Questions about Evolution - Speciation
Category: Religion and Philosophy

Okay, so I have had this following concern about evolution, but I have never penned... typed... it until now... I think.  So, here it goes. 

It has to do with the idea of speciation.  Speciation is the evolutionary formation of new species.  For example, if a population of bears got split into two, one of which lived in the mountains, and the other which lived in plains, they would adapt to their environments differently, and eventually be unable to reproduce with one another.  Typically, animals are considered different species if they cannot reproduce with one another. 

   Here is my problem.  The two populations of bears wouldn't immediately become different species.  One generation after the split, a bear from either population would be able to mate with one another.  Even five or six generation down the line, the two populations would still be compatible.  My friend Paul told me about an experiment in which two populations of guppies were raised, one grown bigger, and another grown smaller.  After about thirty generations (I believe), the large guppies couldn't reproduce with one another.  Richard also mentioned that the experiment was done on fruit flies (I think it was Richard), and that after 35 generations, the two populations couldn't mate.

   Let's split the two populations of bears up, calling them X and Y.  X1 would be t he first generation, X2 the second (X2 either being the second generation of the first population of bears, or the movie starring Hugh Jackman), and so forth.  X1 and Y1 can mate; therefore, they are the same species.  X2 and Y2 can mate; they, too, are the same species.  X15 and Y15 are also the same species.  Finally, you get to X25 and Y25.  These two groups can't mate.  We have achieved speciation!!!

   But wait.  X25 can still mate with X24.  X24 and X25 are the same species.  And X24 can still mate with Y24.  Again, they must be the same species.  Finally, Y24 and Y25 are the same species.  So, X25=X24=Y24=Y25.  Therefore, X25=Y25.  The same species, just a specific population that cannot mate with one another. 

   So, where do we draw the line of new species?  So long as there are links that can connect the two populations, they cannot be considered two different species.  Now, if the middle links die off, then can we consider them different species?  I hardly think that the existence of a species depends upon the extinction of another species. 

   If we accept that all animals evolved from a common ancestor, then techniqually, all animals are the same species.  The links that connect them are dead, but nonetheless, they are all the same.  Speciation, then, really doesn't exist. 

My Take

   My pastor simplified the concept of a species this past Souled Out, and claimed that there are only two species: man and animal (he was obviously referring to mobile creatures, thus not including plants and whatnot).  I will admit that it is possible that many of the animals on the planet today "evolved" into "new" animals.  I believe that God didn't create animals in species.  He created them in "kinds". 

   God commanded Noah to collect all the different kinds of animals.  Theoretically, let's say that bears and dogs are the same kind.  So, rather than getting two dogs and two bears, Noah got two "bears".  After a couple thousand years, this kind of animal split into bears and dogs.  Dogs can't reproduce with bears, but they once could (in this theoretical example).  The middle links died off, so now we have different populations of the same species, that can't reproduce. 

Questions

   I kind of made up this whole blog in the last twenty minutes.  I should have been studying for my physics final tomorrow, but eh, I'll do okay.  But really, is my view of speciation flawed?  Did I present my questions correctly?  I really just want to know what you evolutionists think about this.  I may be completely wrong.  But it really sounds that speciation doesn't really create new species.  Explain this to me. 

Thanks, and God Bless.

10:29 PM - 8 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Souled Out: Two - Big Bang
Category: Religion and Philosophy

I have this tendency to post one blog, at the end of which I'll say I will soon post a part two, then I won't ever post it.  Examples: Value of Women series, Satan Series, Time Travel, and Terminator vs. Wolverine (Terminator would own).  Well, someone asked me several questions about the Big Bang, so I guess I will finally post part two to this series.  Here it goes:

Big Bang

   Okay, so, the Big Bang.  The Big Bang Theory states that billions of years ago, all of the matter in the entire universe was condensed into an infinitely small and dense point, called singularity.  This singularity suddenly exploded, seemingly by itself, and resulted in the galaxy.  All matter was hurled through space, and over time, matter began to come together, forming planets, stars, and galaxies as we know them today. 

   There are many ideas that come hand in hand with the Big Bang Theory.  For instance, before the Big Bang, There was nothing.  I mean nothing.  That includes time.  Thats right, one proponent of the Big Bang Theory is that all space and time started at that moment.

Atheism

   Many atheists believe that the Big Bang theory only supports their faith.  This theory, they claim, only goes to show that the universe didn't require a designer after all, and that we could easily have come about by our own.  The flaw with this is... the Big Bang actually points in the opposite direction.  For instance, take a look at this picture:

Now, you are probably wondering what this has to do with atheism.  Well, notice that is all began at one point, "Singularity".  What happened before singularity?  What caused singularity?  Exactly! 

