Unifying the Faith: Bishop Michael Curry's Christmas Message

I hope that you are all having a wonderful Christmas! I just wanted to share a post from the sibling blog. Blessings and the link is below.



Unifying the Faith: Bishop Michael Curry's Christmas Message

The Bible on Location

A friend just came back from Israel, and shared a copy of this recent book by Julie Baretz. I haven't even finished reading it, but by browsing through it, I can tell it is an excellent book. I simply had to recommend it. All I can say is that anyone that had and has the privilege of having Julie as a guide was and is definitely in for a fantastic experience. Hope you enjoy it...blessings! The book is the following:

The Bible on Location: Off the Beaten Path in Ancient and Modern Israel Paperback – June 1, 2015 by Julie Baretz (Author).

The Amazon link is below.

The Bible on Location: Off the Beaten Path in Ancient and Modern Israel: Julie Baretz: 9780827612228: Amazon.com: Books

Reference:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Bible-Location-Beaten-Ancient/dp/0827612222

The Letters

I just wanted to share the trailer for this film about Mother Teresa that comes out this coming Friday. Enjoy!


https://youtu.be/C6Z5BGyia58


The Letters

At Least Fifty People in the Bible Can Be Confirmed by Archaeology

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, if you are a reader from the United States. This is not a very long article. I just wanted to share something from Biblical Archeology Society. Archaeology is obviously a great form of apologetics. Here is a quote from said article.

"Mykytiuk writes that 'at least 50 people mentioned in the Bible have been identified in the archaeological record. Their names appear in inscriptions written during the period described by the Bible and in most instances during or quite close to the lifetime of the person identified(www.biblicalarchaeology.org)'"

Well, I hope you enjoy reading it. The link to the article is below. Blessings!

50 People in the Bible Confirmed Archaeologically - Biblical Archaeology Society









Reference:

http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/

Happy Belated Birthday to this Blog

On November 3rd, three days ago, this blog turned seven (7) years old. It is amazing how quickly time passes. It seems as if it was just yesterday that I was writing the 1st post. Well, I know that it seems that there are not too many followers who have actually registered themselves as official followers; however, if you could read the stats as I can, you would know that thousands of people have stopped by, and I am sure that many are followers, secretely. I hope you enjoy reading, and God willing, I will continue posting. Happy Belated Birthday!

The Sola Scriptura Eschatology and Dispensationalism Obsession These Days Makes Me Wonder

The book of the Acts of the Apostles which was written by the same anonymous author who wrote the Gospel of Luke sometime between 80 and 90 AD tells us the following in Chapter 1: 9-11:

"9 And when he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, "'Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven (RSV Bible).'"

What is interesting in the passage is the part that says: “who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” Obviously, the early church believed that Jesus was coming back.

The Nicene Creed from 325 AD has a portion which reads:

"He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end (https://www.ccel.org/creeds/nicene.creed.html)."

So, obviously, since the beginning Christians have believed that Christ would return. Seemingly, a return was and is still expected; however, I don't know if dwelling on it or propagating it to the level that many televangelists and authors have done really lines up with the very Scriptures they use to do so. Many are so obsessed that they claim to almost know the exact date of this event. A good example of what I am saying is The Late, Great Planet Earth, a book by Hal Lindsey with Carole C. Carlson which had already sold about 28 million copies around 15 years ago despite that it sort of claimed the 80’s was quite possibly THE last decade. Sounds crazy, but I suppose the reason for this hype is that people want certainty, in other words they want to know how much time we have. I have often heard evangelical ministers give long studies on eschatology and the end of times, and how everything will turn out in the end, as if they know everything. Moreover, they dwell on this subject of Christ’s return in an all-consuming fanaticism that isn’t even proportionate to what the Scriptures says about it. The truth is that they know very little, but the need for certainty in many has created a demand that has helped individuals like Jack Van Impe and Hal Lindsey become very popular which I am sure has also not hurt their wallets either.

In closing, I hate to burst everyone’s bubble, but just going by what the Scriptures say in Matthew 24:36, we should understand that we have no certainty on the specific timing of the return of Christ, using Scriptures. So, what does Matthew 24:36 say? It reads as follows:

"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, [a] but the Father only (RSV Bible)."

Of course, I am using Scriptures to state that “no one knows,” and perhaps that is not a strong enough argument, but the individuals making the eschatological claims are also using the Scriptures, so it is what it is. Just to make a final note, I think that what people should be dwelling on with relevance to eschatology and what they should be obsessing about is in the entire next chapter, Matthew 25. In fact, Matthew 25: 35-36 seems to be of great importance when read in context, it reads:

"35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me (RSV Bible).’"

Well, I hope everyone now understands why I chose for this post the title: The Sola Scriptura Eschatology and Dispensationalism Obsession These Days Makes Me Wonder. Summer is over, and autumn is here, so make the best of it. Blessings and until next time!

References:

https://www.ccel.org/creeds/nicene.creed.html.

