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Posts Tagged ‘religion’

IS GOD GOOD?

Posted in Me & The World, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 3, 2014| 13 Comments »

Bertrand RussellHow’s that for a challenging statement, eh?

When I found this graphic on an Internet atheism community, I knew I had to grab it and explore the viewpoint — as much for me as for you.

To start with, I emailed the graphic to a wise and thoughtful pastor friend. Here’s how Ross Carkner responded:

I would have thought that it would be impossible for a person to sit at the bedside of a dying child and NOT believe in God.  I am hard-pressed to think of a better place in which to find God – amidst the crippling heartache and shattered dreams of parents, siblings and family.

It is the convenience of living in the western world, overflowing with an optimism fueled by a seemingly never ending supply of individualism and materialism, which insists that life is grand!

Life is not grand.

Sure, life is filled with mounds of joy and the pursuit of happiness. But pain, disappointment and death also fall like rain. Every single day.

Sooner or later, we must come to grips with the reality, no matter how painful it is, that we live in a broken and hurting world.

The gift of God is His presence and that in His plan there is a promise of better things to come. This world isn’t all there is, but right now, it is all that we have. We live in brokenness, but God is already working out His plan.

Doesn’t that give you lots to think about?

It occurs to me that behind the statement in the graphic, made by a renowned 20th century philosopher/atheist/writer, is this question: How can one sit by the bedside of a dying child and still believe God is good?

First, let’s remember that no “religion” has ever promised that life would be perfect for even one person. In my faith, Jesus of Nazaareth (whom many people believe is the Son of God) told his followers: “In this world you will have troubles. But be brave! I have defeated the world!”

So what does “I have defeated the world” mean? I like the answer provided by blogger Jack Zavada:

God doesn’t spare us from [our troubles], he doesn’t shield us from [our troubles], but He does deliver us. We may come out the other side with scars and losses, but we will come out the other side. Even if our suffering results in death, we will be delivered into the hands of God.

That’s the key part of the question about the goodness of God. If you believe this world and this life is all there is, then the idea of God delivering you from your ills – and, in the case of the graphic that sparked this essay, your child’s ills – is simply utter nonsense. And you have no hope.

But if you somehow know that 70-plus years on planet Earth can’t be the entire story, then consider God’s gift of His Son. Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection clears the way to eternal life for you, your children and anyone else who accepts that gift and makes Jesus Lord and Savior.

Does this makes sense? Yes or no, post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.

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PERPETUAL STATE OF FEAR? NOPE

Posted in Movies & TV, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 12, 2014| 8 Comments »

PerpetualStateOfFear 4.14First of all, let me make this clear: Star Trek ROCKS. Even the not-so-great movies — Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) and Nemesis (2002) — were still at least mildly entertaining.

What grabbed my attention about this graphic, posted in an atheism Internet community, is two things:

1. The Spock character never said these words;
2. That said, I absolutely agree with them.

What kind of a god would ever demand constant fear from his creations? Certainly not the God I believe in, or Jesus of Nazareth, who many people believe is God’s Son.

An ancient document by one of Jesus’s earlist followers addresses this topic in a very reasonable way: Where God’s love is, there is no fear, because God’s perfect love takes away fear. It is his punishment that makes a person fear.

That makes a great deal of sense to me. While I don’t fear God the way this graphic suggests, what I do fear is this:

  •  Disappointing Him by failing to constantly strive to be the person He knows I can be.
  •  Saddening Him by ignoring the opportunities He gives me to tell others about how He changed my life through Jesus and how their lives can be made better the same way.
  •  Insulting Him by living my life as if He doesn’t exist.
  •  Belittling Him by not fully acknowledging everything He did for me (and for you, too) by offering the gift of Jesus, who died to make up for the sins of everyone who believes in Him and follows Him.

I like how the United Church of God website puts it:
“God does not want us to be in continual terror of Him, though that may be where we start in our relationship with Him. Proper, mature fear of God means having a healthy reverence and respect for the most powerful Being in the universe and the laws He has set in place for our own benefit.”