   Even a popular atheist asked (I'm paraphrasing, of course): If you heard a gun shot, and asked me where it came from, you wouldn't believe me if I said, "It just happened".  Now, if a little bang requires an explanation, certainly a Big Bang requires one as well. 

   Something had to cause the Big Bang.  Because the universe has a beginning, as science now demonstrates, something must have caused that beginning.  That something is God. 

   Some atheists think that they have discovered a way to beat God.  They claim that the Big Bang looked something like this:

   In this scenario, there appear an infinite number of singularities (singularities are when the curved lines intersect).  That means the universe would be able to go back an infinite amount of time, and thus never need a creator.  The problem with this is that this defies physics.  Each explosion at singularity would need to be bigger than the last, according to scientific law.  Thus, our sequence would look a little more like this:

   And as we can see, this does begin with a first singularity, a beginning.  As we discussed before, God had to be behind this beginning. 

Big Bang and the Bible 

   Now, some may be concerned that this explanation of the universe doesn't follow well with the Biblical interpretation of creation.  Let's look at this some more.  Flip with me to the Book of Genesis, chapter 1.

   If you read through the first chapter, you will find that the author seemed to think that the universe was created in six days.  The Big Bang claims that the universe was formed over billions of years.  It seems that we have a contradiction. 

   Read verses 16 and 19: "Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night.  He made the stars also... so the evening and the morning were the fourth day."

   The sun and the moon weren't even created until the fourth day.  How, then, could we measure a day for the first four days?  We have no possible way to measure them.  And since the description of the length of day for days five and six are the same as that of days one through four, we can assume that all six days weren't 24-hour days.  Rabbis from over 15 hundred years ago agreed that the first six days of creation weren't actual 24-hour days as we have now. 

My Views

   I don't know how many people view the idea of the Big Bang.  Some might think of it as a random process.  Others think it proves that God doesn't exist.  How do I see it?  I think that, if it indeed happened, it was a beautiful process of God creating our universe.  Everytime I see a picture of a forming galaxy, I can picture God's hands around it, gently molding it into its form. 

   The Big Bang didn't definitely happen.  There are many flaws with the Big Bang.  God could have easily just spoke, and everything appeared, as it is.  Either way, it only goes to show how amazing our Creator is. 

   I was flipping through Proverbs the other day, and I came across a verse in chapter 8:

   "While as yet He had not made the earth or the fields, or the primal dust of the world; When He prepared the heavens, I was there."

Primal dust?  Could this be the primal dust that the speaker (Jesus) was referring to, as our galaxy was created?

   I suppose I will speak about the Gap Theory some other time, as I received questions about it.  Until then, keep on keepin' on. 

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4:22 pm

   After reading my own blog, I realized I sort of left the "Big Bang and the Bible" section unfinished.  I had finals, and didn't realize it wasn't complete enough.  So...

Six Days?

   We cannot logically assume that the first six days of creation were 24-hour days.  We measure the length of a day according to the sun.  Since we have been keeping time, one day has been based on when and where we see the sun.  The Bible claims that one reason God created the sun was to give us a basis to measure time:

   "...let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years..." (v. 14).

   One main purpose of the sun is to measure days.  If we could already measure days, then God wouldn't have told us the sun is to be used to measure days.  The first four days could have easily taken millions of years.  As for day five and six, it doesn't matter if they were one day, or millions of years.  It is more likely that both of these days were the same as the previous days, for the language used to describe them is the same:

   "So the evening and the morning were the sixth day" (v. 31).

What Rabbis Thought

   Today is the 10th of Sivan.  The year is 5766.  That is, on the jewish calendar.  The Jewish calendar begins on day seven.  The calendar doesn't begin on day one, as you would assume, but instead, it starts after the six days of creation.  Why would they not add those six days to the calendar, and make today Sivan 16, 5766?  The answer is simple: they didn't know how to add those six days. 

   They knew it wasn't that easy.  To them, the six days could have easily been 6 days, or a million years.  They didn't know what to add.  So, if you ask a orthodox jew how old the universe is, he will respond, "5766 years, plus the six days of creation, however long they were."  The jews that calculated the age of man realized that they had no basis to measure how long the first six days were.  It is obvious that they weren't 144 hours, because the sun wouldn't have existed for the first 96 hours. 

How it Happened

   I believe that creation occured exactly how Genesis describes it.  God created the heavens and the earth, with or without the Big Bang.  He created light, He created the seas and the land and the sky, then He created plants, the stars, animals, and finally, humans. 

Someone commented, and asked if there were gaps in the creation account.  There is only only place I find room for a gap.  That is between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2.  I will post a blog on this "gap theory" sometime soon.  Needless to say, that doesn't effect our account of creation one bit.  Either way, God could have made the universe as described in Genesis. 