RSV Bible

Unifying the Faith: Reexamining the Papacy

So far this month, I have not written any independent articles specifically for this blog. I have only shared one from Unifying the Faith, my other blog. Well, here is another article from Unifying the Faith that I want to share, as well. The article is titled: Reexamining the Papacy. The link to it is below! Hope you enjoy reading...blessings!



Unifying the Faith: Reexamining the Papacy

Unifying the Faith: I Was a Stranger and You Welcomed Me

Greetings! I hope everyone is getting ready for the fall season because whether you are or not, the end of summer is only days away. Of course, down here in South Florida we will most likely continue having summer weather until early November, just ask any snowbird about it and they will confirm my statements.

This is not a formal post; I simply wanted to share something from the sibling blog, Unifying the Faith, which deals with the current Syrian refugee crisis. I consider this crisis to be of utmost importance. Blessings and the link to the article is below.

Unifying the Faith: I Was a Stranger and You Welcomed Me

You Cannot Serve God and Money

In 1st Timothy 6:10, Saint Paul said: "For the love of money is the root of all evils; it is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced their hearts with many pangs (RSV Bible)." Of course, this verse is often misquoted as "money is the root of all evils," which is not the same at all. Before Paul, however, in the Gospel of Matthew 6:24, Jesus had already spoken about loving money and material wealth very clearly. Jesus said: "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (RSV Bible)." This passage, unlike the first, can be misquoted as saying "you cannot serve God and money" because that is in reality a proper paraphrasing of the text; however, I will let you research the meaning of "mammon" on your own if you still have doubts. Now, I wanted to share these two verses from the New Testament because as Christians we should consider both to be of great value, but I really wonder with great concern if they are well understood by some televangelists these days.

I recently read a Huff Post article by Russ Pierson titled: ‘War on Faith?' John Oliver and the Televangelists.  Below is a portion from that article.

"John Oliver, proved his mettle with his remarkable expose of the -- ahem -- "seedy" side of faith: televangelists who are purveyors of the so-called Prosperity Gospel, reaping rich rewards and very un-Jesus-like lifestyles by preying on the poor and the weak who are often literally seeking a lifeline in the church. They manipulate the misfortunate through an intentional mis-reading of the Christian scriptures sometimes called "seed faith."

This notion, that you "sow a seed" in the direction of having your own prayers answered, inevitably requires the followers of these televangelists to send their offerings to these self-described ministries. But that is often just the beginning, as Oliver blisteringly exposed through his seven-month long trail of correspondence with televangelist, Robert Tilton. Posing as a small donor, Tilton's ministry again and again encouraged--even chided--Oliver to up his giving.

This "seed faith" dynamic can reach tragic proportions in the lives of the gullible. Oliver relayed the painful story of Bonnie Parker, a woman who responded with thousands of dollars in gifts to Kenneth Copeland's faith message rather than seek medical treatment for her terminal cancer (Huff Post).”

Hopefully after reading this, it becomes a wakeup call to many Christians.  This article was referring to John Oliver’s recent report on his HBO program Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. In this report, John Oliver was NOT waging a war on faith, although I am sure those making the big profits would like to make that case. In fact, John Oliver said before the report:

"There are roughly 350,000 congregations in the United States, and many of them do great work: feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, but this is not a story about them. This is about the churches who exploit people's faith for monetary gain (HBO)."

To close, I personally can probably add much more to support John Oliver’s findings with relevance to nepotism within these same churches, and about the huge salaries some make, but I think I will stop here before things get any uglier than they already are. The Huff Post article ends by saying: ‘“This is not a "war on faith;" rather, it is time for Christians of good conscience to wage the "war on fraud."’ My final thought is that if we focus on 1st Timothy 6:10, and what Jesus is quoted saying in Matthew 6:24, we may be able to recognize fraud within the faith, and not become victims of this fraud. Blessings and I hope you enjoyed reading! Oh, also, you can read the full article which I mentioned on Huff Post at the link below. Bye for now!

'War on Faith?' John Oliver and the Televangelists | Russ Pierson

References:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/russ-pierson/war-on-faith-john-oliver-_b_7998652.html?utm_hp_ref=religion&ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000051

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, HBO

RSV Bible

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

I haven’t really given much thought to what I wanted to post this month and mainly because I have been enjoying my summer relaxing and doing other things. Well, since this is still an apologetics blog, I may as well write a little about apologetics...lol. Back on August 5th, 2013, I posted a brief article titled: Francis S. Collins and Books. In that post, I quoted Francis S. Collins saying: "As an atheist evolving to agnosticism, and seeking answers to whether or not belief in God is potentially rational, my life was turned upside down 35 years ago by reading C.S. Lewis’s “Mere Christianity.” Well, I think that quote carried a lot of weight on its own. In reality, C.S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity is considered by many to be one of the best apologetics books ever; consequently, I am sharing the Amazon link for it below, so you can order yourself a copy, and if you own a copy than you can purchase another and share it with someone special in your life, or even someone that might not be so special...whatever works for you.

