Evolution is a theory. As such, I think one would have to say that it requires faith to believe in it. It is an idea that has been around for a long time. However, it is only in the last hundred and 50 years or so, especially since Darwin's time, that it has become such a pervasively accepted theory in our world.
Those who have faith in this theory, or should I say believe in it, often tend to ridicule those of us who do not accept it to the degree that they do. I don't know why they don't understand that it is no harder to believe, to have faith in, the existence of a supernatural figure who could have created everything we know than it is to believe in their theory. As someone brought up in our Western educational system, and having graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree, I put a good deal of effort into studying evolution. I took special courses on it. Like many, I wanted to believe that there was no conflict between the theory and the beliefs that I hold as one who believes in a Creator. I really wanted to synthesize those viewpoints. However, I have given up on that pursuit. That theory leads to too many unanswered questions when it comes to what I believe in as a Believer in God.
Those who believe in evolution have been working hard at finding evidence to bolster their theory. They claim to use scientific methods, but have not always been honest with what they do. What many do not realize is that there is also a group of scientists who look scientifically at the universe, at our solar system in the world in which we live, and find much evidence that corroborates with what The Bible says.
I have also studied the Bible and theology to a considerable extent. I am no theologian or philosopher though. There are those who would say that The Bible is a book that is meant to tell us about God, man and our relationship. They would say that it is not concerned with scientific and historic fact. However, the conventional orthodox view, to which I ascribe, still holds that the writings we accept as The Bible were "inspired" by God. If that is the case, I think we would have to accept that God, who is Truth, would not allow statements to stand in His Word that are untrue. Many Bible scholars and theologians interpret the content of the Bible differently, and come up with different conclusions about what its passages mean. I believe that too many have been too ready to relegate too many passages to the realm of poetry, by which they mean that the images contained can be interpreted quite loosely and are not factual. They would also apply similar thinking to the 1st few chapters of the book of Genesis.
Let me list some of my objections to all of this thinking about evolution. If we believe that God is good, and that what he makes is good, which is the message in the Bible, how could he allow life to go through millions of years of evolution where many forms would have suffered horribly because of the unsuccessful mutations that occurred in them before they were eradicated? If God did not create the world, why does Jesus keep referring to God and creation? Why do the apostles refer to Jesus as The Creator?
The orthodox Christian view of man is that what had originally been meant to be good, according to the Scriptures, fell out of relationship with God because of evil. In an entirely evolutionary system, there is no room for any of this kind of thinking. There is no good or bad. There is no morality.
Furthermore, Orthodox Christians also believe in the existence of something we refer to as The Holy Spirit. Again, it would be self evident that in the universe that occurred by evolution, there simply is no supernatural. If evolutionists open up that possibility, they are making themselves vulnerable to possibilities that could obviously challenge their entire system. So how can Christians hold these views and still accept evolution? I don't think they have really thought through things honestly.
Another problem for me is that, as I believe it would be for many who think about this, evolution cannot answer what some call 1st questions. Scientists talk about the Big Bang theory of the beginning of the universe. Where did the energy or the matter come from that may have been there at the beginning?
Some would have us believe that it is not that important whether we believe in evolution or not. To the contrary, I want to make some comments about how I think the belief in evolution has resulted in a number of serious and deeply-entrenched negative consequences for us as persons and society. In the 1st place, the widespread acceptance of this theory by those who do not want to believe in God or what he says has resulted in many turning away from faith in God. Secondly, if we leave God out of the picture, there is no place for value or rank in the universe. Man just happens to be at this point the most highly evolved specimen that we know of on this Earth. These lines of thinking are what has taken away belief in the value of life, or even what those of us who have a faith would describe as the sacredness of life. We're just another creature in the universe, of no special consequence, so what is the problem with abortion, the misuse of sex or euthanasia? We have no more intrinsic value than animals, so what is the problem with spending thousands and millions of dollars on our pets, for example, when people around the world are suffering, starving and dying. Thus we also have the sometimes ludicrous positions of those who have developed the whole concept of animal rights and would place them on a par with, and sometimes seemingly, above human rights. I have no problem with well thought out and followed vegetarianism, but sometimes the extremes associated with that can be seen to have their roots in evolution too. According to the Scriptures, God not only allowed man to eat animal life, it was part of the God-worshiping religious system at one time to sacrifice animals.
