Could Unbelievers Fear A Real God?

                        Could Unbelievers Fear A Real God?

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Ha! Ha! That question seems ridiculous, even stupid! I see trees, birds, animals, people, stars, but no God, or anything suggesting God. God is nothing but a figment of ignorant peoples' imagination, maybe their attempt to comfort themselves in difficult circumstances.

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Not so fast! Could we have mistaken notions about what God must be? Could we be looking in the wrong places? Or, maybe be blind to what we see? Could we even be deceiving ourselves? Let's think openly, honestly and courageously about these following questions.

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Could God Be An Invisible Spirit?
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 So we don't see anything we would call God. Honestly, it's good that we don't. For if we did see some physical being, animal, or man, alleged to be God, it would likely be severely limited to occupying one spot on earth and one place in time like all other things do. If God were an animal as a lion, or insect like an ant, we likely could never think God was anything to be concerned about and that we might kill god as an inferior being and pest. And if God were a man, we could probably communicate with him. But being no more than a man he would have our same limitations and we would see no reason to worship or  to expect anything more from him than from ourselves. But the word "God" is used to mean much more than mere human limitations.
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If people everywhere can pray to God, worship God, seek to obey God, and expect God to do far greater things, even things impossible for man, then God must be several things more than a mere man. A God everybody can pray to is not a physical thing limited to one spot, time, or language and must know everything. His knowledge would be astronomical maybe infinite. That's the kind of God taught in the Bible and the Christian faith. The Bible's God is an infinite Spirit existing throughout time and space. Any man made idol of wood, stone, or metal would greatly misrepresent him making him worthless.

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Could God Be A Creative Person?
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Now we don't have to be a rocket scientist to realize that nothing can't create something. Nothing means nonexistence without mind, will, and power. We know the universe hasn't always existed but came into being at some point when matter, space and time began. So if it didn't exist, something else must have existed to bring it into being. That something must be equally great or greater than its material creation since something can't give what it doesn't have. So the Bible says,"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1).
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We know also that life doesn't magically spontaneously spring into being from non life. Non life has no mind, will, and power to create itself in any amount of time. Atoms can't decide let's arrange ourselves into germs, virus, plants, animals and man. Again, the facts require that that creative something have life and to always have been living without change. God must be an eternal, self-existent, intelligent, living, planning creative being or person. This is what is meant in the Bible by the word--God.
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"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,  and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." John 1:1-5.    

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Could We Miss Other Pointers To God?
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Some persons claim we don't need God since evolution can explain everything. But can it? Nonexistence can't explode and evolve into anything. Anything begun requires a Beginner. Numerous things require a creative mind and will outside the mindless elements of nature. Eggs require chickens to lay on them before they hatch and the chicken has a chemical necessary for eggs to form. Everything that breathes requires just the right combination of gases and density of atmosphere. Nature can't know birds need wings to fly, animals need legs to walk, fish need fins to swim, men need arms to make things. Male and female gender is tremendously complicated, had to exist together at the same time, and exists in myriad life forms throughout the animal kingdom. No closed-minded faith as evolutionary naturalism can account for these things and a million others. Everything points to God.
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Our eye beholding things of breathtaking beauty inspire a sense of awe and wonder giving us the impression something more than nature exists, and that it must be good and love us. Just as things which thirst have a need for water, there is water. Loneliness means we have a need for companionship, and compatible companions exist. Our sense of incompleteness implies something exists to complete us. Our need for purpose is pointless unless there is an ultimate purpose or Purposer. Even truth is irrational unless there's an ultimate truth to make it rational. All such things point to God and make no sense unless the biblical kind of God exists.
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Could God Be A Moral Person?
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Would you be appalled to see your loved ones used for target practice, or see human beings hung on meat hooks to be purchased and roasted for food?  Would you not object to others lying, stealing, deceiving, and cheating you? Since we are a common humanity, if such things are wrong for one  person, they would be wrong for us all.
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Can we believe human life has no more value than that? No, something inside us cringes at such things knowing they can't be right and are terribly unjust. It's called a conscience. But if there's no ethical God to whom we must give account of our lives, concepts of justice and love make no sense for merely perishing animals. This too points to a just but loving God to whom we must one day give account of our lives.

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Could God Walk Among Us?
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Now if God be creator of all the universe and made us in his rational, moral, immortal image for relationship with us, what could possibly be difficult for him to take on a human nature and body to communicate with us? But how could we recognize him if he came among us and was no different than any other ordinary man? We couldn't in that case recognize him. He would have to not only claim to be our God but do extraordinary things to get our attention and demonstrate his claims true. What would that require?
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"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotton of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). See my article, The Great Mysteries of the Christian Faith.
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Consider these things. What if Jesus claimed to be God and could predict things months even years before they occurred? What if he did specific things predicted centuries earlier that only God could know and do? What if he could do astonishing things nature's patterns cannot normally allow? Such things beyond human ability would definitely show he was more than man and must be a God-man!
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Jesus predicted Peter's denial three times before the roaster crowed, Judas' betrayal, his death and resurrection after three days. He fulfilled centuries earlier prophecies that Messiah would be God, perform miracles, live without sin, die for sinners and be raised from the dead. His disciples and his critics were astonished at his miracles and couldn't deny them. All these things are impossible if Jesus be a mere man. (For more detail, see my articles on Jesus' prophecies and miracles.)    

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Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6).
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 Nothing but arguments are sometimes used to ridicule Christians with pretense of knowledge one doesn't have and sense of self-importance not pleasing to God. If we could gain the whole world but lose our own soul, would that be wise? Everywhere we look is evidence pointing to the biblical God. Human dignity and real justice exists only if God exists and Jesus demonstrated he is our God who walked among us. Heaven is where God's perfect love is made known. We are given the choice to trust Jesus to forgive our sins, save us from Hell, and follow Him in life. You are invited to become right now a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ seeking His will the rest of your life. Say, Lord Jesus I trust You to save me and show me Your will for my life from now on. Trust Jesus as your loving Lord. Follow the Bible. Don't be afraid!
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Warfare in the Quran & in the Bible

                         Warfare in the Qur'an & in the Bible 

#Qur'an  

Since the terrorist 9/11 assault on symbols of American wealth and power secularists have come to feel that devotion to the God of any holy book is a dangerous thing. Postmodernists believe everything is in flux, socially estranged and requires their authoritative interpretation. They despise any hint of objective religious authority. They may know little if anything about either holy book but equate the God of both as the cause of religious wars. Can we know the truth about this important matter? 

