It’s safe to write that this was not the kind of international media attention the Canadian city of Abbotsford, British Columbia wanted to achieve.
Like most large cities, there are homeless people in Abbotsford and they like to gather in a spot called “The Honey Tree”. Apparently some folks weren’t happy about that because city workers dumped chicken manure at the site.
An attempt to drive the homeless away? That’s certainly the logical answer, but nobody at the city said so. Especially when the move attracted international attention and widespread criticism. Instead, city officials scrambled to undertake an investigation and the mayor held a news conference to apologize.
As I read articles on this controversy, I was forced to confront my own discomfort with homeless people. Often, they are unkempt and smelly. Often, they are mentally ill. Often, they want money from me – to buy something I may not approve of.
But I follow Jesus of Nazareth (who many people believe is the Son of God), and one of the original source documents about His life on earth says “God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him would not be lost but have eternal life.”
As far as I’m concerned, that statement means God loves the homeless people of Abbotsford, British Columbia every bit as much as he loves me or Taylor Swift or the British Royals. That also means Abbotsford’s homeless have the same intrinsic value as billionaires and Hollywood royalty.
Our culture doesn’t think so – the actions of Abbotsford’s city staff are certainly evidence of that – but it’s why I follow Jesus. He hung out with the marginalized people of ancient Israel and He often made it clear that the “in” people of that place were the ones he had issues with.
My own discomfort aside, I want to be more like Jesus. I want to pay less attention to what our broken world thinks is “cool” and pay attention to what He thinks. Because like all serious Jesus followers, I believe he lived, died and came back to life for people like me. And people like the homeless of Abbotsford, British Columbia. And people like YOU. All you have to is accept the gift.
Agree? Disagree? Post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.
Posted in In The News | Tagged Abbotsford, articles about homeless people, Bible, British Columbia, Canadian homeless people, chicken manure, Christianity, Faith, Frank King, Frank's Cottage, God, homeless people, Homeless people in Canada, Jesus, John 3:16, religion, spirituality, stories about homeless people, The Honey Tree, theology | 4 Comments »
June 29, 2013 by Frank King Photos
Ye gotta like it when innocuous little moments shine a light on something big in your life. That happened one winter day when my father-in-law helped me install a plastic insulation barrier on a wind-blasted bedroom window.
We were applying two-sided tape to the window frame—it holds the barrier in place—when Fred complained that every time he unrolled the tape, it would wind itself up again.
I heard his words and instantly realized: this is a metaphor for my life. So often I launch self-improvement projects to:
- listen better;
- remember more (just ask my wife about my horrible memory for anything recent);
- become more aware of when I’m being petty;
- stop giving with my hand out to receive thanks/praise and;
- value family relationships more (gee, Frank, would the occasional phone call to your brothers kill you?)
Guess what happens to those initiatives? Like the two-sided insulation barrier tape, every time I unwind them, they spool back up and I have to start over.
I sense this happens with a lot of people. We’re taught to do everything ourselves because only incompetent people ask for help. And we keep on believing this, even though our failed projects stare us in the face like a blinding spotlight.
When I consider the spooled-up tape of my initiatives, the conclusion is obvious: I can’t improve myself alone, no matter what any self-help book says. I don’t believe any of us can. We’re just too burdened with leftover childhood issues, with relationships that leave us burning with anger or disappointment, with unbreakable bad habits, and with emotionally crippling betrayals.
Does it make sense to write that we need help from someone more powerful; someone who’s not battling emotional issues; someone who always, ALWAYS has time for us, no matter how annoying or frustrating we can be?
I found something written by an ancient follower of Jesus of Nazareth (who many people believe is the Son of God) that refers to this help: “Jesus has been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to Him and get what He is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.”
For me, I simply ask for that assistance through prayer. And if you don’t feel capable or ready to pray, one of Jesus’s earliest followers talks about that, too: “If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. God’s spirit does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans.”
After praying, things can start to happen. It might be something supernatural—suddenly, your desire to listen better is actually fulfilled. Or it might be God working through a colleague or relative who has surprisingly sage words of advice, or makes an unexpected commitment to hold you accountable.
I don’t have to pray about the insulation barrier; Fred and I got it nicely installed. But all my other, more important improvement projects? That’s another matter….