Simply put, when we leave God out of the picture and turn to evolution as the system we have faith in, we lose our way. Those who believe in evolution, humanists, would still talk of civil society and such values. However, if we push them on that, I don't know how they could defend the appearance of all of that from evolution. If God had never been in the picture from the beginning, society would be much more evil and cruel than it is. We know that from history and from knowledge of peoples before their contact with Christianity and other great religions.
Indeed, other religions would have no place in the realm of man if we only subscribe to evolution either. The fact that it seems believers of other religions are less criticized then Christians suggests to me that proponents of evolution sense that there is more to fear from Christianity than from other religions. Or, if I wanted to go further and speak from another Orthodox or fundamental vantage point, the powers of evil that drive everything that works against God, according to our Bible, know that there is a God and are afraid. Thus, they would know that Christianity provides the best understanding of this God, his creativity and his relationship to his creation. That would be the reason why Christians suffer more persecution than those of other religions. It would also be why our fellow religionists, the Jews, are also high on the ranks of those who are hated and persecuted, because their religion also believes in the same God.
These are some of my thoughts and conclusions, based on 50 years of thinking about this. I know there are many apologists who have spelled this out in much greater detail and with much greater strength than I have. Some of those individuals today work with an organization called the Institute for Creation Research, which I would invite the reader to look into.
Tuesday 30 August 2011
Saturday 13 August 2011
Chapter 11 - Thursday - The Ten Commandments Number 7 – 2008 7 24
"You shall not commit adultery," Exodus 20:14. In other words, no sex outside of marriage. Plain and simple.
I once saw a cartoon of Moses coming down to the Children of Israel after going back up Mount Sinai the second time to complete getting these laws, The Ten Commandments. He reported to his associates that he tried but he could not get God to relax on this one. Indeed, many people have difficulty with this law. As human beings, our sexual drive is very strong, coming right behind our drive to live. Of course, that is precisely why God had to put limits on sexual activity.
We know all too well what happens when people have sex as freely as they want. There are unplanned pregnancies. One sin leads to another if abortion follows. Or, a child may be born unwanted and suffer. There are broken relationships, including marriage, when a partner goes astray. Serious diseases can result – infections, even cancer. This can even lead to a woman not being able to get pregnant anymore. Most importantly, it changes relationships and sex into things they were not meant to be.
We believe God created human beings to live in relationship to one another. The main one is the relationship of a man and a woman. The Book of Genesis only tells of God creating one woman for the man. We come to the conclusion, along with God giving 'laws' like this, that sex is only meant to be between one man and one woman. That is the only way it can truly be what God wants it to be. The world is overdoing sex, but are they really having a good time? For how long? Actual surveys of people show it is not those who have sex whenever they want who are really happiest with their sex life. It is devout faithful Christians, married to one partner, having sex only with that person. Sex is not just an act. It is a valuable part of a relationship.
So, if God created sex and has a plan for it, we should not treat it lightly, carelessly. We should watch our talk and our behaviour. What impression to do we give others about our beliefs about sex? Do we say things that make others uncomfortable around us because of the references to sex? Do we tell so-called 'dirty' jokes about sex? Do we watch pornography or 'dirty' movies? This is all not God-honouring and does nothing to build up our view of sex.
Chapter 10 - Wednesday - The Ten Commandments Number 6 – 2008 7 23
The Sixth commandment says: "Thou shall not kill" (Exodus 20:13). That is the shortest and most direct of the commandments. But is its meaning that simple? Or do we human beings try to make it complicated by arguing about what it means? In the Judeao-Christian traditions, this has been taken to mean referring to humans. Not like some religions that don't even allow killing animals, even insects. This does not mean all living things do not have value.
