The God Card

I've been raised in a Christian home for my entire life. Obviously, I have some presuppositions about life as a result. So prepare for bias.

Many, many debates have been waged over the belief that there is a God. Some despise the idea. Others embrace it. One concept or play I seem to see a lot with inexperienced Christian debaters is what I like to term 'the God Card'. The God Card is what happens when a person who believes in God is asked a question they don't know the answer to, so they say 'Well, only God knows', or 'God did' or 'God, in His infinite wisdom, knows better than us'.

This argument tends to turn staunch atheists and evolutionists mad. It makes them think that Christians are so close-minded and idiotic to merely attribute everything to one supernatural being. "Ridiculous! Unscientific!" They shout.

The thing is, atheist, that when you say that it shows that you don't have a big enough idea of our view of God. Listen for a moment, if you will. True Christians believe in a God that made the entire creation with his mere words. If you look closely at the intricate systematic complexion of this universe, you can't help but be amazed with how smoothly the gears of the world turn.

You yell "Unscientific" at us, but where does that come from? The thing is, it makes perfect sense that a being who has always existed, will always exist, is all-powerful all-knowing and all-present could create the masterpiece that is the universe. Even some evolutionists believe that something had to start life on earth, hence the 'alien' theory.
I would argue that the reason people get mad at the 'God Card' is because it totally works. It doesn't take a genius to know that there are things in this world beyond human comprehension. It also doesn't take a genius to see that the amazing complexity and detail of this universe could only reasonably be attributed to intelligent design. You don't see a computer and think it came together randomly: by the same logic, the creation is much, much more complicated than a mere computer. There is no way we could have 'happened' by random events.

Richard Dawkins, that famous atheist and fervent anti-theist was once asked this question: "What would you do if there was a God and you had to stand before Him one day, and He asked you 'What have you been doing, Richard? Why have you been so avidly opposed to Me?'" Dawkins smiled and answered "I would say 'Well, Sir, why did you not make yourself more apparent?'"
I am an avid believer of an almighty God. As thus, I can't help but wince at the wrath that is in store for Mr. Dawkins and all who reject the idea. God has given multiple evidences of His existence...in creation, in our sense of morality, in His word the Bible.

Guess you'd better make a choice. Will you take the risk of rejecting God, or not?

Revenge

We live in a fallen world. People steal, rape, murder, and squabble. There is entirely too much hate in this world of ours.

Imagine seeing your family slaughtered before your eyes, helpless to do anything. Imagine watching those whom you care about most brutally murdered, lying in pools of their own blood. And imagine the murderer smiling at you in mockery while he's doing it.

As humans, the first feeling we might feel is shock. Then devastation, and overwhelming grief. And finally, devouring all those is a sense of rage, of anger. The person who has done this will pay, and I will bring justice, we might think.

The truth is, revenge is altogether different from justice. As Rachel Dawes from the movie 'Batman Begins' so glibly states "Justice is about balance, revenge is about making yourself feel better."
I've seen so many movies and read so many books where revenge is a prominent theme (in fact, I've written/am writing one or two). The character has a dark past and is an avenger, he/she will do whatever it takes to kill that one person(s) who ruined their lives. *coughSasukecough*

Revenge is stupid. Yes, it may be what the person deserves. Yes, you may feel a little better after killing them...for a time. But in the end, it results in a never-ending cycle of hatred. Retaliation meets retaliation, and the struggle escalates. It becomes a bloody mess.
And even after your revenge is accomplished, what then do you live for? If you have dedicated your life to the pursuit of one person, when he/she is gone, what then? There is a huge void filling you. Life is empty.

The Bible says "Revenge is Mine, I will repay, saith the Lord" (Romans 12). As a Christian, I know that no matter what crimes a person commits, he/she will ultimately be judged. And Hell awaits for those who do not repent.

Evolution

Many many people are being raised and taught evolution. It's all over public schools, it's seeping into government, family, and even churches.
To get this clear right away, I do not believe in evolution. I'll tell you a little more about why.

The leading order of evolution is natural selection, right? 'Survival of the Fittest'. That species have evolved, adapted to the environment, changed so as to become ideally suited to their surroundings.

Well, if that's true, why aren't we already dead?

We are very fragile beings. If we are at the top of the food chain - the most evolved creature out there - why don't we have iron skin, sharp claws, super strength, etc.? Wouldn't that help us more? Also, where did we get our ability to rationalize? Animals don't have that. They have a programmed set of responses, called 'instinct'. If you tell me that, well, 'rationality' is just another term for 'instinct', then why do humans make stupid decisions? Why do we commit suicide, elect Barak Obama, and eat horrible food?
People have been very staunch supporters of this evolutionist theory, namely natural selection. Allow me to list a couple names. Let's start with Adolf Hitler and Karl Marx.

Get the picture?

Also, if evolution is true, why does morality exist? Why is it wrong to kill another man? But Your Honor, he was weaker than me and thus weeded out by natural selection! Why is it wrong to steal? That cache of cash (see what I did there?) was more beneficial to me! Only the superior survive, right? Who cares about government! In order to ensure I'M the strongest I need to do what I want when I want it!

Again, if evolution is true, why does art exist? It's a waste of time! It uses up valuable rescources! We don't need it to become stronger! It doesn't do a thing in that area.