I also appreciate the words of Christian Post columnist Dan Delzell:
“Think about a family. Parents who dearly love their children also discipline their children appropriately for their good. In those families, children know they are loved. They also have the ‘fear’ of discipline should they choose to push the limits and disobey. That is not a bad fear. It actually is a very necessary part of family life.”

I see logic in wanting to worship a deity like this. Do you? Yes or no, post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.

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THE HOUSE OF HYPOCRITES

Posted in Me & The World, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 5, 2014| 4 Comments »

House of hypocritsIf you’ve spent much time on this planet, then I’m pretty you’ve had the misfortune of encountering the kind of people described in this graphic.

I certainly have. It was even worse for a friend: her husband left her and, as a result, hypocrites at her church turned their backs on her to the point where she stopped attending.

This is the kind of rude, arrogant judgementalism, especially on things that  aren’t important, that stops many people from following Jesus of Nazareth (who many believe is God’s Son). And Jesus is dead-set against it. He told the religious leaders of his day that “You load people down with rules and regulations, nearly breaking their backs, but never lift even a finger to help.”

Now, before we go any further, it’s time I came clean and declared I’m a hypocrite. There have been times when I’ve said one thing and done something entirely different (just check with my very patient and forgiving wife).

While I’m at it, I think it’s safe to write that every church on this planet can be called “The House of Hypocrites” because they’re filled with people like me. Sometimes, without even realizing it until later, we grab our gavels, pound our desks and pompously declare others guilty of the very wrongs we’ve committed.

Does that make church an ludicrous time-waster? Not at all. The key thing is to understand this: “The church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints.” Those are the words of longtime newspaper advice columnist Abigail Van Buren (better known as ‘Dear Abby’) and they make absolute sense.

I go to church because there, I can learn from other, more mature Jesus followers how to identify and turn away from hypocritical behaviour and be the person God knows I can be.

Because I’m judgmental, I go to church so I can learn the truth of my faith: the only person who can truly be judgmental is Jesus. Serious Jesus followers acknowledge that He never committed a single sin. That makes Him alone worthy of holding the gavel of judgment.

But there’s good news here: One of the original-source biographies of Jesus’s physical life on Earth tells us “God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending His Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again.”

Once I decided to believe that Jesus is God’s gift to me and I should accept that gift, God started the process of making me “right again”. He can do the same for you, too. Just accept His gift and see what happens next.

Agree? Disagree? Post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.

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LONG ON FAITH, SHORT ON FACTS?

Posted in Me & The World, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 29, 2014| 25 Comments »

Lacking facts? 3:14It has long been a criticism leveled by many atheists: spiritual people put faith on a pedestal and facts are harder to find than a government surplus.

Well, there’s no doubt about it: faith IS important to followers of Jesus of Nazareth (who many people believe is the Son of God). In fact, an ancient writer, who lived shortly after Jesus, wrote: “Whoever comes to God must believe that He is real and that He rewards those who sincerely try to find him.”

But does that mean that Jesus followers are just floating on a cloud of faith? Not a chance. Consider just these few facts:

1. Beyond the four original-source biographies detailing His life, death and resurrection, the website EveryStudent.com details how two ancient historians, Cornelius Tacitus (A.D. 55-120) and Flavius Josephus (A.D. 38-100+) wrote about Jesus and how He was put to death by Roman authorities.

2. Powerful evidence for Jesus’ resurrection (a central aspect of following Jesus) comes from a man named Paul, who spent years persecuting Jesus followers, then became one and told people throughout the Mediterranean about Him.

In one of Paul’s letters to early Jesus followers, he wrote “(After His resurrection) Jesus appeared to more than 500 other believers at the same time. Most of them are still living today, but some have died.”

Consider the enormity of that statement: Paul was telling these people that if they didn’t believe him about Jesus coming back to life three days after dying on a cross, there were all kinds of witnesses who could back him up.