We read how God gave Noah and his family permission to eat animals. Genesis 9:3 said: "Every moving thing that lives shall be meat for you; even as the green herb I have given you all things." We don't have to be vegetarians, although there is nothing wrong with that. In the same chapter, vs. 6 it says, "Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God made He man." That's why humans get different treatment. They are made in God's image. That's why we have no right to put an end to a human life, from conception to the grave. That's why many believers don't even think it's right to carry out capital punishment – the death penalty. The verse above may suggest it is acceptable. However, if we study the life and sayings of Christ, which came after, we don’t believe we find support for the idea of capital punishment.
This is why we cannot support abortion at one end of life, or mercy-killing, euthanasia, at the other end of life. We believe that life is sacred, all of it, as the saying goes, "from the cradle to the grave." God gave us life. Only God can take it away. Of course, we know that life is really actually eternal, but we are talking about life on earth.
Chapter 9 - Tuesday - The Ten Commandments Number 5 – 2008 7 22
The Fifth Commandment is this, "Honour your father and mother that the days may be long in the land which the Lord your God gives you". I have a personal story to relate to that.
If you were in church this last Sunday, you will have noticed that we were not there. My parents had called and asked if we would come out to Abbotsford to meet them for lunch. They were coming down from where they live in Vernon to help celebrate my great Uncle Bill's 90th birthday.
William E. Thiessen is my maternal (father's mother's side of the family) grandmother's youngest brother. My grandmother died in 1993 at age 95. Bill has been a pastor, teacher and administrator. He still gives short devotional talks when he goes with a group to visit Personal Care Homes on Sunday mornings. This birthday party was organized by his 4 children and their spouses. That is really honouring your father (unfortunately, Bill's wife Kay died two years ago).
The party was held in the common room of the apartment complex where he has lived for 18 years. Besides his children, grandparents, and us, there were his in-laws and other cousins of his filling the room. It was as loud as a Chinese restaurant! I guess you could say we were honouring my parents by going out there to see them and these other relatives, many of whom we don't even know. Of course, we did know a number too, such as my own uncles and aunts, who are his nephews and nieces.
Towards the end of the afternoon, Uncle Bill sang a special hymn with three other men he had sung with in the past as a quartet in churches. One of the men was my own Uncle Allen. Bill sang bass, the lowest pitch! Then he gave a little speech. At one point during his talk he pulled a slip of paper from his pocket – he was obviously prepared – and read:
"Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold me by my right hand. You will guide me with your counsel and afterward receive me to glory. Who have I in heaven but you? And there is none on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart fail: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever".
That came from Psalm 73: 23-26.
Chapter 8 – Monday – The Ten Commandments Number 4 - 2008 7 20
Exodus 20:8 says: "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy". This is The Fourth Commandment. It goes on to say:
"For six days you may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; on it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, or your male servant, or your female servant, or your cattle, or the resident foreigner who is in your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, and he rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy." (Exodus 20: 9-11)
The Sabbath Day was the day of rest. It was to remember that God rested when He finished his work of creation. In Genesis 2: 2-3 we read: "On the seventh day God ended his work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day and 'made it holy' (= sanctified it): because on it He rested from all His work which God created and made".
What does it mean to keep a day holy? We find part of the answer in Exodus 20 vs. 9 – 11. There is even more in Exodus ch. 31: 15, "Six days may work be done; but on the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord; whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death." Vs. 17 adds: "It is a sign between me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed".
So, basically, we are not to work on the Sabbath day to keep it holy. It also became the day when the children of Israel, and now we as Christians, gather together as a community of believers and seekers to worship God. That is certainly a holy activity. Now, one might argue, we are not the children of Israel, we are not Jews, we are Christian. However, if you study the New Testament you will realize that The Church, the Christians, are in fact a continuation of the children of Israel. However, instead of keeping the seventh day, most Christians now keep the first day, as that is the day our Lord rose from the dead, or was resurrected.
When the communists took power in Russia, because they did not believe in God, they wanted to do away with anything that had to do with God. So, they decided to cancel the Sabbath, or Sunday, as a day of rest. It did not work. In modern society, people need a day of rest, or they can't function effectively. Indeed, if our all-powerful God took a day of rest after creation, surely we as mere humans need a day or rest and refreshment! So, enjoy your Sabbaths/Sundays!
