Katyusha Rockets and Mixing Metaphors

While you’d never guess it by looking at her, one of our friends has Polynesian Ovaries. It’s a disorder that makes getting pregnant more difficult. I know it’s hard to believe since Polynesians cover a good portion of the earth. And how Polynesian Ovaries wound up in a Canadian woman is beyond me. It must be some kind of evolutionary mutation or something. Isn't it weird how some women find it so hard to get pregnant and for others getting pregnant is easier than falling off a piece of cake?

What’s even weirder is that when I mentioned this during a yearly meeting in a group for the intellectually gifted that I belong to, my membership to this group, known as Menses, was cancelled.

And if that wasn’t enough, my counselling load is way too high. I’ve encouraged several clients to seek happiness by moving to a distant city, all to no anvil.

My wife is remaining obstinately oblivious to my marvellous sense of humour (“If you have to tell me that it’s a joke then it’s not that funny”).

I’ve had a chronic Post Natal Drip since November causing me to cough all night.

My kids don’t want to eat anything but Krap Dinner. I guess my parenting ‘best-before-date’ has long since expired.

Let me just say that my mood has soured of late and I now look, to borrow a phrase from Israel Shahak, for “encouraging signs of polarization” where ever they may be found.

If it wasn’t for the fact that I haven’t recently given birth, I’d swear that I was sliding into a Post Mortem Depression. The best thing to do is go flip on the TV and watch “The Young and the Breastless.” If there wasn't such a stigmatism for watching the soaps I'd invite a fiend over to watch it with me.

The only good news is that the Katyusha Rockets are back in town, after winning three out of four games on the road. Well, the games weren't ON the road.

The Moral Atheist

“How do we, and what should we, define as right or wrong, acceptable or unacceptable??? I came to a few different conclusions, mainly that we get a lot of things wrong. But at the end of the day I was satisfied that if you can look at yourself in the mirror and know that under all the front that you are a good person, that should give you faith in your own judgement.”

Written by a 30 year old math teacher who ran away with his 15 year old student and “lover.”

And who can argue with him – I mean – besides Christians?

This is exactly how atheists discern right and wrong. If I can look at myself in the mirror and see that I'm a good person, or at least not as bad as some other people, then I'm good enough.

I suppose that he is slightly flouting social convention, but:

. On atheism, he really isn't doing anything wrong. 

. On atheism, sex outside of marriage isn't wrong. 

. Science can't tell you that she isn't mature enough to have a consensual relationship. 

. On atheism there aren't any objective moral duties or obligations.

Yes most atheists would say you should love others as you love yourself. Both of these people would say they're doing exactly that.

These two people don't need God in order to be good people. Oh sure her parents and perhaps even his are just a little bit this side of hysterical. After all  both "kids" had left the country. But what cohabiting couple worries about how their actions affect others? On atheism, it's what I want that is the determining factor in regards to good and bad, right on wrong.

On atheism, all you need is to be able to look at yourself in the mirror and know that your a good person.

Are Atheists Reduced To This?

Are there any laws or First Principles that atheists aren't forced to deny, adjust, or change in order to preserve the world-view faith of atheism?

For instance”

The Principle of first cause

The Principle of sufficient reason

The Second Law of Thermodynamics

In order to maintain their atheism, atheists are reduced to ignoring all of the above Principles or Laws.

In order to maintain their atheism, followers must downplay the magnificent, awe inspiring and in truth, the miraculous. For example the exquisite fine tuning of the universe. For those of us who need a mental image to grasp a concept, scientists have described it this way. Imagine an aircraft carrier weighing 100,000 tonnes. If the weight of the ship was balanced to 10 ^ 1,230 (the fine tuning of the cosmological constant) the ship's balance could not be off by more than billionth of a trillionth of the mass of a SINGLE ELECTRON on one side or the other, or the ship would capsize. In a mocking tone and to preserve his atheism, Richard Dawkins says the constants are “more or less” finely tuned.” Mm hmm. “More or less finely tuned.” There's an understatement for you. Atheists have to guard themselves from grasping the truth of their situation. If atheists admit to recognizing the precision and order that allows our universe to exist, then they have to recognize the existence of whatever created that order and precision.

