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Saturday, February 11, 2017

Thinking about Earth’s History and Getting Sidetracked by Job

Hello! I hope everyone is doing well. Happy February (the shortest of all the twelve months in the year)! I am one of those people that love making posts on Facebook. One never knows what I will post about on any given day at any given time, and that includes me. All I know is that the topics have a very broad range of possibilities from political to musical…who knows. Recently, I posted something off the wall about the Sphinx. I said the following:

Let's suppose that the Sphinx really is 800, 000 years old based on erosion, wouldn't that just mean we don’t know anything at all about our history, perhaps. Also, considering that the Earth is millions of years old, it is highly possible that we are just one of many civilizations that have inhabited this planet. Just a thought!

One friend asked what I was smoking, and another said something to the affect that neither idea was true, and could be a leftist thought that could probably sway one from the faith. Both responses sounded pretty rational since the post was obviously extremely controversial based on our understanding of history and Judeo-Christian thought, as well. My response to them was the following:

Not smoking anything...lol! Not a leftist thing either. It's a thing a small group of geologist believes. Now, with relevance to God, it is very difficult to make a case against the faith. In fact, a Young Earth fundamentalism approach to Scriptures can sway one from the faith easier than one would assume. It is very difficult to determine a timeline in certain parts of Scriptures. For example, the first four verses in Genesis 6 could have taken a million years to elapse...we really don't know…. Who are we to set limitations on God?

That question, who are we to set limitations on God, immediately made me think of Job. Now, if you don’t know the story of Job, I will not spoil it for you by telling it. But, Job is possibly the oldest book in the Hebrew canon part of the Bible or the Old Testament. Job was a very rich guy that lived in the land of Uz. He had a large family and owned a lot of livestock. Anyhow, he was a pretty good guy, and something catastrophic happened to him, and he questions God. Of course, I have summarized the story which is way more detailed and graphic. But, what made me think of Job initially was really a specific verse in the book in which God answers Job and says to him: ““Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding.” Basically, my thought with relevance to what I posted on Facebook is that isn’t it just like God to let us know or make us aware that we really don’t know anything or understand anything in contrast to Him (all knowing). And, when I say us, I mean everyone because whether you are an Evolutionist or Creationist, and Atheist or not, if the Sphinx really was built by a civilization 800, 000 years ago it would basically mean that most of us have it all wrong. Except, those few geologists that may be right, I would like to meet because if they really are possibly right we may have to rewrite history in a major way. I hope you enjoyed reading, and I hope you fact check anything I say, not because I may be wrong, but because it is good research. Also, below I wanted to share the first seven verses of Job: 38. Enjoy reading!

                "The Lord Answers Job

1 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind:

2 “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?

3 Gird up your loins like a man,
                  I will question you, and you shall declare to me.

4 “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
                Tell me, if you have understanding.

5 Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
                Or who stretched the line upon it?

6 On what were its bases sunk,
                or who laid its cornerstone

7 when the morning stars sang together
                and all the heavenly beings[a] shouted for joy (NRSV)?"

Footnotes:
Job 38:7 Heb sons of God









Reference:


NRSV Bible

Sunday, January 22, 2017

Do you know About the Defects of Jesus?

Do you know about the defects of Jesus? Personally, I never knew that Jesus had any defects; however, while reading an article on aleteia.org, I discovered that he actually did because of Vietnamese cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan. The following are excerpts from that article:

“Vietnamese cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan’s extraordinary life deserves to be better known, particularly his great love for the Holy Eucharist. Imprisoned by the communist regime for thirteen years (9 of which were spent in solitary confinement), the priest ministered to others throughout his ordeal....

In an address in 2,000 Van Thuan declared that he had “…met the living Jesus; he fascinated me. I followed him – because I love the defects of Jesus.” His address may be found in one of his books, Testimony of Hope (aleteia.org).”


Well, I also love the defects of Jesus after reading The 5 Defects of Jesus. Read all about them in the full article at the following link. Blessings!


The 5 defects of Jesus - Religion - Aleteia.org – Worldwide Catholic Network Sharing Faith Resources for those seeking Truth – Aleteia.org









Reference:


http://aleteia.org/2017/01/18/the-5-defects-of-jesus/?


Sunday, January 1, 2017

Happy 2017!

Wishing all have a wonderful new year! May 2017 be filled with many blessings.

Saturday, December 24, 2016

Feliz Navidad a todos! Merry Christmas!

Feliz Navidad a todos! Merry Christmas!

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Who is Christ?

