The Purpose of Man (Pieces to a Puzzle)

The Purpose of Man (Pieces to a Puzzle)

     Man was made to have a relationship with God. That is why Christ died in order to reconcile man and God's relationship as He ushered in His Kingdom. That is why our Messiah said that the greatest command is to love the Lord with our whole selves (Mark 12:29-30). We are, essentially, an avenue for God's attributes to be greatened. Through His relationship with man, God's love, mercy, justice, power, and glory are magnified. This is the purpose of man. 

     I've written previously on how our innate desire is to become our own god. So many religions and even naturalism aspire to this standing for man. That was Satan's fall, wanting to be like the Most High (Isaiah 14:13-14). That was man's fall, desiring to be like God (Genesis 3:5). We aspire for our own greatness and our own downfall is all that ensues. So, when I first started to understand my purpose I felt trapped. I felt like I was forced to submit to an authority when I desired to be the authority. However, setting aside my pride and my ego I was able to see how beautifully I was created and the fulfillment I found in submitting to God. Two images came to my mind in this moment. The first is of a light bulb. The lightbulb's purpose is to illuminate, however in and of itself the lightbulb cannot do so. It must first be plugged in to a current. I imagine ourselves to be like the lightbulb and God to be the battery with His love being the wires. God loves us, and we in turn love Him back. We love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). The second illustration is that of a puzzle piece. The puzzle piece as it stands alone is incomplete and incapable of being of any real significance. However, a part of the puzzle it plays a vital role in the completing of the puzzle. I akin man to the puzzle piece and the puzzle as God's plan. See, both the lightbulb and the puzzle piece are worthless on their own and cannot stand, however by being a part of the system they were designed for, that is where they find purpose. That is where they find fulfillment. Just like man. What a beautiful thing. What a beautiful plan to be apart of. Thank God that He chose us to play a role in His grand masterpiece. 

Are They the Same God?

Are They the Same God?

I had an interesting discussion with a group of Muslims and Christians. They claimed the Christian and Muslim gods are the same. Their rationale was that "Allah" is the Arabic word for "God." While this is true, that doesn't equate the Muslim god to the Christian god. Just like the Deist god, the Jewish god, and the Christian god are not the same though they all claim the name "God." This is where I'm sure I've lost your support by now, so allow for me to explain. In this discussion, I claimed that the Christian and Muslim gods cannot be the same for they have separate characteristics (all loving, not all loving, triune, single-personed, etc.). Similarly, the Jewish god and the Deist god are single-personed, making them fundamentally different than the Christian god, philosophically speaking. Allow me to draw an illustration. Let's say that I am talking of my friend Stephen and I say Stephen is 6'2" tall, while you maintain that he is in fact 5'10" tall. I say that I know for a fact that Stephen is so tall while you say that you know for a fact that he is so tall. Philosophically speaking, we are talking about 2 separate Stephens; for a single Stephen cannot possess the characteristics of being both 5'10" and 6'2", this is simply incoherent. However, it is quite plausible that one (or both) of us has (have) a misrepresentation of the true Stephen. Similarly, the gods of the monotheistic faiths (Deism, Islam, Judaism, and Christianity) from a philosophical standpoint cannot be the same entity; however, it is entirely possible that 3 (or 4) of the views of God are misrepresentations of the one true God. This is the position that I hold. So I'll leave you by asking, are they the same God?

Quick Response to "Quick Response to 10 Common Theist Arguments"

Quick Response to "Quick Response to 10 Common Theist Arguments"

I recently read an atheist article that gives 10 popular arguments for theism and then refutes them. I want to briefly address them here but will not go into much detail as these are clearly straw men and I can't think of any theist that would argue such claims.  

"Science can't explain the complexity and order of life; God must have designed it to be this way." - This is the God of the gaps idea where anytime something is unexplainable the theist would point to God and say "we don't know why, so therefore God." This is a caricature  of theism and almost no theist would make such a claim. However this "argument" seems to touch upon the teleological, or fine tuning argument, which says that the fine tuning of this universe for life is due to either chance, necessity, or design. The theist would then argue why it is not due to chance or necessity, therefore proving it must be design. The complexity of life is one argument that could be used to refute mere chance. 

"God's existence is proven by scripture." - Come on, do you think any theist would argue God's existence to an atheist based on "The Bible says so"?...

"Some unexplained events are miraculous, and these miracles prove the existence of God." - In the refutation, the writer makes two claims. One is that miracles can't occur which begs the question for atheism, the second is that something might seem miraculous but that's just because science hasn't yet been able to explain it. This seems like the very "God of the gaps" idea it mocks above, only this time it is "science of the gaps". Claiming "we don't know how something happened, but science will prove it." 

"Morality stems from God, and without God, we could not be good people." - Here the difference must be made between where morals come from and how we come to know morals (moral ontology and epistemology). It is true that objective morality can only come from a god, but that doesn't mean you must believe in Him to have such morals. Scripture even says that He has written His law on their hearts (Romans 2:15). Without God though it is true that we could not be good people, for there would not be good or bad! Only different. 

"Belief in God would not be so widespread if God didn’t exist." - Anyone can look at any widespread belief and say such a thing, no one would honestly argue this as a case for theism. 

"God answers prayers; therefore, he must be real." - This one's interesting, as well as the next one. This is how we might KNOW God exists, however this isn't how we can SHOW God exists. Answers to prayer in my own life help solidify my faith but it can never be used as an evangelistic tool. Also the fact that not all prayers are answered doesn't undercut God. For if one prayer is truly answered (and not something that would have naturally occurred anyways) then that is enough evidence for God. However this can never be proved or disproved seeing how we could never control such an experiment. 

"I feel a personal relationship to God, so I know that he is real." - Again, this is how we know God exists, but this is not how we can show God exists. For that, there are many Apologetical arguments and evidences I can direct you towards (oddly enough, none of which are addressed by this article...)

"It's safer to believe in God than be wrong and go to Hell." - A perversion of Pascal's Wager. Pascal said that if all evidence is equal, go with the God hypothesis because there is greater potential reward. He never claimed despite any and all evidence (as this article paints it as, though I would claim the evidence leans towards theism).

"I have faith; I don't need facts. I just want to believe." - I've never heard any theist say "I don't need facts." In fact, Christ claims to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). He also says that the truth will set us free (John 8:32). Similarly, St. Augustine famously said that all truth is God's truth. These would all be in direct contradiction to "I don't need facts". Also, the facts seem to point towards theism.

"There's no evidence that God doesn't exist." - They want to claim here that the burden of proof lies on the theist and not the atheist. That's simply not true. Atheism says "There is no God" while theism says "There is a God." Both make equal truth claims and therefore must equally shoulder the burden of proof. 