These are a few of the problems with evolution. I'm not going to go into the scientifical holes (geneology, paleontology, astrology, etc.) it possesses, because that would be too long. But even the above reasons by themselves are plenty to convince me evolution can't be the answer.

If, by the end of this, you're wanting to rip my eyeballs out, allow me to ask: why?
Is it, perhaps, because I'm right?

PSYCH!

Of course evolution is true. All you idiots who don't think it's the only answer to the origin of life shut up. I'm right and you're wrong. Lalalala I can't hear youuuuu!

After Life

One of the classical Christian evangelism questions is 'do you believe in a heaven or hell?' If the person answers 'yes', then we ask why. If they answer 'no', then we ask them 'what do you think will happen after you die?' and go from there.

To define, what is heaven? What is hell?

Heaven is the place in the afterlife that is complete and absolute bliss, perfection and happiness. Depending on your worldview, either only good people go there or everyone does.
Hell, on the other hand, is a place of torment, suffering, and horror. Only evil people go there.

Ladies and gents, let's stop right there. If you answered 'yes' to that first question, meditate with me.
If a heaven or hell exists, then there must be reasons why they exist. Christianity, of course, says God will eventually judge all mankind. Those who have confessed and believed in Jesus will stay with God in heaven. However, all those who have not will be cast into the depths of hell.

Imagine a place with no suffering. No sickness, disease, sorrow, anger, just joy and happiness. Absolute and utter perfection. No more stubbed toes and paper cuts. Imagine all this...for all eternity. Never bored, never unsatisfied, never discontent. Lovely thought, right?

Now, imagine another perfect place. You have a perfect body, you can't die. And for all eternity, you are burning in an eternal darkness, black flames eating away at your skin with agonizing pain, day after year after decade. Never easing, never getting used to it. There is nothing but silence, and pain.

It's a sobering thing, hell. People of this age toss the word around like a potato. "Hell no" "I sure as hell hope" "That was one hell of a time". They have no idea what they are talking about.
If you hate Christians who come knocking at your door (no, not Jehova's Witnesses or Mormons), or are handing out tracts, or merely shouting out in the square, don't get angry or annoyed. If Christianity is true and you aren't one of us, we believe you're headed for a place far worse than any nightmares can be or words convey. We are desperate to tell you how you can escape. Don't scorn: listen.
A famous philosopher once made a convincing argument for Christianity using logic. He said this:

"If I wager that there is a God and I'm right, then I gain eternity for believing in Him.
If I wager that there is a God and I'm wrong, then I lose nothing for having believed in Him.
If I wager that there is not a God and I'm right, then I lose nothing for not believing in Him.
If I wager that there is not a God and I'm wrong, then I lose eternity for not having believed in Him."

So,
Do you believe in a heaven or hell?

Critiquing Criticism

Before you get confused at the title of this post, allow me to define the two words that make its title.

While 'critique' and 'criticize' sound very similar, there is an important difference between the two. The act of critiquing is an unbiased, scientific evaluation, while criticism is inherently biased.

You've probably heard things like 'critics say' or the phrase 'critically acclaimed'. There is a whole group of people whose job is to observe and give information about stuff. They are supposed to be unbiased and factual...but in reality, that's just impossible. Bias will be there, no matter what.

Is criticism a good thing, however? The scientific method would disagree, because it says that scientists should put aside personal beliefs and evaluate the evidence, following it to the logical conclusion. Unfortunately, bias is impossible to filter out completely.

If at this point you're thinking 'yeah right! People are perfectly able to see things in a rational, logical fashion', allow me to elaborate. Bias, by definition, is your own opinion on the world. What you personally find or see as important, and how you think the universe works. It can be anything from Christianity to Evolution to I Do What I Want. It is, in a word, your 'worldview'.

To be completely without this worldview is impossible. People are perfectly capable of laying aside most of their presuppositions, but bias is present in every single thing we do. Do we get up on the right or left side of the bed? Your bias says 'right'. Why do we teach mathematics, science, and literature in school? Because our bias dictates those as important. Why do we label people as 'insane' or 'delusional'? Because their bias seems radical in light of ours. They merely have a different way they view this world than us, and to us it seems extreme.

If by now you're thinking that the scientific method seems ridiculous in light of this, calm down. Even with all the prejudice in the world, it is still possible to implement this method in some way, shape, and form. You see, the reason critics exist are to give views on different things. These views may be negative or positive. But by viewing them all, we can gain different and unique perspectives on different topics. Through doing this, we formulate our own opinion, bias, 'worldview'. By gathering all the observations on the evidence, we can formulate our own unique thought on what seems to fit the order of this world best. And these views are changeable. We cannot gather all the evidence, of course. Someone might come along with a better hypothesis that fits this world better. We should always be searching for what is the best fit for this world.


So to answer my previous question 'Is criticism a good thing?' the answer is yes. In fact, we ourselves should criticize. We should see what doesn't fit, and ask why.
I'm convinced that the phrase 'curiosity killed the cat' was a phrase formulated by early communists or dictators to keep people from being independent. When we begin to criticize, we begin to discover different things. In fact, here's something I want you to criticize.

Where do we get the concept of right and wrong? Is it just our own bias? If it is, it seems rather inconvenient for us as individuals!

If your worldview answers this question, then it sounds like you're on the right track.