. Atheists are reduced to denying all forms of “proofs” and probabilities except scientific proof and probabilities.

. Atheists are reduced to believing that material things can just pop into existence without an external cause.

. Atheists are reduced to believing that matter can create itself.

. Atheists are reduced to saying that the universe is Necessary and that it explains itself. The problem is, it isn't and it doesn't!

. In order to maintain their atheism, atheists are reduced to asking inane and incoherent questions like:

- So what created this eternal Being?

- So when did this eternal Being begin to exist?

. Atheists are reduced to declaring nothing to be something and non life to actually evolve into life.

. Atheists are reduced to denying our objective moral intuitions as well as their authority.

. Atheists are reduced to stating that design is not design. “We must constantly remind ourselves that what we are seeing is not designed?” Francis Crick re: Genome Project

. Atheists are reduced to posit finite infinities, causeless beginnings and beginningless beginnings in order to preserve their faith.

. Atheists are reduced to abandoning classical historical scholarship and deny known and knowable facts of history, but only as they apply to the person of Jesus.

. Atheists are reduced to following whatever ethical standard is currently in vogue and call that a reasonable way to live.

. In order to remain an atheist those people must believe, they must FORCE themselves to believe in infinite regress and the material infinite.

Does this not boggle the mind? These people who do not need God in order to be good people are forced to tell themselves colossal lies to support their belief system. And then they declare themselves Brights!

. Atheists are forced to ignore Occam’s Razor and go in search of ever more complicated solutions in the science of origins, abandoning one after another, after another, after another, not because of new evidence but because of a need to avoid the conclusion indicated by current evidence.

Without this their atheism fails.

. Atheists are reduced to denying that laws of logic, mathematics, moral laws, and physical laws exist independently from us in order to make atheism seem logical.

. Atheists are reduced to denying the very scientific evidentiary principle (observing, testing, verifying) they worship, for to not do so would prove their suppositions false. They must deny that everything that begins to exist has an external cause for its existence. They must deny that you can't get more in the effect than you had in the cause.

. Atheists are reduced to saying, “I'm not someone who believes God doesn't exist because that would require evidence, and there isn't any evidence that God doesn't exist. Instead, I'm a non believer. You don't need evidence to be a non believer.

. Atheists are reduced to denying even consciousness and the “I.” They are forced to deny our very self in order to make atheism not seem absolutely absurd, illogical and incoherent.

Atheists are forced to look at the human abilities of self-reflection, art, medicine, the enjoyment of music and say it comes from an illusory direction of will. In fact, they are forced to say that self-will or freewill choice are also an illusion. In reality, according to atheism, these things are determined only by chemical exchanges. Even though our vocabulary is enormous, our grammar complex and our conversations deep and meaningful, it all comes, say materialists, without purpose or meaning save for that which we individually invent or pretend to have. These atheists look at the human ability to codify language, our unbounded creativity, selflessness, love, the exercising of our rational faculties, our ability to develop an argument, follow a line of logic, draw conclusions and frame hypotheses and call it the simple, random and unguided firing of neurons. Our strong spirit of enquiry, our research in the fields of astronomy, mathematics, medicine and physics while noteworthy for some, is nothing of lasting consequence to an atheist for all will, on atheism, come to an absurd and meaningless end. Yearn for meaning in life? It too is of no lasting import. It’s the same illusion that causes us to devote so much of our time to philosophy, theology and ethics. Or so the materialist world-view claims. Atheist are forced to say that our religious sentiments and practices and our intense and endless quest for meaning can be traced to some random mutation eons ago.

