"Evolution has been accepted as scientific fact for around a century, but 14 per cent of Canadians believe humans were created by God."
Does it have to be one or the other? Can't it be both? I find this statistic misleading. What percentage of Canadians believe that God used evolution?
Thursday, March 24, 2011
When is it okay?
I had an interesting/silly conversation with a young woman at work today. During conversation, she expressed her belief that it was wrong for a woman to sleep with a man who was engaged to another woman. As this is becoming a less common view, I was surprised. I decided to double check, and asked her if she believed it was wrong to sleep with somebody who was married. She replied to the affirmative, unless they were separated (so much for my high hopes). So I decided to have some fun, and it all came down to toilet paper. I asked if it would be okay to sleep with a married man, separated from his wife, if they lived in different rooms of the same house. She said that it wasn't. What about if they live in different apartments in the same apartment building. It was. Okay, what about if it's two apartments in the same house. It was. Okay, what about if the two apartments in the house share a bathroom. It wasn't. What about if there were two bathrooms (the apartments were now totally separate again), except that there was only one toilet paper holder for both bathrooms (there was a hole in the wall so that the two bathrooms shared a roll on the holder in the wall. It wasn't. What about if the man was separated from his husband. It was yuck. So, I left it there.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Think of Others
Today's reading got me thinking. A lot of atheists, especially Christopher Hitchens, claim that Christianity sets impossibly high standards that we can't possibly reach, putting others before ourselves. Today's reading, Philippians 2:1-end, tells us in the passage that we are to think of others and not simply ourselves. That sure sounds attainable to me....
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Lent
Lent is supposed to be a time of preparation for Easter, a time of deeper prayer and perhaps fasting along with self reflection. For some, Lent is wrong. It's "too Catholic" or it's a pagan festival or what ever. I say, what's in your heart? What's your intension? Are you doing it to honour God? I really like Lent. For me, it's a call to prayer, to Holyness. I try to pray more. And, for the past five years or more I've given up something. Last year I gave up not running; I ran more. The year before that it was coffee (I slipped up on the coffee one). Before that it was the computer. But, the prayer is important too.
For me, prayer is a weapon (to fight spiritually), a tool (to ask for healing for others and protection and our daily bread), a comfort (in times of distress), a means of communication (to talk to God), worship (a form of devotion to God), and so many other things. Enjoy your Lent. Pax!
Some Lent Stuff:
http://www.anglican.ca/podcasts/
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1550226346&sk=info http://www.lutheransconnect.com/?q=node/7
For me, prayer is a weapon (to fight spiritually), a tool (to ask for healing for others and protection and our daily bread), a comfort (in times of distress), a means of communication (to talk to God), worship (a form of devotion to God), and so many other things. Enjoy your Lent. Pax!
Some Lent Stuff:
http://www.anglican.ca/podcasts/
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1550226346&sk=info http://www.lutheransconnect.com/?q=node/7
Letter
Not all of my thoughts end up in my blog here, at least not right away. Some of them are written in other places or spoken or what ever. I thought I'd post some of a letter I sent to a friend. I won't post his reply of course, but my thoughts to him are below:
"Sometimes you can't make a horse drink. Some Christians believe that they can be Christian without going to Church at all, although I've come to believe that this is a very selfish view. And, St. Paul said that we should not give up the practice of meeting together. I was surprised, as I started back to Church (I didn't go at all throughout college or for a few years after), to find so many Christians for whom Christianity is simply a lifestyle philosophy (Jesus was a good man and it could be a better world if we all follow His teachings). For some Christians, Church is just comfortable. It's what they know. Church may just be a friendly social club of “good” people. A Lenten study may help. I remember one that Fr. Ted did on the Holy Spirit that was good. I'm no theologian, but I was thinking about what I found helped me build my own faith (which I myself consider very weak, but growing). Bible study got me started, got me thinking (Who is God? What does He want?). I think about what St. Paul (I think) said about prayer being exercise for the soul. I try, although not always successfully, to set time aside each day to pray. I find the more I pray, the closer I seem to be to God. But, first, you have to want to believe. An interesting quote came out of our VIVA workshop. Dewitt Jones said in a video that he used to think, “I won't believe it until I see it”. He came to realize that, “I won't see it until I believe it.” Without a road to Damascus experience, you have to want to believe I think. My high octane evangelical friends tell me that a faith without the presence of the Holy Spirit will die; this is true. They believe that every Christian needs to have their own drunk in the Spirit Pentecost. But I think, blessed are those who believe not having seen. The more I look for God in events, in the world, the more I see Him, if I choose to see. I also find prophetic scripture helps grow my faith. Reading the Bible, the 22nd Psalm, Isaiah.... It is amazing how the scripture reinforces the fact that God sent His Son, and it was written generations before Jesus came. It's amazing. When I read them, and even when I re read them, I think, “Wow!” So, to people who actually take the time to read the Jesus prophecies, it's either amazing or it's a load of bull feathers. I choose to believe the former. Short of having a vision, I don't know how else to build up faith. I've always believed in God from as far back as I can remember, but my faith is weak; it's a paradox. I think that's why I take comfort in St. Thomas saying that he wouldn't believe until he put his hand in Jesus' side, or in St. Peter sinking in the water when he tried to walk on it (and Jesus didn't let him sink). I can really ramble on, can't I? :)
