XXXIV. The Atheist

When you talk to an atheist it seems like the conversation always goes back to a couple of things. So this posting is to any person who calls themselves an atheist. The main question is just out of curiosity so please do not think this is coming at you with a curled fist. But when you talk to atheists who pride themselves with science and the intellect, they all say the same thing:

Prove God exists.

So here is the question: What proof do you want? Let's see if the answer can be guessed of what you want.

1. You want DNA proof. Unfortunately, that is not going to happen. We can't get DNA from anyone born 4000 years ago unless they have been mummified. And even today according to Maury Povich, DNA is only 99% accurate with all the science we have. So how do you expect to get this?
2. You want physical proof besides DNA. Be honest how can you prove anything physical? Touch, smell, taste, hear, sight. You can find millions of people who say that the life of Christ was real and that the events in the Bible are real. The Bible is considered a history book. It's funny how some will take one author such as Homer and believe his stories and say that he dipicted his time period perfectly or at least close. Yet, the Bible through the NT had four views (eye witnesses) to the life of Christ and not one of them contradict each other and still people claim it's not real. So if they don't beleive that then how can you prove Jesus Christ lived? We can't find Jimmy Hoffa and he lived in our time. Does that mean he didn't live?
3. You want to able to add him up and find him mathematically. Are you 2+2? No one can be added up and say ahhh, you live because math says so.
4. You want to define him grammatically. There are too many words that can describe him as there can be for you and everyone else as well.

These are the proofs demanded from those of the science age. But even science hasn’t caught up to what we want to know about our own world let alone a God who created everything. So no matter what, the answer isn’t going to be satisfying to someone who is not open minded about it.

So when the conversation and the intellect is shut down and you get no answer the atheist always turns to “well, if God exist then why all of the death and destruction”. And there is no great answer for that because we will never understand why anything happens. Sometimes we can’t even understand why we do the things we do when we don’t want to do them. It may not be the best answer but a starting point is found here at an older posting on this site: http://ideasoftimreligion.blogspot.com/2008/09/xi-death-becomes-us.html. Again, it will not suffice the close-minded but it’s a start.

Then it seems when that answer doesn’t help, the atheist always starts to reveal something wrong in their life. A father left. A mother died. A child is sick. They were abused when they were younger. It always ends up with experiences in their own life. So they start to question WHY?! That is when they all turn to intellectualism, because they are trying to find the answers to their own life. And when they can’t find it on their own they blame God for all of the problems and decide there must not be a God.

And for some reason many decide to get involved with Christians in discussion groups to try and prove them wrong. Why? Why can’t you just let someone who believes in Christ just believe in him and let them go? Do you go to Muslim sites and argue with them? Do you go to satanic sites, Buddhists sites, or any other and argue? The best guess is no. If this is wrong then let us know.

Here is the actual answer to the last question: It’s a cry for help. Otherwise why waste all of your valuable time arguing about something that does not exist? Do you go to fairy tale sites and take all that time to argue if pixies do not exist? If God doesn't exist then there is nothing to argue about is there?

You are looking for answers. And that is great. You are intellectuals. That is great. But sometimes God is simple. Sometimes God is not in the earthquake, he is in the whisper. Sometimes he is not in the sky with a lightening bolt waiting to throw it, but he is in your deepest, darkest room, in the loneliest of spots waiting for you to ask to show who he really is. If this is wrong, then tell us why are all of you on these sites? If this is right then why not just leave these sites and comment on your own and invite people to read. It is understandable that some want discussion but when it comes down to this topic, it becomes words of insult and brutality. It no longer becomes a discussion.

Ahh...but you won't answer the question anyway.

XXXIII. What are we up against?

Do you know what you are up against in this world? First of all, 2000 years ago Jesus said that the world will hate you because of Him. Two thousand years have passed and His words ring true.

If you are a Christian, you are hated!

If you talk about God in public, it has to be a generic god. It can be a supreme being. It can be an intelligent designer. It can even be a creator in a sense. You can mention Mohammed. You can give facts about Buddha. You can quote Confucius. But mention Christ and you are an idiot.

