Sybil's Sagan

My most beautiful cousin, Sybil (affectionately "Shay" as kids, although we have never met), posted a Carl Sagan quote on Facebook the other day. Sadly, it got lost in the mix of notifications and vodka...so I am just now getting around to commenting. :) I promised a blog post, so here goes...

Carl Sagan was a brilliant scientist who died almost 13 years ago. He is well known for his work in the field of astronomy, including the SETI project (although he was not a "believer" in E.T./UFO's specifically.)

Sagan claimed agnostic in the realms of god/God and religion. (agnostic = a-gnostic = (a)lack of (gnostic) knowledge. He was a giant force in the publication of photographs of Earth from deep space (which showed us just how small we are).

I can't even begin to do the great Carl Sagan justice with any sort of homage here on my measly blog, but he was a genius of the highest human caliber.

Sybil's Facebook quote: "Skeptical scrutiny is the means, in both science and religion, by which deep thoughts can be winnowed from deep nonsense."

I am posting for Sybil because she posted in a comment that she didn't know what to think of the quote, and was hoping someone (probably me) would open up the discussion. (Do you know any other heathens, cuz? :) )

I must say that I am jaded...I have read so many Sagan quotes, and I do own his book "Cosmos: A Personal Voyage." I have picked it up and read it here and there, random pages and ideas. The man was brilliant, and I am a lowly "smart." WAY beyond me, but I love trying to figure it out, nonetheless.

The most famous quote from Sagan that atheists like to use is, "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." I love this quote, and believe in it, not just in debating theism, but anything in life. If I say the sky is blue, well...duh, look up, it's blue. If I say the sky is purple...we've got a discussion on our hands.

In order to continue on with this post, I must present a few other Sagan quotes:

"Life is but a momentary glimpse of the wonder of this astonishing universe,

and it is sad to see so many dreaming it away on spiritual fantasy."

"It means nothing to be open to a proposition we don't understand."

"I maintain there is much more wonder in science than in pseudoscience.

And in addition, to whatever measure this term has any meaning, science

has the additional virtue, and it is not an inconsiderable one, of being true."

.....

So, Mr. Sagan. What of God/god?

I think it takes a big person of high intelligence to admit that they don't know something.

One thing that bothers me about being an atheist is that the term "agnostic" is considered separate.

Trust me, I've read comments from "baby atheists" (probably rebellious teens) who don't understand

the correlation.

A = without

Theism = belief in God/god

Gnostic = knowledge

Agnostics can be atheists, or they can just be agnostics. Regardless, we are all claiming ignorance or insufficient proof..

I claim ignorance on all sorts of things; quantum physics, open heart surgery, how a steam locomotive works, why Ivy grows and grows,

only to be eaten by some weirdo green caterpillars....it just means "I don't know enough to say

"I don't believe/understand."" An atheist is a person who thinks they have enough information to say

they have no belief in a god. It doesn't mean I think I can disprove the existence of God/god, or that

I KNOW God/god isn't real...it means that *I* do not believe in God/god.

So, the quote in question... "Skeptical scrutiny is the means, in both science and religion, by which deep thoughts can be winnowed from deep nonsense."

I think the point is, THINK. Think deeply and with purpose. Faith and thinking are not related. Faith is not a catalyst of the thinking mind, and the thinking mind will stump faith out like a 4-minute old Marlboro. Do I think I am superior? Absolutely not. But, I have allowed "outside the box" thinking, whereas some don't.

Do you think God ever wonders, as we do, where He/he came from?

Do you think it absurd that we dismiss Thor, Zeus, Titan as man-made gods, but if you question the lord/Lord almighty, may you be damned to hell?

I wonder who the last person on earth to believe in Zeus was. What kind of ridicule did that person go through? How was that person separated from everyone else in the world that realized that Zeus was a man-made god (like all gods)? Who decided that Yaweh/Jehovah/Jesus/God was any different? Because a "man" "walked" "named" "Jesus?"

The History Channel has a great series called "Clash of the Gods." Historical stories of the "gods" that people have worshiped throughout history. I highly recommend watching it. It's not the first time I've been presented with the similarities between Jesus Christ and ALMOST EVERY OTHER GOD IN THE HISTORY OF CIVILIZATION.

Sybil's Sagan quote is probably one of the most poignant reasons I choose to believe what I do. I think. I question. I relinquished the bible as a source of authority some years ago. As you cannot define the word "red" by using the word "red," you cannot discuss Christianity using the bible. The bible isn't proof of anything. The bible isn't an authority. The bible is a collection of stories that have been censored, whittled down, and made to suit the purpose of the church for centuries.

