I read an interesting article by Libby Anne, a young woman who runs her own blog. She says she was raised by Christian homeschoolers, but then went to college, which according to her, “turned her world upside down”. She is now an atheist, and wrote the article below, to which I'd like to respond. Libby Anne's Wager Have you ever heard of Pascal's Wager? It has been used for centuries as an argument against atheism.
FROM DOUBTER If you think that your bible is the inspired inerrant word of the living god then it seems to me that any flaws in it render this proposition false full stop. The bible is supposed to have been written by the creator of the universe but, I think you or I would sit down one afternoon and come up with some way to improve upon it. There’s so many basic mistakes in the text that it couldn’t have been written by an magical being in the sky.
For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. - Matthew 24:24 It [the beast] also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.
There is an HOA man mowing the lawn with nobody within 100 feet of him, and he wears a mask. Thank God he is considerate and caring enough to protect people who aren’t there. Another man goes to lunch at a restaurant. His waitress guides him through the valley of the shadow of death to his table which is, thank God, impervious to Covid infiltration. It’s okay. He’s safe. Whew! Close one.
Our leaders call the coronavirus a health crisis. I agree. It’s a MENTAL health crisis. I am completely mystified at all the furor over corona. As far as I can tell it is virtually no different than any other corona cold or flu virus that we contend with normally, with the exception that it is a bit more efficient at killing the elderly and health compromised, wholly inefficient at killing the young and healthy, and supposedly much more contagious.
I have a neice who is a single mother to two young boys. In the weeks previous to a Christmas, God persistently hounded me to send her some money and a note of encouragement. I found the note in my correspondence folder and was about to delete it when it occurred to me that other single mothers might take encouragement from it. So...here it is. God has put you on my mind again.
Most Americans are familiar with the movie Groundhog Day, where Bill Murray's character is trapped into living the same day over and over. He cannot escape. He soon discovers that he cannot even die, that in a sense, he is immortal, and that his actions hold no moral consequence, at least not permanently, and he can do whatever he likes with no lasting repercussions. But he soon tires of his selfish shenanigans.
It was very late when the young man with his pregnant teenaged wife knocked on the door of the inn. "Do you have any rooms?" the young man inquired of the innkeeper. The harried man looked to have the last bit of politeness whittled from him. "Does it look like it? Are you blind? Can't you see all these people in for the tax decree?" "But we've traveled far, and my wife.
I'm taking a week off for Thanksgiving, so no update next week, but don't worry...I know how much you all crave Tyro installments. I'll be back on December 1. FROM SMOKEEATER Seeing that Thanksgiving is coming up, I thought I would give you one of the many reasons I think Christianity is a bunch of bunk and one of the most insane religions on the planet. In I Thessalonians, it says that we're supposed to give thanks for all things, so I just want to thank god for allowing that shooting in Texas to happen.
Take a peek at Luke chapter 8 or Mark chapter 5 for the factual account on which this story is based. Centus woke with a start. He did not know what awoke him at first, but fear coursed through his body. Then he heard it...a sort of unearthly shrieking howl that changed pitch as it echoed through the mountains. It was not the first time he heard it. He first heard it as a very young child, perhaps four years old.
Here's an interesting little interaction. My comments in red. FROM FEMINISTGAL I am an atheist, and the reason I'm an atheist is because I could never believe in such a cruel, sexist, homophobic god like the one presented in the bible. He is a hateful god, and for the most part the people who believe in him are hateful. The bible is full of hate for women and gays. You'll have to be a little more specific.
FROM HYBERNIAHO I don't get why you say Jesus claimed to be God. He never claimed that. He just said he was a son of god and a son of man. Aren't we all? I just think it's bad when people put words in his mouth that he never said. Jesus was a good man, but people like you make him sound insane. I think you do more harm to your cause than good.
I debated about whether to put this critique in The Crucible, but decided it fit better in The Unlikely Son. My comments in red. FROM A.B.ENGLAND Let me first say, poetry is not my strong suit. That's why I need a little help. I've been trying to improve in this area, and I would greatly appreciate a few honest opinions of the attempt and/or suggestions on how to improve it.
