class="text Ps-8-6">According to Romans chapter 8, since man was given dominion over the entire Universe, when man sinned against God and fell, that the Creator cursed all of creation. Nothing in all the physical Universe apparently was left untouched by this blemish caused by our pride and rebellion. All that was supposed to be "under our feet" has, in some sense, turned hostile to us. </span><br />
<span class="text Ps-8-6"><br /></span><br />
<span class="text Ps-8-6" style="color: yellow;"><b>ATOM AND EVE</b></span><br />
<span class="text Ps-8-6"><br /></span><br />
<span class="text Ps-8-6">It is not too far of a theological stretch to imagine that a pre-sin Universe had habitable planets. The Creator's original plan was for us to have dominion over ALL of His physical creation. Even if there were not any habitable planets (outside of Earth), our technology would eventually reach the level of the "Genesis Device" of Star Trek fame...a contraption that could make the uninhabitable, habitable. We have done this to some degree on the Earth, surely futuristic technology would allow much, much more.</span><br />
<span class="text Ps-8-6"><br /></span><br />
<span class="text Ps-8-6">Since all elements, from Oxygen to Gold, from Hydrogen to Californium, all use the same ingredients of protons, neutrons, and electrons, the high-tech possibilities of elemental synthesis cannot be that far off, even now. The ability to make elements and then to design molecules would be passe in this sinless dominion. There would be no lack of perfect air to breathe, water to drink, or materials to build, as the secrets of atomic synthesis would be the stuff of elementary education (no pun intended).</span><br />
<span class="text Ps-8-6"><br /></span><br />
<span class="text Ps-8-6" style="color: yellow;"><b>DIGITAL DOMINION</b></span><br />
<span class="text Ps-8-6"><br /></span><br />
<span class="text Ps-8-6">It is estimated that we will have a computer than can match the reasoning power of the human mind within two decades. Imagine if we had reached that level about 500 years ago, or 1000 years ago...imagine where we would be now. Just as God created us in His image, we will soon be able to have our own creations that we will, undoubtedly, make in our image. Within 50 years it is estimated that we will have a supercomputer that will exceed the total processing power of the entire human race...now imagine that about 1000 years ago.</span><br />
<span class="text Ps-8-6"><br /></span><br />
<span class="text Ps-8-6">Scientists have observed, since about the 1920's, that the Universe is expanding, with all galaxies racing away from each other at apparently increasing speeds. As we consider the UDT (Universal Dominion Theory) this fits in perfectly, as the Universe would need to expand as the population would continue to grow throughout all eternity. </span><br />
<span class="text Ps-8-6"><br /></span><br />
<span class="text Ps-8-6" style="color: yellow;"><b>MAKING SENSE OUT OF BABEL</b></span><br />
<span class="text Ps-8-6"><br /></span><br />
<span class="text Ps-8-6">In Genesis 11, there is a familiar account, an account so familiar that we often race over it in our studies. Instead of parsing it, line by line, word by word, we read it like a story, catching merely the obvious surface gems. But there are better and richer treasures, just below the surface. Genesis 11 contains the account of the Tower of Babel. God had commanded mankind to spread out and fill the Earth after the flood, but, in our rebellion, man refused. </span><br />
<span class="text Ps-8-6"><br /></span><br />
<span class="text Ps-8-6">The scriptures record that the people, under a strong leader, decided to build a city and a tower---and it is interesting what the goal of that tower was (and perhaps what it represents). They said: "Let us build a tower whose top is in the Heavens..." Notice, inside of man is that lingering but degraded memory of our original intent and purpose. We had been given dominion by the Lord over the physical creation, the stars were put into our very hearts, so to speak, and the Tower of Babel is a physical manifestation of manifest destiny lost.</span><br />
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Then, it is equally interesting what the Lord says in response to man's industry. The Lord says: "“Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them."</div>
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<b><span style="color: yellow;">THE BEST IS YET TO COME</span></b></div>
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Amazing. God has told us that nothing that we propose to do (in this physical Universe) will be impossible, more or less. Even in our sinful state, the image of God we all bear still maintains tremendous promise and potential. To slow down our rebellious progress, the Lord divided the languages, which quickly divided mankind, which soon divided into nations across the divided continents.</div>
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As we look up at night into the near infinitude of the borderless lands of the cosmos, our hearts long for that final frontier. Those inexplicable emotions are but whispers, even echoes perhaps, of a time and possibilities forgotten, and of galactic paradise lost.</div>
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But, the journey may well begin again, one day, as we read in the scriptures of that time when the Lord creates "the New Heavens, and the New Earth." Now that's really something to think about.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326647847990482641.post-72448753340676788012012-07-09T00:34:00.005-05:002012-07-09T17:10:05.378-05:00Higgs boson "God Particle": What the mass media doesn't tell you about the media of the mass<span style="color: yellow; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>ARTICLES ABOUT PARTICLES</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPvpDVrS1pHGN15t6GQDHAo3tEitpyG7P-2M1gJ1qnRRsMR9AQ1lSLKWW41aSNG9J46ddX79DxUPr5pBxVw766TNYxbX0ezU7_9PJYvqGDsUmEbBJzMLPrXqQxJ0PA4WxuwlOg1lyteIA/s1600/men+and+boys.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPvpDVrS1pHGN15t6GQDHAo3tEitpyG7P-2M1gJ1qnRRsMR9AQ1lSLKWW41aSNG9J46ddX79DxUPr5pBxVw766TNYxbX0ezU7_9PJYvqGDsUmEbBJzMLPrXqQxJ0PA4WxuwlOg1lyteIA/s320/men+and+boys.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> It has been often observed that the difference between men and boys is, the size and the price of their <i><b>toys</b></i>. So what is the difference between studying <b>atomic </b>and <b>subatomic </b>particles? Pretty much the same. You want to research atoms? Get a small lab, some equipment, and a laptop. <br /><br />You want to study subatomic particles?? Go get yourself a loan of several billion dollars, thousands of acres of property, tons of liquid helium, several freight trains of magnets, and, uh, oh yeah---<br /><br />---enough electricity to blackout a few third world <i><b>nations</b></i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If the old expression: "the bigger they are, the harder they fall" is true, then when it comes to subatomic physics we say: "the smaller the particles are, the harder and more expensive they are to find!"</span><br />
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<span style="color: yellow; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>ITTY BITTY TEENY WEENY</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuW1IUbb0-XjLgDCPVc_6aba4H0fkkqTvPns1bzybKHKiHcG4vKRMjo3YvLDlJqdKbYN22lu-Fn55CpH9rAZaKeOAMBd79zeU3118zMtpRO3ZB8gg-JUF7kt7kvhd122WNmsUmhXBbAms/s1600/legos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuW1IUbb0-XjLgDCPVc_6aba4H0fkkqTvPns1bzybKHKiHcG4vKRMjo3YvLDlJqdKbYN22lu-Fn55CpH9rAZaKeOAMBd79zeU3118zMtpRO3ZB8gg-JUF7kt7kvhd122WNmsUmhXBbAms/s320/legos.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It was the Greeks that brought this concept of really, really, really, really small things, things so small that they could not be divided into anything smaller...they called this concept an atomos (atom). It was from this basic concept of "tiny undividableness" that science pioneers in the 19th century, especially Dalton (though it had been speculated centuries earlier), first brought us into the modern understanding of atomic structure.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">At first it was believed that atoms were the most basic and fundamental pieces of all physical things...kind of like the smallest Lego blocks in the toy chest of the Universe. Most thought that we had finally discovered, in a sense, the very fabric of reality. As mankind is prone to do, a sort of odd arrogance usually surrounds such discovery, an almost "we are smarter than God (if there is a god to be smarter than)!"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /><br />Like Dorothy pulling back the curtain and discovering the tiny man behind the mighty and powerful Oz, scientists thought that they had uncovered the secret of the Universe. Well, for a little while...</span><br />
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<span style="color: yellow; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>SMALLEST AND UM, ER, SMALLEST-EST</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />By the end of the 19th century, physicist J.J. Thomson revealed a slightly disconcerting fact---there were even smaller particles inside of the atom! The supposed tiniest particles were made of even tinier particles. <br /><br />Once the genie gets out the bottle, all bets are off.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As the world recovered from the ravages of the bombardments of world war two, during the1950's another type of bombardment revolutionized our understanding of the universe--the atom smasher. Also known as (particle) accelerators, these linear and circular devices allowed scientists to crash high powered beams of atomic material into each other at mind-numbing speeds. The result---even more particles smaller than an atom, or <i><b>SUB</b></i>-atomic.</span><br />
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<span style="color: yellow; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>WOULD THE SMALLEST PARTICLE PLEASE STAND UP...</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The discovery of electrons were followed by protons and neutrons, then neutrinos, pions, muons, kaons, quarks, leptons, and several flavors of gauge bosons (bosons include the famous "light particle"--the <i><b>photon</b></i>). By the 1970's the famous <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_Model" target="_blank"><b>Standard Model</b></a> of physics, which is the unified theory that predicts and explains this popular parade of particles, was well established.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The sheer number and bizarre behavior exhibited by these </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">incomprehensibly small components led to equally bizarre names like<b> ups, downs, taus, gluons, charmed, </b>and<b> strange.</b> By the turn of the 21st century, all of the particles predicted by the Standard Model had been "discovered" except for one elusive enigma, the holy grail of particle physics, the <i style="color: #9fc5e8;"><b>Higgs boson</b></i>.</span><br />
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<span style="color: yellow; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>A THEORY WITH MASS APPEAL</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Rewinding to the mid 1960's, physicist <b>Peter Higgs</b> was working on the (still unsolved) riddle of how particles gain mass. According to Einstein's equations, and demonstrated empirically in the lab, as things accelerate their mass increases. Higgs theorized that the entire Universe is filled with a special field (the <b>Higgs Field</b>), and as particles move through this field, they attract (nearly) massless particles (of the boson family)---thus, the name: the <b>Higgs boson.</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: yellow; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>MUCH ADO ABOUT ALMOST NOTHING</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In the late 1990's, several European nations (CERN), thousands of scientists, and hundreds of universities joined forces, creating the world's most formidable particle posse, to hunt down physic's most perfect criminal. The result of this effort was the construction of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lhc" target="_blank"><b>Large Hadron Collider </b></a>(LHC). Located nearly 500 feet below the border of France and Switzerland, this mammoth enterprise (costing upwards of several billion dollars) produced a circular accelerator over <b>17 miles</b> in circumference.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">An atomic scientific undertaking of this magnitude had not been seen since the famous <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattan_project" target="_blank"><b>Manhattan Project</b></a> over 60 years ago. The top secret effort back then, which thrust the world into the age of atomic warfare, engineered some of the largest buildings ever constructed on planet Earth, most of which were located in the unassuming town of Oak Ridge, Tennessee. <br /><br />Likewise, who would have guessed that the Franco-Swiss underworld would host the largest sit-and-spin in human history?</span><br />
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<span style="color: yellow; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>IF AT FIRST YOU DONT SUCCEED...</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So, why this (almost) interesting trip down material memory lane? Is this merely a primer on particle physics, maybe the Cliff Notes version of Particles for Dummies? Nah. Just a few short weeks ago, amid much media fanfare, officials from the LHC (CERN) announced that after 10 years of research, and as many billions of dollars, that they had (possibly) caught the Higgs boson red-handed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">After conducting (get ready for this) over <i><b>1000 trillion collisions</b></i> (1,000,000,000,000,000--that is not a misprint) the data they have collected has given more than a hint of the reality of the stealthy boson. (Actually this number is not that large when you realize that evidence for a Higgs boson particle is not expected any more frequently than one boson per <i><b>trillion </b></i>collisions.)</span><br />
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<span style="color: yellow; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>CONFUSING THE FIND WITH THE DIVINE</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />In the frustration to find the freakish phantasm, one physicist writing a pop-culture novel about the quest wanted to call the Higgs boson "<b>the godd@#mn particle!</b>" The publisher, not wanting to cause any unnecessary backlash from the sensitive public, convinced him to reduce it to "<i style="color: #9fc5e8;"><b>The God Particle</b></i>" thereby altering his intended joke into an unintended quasi-metaphysical debate.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The media seized upon this unfortunate misnomer, which, incidentally has received much resentment from the physics community at large. A simple search of the web will demonstrate in countless blogs concerning the confusion about the relationship of God to the particle. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /><br /><br />What started as a cursing rant expressed in sheer frustration, has morphed into a Divine Replacement evangelized through misinformed euphoria.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjsth6dcFMkVz-cDNTxfdkQVxjHsaB1V3ev7jUSPWm6ck6PLQA0gtfo6G_z2H0G01jhpYXsvrt-XDOjrXv18ZSNGylSeSNcgx0jpGrQ5ouSHkt1w6t0-9V_4qmWeQPxo4IpqrtilJFHgA/s1600/headline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjsth6dcFMkVz-cDNTxfdkQVxjHsaB1V3ev7jUSPWm6ck6PLQA0gtfo6G_z2H0G01jhpYXsvrt-XDOjrXv18ZSNGylSeSNcgx0jpGrQ5ouSHkt1w6t0-9V_4qmWeQPxo4IpqrtilJFHgA/s320/headline.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: yellow; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>REAL ISN'T THE DEAL</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What is the impact of this event (no pun intended)? No doubt the average man-on-the-street interprets this news of "<b>The God Particle Discovered At Last!</b>" as some type of scientific revelation that has further eliminated the actual need for God as the creator of the Universe. <br /><br />Remember, it's not the truth that matters, it's the <i><b>perception of the truth</b></i> that matters. What you believe to be true is what motivates you, not what is actually true.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For example, if a reckless teenager prank pulls a fire alarm in a crowded building, people will rush out, some in complete hysteria--yet, in truth, there is no fire. But that matters not, only what people perceive (believe) to be true matters. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If the local news announced that the air is lethal, local hospital emergency rooms would fill to overflowing within minutes. Perception is the reality.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">News headlines announcing that "<b>the God Particle</b>" has been found fuels the popular fire of skepticism of all-things spiritual. It has the appearance of saying that the mysteries of the Universe, once relegated only to the existence of "god," have now been solved. It seems to verify Nietzsche's tormented cry: "<i style="color: #9fc5e8;"><b>God is dead! And (particle physics) has killed him!</b></i>" Someone once said that the Golden Rule is: "He who has the gold, makes the rules!" but in this case we could quip: "He who makes up the names, makes up the rules!"</span><br />
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<span style="color: yellow; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>PUTTING A FINE POINT ON A FINE POINT</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In reality, what has occurred is that the detectors along the curved walls of the enormous super-collider have sensed a possible new particle, at least about once every trillion smashes. <br /><br />Actually, it is not currently possible to directly detect a boson like Higgs, it can only be inferred due to the behavior of predicted decay particle patterns (don't get caught up in the technicalities of it all--or you may want to do some smashing of your own). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It will probably take several months to a year for the peer-review process of the estimated 200 Petabytes of research data generated by these 1000 trillion experiments to have any firm, or at least, relatively firm conviction that the elusive particle has been found. If it is confirmed, don't expect your life to change right away. Truth is, it may never change due to this, or many of the other subatomic particle discoveries. Unlike the game-changing <b>e=mc2</b> (which led to the nuclear arms race), the apprehension of the Higgs boson will probably only impact theoretical physicists, at least for the foreseeable future.</span><br />
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<span style="color: yellow; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>GOD, GAPS, AND GUESSES</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We simply can't say what the discovery <b style="color: yellow;">WILL </b>do, but I will tell you what it <b style="color: yellow;">WON'T</b> do:<br /><br />1. it won't mean that God has been replaced by a physicists sleight of hand.<br /><br />2. it won't expose theology as merely a search for a "God of the gaps"<br /><br />3. it won't disprove Genesis 1<br /><br />4. and sadly, it won't make discussions about God, life, and the Universe any easier. The Higgs boson, in one sense, is a particle that has no connection with God at all, other than the relationship of Creator to creation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It is an axiom of logic that nothing can explain it's own existence---a consequence of cause and effect. Actually, for all that the Higgs boson supposedly explains concerning the issue of mass, it creates just as many new questions, and no lack of educated guesses. <br /><br />What is the cause of the Higgs boson effect? <br />What is the Higgs boson comprised of? <br />Where did the Higgs Field come from in the first place? <br />What is the Higgs Field made of? <br />Is the Higgs Field affected by the inflation or hyper-inflation of the big bang expansion?<br />What is the relationship between dark matter, dark energy, exotic matter and the Higgs boson? And so on.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMJX-_FGJuaTAazA2SycC8xCHi__6mZYT1TZcowbxCPuj4PRexOx42PsYvCxd6-nElj6cQR0eaBZL8DAVWO1vVNiOrVcqhIzRw5-dP9N_P2pzlWh40RgOqZutMLEUq9nEUbz6xl5CTwlk/s1600/matruska.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMJX-_FGJuaTAazA2SycC8xCHi__6mZYT1TZcowbxCPuj4PRexOx42PsYvCxd6-nElj6cQR0eaBZL8DAVWO1vVNiOrVcqhIzRw5-dP9N_P2pzlWh40RgOqZutMLEUq9nEUbz6xl5CTwlk/s320/matruska.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As technology progresses, surely even smaller "particles" will be discovered, and then, even smaller still. The <b>Matruska doll</b> of particle physics potentially has no limits, since "size" is a relative term. Even something as "small" as the Higgs boson is huge, it's just a simple matter of scale. <b><br /><br />Something </b>is infinitely larger than <b>nothing</b>.</span><br />
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Eminent <span class="st">mathematician, astronomer and astrologer</span>, <b>Johannes Kepler</b>, once described science as merely <i style="color: #9fc5e8;">"thinking God's thoughts after Him." </i><br />
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<b>Einstein </b>echoed this sentiment: <i style="color: #9fc5e8;">"Everyone who is seriously interested in the pursuit of
science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in the laws of the
universe- a spirit vastly superior to man, and one in the face of which
our modest powers must feel humble."</i></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326647847990482641.post-12518909150061999992012-05-14T23:28:00.002-05:002012-05-15T12:18:44.974-05:00SLAVERY---Our history and the Bible don't match<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: yellow;">THE "S" WORD?</span></i></b><br />
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When it comes to Bible apologetics, few words make grown men tremble like the "<b><i>S</i></b>" word, you know...<b><i>SLAVERY</i></b>. A quick shift into the realm of the uncomfortable surely follows this term. Things get awkward, and we search quickly for a backdoor.<br />
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But this discussion must not be avoided, indeed, it would do all of us a great deal of good to take an objective look into it, minus the emotional and presuppositional baggage.<br />
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Skeptics of all shapes and sizes love to threaten "Bible-thumpers" with what (they think) will surely be an embarrassing investigation, an "easy" way to score big negative points in the relentless quest to discredit theism in general, and Christianity specifically. Usually it will follow the form of something within the ballpark of: <br />
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<b><i>"You know, of course, that your Bible promotes slavery!" </i></b><br />
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They imagine, of course, all sorts of things that do not exist, claiming that the Bible has statements tantamount to COMMANDING slavery. Most of them have never even read the relevant portions, confident that their good-and-objective friends over at infidels.org or The Skeptics Annotated Bible have done their "thorough" homework in their own scathing attacks.<br />
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<b><span style="color: yellow;">THE REAL PROBLEM(s)</span></b><br />
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Unfortunately, history and language have made these baseless challenges all too easy. The horrific misdeeds and evil of many on either side of the Atlantic slave trade of the 16th through the 19th centuries have created the perfect storm to foment this controversy. But it is not just the actual historical events of the slave-trade-triangle, but also the equivocation of terms, such as servant, or slave, and the linking of these terms with ungodly, barbaric actions that has led to this modern full-frontal assault on the scriptures.<br />
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<b><span style="color: yellow;">ALL THINGS <i>NOT </i>BEING EQUAL</span></b><br />
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<i>"Scholars do not agree on a definition of "slavery." The term has been used at various times for a wide range of institutions, including plantation slavery, forced labor, the drudgery of factories and sweatshops, child labor, semivoluntary prostitution, bride-price marriage, child adoption for payment, and paid-for surrogate motherhood. Somewhere within this range, the literal meaning of "slavery" shifts into metaphorical meaning, but it is not entirely clear at what point. A similar problem arises when we look at other cultures. The reason is that the term "Slavery" is evocative rather than analytical, calling to mind a loose bundle of diagnostic features. These features are mainly derived from the most recent direct Western experience with slavery, that of the southern United States, the Caribbean, and Latin America. The present Western image of slavery has been haphazardly constructed out of the representations of that experience in nineteenth-century abolitionist literature, and later novels, textbooks, and films...From a global cross-cultural and historical perspective, however, New World slavery was a unique conjunction of features...In brief, most varieties of slavery did not exhibit the three elements that were dominant in the New World: slaves as property and commodities; their use exclusively as labor; and their lack of freedom..." </i><br />
(Encyclopedia of Cultural Anthropology (4 vols), David Levinson and Melvin Ember (eds), HenryHolt:1996)</div>
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To have the proper foundation to accurately discuss this highly-charged issue, there are at least three things to consider:<br />
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<b>(1) (Traditional) Forms of Slavery down through history</b></div>
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<b>(2) Biblical passages on Slavery</b></div>
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<b>(3) "American" Slavery (16th-19th century)</b></div>
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There have been many types of slavery over the millennia, but it is more than unfortunate that all of the various modes are lumped together loosely and simply called <b><i>SLAVERY</i></b>. Basically, there are 3 types that fall under this catch-all term:<br />
<b><br />(1) Spoils-of-war Slavery</b></div>
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<b>(2) Voluntary Servanthood (Indentured Servant)</b></div>
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<b>(3) Kidnap-Slavery</b></div>
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The first,
<b>Spoils-of-war Slavery</b>, is easy enough to grasp. Nations, kingdoms, cities even, go to war, and, well, to the victor goes the spoils. Goods, property, and even people are taken back by the victors. Some of these people meet horrible futures, such as forced slavery in mass construction or mining projects, others end up in the homes of wealthy and powerful people. This latter group also experienced a wide range of conditions, some enduring abject poverty, and some eventually elevated nearly to family-status. Eventually, this led to multi-generational slavery as well.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_8ezxJPdHj-kJV3uHBrjQPn2Je8M7Eh8Z4_QTUoctQTqU_ksT9bUQO46vlb_kpFXUjq79Rif9k-iLF8mUephc8WthD1EYE4DhwijkndNX129AIIm1Z_MM_BxIVkooHckKAL-4mbqnOVE/s1600/indentured+servant.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_8ezxJPdHj-kJV3uHBrjQPn2Je8M7Eh8Z4_QTUoctQTqU_ksT9bUQO46vlb_kpFXUjq79Rif9k-iLF8mUephc8WthD1EYE4DhwijkndNX129AIIm1Z_MM_BxIVkooHckKAL-4mbqnOVE/s320/indentured+servant.png" width="320" /></a></div>
The second category, <b>Voluntary/Indentured Servanthood</b>, is little understood, and this is exceedingly unfortunate, as related to the issue of Biblical "slavery." Just as is common today with our quick credit and wallets full of plastic money, people historically have found it all too easy to get into serious debt. In the distant past, they did not have the escape hatch of "filing for bankruptcy." <br />
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So, what did they do? Many times they would voluntarily present themselves to a wealthy(ier) landowner in exchange for a contracted amount of money, paid UP-FRONT. They would use this money to pay off their debt, and then work for a specified period of time in exchange for that money. Often, if the money was owed to one individual in particular, the person could offer to trade their services for the canceling of the debt.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpK-YeLeWgz3YNXBwv8HC6ARNUeZhSwe38jHNNhyphenhyphenvH3q_gXp44J9og9dKl47xzdYGby2onEw2eI7MBIxntXA2E2UngB1MzQz0vEsmKZ8upL-jZjnEnuZY9WM1ZHOS3SdTbB122MRzeHyc/s1600/timecard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpK-YeLeWgz3YNXBwv8HC6ARNUeZhSwe38jHNNhyphenhyphenvH3q_gXp44J9og9dKl47xzdYGby2onEw2eI7MBIxntXA2E2UngB1MzQz0vEsmKZ8upL-jZjnEnuZY9WM1ZHOS3SdTbB122MRzeHyc/s1600/timecard.jpg" /></a>Similar to this arrangement is the Indentured Servant model. Typically, in exchange for perhaps travel fare and room and board, a person would agree to work for another for a fixed period of time. At the end of the allotted time, the person was liberated from their debt, and often had gained a new set of skills or trade. Many of these would stay "on" with their "master" and continue working with them.</div>
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In today's socio-economic model, it is similar, but the timing is different. Nowadays, we first WORK, then, at a specified time, receive MONEY in exchange. We use different terms in modern times, and we usually don't live AT our employer's address, but it is essentially the same: trade work for money. This arrangement, though a far cry from the abuses experienced in this hemisphere over the past 400 years, is also called "slavery," though few would consider it as such.</div>
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The final category,<b> Kidnap-Slavery</b> is old, and very evil. It involves, pure and simple, human trafficking. Slave traders would ensnare, kidnap individuals, even entire communities, and then sell or trade people. This type of cruel activity has occurred all over the globe, in every major civilization.<br />
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This is what tragically happened in Africa, first under the Muslim invaders since the 9th century, and then, very heavily in the 16th to the 19th century in the infamous Atlantic Slave Triangle. This barbarism decimated entire regions. </div>
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Here is an excerpt by the Manikongo, Nzinga Mbemba Afonso, to the King João III of Portugal:<br />
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<i>"Each day the traders are kidnapping our people—children of this country, sons of our nobles and vassals, even people of our own family. This corruption and depravity are so widespread that our land is entirely depopulated...It is our wish that this Kingdom not be a place for the trade or transport of slaves."</i></div>
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This African holocaust, leading to the severe abuses in the Western Hemisphere (incidentally, there were more slaves shipped to Central and South American plantations) is about the only frame of reference that people have when the word SLAVE or SLAVERY is used in modern dialogue. They are not even aware of the wide practice of Voluntary Servanthood (cash up-front work contract) that also existed for many thousands of years. </div>
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To further illustrate the differences between our Western view of "slavery" and the daily reality of a near-caste system in the Near/Middle East, a short quote will suffice:<br />
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<i>"Freedom in the ancient Near East was a relative, not an absolute state, as the ambiguity of the term for "slave" in all the region's languages illustrates. "Slave" could be used to refer to a subordinate in the social ladder. Thus the subjects of a king were called his "slaves," even though they were free citizens. The king himself, if a vassal, was the "slave" of his emperor; kings, emperors, and commoners alike were "slaves" of the gods. Even a social inferior, when addressing a social superior, referred to himself out of politeness as "your slave." There were, moreover, a plethora of servile conditions that were not regarded as slavery, such as son, daughter, wife, serf, or human pledge." </i><br />
(A History of Ancient Near Eastern Law (2 vols). Raymond Westbrook (ed). Brill:2003.)</div>
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<b><span style="color: yellow;">THE BIBLE'S VERY DIFFERENT PICTURE</span></b></div>
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The detractors of Christianity count on two things, and they forget one very important thing. They count on the fact that of: (1) the average person's ignorance of different types of servants/slavery (2) the Bible's actual passages about servants/slavery. They also forget one other crucial issue: the Bible is not just a book of theology, it is also a book of history, in other words, it discusses many subjects, including war, conquest, greed, wickedness, and yes, even different types of slavery that has been practiced.</div>
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There is a fundamental difference between <b><i>mentioning </i></b>slavery and <b><i>promoting </i></b>slavery. The Declaration of Independence mentions, in great detail, various despotic abuses practiced by the King of England, but it was not PROMOTING or CONDONING those activities, obviously.</div>
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Not only does the Bible mention the historical context of slavery/servanthood, it also contains many prohibitions and regulations about it's practice. But remember, not all <b><i>slavery </i></b>is <b><i>slavery</i></b>---in other words, there is Spoils-Slavery, Voluntary Servanthood, and Kidnap-Slavery (the kind practiced in the 16th to 19th century).</div>
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Words matter, especially in this heated topic. But what about the Hebrew word(s) most often rendered <b><i>SLAVE </i></b>or <b><i>SLAVERY </i></b>in the Old Testament? Do they mean the type of deplorable situation we had in America over a century ago? Hardly. Scholar Kyle Butts, M.A. offers this:<br />
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<i>"The Hebrew word <b>ebed </b>is similar to the Greek <b>doulos</b>, in that it can be translated as “slave” or “servant.” In Exodus 4:10, Moses referred to himself as the “servant” (ebed) of God. Abraham called himself the ebed of the angels who came to visit him in Genesis 18:3. In Genesis 39:17-19, Potiphar’s wife described Joseph as the Hebrew ebed, and Genesis 24:2 talks about the eldest ebed in Abraham’s house, who “ruled over all he had.”<br /><br />The purpose of including this brief description of the two most common terms for a slave is to show that our modern use of the word slave generally evokes mental images of cruelty, injustice, and bondage against a person’s will. While such ideas could be included in the biblical usage, they do not necessarily fit every time the words are used. Instead, the picture that we often see when the biblical words for “slave” are employed is a mutually beneficial arrangement similar to an employer/employee relationship."</i></div>
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Here's a little nugget for the skeptics of Christianity to consider: the type of Kidnap-Slavery that was endemic to "American" slavery is PROHIBITED (under the penalty of death) in the Bible. In just one verse, the Bible itself eliminates nearly the entire case for those who wish to malign and smear the Word of God, and who ultimately desire to cast moral doubts upon the character of God Himself.</div>
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<b>Exodus 21:16</b><br />
<i>“Whoever kidnaps a person and sells him (as a slave), or if he is found in his hand (as a slave), shall surely be put to death. "</i><br />
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Far from an isolated verse, this prohibition and deadly-indictment is repeated in the Book of Deutoronomy as well. Understand this one thing---the type of "slavery" practiced in America over 150 years ago was an immoral, Bible-condemned sin, punishable by death (for either the kidnapper or the buyer). You cannot equivocate what was done in the Americas (or elsewhere) and use the Bible to support it. Period.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilIQacUjo46Yc95eJMGoBm5erI3uv41hMEjvOjAIPzaZGfKGLGQgfDFVYonxaTneaLjVfrQaiiM1w2HnkjCE-DntdMULz7zBaW3okcqnnK2ywrCUkmgNkY3-pvIvLxxuh7lNDrTUBP2DE/s1600/Regulations.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilIQacUjo46Yc95eJMGoBm5erI3uv41hMEjvOjAIPzaZGfKGLGQgfDFVYonxaTneaLjVfrQaiiM1w2HnkjCE-DntdMULz7zBaW3okcqnnK2ywrCUkmgNkY3-pvIvLxxuh7lNDrTUBP2DE/s320/Regulations.jpg" width="320" /></a><b><span style="color: yellow;">REGULATING SERVANTHOOD</span></b></div>
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Most of the passages in the Bible that speak of, even regulate "slavery" (improper term if narrowly defined as similar to what was done in the Americas), they actually refer to Voluntary Servanthood. God allowed the Israelites to contract with people for services-rendered-cash-up-front arrangements. There are many and varied provisions to regulate this business model, no less legitimate, even if some of these parameters seem odd to us in the 21st century.</div>
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Just as we have modern legislation which define rights and delineate the boundaries of acceptable behavior in the workplace, the Lord was the first to legislate a well-defined set of employee-employer laws.<br />
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<i>"So, although there are rules about slavery in the Bible, those rules exist to protect the slave. Injuring or killing slaves was punishable - up to <b>death </b>of the offending party. Hebrews were commanded not to make their slave work on the Sabbath, slander a slave, have sex with another man's slave, or return an escaped slave. A Hebrew was not to enslave his fellow countryman, even if he owed him money, but was to have him work as a hired worker, and he was to be released in 7 years or in the year of jubilee (which occurred every 50 years), whichever came first. In fact, the slave owner was encouraged to "pamper his slave". (<a href="http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/slavery_bible.html" target="_blank">LINK</a>)</i></div>
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There was also the issue of dealing with defeated survivors of wars, those often left destitute when their husbands, fathers, or other primary providers had been severely wounded or killed. Should they be left to starve, or taken in and placed into some type of mutually beneficial prisoner of war or adoption scenario?</div>
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In a famous debate about the existence of God, theist Kyle Butt, M.A., was pressed by his atheist opponent about many topics, including slavery. His entire answer is found <a href="http://www.apologeticspress.org/apcontent.aspx?category=11&article=1587" target="_blank">HERE</a>, but I would like to quote, at length, a key issue worth noting at this juncture:<br />
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<i>"Often, those who attack the Bible skirt the real crux of the slavery issue. They point to verses in the Old Testament that offer a particular regulation for slavery. From there, they proceed to argue that the Bible is a vile book that does not condemn, but actually condones slavery. And, they argue, since all slavery is morally wrong, the Bible must not be the product of a loving God."</i><br />
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He continues...<br />
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<i>"However, those who take such a position fail to consider that certain types of slavery are not morally wrong. For instance, when a man is convicted of murder, he often is sentenced to life in prison. During his life sentence, he is forced by the State to do (or not do) certain things. He is justly confined to a small living space, and his freedoms are revoked. Sometimes, he is compelled by the State to work long hours, for which he does not receive even minimum wage. Would it be justifiable to label such a loss of freedom as a type of slavery? Yes, it would. However, is his loss of freedom a morally permissible situation? Certainly. He has become a slave of the State because he violated certain laws that were designed to ensure the liberty of his fellow citizen, whom he murdered. Therefore, one fact that must be conceded by anyone dealing with the Bible and its position on slavery is the fact that, under some conditions, slavery is not necessarily a morally deplorable institution."</i></div>
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Shocking...most people have never considered all of the various types of "slavery" (servanthood) that are not morally wrong, indeed, some are necessary for the good of society, and of individuals. They have not been exposed to this list, including: <br />
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<b>(1) slavery experienced by incarcerated criminals </b><br />
<b>(2) voluntary servanthood (to pay debts)<br />(3) indentured servanthood (trading services for pay and skills)<br />(4) adoption of war survivors<br />(5) modern day employer-employee relationship </b>(which would clearly be defined as slavery/servanthood under both Old Testament and New Testament usage).<br />
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The above are 5 examples of moral and necessary types of "slavery" (servanthood). None of these are what typically come to mind when the modern skeptic thinks about "slavery". Remember, when it comes to what occurred in the Americas from the 16th to the 17th century, the Bible is VERY clear:<br />
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<b>Exodus 21:16</b><br />
<i>“Whoever kidnaps a person and sells him (as a slave), or if he is found in his hand (as a slave), shall surely be put to death. "</i><br />
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Furthermore, it should be noted that the Lord commanded the release of certain categories of slaves (servants) on the seventh year.<br />
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<i>" (the slave) shall serve you six years, and in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you. And when you let him go free from you, you shall not let him go empty-handed. You shall furnish him liberally out of your flock, out of your threshing floor, and out of your winepress. As the Lord your God has blessed you, you shall give to him." </i> (Deut. 15:12-18)<br />
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Some would object, and claim that: "Well, if there were a god, and He wrote the Bible, then I would expect that He would have stopped all slavery in whatever form!"<br />
