IMPOSSIBLE ?

The most distant star, so far observed, is said to be nine billion light-years from Earth.

A day of light from that star, seen today, occurred nine billion years ago. The star itself may no longer exist.

It’s apparent to me that I don’t know very much.

The gaps in my understanding are filled with faith in Love. I think those without faith must have a good deal more knowledge. Otherwise, when the weather turns foul it could get rather drafty.

I believe in design and creation; however, I see no reason why a design could not have been created to evolve. I just don’t see how it could evolve if it was never created.

 

NATURE

Environmentalists tell us how Earth’s different species are interdependent upon one another for survival.

That may be the case. At least, until it comes to humans. There doesn’t seem to be any other species that depends on me.

I can be a planter. I can tend a garden, but, I’m primarily in the business of consumption.

Nature doesn’t need my buildings, it doesn’t need my bridges, my automobiles, and most certainly it doesn’t want my wars. As best as I can tell, nature could bid me adieu and get along just fine.

To those who believe nature created me, I would ask: why? Why give evolution to one capable of extracting all of life from the whole.

There is no question that I was created; for here I am.

But, if I have a purpose, as I believe I do, it isn’t to serve nature.

 

FAWNS

For the young, the very young. It is a different world.

UNALIENABLE RIGHTS

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Two hundred and forty years ago those were words of treason.

At the demand of many who held slaves, “Happiness” replaced the word “Freedom.” Freedom had been in the original writing. Its’ spirit was still there, but the pursuit of Happiness had replaced Freedom.

The pursuit of Happiness continues to this day; but fewer believe they have a Creator. They don’t know what truth is, they question what the meaning of “is” is.

Their rights are no longer unalienable.

The Declaration of Independence dogmatically bases all rights on the fact that God created all men equal; and it is right; for if they were not created equal, they were certainly evolved unequal. There is no basis for democracy except in a dogma about the divine origin of man. – Gilbert K. Chesterton

 

  

LABOR DAY

Therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. – Genesis 3:23

For it is written in the Law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.” Is it for oxen that God is concerned? – 1 Corinthians 9:9

Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. – Ephesians 4:28

 

  

STUDY AND COLLECT

That’s what science does; it studies and collects data. Seems simple, sounds pure, just tell us the facts.

They say unlike other religions you can trust Scientism because it’s based on fact, not faith.

Really?

Scientism has a record that says it hasn’t always been worthy of my trust. Scientist once supported the finding that female thinking was biologically inferior to male thinking. Their studies established that the Caucasian race was superior to other races. That Phrenology and Eugenics could be used to perfect mankind.

For humans to interpret data they must inject human judgment. I’m not a scientist, I’m not a believer in Phrenology. I think their brains work pretty much like mine. They’re human and human judgment is often influenced by political, religious and philosophical views; personal biases.

For me to make a decision regarding right or wrong I need more than data; data alone is too myopic. I need greater understanding, I need guidance.

I have a bias. I have faith in God. To use science for Good I believe it must be tested by faith in God.

Many don’t like by bias, they don’t share my view; they say faith is an inhibiting factor.

I agree! That’s what I want. I want faith to inhibit science’s ability to do evil.

One of the major problems regarding the development of artificial intelligence is how will it make moral decisions? Will Scientism be its’ religion; the religion of rational thinking? The religion of those who claim they have no religion and believe it inhibits scientific advancement. Those who believe uninhibited rational thinking can fix anything; that logic is the key to building a Utopian world.

I’m skeptical. My bias tells me to be skeptical.

 

  

SHE WAS PART OF ADAM

The claim is sometimes made that Christianity and the Bible are sexist. I know there are some Christians who are.

Genesis says that Adam was made from the earth. Eve was then created from Adam. She was part of Adam, she was not his servant. They were one; with different roles to play, together they formed mankind. Is that sexist?

The Quran gives name to only one woman; Mary, the mother of Jesus. It actually says more about her than my Christian Bible does. My Bible however refers by name to 187 additional women. They all seem to be as human as the men. Is that sexist?

I’m told that Jesus had no human father. Yet, He had a human mother. Women gave financial support to His teaching; men may have too, but I think the Bible only mentions the women.  It says they witnessed His crucifixion and were the first to report His resurrection. Is that sexist?

I don’t feel that my spirit has gender. I think the purpose of gender is limited to the physical world. Jesus said that in heaven we will be like the Angels; there will be no marriage. All who accept His Love will be connected to God through Christ; by His Holy Spirit. Is that sexist?

I don’t truly understand, I don’t know the reason why, but paternal ancestry is stored in the male Y chromosome. God chose to record heritage through the male. Could that be the reason or is it simply sexist that when the Bible deals in genealogy it does so through the male?

Science says our DNA record is transferred from generation to generation by the Y chromosome.

Are science and the Bible both sexist?

All males have the Y chromosome, but without a female half there would have been nothing to record.

 

  

LEMON PUDDING

What if what I think to be reality is actually virtual? How can I know if the physical is real? Why is it temporary? Why am I asked to make moral decisions? The plants and animals, why aren’t they?

Perhaps what I think is happening isn’t truly happening? Would it really matter? Wouldn’t a virtual reality serve just as well to test my spirit? Could it be that I’ll return to what is real after I’ve submitted my answers?

Can you tell me? Do you know for sure? Can I trust you? Do you trust me? Is there someone we could trust? Has He given us any clues?

Are judgments based on sight, taste, smell, touch and hearing totally reliable?

It may seem peculiar, a little bit strange, but I’ve discovered that lemon pudding isn’t always made with lemons!

  

PICTURED ROCKS

EMPTY SPACE

 Our Universe is made up mostly of empty space; I guess that’s why we call it space.

It doesn’t seem so much to me, but even here on Earth it’s pretty empty. Almost half, 47%, of the United States is uninhabited. It all belongs to somebody, some of it to all, but no one actually lives there.

The other day I read that if the empty space between the atoms that comprise my body were extracted, the same done to yours and the other seven billion humans that populate our planet, we could all fit inside a tiny house the size of a sugar cube.

Each of us is 99.999999999999% empty space; we’re almost nothing.

To our Father, almost nothing is something.