FROM GRANWELL I happened upon a factoid about the Bible, that John 11:35 is the shortest verse in the Bible: “Jesus wept.” I looked it up out of curiosity to see what Jesus cried about, and it was the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. I think it is a good example of a touching REAL story about Jesus having supernatural stuff added to it later. Why couldn’t the revisionists just leave it alone?
Every once in a while, some young homeschooling parents ask my advice. A friend of mine received an email of frustration from his wife and shared it with me. I got my wife to respond and then offered some advice myself. John, did you all deal with similar situations with your children while homeschooling: We just spent an hour reviewing history lessons on the thirteen colonies. We have been reading this, and I was pretty sure that he needed the extra review of who founded the colonies etc.
I can't believe they elected him! It's just awful...horrible! This country is going down the tubes! We gotta do something! We can't let this stand, because I'm going to die, and I'm not kidding! That young woman's hysterical voice on the radio was the first snowflake I heard melting down the day after the election. Soon the nation was treated to others offering the snowflakes "safe rooms" and stuffed animals so they could feel secure and calm, and all because Donald Trump was elected.
Several years ago, I read some emails from my son's friends. They contained some pretty salty language. I spoke to my son about it and made my position clear, but I felt I owed his friends some guidance too, so I wrote them a letter. Because of one thing or another, the letter never got sent, but I found it when I was cleaning out files on my hard drive. I think the advice is just as apt today as it was when I wrote it.
The woman was a staunch Hillary supporter, and quite angry with our President. "I can't believe this maniac was elected! How can he ban all Muslims from coming to America?" "Well, it's not a ban, it's just a temporary suspension, and it's not all Muslims, it's just..." I began. "You heard what he said in his campaign speeches. He hates Muslims, hates Mexicans, hates all immigrants. He's against all immigrants!"
I recently watched the movie Risen, and I thought I might give my opinion on it. It's the story of Jesus's crucifixion and resurrection as witnessed by a Roman tribune named Clavius (Joseph Fiennes). Overall, I think it was a pretty good movie - B+. However, there were a few spots I thought were lacking. The main thing that bothered me was the attempt to make Jesus a "buddy" of the disciples and mute His deity.
This will be my last post until after the new year. Until then, all praise and thanks to the mighty God Whose birth we celebrate at Christmas! My previous post put it into my mind to examine one of the healings I mentioned in my prayer - that of the woman who was healed by touching Jesus's garment. We find the detailed account in Mark 5:21-34. There is a less detailed account in Luke 8.
I have a friend who is very ill and has been for quite some time. There is a prayer I pray for my friend. I don't use the same words every time, but I find myself expressing the same sentiments. It pops into my mind to pray, so I do. I've prayed the prayer out loud in my Sunday school class. I thought I'd share what I pray (more or less) when I speak with my Father.
Below is a letter to the editor that appeared in the Columbus Dispatch. I thought I might comment on it. My comments in red. By Adrienne Hood My son, Henry Green was shot and killed by Columbus police on June 6. He was walking with a friend in our neighborhood. Last Wednesday night, 13-year-old Tyre King was shot and killed by Columbus police. He was in eighth grade. All too true.
Note: Sarah Feinberg is a former Marine Corps captain. Her sister posted this piece on her Facebook account. To see the original Facebook posting and video click HERE. My entire knowledge of the shooting derives from her short essay and the short video, but I thought I might comment on it anyway to show what a person whose knee doesn't jerk quite so easily thinks about it. My comments in red.
Recently, I saw the remake of Ben Hur with my wife. I thought it was a decent movie - maybe a C. I depise the current cinematographic technique of jerking the camera around. I suppose directors think it lends "realism" to the film, but to me, it lends seizures. I looked away any time the cameraman decided to get in the chariot with Judah or act like a meandering fly when Judah spoke privately with his wife.
I've talked to several people who are worried about the coming election. As a generic example, it usually sounds something like this: "How is Hillary Clinton running for President? Why is she not in jail? That Comey fellow from the FBI plainly listed all the ways she broke the law, then calmly announced she wouldn't be prosecuted for it. Then he warned anyone thinking about doing the same things (anyone except Hillary, that is) to watch out, because the law would land on them if they tried.
As I correspond to different people on the internet, it often strikes me how foreign their concept of God is to me. To them, God is usually some kind of all-powerful, invisible sky-man who enjoys torturing humans as much as possible. He enjoys it so much that after humans die, he loves to toss them into hell and torture them for all eternity. In fact, he makes people specifically to break his laws.