Simple thought: Pascal's Wager. So eloquently described by many, but summed up in one bumper sticker: "If you're living like there's no God, you'd better be right!"

Please.

All I truly ask is that any religious person who wishes to discuss the merits of their religion, their God/god, their opinions...at least give me more than I can get from Kirk Cameron. Educate yourself. Don't be afraid of the dark side...if you are truly faithful, I can't drag you to my side, and you're safe. Don't cap your mind off with religion. Let yourself be the curious being that you are. Read. Study. There are SO many incredible minds who have left a mark on our world because they dedicated their lives to finding the truth. Listen to what they have to say with respect...they are God's creatures. They are the lightbulb of the world

Don't see yourself short. Think about it.

I hate god on Facebook

When this blog was created, we knew of nothing called Facebook. Yes, there was Myspace...but that's a different animal. I love Facebook. I love knowing what my "friends" are doing and going thru. I love getting invitations to parties and MMA fight watching parties...

Status updates are my favorites, and I have several favorite friends that I troll Facebook for daily to check out what they're doing. My friend COLIN always writes in CAPS and always likes his own status. His status updates are usually pretty random, and he suggested that I go as "Sexy Abraham Lincoln" for Halloween to counter all of the 30-something slut costumes. My friend Holland has the best kid anecdotes ever. Her son is a funny little guy that I'd love to spend time with. My friend Tracy has great tits and everyone on Facebook knows it. My friend Dre (Andrea back in the day) hates it when you tag her in pictures that are pre-2000. My friend Amanda drops her kids on their heads and has pajama parties, and my friend Jamie paints wine glasses and hates her job. (By the way, Jamie is painting me some wine glasses just in time for XMAS with the American Atheists logo...I'm sure she's taking orders, so if you want some...email me and I'll get you in contact with her).

Then...there are status updates that make me crazy. Now, I don't mean to offend anyone (haha), and if you want to delete me from your friends list, please feel free to do so, this is America.

"Pray for me"

"Pray for my dad"

"Pray for my sister"

"Pray for my dog"

Seriously?

Facebook is not a coven of saints. (Trust me, I know *wink*)

Today, my (I love you) Mom tried to stick it to me when I posted a Freud quote about the absurdity of religion with a quote from Einstein about "God." My cousin followed with a quote from Ravi Zacharias. (Boo).

Here's my issue. I'm "out" as an atheist, but I don't think that people know what the word means. (a)=without (theist)=belief in a god. I don't hate Christians. I don't hate Muslims. I don't hate Jews. I just don't believe in a god. Why is this so hard to understand?

Likewise, why is it that Christians that I know have a hard time reconciling "Religion" with "god." (ie. my mom's quote from Einstein about "God" had nothing to do with religion, because Einstein didn't subscribe to any traditional religion).

Facebook has minimalized the word "friend."

If I knew you in high school, but I haven't spoken to you in the 14 years that I have been out, you probably aren't my friend. I have very few real friends.

I will continue to voice my heathenism on Facebook status updates, because I am one, and I hate christmas (as opposed to those who love Christ-mas)...the holidays have resurrected the infidel in me. I am not ashamed to be a non-believer.

What do you do, though, when you have "friends" who post this:

"Let's see how many people on f/b aren't ashamed to show their Love for God and admit that Jesus is their Savior. We need to get God back in America. If you are not ashamed copy and paste this in your status"

Dislike button, anyone? My only recourse was to ask if God lost his green card. I dunno.

So, with my first sporadic post (forgive me as I get back into the groove), I leave you with this bit of humor:

From: Pace, Stacy US-HSP
Sent: Monday, November 16, 2009 10:02 AM
To: Wang, Jennifer (US-HSP)
Subject: I've always wondered where he likes to party...

UPS Delivery Date / Time: 12-November-2009
Delivery Location: FRONT DESK
Signed by: JESUS

Shipment Detail

Ship To:

MGM GRAND-LAS VEGAS

From: Wang, Jennifer (US-HSP)
Sent: Monday, November 16, 2009
To: Pace, Stacy US-HSP
Subject: RE: I've always wondered where he likes to party...

NICE! Jesus <3’s> Sin City!

I am of peace, always.

1 year, 11 months, 14 days

...That's how long it has been since any of you have officially heard from the Stacy & Jared duo. What have we been doing? Let's see...

Stacy got a new job and a promotion a year later.

We moved into our house together.

We've played in probably over 500 games of poker and double that for scrabble.

We've watched every season of House.

We've watched every season of Dexter.

We've watched every season of Mad Men.

We've watched every season of Rescue Me.

Jared has beaten 6 different games on XBox 360.

We got a Wii, and we are obese.