The concept of atheism forces us to say that it’s only the illusion of the “I” that questions not only our origin but also our destiny. It’s only the illusion of the “I” that has a refined aesthetic sense that admires beauty and longs to be surrounded with it. When we cultivate a garden, put flowers in a vase, or hang up a painting, it’s the illusion of the “I,” according to atheism that is expressing a love of beauty and a strong creative impulse. Our poetry, painting, dance, drama and music, our weekly craft groups where baskets are woven, wool is spun, shawls are knit, and photo albums are covered, all this, says the ardent materialist, is carried out for no particular reason save to follow the command of chemical exchanges.

Reason, language, enquiry, wonder, longing, religion, morality, aesthetics, creativity, imagination, aspiration and humour, to such intangible but fundamental qualities, atheists like Bertrand Russel can only respond, and in the total absence of proofs or evidence, yet driven by a desperate desire to be free from all accountability to one’s Creator, they hope that you will agree, “That man is the product of causes which had no prevision of the end they were achieving; that his origin, his growth, his hopes and fears, his loves and beliefs are but the outcome of accidental collocations of atoms; that no fire, no heroism, no intensity of thought and feeling, can preserve an individual life beyond the grave; that all the labours of the ages, all the devotion, all the inspiration, all the noonday brightness of human genius are destined to extinction . . . that the whole temple of man’s achievement must inevitably be buried - all these things, if not quite beyond dispute, are yet so nearly certain, that no philosophy which rejects them can hope to stand. Only within the scaffolding of these truths, only on the firm foundation of unyielding despair, can the soul’s habitation henceforth be safely built.”

The atheist’s philosophical and powerful emotional reaction to the fact of a universe with a beginning and to the impossibility of life arising unaided from non life shows that we are far, far more than a mass of chemical exchanges, more than mere thinking machines.

Yet in this meaningless, vacuous, philosophy atheists are forced to dwell.

"I want atheism to be true and am made uneasy by the fact that some of the most intelligent and well-informed people I know are religious believers. It isn’t just that I don’t believe in God and, naturally, hope that I’m right in my belief. It’s that I hope there is no God! I don’t want there to be a God; I don’t want the universe to be like that."

atheist Thomas Nagel 

Let’s Get to the Heart of Matters

“You are never a great man when you have more mind than heart.” 

Beauchene

Atheists of course place a great deal of emphasis on the mind. They practically worship the mind. The heart, however is central to the message of the Bible for the heart is central to we, who He created.

The heart, as the Bible uses the term is the essence of human nature.

The heart is the main target of our mortal enemy, satan.

God longs for us to look within to where He resides.

satan schemes for ways to get us to look outward to looks and possessions and jobs, all the things that will never last nor will they ever bring life.

The heart is the prize to be protected at all cost. When we look at the lengths that our Creator went to protect our heart from eternal destruction, can we doubt its value or import?

“Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” 

Deuteronomy 6:5

“All a person’s ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs the heart.” 

Proverbs 21:2

“The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” 

1^st Samuel 16:7

“For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” 

2^nd Chronicles16:9

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5

“Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You.” 

Psalm 119:1

“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” 

Luke 12:34

“Create in me a clean heart oh God.” 

Psalm 51:10
Who we are and even more importantly, Whose we are is the heart of the matter.

  “I have chosen you and will not throw you away. Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with My victorious right hand.”

Isaiah 41:9,10

I know, it's old

But what a story! Two police officers in Houston Texas were called to a nursing home because one of the patients was freaking out. The officers arrived and, well, I'll let the officer's own log say the rest:

22:45 – Me and my partner, Doug, arrived at the call. A man wielding a felt tipped writing instrument spotted me and began to advance toward me. As he was in a wheelchair and had only one arm, his advance took him in wide and irregular circles. But advance he did, holding his weapon between his teeth, much like in "Pirates of the Caribbean." I've seen that movie maybe a hundred times. I loved it!
Anyway -

Sensing the danger I ran directly into a corner so as to make it impossible for him to fake me out and get in behind me. Being in the corner did present a problem however, in that now I had no place else to run. So I asked the guy if the marker was dry erase or permanent but he wouldn't answer me. Fear for the cleanliness of me and my partner gripped my throat. We had never trained for being chased by a man with only one arm, one leg and who was confined to a wheelchair.