You can become a Muslim terrorist and you are separated from other Muslims. But if an abortion clinic bomber happens to be "Christian" then all of a sudden we are thrown into the same bunch as that one person.

You can be a liberal and you are considered passionate. You can be a moderate and you are considered mainstreamed. You can be a conservative and just be considered old. But if you are a Christian conservative then you are a right-winged fanatic.

You can teach science and you are allowed to because you are helping someone learn fact. You can teach language arts to help develop some one's speaking abilities. You can teach history because you are using the past to explain the present and future. You can teach all of these because you are teaching someone how to better themselves. But if you use this education to teach about Christ then you are "preaching" and forcing it down other's throats.

You can send someone to a psychologist because they need help with their mind. You can send someone to a physical therapist because they need help with their body. You can send someone to see a psychiatrist because they help with their feelings. But you can not send someone to see a minister, even though they need spiritual help (and they usually need spiritual help first) because apparently God doesn't intervene or the problem is with our surroundings and has nothing to do with spirituality.

Have you ever tried to surf the net for blogs and/or discussion groups? The following is not an endorsement: but there are mock presidential election sites that let you run for president by allowing you to develop your own platform, debate, and run against others. Blog sites are filled with angry people who are missing life. Many are those who have become atheists in their walks of life. If you take time to read some of these people's ideas, you would realize how sick of a human race we have become. You would learn how distorted true relationships with the eternal God are. You would see hatred come across in so many ways and you feel so alone with your thoughts because once someone finds out that you are a Christian, you become a target for their hostilities.

Stand strong. Keep your faith. Learn what you can and do not become content with where you are. Be passionate and show compassion. Be encouraged and be encouraging. Live to learn. Love to live. Learn to love. Because you may not know what you are up against.

XXXII. Only Mature Christians Read

Not many people did the poll this time around (lowest in site's history). But what was told was that most people who read this site has been a Christian for quite some time. Everyone who answered has been a believer for at least 10 years. That is okay but if you know someone who has questions, steer them this way. If you read this site then please take 5 seconds to do the poll.

XXXI. Simple Complexity #3

The Bible

The Complexity:
Did you know?

• It was written by men and women, giving us views from both angles.
• Many of the books actually may have been one at one time but were separated by man due to the subject matter (Ex: Luke and Acts).
• There is not one contradiction in all of its verses.
• The OT is about God's people who strayed so far they needed rules written down for them to follow (the Ten Commandments). The NT is about God's people who had strayed so far they needed a savior to help them (Jesus Christ).
• It's also a history book.
• It's also a psychology book.
• There were 66 writings found and kept and put together that gives us a complete story on how to live our lives.
• It is separated into two main parts, an Old and New Testament, each having its own purpose.
• It spans about 2000 years but talks about roughly 6000 years of man's existence.
• It is the best selling book of all time.

But did you also know?

• The people in the OT at first did not have to live by the Ten Commandments. They lived by faith. But since they lost their faith God gave them a second chance and allowed them to see how He wanted us to live so He wrote down ten righteous acts to live by.
• The people in the NT did not live by the ten rules anymore, so God knew the only way to save His people was to send a savior, and so today we are living by faith once again. There will not be another second chance.
• Some of those who wrote the bible or were bible heroes were uneducated, had speech impediments, were murderers, cheaters of money, even prostitutes, yet God used them to tell us what life is all about and changed them as well.
• Each book represents Christ in its own unique way. So no matter what book in it you read, it's about Christ.

The Simple:
Did You know?

• It has never lost its relevancy, each subject is still for today's person with problems.

XXX. What do you want?

Here are the results of the latest poll; What would you like to learn more about from your studies?