I hope that everyone is enjoying their summer...blessings!   

Mere Christianity: C. S. Lewis, Kathleen Norris: 9780060652920: Amazon.com: Books

References:

http://arangoapologeticspage.blogspot.com/2013/08/francis-s-collins-and-books.html

http://www.amazon.com/Mere-Christianity-C-S-Lewis/dp/0060652926

Doubt, Creation, Evolution, and Mystery

I suppose that judging from the title of this post it seems that I will be possibly discussing each of the items in the series…lol…just in time for the summer solstice in our northern hemisphere. What is a bit funny when it comes to these subjects is that we humans argue a lot about all these topics when there is really a lot of room for doubt and mystery when it comes to conclusions on all of them. Perhaps my intention in this post will be similar to what theologian Paul Tillich may have thought when he said: “Sometimes I think it is my mission to bring faith to the faithless, and doubt to the faithful.” But, relax because doubt isn’t so bad. In fact, Paul Tillich also said: “doubt is not the opposite of faith; it is one elements of faith.”Although, at times it seems this blog creates doubt quite often, although I think I always try to bring myself back to sanity…lol. In the case of this post, I may just deliver so much doubt to some that they will probably require a whole lot of faith to get back to their point of origin, if they ever do get back. Anyhow, I really hope I leave you with many questions, so that you will start questioning all, and never settle for the simple answers because that is how I am as well. So, here we go!

The other day I commented on a friend’s post on Facebook, and I said: one of the things I find fascinating are bees and how there are many fruits and vegetables we would not be able to serve on our tables if bees did not exist…. Honestly, I think that both Creationists and Evolutionists are possibly way off when it comes to human history…. Of course, with relevance to the Bible, the “sola scriptura” defenders will probably tell you that the Bible is a blueprint from God.  Although, I do believe and read Scriptures it doesn't mean we have enough information in them to explain God fully or understand because the Scriptures are indeed a mystery, and trying to explain some things said in them makes them even more mysterious, perhaps. For example, if we read the first four verses in Genesis Chapter 6 before the story of Noah, it says:

“[1] When men began to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters were born to them,

[2] the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were fair; and they took to wife such of them as they chose.

[3] Then the LORD said, "My spirit shall not abide in man for ever, for he is flesh, but his days shall be a hundred and twenty years."

[4] The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men that were of old, the men of renown (RSV Bible).”

This aforementioned passage raises many questions that we have little answers for.  For example, who were the Nephilim? Were they actually a crossbreeding of the sons of God and the daughters of man? Who were the sons of God? The Book of Numbers 13:33 mentions the Nephilim again saying: “And there we saw the Nephilim, the sons of Anak, who come of the Nephilim; and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight (JPS Tanakh).” If the Nephilim were a superior race then why do they appear before and after the flood since supposedly only Noah and his family survived? You see now, how just 4 verses quickly get us doubting if we really understand Scriptures at all. And, we are only in the Book of Genesis thus far. Oh, by the way, the Book of Job 1:6 and 2:1 speaks of the Sons of God as angels, and the Septuagint's Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures in Genesis 6:2 says  the angels of God. So if in fact, angels and daughters of men pro-created that is mind-blowing because angels whether fallen or not have and had access to knowledge we do not even have now days as humans. By the way, we do not know the author or the time when the Book of Job that I just referenced briefly was written, it may actually be one of the oldest books ever.

Now, if we go outside the modern canon, for most us, there is the Book of Enoch which tells us about other mysterious creatures like, The Watchers. In Chapter 1: 5 of the Book of Enoch it reads:  “And all shall be smitten with fear and the Watchers shall quake, and great fear and trembling shall seize them unto the ends of the earth (Book of Enoch).” You may tell me: yeah, but that book is not in our canon! And, I will answer that you are right, but it is in the canon of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, and Jude quotes from this book in our canon. You might say: woe, what do you mean? And, I will say, yes, Jude [14] reads: “It was of these also that Enoch in the seventh generation from Adam prophesied, saying, ‘Behold, the Lord came with his holy myriads (www.ancienttexts.org)…’” The foregoing verse is the same as Chapter 1: 9 in the Book of Enoch. So, why do we NOT have this book in our canon, when Jude quotes from a manuscript of it in ours? Maybe this starts bringing some doubt as well, but we have no time for this now because we need to move on to other topics like Creationism.

