Posts
(Yes, clumsy title. However, it is pretty descriptive, and I can't be bothered to think of another one. So it stays!)
I was in a department store with some of my family today. It fell to me to take care of my little sister, and the rest of my family left the shop while I searched for somewhere to pay with my little sister. My little sister is three.
So, my little sister gave something I wanted to buy to the woman behind the counter. And the woman behind the counter said to my little sister, "I'll put that in a little bag for you and you can carry it for mummy."
!!!!!
She quite obviously thought that I was my little sister's mummy, and I just smiled. There was no point in doing anything else.
After she'd put my purchases in a bag, she handed them to my little sister, and said, "You can carry it for mummy."
I'm not sure what my little sister thought of this. She knows I'm not her mummy.
I suppose it's just as well that I'm past the stage where I'd be offended if someone suggested that my little sister is my child.
Oh, and while shopping, my sister and I bought identical black skirts. It's been a long time since we've had anything identical. Last time we bought identical clothes we were quite a bit younger, and so the clothes were in different sizes. This time, though, our identical clothes are identical sizes. Fun, fun, fun.
I think one, or both, of us will have to find a permanent marker and mark the label of the skirt(s) so that there can be no arguments about whose skirt is awaiting the washing machine and whose skirt has just finished drying on the radiator.
However, it would be fun to dress almost identically and go somewhere. We've both got pink roll neck jumpers (albeit slightly different) and pink tee shirts (again, slightly different) but I hope the overall effect would be enough to make people think they were seeing double...
Tuesday, 28 October 2008
Friday, 24 October 2008
5 reasons why there probably is a God
According to the BBC, some buses in London will carry the slogan "There is probably no God. Now stop worrying and get on with your life" at some point next year. I know this isn't new news, because I read about the buses first on Tuesday, but I thought it gave me an ideal excuse to list a few reasons why I believe that there is a God. I don't present them to you as a water tight argument, because I've got passed the stage of worrying about God's existence and on to the stage of worrying about what he would have me do.
1) Creation. Although some people believe the world came into being from nothing, that is not very logical. Logic dictates that if you take nothing, and leave nothing alone for a long time, after the time has passed you will still have nothing. That does make God into something of a problem—if God caused everything, then what caused God? And I would say to you that, given the other evidences for a God, it makes more sense to believe in a creator God than it does to believe in something coming from nothing.
2) Moral absolutes. Can one know the difference between right and wrong? Undoubtably. Are the basic principles of right and wrong the same for everyone? Certainly. Is there a God given standard of right and wrong? No, for there is no God. If there is no God given standard of right and wrong, how can we know the difference between right and wrong? Right and wrong is something arbitrarily decided by government, parents, and others in authority. However, different people are in authority all over the globe, and therefore the basic principles of right and wrong are different for everyone—in direct contradiction to our second premise that the basic principles of right and wrong are the same for everyone. Therefore, there must be a God given standard of right and wrong, and for there to be a God given standard of right and wrong there has to be a God.
3) The Bible. No, I am not joking with you.
The Old Testament has been carefully kept by the Jews, and the New Testament has more documentary evidence in its favour than any other book of its time. There is no real reason to doubt the authenticity of either. When the Bible is compared with other sources of history, it is reliable: so why doubt the Bible’s testimony on things which aren’t as easy to check up on?
It’s also noticeable that when society runs on the Bible’s principles, it works very well, and it’s only when society departs from Biblical principles that problems begin. The Bible’s portrayal of man is accurate and very real, so why doubt its portrayal of God?
4) Widespread tradition. It’s noticeable that throughout history, most humans have believed in some kind of God. It is the way that it always has been. And that suggests that God actually exists, and that at one point all men knew him.
The Biblical story of Adam and Eve fits this perfectly, for if all descended from ancestors who worshipped a God that they had seen and knew only too well it would not be surprising for them to continue worshipping some kind of god, even if they forgot exactly what their god was like. It’s also noticeable that most people worshipped a pretty angry god who they would pacify with offerings—and that would fit with Adam and Eve being thrown out of the garden.
5) The lack of any compulsive arguments against Christianity. As a Christian, I cannot believe there is no God: it is the Christian God, the one true God, in whom I believe. And I have never read or heard any thing against Christianity that holds any water when looked into properly.
Related to this, the early Christians. They gave their lives. They lived so close to the time of Christ that they would have known had it all been an elaborate hoax. But instead of giving up their faith when challenged, they gave their lives.