Posted in Me & The World | Tagged Bible, Christianity, Faith, Frank King, Frank's Cottage, God, Hebrews 4:15, Jesus, religion, Romans 8:26-27, self-improvement, spirituality, theology, window barrier, window insulation barrier | 8 Comments »
June 22, 2013 by Frank King Photos
Most of us have probably read or heard about lottery winners who blew their entire fortune. But this example was so astonishing, I had to investigate it.
According a 2010 story in the Britain’s Daily Mail, 26-year-old Michael Carroll was hoping to get his old job back as a trash collector, eight years after winning about $19 million in a lottery.
Why was he seeking employment again? Because the entire fortune is gone. Gone on drugs, gambling, parties, bling, a fleet of cars, and hundreds of prostitutes. Just a year after winning the lottery, he was smoking about $4,000 worth of crack cocaine every day and hosting lavish parties.
All this caused his wife to take their baby daughter and leave him. But according to the Daily Mail, this wake-up call instead caused Mr. Carroll to turn to prostitutes. He boasted about having sex with up to four per day (he didn’t need much sleep, thanks to the drugs), spending nearly $200,000 along the way.
“I only started to think about three things – drugs, sex, and gold (jewellery),” he told the newspaper.
I found a quote from an ancient writer that indirectly refers to what happened to Mr. Carroll: “Don’t drink too much wine and get drunk; don’t eat too much food and get fat. Drunks and gluttons will end up on skid row, in a stupor and dressed in rags.” Mr. Carroll’s vices were different, but they certainly left him in the same dire straits.
His spectacular downfall aside, I also noticed the article mentioned Mr. Carroll had issues before the lottery win. For example, he showed up to collect the cheque in 2002 wearing what the journalist called an ‘electronic offender’s tag’ after being found drunk and disorderly. In other words, it wasn’t just the money that tossed his life into a sea of turbulence.
This leads me to conclude that, beyond having a breathtaking lack of wisdom, Mr. Carroll was – and probably still is – missing something his life. Something so significant he went to extraordinary lengths to fill it. And not one of them worked.
Blaise Pascal, the famed French mathematician, physicist and religious philosopher, seemed to understand this. One of his most famous quotes says, “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus.”
How many of us will listen to the seductive siren call of fame, riches, career advancement, sex, extreme sports, drugs or alcohol? And how many will end up, if not destitute, then as spiritually empty as Michael Carroll?
Post your reaction below and let’s have a conversation.
Posted in In The News | Tagged Bible, Blaise Pascal, Christianity, Daily Mail, Faith, Frank King, Frank's Cottage, God, God-shaped hole, Jesus, lottery, lottery win, Proverbs 23:20-21, religion, spirituality | 6 Comments »
June 15, 2013 by Frank King Photos
I found an essay called “10 Signs You’re a Devoted Christian” on the Internet and, as I read it, I realized it presented an excellent opportunity to clear up some misconceptions about people of faith. Read these highlights and see if you’ve had any of these opinions:
Christians deny the existence of thousands of gods claimed by other religions, but feel outraged when someone denies the existence of your god.
Well, lots of Christians I know are not the least bit “outraged”. In fact, some of us are happy to talk with anyone who denies the existence of a creator. It usually makes for very interesting conversation.
- You feel insulted and ‘dehumanized’ when scientists say people evolved from lesser life forms, but you have no problem with the Biblical claim that we were created from dirt.
Um, no. I don’t know for absolute certain how we were created, other than it was God who did it. What else do I need to know on this subject?
- You laugh at polytheists, but you have no problem believing in a trinity god.
Maybe some Christians laugh at people who believe in more than one god. But most of us don’t. Does that mean we’re not “devoted” Christians?
- Your face turns purple when you hear of atrocities attributed to Allah, but you don’t even flinch when hearing about how God slaughtered all the babies in Egypt in ‘Exodus’ or ordered the elimination of entire ethnic groups in ‘Joshua’.
Lots of Christians, including me, DO flinch when we read about these things in the Bible. No one can claim to understand all the Bible. But I suggest you check out the Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry (http://carm.org/) to thoroughly investigate the things you find so objectionable.
- You laugh at Hindu beliefs that deify humans and Greek claims about gods sleeping with women, but you have no problem believing the Holy Spirit impregnated Mary, who then gave birth to a man-god who got killed, came back to life, then ascended into the sky.
You must have encountered a few Christians who ridiculed other faiths and decided this is what ‘devoted’ Christians are like. I hope my responses open your mind to other possibilities.
