XLVI. To Error...to Forgive

A question was asked one time on a trivia game: "are there more people dead or alive?". Since there are over 6 billion people on the earth as we speak and growing it seemed that the obvious answer would be "alive". (http://www.poodwaddle.com/worldclock.swf for an unofficial count) But, with more thought comes more wisdom. Six billion today, but there were 4 billion 50 years ago and many of them have since passed on. So the actual answer would be "dead". Think about that. Billions and billions and billions of people have already come and gone since the creation of man. And it all started with two people. Two individuals who by their own desires became two flawed individuals. And since we all came from these two people we carried their flawed genes into our existence.

We are human. We are flawed. None of us are perfect. Could we have actually lived a perfect life? Yes. But, since we are made of earthly flesh which is not spiritual, we have the ability to sin. And we all do. Not one of us will be able to stand in front of God the Father and say, "I have lived a perfect life. I have never hurt anyone. I have never lied. I have never cheated. I have never done anything wrong in any such way or form." No one can say that. If they do then they lie to themselves thereby making them flawed as they speak.

We are human. We have errors. We make mistakes. Even if our actions were not of intent, we still can end up making a mistake that consequences must make amends. Again, no one can stand in front of God the Father and claim they do not make mistakes. For that matter no one can stand in front of any other man and make that claim.

The point is humans will always be a disappointment. None of us will ever be able to live the perfect standard. Billions upon billions of people and only one who was perfect. And what did we do with him? We nailed him to a tree. We all need forgiveness. Forgiveness is a key to the healing process. It's not the only key. But it is needed. Without forgiveness, the ability to forget is never possible. Without being able to forget memories will haunt us. Without forgiveness, the ability to be open and honest can not be achieved. Without honesty trust in others is useless and relationships can not be built. Without forgiveness, wounds can never heal. If wounds can't heal they will kill. Without forgiveness, hope is lost. Without hope...there is no hope. Alexander Pope is quoted as saying to err is human, to forgive is divine. But he is a little misguided. Forgiveness is Divine, but since we are made in the image of God, to forgive is human as well.

We are human. We can error but can we forgive? Are you nailing others to a tree or are you forgiving them? And not only forgive, can we build back up the man who falls? Yes.

XLV. The Dark Side

Close your eyes for 5 seconds and reopen them. Go ahead, no one is watching. What did you see? Nothing right? But was there really nothing there? No. There was something. There was still a thought going through your mind somehow. There may have been a memory flashing in. There may have been sound on the outside that you could hear. The wind was blowing somewhere. Electricity was flowing from one place to another. Your blood was still pumping. There is more than just darkness. Even though you shut your eyes and saw nothing there were things still going on around because in this universe there is no such thing as nothing!

Have you ever thought about what nothing (real nothing) is? It is void of all known things. Time, space, dimensions, laws are all void in a real nothing. It is something we really can not comprehend because we are in existence. But where did we come from? How did we come into existence? You know the answer. Just say it. God. What did He create us (the universe) out of? Nothing!!

But, some who read this may answer about where we come from as:

1. primordial soup
2. from something else
3. it doesn't matter, it is nonsensical
4. i don't know

Well, there are some problems with these answer. Let's take them one by one:

1. Primordial soup-Everything that was made is a huge accident. The laws of the universe just by happen chance formed into consistency and never contradict each other. Out of chaos came harmony. We are here because for some reason an accident happened and we are now caught in this vast experience of existence created by...nothing. How can something so extensive in time, distance, and mass come out of nothing? It can't. There had to be something before something. Of course the atheist will cry foul here. Wait and listen for it. "who then made God?", "infinite regression", "the chicken or the egg?" To understand where the designer came from is not in the capability of the creation itself. A car can not understand the mechanic. A piece of art can not understand the artist. They are two totally different dimensional beings. Convenient isn't it, atheists, non-theists? But it is the truth. God was never designed. Again he is in a higher dimension we can not know until we are with him (or not). Time is a figment of man's imagination. It was made by man to separate days and nights, years and decades, to count his own days. God does not have time. He was always here and always will be. That is why he is called the great "I AM". Time does not really exist. We made it up.
2. From something else-Humans came from a lower form of primate which came from a lower form of mammal which came from reptiles, amphibians, birds, fish...the amoeba. With each new species of development cam a higher form of intelligence and complexity. If we are so advanced then why all of the mutations that destroy people? Is that a higher form of species? No. Where is the newest form of primate? The only thing we keep finding are primates of the past. When will we see that next evolutionary process starting to take place? Plus, even if evolutionary process is accurate, then where did the first species come from? Oh yeah...see point #1.
3. It doesn't matter. It is nonsensical. There was a big bang and that is it. Everything before this bang is irrelevant. Irrelevant to what? The beginning of our existence answers all the questions we have. If there is a God that created then we can trust the Bible and what it says. Jesus is LORD, Savior and will return. If there isn't a God then our whole lives are nonsensical. Why are we here? And if there isn't a God, how did we get here? Oh yeah...see point #2.
4. I don't know. The best answer out of the four. At least it's something to work with and not argue about. It has no wrong conclusion and perhaps has an open ended process of learning about all of it.

Here is the point: those who do not believe in the existence of God are saying whether they admit it or not that this "something" we know as our entire existence, i.e.; time, life, space, etc., came out of nothing. Not the concept we know as nothing with our eyes shut but out of complete nothing, void of all things possible. Some will say that is not what they believe but there will not be another answer given. Now how is that saner than believing in a loving Creator who wanted us to love for Him and gave us a free will. This is where the "prove God exists" argument comes in. Read the following then: http://ideasoftimreligion.blogspot.com/2009/06/xxxiv-atheist.html