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Really? Are we willing to deny people free will to achieve a single objective such as you request? There is, of course, multiple problems with this approach, as one apologist notes:<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;">"This...runs up against a philosophical problem known as 'supererogation'. It’s a common scenario one considers: "given some situation X, couldn't God have improved it</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;">incrementally</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;">by at least 1% more? And if He</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;">could</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;">and</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;">didn't</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;">, doesn’t this say something negative about God?" The supererogation problem arises in such an argument when it becomes obvious that that statement</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;">may be too vacuous/vague to stand</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;">as an argument. For example, if X humans are good (in the biblical system), can't God</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;">improve</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;">the universe</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;">incrementally</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;"> </span><b style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;">by making just one more person</b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;">(one more instance of goodness), giving</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;"> </span><b style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;">an even better X+1 persons</b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;">? And then, if X+1 persons are good, couldn't He make X+2, etc, etc, etc…you see the problem? Some goodness-sets are not bounded in themselves but only by other constraints (e.g., resources to sustain population, overcrowding psychological problems). But, one might ask, why can't God</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;">also</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;">make the Earth</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;">bigger</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;">, and make the resources</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;">more </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><i>abundant? He could, and then the infinite regress would continue--increase the population by 10% more, inflate the earth by 10% more, increase the natural resources by 10%…and on and on and on and on…" (</i><a href="http://christianthinktank.com/qnoslave.html" target="_blank">LINK</a><i>)</i></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: yellow;">FINAL CHALLENGE</span></b><br />
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As we finish this brief overview of the "challenge" of slavery/servanthood in the Bible, it would be important to turn the tables, so to speak, and ask the atheist/agnostic skeptic the following question:<br />
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<i><b>"What is wrong with slavery?"</b></i><br />
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You see, those who deny the reality of God, who appeal to meaningless laws of nature as our true origin, have neither foundation nor ammunition from which to cast stones at Bible-believing Christians. If there is no god, then there is ultimately no "right" or "wrong", evil, injustice, or immorality. <br />
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So, returning to our question, ask the skeptic: "What is WRONG with slavery?" They cannot logically answer that question, for there can be no WRONG in an atheistic worldview, let alone an "evil" of "slavery." They cannot appeal to some type of "right of freedom" for that implies a transcendent rights-giver (sorry, not allowed).<br />
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Furthermore, since we can show moral reasons, indeed socially necessary reasons for slavery (incarceration, voluntary servanthood, indentured servants, employer/employee relationship, etc.) where then does this leave the supposed "high-ground" of the skeptical challenger? Has it not completely eroded beneath their castle built upon sand?<br />
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<b><span style="color: yellow;">A FINAL THOUGHT</span></b><br />
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In the Old Testament, the Lord allowed the Jewish people to purchase servants (slaves) from the nations around them. Once again, we have to put aside our modern American notion of "slavery," especially when you read of the families of the patriarchs, where their servants were elevated to the status of family. There is even a famous account of Abraham giving a whole arsenal of weapons to 300 of his servants in a rescue attempt of his kidnapped nephew, Lot. Of course, if these were abused, unhappy, disgruntled, only-there-by-the-chains-and-irons-around-their-legs types of "slaves"---do you think that: (1) Abraham would load them down with weapons, (2) that they would actually have returned after leaving the region, (3) they would not have killed their "masters"?<br />
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This was clearly not the case. Once again, we have rid ourselves of the presuppositions and emotional responses that American abuses have added to our understanding of "slavery." <br /><br />But, what about the Lord allowing Israelis to buy slaves from the nations around them?<br /><br />Here is a perspective that is almost never considered, let alone offered up for discussion. Israel was the only nation that truly possessed and preserved the truth about the one true, creator God. They were the one nation that God would use to bring us the scriptures, and ultimately, the Savior, Jesus Christ. Think about all of those "slaves" that were acquired by Jews. If those "slaves" had been left at home, or sold as slaves to other nations, what would be the chances that they would have heard the truth of the Lord, and to ultimately come into a saving knowledge of Him? Pretty slim.<br />
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If one considers the incredible opportunity of entering a relationship with God by way of a less-than-perfect Earthly relationship of servanthood, then clearly that single benefit outweighs all objections. It's like a lost sailor, adrift in the ocean, who by chance comes to a remote alcove and there discovers treasures untold. The unfortunate situation of being lost is outweighed by the discovery of something truly valuable.<br />
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Many of those servants purchased by Jewish families could have come to a saving knowledge of the Lord, and then, after their freedom was regained, returned home to be witnesses for Him as well. Only eternity will tell of the countless multitudes who were saved in the spiritual by an arrangement that was primarily physical.</div>
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<i><br /></i></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326647847990482641.post-21804519609891783772012-02-29T16:43:00.001-06:002012-03-03T23:55:54.253-06:00Atheism: Shooting itself in the foot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKxVTiyFZV-Gdj2O7MYJry4JWU5gp88QovnMlffGuR3aXk4jAyR75FEnpQl4lonH5T3HprOFK_KalW0nMXPFqcOK9XMbzYXd9yXemdy_glhF_M5xpXYARDFBTQ6ecH8AjODQM78VHgi8g/s1600/pulse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKxVTiyFZV-Gdj2O7MYJry4JWU5gp88QovnMlffGuR3aXk4jAyR75FEnpQl4lonH5T3HprOFK_KalW0nMXPFqcOK9XMbzYXd9yXemdy_glhF_M5xpXYARDFBTQ6ecH8AjODQM78VHgi8g/s200/pulse.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>I'm not a trendy individual, and I don't rush to get in line to follow the latest fads, but there are some pop culture issues I try to keep a finger on the pulses of. The gaining-volume-by-the-moment militant atheism movement has, once again, picked up a tired argument, and is attempting to make it fresh, relevant, and damning (when, in actuality, it is: old, ancillary, and only damaging to their own cause).<br />
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What are they dusting off and repeating? They are attempting to resurrect the old: <br />
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<b><i><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">"The God of the Old Testament is evil / immoral challenge."</span></i></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjswc-jv6mIx_vLYhVfkFU-GhMScBUSR92Vs4EHmHXzCEL3MMqmtsSVrAnkjjhuTKFFqVhbUrMFu7PwCu6ArcSYdlXwMbsFS1Rp5Uyzkb9uSxAVp-M41mGROUYjj69DAPRjQ7bSwCSksZk/s1600/evil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjswc-jv6mIx_vLYhVfkFU-GhMScBUSR92Vs4EHmHXzCEL3MMqmtsSVrAnkjjhuTKFFqVhbUrMFu7PwCu6ArcSYdlXwMbsFS1Rp5Uyzkb9uSxAVp-M41mGROUYjj69DAPRjQ7bSwCSksZk/s200/evil.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>The form and (lack of) substance of the tirade usually follows the pattern of picking a particular verse from the Bible, typically from Exodus, Leviticus, or even Deuteronomy, which involve punishments for various acts, and then saying something to the effect of: "See, that's just not fair!" or "Well, that is obviously not right!" or "This proves that God is cruel and arbitrary."<br />
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This type of shallow argument falls flat on it's proverbial face for at least two obvious reasons:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXyvMu9e_6szYkYWelYLPp_aqOURCPa_isB79iT4vOMBsgnYJlhsLqY4jpihEROuZuXwSTd70mhpWY6rfrlVpxwphG7gyEWq3f1Yp9GKQQVAI5dkdeEEeez3M8bSnhf8LoltcKtuRll9c/s1600/sam+harris+book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXyvMu9e_6szYkYWelYLPp_aqOURCPa_isB79iT4vOMBsgnYJlhsLqY4jpihEROuZuXwSTd70mhpWY6rfrlVpxwphG7gyEWq3f1Yp9GKQQVAI5dkdeEEeez3M8bSnhf8LoltcKtuRll9c/s200/sam+harris+book.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b><span style="color: yellow;">1. SELF-CONTRADICTION</span></b><br />
In an atheistic worldview, with no god, no higher power, no transcendent authority, the concept of right and wrong, good or bad, moral evil or injustice, <b>DOES NOT EXIST</b>. Sorry Sam Harris, no amount of evolutionary fairy tales arriving at a "moral compass" can be tolerated.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr5QXn2R046N4z7ysfNbcJ2JAG_W2UVxRm5yfameunmgiqFvF5IK2XqsJQGtH9k_NikMRU9C_PoybsG_OdLLzvUMR6XkLwxQEMGDcGPLU-5gqs14DwmEvGk53ecY-3q5PRa9GSN86bOt4/s1600/fairy+tale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr5QXn2R046N4z7ysfNbcJ2JAG_W2UVxRm5yfameunmgiqFvF5IK2XqsJQGtH9k_NikMRU9C_PoybsG_OdLLzvUMR6XkLwxQEMGDcGPLU-5gqs14DwmEvGk53ecY-3q5PRa9GSN86bOt4/s200/fairy+tale.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Even if one were to be extemely generous and allow the naturalistic explanation of "ethics" or "morality" the evolutionist is still forced to admit that injustice, good, and evil do not actually exist, they are merely an imaginary feeling imposed upon us due to genetic mutation and selection.<br />
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In the naturalistic worldview, morality is no more than a freak of natural selection, a by-product of higher-functioning mammals to increase survival among communal species. In reality, this view is little more than a just-so type story, a self-fulfilling prophecy that must be true since god cannot exist. To the atheist, it is true, not because of any evidence or discovery, but because it <b>HAS </b>to be...because everything in life <b>MUST </b>HAVE an evolutionary explanation. Fairy tales for adults.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrKE2kENrwthN6IITXWSrQiuWNrmH6nyPMKlXN9p2YQ0_px2wh-Idr_e5XPaY3kn4ew2Bh8BEx1EvZMcPZYgdspPVtoYxII_mjZH7acO8Ajhk2ZhrjnbY54WZumLPUsrbukzcKlS_Z-K0/s1600/shooting+foot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrKE2kENrwthN6IITXWSrQiuWNrmH6nyPMKlXN9p2YQ0_px2wh-Idr_e5XPaY3kn4ew2Bh8BEx1EvZMcPZYgdspPVtoYxII_mjZH7acO8Ajhk2ZhrjnbY54WZumLPUsrbukzcKlS_Z-K0/s200/shooting+foot.jpg" width="168" /></a></div>Where am I going with this look into the pseudo-scientific explanations for morality? It is quite simple: an atheist CANNOT claim that God is "immoral, unjust, evil, or arbitrary." If they will think about it logically, they are contradicting their own "faith" when attacking ours with that potshot. They risk shooting themselves in the proverbial foot as they take cheap shots against the Bible.<br />
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An atheist saying that God is immoral, is like a prostitute claiming that pornography is wrong. Both of them lack the necessary credibility when it comes to making moral pronouncements.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihLzKlhax2Xen7CKwZUsgcHOxFKcFdXimrU1fSV3kFs_sfufFIOdt6dnjcJPZ3oT2KhHIMcsVvdL2EjM33u7DTReutdPqnJsOqRN244GtAhbn0wVUBlFHqhSI7tgHGUAIGzMrV8LdKG1Q/s1600/sesame+ste.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihLzKlhax2Xen7CKwZUsgcHOxFKcFdXimrU1fSV3kFs_sfufFIOdt6dnjcJPZ3oT2KhHIMcsVvdL2EjM33u7DTReutdPqnJsOqRN244GtAhbn0wVUBlFHqhSI7tgHGUAIGzMrV8LdKG1Q/s200/sesame+ste.jpg" width="165" /></a></div><b><span style="color: yellow;">2. LOGICAL FALLACY:</span></b><br />
For an atheist to claim that God is somehow "wrong" when handing out physical punishments for criminals on Earth, they are commiting a serious logical fallacy...and one that is so Sesame Street simple, it's a wonder that they even go there.<br />
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Ask an atheist: (assuming that God exists)<i> <br />
<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">"Does God have the right to govern His own creation?"</span></b></i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRaQf7Vqaru06u-9imasVTZ76GC_buC1qvf7DralDBSkr7UtreztRIhtGSpDSaU6tCItch8qJ6kg3zvcvRWpgvAAgnKUEOoNMKN8MqpR6tFYTw-B8Etzar3Kq1pQW7FAov7Ac-Em_AYxE/s1600/catch22-road.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRaQf7Vqaru06u-9imasVTZ76GC_buC1qvf7DralDBSkr7UtreztRIhtGSpDSaU6tCItch8qJ6kg3zvcvRWpgvAAgnKUEOoNMKN8MqpR6tFYTw-B8Etzar3Kq1pQW7FAov7Ac-Em_AYxE/s320/catch22-road.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>This is a very tricky question for them to answer, they are in a catch-22, so to speak. (some of you are starting to see the predicament they are in)<br />
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If they say "YES" then their entire argument fails---game over. If God has the right to govern His own creation, then He has the right to say what the ramifications and punishments are for various sins against Him, and for crimes against humanity.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkTIn_sKemRIGnb8vKWW0xw5nmP7eP_gruit8ht3fnhUWCKSplBnbqrrrEG081QXNy5A-YVwpGfTefSowAJlbSwKXVPIKtBMfRCeATQgRY5uuXaslZU6zTzd0ecKwTGRqZmLfwBRm73CU/s1600/frustrated.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkTIn_sKemRIGnb8vKWW0xw5nmP7eP_gruit8ht3fnhUWCKSplBnbqrrrEG081QXNy5A-YVwpGfTefSowAJlbSwKXVPIKtBMfRCeATQgRY5uuXaslZU6zTzd0ecKwTGRqZmLfwBRm73CU/s200/frustrated.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>If they say "<b><i><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">No</span></i></b>," then they have to give a logical defense for an answer that defies normal experience. Ask them on what basis God does not have the right to govern what He has created.<br />
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There will be much mental squirming, mumblings, and then, often, a string of verbal tirades against you, and "your stupid Bible," and "your ignorant religion!"<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn5RGgWu-puhlN1S08qlFp9vPyHKnaFfb_fN_ALSyzNTXT0mrfmf1lnpatQWSlJt44CklEsyMFxoEK-yySwBrbSA18zpybgF7kkhufukLj4YA4gnQfynTlGJsZBNBDV6Ls18qsWOZpELo/s1600/puzzl+look.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn5RGgWu-puhlN1S08qlFp9vPyHKnaFfb_fN_ALSyzNTXT0mrfmf1lnpatQWSlJt44CklEsyMFxoEK-yySwBrbSA18zpybgF7kkhufukLj4YA4gnQfynTlGJsZBNBDV6Ls18qsWOZpELo/s200/puzzl+look.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Often they will react with an <b>EMOTIONAL </b>argument, such as "Well, I don't understand why God would do that!" or "What could be the possible reason God would command that!?"<br />
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This only deepens their logical hole. Why? <b>Because emotional arguments are baseless, and one's lack of understanding, in no way, affects the reasonablesness of a claim</b>. A parent understands this all too well. Oftentimes we tell our children to do things, things of which their young, inexperienced, and immature minds do not fully grasp or understand. But their lack of understanding does not invalidate the request, command, or expectation.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAwnNlnEZ4e_uy3znE0088XEHq0oOmGDsj3LpRM8QeUVb48Nk9hZQKqz3JazWymm_VnQQ5UoAXHvq5tdePX3iUYP_9vEmmGXtdR781vDfJ6J80_GPoQDyA56tQV3ghRHYuMf217Ma_iFI/s1600/grt+purpose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAwnNlnEZ4e_uy3znE0088XEHq0oOmGDsj3LpRM8QeUVb48Nk9hZQKqz3JazWymm_VnQQ5UoAXHvq5tdePX3iUYP_9vEmmGXtdR781vDfJ6J80_GPoQDyA56tQV3ghRHYuMf217Ma_iFI/s320/grt+purpose.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>There are purposes and reasons for the requests and commands of a transcendent creator that are much higher above us than we are above the understanding level of a child. Just because a punishment or a statement is puzzling to us, does not de facto invalidate the Bible as divinely inspired.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMIm3_fmArBk_zV8hduTktq864eJKoGTkZTmGKMOYiM4a_5YNjXKi6WjFdWANOJUCUhoFKNPI7I_nh0sfzd63VvSEviyk2dhC1GPKjSp5EXbIqAZJBOFg2yDh15cgdQXS_mdJuaJDttKM/s1600/emp+no+clth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMIm3_fmArBk_zV8hduTktq864eJKoGTkZTmGKMOYiM4a_5YNjXKi6WjFdWANOJUCUhoFKNPI7I_nh0sfzd63VvSEviyk2dhC1GPKjSp5EXbIqAZJBOFg2yDh15cgdQXS_mdJuaJDttKM/s320/emp+no+clth.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>When atheists or skeptics parade these type of self-contradictory and illogical arguments, yell out as the child in the story of old: <b><i>"Look---the emperor has no clothes!"</i></b><br />
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Hopefully, they will look, and eventually see the truth.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326647847990482641.post-29871828537133851422012-01-28T11:10:00.000-06:002012-01-28T11:10:57.964-06:00Are Science and Faith in CONFLICT?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTMkXq2sucTAPjaMm_KszaSondaztzfm94nEWmIhUgrK2ZIk1s5irMca2DJEdPgPh0zrtQrLY9NYg8zKwfZ8YEDl_5v8u5pow6OpWATRSceDuMk1z7eUOzVAWEg5z19SLThkxJ4HVV7LU/s1600/wall+of+separation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTMkXq2sucTAPjaMm_KszaSondaztzfm94nEWmIhUgrK2ZIk1s5irMca2DJEdPgPh0zrtQrLY9NYg8zKwfZ8YEDl_5v8u5pow6OpWATRSceDuMk1z7eUOzVAWEg5z19SLThkxJ4HVV7LU/s200/wall+of+separation.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
There is an oft-repeated mantra that there is some type of fundamental conflict between theism and natural science.<br />
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They posit that there must be forever a "wall of separation" betwixt "faith" and "science".<br />
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But does that statement stand up to scrutiny?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNSS5yPe-J7G8maCK-TQLEjnH23GS5ImQHRxlwHdtp23GF3ee3ZDu4joH2-acqnaBmbt8uzoHsm4HNIkdaMZV-vAyhEJvcfh4QIl_Q7fcwk226GToqPC-xP5vvFp47B36JYcBVIUZmsN0/s1600/Galileo.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNSS5yPe-J7G8maCK-TQLEjnH23GS5ImQHRxlwHdtp23GF3ee3ZDu4joH2-acqnaBmbt8uzoHsm4HNIkdaMZV-vAyhEJvcfh4QIl_Q7fcwk226GToqPC-xP5vvFp47B36JYcBVIUZmsN0/s200/Galileo.gif" width="171" /></a></div>Most of the evangelists of this logically-invalid "separation gospel" rely on anecdotal and emotionally-charged arguments, devoid of a true grasp of the historical development of modern science and the scientific method.<br />
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They usually appeal to worn-out and tired examples of supposed obstruction by "faith", which typically have nothing to do with a conflict between Creation and science, but rather between religious interpretation and scientific theory.<br />
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Usually the <b><i>only </i></b>example they can give is Galileo and the Catholic Church.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhFOyWASDFPBPx0xiIsx4Ng5Hu1uFQIEjiBm4XMVeK_owvYdGagRxaqyIRR_3ROTHZ2WoZTkSeyrvqo21zIZUpcDoxPdMtCaRAvoBzZuK665XpQ6M4E8mPAQiE8BE1iKmUEE3GjcAkj_I/s1600/Ian+Hutchinson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhFOyWASDFPBPx0xiIsx4Ng5Hu1uFQIEjiBm4XMVeK_owvYdGagRxaqyIRR_3ROTHZ2WoZTkSeyrvqo21zIZUpcDoxPdMtCaRAvoBzZuK665XpQ6M4E8mPAQiE8BE1iKmUEE3GjcAkj_I/s320/Ian+Hutchinson.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>Concerning the historically-documented fact that modern science emerged from a Christianized West,<b> Ian H. Hutchinson </b>(Head of Department of Nuclear Energy, Plasma Science and Fusion Center and Department of Nuclear Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology) observes:<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"> "...the question arises, why did modern science grow up almost entirely in the West, where Christian thinking held sway? There were civilizations of comparable stability, prosperity, and in many cases technology, in China, Japan, and India. Why did they not develop science? It is acknowledged that arabic countries around the end of the first millenium were more advanced in mathematics, and their libraries kept safe eventually for Christendom much of the Greek wisdom of the ancients. Why did not their learning blossom into the science we now know? More particularly, if Andrew White's portrait of history, that the church dogmatically opposed all the "dangerous innovations" of science, and thereby stunted scientific development for hundreds of years, why didn't science rapidly evolve in these other cultures?"</span></i></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNxkNTkaWWQH1wqPUHAuJt-NZoBLVScYvpZvUXRHJCOIiVnvJtnXwMogR_jmpG8TBjjV8q8BjZGLf3oitdko8lFo8nfAmRUoRkhaT80oEPajrIJTgULFuiX4AWRauRA9FjykpRIXbBHME/s1600/GenesisofScience.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNxkNTkaWWQH1wqPUHAuJt-NZoBLVScYvpZvUXRHJCOIiVnvJtnXwMogR_jmpG8TBjjV8q8BjZGLf3oitdko8lFo8nfAmRUoRkhaT80oEPajrIJTgULFuiX4AWRauRA9FjykpRIXbBHME/s320/GenesisofScience.jpg" width="215" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBbcCqevxlnKZgJcKVFFBB2bWi95acv9hYh53Wlv9IKdwq2XUWdO3wgNhrUsZlS79vVqNvXTL4QBfKrG2Tl2wh9IuMCMOyFeTlcIv2vKrwP2zmmpR02d3n-6X1JJ7UK4sxVsQgHV3QXTw/s1600/eiseley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBbcCqevxlnKZgJcKVFFBB2bWi95acv9hYh53Wlv9IKdwq2XUWdO3wgNhrUsZlS79vVqNvXTL4QBfKrG2Tl2wh9IuMCMOyFeTlcIv2vKrwP2zmmpR02d3n-6X1JJ7UK4sxVsQgHV3QXTw/s1600/eiseley.jpg" /></a>Science and "faith" are in conflict? <b><i>Absurd</i></b>. Even a simple perusal of a short list of some of the greatest minds in the development of modern science reveal that these thinkers were theists, and most were Christians. Nearly every major branch of science was founded by a theist, usually a Christian theist.<br />
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<b>Dr. Loren Eiseley</b>, Professor of Anthropology, a science history writer and <b><i>EVOLUTIONIST</i></b>, admitted that the birth of modern science was mainly due to the creationist convictions of its founders:<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">"It is the CHRISTIAN world which finally gave birth in a clear articulated fashion to the experimental method of science itself ... It began its discoveries and made use of its method in the faith, not the knowledge, that it was dealing with a rational universe controlled by a Creator who did not act upon whim nor inference with the forces He had set in operation. The experimental method succeeded beyond man's wildest dreams but the faith that brought it into being owes something to the Christian conception of the nature of God. It is surely one of the curious paradoxes of history that science, which professionally has little to do with faith, owes its origins to an act of faith that the universe can be rationally interpreted, and that science today is sustained by that assumption."</span></i></b><br />
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Let's consider this simple list of theists/Christians, and their scientific contributions:<br />
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<b>Nicholas Copernicus</b>--Astronomy<br />
<b>Sir Francis Bacon</b>--Scientific Method<br />
<b>Johannes Kepler</b>--Light theory/Planetary motion<br />
<b>Galileo Galilei</b>--Heliocentrism/Dynamics<br />
<b>Rene Descartes</b>--Mathematics/Scientific method<br />
<b>Blaise Pascal</b>--Mathematics/Physics/Probability theory<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXyBHf4gZ1EbNsJt_MDbSRHcIPc2F2ZO04F_4xoUMme_ncf_uRUuUopyN2WLxcqKDIbwlD6xgqqHzJJ1CT1PFT7aIcZg9UZ3gFtdWJLh7XQII5eFYwge5wUc7C8_pNvmuqLV_hyphenhyphenbOcfPQ/s1600/Bible-Genesis-459x295.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXyBHf4gZ1EbNsJt_MDbSRHcIPc2F2ZO04F_4xoUMme_ncf_uRUuUopyN2WLxcqKDIbwlD6xgqqHzJJ1CT1PFT7aIcZg9UZ3gFtdWJLh7XQII5eFYwge5wUc7C8_pNvmuqLV_hyphenhyphenbOcfPQ/s320/Bible-Genesis-459x295.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b>Isaac Newton</b>--Physics<br />
<b>Robert Boyle</b>--Gas theory/Chemistry<br />
<b>Michael Faraday</b>--Electrical theory/Magnetism<br />
<b>Gregor Mendel</b>--Biology/Genetics<br />
<b>William Thomson Kelvin</b>--Physics<br />
<b>Max Planck</b>--Quantum theory/Physics<br />
<b>Albert Einstein</b>--Mathematics/Physics<br />
<b>Neils Bohr</b>--Atomic theory<br />
<b>Louis Pasteur</b>--Medicine/Germ theory<br />
<b>Werner Heisenberg</b>--Quantum theory<br />
<b>Erwin Schrodinger</b>--Wave mechanics<br />
<b>Enrico Fermi</b>--Atomic theory<br />
<b>Anton van Leeuwenhoek</b>--Microscope<br />
<b>Theodosius Dobzhansky</b>--Modern synthesis<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoBSOzC8YHmsKVa9ilZSnhqMjRskP4cmNaw4kQQHQ1OzFkkiCJnWChoMI69L3mO0Y3N0HhL4lG7qxxDKuAuOMqxI-i1hx3Luea7tyaT7ezCCSXamHaUPGg5Es05hrUo7UKXOv6y8QEpKg/s1600/Collins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoBSOzC8YHmsKVa9ilZSnhqMjRskP4cmNaw4kQQHQ1OzFkkiCJnWChoMI69L3mO0Y3N0HhL4lG7qxxDKuAuOMqxI-i1hx3Luea7tyaT7ezCCSXamHaUPGg5Es05hrUo7UKXOv6y8QEpKg/s320/Collins.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><b>Dr. Francis S. Collins</b>, Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, Director of the Human Genome Project, Member of the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences.<br />
<br />
<b><i><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">"I think there's a common assumption that you cannot both be a rigorous, show-me-the-data scientist and a person who believes in a personal God. I would like to say that from my perspective that assumption is incorrect; that, in fact, these two areas are entirely compatible and not only can exist within the same person, but can exist in a very synthetic way, and not in a compartmentalized way. I have no reason to see a discordance between what I know as a scientist who spends all day studying the genome of humans and what I believe as somebody who pays a lot of attention to what the Bible has taught me about God and about Jesus Christ. Those are entirely compatible views."</span></i></b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxhniBJFgnY9zPYMHLha59yoU8zOPKtq3jveJwvlfDON9HmC-3sNH9uEY9McTE3I5tVYjcE4803Th_pKbXUuZRLTupM9ITZDxHNklWTNb95KuyiWMLRmopRohUqjtVPjfzljeKFrVFNx4/s1600/Wildersmith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxhniBJFgnY9zPYMHLha59yoU8zOPKtq3jveJwvlfDON9HmC-3sNH9uEY9McTE3I5tVYjcE4803Th_pKbXUuZRLTupM9ITZDxHNklWTNb95KuyiWMLRmopRohUqjtVPjfzljeKFrVFNx4/s1600/Wildersmith.jpg" /></a></div><b>Dr. Arthur E. Wilder-Smith</b>, Ph.D. (Physical Organic Chemistry), Dr. es Science (Chemotherapy), D. Sc.(Natural Sciences), a former Oxford atheist, made this observation concerning the larger issue of accounting for the complexity of life without the logically-mandated appeal to an intelligent designer:<br />
<br />
<b><i><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">"The Evolutionary model says that it is not necessary to assume the existence of anything, besides matter and energy, to produce life. That proposition is unscientific. We know perfectly well that if you leave matter to itself, it does not organize itself - in spite of all the efforts in recent years to prove that it does."</span></i></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigPLLs7HmExmg7YHWUDSKiaamqfiaSmx2dswZ9g4O4buata1Rh4H789hjSvMb2Uz8ZyUxz7PXG3uxlCmHbdseYLFniXbqnVedKAZQZqAvKp0dxYpKdrrh1Sj0Kkw6LI4qqpYUKDF_EyGU/s1600/fear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigPLLs7HmExmg7YHWUDSKiaamqfiaSmx2dswZ9g4O4buata1Rh4H789hjSvMb2Uz8ZyUxz7PXG3uxlCmHbdseYLFniXbqnVedKAZQZqAvKp0dxYpKdrrh1Sj0Kkw6LI4qqpYUKDF_EyGU/s200/fear.jpg" width="158" /></a></div>Most of the challenges against including larger issues of logic and reasoning into scientific discussions, especially concerning origin theory, are based upon a flawed premise. Their objections are founded upon a baseless <b>fear </b>of religious dogma superimposed atop scientific discovery.<br />
<br />
While there may be some who desire to do this, just as there are secularists who desire to expunge all free inquiry into Creation thinking, this is not the primary aim of the modern intelligent design movement. As one philosopher noted: <br />
<br />
<b><i><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">"You never judge a philosophy by it's abuse." </span></i></b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_kxj1a-Ce-JgMdivMUmzLKn4hi2uCkzokVrocSOHMhHHBCUJzuXa12qJ6h0yxX8Ln_lTpCEGfmauZIc2gXHvfa_z3PfPXxqrtRCGIq6AioodHy5jGAKpmnJoSeJY6Ns-1GJoKlOzinck/s1600/Intelligent-Design-Uncensored.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_kxj1a-Ce-JgMdivMUmzLKn4hi2uCkzokVrocSOHMhHHBCUJzuXa12qJ6h0yxX8Ln_lTpCEGfmauZIc2gXHvfa_z3PfPXxqrtRCGIq6AioodHy5jGAKpmnJoSeJY6Ns-1GJoKlOzinck/s200/Intelligent-Design-Uncensored.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><br />
Intelligent design is not an attempt to force religion or religious views upon an unwilling populace, but rather the desire to be honest intellectually concerning the findings of modern investigation into the foundational issue of ultimate origins.<br />
<br />
The larger discussion of the question of origins and origin theory must, by necessity, rely upon deductive and inductive logic, and must obey the same principles that guide modern investigation, including the Law of Cause and Effect, Thermodynamics, Hyper-inflation ("Big Bang") Cosmology, and Information Theory (DNA).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSIHZfnxcNVoawZ1HU2H6BGXd0PwSZNGogYw0Z7xooDt3bt5vqIa8r8jpZ5OmZYpxG-4Tyeb0i4Bh5cjNvTIBLXZZsjSdJfpuydoBByzqJb7EDnx0c9gNm-pT2XD03C-jHJ7bvdCyFpjs/s1600/assume-bias-t-shirt-1_design.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSIHZfnxcNVoawZ1HU2H6BGXd0PwSZNGogYw0Z7xooDt3bt5vqIa8r8jpZ5OmZYpxG-4Tyeb0i4Bh5cjNvTIBLXZZsjSdJfpuydoBByzqJb7EDnx0c9gNm-pT2XD03C-jHJ7bvdCyFpjs/s1600/assume-bias-t-shirt-1_design.png" /></a></div><br />
It is within these fundamental laws and principles that a model of Intelligent Design is not only inferred, it is logically mandated. <br />
<br />
To deny this conclusion of sound logic betrays either an ignorance of modern scientific discovery, or more likely reveals an<b><i> irrational and emotional bias</i></b> against allowing "a divine foot in the door."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326647847990482641.post-41467895376501647752012-01-24T22:36:00.001-06:002012-01-24T22:37:24.635-06:00Is God Dead?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZmTiLfVMMYi7TVSeQAuBix4hDrFjyF8m6-bN0CttFfAZtMDJ0_k4YTW16b7R-66aVQR2Bb8LRVpxHhvhab-wBHOReUXCzR3Y1PVPHgJGKcB1a3jBZW-eXagveFenZ-b8uHaBPbvJGa_w/s1600/friedrich-nietzsche.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZmTiLfVMMYi7TVSeQAuBix4hDrFjyF8m6-bN0CttFfAZtMDJ0_k4YTW16b7R-66aVQR2Bb8LRVpxHhvhab-wBHOReUXCzR3Y1PVPHgJGKcB1a3jBZW-eXagveFenZ-b8uHaBPbvJGa_w/s200/friedrich-nietzsche.jpg" width="153" /></a></div><br />
<br />
In the mid 19th century, German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche made a surprising announcement in his work: <b><i>Die fröhliche Wissenschaft</i></b>, though it was most popularized by his classic work: <b><i>Thus Spoke Zarathustra</i></b>.<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>What did he announce? Believe it or not...he said that <br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: yellow;">"God is dead."</span></b></div><div><br />
</div><div>I'm not joking. That's what he said, in fact, several times.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiFlq-_SKbQLdvOamUgXchRoDZZdU0L6cc9f3aOuw2QYUaxu4mM5z2ac7ehDGAVmIGijFk4Kau3Pj2y4KPnq1uVHPhzTgihPQsIl_h97Zb3HWSt3IyvghKRdCn-h5FbXFOKkGFTtBmFYw/s1600/time-is-god-dead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiFlq-_SKbQLdvOamUgXchRoDZZdU0L6cc9f3aOuw2QYUaxu4mM5z2ac7ehDGAVmIGijFk4Kau3Pj2y4KPnq1uVHPhzTgihPQsIl_h97Zb3HWSt3IyvghKRdCn-h5FbXFOKkGFTtBmFYw/s320/time-is-god-dead.jpg" width="243" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>He said that God was dead, and that ludicrous and morbid thought slowly sank into the fabric of modern consciousness. In April of 1966, the concept had become so "mainstream" that even famed Time magazine made it their cover story, in stark, red, unforgettable letters.</div><div><br />
</div><div>But, really, c'mon...I mean, God is dead? Though the German philosopher/skeptic did not mean the statement in a literal sense, there are many modern skeptic-wannabees who have taken it much farther than he ever intended. </div><div><br />
</div><div>It's time to put this silly statement to rest-in-peace (no pun intended...well, mostly not). Let's dissect it and consider the illogical ramifications for these deiciders (God killers).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioGQH-zRucTyL43BwQwA0h_FGgvPk9GRFTkWzIvA9MLi1ztTMODFNOi6vRREh8cR0lQMc3htnhj1nZTqJRyjP8y2gG4xbP4S3D4UDM5k3Dutc1-tk-QsJ4s28vbJXISXiXmWciB9QPvmg/s1600/God-is-Dead---Nietzsche----Nietzsche-is-Dead---God.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioGQH-zRucTyL43BwQwA0h_FGgvPk9GRFTkWzIvA9MLi1ztTMODFNOi6vRREh8cR0lQMc3htnhj1nZTqJRyjP8y2gG4xbP4S3D4UDM5k3Dutc1-tk-QsJ4s28vbJXISXiXmWciB9QPvmg/s200/God-is-Dead---Nietzsche----Nietzsche-is-Dead---God.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhKqpUdX8JoKldSpqrswnD129-OUm41TKbDgRIR5_6QXz8B4_K01QfxXIJq91n9lapDaXSzJJ-3LE0C6H5gWg0I8aST84UU8heCDDaRZmiBFeurIfPceTsIWtk1nsbHdxRWV9gassR5M/s1600/mind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhKqpUdX8JoKldSpqrswnD129-OUm41TKbDgRIR5_6QXz8B4_K01QfxXIJq91n9lapDaXSzJJ-3LE0C6H5gWg0I8aST84UU8heCDDaRZmiBFeurIfPceTsIWtk1nsbHdxRWV9gassR5M/s200/mind.jpg" width="200" /></a>To be able to accurately pronounce God's death would require a level of intelligence, consciousness, and understanding that transcends the physical universe. In short, to be able to say that God is dead would require a degree and perfection of knowledge that is godlike itself in proportion.</div><div><br />
</div><div>So there we have it---to be able to say that God is dead would require you to actually be God Himself. But wait..uh, oh---Houston, we have a problem. <br />
<br />
<br />
If God is dead, and it takes <b><i>God </i></b>to be able to truly say that, then we are in a paradox. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfW0C3g2iQMOITGzLS9dJrxGum_x4ANL25yvMceNOtF8gCguFOzcGh6yH68J_1YIWKbd8hCemeBPNkcS31wEGbE3GL7j9gb3bYks-ShQ6MXfr1F1If2aeB6P0KK_hN07sG-B5LM34syEk/s1600/merry-go-round.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfW0C3g2iQMOITGzLS9dJrxGum_x4ANL25yvMceNOtF8gCguFOzcGh6yH68J_1YIWKbd8hCemeBPNkcS31wEGbE3GL7j9gb3bYks-ShQ6MXfr1F1If2aeB6P0KK_hN07sG-B5LM34syEk/s200/merry-go-round.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div><br />
<br />
Dead persons don't speak, not even dead <b><i>gods</i></b>. So then who can reveal the pronouncement of the death of God, except for God Himself, yet it is maintained that He is dead?</div><div><br />
</div><div>(and the loop goes round and round---motion sickness pills, anyone?)</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
<br />
</div><div>The only place that this concept can exist then, is in the manuscripts of madmen and in the minds of those with an anti-god agenda that can barely be concealed beneath their mantle of divine contempt. </div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326647847990482641.post-44827920417219067952012-01-05T20:02:00.002-06:002012-01-05T20:02:39.973-06:00Atheist Bias Exposed by Fossils<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Qrn7KjsXv9U/TwZWMJBT_GI/AAAAAAAABTE/PS3WMsNyj64/s1600/Amber-Atheist-Bias.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="364" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Qrn7KjsXv9U/TwZWMJBT_GI/AAAAAAAABTE/PS3WMsNyj64/s640/Amber-Atheist-Bias.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326647847990482641.post-64074162923534988792012-01-03T22:11:00.001-06:002012-01-03T22:12:55.343-06:00Satanisms Tempting Yet Fatal Flaws<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-crmgU71BiQU/TwPMvbgt8KI/AAAAAAAABPs/VnC-xccoOcY/s1600/woodstock-1969.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-crmgU71BiQU/TwPMvbgt8KI/AAAAAAAABPs/VnC-xccoOcY/s200/woodstock-1969.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitf87kdjShnJc0LLlaDwAjX5MI31D_NGo6DabSWvVX_xH5CZs_sPDCLEVo9bzX0NB7mvT5M6ERYk9dCwjcHTpIr6zs69MXPFFURrOd9GFktMjEnrAXpnh3deJgIGZjumA5kFNUEUy1Z6Q/s1600/Rosemarys+Baby+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitf87kdjShnJc0LLlaDwAjX5MI31D_NGo6DabSWvVX_xH5CZs_sPDCLEVo9bzX0NB7mvT5M6ERYk9dCwjcHTpIr6zs69MXPFFURrOd9GFktMjEnrAXpnh3deJgIGZjumA5kFNUEUy1Z6Q/s200/Rosemarys+Baby+poster.jpg" width="141" /></a><br />
The decade of the 1960s saw a real up-tick in the pursuit of "all-things-spiritual". It mattered not if it was through meditation, open drug use, or through music and "free-love," it was a time of spiritual exploration....umm...somewhat.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7PJp6dQWRgI/TwPNZnlvgfI/AAAAAAAABQQ/LEj6Yr9Jn0Q/s1600/The+Satanic+Bible%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7PJp6dQWRgI/TwPNZnlvgfI/AAAAAAAABQQ/LEj6Yr9Jn0Q/s200/The+Satanic+Bible%25281%2529.jpg" width="136" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lV0sQYzON9M/TwPNLXicFBI/AAAAAAAABQE/aQ4Kbt8useM/s1600/lavey1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lV0sQYzON9M/TwPNLXicFBI/AAAAAAAABQE/aQ4Kbt8useM/s200/lavey1.jpg" width="153" /></a>Not only the music industry, but even Hollywood took note, and spiritually themed films followed, including dark ones like the famous "Rosemary's Baby." Occult studies skyrocketed. <br />
<br />
<br />
Riding on this surge of new interest (and according to his own daughter's account-- a desire to make a lot of money) Anton LaVey wrote and published his:<br />
<b><br />
The Satanic Bible</b><br />
<br />
LaVey promoted a type of secular Satanism, almost an atheistic-Satanism, if you will. You have to separate it from any older concept of "Devil worship" with goats-blood-spattered pentagrams and the like.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFELubGJZdYfu5uJrtiXHhIB3Y_vQvadg8IJCQpIUyJQXJhFXdEj1DH5mJZ8LLYtIMObKW17MwERnOyAayjy3BN8m0SZ-qdvUxDJrdY8DCpoVU8Ocu37wNuVnEPMaceBx1uuzSlzpbIes/s1600/self+worship.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFELubGJZdYfu5uJrtiXHhIB3Y_vQvadg8IJCQpIUyJQXJhFXdEj1DH5mJZ8LLYtIMObKW17MwERnOyAayjy3BN8m0SZ-qdvUxDJrdY8DCpoVU8Ocu37wNuVnEPMaceBx1uuzSlzpbIes/s200/self+worship.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Though there are remnants of the former inculcated into his NEW Satanism, it is more about the worship of the SELF. You are your own god, therefore, do whatever you want, whenever you want, and place yourself first whenever and wherever possible.<br />
<br />
Wouldn't that be a great world (read: sarcasm)...wait a minute, if you look at the news, maybe we are already there. <br />
<br />
But, I digress.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: yellow;">A Battle of the Wills</span></b><br />
<br />
As you read and study about LaVey's version of modern Satanism (which even denies the concept of real, personal "devil" anyway) you will see that it has one golden rule:<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">"My will, not Thy will...be done!"</span></b> It appears that LaVey understood that it is a battle of the wills.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk1xPOEvkZECbBs7zg2BLGkRVeFMvtlt870SEMj1RQMuBG8eWWzdGz1kT2m5p9ktkJSZvPRShr1cXN5aLfsYZLeThFgymbUc75MXVNbfRM63rcukcZ7YxHR8gwT-BQ_gJbcmqVbY8bjVQ/s1600/I113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk1xPOEvkZECbBs7zg2BLGkRVeFMvtlt870SEMj1RQMuBG8eWWzdGz1kT2m5p9ktkJSZvPRShr1cXN5aLfsYZLeThFgymbUc75MXVNbfRM63rcukcZ7YxHR8gwT-BQ_gJbcmqVbY8bjVQ/s200/I113.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>In other words, the highest achievement in life, is to do<b><i> YOUR WILL</i></b>, whatever makes <b><i>YOU </i></b>the happiest, whatever is<b><i> BEST for YOU</i></b>. Sin is anything that prevents you from doing what satisfies you the most. Self-deification, self-worship, that is the key.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gGTvGr-Si-o/TwPOTolNBAI/AAAAAAAABQ0/HQSh6n3NoD4/s1600/recycle_logo_arrows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gGTvGr-Si-o/TwPOTolNBAI/AAAAAAAABQ0/HQSh6n3NoD4/s200/recycle_logo_arrows.jpg" width="200" /></a>In this blog article, I would like to cover two different fallacies of this "NEW" Satanism. First--the concept of "MY will, not THY will be done" is logically flawed, and secondly, that "NEW" Satanism is not new at all, rather it is a re-packaging, a modern recycling of the original false religion at the outset of human history.<br />
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<b><span style="color: yellow;">Will the Real Will Stand Up?</span></b><br />
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Though the "new" Satanists will not readily admit the idea of a Creator (some will), yet their central mantra of "<b>MY will, not THY will be done</b>" is targeted at rejecting the concept of man's highest purpose being following the will of our Creator (God). It is so easy to demonstrate why this is illogical, it amazes me that few ever bring it up in discussions about this topic.<br />
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Recently I had a discussion with someone who was dabbling with this "new" Satanism. They very proudly declared to me that the best thing about this "new" Satanism was that it was all about "<b>MY WILL</b>" be done...throwing off the "chains" of any "obedience" to God or the like. Really? Interesting.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-i81oYDP8kmo/TwPPRVZiQXI/AAAAAAAABRA/rrVq7IAQcRo/s1600/693621.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-i81oYDP8kmo/TwPPRVZiQXI/AAAAAAAABRA/rrVq7IAQcRo/s1600/693621.jpg" /></a><b><span style="color: yellow;">Getting the Lead Out</span></b><br />
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One simple analogy will demolish the entire basis or foundation of this type of ill-founded reasoning. My daughter, who is now a thriving teen, was not doing so well as a toddler years ago. After blood work and medical evaluations, the cause was found to be <b>LEAD POISONING</b>.<br />
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She had, unfortunately, taken a real liking to the bits of lead-laden paint chips found throughout our (then) older home. Flaking window sills and thick carpet provided sumptuous daily fares of this dangerous delight.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mgK-1dj8BVY/TwPPX2b1TkI/AAAAAAAABRM/hwrgzHZ_tDE/s1600/tantrum2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mgK-1dj8BVY/TwPPX2b1TkI/AAAAAAAABRM/hwrgzHZ_tDE/s200/tantrum2.jpg" width="160" /></a><br />
We had to break her of this habit, and she did not like it one bit. She enjoyed her brain-damaging tidbits, and we had to really watch her and "modify" her eating trends. It was a real battle of wills. <br />
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She WANTED those paint chips so bad, but, as her parents, knowing that they would harm her, we did not allow her to eat them.<br />