Chapter 7 – Saturday – The Ten Commandments Number 3 - 2008 7 19
I wrote then: Life has been busy and I am not getting out a chapter a day as you see. After all, I still work full-time. Then, when I get home, there are letters to write (mostly e-mail). There is dinner to share with Anne. I have reading to do. We like to watch the news on TV and sometimes something else together. There are plants to water. There may be time for some hobbies, like working on my music.
So, that brings us to Commandment Number 3: "You shall not take the Name of the Lord your God in vain, for The Lord will not hold you guiltless if you do" (Exodus 20:7). In other words, using God's name in vain is a sin and it makes you guilty before God. Using His name, or names, in vain means using them in places in your speech where you shouldn't be using them. It is swearing or, as some people say, cursing. An older word is blasphemy.
Unfortunately, taking God's name in vain has become far too common in our society. Even little children say "Oh My God" when they are surprised by something, or excited about something. It's even appearing in ads and commercials, often just as OMG, the common e-mail or Facebook usage. And how often do we not hear expressions beginning with "Jesus… this or that," or even "Jesus Christ etc." Jesus is God so using His name in vain is included here. Some people would say that even using words like "Geez" is swearing because it could be a short form of Jesus.
Expressions like "Holy cow" or other phrases using holy (like 'Holy s____') like this may not be exactly using Gold's name in vain. However, it should be clear that this is not good speech for a disciple of Jesus to be using either. Holy should only be used in relation to things that refer to God an the appropriate way.
As the Apostle Paul is believed by many to have written:
"Let your speech be always with grace."
A good thought to start the week.
Thursday 11 August 2011
Chapter 6 – Tuesday – The Ten Commandments Number 2 - 2008 7 15
Chapter 6 – Tuesday – The Ten Commandments Number 2 - 2008 7 15
Yesterday I wrote about the first two commandments. Number one is: "I am the Lord Your God." Number two is "You shall have no other gods before me."
The word God is of course just the English word for the supernatural being that we believe made the universe and looks after it. You may remember from the biblical story of Moses that when he met this Being at what appeared to be a burning bush that did not get consumed, this Being simply identified himself as "I Am." God did not say 'I was,' which is English grammar past tense. He did not say 'I will be,' which refers to the future. Whenever and wherever we meet Him, he is always in the present with us. He was I Am with people who met him in the past, and will be I Am when people meet him in the future. He is always I Am.
Isn't that a comforting thought? I think it tells us that God is with us at all times and in all places.
You know I am a psychiatrist. To be a good therapist you have to be a good listener. You have to give your patient all your attention. We say you have to be with your patient in the moment. God is with us every moment. We can talk to him in prayer at any time, anywhere. We can wait to hear his answer anytime, anywhere.
It is as we believe King David wrote in The Psalms, ch. 121, vs 4 – 8: "Look, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep…the Lord shall preserve your going out and coming in from this time forth and forever". If that is God's promise to us, what have we to fear?
Chapter 5 – Monday – The Ten Commandments Numbers 1 & 2 - 2008 7 14
Chapter 5 – Monday – The Ten Commandments Numbers 1 & 2 - 2008 7 14
So, from the introduction to the topic, based on the Bible book Exodus 20. This begins with what we know as the Ten Commandments. These ten statements are the foundation, the basis, of the laws of Western civilization. Many civilizations and nations throughout history have had similar laws, which shows the universal application of their sayings.
The first commandment is based on ch. 20 vs. 1 – 3 which say: "God spoke all these words saying, 'I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage (slavery). You shall have no other gods before me'."
If we believe that God is our Lord, have we gotten rid of the 'other gods'? What might they be?
In the past, and in some countries today, they might be statues that people worship because they think they are gods or represent them. However, most of us do not do that.
For most of us, anything that we pay too much attention to could be a god because it takes away our attention from The God. Things we want too much. Things we are too proud about. Things we spend too much money on. Things that take too much of our time. Anything that comes between 'God' and us could be a 'god'.