Euthyphro Dilemma Paper

The intent of this paper is to argue how Christianity must be the one true religion by presupposing monotheism, specifically by looking at the monotheistic view that God is the greatest conceivable being and how ethics must then be rooted in His nature. Note, in this paper I do not wish to argue for monotheism as that is the main purpose of most apologetical material but rather wish to expound further on the presupposition of such material in order to get to Christianity. Specifically I will be arguing from what the three great monotheistic faiths (Christianity, Judaism, and Islam) believe as a polemic tool of sorts against non-Christian views while also arguing from a basic, or stripped, monotheistic claim in an apologetical sense for Christianity. In doing so, I will use scriptures from these religions’ holy books but not as the basis of my claims but rather as confirmation. All of monotheism agrees upon the central tenet that God is the greatest conceivable being. This notion will be the focal point of the argument. The idea of the greatest conceivable being was posited by St. Anselm of Canterbury (1033 - 1109). Anselm is quoted as saying that God is “that than which nothing greater can be thought” (Williams). In essence, this argument claims that if you could think of something that is greater than our notion of God then that would actually be God because by this definition nothing could possibly be greater than God. The greatest conceivable being then is made up of great making properties, or properties that in lieu of having them would contribute to making one great. For example, a great making property would be goodness. Surely we would say it is greater to be good than evil. So the greatest conceivable being must be all good, or the essence of goodness, as He must have the greatest amount of a great making property. All goodness must then come from the greatest conceivable being. "Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow" (James 1:17 NASB). Another example of a great making property would be power. Intuitively we understand power is greater than weakness. He must be all powerful, or the essence of power. All power must come from Him. "Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God" (Romans 13:1 NASB) Another example would be wisdom, for it is better to be wise than foolish. He must be all wise, or the essence of wisdom. All wisdom must come from Him. "For the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding" (Proverbs 2:6 NASB). Another translation reads, "All wisdom comes from the Lord, and so do common sense and understanding" (Proverbs 2:6 CEV). Notice again how I am not making these claims based on scripture, but rather I am using these scriptures to affirm how Christianity falls in line with this view of the greatest conceivable being. Now that we have established the monotheistic tenet that God is the greatest conceivable being, allow us to tackled then the Euthyphro Dilemma. The Euthyphro Dilemma comes from Plato's dialogue "Euthyphro" where Socrates poses the question "is the pious loved by the gods because it's pious, or it is pious because it is loved?" (Plato 8) Today's translation would read somewhere along the lines of "is something good because God wills it, or does God will it because something is good?" Both of these answers have devastating consequences to theism. For if something is good because God wills it then goodness is merely arbitrary. God could have willed rape, murder, and torture to be good and then we would be morally obligated to commit such acts. Goodness is completely subjective upon God's whims in such a scenario, which undermines the greatest conceivable being notion as it is seemingly irrelevant on such a view that God is all good. Similarly, if God wills something because it is good then goodness is found outside of God and He would then not be the creator of goodness, this cuts into God’s aseity and He therefore would not truly be the greatest conceivable being on this view either. However it might seem through the way the dilemma is worded, these are not the only two options. In fact, most theists would answer this dilemma by saying that God wills something because He is good. Goodness is then found in God's nature and therefore not arbitrary while also being dependent upon God. So what God commands is ultimately rooted in His nature. Now I suppose that the next step of this paper would naturally be to go into what God has willed and how we come to know this, but given how this argument presupposes monotheism I don’t find this necessary since the monotheistic faiths agree on what God has willed almost entirely. Instead, I wish to simply look at love, specifically in the three main monotheistic faiths. Below are the commandments each of the three main monotheistic faiths have given regarding love. Judaism: “You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.” (Leviticus 19:18 NASB) “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” (Deuteronomy 6:5 NASB) Christianity: Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:29-31 NASB) Islam: “Yet there are men who take (for worship) others besides Allah, as equal (with Allah): They love them as they should love Allah but those of Faith are overflowing in their love for Allah. If only the unrighteous could see, behold, they would see the Penalty: that to Allah belongs all power, and Allah will strongly enforce the Penalty.” (Quran 2:165) “And among His Signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that ye may dwell in tranquillity with them, and He has put love and mercy between your [hearts]: Verily in that are Signs for those who reflect.” (Quran 30:21) Through these passages we see that God (in every monotheistic view of God) has commanded us to love one another and love Him. If what is good and what God wills comes from His nature, then we see that love is a part of God's nature. Now herein lies the differences in these faiths: Christians and Jews argue that God is all loving. Muslims argue that He is not. "The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love" (1 John 4:8 NASB). This scripture is opposed "Say, (O Muhammad, to mankind): If ye love Allah, follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. Allah is Forgiving, Merci... But if they turn away, lo! Allah loveth not the disbelievers" (Quran 3:31-32). Therefore, it goes to show that the Judeo-Christian God and the Islamic God are not one and the same. If the two are made up of different characteristics then they themselves must be different. God's love is unconditional, independent from the circumstances. Allah's love is conditional, contingent upon the circumstances. So, which one of these two is the greatest conceivable being? God must be either all loving or completely absent of love due to the Greatest Conceivable Being Theory. A point of argument to this claim could be to bring up Aristotelian ethics. Aristotle has a doctrine of virtue as a mean where he claims that excellence is found between excess and deficiency (Aristotle 18). The issue here is that both "excess" and "deficiency" would imply an error. So, a potential argument that would be presented by Aristotelian ethics against God being all loving would be that an excess of love would ignore justice because God would overlook the sin of those whom He loves. However, that is certainly not the case. God holds all accountable to their sins and yet loves all; there is no contradiction here (as we will further explore towards the end of this paper). Similarly, through the lens of the Greatest Conceivable Being Theory, we would say that being all powerful is certainly a great making attribute. Having a balance between strength and weakness would not be great. Having a balance between knowledge and ignorance would not be great. So why then would having a balance of love and indifference be considered great? The Greatest Conceivable Being must have the greatest amount of great making attributes, so great making attributes must fall on one of the two ends, not in the middle. So again, God must be either all loving or completely absent of love due to the Greatest Conceivable Being Theory. Here it is shown that Allah, with his contingent love, must not be the greatest conceivable being. Now that we have established that the greatest conceivable being must be either all loving or completely absent of love, we must then see which of these two are great making properties. I would argue that since we know what God has willed, as we saw through moral epistemology, and how what He has willed must be rooted in His nature, as we saw through moral ontology, and we know that what He has willed is love, that therefore God must be love. The biggest objection to love as being a great making attribute though is that it cuts into God's power. The issue then is to compare love versus apathy and see if they cut into God's power and other great making attributes in order to determine which is truly greater. Which requires more power? I would say love requires more power, for it is easier to be indifferent or even have hatred than it is to love especially for those who do not love us. "You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also... You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven... For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:38-48 NASB). It requires discipline and willpower to love in such a manner. Restraint requires greater strength. Unconditional love overcomes passions while hatred and indifference are both subjected to them. I would argue as well that God must also be personal (in the sense of relatable, or the ability for one person to relate to another person) for it requires greater strength to reveal one's self than to remain hidden. Revealing one's self requires an action, while remaining hidden requires nothing more than for one to remain dormant. Furthermore, revealing one's self requires the ability to express one's self to another, which involves power. Through being personal His attributes are greater shown and magnified, thus making a personal God conceivably greater than an impersonal God. From our rebuttal of Aristotelian ethics we deduce that great making properties fall on the ends and not the middle. So if being personal is a great making attribute, what could be more personal than love? Ergo by being loving, God is more personal, making His attributes greater revealed and magnified. Therefore, unconditional love magnifies power rather than inhibits it. Furthermore, righteousness and mercy are also magnified through unconditional love, ultimately magnifying God's glory. Logically, I can only see how love magnifies power while hatred diminishes it. Seeing how love is a great making attribute, I wish to then observe self-sacrifice and whether or not it is a good thing. Intuition immediately hints towards yes, it is a good thing. In fact, a strong objection to Utilitarianism is how the utilitarian would claim that a viable, young woman saving her grandmother at the cost of her own life is a morally reprehensible act; this claim seems blatantly false. Furthermore, sacrificing one’s self for another is driven itself by love. Christianity affirms this claim when Jesus says “greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13 NASB). So we can confidently claim that self-sacrifice is intuitively good and the greatest example of love, and we can also say with confidence (given monotheism) that God has willed love and what God wills is a part of His nature; it therefore concludes that self-sacrifice is inherently a part of God’s nature. Christianity is the only monotheistic religion in which God exemplifies such a love as self-sacrifice, particularly through Jesus’ death on the cross. In fact, God’s great making attributes, specifically His love, mercy, justice, power, and glory are most greatly revealed at the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Let us then briefly examine each of these attributes and how they can be tied to the sacrificial death of Christ. Love: "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13 NASB). There is no greater love than giving up one's life for another. Love cannot be expressed any greater than in such a sacrifice. Through dying on the cross, God ultimately reveals His love. Mercy: According to Merriam-Webster, mercy is "compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one's power" (Merriam-Webster). We are subjected to God's punishment and power (He is the essence of power, all power comes from Him) for acting in defiance against His laws. Mercy cannot be expressed any greater than fully removing the penalty that we justly deserve. Through His sacrificial death on the cross, God ultimately reveals His mercy. Justice: There is no punishment suitable for us. By sinning against the Good there came a chasm which none but the essence of goodness could bridge. Only a perfect being (God) could properly pay for the crimes which we have committed against Him. For if God is the essence of Good, then even the slightest imperfection removes us completely from Him. As imperfect beings, we could not reconcile ourselves with perfection; it is on part of perfection to do so. In order to be in right-standing once more would require the assistance of one who is already in right-standing for there is no other way for us to relate. Justice cannot be expressed any greater than God satisfying His wrath on Himself. Through His death on the cross, God ultimately reveals His justice. Power: "Who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 1:4 NASB). The Christian view of God is the only one in which God personally overcame death. There is no greater power exemplified than overcoming death. Power cannot be expressed any greater than personally destroying death itself. Through His resurrection, God ultimately reveals His power. Glory: "Praise, honor, or distinction extended by common consent" (Merriam-Webster). No greater praise, honor, or distinction can there be than personally saving mankind by sacrificing one's self while perfectly exemplifying love, mercy, and justice; and also personally overcoming death while perfectly exemplifying power. Glory cannot be expressed any greater than this. Through His death and resurrection, God ultimately reveals His glory. Christ’s death (an act of perfect love) is the only possible way to reconcile perfect justice with perfect mercy and in so doing He furthers His perfect power and glory. Christianity is the only religion that shows God having absolute justice and mercy. If God were to brush aside our sins, then they have not been paid for and thus God inhibits His justice. On the other hand, absolute justice would require that none are saved; similarly, we can never pay for our crimes against God, this would inhibit both His justice and mercy. The only way for God to have both absolute justice and absolute mercy would be for Him to pay the punishment Himself. That is exactly what Christianity claims. Furthermore, God coming down as man and taking our punishment in our stead shows the greatest amount of love. No other view of God shows such love. Furthermore, by personally overcoming death God reveals the most power. No other view of God shows such power; because of this, God's glory is revealed to the greatest extent. Through the aforementioned, we can see how God personally revealing Himself through Jesus Christ is the greatest expression of His great making attributes. Because this view of God is conceivably greater than any other view of God, the Christian Godhead is the greatest conceivable being. Therefore, it concludes that Christianity must be the true religion.