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Her will was dangerous...demonstrably so.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hD8upXUPkYQ/TwPPiS-aR3I/AAAAAAAABRY/e1JY6Pv8yos/s1600/article-0-0BE63FBD000005DC-990_468x303.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hD8upXUPkYQ/TwPPiS-aR3I/AAAAAAAABRY/e1JY6Pv8yos/s320/article-0-0BE63FBD000005DC-990_468x303.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Now, think about it logically---what is the difference in the level of understanding of a toddler and a mature adult? It is nearly an infinite gap--larger than the Lilliputians ever dreamed. As adults we know that the things that attract and "make kids happy" are often dangerous, destructive, and can harm them, not just in the short term, but in the long term as well. THEIR WILL (to engage in those destructive behaviors) and OUR WILL are in opposition. Which WILL is better for them ultimately? Answer: (hands down)<b><i> OUR WILL.</i></b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi4NynXb-dFoyEZXIn6tXk8RU0uJuuUS8ifLXr_VuunNZ5-BHKaou7zHBgiopalOiZbpjdx1qVDdr_6UQSr32d3chZ4Nm1AOq7QZ3I_r7IEXCfH6_pk6vi62mdGLf7KOG1LE8VAYvFgtY/s1600/wrong-way1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi4NynXb-dFoyEZXIn6tXk8RU0uJuuUS8ifLXr_VuunNZ5-BHKaou7zHBgiopalOiZbpjdx1qVDdr_6UQSr32d3chZ4Nm1AOq7QZ3I_r7IEXCfH6_pk6vi62mdGLf7KOG1LE8VAYvFgtY/s200/wrong-way1.jpg" width="197" /></a><br />
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So, it is relatively easy to point out that one's own will can actually be completely wrong, uninformed, destructive, and immature. One doesn't need a road sign to point out something that obvious. Now, think about the difference between GOD'S understanding of us and life, and our OWN understanding of ourselves and life.<br />
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Which is a greater level of understanding? Obviously: God's. He alone knows the future, our present, our past, and about everything that is involved in our needs and wants.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mrX_w4wH0Hc/TwPQGMnS-HI/AAAAAAAABRw/SAwZUETIhhk/s1600/love.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mrX_w4wH0Hc/TwPQGMnS-HI/AAAAAAAABRw/SAwZUETIhhk/s320/love.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><span style="color: yellow;">Who Loves Ya, Baby?</span></b><br />
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Next, a surprising question: <b><i>Who loves YOU more----you or God?</i></b> Seriously. I'm asking. According the God Himself, He loves you even more than you love yourself. He even proved it completely by becoming a man (Jesus Christ) and giving His life for you on a cruel Roman cross so that you could be forgiven of your sins.<br />
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If someone would suffer and die for you, they probably care about you a great deal.<br />
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Now, let's logically combine the last two observations: <br />
<b>(1) God knows and understands us better than we do ourselves<br />
(2) God loves us more than we even love ourselves.</b><br />
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Now, whose WILL would be it better for us to follow--our own limited, flawed, often uninformed, short-sighted, will, or God's will (perfect, informed, loving)? It is <b>NO-CONTEST</b>. Since God created me, knows me perfectly, loves me, and only seeks the best for me, why wouldn't I want to follow that WILL, rather than my own extremely limited and often-misguided will?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLcZHocp-YWRvwO3EiUQ8TuTf_0Q94Y1TBx9Vo4ZuJZFV95MevBW-k8hP1LlJ1mCUKSLkm1-sLv9T4aIT875_ANTqgp4WQneBUGq_15075wDNqsElf3LmnhLZGtPJdqt4h5jn9n3_J58Q/s1600/reality-and-perception.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLcZHocp-YWRvwO3EiUQ8TuTf_0Q94Y1TBx9Vo4ZuJZFV95MevBW-k8hP1LlJ1mCUKSLkm1-sLv9T4aIT875_ANTqgp4WQneBUGq_15075wDNqsElf3LmnhLZGtPJdqt4h5jn9n3_J58Q/s320/reality-and-perception.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><span style="color: yellow;">Image is Everything!</span></b><br />
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I think the underlying problem with most people is in <b><i>their </i></b>concept of God's character. Now, if I perceive (or imagine) God to be a vindictive, selfish, demanding task master, then perhaps my own will seems a bit more attractive. But, if we would stop our own projected image of God, and let Him speak for Himself, we will gather a much different picture. As we think, just about the cross alone, and what love and humility and forgiveness was displayed there---all those hard thoughts of God would vanish into the thin air where they belong.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRo4GVhBIfAIR_O3SF3sEXZdgbBMKFR9b_XZzZN1JgQPY97fzUcqKhsSE64DME_-IAtc3hJ303Yfg4t1_DVX9D9S92Zl2XKUDGUAg9qYFyFnPma-HZJi_WT0G93BYbHVoDqYBE1oQ5BWc/s1600/love+and+God.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRo4GVhBIfAIR_O3SF3sEXZdgbBMKFR9b_XZzZN1JgQPY97fzUcqKhsSE64DME_-IAtc3hJ303Yfg4t1_DVX9D9S92Zl2XKUDGUAg9qYFyFnPma-HZJi_WT0G93BYbHVoDqYBE1oQ5BWc/s200/love+and+God.jpg" width="118" /></a></div><br />
The Bible says that "<b>God is love</b>." Jesus says that He is <b>"meek and lowly in heart.</b>" Imagine that--the Creator of the Universe expressing His compassion and humility. We are so used to tyrants who grab power at every opportunity, that we SUPPOSE that God must somehow be just like that.<br />
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We project our own greediness, our own selfishness, onto God--instead of letting Him be who He really is. We really get a glimpse of our loving Creator--it is much easier to say "NOT my will, but THY will be done!" (because it will be in our own best interest!)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgebcVVDhUeK22_B8woU-c9n0Vn8q73w6JFPD1Y-yn9QUWyiSZtqsLR1mUizsPrSzgKl35uS7hmAoeJi6kGZD47D_xAng9gqAgEAb0rnXe-ngqZW6nn9blsU6-ScbvxW9EQAspkgVc_X4A/s1600/new-improved+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgebcVVDhUeK22_B8woU-c9n0Vn8q73w6JFPD1Y-yn9QUWyiSZtqsLR1mUizsPrSzgKl35uS7hmAoeJi6kGZD47D_xAng9gqAgEAb0rnXe-ngqZW6nn9blsU6-ScbvxW9EQAspkgVc_X4A/s320/new-improved+5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><span style="color: yellow;">What's Old is New Again!</span></b><br />
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My second area of contention with the "<b>new</b>" Satanism, is just that...it claims to be "<b>NEW</b>". I was watching in horror recently during a cable news show. The national program contained an interview with a high school student who represented the "new" Satanism. He was arrogant and over-confident, and he taunted the host saying that "it is isn't about old devil worship--it is about the new religion of serving MYSELF, of worshiping Me!"<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimkfFSVoA40WnCzT0zjy4WZnFQPPBMVEETYjKVCYMEAJTVkFoFSMeVGEL0LgvO5e80k_xYssE-BGt27-_AV-Ds2lar6FUOYO30lyTohDeW1Kh2yiFEW4IBUHUnsyBTzwriQze2S7RMsQg/s1600/genesissmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimkfFSVoA40WnCzT0zjy4WZnFQPPBMVEETYjKVCYMEAJTVkFoFSMeVGEL0LgvO5e80k_xYssE-BGt27-_AV-Ds2lar6FUOYO30lyTohDeW1Kh2yiFEW4IBUHUnsyBTzwriQze2S7RMsQg/s1600/genesissmall.jpg" /></a></div>I just shook my head for the poor sap---he thought he was espousing and promoting some cool, new thing---not realizing that he almost took the words right out of Satan's mouth several thousand years ago.<br />
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This deceived young man would have been mortified to learn that he was almost quoting the Bible (gasp!)<br />
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This "new" Satanism is nothing of the sort...it is a resurgence of the oldest lie ever told, recorded in one of the oldest books ever written.<br />
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At the dawn of human history, there was another battle of wills. The Creator had created mankind with a free will and given them only one prohibition, only one rule. The scriptures indicate that they were given another appeal, from Satan himself. Basically, he told our first parents that the key to happiness, that the secret to a fulfilled life is to NOT DO GOD's WILL, but rather to do YOUR OWN will. In fact, he said, if you do that, you will become your own "god." He said that disobeying God was the true path to enlightenment.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sw3vn0MUMEU/TwPRPEyftDI/AAAAAAAABSs/D38PSidcAoM/s1600/mostevilmenwomen1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sw3vn0MUMEU/TwPRPEyftDI/AAAAAAAABSs/D38PSidcAoM/s200/mostevilmenwomen1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b><span style="color: yellow;">History is the Proof</span></b><br />
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Well, most of us know the rest of the story. They did distrust the Creator, they fell for the lie of Satan, and worshiped themselves and their own understanding. They disobeyed their loving Creator, and look at the millennia of sin, greed, sorrow, selfishness, and evil that has cascaded down through history.<br />
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Instead of a perfect world, we daily deal with hatred, mistrust, self-centeredness, and an appalling evil that manifests itself out of the fallen human heart.<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PoYI1vj99fY/TwPRZ6_6fBI/AAAAAAAABS4/hSC1xuIJ0zE/s1600/gavel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PoYI1vj99fY/TwPRZ6_6fBI/AAAAAAAABS4/hSC1xuIJ0zE/s200/gavel.jpg" width="142" /></a><br />
History proves that the formula "<b><i>MY will be done</i></b>" is a personal and societal <i>NIGHTMARE</i>.<br />
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Anton LaVey and those who have chosen the path of destructive personal "enlightenment" (which deifies our own desires and minimizes the benevolence of our Creator) have willingly subjected themselves to a worldview that is not only logically flawed---<b> it has the entire weight of history stacked against it.</b><br />
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</b>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326647847990482641.post-75272972060806440092011-12-29T21:19:00.044-06:002012-07-20T22:21:42.528-05:00Common Questions about God, the Bible, etc.We have been dealing with some weighty issues over the past few months (Gnosticism, Atheism, and even Big Bang Cosmology), so I thought that it might be time to step back and cover (or re-cover) some basic common theological questions (you know, those questions that a lot of people have, but they are somehow afraid to ask).<br />
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It never ceases to amaze me when spending time talking about real and pressing issues with people about spiritual, biblical, theological, and philosophical issues, that there are recurring and lingering difficulties and perplexities they wrestle with. There are a standard set of questions that arise, questions for which there are real and fairly simple answers, but it seems that many people are afraid to raise the questions---perhaps out of a deep-seated fear that there are <b><i>NO </i></b>answers. Maybe there is a subtle psychological reflex that prefers to ignore the question (or even deny it), rather than to get it out in the open.<br />
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Put your mind at rest, there are answers, there are explanations---trust me, there is not single question that you have thought of (or that has been asked of you) that has not already been dealt with thoroughly. What if I asked you right now: "<b><i>What is the approximate mass of the planet Jupiter?</i></b>" Would you break out into a cold sweat, or fear that perhaps science has no answers (just because you personally do not have one)? Of course not...there are answers, even if you do not have the slightest idea---yet. (By the way...the mass of Jupiter is 1.9 x 1027 kg)<br />
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Here is a list of some of the most commonly asked questions about God, the Bible, and Christianity in general.(click on the question to be linked to the answer)<br />
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2326647847990482641&postID=7527297206080644009" name="Q99"></a><br />
<b><a href="http://god-and-logic.blogspot.com/2011/12/common-questions-about-god-bible-etc.html#Q1"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-75aI9g14SLs/Tv_8jHm0jCI/AAAAAAAABPI/hnfax6IwWfw/s1600/Question-where+did+God+come+from.jpg" /></a></b><br />
<a href="http://god-and-logic.blogspot.com/2011/12/common-questions-about-god-bible-etc.html#Q2"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihm6UI_hfoz8P5TSZzUlW2iQsOiTi1QEVnk8fNQLZ5_C89ymxINNKda6D1i8cMiKQEkQsmlGj9tHVX4OCgsvfIei4zUwAEVr3h971M4N5aBZqF-iKIF9GWnBKzJEZzJshiKHEFN_chDPs/s1600/QUESTION-what+was+God+doing+before.jpg" /></a><b><a href="http://god-and-logic.blogspot.com/2011/12/common-questions-about-god-bible-etc.html#Q3"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J_VcizWv7Aw/Tv_5R8J9McI/AAAAAAAABNQ/yMoXRQBLT1Y/s1600/QUESTION-how+can+God+know+future.jpg" /></a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://god-and-logic.blogspot.com/2011/12/common-questions-about-god-bible-etc.html#Q4"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AOwksgMaJfg/Tv_5UevhAOI/AAAAAAAABNc/FoALoiiuJ1U/s1600/QUESTION-Where+did+Cain+get+his+wife.jpg" /></a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://god-and-logic.blogspot.com/2011/12/common-questions-about-god-bible-etc.html#Q5"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lkxFS0rXlZ0/Tv_5XfLjU0I/AAAAAAAABNo/r0MoDGGTvIg/s1600/QUESTION-since+man+wrote+bible+mistakes.jpg" /></a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://god-and-logic.blogspot.com/2011/12/common-questions-about-god-bible-etc.html#Q6"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-moJh11pW6qI/Tv_5aIKahMI/AAAAAAAABN0/y9sna6Ybbk0/s1600/QUESTION-Why+four+gospels.jpg" /></a></b><b><a href="http://god-and-logic.blogspot.com/2011/12/common-questions-about-god-bible-etc.html#Q7"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_U1ldxpu1hdYPrM1EmHl-Xwk8IfWQ_fEKVFhC0r6rwzhxQCnBJ_p3hnRaAllXizOIV60Poc1A4OwpyCvQhSmIX3xxsHZ7Bb-q7XKedGe1ABtHE8xudAhBCBogezE80VpdcfsfoDFuFnY/s1600/QUESTION-why+is+evil+suffering.jpg" /></a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://god-and-logic.blogspot.com/2011/12/common-questions-about-god-bible-etc.html#Q8"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivjV7I5lKRph91e4yP3_D_UANGNuQDvcupbARZ5NdB57JnIDv5YZvqDxg0xtwXmywZT4dhUzIUdfmNdF3j6K7SAC55njlEg6QgW5utA6caR8nDCOmpuUZNV4wWF7iA_PTojsWII95Gw88/s1600/QUESTION-God+old+testament.jpg" /></a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://god-and-logic.blogspot.com/2011/12/common-questions-about-god-bible-etc.html#Q9"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUFhHT4qwSrpDzRfJsB0LSdNN4zLVLrwHjaHRMrrWwooUemKT9DhJBJVI-wFugu2dinxVaPtcT44YlL_-YBTiZfZsa_kdFXpDCnk3TbOTahAlfwV9GFHtX052Y4EWPFbxXVToBnUsMRfM/s1600/QUESTION-Earth+flat.jpg" /></a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://god-and-logic.blogspot.com/2011/12/common-questions-about-god-bible-etc.html#Q10"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V6VOEjCx-qg/Tv_5mMA2rwI/AAAAAAAABOk/5ir1eODI_oQ/s1600/Question-Is+Jesus+God.jpg" /></a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://god-and-logic.blogspot.com/2011/12/common-questions-about-god-bible-etc.html#Q11"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HgbnHEnrOfc/Tv_5q13LX5I/AAAAAAAABOw/DqT9XV0MjCY/s1600/QUESTION-why+did+Jesus+pray.jpg" /></a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://god-and-logic.blogspot.com/2011/12/common-questions-about-god-bible-etc.html#Q12"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aqo6V3CQmmo/Tv_5tQFOaII/AAAAAAAABO8/KkVNySSxfNE/s1600/Question-bible+teach+trinity.jpg" /></a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://god-and-logic.blogspot.com/2011/12/common-questions-about-god-bible-etc.html#Q13"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbFuo3nH1grWzw5ZZxPAOyVtTubA1OE83_K-lEh54beGKYUR2GwmWALB02Xhb1mdRwqRD1izk0OtHvcVn480oFj7xhvRaFZSp4SuapLwEfBGon1Degql5luMukDDvjKGL145pNNBrVdek/s1600/QUESTION-Why+God+give+10+commandments.jpg" /></a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://god-and-logic.blogspot.com/2011/12/common-questions-about-god-bible-etc.html#Q14"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZSlk4z7aqDL5NqrHV07l5FZGXh1MMbIUTR7ZMNjWoB6mIHmBsrTJ_xBCOsDAHwhImGYD1Wt1PstA2ULYac0o6_B9IThHwhAz3vmPaJDhwYyQLm4QjcQDMELzQ94dWVpctc_eXIb7TiCg/s1600/QUESTION+Does+Science-Faith+conflict.jpg" /></a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://god-and-logic.blogspot.com/2011/12/common-questions-about-god-bible-etc.html#Q15"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXCom_P_N4WygmIAbSVtRkQtULstvRTqy7NirlpxIFvp-yxBtNTXS3vqN3EtKIfHdbtAVuuRb-Qh0godJHavhQc35p_MFdP8e39mrpSFUVmpNcJMVyJQ3_DLuvtmqzmUYdextiupXnBSU/s1600/QUESTION+Bible+and+Aliens.jpg" /></a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://god-and-logic.blogspot.com/2011/12/common-questions-about-god-bible-etc.html#Q16"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8jicYHZi7IhrVVBT5KVbgTcWraHKw1-CZ9MKprHHXSjzZ71907pHqnudQzacLO02hzRwYhQ8jrXiJpmN0o02FKRtzfxbKsJJVXktLMV0KagMLY_hTvnF-dHaSUy-3mj-7Hs15XotQgo0/s1600/QUESTION-IS+Jesus+one+way+narrow.jpg" /></a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://god-and-logic.blogspot.com/2011/12/common-questions-about-god-bible-etc.html#Q17"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbW7MPnmgyuKMZI6R4UNgUOw_cYQUuzHKPkYV1I_V1KvttqI3oL-wk4qVtiKUbwa4DHr-CFjdgk7u7-5liftpB6VxbPopk4CrTpZm_hTAptTbr7D_G6CVGKLecxhMJVk-ArHoPsPdOoAk/s1600/QUESTION+Bible+translated.jpg" /></a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://god-and-logic.blogspot.com/2011/12/common-questions-about-god-bible-etc.html#Q18"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwqFcE9zuUwfbbZnJWf6IswusDMEw9XnMi0GS0ZMAr7ys-cr33ZGyCbvboETP5fvpq55uU2OhKvgs9LVig6n2tgO6zPI-M7uVQ3YlvGKR-uA0UMN0kNWASImyQEFzgdHtmrv2ICEapS5c/s1600/QUESTION+Jesus+copycat.jpg" /></a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://god-and-logic.blogspot.com/2011/12/common-questions-about-god-bible-etc.html#Q19"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXE3-O7rmIUHq9aUS3dkHrqQrGI4ofZv-BuXVaMqwXUEWv-0p21LxihyiQuaDULjkIbg5HhgkxoaZrYRmszKua8aVxqOOqGNss0igLjqWnQtas48MDsRuWnHIxiNz-PuxrHDRDgpPChj8/s1600/QUESTION+make+Bible+say.jpg" /></a></b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2326647847990482641&postID=7527297206080644009" name="Q1"></a><br />
<span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow;"> Where did God come from (Who made God)? </span></b><br />
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Here is a fun exercise: Think about the very first thing that ever happened, now think about the thing that happened before that, and then before that--and on and on. Try to imagine something with no beginning. Pretty tough isn't it? Actually, it is for all intents and purposes nearly impossible to understand. We think about everything (just about) in terms of <b><i>TIME</i></b>. Yesterday I did such and such, today and I am reading this blog, and tomorrow, I am planning on going here or there. We always think of 3 divisions of Time--Past, Present, and Future.<br />
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Both science and the Bible reveal to us that everything in the Universe, including space, matter, energy--and yes, even <b>TIME </b>itself began at the beginning of the creation of the Cosmos. In a very real sense, there was no time BEFORE the beginning of the Universe. We live <b><i>IN TIME</i></b>----just as fish live <b><i>IN WATER</i></b>, we are surrounded by it, guided by it, and trapped inside of it---we are creatures<b><i> OF TIME</i></b>. It is the only way we understand the events that happen in the Universe--we think of time as a line (technically, a Ray), which began at the creation of the Universe, and is moving on down through the ages until this moment.<br />
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Why all this metaphysical temporal babble? It is crucial to understand that God CREATED TIME. That logically means that He is a being, a person, OUTSIDE of time. Next, we must understand the Law of Cause of Effect. That Law states that every <b>Effect</b>, is initiated by some prior (or concurrent) <b>Cause</b>. This fundamental Law undergirds most scientific research. Science is often the search for causes (and philosophy and science together seek ultimate causes). Logically looking at it, this whole Universe, and everything that has ever occurred in it, has been preceded by an earlier Cause.<br />
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If we trace this back, using logic, then we must finally arrive at an Original, Uncaused Cause. There must have been something, outside of time, that then led to everything else. Using logic, we can deduce that this Cause must itself be Uncaused (eternal---no beginning)...it is impossible to even conceive of any other option. Considered the greatest philosopher to have ever lived, Aristotle called this the First or Prime Mover, and Sir Isaac Newton, esteemed to be the greatest scientist to have ever lived, echoed this term, enshrining it as the inescapable consequence of his Third Law of Motion.<br />
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So, the conclusion of logic and the Law of Cause and Effect (as well as Newtonian Laws of Motion), is that there must be a being, a Creator, who is outside of time, who is necessarily eternal, having no beginning, that could lead to everything else (the Universe, for example).<br />
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Another approach to this question is to demonstrate that it is a<b><i> nonsense question</i></b>. What is a nonsense question? Here are a few examples:<br />
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<b><i> -What does the color blue taste like?</i></b><br />
<b><i> -How far is it from headphones to true love?</i></b><br />
<b><i> -How many millions of corners are there on a circle?</i></b><br />
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These are all "QUESTIONS", but none of them is a real question...they are nonsense--they can be asked, but there are NO answers. Let's apply this same type of reasoning to "questions" about God's origin.<br />
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Since God is defined as the original, uncaused Creator, who has no beginning or ending, then it is NONSENSE to ask about WHERE or WHEN God came from. You can ask it, but it is a nonsensical and foolish quest.<br />
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Some may challenge and say:<b><i> "Well, I can't understand how God could just have always existed! It just doesn''t seem to make sense to me." </i></b>But it is important to remember, just because any one of us cannot, or does not, understand something, that has absolutely no bearing whatsoever on whether it is true or logical. Could you imagine travelling back 2000 years ago and trying to tell people that the Earth is a big sphere? Since they did not understand <b>Gravity</b>, it would seem absolutely impossible to them ("Why don't the people fall off on the other side?" "Why don't the ocean drain off the bottom?" etc.)---they would not be able to understand the concept---but yet, the Earth <b><i>IS SPHERICAL</i></b> (more or less).<br />
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Perhaps in Eternity, God will unlock that part of our understanding (much like the concept of Gravity) which will make His eternal nature (no beginning) make perfect sense, even though it confuses us NOW.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2326647847990482641&postID=7527297206080644009" name="Q2"></a><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow;"> What was God doing BEFORE He created the Universe? </span></b><br />
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For this interesting question, please read the answer to the question above: "<b>Where did God come from (Who made God)?" </b>first<b>. </b>This particular question suffers from a common error---taking the rules that govern us, and then forcing them to apply to God. God is the Creator, He created the Universe which includes even TIME itself. He exists in a realm or dimension that is not bounded, governed, or restricted by time (past, present, future). Therefore, to ask about anything that God did BEFORE the Universe, fails under it's own weight of logical fallacy. It is not a case of a pulling a metaphysical "fast one" or of a trick way to "escape" the question.<br />
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There may be an answer to this question, but is difficult, if not impossible (since we are beings who live IN TIME) to come to a "comfortable" answer. To illustrate, take the expansion of the Universe, for example. Scientists (and the Bible) tell us that the Universe began at a single point and is expanding outward. This logically means that somewhere, way, way, way out there, there is the "edge" of the Universe as it expands. But wait--what is <i>PASSED </i>the edge of the expanding Universe---what is it expanding <i>INTO</i>? No one knows...yet we know it is expanding. <br />
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Just because we do not know (or understand) what is <i>AFTER </i>space, it follows that it may not be possible (in our present state of understanding) to know what God was doing <i>BEFORE </i>creation.<br />
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<b><b><b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2326647847990482641&postID=7527297206080644009" name="Q3"></a><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow;"> How can God know the future? </span></b></b></b></div>
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This is another Time-Conundrum question (similar to the first two above). Once again, please read the answers to the questions above before moving on with this one. To summarize and condense the above two logical constructs, God is the creator of the Universe, therefore even the creator of <i>time itself</i>. God exists OUTSIDE of time, and is not subject to the same constraints as those who were created inside of time (us).</div>
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In a very real sense, God exists in the <i><b>NOW</b></i>. One logical approach is to see that the past, present, and future are all existing in the now with God. He is outside time, or for the sake of analogy--He is <i><b>ABOVE </b></i>time. Let me illustrate.</div>
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Imagine that you are a child watching a parade going by. You are on a crowded sidewalk, with throngs of people on all sides, and all you can see is the part of the parade that is immediately passing by you. You can hear the bands and musicians that are soon to be coming by, and you can hear the faint and dying echoes of those that have already passed. This is how we experience <b>TIME</b>. </div>
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Time is like the parade---what we see going by right now in front of us is the <i><b>PRESENT</b></i>, what we hear to be soon coming is the <i><b>FUTURE</b></i>, and what is dying away is the <i><b>PAST</b></i>. We can only experience the present, but we can anticipate (to some degree) the future, and we can remember the past. But, all of the parade is one big, unbroken procession called <i><b>TIME</b></i>.</div>
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Now, God is like someone in a helicopter, far above the parade. From His vantage point, He can see the entire parade at the same time, the past, the present, and the future. He can interact with any part of it at any "time". So, returning to the question: "How can God know the future?" we must think of the analogy of the parade. God "knows" the "future" because it is all visible to the one Who has created even time itself. He is above it, outside it, and can survey all of it in the eternal "now." There is no "future" with God, in a sense, as He knows the entire parade of time, all at the same "time."</div>
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<b><b><b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2326647847990482641&postID=7527297206080644009" name="Q4"></a><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow;"> Where did Cain's wife come from (who did Adam and Eve's children marry)? </span></b></b></b></div>
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Those who engage in apologetics (the study of defending the Christian faith) say that this is the number one question that people ask when given the opportunity to have long-standing problems discussed. Imagine that. Not about the Trinity, or some miracle, or hard to understand doctrine, they want to know: Where did Cain get his wife?</div>
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Let's give some background on this one. The Bible reveals that God created the original pair of humans, Adam and Eve. They initially had two sons, Cain and Abel. Cain was jealous of his brother, and eventually murdered him. The Bible then says that Cain fled the area, and eventually took a wife and settled down. The question is: where did Cain's wife come from? The answer is so simple, we read right passed it, and due to cultural issues, we will miss it nearly every time.</div>
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In Genesis 5:4 it plainly declares that Adam and Eve had many "other sons and daughters." Cain's wife would either be (a) one of his sisters, or (b) a niece (daughter of one of his brothers). Now stop--before you are in any way repulsed or perplexed about this, it's time to bring in science, particularly DNA.<br />
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Let me ask you a question: Why don't we allow marriage of brothers and sisters, or other close relatives? Now, before you give the emotional answer of "Because that's disgusting! That's incest, and it is just plain wrong." you need to realize <i>WHY </i>it is not allowed, and separate that from the personal, emotional, and cultural stigmas. Close intermarriage (up to about 2nd cousin) is NOT allowed because of <i>GENETICS</i>, not because of <i>MORALITY</i>. It has nothing to do with good or evil, moral or immoral--it has to do with SAFE or DANGEROUS.</div>
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Here's why: Humans, and all living things, are constructed using a biological blueprint known as DNA. It is about 3.1 billion pieces of information long. Over time, there have been a lot of mutations and imperfections that have crept in and changed the DNA, creating bad or dysfunctional areas in our genes. When a male and a female reproduce, they each contribute about 50% of the DNA to the new organism (person). The closer together the mother and father are in terms of relationship (like brother and sister, or first cousins) then the chances are greater that they will have "bad" DNA in the same spot in the genetic code (because they share so much similar DNA).</div>
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Here is a simple example: let's pretend these are two short segments of DNA, one from the father, one from the mother: To way oversimplify it, the genes compare the two sections, and look for "good" DNA.</div>
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<b><b><b>GENE #</b> 1 2 3 4 5 6 7</b></b><br />
<b><b><b>FATHER </b>------Good Good Good <span style="color: red;">Bad </span>Good <span style="color: red;">Bad </span>Good</b></b></div>
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<b><b><b>MOTHER</b>-----Good <span style="color: red;">Bad </span>Good Good <span style="color: red;">Bad </span>Good Good</b></b><br />
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<b><b><b>NEW DNA</b>---<span style="color: lime;"> <b>Good Good Good Good Good Good Good</b></span></b></b></div>
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<b><b>So the new DNA is pretty much all "good" because at least one of the two parents had "good" DNA in each of the genetic spots. But what happens when both have "bad" in the same spot? Let's see:</b></b></div>
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<b><b><b>GENE # </b> 1 2 3 4 5 6 7</b></b><br />
<b><b><b>FATHER </b>------Good Good Good <span style="color: red;"><b>Bad</b> </span>Good <span style="color: red;">Bad </span>Good</b></b></div>
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<b><b><b>MOTHER</b>-----Good <span style="color: red;">Bad </span>Good <span style="color: red;"><b>Bad </b>Bad </span>Good Good</b></b><br />
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<b><b><b>NEW DNA</b>---<b> <span style="color: lime;">Good Good Good</span></b> <b><span style="color: red;">Bad </span></b><span style="color: lime;"><b>Good Good Good</b></span></b></b></div>
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Uh-oh...Houston, we have a problem. Both parents had "bad" DNA in genetic position #4. When you have enough "bad" DNA it results in serious problems, including birth defects, other diseases or deformities, all the way up to death. That is why we do not allow marriage of close relatives---the DNA is so similar between mother and father that the probability of having "bad" DNA in the same place is far too high. It's dangerous.</div>
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Think about it. There is no difference between your husband/wife and your brother/sister. Both are either a male human, or a female human. All of us are Homo Sapiens, and we are about 99.8% genetically similar, it's just that .2% of differences and "bad" DNA that can cause absolutely horrible problems if two close relatives have children. That is why we don't allow marriage of close relatives, even though it is not "bad" or "wrong" in a moral sense. </div>
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Now, getting back to the original question---Where did Cain get his wife? Since his wife was either (a) his sister, or (b) a niece, many of you are now asking, "Then why didn't all the close intermarriages early on in human history cause problems and birth defects like now?" </div>
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The answer: <i><b>DNA, mutations, and time</b></i>. To put it simply, in the beginning, the human DNA was basically "pure". It did not have all of the many thousands of years of genetic mutations and corruption, as it is now. The accumulated mass of genetic defects in human DNA is known as our "Genetic Burden". When God first created mankind, there was no "genetic burden." In fact, it wasn't until roughly the time of Moses ( a few thousand years after the first human parents were created) that God finally banned marriages between close relatives. There were hefty penalties for breaking this law, once God enacted it...and for good reason, to allow the practice to continue could completely corrupt the human DNA.</div>
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It wasn't because it was "evil" or "dirty" or "wrong" (because prior to that time God allowed it)---it was because of the accumulated genetic burden had by then made it <i>DANGEROUS</i>. This is one of those amazing and wonderful cases where our modern understanding of science has helped us to appreciate even more WHY God does certain things or prohibits certain things. True science and true scripture are not at odds, they will always perfectly complement one another.<br />
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<b><b><b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2326647847990482641&postID=7527297206080644009" name="Q5"></a><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow;"> Since man makes mistakes, and people wrote the Bible, doesn't the Bible then have mistakes? </span></b></b></b><br />
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<b><b><a href="http://god-and-logic.blogspot.com/2011/11/does-bible-have-man-made-errors.html" target="_blank">Click this LINK to a full blog post that answers this common question.</a></b></b><br />
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<b><b><b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2326647847990482641&postID=7527297206080644009" name="Q6"></a><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow;"> Why are there four Gospels and not just one? </span></b></b></b><br />
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The story is often told of four blind men who meet an elephant. One grabs the trunk and says: "Elephants are a lot like snakes!" The second one grabs an ear and says: "No, elephants are like flat flabby sheets!" The third blind man feels around one of the huge legs and says: "You're both wrong--elephants are like tree trunks!" Finally, the last man grabbed the tail and exclaimed: "Elephants are like ropes!"<br />
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Obviously they were all RIGHT. Each one of the four experienced a different aspect of the elephant, and together we see a more complete picture of the large land mammal.</div>
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As we look at the arrangement of the books of the New Testament, we see that it begins with the familiar Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These are books (letters, or accounts) concerning the life and Earthly ministry of Jesus Christ, and the books (also known as "gospels") are named after their authors. Two of these men were apostles (Matthew and John), and the other two were personal friends and assistants to the apostles (Mark and Luke). Mark (aka John Mark) was a close associate of the apostle Peter, and recorded much of Peter's eye witness accounts, and Luke (a physician) was a close assistant to the apostle Paul.<br />
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All four of these cover, at least, the approximate three years of ministry of Jesus, including His betrayal, arrest, crucifixion, and resurrection.Some of them give accounts of events leading up to His birth, and even some accounts of His early life, as well, but the bulk of all four gospels concern themselves with His public ministry and crucifixion.<br />
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So the question is, "Why FOUR accounts of Jesus...and not just ONE?" There are several reasons that been observed down through the centuries, and I will not be able to give an exhaustive list in this short blog. Here are the primary reasons most often given:<br />
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1. Multiple witnesses give more credibility to the life/death of Jesus.<br />
2. Differing perspectives allow for greater appreciation/understanding.<br />
3. Different accounts are tailored to reach different audiences.<br />
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Let's look at these briefly...<br />
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<b><b><b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2326647847990482641&postID=7527297206080644009" name="Q6"></a><span style="background-color: blue; color: yellow;"> 1. Multiple witnesses give more credibility to the life/death of Jesus. </span></b></b></b><br />
One of the ways historians verify and validate historical information/data, is to seek out multiple witnesses or accounts of similar events. If only one author speaks of some important event, but it is not mentioned elsewhere, it can lead to suspicion or doubt concerning the information. Now, that does not mean that only one source of information is WRONG, it just means that we place less credibility to single sources.<br />
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When it comes to the historical accounts of the life of Jesus, we have many, many sources. Not only the four gospels, but also the physician Luke records more detail in the Book of Acts, and the apostle Paul shares much further information (especially in the Book of I Corinthians). Also, non-Christian sources, such as the Jewish historian Josephus, shares much about the life of Jesus, and Roman sources such as Pliny the Younger, and the historian Tacitus provides clues as well.<br />
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Also, since there are four gospels, and they all cover the same life and person, even though they overlap in terms of what they reveal, they are each unique and provide differing (yet not contradictory) information. Think about how amazing that really is. If you and three friends were walking uptown, and all of you witnessed the same car accident, imagine being interviewed by the authorities about the event. Even if you gave testimony immediately after the event, there would be differences, discrepancies, and even some contradictions.<br />
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If there were only one primary source of information about the life of Jesus, imagine what the skeptics and critics would say. But, with several different primary sources, the information can be confirmed, validated, and trusted.<br />
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<b><b><b><span style="background-color: blue; color: yellow;"> 2. Differing perspectives allow for greater appreciation/understanding. </span></b></b></b><br />
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Thinking about the four blind men and the elephant story, the issue of different perspectives cannot be stressed enough. If you setup four video cameras at the the same concert, let's say, you could get four completely different views of the same event. They would give complimentary, yet not contradictory, information.<br />
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As we read Matthew's account, we see a very Jewish approach concerning Jesus, and how His life and ministry was prophesied in the Old Testament writings. Matthew presents Him as the Christ, the Messiah, the King. Luke, who was trained as a doctor, a physician, presents Jesus as the true man (the "son of man"), and gives many detailed accounts of the humanity and suffering of Christ. The apostle John, however, focused on Jesus as the Son of God, as being truly man, and yet truly God manifested in the flesh (John 1:1-14). Finally Mark portrays Jesus as the humble, suffering servant. Each looks at the same life, yet each from a differing (yet not contradictory) perspective.<br />
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<b><b><b><span style="background-color: blue; color: yellow;"> 3. Different accounts are tailored to reach different audiences. </span></b></b></b><br />
The ancient world, and even our world today, is a conglomerate, a mosaic of different types of people groups. With different languages, cultures, and customs, navigating and communicating properly can be a challenging task. When God wanted to reveal the truth of the message and life/death of His Son, He gave us four different accounts to reach these different people groups.<br />
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Just to give two obvious examples, in the Roman world of ancient Israel, every person was either a Jew, or a Gentile (non-Jew). These two basic distinctions necessitated at least two different approaches in sharing the message of Christ. To reach these disparate groups, Matthew's gospel is written primarily with a Jewish audience in mind, filled with references to the Old Testament, to the fulfillment of long ago prophecies, and presents Jesus as the Messiah.<br />
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But to reach the Gentile, Roman world, a largely Hellenistic (Greek) environment which valued philosophy and law, the Gospel of John and the Gospel of Luke reach those audiences. You will search the world in vain to find a volume such as the Gospel of John in terms of it's elegant simplicity in dealing with deep philosophical issues. Likewise, Luke's style, his detailed descriptions of laws and customs, and his painstaking revelation of the crucifixion, found a home within the <b style="font-weight: bold;">reasoning mind of the Roman temperament.</b><br />