Fr. Warren planted a new Church. They started meeting in a plaza store front. He grew a tiny group of Christians who had a strong faith. They eventually bought a piece of land and rented a portable for worship while the Church was constructed (I actually helped put down the sod one Saturday). They eventually moved into their big building. However, when I went back to Barrie the last time, there seems to be nobody left from that first store front Church (nobody knew me anyway). It's too bad. You sound as though you would prefer the first century home Church. Maybe one Sunday (Sunday afternoon etc...) a month, or every other month (or every three or what ever) a congregation could meet together for worship at a volunteer's home (rotate through the volunteers) to bring back a sense of that first century home Church feeling. However, for me, there's some thing special and Holy about those big old buildings too.
Don’t get me wrong; I’m not agnostic. I believe in God. I’ve met people with a strong faith. I know that my faith can be stronger. I’m not ready to drink the poison or be bitten by a snake. Peter Hitchens says in his book that a man who truly fears God, fears nothing else. I say my faith is weak because I’ve met people with a strong faith, and my faith could be stronger. I try to keep my faith fierce. And, I confront militant atheism when I encounter it in the world. I’ve never found religion to be an obstacle myself; I find that it has only been a tool to grow my faith."
"Sometimes you can't make a horse drink. Some Christians believe that they can be Christian without going to Church at all, although I've come to believe that this is a very selfish view. And, St. Paul said that we should not give up the practice of meeting together. I was surprised, as I started back to Church (I didn't go at all throughout college or for a few years after), to find so many Christians for whom Christianity is simply a lifestyle philosophy (Jesus was a good man and it could be a better world if we all follow His teachings). For some Christians, Church is just comfortable. It's what they know. Church may just be a friendly social club of “good” people. A Lenten study may help. I remember one that Fr. Ted did on the Holy Spirit that was good. I'm no theologian, but I was thinking about what I found helped me build my own faith (which I myself consider very weak, but growing). Bible study got me started, got me thinking (Who is God? What does He want?). I think about what St. Paul (I think) said about prayer being exercise for the soul. I try, although not always successfully, to set time aside each day to pray. I find the more I pray, the closer I seem to be to God. But, first, you have to want to believe. An interesting quote came out of our VIVA workshop. Dewitt Jones said in a video that he used to think, “I won't believe it until I see it”. He came to realize that, “I won't see it until I believe it.” Without a road to Damascus experience, you have to want to believe I think. My high octane evangelical friends tell me that a faith without the presence of the Holy Spirit will die; this is true. They believe that every Christian needs to have their own drunk in the Spirit Pentecost. But I think, blessed are those who believe not having seen. The more I look for God in events, in the world, the more I see Him, if I choose to see. I also find prophetic scripture helps grow my faith. Reading the Bible, the 22nd Psalm, Isaiah.... It is amazing how the scripture reinforces the fact that God sent His Son, and it was written generations before Jesus came. It's amazing. When I read them, and even when I re read them, I think, “Wow!” So, to people who actually take the time to read the Jesus prophecies, it's either amazing or it's a load of bull feathers. I choose to believe the former. Short of having a vision, I don't know how else to build up faith. I've always believed in God from as far back as I can remember, but my faith is weak; it's a paradox. I think that's why I take comfort in St. Thomas saying that he wouldn't believe until he put his hand in Jesus' side, or in St. Peter sinking in the water when he tried to walk on it (and Jesus didn't let him sink). I can really ramble on, can't I? :)
Fr. Warren planted a new Church. They started meeting in a plaza store front. He grew a tiny group of Christians who had a strong faith. They eventually bought a piece of land and rented a portable for worship while the Church was constructed (I actually helped put down the sod one Saturday). They eventually moved into their big building. However, when I went back to Barrie the last time, there seems to be nobody left from that first store front Church (nobody knew me anyway). It's too bad. You sound as though you would prefer the first century home Church. Maybe one Sunday (Sunday afternoon etc...) a month, or every other month (or every three or what ever) a congregation could meet together for worship at a volunteer's home (rotate through the volunteers) to bring back a sense of that first century home Church feeling. However, for me, there's some thing special and Holy about those big old buildings too.