Works Cited
Aristotle, and Anthony Kenny. Eudemian Ethics. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2011. Print.
 CEV Bible. Swindon, Wiltshire: Bible Society, 1997. Print.
 Ganeri, Anita. The Quran. London: Evans, 2002. Print.
 Plato. Euthyphro. Trans. Woods & Pack. San Francisco: Cathal Woods, 2011. Print.
 The Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible: Updated NASB. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2007. Print. 
The New Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, 1989. Print.
 Williams, Thomas. "Saint Anselm." Stanford University. Stanford University, 18 May 2000. Web.

Social Darkness

Social Darkness

Growing up, I was interested in art and poetry. But I suppressed it because it wasn't cool. I buried it in the recesses of my mind hoping that by never allowing it to see the light of day and by playing the part of what is considered cool I could eventually suffocate that part of me until it dies. I thought that you just had to fake it until you make it. I was trying to kill my individuality in order to be accepted by the popular mass. I was trying to kill my identity. Luckily this was a stage that I grew out of in high school, but I still lost a part of me in the process. The sad part of it is though that many haven't grown out of it. We all have our own ambitions, passions, desires, and aspirations that make us us. But these don't always fit the mold of whatever lifestyle we wish to emulate. Anything that isn't apart of that lifestyle isn't cool and if people knew that other part of you they would look down upon you for it. So you try to kill your uniqueness and interests. A suicide of passion and individuality. We are losing so much of ourselves to this pandemic, and for what? A false sense of acceptance? Knowing that the person they are accepting really isn't even you and the person accepting your persona is just another persona in and of themselves; they themselves aren't really accepting you. But we continue to play the part thinking that we are alone in this world. Thinking that no one goes through what we go through, do the things we do, think the things we think. Especially when our thoughts are so dark and haunting. Surely no one else thinks such horrible things as I. When the truth of the matter is that everyone has some truly messed up and disturbing thoughts. But we will never show that because we always have to present this perfect image of us to others when in reality we are far less than that. You ever check social media alone at night seeing everyone else out having a blast and you feel like you're missing something that everyone else has? I guarantee you that you have caused the same thought in other people. We want to show the best of ourselves and expect everyone else to forget that we have our imperfections. None of us really do though. But there's some unwritten social contract that we will ignore them and pretend like they actually don't exist. And it's gotten to the point where we are actually starting to trick ourselves into believing it as well. You think the serial killer, child pornographer, lying cheat, wrathful abuser, and greedy cynic aren't alive in everyone else? You're a fool. You think they're not alive in you? You're a fool in denial. I used to be in denial too. Even when I was truly a horrible person I considered myself good. In terms of story arcs, I considered myself the hero on a quest for redemption. That's not true though. I'm certainly no hero. No, I'm what happens when the villain goes on his own journey for redemption; and now I'm simply trying to live a life worthy of the redemption that I've been given. All the while hoping that my own story can progress another's in the right direction. So here's my story. The rest is up to you. 

A Beautiful Reminder

A Beautiful Reminder

Tonight, I was reminded of what it felt like to be caught up in God's presence. Tonight, I was reminded of what it felt like to not be burdened with depression. Tonight, I was given a glimpse of Heaven. But that can wait. Because for now there is still a fight to uphold. For now, there is still darkness that needs the light. For now, there are still lost that need to be found. For now, there are still broken that need to be fixed. I was granted the highest honor of having the ministry of reconciliation. I was entrusted with the knowledge of the special revelation of God through Christ and His atoning death for our salvation with the sole purpose of going and making disciples. So that is what I'll do. That is the mission which I have been given. And as long as I continue to breathe, that mission still continues. And with it, the depression which God has used through me to reach out to others who share such a burden. The constant reminder of me to focus on things above because of the realization of the true state of things below and the urgency which goes along with it. I am forever grateful for this mission and this tool of depression in God's arsenal that manifests itself through me for combating the evils of this world in order to bridge the gap between Him and His lost children. It is a precious gift which has been bestowed unto me and I will ensure that it is put to its proper use. 

The Three Stages

The Three Stages

This idea came to me a couple weeks ago now and I wanted to sit on it and ponder it in order to make sure that it was sound. Since then I've used it in conversation a dozen times or so and some friends who I have shared it with have also used it in dialogue, so I firmly believe this idea to be accurate and useful. Now what is the idea? It's that everyone is at one of three stages in life. Now before I begin to layout these three stages, I find it important to say that I am using this topic mainly from a Christian perspective but it can be taken from any (a)religious background. Again though, I will use this topic to argue from a Christian perspective.