- You believe that the entire population of this planet, except those who share your beliefs, will spend eternity in Hell. Yet you consider your religion tolerant and loving.
I believe God gives the gift of choice to all people who have been accurately told about who He is and the gift He’s offered to everyone on this planet – Jesus Christ. If people choose to reject Christ and spend eternity separated from God, then that’s their free will.
- You define 0.01% as a ‘high success rate’ when it comes to answered prayers, and you think the remaining 99.99% failure was simply God’s will.
Where did these percentages come from? Who did the research and how? Prayer is a mystery because it involves a mix of God’s will and our very imperfect will. But does that make it useless? Hardly.
- You know less about the Bible, Christianity and church history than most atheists and agnostics, but still call yourself a “Christian”.
This is an enormous generalization. I think it’s safe to say that most agnostics know nothing about the Bible because they just don’t care about spirituality. That said, the lack of knowledge about the Bible and church history on the part of many Christians is sad.
So, are you surprised at the responses to these assertions? Post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.
Posted in Me & The World | Tagged Bible, Christianity, Devoted Christians, Frank King, Frank's Cottage, God, God and free will, Jesus, mystery of prayer, polytheism, polytheists, prayer, prayer mystery, religion, spirituality, theology | 7 Comments »
It’s one thing for me, a committed Christian, to try and explain/justify God. It’s another altogether when a self-confessed, “non-religious” major newspaper columnist like George Jonas tackles the topic.
In a 2013 National Post column, the veteran journalist (1935-2016) wrote about dreaming he was God and encountering a range of challenges from skeptics. Here’s an excerpt from one of those chats:
Skeptic: “Aren’t you supposed to be omnipresent? I never saw you in Auschwitz, the (Soviet) gulag, Dresden (where so much Second World War bombing took place) or Katyn Forest (site of a Second World War massacre)…”
Jonas: “You never looked for me. You were busy doing evil things.”
Skeptic: “Why did you let me?”
Jonas: “Has it occurred to you that you might have acted without my permission?”
Later, Jonas (still writing as God) noted: “Men doing fiendish things used to prove the existence of evil. Now it casts doubt on the existence of God. Once I punished men for being bad; now men punish me for it. ‘If we’re bad, God, you don’t exist.’ Talk about gall.”
To my sometimes-foggy brain, the insight shown here is impressive. We humans were given a mind-boggling gift – freewill – then tested God by using it to crucify Jesus Christ, whom serious Christians believe to be His son. Not only did God prove freewill was for all time and space by doing nothing to stop this crucifixion, He restored Jesus for us by resurrecting Him.
(If you want powerful evidence for the resurrection, go to a website called biblegateway.com and, in the “passage lookup” section, type this:
1 Corinthians 15:6.)
Sadly, as Jonas pointed out, God’s gift of freewill hasn’t been enough for skeptics. Some may claim they haven’t done the evil that wracks the world, yet they must live with it. To that, I recall British writer G.K. Chesterton. When asked by a newspaper to write an essay on the theme ‘what’s wrong with the world?’, he responded with just this:
Dear Sirs,
I am.
Sincerely yours,
G. K. Chesterton.
He was what’s wrong with the world because of what he did and what he failed to do. I am what’s wrong with this world for the same reasons. And so are you.
That said, I am sure of this:
- For everyone who says the state of this world proves there is no god, just imagine how things would be if He weren’t involved. Would there ever have been peace in Ireland? Would apartheid ever have ended in South Africa? Would the Berlin Wall ever have come down?
- There is a price to be paid for the wrong things you and I have done, and for the right things we haven’t done. That price was paid by Jesus. If you believe this and make him your leader and best friend, then forgiveness – and the opportunity for a new, clean start – is yours. Just as it is already mine.
Does this make sense? Post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.
Posted in In The News | Tagged Bible, blaming God, Christianity, Faith, Frank King, Frank King Christianity blog, Frank King faith blog, Frank King religion blog, Frank King spirituality blog, Frank's Cottage, free will, G.K. Chesterton, George Jonas, God, God allowing evil, God and free will, God skeptics, Jesus, mad at God, National Post, religion, spirituality, theology, why did Jesus die, why does God allow bad things | 7 Comments »
Is the glass half-full or half-empty?
That’s the essence of what atheist blogger Staks Rosch is getting at when he wrote a piece for the Huffington Post called “Dear Pope, Atheists don’t need redemption”.