Why I believe

   I don't believe in the Big Bang because of the overwhelming evidence.  I don't believe in the Big Bang because the Bible says it happened.  To be honest, I have no more reason to believe in the Big Bang than to not believe in it.  I just have a picture in my head of God creating the universe that is beyond beautiful. 

   How do you think God created the universe?  He spoke, and it was just there?  That is a very plausible chance.  No problem with that explanation.  But the way I envision the Big Bang is this:

   God is just standing around, getting ready to make the universe.  He speaks, and suddenly, all that God wanted to create explodes out of the palm of His hand.  God then proceeds to use all that is around Him to form our galaxy, our planet, our sun, and everything else. 

   My Big Bang involves a highly involved God at every moment.  God didn't cause the Big Bang, and then walk away for several billion years.  God was there every second, carefully forming every tiny detail of our universe.

Conclusion

   There is no reason to think that the Big Bang happened.  If tomorrow, someone told me that the Big Bang has been proven false, I wouldn't care.  It wouldn't change the fact that God is behind the universe.  God is an amazing Being.  For Him to create life as we know it, He must have been pretty creative.  I'm not God, I don't know how He created the universe, beyond this:

   "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."

Questions?

   I probably didn't explain different parts of my blog every well.  If you have any questions, feel free to ask them.  Thanks for reading, and have a blessed day.  God Bless!!!

10:09 AM - 36 Comments - 14 Kudos - Add Comment

Souled Out: One - Evolution
Category: Religion and Philosophy

This week in our Souled Out discussion at church, we began to talk about such scientific theories as evolution and the Big Bang Theory (Scientology was also brought up at one point, but it was completely irrelevant to the conversation).  Because many people didn't understand the different concepts (most likely because everyone was interrupting each other), I thought I would jot down what I have come to understand about all the different topics we discussed.  Before I begin, I want to say the following:

 - I don't believe in evolution (that is, macro-evolution)

 - I do believe in the Big Bang

 - I believe the Bible to be God's inerrant Word, to be taken literally (except for obvious phrases, like "sunrise")

 - I believe I am average-looking, but for comedy's sake, I might refer to myself as: super good-looking, the stud-horse, and very attractive

So let's begin...

EVOLUTION

   So, evolution.  Doesn't it make you just cringe?  Many people who are not scientists are under the impression that evolution is a proven fact.  Even self-obsessed Samuel, the smartest man alive (see any of Samuel's blogs), made the statement that "Evolution has been a proven fact for ages", and that it is accepted by the entire scientific community.  So what is evolution?  And is it fact or fiction? 

   Dictionary.com defines evolution as "Change in the genetic composition of a population during successive generations, as a result of natural selection acting on the genetic variation among individuals, and resulting in the development of new species".  Indeed, evolution is pretty much one species changing into a new species. 

   Before I discuss evolution, I want to discuss Charles Darwin.  Darwin is the man who made evolution famous.  He claimed that he heard to idea from spirits during a seance.  Now, I'm not trying to attack him rather than his theory, but I am just saying that it is interesting that an idea that people believed threatened the existence of God seemingly came from demonic spirits.  I believe that Darwin wasn't lying when he claimed that spirits told him about evolution; the only scientific schooling that he received was in medical school, which he dropped out of.  The discovered the theory while on the Galapagos Islands. 

   There are two types of evolution: micro and macro.  Micro-evolution is changes within a species.  No one denies that this is true.  Macro-evolution, however, is a topic of debate.  This is, as I said above, species developing into new species.  Macro-evolutionists believe that all life on earth descended from a single living organism.  Over time, this organism changed into more complicated beings, eventually fish, then into land animals, into reptiles and birds, and finally, mammals. 

   There are many problems with evolution.  First, we are in short supply of evidence confirming its validity.  In Darwin's book, he admittted that there was a lack of fossil evidence.  He believed that soon, however, fossils would appear that confirmed his theory.  To this day, just about all of the fossil evidence found points in the opposite direction of evolution.  On the fossil timeline, rather than first having simple fossils, which slowly but surely become increasingly complex, we have all animals just appear suddenly.  This included simple organisms to complex mammals, and everything in between. 

   In the five thousand years of recorded history, we have yet to observe any animal change into a new species.  Mendel's experiments from the 18th century actually prove that this cannot happen.  Species cannot change into new species, nor can they breed with a different species.  We have never uncovered a missing link, either.  Any that you might have read about turned out to be faked.  Every missing link fossil to appear has always ended up being constructed by evolutionists.