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</b></b></b><b><b><b><b><a href="http://god-and-logic.blogspot.com/2011/12/common-questions-about-god-bible-etc.html#Q99"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVGvr9pVIZc4IVEkz0iJAsxu1I7UDOvLHXHo4aqm34iWPKbsU3yRNXw6NzJ-u2ds_drrIa3tNRHZxgzT-m0bwiaU1OD3WP1OVr9mqDB3GhqsWVgCqi4ude11OdPuRlnp0CA3k_gaYehls/s1600/RETURN+BUTTON.jpg" /></a></b><br />
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2326647847990482641&postID=7527297206080644009" name="Q7"></a><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow;"> If God is perfect and almighty, then why is there evil and suffering in the world He made? </span></b></b></b><br />
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/.http://god-and-logic.blogspot.com/p/how-can-god-allow-sufferingevil.html" target="_blank">Click this LINK to a full blog post that answers this common question</a></b></b><br />
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<b><b><b><a href="http://god-and-logic.blogspot.com/2011/12/common-questions-about-god-bible-etc.html#Q99"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVGvr9pVIZc4IVEkz0iJAsxu1I7UDOvLHXHo4aqm34iWPKbsU3yRNXw6NzJ-u2ds_drrIa3tNRHZxgzT-m0bwiaU1OD3WP1OVr9mqDB3GhqsWVgCqi4ude11OdPuRlnp0CA3k_gaYehls/s1600/RETURN+BUTTON.jpg" /></a></b><br />
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<b><b><b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2326647847990482641&postID=7527297206080644009" name="Q8"></a><br />
<span style="color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: #660000;"> </span></span></b><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow;"> <b>Why does it seem that the God of the Old Testament is harsh and judgmental, and the God of the New Testament is loving and compassionate?</b> <b> </b></span></b></b><br />
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This is perhaps the single most common objection that is challenged by skeptics, I call it the supposed "good cop bad cop" routine of Old Testament God vs New Testament God (in terms of God's nature). People will accuse the God of the Old Testament as being harsh, and full of judgment, and will also comment that the God revealed in the New Testament appears to be loving and compassionate, forgiving.<br />
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A simple analogy will do more than a hundred blog posts. Imagine that you are driving down the road at an excessive rate, and Officer Williams pulls you over and reads you the riot act and gives you a fat ticket for $500. (What a mean guy!?) Now, a week later you are driving and lose control and flip your car over, and it is on fire! The same officer Williams pulls up, and at great personal risk and harm, saves you from the burning vehicle.<br />
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<b><b><b><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">Question: Can both those actions logically come from the same person?</span></b> </b></b><br />
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Can one officer Williams be both a dispenser of <i>Law </i>as well as a dispenser of <i>Compassion</i>? <br />
Obviously Yes. Law and Grace can equally coexist, without contradiction. Two aspects of the same person.<br />
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The Bible reveals that God is JUST (He will and does judge sin, He is holy---that is the great object lesson of the entire Old Testament Law) but He is also (simultaneously) LOVE (that is the great object lesson of the New Testament). <br />
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Now, and this may surprise many readers, some of the most harsh statements about God's hatred of sin are found (of all places) in the New Testament, and some of the greatest examples of the tenderness and compassion of God are found (of all places) in the Old Testament. God is both just and compassionate. One God, two different facets of His character.<br />
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I consider Romans 6:23 to be the key summary verse of the entire Bible. It says:<br />
<b><b><b><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">"The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." </span></b></b></b><br />
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There is the summary of the Old Testament ("the wages of sin is death") and the entire New Testament ("the free gift of God is eternal life").<br />
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Just as we have to train up and teach our children, beginning with simpler lessons, progressing on to more advanced, God, in the progressive revelation feature of the scripture, used a similar method.<br />
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First, mankind needed proof and examples of our sinfulness, and that God is holy, and that He will and must judge sin. But, once we understand that, then we are ready to receive His pardon and grace, and His love and compassion is magnified against the backdrop of our own realized wickedness.<br />
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If you went to the doctor and after running a few tests he/she walked back into the room and asked you what day you wanted to schedule your brain surgery, you would probably have the natural response: <i>"What???!!?!?! What brain surgery? What're you talking about, Doc?"</i><br />
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"Oh, you didn't see your scans? Here, let me show you." He/she then proceeds to place a frightening CT scan on the lightboard. It clearly reveals a tumor. "If I don't take that out soon, you're a dead person," the doc says. Then, and ONLY then, would you be willing to subject yourself to the remedy. <br />
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Likewise, God had to prove to us that we are sinners, sinful, and sick morally. He had to prove to us that sin leads to death. Once proven, He then points us to the cross, whereby He has provided the perfect remedy, the solution to our sin problem.<br />
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It is the same God (both holy and just) in the Old Testament, and the same God (loving and compassionate) in the New Testament. But, like any good diagnosis and remedy, you need the proof before the solution. There are not two "gods", rather two important and eternal aspects of our Creator revealed in His dealings with mankind.</div>
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<b><b><b><a href="http://god-and-logic.blogspot.com/2011/12/common-questions-about-god-bible-etc.html#Q99"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVGvr9pVIZc4IVEkz0iJAsxu1I7UDOvLHXHo4aqm34iWPKbsU3yRNXw6NzJ-u2ds_drrIa3tNRHZxgzT-m0bwiaU1OD3WP1OVr9mqDB3GhqsWVgCqi4ude11OdPuRlnp0CA3k_gaYehls/s1600/RETURN+BUTTON.jpg" /></a></b><br />
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<b><b><b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2326647847990482641&postID=7527297206080644009" name="Q9"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow;"> Does the Bible say that the Earth is flat? </span></a></b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2326647847990482641&postID=7527297206080644009" name="Q9"><br />
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<span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow;"><br />
</span></b>For a quick response, the answer is emphatically <b><i>NO</i></b>. In fact, the prophet Isaiah, who wrote around 700 BC, gave one of the first known accounts of a <b><i>SPHERICAL </i></b>Earth. Isaiah said of the Lord: "<span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><b><i>It is He who sits above the SPHERE of the Earth.</i></b></span>" (Isaiah 40:22--the Hebrew word there means Circle or Sphere). It wasn't until the 6th century BC that the Greek mathematician Pythagoras suggested a spherical Earth.</b></b><br />
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<b><b>Why do people say that the Bible teaches that the Earth is flat? The misunderstanding comes from an unfortunate translation of one Hebrew and one Greek word by the translators who worked on the famous King James English Translation about 500 years ago.</b></b><br />
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<b><b>The two words in question are KANAPH (Hebrew) and GONIA (Greek). Here are two verses to show how the King James translators used them:</b></b><br />
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<b><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><b><i style="background-color: black;">"And (God) will assemble the outcasts of Israel,<br />
And gather together the dispersed of Judah<br />
From the four CORNERS (Kanaph) of the Earth."<br />
(Old Testament--Isaiah 11:10-12)</i></b></span></b></b><br />
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<b><b><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms',arial,helvetica; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><i><b style="background-color: black;">"And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four CORNERS (Gonia) of the earth..."<br />
(New Testament--Revelation 7:1)</b></i></span></span></b></b><br />
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<b><b>These two words, though translated into English as the same word, suggest similar but not identical meanings. The Hebrew word Kanaph means "to the extremity" or "the furthermost". It always has the idea of direction and distance. The Greek word means literally "angle" or direction as well.</b></b><br />
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<b><b><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uAVaKJHcpAc/Tv9nslgIW_I/AAAAAAAABMI/oMqM9ecca8E/s1600/compass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uAVaKJHcpAc/Tv9nslgIW_I/AAAAAAAABMI/oMqM9ecca8E/s200/compass.jpg" width="200" /></a></b></b></div>
<b><b>Now, think about it, when you look at a map, what symbol do you usually find to help with directions and orientation? A compass. And what FOUR THINGS does the compass have? FOUR angles, directions (North, South, East, West--NSEW). Both the Hebrew phrase "four extremities" and the Greek phrase "four angles" both refer to the compass points, North, South, East, West.</b></b><br />
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<b><b>Logically, you need exactly FOUR angles to encompass "everything" and "everywhere". So, when the Lord wants to covey the concept of everywhere, or worldwide, it is not uncommon to read of the "four corners (angles, directions) of the Earth."</b></b><br />
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<b><b>Now, not only does the Bible teach that the Earth is a SPHERE (Isaiah 40:22, Proverbs 8:27, Job 26:10) but it also reveals that the Earth floats in space, supported, as it were, by NOTHING. In Job 26 verse 7, it says of God: </b></b><br />
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<b><b><b><i><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> "He stretcheth out the north over empty space, and hangs the Earth upon nothing."</span></i></b></b></b><br />
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<b><b>Amazing. The authors of the Bible wrote about a spherical Earth (before the Greeks figured it out) and they also taught that the Earth is hanging in space upon nothing. Not bad for a bunch of "ignorant, barely literate, nomadic goat herders" (A common ridicule used by skeptics when speaking about the authors of the Bible---completely unaware that among the list of Bible writers were Kings, Doctors, Philosophers, Royal Advisors, and Government Officials)</b></b><br />
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<b><a href="http://god-and-logic.blogspot.com/2011/12/common-questions-about-god-bible-etc.html#Q99"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVGvr9pVIZc4IVEkz0iJAsxu1I7UDOvLHXHo4aqm34iWPKbsU3yRNXw6NzJ-u2ds_drrIa3tNRHZxgzT-m0bwiaU1OD3WP1OVr9mqDB3GhqsWVgCqi4ude11OdPuRlnp0CA3k_gaYehls/s1600/RETURN+BUTTON.jpg" /></a></b><br />
<b><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2326647847990482641&postID=7527297206080644009" name="Q10"></a><br />
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<b><b><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow;"><b> Is Jesus God? </b></span></b></b><br />
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<b><b>Jesus. Certainly no other name inspires more joy in the utterance of the faithful, or creates more fear and disgust in the contemplation of the skeptic. </b></b><br />
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<b><b>To think that a simple Jewish preacher, who never traveled more than 200 miles from home, who was born into a poor family in the backwoods of a remote corner of the Roman Empire, who died penniless and nearly friendless, and who never attained Earthly power or fame, would occupy our minds and discussions here in the 21st century is -- remarkable, nearly beyond explanation. </b></b><br />
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<b><b>Yet, here we are discussing Jesus. One writer observed: </b></b><br />
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<b><b><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">“Nineteen centuries have come and gone<br />
And today Jesus is the central figure of the human race<br />
And the leader of mankind's progress<br />
All the armies that have ever marched<br />
All the navies that have ever sailed<br />
All the parliaments that have ever sat<br />
All the kings that ever reigned put together<br />
Have not affected the life of mankind on earth<br />
As powerfully as that one solitary life.”</span></b></b></b><br />
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<b><b>Perhaps in answering the WHY of His influence upon mankind, we need to consider a different issue—</b></b><br />
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<b><b><b> WHO is He? </b></b></b><br />
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<b><b>Much could be theorized and many contemporary authors could be cited at length in this investigation, but all modern observations must take a distant second place to the actual testimony of the Bible itself. We will look primarily at three convergent areas of testimony: </b></b><br />
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<b><b><b><span style="color: yellow;"><i> - What Jesus said about Himself<br />
- What others said about Him<br />
- What the Old Testament says about Him</i></span></b></b></b><br />
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<b><b><b><span style="color: yellow;">What Jesus said about Himself:</span></b></b></b><br />
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<b><b>Many of those who deny that Jesus is truly God (also known as the “Deity of Christ” or the “Divinity of Jesus Christ”) will say that Jesus, Himself, never claimed to be God. As you read the New Testament, one wonders if these detractors have read the same Bible. Not only does Jesus assert that He is God repeatedly, those around Him (on more than one occasion) took steps towards killing Him. When asked why, they quickly declared: </b></b><br />
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<b><b><b><i><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">“Because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.” (John 10:33)</span></i></b></b></b><br />
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<b><b>I would offer that those who walked with, listened to, and questioned Jesus (such as those who wanted to stone Him) surely know more about who Jesus claimed to be, rather than a group of 21st century skeptics with their own theological agenda. But what prompted such indignation in these 1st century Jews? Many of His statements, including what Jesus had just said to them: </b></b><br />
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<b><b><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">“I and My Father are One.” (John 10:30) </span></b></b></b><br />
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<b><b>This was inconceivable to these strictly monotheistic Jews. Notice Jesus was claiming that the LORD God was HIS Father (“My Father”). Now, the Jews considered God to be “our Father” as a nation (generally) but Jesus asserted something very different. He was claiming to be of the same substance as God, “One” with the Father. </b></b><br />
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<b><b>With that in mind, it is easy to see why they were ready to execute Him on the spot. Some people today may deny who Jesus was claiming to be, but those who heard Him had no doubts about His assertions. In John 5, Jesus again made it unmistakably clear about His identity: </b></b><br />
<b><b><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><br />
“...that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father...” (John 5:24) </span></b></b></b><br />
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<b><b>Surely this verse alone should be sufficient to get the complete picture of who Jesus was claiming to be. He declared that people should render the same reverence towards Him as they do God, the Father. If Jesus was anything less than truly God, the Jews would have been justified in their anger against Him. </b></b><br />
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<b><b>Shortly before His crucifixion, the High Priest of the Jewish nation confronted Jesus. His question was simple, in effect, he asked Jesus if He was God. Jesus said: </b></b><br />
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<b><b><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">"I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven...Then the high priest tore his clothes and said... “You have heard the blasphemy! What do you think?”And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death." (Mark 14:62-64) </span></b></b></b><br />
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<b><b>If Jesus was just claiming to be a prophet, or even an angel, then He would not have been condemned to death. But it was His claim to be <b><i>Divine </i></b>that led to the charge of blasphemy, and eventually His execution. His crime could be summed up once again: </b></b><br />
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<b><b><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"> “Because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.” (John 10:33) </span></b></b></b><br />
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<b><b><b><span style="color: yellow;"> What others said about Jesus: </span></b></b></b><br />
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<b><b>We will now turn our attention from what Jesus said about Himself (and the reaction of His enemies) to the testimony of the Apostles and other New Testament writers. What did they think of Jesus? This is especially important when we consider that the authors wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, infallible, and true. </b></b><br />
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<b><b>Some of the most profound passages in all of the Bible concerning Jesus were penned by the Apostle John. Of the many titles used of Jesus in the scriptures, such as Messiah, Prince of Peace, and Savior, John identifies Him as “The Word.” The opening chapter of his gospel couldn't be more clear: </b></b><br />
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<b><b><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him...and the Word became flesh...” (John 1:1-2,14)</span></b> </b></b><br />
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<b><b>These verses reveal deep and important theological truths about the nature of God. We see that, even though God is one being, He also is somehow more than one “person”. In this chapter, the “Word”(Jesus) is both “<b>with</b>” God, and yet also “<b>IS</b>” God. We also see that Jesus is the Creator. It reads:<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"> “All things were made through Him.” </span></b>The very first verse of the Bible states: </b></b><br />
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<b><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><b>“In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth.” (Genesis 1:1) </b></span></b></b><br />
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<b><b>Yet here in John 1:2, Jesus is the Creator. The writer of Hebrews takes up this same thought about Jesus: </b></b><br />
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<b><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><b>"In the beginning, You, Lord (Jesus), laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands.” (Hebrews 1:10) </b></span></b></b><br />
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<b><b>The Apostle Paul, in writing to the Colossians, gives one of the clearest testimonies to the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, when he declares Him to be the Creator: </b></b><br />
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<b><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><b> “For by Him (Jesus) were all things created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.” (Colossians 1:16,17) </b></span></b></b><br />
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<b><b>In writing to the church at Philippi, Paul made this incredible declaration of the Deity of Jesus: </b></b><br />
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<b><b><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">“Let this mind be in you which was also in Jesus Christ, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it something to be held onto to be equal with God...” (Philippians 2:5-10) </span></b></b></b><br />
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<b><b>Just in case there were any lingering uncertainties about the identity of Jesus, Paul clears up those doubts: </b></b><br />
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<b><b><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">“For in Him (Jesus) all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form...” (Colossians 2:9) </span></b></b></b><br />
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<b><b>Paul asserts the great mystery of the Incarnation: Jesus is both truly God, and truly man. The famous “doubting Thomas” has given us perhaps the single greatest affirmations of who Jesus truly is, when he declared this statement to Jesus after the resurrection:</b></b><br />
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<b><b><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">“The Lord of me, and the God of me.” (John 20:28) </span></b></b></b><br />
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<b><b><b><span style="color: yellow;">Worshiping Jesus: </span></b></b></b><br />
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<b><b>The scriptures also contain other incidents regarding Jesus that reveal that He is God. For example, several times in the gospels we read that people <span style="color: #9fc5e8;">“<b>worshiped Jesus</b>.” (Matthew 2:2,11; 14:23; John 9:35-38)</span>. We also read that He is <b>worshiped by angels</b> in Hebrews 1:6. </b></b><br />
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<b><b><b><span style="color: yellow;">Praying TO the Lord Jesus: </span></b></b></b><br />
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<b><b>In the book of Acts, as Stephen was being martyred for his faith in Christ, the scriptures record that he prayed to the Lord Jesus as he was dying: </b></b><br />
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<b><b><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">“...he called on the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” (Acts 7:59) </span></b></b></b><br />
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<b><b>Paul also speaks of praying TO the Lord Jesus: </b></b><br />
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<b><b><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"> ”...all who, in every place, call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours” (I Cor. 1:2) </span></b></b></b><br />
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<b><b>The Lord gives us other evidences of the nature of the Lord Jesus, such as one of the names given to Him:</b></b><br />
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<b><b><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">“'Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel’ which means: The God with us.” (Matthew 1:23) </span></b></b></b><br />
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<b><b><b><span style="color: yellow;"> What the Old Testament says about Jesus: </span></b></b></b><br />
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<b><b>The Old Testament Prophet Isaiah wrote entire chapters about the coming Messiah. In one of the most well-known passages of the Bible he says of Jesus: </b></b><br />
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<b><b><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">“For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given...And His name will be called...Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6) </span></b></b></b><br />
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<b><b>Notice that Isaiah says that a human “<b>Child</b>”, a “<b>Son</b>” is also the “<b>Mighty God</b>.” Isaiah also prophesied about the coming of John the Baptist, the messenger who would herald the Messiah's arrival. Isaiah gives us the messenger's mission and proclamation: </b></b><br />
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<b><b><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">“Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” (Isaiah 40:3) </span></b></b></b><br />
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<b><b>In the New Testament this is repeated concerning John the Baptist, who pointed Israel to Jesus. Isaiah says that Jesus is both “the <b>LORD</b>” (Jehovah) and “our <b>God</b>.” In Psalm 102, the LORD is worshiped for His great works, especially the work of creation. It says of Him: </b></b><br />
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<b><b><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">“LORD...of old You laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You will endure...You are the same, and Your years will have no end.” (Psalm 102) </span></b></b></b><br />
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<b><b>In the New Testament book of the Hebrews, it says that this passage about the LORD creating all things (Psalm 102)<b> is about Jesus the creator.</b> Therefore, the Jesus of the New Testament is the Jehovah of the Old Testament. This is why the most common title of Jesus is “<b>The LORD Jesus Christ</b>.” He is the LORD. As an important final Old Testament passage, the Prophet Zechariah says: </b></b><br />
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<b><b><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">“(The LORD says) They will look on Me, the One they have pierced” (Zechariah 12:10) </span></b></b></b><br />
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<b><b>In the New Testament book of John, this passage is quoted as referring to the crucifixion of Jesus. John says that the LORD (Jehovah) was pierced on the cross. Whether in His own words, the declarations of the first century church fathers, or the prophesies of the Old Testament, the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ is clearly revealed. May He bless our study as we are: </b></b><br />
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<b><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><b>“...looking for the...glorious appearing of our great God and Savior: Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13) </b></span></b></b></div>
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<b><a href="http://god-and-logic.blogspot.com/2011/12/common-questions-about-god-bible-etc.html#Q99"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVGvr9pVIZc4IVEkz0iJAsxu1I7UDOvLHXHo4aqm34iWPKbsU3yRNXw6NzJ-u2ds_drrIa3tNRHZxgzT-m0bwiaU1OD3WP1OVr9mqDB3GhqsWVgCqi4ude11OdPuRlnp0CA3k_gaYehls/s1600/RETURN+BUTTON.jpg" /></a></b><br />
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<span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2326647847990482641&postID=7527297206080644009" name="Q11"></a> <i><br />
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<span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow;"><b> If Jesus is God, then why did He pray, and why did He say that He didn't know some things? </b></span><br />
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Those who challenge or seek to deny the true deity and Lordship of Jesus Christ, will often point out two specific questions in an attempt to cast doubt on His divine identity. They will share that several times in the gospel accounts we read of Jesus praying, oftentimes for many hours at a time. Then they will point out one verse (about His second coming at the end of the age) when Jesus told His disciples "But, of that time, no one knows, neither the angels in Heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only." (Matthew 24:36)<br />
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So, the two issues are<b> (1) Prayer, and (2) Limited Knowledge</b>. Do these have anything to do with denying the essential identity of the Lord Jesus Christ as God? Not at all, in fact, not even close--here's what the Bible itself says about this.<br />
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<b><span style="color: yellow;">What is Prayer?</span></b><br />
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<b>Prayer is, in fact, a simple conversation directed to God</b>. It is talking to God. Have you ever talked with/to yourself? When you have an important decision, have you caught yourself "thinking?" You are talking internally, a self-directed conversation, so to speak.<br />
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Did you know that the Bible records many instances of God (The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) speaking to Himself, in a holy conversation, so to speak? Here we go:<br />
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(In the creation of mankind)<br />
<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion..." (Genesis 1:26)</span></b><br />
Hmmm...exactly who was God speaking with? Not the angels, and we weren't created yet. We are given a glimpse into the internal conversation within the Trinity. We are allowed to eavesdrop, if you will, on the very "counsels of God."<br />
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In Genesis 11, we read about the famous attempt of man to build the Tower of Babel. God has another holy internal conversation and it says:<br />
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<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">"And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Let us go down and confound their language..."</span></b><br />
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Notice in both passages, God refers to Himself as "<b>US</b>". In some incredible, and yet unfathomable way, God is one being, yet He is more than one at the same time. These are not my words, this is the testimony of God Himself about His own nature. We often use the word Trinity (not found in the Bible) meaning One God in Three Persons. God created us, and so we will never be able to completely understand our own creator in terms of His essential nature. Since God uses the plural word "<b>US</b>" (in Hebrew, the plural here means THREE or more), and Jesus speaks of God's name as being "The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit", and the fact that almost every one of Paul's epistles in the New Testament opens with a declaration of the Trinity (God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit) we can let God speak for Himself and He reveals that He truly is ONE GOD in THREE PERSONS.<br />
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(By the way, you are a Trinity so to speak--the Bible says that we are made of "Body, Soul, and Spirit". So, in a very real sense, we are a threefold person in one being. Time is a Trinity--Past, Present, Future--three tenses but all one time. All matter exists in a Trinity---matter is solid, liquid, gas--three states but yet one substance. I believe that God, as creator, has placed clues about His own essential nature in many of things He created. Since He is one being in three persons, He has placed that "stamp" of His own nature on many of His created things.)<br />
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Now, is it so difficult to imagine that when Jesus (God the Son) came to this Earth, that internal communication between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit continued as we read about it in the past? In the Old Testament we just read two passages that reveal the Trinity in conversation, and in the New Testament, is it so amazing that God would continue to reveal that same internal discussion?<br />
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<b><b><b><span style="color: yellow;">Jesus is Our Perfect Example of a Man of Prayer</span></b></b></b></div>
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<b><b>Secondly, concerning the issue of prayer, most Jesus-God-deniers overlook one vital and incredibly important fact: The Bible teaches that Jesus (as both God and man) was our Perfect Example as a MAN. If there is one thing the Bible continually encourages us to do, it is to continually carry on a conversation with God--PRAYER. Therefore, Jesus (as our perfect example) engaged continually in PRAYER. We are told to follow His example.</b></b></div>
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<b><b>Look at this list:</b></b></div>
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<b><b>1. The Bible tells us to give thanks....Jesus gave thanks.</b></b></div>
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<b><b>2. The Bible encourages us to pray...Jesus prayed.</b></b></div>
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<b><b>3. The Bible encourages us to witness...Jesus shared the gospel everywhere He went.</b></b></div>
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<b><b>4. The Bible encourages fasting at certain times...Jesus fasted.</b></b></div>
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<b><b>Jesus, as not only our Savior (His primary mission) was also our great and perfect example as a "man of God." We are told to follow His example. He showed us, by praying, that a man of God should spend time in prayer. In fact, I would be shocked if the New Testament gospel accounts did not show Jesus as a man of prayer.</b></b></div>
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<b><b><b><span style="color: yellow;">Jesus Demonstrated Limited Knowledge</span></b></b></b></div>
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<b><b>In the interest of fairness, there is only ONE VERSE that speaks of this, and it is:</b></b><br />
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"But, of that time, no one knows, neither the angels in Heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only." (Matthew 24:36) </span></b></b></b><br />
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<b><b>Now, just because it is one isolated verse, does not mean that we can simply brush it off. Absolutely not, in fact, this verse reflects a very important truth that the apostle Paul finally revealed several years later in his letter to the Philippian church. Here is what he says of the knowledge of Jesus while on the Earth:</b></b><br />
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<b><b><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not something to be held onto be equal with God: But emptied Himself, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:" (Philippians 2:5-7)</span></b></b></b></div>
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<b><b>Wow. What a privileged glimpse we are given into the very mechanics, if you will, of the incarnation...of the fact that Jesus, as God, stepped out of Heaven, and became truly a man. Notice that Paul is very careful to safeguard and protect the true identity of Jesus---he says that Jesus was God first, then he says that Jesus "emptied Himself" when He became a man.<br />
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<b><b>The Greek words for "emptied Himself" carry the idea of pouring something out, to be empty of what was formerly there. Now, the passage does not specify exactly what transpired in this "emptying" but there are other passages that may give us further clues.</b></b></div>
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<b><b>In John 17:5 we read of Jesus (the Son) praying (talking to) the Father. Jesus says:</b></b><br />
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<b><b><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">"And now, O Father, glorify Me with Your own self with the glory which I had with You before the world was."</span></b></b></b></div>
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<b><b>Notice that Jesus tells us here that He existed WITH the Father even before the world was created. But, even more, we can see one of the things that Jesus "emptied" Himself of--His visible glory of deity. He speaks of getting back the divine glory once His work on Earth is done. If He hadn't emptied Himself of His eternal glory, no one could have stood before Him on this Earth, we would have been consumed, as the glory of God is spoken of as being like a "consuming fire."</b><br />
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<b>Now, Matthew 24:36 may be giving us another glimpse into this "emptying." Jesus says that He does not "know" the exact day and hour of the Second Coming. This could be referring to His emptying and becoming a perfect man, He laid aside (temporarily) that divine prerogative, so to speak. </b></div>
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<b>It is interesting though, that even in the Old Testament, the Lord God asks questions which, at face value, would perhaps lead someone to think that even God does not know everything. For example, when Adam sinned, God came into the Garden of Eden and cried out: "Adam, where are you?"</b></div>
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<b>Now, obviously, God knew precisely where Adam was, but He wanted Adam to think about where He was, now lost, in rebellion, and afraid due to the consequences of sin. It may be, that similarly, in the Earthly life of Jesus, He also was making a point about how secret and unknown the moment of the Second Coming was. </b></div>
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<b>So, letting the Bible speak for itself, and acknowledging that we, as simple created beings, cannot claim to know everything about what it meant for Jesus, God the Son, to "empty Himself". The writer to the Hebrews says that:</b><br />
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<b><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"> "Jesus, was made, for a little while, lower than the angels..." </span></b></b></div>
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<b><b>Is it so difficult to just accept what the Bible says, that Jesus, even though He was God, was made for a little while lower than the angels? It is any wonder that He prayed, that He gave thanks, that He was obedient, that He DIED? As perfect man and perfect God all of these things are true of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Bible clearly reveals it to be so.</b><br />
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<b><a href="http://god-and-logic.blogspot.com/2011/12/common-questions-about-god-bible-etc.html#Q99"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVGvr9pVIZc4IVEkz0iJAsxu1I7UDOvLHXHo4aqm34iWPKbsU3yRNXw6NzJ-u2ds_drrIa3tNRHZxgzT-m0bwiaU1OD3WP1OVr9mqDB3GhqsWVgCqi4ude11OdPuRlnp0CA3k_gaYehls/s1600/RETURN+BUTTON.jpg" /></a></b><br />
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<b style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2326647847990482641&postID=7527297206080644009" name="Q12"></a><br />
<span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow;"> Does the Bible teach that God is a "TRINITY"? </span></b></span></b><br />
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</span></span><b style="font-weight: bold;"> It is important to point out that the word "Trinity</b><b>" NEVER appears in the Bible. But, to be strictly honest, neither does Salvation, Heaven, Hell, God, or Eternal Life. The previous list are English words or phrases that have been used to translate other Hebrew and Greek words in the text of the Bible. Now, the word Trinity (meaning Three in One, or One God in Three Persons) is a concept that is found all over the Bible, even starting in the first book of Genesis, and continues all the way until the final book of Revelation.</b><br />
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<b style="font-weight: bold;"> It is important, before we get too far, to clearly identify what we DO NOT MEAN</b><b>, when we say that God is a Trinity. We do NOT mean that there are THREE GODS. This is a completely false teaching that is found, very clearly, in Mormonism. Mormonism teaches not just three gods, but actually, many millions of gods.</b><br />
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<b> We also do not mean by the word "Trinity" that God merely "appears" to be three persons. This is what is known as the "Three masks" theory of God, and is taught by the United Pentecostal Church. They will say that God takes up different forms at different times, appearing at times as The Father, other times, The Son, and other times, The Holy Spirit.</b><br />
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<b> The Trinity teaches that the Lord, Jehovah, is One God, comprised of three persons within one divine nature.</b><br />
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<b style="font-weight: bold;"> Many people would be shocked to learn that the concept of the trinity is actually taught in the very first verse of the Bible, a verse that most of you can quote from memory:<span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><br />
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<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the Earth." (Genesis 1:1)</span></b></span></b><br />
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</span> </span><b style="font-weight: bold;">Where is the trinity? It is there, in the original Hebrew of this text. The Hebrew word for God is usually "El" or "Eloah" meaning <i>God (singular)</i></b><b style="font-weight: bold;">. But here, the verse uses the distinct PLURAL form of "El" which is "Elohim</b><b>". Hebrew has two different plural states and a singular state (in English we only have singular and plural). Most Semitic languages have suffixes that indicate plurality, but they further distinguish between two, or between three or more.</b><br />
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<b style="font-weight: bold;"> In Genesis 1:1, Elohim is the plural Hebrew word "Gods" (meaning three or more). Now, before you close this page and declare me a heretic, give me a few more minutes to show why this is the perfect word and tense for God's nature. The very next verb "created" in Hebrew is the singular masculine, meaning the exact translation should be "He created." Now, put these together and we get:<span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><br />
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<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">"In the beginning, Gods He created the heavens and the Earth." (Genesis 1:1 literal)</span></b></span></b><br />
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</span> <b style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"> </span></b></span><b>In Genesis 1:1 we see that God is ONE GOD, because of the singular masculine verb "He created" yet God is somehow more than one because of the Hebrew plural noun "Elohim" meaning "three or more gods". I don't care if you are Catholic, Lutheran, Baptist, Jehovah's Witness, Latter Day Saint, or atheist...let the Bible say what it says, and then see if your faith (or non-faith) lines up with the Bible itself says.</b><br />