3. There is also convincing evidence that Jesus is the Son of God. Some critics insist Jesus himself never made that claim — it was overzealous followers who “put the words in His mouth” when they wrote the four accounts of His life.

And yet, writer Steven Hemler makes this point, which I consider quite valid: “If Jesus was not crucified for blasphemy (claiming to be God’s son), then why did Jewish leaders want him killed? It is difficult to explain Jesus’ crucifixion, which is a well-attested historical fact, if he did not actually claim to be God’s son.”

There is lots of other hard evidence that I could explain, but you get the point. And if you don’t, then I challenge you to investigate for yourself (check out the links here: https://frankscottage.blog/links-to-other-sites/) because this is important stuff. In fact, from my viewpoint, your eternal fate rests on it because serious Jesus followers believe the original-source biographies when they say that Jesus is God’s gift to anyone willing to accept Him.

What does accepting Him mean? It means believing that His sacrificial death makes up for all the wrong things we’ve done and all the right things we’ve failed to do. So God no longer sees any of that. He sees us like He sees His Son – perfect in every way. And through that, we are welcomed to spend eternity with Jesus in Heaven.

Does this make sense to you? Yes or no, share your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.

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WOMEN: SECOND CLASS CITIZENS IN CHRISTIANITY?

Posted in Me & The World, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 22, 2014| 10 Comments »

Bible hates women? 3.14Maybe you’ve heard someone talk along these lines. Maybe you’ve thought it yourself. But it is true?

I could blather on about how Christianity upholds women in a way that its critics simply don’t want to acknowledge. But why listen to me when you can read it from women who publicly acknowledge their faith in Jesus of Nazareth (who many people believe is the son of God)?

I emailed this graphic, originally published on an atheist Internet community, to several women who follow Jesus. Here is a sample of their responses:

Jerri Menges:
God chose a woman to bring the Saviour of man into the world. In the Bible, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, not only because He loved Lazarus, but because He loved Mary and Martha (the sisters of Lazarus). He saw their hurt and He was compassionate for them, too.

In the Bible, I find my true worth: God knows who I am, He loves me just as I am, He even has plans for me, good plans.

Consider this: when God made Adam, He saw that Adam needed a helper, so he made woman (Eve). Man, His crown creation wasn’t complete. He needed a helper.

Margie Stevenson:
Google women of the Bible and read on!  God gave many women important gifts, talents and abilities to work for His good.

In my opinion, a women’s value to Christ is no different than a man’s value, at least not in how much we are valued. God made each of us, loves each of us and created two sexes for a very specific reason.

A woman’s value to Christ is that she complements a man….and therefore, completes the picture of God’s people on earth.  She is a child of God….this fact is the same for men and women, as different as we are.

Amber Anderson Skrabek:
The Bible advises men to appreciate and value their wives:

Proverbs 31:26: She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
Proverbs 31:31: Honour her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise.

Given the time the Bible was written, it is not surprising that there are comparatively few women mentioned. However, there are several examples of strong, Godly women who are highlighted and their inclusion is not accidental.

One needs only to look at the story of Mary Magdalene to see how Jesus valued women.

In Jesus’ time … Jews and Romans saw women as “lesser” beings, but Jesus did not. Mary Magdalene was an early and devoted follower of Christ. She is mentioned several times as a prominent disciple, and she remained faithful to Jesus even as he was crucified.

When Jesus was taken down from the cross, it was Mary and other women, all devoted followers of Christ, who attended to his body. It was these women, and not a man, who were the first witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection.

Again, none of this was accidental. Jesus chose these women to be his witnesses and rewarded their faithfulness.

So what do you think? Male or female, do these words persuade you to rethink your position on Jesus of Nazareth? Yes or no, post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.

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IT’S NOT ABOUT POPULARITY

Posted in It's Not About 'Religion', tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 15, 2014| 6 Comments »

Popularity 2.14

What do you think? Does the atheist person who created this graphic have a good point?

