April post 4. Cloning

Through out the years scientists have become closer and closer to cloning a human.  Animals such as sheep have already been cloned by scientific methods.  i do not believe that this is right.  We as humans should not play the role of God by creating new life forms such as humans and animals.  This is also a reason why i do not support stem cell research.  Also the tax money that goes to these projects is a waste when we could be using it to find ways to lower gas prices.  That seems like a much bigger need right now in society with prices up to 4 dollars a gallon.

April post 3. Osama Bin Laden's death.

Recently Osama Bin Laden, leader of Al quieda was killed in a strategic hit (possibly assassination squad) by US Navy Seals.  This operation marks a devastating hit for the terrorist organization which is a great thing.  Many people have been celebrating Osama's death with parties and riots.  I do not believe this is a good thing, God created all men in his image and he still wants no one to go to hell.  If we are celebrating one mans death how much greater does that make us compared to him?  The Bible says that we are to not rejoice when our enemy is killed.  There is actually a verse to quote that! So do not rejoice that he is dead, although the world may be a better place now that he is.

April post 2. Sex before marriage.

As a Christian my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.  I firmly believe that one should stay a virgin and save him/herself for their spouse when they get married.  When two are married they are united as one and share every intimate moment and every secret with each other.  This is how it should be if you are a Christian.  Save yourself for your spouse and your relationship will be so much better.

April post 1. Abortion

Abortion is a very commonly practiced medical procedure or pill that will kill an unborn child.  I personally do not agree with Abortion by any means as a Christian. Abortion kills over 1 million babies each year.  These unborn babies never even had a chance in living when they are aborted.  As a Christian, the Bible says "Do not murder."  This is one of the ten commandments that God gave to Moses on the mountain thousands of years ago. Abortion is flat out murder and should be made illegal!

Japan's Earthquake/ Tsunami

Two weeks ago Japan was struck by a massive earth quake that triggered a massive tsunami.  This tsunami and earthquake combination devastated coastal regions and completely wiping out some small towns.  As of today the death toll in Japan is just short of 11,000 people.  There are also still almost 18,000 people missing, most who are probably dead.  In these times the Bible tells us to help those in need. In Proverbs it says, "He who shuts his ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in his own time of need."  Everyone has need at some point in there life. Help those in Japan by sending your money and possibly your time by going on a missions trip to help with disaster relief.  

Holocaust

This week my school went on a trip to the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC.  This exhibit in DC is probably one of the most sad things in the entire city.  There were pictures of Nazis ruthlessly killing and doing experiments on Jews and other minority cultures that Hitler wanted to exterminate.  All of the things at this museum pointed to that we need a savior.  In a world of turmoil and anguish we need to be able to look to someone for help.  Jesus Christ came down to the earth so that we would not have to worry any longer as long as we believe in Him!

Christians in Power

When Christians are in a high up command in some kind of workplace, there can possibly be a dark side to where they are.  They can lose communication with other workers; have blind spots that can make them self-deceptive; and can skip church way to often to do any good.

There is also an emotional role to leadership.  These executives have to manage conflictual feelings over there privilege.  They can have isolation from the outside world because they work too much. This can lead to a emotional downfall which is terrible for the person and there family. 

Even though there are downsides to leadership, there are still good sides to it too.  When you are in leadership, you can enjoy religious freedom without the worry of being persecuted.   They can also have spiritual expression which can lead to bringing others in the workplace to Christ. 

Assassination with Christians: Dietrech Bonhoeffer

Dietrich Bonhoeffer made a very large impact on the war against the Nazis during World War II.  Bonhoeffer was involved in a conspiracy group against Hitler and they planned to assassinate him.  This decision is very controversial, because Bonhoeffer was a firm believer in Jesus Christ.  Christians will sometimes argue that assassination is always wrong because it is planned out murder. 

I believe that the plotting to kill Hitler was not necessarily Biblical, but necessary.  I believe that if Hitler would have been killed, his entire empire of Nazis would crumble because of lack of strong leadership.  Hitler was essentially a dictator, who ruled without mercy.  If he would have been killed, then there probably would have been a struggle for power from the high up leaders in Hitler’s army which could have caused a civil war. 

In former military situations, when the leader has been killed either in battle or by assassination, the people beneath that persons command tend to be chaotic and don’t know what to do. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, being the brilliant man that he was, would have most likely taken that fact into consideration when he was thinking about joining the conspiracy against Hitler.