My alarm grew when I saw with my own eyes, the label on the pen. It was indeed, permanent marker.

“Doug,” I cried out. “He's going to get this crap all over my hands, and maybe even my uniform. Quick. Do something.”

So my partner pulled his Glock 9mm and killed him. One shot. Not like those New York guys who take like fifty shots to kill one perp and a bunch of collaterals as well. So, that's about it.

It all happened so fast we still had time to get something to eat before the doughnut shop closed.

Why Won't Jesus Appear Just For Me?

I heard that yet again on some atheist phone in show. I can't remember the name of the program. It's got two guys sitting on the couch with microphones and headphones. At first I thought they were going to play Wii Karaoke. Definitely low budget. Anyway, one of them was bemoaning the fact that Jesus would appear to some people and not to him. 

At least he's admitting that Jesus appeared to over 500 people on several occasions in different places, at different times of day, and in different circumstances after his resurrection. 

I wish I'd kept track, down through the years, of how many times I've heard an atheist complain about this.

It's an important issue. The question needs to be asked, Why one and not the other? Why him and not me?

If I was talking to couch-guy, I'd refer him to the reason Jesus gave when His disciples asked, “Why do you take the time to explain Your parables to us and not to everyone." Luke 8:9ff 

Or take John 14:22 “Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us [when you rise from the dead] and not to the world?”

That's a good question.

It's no different than when Christians ask, “Why me Lord? Why did you select me for salvation?” Or as King David wrote, “Who am I and what is my family that You would even consider us?”

The short answer to both Christians and the guys on the couch, “It's His prerogative. He can do whatever He wants with whomever He wants, and because He is fair and just and the very definition of Love, when we find out the reason for why this and not that, it will make sense.

It's as if God is saying:

- Humans will know My Justice because they know in their hearts that rebellion against Me is wrong. Those who continue in their rebellion will die spiritually and eternally.
. Because all will be born into a state of rebellion, it is only My Grace that will ensure that some humans get what they don’t deserve (life in eternal paradise) while My Mercy will ensure that those same humans don’t get what they do deserve (eternal separation from Me).
- They will know My Patience because I will persist in blessing those who continue in evil, until all those who are going to receive My merciful salvation have turned from their rebellion.
- They will know My Love in that I, in the form of My Son, will forgive evil by taking my own punishment and suffering my own wrath for the horrible act of continued rebellion against a Creator God who is perfectly pure, holy, righteous, just, merciful, slow to anger, filled with great patience, filled with grace and abounding in Love.
. I will rescue those who are not looking for Me, love those who hate Me, and make peace with those who are My enemies.
. The rebellious cannot complain because they are in fact guilty of rebellion.

. The saved cannot boast because they have done nothing to deserve salvation.

And as to the atheist(s) on the couch who wonders, “Why wouldn't God want a wonderful guy like me to spend eternity with Him?” The answer is, It's quite possible that God is using your rebellion as an example of His Justice (Check out Romans 9:22-24).

Although it needn't be that way. After all, your Creator has given you an out and He's done it at His own expense.

Your debt has been paid. All you need to do is sign for it.

What kind of person would pass up that opportunity?

When An Atheist says, “I don't know”

That's the new, higher road. Saying, I don't know. It might even fit into the agenda of atheism +. Speak to an atheist about the impossibility of everything material coming from nothing material without an external immaterial cause, and you'll get one of three responses:

. “Our universe came from a multi-verse” (because atheists think that if you can push the beginning of matter back far enough i.e. infinite regress, the reason for its existence no longer counts as a legitimate question).

OR

. “At most, all you've proven is a deistic god."

OR

. “I don't know. What's wrong with saying I don't know? The honest answer is, I don't know.”

Sounds nice – right? That last one? Intellectually honest. Yes?

Well, if that is all they meant when they said, “I don't know,” then ya, it would be the intellectually honest response. But that isn't all that the atheist means.