   Another problem with evolution is the problem of the first organism.  Where did it come from?  Evolutionists believe that millions of years ago, under the conditions of the early earth's atmosphere, a living cell was created.  From this, all life as we know it evolved.  This, too, contradicts another law of science.  Living organisms can't come from nonliving material. 

   In the fifties, many scientists ran tests to try to create living cells.  Some scientists constructed what they believed to be the earth's early atmosphere, and after running shocks of electricity through it, they created living organic cells.  It looked as though God was out of a job.

   Many problems have arisen from this experiment.  First off, the atmosphere they used didn't match what the early atmosphere was.  There is a very slim chance that it is correct.  The only reason they used it is because it was the only one that could create life.  Second, the "life" it created wasn't actually life.  It was organic, true, but it was highly dangerous to actual life on our planet. 

   I could go on with more problems with evolution, but I have a cold, so I will move on. 

   Does this mean that evolution didn't happen?  Of course not.  So long as we have an Almighty God, anything is possible, even evolution.  Where am I going with this, you might ask.  I believe that evolution is possible, under that guidance of our Creator.  Evolution couldn't have possibly happened on its own.  There are just too many scientific laws that would have to be broken. 

   Some people believe that the Genesis creation is evolution.  Such myspacer's as David believe that Genesis actually confirms evolution.  While I don't hold that same view, I find it interesting, and certainly plausable.  To hear the full story, read his blog. 

SCIENTOLOGY

   When I presented the view of such believers as David, who believe in Evolution and a literal interpretation of the Bible, one youth claimed that that belief was called "Scientology".  According to him, scientology was "for people who want to believe in evolution, but also creation".  This is not true.  Scientology isn't for people who believe in creation and evolution; on the contrary, it is for uneducated actors. 

   Scientology is as follows: all people are "thetans", which possess a body and a mind.  These thetans came from to earth when an evil alien captured many innocent aliens in a spaceship, and dropped them into a volcano on earth.  When they died, their spirits tried to escape, but the evil alien had thought of that, and found a way to trap the thetans, and brainwash them.  This all took place around the same time humans evolved.  Thus, the thetans possessed the humans.

   That is scientology.  And no, I didn't make it up.  Neither did Matt Stone of Trey Parker.  L. Ron Hubbard made it up.  He was a drunk science fiction writer.  So that is what Tom Cruise believes in.  I guess that explains why he left Nicole Kidman, and hooked up with a 14 year old (she's not really 14, but Tom Cruise had probably starred in like 10 movies by the time she was born). 

NEXT WEEK

   I wanted to cover so much in this blog, but I ran out of room, and I'm tired.  I guess it is a series.  So tune in next time for:

 - the first six days of creation

 - punnett squares

 - the big bang

 - historical Jesus

 - awesomeness

9:56 PM - 6 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

Leaving Myspace
Category: Religion and Philosophy

"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry."

                             ~Matthew 4:1-2

   Everyone knows this story, where Jesus, immediately after being baptized, is led into the wilderness, where He was to be tempted by the devil.  I feel it is time that I go "into the wilderness", to find out who I am, and who I am supposed to be. 

   Moses, Jesus, John the Baptist, Jacob, David... all these great men of God found their identity in the wilderness.  They were away from the distractions of the world, and were able to fellowship with God one hundred percent.  In the book Wild at Heart, the author reminds us that God created man from the wilderness.  Eve was made from Adam, in the garden, but Adam's creation was a little different.  God created Eden, the animals, and everything, but then God created Adam out of the chaos, and placed him in the garden. 

   While I enjoy posting blogs on myspace, and reading others blogs, myspace has become a distraction to me.  Ironically, I'll spend my one-on-one God time commenting on other people's views of God.  So I have decided to fast from myspace for forty days.  I will be doing many other things differently for the next forty days, mostly focusing on God, and what I am supposed to do for Him. 

   Well, I almost went off on some other thing while writing this blog, but that would defeat the whole purpose of this blog!  I'll see you all in 40 days!... That will be... April 29th!  Until then, God bless!!!

4:01 PM - 6 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

Paul: the Embodiment of All People
Current mood: cheerful
Category: Religion and Philosophy

"As [Saul] journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.  Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" And he said, "Who are You, Lord?" Then the Lord said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting."  Se he, trembling and astonished, said, "Lord, what do You want me to do?" Then the Lord said to him, "Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do"... Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no more."

                           ~Acts 9:3-6, 7

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   As we all know, this is the story of when Jesus revealed Himself to Saul, converting him to christianity.  When Jesus appeared to Saul, Saul was blinded by the Glory of God.  Saul was then commanded to go to the city, where someone (Ananias) would tell him what to do. 