Rebutting Life from Clay

There are some people who have thought that the origins of life could have come from clay. Some people have thought that the crystalline structure of clay could have supported prebiotic chemicals to form together.  In one sense this may work because clay keeps out water which many chemicals do not like to react with.  Even if clay could somehow form a random protein than it would most likely be very low - grade sequencing information and because it would not be able to get out of the clay, very repetitive.  This is one of those origin theories that really holds no merit because of it's lack of thought.

Being a Christian

In my life I have accepted Christ as my savior. I worship Him through song and prayer and just being in church. I do not believe that worship is the way to God and to get into heaven.  Morality is also not the way to get into heaven.  Simply confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord and has died for your sins and has risen again and you will be saved!

Rebutting the idea of Random Chance

It has been taught that life as we know it today has happened over millions of years by random chance and that we have just evolved from there.  In order to believe this you must assume that the earth is infinitely old because you never know how long it would take to "evolve" over that long period of time. Although with more recent studies done by scientists the earth is believed to be short of 5 billion years old.  Also with the time the earth spent cooling down from volcanic material the earth would be short of 400 million years of growing time.  The odds of creating a single protein are one chance in a 10 with 60 zeroes after it.  Sir Fredrick Hoyle said it would be like a tornado blowing through a  junkyard and building a fully functional 747 Jet.  The odds are next to impossible.  This is why we must look for a creator such as God.  His word clearly states what happened in the beginning. 

Redemption, Righteousness, and Worship

 Ravi Zacharias, a well known theologian says this quote about morality, “"Jesus Christ didn't come into this world to make bad people good. He cam into this world to make dead people live. He came so that those who are dead to God can come alive to God. If this life were only about morality, then how you live would still be connected to what you believe. But that misunderstands the Christian concept, which is no matter hoe well we live, we cannot live up to the standard and character of God."

He says, “Sin is means missing the mark and only by grace we are saved.” This is true because the Bible also says this in Ephesians 2:8, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God”.

Slavery 2

            The slave trade was wrong and evil.  The men involved in it made slaves do cruel and hideous things.  They tortured them when they did not obey or did something wrong.  The Bible says, “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” – Genesis 1:27.  It also says in Genesis 9:6 that, "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.”  How could they be so evil?  To treat men like themselves in such terrible ways?  Also, what do the ancestors of those who traded slaves feel today?

            Men can do some very terrible things.  Take Adolf Hitler for an example.  He ordered the deaths of millions of Jews and Gypsies and also ordered his armies against the rest of the world.  I believe that this is because of sin and mans want of wealth and power.  The slave traders wanted wealth and power and they received it with slave trading.  For them it was just another way to make a lot of money and to leave a name for themselves in history.  Their minds forget about right and wrong and just push towards the want of more and more.

            The ancestors of those who were slave traders in the seventeen hundreds      feel like they are responsible in some way for the actions of their old relatives.  Some    of them felt mad and depressed because of what they had done.  I believe that they should not feel this way as long as they do not believe in slavery and that it is       wrong.  

            Men are evil and always will be.  The Bible talks about how men will be evil in end times too so that is how we know it will always be here.  Just continue to pray for the evil men in this world and that God can change their hearts.  

Slavery

            Slavery was very common in the 1700s to 1800s.  Some slavery is still going on today with sex trafficking.  Slavery is not good and it has never been.  In the Bible there was slavery in some different cases and God delivered his people through the trying times.

            In Exodus the Israelites had been in slavery to the Egyptians for many years. God sent Moses to the Pharaoh of Egypt to rescue them, after many trials and plagues the Pharaoh finally let them go.  Slavery is terrible because it makes people work for no pay.  They could be being beaten and tossed around like a rag doll even though they are a human being made in God’s image like the ones who may be beating them.  During the 1800s ships full of slaves came to the Americas so that they could force the African Americans to work against their will.  The ships had poor conditions and little space.  Many of the prisoners/slaves died from lack of food or disease on the ship.  How can this be considered a Christian thing?  It was sometimes missionaries who did this to the African Americans.  These missionaries must not have understood what it meant when God said everyone is made in his image. 