Here’s a key excerpt:
I don’t believe humans are evil sinners in need of redemption. I don’t see the glass as half empty. I think people are more nuanced than that. We do good things and we do bad things.
First of all, let me write that I would dearly LOVE to agree with Staks. In fact, for many years I was onside with his main points. And it’s hardly a stretch to say that yes, we do good things and bad things.
So what happened?
Simply put, I came to ask these questions: what do we do about the bad things we do? And what do we do about the good things that we FAIL to do?
I’m not talking about destroying skyscrapers or failing to stop genocide – for most of us, such “sins” are as relevant as contemplating life on Mars. I’m talking about when I’m blatently insensitive to my wife or find an excuse not to help a friend in need because it makes me uncomfortable.
What does Staks Rosch do about these things? Apparently, nothing except writing that “I have come to understand that people generally try to be the best they can.”
And to that point, I have to sadly disagree.
In well-off North America it’s easy to be distracted by shiny things (oooh, a new iPad! And look what dumb thing that politician/movie star did today!). But if you and I pay attention to what’s really happening in this world, we would have to admit that people generally DON’T try to be the best they can. I can think of no other explanation for:
- Thousands of child soldiers in Africa;
- Rampant sex slavery in southeast Asia (supported by western ‘sex tourists’);
- Massive corruption in developing nations (aided by North American companies like engineering giant SNC Lavelin);
- Cash-strapped western governments cutting social services, but propping up banks.
When I think about these things, I have no trouble believing this quote from one of the earliest and most influential followers of Jesus of Nazareth (who many people believe is the Son of God): “All have sinned and are not good enough to share God’s divine greatness.”
Staks Rosch doesn’t face this truth in his blog. But lots of people do face it. And some of them, like me, decide to follow Jesus because we need REAL, PERMANENT good news.
The good news is by believing that Jesus sacrificed his life to wipe out the bad things we’ve done and the good things we’ve failed to do, we also welcome Him to change us. To make us more like Him.
And, if you believe life goes beyond 70 or so years on this planet, then that good news is permanent. When I’m done with this life, I’ll face God’s judgement. And I’ll come through that judgement scott-free because of what Jesus did for me.
He can do it for you, too. So, what do you think? Post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.
Posted in Me & The World | Tagged atheism, Bible, Christianity, Faith, Frank King, Frank's Cottage, glass half-empty, glass half-full, God, half-empty glass, half-full glass, Huffington Post, Jesus, religion, Romans 3:23, sin, SNC Lavelin, spirituality, Staks Rosch, theology | 6 Comments »
It happened a number of years ago but, even now, I think “what a world we live in”.
In 2010 I read, in open-mouthed astonishment, a newspaper article about a Toronto woman suing Rogers because, she claims, the Canadian internet/cable TV/telephone/mass media conglomerate’s billing practices ruined her marriage.
Gabriela Nagy launched a $600,000 lawsuit against Rogers Communications for invasion of privacy, breach of confidence, breach of privacy and negligence.
She claimed the company was wrong to bundle her cellphone bill with her husband’s Internet and home phone services. The resulting invoice, addressed to her husband, contained details of her outgoing cell phone calls – details which, Ms. Nagy said, her husband used to figure out she was having an affair. He took their children and left her in 2007.
A Rogers spokesperson, while denying it breached her privacy, said Ms. Nagy and her husband asked to have all their services consolidated into one bill.
First of all, I have to admire Ms. Nagy’s chutzpah, to brazenly sue a company for exposing her infidelity. Never mind that it would have made more sense to spend her time and energy fixing her marriage or, if her husband was not willing, to seek professional help and get to the bottom of her lack of commitment.
When I finished reading the article, I recalled other media reports about a website called AshleyMadison.com. Using the slogan “Life is short. Have an affair”, the site claims that, for a fee, it will guarantee you a, um, successful affair.
So it appears our culture is moving toward approving adultery – even as it exercises a double standard by punishing celebrities and “heroes” like Tiger Woods when they fall on their faces.
Is marriage easy? Occasionally but, after health issues, it’s often the biggest challenge in our lives. And yet, I’ve read of studies that show single people don’t live as long and are often more lonely than married couples.
Then I remember something I read in the Bible called ‘1 Corinthians’: “No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; He’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; He’ll always be there to help you come through it.”
