Saturday, April 2, 2011

God - Jesus - Bible - Evolution - - - WHAT IF .....

What if the world is winding down and the people are actually less intelligent today than they were 2000 years ago. I mean, just think about the pyramids in Egypt. How could those supposedly relative primitive people build such monuments without today’s technology?
-
Well, this thought process was triggered by several recent factors in my life. At the present I am doing an extensive bible study on the book of Genesis. Of course the Creation factor of the world, and that the first book of the bible is the foundation on which the rest of the bible stands, the ‘rest of the story’ being God’s triumph.
Thinking about how the bible was compiled, from a human point of view it simply floors me that the writings of the 40 authors of the bible have such harmony just as it were from just ONE, written over a time of fifteen hundred years - and - written on different continents - and - in different languages; amazing! You remember a story you may have told your aunt Ethel who told it to her friend and then some. By the time it got back to you, the story has changed significantly having only gone through maybe 5 or 6 folk. Or, have you ever played that game where people sit in a circle and one whispers a sentence in the ear of the person next to them, and that person passes on that sentence to the next and so on. By the time this sentence was forwarded to 10 people, the last person speaks it out loud, which is usually totally different then how it started out, and quite silly, too. I always thought that was so wild! Great fun! J
-
Now imagine, the bible has 66 individual books, written by 40 different authors, in 3 different continents, in 3 different languages, over a period of 1500 years….. IN TOTAL HARMONY. To this day no discrepancy could be proven. To this day it is the most widely published book in the world. Because of its importance and its claim to be the very Word of God, the bible has suffered more vicious attacks and attempts to destroy it than any other book in history. From early Roman Emperors like Kiocletian, through communist dictators and on to modern day atheists and agnostics, the bible has withstood and outlasted all of its attackers.. I don’t know about you, but, to me, this is mind boggling. What's even more mind boggling is that Darwin’s theory of evolution is taught in schools like it were truth, though it remains a ‘theory’. What’s up with THAT?! A lot of scientist have some serious problems with the Darwin theory.

What if …  evolution is true? - What have I lost by believing in Salvation through Jesus Christ and in God creating the world?
***Nothing!***

What if  ... the Bible is true? - What have you lost by NOT believing in Salvation through Jesus Christ and in God creating the world?
***Everything***

Hm ….. Something to think about.

The other event that triggered this thought process was an e-mail I received. This E-mail was sent to several other recipients. I usually don’t like these mass mailings; but this one had an interesting title - and it came from my friend BJ:

                      GOD VS. SCIENCE
I hope you enjoy it J

 - I don’t know who first published this. So, I cannot give credit to where it’s due, sorry.


The professor and the students are real:
--------------------------------------------------
Professor: “Let me explain the problem science has with religion.”

The atheist professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his new students to stand.


You're a Christian, aren't you, son?'

'Yes sir,' the student says.

'So you believe in God?'

'Absolutely '

'Is God good?'

'Sure! God's good.'

'Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?'

'Yes'

'Are you good or evil?'

'The Bible says I'm evil.'

The professor grins knowingly. 'Aha! The Bible! He considers for a moment. 'Here's one for you. Let's say there's a sick person over here and you can cure him. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you try?'

'Yes sir, I would.'

'So you're good...!'

'I wouldn't say that.'

'But why not say that? You'd help a sick and maimed person if you could. Most of us would if we could. But God doesn't.'

The student does not answer, so the professor continues. 'He doesn't, does he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he prayed to Jesus to heal him. How is this Jesus good? Can you answer that one?'

The student remains silent. 'No, you can't, can you?' the professor says. He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax. 'Let's start again, young fella. Is God good?'

'Er..yes,' the student says.

'Is Satan good?'

The student doesn't hesitate on this one.. 'No.'

'Then where does Satan come from?'

The student falters. 'From God'

'That's right. God made Satan, didn't he? Tell me, son. Is there evil in this world?'

'Yes, sir.'

'Evil's everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything, correct?'

'Yes'

'So who created evil?' The professor continued, 'If God created everything, then God created evil, since evil exists, and according to the principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil.'

Again, the student has no answer. 'Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things, do they exist in this world?'

The student squirms on his feet. 'Yes.'

'So who created them ?'

The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his question. 'Who created them?' There is still no answer. Suddenly the lecturer breaks away to pace in front of the classroom. The class is mesmerized. 'Tell me,' he continues onto another student. 'Do you believe in Jesus Christ, son?'

The student's voice betrays him and cracks. 'Yes, professor, I do.'

The old man stops pacing. 'Science says you have five senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?'

'No sir. I've never seen Him.'

'Then tell us if you've ever heard your Jesus?'

'No, sir, I have not.'

'Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelt your Jesus? Have you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, or God for that matter?'

'No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't.'

'Yet you still believe in him?'

'Yes'

'According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your God doesn't exist... What do you say to that, son?' 'Nothing,' the student replies.. 'I only have my faith.'

'Yes, faith,' the professor repeats. 'And that is the problem science has with God. There is no evidence, only faith.'

The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of His own. 'Professor, is there such thing as heat? '

' Yes.

'And is there such a thing as cold?'

'Yes, son, there's cold too.'

'No sir, there isn't.'

The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested. The room suddenly becomes very quiet. The student begins to explain. 'You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don't have anything called 'cold'. We can hit down to 458 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder than the lowest -458 degrees. Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy.. Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat. You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.'