Here’s an little conversation I thought might be interesting. My comments in red. FROM JASON Why do christians hate gays so much? What have we ever done to you? Speaking from my own experience, I know of no true Christians that hate homosexuals. I’m a Christian, and I don’t. What makes you think Christians hate homosexuals? The way your always down on us and saying we’re headed to hell.
LEA You wouldn't know if a creature was in the middle of their evolutionary period because you only see it during the years of your life - you won't live long enough to see it through the coming changes. Evolution takes tens to hundreds of thousands of years to complete, if it does actually ever stop. We humans are evolving - if we all came from Adam and Eve then that's the only way to explain the changes in the human race (i.
Here's the first part of a discussion I had with some people about evolution. My comments in red. LC You're just one of those close-minded fundamentalists. I'm very open-minded...just not so open that my brains fall out. Evolution, (meaning a fish changing into a lizard, which changes into a rat, which changes into a monkey, which changes into a man) flies against the laws of nature. You have to discard your brain and engage in fantasy to believe that.
FROM IRENE I've often heard about fasting and praying from religious people. What exactly is the purpose of fasting? Does God take people who fast more seriously than people who don't or something? Does He listen to them more? RESPONSE This is a question I asked myself, and I think I discovered a satisfactory answer, at least for myself. I'm no expert by any means, but I think it's safe to say that I've probably fasted more than the average American, and for different reasons.
Here's a little conversation I had with an atheist that I thought might be interesting. My responses in red. FROM GREGORY Revelation: "A peculiar record of the visions of a drug addict." George Bernard Shaw What I find interesting about prophecies, whether biblical or Nostrodamus style is that they're always bad news. Nobody has ever predicted "The days ahead will be sunny and bright. Humans will get along for the next 1,000 years and nobody will die in a war.
FROM DOUBTER If you think that your bible is the inspired inerrant word of the living god then it seems to me that any flaws in it render this proposition false full stop. The bible is supposed to have been written by the creator of the universe but, I think you or I would sit down one afternoon and come up with some way to improve upon it. There’s so many basic mistakes in the text that it couldn’t have been written by an magical being in the sky.
I debated whether to post this in The Crucible, but decided my critique fit more with The Unlikely Son. The post below is actually two posts from Shann combined. FROM SHANN HALL This is an excerpt from my poem. It's about me feeling like a lost little girl. When I encounter Jesus, the various parts of my personality talk. I'm struggling with using I vs She. I think I want to stick with I because the mother, sister, little girl are all me.
After I critiqued Nevrborn's post (see it here), it spawned a discussion that I thought people might find interesting. My comments in red. FROM JUSTBISHOP Not disagreeing with John, per se, but I do feel the need to point out that heterosexuals don't really struggle for acceptance in society the way that LGBQT individuals do. I could see how someone who feels like they are fighting against the current almost every second of their lives could start to feel defined by the part of them causing that struggle.
By John Oberon In my last post, I wrote about husbands monitoring and directing their family schedule to reduce stress and promote peace for their wives. Simply saying no to added commitments is a great way to lighten your wife's burdens. However, there's an even more active role a husband can play. A husband can assume responsibility for jobs previously thought to be women's work. It's time to introduce what was once a revolutionary concept to me: work is genderless.
I led a homeschool group for several years when my children were young. Occasionally, I wrote a newsletter article to inform or encourage homeschool families. This is part one of a two-part article that bears repeating. Life in the Pressure Cooker - Part 1 by John Oberon I can bring home the bacon...fry it up in a pan... And never, never, never let you forget you're a man. 'Cause I'm a woooooooman!
By John Oberon I had a train of thought the other day, and I'd like to let it run past the depot of your eyes. If I had to choose the most well-known biblical story, David and Goliath would probably be in my top five. I think one of the reasons for its fame is the idea of the underdog winning in a big way. We love it when the dark horse wins or the small town boy makes good.
Dear Child, You may not know me, but I know everything about you. Psalm 139:1 I know when you sit down and when you rise up. Psalm 139:2 I am familiar with all your ways. Psalm 139:3 Even the very hairs on your head are numbered. Matthew 10:29-31 For you were made in my image. Genesis 1:27 In Me you live and move and have your being. Acts 17:28 For you are my offspring.
