Atheism (the World is cruel argument)
"My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of 'just' and 'unjust'? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust? If the whole show was bad and senseless from A to Z, so to speak, why did I, who was supposed to be part of the show, find myself in such violent reaction against it? A man feels wet when he falls into water, because man is not a water animal; a fish would not feel wet. Of course, I could have given up my idea of justice by saying it was nothing but a private idea of my own. But if I did that, then my argument against God collapsed too- for the argument depended on saying that the world was really unjust, not simply that it did not happen to please my private fancies. Thus in the very act of trying to prove that God did not exist-in other words, that the whole of reality was senseless-I found I was forced to assume that one part of reality-namely my idea of justice- was full of sense. Consequently atheism turns out to be too simple. If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning; just as, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creatures with eyes, we should never know it was dark. Dark would be without meaning."
-C.S. Lewis
Labels: Atheism, Bible, C.S. Lewis, God, Music Video
Alright! This Blog I am typing is one out of frustration and of sadness. I am so tired of hearing this name. I hear this name EVERYWHERE!! I hear it in chatrooms, I hear it on forums, on my friends blogs, and I even see it on friends profiles. This name strikes confusion on Christians, causes fear, and even keeps some old believers in rekindling there relationship with God. Who is this one person? His name is Richard Dawkins.
I feel almost at a lost when I recently googled this name. I feel angry not at what this man says about my God, but more angry that no one is doing ANYTHING!
I feel like David hearing Goliath threats to God’s armies. “Who is this!? Why is allowed to defy God?" And who is going to do anything about this? Why has the church allowed this man to say these things about our God!? Is anyone going to do anything about this!?
From what I understand many people have tried to stand up to this giant in today’s reality. They have tried to debate with him and lost. WHY!?!!
(please view the video)
Who is this man!? How can he say this about my God!!! Who does he think he is?! Why do the Christians fear this man!? So he is educated, he uses big words, he has gone to all the best schools. People listen to him.
You know what I don’t know much. I didn’t do well in school. I didn’t get the best grades. And if you have been following my blog you know that I don’t have the best grammar let alone the best vocabulary. But if no one else is going to stand up to this 21st century giant I will! My God has my words, God has my courage, God has my strength, and best of all God is one MY SIDE!
Psalm 144
1 Praise be to the LORD my Rock,
who trains my hands for war,
my fingers for battle.
2 He is my loving God and my fortress,
my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield, in whom I take refuge,
who subdues peoples [a] under me.
3 O LORD, what is man that you care for him,
the son of man that you think of him?
4 Man is like a breath;
his days are like a fleeting shadow.
5 Part your heavens, O LORD, and come down;
touch the mountains, so that they smoke.
6 Send forth lightning and scatter {the enemies};
shoot your arrows and rout them.
7 Reach down your hand from on high;
deliver me and rescue me
from the mighty waters,
from the hands of foreigners
8 whose mouths are full of lies,
whose right hands are deceitful.
9 I will sing a new song to you, O God;
on the ten-stringed lyre I will make music to you,
10 to the One who gives victory to kings,
who delivers his servant David from the deadly sword.
11 Deliver me and rescue me
from the hands of foreigners
whose mouths are full of lies,
whose right hands are deceitful.
12 Then our sons in their youth
will be like well-nurtured plants,
and our daughters will be like pillars
carved to adorn a palace.
13 Our barns will be filled
with every kind of provision.
Our sheep will increase by thousands,
by tens of thousands in our fields;
14 our oxen will draw heavy loads.
There will be no breaching of walls,
no going into captivity,
no cry of distress in our streets.
15 Blessed are the people of whom this is true;
blessed are the people whose God is the LORD.
Labels: Atheism, Bible, God, religion, Richard Dawkins
Hey guys and gals!
Well when I find myself with time to write I have found myself in a situation of NOTHING to write. Ha ha ha.
Well not to worry I do have something to fill in the time. I have recently found an interesting conversation on Facebook that struck me as one of great interest. Why? well it has something to do with a topic I find a lot of Christians today don’t find important. What’s that? Well Church!!!
The following conversation is an actual conversation that has taken place, so since I have yet to ask permission to use this conversation I will change the names so no harm done!!
James -Christians attending church was God's idea and is his will for his people. It is God who calls people to be pastors. Why? It is God who inspired all the "one another" scriptures in the Bible. How do you love, serve, admonish, encourage, instruct and care for one another if you are not with one another? Scripture says that believers should not neglect meeting together. Find a church and get connected.