   This is the story of every single person's life.  We are all born ignorant and blind to the Glory of God.  We can all see bits and pieces of God in nature, in science, and in history, but, as I've learned, that is definitely not enough.  Nature, science, and history can all be explained away, if one is determined enough. 

   God wants us all to know Him, just as He wanted Saul to know Him.  God has commanded all of us to go and find Him, just as He commanded Saul.  Deuteronomy 4:29 says, "You will search for the Lord your God, and if you search with all your heart and soul, you will find Him".  God tells us that if we choose to search for Him, and give it all we've got, we will find Him. 

   Saul had a choice.  Jesus called him out, and told him, "I am God".  Saul could have ignored Him, and kept doing his own thing.  He could have continued in his ways, and remained blind to God.  Or he could have obeyed God, searched for Him, and found Him. 

   It wasn't easy for Saul.  His entire life was going to be changed.  He would go from a rich and powerful Jew to a poor and persecuted Apostle.  His whole life was going to be turned upside down.  They even changed his name!  Saul could have easily ignored Jesus, and kept going down his own road, but he chose to follow Christ.

   If you make the decision to pick up your cross, and follow Christ, things are going to change.  They are going to have to.  God wants to mold you into the person that He created you to be.  He wants to change your name.  He wants you to follow Him.

   You don't have to follow Him.  If you choose not to, your life will remain the same.  You can continue to live how you want.  You can continue to remain blind to God's Majesty and Power.  Or, you can give your life over to Christ. 

"For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it."

                        ~Matthew 16:25

   Make the right choice.  Give your life over to God.  Let God restore you.  Let God renew you.  Let God make you greater than you could have imagined.  Let God make you as great as He intended.

   "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."

                         ~2 Corinthians 5:17

10:56 AM - 7 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

Taylor Hicks
Category: Music

Now, if any of you have been watching American Idol this year, you might of noticed a few things.  First of all, every other word out of Randy's mouth is "Dog Pound"; Paula is drunk before the tape of every show, and it is evident that she has no idea what she is talking about.  She pretty much repeats the nice things that Randy said, and adds incoherent babble to it; Simon keeps silent until his turn, then is repeatedly interrupted; and Ryan Seacrest is gayer than before. 

   None of these things are really shockers.  Those four characters have grown into their roles, and it is annoying.  So is American Idol almost through?  Is there a reason to continue watching?

   The answer is yes! There is one thing saving American Idol from crapdom.  And that thing is Taylor Hicks.

.. width="425" height="350"> src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vwP1mDBEgU8" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350">

Enjoy!

2:12 PM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Islam
Category: Religion and Philosophy

I don't hate muslims.  I have a good muslim friend I live with.  This is directed to extremists, and pretty much just all people, not only muslims, in general.  If you are offended, I apologize; it was not my intention. 

This whole Islamic cartoon thing is getting out of hand.  It is really ridiculous.  I mean, come on.  How can the muslims be getting upset over something so stupid?  The cartoon that is upsetting all the muslims depicts Mohammed's head, with a bomb in the place of his turban.  Upon viewing this, muslims across the middle east, you guessed it, lit a bunch of stuff on fire, and killed a bunch of people.  Good job. 

   Here is what it all comes down to.  I saw this in a cartoon.  "Muslims admittedly fly planes into American buildings, european buses... the rest of the world gets to draw cartoons of your spiritual leader."  Really, it isn't that big of a deal. 

   Everyone everywhere makes fun of everyone.  First of all, Momammed wasn't even God.  He was a prophet.  A prophet who made laws like, "Don't draw pictures of me."  He also made up his entire religion, stole the main characters of other religions, and then made "Holy Laws" about killing the believers of the other religions.

   In a quick couple seconds, I came across a few cartoons making fun of other religous leaders:

 - Jesus, with the crown of thorns, saying, "Me so thorny"

 - Hitler lying in bed with a girl, saying, "Write this in your journal, Anne" (I might add that this last cartoon was an Arab cartoon)

 - Dozens more depicting Jesus on the cross making sexual comments

 - Jewish rabbis cutting off the heads of people (again, an Arab cartoon.  I don't understand why Arabs would make this cartoon to depict the Jews in a bad way.  That is actually an honorable thing to do in the muslim religion)

   Pretty much, Islam isn't real.  It started in the sixth century, and there is no evidence for any of it.  It is like mormonism, only less likely because they didn't only steal Jewish and Christian stories, but changed them dramatically, and then claimed they didn't really change them.  Islam isn't the way, and it certainly isn't peaceful.  Islam commands it's followers to kill non muslims.  Now, if you are a peaceful muslim, good for you.  All that means is that you ignore parts of your religion you don't like.  Muslims usually don't even have a koran that they can read. 