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One thing they seem to overlook is that the twenty century socialists/communists and Nazis denying God and religion have caused more deaths and destroyed more lands in wars than all the previous religious wars put together. I wonder how they can casually dismiss that as insignificant. Are we right to assume religious wars are all on the same footing? Is there no difference between Muslim terrorists and biblical Christians, between Quran's hate teaching to fight and slay pagans where you find them (Surah 9:5) and Jesus' commandments to love God and man (Matt. 24:37-40)?

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Warfare in the Quran.

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Islam is a state religion bent on conquering the world. It seems impossible to separate the religion from the government or from Islamic society. They are one indivisible community that regards all infidels who won't summit as their enemy. This is the plain teaching of the Quran and the Hadith and gives Islamic soldiers dying in battle for Allah (God) assurance of going to paradise where all their sensual desires will be satisfied--wine, many beautiful women, song and every comfort of life (Surah 37:40-48; 60:10-40; 76:10-21). Nothing is said about their wives having virgins.
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Muhammad is known at the prophet of the sword and his life is the pattern Muslims are to follow (Surah 33:21; 68:4). Islam began in conquest, and has a history of warfare with its objective to impose its religion and law upon the world. When in a minority, Muslims cite their annulled  verse in the Quran that teaches no compulsion in religion and claim peace (Surah 2:256). But when they gain a majority, they enforce the multiple passages that plainly teach to kill all infidels who will not submit to Islam.
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Any unbelieving nation and people who won't summit to Islam is their enemy and if not subdued by persuasion must be by force. Jews and Christians are not Allah's friends or protectors (Surah 5:51; 60:1). Even treaty obligations with pagans may be dissolved (Surah 9:1, 3; 16:101). Muslims with head bowed to the ground facing Mecca are taught to pray five times a day and that there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet. That's instilled in them from cradle to grave and difficult to renounce.
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Their ideal of peace cannot be achieved until all nations are brought under Islamic rule. Muslim states rich in oil enable them to equip Jihadist terrorists to use violent destruction all over the world. Islamic law oppresses any personal opinion (Surah 33:36). It governs all political, social, military and family life. Unlike biblical Christianity, basic Islam does not promote human dignity, equality, freedom, love and peace.
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While not all Muslims agree with this, they are not very vocal to protest it. Islamic schools and mosques teach hatred of unsubmissive infidels and fearful threats to Muslims who would convert to another religion. Committed parents will disown or even kill their own children who accept another religion. Consider three of  over a hundred plain terrorist statements of the Quran and the Hadith.
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Sura 8:12, 17. "I will instill terror into the infidels, smite them above their necks; smite all their fingertips off them. It is not you who slay them but Allah."

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Sura 9:14. "Kill the infidels, God will torment and cover them with shame."

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Hadith 1:35. "The person who participates in Allah's cause (namely, in battle), . . will be recompensed by Allah either with reward or booty or will be admitted to Paradise."

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Warfare in the Jewish Tanakh or Old Testament..
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Israel was a theocracy or state religion directed by God that sought justice and peace in the world. But fairness requires we understand several factors. First, its recorded killings aren't always approved biblical teaching. It records Moses unlawfully killed the Egyptian. Warfare among kings may be simply stated without expressed approval or disapproval. Second, Israel's just God does  command warfare as one means of judgment. He drowned Pharaoh's army in the sea, used Joshua to defeat the Canaanites living in Israel's promised land, later used Israel's leaders called judges to defeat their warring neighbors. But Israel too was subject to God's judgments for wrong doing. Among them God slew 24,000 idolaters in a plague (Num. 25:9), complainers against God over  age 20 weren't allowed into the promised land, Israel's defeat at Ai, and her later captivity.
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Third, unlike other nations Israel's rules of warfare were most humane (Deut. 20). A priest would tell soldiers God would give them victory and officers would tell those afraid to go home. The army coming against a city was to offer them peace and to pay tribute but if they didn't accept, only then to kill the soldiers and put others under subjection. Among the Canaanites living in the land promised to Israel, God commanded everything be utterly destroyed except believers in the true God such as Rahab. Even then God gave the Canaanites 400 years to repent before judgment. He knew they would  lead Israel from God into idolatry, astrology, homosexuality, child sacrifice, and bestiality (Ex. 22:18-20; Lev. 18:20-23). Further, Canaanites practices were unsanitary and productive of disease.
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Surely postmodernists don't forbid governments to oppose evil, or do they? Sometimes war is necessary to put down evil. Hitler unopposed would have subjected the world to death or slavery. Isn't it the state's duty to arrest criminals, burglars, rapists, murders, child abusers and the like for public safety and security? But if there is no personal ethical God as a standard, then anything can happen for the worse.

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Warfare in the New Testament.

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Biblical Christianity is not a state religion but a worldwide spiritual brotherhood of all who acknowledge Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and the Bible teachings as their authority and guide. It's true that some nations have been called "Christian" but that is subject to interpretations. Never in any nation could all be called Christians in the biblical sense just mentioned. Even where a majority claimed the Christian faith it may mean only their belief in a personal ethical God and Christian ethics as the accepted norm. The Crusades of the middle age were called holy wars to retake lands Muslims had taken from them but this clearly is not the teaching of the New Testament. Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight"John 18:36.
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Unlike Muhammad who brandished the sword to kill many people who saw him as a false prophet, Jesus told Peter to put away the sword because he could have twelve legions of angles come to his rescue but then the Scriptures of his dying to save us sinners would not be fulfilled (Psalm 16:10; Acts 2:27; Matthew 26:52-54; Ephesians 1:7).
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New Testament warfare and armor is described in Ephesians 6:10-19. "But on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places".
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Further explanation metaphorically represents the pieces of armor in spiritual  concepts of truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, the Word of God, and prayer. These are the weapons New Testament believers are to fight with and they are powerful to bring down strongholds.
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"The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" (2 Cor. 10:4-5). These articles are supreme examples of Christian spiritual warfare. In uncensored libraries and bookstores many books can be found mentioning the same things said here, even in some books by Muslims. See books below and the article: They have come for us, Claiming America for Islam.
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Saul, the first great persecutor of Christians was transformed into Paul, the first great preacher of Christ. It's happened many times and can happen many more times. Brothers and sisters around the globe, let's take courage, put on the gospel armor and witness what great things God will do through us. Jesus alone is Lord and Savior of us sinners. 1 Corinthians 15:58.
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Life's Crucial Questions

                                  Life's Crucial Questions

Look at ME! Listen to My experiences. I'm so great? If all I care about is Me and My little world, then I might be in serious trouble! Three questions capture the essence of where I'm going.
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#Questions

Is There A God?

For many persons it's purely an academic question so when they decide a yes or no answer they can return to themselves. But what if this question decides more issues of greatest import than all else and it's simply ignored? Is that wise?