            There are approximately 27 million people in modern day slavery today.  That includes labor slaves, sex slaves who are mainly brought in at the age of 12 to 14.  The yearly average of gross income by slaves worldly is 32 billion dollars.  A single slave may make as much as 13 – 67 thousand dollars in a single year due to prostitution.  This is probably why it is so common.  Hopefully over time the FBI can keep cracking down on these cases in the Unites States and make it a safer county.  We can pray and donate money towards the prevention and towards stopping slavery.  Hopefully we can be a Moses for these people and help get them out.

Some questions I answered awhile ago about the trinity

Answers about the Trinity

1.    In the study of the Trinity, what does “person” and “essence” mean?                                    

Person - Person, in speaking of the Triunity, the term “person” is not used in the same way it is in ordinary usage in which it means an identity completely distinct from other persons.  Actually the word persons tends to detract from the unity of the Trinity.  According to the teaching of scripture, the three persons are inseparable, interdependent, and eternally united under one Divine Being.

Essence - In its theological usage, essence refers to “the intrinsic or indispensable, permanent, and inseparable qualities that characterize or identify the being of God.” The words Triunity and trinity are used to refer to the fact that the Bible speaks of one God, but attributes the characteristics of God to three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

2.    How would you define the doctrine of the Trinity in one sentence?

In the unity of the Godhead there are three coeternal and coequal Persons, the same in substance but distinct in subsistence which is the Trinity.

3.    What are some heresies that grew up in the early church and how did they differ from the Christian doctrine of the Trinity?

One example of heresy in the early church was Gnostic-heresy, this differed from the Christian doctrine about the deity and humanity of Christ. They diminished Christ to an angel whose “body” was only apparent, not real.

Another type of heresy was Arian Heresy.  Arian heresy stimulated the “crystallization” of thought regarding both the Trinity and the deity of Christ.

4.    What are some common, present-day misunderstandings to avoid thinking about the doctrine?

 Some of the misunderstandings are the pagan religions, as well as all philosophical speculations, are based on natural religion and can, therefore, rise to no higher conception than that of the unity of God. In some systems we find monotheism with its belief in only one God. In others we find polytheism with its belief in many separate gods. But none of the pagan religions, nor any of the systems of speculative philosophy have ever arrived at a Trinitarian conception of God. The fact of the matter is that apart from supernatural revelation there is nothing in human consciousness or experience which can give man the slightest clue to the distinctive God of the Christian faith, the triune, incarnate, redeeming, sanctifying God. Some of the pagan religions have set forth triads of divinities, such as, for instance, the Egyptian triad of Osiris, Isis and Horus, which is somewhat analogous to the human family with father, mother and child; or the Hindu triad of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, which in the cycle of pantheistic evolution personifies the creative, preservative and destructive power of nature; or the triad set forth by Plato, of goodness, intellect and will--which are not examples of true and proper tri-personality, not real persons who can be addressed and worshipped, but only personifications of the faculties or attributes of God.

5.    What are some practical results arising from the truth of the trinity?

There are three “practical results” in the article about the arising truth of the trinity. 

A.   It teaches us that God is a God of revelation and communion.

B.   It means that the Trinity is the basis of all true fellowship in the world.

C.   It gives variety to the life of the universe.

6.    Name three passage sin the NT which are difficult to reconcile with the idea of the trinity? How do you interpret each one?

Three of the verses are listed below.

John 1:14  - And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:18  - No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

In John 1:18 - The King James Version has huios, “Son,” in place of theos, “God,” and reads, “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.”

Because to our mind the words “only begotten” suggest birth or beginning, some have tried to take the use of this designation of Jesus Christ to mean that Christ had a beginning,  that He only became the Son of God. Such an understanding denies His eternality and also the concept of the trinity.

Is war good?

            Is war a good thing?  Many people ask this question.  Some people agree with war and some people completely disagree with war.  I believe that war is a good thing       if it has the right meaning behind it.

            War is a good thing in many ways.   War has solved many problems including slavery, Fascism, Nazism, communism and terrorism.  War has solved problems that negotiators could not do if they talked their enemies to death.  Sometimes war is the only way to win.

            God used war in the Bible to punish nations in the Bible.  For example when Jerusalem was surrounded by the Babylonians and King Nebuchadnezzar in Jeremiah 52.  God punished the Israelites because of their sin through war.  The book of Lamentations shows the effects war has on the Israelites. 