   Now, this is a very funny cartoon.  You see, muslims believe that if they kill themselves and other innocent people as well, they will receive many virgins in heaven.  In this cartoon, Mohammed is telling them to stop, because heaven has run out of virgins.  It is funny.  It isn't any more offensive than any other religious cartoon out there.  In fact, this cartoon isn't making fun of muslims, just one of those crazy habits of the extremists.  "Normal" muslims shouldn't even be offended by this cartoon.  Yet muslims are rioting over this cartoon.  Why? I don't know.  I mean, there are no more virgins.  Didn't they understand the cartoon?  What is the point of killing innocent people? 

   Why have we never seen any pastors going around killing people over books like Da Vinci Code, or Kanye West?

It is because Christians are commanded to be peaceful.  And anyway, we are like, "So what?" So what? You made fun of my spiritual leader, my God, Kanye.  You should die! Maybe I will fly a plane into your house.  Oh wait.  No.  I won't.  Because my spiritual leader, whom you are mocking on the cover of Rolling Stone, told me to turn the other cheek, and be peaceful.  Unlike Mohammed, who commanded me to kill the infidels.

   I understand that this blog isn't my normal style.  And that it was probably mean.  And offensive.  But oh well.  I just can't believe that muslims are going crazy and killing innocent people over this cartoon.  Oh wait.  Yes I can. 

3:00 PM - 3 Comments - 3 Kudos - Add Comment

Just some Stuff
Category: Religion and Philosophy

I know that I have been recently posting blogs on the Value of Women, according the the Bible, and I intend to post several more blogs on that issue.  However, I just have some stuff that I would like the post. 

   The first (of possibly several) thing I would like to address is the following quote, by Einstein: "Through the reading of popular scientific books I soon reached the conviction that much in the stories of the Bible could not be true."  So, Einstein figured that, according to the laws of science, many cases from the Bible could not have occured.

   First, evolution couldn't happen according to the laws of biology, but no one seems to care about that.  Having said that, I agree 100% under one condition.  None of the miraculous events in the Bible could have happened... without God. 

   Let's analyze this for one moment: God is defined as "A being conceived as the perfect, omnipotent, omniscient originator and ruler of the universe".  Omnipotent means having unlimited power, or being all-powerful.  So, while a man cannot rise from the dead, then ascend into heaven normally, we can hardly claim that an all-powerful deity couldn't achieve this.

   Look at it this way.  I claim that I can bench press more than anyone in the world (200 pounds, let's say).  Someone reads in a Russian record book that a Russian body builder can bench 500 pounds.  Now, I can deny the existence of this man.  But I couldn't justify my disbelief in him on the fact that no one can bench more than me, so he can't exist. 

   Do you see what I mean?  You can't deny God on the grounds that His existence requires scientific laws to be broken, because, if He is real, He isn't bound by the laws of science.  Anyone that would deny His existence for these reasons doesn't understand the definition of omnipotent.

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   I also recently talked to someone who, at first, seemed like a very intelligent person, but, upon further review, turned out to be crazy.  This person pretty much claimed that he was smarter than me.  Therefore, he argued, nothing I said could be correct, solely on the grounds that he was smarter than me, and I was stupid.  I will add that the reason he found me to be stupid was because I believed in God. 

   Yes, that is right.  In a conversation about the existence of God, this individual argued that I was wrong because I believed in God.  Compare that to this fictional dialogue I just made up:

   Joe: I think the moon landing never happened.

   Steve: I think it did happen.  I mean, we have pictures and video of it happening.

   Joe: You are stupid! They never happened!

   Steve: Why do you think they never happened?

   Joe: Because they didn't, stupid! You are an idiot!

   Steve: Wait.  Can you give me a reason why you think they are fake?

   Joe: Of course! It is because you are stupid, and you think they happened.  I, on the other hand, am smarter, and think they didn't happen.  Therefore, they didn't happen.  Gosh, you're dumb.

   See what I mean?  How can you reason with that?  I have always been one of the smarter people in all my classes, since elementary school.  Once, in third grade, our teacher asked us a question about fractions (I forgot what it was).  Now, keep in mind that my forte is mathematics.  I am majoring in Engineering, received perfect scores on the math portion of the SAT, aced the calculus AP test, and am possibly starting a job at a math learning center.  Yet, in this third grade class, I (possibly the smartest mathematician in the room), got the question wrong.

   We all make mistakes.  No one is perfect.  "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise" (Prov. 12:15).  A vast majority of the proverbs are about taking correction like a man, and learning from your mistakes.  "He who keeps correction is in the way of life, but he who refuses correction goes astray" (Prov. 10:17).  This was one of the hardest things for me to do.  I had a huge problem admitting I was ever wrong.  But I was wrong all the time.  And I still am, sometimes.  But the fact that I realize that I am wrong and learn from it is what makes all the difference. 