Don’t get me wrong; I’m not agnostic. I believe in God. I’ve met people with a strong faith. I know that my faith can be stronger. I’m not ready to drink the poison or be bitten by a snake. Peter Hitchens says in his book that a man who truly fears God, fears nothing else. I say my faith is weak because I’ve met people with a strong faith, and my faith could be stronger. I try to keep my faith fierce. And, I confront militant atheism when I encounter it in the world. I’ve never found religion to be an obstacle myself; I find that it has only been a tool to grow my faith."
Even More on Marriage
"I'm going to have the carpenter come over to hang new cupboards in the kitchen tomorrow," somebody might say. Now, when I say cupboards, I think of boxes with doors and shelves hanging on the wall in the kitchen. But, at one time, it was literally cup boards on the wall, shelves on which to put cups. Even though it is slight, the meaning has changed. English is a living language, and so words and meanings change. The Holy Ghost is now the Holy Spirit. To most people, the word catholic means the Church of Rome. Hermit means anybody who lives alone, not a monk. State means political district (New York State), not a sovereign nation. Doctor means a medical doctor, not somebody with a PhD. Breakfast means the morning meal, not breaking the night time fast (religious practice). In the 1700s a Republican was a liberal, now a Republican is a conservative. God meant Jehovah, now God means higher power/supreme being etc.... Hall means hallway. Tomahawk meant war axe, now it's a guided missile. Icon was a religious visual representation, now it's a computer graphic. Are means our in general conversation (forgive us are sins as we forgive those who sin against us).
The word marriage has come to mean anybody who cohabits in a sexual relationship. This is not what marriage means. Marriage is defined in the Bible. Abraham and Sarah were married. My definition of marriage is not the same as society's definition. Marriage is a religious rite that joins a man and a woman.
An older Lutheran man once said something to me that really stuck with me. He said that many marriages fail because they don't have God in them. He said most people think it's just two people. But, according to him, there are three persons in a marriage, husband, wife, and God. If you have God in your marriage, it will be strengthened. What God has joined together let no man....
I don't care if you want to have bigamy, polygamy, bestiality, same sex union, extraterrestrial probing, it's not marriage. Your marriage is not my marriage. You say marriage and mean sexual union and cohabitation. My marriage is so much more. My marriage is a religious rite. It is a union of a man and a woman. It is based in faith, religion, tradition, and respect, made by God. The legal definition of marriage being changed to suit others is destructive and hateful. Changing the Highway Traffic Act to make trucks include cars does not make your car a truck. No matter how much you want it, you have a car. Everybody should be equal under the law in this country. I don't care if two men want to live together in a sexual relationship. And, they should have all the same legal rights as I have. I also have my freedom of religion, in which marriage is as listed above. The government can't change that. Ralph Klein was so so right; the government needs to get out of the marriage business. They're perverting (changing and destroying) a religious rite. There should be a separation of Church and State anyway, right?
The Church changing the rite to suit society's views is sad, and a whole other issue.
The word marriage has come to mean anybody who cohabits in a sexual relationship. This is not what marriage means. Marriage is defined in the Bible. Abraham and Sarah were married. My definition of marriage is not the same as society's definition. Marriage is a religious rite that joins a man and a woman.
An older Lutheran man once said something to me that really stuck with me. He said that many marriages fail because they don't have God in them. He said most people think it's just two people. But, according to him, there are three persons in a marriage, husband, wife, and God. If you have God in your marriage, it will be strengthened. What God has joined together let no man....
I don't care if you want to have bigamy, polygamy, bestiality, same sex union, extraterrestrial probing, it's not marriage. Your marriage is not my marriage. You say marriage and mean sexual union and cohabitation. My marriage is so much more. My marriage is a religious rite. It is a union of a man and a woman. It is based in faith, religion, tradition, and respect, made by God. The legal definition of marriage being changed to suit others is destructive and hateful. Changing the Highway Traffic Act to make trucks include cars does not make your car a truck. No matter how much you want it, you have a car. Everybody should be equal under the law in this country. I don't care if two men want to live together in a sexual relationship. And, they should have all the same legal rights as I have. I also have my freedom of religion, in which marriage is as listed above. The government can't change that. Ralph Klein was so so right; the government needs to get out of the marriage business. They're perverting (changing and destroying) a religious rite. There should be a separation of Church and State anyway, right?
