I can respect an Atheist, but not Atheism.

In my life I have come across many who are committed and genuine self-described atheist. Some I met at work, some through my wife Joyce and others I grew up with.

I care about them, and their opinions really matter to me. I will confess that a not infrequent fear of mine is that in voicing my convictions and beliefs I have alienated them, offended them or worse.

People matter to me more and more. As selfish as a donkey hole I may be, in the quiet of the night I do think and worry about people who I am sure would be either embarrassed or disturbed about how often they come across my mind. 

I don't want to name names, but if you are an atheist, and I have worked with you, or have ever had more than a 10 minute conversation about the meaning of life with you in the past 7 years...your face is probably one of a dozen or so flashing through my mind right now. 

The meaning of life is a very dear topic to me... and if you were kind enough with your time to explore the matter with me, it has left an impression on my soul.

The atheist I have lengthy discussions with, are generally very well read, thoughtful, kind, witty and all around very pleasant! Some other adjectives I would also like to throw in there are brave, of deep integrity and sincere. For some of these friends, their beliefs have cost them very real currency in hardship and loss of relationships.

I respect that very, very much. I respect so much any man or womans search for truth, and the refusal to bow down to false gods. I am inspired by the courage it takes to ask hard questions and and go against the tides of false ideas and sweet lies.

I want to join the parade of men and women throughout history who have fought for what is true, right and good.


....but...the horrible 'but'...

Is that I see more clearly than day, that all paths to truth, righteousness and goodness start from God. Not an unnamed 'god' but Yaweh. The God of the Bible. From Jesus.

And there it is. Jesus. The great chasm between me and the world. And the only bridge to Heaven.

Don't think it is lost of me how incredibly odd, weird, old-fashioned, religious, western, arrogant, wishful, demented, strange and close-minded it must sound for me to say "JESUS is LORD"

I cringe knowing how many people have associated me instantly with Westboro Baptist Church.

But the truth is, there IS only one Truth with a capital 'T'. And despite years of doubt, endless confusion, frustration, embarrassment and angst. God showed up. My heart, my soul and finally my mind see Him. My deepest hope, is for my friends to see Him as well.

There is no hope without God. The best of the best on both sides of the argument have firmly established that. What I want the world to know is that there is a God, so there is  Hope.

Worship of God = evolved worship of moon?

Anthropology is a legitimate study. We know humans have worshipped the sun, the aurora borealis, cows, rocks etc. What we see as foolish should not be that they worshipped, rather what they worshipped. It was never a good idea to worship the created things rather than the Creator.

To me, atheism is no less foolish than worshipping lights in the sky. With the atheist, so far as I can tell 'Nothing' or 'Science' take the place of the Creator. The problem with ‘Nothing’ is that it doesn’t actually do anything. ‘Science’ is always a description of physical phenomena that will require further explanation ad infinitum.

‘God’ or ‘that which is responsible for all that exist’ is the very valid human recognition of the ‘ultimate.’ It is where we can’t go on our own. He is the necessary end of the road. He is that which is ultimately behind all possible inquiry. I love science, but it's only one aisle in all of Home Depot.

Hopefully, it is self-evident how absurd ‘nothing’ is as an answer to meaningful human questions like ‘what is the meaning of life?’ or ‘what is evil? is anything really wrong?’

Beware of ‘pseudo-scientific’ responses that reduce meaningful non-material questions to physical problems.

'Mommy, why Don't you love me?'  -5 year old girl
'Animal instinct, DNA, electrons and dark matter.' -Mommy

Watchman Nee

“Christ is the Son of God who died for the redemption of sinners and resurrected after three days. This is the greatest truth in the universe. I die because of my belief in Christ. Watchman Nee.” 

Being Consistent

If we live inconsistently with what we believe about reality, how can we avoid the critique of being willingly delusional? To believe in a good God and live without hope is equally absurd as believing in a meaningless universe with hope. The only way to live without a fractured existence, is to pursue the independent, immutable, objective truth...and change your mind accordingly. The search for truth and meaning is the only possible hope humanity has for being more than a beast. If the naturalist is correct and humans are nothing more than beasts, than the secular humanist can colour us however they please, but we will still never be more than beasts.

On the other hand, if the naturalist is wrong than we may be beast in physicality, but also something more.
If the universe is not without meaning, than we have hope.

Doesn't the Truth matter on this issue? I am endlessly perplexed by the total apathy people have on this issue. The truth of the matter amounts to EVERYTHING. If everything we love and hate is arbitrary nothing...and yet you still live as if it is 'something' than you are in fact delusional. DELUSIONAL. I am quite comfortable defending that potentially but un-intendly offensive comment. And yes I will repeat. If you believe the universe has no ultimate meaning, and yet you live as if life is meaningful...that is absolutely delusional.

Thankfully the TRUTH shouts out and cannot be obscured despite the vain attempts of humanity. We have much reason and evidence to give us plenty of cause to think that Life has Purpose.

You may not believe in God...

You may not believe in God...

But if you are under the impression that that a truly rational, intelligent and credible person could not believe in God, than you most certainly and definitely do not understand the arguments being put forth.

There are a lot of invalid arguments and lines of reasoning for God out there, but there are also incredibly compelling ones too. Don't give up prematurely or assume that because you can poke holes in a ignorant fools arguements, that you have automatically conquered all his associates as well.

If you are trying to disprove the cuddly Christian version of Zeus who sits on a magical throne, than you may do that very well. But if you actually want unravel the real, true and glorious God of all Creation... prepare to be humbled. Not humilated. Humbled.

Closer to another death... and life.

When my mind is wide awake in the quiet of the night, there is often a fierce battle between the terrible person I feel I am, and the incredible one I feel like I am suppose to be. God alone makes sense of that. God alone enable you to forgive yourself for the evil you have done, and not just forgetting it or pretending it isn't real. God alone allows you to bask in the brightness of your true and intended brilliance, without being the least bit arrogant. If he isn't real, prozac is probably a better option, but if He is...and I believe He is, that solves everything.

Gorazde. 1992-1995.

I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.

The true depth and depravity of rape and murder cannot be understood outside the heart of God.

Of course many of us feel outrage and disgust when we are told stories of murder and rape. Families butchered, children slaughtered.

But on the other hand, why are so many of us DOING those things? For pleasure even.

US....WE....all of us...humans.

We have a tendency to separate ourselves from the depraved rapist and murderers....we distinguish them as pigs and animals. I know this, because I have done it myself.

We separate ourselves from those who do what we consider great evil. We separate the us, the humans, from them, the 'animals.'

It causes great discomfort to me to realize that this is exactly what the criminal and evil 'animals' of history have done as well.

Rapist, murders, genocidal tyrants....they compartmentalize some humans as human and others as livestock. It is difficult to murder a mother, but quite easy to butcher a cow.

God...in the light of His truth...has opened my eyes again to the reality that every human is human. Every human has worth, and every human has capacity for both divine inspired goodness, and divine rejecting evil.

The blame for sins and suffering of the world rest on all our shoulders.

God help us, because he is the only one who can.

Humans let loose by God to their own devices, can never hold onto the idea of real human equality for more than a fleeting moment. Our laws may state that all are equal...but our actions scream out that our own personal comfort is worth more than thousands elsewhere. It is overwhelming to see and contemplate the need and suffering of those around the world....but how easily we put them to the side.

Without Gods continuous correction, we not only love ourselves more than all else...we worship ourselves above all else....including God.

I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.