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   Another thing that bugs me that non-believers will bring up is when they say things like, "I cannot comprehend..." or "I cannot conceive..." when referring to God, using it as an excuse not to believe in God.  Really?  You can't understand an all-powerful, infinite, perfect supernatural being, so you choose to deny His existence?  How can anyone come close to understanding God?  Can an ant perceive any decision that us humans have to make on a day to day basis?  Hardly! 

   Now, don't get me wrong.  God tells us who He is, and He certainly shows us who He is.  But for us to say that God doesn't exist because we can't comprehend Him is entirely absurd. 

   For instance, take the problem of suffering.  This is probably the most common philosophical objection to God.  Now, there are hundreds of ways to explain this supposed contradiction away, but let's say that we can't explain it.  Is this grounds to deny the existence of God?  In no way!  Just because us humans, us imperfect beings, can't understand how God does something doesn't mean that He can't do it.  It just means that we don't understand it. 

   A couple years ago, I saw some highlights of Pele, probably the most famous soccer player of all time.  He did some crazy things.  I could watch the replays over and over again, and still not even be close to realizing how he did whatever it was that he did with the soccer ball.  Now, just because I don't understand how he did some of those things, and some of them certainly seemed physically impossible, doesn't mean that I can deny that he did them.

   Can I deny that Michelangelo chistled David from that marble slab?  Can I deny that Beethoven composed all those songs?  Can I deny that NASA built a rocket that went to the moon?  Yes, but not because I don't understand how they did it.  I don't understand art.  I don't know music theory.  I certainly don't know how to build a rocket.  I will probably never be able to build a rocket, or have the intelligence to build one.  That is hardly a reason to deny that a rocket can be built. 

   If you deny the existence of God, or of anything, because you don't understand it, then you begin to sound like the person who was too smart for anyone else.  Only what you believe is correct, and anyone that ever disagrees with you is stupid.  If you don't understand something, then hey, it didn't happen.  Only problem? You are now living in your own world, and you have built it in such a way as to keep God out. 

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   I know that I cannot prove God exists to you.  Everything that God has ever supposedly done can be explained away, no matter how desperate it sounds.  There is only one more metaphor that I have for you:

   I have a dad.  He lives at my house.  My neighbors all know him, my girlfriend knows him, anyone that will come with me to my house can meet him.  You have never met my dad.  You have no reason to think that I have a dad.  Who knows? My dad might be dead.  He might have run out on my family.  I may have been adopted by lesbians at birth.  You don't know.  You don't have to believe that I have a dad.  But at the same time, you can hardly tell me that I don't have a dad, when I see him every weekend (I live in a dorm), and I am offering to drive you over to my house to meet him. 

   God, too, my Heavenly Father, exists.  He would love to meet you.  If you came to Him wanting and expecting to meet Him, that is exactly what would happen.  I can show you many things that my Heavenly Father has done, but, unless you have meet Him, there is no reason to believe that it was my Father that did those things.  If you would only try to meet Him, He would reveal Himself to you in a way that you could never deny. 

   Please, I beg of you, choose Life.  Take a chance.  Even if you don't believe in God, ask Him to reveal Himself to you.  Just ask Him with an open mind and softened heart, and expect Him to reveal Himself to you.  This is a matter of life and death.  Christ Jesus loves you, and wants you to know Him and love Him.  Your life will never be the same.  Life is so much better when you let God into it.  If you ask God into your life, He will not forsake you.  If you just take this chance one time, you will come to know the truth. 

   If you have any questions, or need anything, just email me.  Thanks, and God Bless!!!!!

2:56 PM - 8 Comments - 8 Kudos - Add Comment

The Value of Women: Part Three
Current mood: relaxed
Category: Religion and Philosophy

"And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.  Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man."

                       ~Genesis 2:21-22

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   In the beginning, after God made the heavens and the earth, the stars and the moon, the plants and the animals, He created man.  He took some dirt, fashioned it into a man, and breathed into him.  God made the man out of the dirt, and he was complete.  Notice that when God created woman, He doesn't make her out of the dirt.  Instead, God takes one of Adam's ribs, and creates Eve from the rib.

   When God made Adam, he was perfect.  There was nothing wrong with Him.  He was a complete puzzle.  But God took one of his ribs away.  He took a piece from the puzzle.  He was no longer complete; he was no longer perfect.  A part of him was missing.  What was missing?  Eve. 