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<b style="font-weight: bold;"> If you have to ignore certain parts of the Bible, or try to deny what they are saying (as here in Genesis 1:1), and then have to look to other writings or other organizations to tell you something else (very common in false teaching) then beware. I like what the apostle Paul says in Romans: "<span style="color: #9fc5e8;">Let God be true and every man a liar.</span></b><b style="font-weight: bold;">" I don't care if the Pope, Joseph Smith, or any other man teaches something different than what God says in His word, if they contradict the Bible, then "<span style="color: #9fc5e8;">let God be true and every man a liar.</span></b><b>" God put those words in the Bible because of situations just like this.</b><br />
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<b style="font-weight: bold;"> Now, as we move through the Bible, the LORD starts getting more clear about His nature as One God in Three Persons. In the creation of mankind, the Lord Jehovah says:<span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><br />
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<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion..." (Genesis 1:26)</span></b></span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: bold;"> Notice that God says "US</b><b>". Hmmm...exactly who was God speaking with? Not the angels, and we weren't created yet. We are given a glimpse into the internal conversation within the Trinity. We are allowed to eavesdrop, if you will, on the very "counsels of God."</b><br />
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<b style="font-weight: bold;"> In Genesis 11, we read about the famous attempt of man to build the Tower of Babel. God has another holy internal conversation and it says:<span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><br />
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<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">"And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Let us go down and confound their language..."</span></b><br />
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<b style="font-weight: bold;"> Notice in both passages, God refers to Himself as "US</b><b>". In some incredible, and yet unfathomable way, God is one being, yet He is more than one at the same time. These are not my words, this is the testimony of God Himself about His own nature. We often use the word Trinity (not found in the Bible) meaning One God in Three Persons. God created us, and so we will never be able to completely understand our own creator in terms of His essential nature.</b><br />
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<b style="font-weight: bold;"> Since God uses the plural word "US</b><b style="font-weight: bold;">" (in Hebrew, the plural here means THREE or more), and Jesus speaks of God's name as being "<span style="color: #9fc5e8;">The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit</span></b><b>", and the fact that almost every one of Paul's epistles in the New Testament opens with a declaration of the Trinity (God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit) we can let God speak for Himself and He reveals that He truly is ONE GOD in THREE PERSONS.</b><br />
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<b> (By the way, YOU are a Trinity, so to speak--the Bible says that we are made of "Body, Soul, and Spirit". So, in a very real sense, we are a threefold person in one being. Time is a Trinity--Past, Present, Future--three tenses but all one time. All matter exists in a Trinity---matter is solid, liquid, gas--three states but yet one substance. I believe that God, as creator, has placed clues about His own essential nature in many of things He created. Since He is one being in three persons, He has placed that "stamp" of His own nature on many of His created things.)</b><br />
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<b style="font-weight: bold;"> Thanks to the researchers at Carm.org, here is a comparison about how each of the three persons of the Trinity share the same titles throughout the Bible. Now, if you have to go to a man, another book, or some organization to "clarify" this information, in order to deny what the Bible is actually teaching then realize that you are taking MAN'S WORD over God's word. If you have to quote Joseph Smith or some other founder of some other "Christian" movement to "explain away" these verses then you are disobeying God's own word in which He said:<span style="color: #9fc5e8;"> "Let God be true, and every man a liar."<br />
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<b><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk_HB33kCdIkvsuGrimV8jghfKKa4V25ssKnE1n2Y62HN_DtlAezphyIq4lB_76fUql4FClgMYzvszf5XY54Atkjp9p5nEBGcjBmHqgzS8qXVAX9w2plv2jwCNd8x482UTAmnLWEXYjLg/s1600/Trinity+chart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="507" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk_HB33kCdIkvsuGrimV8jghfKKa4V25ssKnE1n2Y62HN_DtlAezphyIq4lB_76fUql4FClgMYzvszf5XY54Atkjp9p5nEBGcjBmHqgzS8qXVAX9w2plv2jwCNd8x482UTAmnLWEXYjLg/s640/Trinity+chart.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></b></b></div>
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<b style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: yellow;">Is the Trinity LOGICAL?</span></b><br />
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<b> To quote Bible scholar Matthew Slick at length:</b><br />
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<b> "One of the questions I ask the anti-Trinitarians is "Can you please show me how the Trinity is illogical?". Usually, they respond with something like, "It just doesn't make sense," or "It simply can't be." But making such statements doesn't prove or disprove anything. The question is, "How is it illogical?" I have yet to hear a logical explanation.</b><br />
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<b> It isn't against logic for God to be three persons. It may be difficult to understand, and some may not like it, but it isn't illogical. For it to be illogical, there must be some rule of logic that is violated that makes it impossible for God to exist as a Trinity. For example, to say that one god is really three gods is illogical because the quantity of one is not the same quantity as three and since they (one and three) are mutually exclusive as to quantity in this situation, to say one god is three gods is illogical. But that isn't what the Trinity is anyway. Remember, it is not that three gods are one god as some critics mistakenly say. The Trinity is three divine persons who comprise the one God. Furthermore, there is no logical reason why God cannot be three persons.</b><br />
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<b> Trinitarianism is monotheistic. That means that it is a doctrine that teaches the existence of a single being who is God and that there is only one God in all existence. This is sometimes ignored or not known when people criticize the Trinity by asserting that the Trinity teaches three gods. But, it does not. As is stated above, the Trinity is a monotheistic theological position."</b><br />
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<b style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: yellow;">I Just Don't Understand the Trinity</span></b><br />
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<b> Often I will talk to people about this topic and they will say: "Well, I just don't understand the trinity!"--as if that somehow makes it untrue. Here is what I then ask them:</b><br />
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<b style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">"Do you understand how God could create the Universe out of nothing?"</span><br />
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<span style="color: #9fc5e8;">(their answer---"No.")</span></b><br />
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<b style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">"Do you understand how God could have always existed, with no beginning, no end?"</span></b><br />
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<b style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">(their answer---"No.")</span></b><br />
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<b style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">"Then, is there any reason that God is NOT a trinity, as the Bible says?"</span></b><br />
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<b style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">(their answer---"No.")</span></b><br />
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Just as we cannot understand how God could create out of nothing, or the fact that we cannot understand how He has no beginning or no ending, similarly we cannot truly understand His nature as a trinity.<span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><br />
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The only logical and Biblical way to deal with this topic to let our Creator, God Himself, reveal Who He is, and what His nature is like. We cannot "figure it out" by thinking about it, or calculate it with some metaphysical mathematics, and we cannot measure it with instruments in a lab. How about we just let God be God, and then trust what He has revealed about Himself?<br />
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<b style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"> For further information, including "Is Jesus God?" and also answering challenges against the deity of Jesus Christ, visit these links: </span></b><br />
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<b><b style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://god-and-logic.blogspot.com/2011/12/common-questions-about-god-bible-etc.html#Q10">10. Is Jesus God?</a></b><br />
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<b style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://god-and-logic.blogspot.com/2011/12/common-questions-about-god-bible-etc.html#Q11">11. If Jesus is God, then why did He pray, and why did He say that He didn't know some things?</a></b><br />
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<b><b><a href="http://god-and-logic.blogspot.com/2011/12/common-questions-about-god-bible-etc.html#Q99"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVGvr9pVIZc4IVEkz0iJAsxu1I7UDOvLHXHo4aqm34iWPKbsU3yRNXw6NzJ-u2ds_drrIa3tNRHZxgzT-m0bwiaU1OD3WP1OVr9mqDB3GhqsWVgCqi4ude11OdPuRlnp0CA3k_gaYehls/s1600/RETURN+BUTTON.jpg" /></a></b><br />
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2326647847990482641&postID=7527297206080644009" name="Q13"></a><br />
<span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><b><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow;"> Why Did God Give the Ten Commandments? </span></b></span></b></b> </b></div>
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This is one of those questions that the Biblical answer may surprise you! <br />
<a href="http://god-and-logic.blogspot.com/p/10-commandments-why.html" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Click on this link to view the answer to this very important question! LINK HERE</a></div>
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<b><a href="http://god-and-logic.blogspot.com/2011/12/common-questions-about-god-bible-etc.html#Q99"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVGvr9pVIZc4IVEkz0iJAsxu1I7UDOvLHXHo4aqm34iWPKbsU3yRNXw6NzJ-u2ds_drrIa3tNRHZxgzT-m0bwiaU1OD3WP1OVr9mqDB3GhqsWVgCqi4ude11OdPuRlnp0CA3k_gaYehls/s1600/RETURN+BUTTON.jpg" /></a></b><br />
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<b><b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2326647847990482641&postID=7527297206080644009" name="Q14"></a><br />
<span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><b><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow;"> Does Science and the Bible (Faith) Conflict? </span></b></span></b></b> </div>
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It is difficult to watch the news on TV or read the latest news blogs online without the supposed "Bible-Science Conflict" story popping up somewhere. Some "new" discovery in space, or some possible biological breakthrough hits the front page, and before you know it, reporters knowing that the quickest route to boost sales is to create conflict and controversy spin it into a "Religion vs. Science" matchup. Sometimes the pageantry and fanfare rivals that of a WWE Special.</div>
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The problems involve the presuppositions and assumptions. It is assumed that science and faith MUST clash, that they MUST be in conflict, that they MUST forever be at odds. This is patently false, and demonstrably so.</div>
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There is no conflict between true science and the Bible (or true faith). Here's why:</div>
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<b>Science </b>is defined as "Knowledge, or the structured pursuit of knowledge regarding the Universe." True science concerns itself with furthering understanding of mechanisms, substances, forces, patterns, and processes in the cosmos. Science is neither inherently anti-faith, nor is it inherently pro-secular. Science just <b>IS</b>. It is <b>knowledge or it's pursuit.</b></div>
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Starting with both a Biblical and logical frame of reference, the Universe was brought into being by God (the Creator). This can be demonstrated, not just by quoting verses, but by invoking varying disciplines in the sciences, such as logic, natural law, the Law of cause and effect, entropy, DNA, specified complexity, the big bang, fine tuning, and so on. </div>
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Since science is just the acquisition of knowledge about the created Universe, then it is impossible for science to be in conflict with God, or faith (trust in God), or the Bible. Science is the study of what God has created, seeking to better understand the processes, mechanisms, patterns, substances, and forces that He has set in motion (read Sir Isaac Newton and Aristotle for further information about God setting things in MOTION)</div>
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The only possible conflict that can come is from two sources: (1) Theories of science, or (2) Theories of theology. Theories can conflict, but true science (true knowledge) and the Bible can never be in conflict. If there is a conflict, then there are two possibilities: (1) Your scientific postulation is incorrect, or (2) Your Biblical understanding is incorrect.</div>
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A quick example from Historical Science. Many historical scientists (history scholars) mocked the Bible and said that it contained imaginary historical information. One famous case concerned the Babylonian King Belshazzar, mentioned several times prominently in the Old Testament book of Daniel. These scholars, up until the late 19th century, pointed out the "fact" that there was no historical evidence that such a king had ever lived, and that no tablets, or inscriptions, or statues, or any other physical identifiers had ever been found corroborating the Bible "story". They said that this proved that the book of Daniel was fiction.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-epKFP-qEYlM/TwETijogCiI/AAAAAAAABPg/6k57_Qp-dso/s1600/Nabonidus_cylinder_sippar_bm1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="202" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-epKFP-qEYlM/TwETijogCiI/AAAAAAAABPg/6k57_Qp-dso/s320/Nabonidus_cylinder_sippar_bm1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And then came along the <b>Nabonidus Cylinder</b>. Discovered around 1881, this cylindrical Babylonian historical account speaks of King Nabonidus, who, before leaving Babylon to engage in war, appointed his son, Belshazzar (Belshezzar) as the new King of Babylon. </div>
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You see, there was no conflict between true science (true history) and the Bible. There was only conflict between historical theories and the Bible.</div>
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There are hundreds of such examples, from biology, to physics, to history...all confirming that when the truth about a scientific endeavor is obtained, it aligns with the Biblical testimony--given by the Creator who made the Universe. The Old Testament reveals (scientifically) that the Earth is a sphere (Isaiah 40:22) and that the Earth hangs in space upon nothing (Job 26:7). It would take many hundreds, if not thousands of years, to confirm all of this Biblical information scientifically.</div>
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So, the next time the sensational headlines make it appear that <b>God </b>and <b>Science </b>are two polar opposites, or that you have to "commit intellectual suicide" to be a Christian, just smile, and think about the old Nabonidus Cylinder, and wait patiently for true science to catch up with what has already been revealed in God's word.</div>
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Science is just the pursuit of knowledge about the Universe God created. Only theories can conflict, true science cannot.</div>
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<b><a href="http://god-and-logic.blogspot.com/2011/12/common-questions-about-god-bible-etc.html#Q99"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVGvr9pVIZc4IVEkz0iJAsxu1I7UDOvLHXHo4aqm34iWPKbsU3yRNXw6NzJ-u2ds_drrIa3tNRHZxgzT-m0bwiaU1OD3WP1OVr9mqDB3GhqsWVgCqi4ude11OdPuRlnp0CA3k_gaYehls/s1600/RETURN+BUTTON.jpg" /></a></b><br />
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<b><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2326647847990482641&postID=7527297206080644009" name="Q15"></a><br />
<span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow;"> Does the Bible say anything about ALIENS? </span></b></span></b></b> </div>
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From "E.T". to "Independence Day", from "Men in Black" to "Contact" Hollywood fills screens and minds with the "certainty" of extra-terrestrial life. But is it true from both a scientific and Biblical viewpoint? <br />
<a href="http://god-and-logic.blogspot.com/p/aliens-science-and-god.html" target="_blank">Click this link for an in-depth look at the issues of Aliens and </a><a href="http://god-and-logic.blogspot.com/p/aliens-science-and-god.html" target="_blank">God. LINK HERE</a></div>
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<b><a href="http://god-and-logic.blogspot.com/2011/12/common-questions-about-god-bible-etc.html#Q99"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVGvr9pVIZc4IVEkz0iJAsxu1I7UDOvLHXHo4aqm34iWPKbsU3yRNXw6NzJ-u2ds_drrIa3tNRHZxgzT-m0bwiaU1OD3WP1OVr9mqDB3GhqsWVgCqi4ude11OdPuRlnp0CA3k_gaYehls/s1600/RETURN+BUTTON.jpg" /></a></b><br />
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<b><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2326647847990482641&postID=7527297206080644009" name="Q16"></a><br />
<span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow;"> Is Believing that Jesus is the Only Way "narrow-minded"? </span></b></span></b></b> </div>
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Jesus said: <b><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">"I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no one comes to the Father, except through Me.</span></b>" Is this exclusive claim inherently narrow-minded? Actually, according to LOGIC, the answer is NO.</div>
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<a href="http://god-and-logic.blogspot.com/2011/04/christianity-most-liberal-faith-on.html" target="_blank">Click here to read an extensive blog article demonstrating why exclusive things are sometimes necessary. LINK HERE.</a></div>
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<b><a href="http://god-and-logic.blogspot.com/2011/12/common-questions-about-god-bible-etc.html#Q99"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVGvr9pVIZc4IVEkz0iJAsxu1I7UDOvLHXHo4aqm34iWPKbsU3yRNXw6NzJ-u2ds_drrIa3tNRHZxgzT-m0bwiaU1OD3WP1OVr9mqDB3GhqsWVgCqi4ude11OdPuRlnp0CA3k_gaYehls/s1600/RETURN+BUTTON.jpg" /></a></b></div>
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<span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><b><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow;"> Hasn't the Bible Been Translated Too Many Times? </span></b></span></b></b> </div>
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Many people think that the Bible that we read today is a translation, of a translation, of a translation, of a translation, and so on. They think that our modern English is so far removed from the original writings that we cannot be sure of what the Bible actually says. This is a common misconception.</div>
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<a href="http://god-and-logic.blogspot.com/2011/11/hasnt-bible-been-translated-too-many.html" target="_blank">Click this link to read the shocking truth. LINK HERE</a></div>
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<b><a href="http://god-and-logic.blogspot.com/2011/12/common-questions-about-god-bible-etc.html#Q99"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVGvr9pVIZc4IVEkz0iJAsxu1I7UDOvLHXHo4aqm34iWPKbsU3yRNXw6NzJ-u2ds_drrIa3tNRHZxgzT-m0bwiaU1OD3WP1OVr9mqDB3GhqsWVgCqi4ude11OdPuRlnp0CA3k_gaYehls/s1600/RETURN+BUTTON.jpg" /></a></b></div>
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<b><b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2326647847990482641&postID=7527297206080644009" name="Q18"></a><br />
<span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><b><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow;"> I've Heard That Jesus is Just a Copycat Religion </span></b></span></b></b> </div>
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Starting in the early 19th century, anti-biblical scholars went on frenzied search for any possible way to attempt to discredit the Bible. One of these challenges was to claim that Jesus was merely an invention of the apostles, and that they based their "Savior" off of earlier Egyptian, Roman, Babylonian, and Greek religious myths and legends. Some even went as far as to try and find similarities with Buddha, Confucius, and other far-Eastern mystics.</div>
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While this was a furious, but short-lived attack, lingering challenges still seem to crop up from time to time by those unaware that serious historians abandoned these superficial and sometimes embarrassing claims many decades ago. Most of these "copy-cat" challenges proved out to be nothing more than extremely-stretched oversimplifications of "similarities", and the rest were often proved to be the other way around (facts about Jesus were actually copied and adopted by LATER pagan belief systems.).</div>
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There are several of these supposed "sources" of the Jesus copy-cat myth, too many to tackle in this short blog, but <a href="http://www.tektonics.org/copycathub.html" target="_blank">CLICK HERE for a link to another page full of articles debunking these one by one.</a></div>
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<b><a href="http://god-and-logic.blogspot.com/2011/12/common-questions-about-god-bible-etc.html#Q99"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVGvr9pVIZc4IVEkz0iJAsxu1I7UDOvLHXHo4aqm34iWPKbsU3yRNXw6NzJ-u2ds_drrIa3tNRHZxgzT-m0bwiaU1OD3WP1OVr9mqDB3GhqsWVgCqi4ude11OdPuRlnp0CA3k_gaYehls/s1600/RETURN+BUTTON.jpg" /></a></b></div>
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<b><b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2326647847990482641&postID=7527297206080644009" name="Q19"></a><br />
<span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><b><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow;"> Can't You Make the Bible Say Whatever You Want? </span></b></span></b></b> </div>
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Imagine a Presidential press conference, a really big one. All the major networks are there, as well as most cable news outlets, even online news hotspots, and the room is a buzz of activity. Everyone can feel that there is something big about to break. The room hushes in anticipation as the Commander in Chief strolls confidently up to the podium. He speaks:</div>
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"There has been a rumor circulating of late that I wish to address. Some have said that I have been unfaithful to my wife. I am telling you now, that I am not, nor have I ever been, unfaithful to my life partner, my love, my wife, indeed, my best friend."</div>
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He turns, and quickly moves out of the room as cameras flash, and reporters hurl endless follow ups.</div>
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The next day the headlines read: <b><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">President admits "I have been unfaithful to my wife"</span></b></div>
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Wait a minute?! Is that headline TRUE? Is that an accurate statement? Read the President's speech again, indeed that headline is word for word accurate. He did "admit" something, and he did say those words in that exact order. Check it.</div>
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But accuracy is not so much the point here, rather truth, context, and intent. In the greater context of what He said, that headline is false. Since we live in a fast-food world of quick news sound bites, unfortunately truth and context are the first victims of our own appetite for entertainment and variety.</div>
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Now that example is admittedly a simple and lighthearted one, but when it comes to serious matters, such as the Bible, many people take a similar approach. In order to deny that we can objectively learn any truths from the pages of the Bible, they will say: <b><i>"Well, you know, you can make the Bible say anything you want! It can be interpreted hundreds of ways!</i></b>"</div>
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Here's a simple analogy that demonstrates why this is logically false. A thief is running down the sidewalk, bank money in hand, being hotly pursued by a police officer. The cop pulls out a gun, points it at the fleeing fugitive who is glancing back at him, and the officer shouts: "<b><i><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Stop, or I'll shoot!</span></i></b>"</div>
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Now, please, give me just 3 different ways to "<b>interpret</b>" what that police officer was saying. Was he saying:<br />
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"<b>Keep running, and I will help you get away with this crime!</b>" or was he perhaps meaning: <br />
"<b>Stop being so negative about yourself, or I will have to shoot another compliment your way!</b>" or, here's a good one:<br />
"<b>Stop running away, or I will shoot myself out of a feeling of failure!</b>"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Seriously. There are people that apply that type of <b>over-the-top-Willy-Wonka-fantasy-land </b>type of logic when it comes to reading the Bible. In a thinly-veiled attempt to "get out of" the obvious ramifications of a passage in the Bible, they will pull this "Ace" out of their sleeve and claim: "Well, I know that sounds like it means that, but really, it could mean this." (yawn) Really?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Since sentences contains words, and words have to be understood and "interpreted" in our minds, then anyone could claim the same ridiculous assertion about ALL communication. Anyone could say of ANY statement: "Well, you know, that could be taken a lot of different ways!" But that is patently false. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Words do have meanings, and within context, those meanings are typically very clear. If words can have any meanings that we want to "interpret" them, then we might as well quit talking, reading, listening to the radio, and watching TV. It would all be "up for grabs"---a blather of disconnected and unintelligible phonics.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The Bible (in English) contains about 1300 pages. It has history, speeches, songs, and prophecies. It contains conversations between men, angels, and God. It has detailed deliberations of pagan kings, of godly rulers, and the incredibly profound and inspiring teachings of Jesus Christ Himself. Now, I am sure, that if you took snippets, small sections, partial sentences, and strung some of them together, you could make all sorts of wild speculations---but that is not the point, for those do not contain the truth, the intent, the context of those passages.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Usually there is some questionable behavior they want to engage in, or some activity they do not want to condemn, and so they invoke the "Get out of Jail Free" card and say:<b> "Well, the Bible can be interpreted so many ways!"</b> </div>
<div>
<br />
Actually...it says what it says, and it is not for us to stand in judgment over the scripture, but for the scripture to stand over us.</div>
<div>
<b><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVGvr9pVIZc4IVEkz0iJAsxu1I7UDOvLHXHo4aqm34iWPKbsU3yRNXw6NzJ-u2ds_drrIa3tNRHZxgzT-m0bwiaU1OD3WP1OVr9mqDB3GhqsWVgCqi4ude11OdPuRlnp0CA3k_gaYehls/s1600/RETURN+BUTTON.jpg" /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.jacksongospelchapel.org/">http://www.jacksongospelchapel.org</a></b></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326647847990482641.post-65262829095319635572011-12-26T16:01:00.008-06:002014-03-23T09:30:45.427-05:00There are no true ATHEISTS...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HQJhOPCrypE/TvjnMacB2PI/AAAAAAAABGI/dI4QKuO59O0/s1600/blood+thumb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HQJhOPCrypE/TvjnMacB2PI/AAAAAAAABGI/dI4QKuO59O0/s320/blood+thumb.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The story is told of a man who was convinced that he was dead. His friends and family tried in vain to dissuade him from his pointless and irrational mindset. Finally his wife introduced him to a wise doctor. The doctor asked the man: "Do dead men bleed?" The man answered, "Why--of course not!" The doctor then pulled out a tiny needle and pricked the man's thumb...soon a small trickle of blood began pouring out. The man looked up in amazement at the doctor and declared: "Wow, dead men DO bleed!"<br />
<br />
<br />
This humorous tale has serious implications. There are those who will not be persuaded (about different matters), no matter how much evidence, logic, or sound reasoning is presented. Let's look at one particular case: <b><span style="color: lime;">ATHEISM</span></b>.<br />
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<b><span style="color: yellow;"><br />
Defining Definitions</span></b><br />
<br />
To truly understand this issue, let's dissect the very word "Atheism", which is really an ancient Greek word transliterated into English. <br />
<br />
THEOS means deity or God, and the letter "A" at the beginning negates the word following. Therefore, A+THEOS (Atheism) means "No God" or, more correctly, "There is no God." <br />
<br />
It is a declarative statement, an absolute affirmation of a negative. Some would like to say an Atheist is a person who doesn't believe in God, but it is more accurately defined as a person who denies that God exists.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />
Outside of a few spittle-dribbling crazies, I would like to assert that:<br />
<b><i><span style="color: #b6d7a8;"> there are no true Atheists in the world.</span></i></b><br />
<br />
<b>Why</b>? I'll show you how utterly incomprehensible, indefensible, and illogical that assertion is. Let's take the statement:<b> <br />
<br />
THERE IS NO GOD</b>.<br />
<br />
Does that statement hold up to investigative scrutiny?<br />
<br />
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Is it possible to make that statement in an absolute sense? Absolutely <b><i>not</i></b>. Here's why: To make that absolute statement, the following statements would have to be true about the person making it (the "Big 4"):<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">1. You would have to have always existed (since time began)</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">2. You would have to have been everywhere in the Universe</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">3. You would have to have experienced every event</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">4. You would have to have perfect/unbiased understanding </span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: yellow;">Like a Needle in a Haystack</span><br />
</b><br />
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Once ALL 4 of those "<b>Necessary Rules</b>" are satisfied, then and only then, could a person even <i>PERHAPS </i>to make a statement that "There is no God." But---there is a problem, and one that perhaps you have never even considered:<br />
<br />
<b>God could have created the Universe in such a way that it is impossible to prove that He created it.</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yb3JIHIPG8Y/Tvjp6S_wDiI/AAAAAAAABHE/sT-J13h-n7I/s1600/clean+tracks.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yb3JIHIPG8Y/Tvjp6S_wDiI/AAAAAAAABHE/sT-J13h-n7I/s200/clean+tracks.gif" height="200" width="200" /></a><br />
Think about that. If there is a God, and if we were created by Him/It--then He/It could have perfectly "covered His tracks" so that we could not ever prove that He/It created it. <br />
<br />
<b>Period. </b><br />
<br />
Now, I do believe that it is fairly easy to demonstrate the God does exist, and that He did create the Universe, and that there is undeniable evidence and clues to His existence.<br />
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<b><span style="color: yellow;">A Fun Example</span></b><br />
<br />
Think about a modern computer game, and imagine for just a moment, that the characters inside the game somehow became "self-aware".<br />
<br />
It is entirely reasonable, that no matter how hard they try, given the limitations put on them by the programmer(s), that they could never figure out that their world was designed, created, by people, us.<br />
<br />
<br />
If, as the programmers, we do not give them that ability to find us out, then---they never will, nor could they. For one of those characters to assert: "There is no programmer!" is an illogical statement.<br />
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Let's return to our earlier 4 PREMISES, and look at them in comparison to what we now know.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: yellow;">1. You would have to have always existed (since time began).</span></b><br />
In the modern world, less than one tenth of one percent ever even live to be over 100 years old. Even if you lived to be 1000 years, big deal---the Universe is far, far older than that. So, no atheist you will talk to today can claim #1 to be true of them.<br />
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<b><span style="color: yellow;">2. You would have to have been everywhere in the Universe.</span></b><br />
This is crucial. Think about it--for someone to assert that God does not exist, they would have to know about every place in the Universe that could hold clues to God's existence.<br />
<br />
Since man has only been to Earth, and recently to the Moon, this does not even begin to cover it. Even if our own solar system was the whole Universe, we have been to far less than a fraction of 1% of our own solar system!<br />
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<br />
We are specks, living on a speck of dust, in an insignificant system, on the far Western Spiral Arm of the Milky Way Galaxy, a small cluster among the hundreds of billions of such systems scattered throughout a vast and complex Cosmos. <br />
<br />
(really, really small)<br />
<br />
To assert that "There is no God!" is nonsense of the highest and most arrogant of orders.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiupNOT9rUSLm6y9s04ch6ymIkjZgxStS7wyJvk-rBtF_vx9QYTSCD6fA88hPmz0csgGAZTlgVJdydIFzlzjn5IncTrD33B2WyLXHuuSahgc-mzb4h5L6H_wBQ4RdvMcij3f4JgVCNC8Zo/s1600/news-headline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiupNOT9rUSLm6y9s04ch6ymIkjZgxStS7wyJvk-rBtF_vx9QYTSCD6fA88hPmz0csgGAZTlgVJdydIFzlzjn5IncTrD33B2WyLXHuuSahgc-mzb4h5L6H_wBQ4RdvMcij3f4JgVCNC8Zo/s320/news-headline.jpg" height="211" width="320" /></a></div>
<b><span style="color: yellow;">3. You would have to have experienced every event in the Universe.</span></b><br />
We read the papers, catch the latest cable news tickers, and talk at the local Starbucks about the comings and goings of life here in our tiny speck of the Universe.<br />
<br />
But, for all of the pomp and circumstance and business of Earthly life, it comprises a number of events almost equal to ZERO when compared to all of the events occurring (and that have occurred) since the dawn of time across the Universe.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihWHR3flNXyCn5rTHJnT_lfT2nIwIy6EuHMVI3dKdLS7nbJgQrbDpdG0nQpM-ntvlP9pe7qy21iCtnPWfvhNy8kRbNO_cHc2r5c-EL83PDsZ506gAGWNTVX_-i5a4FHSOsidrKC4zpjVc/s1600/Tip+of+an+Iceberg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihWHR3flNXyCn5rTHJnT_lfT2nIwIy6EuHMVI3dKdLS7nbJgQrbDpdG0nQpM-ntvlP9pe7qy21iCtnPWfvhNy8kRbNO_cHc2r5c-EL83PDsZ506gAGWNTVX_-i5a4FHSOsidrKC4zpjVc/s200/Tip+of+an+Iceberg.jpg" height="170" width="200" /></a></div>
An Atheist would have to somehow declare that knowing about .00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000<br />
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000<br />
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000<br />
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000<br />
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000<br />
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000<br />
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000<br />
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000<br />
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000<br />
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000<br />
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001% of all the events that have occurred in the Universe (even over the past hour or so) qualifies them to make an absolute statement about the non-existence of God.<b> <br />
<br />
Stunning, breathtakingly stunning.</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsf3YR0XnkX6a3GmMIYFlJZr0LF7fxRqgT_HefGf9q6fqxTgkdyQAsHtl4P6jYNG6PI7HQQQQssQxthPo13ZlKJOxzPVVIAClc7qtk3_9fcoYXQBXjGywkTebTM5weF0iZJ-Yg6B4nvzg/s1600/crime-scene-tape-706717.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsf3YR0XnkX6a3GmMIYFlJZr0LF7fxRqgT_HefGf9q6fqxTgkdyQAsHtl4P6jYNG6PI7HQQQQssQxthPo13ZlKJOxzPVVIAClc7qtk3_9fcoYXQBXjGywkTebTM5weF0iZJ-Yg6B4nvzg/s320/crime-scene-tape-706717.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
Atheists have pet "evidences" that they like to point out, such as suffering and evil the world, or injustice, or some other such "imperfection" that they say negates the possibility of God.<br />
<br />
(after reading to this point--the average reader should be saying: "Really???") <br />
<br />
Let's digress for just a tiny moment and look at this supposed argument.<br />
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Standing over 324 meters high (just over 1000 feet) is the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. It was designed by Gustave Eiffel, a brilliant engineer. It was built as the entry way to the 1889 World's Fair, and is the most visited, paid man-made monument in the world. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipFII2UxG4DNU0T6OvmTrvw40QQ7Gdef_cUmONSx7PzhB8F5cm44-l3587jo1r8Ytnee9HRBpXOPvCFSLEyxy69R1tGsb8kuzHE0OHEGE5QqnShM-_k2qPeAPXfrqkKIWJGCvtxRwzjQo/s1600/12_graffiti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipFII2UxG4DNU0T6OvmTrvw40QQ7Gdef_cUmONSx7PzhB8F5cm44-l3587jo1r8Ytnee9HRBpXOPvCFSLEyxy69R1tGsb8kuzHE0OHEGE5QqnShM-_k2qPeAPXfrqkKIWJGCvtxRwzjQo/s200/12_graffiti.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a>Now, imagine someone examining a tiny corner of a tiny section of a tiny, single support beam with some graffiti painted onto it. After looking at this disrespectful and ugly artwork they look up and declare: "Gustave Eiffel did not create this tower---if so, how could there be such an imperfection as this graffiti!"<br />
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It would be absurd. That graffiti can not, in any way, change the fact that Gustave Eiffel was the creator of that tower. That graffiti was a later, man-made, addition to the tower. Similarly, nearly all of the "suffering" and "injustices" of the world that atheists attempt to use to somehow discredit God are later additions, man-made imperfections (brought about by greed, cruelty, malice, etc). <br />
<br />
Now, someone could also examine part of the Eiffel Tower and see something that "appears" to be a design flaw. They find a part, or a system, that is wholly inexplicable to them---having no apparent purpose, or worse yet, perhaps even a "flawed" approach. Could they then look up and exclaim: "Gustave Eiffel did not create this tower!" Of course not. Just because we do not understand why a Creator or designer would do something in a certain manner, does not mean that it is improper or flawed.<br />
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These types of arguments are really just <b><i>emotional arguments</i></b>. "Well, if I were a perfect God, I would not have done it this way!" is a childish and immature objection (and far too common--especially among Biologists such as Dawkins). Since we know less than a even a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of how this Universe operates and all of the events occurring within it, no one on this planet is qualified to make these types of opinionated, emotional, and uninformed arguments.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSw9codqQfPBDe45UnEIqrt3pjIcTCKeEZK6Q6Zy1SK-PgT1Q9KBKSPJtv5ym90m0fWcurKNfxv-yM15Z6MSCpldaBP5QqzCgbfAPxhUTtgs_eRLhGMMdlU9BvmiUwh24W-qCz2c351vQ/s1600/220px-Hurricane_Katrina_August_28_2005_NASA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSw9codqQfPBDe45UnEIqrt3pjIcTCKeEZK6Q6Zy1SK-PgT1Q9KBKSPJtv5ym90m0fWcurKNfxv-yM15Z6MSCpldaBP5QqzCgbfAPxhUTtgs_eRLhGMMdlU9BvmiUwh24W-qCz2c351vQ/s200/220px-Hurricane_Katrina_August_28_2005_NASA.jpg" height="200" width="154" /></a><br />
From hurricanes, earthquakes, and all types of illnesses, the Atheist loves to question the wisdom in allowing these types of "evils" to exist, and therefore do an illogical and wild extrapolation spanning the entire width of the Cosmos and declare:<br />
<br />
<b><i>"There is no God!" </i></b><br />
<br />
There are not words to describe that degree of narrow-mindedness.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oUULtdQPDuQ/Tvjs53xcwZI/AAAAAAAABJ4/IpBTrTk-Mus/s1600/list+of+reasons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oUULtdQPDuQ/Tvjs53xcwZI/AAAAAAAABJ4/IpBTrTk-Mus/s200/list+of+reasons.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></div>
There could be nearly limitless reasons for the Creator allowing any one, or all of these conditions, and who are we, as created beings, in standing in judgment over the wisdom/purposes of these types of events? If "evil" can be harnessed to bring about an even greater "good" then the entire Atheist house-of-cards collapses of it's own weight. Case closed. <br />
<br />
(For further info, visit<a href="http://god-and-logic.blogspot.com/2010/03/skeptics-of-christianity-have.html"> this page about reasons for Evil and Suffering</a>)<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l3WfbiTHhoc/TvjtGGhXWGI/AAAAAAAABKE/ox3nGEc9DtI/s1600/unbiased-star.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l3WfbiTHhoc/TvjtGGhXWGI/AAAAAAAABKE/ox3nGEc9DtI/s1600/unbiased-star.jpg" /></a></div>