• (61%) More about the deep stuff no one ever teaches about. People want more. There is so much more to the Christian life that we do not know. There is so much more that God wants us to know that we do not explore. There is so much in the Bible that we do not comprehend. There is so much more that we can learn that we do teach. Why are we not there? It could be the culture we are in. We are bombarded with anti-Christian issues and ideas that turn people off. We are lazy. We are selfish. And there are a slew of other reasons. But the main reason here is church leadership. Too many places have leaders that don't teach. Their focus is more on getting programs going that will bring people into the church. There is a problem with that. See Thought XXVIII for that explanation. The people who said this answer are the core of the church. They are done with the milk. They want substance but the church leaders aren't giving it to them. And when asked why they aren't getting it, the answer from the leaders is usually along the lines of "well, you should be teaching others yourself". That is true but then there is no growth for them.
• (55%) More about why we believe what we believe. This goes to show that no one knows what their faith is all about. They believe things about the Bible and church and all of the things that go with being a Christian. But, they have no idea how they got there. Why do they actually believe in something? They were either raised that way or had a mentor that didn't explain everything to them. The person who answered this is probably someone ready to become part of the core of the church but feels inadequate in their beliefs to become it. Another failure of leadership. Equip the new Christian with some background. Let them know how to defend their faith. Scripture tells us we need to be ready in and out of season.
• (44%) More about Christ and his relationship with us. This should have been higher. This is the backbone of your faith. This is the treasure that we seek, or should seek. Maybe those who didn't answered this are satisfied with their faith. Never become complacent with your faith. Always grow. Or maybe those who did answer this are the new Christians who want to know more. But then that means 56% need to step up and teach. Either way this number does not show a positive side except that there are some who want to know Christ deeper.
• (33%) More about the history and books of the Bible. This is probably the more mature Christian. They want to know the background of what they are studying to try and put things into a different perspective.
• (22%) More about getting through life's trials. Although we need to know these things it doesn't look like many want to keep talking about this subject. Then why do we keep having sermons and Bible studies in our small group settings based on this?
• (11%) More about Church related issues. This is probably answered by someone who has an issue with the way things are ran at their church. They want to see if things are Biblically sound in their actions.
• (5%) More about the end times. Maybe this issue has been beaten to death and people are tired of it so no one wants to discuss this anymore. And then again it could be a plot of satan to get the Church unprepared for what's coming. You be the judge.
• (5%) Something else. Let us know what that something else is. Maybe this number will raise. You answered it now respond to it.
• (0%) More about the beginning of time. Is it that unimportant? Is Genesis not important?

Now you see the results. It's time for you to comment. Are these correct assumptions and observations?

XXIX. Simple Complexity #2

The Gospel of Jesus Christ

The Complexity:

Did you know?

• The term Gospel means "good news". The good news is about how God came down from His throne to live among us to show us the right path to salvation.
• There are many "gospels" that were written but there are only 4 credited accounts of the life of Christ. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The gospels of Thomas and Judas ARE NOT credible, no matter what Dan Brown says.
• The earliest one written was about 20 years after the resurrection of Christ; Mark.
• There were numerous miracles in the Bible however the first miracle of Christ is recorded in only one of them; John.
• There are 238 separate accounts of the life of Christ in the Gospels.
• There are no written records of Christ's life from his ages 13-29.

But did you also know?

• Out of the 238 accounts only 19 are found in all four books. And most of these are about Christ's last week on earth.
• Every prophecy written in the OT about Christ can be found in the four books.
• Only one book talks about Christ as an infant; Luke.
• These words were inspired by the Holy Spirit. Since man can see things in the wrong way the Spirit inspired these men to write down the story of Christ. 1 Thessalonians 2:13
• There are four books written to show you four different viewpoints; one is for the Jew who can not believe in the Messiah (Matthew), one is for those living in the Roman Empire who need to know Rome was not the only authority (Mark), one is for the Gentile leaning towards earthly ways (Luke), and the other is to show the personal relationship with Christ for all (John).

The Simple:

Did you know?

• There is one theme in all four: Repent and believe. Matthew 28 16-20, Mark 1:15, Luke 19:10, John 3:16

XXVIII. What's a good size for a church?

What is the perfect size for a church? Keep in mind this is not referring to the Spiritual temple, which is you! It is referring to a physical building of worship.

Here are the results of the latest poll conducted from February 28 to April 10 which asked, "What is the perfect size for a church?".