When shown that the universe could not have had a natural / material cause for its beginning because until Big Bang nothing natural / material existed, an atheist (who will also tell you that s/he doesn't believe anything that isn't scientifically proven) who was being intellectually honest would tell you, “I know that there isn't any evidence pointing to a natural or material cause for the beginning of the universe, so UNTIL a material cause is found I'm going to pretend to remain neutral on the subject. I'm going to pretend that I'm withholding judgement.”

In other words - when an atheist tells you that s/he is open-minded and willing to change h/her mind on this issue, what that person really means is, "I'm willing to change my mind from one material answer to another material answer, because nothing but the material exists."

Do Not Be Afraid!

Bet you didn't know that out of all the commands that Jesus gave during His ministry,  “Do not be afraid” was the most frequent.

In fact every single book of the Bible has this command given at least once to those of us who are strangers here on earth.

“Do not be afraid for I Am with you.”

Our Lord, Saviour and King is kind, gentle, merciful and Just. The cross confirms this. 

Sin, violence, corruption, selfishness, pride, discrimination, lying, unfaithfulness and such will be judged. The punishment will be carried either by our Saviour, or by us.

“God shows His great love for us in this way: “Jesus died for us while we were still His enemies.” Romans 5:8

If we let Him (What a comment! Who wouldn't let Him?) Jesus will take upon Himself the punishment that we deserve.

Now that we are part of an intimate, healed and forgiven relationship with Jesus, we need not fear our Creator.

You are beyond condemnation. Romans 8:1

You are delivered from the law. Romans 7:6

You are near God Ephesians. 2:13

You are delivered from the power of evil. Colossians 1:13

You are a member of his kingdom. Colossians 1:13

You are a: 

member of His body. 1^st Corinthian 12:13

branch in the vine. John15:5

bride for the groom. Ephesians 5:25-27

priest in the new generation. 1^st Peter 2:9

dwelling place of the Spirit 1^st Corinthians 6:19

Because you're in a healed and forgiven relationship with Jesus:

Your are justified. Romans 5:1

You are seen as perfect. Hebrews 10:14

You have been adopted into His family Romans 8:15

You have access to God at any moment Ephesians 2:18

You are a part of His priesthood. 1^st Peter 2:5

You will never be abandoned. Hebrews 13:5

You have an imperishable inheritance. 1^st Peter 1:4

You are a partner with Christ in life. Colossians 3:4

Because you've humbled yourselves and asked for forgiveness:

You have access to every spiritual blessing.

No one is so bad that forgiveness isn't offered and no one is so good that forgiveness isn't required. 

O The Hurt!

I've said a few times over the years that all of our seven children are handicapped to one degree or another. In the world of children, being different is often not accepted. It was just last year that the two leaders in our youngest daughter's class declared to her, “You're too brown to play with us.” I guess to those two girls, her skin colour is also a handicap. Well, depending on the child's personality, not being accepted can result in push back which leads to even more rejection.

Last night I asked this precious child (age 7), “So who do you play with at recess?”

“Nobody plays with me. And that makes me happy.”

After a pause, as my heart was breaking, she asked me,

“Do you think it makes me happy?”

Sometimes I think I can't live through the pain. It's the absolute worst part of parenting. To say that this precious little girl survives by a dominant “screw you” attitude would be an understatement. I can see how she drives other kids away. I get that. But it doesn't hurt any less.

Our eleven-year-old son functions emotionally at about a four-year-old level. It's the four and five-year-olds in the neighbourhood that are his playmates. Digging in the sand box and driving cars will probably still be his favourite way to spend time even when he's twenty. Last week, one of his little friend's parents told our son that he was too old to play with their boy.

O the hurt!

As he's telling me this, and not smart enough to even be crushed or angry by this turn of events, R. said to me, “I guess I'll have to wait until he's eleven-years-old like me.”

Will my chest just explode with pain some day?

And then I wonder, how can Father God keep from destroying the whole lot of us? His Son, His only Son, perfect in every way, rejected and abused by us. Jesus, God the Son who seeks only to bring His Kingdom to earth; a Kingdom of justice and mercy and peace, is:

Lied to and lied about.