We've had pee-wee football, pee-wee t-ball, youth soccer, and dance classes to attend.

Our kids have grown to almost-5, 7, and the dreaded 12.

Jared built a deck, 3 arbors, and a tree house in the back yard.

We have extricated 4 Crepe Myrtles from our property, and had a dead oak tree removed.

We've consumed approximately 14,000 oz of beer, 50 bottles of whiskey, 50 bottles of vodka, and 90 cases of redbull and diet coke.

We've been to Oklahoma, New Orleans, southern Mississippi, Los Angeles, Cabo San Lucas, and Cancun.

We've gotten a collective 6 new tattoos.

We've won over $600 in scratch-off lottery tickets.

We've taken guitar lessons and written our own lyrics to silly songs.

We've laid on the roof and looked at the stars thru standard binoculars.

We've read dozens of books, and listened to the 50-CD audio book of Atlas Shrugged.

We've done 98 New York Times Sunday Crossword puzzles.

We deleted our myspace accounts.

We opened facebook accounts.

Jared completed the new Cowboys Stadium project.

We've made new friends, and lost touch with old ones.

We've hung out with atheists and felt out of place (how is that possible?)

And now we're back, older, wiser, and as steady in our disbelief as we've ever been.

Looking forward to catching up, renewing our spot on blogrolls, and having blogger-comment conversations with people we wouldn't normally get to talk to.

Here's to Redux!

God is a Traitor

Where do I start?

First of all let me say that this is a huge shock to my system. I spent my entire childhood thinking my beloved Cowboy franchise was “God’s Team”. Now He goes out and trades for a REDSKIN defensive back to fill His 'starting safety' position.

Well, God, let me tell You something! Free agency may have changed the way we view the National Football League today but YOU, sir/ma’am, have crossed the line this time.

Your loyalty is definitely in question now. You tell Jerry to pass on Randy Moss and his record 17 TDs in the 1998 draft – FOR CHARACTER REASONS – and now You pull this bonehead move? I mean, he was great, but a REDSKIN?!?

Unbelievable.

Hell, I didn't even KNOW you had your own franchise! I can tell you that Landry will not put up with this nonsense.

So, God – who did you replace at the position? I can only assume it’s this guy:

I'll tell you THIS -- You better leave T.O. and ROMO alone! Or else we're gonna close that hole in the roof so you can't watch anymore!

Big Fat Liars

I've not written in a while for a couple of reasons. One being that I broke my arm and it's hard to type without some sort of elbow support. The other is that I've just about realized the fruitlessness of debating theism, christianity, jesus, god, etc with theists because theists, especially christians (because of the sheer mass of christianity) are completely deluded by the biggest lie ever told in the history of the world.

Harsh? Maybe...but even as I explain this idea to you, you don't have the ability, capacity, or motivation to REALLY take it to heart and see it for what it is, for it would require you to admit your sheepishness and blind faith, and might even bring the walls of your life crumbling down. Scary.

Read the rest of this post...

Now I'm not going to rewrite the whole book here, but I will quote a brief passage from the formerly linked review that I think sums it all up nicely (emphasis is mine)...

Harpur, formerly the religion editor of the Toronto Star and author of many books on faith subjects, believes that originally, there was one primal, central myth which emerged Undoubtedly in Egypt. All the other ancient sacred stories flow from there.

The big difference between the Jesus legacy and other mythological traditions like that of the Egyptian god Horus, was that devotees of the other religions never viewed their divinities as historical figures or their sacred stories as actual facts like Christians did.

The Pagan Christ is forthright in declaring that counter to precedent, Christianity launched a hostile takeover of the ancient salvation myths. Many early church fathers, in an attempt to declare exclusive rights to this mythological Jesus, made him an historical biblical person.

Once these ancient antecedents to Jesus were assimilated into what became Christianity, the pagans and their mythological sources were declared heretical. Since heretics and their books were determined to have no rights, they and their writings were viciously tracked down and eliminated by those who claimed to stand for the newly defined "orthodox" Christianity.

Does that interest you if you're a christian? It should. It should very much. To this day, I have a saying that resonates in my mind. It was spoken by Ed Young of Fellowship Church in Grapevine, Texas.

"If the resurrection isn't real or true, then we're all in trouble."

I can't cite a source on that because it's something I distinctly remember him saying in a sermon. I'd bet he said it more than once, only because it's so clear in my memory. I think that if most pastors were honest and forthright, they would have to agree with his statement. If they read Harpur's book, they'll find that they're in trouble.