   Imagine God in heaven, creating you.  He is gathering all the ingredients together: love, kindness, intelligence, humor, and so on.  He finally has the perfect recipe for a perfect person.  Then what does He do?  Instead of putting all the ingredients together, thus making a complete being, He splits the ingredients in two.  From one group, He creates you, and from the other, He creates your Eve. 

   Everyone has something that they don't have.  Everyone has a piece missing.  It isn't a life and death piece, something that will kill you.  But it is something that you need.  God didn't forsake you.  God didn't create you messed up on purpose.  Everything you need is out there, looking for you.

   The band Newsong describes it perfectly, in their song, "When God Made You":

I wonder what God was thinking,when he created you.
I wonder if He knew everything I would need,
Because he made all my dreams come true.
When God made you, He must have been thinking about me.

   When God created you, He had your future spouse in mind.  She is out there.  But don't think that I am saying that you have a void that only your wife can fill.  First and foremost, you need to fill the void with God.  Adam was perfect with God.  Before Eve came, Adam spent hours of fellowship with God, waiting for God to bring his wife. 

   You don't know what you need.  Only God does.  I spent years chasing the wrong women, trying to fill the void inside of me.  None of them were right for me.  None of them had what I needed.  It wasn't until I came to Christ, and put my trust in Him, that my future wife was brought to me. 

   Your perfect mate, your helper, your lifelong companion is out there, searching for you.  God will bring her to you when you are ready.  There is no point in searching.  You will never be able to find her.  Only God can bring her to you.  And when God brings her, you will know that it's her.  You will see in her everything you need, and everything you didn't even know you needed.  You will complete each other. 

   There is a reason they say that "you will become one".  You, by yourself,` aren't one.  One plus one doesn't equal one.  You are an incomplete puzzle.  Your mate holds the missing pieces. 

3:20 PM - 7 Comments - 6 Kudos - Add Comment

The Value of Women: Part 2
Current mood: happy
Category: Religion and Philosophy

   "Now Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, 'I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter.'  And Laban said, 'It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to another man.  Stay with me.'  So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her."

                           ~Genesis 29:18-20

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   When we look at relationships nowadays, we tend to be a little spoiled.  We will take a girl on a couple dates, maybe to dinner at Denny's and a few movies, and two weeks later, we expect her to give us a little something back.  How did we come to this expectation?  Why do men think they earned something for a few months of movies and dinners?

   As men, it is our duty to earn a woman's heart, not have it given to us for nothing.  Jacob loved Rachel so much, that he offered to work 7 years to make her his bride.  He didn't just agree to an unreasonable request: he came up with the idea!  He was willing to work as a slave for 7 years just to marry her.  How many of us would offer, or even agree, to be a slave for one year alone? 

   Women need to be sought after.  Today, we go up to a girl and say, "Ummm, do you, um, want to go out, or something...?"  If you're really suave, you might even buy her a dozen roses from the grocery store.  And we think this is enough.

   You all remember watching Looney Tunes, where the Wiley Coyote would chase the Road Runner all over the desert, through all sorts of humorous traps.  Men are the coyotes!  We need to be willing to chase our girl anywhere and everywhere, over cliffs and down into deep ravines.  We should expect to get hurt and embarrassed along the way.  We need to be dragged through the dirt, crushed, and blown up (firguratively) to prove that we love that girl, and that we would do anything, anything, to be with her. 

   In addition to impressing the girl you love, you must also impress her parents.  After Jacob met Rachel and fell in love with her, Jacob approached her father, and asked for her hand in marriage.  Before a woman marries, she is the responsibility of her parents.  They take care of her, and look after her, supplying her with everything she needs.  But once she is married, all of these responsibilities are transferred to her husband. 

   If I was a father, I would need to know that my daughter's potential husband will provide for her, take care of her, and love her even more than I need.  Laban, Rachel's father, ended up having Jacob work for for him twenty years.  That was 13 years longer than previously agreed! 

   If you love a woman, and want to be with her, you need to live up to her parents' standards.  If it takes longer than you first expected, so what?  If you truly love her, you will do anything to be with her. 

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   Today, we can get women easier than ever.  Whether it is a scantily-clad girl at the mall, or a woman on the monitor of your computer, we don't appreciate women like we should.  You would enjoy a car that your parents gave to you, but if you worked all summer to buy your own truck, you would appreciate it so much more.  You would take better care of it.  It would be your pride and joy. 

   You wouldn't appreciate a woman who just gave herself to you.  On the contrary: you would expect things from her, and would hardly ever give back.  But if you honestly make it a point to work for your future wife, you will appreciate her so much more, and she will appreciate you so much more.  You will value her presence more.  You will take better care of her.  And every night, you could look at your wife as you fall asleep, and know that you deserve her.

3:58 PM - 9 Comments - 13 Kudos - Add Comment