I guess that depends on what you think the point is; for me, this graphic (which criticizes Jesus of Nazareth, who many people believe is the Son of God) doesn’t really speak about truth. It speaks about popularity.

Consider this: Nazism must be true, because it was very popular with a very large segment of Europe. For about a decade, people all over Germany, France, Austria and other countries were knocking on doors to get into the club.

And what about this: smoking cigarettes must be a good thing, since hundreds of millions of people have done it. In fact, there are still young people who knock on the door to get into the smokers club.

What I’m saying here is the truth of Jesus has absolutely nothing to do with His popularity. Zero. Zilch. Squat.

So let’s go further and explain why people are, for the most part, NOT knocking on the doors to get into the club.

1. Jesus starts with absolute reality and that reality is so unpopular, I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I write that some people would rather cut off their ears than hear it: we do bad things and fail to do good things. All the time – so often, in fact, that we often don’t realize when it happens. (That’s certainly the case for me.)

It can be as small as failing to give to charity or getting unjustifiably angry with your spouse. And it can be as large as sabotaging a friend’s marriage, cheating on your taxes or defrauding your workplace. The size doesn’t matter. It’s still reality. It’s still bad. It’s still happening all the time.

2. Many people think truth is kinda relative. But there is an objective morality to Jesus – a morality that doesn’t change with time or culture or anything else.

Wrong is still wrong, even if everyone’s doing it. And right is still right, even if no one is doing it. And that definitely makes Jesus unpopular.

3. The solution is as simple as accepting Jesus – a gift from God to ANYONE willing to accept Him.

Jesus came to serve anyone who believes in Him and follows Him – His death is a sacrifice that makes up for all the bad things we’ve done and all the good things we’ve failed to do. And His resurrection provides a way for eternal life with Him, long after our lives on planet Earth are finished.

This is overwhelmingly unpopular because it forces us to examine our lives and admit we have blown it so often that we can never do enough to make up for it. Even someone as remarkable as Mother Teresa knew that.

4. One final reason for the unpopularity of Jesus? It takes a combination of facts, reason and faith to become a Jesus follower. It will never, ever be possible to prove or disprove the existence of God. There is certainly evidence, but that evidence MUST be combined with a leap of faith (and I write about that here: http://wp.me/p2wzRb-3i). That’s certainly enough to turn off many people.

And yet, in the end, following Jesus is so simple. And what you need to do to get in on God’s offer of a changed life NOW and for ETERNITY is remarkably straightforward.

Are you interested? Yes or no, post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.

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THE DISCOVERY OF SELF

Posted in In The News, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 8, 2014| 7 Comments »

DiscoveryOfSelf 2.14Isn’t it funny how life works? Actor Brad Pitt claims leaving “religion” behind helped him discover who his is. And yet, for millions of people around the world, entering a life of faith accomplished the same thing.

What fascinates me about this graphic (found on an atheist Internet community) is Pitt’s words about the “comfort” of “religion” (a word I dislike – it carries a ton of negative baggage).

I’m a serious follower of Jesus of Nazareth, who many people believe is the Son of God. Is my faith in Jesus a comfort? Of course it is. Just as a fat bank account or a prestigious career or a trophy spouse is a comfort for many others.

I’m comforted knowing that because I believe in and follow Jesus, His sacrificial death on a cross wipes my slate clean with the creator of the universe. God no longer sees the bad things I’ve done and the good things I’ve failed to do. He sees me as He sees Jesus – “in Him there is no sin” wrote one of His earliest followers .

But there’s something very uncomfortable about that, too. If I take what Jesus did for me seriously, then I’ll want to live up to His remarkable gift. I’ll want to welcome Jesus into my life so He can guide me away from bad behaviour and towards doing good.

You might think that’s easy to do and why on earth would I need Jesus to pull it off? I’ll tell you why: because it’s NOT easy to do. I miss the mark, of being the kind of person God knows I can be, so often that I don’t even realize it. And so does every other person on this planet.