Inertia. Fellow blogger how to live dot org has put that word into my mind. (These are my thoughts about the word.) If inertia is what drives your life, you might as well not be living. You're a robot. Christianity is inertia driven. Most religions are. Christianity isn't bold; it's just purported to be. Pastors and preachers are gifted speakers who are trained to pass on the message. You'd think they would understand the message in it's entirety before passing it along, but, like "ordinary folk" christians, they too are lead by blind faith.

The history of religion is fascinating. The parallels between Jesus and every other idol or god worshiped throughout history are astonishing, especially if you're someone who believes that Jesus was a real man who really lived and really died and really performed miracles and was really resurrected. Really.

Today's christianity is based on the lies of early priests and teachers. Jesus may have been a real man in history, but I don't think it's likely. I certainly don't think it's at all possible that he did everything that is ascribed to him in the gospels. If he did, we should consider him a clone of the Buddha. And Horace. And Dionysis. And Mithras. And Osiris. And Baal. And Krishna. And Thor. And others.

The good thing about Harpur's book is that it identifies christianity as a myth that has been retarded into a fact, and then goes to explain how even the myth is valuable, and how the "Christ within" is still a real and important concept. This book will not demolish your christian faith, but it may change the way you look at it.

I won't say any more as far is in this post. I'd love to discuss, but more than that I'd love to see people read Harpur's book. I think we got our copy at Barnes & Noble in the Christian section. You can find a link to it in the "Books We're Reading Now" section in the sidebar on this page. I plan to fully review the book soon, and I believe Jared does as well.

Iron Maiden Friday

It's Iron Maiden Friday, kiddos. Why? A world that needs a reason to rock out is not one in which I want to live.

You're welcome.

MAKE IT RAIN!

After finding THIS news article at badastronomy.com, I sat in bewilderment for a few seconds. Several things popped into my head immediately.

1) Harking back to the days of high school English I am reminded of Wang Lung seeking the favor of the Earth God and getting totally screwed with famines and locusts in The Good Earth. Jesus Christ what a terrible book.

2) It amazes me that all of this is occurring on state grounds…with taxpayer money. What a waste.

3) How long before Pat Robertson proclaims this as Gods justice against dog lover and former Atlanta Falcon Michael Vick?

4) My dad once gave me this tidbit of advice – ‘If you’re gonna take credit for the rain, you better be ready to take credit for the floods.’ Never mind the fact that I think this type of prayer is ridiculous -- It perplexes me how one-sided the perspective of believers can be when natural phenomenon is concerned. If He gives us rain to quench the drought, does He not also give us hurricanes to wipe us out? Anyway, I doubt that we’ll see much media coverage of God’s justice on Mike Vick anytime soon.

Finally, I know it’s been awhile since I’ve been to church but what exactly does this quote from the article refer to?

“Teilhet said the governor's office has invited spiritual leaders from several faiths and dominations to participate in the service.”

Maybe I'm underestimating the diversity of groups involved in bringing Georgia rain!

Motivating #2

For the Friendly Atheist contest...Jared's atheist motivational poster...

Motivating

For the Friendly Atheist contest...an atheist motivational poster...

QQ #3 (Wo)Man

For what reason/purpose did God create man?

a) Pets

b) Entertainment

c) Ego boost

d) A & B

e) Other

INERRANCY REDUX

One thing we DO know for sure is that god didn’t create the Xerox machine. For centuries the process of copying precious manuscripts was assigned to early scribes and monks working in Scriptoriums in small abbeys across the Greek world. We ALSO know that there are no original manuscripts of the bible preserved today.

So how, then, did we get from the original author(s)’s writings to today’s version(s) and how do we determine the accuracy?

Imagine one copy manually transcribed from an original by hand.

Now imagine that process occurring many times over… tedious, laborious copying. We’re talking copies OF copies OF copies OF copies, etc. -- created by these scribes and monks of indeterminable ability in the hopes that their copies would one day be spread to all cities. They were transcribed with feather and ink onto baked clay tablets, on sheepskin parchment, on papyrus reed, and later on calfskin. In essence, we’re all relying on copies of original manuscripts that are long since gone. And the “sources” of our bible were also copies, not of the original manuscripts, but of copies. You get the picture.


Read more...

It is said that the copying was done with great and conscientious care. Really? Well, I’m sure that most of them TRIED real hard.

New Testament scholar Bart Ehrman (author of several books on textual criticism including 2005 bestseller Misquoting Jesus ) contends that these errors multiplied over many centuries pose more than just an exercise in translational gymnastics. To paraphrase from a lecture series at Stanford University, Ehrman concludes that due to the errancy of omission, intention ("reconciling inconsistencies"), language barriers, and undeniable mistakes there are more errors in the New Testament alone than there are words in the New Testament. Read that sentence again. That should be enough to make even Billy Graham stop and say, WTF?