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 In the world we observe many kinds of trees, plants, birds, fish, animals, creeping things. Did they create themselves? Each one is designed with a specific genetic code and is far more complex than even the most brilliant persons could ever imagine. Doesn't all this point to an intelligence and will far exceeding us?

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Humans are the most intelligent creatures we know of on the planet. For sure the elements are forms of unconscious energy that can neither know nor design anything. And, isn't it absurd to say their atoms just happen to all fall in place to produce such an enormous variety of complex creatures? Aren't partial developed organs such as wings, legs, eyes, ears, arms and partially developed systems such as digestive and reproductive useless unless complete and operative from the beginning? All these things compel me to believe nothing less than a creative God is required to explain it all. Can you agree?

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Common sense tells us something can't come from nothing as nothing means powerless nonexistence. We now know the universe had a beginning point suggesting a Beginner since nothing of itself explodes into everything. The universe is elongated or stretched out not spherical as an explosion would be. It is both expanding and losing useful energy. Unless it existed to create itself which is absurd, it is dependent upon an outside originating Source or Creator. Further, its present dependent existence requires such a Source to uphold its existence. Isn't all this obvious?
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Is There Life After Death?

A mystic's claim that life exists after death  gives me no assurance it's true. Mystics can claim frogs can turn into people or anything else if they like. Mormons claim people can become gods and have their own planet. But I must see some examples of such things to believe them true.

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The only way we can really know if life exists after death is for dead persons to come back to life. It amazes me that liberals claim persons of the Bible brought back to life were merely revived from a coma and that Jesus' death on the cross was that he merely swooned. Anybody who has ever touched dead persons know they are cold stiff corps, life has departed and body oder shortly sets in.

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Do skeptics think the trained soldier executioners guarding Jesus on the cross were uncertain of his death? They overlook the fulfillment of the prophecy that no bone of his would be broken while the guards broke the legs of the two thieves to hasten death, that Jesus promised one thief would join him in paradise, and  that one guard acknowledged Jesus was the Son of God. Furthermore, they overlook Psalm 22 and 15 New Testament messianic quotations of or allusions to it which lead some in the early church to call it "the fifth gospel." If the event occurred, it doesn't matter if it was two thousand years ago or two million. The reality and meaning of it remains forever the same that Jesus died to save us sinners bearing our sin upon the cross.

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But Jesus didn't remain a dead man upon the cross, but is a risen Lord and Savior of all who put their trust and hope in Him. Evidences of it abound for those willing to consider them. There is the empty sealed guarded tomb, the heavy bolder rolled from its entrance, the soldiers admitting Jesus was not there, the  neatly folded grave clothes, the angel announcing he is risen, a dozen appearances under all kinds of circumstances, Jesus eating and talking with astonished skeptical disciples talking about the kingdom of God, and his Ascension before five hundred eyewitnesses. All skeptic's theories honest with the evidence break down. See my other articles: Did Jesus Arise from the Tomb? Is There Life After Death?

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What does it mean for humanity? It means the most wonderful things. Unlike others imaginings, we are not soulless dirt as atheists believe, nor recycled energy as monists believe, but we alone in God's image have basis to be beings of dignity and destiny. Because Jesus lives, we know he is the God-man as he claimed so many times and ways. We know everything he taught and approved of is God's absolute truth. A rational Lord made a rational world we can understand, care for and use for our well-being. That makes literature, philosophy, and science possible. It makes ethics, justice, love, faith, hope and human well-being possible too.

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But while man is a being of dignity, it must not be overlooked that he is just as much a being of depravity--we have noble and creative potential, but also an ignoble destructive dark side to our nature. When our first parents, Adam and Eve, disobeyed God, it meant we inherited from them a sinful nature-- we naturally choose our desires and our will over our Maker's if we're not careful.

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This means we must way our attitudes and actions most carefully in light of God and His will. Every thought, word, and deed will one day come up for judgment and reward with God in the new Heaven, or for eternal separation from all we're known to be good in this life in an eternal abode of darkness, torment and despair. It's our choice--we're not robots without dignity and our loving God can't force Himself upon us. God and His Heaven cannot be corrupted as the earth.
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How Should We Then Live?

We not only have a conscience and human compassion to tell us we are to treat others as we would want them to treat us, but our God has given us His instruction book, the Bible, to inform us in specific matters. There is the Ten Commandments, The Sermon of the Mount, and many other lists of things we are and are not to do. Of course all God's instructions are based upon his holy or perfect nature which is our standard and by which we will one day be judged. To ignore all this or find excuses, or claim we're exempt as a special case is to one day face our all knowing Lord who won't except such excuses. See my article: The World's Excuses & God.

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Essentially, we must avoid human abuse and encourage others to follow God's instructions. That required that we learn and apply His word, that we meet together for worship, praise, thanksgiving, and instructions with God's people. And of course, it means we tell other's of our Lord and His saving experience. One way of sharing is to tell others of these Internet blog articles. You might be the means of them coming to the Lord and making wonderful differences both now and eternally.

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Probably, many reading this article know little or nothing, or have assurance  about the things discussed above. Let me invite you to relationship with your Maker, Savior, and Judge. He loves you and gave his human life to save you. Won't you enter a love-trust relationship with the Lord Jesus now that issues in obedience. He promised to never leave you and to give you eternal life with Him?

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"He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him (John 3:36)." Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed into life. . . . the dead will hear the voice of of God; and those who hear will live (John 5:24-25). Pray, Lord I trust You now to give me eternal life and forgive all my sin.

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Years I spent in vanity and pride, Caring not my Lord was crucified,

Knowing not it was for me He died On Calvary.

By God's Word at last my sin I learned; Then I trembled at the law I'd spurned,

Till my guilty soul imploring turned To Calvary.

Now I've giv'n to Jesus every thing, Now I gladly own Him as my King,

Now my raptured soul can only sign Of Calvary.

Oh, the love that drew salvation's plan! Oh, the grace that bro't it down to man!

Oh, the mighty gulf that God did span At Calvary.

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Mercy there was great, and grace was free; Pardon there was multiplied to me;

There my burdened soul found liberty, At Calvary.    ---Hymn by William R. Newel.

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See comment below.

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Darwinian Atheist Challenges Bible-Thumping Christian

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Matter Unbeliever knew science and reason proved evolution beyond all doubt to be fact. He couldn’t believe his ears when he heard his co-worker and friend, Chris Believer, claim true science points to God.
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 He invited Chris to his home to play chess and have ice cream. Matter’s real intent is to convert Chris to his enlightened belief in atheistic evolution. After all, schools, news media, Hollywood, the American Civil Liberties Union--everybody believes it.

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Ring. Ring. Matter opens the door. “Hello, Chris. Come in and sit here at the kitchen table.The chess set is already set up and I’ll get the chocolate ice cream in a little while. How have you been?”

