Professors from other departments, including history, philosophy, religion, science and sociology, will teach courses like “God, Darwin and Design in America,” “Anxiety in the Age of Reason” and “Bible as Literature.”
This college course is a step in the right direction. I wonder though if majoring in Secularism shuts some career doors after college?
This is a friendly conversation between you dear readers and me. I am an agnostic but love to talk to believers.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Prepare the way of the LORD. HE is coming!!
As already mentioned in the article you refer to, the Bible says no one will know the day-- "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is." As Christians we shouldn't be caught off guard but NO ONE will know the exact day. There are a number of things the Bible tells us to look for though as far as His return and it is exciting seeing these prophesies come about.
Another verse I love to quote when people talk as if His promise to return is an empty one - 2 Peter 3 "know this: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts; and saying, 'Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.' For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgement and perdition of ungodly men.
But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the LORD one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The LORD is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance."
As far as the disciples not knowing...this is what I love about the Bible. It is so honest. These authors should want to make themselves look better than they do. They were constantly dumb founded by Jesus' words and actions. But in the end, everyone of them got it! They finally knew who Jesus really is and were willing to give up their lives to tell others. They were not thinking He would come deliver them out of this life; they were living for the promise of the life to come.
Like the disciples, I am growing in my knowledge, understanding and love for HIM. The more I grow, the more willing I am to let go of this life (which is passing away) and live for the next. My motivation, like the disciples, is to tell everyone else about HIM!
Believer in the TRUTH
Another verse I love to quote when people talk as if His promise to return is an empty one - 2 Peter 3 "know this: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts; and saying, 'Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.' For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgement and perdition of ungodly men.
But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the LORD one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The LORD is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance."
As far as the disciples not knowing...this is what I love about the Bible. It is so honest. These authors should want to make themselves look better than they do. They were constantly dumb founded by Jesus' words and actions. But in the end, everyone of them got it! They finally knew who Jesus really is and were willing to give up their lives to tell others. They were not thinking He would come deliver them out of this life; they were living for the promise of the life to come.
Like the disciples, I am growing in my knowledge, understanding and love for HIM. The more I grow, the more willing I am to let go of this life (which is passing away) and live for the next. My motivation, like the disciples, is to tell everyone else about HIM!
Believer in the TRUTH
The End of the World - May 21st
The end is coming!
And yet every prediction for 2,000 years has been - wrong. And the Christs disciples (who should have know best) were convinced it would happen in their lifetimes - and they were wrong.
I would like to place a $5000 bet with any believer that we'll still be around on May 22nd.
Life can be tough - so people look for weird ways to find meaning.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
One Nation Under God
So glad to be back in action. I love exchanging ideas/thoughts and was a little sad when you wanted to throw in the towel.
There is no doubt in my mind that our founding fathers for the most part were godly men. They feared God (respected and revered HIM) and looked to Him for guidance and direction. This is not to say they were perfect or extremely faithful Christians but if you spend time reading our early history you will find God mentioned repeatedly in their words and documents. Sadly, hardly any of this factual history is taught today, whereas 75 years ago it was common public school material. Just a few examples-----
On December 4, 1800, just a few weeks after moving into the Capitol, Congress decided that the Capitol would also serve as a church building. This fact is not only recorded in Annals of Congress but also confirmed in the journals of various representatives and senators serving at the time. John Quincey Adams wrote in Oct. 1803 "Religious service is usually performed on Sundays at the Treasury office and at the Capitol. I went both forenoon and afternoon to the Treasury". Congress sanctioned using government buildings as houses of worship!!
Samuel Adams said after signing the Declaration of Independence "We have this day restored the Sovereign, to Whom alone men ought to be obedient. He reigns in heaven and from the rising to the setting sun, may His Kingdom come." The Declaration of Independence is not only our forefathers declaring independence from earthly power and authority but declaring their dependence upon God Almighty.
George Washington in his Inaugural Address said "No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible hand which conducts the affairs of men more than the people of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency."
Let me say again that while our forefathers were great men who did great things, they were also just men, who were fallible and imperfect. Some of their actions or lack of actions brought about some dark traditions. George Duffield, Patriot Preacher, said (prophesied) in one of his sermons which greatly inspired John Adams in May of 1776 "Whilst sun and moon endure, America shall remain a city of refuge for the whole earth, until she herself shall play the tyrant, forget her destiny, disgrace her freedom, and provoke her God".
As far as Jefferson's comment on the trinity is concerned, it truly is a mystery. I have tried to explain to my kids and Dan many times how it works--Father, Son, Holy Spirit...3 separate identities yet one. Earthly wisdom will never be able to explain this mystery adequately. Apart from God it is impossible to grasp. I think these verses from 1John 4&5 are a good start..."No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.......For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one".