Despite Ehrman’s certainty that of the hundreds of thousands of errors/changes among the copied manuscripts – most were insignificant, although, the very meaning of a number of critical passages have been forever altered or fabricated. This takes contradiction and error to a whole ‘nuther level. Further, Ehrman contends, “The King James was not given by God but was a translation by a group of scholars in the early 17th century who based their rendition on a faulty Greek text.” You may not agree with both parts of that quotation but you cannot disagree with the last.

It's pretty safe to say that 99% of us could not read the bible in its original Greek text form. But the fact is indisputable; we do not have an accurate bible based on the copies and partial copies made over the centuries.

So how COULD we know what He meant if we don’t know what He said to begin with? And my question doesn’t even consider the legitimacy of the original tales shoe horned in to encapsulate a divine story.

A better question would be: Why is god such a terrible communicator?

This is a question that must be asked. The conveyance of an omnipotent being’s message should carry a little more cogency and less controversy than what was passed on to us. How can a god fail to convey his message to all peoples without error, dispute, or miscommunication? If god wanted me (or any human ever for that matter) to follow him, believe in him, and worship him -- it stands to reason that he wouldn’t have allowed this problem to proliferate.

"The problem with communication is the illusion that it has occurred." George Bernard Shaw nailed that quote. We have copies of stories of mostly unknown, ancient origin -- translated, altered, fabricated, misinterpreted, and nicely bound for us to take at face value. With a message so imperative that a false interpretation means the pits of hell fire for us -- I can definitely understand Pascal’s Wager. It’s a roll of the dice. Maybe that should be the definition of faith?
If we define inerrancy as free from error, infallible I think we have some issues to deal with. All we would need to find is one error to prove the hypothesis that the bible is, in fact, errant. If this is proven, the bible could not possibly be the Inerrant Word of God and would result in a book created by human (read: fallible) beings many hundred years of years ago. Makes sense, right?

Well, what do we define as an error? See, I’m one step ahead of the semantics game! If we use the same source to define error then we could conclude that any deviation from accuracy or correctness from the original manuscripts constitutes an error. Do you not believe that the bible you have on your nightstand contains deviations from accuracy?

With emotional attachment, many will still cling onto the idea of an inerrant bible while conceding translational inadequacies. This baffles me.

But understandably, most would continue the argument pointing out that despite perceived errors the truth is preserved. To quote the great Kip Dynamite, "...like anyone can even know that."

Did god then inspire an errant bible? Did god not understand that an errant bible would mar his message? And again, how do we know WHAT the truth is meant when we don’t know WHAT was originally written? I am not aware of similar textual criticism in the Qur'an but I’m confident that it exists. But if I were to say, ‘Look, it is proven that the original manuscript of the Muslim holy book is filled with thousands of errors!’ I would wager that most would easily dismiss it as another religious fairy tale. I think it’s time we consider that the Christian bible is a close relative.

Can an accurate bible contain contradictory messages?

Donald Morgan, author at Infidels.org, compiled a lengthy list of potential problems that everyone must examine for themselves. I would love to comment on each of his listed inconsistencies, but as you will see, the list is exhaustive. I challenge you to read through these inconsistencies and prayerfully consider the ramifications.

Biblical Inconsistencies

I WAS PREORDAINED TO WRITE THIS

SO DON'T BLAME ME!
RE: Calvinism

First of all, I found your write-up very intriguing, Stef. I have a very limited knowledge of Calvinism and it sparked quite a bit of thought and reading. Rather than just comment I thought I would post a response. Why? – like my son says --- because I caaayun!

Actually, I didn’t have any other comments other than the fact that I enjoyed the post --- Rather, I just have questions. You stated that you might not be able to defend the entire stance, specifically the concept of not being elected but my response is purely one of inquiry and free-flowing thought on the subject. In other words, I do not write in an attempt to stump you. Is it pointless for those who do not believe? No way!!11

Let’s get the obvious question of limited atonement out of the way. The glaring problem here is this picture of a god that intentionally created me as a ‘non-elected’ man – preordained me for hell, did not equip me with the ability to believe, made me unable to repent, holds me accountable for this inability and THEN damns me to eternal torment.

Read more...

Am I missing something here? How utterly evil. The egregiousness of this concept is mind-boggling. I’ll cross the aisle and offer up a quote from C.S. Lewis’ A Grief Observed that expresses my real fear:

“The real danger is of coming to believe such dreadful things about Him. The conclusion I dread is not ‘So, there’s no God after all,’ but, ‘So, this is what God is really like. Deceive yourself no longer.’

I’m sure these are typical questions for those just stumbling upon Calvinism but I will pose them for further discussion anyway:

QUESTIONS

Do we have the ability to choose between doing good and evil? If so, is that not our own freewill?