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“Oh, good as usual I suppose. Thanks friend for inviting me to play chess with you. I like the game and I like ice cream. You can move your pawn first.”

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 “Okay. Chris, I heard you say the other day that true science points to God. Surely you don’t believe in God today with so much evidence against it, do you?”

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“Yes, Matter, I do and I don’t know any compelling evidence against my belief.”

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Just as I suspected, Matter thought. Chris is one of those dumb Bible-thumpers ignorant of the abundant evidence against God. He only believes the teachings of some funny-mentalist church and Sunday school.

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“Well Chris, scientific method of repeatable experiments is our only way of knowing anything with certainty. People never see God or anyone walking on water, raising the dead, or ascending into Heaven today; it’s unreasonable to think such occurred in the past. Natures’ laws prohibit miracles and miracles would make science impossible. But if you can show me a miracle, I’ll believe. True science has shown evolution is fact which means we don’t have to believe in God anymore.”

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“Chris, you’re an intelligent person. Can’t you see now my friend how ignorant, unreasonable and unscientific it is to believe in God today? Ha! Ha! Come of age, Chris. Don’t get hung up on that backward Sunday school church stuff.”

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“Matter, you’re trying to proselytize me with a barrage of objections thinking believers in God don’t have supporting evidence. And then you patronize me with ridicule to make me feel stupid and shut me up. Character assignation and precluding answers may be an atheist tactic, but it’s not a fair, respectful, godly treatment of a fellow human being. And while most Christians can’t answer your objections, that doesn’t mean there aren’t answers. Besides, unless challenged, Christians don't think seriously about such things. Our faith in Christ gives us the sense of love and security we didn't know existed before."

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“Matter, can scientific experiments tell us what you ate for breakfast last week? No. And they can’t tell us about history, human rights, ethics, love and all the vital things of life. Because I haven’t seen any miracles doesn’t prove they can’t happen, or didn’t happen, or that God doesn’t exist. And Bible miracles usually are grouped around special crises periods."

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“Are you serious Matter that miracles would make nature chaotic and destroy science? Nature remained unchanged except in particular cases of Jesus’ miracles. Miracles aroused people’s attention, enabling them to understand Jesus’ claims to be God as true. Even their astonishment showed they were much aware of nature's laws. If God created this material universe, He’d be the Spiritual Being controlling everything. And God’s not required to submit to repeated experiments, nor skeptic’s whims. Besides, God doesn't force anyone to believe. That's not the way love acts. People come to God only when they really want to know Him."

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“Science’s method today is closed-minded--it assumes nature’s everything. Nature’s self-sustaining, eternal, impersonal, valueless, and allows only natural causes. But good education and true science fearlessly encourages and examines alternative views. No one was present to observe when the universe came into being. Scientifically, creation is an open question. It has as much right to consideration as evolution. If it’s fantasy rather than fact, why aren’t creationist arguments refuted in science textbooks? Why don’t naturalists win in creation science debates? Remember the Nebraska man turned public opinion to evolution. That evolutionist’s proof turned out to be an extinct pig’s tooth.”

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“Ouch! Your knight captured my queen. You’re better at this than I imagined. And you stand up for your faith and give answers. I thought Christians . . . “

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“You mean Christians are ignorant, or are cowards. To be honest with you Matter, I think most are, or they just never think about it unless challenged. And like non-Christians so many other things occupy their time."

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“Well Chris, didn’t Jesus say turn the other cheek, don’t judge, and he who is without sin caste the first stone.”

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“Yes, Matter, but like the devil people can quote scripture out of context and convey a contrary meaning. Careful study of those passages shows Jesus meant don’t take revenge and escalate violence. He meant we should examine our own faults before we judge others’ faults, and show compassion since we’re all transgressors condemned by God’s law. We have to make judgments about many things every day--police, teachers, parents.”

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“That makes sense, Chris. But what has a religion more than two thousand years old to do with life today? Christianity to me seems like a lot of rules and restrictions that frustrates my desires and spoils my fun.”

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“Matter, I’m so glad you asked. It’s really unfair and not intellectual to castigate the Bible and Christianity when you don’t understand what they teach. Please let me explain.”

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“The Bible’s God is an eternal, infinite, personal, ethical Creator of the universe and of man in his likeness. God took on a human nature in Jesus Christ who experienced life as us, yet without sin or wrongdoing. He fulfilled prophecies and performed miracles to show his claims to be God were true. Then he died upon the cross to pay for our sins and rose from the dead. Five hundred people saw the resurrected Lord Jesus. Many eyewitnesses were still alive when Paul wrote the letter First Corinthians 15:1-8 only a couple of decades later—it was no myth. Jesus commissioned his disciples to tell humanity the good news of eternal life through faith in him. He then ascended into Heaven with the promise to return and set up his kingdom.”

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“So, it’s biblical Christianity alone that meets humanity’s most crucial needs. God created us in His likeness with dignity and immortality—we’re not just evolving, soulless, perishing dirt. God set ethical standards and will judge our earthly behavior—ethics, justice, love, freedom, truth and a meaningful world have their foundation and make sense in their Creator who came to us in the human form of Jesus Christ.”

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"We can be free from guilt, know peace with God and the purpose of life when we turn from our self-centered destructive ways to trust in the Lord Jesus, the Savior of sinners. No other worldview provides the basis for these most crucial issues of life."  Matter finally brought the chocolate ice cream, but lost the chess game.
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So many persons like Matter believe a lot of nonsense about science, Christianity or both. True science supports faith but here say and false notions about either can cause conflict. It's never good to belittle unbelievers as we were also at one time. We should show respect, pray, and try to lovingly lead others to God's truth (1 Peter 3:15-16). Tell them how you found love, forgiveness, peace, and joy in trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Share passages such as:  John 3:16; Romans 5:8-9; 10:9-10. Tell them about these blog articles WWW and to tell their pastor, professor, or co-workers about them.

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Is the Lord Jesus Welcome at Your University?

Is the Lord Jesus Welcome at Your University?

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The Bible says Jesus is the Lord of glory meaning he’s the way, truth, life, hope, and light of the world. But some intellectual elites claim Jesus’ teachings intolerant, absolutist, dogmatic, exclusive, authoritarian, ignorant, narrow-minded, superstitious, dangerous, and nonscientific. Why? Are these insults based upon fact, or falsehood and bias? Let’s examine some of Jesus’ teachings to see which view fits best.