<b><span style="color: yellow;">4. You would have to have perfect and unbiased understanding of every event in Universe.</span></b><br />
<br />
This cannot be overestimated in this chain of arguments. If someone is biased (making a decision with presuppositions and favored outcomes) when considering evidence, then the chances at arriving at truth approaches zero. If I do not believe in God, and presuppose that God somehow CANNOT exist, then there is no degree or threshold of evidence that will or could ever convince me.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxHapPZuKurOgibZOcYU-fNa6xWdGRmk9VHJ3ITnDaPcRLNlNFIMib8WUDyopaTo62Pg7NLMSSQ2dRoXXqQFyejEEM7kUJrDvAHz4AYBqlMerwT7KyjiwsXYY0ekav-xf8dd4uy-v23UY/s1600/Nagel_Thomas1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxHapPZuKurOgibZOcYU-fNa6xWdGRmk9VHJ3ITnDaPcRLNlNFIMib8WUDyopaTo62Pg7NLMSSQ2dRoXXqQFyejEEM7kUJrDvAHz4AYBqlMerwT7KyjiwsXYY0ekav-xf8dd4uy-v23UY/s200/Nagel_Thomas1.jpg" height="200" width="163" /></a></div>
Could this mindset actually exist? Absolutely--consider these recent words of famous Atheist philosopher Thomas Nagel, when he admitted:<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><i>“I WANT atheism to be true. It isn’t just that I don’t believe in God and, naturally, hope that I’m right in my belief; It’s not that I hope there is no God! I don’t WANT there to be a God; I don’t WANT the universe to be like that.”</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><i><br />
<br />
</i></span>(look it up...I am not making this stuff up!)<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xnlKe24OYdo/TvjtsRl1ekI/AAAAAAAABKc/OaOPJJ1DPeQ/s1600/find_savings_unbiased.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xnlKe24OYdo/TvjtsRl1ekI/AAAAAAAABKc/OaOPJJ1DPeQ/s320/find_savings_unbiased.png" height="201" width="320" /></a></div>
I don't think that ole Tommy Nagel is going to be objective and unbiased when considering evidence for God. <br />
<br />
<b>How about you? </b><br />
<br />
Since no one can claim to be completely objective, and since no one can claim perfect understanding of all events that have ever occurred in the Universe, then no one can claim to have met this most-important 4th criterion. <br />
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In a very undeniable and fundamental sense, we all tend to see life through less-than-perfect lenses.<br />
<div>
<b><span style="color: yellow;"><br />
</span></b></div>
<div>
<b><span style="color: yellow;">The Truth About Atheism</span></b></div>
<div>
<b><br />
</b></div>
<div>
So, when considered together, no "atheist" can come even close to claiming to have met the 4 Necessary Rules...therefore, there can be no true "atheists". We may have skeptics, we may have agnostics, we may have stubborn, arrogant authors with huge followings, but, in actuality, we have no true (sane) atheists.</div>
<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2KVQneU6EtS_iceVDgkn3XZxgry_SY0Be5HaFUiTOB4nKozi58F9gpLIuEUlBu_6I9q3W83IrL5Hf9srDOePnmx2pUbny8vHjxXyFZRhCkZvd2WhSwSXl9m4arIO6PyxPyGmNJNPA2Q8/s1600/mirror.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2KVQneU6EtS_iceVDgkn3XZxgry_SY0Be5HaFUiTOB4nKozi58F9gpLIuEUlBu_6I9q3W83IrL5Hf9srDOePnmx2pUbny8vHjxXyFZRhCkZvd2WhSwSXl9m4arIO6PyxPyGmNJNPA2Q8/s320/mirror.jpg" height="217" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<b><span style="color: yellow;">Turning the Tables<br />
</span></b><br />
Some quick-thinking skeptic may try to flip the argument around and counter with the following:<br />
"Since an atheist would have fulfill the 4 Necessary Rules to say that God does not exist, doesn't the theist have the same problem in asserting God's existence?" <br />
<br />
They imagine that there must be a mirror-opposite of the 4 Big Rules.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Interesting challenge (though doomed to simple failure).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Does the "theist" (one who asserts that God exists) have to also meet the 4 Necessary Rules when making their positive, absolute declaration? Actually, no, not even close---and the reason is LOGIC.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OMO6lWHYFwI/TvjuM0FWSrI/AAAAAAAABLA/zOmzKns92UE/s1600/bill+clinton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OMO6lWHYFwI/TvjuM0FWSrI/AAAAAAAABLA/zOmzKns92UE/s320/bill+clinton.jpg" height="237" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
Let me illustrate with a simple example. Suppose that someone declares: "Former President Bill Clinton exists!" Would the person making this claim have to (1) Always exist, (2) Been everywhere, (3) Observed all events, with (4) Perfect, unbiased knowledge? Absolutely not. For instance, they could actually MEET Bill Clinton, and therefore, settle the issue. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The reason? Logically, Bill Clinton is here on Earth, and there are fairly straightforward methods of establishing his existence here.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vxW9wN6W6ks/TvjuVagzRpI/AAAAAAAABLM/pnOkXp67rMI/s1600/draft_lens17430021module146794131photo_1294953554Milky-Way-galaxy-Kapler-S.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vxW9wN6W6ks/TvjuVagzRpI/AAAAAAAABLM/pnOkXp67rMI/s320/draft_lens17430021module146794131photo_1294953554Milky-Way-galaxy-Kapler-S.jpg" height="199" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br />
Now, to establish the existence of a Creator, there are likewise, important logical and inductive/deductive methods that can lead us to the reasonableness and rationality of acknowledging His/Its existence...even from right here on Earth (a speck on the Western Spiral Arm of the Milky Way Galaxy). </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Once those logical constructs are met, we can establish God's existence. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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<div>
<br />
<br />
If someone says: "Blue objects do not exist in the entire Universe!" and yet, we find blue objects here on the Earth, then they are wrong (even though our ONLY experience is here on Earth, a speck, of a speck...well, you get the point!)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnJE92Ve5v7wbNuCHo3Kztjwusnc6yjncx8NoO7xFYqGcrQmsEn2F9S2zU4gP_ilQY-QO1GN-GLptEvbtBehPE6lD3nRV9rNweKSrPMuJ-RFCNBcBVWLo05YzQ3riqRq5zHgvNLNtfFVc/s1600/am-god-home.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnJE92Ve5v7wbNuCHo3Kztjwusnc6yjncx8NoO7xFYqGcrQmsEn2F9S2zU4gP_ilQY-QO1GN-GLptEvbtBehPE6lD3nRV9rNweKSrPMuJ-RFCNBcBVWLo05YzQ3riqRq5zHgvNLNtfFVc/s320/am-god-home.jpg" height="257" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<b><span style="color: yellow;">An Atheist Must Be God</span></b></div>
<div>
<b><br />
</b></div>
<div>
Think about it: if anyone claims that they have (1) Always existed, (2) Been everywhere, (3) Observed all events, with (4) Perfect, unbiased knowledge---then they would have to be...<br />
<br />
<b>God.</b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It is inescapable. A being that could meet the 4 Necessary Rules would have to be divine, godlike, or God Himself. Perhaps this is the real and ultimate goal of "atheism", it is not that "there is no God" but rather, <b>"There is no God but ME!"</b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b><span style="color: yellow;"><i>Now the real hidden agenda surfaces. Go figure.</i></span></b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326647847990482641.post-3192042163008469122011-12-24T00:42:00.010-06:002011-12-24T00:52:25.903-06:00THE FIRST CHRISTMAS TREE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u0UYiP4wZA0/TvVsNPpDG6I/AAAAAAAABEo/VN01MvVdf88/s1600/Best-Christmas-Trees-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u0UYiP4wZA0/TvVsNPpDG6I/AAAAAAAABEo/VN01MvVdf88/s200/Best-Christmas-Trees-3.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<br />
The first Christmas tree was quite different,<br />
Very different than our own,<br />
Though humble by all measures of man,<br />
Displayed beauty, of man, unknown.<br />
<br />
No stunning array of colors and shapes,<br />
Yet, a few strips of silver were there-<br />
With tiny ribbons of richest red,<br />
Flowing down it's form so bare.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Zo9oPdy0-pDPsN7NTJsHgVgIWrC4W71i4zBB4CWKFaxIUVMs9JGfkhRCJOyGsnUK8zlMMRsIwsYvayJhF9PUDbcRjwpfzPrC4Dlp9UYqETM_KNYIgTarz3lEfdYiJ9hzC6mAiCgiMbA/s1600/ornaments1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Zo9oPdy0-pDPsN7NTJsHgVgIWrC4W71i4zBB4CWKFaxIUVMs9JGfkhRCJOyGsnUK8zlMMRsIwsYvayJhF9PUDbcRjwpfzPrC4Dlp9UYqETM_KNYIgTarz3lEfdYiJ9hzC6mAiCgiMbA/s200/ornaments1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Two simple branches adorned that first tree,<br />
So plain, without a needle green.<br />
And only one brilliant star, but yet, <br />
Though not on top, clearly seen.<br />
<br />
Twas not surrounded by presents below,<br />
No packages stacked deep and wide.<br />
It carried but one, priceless gift,<br />
Secured so firm to it's side.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vEdJpE8blXw/TvVscdEjNxI/AAAAAAAABFA/tVLILiPAArU/s1600/best-christmas-tree-in-city-park.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vEdJpE8blXw/TvVscdEjNxI/AAAAAAAABFA/tVLILiPAArU/s200/best-christmas-tree-in-city-park.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>No strings of glowing and twinkling bulbs,<br />
Adorned it with hues very bright.<br />
Yet out from it holy radiance shined,<br />
Out of darkness a singular light.<br />
<br />
Not a wreath of nature's fir, or pine<br />
Wrapped round it's peak in that way.<br />
But indeed, a ring of man's design<br />
Crowned it's lowly head on that day.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnuWmRYIV014rImT5xqXuTlq5iROAMP4cVZJpd3jtcMPjX9kubJwqNInSPNBuVkcFjpLJ4EJmS9ymENTND-h7BusAmn0EvHYUcXZ_RNtMRnBFLccEsD8qKvtjgWGJwFtRO-1z-U3TPzNA/s1600/jesus-crucifixion-full.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnuWmRYIV014rImT5xqXuTlq5iROAMP4cVZJpd3jtcMPjX9kubJwqNInSPNBuVkcFjpLJ4EJmS9ymENTND-h7BusAmn0EvHYUcXZ_RNtMRnBFLccEsD8qKvtjgWGJwFtRO-1z-U3TPzNA/s200/jesus-crucifixion-full.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
The first Christmas tree, you see, my friend,<br />
Was our Savior's old rugged cross.<br />
Where our Maker, Lord, and Sovereign died,<br />
Our rescue from infinite loss.<br />
<br />
With spikes of silver in hands and feet,<br />
A crown of thorns in His brow.<br />
Rivers of red flowed down His face,<br />
Atoning for sins even now.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbqsmChBvkdAoHuxqEyhefu0GH42481WbjMC5l9DZaqmyD0hIFKJoFX9bGq5wl1EJkG6dOcjAjYHfILhp2DTbxq91JZRJJPLHn0SqxLJW1_0soGFNF6DxrOhql7d7TjZtrtG6NOznlJWg/s1600/christ_passion_movie_cross.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbqsmChBvkdAoHuxqEyhefu0GH42481WbjMC5l9DZaqmyD0hIFKJoFX9bGq5wl1EJkG6dOcjAjYHfILhp2DTbxq91JZRJJPLHn0SqxLJW1_0soGFNF6DxrOhql7d7TjZtrtG6NOznlJWg/s200/christ_passion_movie_cross.jpg" width="200" /></a>The Light of the world, the Son our sun,<br />
Blackened by wicked Earth's strife.<br />
Bearing our sin, rebellion, and pain,<br />
By death bringing eternal life.<br />
<br />
In stained glass, in cards, in pictures in frames,<br />
Depicting Christ in a manger.<br />
The world prefers to remember Him there,<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2OGx3PzLO0I/TvVuvIyIsAI/AAAAAAAABF8/zjo7X3U8hDs/s1600/Jesus+silhouette+on+cross.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2OGx3PzLO0I/TvVuvIyIsAI/AAAAAAAABF8/zjo7X3U8hDs/s1600/Jesus+silhouette+on+cross.jpg" /></a>For a baby thus poses no danger.<br />
<br />
But you see, He's the gift, the marvelous gift,<br />
Given so you could go free!<br />
He died in your place, receive Him, my friend-<br />
The cross is the real Christmas tree.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><i><span style="color: #ffe599;">Christmas is not about</span></i></b> a harmless baby lying in a manger, but rather, an innocent Savior dying on a cross.<br />
<b><i><span style="color: #ffe599;">Christmas is not about</span></i></b> giving gifts UNDER a tree, but about receiving a gift that was ON the tree.<br />
<b><i><span style="color: #ffe599;">Christmas is not about</span></i></b> what we give each other, but rather, what God gave to us in the person of His Son.<br />
<b><i><span style="color: #ffe599;">Christmas is not about</span></i></b> friends and family only, rather, it is about the opportunity to become part of God's family.<br />
<b><i><span style="color: #ffe599;">Christmas is not about</span></i></b> Mary, Joseph, shepherds, or wise men, it is about Jesus, the Lamb of God, who died to take away the sins of the world.<br />
<span style="color: #ffe599;"><b><i>Christmas is not about</i></b> </span>stockings hung on a wooden mantle, but about our Lord Jesus hanging on a wooden cross.<br />
<b><i><span style="color: #ffe599;">Christmas is not about</span></i></b> being naughty or nice, but rather, it is about realizing that we are sinners, and that Jesus was willing to die for us.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: lime;">Now, that truly is a cause to be <b><i>MERRY</i></b>, merry indeed.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326647847990482641.post-19396369760519850492011-12-22T22:14:00.000-06:002011-12-22T22:14:56.010-06:00There is TOO MUCH evidence for God<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_TY2tghf2Ko/TvP7FyqziTI/AAAAAAAAA58/Q_dI_8O0TeY/s1600/judgment.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_TY2tghf2Ko/TvP7FyqziTI/AAAAAAAAA58/Q_dI_8O0TeY/s200/judgment.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><br />
<br />
The famous mathematician and skeptical philosopher, Bertrand Russell, was once asked about what he would do if he died and had to stand before God, and God asked: "Why didn't you believe in Me?" The well-known atheist stated in a very matter-of-fact way (something to the effect of): <br />
<br />
<i><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">"I would say 'Why didn't you give us more evidence?'"</span></i><br />
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Imagine that. Astounding...or then again, is it? Perhaps even some reading this blog have a similar feeling or opinion. But did you notice that Russell didn't list out a diatribe of (worn out) arguments such as evil and suffering, or hypocrisy in religion, or "contradictions" in the Bible, or evolution, or other emotional appeals. <br />
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Russell even wrote a book about the reasons WHY he wasn't a Christian, but here, he responds with a concise and yet overly-broad observation: "Not enough evidence!"<br />
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No disrespect to the late logician, but I would make the following counter-offer:<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">I think that there is too much evidence for God.</span></i></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lUVEY5u4LRM/TvP76vDZJtI/AAAAAAAABAo/JF1KpF2kPVE/s1600/funny_fish_face30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lUVEY5u4LRM/TvP76vDZJtI/AAAAAAAABAo/JF1KpF2kPVE/s200/funny_fish_face30.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
You read that right. That's not a typo. I don't think that the skeptic's problem is that there is too little evidence for God, but rather, it is that we have been so inundated and surrounded and immersed in the evidence--that, well---we can't see the forest for the trees. <br />
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We are like fish in the ocean, so completely immersed that we can't find water no matter how hard we look.<br />
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I don't mean to bore anyone with the details, but, uh, have you ever thought about just these few evidences:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RvXrniy4-iU/TvP8BUFpLSI/AAAAAAAABA0/XeTqjgIEixw/s1600/galxy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RvXrniy4-iU/TvP8BUFpLSI/AAAAAAAABA0/XeTqjgIEixw/s320/galxy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><i><span style="color: #ffe599;">-a little thing called The Universe</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #ffe599;">-Big Bang cosmology</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #ffe599;">-Natural Laws</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #ffe599;">-Logic</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #ffe599;">-Intelligence</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #ffe599;">-Self-awareness</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #ffe599;">-Consciousness</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #ffe599;">-The Law of Cause and Effect</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #ffe599;">-Rationality</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #ffe599;">-The fossil record</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #ffe599;">-DNA</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #ffe599;">-Meiosis</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #ffe599;">-Cellular Mitosis</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #ffe599;">-Life</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #ffe599;">-Space, Time, Matter/Energy</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #ffe599;">-Morality</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #ffe599;">-Mankind</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #ffe599;">-Fine-tuning</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #ffe599;">-Irreducible complexity in nature</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #ffe599;">-Symbiotic relationships</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #ffe599;">-The Bible</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #ffe599;">-Fulfilled Prophecy</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #ffe599;">-The resurrection of Jesus Christ</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #ffe599;">-The deaths of the apostles</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #ffe599;">-The history of Israel</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #ffe599;">-Design in nature</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #ffe599;">-Love, compassion, kindness</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #ffe599;">-Selflessness and humility</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #ffe599;">-DNA</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #ffe599;">-DNA</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #ffe599;">-uh, DNA</span></i></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WP84bu6yWKw/TvP8IHUEbuI/AAAAAAAABBA/J4-QVXXno1M/s1600/start-here.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WP84bu6yWKw/TvP8IHUEbuI/AAAAAAAABBA/J4-QVXXno1M/s200/start-here.gif" width="200" /></a></div><br />
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This is by no means an exhaustive list of evidence, but it is a good start, and an undeniable basis for my assertion. Most of these, individually, would be enough evidence alone...then, when one considers all of them in totality, the weight of proof is overwhelming and the conclusion, inescapable.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyJexPxsWGnGK32ySR6qO-j2VO1RHAxi4bY46uP72affAeR7ZDP59zXSOm7wjhm8xaDJ8ozwp-FChKITGIE2P_ezSdeY5ExwVIAA4vvX4e0MFPClfKTx9ITpjusFbPP81e_FAZYESMOD4/s1600/Circular-1-atheism+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyJexPxsWGnGK32ySR6qO-j2VO1RHAxi4bY46uP72affAeR7ZDP59zXSOm7wjhm8xaDJ8ozwp-FChKITGIE2P_ezSdeY5ExwVIAA4vvX4e0MFPClfKTx9ITpjusFbPP81e_FAZYESMOD4/s320/Circular-1-atheism+copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Let's take just a couple of examples that will show just how overwhelming the evidence actually is. Just using chemistry and mathematics, both of which follow very precise laws, these disciplines create results and outcomes not subject to bias or "interpretation".<br />
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<b>DNA:</b> Recently, a couple of eminent scientists studied and calculated the probability of life occurring from completely natural (non-intelligent) processes. Their conclusion? Roughly, they estimated that there is less than 1 chance in 10 to the 40,000th power that life was formed by mere physical, random trials. To put this in perspective: that is a 1 with 40,000 zeros after it!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvOu-6SlYBKQt3Q_-EDeULo1CCQuc1IV3DXGX7TENbScRkDeqXD8O_5R5LFQ_llcMRPpWwxeOODGvkPsharSsojhR8WZCpiyHoTjM2Dp_5IE3_zdMImGbxEqcxnhQ9vMfCIovt3rqjUPQ/s1600/dna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvOu-6SlYBKQt3Q_-EDeULo1CCQuc1IV3DXGX7TENbScRkDeqXD8O_5R5LFQ_llcMRPpWwxeOODGvkPsharSsojhR8WZCpiyHoTjM2Dp_5IE3_zdMImGbxEqcxnhQ9vMfCIovt3rqjUPQ/s200/dna.jpg" width="154" /></a></div><br />
How can we even wrap our minds around such a large number? A few examples: Think of the entire Universe, with hundreds of billions of galaxies, contains hundreds of billions of stars and planets and moons. Now, imagine all of the ATOMS that it takes to make up all of the matter of the entire Universe. Physicists estimate that there are only 10 to 80th power atoms in the whole Universe total. <br />
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The odds AGAINST even simple life forming are many hundreds of orders of magnitude greater than that "little" number of atoms!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQoi8OswfclagXgcwrku2x4tAfD96KLyYGKqq8DQj_yh3toXPfSOS5jIOybYiJKi0-cdA8xXOMya26HTCLU2Ev5bWvwJqfPAK8fpeI_9cXu3pLfVLza4Fk-TzKQJ8Wg0Dk5yTe42X3zl0/s1600/time.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQoi8OswfclagXgcwrku2x4tAfD96KLyYGKqq8DQj_yh3toXPfSOS5jIOybYiJKi0-cdA8xXOMya26HTCLU2Ev5bWvwJqfPAK8fpeI_9cXu3pLfVLza4Fk-TzKQJ8Wg0Dk5yTe42X3zl0/s320/time.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>How about a "second" example to put the odds into perspective. According to many cosmologists, the Universe may be up to 30 billion years old. Guess how many seconds there are in 30 billion years? There are less than 10 to the 18th power seconds in 30 billion years. Now imagine a colossal experiment. Let's say that "nature" could somehow produce multiplied trillions of "genetic code" recombinations each and every second for 30 billion years (there is no known mechanism to allow for this---but let's be super generous and allow it for the sake of argument).<br />
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Would you arrive at even ONE combination that could be even the simplest one-celled creature? Not even close...not even remotely close, even if the Universe were billions and billions and billions of years older.<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">“At that moment, when the the DNA/RNA system became understood, the debate between Evolutionists and Creationists should have come to a screeching halt. …the implications of the DNA/RNA were obvious and clear. Mathematically speaking, based on probability concepts, there is no possibility that Evolution was the mechanism that created the approximately 6,000,000 species of plants and animals we recognize today.” </span></i></b><br />
I.L. Cohen, mathematician/researcher<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIFFVLFVl2rm5iGc29LPcRRgr7BEJp2sIEdH9JR5_zACO8O72eFDiXdEzH2s4HBA-6mM2W27vRp2q7QTv5gvcbXXVG7VNyEKp_XNbS1GUpiiSa8FNNl2ut4KaZwLcod8L23ydQDhA3QmM/s1600/1239803570255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIFFVLFVl2rm5iGc29LPcRRgr7BEJp2sIEdH9JR5_zACO8O72eFDiXdEzH2s4HBA-6mM2W27vRp2q7QTv5gvcbXXVG7VNyEKp_XNbS1GUpiiSa8FNNl2ut4KaZwLcod8L23ydQDhA3QmM/s320/1239803570255.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Even if one takes a step back from actual DNA itself, and just considers something far, far, far simpler, such as protein formation, how does the evolutionist/atheist stack up in those odds? A recent mathematical and chemical study examined the chance that undirected, random amino acids could ever come together to form even a very simple life-protein. (Most proteins in life processes are fantastically complex, but they just studied a very simple protein).<br />
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The odds against it forming purely naturally were less than 1 in 10 to the 67th power. This study even gave the protein every conceivable chance, including an ideal mix of components, in a simulated ideal atmosphere, and then given lots of time (over 100 billion years!).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ufhsAAxe5Ws/TvP8_2jgAAI/AAAAAAAABBw/ipfkDiZ4kyI/s1600/Lloyd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ufhsAAxe5Ws/TvP8_2jgAAI/AAAAAAAABBw/ipfkDiZ4kyI/s200/Lloyd.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
Just in case any of you identify with Lloyd in Dumb and Dumber and make the statement: "So you're saying there's a chance..." statistically speaking, mathematicians say that any event with a chance less than 1 in 10 to the 50th power is statistically zero (meaning: will never happen no matter how much time).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqvYq9NAWJaX_dZ2C7M1BezP_CZtgyke6teSYjUQxNhkG1-T22RZ4fLGK03DREJy3GYYftZMMRy6eq6gcQ7S9AtYQNob4MHmQGZ4hrOynLvszPNZnoKJYjsU0IupvCj-8HycSIl3JcTYk/s1600/250px-Fred_Hoyle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqvYq9NAWJaX_dZ2C7M1BezP_CZtgyke6teSYjUQxNhkG1-T22RZ4fLGK03DREJy3GYYftZMMRy6eq6gcQ7S9AtYQNob4MHmQGZ4hrOynLvszPNZnoKJYjsU0IupvCj-8HycSIl3JcTYk/s1600/250px-Fred_Hoyle.jpg" /></a></div>As the famous late-astrophysicist Sir Fred Hoyle commented:<br />
<b><i><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">"The notion that… the operating programme of a living cell could be arrived at by chance in a primordial soup here on the Earth is evidently nonsense of a high order. "</span></i></b><br />
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Hoyle went on to reveal scientific implications:<br />
<b><i><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">"A common sense interpretation of the facts suggests that a superintellect has monkeyed with physics, as well as with chemistry and biology, and that there are no blind forces worth speaking about in nature. The numbers one calculates from the facts seem to me so overwhelming as to put this conclusion almost beyond question."</span></i></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPJYpTsPsCrd5bn_zG2thGeDRsY3ktD4inFB1mKHHrND-XCdTsCCrJ-BIkOztTOt_pUYMqDCc2svb5I2b9kv7siXRaiGDogOUD8Y_-IIEtbFjbTSdr72zPKz-xJ8CBVQB7GBlRewGXxKM/s1600/eye-of-god.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPJYpTsPsCrd5bn_zG2thGeDRsY3ktD4inFB1mKHHrND-XCdTsCCrJ-BIkOztTOt_pUYMqDCc2svb5I2b9kv7siXRaiGDogOUD8Y_-IIEtbFjbTSdr72zPKz-xJ8CBVQB7GBlRewGXxKM/s200/eye-of-god.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
These are not the words, or mathematics, or the research of evangelists, pundits, or preachers---these are the findings of skeptics, research scientists, and probability experts. They all demonstrate that an intellect far, far beyond anything even imaginable must be responsible for the physical Universe and life. <br />
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The evidence for a Creator, for God, is overwhelming, and can be demonstrated, even mathematically.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAhGCpDeReaOO08OvMA9jaUGDEn3XU7IlIyCuewY9ov92VH6fhcuvaerZK_zaj1fPf9KSjJejkuOYJJc_sjITBQ8YV06QIOL_80SGJ4j016FRidGTPvaOFzaus7SSRNCniJvqnzqsYrYs/s1600/scales-of-suffering.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAhGCpDeReaOO08OvMA9jaUGDEn3XU7IlIyCuewY9ov92VH6fhcuvaerZK_zaj1fPf9KSjJejkuOYJJc_sjITBQ8YV06QIOL_80SGJ4j016FRidGTPvaOFzaus7SSRNCniJvqnzqsYrYs/s320/scales-of-suffering.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Test yourself, are you still inwardly "compelled" to resist or deny the existence of God in spite of the facts, science, and probability mathematics? If so, then it is important to realize that you have an <b><i>EMOTIONAL </i></b>problem with belief in God, you do not have an <i><b>INTELLECTUAL </b></i>problem with theism. <br />
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Most atheists that I meet think that they cannot INTELLIGENTLY accept the idea of God, when, the actual truth is, they have an EMOTIONAL resistance to accepting the obvious.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA3Cr36jCFkOFd_RZkuDHa_G7ErT7mWA7vKo-IoDL3GvqC_5oNZSCUxfRHWWchWeFB2Zuz3O3xRoYiT9TvhD-zhF8PfG36Oe3Q77CEy1VYI5BrPDWa0_Pw46X9fGmbn_mHRG2npFM-n_o/s1600/NagelThomas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA3Cr36jCFkOFd_RZkuDHa_G7ErT7mWA7vKo-IoDL3GvqC_5oNZSCUxfRHWWchWeFB2Zuz3O3xRoYiT9TvhD-zhF8PfG36Oe3Q77CEy1VYI5BrPDWa0_Pw46X9fGmbn_mHRG2npFM-n_o/s200/NagelThomas.jpg" width="163" /></a></div><br />
Atheist philosopher Thomas Nagel was alarmingly honest when he admitted:<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">“I WANT atheism to be true. It isn’t just that I don’t believe in God and, naturally, hope that I’m right in my belief; It’s not that I hope there is no God! I don’t WANT there to be a God; I don’t WANT the universe to be like that.”</span></i></b><br />
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Are you that honest with yourself and your inner biases?</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EiO3o1zYFHk/TvP-hdaW2RI/AAAAAAAABCs/_9fFv1ncTeA/s1600/spring-wish-list.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EiO3o1zYFHk/TvP-hdaW2RI/AAAAAAAABCs/_9fFv1ncTeA/s200/spring-wish-list.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>If that is your condition, and it probably is for many reading this---then please realize that you have just indicted yourself for the same crime that you accuse "silly religious people" of: believing in something because you WANT it to be true, without any real evidence.<br />
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This position is a logical fallacy. Wanting, hoping, dreaming, and expecting something to be true, does not, in any way, cause it to be true.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7VjaXSKCqw4oKpLg9Qujd1oNfRFVpQwZo8gWGaSMbHkh4fQ0hxGUm5012_Kly2_pytS7E-y5lmDSzlWp8nLDhamGYlGn9FmsZsA8cNzeAyZHG2a5NGelIn8LESbhzx4siat7pnEE5w58/s1600/heart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7VjaXSKCqw4oKpLg9Qujd1oNfRFVpQwZo8gWGaSMbHkh4fQ0hxGUm5012_Kly2_pytS7E-y5lmDSzlWp8nLDhamGYlGn9FmsZsA8cNzeAyZHG2a5NGelIn8LESbhzx4siat7pnEE5w58/s200/heart.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>It's sad...most people think that the only "evidence" for Christianity is the testimony of people "who feel God in their hearts" or those who say "I know it's true, well, just because." I have heard this type of appalling presentation before, and by very well-meaning folks. <br />
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But please, study the witnessing techniques of the apostle Paul in the book of Acts. Absent from any of his gospel and apologetic speeches are any "feel it in my heart" or "just because" statements. Paul used logic, history, and fulfilled prophecy as his primary arguments. You will read the entire New Testament in vain for any semblance of the "just because I feel it in my heart therefore I know it is true" theology.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K8VH1AUXNIo/TvP_KFlX9TI/AAAAAAAABDE/C-4XK7kAOnU/s1600/lazy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K8VH1AUXNIo/TvP_KFlX9TI/AAAAAAAABDE/C-4XK7kAOnU/s320/lazy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I think that there are two reasons for this damaging lack of a consistent and convincing gospel skills set. First, the study of Apologetics (the art of providing a firm defense of the truth of the Christian faith) is generally not taught, or at least not stressed, in most churches and youth groups/Sunday schools.<br />
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Secondly, most of us are fairly lazy when it comes to spiritual matters, and learning how to properly defend and promote the gospel is not easy---it takes time, reading, study, and...um, practice. It's not something that you can tackle in one weekend, by watching an entertaining video, or by being spoon-fed from a pulpit. Like anything worthwhile...it's real work.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QN0t6tKtHwE/TvP_QRLwljI/AAAAAAAABDQ/ttPnNqTlIrg/s1600/judicial-system-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QN0t6tKtHwE/TvP_QRLwljI/AAAAAAAABDQ/ttPnNqTlIrg/s320/judicial-system-6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
In fact, as Christians, we are commanded by the Lord to study apologetics. In I Peter 3:15 we are told that a Christian must be able to "give a reasoned defense of the faith to everyone who asks." <br />
<br />
The apostle Paul said that we must "study to show ourselves approved...rightly dividing the word of truth." <br />
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It's not a suggestion, or an opinion, or a nominal request...it is a command.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG9rviaO-1zS8OQX34kh-2F_l6ISxvoa8dnMJw4xbnEqjNUMQ8hPPX3ixzItJrayzOys-Lofm4tV1dRBpY19S1XgaCHsiM-bTxaYjCc-nntZRx1AMmk5id_rzS7Btn9sdIuJQUMnd8hqA/s1600/Nature+Mountains+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG9rviaO-1zS8OQX34kh-2F_l6ISxvoa8dnMJw4xbnEqjNUMQ8hPPX3ixzItJrayzOys-Lofm4tV1dRBpY19S1XgaCHsiM-bTxaYjCc-nntZRx1AMmk5id_rzS7Btn9sdIuJQUMnd8hqA/s200/Nature+Mountains+photo.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
The evidence is abundant, overwhelming, established, well-documented, and convincing. Sadly, most "atheists" and most "Christians" are unaware of even a few of these compelling and unavoidable physical billboards that cry out, day and night, to all of rational humanity:<br />
<b><i> "The Creator is real and powerful."</i></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPZmiYdU9vtsnGEsAz93nlMkB0kB_F2Gg1eCKk79mBkQXldS5sgwxJSSXGRBbCfsUGH6B0y3N79JSJrH2QH83pBKcm4v_1qJbgmMysaomAk8SvLW9tx21xu9yZ8ROlhTJ13tUeyiPc5FY/s1600/truth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPZmiYdU9vtsnGEsAz93nlMkB0kB_F2Gg1eCKk79mBkQXldS5sgwxJSSXGRBbCfsUGH6B0y3N79JSJrH2QH83pBKcm4v_1qJbgmMysaomAk8SvLW9tx21xu9yZ8ROlhTJ13tUeyiPc5FY/s200/truth.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Like fish, who are unable to "see" or find water, no matter how "hard they try", skeptics will illogically continue to ask for "more evidence", rather than to realize/admit that their very ability to intelligently deny God's existence has completely established His reality far beyond any emotional appeal.(Using the Law of Cause and Effect related to intelligence)<br />
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The truth is readily available, but there must be a desire for it, at all costs.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLxyePNoQeFOf1Wlrq7Sej7GGYr9tsyKBcIoQT__zT35GsLImod7nfe02rFBURaa0pxAx3bBL6r8Z5QU_4BQmT5P-gRqJZ0ugj68CZz-Dg7xG74x7dtaXfISoniqXihEg4aQ5QOLUF-kQ/s1600/not+listening.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLxyePNoQeFOf1Wlrq7Sej7GGYr9tsyKBcIoQT__zT35GsLImod7nfe02rFBURaa0pxAx3bBL6r8Z5QU_4BQmT5P-gRqJZ0ugj68CZz-Dg7xG74x7dtaXfISoniqXihEg4aQ5QOLUF-kQ/s320/not+listening.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Our problem is not a <b><i>LACK</i></b> of evidence, rather, it is an unwillingness to see that which can be plainly demonstrated, mathematically computed, and logically deduced, far, far beyond any reasonable doubt.<br />
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It's your choice, either use your <i><b><span style="color: yellow;">INTELLECT</span> </b></i>and acknowledge the Creator, or use your <b><i><span style="color: yellow;">EMOTIONS </span></i></b>and blind yourself from reality.<br />
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</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326647847990482641.post-64449830739829200082011-12-11T18:56:00.005-06:002011-12-11T19:11:55.524-06:00You Can't Find What Has Not Been Lost<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXn5WugocnqbcFPbQxdh9Qsc09Wk2D9G9LMiL_c_AYZRzuEWyhxVH-23p8LeJluVA4K-7VZJo6rrSZh99Vnwwt5CUxW4SBI_jDtz5e46wwcVFFp4WdVXa_bF_oqO0f9wtEs3D_4oTqtRg/s1600/Ingredients.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXn5WugocnqbcFPbQxdh9Qsc09Wk2D9G9LMiL_c_AYZRzuEWyhxVH-23p8LeJluVA4K-7VZJo6rrSZh99Vnwwt5CUxW4SBI_jDtz5e46wwcVFFp4WdVXa_bF_oqO0f9wtEs3D_4oTqtRg/s320/Ingredients.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><a href="http://god-and-logic.blogspot.com/2011/11/lost-books-of-bible.html">(If you have NOT read Part One of this article...CLICK HERE)</a><br />
<br />
What are the ingredients of a good conspiracy? It's actually not that complicated of a recipe. Take a few good measures of truth, sprinkle in a few unsupported accusations, and then stir up a good helping of doubt. Place it over the low heat of consistent media attention, and let it cool in the rumor mills. In no time at all, you'll have a tantalizing dish, irresistible to all those with an appetite for skepticism.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0S5j2-hgL0TZUjl9b0ugpoUqzlkTQEzpERGBNcQxxLyg72psRa2SbRqq7JYUvmLHpDuDVfFsukVfXCy9G69cNZZZWk8YZn8NsZm8g4XSpnJsU3arBqLcE-NAqtfKAfFohqEUxI_nG8G8/s1600/ItalyPisa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0S5j2-hgL0TZUjl9b0ugpoUqzlkTQEzpERGBNcQxxLyg72psRa2SbRqq7JYUvmLHpDuDVfFsukVfXCy9G69cNZZZWk8YZn8NsZm8g4XSpnJsU3arBqLcE-NAqtfKAfFohqEUxI_nG8G8/s200/ItalyPisa.jpg" width="131" /><br />
</a></div><br />
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And what better base with which to cook up a delicious conspiracy than<b><i> the Bible</i></b>? Think about it, the purveyors of doubt know that the average person knows little of literary history, let alone Biblical/Christian history. So, give the appearance of "respect" to the Bible, yet cast serious suspicion on either (a) the motives of it's "compilers", or (b) the integrity of it's contents, and voila--you have begun the sure process of eroding confidence in the Bible's authority, and it's veracity. They seek to undermine it's foundations...to "tip" the debate in their favor.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNxKCMh5Klp2N-1yrszNqlL3zI9hi68j0ng-sE-2qHu56mUHLCRUj4mIyAA2BGS7aulq-aSBObAa9JUyuIlHDD-V8ScnxRNYcfknTDIttgEScodvx2fSC-WPEfrnhg17GwYcD6yKWhPD4/s1600/GulliversTravels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNxKCMh5Klp2N-1yrszNqlL3zI9hi68j0ng-sE-2qHu56mUHLCRUj4mIyAA2BGS7aulq-aSBObAa9JUyuIlHDD-V8ScnxRNYcfknTDIttgEScodvx2fSC-WPEfrnhg17GwYcD6yKWhPD4/s320/GulliversTravels.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Enter: the pop-culture phenomena of the supposed "lost books of the Bible." It's easy to see how these types of wild accusations get started. As people, we hate to admit it, but we love to see chinks in "perfect" armor, we are obsessed with, as the Eagles serenaded us--"dirty laundry." We take "shots" at our heroes and political figures...we enjoy seeing corporate giants fall to the ground, we have a bizarre fascination with the formerly high and mighty becoming the lowly and disgraced. Gulliver must come down! What higher target could we set our morbid sights on than...<b><i>God</i></b>? <br />
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But, we fear to take Him on directly, so, how about something that represents God, something we don't fear to malign? The Bible, the Word of God.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD4L-kiGGk8eOJ399bN6teHpPaIu6YmMjZ5AbNR-8e7Wv6u94K4CIB3rKwLMRcmek-VHmi2PikcxCovE_pqQLA9rCabd5Olfbc2LRpqjx2Oif-bMe2GyMvImiDYfYwzHrqmTF5hiGIY8M/s1600/200px-DaVinciCode.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD4L-kiGGk8eOJ399bN6teHpPaIu6YmMjZ5AbNR-8e7Wv6u94K4CIB3rKwLMRcmek-VHmi2PikcxCovE_pqQLA9rCabd5Olfbc2LRpqjx2Oif-bMe2GyMvImiDYfYwzHrqmTF5hiGIY8M/s200/200px-DaVinciCode.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><br />
It's the latest in contemporary skeptical fashion to take pot shots at the scripture. From the average University professor to best-selling authors like Dan Brown, to be in vogue, cool, or current, you must challenge the Bible in some way. Claim that it was assembled by power-hungry "religious" leaders seeking to enslave and control the masses, or, better yet, make the accusation that parts of the "original" Bible were banned, left out, or "lost"---and that these "other scriptures" reveal new and revolutionary truths...information that will shake the very foundations of Christianity. (yawn).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwPVilqg0VY0ENLqlO6e7RWK1Lf-ufSOEVv8fmDxOhtztqz_-pn3xvUP5U9x6bt8Wv-z_0JH9WkBaXhbh30PpFBSKD5_q3_zqx2nJG6UH4vkNTtIACHRaNI2GhYiPXKGn5lPrBelbHruE/s1600/copying.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwPVilqg0VY0ENLqlO6e7RWK1Lf-ufSOEVv8fmDxOhtztqz_-pn3xvUP5U9x6bt8Wv-z_0JH9WkBaXhbh30PpFBSKD5_q3_zqx2nJG6UH4vkNTtIACHRaNI2GhYiPXKGn5lPrBelbHruE/s320/copying.png" width="320" /></a></div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">There's Nothing New Under the Sun</span></b><br />
If this all sounds familiar, did you know that this has been tried before? In the early part of the 19th century, skeptical scholars scoured all of the ancient pagan texts. What were they looking for? In a word...anything. There was a desperate attempt to make the case that Christianity was a "<b><i>copycat</i></b>" religion, merely an amalgamation, a tossed-salad of religious themes, from the incarnation, the virgin birth, sacrifice on a cross, and even, physical resurrection. Wild claims were made, and, in a short time, were all debunked. The so-called "borrowed" material in Christianity was shown to be original after all, with the other "similar" accounts, actually not so similar, or others, actually being <b><i>post</i></b>-Christian sources (copied <b><i>FROM </i></b>Christianity, not the other way around).<br />
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But the first attempt to discredit and subvert Christianity goes back farther than just a couple of centuries, it goes much, much farther back.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">It's Not Who You Know, It's What You Know<br />
</span></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFHQZz1y8g5EOSqyw-rgXXh38ghtWr6FmdEOhD6sBgZfPgKo-7J6umFWik5fdbBOEW9F7FsAmKQArbkMXXkrXLnjcnAlnMACsy8ejZ8B0sipj1xLFIEdzFX5-apWHeQy7yFg1pfvurysk/s1600/broken_relationship.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFHQZz1y8g5EOSqyw-rgXXh38ghtWr6FmdEOhD6sBgZfPgKo-7J6umFWik5fdbBOEW9F7FsAmKQArbkMXXkrXLnjcnAlnMACsy8ejZ8B0sipj1xLFIEdzFX5-apWHeQy7yFg1pfvurysk/s200/broken_relationship.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>In the late first century, and on into the second and third century, a mystical religion simmered and slowly emerged. It was an enticing and seductive philosophy, one that taught that we are all gods, but gods who have lost our way. It taught that the true path to enlightenment, to salvation, was in secret knowledge...a bit of mystical information that only a few privileged will grasp. All physical reality is evil, and only "spirit" is good. The new religion? Gnosticism (from the greek word GNOSIS: to know). Whereas Christianity teaches that we are people, created by God for a relationship with Him, a relationship that comes by knowing Jesus Christ, the Gnostics taught that we are gods, and that we need special knowledge to achieve our birthright--Godhood (similar to Mormonism and Scientology).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJmIHfgtE3MoCIP6yN6Xhnnw5qrCm2f0RWKfvQ0YwKngqLn1B1ULIpG1M_0LIfYjjByz-c4nUJZeIiMCSa7X7FLQ9ac_ePt901znhlCql_upSgQO6imnQSmCGb-GtcH9McIv5RR28of3k/s1600/as_skate_tow324.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJmIHfgtE3MoCIP6yN6Xhnnw5qrCm2f0RWKfvQ0YwKngqLn1B1ULIpG1M_0LIfYjjByz-c4nUJZeIiMCSa7X7FLQ9ac_ePt901znhlCql_upSgQO6imnQSmCGb-GtcH9McIv5RR28of3k/s200/as_skate_tow324.jpg" width="112" /></a></div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Trying to Hitch a Ride</span></b><br />