Do you believe that without god one is morally/ethically void/without purpose? If so, did god create some without morality/purpose?

What scriptural basis exists for predestination? I saw a couple verses in the 6th chapter of John but can the basis be explained by textual translations/errors?

It appears that even the guy in the 34th row of Texas Stadium could effectively refute Calvinism with his multi-colored wig and John 3:16 sign. No? I’m being glib here but it would seem that many, many biblical verses point to ALL men having the potential for this eternal life. Is there something biblically that makes you think differently?

How do you know that you are elected? Could you lead your entire life as a Christian under this doctrine and find out that you’ve been ‘left behind’?

Do you see god as compassionate and just?

How do you feel knowing that you have absolutely no way of making an eternal impact? especially on the lives of your loved ones?

You frequently use the word ‘believe’…why? Does belief matter in the face of predestination?

Why do you need faith?

Can the "elect" lose their salvation?

The phrase “causing them to willingly obey the Gospel…” is so foreign to me yet I guess I can understand the importance to Calvinism. It appears to be the oxymoron of the doctrine, though. How does one reconcile this rather mechanical (?) existence with his or her own freethinking abilities?

I’ll stop there even though I have many more. Maybe you can also point us to some of your favorite Calvinistic resources?

As an aside – I AM normally the first to joke here about assigning human characteristics to god…to me it’s an absurd way to parody how most Christians anthropomorphize a god that, [to hear them speak] --- is so mysterious that his ways are inconceivable, we cannot know his plan or possibly know the magnitude of him -- yet most will use symbolic metaphors (he: is loving, is angry, is compassionate, sits on a throne, has desires, has appendages, goes on vacation, hang glides, etc) to help them create a god in THEIR own image. But that’s OK, my comedy is lost on believers and nonbelievers alike.

Thanks again for the ideas. Keep ‘em comin!

What bliss will fill the ransomed souls,
When they in glory dwell,
To see the sinner as he rolls,
In quenchless flames of hell.

[ I must give full- credit to my co-author for the

photo. I just asked for a Calvin picture, Stef!]

-- God

We saw this billboard in the backwoods of Louisiana this weekend. It was new to me, so I thought I'd check it out. (No, the concept isn't new. How can you miss God all over the roadways? I'd just never seen this particular billboard before.)

Turns out, GodSpeaks.com has a new "campaign" running. This is their second go at it. My personal favorite is the "All I know...is everying. --God" one. Awesome.

Also, I perused some of the "testimonies" on that site. This one was my favorite.

Well, one day I was sitting in my hotel room in Miami Beach, and I got a phone call. It was a buddy of mine. He said, “Hey, you’re not going to believe it, but your old girlfriend, that girl you dated for that six-month period of time—well, she actually died last night of AIDS.” What went through my mind right then was, “Here I am, just waiting for something to go wrong, and this is it.” I went and got tested, and all the time I’m thinking, “I’m a heterosexual. I’ve never done intravenous drugs. I’m not a homosexual. Come on, I’m not going to test HIV positive, am I?”

I walked into that doctor’s cold office, sat down in the chair, and the nurse handed me a piece of paper that read “For Those Who Have Tested HIV Positive.” That’s when my world was rocked, that’s when all the money, fame, women, travel, and everything else did not matter one iota. I had put all my hope in them, and now I realized that, man, life is but a vapor. It’s only here for a moment, and then it’s gone.
The next weeks were hard for me, very hard. Modeling was becoming difficult, too, because I’d try to fake a smile while I was thinking inside, “I’m dying.” Finally, I ended up calling a friend to go to church. He was kind of freaked out, “You just handed me free drink coupons to your bar, and now you want to go to church with me.” I said, “Yeah, take me to church.” And that’s when Jesus changed my life, and I discovered a real relationship with Him. When I was growing up, my faith wasn’t founded on a real relationship. But that’s what I needed—a real relationship with Jesus Christ—and that’s where I discovered it, at that church.

You may be saying to yourself, “Bummer for you,” but you don’t understand. HIV was the best thing that ever happened to me. Let me say that again, HIV was the best thing that ever happened to me, because God wouldn’t have me where I am today without it. He wouldn’t have allowed me to meet my wife six months later. She’s HIV negative. She’s also a beautiful model; I didn’t get shortchanged there, and that’s a good thing. God really blessed me with her. We’ve been married over twelve years. He’s completely redeemed my life and given me a new life.

Wow, how inspiring! I wonder what his testimony would be if he'd have "sinned" and gotten AIDS. Oh wait, he did. That was his girlfriend...the whole premarital sex thing. Well, I'm glad God decided not to shortchange him with a hideous woman who'd love him despite his AIDS. Whew, what a load off to know how gracious and giving God is, even to sinners! Praise Jesus!