FROM RACHEL A couple years ago, a Catholic priest refused to give a communion at her own mother's funeral because she was a lesbian. I was outraged at this. Jesus was all about love and acceptance. It just disgusts me that homophobic hypocrites like this are teaching in churches today. What do you think of that? RESPONSE I remember when that happened. I didn't know what all the fuss was about.
FROM LYNN If God loves us and wants only what is best for us and protects us from evil, then how is it that ISIS is cutting heads off of Christian men, women and children? How is that loving? How is it loving for a man to watch his children slaughtered because they are Christian? I know the verses, rejoice when you are persecuted for My sake. Great is your reward in heaven.
My responses in red. FROM GREGORY The Old Testament is largely made up of re-written Egyptian myths and fables (names were changed to protect the innocent.) Only 8 books in the The New Testament have known authors. All the disciples spoke Aramaic and the scriptures were written in Greek. 2000 years ago the literacy rate in the Roman Empire was about 10%. The disciples were illiterate day laborers with the exception of Matthew who moonlighted as a tax collector.
My responses in red. FROM LEA John, I have read the Bible. I also have a strong faith in God, but I don't have faith in a male-written and male-dominated book, the Bible. Jesus isn't my issue. It's the books of the bible that talk about women being the root of evil, that women will tempt men into sinning (that a man is so weak and incapable of making his own choice), that a man can get a divorce and not be penalized and kept from heaven if he's does so, but a woman is unclean if her husband divorces her.
Here's a little interaction I had with a fellow that I thought might interest someone. My responses in red: What I struggle with is when the Bible has far fetched stories that can't be explained, and devine intervention is used as justification. An example... Noah's Ark - Two of every species on a single boat plus their food. That would be impossible in even today's standards. What sounds more realistic is, there was a flood of some magnitude, Noah had a boat, collected up only the male and female of his own animals, saving them and his family.
I thought I'd post a little exchange I had with DK, a staunch atheist. My responses in red. There is plenty of credible evidence for God. What evidence would that be? Keep in mind evidence is point of fact like fossiles are evidence of dinosaurs. Please explain what concrete evidence you know of that shows we have a God out there. All right, how about DNA for starters? I don't think there's a scientist out there who wouldn't agree that DNA contains information.
FROM LIZA John, you're stuck in the Past Paradigm (The Medieval Paradigm): Past Paradigm: (The Medieval Paradigm) The Earth is flat The Sun revolves around the Earth Elements are Fire, Air, Wood, Water Disease is a curse All planets have magnetic fields Force of earth gravity is constant Gravity is caused by planetary rotation It is not possible to escape earth gravity Speed of sound may not be exceeded It is not possible to split an atom
FROM LESLEE In my opinion: It's the basic difference between traditional Eastern and Western perspectives about God, the universe, the divine. Generally, in Western religious perspective, you reap what you sow, and an almighty being delivers reward or punishment accord to his/its will. And in the end, if you've been obedient, you live with God in Heaven. If you've been disobedient, you burn in hell. No second chances. Generally in Eastern religious perspective, the universe is unfolding an established plan.
FROM FRANK John, I can understand the allure of having other people, even a bunch of centuries-dead ones, do my thinking for me. After all, doing one's own thinking involves effort and it would be pleasant sometimes to just slough it off. Let those long-dead guys do it. That way, you only need to be as smart as a parrot. Lots of folks seem content with that. I'm not one of them.
NOTE: As a past homeschooler, I've talked with lots of people about homeschooling. It often raises a lot of antagonism, even hatred in the people I talk with, and they gang up on me, lol. The hatred is typically aimed at God. I found an exchange that occurred a few years ago. It's pretty representative of my internet experience in discussing homeschooling. My responses in red. FROM FRANK Home schooling is just about the worst possible way to prepare a child for real life.
NOTE: I received a long message, so I'm answering in chunks. My answers are in red. FROM LEAH John, I don't think that you and I will agree upon the things that I question, but I will state a few of the things that I believe and question. Alrighty. Two of the things I question are suicide and murder. Most devout believe that anyone who commits suicide is automatically condemned to hell.