So the three stages of life are:
1. Accepting what you've been told.
2. Questioning what you've been told.
3. Looking for the answers to those questions.

And sadly enough, I find it that very few people are willing to enter into that third stage. This week I was having a discussion with a friend when she said that she really wants me to talk with her knowledgable atheist friend. She then added "aren't you worried at all that he might prove you wrong?" To which I simply stated "no." You see, almost every "knowledgable atheist" is considered knowledgable because they have these questions or defeaters of God, but very few have ever actually sought answers and solutions to them. I do not wish to convey an arrogant tone by saying I am not worried or troubled, I simply realize that there are good, logical answers in support of theism to anything this young man might throw my way; and even if I don't know the answer off the top of my head, I can search for the answer (to which I am sure there is one) and get back to him. Not only that, but out of all the objections against theism or against Christianity that I hear, 90% of the time it is the same 10-15 questions that keep popping up. Even still, if I must concede an argument in his favor, there are still many other arguments that go in the other direction, so through it all it is still more plausible and logical that God exists. In short, I am not worried because I am at the third stage where as he is still at the second. A lot of people are driven from the faith by the knowledge and intellect of atheists, but that is simply because they were on the first stage: simply accepting what they've been told. So of course someone on the second stage can "show them up" so to speak. But it goes full circle. Those on the third stage can easily "show up" those on the second as well. It's just not publicized as much which again, I believe is due to the fewer number of people willing to enter into the third stage as opposed to the second.

Regardless, whatever life stage you are in I urge you to try to move on to the next in the hopes of eventually finding the answers in the third. I remember when I was an atheist looking at different religions someone said "search for the truth; and if you do, you will always end up at Jesus." Sure enough, that's what happened with me as I am sure that's what will happen with you. You just have to be willing.

6/22/14

6/22/14

Satisfied with no satisfaction
Ignorantly living in bliss
Hallow and distant interaction
While the meaning is missed
Why can't you see?
You're blindly living

Tearing at our eyes
Missing the light from the sun
Living in demise
When the victory was won
Why can't you see?
You're blindly living

All content being envious
Distracting ourselves from the truth
Filling ourselves with emptiness
The tragic wasting of our youth
Why can't you see?
You're blindly living

Lessening all that is greater
Condemning all things redeeming
Denying our very creator
Dismissing all possible meaning
Why can't you see?
You're blindly living

The Importance of Evangelism - Message

Claiming Your Faith As Your Own - Message

The video says July but I meant June.

Argument from Purpose and Contingency

Argument from Purpose and Contingency

I have many friends who have read my take over the Argument from Purpose and have disagreed with my view which I expressed (though most scholarly atheists do not) that without God there can be no purpose to life. The following essay is me laying out that claim in a much more technical way by essentially viewing the differences between necessity and contingency in the hopes that it makes this claim easier to understand. As I mentioned in my previous writing over the Argument from Purpose, this will not prove that God exists but simply prove that He must exist for purpose to.

"Why is there something rather than nothing?"

That's Leibniz' Argument from Contingency.

Contingency: the absence of necessity; the fact of being so without having to be so.

This argument is used to explain that this whole universe is contingent, meaning that it is not logically necessary that this universe be here. The universe very well could have never come about. It's contingent, and therefore everything in it must then be contingent as well. If the universe is not logically necessary then the things that compose the universe (i.e. every material thing) must not be logically necessary as well. For if something in the universe is necessary, then the universe itself must be necessary since this thing is dependent upon the universe for it's existence (since it is composed of the material found in the universe). If the universe or anything in it is necessary then the universe as a whole is necessary and furthermore the entire structure of the universe is necessary. If you are to claim that the universe must exist, then you must also defend that the universe must exist the way that we see it and couldn't possibly exist any other way. For if it could exist any other way then the universe is contingent because changing it's structure or it's anatomy is changing it. If my body was composed of atoms with the atomic number 1 then it wouldn't be my body, but hydrogen; it would be something else entirely. Therefore if the universe could exist any other way it would fail to be the universe and must then not be logically necessary.

Now all of that is essentially to say that everything in this world, including ourselves, is contingent. My argument that I'm making today is that purpose can not stem from contingency. Purpose must be rooted in something that is logically necessary. If you say your purpose is to help others but others could very well have never existed at all then your purpose can not come from them. If you say your purpose is to play poker but the game of poker could have never been invented then your purpose could not come from playing poker. If you say your purpose is to be happy but the feeling of happiness or you yourself for that matter could have never existed then that feeling can't bring you purpose nor can you bring yourself purpose. The idea that we can make our own purpose when humanity in and of itself has no purpose is the equivalent of saying a corpse can give itself life.

So, purpose can only come from something that is logically necessary. Purpose can come from anything in this universe if and only if this universe is logically necessary. Otherwise purpose must come from something that is non material (for all matter composes the universe) or else purpose must not exist at all. Furthermore, if you are to claim that some nonphysical entity is necessary then it must also be the origin of all material entities. If there is a necessary thing then all contingent things spur from it. So do we have anything or know of anything that is nonphysical and necessary? The answer would be God, because that is the very definition of God; God is a immaterial, necessary being. It then concludes that purpose can only come from God or else there must be no purpose.

Again this doesn't prove that God exists, but it does prove that He must if your life is to have any bit of purpose, meaning, or significance to it at all. It should, at the very least, prove that the (possible) existence of God is nothing to brush off lightly and must be carefully scrutinized by each and every one of us.

The Plague of Modern Society

The Plague of Modern Society

"I know not who sent me into the world, nor what the world is, nor what I myself am. I am terribly ignorant of everything. I know not what my body is, nor my senses, nor my soul and that part of me which thinks what I say, which reflects upon itself as well as upon all external things, and has no more knowledge of itself than of them.
I see the terrifying immensity of the universe which surrounds me, and find myself limited to one corner of this vast expanse, without knowing why I am set down here rather than elsewhere, nor why the brief period appointed for my life is assigned to me at this moment rather than another in all the eternity that has gone before and will come after me. On all sides I behold nothing but infinity, in which I am a mere atom, a mere passing shadow that returns no more. All I know is that I must soon die, but what I understand least of all is this very death which I cannot escape.
As I know not whence I come, so I know not whither I go. I only know that on leaving this world I fall for ever into nothingness or into the hands of a wrathful God, without knowing to which of these two states I shall be everlastingly consigned. Such is my condition, full of weakness and uncertainty. From all this I conclude that I ought to spend every day of my life without seeking to know my fate. I might perhaps be able to find a solution to my doubts; but I cannot be bothered to do so, I will not take one step towards its discovery."(Pascal)

Pascal writes this as a form of satire as he describes the people who refuse to look into the truth of their current situation, the people who don't care to search for the answers as to whether or not there is a God or whether or not this life has purpose. 6 years ago that was me, and unfortunately, that is now most of my generation.

I've quoted Tolstoy before as he said "The question brought me to the edge of the abyss. What will come of what I do today and tomorrow? What will come of my entire life? Or expressed differently, why should I live? Why should I wish for anything or do anything? Or to put it another way, is there any meaning in life that will not be destroyed by my inevitably approaching death?
My deeds, whatever they may be, will be forgotten sooner or later, and I myself will be no more. Why then do anything? I therefore could not attach a rational meaning to a single act in my entire life. The only thing that amazed me is how I had failed to realize this from the very beginning. How could anyone fail to see this? That’s what is amazing. It’s possible to live as long as life intoxicates us, but once we’re sober, we cannot help seeing it’s all a delusion. There’s nothing funny or witty about it at all. It’s only cruel and stupid." (Tolstoy)

We, the whole of humanity, no longer care to look into the deeper questions. We refuse to venture out into that darkness and unknown for we fear the answers that may lie there. As Pascal put it we are faced with either nothingness or a wrathful God. With nothingness comes the inconsequentiality and bleak emptiness of our lives and with a wrathful God comes the recognition of our decrepit nature and the corruption and evil in our lives we ignorantly believe to be nonexistent. These answers don't suit our taste so we ignore them and the questions they answer. We sweep them under the proverbial rug and with it our entire purpose and meaning for life in the first place. As Tolstoy put it we intoxicate ourselves in this delusion.