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Jesus clearly believed in human creation, not evolution. Jesus said, “From the beginning of creation God made them male and female.” Mark 10:6; 13:19. And his apostle Paul quoted Genesis 2:21-25 that confirmed that Adam’s body was formed directly from the ground and then Eve was made from Adam (1 Cor. 11:8-9). No one denies genetic potential for varieties of mice, monkeys, and men. But where is any proof for molecule to man evolution? Science confirms that life only comes from life, that life forms show specified complexity, and that the thousands of transitional life forms needed to prove evolution simply don’t exist. Shouldn’t we be open-minded, unafraid, and fair with the evidence? Doesn’t good science allow alternative views and let the evidence decide, even if it points to a living Creator? After all, the Christian worldview is the basis for a rational universe created by a rational God. It’s what makes science possible? See my articles on science: Ape-man or God-man? How Scientific and Open-minded Are Darwinists?

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Jesus taught people have an eternal soul. Jesus said, “What profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Matt. 16:26; Mark 8:37. Apart from Jesus Christ, our only options are soulless dirt we return to, or recycled energy that after many recycles is freed from self-existence. Most people throughout the ages believe in human life after death but the only real proof is that someone dies and that cold stiff body comes back to life and activity. Eyewitness gave their lives in testimony within three decades that Jesus arose from the dead. See my articles: Did Jesus Arise from the Tomb? Is There Life After Death? Christ's Historical Resurrection. Jesus' Resurrection Is Humanity's Only Hope! 

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Jesus claimed to be the only way to God and Heaven. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6. Of the founders of world religions, Jesus is the only person said to be without sin, who died to pay the penalty of our sin, and who arose to confirm all his teachings true. This puts Jesus above and apart from all mere human thinking and shows him to be the God-man or Lord of glory. Mere human opinions and guesses are of no value. It’s the Creator’s exclusive right to set his requirements to enter his Heaven. His criterion is perfection, no corruption (Matt. 5:48; Rev. 21:27: 22:15). No killers, rapists, human abusers are allowed in Heaven. God’s way is that we trust in his Son dying for us on the cross to cleanse us from sin. A morally perfect God must judge all evil (Matt. 5:48; John 3:36; 1 Cor. 6:9-11).

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Jesus said God’s law was that one man be married to one woman for life. He answered, “He made them male and female . . . for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” Matthew 19:4-5; Mark 10:5. This is no mere cultural mores since our eternal Creator knows the end from the beginning and the best for us (Isaiah 46:10). Having sex slaves, marrying many spouses, same sex relations, and easy divorce are not God’s ideal of a one-flesh relationship for life. Jesus said it’s the hardness of our hearts that we commit these sins (Matt. 19:8). What would be the outcome if everyone were gay? What is the purpose of eyes? Of ears? Of reproductive systems? We don’t need a Ph.D. to see that men and women are designed for family relationship. Doesn’t STD’s warn us of unfaithfulness? Romans 1:24-32 is clear that sexual immorality and wickedness of every kind is rebellion against God. We are without excuse, and will be judged by the moral standards of our Maker, Owner, Life-giver, and Judge. God's warnings are due to his great concern for our well-being.

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Jesus said the two greatest commandments were to love God first and our fellowman second. Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind . . . You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:37-39). Christianity, unlike some religious, doesn’t teach hate, human abuse, murder, but love, goodness, and truth. It’s based upon a perfectly moral God to whom we will one day give account of our lives. Even our conscience tells us that lies, theft, murder, and human abuse of all kinds is wrong simply because we object and call it unjust when done to us. But if we are not in God’s mental, moral, immortal image, we really are nothing and subject to be used and abused, manipulated and murdered.

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Jesus taught the Scriptures were the Word of God. Jesus said, “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me” (John 5:39). The Bible contains many fulfilled predictions of Messiah which Jesus alone could have fulfilled—his virgin birth, miracles, sinless life, death for sinners, and resurrection. This is God’s good news to us who are rebellious selfish beings. The Scriptures are God’s true and authoritative message to all humanity (Matt. 5:18). Moreover, God has made his will known to those willing to learn and obey it (John 7:17). No other scripture of any world religion can claim such things as demonstrated by Jesus. His words are not human opinion, but God’s authority.

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Jesus said it is imperative that we be born again. "Do not marvel that I say to you, ‘you must be born again’ (John 3:7). We are all born as physical bodily beings. But according to the Bible, we are born with a sinful rebellious nature unable to live up to God’s perfect moral laws or enter his pure uncorrupted Heaven. We are out of tune and separated from relationship with our Maker. So we must be born with new life by the Holy Spirit of God entering into us—regeneration or new life. This is imperative to be counted just before God. Then, we have forgiveness, love for God, peace with God, desire to please God, a new outlook on life--we are new creations (2 Cor. 5:17-18). Apart from this, we are useless rebels before God, desiring our own way and destined for eternal darkness, despair, tears and torments. As sinners, we must humbly trust in the Savior.

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What can we rightly conclude from all the above and the uncomplimentary remarks? Is Jesus’ teachings exclusive, absolutist, authoritarian, and narrow-minded? YES! Because Jesus was not teaching human guesses, He was God who walked among us and told us truths we couldn’t know otherwise. Was Jesus intolerant, dogmatic, ignorant, and superstitious? NO! As the all-knowing and holy God, He was intolerant of and dogmatic about falsehood, deception, and evil, but He loved people. He showed the greatest love in dying to save us unworthy sinners from a Hell of darkness and torment and to have a daily relationship of love and guidance.

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Christian faith is not the foe of true science, but its friend. Experimental science was largely brought about by theists and Christians who believed that a rational God made a rational universe and experimentation possible. Nature religions were superstitious and ignorant. Scientific theories change frequently and can oppose Scripture. Human interpretation of both science and Scripture can be faulty. It’s reasonable to believe that when all the facts are in and correctly interpreted, God’s Word and God’s world will be in harmony. It's unreasonable and unscientific to assume nothing of itself produced the universe, or that mindless elements can arrange themselves into plants, animals, and man no matter how much time. 

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Are Jesus teachings dangerous? Yes, for both Christians and Un-Christians if we want to live our lives free from God’s love, direction, and control. Christians still have the sinful nature that can show attitudes of self-righteousness, hypocrisy, arrogance, insensitivity, and an unkind rejection of others. Jesus rebuked the religious hypocrites of His day. But Jesus loved people and said Christians should too. He told us to tell them of His salvation and make disciples (Matt. 27:18-20). We actually show disobedience and unconcern to neglect telling others of the Savior of us sinners. But be warned: bad attitudes can drive persons God loves away from the Savior. And we must remember God may discipline His disobedient children even to the point of physical death (Heb. 11:6-8; 1 Cor. 11:30). Get this: history confirms Jesus is what brought the West out of barbarism.

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Un-Christians need to remember that all who go to church, carry a Bible, or talk of Jesus may not be Christians. As in other religions, there are levels of commitment, understanding, and maturity. And to believe any one religion true, means all opposed religions logically are false.
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The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23). Won't you humbly say, Lord Jesus I trust you now and forever to be my Savior, Lord, and Guide? Then share these articles with others who know not the Lord or the eternal life He alone gives.

