Saturday, April 10, 2004
God vs. Logic
By Ben Birdsong
A Response to “God and Logic” by Vexen Crabtree on http://www.vexen.co.uk/religion/god_logic.html
Before we get to logic and God, let me lay down a few ground rules about theism, especially Christianity, and logic. Lets begin with Christianity. God is real. How can it be proven to you? Honestly, I can’t that is why it is by faith. But by using the rules of logic and common sense, the evidences for God are there and in such a vast amount that saying that there was no higher power is just a statement of arrogance in wanting life to be all about you and a statement that proves that your predisposed biases toward life keep you from being able to weigh the options and decide. Look out the window. No, I am not kidding, trying to be cute, or just stating that. Get up out of your chair, find a window, and look out and then return to reading. You looked out the window. What did you find? Depending on where you are you might have looked at some mountains, a river, the ocean, a desert, or a lake. How did these things get there? What force caused it? When it comes to how in the world the world happened, there tends to be two prevalent ways of thought. The first way is that it all happened by some random chance. There was an atmospheric fart that produced the world as we know it. The second option which is the logical one is that there was a higher being that created the world as it is. Before we move on you must decide which is more logical, a Creator or a little bit of atmospheric indigestion. Logic is a standard to see if something makes sense or is reasonable. Man set up logic. Logic is man’s term from man’s dictionary for man’s standard for man’s principles. Do you agree with that equation? Is that “logical” to you? Where is God in that? You don’t see it do you. The list clearly states man, man, man, man. Where did the universe come from? We have already concluded that it must have come from God. What is the most intelligent part of the universe? Man would be the most intelligent part. So therefore, God created man and man created logic. God created the world His way, on His timetable, and within His plan. God’s ways are God’s ways, and man’s ways are man’s ways. Therefore God isn’t ruled are controlled by man or man’s ideas, such as logic. Logic doesn’t give Christians trouble. It just gives them a standard to judge the ideas of man by.
By Ben Birdsong
A Response to “God and Logic” by Vexen Crabtree on http://www.vexen.co.uk/religion/god_logic.html
Before we get to logic and God, let me lay down a few ground rules about theism, especially Christianity, and logic. Lets begin with Christianity. God is real. How can it be proven to you? Honestly, I can’t that is why it is by faith. But by using the rules of logic and common sense, the evidences for God are there and in such a vast amount that saying that there was no higher power is just a statement of arrogance in wanting life to be all about you and a statement that proves that your predisposed biases toward life keep you from being able to weigh the options and decide. Look out the window. No, I am not kidding, trying to be cute, or just stating that. Get up out of your chair, find a window, and look out and then return to reading. You looked out the window. What did you find? Depending on where you are you might have looked at some mountains, a river, the ocean, a desert, or a lake. How did these things get there? What force caused it? When it comes to how in the world the world happened, there tends to be two prevalent ways of thought. The first way is that it all happened by some random chance. There was an atmospheric fart that produced the world as we know it. The second option which is the logical one is that there was a higher being that created the world as it is. Before we move on you must decide which is more logical, a Creator or a little bit of atmospheric indigestion. Logic is a standard to see if something makes sense or is reasonable. Man set up logic. Logic is man’s term from man’s dictionary for man’s standard for man’s principles. Do you agree with that equation? Is that “logical” to you? Where is God in that? You don’t see it do you. The list clearly states man, man, man, man. Where did the universe come from? We have already concluded that it must have come from God. What is the most intelligent part of the universe? Man would be the most intelligent part. So therefore, God created man and man created logic. God created the world His way, on His timetable, and within His plan. God’s ways are God’s ways, and man’s ways are man’s ways. Therefore God isn’t ruled are controlled by man or man’s ideas, such as logic. Logic doesn’t give Christians trouble. It just gives them a standard to judge the ideas of man by.
Friday, April 09, 2004
Good Friday- A Time of Remembrance
By Ben Birdsong
Good Friday is today. Today is a day to stop and think. As a believer, I look at this day and say it is a good day. Why is it a good day you might ask? Today Christ was scourged, crowned with a crown of thorns, stripped, lead through Jerusalem and crucified. Why is that good? I am not some kind of pervert that looks at suffering and cruelty and deems it good. It is a good day because Christ came and died for YOU and me. Christ was the only Son of God. God made man who was sent to earth and lived a perfect life. He was hated by the Pharisees and the Sanhedrin which were the head “religious” class of the Jews. They schemed up a plan and had the perfect Christ arrested and falsely accused. He was then taken to the temple and tried at night. This trial broke almost every Jewish law in the book regarding trials. He was then accused of blasphemy because he said that he was the Son of God. He was then sent to Pilate the Roman ruler. They strummed together some false accusations like Jesus said not to pay taxes and took him in to see Pilate. They had to bring him here because they were not allowed to put anyone to death. Pilate concluded that Jesus was a Galilean so he sent him to Herod, the ruler of Galilee. Herod took him and mocked him and then sent him back to Pilate. Pilate then had him scourged as an attempt to satisfy the mob. Scourging is the worst form of beating ever devised. Jesus was stripped of his clothes and tied to a post. He was then beaten by whips containing pieces of bone and glass. He was literally beat to a pulp. He was beat within inches of his life. He was then sent back to Pilate. Pilate presented him to the crowd but they still wanted him killed. They shouted, “Crucify him!” Pilate washed his hands of Jesus’ blood and handed him over to be crucified. He was then given a cross to carry through the city. They led him to a hill called Golgotha or the place of the skull. He was then nailed to the cross. Christ died on that cross for YOU and me. He took on the wrath of a holy God on the sins of man. God is perfect and can’t tolerate sin. Christ went through hell so we don’t have to. I am glad today and in a state of shock that God loves me enough to die so that I can live. God loves me despite all the times I fail him. Today, if you haven’t accepted Christ as Savior do so now so that this day of pain can become a day of joy. It’s your pain or his pain. It’s your death or his death. Please choose Christ.