Is this how we are to handle anything of real substance in our lives? Is this how we are to deal with confrontation both within ourselves and with others? Talking with a few different friends of mine who were asked out by guys they weren't interested in they told me that they just kept saying that they were busy whenever this particular guy would ask her out until eventually he got the message, leading this person on for months rather than being upfront because that confrontation is uncomfortable. Talking with my grandfather we were mentioning how my generation won't interact with people they don't know or how getting in an elevator people always immediately go to their phones because talking with strangers is uneasy for us. Talking with friends we mention how nowadays friends will tell you what you want to hear rather than what you need to hear in fear of confrontation. All of this, I believe, can be linked back to wishing to stay intoxicated with the trivialities of life, with not having to face the truth underlying it all, with not having to face ourselves.

The sad truth is that the things we intoxicate ourselves with are utterly devoid of any meaning in and of themselves. We put our entire significance into these things only to our own demise. We fill ourselves with jobs, relationships, and entertainment to name a few. But to what avail? What value or significance can possibly be weighed from these things in scope of our lives as a whole let alone in scope of eternity?

I was telling my friend how vital introspection is for me. How many times I will travel from Austin to Houston or vice versa in silence just to ponder on my life and who I am and how God fits into it all. We discussed how people no longer do that because it is horrifying. We always have music playing or the tv on or texting friends because it's white noise that fills in the silence. That's because once we are in the silence there is nothing left to distract us from the unknown and from ourselves. And because we don't know who we are anymore, facing ourselves is facing the unknown. If we can't face ourselves how then could we possibly stomach the mere thought of facing a just and wrathful God? I've already explained the detriments caused by this mentality in terms of our relationships with others but how much more detrimental is it to our relationship with our personal Creator, the very relationship that we were created for in the first place? We have become a society of toddlers who have closed their eyes and covered their ears shouting "I can't hear you" incessantly. By doing so we lose our purpose, we lose our meaning and worth, we cease our growth, and we hinder others'.

As I mentioned towards the beginning, 6 years ago this was me. I was a self identified Atheist but having grown up in a Christian household I said to myself "If I am to say that there is no God I better make damn sure that there isn't one because the consequences are too much if I am wrong." If you are a nonbeliever I challenge you with the same task. I am more than willing to have a discussion with you over the topic and/or point you towards other resources. I assure you this is no matter to take lightly. And if you are a believer I challenge you with facing the confrontation, with stepping into the dark unknown, with sitting in the silence because that is where you will grow. It is tremendously uncomfortable at the beginning but it becomes more and more natural, as it should. Furthermore, if we can't handle confrontation how then could we possibly be effective at evangelizing? The answer to such a rhetorical question is we can't.

    Cited Literature
Pascal, Blaise. Pensées.

Tolstoy, Leo. A Confession.

5/31/14 - P

5/31/14 - P

In the stillness of the night
Serenaded by the hymns of rats
A cigar and book to put me to flight
Reflecting upon the ills of my past
Contemplating all the aims of my future
And the realities of the present
There You tie them together with Your suture
There I am lost and found in Your presence

When sirens alert me to the horrors known
Of all of the evils that can be found
In this world, the lives of others, and my own
In this sea of calamities that I drown
Often I've been lost in my own desires
The pride, the lust, the wrath never hesitant
Through emptiness, darkness this path requires
And yet, there I am lost and found in Your presence

But oh joy that my Joy laid down His own life
So that I might be found in Him alone
Separated from misery and all strife
Caught in serenity, now peace overflown
Words can't contain this surge of emotions
Where truly I have found my true acceptance
Anthems of praise, forever my devotion
There I am lost and found in Your presence

But for now there's still more work to be done
But for now there is a good fight to uphold
Of bridging the gap, these two lives become one
And the Way to do so forever be told
Continue the search for my true identity
To continue the search for my true essence
To the world this path is such an obscenity
But there I am lost and found in Your presence

In the stillness of the night
Serenaded by the hymns of rats
A cigar and book to put me to flight
Reflecting upon the ills of my past
Contemplating all the aims of my future
And the realities of the present
There You tie them together with Your suture
There I am lost and found in Your presence

Everyone in Their Season

Everyone in Their Season

     I can not begin to describe the beautiful community that God has blessed me with here in college. Now I have had community like this back in high school and still do, but never to this extent. And what I mean by that is that community back home is a once/twice a week community but here it is daily. I can't help but be reminded of Acts 2:42-47 which says "They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved." And although the community I speak of is not quite to that degree, it is very close and this passage serves as a great compass for all believers to strive towards and to emulate, not only with building each other up as the body but also with bringing in the lost and treating them as our own.

     However, because I had found this community and we grew so close together in such a small amount of time, some trouble arose for me. I remember being in the theater with some guys who I consider to be some of my best friends and a panic attack of sorts hit me. Now this is very unusual for me because I have never had a panic attack before but I looked around and this epiphany, albeit false one, arose in my mind that said "these people are total strangers." The thought came in partly because I had known them for so short a time but also because they already had this tight-knit group before I met them and they welcomed me in, as I mentioned the passage directs us to, but I felt as a bit of an outcast or that I will never truly fit in with them. I quickly got over this sensation but something stuck with me through that and that is the idea of everyone in their season. What I mean by that is that there is a time in our lives for everyone and they come and go, granted some stay longer than others. I remember talking with one of my best friends senior year in high school and saying how I dreaded the thought that we would drift and part ways, which we affirmed would never happen. Of course that happened though, and although I still love him and would drop anything to help him should something arise, I have a peace with it. The idea of this community that I had found being like that friend though troubled me and I didn't respond well at all. But I came to the realization that since my purpose for still being on this earth is to give all of myself to God's children it is all the more dire for me to do so while I still can. I am the seasonal friend in their lives and thus my window for giving is all the more smaller because of that. Now don't get me wrong, I can fight to death to maintain these relationships after college (as I intend to do), but the truth is we will go to different cities, have different jobs, and it will be harder and harder to communicate. Certainly not all of these relationships can last, at least not to this degree. It's a bitter pill to swallow but an essential reminder for me to give all I have while I still can. This season will pass. The opportunities of now will expire. But let us make the most of it while it's still here.

A Dialogue on Molinism

A Dialogue on Molinism

As best as I can explain, the doctrine of Molinism is a way of reconciling Arminianism and Calvinism. It supports human free will while also affirming God's providential hand, even when it may rely upon man's free responses. It is rather hard to explain and so that may sound confusing but I give an example of it in this dialogue. In essence, God uses His middle knowledge to know how each individual would freely react in any given circumstance they would be placed in and thus can divinely ordain events in our lives. For instance, my friend was considering looking into a job of profiling for law enforcement and before he even mentioned it to me I told him a story of how I met a profiler and how awesome that experience was. So under Molinism it could very well be that God wishes for him to go down that job route and He knew that had He made me friends with him and I had recently had this encounter that I would freely share this story with my friend in order that it might encourage his taking that route, wether I was aware of it or not. It is also a way of reconciling how those who had never heard the Gospel would freely respond if they had heard regardless of if they were a 1st century Jew or modern day American. All who would accept Christ have been given the opportunity to hear His Word. The following is a dialogue over Molinism that I had with my dear friend Kel.