It’s like we live blindfolded, believing everything our culture tells us, thinking we look so cool and “together” when, in God’s eyes — and He knows you and me better than we ever could — we are stumbling around like drunken fools.

That’s one part of the “discovery of self” that Brad Pitt mentioned. The other part is this: as a follower of Jesus, I know that God loves me more than my wife, more than my parents, more than my stepkids. More than all of them put together. That’s pretty remarkable, especially as most of us (whether we acknowledge it or not) live with a harsh critic in our heads.

Think hard about this: how often do you put yourself down? Do you even recognize all those occasions? Then consider this: God knows all your shortcomings. All the bad things you’ve done and the good things you’ve failed to do. Yet He loves you. And loves you so much that He offers you the gift of His son. All you have to do is accept it.

If you do accept that gift with a sincere heart (not just as a way to avoid judgement when this life ends), then you’ll start on a journey of self-discovery that will leave Brad Pitt’s in the dust.

Agree? Disagree? Post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.

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PICKING SIDES

Posted in Me & The World, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 1, 2014| 4 Comments »

If anyone knows how to stimulate conversation, it’s militant atheist and U.S. talk show host Bill Maher. That said, I’m not sure Bill ever thought this quote would be used to explain a truth about following Jesus of Nazareth.

Bill asks a great question here. It’s a question I asked before and after I decided to follow Jesus (who many people believe is God’s Son) more than 10 years ago.

After making that decision, I held up Bill’s question to the hard light of examination. And I pondered the nature of all us human beings. Then the answer came to me.

  • What message am I sending when I selfishly refuse to talk to my wife if I don’t get my own way?
  • What message am I sending when I use all my tax return for vacations or electronic toys instead of putting some aside for charity?
  • What message am I sending when I’m driving to work and I give someone the one-finger salute because I don’t care for his or her driving?
  • What message am I sending when I pay a contractor under the table and avoid the taxes I should be paying?

It’s the same message every time. And it’s this simple: “God, don’t even lay one finger on the devil”.

When I do wrong and/or fail to do right, I’m telling my creator that I’m siding with His opponent. In fact, let me go so far as to write that I’m informing God that I like the devil more than I like Him.

If you’re a little disturbed, good. I’m certainly disturbed when I find my actions broadcasting that message. And yet, I seem to do it almost as often as breathing. In fact, when I live my life without acknowledging God and His gift to everyone who will accept it, I’m goose-stepping to the beat of His opponent.

Now take my “sins” and multiply them by, oh, a trillion. Now you can see why God doesn’t just defeat the devil. Because the actions of all humanity tell Him, with numbing frequency and nauseating volume, that we don’t want Him to. And so He doesn’t.

There is a way out of this deeply vicious cycle. A way to ensure that my actions don’t help fill up the bottomless sea of ugly messages to God. And that way is to accept His gift.

Tell God you’re sorry for the bad things you’ve done and the good things you’ve failed to do. Tell him you accept Jesus as your saviour and acknowledge His death wipes your past, present and future slate clean. And invite Jesus into your life.

If you’re serious about this, then watch things start to happen. Amazing, life-changing things.  You’ll never be the same. And you won’t be siding with God’s opponent anymore.

Does this make sense? Yes or no, type your comment below and let’s have a conversation.

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‘THE THREAT OF ETERNAL TORTURE’

Posted in Me & The World, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 22, 2014| 26 Comments »

Eternal Damnation 2.14You know what? I agree with this graphic, which I found on an internet atheism community.

Sadly, there are people of faith who try to be “good” because of the threat of eternal damnation. I kinda feel sorry for them; they must feel pressured, hounded and even miserable.

That said, does this mean they are really “bad” people who are just trying to avoid being separated from God for eternity? Perhaps.