Additional Reading
Matthew 27: 33-56
Mark 15: 22-41
Luke 23: 33-49
John 19: 16-30
By Ben Birdsong
Good Friday is today. Today is a day to stop and think. As a believer, I look at this day and say it is a good day. Why is it a good day you might ask? Today Christ was scourged, crowned with a crown of thorns, stripped, lead through Jerusalem and crucified. Why is that good? I am not some kind of pervert that looks at suffering and cruelty and deems it good. It is a good day because Christ came and died for YOU and me. Christ was the only Son of God. God made man who was sent to earth and lived a perfect life. He was hated by the Pharisees and the Sanhedrin which were the head “religious” class of the Jews. They schemed up a plan and had the perfect Christ arrested and falsely accused. He was then taken to the temple and tried at night. This trial broke almost every Jewish law in the book regarding trials. He was then accused of blasphemy because he said that he was the Son of God. He was then sent to Pilate the Roman ruler. They strummed together some false accusations like Jesus said not to pay taxes and took him in to see Pilate. They had to bring him here because they were not allowed to put anyone to death. Pilate concluded that Jesus was a Galilean so he sent him to Herod, the ruler of Galilee. Herod took him and mocked him and then sent him back to Pilate. Pilate then had him scourged as an attempt to satisfy the mob. Scourging is the worst form of beating ever devised. Jesus was stripped of his clothes and tied to a post. He was then beaten by whips containing pieces of bone and glass. He was literally beat to a pulp. He was beat within inches of his life. He was then sent back to Pilate. Pilate presented him to the crowd but they still wanted him killed. They shouted, “Crucify him!” Pilate washed his hands of Jesus’ blood and handed him over to be crucified. He was then given a cross to carry through the city. They led him to a hill called Golgotha or the place of the skull. He was then nailed to the cross. Christ died on that cross for YOU and me. He took on the wrath of a holy God on the sins of man. God is perfect and can’t tolerate sin. Christ went through hell so we don’t have to. I am glad today and in a state of shock that God loves me enough to die so that I can live. God loves me despite all the times I fail him. Today, if you haven’t accepted Christ as Savior do so now so that this day of pain can become a day of joy. It’s your pain or his pain. It’s your death or his death. Please choose Christ.
Additional Reading
Matthew 27: 33-56
Mark 15: 22-41
Luke 23: 33-49
John 19: 16-30
Friday, April 02, 2004
A rock too big?
A popular question "intellectual" detractors of Christianity often ask is, "Can God create a rock too big to pick up?" This question takes many forms but this is its basic one. I want to demonstrate that this question is flawed in its presuppositions and therefore invalid as a theological issue. Some have said that it is a yes or no question therefore does not open itself to this type of criticism, this too, is a faulty statement. To say that the nature of the question must dictate the type of answer is to limit the answer and therefore negate the purpose for asking the question. So with that said: This question is dealing with theological issues but it is presupposing things about the nature of that theology. It automatically assumes certain things on the creativity and nature of God that contradict a scriptural understanding of who God is. The fact that God would create something for man or for the challenge of picking it up is a human concept with human presuppositions about the nature of deity. Therefore this question is leading in nature and not deserving of, or possible to answer. If the question were worded differently, perhaps addressing the creativity or attributes of God it would contain some validity, otherwise, it is useless beyond those who hold anti theistic presuppositions. In conclusion, when asking a question we should always either acknowledge our own presuppositions in the question, or when responding to a question we should acknowledge and address the presuppositions of others.
A popular question "intellectual" detractors of Christianity often ask is, "Can God create a rock too big to pick up?" This question takes many forms but this is its basic one. I want to demonstrate that this question is flawed in its presuppositions and therefore invalid as a theological issue. Some have said that it is a yes or no question therefore does not open itself to this type of criticism, this too, is a faulty statement. To say that the nature of the question must dictate the type of answer is to limit the answer and therefore negate the purpose for asking the question. So with that said: This question is dealing with theological issues but it is presupposing things about the nature of that theology. It automatically assumes certain things on the creativity and nature of God that contradict a scriptural understanding of who God is. The fact that God would create something for man or for the challenge of picking it up is a human concept with human presuppositions about the nature of deity. Therefore this question is leading in nature and not deserving of, or possible to answer. If the question were worded differently, perhaps addressing the creativity or attributes of God it would contain some validity, otherwise, it is useless beyond those who hold anti theistic presuppositions. In conclusion, when asking a question we should always either acknowledge our own presuppositions in the question, or when responding to a question we should acknowledge and address the presuppositions of others.