Finally, I should note that it does no one any good to be convinced of God’s existence; one has to actually have their lives transformed by a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ before their knowledge of God is any good at all. And so my purpose in sharing these feeble reasons is not to start an argument (and indeed, I’m not convinced that’s possible to do with about two readers) but to try and explain why I disagree with Dawkins and all his atheist friends.
1) Creation. Although some people believe the world came into being from nothing, that is not very logical. Logic dictates that if you take nothing, and leave nothing alone for a long time, after the time has passed you will still have nothing. That does make God into something of a problem—if God caused everything, then what caused God? And I would say to you that, given the other evidences for a God, it makes more sense to believe in a creator God than it does to believe in something coming from nothing.
2) Moral absolutes. Can one know the difference between right and wrong? Undoubtably. Are the basic principles of right and wrong the same for everyone? Certainly. Is there a God given standard of right and wrong? No, for there is no God. If there is no God given standard of right and wrong, how can we know the difference between right and wrong? Right and wrong is something arbitrarily decided by government, parents, and others in authority. However, different people are in authority all over the globe, and therefore the basic principles of right and wrong are different for everyone—in direct contradiction to our second premise that the basic principles of right and wrong are the same for everyone. Therefore, there must be a God given standard of right and wrong, and for there to be a God given standard of right and wrong there has to be a God.
3) The Bible. No, I am not joking with you.
The Old Testament has been carefully kept by the Jews, and the New Testament has more documentary evidence in its favour than any other book of its time. There is no real reason to doubt the authenticity of either. When the Bible is compared with other sources of history, it is reliable: so why doubt the Bible’s testimony on things which aren’t as easy to check up on?
It’s also noticeable that when society runs on the Bible’s principles, it works very well, and it’s only when society departs from Biblical principles that problems begin. The Bible’s portrayal of man is accurate and very real, so why doubt its portrayal of God?
4) Widespread tradition. It’s noticeable that throughout history, most humans have believed in some kind of God. It is the way that it always has been. And that suggests that God actually exists, and that at one point all men knew him.
The Biblical story of Adam and Eve fits this perfectly, for if all descended from ancestors who worshipped a God that they had seen and knew only too well it would not be surprising for them to continue worshipping some kind of god, even if they forgot exactly what their god was like. It’s also noticeable that most people worshipped a pretty angry god who they would pacify with offerings—and that would fit with Adam and Eve being thrown out of the garden.
5) The lack of any compulsive arguments against Christianity. As a Christian, I cannot believe there is no God: it is the Christian God, the one true God, in whom I believe. And I have never read or heard any thing against Christianity that holds any water when looked into properly.
Related to this, the early Christians. They gave their lives. They lived so close to the time of Christ that they would have known had it all been an elaborate hoax. But instead of giving up their faith when challenged, they gave their lives.
Finally, I should note that it does no one any good to be convinced of God’s existence; one has to actually have their lives transformed by a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ before their knowledge of God is any good at all. And so my purpose in sharing these feeble reasons is not to start an argument (and indeed, I’m not convinced that’s possible to do with about two readers) but to try and explain why I disagree with Dawkins and all his atheist friends.
Friday, 17 October 2008
Six Random Things About Me
First, a quick acknowledgment to my sister, who did this first on her blog. Oh, and I wrote all the top five four days ago, but couldn't think of a sixth so didn't post. However, I finally thought of a sixth, so here you are...
1. I aim to cover my head full time, and have been doing so now for about six months. I use a wide headband sometimes, though, and for some reason I feel that’s almost cheating. Anyway, 1 Corinthians 11:1-15 is my basis for covering.
2. When I was very small, my favorite stuffed toy was a dog named Timmy after the dog in the famous five books. I still have this cuddly toy, though it does not now travel to relatives and on holiday with me.
3. I currently think that I would like to be a childminder when I grow up. This does not mean much, as it is merely the latest job in a list of several (and also it's not a very feasible job for me!). In the past, I have thought that I would like to be (in alphabetical order) a lawyer, secretary, teacher, or writer. Lawyer and teacher are definitely ruled out, though, because I don’t really want to go to university.
4. I don’t like the telephone. It is the most dreadful thing ever. It rings, and you have no clue who is on the other end; but if you pick up the phone, you have to speak to this random person. You phone someone, and you have no idea who’s going to pick up the phone or whether they want to speak to you. If something has to be said, letters are best. Failing that, face to face is good. But the phone? Not if I have to use it. Oh, and there are some people who I can phone and talk to on the phone perfectly happily. The problem, though, is that they all live with me.