Is it our house? Our car? Our body? Our brains (intelligence)? Our clothes? Our jewelry? Something we collect? If we are honest with God and ourselves, we will know what our gods are. The wonderful thing is, if we ask His help, God can help us get rid of our 'gods'. Let's ask Him to help us with that.
Chapter 4 – Sunday morning – 2008 7 13
I wrote: We do miss those of you who could not worship with us this morning. Those of you who have moved away, and those who missed this morning – you may all have had good reasons for not being with us. You know you can worship wherever you live if there is a church there that you can feel welcome in. You can worship on your own too, but we do need to worship together with fellow-believers too. The writer of The Letter to the Hebrews says in Ch. 10 vs. 25 "not to forsake gathering together, as some do."
The best story I have heard about this goes like this:
A pastor was visiting a man who was not going to church but said he was a Christian. They were sitting in front of a fireplace. The pastor got up and moved a coal, a burning piece of wood, away from the rest of the fire. Soon the fire in it had died down. The man got the message. We need to be with one another to keep the fire of God burning in our hearts.
May God give us all a blessed week!
NOTE: Chapter 3 is not included in this series as it concerns my wife's story, which I did not feel I was at liberty to publish, although I had shared it with our class, who knew her, of course. Remember, this series was originally written for our Bible class in the summer of 2008.
NOTE: Chapter 3 is not included in this series as it concerns my wife's story, which I did not feel I was at liberty to publish, although I had shared it with our class, who knew her, of course. Remember, this series was originally written for our Bible class in the summer of 2008.
Chapter 2 – Thursday - My Story - 2008 7 10
Remember... re the level of English - this was written for ESL students. Actually, I believe the politically correct term now is EAL students - English as an Additional Language. that's fine with me.
My ancestors have been Christians for over 200 years. Maybe even over 400 years.
My father was a teacher, missionary and pastor. My mother was also a teacher and she and my father worked together. So, I grew up always knowing about God and Jesus. The Bible (The King James Version in fact – a birthday present for my 6th birthday) and other Christian literature (such as Back to the Bible Hour's Good News Ambassador paper) were what I learned to read first.
I believe I was blessed to grow up in a home where the love of Jesus was felt, with parents who followed The Way of Jesus. It probably helped keep me from getting into a lot of trouble. It also helped me learn a lot.
Once when my younger sister and I were about 7 years old, we were having our evening prayers and readings with our parents. We realized from what we heard that we were sinful creatures. Knowing this made us cry because of sadness for whom we were. However, our parents knew there was a way out of feeling like this. My father read these verses that I will always remember:
"My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you will not sin. If anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the father, Jesus Christ…he is the sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for the sins of the whole world"…The First Letter from John, ch. 2, vs. 1-2.
That was wonderful news. Jesus represents us to God. He stands before His Father to plead our case on our behalf. That is what an advocate is. It's like Jesus is our Lawyer in God's court. If we believe in what he is doing for us, we will not receive the final punishment for our sins. We can be forgiven and have new and eternal life.
My sister and I prayed for forgiveness that evening. That was our beginning in the New Life.
NOTE: Chapter 3 is not included in this series as it concerns my wife's story, which I did not feel I was at liberty to publish, although I had shared it with our class, who knew her, of course. Remember, this series was originally written for our Bible class in the summer of 2008.
NOTE: Chapter 3 is not included in this series as it concerns my wife's story, which I did not feel I was at liberty to publish, although I had shared it with our class, who knew her, of course. Remember, this series was originally written for our Bible class in the summer of 2008.
LETTERS TO FRIENDS AND STUDENTS
VOLUME 1 CHAPTERS 1-14
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
Introduction - Chapters 1-3
The 10 Commandments - Chapters 5-14
Chapter 1 – Wednesday – Introduction - 2008 7 9
"I call you friends, for everything I have heard from my Father I have made know to you...these things I ask of you, that you love one another"...The Gospel According to John, ch. 15, vs. 15 & 17.