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Let me recommend some terrific books for college students and their concerned parents.
Norman L. Geisler & Frank Turek, I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist.
Dr. Rick Cornish, 5 Minute Theologian.
Kenneth Boa & Larry Moody, I’m Glad You Asked.
Paul Copan, True For You, But Not For Me.
Geoffrey Simmons, M.D., What Darwin Didn't Know
Scott M. Huse, The Collapse of Evolution.
Ed Hindson & Ergun Caner, The Popular Encyclopedia of Apologetics.
Coral Ridge Ministries, Ten Truths About Socialism.
. . . . . . . . . . . .
Many persons want the benefits Christianity brings. But, its fruits cut from its roots in Christ and the Bible, will disappear You can serve God by sharing these articles with others..

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The World's Excuses & God

                             The World's Excuses & God

They did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to those things which are not fitting.  . . . You are inexcusable O man, who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things.

                                                                                      ---Apostle Paul, Romans 1:28; 2:1
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God's apostle makes a serious indictment against us humans. Are we guilty as charged? You be the judge but try to be honest--I know it's hard. Let's consider it as objectively as we can under four questions.
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 What does Biblical Christianity offer the world?

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Christians believe a rational moral God created the universe and made us humans in His rational, moral, immortal image and likeness. Unlike animals, this gives us humans a greater dignity and a destiny. Being rational we can create, solve all kinds of problems and have relationship with God. Being moral, our inborn conscience tells us to treat others the way we would want them to treat us.

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All this being so, we can have relationship with our Maker now and eternally--it's our choice. And it makes us responsible to God, ourselves, our fellow-man, and  for  God's world as His stewards. Because we all descended from Adam (means from the ground) and Eve (means mother of all people), we all have the same dignity, rights, moral laws, and are due the same humane treatment and God's justice. This is the Christian foundation and rationale  for truth,  free speech, ethics, land ownership, justice, love, government, law, rights, freedom, religion, philosophy, science and all human endeavors. It's unlike all others and makes for a good world.

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What do Christians say is evidence that they are correct?

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Creation. First, creation of the universe. Today's science is in accord with the Bible which shows the universe can be traced back to a beginning point. Moreover, what has a beginning must have a beginner since the universe can't create itself. What doesn't exist can't create anything. Further, the present universe is dependent upon a prior outside independent source. That source must be immaterial, eternal, self-existent, unchangeable, and an omnipotent mind and will  to explain everything we know about in our world. In fact, that source is like the great biblical "I Am" (Exodus 3:14; John 1:1-3; Heb. 1:1-3; Col. 1:16-17; Rev. 1:18).

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Then, creation of life and mind. They cannot arise spontaneously from nothing.  Unconscious chemicals can't give what they don't have. Mindless molecules don't arrange themselves into men given any amount of time; it requires a creative Mind or Arranger. Eyes, ears, limbs as well as digestive and reproductive systems don't just magically appear but must from the start be complete and functional which again requires creation and a Creator. Partly formed organs and systems aren't fit to survive. Nature can only select what's in the gene pool and mutations are harmful. Moreover, the often touted ape-men which would be the real disproof  of creation have been shown to be either monkeys or men not missing links. Further, chimps can't communicate complicated human language.
Even supposing DNA in monkeys and men is the same, it's the different arrangement that makes the difference..

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Yes, the chicken must first hatch the egg with the needed chemical to form its shell and then lay on the egg for it to hatch which again demonstrates creation. Nature's beauty strikes us with wonder and awe that there must be Someone who knows and cares about us.

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Conscience. If there is law, then there must be a great moral Lawgiver and so much in human life testifies to that. We know that what hurts us hurts other persons like us. But our fallen conscience is fallible, can be distorted (Romans 2:15) and even seared by intense evil (1 Timothy4:2). Nevertheless, the law of the Lord is a perfect reflection His perfect divine nature (Psalms 19:7; Matthew 5:48).
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Abundant evidence testifies to this objective moral law. It's universal. We can't avoid making moral judgments. We know injustice only because we know justice. It's the objective moral standard by which we measure human progress or regress. Breaking it causes us to make excuses. We suffer guilt. It's discovered, not invented. We risk our lives out of a sense of duty. All cultures disavow genocide and rape. We naturally detest some things such as to cheat, steal, murder, be disloyal and protest them done to us. 

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Christ. God didn't tell us everything we want to know at once but revealed Himself and His will  gradually in time periods testing our obedience  under various conditions.  Jesus is our fullest revelation of God. If we can put our dogmatic assumptions aside, we can see  the evidence points to a great Spiritual Creator who best explains everything. Then human souls, miracles, angels, divine revelations, and God taking human form becomes reasonable because He loves us and made us for relationship. If our knowledge amounts to a dot in the universal circle, doesn't dogmatic denial speak of human arrogance while honest consideration speaks of fairness and wisdom?

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No historical persons compare to Jesus. What other person is said to do such supernatural things? Jesus fulfilled multiple prophecies such as being virgin born in Bethlehem, lived without sin, performed multiple miracles, claimed to be God, died for sinners, arose from the dead, ascended into heaven before 500 staring eyes. Jesus' deity is no myth adoring disciples imagined centuries later.

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Unlike other founders of religion, hymns and creeds speaking of Christ's deity within the first 15 years after his death are incorporated into the epistles. The four Gospels, Acts and epistles are published within 40 years. Secular writers mention many details of his life such as his disciples believed him to be God and died horrible deaths in testimony to it.
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All this cannot be said of any other founder of religion. Actually, more historical information is recorded of Jesus that any other noted person. Archaeology too verifies details of persons, places, and events of Jesus' time. Jesus then is the God-man and King of kings.

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Why general objections do Christians see in non-Christian views?

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If they claim there's no God who can act in our real world--that seems paradoxical being a Godlike knowledge they don't have. Their views can  all be shown to be either practical atheism which makes us soulless dirt or pantheism which reduces us to recycled energy.  Some are half truths as deism (god out there) and monism (god is everything). Some are complete lies such as that the truth is that we can't know truth. Atheists claim physical and moral evils preclude an all good and powerful God not realizing evils are a meaningless judgment without that God as the standard. Others clearly contradict which disproves all cannot be true if any--for example mind verses mater. They make their advocates hypocrites who must fall back on realistic Christian premises such as truth, honesty, human dignity and justice to survive.  But when we forget God, we become ruled by tyrants and subject to God's judgment.
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The above are shown to be the arrogant reasoning's of men. Only an infinite, self-existent, personal, ethical Creator God can provide, unify and make sense of everything including our existence, dignity and future.

