Are we solely products of our environment?

I recently received this email and thought it would profit more then the sender. Here is the email in its entirety:

I have a very intriguing question and no one has ever given a satisfactory answer. Will you please?

“Are you born by own will? Not certainly. I am a Muslim because I have been born among Muslims and those who have been born among Christians, Jews, and Hindus etc. become what ever teachings and knowledge they get from their parents, teachers or society.

It is a common belief among Muslims, Jews, Christians and Hindus that only members of their sect will be rewarded by God and people of other religions will go to hell. When a person does not have any control on birth and adopts religion where he has been born by God, why God will punish or reward on the basis of religion?

Kindly guide me. Thanks.

what makes you so special…God?

Stephen F Roberts:

“I contend that we both atheists. I just believe in one fewer God than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible Gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.”

Throughout the last few months I have come across this quotation several different times and would like to respond to it here. Usually this quotation is given with a barrage of various pagan, Norse, Greek, Roman, and various Mythological gods and at the end of the list is “Yahweh.”

At first, the quotation and the list of gods seem like something of a powerful case against theism. We readily dismiss the existence of Thor, Apollo, Shiva, and many other contrived beings, and yet Christians are willing to devote their lives to this one specific God. The questions remains, what makes Yahweh so special?

When I come across people who hold, “when you understand why you dismiss all the other possible Gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.” In response, I dismiss all these other gods because simply there is no evidence for them. That’s what it all comes down to, evidence. There is historical, personal, ontological, teleological, cosmological, and axiological evidence that is extended to Yahweh and Yahweh alone.

The God of Christianity is the only being that meets all of the areas of evidence I just listed. So, Mr. Roberts, I cannot dismiss my God for the reason I dismiss these gods, because the evidence is just to compelling. Yahweh truly is the King of Kings and LORD of LORDS. He is the only being worthy of worship.

“Scientists create life. We are God” part 2

On to the content of the news story I mentioned in my last web entry. Is this indeed an act of creating life or even a precursor for artificial intelligence? The answer to both of these questions is no. First of all, AI has already been demonstrated to be untenable, John Searle demonstrates this with his famous thought experiment on the subject:

“Scientists create life. We are God”

On an atheist forum, this article was posted with the title, “Scientists create life. We are God.” Before examining the content of this article, let us consider some current trends in atheism (as evidenced by this title) as well as problems with this title.

One of the current trends in atheism is to either take anything that is somewhat of a breakthrough in a field of science and claim “this is an amazing breakthrough, therefore God does not exist.” Or use obscure religious beliefs or fringe cult members as evidence that God does not exist or the religious are merely mentally deficient. The first trend is really done without realizing it (or at least it seems most atheists don’t realize it) and therefore I am forced to go to these various atheist forums and make comments like “atheism?” or “why is this subject being discussed under the guise of atheism?”

a time to sow…and a time to tear

What is the demarcation between orthodoxy and heresy? Or that, when believers disagree about various dogma and doctrine at what point does one claim “heresy” and discontinue fellowship? Before answering this question, it must be stated that the idea of dis-fellowship should only be applied to believers. If this standard was applied to unbelievers or people who have no consistent and reliable information about Jesus and the Bible, why would we suppose them to be anything less then heretics? Further, if there was no fellowship with such people, how would they learn and know the truth? Thus, if a unbeliever holds to an errant view of Jesus it should not be faulted on that person, but rather, with meekness and fear correct the view.

happiness

For me its been a rough couple of weeks. In the last month two friends of mine were killed hiking, my brother was in the hospital several times,  my cousin fell down dead of “natural causes,” my girlfriend moved 1,200 miles away, and there are other issues I am not at liberty to discuss. But I tell you this, I have never been so happy in all of my life. Of course I would have to be a sadist to claim that these events made me happy, but herein lies the key.

Rantings about Government part 2

I am still completely and utterly agitated at the wall street and banking bailout. Do you not know that the our founding fathers revolted because of such acts from the government? That Jefferson wrote that God instituted human government and that it derives its “…just powers from the consent of the governed.”

Rantings about government

Why will no one say it? Obama is Bush in foreign policy! In fact Obama seems to take it as a challenge to “out-Bush Bush.” Obama now has increased the troops by 50,000 (including the troops he already added)!! Where is the president of peace everyone voted for? Why are democrats compliant and republicans outraged? When two years ago the roles were reversed. Wake up people, American is still a two party system but the parties are no longer democrat/republican, but rather globalist and non-globalist. If you are a republican or a democrat YOU ARE A GLOBALIST!

Thanksgiving

Do you think you are a thankful person? How thankful are you when you give thanks and pray over a meal? Trying giving thanks for  meal after fasting for 3 days and you will come to realize that your thanks will be much different. How many Christians out there have not only never fasted, do not know to fast, or have never partaken in an extended fast? I would be shocked if more then 1% of all believers (in North America) could satisfy all three of these criteria. Most Christians know what fasting is, but do not understand its function, purpose, or power. Then there are the people who know about fasting and its importance yet do not recall the one rule Jesus had about fasting, people do not know you are fasting. How do I know people are breaking this rule? Because they tell me they are fasting. Then there is the rare group of people that know how to fast, partake in it, but only do small 12 hr or 24 hr fasts. Don’t get me wrong, when you have never fasted before 24 hours is quite daunting, but if one has become comfortable and accustomed with such a fast she should challenge herself to something longer and more difficult. If you want to know more about fasting, go to my audio page and listen to my sermon on it. If you truly want to be thankful during this holiday season, spend some time fasting!

true service

I usually don’t like to talk about myself and I especially do not like to talk about my accolades via a blog, but here goes. We need to have the capacity to be servants! It is a great notion and fun to think about when Jesus said things like, “Let the first be last and the last first,” and other similar charges, but how often do we act on notions like this? I often get down on myself for selfishness and wish I was a greater servant. But today as I was driving to Starbucks to get some studying done a truck stalled out and became stuck in the road. Without thinking I pulled over got out in the rain and started pushing the truck. I pushed him to the near gas station and then without a word got back into my jeep and continued on my way.  Helping the man was nothing of a huge effort and is really not what is crucial to such a story.