5. I have a deep hatred of arriving at appointments, church services, and similar things late. Arriving at 3:28 when you’re supposed to be there at 3:30 is almost tragic, and arriving at 3:31 is so awful that one may as well slink off home and pretend that they never intended to turn up in the first place. I don’t know whether this has been bred or trained into me, though, because one of my parents also dislikes being late; however, I am a little more relaxed with friends—3:31 instead of 3:30 is not tragic, but 3:36 is.
6. I hate algebra but love geometry.
1. I aim to cover my head full time, and have been doing so now for about six months. I use a wide headband sometimes, though, and for some reason I feel that’s almost cheating. Anyway, 1 Corinthians 11:1-15 is my basis for covering.
2. When I was very small, my favorite stuffed toy was a dog named Timmy after the dog in the famous five books. I still have this cuddly toy, though it does not now travel to relatives and on holiday with me.
3. I currently think that I would like to be a childminder when I grow up. This does not mean much, as it is merely the latest job in a list of several (and also it's not a very feasible job for me!). In the past, I have thought that I would like to be (in alphabetical order) a lawyer, secretary, teacher, or writer. Lawyer and teacher are definitely ruled out, though, because I don’t really want to go to university.
4. I don’t like the telephone. It is the most dreadful thing ever. It rings, and you have no clue who is on the other end; but if you pick up the phone, you have to speak to this random person. You phone someone, and you have no idea who’s going to pick up the phone or whether they want to speak to you. If something has to be said, letters are best. Failing that, face to face is good. But the phone? Not if I have to use it. Oh, and there are some people who I can phone and talk to on the phone perfectly happily. The problem, though, is that they all live with me.
5. I have a deep hatred of arriving at appointments, church services, and similar things late. Arriving at 3:28 when you’re supposed to be there at 3:30 is almost tragic, and arriving at 3:31 is so awful that one may as well slink off home and pretend that they never intended to turn up in the first place. I don’t know whether this has been bred or trained into me, though, because one of my parents also dislikes being late; however, I am a little more relaxed with friends—3:31 instead of 3:30 is not tragic, but 3:36 is.
6. I hate algebra but love geometry.
Monday, 6 October 2008
Nice dogs, wonderful caption
see more puppies
I have to say that I wish I discovered that site earlier. The pictures are nice, and the captions are good.
And yes, I did squish the picture slightly. :-/ I must be incompetent, for I couldn't figure out any other way of resizing it.
Oh dear and oh well
Some stones are better left the right side up.
Some things are better never said.
Some itches are better left unscratched.
Self control. Self control. Self control.
Oh dear. And oh well.
One day, I will learn this, and maybe one day my siblings will learn it too. Yes, I do argue with my siblings, and they do argue with me, and we did argue today...is that relevant?
I'm not sure.
Does it matter?
Yes.
Do I care?
Not really. Not now I've written what I wanted to write, sort of publicized my fleeting feelings.
It's strange. I had several ideas for blog posts, and in the end I have an irresistible urge to post this. But never mind.
Some things are better never said.
Some itches are better left unscratched.
Self control. Self control. Self control.
Oh dear. And oh well.
One day, I will learn this, and maybe one day my siblings will learn it too. Yes, I do argue with my siblings, and they do argue with me, and we did argue today...is that relevant?
I'm not sure.
Does it matter?
Yes.
Do I care?
Not really. Not now I've written what I wanted to write, sort of publicized my fleeting feelings.
It's strange. I had several ideas for blog posts, and in the end I have an irresistible urge to post this. But never mind.
Thursday, 2 October 2008
One more verse
But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we do all fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. —Isaiah 64:6
Emphasis mine, again. I think it's easy to forget that nothing we do can make us right with God, easy to forget that as Christians we're supposed to bring glory to God, and easy to forget that both strutting around saying "Look at me, I match God's word perfectly" and slouching around saying "God's grace saves us, therefore we can do what we like" are not glorifying God. That's right, neither of them.
Rather, we should highlight God's grace and mercy to sinners without assuming that God's grace and mercy gives us license to sin whenever and however we desire, without taking God's grace and mercy for granted.
Wednesday, 1 October 2008
Following on from yesterday...
Remember that verse I posted yesterday about not being ashamed of Jesus' words?