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What specific excuses do we humans use to excuse us from God and our responsibility?

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Human history contains a long list but I can mention only a few with brief comments.  Animism that makes nature indwelt by spirits but still acknowledges a supreme but unknown god. Pantheism which makes everything one ultimate substance being mind or spiritual energy. Polytheism that claims many little gods evolved from nature each with its own domain that fight each other and die. Materialism says everything is matter or degrees of compressed energy. Deism that acknowledges God who created the world then forsake it to run by natural law. Panentheism (process philosophy) that supposes God is evolving with the world as mind is in a body. Dualism supposes two equal opposing principles but two exact equals reduce to the same one. Syncretism attempts to unity religions downplaying their differences claiming all religions lead to the ultimate. Cultism claims some charismatic teacher who alone has discovered the truth. Evolutionism that says the universe is always evolving so that there can be no absolute truth and morals. Relativism based upon evolution that claims no ultimate truth nor morals. Scientism (science alone is authoritative), which claims we can only know reality by controlled experimental testing and even then not absolutely. Secularism that says the supernatural is merely superstition. Humanism that affirms man must save himself since there's no God to save us. Modernism teaches you must accept beliefs in fashion today. Postmodernism affirms religious beliefs are subjective. Tolerationism accepts all beliefs not claimed absolute.  Selfism being me and my desires are all I have to care about. Statism is when the Almighty State usurps control of wealth, land, religion, speech, education, news, entertainment, family, and people's lives--people give up their freedom and obey the state to survive.
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All the above ideologies either ignore or deny the existence and authority of God over our lives. They result in a meaningless flux of human supposition that invites chaos and then tyranny. 
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 "If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the Father . . . the world is passing away, and the lust of it, but he who does the will of God abides forever" (1 John 2:15-17).
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They all reduce to ignoring God, His supernatural evidence, instructions, and setting up ourselves as the authority and guide for our  lives. Jesus said it's a matter of will. "If  anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine" (John 7:17). God's Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8). We really are without excuse (Jeremiah 29:13; Acts 17:30-31).

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Friend, may I suggest a better way. Our Creator, Life Giver, Lawgiver, Judge and Savior in love pleads with us to kneel in trust acknowledging we are sinners. Then pray Lord, I come to You as a humble sinner trusting You to forgive my sins, save me and be my Lord and Guide forever. Thank You Lord. John 1:29; 3:16-17, 36, 5:25; 8:12; 14:6. Now share your God given faith with everybody and pray human hearts will trust in our only Savior. God bless and use you in this crucial opportunity of the most vital things of life.

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A Brilliant Scientist & Devout Christian

                                    A Brilliant Scientist & Devout Christian

                    Being unable to cure death, wretchedness and ignorance,
                    men have decided, in order to be happy, not to think about such things.

                                                                                             ---Blaise Pascal, Pensees

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One huge difference between men and animals is that people can reflect on deep philosophical issues. We can ask the big questions of life that as far as we know animals cannot. Is there a personal ethical God? Is there life after death? Is the world going anywhere? Does life have objective meaning? Does morality make any real or lasting difference?
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Often we do anything to avoid such questions and their possible consequences. We watch TV, movies, play ear pounding music, play sports, go shopping, party, read light literature, the Internet, any kind of amusement or business to take our minds away from God and our responsibility to Him.
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Some feel inadequate to form opinions on deep subjects.  With centuries of continued debate, some people wonder if we can have any final answers. Others simply see no practical relevance of them to their real world and lives. But the issues won't go away and consciously or unconsciously we have underlying worldviews like wearing colored glasses that color  our viewpoints whether we are willing to face it or not.
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Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) attributes this to our fallen sinful state (Rom. 1:18). He believed we fill our lives with business to ignore or suppress our inborn moral and spiritual responsibilities. He devised a more practical rather than logical approach to draw us back from our diversions. Let's first consider the background of Pascal as scientist and philosopher and then his famous wager.
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Pascal - The Pioneer Renaissance Scientist.
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His scientific contributions. Though he lived only 49 years, Pascal was an accomplished scholar in many fields. Others said of him that he was one of the most advanced thinkers of his time and one of the founding fathers of the new experimental science. This brilliant Frenchman laid the foundations for infinitesimal calculus, integral calculus, the calculus of probabilities, and he contributed to geometry and number theory. He became a first-rate experimental scientist practicing the newly emerging scientific method of forming a hypothesis and verifying or falsifying it by experimental testing.
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With his technological intuition and productive imagination, he is credited with inventing the syringe, the vacuum cleaner, the hydraulic press and he developed the first public transportation system in Europe. Desiring to help his father calculate his taxes, he invented the first digital calculator or adding machine being the precursor to our modern computers.
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His philosophy of science. As a member of the Catholic Church, he supported the findings of Copernicus and Galileo. He had respect for authority, but unlike Plato he believed truth didn't just rest on authorities of analytic reasoning but must be established by experimental testing.  Science continues to progress as it explores nature's mysteries gathering data and experimenting with sound explanatory hypothesis. We can never be absolutely certain about our theories  so that new theories may replace old ones. Science has its limits. His view resembles the twentieth century philosopher of science Karl Popper. But Pascal recognized that science could never change human nature. Scientific progress could not change our human will and people did not form their basic beliefs by reason and science alone. Furthermore, science could not make us wise, happy, or good.  Some came to regard Pascal as the first modern man.
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Pascal - The Devout Christian Defender.
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His profound religious experience. While crossing the Seine River during a storm, he came to trust in Jesus Christ and the truths of the Christian faith. He wrote a memoir about it sown in the lining of his clothes discovered after his death. It consisted of notes and fragments and was really only an outline of a proposed book defending the Christian faith. It came to be known as his Pensees(Thoughts). He was sick for a long time unable to work and is believed to have died of meningitis.
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His Pensees affirmed  he believed in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and not in the God of the philosophers and scholars. He had a heartfelt joy and peace unlike any before that must be found only in ways taught in the Gospels. This did not cause him to renounce his scientific and mathematical interests but regard them in a new light as service to God. The themes he wrote about the nature of man and the relationship of faith and reason set him apart in a most unique way.
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The enigma of man. Human nature is a paradox of both greatness and wretchedness, both the glory and refuse of the universe. We receive greatness being created in the image and likeness of God reflecting God's glory though in a limited way. At the same time, we are wretched being fallen beings from Adam's sin  inheriting his sinfulness, guilt and corruption (Ps. 51:5; 58:3; Rom. 5:12, 18-19; 1 Cor. 15:22).  The ultimate solution is to know both God and our wretchedness so that Jesus Christ can strike a balance and we can find redemption in Him. Only in Christ can we truly know God, ourselves, the meaning of life and of death.
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Reasons of the heart. Pascal believed reason was not contrary to religion and can be helpful, but one comes to know God through faith or insight or willful trust of the heart. He mentioned a list of evidences as pointers to God. Among them biblical prophecy, miracles, Christ's resurrection, the continued existence of the Jews, the church's continued witness despite persecution, and Christianity's explanatory power.
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He asserted that reason and science have limits and need illumination of faith and divine revelation. Traditional proofs for God unlike geometry are not certain or presented as to complicated and remote and don't give knowledge of Christ. Knowing about God is not the same as knowing and loving God. They may convince the mind but not the heart. The heart for Pascal is the instinctive, immediate, intuitive apprehension of truth and of God in Christ. And scientific research today aligns itself with intuition as vital to discovering truth.
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Pascal - His Wager.
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To adopt Christianity over atheism we need to first understand the context of Pascal's Wager. It was never intended as an evidence attempting to prove God's existence. It was intended for persons  suspending judgment on ultimate issues. It was directed to French deists, skeptics, and free thinkers. It was meant to awaken persons indifferent to God, death, and immortality. It was a cost-benefit analysis that whoever wages against God has nothing to gain and everything to lose. Let's look at the Wager.
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                        Let us weigh up the gain and the loss involved in calling heads that God
                        exists. Let us assess the two cases: if you win you win everything. If you
                        lose you lose nothing. Do not hesitate then; wager that he does exist.
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Being catholic, Pascal is of course speaking of the Christian God of the Bible and  the Church. He mentions the first of two alternatives, we can believe in God and commit to him in trust. It results in two outcomes of being correct or incorrect. If belief in God is correct, the believer stands to gain everything--infinite gain of eternal life with God in heaven. If belief in God is incorrect as God doesn't exist, the believer has lost nothing.
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The second alternative is to wager against God refusing to commit to him. Disbelief also has two outcomes of being correct or incorrect. If we refuse to believe and God doesn't exist we gain nothing. But if we refuse to believe and God exists we lose everything being inner purity, peace, joy, love, freedom, security and dignity in this life, and our choice forever casts us into the darkness and torments of hell. This is a most crucial and ultimate wager that we are wise not to dismiss or deny since that would mean we're already made our choice.
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Now we must examine criticisms made of the Wager and the responses. Several objections have been made both by Christians and non-Christians and we will look at each with a response.
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1. It's God who saves us--we can't save ourselves or even believe apart from God. The Wager can be a tool to awaken our consciousness to our need. God does the saving but we do the accepting or receiving of God's gift through faith (John 1:11-13; 16:8-11). Apart from God's Spirit convicting and opening us to His truth, we would never come to Him on our own (Acts 16:31; Eph. 2:8-9).
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2. Performing a religious function does not make a person Christian. True, reading the Bible, going to church, singing hymns, receiving the sacraments, baptism, and so on doesn't save anybody (Titus 3:5-7). But Christians used them to give understanding of God and of our need.
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3. Forcing the Wager on someone promotes intellectual dishonesty. Pretense is dishonesty but to open one's mind to the truth is not dishonesty. The meaning of death is a most serious topic we need to prepare for. God's love can't be forced on anyone; it has to be a free will response.
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4. The Wager makes faith a cold pragmatic gamble. It's a common sense appeal to try God to see that He is good as Scripture says (Psalm 34:8). Clear honest reasoning about what could be our worst forever nightmare shows wisdom. It's like visit to the doctor for a physical check up.