Genesis 1: reads: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth (JPS Tanakh). By faith, I accept that this is true. The text goes on to elaborate some other details of this creation account found in the Book of Genesis, also. Furthermore, the story explains how God created humans. The first humans were Adam and Eve and they lived in a place called the Garden of Eden or Eden. The passages do not specify how much time elapsed or how long or how many years or perhaps eons they lived in Eden. The Bible also does say how many children they had before the Fall (when they sinned and were cast out of Eden), not enough details are provided. Moreover, the Book of Genesis is not specific as to how much time elapsed before the Flood in which Noah was saved along with his family in the Ark. In reality, we do not know how much time elapsed in that introduction to the story of Noah in Genesis 6: 1-4, the verses I mentioned and quoted previously. It may have been thousands upon thousands of years that were summarized into four verses. In fact, we don’t know if several civilizations could have existed on Earth before Noah. However, Young Earth creationists believe that the Universe, the Earth and all life were created by God no more than 10, 000 years ago. These creationists believe that the Earth is about 6,000 years old. They also argue against the idea that life evolved into what it is today, but that is another issue altogether since Evolution is still a theory mostly. Although, Creationism cannot be proved either, but we do have very old manuscripts making its claims. If you want to read more about this, you can probably read "Evolution vs. Creationism: an Introduction" by Eugenie Scott. Young Earth Creationists are not the only type of Creationists out there because I consider myself a creationist, but I don’t necessarily think that Evolutionists are completely wrong either since I am also not a Fundamentalist. Trust me; there are many people who think as I do. So, could evolutionists also be wrong when it comes to human history?

I can’t write and give every detail about the topics I am covering in this post because many books have been written about them, and this post would be almost endless, and I normally prefer to be brief. I do suggest that you read up on these topics, and come up with your own opinions when you are more familiar with them, if you are not. As far as evolution is concerned, evolutionists claim that our ancestors were already on Earth around six million years ago, but as the humans we are now or evolved into, we have only been here for about 200,000 years. This time period may actually be realistic if we go by claims others have made which I will perhaps mention later on. Evolutionists believe that our modern Civilization is only 6,000 years old, which to me sounds a lot like the same time-line Young Earth creationists use. Now, the issue with Evolutionism and human history is that Evolution believes that about 90 % of human history, humans were Hunters and Gatherers because that was the best adaptation for this time period. In other words, hunting and gathering ended about 12,000 years ago. At this point in the post, I start to introduce some elements that appear to be a mystery, but offer some tangible credibility. 

The time-lines offered by both Young Earth Creationist and Evolutionists do not seem to line up with Archeology. Why do I say this? Well, either we stopped being Hunter Gatherers more than 12,000 years ago or perhaps there have been many other advanced civilizations on planet Earth in the past 100,000 years or so, or who knows?

For starters let us observe Göbekli Tepe. Here is something someone on the web wrote about it.

“Göbekli Tepe is regarded as an archaeological discovery of the greatest importance since it could profoundly change the understanding of a crucial stage in the development of human society. Ian Hodder of Stanford University said, "Göbekli Tepe changes everything".[3][40] It shows that the erection of monumental complexes was within the capacities of hunter-gatherers and not only of sedentary farming communities as had been previously assumed. As excavator Klaus Schmidt put it, "First came the temple, then the city (essayweb.net)."

My thoughts on Göbekli Tepe are that it is old, and some of the structures around it are even older, but I only recommend that you do your own research. The Sphinx in Egypt has been aged similarly to Göbekli Tepe by carbon dating.  Now, you can believe what we have been told, and assume that the carbon dating was wrong, but the Shinx has plenty of water erosion which could have only been possible in that region about 10, 000 years before the time of its supposed age. How the pyramids were built and cut would even be difficult to do with today’s technology, so there are many of us out here that really believe there may have possibly been other civilizations on our planet that were more advanced than we are now in the past. Here is an interesting headline from India last year: 10,000-year-old rock paintings depicting aliens and UFOs found in Chhattisgarh. The foregoing was an article by Rashmi Drolia, TNN | Jul 15, 2014. The article simply closes by saying:

"The findings suggest that humans in prehistoric times may have seen or imagined beings from other planets which still create curiosity among people and researchers. Extensive research is needed for further findings. Chhattisgarh presently doesn't have any such expert who could give clarity on the subject," Bhagat told TOI (.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/)

My question is where these depictions of the Nephilim or the Son’s of God mentioned in Genesis 6:1-4? Who knows!? Obviously, there are many mysteries in our world, but I just wanted to use some minor examples. How do we put all this together, and explain it to try and make it all rational in our mind? Now, if we get into some ideas that the Remote Viewers have brought us like the Farsight Institute. The aforementioned tell us some things that seem very farfetched, but perhaps should be given some ear. For instance, we first heard about Atlantis from Plato. The Remote Viewers tell us that the civilization that built Atlantis existed on Earth about 70, 000 years ago, and were about 100 years more advanced than we are now. We cannot prove any of this, it is a mystery, but when put together, they make us wonder. Well, perhaps this is enough rant for one day, but I hope I got your attention with some of it, and I hope I left you with many unanswered questions, as well.