Does that mean some sort of supernatural fix for a troubled marriage? Maybe, but much more often, I’ve seen how it’s translated into unexpected help from a distant cousin, a surprisingly supportive chat with your financial advisor, an out-of-the-blue offer from your boss for a few days off, or a quiet promise from a “religious” neighbor to pray for you.
All these things could very well happen to Ms. Nagy. Or to you. And you may not even realize it until later. That’s just how God likes to work. We’re part of His plan. In fact, we are His entire plan – even when we treat marriage and commitment like a burden or joke.
What do you think? Post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.
Posted in In The News | Tagged 1 Corinthians 10:13, Ashley Madison, AshleyMadison.com, Bible, Christianity, commitment, Faith, Frank King, Frank's Cottage, God, infidelity, marriage, marriage and commitment, marriage break-ups, Rogers, Rogers Communications, spirituality | 4 Comments »
“Why can’t you just be good?”
That was the question a frustrated relative posed during a faith discussion at a social event. The question was aimed at me because I was the only person at the event who followed Jesus of Nazareth (who many people believe is the Son of God) and the topic was getting to Heaven.
Just be good and you’ll be welcomed inside the pearly gates, right? As far as I can tell, that’s the point of view held by most people in our culture.
So why isn’t it true? Well, consider this: the residents of Walkerton, Ontario — a small town in central Canada — thought their water supply was good. You could pour a glass, hold it up to the light and it looked perfectly fine to drink.
But it wasn’t. In 2000, many residents began to experience bloody diarrhea and infections. Local officials insisted the water was drinkable, until the skyrocketing number of contamination cases caused the region’s medical officer of health to issue a “boil water advisory”.
It turns out the water was infected with deadly E.coli bacteria and by the time the crisis ended, 2,500 people (half the town’s population) became ill and seven died.
This may seem like an extreme case to you, but trust me, there isn’t a particle of water on this planet that is absolutely pure. No matter how clear and clean it appears.
And that’s the case with human beings. No matter how good some of us seem to be, no matter how generous, no matter how well-adjusted, every one of us has defects.
Looking for evidence? Consider this excerpt from a letter written by one of the ancient Jesus followers: “All have sinned and are not good enough to share God’s divine greatness.” Sadly, nothing has changed since those words were written about 2,000 years ago and that’s why you can’t “just be good” and get into Heaven.
But there is a solution. Most Jesus followers believe what the ancient prophets wrote and they claimed God did something about our inability to become truly good. He gave us the gift of Jesus.
Here’s what Jesus did:
- He lived with us;
- He taught us who God is and how we can welcome Him into our lives;
- He allowed government authorities to put him to death, so that ALL the wrongs committed by anyone who believes in Him and follows Him would be paid for and wiped out of existence;
- He came back to life to defeat the power of death, prove He is the Son of God and provide a way for all humanity to live with Him forever in Heaven.
I see this as incredibly good news. How about you? Post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.
Posted in Me & The World | Tagged be good and get to Heaven, Bible, Christianity, clean water, Faith, Frank King, Frank's Cottage, God, good enough for Heaven, Jesus, Problem with good, religion, Romans 3:23, spirituality, theology, Walkerton | 10 Comments »
“Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely.”
These were the words of Mike Jeffries, the chief executive officer of trendy clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch, spoken in a 2013 interview with Salon, the online news and entertainment website.
That this was the policy of his company is not surprising; lots of retailers aim their products at a specific demographic (rarely mine, I can tell you) and ignore all others.
But none have been so bold – or brave – to publicly state that they don’t want overweight, older or ‘unattractive’ people anywhere near their products.
I was fascinated by the resulting controversy; many people, media outlets and websites reacted almost violently to Jefferies. Some online posters even searched out and shared the most unflattering photos of the CEO that they could find.
But isn’t it clear that Abercrombie & Fitch’s philosophy is exactly how our world works? Haven’t you seen or heard advertisements for condominiums that emphasize how exclusive they are? And aren’t certain restaurants trendy because they are exclusive? What about golf and country clubs – don’t they attract a certain kind of person who likes their exclusivity?
More important, aren’t there times in our lives when most of us – me included – have yearned for a meal in that exclusive eatery or lusted after a unit in that trendy housing project? We actually want to exclude others.
In some ways, I appreciate Mike Jeffries thrusting this unpleasant human characteristic into the spotlight. It gives me a chance to examine my own thinking patterns. It also highlights one big reason why I hold fast to my faith in Jesus of Nazareth, who many people believe is God’s Son.