            They are bad effects on war too.   Unfortunately man good people have to die  for the sake of their cause.  Sometimes their cause is a good one and sometimes it      is the bad one.  In the end there is always a winner and a loser.  The loser is broken and in pieces, they have to build their selves up over time and through the generations gain more people.  The winner might still have a loss of people, but they have to stay strong in order to not be overthrown by their enemies.

Christians in the Olympics

            I believe that Christians do not need to worry about being involved in the Olympics because of the Greek gods.  I say this for a couple of different reasons.  In this paper I will explain the reasons why.

            I believe that Christians can be involved in the Olympics because almost all       of the pagan gods like Zeus and other Greek gods have drifted out of the effect of      the Olympics.  The Olympics are not used anymore to please Zeus, but to show off       ones athletic ability and ones skill level in their sport.  The Olympics are used to show patriotism and ones respect to his or hers country.

            On the other hand I have found four major reasons why some Christians disagree with the Olympics.  The first reason is that some Christians think that the men and women of the Olympics spend too much time preparing for their sport and not enough time in the Bible.  The second reason that some people disagree with the Olympics is that it can hurt their body, for instance in boxing.  The third reason is that some do not agree with what the athletes wear during their events and practices.  They believe that the swimming suits, running outfits, and volleyball suits are too petite and are like underwear.   The fourth and final reason why some Christians disagree with the Olympics is that some of the events take place on Sunday or the Lord’s Day.  Many people believe that this day is supposed to be used as a day of rest and that is why they do not agree with the Olympics. 

             I still believe that the Olympics are fine for Christians to participate in as long as they do it with the right motives and to glorify God….at least they don’t do the Olympics naked anymore.

Muslims and Christians

            Muslims and Christians have had many different theological disputes and arguments since the religion of Islam was created around 590AD by “the prophet” Muhammad.  Islam is currently the fastest growing religion in the world, but I believe that this religion is wrong and that Christianity is the true belief.

            I believe that Christianity is the true belief for many different reasons.  The first reason I believe in Christianity is that Christianity has been around since the beginning of the world (Creation).  All the facts in the Bible are proven to be true by archaeologists and scientists.  The second reason I believe in the Bible is that the Bible has many prophesies; all of which have been fulfilled except for a few which deal with the end times.  I believe that to get to heaven one needs to accept that God’s son Jesus Christ died on the cross to redeem us of our sins, so that we could go and lice in heaven with him.  I believe that in order to get to heaven we must confess that Jesus died for us and one must accept the Holy Spirit into their heart.  The Koran commands you to do good works to get to heaven and if you do not do enough good works you will be a social outcast after death. 

            There are many arguments against Islam, but I will give only a few that I have heard before.  First is that if Allah is supposedly holy, how can he let sinful people that have done nothing to redeem themselves into his presence. If he would do that he could NOT be a holy god.  A second argument is that future revelations cannot effect present revelations.     

My thoughts on Pantheism

            Pantheism and Christianity are two highly believed beliefs in the world as it is today.  Pantheism involves a denial of God's personality and expresses a tendency to identify God and nature.  Christianity is the belief in one true God, who sent his son to die as a redeemer for our sins. We are saved by grace and faith in our savior Jesus Christ.

            Pantheism is mostly believed by people under the groups of Hindus, Sufis, Unitarians, Neopagans, and New Agers.  There a 3 different kinds of pantheism; Classical Pantheism, Biblical Pantheism, and Naturalistic Pantheism.  They all are associated with the denial of God’s personality, but they do differ.  The different groups bring controversy to Pantheists because of the different beliefs. In Christianity, there is pretty much the same belief of everything. There are different interpretations of some of the scripture, but they are not as big as pantheistic beliefs which vary in many lots of ways.

            Christian beliefs do not vary as highly and this is why I would put my faith in it. Why put your faith in a religion that is weary and changes interpretations from time to time. Put your faith in Jesus wear it is can stay strong.

Worldviews

Christianity is the number one belief in the world today.  2.1 billion people (33% of the world) believe in some sort of Christianity.  Christianity has its separate view on the world’s viewpoints as do other cultures and religions.  Christianity’s  view on theology and law are two of the points that Christians have view points     on.