Mocked and ridiculed.

Betrayed and abandoned – by everyone - including His earthly family.

The greatest Love in the universe came to earth to allow humanity to do our very worst to Him.

And Father God watches. He looks on and allows His plan of salvation, which includes our rejection of His Love, to play out in ghastly form.

O the hurt!

And then people say, “I don't like God. He's too angry.” (sigh)

“I'm so sorry Father for who we are; for what we've done to Your Creation; for what we've done to You. I'm so very sorry for the hurt that I have caused You. For how I rejected you for the first thirty years of my life. Thank you for Your love, Your mercy, Your grace and most of all for Your forgiveness and for Your salvation. Thank you for absorbing my hurt, and returning to me instead, Your great and awesome Love.”

Atheists and the call to deliberately offend

I just saw a post by some atheist who says that now is the perfect time to overwhelm the Muslim world with offensive cartoons and movies and what have you regarding Mohammed. We in the West should deliberately offend Muslims so much and so often, he says, that they realize they simply cannot protest enough to stop it all and they will simply quit.

The blogger resents a White House response of being careful lest Muslims do some serious damage to the West.

"What Jay Carney . . . are saying is that the free expression of our opinions should always take into consideration whether there might be someone, either next door or at the other end of the world, who could possibly take offense . . . This, by definition, would make our speech no longer free"

I can't blame this atheist for being ignorant of yet another option, that of Christianity, As the New Testament teaches, "Though I am free and belong to no man I make myself a slave to everyone. While everything for me is possible to do (I'm already forgiven), not everything is the right thing for me to do, for I am to love my neighbour as myself."

Neither the blogger's option of, "Let's offend people to the point of desensitization," nor Jay Carney's option, of, "Let's tread lightly lest we offend and they hurt us," is the way to go.

Love is always the better option. 

Yes we have the right to offend, but how is that going to help anyone?

"Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, pray for those who persecute you."

Jesus

“A universe that existed for no reason at all – an irrational, accidental world, a “just there” world – would be an unnerving one to live in. Such a world would have no stability or trustworthiness; uncertainty would infect the whole; anything might exist and anything might happen, and no one thing would be in itself even more probable than any other.”

Arthur Lovejoy

Warnings or Threats?

I've never spoken with an atheist about hell without that person viewing the discussion of the topic as a threat. They never see it as something helpful, like a warning. Only and always as a threat.

Isn't that interesting?

I saw a documentary about a young Canadian woman who wanted to climb Mt. Everest. True story. It took place this spring of 2012. She'd never climbed a mountain in her life, but she was physically fit and she wanted to start with Everest. 

Problem: Her lack of experience meant she couldn't find a tour company who would take her. Not for any amount of money. At least that was the case until this newbie mountain climber found a newbie tour company. She was their first client.

And so she went. And wonder of wonders, she made it – to the top of Mt. Everest.

Problem: She was a very slow climber. This meant she took longer than other climbers and hence used up more oxygen than other climbers.

Her Sherpa guides made to her what sounded like threats. At the Hillary Step they warned her that she couldn't make it to the top. They told her that she didn't have enough oxygen.

They gave her a warning.

She heard it as a threat.

“I've paid $40,000.00 for this and I'm going to the top.”

In essence she was saying, “I see no reason to believe your interpretation of my circumstances.”

So on she went. She spent half an hour at the top of Everest celebrating her accomplishment.

Dead woman walking!

She spent half an hour at the top of Everest celebrating her accomplishment with her oxygen flow turned to high.

Dead woman walking!

To make it down below the death zone, she needed eleven more hours of oxygen. She was carrying less than four.

Dead woman walking!

No one could deter her from what she wanted because their warnings were interpreted as threats. All she heard were threats to keep her from getting what she wanted.

She died back at the Hillary Step, pleading with those on their way to the top, “Please don't let me die.”

Too late.

Too late.

And that is what it's like to speak with an atheist.

Dead man walking.

Too late.