Well, I'm now going to say that I think most Christians today are confused about what Jesus actually said, confused as to what the Bible actually states. In fact, I don't think: I know. There are many views on every little thing in the Bible, and two churches in the same city will preach totally different things. On one side of the road we will have the pentecostal charismatic church, and on the other side of the road we will have the methodist church. Down the road there will be the Catholic church, and the other side of the city will be the Church of England church. All teaching different things, and living in different ways. And when you add to this the fact that in these churches different people will believe different things, you have even more confusion.
Okay, I don't have all the answers to all these people's differences, but I do have the Bible, which is the inerrant word of God. And from the Bible, I can draw conclusions about a lot of things. From the Bible, I can decide that the Roman Catholics believe a false gospel, and most churches which speak in tongues should not be doing so, and all sorts of other wonderful things. I can even decide that it is pleasing to God if a Christian behaves in certain ways, and therefore displeasing to God if a Christian does the opposite.
However, once I have decided these things from the information that I have on hand, from Bible verses and the accepted interpretation of them in my home, I am then somehow being evil, judgemental, and legalistic. I am focusing on works, and not on grace. I am somehow adding to God's word, and all because I don't happen to want to subtract from it and downplay issues which will annoy people.
I'm now going to use an example. Suppose I frequented a place where christian women wore tops so low that every time they bent over in front of me I could see a large proportion of their chest. Suppose some of these tops were cut so that I could see the woman's chest even when they weren't bending over. And I'll note that by ''chest" I actually mean that area of a woman's chest which should be seen by no other person than her husband. Yes, that does mean that if she has no husband, then she should keep it totally private.
Now, suppose I went to my Bible and saw that Jesus said that if a man lusts after a woman, he has broken the commandment not to commit adultery. Suppose I also read Song of Songs, and noticed that from what it said there, seeing a woman's breasts could conceivably cause men to lust. Suppose that I then read that a woman should dress modestly in one of Paul's letters. And, to top it all, suppose that I read that no one should cause another Christian to stumble.
It would be not inconceivable for me to connect all the dots, and decide that it was sinful for a woman to wear a low cut top. Now suppose that I suggested this to someone who wore a low cut top, suppose I mentioned my opinion that women should not wear low cut tops.
There are no prizes for guessing that I might be told to mind my own business, and accused of turning salvation into something which could be gained by man's works. "You pharisee, how dare you!" might conceivably be the response. Someone would smile sweetly, and explain that grace was all that mattered, forgetting that Jesus' words to a woman he forgave were no others than "go and sin no more." They'd say that because they'd been saved by grace, they could do what they liked.
And, you know, I think that many Christians who know what they believe and why are put off stating it for fear that they will be labeled legalistic by those around them. After all, it's so much easier just to say, "Oh, to say women shouldn't wear low cut tops is legalistic. I shall wear what I like, as Salvation is all of grace" than to go and examine the Scriptures to see if it really is true that low cut tops should not really be worn by Christians. It's hugely off putting if you know that to stand up and say that something is wrong or right will mean that other Christians will turn their backs without even properly considering what you're saying.
So, my options seem to be either to be confused as to what I actually believe—no thanks!—or to be called legalistic—and again, I don't actually want that. But I can tell you this, and that is that if two people have two directly opposed opinions on what the Word of God says on a particular topic, only one of these people can be right. God's Word never contradicts itself.
However, I think we—as Christians—need to know what we believe and state it, rather than drift around confused as to what we believe and afraid to state it lest someone cries 'legalism' on us. Speak the truth in love, yes, but don't refrain from speaking the truth; I think there are many Christians who simply won't consider certain issues until these issues are pointed out to them in words of one syllable (I am most probably one of them)...not because they deliberately want to ignore the issue, but because they genuinely have never considered the issue in the light of God's Word.
Finally, I also think I need to read my Bible a bit more so that instead of saying "I think, I think, I think" I can say "God's Word says, God's Word says, God's Word says". Oh, and I should also state that I really don't know how exactly one speaks the truth in love, and therefore can only say 'forgive me' if I speak the truth harshly. Maybe I should find out how one speaks the truth in love, but I'm sure speaking the truth in love doesn't mean downplaying the truth. However, if you don't downplay the truth people don't normally consider it's been spoken in love, and so...
Share the gospel with unbelievers and believers, yes, but go further with the believers and state the impact the rest of God's Word should conceivably have on their life.