The Church changing the rite to suit society's views is sad, and a whole other issue.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Raw
Some of my last posts have been a bit raw. It is not my intention to offend anybody; I'm just putting my thoughts down on "paper". I often keep what I think to my self, mostly to avoid conflict. However, others do not return the favor; they crusade and I, unfortunately, am their heathen.
More on Marriage
Read After the Ball ( http://article8.org/docs/gay_strategies/after_the_ball.htm ). Seriously. Liberals are associating gay marriage with black slavery and women’s suffrage. Before you write off everything I’ve written below because I’m a bigot, understand that I’ve given careful consideration and a lot of thought to the liberal point of view ( http://integritycanada.org/publications/Challenging_Conventional_Wisdom-Schuh.pdf ), and I would expect the same courtesy. But, is it a civil rights issue? Are gays not equal under the law? Can gays own property? Can gays vote? Can they run for office? Do they have to sit at the back of the bus? What about marriage? Gays have always had the right to marry. A gay man is able to marry any single woman that is willing. Fighting for gay marriage as a civil right is akin to fighting for a man's right to be treated like a woman under the law, and they’re not treated the same (infanticide, alimony, etc…). What is marriage? It is a religious rite. Legal marriage is an archaic law, the legacy of a society where everybody was Christian. Is it a charter issue, as Paul Martin was always going on about? If it was, why did it require an act of parliament to change it? Because, it isn't a charter issue. It never was, and he knows it. He was just trying to associate gay marriage with fighting for civil rights through the charter. If it truly was a charter issue, the Supreme Court of Canada would have struck down the marriage laws as unconstitutional. Paul Martin wanted gay marriage protected in statute law because it was not a charter issue. To take something that is and change it is to make it something it was not. So, gay marriage can never exist in the way set out in the Christian Bible, no matter what is changed. The most intelligent thing I have heard during the whole debate was something Ralph Klein said. He said that the government should get out of the marriage business. I whole heatedly agree.
Students (where a lot of the Facebook posts come from)think they're so smart, enlightened. But they're too stupid to recognize that educational intuitions are breading grounds for liberals. They are being manipulated and shaped and don't even realize it.
When homosexuality was seen to be a sickness (gay couples can't procreate), way back when, gay people protested and said it was a lifestyle choice. Then, the supposition that there may be a gay gene caused a change of position to, "I have no choice" or "it's the way God made me." Which is it? If it's a choice, then that's a hard position to defend. If it is a gene, then that changes the equation. And the question is "why?" Why would God create gay people?
So, assuming that it's a sin, should gay people be allowed in Church? Yes. Welcome all. Should they be allowed to be priests? Yes. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Where would we draw the line? Can liars be priests? What about adulterers? It does present a great challenge though; if it is a sin, and we should ordain them, and they preach gay is good and changes must be made to doctrine, what then?
So, what do they really want then? To be approved of and accepted? To be told that it is good and right and wholesome? Are they looking for God to tell them it's okay? Are they trying to destroy the Christian faith? Why the push to change the definition of a rite rooted in religion? Why not something distinct? Why change something that's been around for thousands of years now, from man and woman to what ever we want? Why make it something is was not? Why destroy? Why not create? Why, why, why?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEMUn4KEVe8
Students (where a lot of the Facebook posts come from)think they're so smart, enlightened. But they're too stupid to recognize that educational intuitions are breading grounds for liberals. They are being manipulated and shaped and don't even realize it.
When homosexuality was seen to be a sickness (gay couples can't procreate), way back when, gay people protested and said it was a lifestyle choice. Then, the supposition that there may be a gay gene caused a change of position to, "I have no choice" or "it's the way God made me." Which is it? If it's a choice, then that's a hard position to defend. If it is a gene, then that changes the equation. And the question is "why?" Why would God create gay people?
So, assuming that it's a sin, should gay people be allowed in Church? Yes. Welcome all. Should they be allowed to be priests? Yes. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Where would we draw the line? Can liars be priests? What about adulterers? It does present a great challenge though; if it is a sin, and we should ordain them, and they preach gay is good and changes must be made to doctrine, what then?