Silence across the room. A pen drops somewhere in the classroom, sounding like a hammer.

'What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?'

'Yes,' the professor replies without hesitation. 'What is night if it isn't darkness?'

'You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use to define the word. In reality, darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?'

The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him. This will be a good semester. 'So what point are you making, young man?'

Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed.'

The professor's face cannot hide his surprise this time. 'Flawed? Can you explain how?'

'You are working on the premise of duality,' the student explains.. 'You argue that there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought.' 'It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it.' 'Now tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?'

'If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes, of course I do.'

'Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?'

The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes where the argument is going. A very good semester, indeed.

'Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?' The class is in uproar. The student remains silent until the commotion has subsided. 'To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, let me give you an example of what I mean.' The student looks around the room. 'Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the professor's brain?' The class breaks out into laughter. 'Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor's brain, felt the professor's brain, touched or smelt the professor's brain? No one appears to have done so.. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, with all due respect, sir.' 'So if science says you have no brain, how can we trust your lectures, sir?'

Now the room is silent. The professor just stares at the student, his face unreadable. Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man answers. 'I Guess you'll have to take them on faith.' 'Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with life,' the student continues. 'Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?' Now uncertain, the professor responds, 'Of course, there is. We see it Everyday. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in The multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world.. These manifestations are nothing else but evil.'

To this the student replied, 'Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light.' The professor sat down.


What if ...... The student was Albert Einstein.

Albert Einstein wrote the book titled 'God vs. Science' in 1921.....

-------------------------------------------------------------------

NOTE: Albert Einstein was not a Christian,  He was jewish but was also taught in the bible through a Roman Catholic upbringing.
Reading this dialogue, my thoughts don't go so much wether or not Albert Einstein was a Christian or not. It is about recognizing the importance of thinking, searching, reading on our own". Not letting other people (and TV) do our thinking for us! At the bottom of this post there is a link if you wish to read more about A. Einstein.


So, obviously, I am a Christian. All I am saying here, though, is, we need to find out by ourselves about God - Jesus - Bible - Evolution - and especially: "What ifs ..... !!" When it comes to our own souls, we cannot rely on others - regardless whether they are teachers, preachers, professors, or - sometimes even parents; certainly we can NOT rely on celebrities, rich people, or even our own desire of "feeling good", especially when our lives are at stake. Remember, we ALL have to die and leave this world - and then - WHAT? ----


What if.... ALL Christians would open and study the bibles themselves!! (cutting out 1 hour TV every night)
What if .... ALL others would find out by themselves what's in the bible, and not just swallow whatever people (and TV) tell them (usually just an opinion anyway) only because it "sounds good."

Ever wonder, why we are here on earth? I don't think it's so we can 'evolve' into homosexual relationships, or 'evolve' into 'the right for abortion', or 'evolve' into 'sex without marriage', or 'evolve' to create the next ipod, computer, cell phone, etc.

What if ..... we ALL would start thinking on our own and do some research on our own? We are constantly screeming for 'freedom' but then turn around and let TV, Government, celebrities, rich folk, dictate what we 'ought to think'. 

    What if ...... the bible is God's Living Word?
      You will never know until you read it yourself.


Read more  about Albert Einstein

 

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Why "Jewel of Calvary"




The name for this Blog came from a very dear special Christian friend, God inspired. Thank you, Joann! J


Calvary is a dreary place, an ugly place, smelly, a killing field, thieves and murderers have died there. On some days you could hear the wind howl on that bare skeleton field, emptiness, forsaken place, death. People didn’t go there for a picnic, that’s for sure. Yet, this is where God chose to die for us. I wonder if, to Him, we bore a resemblance to that place as sinful fallen people. He was not guilty of any crime, He was innocent, He was pure, He was without sin. The blameless Lamb who died for us sinners, a rescue mission from God for … “whoever believes in Him.
                                 JESUS the “JEWEL of CALVARY.”

GOD is an artist, HE is THE ultimate Artist, HE created the world we live in, HE created us ~ and HE gives us, among other, our creative gifts. Talents for certain crafts, music, art, organization, leadership, etc. are natural gifts to use freely in this world, not to be mistaken for spiritual gifts. Now, when we do find out that God has given us talent for something, we can only work to become good at what God has given us, through practice - practice - practice. I started with handmade gemstone jewelry about 10 years ago. Then, as I grew as a Christian, it is becoming more and more Inspirational Christian Jewelry, still handmade, and still gemstones (jewels). And now giving the glory to God.


So, in the picture above are my latest Jewel Jesus pieces J These are all beautiful jewelry pendants. Unfortunately, the 'talent' for taking great pics is not quite developed yet. The large pink pendant is a Rhodocrosite which also has a genuine wine red Garnet on it. The color of that Garnet is beautiful, but the picture does not show it. If you click on: this picture you see it better. Where you see silver it is sterling silver, where you see gold it is 14K gold filled, and then a little cross in copper with a sterling silver bead. If you want to see more of my work you can go to my store on ETSY 

I hope you enjoyed your visit; here are some more sites to see my jewelry from different perspectives:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/gemsbyconny
http://www.jewelofcalvary.blogspot.com
http://www.handmadegemsbyconny.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/gemsbyconny4u

God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day. (Genesis 1:4 and 5)