In conclusion, these topics I have briefly discussed have those who defend them adamantly. And, apologetics is really the same thing, defending the Faith. I am a Christian. The reason why I am a Christian is for very simple reasons, in my opinion. For one thing, we have thousands of manuscripts that say the same things. What Saint Paul wrote in The First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians 15:1-12, which I have posted on here before, sounds very convincing to me, especially when he says that the resurrected Christ appeared to more than 500 witnesses, many of which were still alive in his time carries a lot of weight for me. To end, the Scriptures can bring doubt sometimes, but doubt is part of faith. Perhaps the early church should have listened to Marcion of Sinope instead of thinking he was a heretic because then our canon would have been much smaller with very few books. If anything, for the “sola scriptura” defenders there would have been a lot less text to be fundamentalist about, but that sounds like material for another post or maybe someone else’s. I hope I kept your attention span up to now, instead of the opposite. Blessings, have a wonderful summer, and pray for humanity, we all need that!

References or Sources:

http://essayweb.net/history/ancient/gobekli.shtml

JPS Tanakh

RSV Bible

The Book of Enoch

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/10000-year-old-rock-paintings-depicting-aliens-and-UFOs-found-in-Chhattisgarh/articleshow/38435091.cm

http://www.ancienttexts.org/library/ethiopian/enoch/1watchers/watchers.htm

http://www.farsight.org/FarsightPress/Iapetus_main_page.html

I Rest My Case; the Number One Atheist in the World is a Comedian

For starters, I bet the title got your attention, and now you may want to know who this comedian I speak of is and why is he the number one atheist in the world. Secondly, you may want to know why I am resting my case. Well, not so fast, I may have to clear up a thing or two to make my case, although what I said in the title is not really wrong.  Please be patient, I am not trying to leave anyone hanging off a cliff, and I promise this is just a short blog post. At first, it will seem as if I am getting sidetracked for a bit, but in the end all will make sense. Pretend that we are going on a journey, and we will arrive at our final destination, but we will have to make some stops along the way before our arrival. The first stop will be at ideas or at an idea.

I think I have good idea for challenging atheists in the world in their way of thinking. I have noticed one thing, many of the top atheists have never studied theology, but they argue in that subject which is outside their main field of study.  I am not saying that is true for all because there are some such as Dan Barker who has a degree in religion, and was a pastor, although I am not sure if he actually studied Theology.  My point is that the closest many of the top atheists have gone is in the study of Philosophy which is not exactly the same thing, just in case you didn’t know. Now, I would personally recommend that if atheists wanted to make a good case they should have someone with the right training like Bart Ehrman on their side; however, I believe Dr. Ehrman is an agnostic, and must be excluded. The arguing of theology by someone that is not a theologian is a lot like me trying to teach biology when I have only taken, at most, two courses in biology my entire life. Part of what I believe based on some of my thoughts recently which are that atheist, many of which are very nice and pleasant human beings whom I admire and respect like Richard Dawkins, are not really atheist.  But, if atheists are not atheist, what are they? Well this is where this post heads to another stop along our journey.

What I've noticed lately is that atheists are really Materialists because many only seem to believe in what they can see or prove logically, so the argument often is that if something does not make sense logically and is not visible than it is obviously nonexistent. Please correct me if I am wrong, at the bottom of this post there is a place for comments and debate where one can post opinions on this post. The argument I have heard most is that if something is beyond logic, or understanding, or not seen than it is not real. So, why do I say that they are Materialists?

Well, to use a little bit of scientific apologetics for my reasoning, I will share an article from back in May 2011 by Clara Moskowitz on SPACE.com titled: What's 96 Percent of the Universe Made Of? Astronomers Don't Know. Moskowitz begins the article by saying: "All the stars, planets and galaxies that can be seen today make up just 4 percent of the universe. The other 96 percent is made of stuff astronomers can't see, detect or even comprehend. These mysterious substances are called dark energy and dark matter (m.space.com)." In my opinion, not even science is sure of much on this subject, and what we see only accounts for 4% of the material world. Consequently, I would not be so critical of what theology has been saying since the beginning whether one can really understand it or not because as it is there seems to be a whole lot we do not know. If you want to read the entire article the link to it is just below.

Missing: 96 Percent of the Universe | Dark Matter & Dark Energy | The 4% Universe, Richard Panek

Materialism in my opinion is outdated, and general education should include teaching Theology. These days we even have some clergy that have not done theological studies. Based on what I said, it's no wonder many do not want to stay affiliated to any denominations or the sort as we discovered in a recent Pew Research Center study, but that is a subject for another post. Maybe we even have to stop thinking that subjects like parapsychology are pseudoscience. We may actually be on the edge of a new horizon in understanding that we may have never envisioned we would ever reach and how quickly we reached it in our civilization. I would love to see one day soon someone like William "Bill" Maher  invite some Theologians to debate some of the top Atheists on his TV show. My suggestions for panelist would probably be persons like Bart Ehrman, Kathryn Tanner , Craig Evans, or Cardinal Dolan. Perhaps Cardinal Sean O’Malley, or Fr. George Rutler could be some of those guest invited along with some of those top Atheists. I'm not against Atheism; we all have to believe according to our own honest understanding.