But let’s move on to the vast, vast majority of those who follow Jesus of Nazareth (who many people believe is God’s divine Son). For them, this graphic is as wrong as a snowstorm in July.

Indeed, for me and pretty much every Jesus follower I know, the threat of “eternal damnation” has nothing to do with our desire to be a “good person”. (And what qualifies as good? I address it in The Problem With ‘Good’: http://wp.me/p2wzRb-7j).

The want to be a good person comes because:

  • God wants us to be good
  • God has put his spirit inside us to help us be good
  • God wants to work through us to make this broken world a better place – and we’re not much use to Him when we’re only trying to be good to avoid “eternal torture”.
  • God offers everyone the gift of Jesus to guide us with His words, His sacrifice on a Roman cross (to make up for all the bad things we’ve done and the good things we’ve failed to do), and His resurrection. Jesus followers have accepted that gift, so we want to be worthy of all that we believe Jesus has done for us.

Here’s the thing: God offers everyone, including YOU, that gift of Jesus. All you have to do is accept it. Simply pray that you’re sorry for how you’ve fallen short of what God wants for you and, from now on, you want to accept Jesus as your lord and saviour – the man whose sacrifice makes up for how you’ve fallen short. Welcome that gift into your life.

Then, if you’re serious about what you’ve done, start reading original-source Jesus biographies (there are four, in total). Find a church and start attending. If that church doesn’t work for you, find another.

This process may seem tiresome, but it’s crucially important because when you’re surrounded by others who are serious about following Jesus, God can and will work through them to help YOU on your journey. And, just as cool, God can and will work through you to help them on their journeys.

Trust me, as someone who has been used by God for His mysterious, amazing purposes, there’s no feeling like it!

Does this make sense? Yes or no, post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.

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NOTHING TO PROVE

Posted in Me & The World, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 15, 2014| 11 Comments »

God all-powerful? 2.14Is God all-powerful?

You’d think I would know better by now. And yet, I naively continue to be amazed at how some folks seem to willfully delude themselves and work like there’s no tomorrow to stay ignorant.

This graphic is a case in point. It was posted on an atheism internet community; in my experience, most of the people in these communities know the Bible pretty well. Then someone uploads a graphic like this…..

First of all God IS all-powerful. Consider these excerpts from ancient prophetic writings:

  • Look! I am the Eternal, the God of all living things. Is anything too difficult for Me?
  • God doesn’t come and go. God lasts. He’s Creator of all you can see or imagine.
  • There are things about God that people cannot see—his eternal power and all that makes him God. But since the beginning of the world, those things have been easy for people to understand. They are made clear in what God has made.

Now consider the evidence of hundreds of thousands of years: all the bad things me, you and the rest of humanity have done (and the good things we’ve failed to do). Could there be a clearer measure of proof that God is serious about the gift of freewill?

Indeed, God could have stopped Roman authorities from putting Jesus of Nazareth (who many people believe is His divine Son) to death on trumped-up charges. But he allowed freewill to take its course.

In our day and age, God could have stopped terrorists from carrying out the 9-11 terrorist attacks. But once again, He allowed freewill to take its course. (You may not like that, but if He stopped that, then where would the limits on freewill end? I address that here: http://wp.me/p2wzRb-38.)

My point here is that God could easily force people to believe in Him. But what would be the point? To prove He’s powerful? Really? I don’t think the creator of time, space and the universe needs to prove a darn thing.

What He does want is for all of us to come to Him, through His son, because WE want to. Here’s how one of Jesus’s earliest followers put it: “God wants everyone to be saved and to fully understand the truth.”

The truth is this: “If you openly say, ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from death, you will be saved.” That’s from the same early follower.

Saved from what? From being judged on all the bad things we’ve done and the good things we’ve failed to do. When I decided to follow Jesus, His sacrificial death on a Roman cross cleaned my account with God. God no longer sees my mistakes, my pettiness, my times of thinking I can do everything without Him. He sees me as perfect – just like Jesus.

Does this make sense? Post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.

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