Me:
I think I've found a good way to explain Molinism. I want you to explain the story of Jonah to me.

Kel:
The story of Jonah? Well God told Jonah to go tell the Ninevites that unless they repented that God would destroy them. Jonah was scared that they would harm him and he also didn't think they deserved salvation so he tried to hide from God on a boat. But, since God is everywhere at all times, He began to create turmoil on the ocean and Jonah knew it was because of him so he told the crew to throw him overboard. Once he did he was swallowed by a giant fish and stayed there three days and nights praying to God the entirety before being spat out. Once out he preached the news to the Ninevites, who immediately repented and sought God's mercy. Expecting God to still destroy them, Jonah sat from a distance and watched. God tried to protect Jonah from his judgment but because of Jonah's unwavering heart He punished him.

Me:
Perfect, could not have explained it better myself. Now here is where the questions come in: Did God know that the Ninevites would repent? Did He know Jonah would flee? Did God know that those exact sailors would agree to throw him overboard? Did God place the big fish there knowing it would swallow Jonah up? And finally the bigger picture question here is: did God know this story would be an example for future and current believers to see God's power and it all be furthered by Jonah's reluctance?

Kel:
I don't know if God knew any of that or if He didn't, what is said about the story of Jonah in the New Testament is that it is a representation of the miracle of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Me:
Indeed it is. But then do you believe that God knew this would be a prototype of Christ (as there are countless others in the OT) or was it more so coincidental?

Kel:
Well everything in the Old Testament is meant to point towards Jesus so I would say that yes God intended the story of Jonah to point towards the coming of Christ.

Me:
How then could this be explained through Arminian free will?

Kel:
Ha nice one. That's an excellent point. I would say that it is still a balance of the two because yes God did intend it and everything since the fall has been leading up to Jesus as our ultimate salvation but the choice on how we react to Gods gift of salvation still remains with us.

Me:
That falls in perfectly with Molinism. And the way the Molinist would explain the story of Jonah or any other act for that matter is that God, through His middle knowledge, knew how Jonah would freely act in those sets of circumstances if He were to create Jonah just as well as He knew how you and I were to freely react if we were made in Jonah's place. This also can be used to explain how it says that The Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart in order that His glory would further show just as much as Pilate, Herod, and Judas betraying and condemning Jesus which was a sin but also necessary for our salvation.

Kel:
What your saying makes sense but it almost sounds like you believe God chose to determine the courses of action of a select few in order to save many, is that correct in saying?

Me:
That's not determining anyone's courses because they had free will. I'm saying that God placed people in circumstances knowing how they would freely respond in order to further His glory, love, and mercy.

Kel:
Ah alrighty, I think that follows logically and makes sense. That is definitely a valid option for how God works.

Me:
Indeed. And although any option (mainly Calvinism, Arminianism, and Molinism) is viable for how God works I just see Molinism as the most plausible and always an interesting point of discussion. That's why I wished to further explain it to you.

Kel:
I'm glad you did, I think I fall somewhere in the middle of armenianism and Calvinism, possibly molinism but I'm not sure. I enjoy these talks.

Christianity vs. Christianity as Exemplified in Modern Culture 1st Edition

Christianity vs. Christianity as Exemplified in Modern Culture 1st Edition

I'd first like to say thank you to Monica, Erin, Somer, Becca, Stephen, Bobby, Mackey, and Kel for helping me with this list. 

It seems to me that the popular opinions on Christianity in our culture are skewed to the point where I can't blame people for their disbelief as I would not believe the things expressed as Christianity in our world today either. So with the help of some friends, I have compiled a list of common misnomers I wish to address. Note that I have labeled this "1st Edition" as I am sure that more of these will come my way and I wish to add to the list in order to shed as much light as possible on the subject for the sake of the unbeliever.

For starters, let's address the idea that angels are dead people. I hear this many times after someone passes and to comfort the family people will say "God needed a new angel." This is a repulsive idea and far from being biblically accurate. Angels are a separate part of God's creation which we differ from in many ways. Probably the most important way, however, is that angels have a very limited free will. They can choose to follow God or not but once they go against God there is no possible redemption for them. Christ came as man and was killed as an atonement for man's sins. Therefore we have free will to either obey or disobey God freely, a liberty which angels do not possess. Of course appearance, position, etc are also all ways we vary from angels as well. So the question then arises to what happens after we die? It seems that we will go to be with The Lord until a time when we receive our resurrection bodies and then we will be fulfilled. I believe this to be represented by scripture in 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 "For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad." So just to be clear, no angelic metamorphosis. I feel like I have spoken adequately on this issue and would be happy to respond to any further inquiries you might have on this subject or any others, but for now we must move on.

God is a man in the clouds. - I hear this one so often, especially from atheists trying to show how ridiculous Christianity is. Make no mistake, God is not a man in the clouds. He's not some old guy with a white beard. God possesses all traits of personhood but He is without form and thus not limited to an enclosed space. In fact, God is omnipresent, meaning His presence is everywhere. The Bible speaks about this thoroughly but two key verses I wish to note are Jeremiah 23:24 "Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? Declares The Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? Declares The Lord." And Colossians 1:17 "And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together." I believe that the modern depictions of God most likely came about as a way to visualize Him as a person of authority and wisdom, though this is merely speculation. Regardless, God has not a physical form. 

Science vs Christianity - this one honestly might bug me the most because so many people seem to believe this false dichotomy, including Christians! I've brushed over the idea of how Christians might sense a dichotomy through poor hermeneutics in "How The Religious May Deny Science" and how we are to practice text interpretation in "Brief Response to Ted Talk by Dr. David Eagleman." These two writings should at the very least further my case of this dichotomy being a false one, so now I will try to briefly address the idea of miracles (which an overwhelming majority, if not all, Christians believe in). Miracles seem impossible because they can not occur through natural laws which govern how the entire universe operates. The trick is, however, that these laws express how nature works itself without any outside interference. Nature is a closed set, its laws then do not apply when this outside interference does in fact occur. These would be miracles. And to argue that miracles can't occur is to argue from a case that claims that atheism is already proven true, which it isn't; it would be begging the question. Again though, I encourage you to go to the two previous writings mentioned above in order to further explore this topic as I believe I have properly addressed it more at length there than is appropriate here. 

God is like Santa - another favorite by those who mock religion. "He sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake, he knows if you've been bad or good so be good for goodness sake!" Some bearded magical guy who rewards the good and punishes the bad, who is omniscient, sounds a lot like God, right? Aside from the bearded magical guy remark which has already been addressed above there can be seen "some correlations" between the two, and by some correlations I mean "omniscience." That's about as far as they go. The rewards and punishment idea I will address later, but for now just take it at face value that God does not work that way. But do you want to know an even further difference between the two? There is actually evidence for God. So right there the whole correlation between God and Santa immediately falls apart. I've written briefly on some cases for God in "Arguments for Morality and Purpose" and "Atheism, Agnosticism, and Theism" but there are many other cases for God as well that I at least name in "Brief Response to Ted Talk by Dr. David Eagleman."