• 48% said 100-500 people
• 36% said it doesn't matter
• 8% said 0-100 people
• 8% said 1000 or more people
• 0% said 500-1000 people

Assumptions and observations:

1. Those who picked 0-100 are the traditionalist Christian. Someone who likes small groups in order to get to know all the people. They are afraid of growth because it disrupts the flow of familiarity. It could also be because these people are control freaks who like to maintain control over situations. If the church congregation gets too big they lose control over certain issues. And that really frightens them. The pros for a small church: some have already been mentioned. There is the familiarity and closeness of people. Everybody knows everybody else. There is a sense of comfort. Nothing really changes so you know what to expect. You can see when things start to get out of hand. The pastor of the church can deal with everyone. This is his flock and he can take care of 100 people or less. The cons of this size are: No growth. people become complacent with what they have become. There is no movement in the community. They tend to stay in their own doors. The leaders become almost dictatorial. Too many of them are related which can cause bickering. Sometimes the church from the outside looks unfriendly. Those who attend have been there forever with very few new Christians.
2. Those who picked 100-500 are your suburban mainstream congregations with city influence. They are more open to change. They are a little more laid back than the traditionalist. They see the necessities of what has always been done but they are willing to incorporate new ideas to keep it growing. Pros: It's still small enough for a comfort zone. You can get into small groups yet still feel like you are part of the church as a whole. If there are any changes you feel a part of it. People need you to do your part. It is still small enough to where elders can function and help the pastor without stepping into his visionary gift. Cons: changes mean people changes as well. It becomes a revolving door for Christians. They like it at first but can't grasp on to the changes as they happen so many tend to leave and come back only to leave again. Only the core will stay with some new Christians in attendance. But that means you have a mature congregation.
3. Those who would have picked 500-1000 are your suburban non mainstream congregation. This church is all about change. Pros: They are on the verge of doing something drastic. They are well respected and have made a name for themselves. People hear about the great things that are happening at the place. Small groups take and form their own ministries because there are enough people of similar interests to make an impact. Cons: There is nothing really stable about this church. The constant change forces people to make a decision, either stay and wait it out or leave. Most who stay are either in leadership or they are new Christians who like the fast pace environment. But this leaves an immature congregation. You tend to lose your identity in the church. Yes you are apart of a small group but you seem less valuable as a whole. And many types of people start to feel segregated against. This is probably why no one picked this size.
4. Those who picked 1000 + are those who apparently are leaders of their congregation. They want to see numbers. Not so they can get a reputation but so they feel they are doing what they are called to do. They feel more like an evangelist instead of a pastor. They want to feed a community not just a flock. Pros: You have mass tons of people who can work. The money that comes in to these places can change the world. They have programs for everybody. Cons: The megachurch mentality. A feeling of superiority, like everything they do must be right since they are so large. The leadership gets lost into the crowd. No one knows who is making the decisions about the church. All identity is lost.
5. Those who picked it doesn't matter are probably those who aren't leadership per se but are still close to where all the action is. They are the ones who do the ministries or are really involved with them. They get angry or at least depressed when people don't follow their ideas. They don't understand why people argue about issues. They just want to see action and be a part of it.

Keep in mind, the size of the church probably doesn't really matter. What matters is, are you impacting your community? Maybe a church of 100 is a good thing because the community is only 1000 people in size anyway. But then again maybe a large church is good because it's a place where anyone can go and get some kind of program for them. Then again maybe 100-500 is best because you have the best of both worlds. If you grow too fast then start more sister churches in other communities. If you don't grow so fast then stay around and learn.

XXVII. Simple Complexity #1

You.

The Complexity:

Did you know?

• There are 206 bones in the human body. Each bones has its own shape. Each bone has its purpose.
• In one day, your blood travels nearly 12,000 miles. Your heart beats around 35 million times per year. Your heart pumps a million barrels of blood during the average lifetime -- enough to fill three supertankers.
• Your fingerprints are like no one else on this earth...ever!
• You have anywhere between 50,000,000,000 to 100,000,000,000 cells in your body, all functioning by themselves yet working together to create different parts of your body. Some form bone. Some form skin. Some form organs. And some form blood.
• Your body has a temperature ranging 97 degrees to 99 degrees. Too cold and you get hypothermia. Too hot and you have a fever.
• Your brain can remember every second of your life and still have room for more memories for the future. (Now accessing it takes time :) )
• You are the most complex yet most efficient "machine" on this earth. You run for 70 or 80 years with more parts to keep working on than any other machine that could ever be created.
• And that is to just name a few.