Believer in Truth
There is no doubt in my mind that our founding fathers for the most part were godly men. They feared God (respected and revered HIM) and looked to Him for guidance and direction. This is not to say they were perfect or extremely faithful Christians but if you spend time reading our early history you will find God mentioned repeatedly in their words and documents. Sadly, hardly any of this factual history is taught today, whereas 75 years ago it was common public school material. Just a few examples-----
On December 4, 1800, just a few weeks after moving into the Capitol, Congress decided that the Capitol would also serve as a church building. This fact is not only recorded in Annals of Congress but also confirmed in the journals of various representatives and senators serving at the time. John Quincey Adams wrote in Oct. 1803 "Religious service is usually performed on Sundays at the Treasury office and at the Capitol. I went both forenoon and afternoon to the Treasury". Congress sanctioned using government buildings as houses of worship!!
Samuel Adams said after signing the Declaration of Independence "We have this day restored the Sovereign, to Whom alone men ought to be obedient. He reigns in heaven and from the rising to the setting sun, may His Kingdom come." The Declaration of Independence is not only our forefathers declaring independence from earthly power and authority but declaring their dependence upon God Almighty.
George Washington in his Inaugural Address said "No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible hand which conducts the affairs of men more than the people of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency."
Let me say again that while our forefathers were great men who did great things, they were also just men, who were fallible and imperfect. Some of their actions or lack of actions brought about some dark traditions. George Duffield, Patriot Preacher, said (prophesied) in one of his sermons which greatly inspired John Adams in May of 1776 "Whilst sun and moon endure, America shall remain a city of refuge for the whole earth, until she herself shall play the tyrant, forget her destiny, disgrace her freedom, and provoke her God".
As far as Jefferson's comment on the trinity is concerned, it truly is a mystery. I have tried to explain to my kids and Dan many times how it works--Father, Son, Holy Spirit...3 separate identities yet one. Earthly wisdom will never be able to explain this mystery adequately. Apart from God it is impossible to grasp. I think these verses from 1John 4&5 are a good start..."No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.......For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one".
Believer in Truth
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Useful Vaugness
According to the NY Times, the pope recently had a Q&A with believers. I find it interesting when a person exercises true intellectual curiosity with their question, the believer's response is always vague and often obtuse. And this is viewed as "part of the believers struggle" to answer these questions. I think it represents a near-desperate attempt to maintain a facade around a silly idea.
Asked by an Italian man, “What is Jesus doing in the time between His death and resurrection?” the pope answered: “This descent of Jesus’ soul should not be imagined as a geographical or a spatial trip, from one continent to another. It is the soul’s journey.”
i.e., I don't know.
Asked by an Italian man, “What is Jesus doing in the time between His death and resurrection?” the pope answered: “This descent of Jesus’ soul should not be imagined as a geographical or a spatial trip, from one continent to another. It is the soul’s journey.”
i.e., I don't know.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
A Founding Father
So odd to hear today's religious right claim the founding fathers were deeply faithful Christians.
"Ridicule is the only weapon which can be used against unintelligible propositions. Ideas must be distinct before reason can act upon them; and no man ever had a distinct idea of the trinity. It is the mere Abracadabra of the mountebanks calling themselves the priests of Jesus." - Thomas Jefferson
Imagine Jefferson (or any politician) saying this today.
"Ridicule is the only weapon which can be used against unintelligible propositions. Ideas must be distinct before reason can act upon them; and no man ever had a distinct idea of the trinity. It is the mere Abracadabra of the mountebanks calling themselves the priests of Jesus." - Thomas Jefferson
Imagine Jefferson (or any politician) saying this today.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Conclusion of the matter
David, I have really enjoyed our conversation. This all started not because I didn't understand why you didn't believe or because I wanted to convert you to my religion but because I just wanted to be able to share our beliefs, openly and honestly. Make no mistake, I hope and pray with all my heart that you will know God someday. You are right, I do care very much for you and your soul and I would be anything but sincere if I didn't want for you what I found in Jesus Christ.
But I realize you can't believe and know God until you first humble yourself before Him and recognize your need for Him. I enjoyed sharing Truth with you but I always knew it wouldn't make a difference as long as you see yourself as adequate on your own, with no need for a Savior. And as far as converting you to my religion, there's enough of that going around, I only want to share through personal experience of how Jesus has changed my life. I am not about religion; I am all about a relationship with Jesus.
You said something about Christianity being just another made up religion...I would hate to see this world void of the Bible or Jesus Christ---"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God....And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us". John 1:1;14 I just learned there are books out titled "What if Jesus had never been born" and "What if the Bible had never been written". No other person or book has affected the world like Jesus and the Bible.