You may have been told, or come to believe, that following Jesus is exclusionary – that only people in the club get to spend eternity in Heaven with God and Jesus.
Serious Jesus followers do believe that because in one of the original source documents of His life, Jesus says “I am the way, the truth, and the life. The only way to the Father is through me.”
But what the critics of Jesus don’t tell you is anyone – and I mean ANYONE – can join Jesus in Heaven. God presents His son as a GIFT to every man, woman and child on planet Earth. Gifts are made to be accepted and that’s all you and me have to do to get in on this so-called “exclusive” offer.
When you tell God you want to trust in His son (who many people believe died to make up for all the wrong things we’ve done and the right things we’ve failed to do), the slate is wiped clean. No matter how ugly your past might be.
How inclusive is this gift? It’s open to Mike Jefferies, it’s open to me, it’s open to YOU, it’s even open to the most reprehensible kind of person (read one such story here: http://wp.me/p2wzRb-6K).
So what do you think of this gift? Post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.
Posted in In The News | Tagged Abercrombie & Fitch, Bible, Christianity, Faith, Frank King, Frank's Cottage, God, Jesus, John 14:6, Mike Jeffries, religion, spirituality, theology | 12 Comments »
Does being born and raised into your “religious” faith make you a deluded person? Absolutely, according to atheist John Loftus. His fascinating essay is called “The Top Ten Marks of a Deluded Person” and I’m happy to engage John on all his points.
1. John says being born and raised into a faith makes you delusional for this reason: “Just taking the odds at face value, this is non-controversial and undeniable given the number of religions propagated around the globe and adhered to with utter and complete confidence as the one true faith.”
Do you understand that? Me neither. And I’ve read a lot of “religious” books and engaged in many debates with atheists. Maybe someone can explain it for me.
2. As an adult, never adopts nor cultivates the adult attitude of doubt. John says “All adults must revisit the religious faith taught to them by their parents,” and I absolutely agree.
God agrees, too. In a letter written by one of the earliest followers of Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus followers are encouraged to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling”. Did you know that, John?
3. Never reads widely or is exposed to other points of view in the media.
We agree on this one, too. I’m always saddened when I encounter Jesus followers who know nothing about other faiths or about the burning issues of the day. It’s embarrassing.
4. Does not travel widely, including travel into different cultures.
Not so fast, John. Maybe you have the resources to wander all over this glorious planet. But many, many people (some of them atheists), don’t. So that hardly makes anybody deluded.
5. Never studies deeply into the nature of his or her adopted faith.
Yes! I’m also embarrassed when I chat with fellow Jesus followers and get a blank stare when I mention a well-known Jesus follower or event in history. So now I can ask you, John: have you studied deeply into the nature of your atheistic faith?
6. Lies in order to defend one’s faith. “If you have to lie to defend your faith, then you need help,” John writes.
And I nod my head in vigorous agreement.
7. Preaches to people who think differently, rather than rationally engaging them.
Once again, John and I see the same way. That’s why Frank’s Cottage is focused on starting conversations with readers. I end every essay with that invitation.
8. Claims he or she does not need evidence to believe.
Ya, that’s a silly claim. Do I have all the evidence I want? Nope. If I did, it wouldn’t be called “faith”. But do I have enough? Absolutely. Just as I imagine John has enough to believe in his faith.
9. Must be convinced that his or her faith is impossible before seeing it as improbable.
John seems to think that if he can show that someone’s faith is improbable, that should be enough. OK, John. What if someone demonstrated that atheism is an improbable faith. Would you be willing to change your mind?
10. Must denigrate the sciences in order to have faith. “Faith demands it,” John added.
I disagree. As far as I’m concerned, science shows us more about God. And I’ve written about just a few of the Jesus followers currently starring in the science world here: http://wp.me/p2wzRb-3o.
So, am I deluded because I follow Jesus? Or are you surprised at how often John and I agreed? Post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.
Posted in Me & The World | Tagged atheism, Bible, Christianity, Deluded Christians, Faith, Frank King, Frank's Cottage, God, Jesus, John Loftus, religion, spirituality, theology | 10 Comments »
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It’s safe to write that this was not the kind of international media attention the Canadian city of Abbotsford, British Columbia wanted to achieve.
Frank's Cottage 