To Whose Worldview Do You Subscribe?

Woof.  With all the political back and forth on TV, on the news sites, on social media, it gets you thinking about how people can think so differently - diametrically opposite in some cases - from one another.  I mean, we're all living in the same world, with the same laws of physics, with the same air and water and food.  So how can one person think that something is 100% right and another think that same thing is 100% wrong?  Both can't be right.

Here's what it comes down to:  People are comfortable aligning with some "group" and find it easier to just say, "Yeah - what he said."  Let's be honest.  Most people are quite lazy that way.  I've been guilty of it in the past, too.  But with what "group" is the right one to align?  And is that okay to just blindly agree and then communicate the views of that group without even thinking it through?

I say - absolutely NOT.  There is no excuse for this.

I'll keep things fair and not pick on any one group in particular, but let's just use Political Party X as a case study.  I know of people who scream at the top of their Facebook posts that this party is the best and EVERYTHING they say is right, and the other side is wrong no matter what.  They do this to a fault.  And in doing so, they throw the baby out with the bath water.

Here's the truth - neither Political Party in this country is 100% right or 100% wrong.  So aligning yourself solely with that group on all issues and stances is simply ridiculous.

Here's the other truth - ANY stance ... by ANY Party is flawed by default if it is not based in objective truth.  Frankly, anything not based on objective truth is just "opinion".  It's like standing in thin air.  You want to know how much my personal opinion is worth?  Zip.  News flash - so is your opinion.  I can state my opinion that "clouds are made of cotton" as much as I want.  "That's my opinion and don't you dare tell me I'm not entitled to my opinion!"  But it matters not.  My opinion and 52 cents won't even buy a small coffee at 7-Eleven anymore.

So, to what worldview do you tie yourself?  How about a worldview provided to us by the One who created the Universe, this planet, our sun, the air we breath, the food we eat, the water we drink ... ?  That is the only objective truth out there ... and it's wrapped up nicely in a book called the Bible.  In fact, if I align myself with our Creator on all things, I can have confidence that any and everything I believe isn't even MY opinion at all.  It's His.  And that is solid ground to stand on.

The Republican platform has faults.
The Democratic platform has faults.
God's platform - zero faults.

Again I ask, to whose worldview do you subscribe?

The Dogs Outside the Gate

Recently, in a Facebook interaction with someone with a VERY different perspective on truth, a 3rd party posted the following scripture: 

14 Those who wash their clothes clean are happy (who are washed by the blood of the Lamb). They will have the right to go into the city through the gates. They will have the right to eat the fruit of the tree of life. 15 Outside the city are the dogs. They are people who follow witchcraft and those who do sex sins and those who kill other people and those who worship false gods and those who like lies and tell them.  -- Revelation 22:14-15 (NLV) 

Solid scripture here.  However, the problem with most of the individuals who like lies and tell them is that they truly believe that they aren't lies.  They likely have great intentions, but have heard these lies stated as platitudes that sound like the truth so many times that their brains can no longer tell the difference.  They've literally heard these lies coming from every non-biblical source thousands or maybe millions of times ... and now they FEEL true.  So they must be true, right?  That's what the brainwashed mind says.  Basic human psychology.  It's one of the enemy's greatest tools.  But even though it's working, we already know who wins this war. 

I was one of those "liars with good intentions" for the majority of my life (see "A Skeptic's Epiphany"), truly thinking that I was helping these ridiculous lost people who thought the way that I now know is truth. Luckily we have a book called the Bible that brings us right back to the real truth again and again. 

Thank God ... literally.

I Can't See Christ For All the Christians

What do you say to the quote to the right?

Fact is, among the top reasons people give for not accepting Christ into their lives - or at least considering it - is "Christian Hypocrisy".  

Unfortunately - even as a Christian - I agree with Gandhi on this.  It seems clear to me, at least in America, that we "Christians" aren't very Christlike much of the time.  We are called to draw people to Christ with our love, but more often we drive them away from Christ.

In this blog, I'd like to speak to two audiences:  (1) Non-Christians with a bad taste in their mouth about Jesus based on experiences with "Christians" and (2) "Christians" who aren't following Christ's lead.