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5. If God doesn't exist, the Wager becomes life wasted on a lot of religious nonsense. Actually,  faith in the Christian God and His way motivates us to all kinds of good works. It's the basis for truth, love, trust, justice, human compassion, service to others. Without it, human abuse of every kind seems self-preservation and fair game--we are just perishing animals fighting to survive. No God means the world is going nowhere, death ends all, life has no meaning, suicide seems an easy way out of a horrible situation.
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6. The Wager is no guarantee so seems to be a waste of time. Life forces us to make choices of many uncertain outcomes. Multiple unknown factors may be at work but we must choose. If we are wrong thinking God's exists and He doesn't, it won't matter if death is the end. But if we are wrong thinking God doesn't exist and He does, then eternal loss in darkness and torments for our sins is the outcome. Doesn't wisdom dictate we choose God every time?
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7.  What if we gamble on the wrong God? No God but the Christian biblical God is right. He has given us supernatural evidences, signs, reasons to believe. These include miracles, fulfilled prophecies, the sinless Savior, his claims, his resurrection, Christianity's capacity to make sense of the world when other religions do not. Further, non-Christian religions have none of this and are only the opinions and guesses of men.
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8.   The Wager works equally well with all subjective religions that make an infinite claim.  Biblical Christianity is unique. Most religions are based upon the teaching or thinking of a wise man (Confucius), claim of angelic revelation (Islam, Mormonism), monism (Hinduism, Buddhism) and are all subjective religions. Their basis is supposed human wisdom or experience alone. Only Bible Christianity furnished evidences of a supernatural God who acts in the real world and makes promises about future conditions and life after death.
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9. The Wager will not convince hardened skeptics and committed atheists. Pascal didn't intend the Wager for such persons and didn't use theistic arguments to persuade people of God's existence. God gives us the freedom to reject Him, and persons will even knowing it's true and can't rebut such arguments. The priests plotted to crucify Christ after seeing Lazarus raised from the dead (John 12:9-11). Intellectual knowledge without inner transformation of God's Spirit is not saving faith (Titus 3:5).
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10.  Why bet my certain freedom now against an uncertain heavenly good. Self rule now is nothing to compare to the weight of glory that awaits us with God in heaven. God promises us things more wonderful than we can ever imagine--angels, loved ones, no death, sorrow, illness, crime. And it's for eternity.
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11.   Isn't it wrong to use fear of harm or threats to get people to believe? No. It's like warning of a rattle snake. The threat is real and must be heeded. And being the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, God sets the rules.
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12. A holy God would prefer honest skeptics to pragmatic believers. No, unbelief is founded upon rebellion, arrogance and leads to idolatry. It prevents us from wanting God's way. "The fool has said in his heart, there is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good" (Psalm 14:1).

In light of all this I urge you to take the issue most seriously and invite Jesus to become your Lord, Savior and Guide for life. It's the winning choice every time.
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I've borrowed heavily from Kenneth Richard Samples book, Without a Doubt Answering The 20 Toughest Faith Questions, ch. 6. Books on Pascal you might like are: Peter Kreeft, Christianity For Modern Pagans: Pascal's Pensees. Thomas Morris, Making Sense of It All: Pascal and the Meaning of Life. A. J. Krailsheimer, Blaise Pascal, trans.
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