   

Now, why did I title this article: I Rest My Case; the Number One Atheist in the World is a Comedian.  Well, I suppose I was trying to get your attention. However, I will let you know who the top Materialists are, or I mean Atheist. According to www.thebestschools.org, and by terms of celebrity status, also determined by a Google search,  the top five most popular atheist are: Woody Allen, Stephen Hawking, Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and Sam Harris (http://www.thebestschools.org/blog/2011/12/01/50-top-atheists-in-the-world-today/). Now, based on seriousness and celebrity status, not just the fact that they deny that God exists, the top five atheists are: Peter Singer, Michael Martin, Kai Nielsen, Quentin Smith, and Daniel Dennett (http://www.thebestschools.org/blog/2011/12/01/50-top-atheists-in-the-world-today/).  Woody Allen has made me laugh tremendously over most of my lifetime and he made the list, so technically I can say that the number one atheist in the world is a comedian.

In closing, I hope you have enjoyed reading my post, and that you found it, at least slightly, thought provoking. Blessings and until next time!

  

  

References:

http://www.thebestschools.org/blog/2011/12/01/50-top-atheists-in-the-world-today/.

http://m.space.com/11642-dark-matter-dark-energy-4-percent-universe-panek.html

http://www.pewforum.org/2015/05/12/americas-changing-religious-landscape/.

Unifying the Faith: The Christian Agenda?

In this post I am simply sharing a brief reflection that I just posted on my ecumenism blog, or the sibling blog to this one which I also write. Anyhow, I hope you enjoy reading it. Blessings! The link to the article is below.



Unifying the Faith: The Christian Agenda?

ABOLISH Daylight Savings TIME

This is one of those things that I feel strongly about. Please like my page on Facebook!


ABOLISH Daylight Savings TIME

Partners in the Crime

Normally, I do not share an article that I have written myself on this very same blog; however, today for some odd reason I find it important do so. The article I speak of is titled: The Sudarium of Oviedo and The Shroud of Turin. I wrote it back on Sunday, September 19, 2010, and it was basically on archeological apologetics dealing with both of the relevant artifacts. I was recently watching a portion of the CNN series Finding Jesus about The Shroud of Turin, and towards the end of the program they brought up The Sudarium of Oviedo and how the blood stains match on both cloths when overlapped. For some reason, despite the contrary arguments, many people still believe there is authenticity just as I do also believe. Ironically, I have Asturian, Galician, and Sephardic lineage, and although I have never bothered to research it, who knows if my very own ancestors may have been actively involved in the preservation of these artifacts at one point in history. Who knows what all is transmitted by them in our DNA’s. Of course, that is not important right now. What is important is that we all get more informed on the significance of these two cloths with relevance to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ if indeed they are both authentic. Anyhow, I hope you enjoy reading the article, and you can use the search engine I provide at the top left hand corner to find it, but the link is provided below to make it easier. Blessings!

Arango's Apologetics Page: The Sudarium of Oviedo and The Shroud of Turin

The First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians 15:1-12

The first 11 verses in the chapter in reference in the title for this post are accepted as a pre-Pauline creed of the early church by many theologians and scholars, if not most. Although, some individuals may have issues with using the Scriptures as a basis for apologetics, unfortunately for them, some do not simply based on the witnesses that are mentioned in this creed to say the least. Anyhow, I really just wanted to post the reading and let you decide for yourself on what you think about it. Therefore, the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians 15:1-12 reads as follows:

[1] Now I would remind you, brethren, in what terms I preached to you the gospel, which you received, in which you stand,

[2] by which you are saved, if you hold it fast -- unless you believed in vain.

[3] For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures,

[4] that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures,

[5] and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

[6] Then he appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.

[7] Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.

[8] Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.

[9] For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

[10] But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God which is with me.

[11] Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

[12] Now if Christ is preached as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?

Reference:

Bible, Revised Standard Version

Peace to You!

Many people love making the peace sign as a greeting. In reality, simply using the phrase "peace to you" conveys a huge message. The peace as part of the liturgy in church goes back to the early church. In fact, St. Paul began almost all of his letters in the canon with the phrase “Grace to you and peace...." Using peace as a greeting is a huge deal, if you ask me. The Western Church just celebrated Easter this past Sunday, and the Eastern Church celebrates it this coming Sunday. One of the first things Jesus said to the disciples after his resurrection was actually the phrase “Peace to you." My point in saying all this is that we need to keep on saying it until the whole world says it together and means it. When this act becomes a reality in words, it will quite possibly also become a reality in the lives of all human beings.

Since it is Easter, I wanted to share a reading from the Gospel of Luke in which Jesus appears to the disciples after the resurrection. The reading is found in Luke 24:36-53, and is in quotes below:

"[36] As they were saying this, Jesus himself stood among them.

[37] But they were startled and frightened, and supposed that they saw a spirit.

[38] And he said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do questionings rise in your hearts?

[39] See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself; handle me, and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have."

[41] And while they still disbelieved for joy, and wondered, he said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?"