Notice I use quotations around the word "Christian"?  I too have quotations around my Christianity more often than I'd like to admit.  I can do better - I know.

To non-Christians:  I understand.  But I ask that you look at Christ, not his far-from-perfect followers.  The Christian faith is not a museum of saints, but more like a hospital with a lot of sick people who are getting better (but are still very sick).  Christians are humans just like you.  They are flawed, sometimes quite unlikeable humans.  But that is part of why they are Christians ... they realize that they are flawed and know that this state of being is not right, nor is it pleasing to anyone, especially God.  By accepting Jesus into their lives, they are admitting they can't do it alone.  They are admitting that they need saving.  Even Mother Theresa said she was a sinner.  So if that incredible woman is a sinner, where does that leave me?  Am I good?  No.  "... for all have sinned and fallen short ..." (Romans 3:23).  ALL - bar none.  If you believe you have not, ask yourself, "By what (or whose) measuring stick are you coming to that conclusion?"  For instance, by worldly standards, most would say I am a very good person.  But that's a subjective measuring stick.  The only objective measuring stick is God's definition of "good".  I don't say this to make you (or me) feel bad ... we're all in that boat.  So, some so-called Christian did you wrong, or simply rubbed you the wrong way?  Please, don't judge Christ by that Christian.  See the forest for the trees - that's all I ask.

I care deeply for you - so does God.  After having done the research and followed it to it's logical conclusion, I know it's true, but I can't debate you into it.  It must be a personal choice to seek the Truth.  But if you seek, you shall find.  I'll guarantee that.

To "Christians":

"Christians are the light for everyone else, for the whole world. If we are Christians, we must look like Christ. We must be like Him." -- Mother Teresa 

We will always fall short, but we must persevere, becoming more and more Christ-like everyday knowing we will never reach that pinnacle in this lifetime.  Too many of us do things that are quite unChrist-like:  We judge, we condescend, we show our obvious love for money and not God, we withhold compassion, we don't give when we really could give ... heck, many of us don't look any different from non-Christians.  In fact, in some cases, some non-Christians live lives that are considerably more Christ-like.   We're asked to stand out - to have God's love shining from us.  Most importantly, we must draw people to Christ through our love.  Are you loving people unconditionally - meaning, even though they don't believe what you believe?  Are you removing judgement from your heart?  Are you reminding yourself that their is a big plank in your eye (only the Christians will get that reference) and that we're all work-in-progress?

To All:  We're all in this together.  God loves you and wants to have a personal relationship with you through his Son.  Let Christ Himself be the focus and let's strive to love one another like He loves us.

Some other great quotes from Mother Teresa:

Find Jesus, and you will find peace. 

Give until it hurts.

Every time we need to make a decision concerning our families, we need to pray.

Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.

Each one of them is Jesus in disguise.

Each one of us is what he is in the eyes of God.

God doesn't require us to succeed; he only requires that you try.

If we really want to love, we must learn to forgive before anything else. 

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.

The Atheist Professor: A Conversation on Logic

This content is not my own, but was worth cutting and pasting here in place of one of my blog entries.  

My Opinion:  Do not be hesitant to engage with Atheists and Agnostics in a kind and loving, but direct way.  Facts, reason and logic are on the side of Truth.  And that Truth is, God is very real and involved in our individual daily lives.  I - for one - am glad I did the research, then "woke" 4 years ago.  The lyrics, "I was blind but now I see" seem to be an understatement having spent 38 years of my life as an adamant "skeptic" and quasi-athiest.  For more on my 360 degree change in worldview, read "A Skeptic's Epiphany".  If given the choice between letting someone spend eternity without God or potentially annoying them in the process of conveying Truth to that someone, I choose the latter for reasons of love of my fellow human beings.  

Enjoy.

'Let me explain the problem science has with religion.' The atheist professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his new students to stand. 

'You're a Christian, aren't you, son? 

'Yes sir,' the student says. 

'So you believe in God?' 

'Absolutely.'

'Is God good?'

'Sure! God's good.'

'Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?'

'Yes.'

'Are you good or evil?'

'The Bible says I'm evil.'

The professor grins knowingly. 'Aha! The Bible!'