Atheists and Jesus' History

"History is necessary and it’s necessary for two reasons. First, it’s necessary because Christianity depends on historical events. In one sense, at least, Christianity is nothing more than an (the) interpretation of historical events. Here it may help us to remember that many of Jesus’ Jewish peers didn’t deny the historicity of his works; rather, they simply gave them alternative explanations (see, e.g., Mark 3:20–27; Matt 9:27–34; 12:22–29; Luke 11:14–22; John 8:48–59; 10:1–21) Christianity, to say it again, is an explanation of historical data, which is, in fact, one of the things that sets it apart from nearly every other religion. Christianity depends on history in a way, e.g., that Hinduism, Buddhism, and even Islam do not. Take away Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, take away history, and Christianity, with its interpretation of that event (e.g., Rom 4:25), becomes not only wrong, but meaningless. The interpretation, the faith, requires the event."

James Compton

The take away line for me is that none of Jesus' enemies deny the events attached to the life of Jesus: not the empty tomb, not the healing of the crippled or the blind, not the calming of the storm, not raising Lazarus from the dead. What His enemies do, is say that the cause of these historical events was some sort of trickery or slight of hand.

Like many if not most modern atheists, Jesus' enemies of the time were deeply into conspiracy theories to rid themselves of having to deal with Jesus message to them.

And of course modern atheists say, "People don't naturally rise from the dead, and the supernatural does not exist, therefore Jesus did not rise from the dead." 

So, like those who deny the Jewish Holocaust, atheists ignore historical events regarding Jesus of Nazareth. Unless a document written over four hundred years after His death says He was married. Then by golly there might be something to it. Yeesh these people!

People think that forgiveness is a wonderful thing until they have something to forgive.”

C.S. Lewis

Have You Ever Noticed?

Atheists, those quirky little devils that they are will say things like, “Christianity has killed more people than any other group of people on earth.” Or they'll say, “Religion is the cause of all wars.” Or, “More people have died defending their deity than for any other reason.”

Have you ever noticed that?

They just say this stuff. No citations. No proof. It's like this feeling just comes over them to spew out lies about Christianity. Why, I've had atheists confront me, just like we were in a back ally and they whip out a “fact” like it's a gun and say, “Don't you remember the Inquisition?”

Well, not personally. No. I have read about it though, which is a darn sight better than most atheists, who use the Inquisition to keep from meditating on what Jesus' teaching is saying to them.

And they speak of the Inquisition like the loss of life was worse than World War Two.

Tell me:

. Do you know how many people were killed by those representing the Church during the Inquisition?

. Do you know how long the Inquisition lasted?

No? Then let me inform you.

The Inquisition lasted roughly 400 years. Four Hundred Years. Oh my goodness – the humanity. The slaughter. The loss of innocent life! Millions upon millions of people. That's what you're thinking – right?

Actually no. It wasn't millions.

In fact during the 400 years of the Inquisition, 2,000 people were killed. That's about 5 people per year.

Of course that's 5 more than should have been killed but still, in the scheme of things, it's hardly a number that could be used to reject what Jesus is saying to you about your eternity.

Oh but the Salem Witch Hunts! How can you, Christian, ignore the Salem Witch Hunts? Why the slaughter of innocents had blood running in the streets almost knee deep. The horror still sends ripples of terror from those thousands of families who lost loved ones.

Thousands?

Mmm, not quite.

Try 19.

Yes, yes, it was 19 more than should have been killed but still, in the scheme of things, it's hardly a number that could or should be used to reject what Jesus is trying to say to you about your eternity.

So why do they do it? These atheists that say they have good reason to reject their Lord and Saviour because of Christian savagery ?

They don't have any evidence that demands a conclusion of God does not exist.

Have you noticed?

Not a shred. Other than if you believe that being able to explain lightening means a Creator doesn't exist. And have you noticed that they run about wailing about how religion must be curtailed because of the violence it perpetrates?

Religion? You mean:

Buddhists? You want to get rid of Buddhism?

No?