Think Different

I remember these ads, and probably because they were narrated by Richard Dreyfuss (I loved Jaws and could never forget that voice). The older ones (circa 1990) had MLK, Alfred Hitchcock, Gandhi, John Lennon, and the like.
Someone (not sure if it's Apple) has made an updated visual version, so for your viewing pleasure, Think Different.

HMOH #2: Destination?

Over the weekend, in talking with someone I met for the first time, I was asked a question that wasn't mine to answer. (If it is relevant, this person grew up in a home with a Jewish parent and a Christian parent). We were talking about church and that I am okay with my kids going to the Methodist church with their dad. Methodists don't tend to preach fire and brimstone and that all non-believers are going to hell, at least not to my recollection. My kids' dad took them to another church recently where I KNOW they preach and teach that concept, and he and I agreed that that wasn't a good place for the kids. I don't need my kids worrying about my salvation, much less worrying that I'm going straight to the pits of hell. I'm pretty sure their dad doesn't think I'm going to hell...I'm pretty sure he doesn't worry about my soul.

The question was, "How can anyone who is Christian NOT think you're going to hell?"

Good question. So, what's your answer? Do you think I am going to hell? If not, how does that fit in with your personal concept of Christianity?

Guest Contributor: Stef

Perfect timing, Stef! As we're out of town starting in about 2 hours, the rest of you enjoy this piece of writing. I probably will not post any response until I get back (Sunday)...
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I was asked to write about a subject that I think is of supreme importance in the Christian faith – election. This is a doctrine that the theologian John Calvin brought to light.

According to Calvin, “Salvation is accomplished by the almighty power of the triune God. The Father chose a people, the Son died for them, the Holy Spirit makes Christ's death effective by bringing the elect to faith and repentance, thereby causing them to willingly obey the Gospel. The entire process (election, redemption, regeneration) is the work of God and is by grace alone. Thus God, not man, determines who will be the recipients of the gift of salvation.”

I believed in the basic principle of Calvinism before I even knew who Calvin was, or before I heard the words soteriology, election, or predestination. Simply put, this doctrine says that God chooses us for salvation – we do not choose him. This is a doctrine that I subscribe to. If that was the only side to Calvinism, most Christians would probably believe in it as well. But the flip side of God choosing some for salvation means that he has not chosen all – which means he knowingly has chosen some for Hell. Believers and non-believers alike cannot fathom a God who would bring life to something and not give that life a chance for salvation. I have had a hard time writing on Calvinism because there is so much discord in the Christian faith about it, and I just have not done enough study on it to defend it. There are many Christians out there that I admire and respect, and who’s intellect FAR surpasses mine, and who have studied much more on the subject than I have that have come to a different conclusion about it. But what I love about Calvinism is it’s view on the Sovereignty of God.

If you do not believe there is a God, this whole topic is pointless. But if you do believe there is a God, and that God is creator of all things, sustainer of all things, and ruler of all things… I would assume that you believe he is the “chooser” of all things.

About the Sovereignty of God:

I have a problem with people placing human standards on God - when people lightly joke about how God must be on vacation because all this bad stuff is happening in the world…. or when people are so quick to blame God when something horrible like the murder of a little girl happens. This is God’s universe, and he may do in it what he pleases. I’m not saying that it pleases God to see one of his creation brutally murdered, just as it does not please a mother to discipline her child. I’m also not saying that the murder of an innocent girl was God disciplining someone… all I’m saying is that we cannot comprehend the way in which God acts, just as a child cannot comprehend (before it’s old enough) why his mother is angry with him over certain things. Have you ever seen a child be completely unreasonable about something? For example when you’re preparing a baby’s bottle and they’re screaming their heads off – and you’re telling them either out loud or in your head: “can’t you see I’m making it? It’s not ready yet… just wait 30 seconds and you’ll have it and all this time that you’ve spent crying and making yourself miserable will have been wasted.” I’m sure if we could have a conversation with that baby (which is impossible because if we could have a conversation with them about it, they would be logical enough not to have screamed their head of to begin with), but if we did have a conversation about it… I’m pretty sure that the baby would tell you that they thought their world was coming to an end. Just as when an older child loses a precious toy or an even older child breaks up with their first boyfriend / girlfriend… they can’t imagine a worse tragedy. It is the end of the world to them relatively speaking. 9/11, the Tsunami, the murder of a little girl, a young mother being taken from this world way too early due to brain cancer… these are all things that are the end of the world to us now. And just as you sympathize and weep with your children over the loss of their toy, or boyfriend / girlfriend… you feel their loss… you ultimately know that it is a fleeting thing. So it is with God. To me, as a Christian, I know that there is more to life than this world that we are in right now. Not only that, but if you believe in a Creator… if you believe that there is a being that created everything that we see… a being capable of creating this world that we live in… you would probably feel pretty small. Our sufferings are nothing - - they are finite fleeting things, even those horrendous things I mentioned above. We just cannot comprehend their finite and fleeting nature, because just as the child cannot see beyond their maturity… we cannot see beyond our humanity.