So, what do they really want then? To be approved of and accepted? To be told that it is good and right and wholesome? Are they looking for God to tell them it's okay? Are they trying to destroy the Christian faith? Why the push to change the definition of a rite rooted in religion? Why not something distinct? Why change something that's been around for thousands of years now, from man and woman to what ever we want? Why make it something is was not? Why destroy? Why not create? Why, why, why?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEMUn4KEVe8
Thursday, March 10, 2011
50
Wow; what a lot Psalm 50 had in it for me today. Out of Zion came God revealed in glory (Jesus). I made a covenant with Him, sealed with His sacrifice.
Then, the end, calling me to repent from my sins....
Then, the end, calling me to repent from my sins....
Pi$$ed Off
A lot of my Facebook friends have been posting the following on their status, and it pi$$es me off:
"Let me get this straight...Charlie Sheen can make a "porn family", Kelsey Grammer can end a 15 year marriage over the phone, Larry King can be on divorce #9, Britney Spears had a 55 hour marriage, Jesse James and Tiger Woods, while married, were having sex with EVERYONE. Yet, the idea of same-sex marriage is going to destroy the institution of marriage? Really? Re-post if you are proud to support equal rights."
First off, it's inflammatory. This is a contentious issue. Second, it's narrow minded and intolerant; anybody who disagrees or questions is a bigot. Third, the people listed above are not shinning examples of righteousness. That'd be like me saying, "let me get this straight...an apple is a fruit, an orange is a fruit, but now you're going to tell me that a grape is a fruit? Really?"
So, what to say. Should anything be said? Well, I could flip the Bible open and find where St. Paul says that it's wrong. But, if it turns them against Christ then I have failed. I don't want to set up a stumbling block. And, being right is not always paramount. Plus, I'm not 100% sure it is wrong for everybody. And, I'm not talking about relativism. If I believe it is wrong, does that mean it's wrong for everybody? St. Paul said he had to be all things to all men. He also said if you're brother believed it was wrong to eat something, don't eat it in front of him. And, if your brother believes a certain day is Holy and observes it to honour God, let him. Don't set up stumbling blocks. Food for thought?
The thing that gets my goat is liberals trying to impose their views on the Church and the whole of society. It's been "wrong" for thousands of years. Why is it right now? Is it just because society says it is? If that's the case, how can it be justified from a religious or scriptural stand point? And, is it an equal rights issue? Or, have liberals just made us believe it is through association? Have you ever read After the Ball? Give it a quick look. Is marriage a right? Where does marriage have it's roots? If it's a religious rite, and religion says it's wrong, is liberalism changing religion? Lets be clear about everything and not play mind games.
It is a very confusing and contentious issue.
"Let me get this straight...Charlie Sheen can make a "porn family", Kelsey Grammer can end a 15 year marriage over the phone, Larry King can be on divorce #9, Britney Spears had a 55 hour marriage, Jesse James and Tiger Woods, while married, were having sex with EVERYONE. Yet, the idea of same-sex marriage is going to destroy the institution of marriage? Really? Re-post if you are proud to support equal rights."
First off, it's inflammatory. This is a contentious issue. Second, it's narrow minded and intolerant; anybody who disagrees or questions is a bigot. Third, the people listed above are not shinning examples of righteousness. That'd be like me saying, "let me get this straight...an apple is a fruit, an orange is a fruit, but now you're going to tell me that a grape is a fruit? Really?"
So, what to say. Should anything be said? Well, I could flip the Bible open and find where St. Paul says that it's wrong. But, if it turns them against Christ then I have failed. I don't want to set up a stumbling block. And, being right is not always paramount. Plus, I'm not 100% sure it is wrong for everybody. And, I'm not talking about relativism. If I believe it is wrong, does that mean it's wrong for everybody? St. Paul said he had to be all things to all men. He also said if you're brother believed it was wrong to eat something, don't eat it in front of him. And, if your brother believes a certain day is Holy and observes it to honour God, let him. Don't set up stumbling blocks. Food for thought?
The thing that gets my goat is liberals trying to impose their views on the Church and the whole of society. It's been "wrong" for thousands of years. Why is it right now? Is it just because society says it is? If that's the case, how can it be justified from a religious or scriptural stand point? And, is it an equal rights issue? Or, have liberals just made us believe it is through association? Have you ever read After the Ball? Give it a quick look. Is marriage a right? Where does marriage have it's roots? If it's a religious rite, and religion says it's wrong, is liberalism changing religion? Lets be clear about everything and not play mind games.
It is a very confusing and contentious issue.
39th Psalm
So I was reading the 39th Psalm the other day, and I remembered what happened between my family/Dad and I. I know who the are. I always knew. But, I couldn't hold my tongue.
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