He considers for a moment, 'Here's one for you. Let's say there's a sick person over here and you can cure him. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you try?'

'Yes sir, I would.'

'So you're good!'

'I wouldn't say that.'

'But why not say that? You'd help a sick and maimed person if you could. Most of us would if we could. But God doesn't.'

The student does not answer, so the professor continues.

'He doesn't, does he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he prayed to Jesus to heal him. How is this Jesus good? Hmmm? Can you answer that one?'

The student remains silent.

'No, you can't, can you?' the professor says. He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax.

'Let's start again, young fella. Is God good?'

'Er...yes,' the student says.

'Is Satan good?'

The student doesn't hesitate on this one,  'No.'

'Then where does Satan come from?'

The student falters, 'From God.'

'That's right. God made Satan, didn't he? Tell me, son. Is there evil in this world?'

'Yes, sir...'

'Evil's everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything, correct?'

'Yes.'

'So who created evil?' The professor continued, 'If God created everything, then God created evil, since evil exists, and according to the principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil.'

Again, the student has no answer.

'Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things, do they exist in this world?'

The student squirms on his feet. 'Yes.'

'So who created them?'

The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his question, 'Who created them?'

There is still no answer... Suddenly the lecturer breaks away to pace in front of the classroom. The class is mesmerized.

'Tell me,' he continues onto another student. 'Do you believe in Jesus Christ, son?'

The student's voice betrays him and cracks. 'Yes, professor, I do.'

The old man stops pacing, 'Science says you have five senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?'

'No sir. I've never seen Him.'

'Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or  smelt your Jesus? Have you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, or God for that matter?'

'No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't.'

'Yet you still believe in him?'

'Yes.'

'According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your God doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?'

'Nothing,' the student replies. 'I only have my faith.'

'Yes, faith,' the professor repeats. 'And that is the problem science has with God. There is no evidence, only faith.'

The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of His own. 'Professor, is there such thing as heat?'

'Yes,' the professor replies. 'There's heat.'

'And is there such a thing as cold?'

'Yes, son, there's cold too.'

'No sir, there isn't..'

The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested. The room suddenly becomes very quiet.

The student begins to explain...

'You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat,  mega-heat, unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don't have anything called 'cold'. We can hit up to 458 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder than the lowest -458 degrees.'

'Everybody or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat. You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.'

Silence across the room. A pen drops somewhere in the classroom, sounding like a hammer.

'What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?'

'Yes,' the professor replies without hesitation. 'What is night if it isn't darkness?'

'You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and its called darkness, isn't it? That's the  meaning we use to define the word. In reality, darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?'

The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him. This will be a good semester. 'So what point are you making, young man?'

'Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed.'

The professor's face cannot hide his surprise this time, 'Flawed? Can you explain how?'

'You are working on the premise of duality,' the student explains...

'You argue that there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought.'

'It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it...'

'Now tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?'

'If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes, of course I do.'

'Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?'

The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes where the argument is going. A very good semester, indeed.

'Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?'

The class is in uproar. The student remains silent until the commotion has subsided.

'To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, let me give you an example of what I mean..' The student looks around the room, 'Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the professor's brain?' The class breaks out into  laughter.

'Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor's brain, felt the professor's brain, touched or smelt the professor's brain? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, with all due respect, sir.'

'So if science says you have no brain, how can we trust your lectures, sir?'

Now the room is silent. The professor just stares at the student, his face unreadable. Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man answers,  'I guess you'll have to take them on faith.'

'Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with life,' the student continues, 'Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?'

Now uncertain, the professor responds, 'Of course, there is. We see it everyday. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil.'

To this the student replied, 'Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil  is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light.'

The professor sat down.

Taken from an email sent to me in February of 2014.  Author unknown. 

Be loving, but be bold.  As mentioned, Truth is on our side.

The Skeptical Muscle

What is your immediate reaction to this?

"He's just going to buy drugs."

"She needs to get a job and stop asking for handouts.  She just doesn't want to help herself."

"I've heard about these people.  They stand on the corner with a sign, but they live in a 3,000 square foot house ..."