[42] They gave him a piece of broiled fish,

[43] and he took it and ate before them.

[44] Then he said to them, "These are my words which I spoke to you, while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled."

[45] Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures,

[46] and said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead,

[47] and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

[48] You are witnesses of these things.

[49] And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city, until you are clothed with power from on high."

[50] Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them.

[51] While he blessed them, he parted from them, and was carried up into heaven.

[52] And they returned to Jerusalem with great joy,

[53] and were continually in the temple blessing God (RSV Bible)."

I hope everyone enjoyed reading this portion of the Scriptures. Happy Easter and blessings! Peace to you!

Reference:

Bible, Revised Standard Version

A Holy Week Post

Since this week is Holy Week I wanted to share something on here. I felt that the Gospel reading from this past Sunday would be appropriate. I hope everyone is having a pleasant and reflective week. The reading is from the Gospel of Mark. Blessings!

Mark 15:1-39

[1] And as soon as it was morning the chief priests, with the elders and scribes, and the whole council held a consultation; and they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him to Pilate.

[2] And Pilate asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" And he answered him, "You have said so." 

[3] And the chief priests accused him of many things. 

[4] And Pilate again asked him, "Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you." 

[5] But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate wondered. 

[6] Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked.

[7] And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barab'bas. 

[8] And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he was wont to do for them. 

[9] And he answered them, "Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?" 

[10] For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up. 

[11] But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barab'bas instead. 

[12] And Pilate again said to them, "Then what shall I do with the man whom you call the King of the Jews?" 

[13] And they cried out again, "Crucify him." 

[14] And Pilate said to them, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they shouted all the more, "Crucify him." 

[15] So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barab'bas; and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. 

[16] And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the praetorium); and they called together the whole battalion.

[17] And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and plaiting a crown of thorns they put it on him. 

[18] And they began to salute him, "Hail, King of the Jews!" 

[19] And they struck his head with a reed, and spat upon him, and they knelt down in homage to him. 

[20] And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak, and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him. 

[21] And they compelled a passer-by, Simon of Cyre'ne, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross.

[22] And they brought him to the place called Gol'gotha (which means the place of a skull). 

[23] And they offered him wine mingled with myrrh; but he did not take it. 

[24] And they crucified him, and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. 

[25] And it was the third hour, when they crucified him. 

[26] And the inscription of the charge against him read, "The King of the Jews." 

[27] And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. 

[29] And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads, and saying, "Aha! You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, 

[30] save yourself, and come down from the cross!" 

[31] So also the chief priests mocked him to one another with the scribes, saying, "He saved others; he cannot save himself. 

[32] Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe." Those who were crucified with him also reviled him. 

[33] And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.

[34] And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, "E'lo-i, E'lo-i, la'ma sabach-tha'ni?" which means, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" 

[35] And some of the bystanders hearing it said, "Behold, he is calling Eli'jah." 

[36] And one ran and, filling a sponge full of vinegar, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, "Wait, let us see whether Eli'jah will come to take him down." 

[37] And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed his last. 

[38] And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. 

[39] And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that he thus breathed his last, he said, "Truly this man was the Son of God!"

Reference:

Bible: Revised Standard Version

A Brief Video Clip on the Sudarium of Oviedo

Back on Sunday, September 19, 2010, I wrote a post titled: The Sudarium of Oviedo and The Shroud of Turin. This relevant brief video clip discusses the Sudarium. I just wanted to share with those of you that are fascinated by this subject. I hope you enjoy watching! Blessings! Please follow the link below.



Did this cloth cover Jesus' face after crucifixion? - CNN Video




Reference:

http://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2015/02/25/finding-jesus-shroud-4.cnn/video/playlists/finding-jesus/

Unifying the Faith: The Names of the 21 Heroes

Hello, and I hope that we are all having a good month of February. This is a very brief post. I simply wanted to share a new post from my other blog, so that everyone has a chance to read it. The link to the article is below. I hope you enjoy reading it. Blessings!
 
the Faith: The Names of the 21 Heroes

Attacked for Speaking Truth by Bill Tammeus

When it comes to politics I consider myself a moderate. On some issues I am on the right, and I am more to the left on others. When it comes to theology I am about the same. I am somewhere along the Via Media, one might say. This blog is supposedly about defending the Faith; however, what has been the representation of our Faith historically by certain so called believers in our historical past often times cannot really be defended because their actions were contrary to what the foundations of our Faith are all about. In fact, there are many illustrations of those contrary actions of which I speak. On December 12^th, 2010, I posted an article titled: The Crusades. The Crusades were a good example of those actions or events in history that cannot really be defended as a positive representation of what Christianity should be all about simply based on how Jesus said we should act or behave as his followers. The Expulsion of the Jews from Spain is another good example. Moreover, there are many times in our past that Christians have misrepresented the Faith by committing horrendous acts. During the Crusades Western Christians did not only fight Muslims, they also killed Eastern Christians and looted Constantinople. Christians also have a history of burning people. On October 27th, 1553, John Calvin had Michael Servetus, a known Spanish physician of his day burned at the stake just outside of Geneva because of his different doctrinal beliefs. Centuries ago, Spanish Christians burned many natives such as Hatuey in Cuba because they did not convert. The list goes on and on.  It is almost miracle the Faith has survived for 2000 years because some of those documented events were evil and dark, if you ask me. Well, Christianity survived because most of the time believers have done far more good than bad. However, this does not mean that we can deny or ignore what some have called an “inglorious past.” So, what is with all the Christianity bashing on this post, you might ask? Well, this brings me to a post I wanted to share that is a mixture of politics and religion…one of the two best topics to bring up anywhere which normally results in a heated dispute…lol.