“Everything is the Heaven and Earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. You are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you: you are the ruler of all things.” I believe that nothing belongs to me. There is nothing that I have done to deserve anything that I have – including life itself, and including salvation. Everything that I have – money, a functioning body, shelter, freedom – everything that I have has been given to me… and any one of those things can be taken away at any moment. Who am I to complain if one of those things are taken away from me? They weren’t mine to begin with! This is something I’ve learned from recently becoming a parent to a puppy. I love to give her treats because I think she’ll love (appreciate) me more… but the only reason she’d love me for giving her treats is if she was grateful for those treats. Puppies, like people, are not grateful for things that they believe they are entitled to. Atheists do not believe they were given life from a creator… therefore they cannot be grateful for it as a gift. They, just like my puppy, can be so happy they have it and enjoy it to the fullest and have reverence for it… but do not understand or revere it in the same way that someone who believes they were created by God does. They believe they are entitled to that life, because they do not believe they were chosen for life, or created by a supreme being.

An atheist probably believes (and I’m assuming here) that they have worked hard for everything that they own. They have worked so hard to get their job, and they deserve that job. They deserve the monetary rewards it brings… and they deserve the things that money buys them. That’s what I would think too, if I were an atheist. As a Christian… I believe that my talents are gifts from God, making me able to have the job that I have. Being the Calvinist I am… I also believe that God preordained every aspect of my life including my talents which give me my job, which provide my paychecks, which purchase my possessions. The difference between me and an Atheist is when those items are taken from us. An Atheist will feel a sense of injustice – for they have worked so hard to earn these things. I will feel pain… but in my view… it was an injustice for me to have those things in the first place. It’s not that I should feel bad about having things… but I merit none of these things in my own power (including SAVATION).

This is my view… the complete and utter Sovereignty of God… I will close with the much recited verse from Isaiah “You turn things around! Shall the potter be considered as equal with the clay, that what is made would say to its maker, "He did not make me"; Or what is formed say to him who formed it, "He has no understanding"?

Prayer Request

Dear Friends (and foes who think they are required by god's law to pray for us):

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers this weekend as we travel a long way down the road to drink heavily and act like fools. Pray for our kidneys not to fail and for our tires not to go flat. I guess pray for our souls while you're at it, at least you can say you tried!

My dad said we should root for (read: PRAY FOR!) LSU to win because this guy is a dick. (We should pray for him also, I'm sure.)

Much L♥ve,
Stacy & Jared

:D LOL@ Cectic.com

A few quick, goodstrong links

* 'Second Earth' found 20 years away - cool article

"Measurements of the planet's celestial path suggest it is 1½ times the size of our home planet, and orbits close to its sun, with a year of just 13 days. The planet's orbit brings it 14 times closer to its star than Earth is to the sun. But Gliese 581 burns at only 3,000C, half the temperature of our own sun, making conditions on the planet comfortable for life, with average ground temperatures estimated at 0 to 40C."

* Poison or Cure? Religious Belief in the Modern World - Video Debate: Hitchens/McGrath

Take the time to check this out (split it up in chucks if you have to). Very good debate.

* A nice collection of all Mr. Deity episodes - pure hilarity.

* Summary of TEDTalks

Fend for Yourselves

A cursory glance at today’s Dallas Morning News headlines shows that God must currently be on vacation. I cannot speculate on his destination or how long He's taking this hiatus but it’s apparent that He is

taking some time off.

(dallasnews.com)

SWAT doctors credited with saving Dallas officers life

Ex-Cowboy Ron Springs has ‘no hope’ of survival

US Deaths from staph ‘superbug” may surpass AIDS deaths

Young evangelical voters diverge from parents

Al Gore shares Nobel Peace Prize with UN panel

Mark Cuban will dance again

Dinosaurs rise over McKinney exhibit

I like to picture my vacation Jesus wearing a “Don’t Hassle Me I’m Local’ t-shirt and a shaggy beard. It says to everyone “Hey, I may be tri-omni but I know how to get my party on…so save the requests until I get back into the Office.”

He better hurry back before Bill Maher announces his candidacy for President.