The Bible is old and outdated, many books were written generations later and have been changed over the years. - In the third chapter of "The Case For Christ" Lee Strobel interviewed Dr. Bruce Metzger over this topic. I will simply highlight some of that interview here as I believe this issue is perfectly addressed by them, but I encourage you to read through that chapter, if not that book, for further inquiry. 
-The NT, especially when compared to other ancient writings, has unprecedented multiplicity of copies that have survived. 
- We have copies from just a couple generations of the originals where as other ancient writings might be upwards of 5-10 centuries after the originals were written. 
- Many ancient writings will have anywhere from 1-10 manuscripts, the NT Greek has over 5,000 (24,000 total) "The Iliad" has the most apart from the Bible and it is 650, most of them coming around a thousand years after Homer lived. 
- Almost every change made through the generations is a change in spelling, punctuation, or format. The NT is estimated to be 99.5% pure to it's original message. 
Another chapter deals with the gospels and around what time they were written. All 4 can be placed within a generation of Christ and some of the earliest creeds are placed within 3-5 years of Jesus' death. Again, this is a phenomenal book that presents a strong case for the historicity and reliability of the Bible amongst other key foundations of the Christian faith. 

God punishes/rewards certain people (as I mentioned above with the whole Santa idea). - Matthew 5: 44-45 "But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." Both good and bad fall on the righteous and unrighteous alike. Our prosperity is not promised here on earth, but rather in Heaven. In fact, John 16:33 says "I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world."

Another quick point I would like to make is that the Westboro Baptist Church seems to be getting a lot of media coverage lately and I find it vital for me to share that this is a strong perversion of the Gospel, if it has even been understood at all by them. 

The idea of the church being homophobic. - The church is tolerant of gay people (tolerance will be the next issue addressed). I think the main flack comes from the church's stance on same sex marriage, which is an oxymoron to Christians. God made marriage between a man and a woman and so the idea of same sex marriage is a bizarre idea. But make no mistake, being gay is not the sin, it is acting upon it that is the sin. We are called to either a life of abstinence or marriage. Sexual activity outside of marriage is immoral regardless of sexual orientation, the only difference being that homosexuality can not be anything but outside of marriage. 

Tolerance - I remember coming across a quote from Allan Bloom in his book "The Closing of the American Mind." The quote reads, "Tolerance means though I disagree with what you say I will defend to the death your right to say it." We tolerate people, what we discriminate is their viewpoint. Somehow, society seems to have this idea reversed. We are to be accepting and loving of people, tolerating them, however we are discriminate their viewpoints and correct them if we believe them to be wrong.  We live in this postmodern mindset of there being no objective right and wrong (which we inherently know to be false given proper prodding) and so the idea of discriminating beliefs or views seems taboo to us. Of course we discriminate against any view that discriminates views, but that's for another subject.

I've spoken over the idea of the "over religious" before in previous writings, so I will simply say the idea of someone being over religious is begging the question for atheism. That is to say that one could only be over religious if religion is false and so to assume someone is over religious is to assume that religion is false. Your religious beliefs or lack thereof tell you who you are, where you came from, where you're going, and what your purpose is (if any). The only parts of life that have any meaning (if life itself has any meaning at all) are spurred by our religious beliefs and so one simply cannot be over religious. 

The Trinity. - This one may be obvious to most, but many of my Muslim friends believe the Trinity consists God, Mary, and Jesus. Jesus being the offspring of the first two. That is false. The Trinity is God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. They are one God in 3 persons. While we are on the subject of the persons of God and their correlation to each other...

Jesus is the Son of God. - John 1:1/14 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." Coeternal with the Father was the Word. The Word became flesh as Jesus. Jesus is God. However as God, He had to come down to usher in His kingdom and in the process He became the atoning sacrifice for our sins. So Jesus became human, while still being God. In essence, He possessed all requirements for both a human nature and a divine nature. He was fully God and fully man. The titles "Son of God" and "Son of Man" show Christ's two natures as He was begotten into this world, being virginally born of flesh. Also, in the Old Testament the term "Son of God" was used to describe the Messiah. "Son of God" is an office that Jesus held, it is not his genealogy. The Son of God is the person who ushers in God's rule or reign. Jesus' ministry was to usher in the Kingdom of God, that is why Jesus talks more about the Kingdom of God than any other topic throughout His ministry. Through the Son of God, God's Kingdom was established here on earth. 

Christianity is a way in which people can feel self-righteous or "above" others. - I find this essential to address because, unfortunately, this is an issue in the church. There are those self-righteous Christians out there and they seem to be making lasting impressions on the masses. The truth about Christianity is, however, that the closer you draw to God the more corrupted and fallen you realize you are and how much more you need the salvation of God. You understand that sinning just once is enough to cause an infinite chasm between yourself and the Essence of Good, a chasm which can only be bridged by the Essence of Good willingly sacrificing itself for your own atonement. On what grounds then do we stand upon to feel self-righteous? On the contrary, Christianity calls us to be humble before others, just as Jesus Himself did. Philippians 2:3-8 "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death - even death on a cross!" That passage alone should blow any notion of self-righteousness out of the water. 

Christianity or believing in a god in general is a psychological construct to help us mentally cope with life's challenges. - The truth is belief in God does help us with life's challenges, but more importantly it shows us that life is worth something. However, just because it is beneficial does not mean it was created as a coping mechanism, that is fallacious and ultimately begs the question in favor of Naturalism. Showing something to be beneficial does nothing to discredit it or to assume its origins. And even still, this life will not become easier or more bearable or even tolerable, again I point you to John 16:33 "I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world." Christianity does provide hope for life eternal, but you will be persecuted here on Earth. It will solve your problems, but don't expect it to be an easy life.

Christianity is a set of rules. - It seems like the main view of Christianity is it is just a list of things we can't do, which is so far from the truth. Christianity is a personal relationship with God. The law was created to show how fallen we were and how we are in need of salvation. But Christ has already paid for every time we fall short of the law. That is why Jesus says in Matthew 5:17 "do not think I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." The payment for the law was fulfilled with Christ's death. However, there is still objective good and wrong. The thing is though Christianity is not telling you to not do wrong, it is such an intimate acquaintance with good that we have no desire to do wrong. Although living in this fallen state we at times still do wrong, but Christ has already paid for it, our salvation has been granted and our punishment paid for. 

Christianity means that you deprive yourself of joy and fun on earth to earn salvation eternally. - This one seems to go hand in hand with the idea of it being a set of rules. This idea is to suppose that joy and fun come from the things of this world that Christianity tells us not to do. True joy doesn't come from wrong or morally ambivalent activities here on earth. In fact, 1 Peter 1:8 claims "Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy." Joy is not exclusive from this world. 

You have to get yourself together before you can even call yourself a Christian or evangelize to others. - We by no means should be living a life of sin and degradation, however we will never fully eradicate sin from our lives as long as we continue to live in the flesh. Christianity, being a relationship with God, means that our relationship with Him is always changing and growing stronger (hopefully). We do not need to be perfect in order to be a Christian or share the truth of Christ, for that will never happen here on earth. And even though we will never be perfect here, the moment we accept Christ we are considered the righteousness of Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:21 "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." Christ's righteousness has been imputed onto us and we are therefore seen as the righteousness of God, even though we continue to sin and mess up. And for evidence of God using those who didn't have it all together to share His word and evangelize, let us turn to the scriptures. Exodus 4:13-16 "But Moses said, 'Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.' Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses and he said, 'What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and he will be glad to see you. You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him.'" Moses felt unqualified and was making excuses to not go, but God used him anyways. Jeremiah 1:6-10 "'Alas, Sovereign Lord,' I said, 'I do not know how to speak; I am too young.' But the Lord said to me, 'Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,' declares the Lord. Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, 'I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.'” Or to go to the New Testament, God tells Peter in Matthew 16:18 "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it." Peter was the very foundation God used to build His church and yet he denied Christ three times! And even still, Peter in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost gave the first public sermon after Christ's ascension and on that day over 3,000 people came to believe. But through all this, perhaps the most influential is Paul, who wrote a majority of the New Testament. Christ called him as he was on his way to persecute and kill Christians! He certainly didn't have himself together or was prepared to share, but he did. Because as Christians we are all called, no matter where we are, to share the good news. The cliché adage is true, "God doesn't call the qualified he qualifies the called." Today I tell you that as a Christian you are called. 