The gnostics, though misguided and basically self-centered, were no fools. They witnessed the popular rise and spread of Christianity. They saw the appeal of the person of Jesus Christ, they were aware of the strong and established base of sacred apostolic writings, and the reverence that the early believers gave them. It was far too tempting of an apple to refuse. Like a wayfaring passerby, gnosticism tried to ride Christianity's coat-tails, in a word, to hijack, early Christianity. It was an elegant plan: forge some new "gospels" that purport to show that Jesus was not our Savior from sin, oh no, He was actually a great gnostic mystic, here to show us how to leave the evil of our bodies, to re-ascend to our Godhood.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs1x-ZkM5El0WvFsrG8O1qUPLsnDmp0NnlcCQ8eDPrB9-9dXzQAqlktX-BTLsk6XCSztI7p9R5Tg0gr_0etYTiN2fgK8QRAUV_shtbH3uNGnOpTWgTvba-w3ZVQSp2Ats7Tzjfel4qToI/s1600/michael-creech-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs1x-ZkM5El0WvFsrG8O1qUPLsnDmp0NnlcCQ8eDPrB9-9dXzQAqlktX-BTLsk6XCSztI7p9R5Tg0gr_0etYTiN2fgK8QRAUV_shtbH3uNGnOpTWgTvba-w3ZVQSp2Ats7Tzjfel4qToI/s200/michael-creech-01.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>It was brilliant, in a devious way, at the very least. As far we know, about 40 or so gnostic "scriptures" were written in the mid to late second century. The gnostic authors used a familiar technique in the ancient world, they assigned famous authors to their texts. There was the gnostic gospel of Judas, and of Peter, and of Thomas, and even of Mary Magdalene. It was a veritable cornucopia of (1) pick a famous name from early Christianity, and (2) slap it on a gnostic writing to give it credibility. You know, the old magician's trick...pick a "gospel", any gospel.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgio-QSdQQORkNXjAS537DOmSpql9P9ER5Nl-1pUSBKmd2O4SiRE0KSXApZcMRCl7YqxNAd0nytZaYlYiO5eKXf_Qe0HxRuWG6xUT65l10Zle-i_M4FfDPBFaUBc5dxUAnvP_8cjAvbB78/s1600/failed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgio-QSdQQORkNXjAS537DOmSpql9P9ER5Nl-1pUSBKmd2O4SiRE0KSXApZcMRCl7YqxNAd0nytZaYlYiO5eKXf_Qe0HxRuWG6xUT65l10Zle-i_M4FfDPBFaUBc5dxUAnvP_8cjAvbB78/s200/failed.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Epic Fail</span></b><br />
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What led to the sure downfall and demise of Gnosticism (chances are, most of you reading this knew nothing about Gnosticism)? Three primary lines of evidence defeated the Gnostic Coup:<br />
1. Late authorship of the writings<br />
2. Rebuttals by the early Christians<br />
3. Lack of Old Testament Support<br />
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Without going into long and laborious explanations of these effective gnostic skewers, let's do a quick overview of each.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Too Little Too Late</span></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLT2m7FMVoyr3pWcN7inwpEtVmGSq2fxEle8fuwJNmAhN2dkw9U0szknWHM9VO-OO1tIvqv_46Scrf4VnQo_G9hgKIdhsP_MpepNmLqXZWdvzCSpUeuEU7BQhFPnNC1phx7rT3nI7v3Vc/s1600/too+late%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLT2m7FMVoyr3pWcN7inwpEtVmGSq2fxEle8fuwJNmAhN2dkw9U0szknWHM9VO-OO1tIvqv_46Scrf4VnQo_G9hgKIdhsP_MpepNmLqXZWdvzCSpUeuEU7BQhFPnNC1phx7rT3nI7v3Vc/s320/too+late%25284%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>All 27 books of the New Testament were written by either an apostle, or the close associate of an apostle (Luke, Mark, etc) well before the end of the first century. By the middle of the second century these had been preserved through hundreds and hundreds of meticulous manuscript copies, and were being recognized by the early Christians as inspired of God (similar to the way the Old Testament writings were canonized by the Jews). The Gnostic hijack attempt started about the middle of the second century and continued into the third century. The early Christians easily spotted these forgeries and rejected them. It was truly a case of too little, too late.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSmj6OH8Z7IgX-8UNVlAkbir9wdvLek4zG5Ies7LFiPIYcP0Iwa-4ry6TOZ5jcxE2hMIXpEb5P7pYo_Ta0FPh8emmTJw_-OERsblXzJq2Q92RuWDGTmJGS2CS7JOwoQqXhNWehV5fBLxo/s1600/judge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSmj6OH8Z7IgX-8UNVlAkbir9wdvLek4zG5Ies7LFiPIYcP0Iwa-4ry6TOZ5jcxE2hMIXpEb5P7pYo_Ta0FPh8emmTJw_-OERsblXzJq2Q92RuWDGTmJGS2CS7JOwoQqXhNWehV5fBLxo/s320/judge.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">I'm Sorry, You're Wrong</span><br />
</b><br />
The second factor that contributed to the fall of Gnosticism was the intellectual and theological prowess of the early Christian apologists. Similar to our word Apology, the greek work Apologia means to give a reasoned defense of something, similar to a legal argument. Those who are skilled in the area of Apologetics are those who can give reasoned, consistent, and well-supported arguments for their belief system. Capable apologists, such as Justin Martyr and Tertullian, were able to slice through the theological smoke-screen of Gnosticism, and give point-by-point refutations of it's major tenets. So effective were these rebuttals, that Gnosticism was, for all practical purposes, in the ashes of religious history within a few decades.<br />
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With almost no adherents of their philosophy to copy and pass on their writings, almost all of our knowledge of Gnostic teaching and writings were from Christian sources. In fact, until the discovery of the Nag Hammadi Gnostic writings in the mid 1940's in Egypt, the writings of the early Christian apologists arguing against Gnostic teachings were about the only texts we had to study.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">The New Undone by the Old</span></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVWS9pTDWtT2zvLyPyuYTm2x7A6kTHKRh1GSiEsOkTISsujG1mlhf5WuZHRbjiKRHb7-KPx8H5P7ELQHZvqaT3hT-3tNCKHrsmgQsVV28WLCwTNtFm2od7K23BWYjaPZuBjbQcRaepuoA/s1600/old_testament_law.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVWS9pTDWtT2zvLyPyuYTm2x7A6kTHKRh1GSiEsOkTISsujG1mlhf5WuZHRbjiKRHb7-KPx8H5P7ELQHZvqaT3hT-3tNCKHrsmgQsVV28WLCwTNtFm2od7K23BWYjaPZuBjbQcRaepuoA/s320/old_testament_law.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Finally, it was something much, much older that nailed the coffin before Gnosticism's burial. The well-established Old Testament scriptures could not be argued against. The Old Testament clearly prophesied of the coming Messiah, who would be born of a virgin, live a perfect life, be betrayed, die upon a cross as a payment for our sins, and then rise from the dead. All of the major teachings of Christianity were verified and prophesied in the Old Testament. But what of Gnosticism? Uh...well, not much. The hijack attempt failed. The Old Testament scriptures vindicated the traditional Christian message, and exposed Gnosticism as just the new-yet-not-true kid on the philosophical block.<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;"><b>A Juicy Story</b></span></span><br />
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</b><i style="color: #9fc5e8;">"We are instantly fascinated by the suggestion of conspiracies and cover-ups; this has become so much the stuff of our imagination these days that it is only natural, it seems, to expect it when we turn to ancient texts, especially biblical texts. We treat them as if they were unconvincing press releases from some official source, whose intention is to conceal the real story;"</i><br />
Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7PURGLXTGetyZJ6nwwViGwZV0BmJ4I_hToZ_4GWJ3ROzLDuP044dDIxRhUBZ8tpG3qZ_-TUG0GZWGaMNrVDo0SW1hJs4Wy1wG2jy6m4c5FZTj6cji9nXQkQfBiW9rzoX0ufIY4KHVLUk/s1600/4_nag-hammadi_codices.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7PURGLXTGetyZJ6nwwViGwZV0BmJ4I_hToZ_4GWJ3ROzLDuP044dDIxRhUBZ8tpG3qZ_-TUG0GZWGaMNrVDo0SW1hJs4Wy1wG2jy6m4c5FZTj6cji9nXQkQfBiW9rzoX0ufIY4KHVLUk/s320/4_nag-hammadi_codices.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Digging for Dirt</span></b><br />
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Just at the close of World War II, a couple of brothers were looking for treasure in the hard soil of sun-baked Egypt near Nag Hammadi. They didn't uncover gold, or jewels, or even mummies...they actually found something that would bring more controversy than cash. They discovered 13 booklets, called codices, which were old, very old. They had brought to light several dozen writings, mostly Gnostic documents, dating from the early 3rd century. These were written in old Egyptian (Coptic) and were believed to be Egyptian translations of the original Greek Gnostic texts.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAhX5aOuTSLlmk-zZX2e4sv9SC-viIXs2dZfA8M2-rBotAvnizaivcbNZA8J0nXhomuc2TvOCEfoJp4ODIHHPesr2Cggu80PUe3s0Kgr845Kgo270OIkYVKyo4am8Hf9J3WwZUHQBporA/s1600/51hjCBFhuDL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAhX5aOuTSLlmk-zZX2e4sv9SC-viIXs2dZfA8M2-rBotAvnizaivcbNZA8J0nXhomuc2TvOCEfoJp4ODIHHPesr2Cggu80PUe3s0Kgr845Kgo270OIkYVKyo4am8Hf9J3WwZUHQBporA/s200/51hjCBFhuDL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>At long last, literary scholars could read (for the most part) the full text of many Gnostic "gospels" that had been previously known only in the quotes of the early church fathers and apologists who had successfully contradicted them 18 centuries before. Over the next few decades, a few more locations turned up a couple of other Gnostic texts, including the famous "gospel" of Judas (which actually makes out Judas to be the hero of the story, with Jesus giving him the important role helping him to get out of "the flesh of the man who clothes me.")<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLlaND-443840ova3LqzHmEkDFPKJYpHDB2GN2hRruJiwHNSxb5cQu0zt1cBeUQ8ZUyE79DmiGFVk9S2wTJMuKD6tjOFbHTVsN8RQo-V1YRN5WDiFTNCLkclh_OrHZhRQjVGdBVLDpEFg/s1600/article22pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLlaND-443840ova3LqzHmEkDFPKJYpHDB2GN2hRruJiwHNSxb5cQu0zt1cBeUQ8ZUyE79DmiGFVk9S2wTJMuKD6tjOFbHTVsN8RQo-V1YRN5WDiFTNCLkclh_OrHZhRQjVGdBVLDpEFg/s200/article22pic.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">History Repeats Itself (again)<br />
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Unfortunately, modern man and modern "churchianity" knows little of the history of how quickly and effectively the early Christian apologists disproved and debunked the Gnostic attempt to hijack the faith. With the discovery of the Nag Hammadi texts and the "gospel" of Judas, the entire unfortunate takeover scheme is repeating itself in the modern world. The problem is, where are the great apologists of two millenia ago, who can rise up, to demonstrate (again) that these are late 2nd century forgeries, a shallow attempt to take over a deep faith.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBFmTCp1tKaMd-XovVSiGFe35l9SBZGucezvrHnKncKHnzhs5UXVgHDxzrWnNo-ajyjht8Xe4knAcBuSxak4n3qbNrTU-gHrdEpkxxH_nTpeyz4JDmUlzrE5OkPpAC3-StV7wf0cdzD10/s1600/courtroom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBFmTCp1tKaMd-XovVSiGFe35l9SBZGucezvrHnKncKHnzhs5UXVgHDxzrWnNo-ajyjht8Xe4knAcBuSxak4n3qbNrTU-gHrdEpkxxH_nTpeyz4JDmUlzrE5OkPpAC3-StV7wf0cdzD10/s200/courtroom.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
Picture a court room drama, with the attorneys making their passionate presentations, and the jury passes a swift and final decision. But then, a lot of time passes, and some of the court room documents are lost. These written records are "rediscovered," some time later, and with little knowledge of the original court case, a new jury is selected to "retry" the case, not realizing a competent verdict was already reached long ago. This is the analogy of the Gnostic texts we have today. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU2UBpYfgFRzeIE1cvAqVwyx3gN8Pm8NCe4A2sMuuW4w5gq17bAl4Q0pKCh1V8vVG9SlvyhK96lf2laK5UVH5vwa8Knyrm3N1eixrY3m2P5krMRtdYahies332pMcCRQ3HtBn54m5pDzo/s1600/We_the_People.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU2UBpYfgFRzeIE1cvAqVwyx3gN8Pm8NCe4A2sMuuW4w5gq17bAl4Q0pKCh1V8vVG9SlvyhK96lf2laK5UVH5vwa8Knyrm3N1eixrY3m2P5krMRtdYahies332pMcCRQ3HtBn54m5pDzo/s320/We_the_People.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>These writings are not "lost", "hidden", or "banned" from the Bible. Imagine someone in the late 1800's appearing with "new" additions to the US Constitution. They claim that these were written by Jefferson, or Monroe, or Washington, and that they reveal that the founding fathers actually wanted America to be a copy of England, complete with a King and all. Preposterous. These would easily be rejected on two grounds: (1) too late---over 100 years after the fact, (2) contradicted by the known Constitution which does not call for anything of the sort.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvOozFVSBELfY_l47gbGjr3jKPEtA2lOLB6VNDGkR9m4rWmUgnUXp8JZks1oYwBftR7NeJnuAStsx3ZSRbgUip7baz_hT_icFLvqA6DnBL3kEGiaCcG1B3VrEHzm-9Q7rYoCtECAC4eiA/s1600/Zombie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvOozFVSBELfY_l47gbGjr3jKPEtA2lOLB6VNDGkR9m4rWmUgnUXp8JZks1oYwBftR7NeJnuAStsx3ZSRbgUip7baz_hT_icFLvqA6DnBL3kEGiaCcG1B3VrEHzm-9Q7rYoCtECAC4eiA/s200/Zombie.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
Gnosticism is a man-centered false faith. It is diametrically opposed to the fundamental tenets of Christianity. It attempted to ride on the coat-tails of a rising faith that it ultimately failed to hijack. <br />
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It's a modern zombie story: a long-dead philosophy that has emerged from it's grave, still dead, but with the appearance of life to those unfamiliar with it's dark past.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326647847990482641.post-38385847815048673072011-11-27T19:06:00.012-06:002011-11-27T22:39:05.942-06:00I'll Wager That Pascal Was Right<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0GKp7VAgm8iRTuMy3-kin1vkYURJ1iYRUtHsVOm2D63_Tf_su4VjOw0xNGBbSgqYaY4u-iFGQbnPqkbeR7xPgVazSO1Rjm7kTAjygI-BTs5wzr441f9_THgb0A2KMlY-y9v5uYwZBsuc/s1600/blaise-pascal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0GKp7VAgm8iRTuMy3-kin1vkYURJ1iYRUtHsVOm2D63_Tf_su4VjOw0xNGBbSgqYaY4u-iFGQbnPqkbeR7xPgVazSO1Rjm7kTAjygI-BTs5wzr441f9_THgb0A2KMlY-y9v5uYwZBsuc/s200/blaise-pascal.jpg" width="185" /></span></a></div><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Have you heard of my friend <b><i>Blaise</i></b>? <br />
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Well, if you are a student of higher mathematics you will either love him or curse his name. Ol' Blaise brought us many things, including CALCULUS. <br />
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(keep reading---this isn't really about math!)<br />
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<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGv93iUuXQbFdZSAdoV3yx_POshHbUHYP-HfZVKSrhvA84Zh0gdYzUvhwlsD9D7xqBdgUqLBh0E2uoyCg3BN5nTngF57ZaojBpx1n6sY8DHMX-XERepPTZdWJPkqFQ_YX5oc4_08cuMIU/s1600/mechanical+calculator.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGv93iUuXQbFdZSAdoV3yx_POshHbUHYP-HfZVKSrhvA84Zh0gdYzUvhwlsD9D7xqBdgUqLBh0E2uoyCg3BN5nTngF57ZaojBpx1n6sY8DHMX-XERepPTZdWJPkqFQ_YX5oc4_08cuMIU/s200/mechanical+calculator.jpg" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Blaise Pascal was arguably one of the most brilliant mathematical and inventive minds in all of history. <br />
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Growing up well over 300 years ago, this Frenchman had invented a mechanical calculator while still a pimply teenager.<br />
</span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEyXILgsVvJMVY7qr6kWvDxMo7yCUdir6UrEvsk3ey7HEOFsbBAzI63cHRkAUX9JqDSsGtnN3mM908SSrMrPLwnusOOWXVmCNBWUpOfL-Z9kiT2qYpiRrTq08m03PtroGMUDrVBRJ0Ltg/s1600/syringe.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEyXILgsVvJMVY7qr6kWvDxMo7yCUdir6UrEvsk3ey7HEOFsbBAzI63cHRkAUX9JqDSsGtnN3mM908SSrMrPLwnusOOWXVmCNBWUpOfL-Z9kiT2qYpiRrTq08m03PtroGMUDrVBRJ0Ltg/s200/syringe.jpg" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
If you hate the Doctor's office, then you can probably blame Pascal, again.<br />
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His work in the fields of hydrodynamics and hydrostatics were based upon the properties of hydraulic fluids. Along with the hydraulic press, yep, he invented the medical syringe.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWRrbkxAkUFPu8imn8J33_boTEMN3krypk8U-GIH3zdwYb0KsxbGnhfvy7JvugcyB-18d3TRL8kyqS8rAuAIVM53wozpSLWDaAe_-C4XCj5vF7xLOj50AtPmADR4TNaEf1Ql0qc2JuRSA/s1600/fear+of+speaking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWRrbkxAkUFPu8imn8J33_boTEMN3krypk8U-GIH3zdwYb0KsxbGnhfvy7JvugcyB-18d3TRL8kyqS8rAuAIVM53wozpSLWDaAe_-C4XCj5vF7xLOj50AtPmADR4TNaEf1Ql0qc2JuRSA/s200/fear+of+speaking.jpg" width="141" /></span></a><br />
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So...it looks like <i>Mathematics</i> and <i>Syringes</i>, the two things that terrify people most (excluding possibly the ultimate fear of PUBLIC SPEAKING), were brought to us by a child prodigy from Europe:<br />
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<i><b>Blaise Pascal.</b></i></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEw1qfzQLgF1ho-6Fk9t8i8mwqSU998CyI2ewP1AIZHVS1EobuY6owLxbc4rAhAR2LJ_uzjC_hFRYP2yYDHZROIvGCjJnDFBKaQtKKMobty0weYaenR5mZikvO7nuVGcnhhV_lItYDQJY/s1600/149-jpg1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEw1qfzQLgF1ho-6Fk9t8i8mwqSU998CyI2ewP1AIZHVS1EobuY6owLxbc4rAhAR2LJ_uzjC_hFRYP2yYDHZROIvGCjJnDFBKaQtKKMobty0weYaenR5mZikvO7nuVGcnhhV_lItYDQJY/s200/149-jpg1.jpeg" width="200" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>I'll Bet His Wager is More Important</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Besides calculating machines, complex mathematics, and hyper-scary-dermic needles, Pascal is even more well-known for his famous theological challenge: <b><i>Pascal's Wager.</i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You see, Pascal was not just a numbers genius and light-years-ahead inventor, he was also a Christian philosopher, whose writings are still relevant and challenging even today, over 300 years after he died.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">His famous wager, which centers around the existential question of living a life of meaning and purpose (theism) or one of misery and fatalism (atheism) goes something like this:</span><br />
<i style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</i><br />
<i style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Even if the existence of God could not be determined through reason, a rational person should wager as though God exists, because one living life accordingly has everything to gain, and nothing to lose.</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi95I1cQln5FzZoe5oHHzQWV0XoJ3H6JztvRRRPZVzFhWlzDrhuzIjwr2PDUvAyZjh_NliaMjwFSqVOJ3pkXP5xVeMTVLtD4XH-iVSu549MJXZCG9uiPHEOQOLz3O1wJxWkiXTuUohb2Xs/s1600/2+choices.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi95I1cQln5FzZoe5oHHzQWV0XoJ3H6JztvRRRPZVzFhWlzDrhuzIjwr2PDUvAyZjh_NliaMjwFSqVOJ3pkXP5xVeMTVLtD4XH-iVSu549MJXZCG9uiPHEOQOLz3O1wJxWkiXTuUohb2Xs/s200/2+choices.png" width="187" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">To put this in more pragmatic terms, he argued that there are only two ways to live: either as (1) one who believes in God and purpose and meaning, or (2) one who denies god and therefore has no ultimate purpose or meaning.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><b>It's About Quality, Quality, Quality...</b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">His argument centers around the quality of life each offers and the effects of either being right or wrong. For example, if there is no god, yet someone is a Christian, living a joyful life of meaning and purpose, then, when they die---they are wrong, but they will never know it. <b>Game over.</b></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwJe3f5AKNLuCeRjsW-oIpvFFL4vILWmF-unxF-25ghZ0vcr18HlUUwhwrPr9UBQCFsuRy2gjAFsVRMjV-ASZH8Zq4t3swqX61Lr6BLrZlxvbY9OSB6jhSGSDGcfXHz4sAKy2yJ8LK0RQ/s1600/game+ending.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwJe3f5AKNLuCeRjsW-oIpvFFL4vILWmF-unxF-25ghZ0vcr18HlUUwhwrPr9UBQCFsuRy2gjAFsVRMjV-ASZH8Zq4t3swqX61Lr6BLrZlxvbY9OSB6jhSGSDGcfXHz4sAKy2yJ8LK0RQ/s320/game+ending.jpg" width="320" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">On the other hand, if there is no god, and someone lives life as an atheist, in fatalism, ultimate meaninglessness, and with no purpose, then, when they die---they are right, but they will never know it. <b>Game over</b>.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">So, his philosophical and logical "wager" is that there is nothing to lose in living a Christian life of meaning and purpose. If you are wrong, you'll never know it, if you are right, you have everything to gain. (We will deal with the attempted refutations to this wager a bit later)</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">Here is a more detailed outline of what he argued:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<ol><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">Either "God is, or He is not" </span></span></li>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">A Game is being played...where heads or tails will turn up. </span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">According to reason, you can defend neither of the propositions, each has an equal chance of being true (heads "God is" / tails "God is not"). </span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">You must wager. It is not optional. (Life is being lived, and death will come) </span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">Let us weigh the gain and the loss in wagering that "God is". Let us estimate these two chances. If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing. </span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">Wager, then, without hesitation that "<b><i>God is</i></b>."</span></li>
</span></ol><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj893304ai-CgqL4msjH-xL5J5qVL2dRSeEdHXWnpRRUnZ-XvchDRhM0QG7RSZPGKSNXdAVEaesdqPuhdKr8FTS7ff10vhYiySjmh0_Of0kAcwdBno1fWHnKyQhu4QYkBMKPiPys3OQ6xo/s1600/frac_01-02_37135_lg.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj893304ai-CgqL4msjH-xL5J5qVL2dRSeEdHXWnpRRUnZ-XvchDRhM0QG7RSZPGKSNXdAVEaesdqPuhdKr8FTS7ff10vhYiySjmh0_Of0kAcwdBno1fWHnKyQhu4QYkBMKPiPys3OQ6xo/s320/frac_01-02_37135_lg.gif" width="244" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
It's hard to deny his logic. If an atheist is right, he will not only lose everything in death, but he will also have lost the opportunity to move past the meaninglessness and vanity of a life caused by random quantum fluctuations over vast eons of time through waning energy moving dead chemicals through a sea of nothingness.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">So the atheist loses </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"><i>TWICE</i></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">, he loses in this life, and loses at death.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">But, even if one who accepts God is wrong, they will still at least win in this life, with meaning, purpose, and personal fulfillment in service and helping others, thereby even creating more joy in the general experience of the species.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><b>Skepticism Rarely Engenders Warm and Fuzzies</b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Atheism, though, isn't famous for bringing joy or fulfillment. Do I have to mention Joseph Stalin, Pol Pot, or any other famous skeptics whose godless worldview was the foundation of their murderous and heartless objectives? </span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtT4CPHWiQdyz4f_d-lo52BCJjOW9QBnh0olFHeaQ-BorB16JNhD60dS0QF8zXmLdYhoC8LO5Ws4EuvKPNMhcIYU1NpedG8ocdp8aUHZ464JOVi_UeDtLoI6CFzIb0yEMSSJt8XWqzLwE/s1600/stalin1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtT4CPHWiQdyz4f_d-lo52BCJjOW9QBnh0olFHeaQ-BorB16JNhD60dS0QF8zXmLdYhoC8LO5Ws4EuvKPNMhcIYU1NpedG8ocdp8aUHZ464JOVi_UeDtLoI6CFzIb0yEMSSJt8XWqzLwE/s320/stalin1.jpg" width="236" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Stalin, in a quaint conversation with a longtime friend, made this comment after reading Darwin's theory of evolution:<br />
<br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">"You know, they are fooling us, there is no God... all this talk about God is sheer nonsense." </span></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;"><br />
</span></i></span><br />
<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He then went on to rule the Soviet Empire with an iron fist devoid of conscience. His evolutionary belief led him to feel that killing millions of people was, in actuality, no worse than, let's say, mowing down millions of blades of grass in your yard. At the chemical level, there is very little difference, if any at all.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: left;">Logically speaking, if there is no god, no creator, no one to give us meaning or purpose, then we are just cosmic accidents, carbon-based by-products of a cruel and pointless existence, coming from nothing and returning to nothing, for no reason.<br />
(Does anyone feel inspired yet?!)</div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But, I digress, sort of. Back to Pascal...</span></div><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I Exist, Therefore I Wager...</span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSEI9FHjYd_CHI1oPvl0Q-J2sodz5qr5Iy5C0gRN8Lr_7Ai9Q_Mi-V4C9bPYPXkjNuV5duPNKOZQF0nHlaJM2gQxkJwn1WAStwWNd3B4WypAzOb_2V7URZmwDJFjaL-r9LfPklrGxecJU/s1600/Life-After-Death-Experiences.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSEI9FHjYd_CHI1oPvl0Q-J2sodz5qr5Iy5C0gRN8Lr_7Ai9Q_Mi-V4C9bPYPXkjNuV5duPNKOZQF0nHlaJM2gQxkJwn1WAStwWNd3B4WypAzOb_2V7URZmwDJFjaL-r9LfPklrGxecJU/s320/Life-After-Death-Experiences.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Many people completely misunderstand Pascal's Wager, I'll bet. They gamble that he was talking about life after death. But, looking at his formulation, Pascal was, in actuality, making a purely existential claim. If one lives life with no trust in God (read: no hope, no meaning, no purpose, no ultimate reality) then one will, if true to it's own philosophy and worldview, live a type of miserable and fatalistic existence (it is unavoidable).</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> <br />
If the atheist is right, and there is no god, then the atheist will never know that he is right after death. So he lives a life of actual misery and fatalism, then dies, and knows nothing more forever. <br />
<br />
</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig_zHzs0tqWTUE9H1a_I-AcJ8_AlU51kuCBaJX0NM3RtVHyB4P3cFW-UB6fqmYAGMtwWbiLNFQpdJ-HAWLFgQ4vLKdNqEul39Wsy7qatQrs6i6haQh_Gm_DI3U1LLwxy1La8jEhMtXWA0/s1600/existential.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig_zHzs0tqWTUE9H1a_I-AcJ8_AlU51kuCBaJX0NM3RtVHyB4P3cFW-UB6fqmYAGMtwWbiLNFQpdJ-HAWLFgQ4vLKdNqEul39Wsy7qatQrs6i6haQh_Gm_DI3U1LLwxy1La8jEhMtXWA0/s200/existential.jpg" width="200" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><i>Existentially</i></b>, if one has faith and confidence in God (read: love, purpose, joy, meaning, etc) and lives a life of joy in personal fulfillment and serving others (causing even more joy in others) and yet is wrong (there is no god) then he will die and never know it either.<br />
<br />
So the wager is, you must choose how you will live your life, either of purpose or pointlessness. Even if there is no god, you will never know it, therefore, to live a life of meaning, purpose, and joy (in you and others) is far greater.<br />
<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Where Pascal Was Wrong (gasp)</span></b><br />
<br />
</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWU4mc84oAncxTbiq9DsmfS7-TGF_il5KnmEdPm5mXunrTuYoDOvonwWKT0oqLmZ-7i84TW17tQpyklg-de9bttVEdgrHjaG_6cpKpeVYHCvO2-PZ65KVF8id8pVLBs6MWuUp4HOFrXuQ/s1600/50-50-page-header.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWU4mc84oAncxTbiq9DsmfS7-TGF_il5KnmEdPm5mXunrTuYoDOvonwWKT0oqLmZ-7i84TW17tQpyklg-de9bttVEdgrHjaG_6cpKpeVYHCvO2-PZ65KVF8id8pVLBs6MWuUp4HOFrXuQ/s320/50-50-page-header.jpg" width="320" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now, Pascal originally posited that the wager was <b><i>50/50</i></b> that there either WAS or there WASN'T a "god". <br />
<br />
But, I would disagree with that basic assertion. <br />
<br />
Now, he is correct in the sense that God either DOES or DOESN'T exist. But, in reality, it's not like flipping a coin, in which you have the same odds of getting either a heads or tails (assuming all other factors are equal).<br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1p1fGx2nL-AYPVcBs_UUQIvtJ_CGYBLda9GuXEO5Hd0jwd-Y8XdJQmeC-xae3ds8Mz-YV7nF5eOiDGlPJ78NWFkTMlK8EFJcRMhtjzTIyOmGoyl5gGRlZQoHqjhcMwAEvet8YaDbHsN0/s1600/bolt1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1p1fGx2nL-AYPVcBs_UUQIvtJ_CGYBLda9GuXEO5Hd0jwd-Y8XdJQmeC-xae3ds8Mz-YV7nF5eOiDGlPJ78NWFkTMlK8EFJcRMhtjzTIyOmGoyl5gGRlZQoHqjhcMwAEvet8YaDbHsN0/s200/bolt1.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
The difference between the issue of God's existence and a coin toss is obvious. Let me illustrate (if it's NOT obvious). If you were to have a 100-meter race between Bolt (considered the world's fastest living man) and let's say...Danny Devito, who would probably win? </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmMa9YP12VAE0DbswIAh8Ik9IUntGCuoOfur4FX68lH_hqJbJZS6JuqkvZUfhaluFThvkzT2_U83ypLCh5ZelgvUl5MOlknKNISUUK1C9VwF2UvUk50AIY4KeTfxT8VNcHdDegVwLwMQw/s1600/danny3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmMa9YP12VAE0DbswIAh8Ik9IUntGCuoOfur4FX68lH_hqJbJZS6JuqkvZUfhaluFThvkzT2_U83ypLCh5ZelgvUl5MOlknKNISUUK1C9VwF2UvUk50AIY4KeTfxT8VNcHdDegVwLwMQw/s200/danny3.jpg" width="133" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Would you not agree that there are only two possible outcomes, either Bolt wins, or Bolt loses? The chances are 50/50, right? <br />
<br />
<b><i>Wrong.</i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> <br />
There is a huge difference between <b>POSSIBLE </b>outcomes, and <b>PROBABLE </b>outcomes.<br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Obviously, the odds heavily favor Bolt on many different levels: his past track record, his age, his speed, his experience, his physical condition, his leg length, etc. On the other hand...Danny is slightly outclassed in ALL of these. Bolt is the more probable winner, though it is possible that Devito <b><i>could </i></b>break the ribbon first.<br />
<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">How Do We Bolt From Danny to God?</span></b><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfZT1Pby6fhlMV-WQbjNtp7-wKe0ajSKqXu_TubJzEmghOk0Ei4LO3aul0YQ4EMFQUAEy-bWLtAk2vWmPjRrrjtyyhgW5ueDcFXmNe3PJnAe4eVUFybCjpQGOdGyxumg-L-GVlK75e3lM/s1600/texas-relays-002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfZT1Pby6fhlMV-WQbjNtp7-wKe0ajSKqXu_TubJzEmghOk0Ei4LO3aul0YQ4EMFQUAEy-bWLtAk2vWmPjRrrjtyyhgW5ueDcFXmNe3PJnAe4eVUFybCjpQGOdGyxumg-L-GVlK75e3lM/s200/texas-relays-002.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now, how do Olympic champions and short B-list actors relate back to the issue of God's existence? Everything. Yes, there are only TWO possibilities--(1) either God exists, or (2) God doesn't exist. But, which is more PROBABLE? That, now that, is the real question.<br />
<br />
Just the single fact (<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffe599;">science</span></b>) that you (<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffe599;">intelligence</span></b>) are engaging in a highly complex, symbolic decoding process (<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffe599;">language</span></b>), and can contemplate (<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffe599;">self-awareness</span></b>) the evidence (<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffe599;">logic</span></b>) and can consider it's implications (<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffe599;">reasoning</span></b>) so overwhelmingly weights the odds (<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffe599;">probability</span></b>) towards the existence of God (<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffe599;">theism</span></b>), that it almost makes any other conclusion (<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffe599;">atheism</span></b>) incoherent by comparison (<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffe599;">rationality</span></b>).</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKM8IKMnL3BpsGoMHhJvGug2b17_hGgsFt49IMlpgKTn8vXf3rpKvdmmnxzyctP4cTU6Q9kjnVWFZFxntM2milw2SEL0Pik2bZB4ug_aMKoX-SUzRojiLKkt5_5BvIZmZnLpsxcR85KwM/s1600/scientists.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKM8IKMnL3BpsGoMHhJvGug2b17_hGgsFt49IMlpgKTn8vXf3rpKvdmmnxzyctP4cTU6Q9kjnVWFZFxntM2milw2SEL0Pik2bZB4ug_aMKoX-SUzRojiLKkt5_5BvIZmZnLpsxcR85KwM/s400/scientists.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Why were nearly all of the greatest scientific minds of the past several hundred years (almost without exception) theists, and most of them Christians? Darwin, Einstein, Newton, Maxwell, Copernicus, Pasteur, Pascal, Hoyle, Collins...all theists. <br />
<b><i><br />
</i></b></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikt_NNdm5QA1J_27V9R0zamjzNpCB9B-6Ygipi5-nhIz9ZT7poFpESDWXLND4HDYYZKbUAVDy3lhwPEZ3Cji1CpCMOW4isGkZwQThdjRgbOrEenpNWPfcgaXkn0EtZQsHq8KtVkI1ZUZ0/s1600/DNA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikt_NNdm5QA1J_27V9R0zamjzNpCB9B-6Ygipi5-nhIz9ZT7poFpESDWXLND4HDYYZKbUAVDy3lhwPEZ3Cji1CpCMOW4isGkZwQThdjRgbOrEenpNWPfcgaXkn0EtZQsHq8KtVkI1ZUZ0/s200/DNA.jpg" width="104" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><i><br />
Why?</i></b> The evidence. <br />
<br />
Those who study logic and science typically find the evidence overwhelmingly convincing.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
Evidence such as the Universe, Natural Law, the Big Bang, fine-tuning, DNA, the fossil record, meiosis, mitosis, chirality, protein synthesis, irreducible complexity, specified complexity, language, universal morality, intelligence, self-awareness, free will, fulfilled Bible prophecy, the history of the nation of Israel, the resurrection of Jesus.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjyvdFWdp86m-M_Lk24No5ea_ys5MR2BKO1uCmXy5CuJm95hHTOlNBi6fxLbOKac2Yhc1emxdrsnNukJyjbmtMG7V52ITGUQcwYxscNjke2cNTV6RdOs8M3ku8t4idBi6kAB6V-58-SNg/s1600/antony-flew-by-john-lawrence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjyvdFWdp86m-M_Lk24No5ea_ys5MR2BKO1uCmXy5CuJm95hHTOlNBi6fxLbOKac2Yhc1emxdrsnNukJyjbmtMG7V52ITGUQcwYxscNjke2cNTV6RdOs8M3ku8t4idBi6kAB6V-58-SNg/s200/antony-flew-by-john-lawrence.jpg" width="164" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In fact, perhaps the most notorious atheist of the 20th century, Anthony Flew, began delving into these important evidences in the decade just before his recent death. The result? </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQKIYMxZ36mbuLTh6AsDYKzheAw1V0O8Vngz8zyQYW3IxB2UiHiOiZ7I43MRk4db-YGtIU3Gsay7edY6EtOoBDMKRe7ZCqz8NTvbzlwqh9RmXj2scN-ZwPZBswPE44Nht-X1X4fAIxX8/s1600/flew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQKIYMxZ36mbuLTh6AsDYKzheAw1V0O8Vngz8zyQYW3IxB2UiHiOiZ7I43MRk4db-YGtIU3Gsay7edY6EtOoBDMKRe7ZCqz8NTvbzlwqh9RmXj2scN-ZwPZBswPE44Nht-X1X4fAIxX8/s200/flew.jpg" width="130" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He wrote a book titled: <i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/There-God-Notorious-Atheist-Changed/dp/0061335304/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322445461&sr=8-1">There is a god.</a> </i>He said that "you have to follow the argument wherever it leads" and the argument from evidence led him to abandon his strong-atheist position of several decades to become a theist.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And abandon it he did, as did other famous former atheists such as C.S. Lewis and Josh McDowell. Their personal testimonies speak for themselves.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Objection! Your Honor</span></b><br style="background-color: #141414;" /> <br />
All of the arguments concerning:<br />
<br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">"What if the true god is a god who rewards atheism?" </span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">"What if by believing in Jesus you anger the true god more?"</span> </i><br />
<br />
blah blah are completely missing the point of the wager. It is an <b><i>EXISTENTIAL </i></b>wager (it is not about life after death). In the existential sense, the Christian has nothing to lose, and the atheist has nothing to gain.<br />
</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMaeFfuMjX4UM9bxTYgfU3IW-VFAdkJ_3ZXyVdkeUzWM0iShwzE4ojrnRyQHDdmF23MXqbYaBDcaErl7Xf-PWqCXW-5LLSAU6YIzdh_u4B2kyqS_zxK6fyRhvS74dTFuN8nUhkz44rVYk/s1600/gamble.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMaeFfuMjX4UM9bxTYgfU3IW-VFAdkJ_3ZXyVdkeUzWM0iShwzE4ojrnRyQHDdmF23MXqbYaBDcaErl7Xf-PWqCXW-5LLSAU6YIzdh_u4B2kyqS_zxK6fyRhvS74dTFuN8nUhkz44rVYk/s320/gamble.jpg" width="320" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If the atheist is right, he'll never know it, and if the theist is wrong, he'll never know it. <br />
<br />
You are free to make whatever <b><i>gamble </i></b>you want, but in light of the <b><i>probability </i></b>of theism, and the irrefutable logic of Pascal's Existential <b><i>Wager</i></b>, I <b><i>bet </i></b>that you are thinking seriously about where your <b><i>chips </i></b>are.<br />
<br />
At least, <b><i>odds are</i></b>, you should be...<br />
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</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326647847990482641.post-81495685511234986132011-11-27T13:20:00.009-06:002011-11-27T15:59:55.488-06:00One Sentence That Says It All<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black;">Here is one super quote that bears contemplating:</span></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 14px;"><span style="line-height: normal;"><i style="background-color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">"Just the single fact (</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">science</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">) that you (</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">intelligence</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">) are engaging in a highly complex, symbolic decoding process (</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">language</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">), and can contemplate (</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">self-awareness</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">) the evidence (</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">logic</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">) and can consider it's implications (</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">reasoning</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">) so overwhelmingly weights the odds (</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">probabilities</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">) towards the existence of God (</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">theism</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">), that it almost makes any other conclusion (</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">atheism</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">) incoherent by comparison (</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">rationality</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">)."</span></i></span></span></span></div></div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"> </span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326647847990482641.post-22924414735283963962011-11-26T16:12:00.004-06:002011-11-26T16:16:34.849-06:00The 99% Atheist Challenge<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A common conversation between a Christian and an atheist may resemble the following:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5CFwytvEwMIxiKeOFww6w9rIhPJ4j35_TVOvAXVQet_i6LeLWlhBNZ8pm17m9uwIuAXSFpnaPK6OQCnvimViTNv4QMjtzJpKI_kOhn52badAyPI26FF6LUndSFxuGnpTuUw9GYFqcflw/s1600/affirm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5CFwytvEwMIxiKeOFww6w9rIhPJ4j35_TVOvAXVQet_i6LeLWlhBNZ8pm17m9uwIuAXSFpnaPK6OQCnvimViTNv4QMjtzJpKI_kOhn52badAyPI26FF6LUndSFxuGnpTuUw9GYFqcflw/s200/affirm.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br />
ATHEIST</b>: I don't believe in god.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>CHRISTIAN</b>: Why?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>ATHEIST</b>: There is no evidence for god.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXuxS1sOP3ya-CyJIrOQhc4DDyIoPMRouCvrEI0VGROqKptFmwlyC7hRagDiTe-yXZ6qUs1-R0O_AAGm9LWeUEueRiUcB_qHDGkmLh6W5b8AA3cWbU6893Ydzw8LgTguqJfoQT-8_Hrdk/s1600/Universe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXuxS1sOP3ya-CyJIrOQhc4DDyIoPMRouCvrEI0VGROqKptFmwlyC7hRagDiTe-yXZ6qUs1-R0O_AAGm9LWeUEueRiUcB_qHDGkmLh6W5b8AA3cWbU6893Ydzw8LgTguqJfoQT-8_Hrdk/s200/Universe.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br />
CHRISTIAN</b>: Really? But what about the Universe, the Big Bang, fine-tuning, DNA, the fossil record, meiosis, mitosis, chirality, protein synthesis, irreducible complexity, specified complexity, language, universal morality, intelligence, self-awareness, free will, fulfilled Bible prophecy, the resurrection of Jesus?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>ATHEIST</b>: Well, besides all of that, there is no evidence for god.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And the frustrating cycle of conversation ensues. For what it's worth, let me offer a new approach (and it's actually quite easy and fun!). Imagine the same conversation, but continued this way...</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoLHx_sb15gsmaw3w8btxjQnQZw3qjhwV1gAZGx77SfQUHdpHbYxWUdh6Z8qBWlAvdaORI2jcECxCzaGxBUM6ZOpF7HOv-TwKHPGWkys-yUNECyiMjiHVc4NTNjsm6QdoctoII2WQRVDo/s1600/know+it+all.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoLHx_sb15gsmaw3w8btxjQnQZw3qjhwV1gAZGx77SfQUHdpHbYxWUdh6Z8qBWlAvdaORI2jcECxCzaGxBUM6ZOpF7HOv-TwKHPGWkys-yUNECyiMjiHVc4NTNjsm6QdoctoII2WQRVDo/s200/know+it+all.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>CHRISTIAN</b>: Do you know everything there is to know in the Universe?</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>ATHEIST </b>(startled): What?! Well, of course not, nobody does!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>CHRISTIAN</b>: Then, let me ask--of all the information there is to know, how much of that do you know?</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>ATHEIST</b>: Well, uh, that's a bit hard to estimate...</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>CHRISTIAN</b>: Well, if we say that all of the knowledge is represented by the number 100%, then what percent do you have a pretty good handle on...I mean really, really know?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiotqWN3l7zJYqVTXb4cNfXbwbs2yC8Slb70teBrz9wEujv2gUKmerLhlmh1RXqPPD1HsUP6oSjxtCiu44nebwzUr8CFM3TCWGFMrXw_z5w6lo5Y4PkEzseaJDuuOsIQAWWqgYvi4XUk0E/s1600/stephen_hawking2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiotqWN3l7zJYqVTXb4cNfXbwbs2yC8Slb70teBrz9wEujv2gUKmerLhlmh1RXqPPD1HsUP6oSjxtCiu44nebwzUr8CFM3TCWGFMrXw_z5w6lo5Y4PkEzseaJDuuOsIQAWWqgYvi4XUk0E/s200/stephen_hawking2.jpg" width="193" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>ATHEIST</b>: Hmmm..that's a good question, but I'm not even sure where to begin.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>CHRISTIAN</b>: Okay, fair enough, would you say that you know 10%, or 5%...what percent?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>ATHEIST</b>: I would not be so arrogant to assume that much, it wouldn't be that high...I mean, even Stephen Hawking wouldn't pretend to know that much.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>CHRISTIAN</b>: I agree, then would you say, maybe 1%, or maybe close to 1%?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>ATHEIST</b>: That's still pretty high, considering the Universe and all, but let's just say somewhere between 0% and 1%. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYNEBHvuBzibb6Cj7kSBfdcNUzWIBoMcAVDnq5WRGpLuu6ub_3id4r2Orgf3DkFB0TEVY1Zkvzhp-sqetlcnm8e1BeFErKwR559NQPBR902c_PCjbQ0g2n7JgYC0GkpTG_ZQj2d0AmeLk/s1600/less+than+1+percent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYNEBHvuBzibb6Cj7kSBfdcNUzWIBoMcAVDnq5WRGpLuu6ub_3id4r2Orgf3DkFB0TEVY1Zkvzhp-sqetlcnm8e1BeFErKwR559NQPBR902c_PCjbQ0g2n7JgYC0GkpTG_ZQj2d0AmeLk/s1600/less+than+1+percent.jpg" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>CHRISTIAN</b>: So, you would say that you know less than 1% of all there is to know?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>ATHEIST</b>: Yes, that is correct.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>CHRISTIAN</b>: Okay, then isn't it logical that there could be good evidence for god in the 99% of the knowledge that you have admitted that you don't know?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>ATHEIST</b>: Well, uh...now, um---but, I--</span><br />