When I read your final blog I thought of the last words in Ecclesiastes--
"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man's all.
For God will bring every work into judgment,
Including every secret thing,
Whether good or evil."
Believer in the Truth
But I realize you can't believe and know God until you first humble yourself before Him and recognize your need for Him. I enjoyed sharing Truth with you but I always knew it wouldn't make a difference as long as you see yourself as adequate on your own, with no need for a Savior. And as far as converting you to my religion, there's enough of that going around, I only want to share through personal experience of how Jesus has changed my life. I am not about religion; I am all about a relationship with Jesus.
You said something about Christianity being just another made up religion...I would hate to see this world void of the Bible or Jesus Christ---"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God....And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us". John 1:1;14 I just learned there are books out titled "What if Jesus had never been born" and "What if the Bible had never been written". No other person or book has affected the world like Jesus and the Bible.
When I read your final blog I thought of the last words in Ecclesiastes--
"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man's all.
For God will bring every work into judgment,
Including every secret thing,
Whether good or evil."
Believer in the Truth
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Finally, A Response
After a two month break I have seized my blog quill (okay, keyboard) and I’m ready to write some clever and witty comments. Well, settle for witty - if that.
I find your argument uncompelling. I’m glad the Bible embraces sex and passion but it seems absurd to me that humanity is condemned forever because the Deity's creation disobeyed him when he knew they would disobey since he created them. Kinda falls in the Knows All Sees All category.
I listened to the entire podcast. Don’t confuse the quality of a speakers skills with the quality of the message. He is a very talented speaker with a very weak message. I found his message confused and at points, silly. Of course anyone could “make up” a faith like Christianity - or any faith for that matter. He sells short the talents of fiction writers.
But I dwell on topics we could go on forever about. The point of this blog entry is to explain that this is my final blog entry.
The purpose of this blog has been accomplished - to explain why I don't believe. (See the blog header).
The purpose was never to change your belief or to convince you to abandon your belief. Your faith gives you great strength and comfort - I have no desire (or possibly skills with the written language) to change this. I never intended to overwhelm you with my arguments and bring you to "my side". I knew you never would accept my reasoning. The purpose was not to convince you that you are wrong or even ask you to accept any of my arguments
The purpose was to explain why I don't believe in a deity - any deity.
I know your purpose was different - to convert me so that I would accept Jesus Christ as my lord and savior. I understood this at the start. And because you are a good friend I accept that in your own way you care about me (or at least my soul) deeply so this question is not an idle topic for you.
But you persuaded me to start this conversation by saying, “I just want to understand why you don’t believe”. I’m confident you do not accept my reasons but you cannot say you don’t know what my reasons are. Although you may not understand in the sense that you accept my reasons and I’m sure you think I’m wrong, but you can no longer say you don’t know why I don’t believe. I have at great detail explained my reasons on the blog so the purpose has been completed.
So with that closing, au revior my Christian friend.
I find your argument uncompelling. I’m glad the Bible embraces sex and passion but it seems absurd to me that humanity is condemned forever because the Deity's creation disobeyed him when he knew they would disobey since he created them. Kinda falls in the Knows All Sees All category.
I listened to the entire podcast. Don’t confuse the quality of a speakers skills with the quality of the message. He is a very talented speaker with a very weak message. I found his message confused and at points, silly. Of course anyone could “make up” a faith like Christianity - or any faith for that matter. He sells short the talents of fiction writers.
But I dwell on topics we could go on forever about. The point of this blog entry is to explain that this is my final blog entry.
The purpose of this blog has been accomplished - to explain why I don't believe. (See the blog header).
The purpose was never to change your belief or to convince you to abandon your belief. Your faith gives you great strength and comfort - I have no desire (or possibly skills with the written language) to change this. I never intended to overwhelm you with my arguments and bring you to "my side". I knew you never would accept my reasoning. The purpose was not to convince you that you are wrong or even ask you to accept any of my arguments
The purpose was to explain why I don't believe in a deity - any deity.
I know your purpose was different - to convert me so that I would accept Jesus Christ as my lord and savior. I understood this at the start. And because you are a good friend I accept that in your own way you care about me (or at least my soul) deeply so this question is not an idle topic for you.
But you persuaded me to start this conversation by saying, “I just want to understand why you don’t believe”. I’m confident you do not accept my reasons but you cannot say you don’t know what my reasons are. Although you may not understand in the sense that you accept my reasons and I’m sure you think I’m wrong, but you can no longer say you don’t know why I don’t believe. I have at great detail explained my reasons on the blog so the purpose has been completed.
So with that closing, au revior my Christian friend.