FROM CARLOTTA Recently, I heard someone jokingly ask a man why he would go to the trouble of a second birth to get right with God. The man said, "Because it's much better than a second death." What does that mean? I've heard of second birth - being born again, but never second death. RESPONSE The term "second death" is used only four times in the Bible, all in the book of Revelation.
Note: This is a long post, so I'm responding in chunks. My responses in red. This will be the last update on my site for the year - gonna take a little holiday vacation until after the New Year, when I'll be refreshed and ready to go. Merry Christmas! All hail the great King Jesus Who takes away the sins of the world and makes all things new! He's coming again soon!
Note: I spent about 12 years of my life ignoring God, but then something happened that I couldn't ignore: the birth of my son. I view that event as the beginning of my journey back to God. I wrote the piece below about two months after his birth, over twenty years ago. That germ of the miraculous infected my soul until I "came down" with belief. Anyway, I thought someone might enjoy an old snapshot of a prodigal as he takes his first tentative steps toward home.
FROM LEAH Mat 21:19b ...and the fig tree withered at once. Mark 11:20 As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. And you will say that the person who wrote the second account was so unobservant that he did not see the instant withering -- not a very trustworthy witness, eh? In Mark it takes overnight for it to wither, but in Matthew it withers right away.
Trent and Lizzie's Right to Die question put in my mind another question: what enabled that legislation to pass? Forty years ago, suicide legislation was unthinkable, but then a judicial decision got the ball rolling. When Roe v. Wade was decreed, I remember as a young boy several commentators decrying the decision, saying it would lead to death legislation, and that soon we'd be legalizing suicide and murder. Liberals and feminists belittled the idea calling it alarmist and insane and insisting that dissenters just wanted to keep women "
FROM TRENT AND LIZZIE We were discussing a 29 year old girl that recently took her life under the Right to Die Act in Colorado. She was diagnosed with a brain tumor and the doctors said she would die a horribly painful, agonizing death. Basically, suicide. So our question is: Would a suicide in that situation be considered a sin in God's eyes? RESPONSE Absolutely. That girl broke the sixth commandment: You shall not murder.
I've thought about becoming a Christian before, but I don't think I could ever do it. I have done so many bad things in my life, even to my own family and friends. They all hate me and don't trust me, and I really can't blame them. Nobody loves me, and I have nobody to love. How could God ever forgive and love a person like me? I can't even forgive and love myself.
FROM CATCALL Is your god a god of war or peace? Contradiction! EXO 15:3 The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name. ROM 15:33 Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen. RESPONSE Well, putting aside the two completely different contexts to which these two verses apply (which alone dispels any contradiction), the first thing that popped into my mind upon reading this “contradiction” was Ecclesiastes 3.
FROM COOTER If this isn't a contradiction, I don't know what is. How could Judas die of both hanging and a fall? Judas died how? "And he cast down the pieces of silver into the temple and departed, and went out and hanged himself." (MAT 27:5) "And falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all of his bowels gushed out." (ACT 1:18) RESPONSE The two verses tell about the same suicide.
FROM LILY How can you believe every word of the Bible when there are so many contradictions? 50. Marriage or cohabitation with a sister denounced Deut 27:22/ Lev 20:17 Abraham married his sister and God blessed the union Gen 20:11,12/ Gen 17:16 51. A man may marry his brother's widow Deut 25:5 A man may not marry his brother's widow Lev 20:21 RESPONSE First, to be exact, Abraham married his half-sister.
FROM KITTY What do you think "made in the image of God" means? RESPONSE I think it means that what we are reflects to a small degree what God is. I think by means of studying ourselves we can begin to understand (at least a little) certain attributes of God. For example, the God of the Bible says that He is a trinity: Father, Son, and Spirit – three distinctly different entities, yet One God.
FROM CAT OK, I'm going to make this real simple for you. First creation account: Gen. 1:11a-31 – And God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind upon the earth.”…And there was evening and there was morning, a third day… Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…so God created man in his own image…male and female…And there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.
FROM JAMES God tempts/does not tempt? Seems pretty contradictory to me. "And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham." (GEN 22:1) "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man." (JAS 1:13) RESPONSE Well, first we need a good definition for the word “tempt”. As far as I know, it means to entice, coax, lure, convince, or persuade someone to do something that they should not do.