Well, I'm now going to say that I think most Christians today are confused about what Jesus actually said, confused as to what the Bible actually states. In fact, I don't think: I know. There are many views on every little thing in the Bible, and two churches in the same city will preach totally different things. On one side of the road we will have the pentecostal charismatic church, and on the other side of the road we will have the methodist church. Down the road there will be the Catholic church, and the other side of the city will be the Church of England church. All teaching different things, and living in different ways. And when you add to this the fact that in these churches different people will believe different things, you have even more confusion.
Okay, I don't have all the answers to all these people's differences, but I do have the Bible, which is the inerrant word of God. And from the Bible, I can draw conclusions about a lot of things. From the Bible, I can decide that the Roman Catholics believe a false gospel, and most churches which speak in tongues should not be doing so, and all sorts of other wonderful things. I can even decide that it is pleasing to God if a Christian behaves in certain ways, and therefore displeasing to God if a Christian does the opposite.
However, once I have decided these things from the information that I have on hand, from Bible verses and the accepted interpretation of them in my home, I am then somehow being evil, judgemental, and legalistic. I am focusing on works, and not on grace. I am somehow adding to God's word, and all because I don't happen to want to subtract from it and downplay issues which will annoy people.
I'm now going to use an example. Suppose I frequented a place where christian women wore tops so low that every time they bent over in front of me I could see a large proportion of their chest. Suppose some of these tops were cut so that I could see the woman's chest even when they weren't bending over. And I'll note that by ''chest" I actually mean that area of a woman's chest which should be seen by no other person than her husband. Yes, that does mean that if she has no husband, then she should keep it totally private.
Now, suppose I went to my Bible and saw that Jesus said that if a man lusts after a woman, he has broken the commandment not to commit adultery. Suppose I also read Song of Songs, and noticed that from what it said there, seeing a woman's breasts could conceivably cause men to lust. Suppose that I then read that a woman should dress modestly in one of Paul's letters. And, to top it all, suppose that I read that no one should cause another Christian to stumble.
It would be not inconceivable for me to connect all the dots, and decide that it was sinful for a woman to wear a low cut top. Now suppose that I suggested this to someone who wore a low cut top, suppose I mentioned my opinion that women should not wear low cut tops.
There are no prizes for guessing that I might be told to mind my own business, and accused of turning salvation into something which could be gained by man's works. "You pharisee, how dare you!" might conceivably be the response. Someone would smile sweetly, and explain that grace was all that mattered, forgetting that Jesus' words to a woman he forgave were no others than "go and sin no more." They'd say that because they'd been saved by grace, they could do what they liked.
And, you know, I think that many Christians who know what they believe and why are put off stating it for fear that they will be labeled legalistic by those around them. After all, it's so much easier just to say, "Oh, to say women shouldn't wear low cut tops is legalistic. I shall wear what I like, as Salvation is all of grace" than to go and examine the Scriptures to see if it really is true that low cut tops should not really be worn by Christians. It's hugely off putting if you know that to stand up and say that something is wrong or right will mean that other Christians will turn their backs without even properly considering what you're saying.
So, my options seem to be either to be confused as to what I actually believe—no thanks!—or to be called legalistic—and again, I don't actually want that. But I can tell you this, and that is that if two people have two directly opposed opinions on what the Word of God says on a particular topic, only one of these people can be right. God's Word never contradicts itself.
However, I think we—as Christians—need to know what we believe and state it, rather than drift around confused as to what we believe and afraid to state it lest someone cries 'legalism' on us. Speak the truth in love, yes, but don't refrain from speaking the truth; I think there are many Christians who simply won't consider certain issues until these issues are pointed out to them in words of one syllable (I am most probably one of them)...not because they deliberately want to ignore the issue, but because they genuinely have never considered the issue in the light of God's Word.
Finally, I also think I need to read my Bible a bit more so that instead of saying "I think, I think, I think" I can say "God's Word says, God's Word says, God's Word says". Oh, and I should also state that I really don't know how exactly one speaks the truth in love, and therefore can only say 'forgive me' if I speak the truth harshly. Maybe I should find out how one speaks the truth in love, but I'm sure speaking the truth in love doesn't mean downplaying the truth. However, if you don't downplay the truth people don't normally consider it's been spoken in love, and so...
Share the gospel with unbelievers and believers, yes, but go further with the believers and state the impact the rest of God's Word should conceivably have on their life.
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