Harry- Right. But could you also say the way we run churches is not necessarily the way God intended it? Who knows how God intended it really? Didn't our system of the rituals we practice church stem from the Catholic Church? I thought the original church consisted more of a fellowship of eating with one another and breaking bread, giving honor to God at the same time and discussing his words. It's seems more and more to me that Church was God's plan for us to come together as one and strengthen one another towards his cause.
James-No church is run perfectly. What we know from scripture and the earliest days of the church is that gatherings included singing praise, study of Scripture, Communion, Pastors and Elders serving the people and equipping them to minister to others, correction when needed, exercizing of spiritual gifts, doing the "one another’s", and - yes - giving offerings. Rituals are not bad if founded on the Word of God and not the traditions of men. Consistent personal Bible study and prayer could be considered a ritual - and we should all embrace it. I say again, God's will is that his people be committed to a local church.
Harry-Valid points. I have a hard time accepting Churches these days because it feels like they are off track. I don't want to be so critical of them but church history, in my studies, seems to have started off on the basis of anti-Semitism. Which sadly still has some remaining remnants in a lot of churches today. I love fellowship with Christian believers and discussing God's word. I take great joy in it. I just see a lot of fake fronts in churches today and wish we would all be real with one another and love each other for it. We cannot and will not ever be perfect, and to me that is ok. That is why Christ came to save us. And we should all accept one another as screw ups, cuz we all are. I understand that is what church is for, but church seems to have taken the role of look perfect to one another and pity the one who actually comes clean.
James-Many churches are among the greatest supporters of Israel and the Jewish people. The sin/imperfections of churches does not negate God's will in this area. Find a church that is close to what you are looking for and accept their "screw ups" just as you want others to be accepted. Grow in God's grace together with others.
Harry-The thing I felt most robbed about from my church was that I trusted them for my biblical education. I sat there a listened to my pastor’s interpretation of scripture and it seemed contradictory at times. I just felt that I should have been taught the different beliefs and theological issues, instead of just one view. I wish my church would have taught me how to interpret scripture on my own. I had to go to Bible College to learn the difference and decipher for my own. I believe every Christian should be educated to decipher for their own. It plays a huge role in our relationship to God and in understanding him more.
James-True. And we should learn how to study the Bible for ourselves. My advice is to read a church's statement of faith/beliefs carefully before connecting and look for a strong commitment to the sufficiency of Scripture. You've got to have a pastor whom you trust when teaching God's Word. From a practical point of view, pastors cannot generally give all theological views of a given scripture/topic in a sermon. It would take too much time and promote confusion and factions rather than conviction and unity.
Harry-I don't know if I agree... I think those things being taught in the church would be great for real Christians. When you water down scripture and make messages to win numbers it only creates temporary Christians. There should be no confusion if taught correctly. Our different ideas should actually unite us. There is only separation into factions when people are hard headed and closed minded. How can you learn and study the bible ourselves if we are not given the tools to do so. That is exactly what I want to make prevalent in church, teaching the congregation how to learn on their own. All I ever heard was read your bible. Ok, no what? There is more than just reading, which you know. Please don't get me wrong, I am very thankful for my church experiences. There are many positive and great things the church has done for me in my walk. I am thankful for it. You make some great points and am thankful for the opportunity to discuss.
James-We will have to agree to disagree on this one. Though I am not talking about watering down Scripture or winning numbers for numbers sake. I am talking about pastors/teachers called by God preaching with conviction God's truth as they see it in Scripture. Not being like a member of a debate team who has to be able to argue convincingly for a point of view they don't believe. Finding a church or denomination where you can be in substantial agreement with their doctrinal view should enable to receive teaching and training without always being concerned with what everyone else's view of the topic is. Not bad to be curious and have a well-rounded understanding - more important to receive, embrace and apply God's Word through your pastor to your life.
Harry-I actually have attended two churches were they took the time to answer theological issues and questions. It was great. So many people had great questions and the pastor not only gave an answer from his view point but shared the other views as well. It was probably one of the most beneficial services I have seen. I am not saying it should be my way all the time, but a good mixture of both. We get so caught in the usual routine that we lose focus. Balance is important with everything.
Harry-Getting out there and seeing different churches is great as well. You can learn so much from your brothers and sisters.
James-I agree but still believe you need to have a home church where you commit, serve, build relationships and function as family
Some interesting things in this convo. I hope you chew the meat and spit out the bones
Sorry I haven’t written in awhile I have been having health problems that effected me looking at the computer screen for to long. But I wanted to make a quick post about a quote and a dance…
"In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present."
Francis Bacon
The Addict and Addiction Dance
Labels: Dance, Music Video