But you said, “Religion.” So you mean:

Hindus? You want to make laws banning Hinduism?

No? But you said, “Religion is what's ruining the world.” You mean:

Druids? You must mean those deadly Druids.

No?

Hmm, what then.

Have you noticed how atheists completely ignore the scores killed every year by purist Muslims (we mustn't trigger Islamophobia) and instead turn their fury on Christianity. THAT is what atheists must do away with. As long as Christianity is around, these dear frightened boys and girls in the atheist community simply cannot rest because, well, Christianity is responsible for all the carnage down through history.

“Nothing in modern physics need give Christians any intellectual difficulties.”

atheist and Astronomer Royal, Martin Rees in a speech disagreeing with the concept that a multi-verse rules out Creator God.

This is of course obvious since whether you go back one universe, or a trillion universes, at some point, matter came into existence out of literally nothing. As Vilenkin states, At one point matter had a radius of zero. 

Why Bother?

Have you felt that way. How can I ask God for forgiveness when, even as I’m saying the words, I know that I’m going to do it again?

Unfaithfulness

Sexually disoriented

Dishonest

Resentment

Discontent

Guilt

Fear

Anger and rage

These things and more dog the human race. Spiritual seekers wonder to themselves, “Could God ever forgive me?”

Paul, gives us the answer. “He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all — how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?” Romans 8:32

God did not send Jesus into the world to condemn us. Jesus came to earth to provide a means for our forgiveness. He is not going to go through all that and then withhold forgiveness.

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins.” 1^st John 1:9

When we reach out to God with our guilt, He reaches back to us with love, mercy grace and forgiveness. He removes real guilt from our lives "as far as the east is from the west." 

“So we can come boldly and with confidence to the throne of grace where we can find mercy and receive grace in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16

What kind of person would reject that kind of love?

Jessie Ventura the Clown

Did you see him on CNN last night? What a clown! In true atheist form he says “all the wars of history have been fought because of religion.”

Did you hear him?

Luckily the interviewer was not also an atheist so Ventura was called on it. “You mean wars haven't been fought because of oil and land and big business and to halt the Nazis?”

“Oh yes, yes,” says the clown atheist Ventura, “sure those things have been involved but even with the Nazis, they were killing Jews so there was religion in there somewhere.”

Just when I think I've written enough on the subject, along comes another idiot spouting nonsense to maintain his belief-system.

Jesus said, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to Me. Get away with Me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with Me and work with Me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with Me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

Matthew 11:28-30

The Bible Is Full Of It

That's what one atheist said a couple days back. Specifically, “The Bible is full of references to hell.”

Really?

Going by the certainty with which he spoke (and those who commented on his statement, agreeing wholeheartedly) you'd think these people must be some kind of Biblical experts. You'd think they knew what they were talking about.

Sadly, no.

In point of fact the Bible is not full of references to hell. The Old Testament makes no mention of hell whatsoever.

It's Jesus – you know, the one that people say is all about love – who talks / warns about hell. To be clear, Jesus speaks more often about hell than He does about heaven – both places He proclaims to be real.

So why would an atheist do that? Why would s/he make such an inaccurate statement? Well, I think it's for two reasons:

. Virtually all the explanations given for ranting about the God they don't believe in, and the explanations they give for rejecting Jesus and His teaching (Christianity) are overwhelmingly based on ignorance and incorrect information. eg. “All Christians do bad things therefore what Jesus taught doesn't apply to me.” It's the same type of thinking that goes, “We now know how electricity works, therefore Creator God does not exist.”

Pretty typical for atheists, the majority of whom display a very low “good enough for me” threshold when it comes to explanations for rejecting Jesus. The second reasons is,

. It suits their agenda and aides in propping up their rejection of their Creator. These people who say they hold no opinions that aren't based upon the truth of science are quite satisfied to do zero research or to rely on Youtube scholars as their source of information regarding Jesus / Christianity.

If some goof says that Jesus never existed, well then by golly Jesus never existed.

So we have atheists making comments like the one above, “The Bible is full of references to hell.”