Christianity’s view on theology is that God created everything, from the universe and the heavens, to that atoms and elements that everything is made up of.  Christians believe that the Bible is the absolute truth of God and that one should trust and obey its every command.  We believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, suffering an agonizing death and torture before he died.  He was then buried and resurrected on the third day just as he had said.  We believe that Jesus did do miracles on earth and that he was one hundred percent God and one hundred percent human both at the same time.

The law is another view point that Christians have on the world.  The majority of the laws today are based on The Bible and the Ten Commandments.  For example the Ten Commandments say “Do not steal and do not murder.”  These laws came from the Bible.  The Bible also has morals that are followed still today and it was written 2,000 years ago.

Islam also has a large proportion of the world’s people following it.  Islam has 1.5 billion people (21% of the world) following it.  Islam is a religion that is slightly growing in ways, but some Islamic people are converting to Christianity.

Islamic theology has the belief that their god is Allah.  Allah is indivisible and absolutely transcendent.  They believe that Allah is all powerful and that nothing comes close to comparing with him.   Their “bible” is the Quran (Koran).  The Quran was written by the “prophet” Muhammad (who they believe to be an Arab and a descendant of Abraham) over a period of 23 years while Allah revealed it to him. They believe that the Quran is the absolute and divine word of Allah and is the only truth.  In order to get to heaven in Islam you must believe in Allah and have no other gods other than him.     If you have one other god you will not be allowed into Allah’s heaven.

For Islamic people there are many Najis which are things that are unclean.  If they touch these things they are in a state of spiritual impurity (najasat).  To become clean again they must go through a series of events to cleanse themselves of their impurities.  Some of the Najis things are: pigs, urine, blood, alcoholic liquids, dead bodies, or dogs that live off the land.  The Islamic law has laws about death such as the funeral expenses must be paid, his/her debts must be paid, and his/her belongs must be split up evenly between relatives.  If one does not do these things they are to be thrown into the disgraceful fire (hell) and suffer disgraceful torment.

Christianity and Islam are like in many ways, but they are different in other ways. 

Christianity and Islam both have a heaven that is beyond comprehension.  Christian’s heaven has streets of gold and a river of crystal clear water flowing    through it.  There are three thrones in the temple. In the middle is God to the right of God there is his son, Jesus.  In heaven Christians will praise God for eternity.  We will sing to him saying “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”

Islam’s heaven is forever (same as Christian’s heaven). The people in       heaven will relax in thrones and will wear green silk robes.  There are many levels of heaven according to how righteous a person was on earth.  They believe that there     will be abundances of wealth in heaven and that everyone will be given bracelets of gold.

In order to get to heaven in Islam one must believe the following things:  Belief in God (who, in Arabic, is named "Allah"),  belief in the angels (both good and bad), belief in the revealed Books of God, Belief in God's many prophets (including Adam, Abraham, Moses, David, and her Christians and Jews are familiar with),  accepting that there will be a Last Day, belief in the divine measurement of human affairs, and belief in life after death.  This is opposed to the Christian way to get into heaven saying that one must believe and confess it with their lips that Jesus died for their sins through grace and rose from the grave as he had said would happen.

The Flood

Noah and The Flood

            In almost all denominations and races there has been a story about a worldwide flood.  The flood is a source of many questions and many answers in the world today.  These questions have caused evolutionists to believe in many things that may/are not true.

            Long after the flood, men came up with the idea of scratching symbols into clay tablets and when they started the story of a Great Flood was one of the first that they wrote down.  The flood has caused questions in a few ways.  One of which is fossils, the flood crushed all the dead animals, plants and debris of the earth together to make rock.  The remains of the dead plants and animals are left in the rock creating fossils. 

Through the years these fossils have been found and dug up in many places creating lots of questions for evolutionists. 

            The Flood caused a question of how the earth was geographically formed.  Most Creationists believe that some mountains and canyons were made by the Flood.  The waters rushed through the earth so fast that they carved out great canyons and deep trenches in incredibly short time span.  Most evolutionists do not believe that rivers or canyons could/can be carved out so fast.  In some ways    It deposited lots of rock and soil in some areas creating mountains and large hills. 

            The Flood is proven to be true.  Archaeologists have found much evidence on it being so.  In the Middle East near the town of Ur where Abraham once lived, archaeologists found a layer of clean mud about eleven feet deep that they are very positive of the Flood. Other stories like this have been reported throughout the world.