I first wrote this series to some ESL Bible students my wife and I had begun to work with in the summer of 2006. Many of those students are now our friends. Some we mentored as they joined our church. We had not even been at Richmond's Peace Mennonite Church three full years when I wrote this for them during the summer to replace our weekly classes.
Tuesday 9 August 2011
Advice on Sexuality for Young People
As a psychiatrist working in the public health field, it is sometimes difficult to really say to your patients what you want them to hear. This is because what I really want them to hear comes Not only from what I have learnt in medical school and subsequently, but also from what I believe, which has its roots in my faith. Naturally, one is not allowed to say anything that favours a particular faith and could be misconstrued as trying to proselytize when you work in the public sector.
Unfortunately, as others have written, the seeds sown by the so-called Sexual Revolution of the 60s and 70s, are now yielding a harvest of too many individuals who see sex as nothing more than another of life's pleasures to be sought after. They don't know what they are really missing.
Of course, too often this results in sex outside of the marriage bond, where Our Creator intended it to occur. For many, it is simply too "old hat" to talk like this. However, even if we leave aside things like the 7th of the so-called 10 Commandments given but The Creator to the Hebrew prophet Moses, perhaps early in the 2nd millennium BC, there are still many reasons to take another look at this.
There is evidence that the rate of divorce among those who don't wait until marriage before “consummating their relationship” is higher than among those who do wait. The partners of those who wait simply appear to have greater trust in the fidelity of each other than those who have not waited. Just think about how much better life would be for so many families, couples and their children, if there were no divorce. I know I certainly would have a lot less work. That would be fine with me.
Another reason for waiting and containing one's sexual relationship within the marriage bond is the prevention of Sexually Transmitted Infections. There would be no STIs if everyone followed The Creator's rule in this regard. Think of the misery and public health costs that STI's create, especially with the recent HIV/AIDS epidemic.
There is also good evidence to suggest that the rates of cervical cancer and papilloma virus infections would be much lower and perhaps nonexistent as well if we could contain our passions until and within marriage.
People like to think that being able to have sex with whomever whenever is a sign of freedom. They know how much freedom they really have in doing so. Sometimes there is force used, which certainly does not indicate freedom. Sometimes there is suspicion, or fear, or the simple feeling that one has to yield to pressure. That is not freedom. Real freedom is doing whatever one wants out of the kind of love that only exists within the marriage bond.
Unfortunately, as others have written, the seeds sown by the so-called Sexual Revolution of the 60s and 70s, are now yielding a harvest of too many individuals who see sex as nothing more than another of life's pleasures to be sought after. They don't know what they are really missing.
Of course, too often this results in sex outside of the marriage bond, where Our Creator intended it to occur. For many, it is simply too "old hat" to talk like this. However, even if we leave aside things like the 7th of the so-called 10 Commandments given but The Creator to the Hebrew prophet Moses, perhaps early in the 2nd millennium BC, there are still many reasons to take another look at this.
There is evidence that the rate of divorce among those who don't wait until marriage before “consummating their relationship” is higher than among those who do wait. The partners of those who wait simply appear to have greater trust in the fidelity of each other than those who have not waited. Just think about how much better life would be for so many families, couples and their children, if there were no divorce. I know I certainly would have a lot less work. That would be fine with me.
Another reason for waiting and containing one's sexual relationship within the marriage bond is the prevention of Sexually Transmitted Infections. There would be no STIs if everyone followed The Creator's rule in this regard. Think of the misery and public health costs that STI's create, especially with the recent HIV/AIDS epidemic.
There is also good evidence to suggest that the rates of cervical cancer and papilloma virus infections would be much lower and perhaps nonexistent as well if we could contain our passions until and within marriage.
People like to think that being able to have sex with whomever whenever is a sign of freedom. They know how much freedom they really have in doing so. Sometimes there is force used, which certainly does not indicate freedom. Sometimes there is suspicion, or fear, or the simple feeling that one has to yield to pressure. That is not freedom. Real freedom is doing whatever one wants out of the kind of love that only exists within the marriage bond.
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