I suppose that based on the title of this post I am getting ready to explain or answer the question, who is Christ. Well, yes and no! Since it is the season of Advent and Christmas is practically around the corner, I suppose sharing or reaffirming who Christ isn't a bad idea. However, one might ask: why all this hullabaloo about Jesus for almost 2000 years, now? Well, I can tell you what the first Christians believed simply based on St. Paul's writings, and trust me he wrote most of the New Testament, and planted most of the early churches we read about in it, so I can assure what he said was pretty much what they believed, unless you where gnostic. And, if you were gnostic back then it is possible that your views on Christ would have seemed a bit delusional. Regardless, what I am about to share probably sounds a bit gnostic since it explains the divinity of Christ in a clear way. Anyhow, enough said, the following texts are from the Epistle of Paul to the Colossians.

Colossians 1:15-23 (NRSV)

"The Supremacy of Christ

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; 16 for in[a] him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He himself is before all things, and in[b] him all things hold together. 18 He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

21 And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled[c] in his fleshly body[d] through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him— 23 provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven. I, Paul, became a servant of this gospel (NRSV)."



I hope you enjoyed reading. Blessings and I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas, just in case I don't post again before then.







Reference:

NRSV Bible

Friday, November 11, 2016

Nobody is Right if Everybody is Wrong, but also Nobody is Wrong if Everybody is Right

Nobody is right if everybody is wrong, but also nobody is wrong if everybody is right. Obviously, part of that line comes from the song For What it’s Worth written by Stephen Stills back in his days with the band, Buffalo Springfield. On November 8th, in the United States it was Election Day. We voted for many of our future political leaders, for various political issues, and also for who will be the president for the next 4 years. The leading candidates who got the majority of the votes were Hillary Clinton (D), and Donald Trump (R). The moments leading up to the election were very intense and harsh. In the early morning hours of November 9th, Hillary Clinton conceded to Donald Trump, and he will now be the president. Of course, the supporters of Mrs. Clinton think she was the right candidate, and the supporters of Mr. Trump believe he won fair and square based on the electoral vote count. And, this is correct; Mr. Trump had the most electoral votes thus making him the winner. However, if one looks at the popular vote, it seems that Hillary is possibly a winner too, but either way the popular vote is indeed very close. What this means to me is that the United States is very polarized in our political views thus making us quite divided as a people. Everyone is really aware of this problem, but we don’t seem to figure out a way to solve it via dialogue. Moreover, no one seems to be willing to compromise any of their personal views. But, I do have and know of a solution.

I believe the solution to our problems and for post-election healing lies in what Jesus said two millenniums ago: “love God..., and love your neighbor as yourself.” Of course, if every human being is not on board with this idea, it isn't an effective solution. The alternative is however to continue beating our heads against the wall. What I love about Christianity is that not one gets a free ride; Jesus didn't make it easy for anyone, regardless of whether you are on the right or left politically. Yes, this is my best post-election idea for the healing of our country based on one of the biggest principles in Christianity. In the Gospel of Matthew 22:36-40, Jesus was asked which was the greatest commandment in the Law. Jesus’ response was “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments (NIV Bible).” I am convinced that if everyone practices these two commandments, we can easily solve all of our differences; however, it is up to us. The ones that are unhappy with the results can go to an extreme, and chose revolution, but based on my personal experience coming from a country that experienced revolution; I think this is the worst choice.

My views on revolution based on personal experience are the following. A revolution, past or future, if it commits violence against fellow human beings and does not give them due process is not a revolution. It's criminals committing crimes, and using civil disobedience to justify their out of control urges. Of course, uneducated people or people with no morals are often the authors in such a revolution. Ultimately, many innocent people die, and the instigators also end up dead sooner or later. Radical ideas that threaten institutions often become institutions that are threatened by radical ideas.... And thus, the human condition is a vicious cycle that repeats.

To close, I wanted to say that we often hear people say “he is a Christian” or “she is a Christian.” I think we should instead realistically be saying “he claims to be a Christian,” or “she claims to be a Christian.” In all honesty, if we are not following what Jesus said was the greatest commandment, we probably aren't really Christians anyhow, and we are actually just claiming that we are. My final thought is to put yourself in someone else's shoes, and you might learn a thing or two. Whether you agree with their political views or not! Now, if this is too difficult for you, you might not be a redneck, but you might very well be a very arrogant person.We need to arrive at place in which nobody is right if everybody is wrong, but also nobody is wrong if everybody is right.Thanks for reading! Blessings!









Reference:

NIV Bible

Thursday, November 3, 2016

Happy Eighth Birthday!

Today this blog turns eight years old. Happy Birthday to Arango's Apologetics Page!