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</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKo_6HUjnGSk94dsNCBhGlmdiZ57BnPij3bxkxLPGdlszVfp-4rXwPPR4M9_LMAi3NKvUhMQ0Qwthsh8t9x1dmzrfCNK4WruMnAXbrwoy-9jXihFSs1jN25OB8eSDVXblUWptXh-S0rRE/s1600/CrimeScene.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKo_6HUjnGSk94dsNCBhGlmdiZ57BnPij3bxkxLPGdlszVfp-4rXwPPR4M9_LMAi3NKvUhMQ0Qwthsh8t9x1dmzrfCNK4WruMnAXbrwoy-9jXihFSs1jN25OB8eSDVXblUWptXh-S0rRE/s200/CrimeScene.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>CHRISTIAN</b>: If the police looked for clues in a crime scene, but only searched less than 1% of it, would you say that they had completed their investigation to the best of their ability?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>ATHEIST</b>: Well, when you put it that way, then, um, no..but--</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>CHRISTIAN</b>: So then, by your own admission, your investigation into the evidence for god has barely started, but you are satisfied to pronounce that there is no god, period.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;"><b>ATHEIST</b>: Umm...now, uh, well, I have yet to see any evidence in my investigation so far..</span>.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikt_NNdm5QA1J_27V9R0zamjzNpCB9B-6Ygipi5-nhIz9ZT7poFpESDWXLND4HDYYZKbUAVDy3lhwPEZ3Cji1CpCMOW4isGkZwQThdjRgbOrEenpNWPfcgaXkn0EtZQsHq8KtVkI1ZUZ0/s1600/DNA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikt_NNdm5QA1J_27V9R0zamjzNpCB9B-6Ygipi5-nhIz9ZT7poFpESDWXLND4HDYYZKbUAVDy3lhwPEZ3Cji1CpCMOW4isGkZwQThdjRgbOrEenpNWPfcgaXkn0EtZQsHq8KtVkI1ZUZ0/s200/DNA.jpg" width="104" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>CHRISTIAN</b>: Except for the Universe, the Big Bang, fine-tuning, DNA, the fossil record, meiosis, mitosis, chirality, protein synthesis, irreducible complexity, specified complexity, language, universal morality, intelligence, self-awareness, free will, fulfilled Bible prophecy, the resurrection of Jesus?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>ATHEIST</b>: Umm, yes, except for all of that, I have yet to find any evidence...</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>CHRISTIAN</b>: Just to be clear, you have yet to find it in your less than 1% of the total evidence? Is the case closed then?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAXQHwOpvXMCPzueLqtj4IKE2GIXU7G2XoOtE4uuemL9Y25yfMiePO8dIkXlsY161vO-sv9p4oHPpKrDEA42m0XGwVnYLxvH0hV_LgPWkpilsV1Ic4V5i8zFU_AVikUbbWY8qQS9X4brE/s1600/RichardDawkins_1664696c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAXQHwOpvXMCPzueLqtj4IKE2GIXU7G2XoOtE4uuemL9Y25yfMiePO8dIkXlsY161vO-sv9p4oHPpKrDEA42m0XGwVnYLxvH0hV_LgPWkpilsV1Ic4V5i8zFU_AVikUbbWY8qQS9X4brE/s320/RichardDawkins_1664696c.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br />
<br />
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ATHEIST</b>: Yes..I mean, no. Sorry, I have to leave now, I have read another chapter of any book by Richard Dawkins, it always makes me feel better about myself.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(In the interest of openness and full disclosure, this 99% argument concept is not original with me. I am not totally sure of the original source. I just took the concept and created an imaginary discussion based upon it)</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326647847990482641.post-49061293134610293632011-11-25T21:20:00.023-06:002011-11-25T22:03:47.600-06:00The Challenge: Why Doesn't God Heal Amputees?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHTedLQNtHbQ4znP0wrX_uHmwnz5B1DHBrDVZ650is9CrXvsaxrUGV9nn638ZyckjcN9LEQO2LWRLT5M07rOc2LXWMSHwA6FY9s8tED__ccsq9Z5Qhwj4BHt9T4IVievNcRBug2z8ZRMs/s1600/fads.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHTedLQNtHbQ4znP0wrX_uHmwnz5B1DHBrDVZ650is9CrXvsaxrUGV9nn638ZyckjcN9LEQO2LWRLT5M07rOc2LXWMSHwA6FY9s8tED__ccsq9Z5Qhwj4BHt9T4IVievNcRBug2z8ZRMs/s200/fads.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It seems that different fads, or different strategies of attacking Christianity, move in cycles. One type of challenge will rise up, get debunked, then retreat into the shadows..awaiting a new time when it can emerge as "something new". Of course, it isn't new at all, usually just a re-hash dressed up in fancy new, contemporary clothing. <br />
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There seems to be an endless supply of young minds ready to swallow these<b><i> left-over cold cuts</i></b>, excited to become the apostles of a "novel" brand of skepticism...when in reality, it is nothing of the sort, just tired old ideas with a fresh coat of paint.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijSrds5LSgIWiYo84yKDwjS2S6fTFS-kvB6ZMrzU-i6dYUJJQmbysEXziqhOASzD-6u2qHT27MF_3RHyhJ4w3d3U7Bj2iAd05w7c9nACO_YfvZv5BpR9dFPwVAyNgaPbREJ2Oc9rULwiQ/s1600/pyrite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijSrds5LSgIWiYo84yKDwjS2S6fTFS-kvB6ZMrzU-i6dYUJJQmbysEXziqhOASzD-6u2qHT27MF_3RHyhJ4w3d3U7Bj2iAd05w7c9nACO_YfvZv5BpR9dFPwVAyNgaPbREJ2Oc9rULwiQ/s200/pyrite.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Fools gold looks like the real thing, that is, until you put it to the test.</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of these predictable and recurring challenges involves the issue of God somehow "proving" Himself undeniably through a certain type of miracle. It is usually phrased something like this:</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZkKAe711Oib4EEJNiqfneewcqvMdZdy5Ev-AjM4Z0ZhAdD-kCXRgd2I1o7sD5Txr0rwXeu_eehJwVjBHL_RGTi2jkW3QrwqBeAwU1ZiOIasRoT7xJtPKE8EsRZavc51805YnFkKvAvho/s1600/amputee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZkKAe711Oib4EEJNiqfneewcqvMdZdy5Ev-AjM4Z0ZhAdD-kCXRgd2I1o7sD5Txr0rwXeu_eehJwVjBHL_RGTi2jkW3QrwqBeAwU1ZiOIasRoT7xJtPKE8EsRZavc51805YnFkKvAvho/s200/amputee.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>"Why doesn't God heal amputees?"</i></b></span><br />
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</i></b></span>Sometimes what you don't say is just as important as your outright declarations. Inherent to this odd challenge is actually what is </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">NOT </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">said. The challenge assumes mockingly that God "supposedly" heals other types of illnesses and physical problems, such as cancer or pneumonia...but why not the plight of </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">amputees</span></i></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">?</span><br />
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Also implied in this type of argument is a strange standard of miraculous proof. Indeed, many proponents of this challenge will say that if God would do this (</span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>heal an amputee</i></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">), then that would be undeniable and ultimate proof of His existence and power, and that they would whole-heartedly acknowledge and worship Him. </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Uh-huh...hmmm. Right.</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhgQuQXBsb-460D_SDTMWZXlyUw4PyszzrIJtqVHX4u0WqsZsUaGvkNwDeesgQUAWkaQCIFe5p-_X2Dy9AtgY6fkt42_WAkdx5IgToVIHR5NvFEcM6boGFjg_3ir_5U933Ekfrbseq33E/s1600/heals.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhgQuQXBsb-460D_SDTMWZXlyUw4PyszzrIJtqVHX4u0WqsZsUaGvkNwDeesgQUAWkaQCIFe5p-_X2Dy9AtgY6fkt42_WAkdx5IgToVIHR5NvFEcM6boGFjg_3ir_5U933Ekfrbseq33E/s200/heals.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
Before we dissect and logically evaluate this challenge, there is another assumption that it makes, point blank, that needs to be exposed in the light of reasonable discussion. <br />
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<b>It ASSUMES that God doesn't, or at least, hasn't, healed an amputee.</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjVB9WL-uIs-m31OAPNQxd9_uBaoS0R0zQ2ZBJFUHqvP0DvSp9V4oF5zQbSCJBxw2ElTtDcX2tDk454yCoieJOxzb1GARVycAmrOvhafhEoKgNWBToI7AQ1f6-chkh9GgA2_IstiNcft8/s1600/PinkPlanet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjVB9WL-uIs-m31OAPNQxd9_uBaoS0R0zQ2ZBJFUHqvP0DvSp9V4oF5zQbSCJBxw2ElTtDcX2tDk454yCoieJOxzb1GARVycAmrOvhafhEoKgNWBToI7AQ1f6-chkh9GgA2_IstiNcft8/s200/PinkPlanet.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Think about that. That's like asking:<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;"> <br />
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"Why doesn't God make a pink planet with purple rings?"</span></i></b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do you somehow have private knowledge that He <b><i>HASN'T </i></b>already made one...somewhere? This is a very important point. Can you demonstrate that in all of the vastness of space there is not a pink planet with purple rings?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOrYYtM_Yb0h8fKrZ4VDBd2lLX9d9GnXC18Dow-TRpOrL1CwgsEGWj3Wfzk0RPsZlRfjSX85dRDDQHrewf23IULPQ6zCIANcEgxujUq2cGudPwqcG5nPa0B97gu3oPeStrGMi-_4kFbSA/s1600/guilty+husband.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOrYYtM_Yb0h8fKrZ4VDBd2lLX9d9GnXC18Dow-TRpOrL1CwgsEGWj3Wfzk0RPsZlRfjSX85dRDDQHrewf23IULPQ6zCIANcEgxujUq2cGudPwqcG5nPa0B97gu3oPeStrGMi-_4kFbSA/s200/guilty+husband.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The challenge:<b><i> "Why doesn't God heal amputees?"</i></b> is a lot like asking a married man: <br />
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<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">"Have you stopped beating your wife?" </span></i></b><br />
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The question blatantly affirms guilt, and though it has the appearance of a serious question, it is merely a thin veneer covering a much deeper animosity.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With all that said, let's begin a more thorough response to this recurring attack.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV8uM0alYCTDpkI8tly-YVUcnLTXYok6kH2fFPZwly8uKWf_yBMBp93ue00ghuYzSBKKQBlnzmE3pH9LWYYfPyk-fbSDfxcOjboWxITCi1QpOPlLH0khve6eRgyONMZ0bgBlndDic1yy0/s1600/why.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV8uM0alYCTDpkI8tly-YVUcnLTXYok6kH2fFPZwly8uKWf_yBMBp93ue00ghuYzSBKKQBlnzmE3pH9LWYYfPyk-fbSDfxcOjboWxITCi1QpOPlLH0khve6eRgyONMZ0bgBlndDic1yy0/s200/why.jpg" width="117" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;"><br />
1. "WHY" questions (such as "Why doesn't God heal amputees?") are often doomed to failure, because they deal with the issue of fundamental movitation, which is often impossible to ascertain.</span></b> <br />
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For example, when dealing with non-intelligent entities (such as pure matter) we can often arrive at some level of understanding <b><i>WHY </i></b>something occurs. <br />
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"WHY does a rock fall when I drop it?" can be currently best explained through the Law of Gravity (though the <b><i>WHY of gravity itself</i></b> remains inexplicable).</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRtjFAG6aE_ZSYpca3nRLVTVkl8m6m2Fy2UTFafCtyNXfjoQRJu_q__wo0DxRsHUmD5aLkPhmdI58C0ygGy_KPSUjW0CoPM5J4K0jBZtulIxy0BslyQcocYXrGEfvdqB3lqHICD3-RDZ0/s1600/why-is-the-sky-blue-12370.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRtjFAG6aE_ZSYpca3nRLVTVkl8m6m2Fy2UTFafCtyNXfjoQRJu_q__wo0DxRsHUmD5aLkPhmdI58C0ygGy_KPSUjW0CoPM5J4K0jBZtulIxy0BslyQcocYXrGEfvdqB3lqHICD3-RDZ0/s200/why-is-the-sky-blue-12370.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">"WHY is the sky blue?"</span></b> <br />
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This answer can be found through understanding the special scattering property that the abundant Nitrogen in our atmosphere has with the different frequencies of visible light, especially blue. <br />
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That type of WHY can have fairly definite answers.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoqbC8ZHzdiBz4-61N3gM9bO43R6DW1BHnjKd83-MN1sznhSckgicu__MXelwEovpY5wJmWhU2-XTn8B8rnDSHdOP3SXbBJGU31T18me4Po774Xteeresu5w7bXbND_3_mt0-81FLAANY/s1600/3equations.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoqbC8ZHzdiBz4-61N3gM9bO43R6DW1BHnjKd83-MN1sznhSckgicu__MXelwEovpY5wJmWhU2-XTn8B8rnDSHdOP3SXbBJGU31T18me4Po774Xteeresu5w7bXbND_3_mt0-81FLAANY/s320/3equations.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
But when it comes to <b>WHY </b>questions about intelligent, independent beings (such as people, or God) the issue becomes hopelessly inconclusive. Reasons for actions or non-action are complex and involve nearly infinite variables and factors, with influences reaching far back into the past. <br />
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Simplistic explanations are only temporarily satisfying...but rarely hold up under close scrutiny.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYZWEyWXcy-cPV1fuMc2CL5_La2FzNs7K7La2AgtkVGd21HnR1BAYIucxdQubRhp7Z4Ck_dinshyphenhypheno-6WTcJdrZ8B21OpqzC3jOZvQ3o4dlvN-lG5Vl1nFhg5UrshNlT_ZCx78XZh3MhnY/s1600/stock-footage-finger-pushing-dominoes-in-a-row-causing-a-chain-reaction.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYZWEyWXcy-cPV1fuMc2CL5_La2FzNs7K7La2AgtkVGd21HnR1BAYIucxdQubRhp7Z4Ck_dinshyphenhypheno-6WTcJdrZ8B21OpqzC3jOZvQ3o4dlvN-lG5Vl1nFhg5UrshNlT_ZCx78XZh3MhnY/s200/stock-footage-finger-pushing-dominoes-in-a-row-causing-a-chain-reaction.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whenever we ask someone the<b><i> WHY questions</i></b>, be prepared for disappointment. <br />
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No one can completely understand <b><i>even their own true motivations,</i></b> much less the deep-rooted chain-of-causation that has been triggered within someone else.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsksqD0CjCAISf-qrPBX7wgSQj1Dyx8RdixgJTwWLD85PnZYb0QcFajblVe5oy9vyjb0ETz5TVhRvgHMDcjPJXk8zTEINi7fXYq38HIoIiSMmKAmUWZp4HyvRppx_4W7OwqZin99eIFiE/s1600/2910253-dead-end-sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsksqD0CjCAISf-qrPBX7wgSQj1Dyx8RdixgJTwWLD85PnZYb0QcFajblVe5oy9vyjb0ETz5TVhRvgHMDcjPJXk8zTEINi7fXYq38HIoIiSMmKAmUWZp4HyvRppx_4W7OwqZin99eIFiE/s1600/2910253-dead-end-sign.jpg" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, our first response to this challenge is to point out the vanity of asking these types of questions.<br />
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In a very real and (usually) unintentional way, <i style="font-weight: bold;">WHY questions</i> try to go somewhere that we can't actually arrive at. The complex and multilevel series of intellectual, emotional, physical, and spiritual reasons that cascade into a final decision, are like clever criminals who cover their tracks.<br />
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<b>WHY questions</b>: They are often the proverbial<b style="font-style: italic;"> dead end. </b>Now, moving on...</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;"><b>2. You cannot prove that God HASN'T already, at some point in history, unknown to you, healed an amputee(s).</b></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioj59UF4q2Ef_3hxpPyomGXTbmJQfJmuAiDE4poML48RhYnxRhr0YFOzTUKyxwe0o9FOWF78J6hVCT67PM9SrWugyT3E7VDjnqdPrdJJR_wMHjOALZExV3EKRW0Ykhlg4MtnBsnHeWB_A/s1600/World_in_hands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioj59UF4q2Ef_3hxpPyomGXTbmJQfJmuAiDE4poML48RhYnxRhr0YFOzTUKyxwe0o9FOWF78J6hVCT67PM9SrWugyT3E7VDjnqdPrdJJR_wMHjOALZExV3EKRW0Ykhlg4MtnBsnHeWB_A/s320/World_in_hands.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This has been touched on briefly, above, but it bears repeating as a major support to this argument. It is almost an insult to the intelligence of our readers to say it, but...here goes: There is absolutely no way for us to have complete knowledge of every human who has ever lived, in all places of the globe, in all of time, to make the pronouncement that God has <b><i>NEVER </i></b>healed an amputee.<br />
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That statement cannot be logically argued against...for only a divine being could have that kind of knowledge. Therefore, since <b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">Point #2</span></i></b> is irrefutable, we could end this discussion here and now, but there are other serious issues at stake in this challenge that I will seek to uncover.</span><br />
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</span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">3. You cannot prove logically that it is NECESSARY for God to heal an amputee.</span></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg8kpO0VS4beUYnmnLa6gqgBlWFbO9xqfXDGbiF2uJJmEiLYiiPriPEXTr6XHIqHXnshxYZFNysI1_7hnbf67bI3FhXuhHwLac5lMcVCUhJg31tuI1ibbbu5FVfMvp8kNL4erdb-85ydM/s1600/hands_of_god_and_adam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg8kpO0VS4beUYnmnLa6gqgBlWFbO9xqfXDGbiF2uJJmEiLYiiPriPEXTr6XHIqHXnshxYZFNysI1_7hnbf67bI3FhXuhHwLac5lMcVCUhJg31tuI1ibbbu5FVfMvp8kNL4erdb-85ydM/s200/hands_of_god_and_adam.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Think about it...WHY is God under obligation to do so? He gives life, health, breath, talents, and even every heartbeat to each of us...what is the reason that He <b><i>must </i></b>heal amputees? People have far worse conditions than amputism all over the planet right now. Now, some will say, "Well, it would prove He exists!"<br />
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Really? <b><i>Really???</i></b> With so many other confirming evidences of His existence--such as the Universe, DNA, the big bang, intelligence, fine-tuning, self-awareness, personality, morality, justice, fulfilled prophecy, matter, time, history, the resurrection, etc:<i style="font-weight: bold;"><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn1A1wc8JEDFHSjiizuoVNFKC-ZtQogxuQENvJfggB9fXc5me5muM6583scHKsFaQpO8DMMdIs9NdGhbMfKglJ1R6OI8Vpgsh6M63OvrLZrbJt8jGWIgTKTKybpd4IhHTIBtQR_wDBs8E/s1600/dna-in-space.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn1A1wc8JEDFHSjiizuoVNFKC-ZtQogxuQENvJfggB9fXc5me5muM6583scHKsFaQpO8DMMdIs9NdGhbMfKglJ1R6OI8Vpgsh6M63OvrLZrbJt8jGWIgTKTKybpd4IhHTIBtQR_wDBs8E/s200/dna-in-space.jpg" width="200" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">WHY does God need to do "one more thing" to prove anything? </i>It is illogical to suggest that "one more thing" would make any significant addition to the overwhelming weight of empirical and logical evidence for our Creator. If God did heal an amputee, right in front of you, you could rationalize it away, and then demand EVEN MORE evidence (people are <b><i>exceptional </i></b>at rationalizing things away).</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">4. You cannot prove that there aren't sufficient moral reasons for God allowing someone to remain in that physical condition during physical life here.</span></b><br />
In other words, as an all-knowing Creator, it is completely logical that He has reasons for allowing that particular condition to remain...even though those reasons may be unknown to us IN THIS LIFE.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjANBOhQK1t7MgeSCJHMvkaMqumJLsmVdCfXbB65mLWhd9YIrHCiSIpX_aXN2VBAw3-H9lsVR4JdXpF0MoC-IgvhY5WViT3NoRBePFU4-DQgZH0Rm_-a_u35mFE9VZtdoIg3mE81BNujOc/s1600/parent_child.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjANBOhQK1t7MgeSCJHMvkaMqumJLsmVdCfXbB65mLWhd9YIrHCiSIpX_aXN2VBAw3-H9lsVR4JdXpF0MoC-IgvhY5WViT3NoRBePFU4-DQgZH0Rm_-a_u35mFE9VZtdoIg3mE81BNujOc/s200/parent_child.jpg" width="200" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Think about how young children are puzzled by the actions and withholdings of their parents. Their immature little mind cannot understand why mommy or daddy will not let them play with that shiny razor blade. The toddler throws a fit and screams and cries. But it is the advanced and experienced mind of the adult that has very good reasons for withholding something that the tiny tot wants to have.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7X6cubV3C3Dt6kZyJA217RrqOIXWsiT3z0tX8w9ZLkCu6uIIoZL4DPyKaSEJjzh0TTkmvUMdLwDAeLoOKcmk56MDWZ4YWoIo_apiKDU75f1115nG9LXrP-NPj2F0S71Dz_5mlD72dOf4/s1600/priest-lake-sunset-heavenly-light-ed-riche.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7X6cubV3C3Dt6kZyJA217RrqOIXWsiT3z0tX8w9ZLkCu6uIIoZL4DPyKaSEJjzh0TTkmvUMdLwDAeLoOKcmk56MDWZ4YWoIo_apiKDU75f1115nG9LXrP-NPj2F0S71Dz_5mlD72dOf4/s200/priest-lake-sunset-heavenly-light-ed-riche.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
If there is that big of a separation between human child and human adult in this world, try to imagine how much higher our Creator is than us...there is not even a comparison that would do it justice. Surely God can be given the benefit of the doubt about such painful "withholdings" even when we do not understand <b><i>WHY</i></b>. <br />
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It is illogical to suggest otherwise.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSEI9FHjYd_CHI1oPvl0Q-J2sodz5qr5Iy5C0gRN8Lr_7Ai9Q_Mi-V4C9bPYPXkjNuV5duPNKOZQF0nHlaJM2gQxkJwn1WAStwWNd3B4WypAzOb_2V7URZmwDJFjaL-r9LfPklrGxecJU/s1600/Life-After-Death-Experiences.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSEI9FHjYd_CHI1oPvl0Q-J2sodz5qr5Iy5C0gRN8Lr_7Ai9Q_Mi-V4C9bPYPXkjNuV5duPNKOZQF0nHlaJM2gQxkJwn1WAStwWNd3B4WypAzOb_2V7URZmwDJFjaL-r9LfPklrGxecJU/s200/Life-After-Death-Experiences.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">5. If God exists, then there are logical and probable causes for acceptance of an afterlife, in which God can heal an amputee.</span></b><br />
Think about it---this condition of the amputee is only in THIS LIFE, which is far, far shorter than eternity to come. Even if we lived to be 130 years old with severe disabilities in this life, that is not even a blip on the radar screen of eternity. No finite number can be compared with infinity.<br />
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Someone has once said that the blessings of eternity can settle the scales of time.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdeXongKILqjFJQ-0WV1_4g0hgHpyZjK8znN9MSqXfpJVQk1nenSOF-y8Ku-hairOxORY22Nt-_D2Yf8EZPctgoTN7WCqxeHJ4IrHAnlGdC4Y6Tgkg4BPVhy4XHPUkQAz6wfaj0T82SAU/s1600/evidence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdeXongKILqjFJQ-0WV1_4g0hgHpyZjK8znN9MSqXfpJVQk1nenSOF-y8Ku-hairOxORY22Nt-_D2Yf8EZPctgoTN7WCqxeHJ4IrHAnlGdC4Y6Tgkg4BPVhy4XHPUkQAz6wfaj0T82SAU/s200/evidence.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
Now it is time to change gears, so to speak. Let's move from dealing with the possible reasons for God allowing amputism in this life, to dealing with the second part of the challenge, in short, that by healing an amputee God would establish His existence undeniably.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;"><b>6. </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow; font-weight: bold;">Even if God did heal an amputee, in your presence, or in the presence of many witnesses, it could always be explained away.<br />
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</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Imagine all the ways a smart skeptic could explain away an "apparent" amputee healing. Even someone as dense as I am can think of several good explanations. Think about these:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4vmUm4eXOqjDZFkZAAfvrN5IqN-XQ_Vnl1-zr4LqwPXZdg6ZUW9rq7CAiSpRoG30XnY9KOTAir4xUAU_jm_OqZVpFvBQrOyb1fu1LADPbVjdwaCUiROo2oclvlQ-JaWMLd4rrJyLK9oU/s1600/area-51-sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4vmUm4eXOqjDZFkZAAfvrN5IqN-XQ_Vnl1-zr4LqwPXZdg6ZUW9rq7CAiSpRoG30XnY9KOTAir4xUAU_jm_OqZVpFvBQrOyb1fu1LADPbVjdwaCUiROo2oclvlQ-JaWMLd4rrJyLK9oU/s200/area-51-sign.jpg" width="200" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d;">(a) Alien technology</span></b><br />
Yeah, that's the ticket. Advanced, super-evolved aliens have done this amazing "miracle". Maybe it was super-advanced aliens that the writers of the Bible met with, calling them, ANGELS. Yeah...and didn't they always come from up, you know, the sky, outer space???</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>(Sorry to interrupt this little angelic-celestial trip, but there are so many flaws with the alien-angel theory, but that will have to wait for another blog article...you would be surprised, though, about how many people will believe that)</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(I really like this next one)</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9AqLy9lWRWA9HNzaLQA-eAPfacFO1B7eUDV1OPpWUvZic5B9_2X84fqVw9Xyo7b8h30b6V4a0cS8V1pJ35lOQ-CDfFxqcBETK2MPdm2N-_BHjsFx97Mo0h4g3mxu0CN3O2A8mfyuLHik/s1600/future+technology.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9AqLy9lWRWA9HNzaLQA-eAPfacFO1B7eUDV1OPpWUvZic5B9_2X84fqVw9Xyo7b8h30b6V4a0cS8V1pJ35lOQ-CDfFxqcBETK2MPdm2N-_BHjsFx97Mo0h4g3mxu0CN3O2A8mfyuLHik/s200/future+technology.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"> (b) Future technology (time traveled back to us)</span></b><br />
That does make SO MUCH sense! Surely, in the future, we will easily be able to heal amputism, and also, I'm sure, someone will have proven Einstein wrong, and found a way to travel in reverse through the time stream. Excuse, Mr. Bookie---I would like to put $500 on "Lady Future Technology" in race number three!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOWBaJ3TYI7G_924jppNgebtgBEdtubTYc0WMyDs9ahpGhtTC_UHAmSLR-mWxBaO1q2J-jaIm0onxs22FO4pusdmMzNAAaijHEqkw0Se_vQC0_x7yRfrCRvdYGR80b3lVSyu1Iydy9PPc/s1600/pink-elephant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOWBaJ3TYI7G_924jppNgebtgBEdtubTYc0WMyDs9ahpGhtTC_UHAmSLR-mWxBaO1q2J-jaIm0onxs22FO4pusdmMzNAAaijHEqkw0Se_vQC0_x7yRfrCRvdYGR80b3lVSyu1Iydy9PPc/s200/pink-elephant.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;"> (c) Hallucination or mass hypnosis</span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why not? I mean, with all of these crazy Christians around talking about "miracles," maybe in a weak moment, we will <b><i>imagine </i></b>that we see an amputee healed. Maybe the government is programming us through TV or the internet, and they can make us believe that we see or hear certain things. Maybe Big Brother is turning to Big Healer. Don't drink the koolaid!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKpkT-4m8dPFYncLfuNWMfW56NMsFJZf_0fGD3Pl9sb8jRG6L8GyEkNy3zMKGTJ4pa8-147sNeqKtAwsPQVPg9Xalxcv0F9fklm2ilONhPoE1pdpXAWD4xQgg9iD-ncpU3delPLzoOf50/s1600/lizard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKpkT-4m8dPFYncLfuNWMfW56NMsFJZf_0fGD3Pl9sb8jRG6L8GyEkNy3zMKGTJ4pa8-147sNeqKtAwsPQVPg9Xalxcv0F9fklm2ilONhPoE1pdpXAWD4xQgg9iD-ncpU3delPLzoOf50/s200/lizard.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d;">(d) Unexplained scientific phenomenon, similar to tail or limb regeneration we have documented in some reptiles</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No doubt hardcore evolutionists would claim that the regeneration of the amputated limb is an example of atavism, i.e. trait recurrence in our species as evidence of a past evolutionary predecessor who had the ability to regenerate. Why not?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjmO0T89VMUTyIQ3i7ZgF9FzEJCAfvavv-44ga2ZbvOiSR4VrjBlf_Ct_dfI9OKSBZTqUUheTXbynzRpN9mFCLZ0K29N2hVbJny4kqrL1Yg9UVvwTVqzbz8fFJC-C0biqz640_VGLjrho/s1600/ignore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjmO0T89VMUTyIQ3i7ZgF9FzEJCAfvavv-44ga2ZbvOiSR4VrjBlf_Ct_dfI9OKSBZTqUUheTXbynzRpN9mFCLZ0K29N2hVbJny4kqrL1Yg9UVvwTVqzbz8fFJC-C0biqz640_VGLjrho/s200/ignore.jpg" width="200" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There you have it, ladies and gentlemen of the blogosphere, <b>4 solid explanations of a supposed "miracle" healing of amputism.</b> If there is one thing that all humans are super-gifted in, it is in the ability to find a way to believe what we </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>want to believe</i></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. We have the capacity to ignore or dismiss a Universe full of evidence, and then hang our entire worldview and make an eternal gamble on one cute little comment like:<br />
<b>"Why doesn't God heal amputees?"</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
Amazing. Simply amazing.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl8GbJb0euH_5gbM0hzARnuF72ELHnNKHeta8l-Nyhm8G94LndhufIzxcG2nb9HiFhAFHUpJYKxoULLe7i6iKfaQZ3yUb3Cp_6BKUpkOLh__43ypBxMg57HIAeqgMz2rLNDqBKbVhUac0/s1600/rabbit+in+a+hat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl8GbJb0euH_5gbM0hzARnuF72ELHnNKHeta8l-Nyhm8G94LndhufIzxcG2nb9HiFhAFHUpJYKxoULLe7i6iKfaQZ3yUb3Cp_6BKUpkOLh__43ypBxMg57HIAeqgMz2rLNDqBKbVhUac0/s200/rabbit+in+a+hat.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
To challenge God to do "this" parlor trick, or "that" supernatural event, is to only betray a disingenuous appeal for evidence. One could ask for any number of "amazing" occurrences in exchange for "real" faith. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
Therefore, the demand for God to do this or that in exchange for some type of superficial faith is merely a thin veneer for biased rejection of known truth and evidence.<br />
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The crowd witnesses the healing and cries out: "C'mon God, how bout one more, one more!"<br />
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But, don't worry, if you really enjoy this fad-type of challenge against the existence of God, it surely will take a break and then re-emerge once again. Maybe it will change form, and will say:<br />
<br />
<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">"Why doesn't God cure theists?"</span></i></b> Who knows.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is another online resource that deals with this issue:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://www.gotquestions.org/God-heal-amputees.html">WHY WON'T GOD HEAL AMPUTEES?</a></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">or this one: <b><a href="http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2009/01/30/feedback-god-heal-amputees">RESPONDING TO GOD AND AMPUTEES</a></b></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326647847990482641.post-88992009145764852602011-11-23T22:23:00.003-06:002011-11-23T22:27:44.243-06:00Hasn't the Bible Been Translated Too Many Times?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ_5aTGFZOttM2HVDYjVMMYOSxYDi2P3lI3mFWL1LWz18ohmEDUEGpZ2rWWA9FhPQY62QXFc0MZNydCVroQpLc7flz7IzWdoiuwyfK6L83RhJ7NE3Upp44rrdFaQK2PtPdFLLvnea4YsY/s1600/child.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ_5aTGFZOttM2HVDYjVMMYOSxYDi2P3lI3mFWL1LWz18ohmEDUEGpZ2rWWA9FhPQY62QXFc0MZNydCVroQpLc7flz7IzWdoiuwyfK6L83RhJ7NE3Upp44rrdFaQK2PtPdFLLvnea4YsY/s200/child.jpg" width="136" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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When we were kids, we all loved to play "<b><i>Telephone</i></b>". You know, the first person whispers something quickly and quietly into the next person's ear. The second person is usually a bit confused, but the rules of the game mandate that they must pass something on to the next person. They do their best, but now the message is getting a bit off topic, and after five, six, or ten "telephone" passes, the end result can be shocking and almost always pretty hilarious. There is even a phrase we use in such cases: "<b><i>Lost in translation...</i></b>"</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This harmless childhood game has, unfortunately, been used as an analogy regarding Bible translation. Many people think that the English Bible that we have today (whether King James version, NIV, etc) was translated from an older language, which translated earlier from an even older language, which was translated from an even older language, until, sometime in the distant past we reach the <b><i>ORIGINAL </i></b>languages that the Bible was written in. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkrYi5BH1r26YqbcGQBt5acHUiKcFWH6rKh5AKatO_XHbKKoJp17To1plsOqYeQQt4GKICcCJH5C7tS9yFJRiOIJ9v2XRM9Z-i4lnpZlIFeIM69KrUy6wZB2V1rcDFwSpEJ7tCORz3HVM/s1600/bible2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkrYi5BH1r26YqbcGQBt5acHUiKcFWH6rKh5AKatO_XHbKKoJp17To1plsOqYeQQt4GKICcCJH5C7tS9yFJRiOIJ9v2XRM9Z-i4lnpZlIFeIM69KrUy6wZB2V1rcDFwSpEJ7tCORz3HVM/s200/bible2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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When confronted with the idea of the authority of the Bible as God's word, they will shrug and say: <br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">"Well, it's been translated too many times, there's just no way to know what the original Word of God said, so we can't trust it."</span></b> </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwztn26aS-12aq48q3JX1jB7I29FDfeJp7hyphenhyphen0a6NJ8vMOH9hFGIohR29oQZMC-SxH5arG5YefvLUW7VxrdC3V9Z98U1OzPErX-sxcm8MH2c1IoDqlYcJwTWOFY3EQM9FSyByHar_baV1s/s1600/frewin_floating_big.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwztn26aS-12aq48q3JX1jB7I29FDfeJp7hyphenhyphen0a6NJ8vMOH9hFGIohR29oQZMC-SxH5arG5YefvLUW7VxrdC3V9Z98U1OzPErX-sxcm8MH2c1IoDqlYcJwTWOFY3EQM9FSyByHar_baV1s/s200/frewin_floating_big.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And they go on their merry way, not realizing that their excuse is an illusion, a magician's trick, with no basis in reality, and certainly no foundation in history.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Get ready for the shocker:</b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;"><b><i>The English Bible that you have was translated DIRECTLY from the original languages of the Bible into English</i></b> </span><br />
(we call that a One-Step Translation). </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Honest. You are not reading a translation OF a translation OF a translation OF a translation, etc., etc.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAdkU6Vw448mHDzYOTeLFEmm6neMWyyg70EMNzi41CmgfG8GsDtLfkJuXdWFck_MO6Zt50yo94EMcSJOu-0vRP_Sd-IAQkgv33FK3rm8RSjBQEHeQiVw7t-wzZyQSRUAuLnT9UYQ_cFtw/s1600/confused-man-in-suit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAdkU6Vw448mHDzYOTeLFEmm6neMWyyg70EMNzi41CmgfG8GsDtLfkJuXdWFck_MO6Zt50yo94EMcSJOu-0vRP_Sd-IAQkgv33FK3rm8RSjBQEHeQiVw7t-wzZyQSRUAuLnT9UYQ_cFtw/s200/confused-man-in-suit.jpg" width="166" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
This is one of those arguments against Christianity that has had scholars and students of history scratching their heads for decades. It isn't true, and it never has been true. Let's look at the real history, not the imagined history of the skeptic (with a predisposed bias against the Bible).</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Bible is comprised of two basic parts, called the <b><i>Old Testament </i></b>and the <b><i>New Testament</i></b>. 99% of the Old Testament was written in Hebrew (with two small portions in Aramaic). 100% of the New Testament was written in Greek (primarily Koine (or common) Greek). Just to put the accuracy and reliability of, let's say, just the New Testament into perspective, we have about <b><i>6000 </i></b>ancient manuscripts of the New Testament surviving until today. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv8KNbYcxs3mzJwjyYIz4h-ETzXfRV3Ds9IH4SKoP4_Z-KY0-M5AE5zvEWGJxG3bExKToI26l4ySIQFrXrpTbtGQDJ0YqOZDeSFXAYn_nmwH0S-kWZeOdCvwgAdDAiMidz80Z-LoSuoRs/s1600/greek_text.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv8KNbYcxs3mzJwjyYIz4h-ETzXfRV3Ds9IH4SKoP4_Z-KY0-M5AE5zvEWGJxG3bExKToI26l4ySIQFrXrpTbtGQDJ0YqOZDeSFXAYn_nmwH0S-kWZeOdCvwgAdDAiMidz80Z-LoSuoRs/s200/greek_text.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
These manuscripts agree to approximately<b> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">99.5%</span></b>. That number is not a misprint. <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">99.5%</span></b>. And the majority of these tiny differences involve proper name spellings or simple word order. When that is figured in, we have almost 100% agreement between these many thousands of manuscripts.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi41fw5XxQGtJwCQszIHTLIr2j0jvz3dfFkulJbQdrJ1ml2We70DQvmfKdZK_GSTuqiyGDwMJJI6M3-J8nKveCqw_SoRtjB5LaNnXijeX8LrVUdoaXG3Ifzm1s7TgKJBPkpEEAKK9cpkHM/s1600/hebrew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi41fw5XxQGtJwCQszIHTLIr2j0jvz3dfFkulJbQdrJ1ml2We70DQvmfKdZK_GSTuqiyGDwMJJI6M3-J8nKveCqw_SoRtjB5LaNnXijeX8LrVUdoaXG3Ifzm1s7TgKJBPkpEEAKK9cpkHM/s320/hebrew.jpg" width="289" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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When you realize that all of the 27 books of the New Testament were written before 95A.D. (about 2000 years ago), a simple comparison will show just how amazing (and miraculous) the 99.5% accuracy fact really is. Take the Book of Mormon, for instance, which was first written ("translated") around 1830. If you compare that original (which still exists) to the most recent edition of the Book of Mormon, there are about 3,900 changes. (<a href="http://carm.org/changes-to-book-of-mormon">Here is a link to just a handful of those changes</a>) Almost 4000 changes in just 180 years...yet in the New Testament, which is nearly 2000 years old, we have 99.5% accuracy. It is absolutely astonishing. There is nothing that even comes close to the accuracy and reliability of the New Testament in all of the writings of antiquity. <b>None.</b></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3HKiS2qKaf5f8a2ti7EIEo9dckgV5nf7F5GkY6A4lXxNyGJnIMDhMOhEOI426B-rrM7FwuRhrQI0LPRFTL7SL8tqV8_DRMfyi-1JGc3gienI3W-C47bkaknYNvt6qEQuBPrKp4hMhpnQ/s1600/kingjamesbible.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3HKiS2qKaf5f8a2ti7EIEo9dckgV5nf7F5GkY6A4lXxNyGJnIMDhMOhEOI426B-rrM7FwuRhrQI0LPRFTL7SL8tqV8_DRMfyi-1JGc3gienI3W-C47bkaknYNvt6qEQuBPrKp4hMhpnQ/s200/kingjamesbible.jpg" width="151" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
Most Bible readers in the Western World have a copy of what is called the <b>King James </b>translation of the Bible. The translators worked directly from the best HEBREW manuscripts in their translation of the Old Testament, and they had access to the best GREEK manuscripts to guide them in the New Testament translation. <br />
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One step, from the original languages (Hebrew,Greek) into our languages (English, German, French, etc.)</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfQlv5aZCBCctwipnbutt_1r55Wnd1gC8J0vTIi0PPzfupHhLxUtfOh1aeQ9S6oqabKdmTQsyxkgY3SY-qPh2Gt04gHSXIWHj_R1zEKsBSXk4bHsUNtlXvbwRKcx9412iDZM6CBgZ86CY/s1600/step.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfQlv5aZCBCctwipnbutt_1r55Wnd1gC8J0vTIi0PPzfupHhLxUtfOh1aeQ9S6oqabKdmTQsyxkgY3SY-qPh2Gt04gHSXIWHj_R1zEKsBSXk4bHsUNtlXvbwRKcx9412iDZM6CBgZ86CY/s1600/step.jpg" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While it is true that some very tiny languages, such as those spoken by remote tribes have a <b>TWO STEP</b> translation (usually Hebrew/Greek to English to (whatever language)), almost all of the major languages have <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">ONE STEP</span></b> translation methods. There are also some pre-King James translations that were at most TWO STEP translations (Hebrew/Greek to Latin to English).</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But there are ways to ensure good accuracy, even in a TWO STEP method. One is called reverse translation comparison. In this method, you take the final translation language, and then translate it back into the intermediate language. If they have good match or correspondence, then the final translation (Step Two) can be considered a good, reliable translation.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIEn25W6jjPyxXHIkKIAwd4FLG7iKKfdL3JqY5Cy6CANZNhFVvYzs870eV5ISr4qFj6GWdNRcz4yukzyf7_PJPkPKb6J1ql4JDsl9ddDdbPxoVqa6EIMmylcJnaC-I4NshG9zSZWVSfmM/s1600/unheadquarter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIEn25W6jjPyxXHIkKIAwd4FLG7iKKfdL3JqY5Cy6CANZNhFVvYzs870eV5ISr4qFj6GWdNRcz4yukzyf7_PJPkPKb6J1ql4JDsl9ddDdbPxoVqa6EIMmylcJnaC-I4NshG9zSZWVSfmM/s320/unheadquarter.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <br />
If someone wants to argue that translating the scripture into different languages somehow causes the truth of the Word of God to become lost or unreliable, then consider this. <br />
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The <b>United Nations</b> has over 150 representatives from sovereign countries all over the globe. When meeting in the General Assembly, hundreds of live translators are hard at work, translating the speeches IN REAL TIME, to the delegates. Important decisions, involving life and death, food and energy, rights and responsibilities, all which affect millions of people, are decided there everyday, and how? Through translation. With a proper and thorough understanding of both languages, a skilled translator can accomplish remarkable accuracy, even down to minute details.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx8Ebg8QyTw8jUZGmtKXFWNsdFBcDXc7czWjTwk3TC8rDy9mRQdAxrT5Xfq2Bvq8KovwwxGuqnYZ2H6HPVH56U17xYFED3m0LxEJpLmEvemuLMZhaHkERgnyvCIGD0E-hUXb9jcvzAm_o/s1600/Brain-stimulation2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx8Ebg8QyTw8jUZGmtKXFWNsdFBcDXc7czWjTwk3TC8rDy9mRQdAxrT5Xfq2Bvq8KovwwxGuqnYZ2H6HPVH56U17xYFED3m0LxEJpLmEvemuLMZhaHkERgnyvCIGD0E-hUXb9jcvzAm_o/s200/Brain-stimulation2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <br />
Indeed, even you, right now, are "translating" what you are reading. I know exactly what I mean as I am typing this, but you have to read it, and then your brain has to "interpret" what that means to you. <br />
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<b>All communication involves translation at some level,</b> even between people of the same language. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsu2WmjoaxkZrtGwo9oQfJOUVl_95gvCtEOgQdk2z2jFQDtf2NBq7JETmUpqL78nYLlYzTMRUXXS-9QsMNbBR-1K6QlmeSOEfOoa7w3UvDtYGGrSLETgZ2aliD2V6S4EOCGmjfeMDE8fQ/s1600/2hs-2009-05-a-print.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsu2WmjoaxkZrtGwo9oQfJOUVl_95gvCtEOgQdk2z2jFQDtf2NBq7JETmUpqL78nYLlYzTMRUXXS-9QsMNbBR-1K6QlmeSOEfOoa7w3UvDtYGGrSLETgZ2aliD2V6S4EOCGmjfeMDE8fQ/s320/2hs-2009-05-a-print.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Surely the infinite God, Who created the Universe and all life within it, Who created mankind with our amazing capacity of interpersonal communication through both the spoken and written word, can effectively get His message across to us. For those who use the "too many translations argument", they are in denial of the truth of the actual process of translation (one step) and in denial of God's ability to properly communicate with the creatures He has made.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7sXzuePJM3Yvb-hhCgvqdPyKluaXADIf9UXU-QeLPpVBHolhLen2Q4nBag0ZiYMJrtvuzwFISckRiywBZr_MWn8XZpaB-XTx8j117oq2oBMgkPwJf8XhIDST1zd1yiKxSZI2x2T5bhTQ/s1600/397527_Creation--Hands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7sXzuePJM3Yvb-hhCgvqdPyKluaXADIf9UXU-QeLPpVBHolhLen2Q4nBag0ZiYMJrtvuzwFISckRiywBZr_MWn8XZpaB-XTx8j117oq2oBMgkPwJf8XhIDST1zd1yiKxSZI2x2T5bhTQ/s200/397527_Creation--Hands.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
History exposes this shallow argument to be an illusion, and a proper appreciation of the power of God reveals this attack to be unfounded logically. <br />
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The God Who created communication knows how to communicate. <b><i>N'est pas?</i></b></span><br />
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