When we see that person on the corner or outside the convenience store asking for help - for many (if not all) - part of us says, "I wonder what the real story is."  Our skeptical muscle kicks in and, well, we don't want to be duped.  This is a natural human reaction.  But is this what the Bible teaches us?  No, it doesn't.  Actually, it teaches us quite the opposite.

In fact, most of life's instructions given to us by God are opposite of what we naturally want to do.

• We want to hate and take revenge upon - not love - our enemies.  But God says clearly to love our enemies without pause and without grumbling about it.  Matthew 5:44
• We want to hold back love or respect from our spouse until they show US the respect or love we deserve ... not give love and/or respect unconditionally as God instructs.  Ephesians 5:22-33
• We want to use our God-given blessings to our own advantage, not for others, doing God's work (including helping others before helping ourselves) like God asks.  1 Corinthians 12:7
• We want to protect ourselves completely from the negative repercussions of scams, cheats, and mooches, so we don't look like fools.  We put so much effort into this that we miss out on the chance to help for helping's sake.  We lean toward the "they're likely trying to cheat us" assumption so much that we leave no room for "maybe they're not cheating us - maybe they honestly need our help."  
• And when we give, we expect a "thank you" or a pat on the back, or to know that they really needed the help as mentioned above, when God asks us to give simply because He asks us to, not for what we expect to receive in return.  

I for one have been horrible about this for the majority of my life.  And I'm still not the best about it (but I AM working on it).  It takes strong and steady faith to simply trust God at His Word ... but He asks us to do just that.  Funny thing is, I can't think of a time when things haven't worked out after I decided to just let go and trust Him.  Logic says that His infinite wisdom might actually be more reliable than my flawed and finite wisdom.

Unfortunately for us, our emotions/feelings get in the way, don't they?  But how often can "feelings" be trusted?  Heck, when do they not get us in trouble?  Think back on the decisions you've made solely on feelings and emotions, and tell me how those decisions worked out for you and for others.  I know from my experience that they've not worked out at all.

NOTE:  To be clear, I'm not suggesting that God wants us to be suckers.  It's clear in the Bible that we are to "discern" - to use our minds.  But if it's not clear what the real case is, we should lean toward giving without skepticism rather than withholding because of skepticism.   

Here's a thought that I believe is Biblical:  Help without worrying about it so much.  If there is a need - give, help, comfort, love.  Period.  Don't worry about their motives or your reputation.  Just do it.  If the recipient is not on the up and up, that is between him or her and God.  It is your role to give if you are able.  If you have and someone else does not, give (Luke 3:11).  What are you doing with the surplus?  Hoarding it?  Protecting your future?

If God loves the sparrows enough to feed them without storing anything up, how much more will He provide for us?  Yeah - that's in the Bible, too.  Isn't securing ourselves with stored up money the same as worshipping or trusting in "money" to be our god?  Isn't it telling the real God that we don't trust Him at His Word that He will provide for us what we need?  So conversely, isn't giving - when you have and someone else is in need - like saying, "God, I trust you.  I am your hands and feet to this person in need.  I trust you to secure me more than money ever could."

Tomorrow, you will see someone who is in need ... or maybe they aren't REALLY in need.  That's your skepticism muscle flaring up.  Rub some Ben Gay on it and help that person.  Here's the caveat that I suggest - take it or leave it:  Before giving them anything, ask them their name.  Treat them like a human - like one of your brothers or sisters, created by God just like you.  Maybe talk to them for a bit - get to know them.  If they ask for money, ask them why.  If they say they are hungry, feed them.  If they are cold, give them your coat.  If they need help with anything else, help them.  But if they insist upon money when you could provide otherwise ... pray for them and walk away.  No one "needs" money.  No where on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs does it show the good old greenback.

We are all here as God's instruments.  I fully believe that.  I also believe that God puts us in these situations for Him to act through us.  He is there with us in those scenarios where someone is in need (or at least seems to be in need).  And He's hoping that we'll not be a hand that is paralyzed by skepticism, but a strong hand extending out with His love to our brothers and sisters in need.

God, I ask that you strengthen me in times when I'm skeptical.  To discern, but then to act on your instructions.  We are your hands and feet.  Help us to do as Jesus would do in all things.  We ask this in Jesus' holy and precious name.  Amen.