Good people go to heaven, bad people go to hell. - This one always gets me. Psalm 14:1 "there is no one who does good" and Romans 3:10 "There is none righteous, not even one." This idea of good people going to heaven and bad to hell causes Christianity to become a works based religion, which is the exact opposite of what it is! Christ has done all the work for us, we just need to accept His work as our free gift, our salvation. Man is corrupted at heart and left to his own devices could never redeem himself. But even still, if we want to use "good" in our society's terms we can say that good is not determinative of salvation. There are good people who don't believe in Jesus, there are those who are altruistic and compassionate and yet deny God. But even still, no matter how good we may be we can never be saved upon our works, we are solely saved by faith in Christ Jesus and if you don't believe, no matter how good you may be, you cannot save yourself. 

All Christians believe the same thing. - Not all Christians take the Bible literally, not all Christians believe in the Bible's inerrancy, not all Christians follow the same doctrines (hence denominations). For example, some Christians are Young Earthers,  some are Old Earthers. Some believe in evolution, some do not. Some believe in free will, some do not. None of these issues determine our salvation. At the core of Christianity is Jesus is God and He died for our sins, the rest essentially is an in-house discussion.

If you can think of any others to add to this list, please feel free to send them my way. Similarly, if you believe I have misrepresented anything in this writing please correct me. The purpose of this paper is to correct as many misnomers about Christianity as possible. This has definitely proven to be the most research and work I have had to put into any of my writings as of yet and again cannot thank the people who helped me enough. Lastly, if you would like to continue this discussion or any spiritual conversation, I am always available.

The Conviction of Christ

The Conviction of Christ

The Jews sought to arrest and crucify Christ because of His claims to be God. The irony is that this was their very own crime. This is our very own crime. Throughout history, man's greatest sin is to try and be God, in fact it was the very first sin which man ever committed. Genesis 3:1-6 "Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it." Not only is this our crime though, but Satan's as well. Isaiah 14:12-15 "How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit." All of time is a story of God's creation seeking to become God. The creation desires to become the Creator. As I've mentioned in "Slaves to Sin/Righteousness", this is why we have so many religions that express men becoming gods. Even naturalistic evolution's end goal is for man to evolve into a godlike form, 2001 is a perfect example of this. This desire is a constant drive in the hearts of every individual. We crave to be the proverbial kings of our own domain. We desire to be our own god. Through this desire sin entered into the world and so it is only fitting that sin leave this world through the very same charges. Jesus Christ, the Living God, was convicted for claiming to be God, for claiming to be Himself. He was crucified for this crime, our crime, and thus our crime was paid for by Him. Jesus took on our sin at the cross (propitiation), which we all know and understand, but further still He took on our charges as well. Jesus was charged with our exact sin: blasphemy. By taking on our sins, God then imputed Christ's righteousness on us. That's the beauty of it all. God took our sins of claiming to be Him and in return we are given His righteousness. We have God's righteousness while God was convicted, persecuted, and executed for the claims of being God. And now, because of this imputation, whenever God looks upon us He sees the righteousness of Christ. Further still, the Holy Spirit dwells within us. Are you picking up on what I'm saying yet? God took the punishment of those who sought to be like Him and in return made them like Him. We were made in His image (Genesis 1:26), we were given His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21, Romans 3:22, 1 Corinthians 1:30), we were given His very presence within ourselves (John 14:16), and He has made us His ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20), His representatives that come with His full authority and speak directly on His behalf. How much more like God can we desire to be? Why do we have this knowledge and even still through our pride, arrogance, ambition, and corruption seek to be our own gods?   There is no rational explanation for this! Let us then lay aside the ambition and pick up humility just like Jesus laid aside His position and picked up humility. The God of the universe came down as a lowly man and served His own creation. Matthew 20:25-28 "Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Let us follow in Christ's example. Let us try to be like God rather than godlike. I believe that everything I am trying to convey was perfectly wrapped up in Paul's letter to the church of Philippi, so I will end this with Philippians 2:3-11 "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

11/15/13

11/15/13

We believe in each other
We dismiss meaning
We stand for what's right
We deny objectivity
We cry out for justice
We desire for love
We aim for perfection
We detest wickedness
We say this is all there is
And yet, even still, 
We live out the opposite

How The Religious May Deny Science

How The Religious May Deny Science

Seeing the controversy of late over the Bill Nye debate, many people took to the internet to show how stupid or ignorant people of faith must be to disregard science in the science vs religion dichotomy, especially in regards to Young Earth Creationism. As a Christian it really is sad for me to see the number of religious people who hold to the Young Earth Idea but I do believe there is a valid reasoning behind their view, albeit incorrect. You see, their personal experience of God or any other spiritual experience is so strong that if they incorrectly view the Genesis account as literally God saying the Earth is 6,000 years old then they will accept it rather than the scientific evidence simply from its clashing with the authority of their own experience. The fact of the matter is though it is a false dichotomy that they have made, there is no real disagreement between the two.

Extreme Christianity

Extreme Christianity

We live in the age of the moderate Christian. What do I mean by that? I mean the Christian who attends church on occasions and continues to live their life unchanged. My question is how is it even remotely possible to know the truth and yet be unchanged? The truth of the Gospel is so radical, so revolutionary, and so contrary to this world's philosophy that we simply can't come to know it without seeing visible change. Those that view God's Word without change must truly believe in their heart that either they are not in need of salvation or they simply must not care. These are extremely dangerous positions to hold. In Revelation 3:15-17 we see Christ say, "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. Because you say, 'I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,' and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked." Christ says it is better for us to be cold than lukewarm! At least those who are cold have an excuse, but what excuse is there for us who know God's truth? You see, the truth is we are in desperate need of salvation, we are utterly hopeless and full of despair if not for the Gospel. We are "wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked." To be redeemed of that, to be given life, to be given freedom from our oppressions is such an outstanding gift that we should not be able to contain the passion and fire that it sets within us. To truly understand the Gospel is to experience life for the first time, it is to feel hope for the first time, it is to see for the first time, it is to be drastically changed from the inside out. So I repeat, how is it even remotely possible to know the truth and yet be unchanged?
As I have previously mentioned in "Arguments for Morality and Purpose," there can not be any possible purpose without God, that is to say our purpose comes from God and God alone. How can anything other than living for our purpose be of any interest to us then? How can we go about business as usual? Granted these are rhetorical questions and the obvious answer is sin, but then that raises the question "why do we refuse the discipline of overcoming our carnal desires?" To live life for anything other than God is to live life as if it has no purpose. If we believe we do have purpose, why aren't we living like it? The brass tacks is that we need to start living our life as if it has purpose, we need to stop living for the things of this world that are fleeting and empty, we need to instill enough discipline in ourselves to do so, and we need to start taking the responsibilities and consequences of our actions seriously because it goes far beyond just you and me. We can affect eternity and the eternity of others, we can be the tools that God uses to lead someone to salvation, their life or death may very well depend upon our discipline and resolve to live for things that matter.
James says in James 2:14-17 "What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,' and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself." Do you have faith, our very assurance of life, or is yours dead?