But did you also know?

• You are made up of a trichotomy. You are not only a body, i.e., you can interact physically with your surroundings. You are also soul, i.e., you can comprehend and reason around the physical objects and have feelings about things. But you are also spirit, i.e., you have something special from God that separates us from the rest of creation. You are made in His image. You were created to be with Him. Hebrews 4
• You are the only creature in all of creation to have a relationship with Him. There are no other alien being in all the universe. There is nothing else created like you. You are created in the image of God. You bear His likeness. Genesis 1
• Your home is not here on the earth. Even though we have the physical on the outside, we are spiritual beings. John 14

The Simple:

Did you know?

• You are valuable to God. Romans 5

XXVI. Christianity: A Simple Complexity

Hebrews 5:12-13

• 12 You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food.
• 13 For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right.

Why do we make something out of nothing at times and leave out something to make nothing at other times? Christianity is simple, but it is also full complexities. The term here is not referring to being complexed, rather it is referring to being full of vastness. We live a simple life but there is so much of it we can learn from it. Simple, yet complexed.

Here are some simple things:

1. Without Christ, there is no hope. We think we can do things on our own. We can succeed in this life with our own physical strength, intelligence, or even luck. But in the end what does it get us? The same as everyone else. He who dies with the most amount of toys...still dies. Without Christ, there is no hope.
2. No one is perfect. We are made of flesh with desires. Desires uncontrolled cause sin. We all do it. No one is perfect.
3. We all need forgiveness. Since we are not perfect, we need something to transform us into perfectness. God's forgiveness is what transforms us.
4. We all need a relationship with God (the Trinity); as a father/child, as a brother/savior, and as a guide/counselor.

But, with these four simple ideas comes a world of abundances that few ever try and achieve. Many go through life using ignorance as blissfulness when we are not supposed to be that way. Have you ever thought about why the Bible was written the way it was? Or why the men who wrote it were picked to write it? Have you ever thought about why there are so many stories about man's character and flaws? Have you ever wondered why we need to go to church, pray, worship and read our Bible? Has it ever occurred to you that we are more than physical beings and was meant to search for your spiritual nature? Those four simple ideas of who we are as stated above can open up a whole new world to you.

Milk is good. It does a body good. But with the milk, we need a little substance. Let's go get some substance. Stay tuned for more.

XXV. The Christian Politician

Can you mix religion and politics?  Yes.  Should a Christian really worry about the political world if they have the promise of being taken care of by the Father?  Yes.  God does not want apathic workers.  Here are some clarifications of Christians and politics:

1. Politics, although nowhere near the top priority of a Christian, should still not be neglected.
2. Although God is not a democrat or republican there is still a better choice when it comes to upholding Christian values.
   a. Voting for a candidate that stands for non-Christian values is not proper for a Christian
   b. There is no valid rationalization behind the thinking process of voting for a person standing for non-Christian values. It is still improper. Voting for Obama was wrong. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090123/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_abortion_ban
   c. Not voting is inaction and we are always called to action and thereby not the proper thing to do.
   d. The economy does not match morals. Voting due to the economy is okay when all things are constant, but not okay when values such as homosexuality, abortion and civil rights are on the list.
3. Setting high moral standards is a duty of Christians and politics can be used in that manner.
   a. "Forcing" people into our values is better than having them force theirs upon us!
   b. Yes, although moral standards have to be changed at the source before anything really happens, but having laws helping with that tasks is better.
4. High-moral leaders have always set the standard for countries, very biblical.
5. No matter who the leaders is, hopefully everyone prays that they make wise and moral decisions.
6. The US may not be God's gift to the world but it is by far the closest than any other in history.
7. The founding fathers may not have had complete Christian values set for this country but they by far closer than what we have today.

This should help all to understand and no one should put politics above faith.