The article I want to share was posted on February 10^th, 2015 by Bill Tammeus on his blog, Bill's 'Faith Matters' Blog, and it is titled: Attacked for speaking truth. The article is about President Obama, and how he has been attacked verbally by many for something he said during the National Prayer Breakfast last week. Of course, if you ask me what many have repeated that he said was really taken out of context for the purpose of politicizing, and that is not very Christian-like to start with…. What I like about the article written by Bill Tammeus is that he tells us what the President said clearly. I am sharing it because I want you to read and form your own opinion. I am not one who sides with the President on many issues, although I do agree on some. Anyhow, it was a great article! I really think the ones that made the criticisms are either very ignorant or they just like to politicize issues for their own convenience since they know many Americans are too lazy and do not bother reading an entire speech by the president. Many simply assume the person making the comments would never lie to them. I especially like the comment Bill made about what the president was really doing when he said what he said. The comment was the following: "It was exactly the right point to make at a prayer breakfast. In effect, he was mirroring Jesus when he told someone to remove the log from his own eye before attempting to remove the speck from someone else's eye. A little humility about our religious history is always in order." Anyhow, if you need a Scripture reference for this passage mentioned by Bill, it can be found in the Gospel of Mathew 7:3-5 or in Luke Chapter 6. Bill said at the start of his article: "I wish I could say I'm surprised at some of the blowback President Obama has been receiving from politicians and certain religious leaders to his remarks last week at the National Prayer Breakfast. I’m not. It's what we've come to expect from the far right of both politics and religion. But even if I'm not surprised, I am appalled." Behind all the criticism what was going on was not even propaganda, in my opinion, it was a lie that was being told. In the end, what really ended up happening was that the President asked for new authority to use force against ISIS. Read all about it: "White House to ask Congress for new authority to use force against Islamic State: http://reut.rs/1CRjV9B. " I really don’t want to get side tracked because I really want you to read the article by Bill Tammeus, and see why I thought it was a really great article. The link to it is below. 

Attacked for speaking truth: 2-10-15 (Bill's 'Faith Matters' Blog)




Reference:

http://billtammeus.typepad.com/my_weblog/2015/02/2-10-15.html

Is Access to God Only Through Jesus?

I simply had to share this second video ever posted on my blog. It is a very short, 2 minute and 45 second clip.The video is of Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori of the Episcopal Church speaking a few years ago. In the video she seems to be addressing the topic of Soteriology. Moreover, she seems to be addressing the question: if access to God must be through Jesus? At this point in my life as a Christian, I completely agree with her view. I am sharing because it is my understanding that an out of context quote in The New York Times seems to have upset some. I hope you enjoy watching. Blessings!

Reference:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IxG96wpx60

Is the only way to God through Jesus? - YouTube

Another Christmas Has Passed

The Feast of the Nativity According to the Flesh of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ is behind, and another year is now yet to come. The question in my mind is still that it has been nearly 2000 years since Jesus’ birth and yet it is possible we do not really fully know or understand why He came. Isaiah 1:3 in the JPS Tanakh reads as follows:

"The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib; but Israel doth not know, My people doth not consider."

Of course, many claim that they know why He came, and that they know who He was. Some say he was The Messiah, some say He was the Son of God, some say He was the Second Adam, and some say many other things. But, is it possible that the ox and the ass in that manger knew what we still to this day do not know? The German Theologian, Paul Tillich, once said: "Doubt is not the opposite of faith; it is one element of faith." Perhaps, on this journey of faith we are slowly beginning to know, but are yet very far from knowing, although we may think we know. Jeremiah 4:22 in the JPS Tanakh reads as follows:

“For My people is foolish, they know Me not; they are sottish children, and they have no understanding; they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.”

The Gospel of Mathew in Chapter 16: 13-17 in the RSV Bible reads as follows:

“Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesare'a Philip'pi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do men say that the Son of man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, others say Eli'jah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter replied, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven…’”

Some read the passage, and are convinced they understand; however, others read and ask for understanding. Blessings and a prosperous new year are what I desire for all of you! I also hope that we never stop asking questions with the hope that perhaps one day we will know.

References:

JPS Tanakh

RSV Bible