Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Ex Nihilo Nihil Fit
Sunday, December 26, 2010
God, Gekko, and Greed:Discerning Truth From Superstition
The movie starts out with Gekko being released from prison, and as he is walking out to freedom, we hear Shia LaBeouf's character, Jake Moore, narrating about the Cambrian Explosion (mentioned at least twice in the movie) and then whether or not the human race is a product of evolution or design. I will paraphrase his narration, as he says something to the effect of, "There was a single event in history, The Cambrian Explosion, where we all evolved at once...some say we are here by evolution, some say it's by design...no one can explain it, but now we are all here."
Now, I will not go into depth about the Cambrian Explosion and evolution vs design, but suffice it to say, the Cambrian Explosion poses serious problems for those who try to defend Darwinian Macro Evolution, and there is overwhelming evidence for Intelligent Design overthrowing evolution as the origin of life.
So to move on, I want to get into a thought experiment. The movie is plastered with stereotypical Wall Street persona...the cut throat, stab-in-the-back, 'eat your own,' strategies of big business, where personal worth is defined by net worth and egos are measured by the size of one's bank account. Thus, we see an evolutionary theme peppered through out the movie...characteristics of social Darwinism, where Wall Street traders and corporate raiders are on the prowl in a contest of 'survival of the fittest.'
So here is the thought: If Darwinian evolution is true and we do live in a survival of the fittest environment, then why would it matter if people used insider information and spread false rumors in order to make personal gain? Why do we see pain and suffering in the characters of this movie who get wronged? Why did Gekko ever go to prison in the first place in the original movie? If evolution is true, then this is how things should work, and those who get destroyed in the process simply are not fit to survive and the evolution mechanism continues to do its thing...
...but those who are intellectually honest know why. It's because man is made "Imago Dei"...in the Image of God...we are created in God's image and therefore have inherent value independent of our utility or function.
Unlike animals in the wild, we have a moral code, a moral law, and a moral law needs a moral law giver = God of The Bible. Even those who believe in evolution know it. They just simply deny it. They may, in theory, believe in evolution, but in reality, they live in God's world.
We know this is true because as the people of Wall Street are cheating and scheming, those who believe in evolution say that it is wrong and that those guilty should be punished. But on what grounds do those who believe in the origins of life happening via chance, have to call something right or wrong?
Even Gekko's famous quote, "Greed is good," has implications. When it comes to cheating and lying, or whether greed is good or bad, if evolution is true, how do we know how to categorize lying vs honesty or good vs bad. Dishonest actions and evil scheming should simply be strategies for survival and greed should simply be a technique used by the fittest of all...but anyone who actually thinks about life and is aware of truth, knows deep down inside that explanation of life outside of God is mere superstition.
We even see this in the movie, as Jake Moore goes onto say, "It's funny. The more we found ourselves as the slaves of chance... the more superstitious we become."
Superstition sums up evolutionary theory. It's nothing more than a way to rationalize one's denial of a Creator God. And as Moore's character at the beginning of the movie says, "...no one can explain it, but now we are all here," I want to say that it's not a matter of explaining, it's a matter of accepting...
The explanation comes via accurate historical documents contained in The Holy Bible as well as Jesus of Nazareth, The One who was sent on a rescue mission for all of humanity. The Bible teaches it and reality confirms it. All one has to do is observe life and accept the reality of truth.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Science Will Win?
...in the interview, when Sawyer asked if there was a way to reconcile religion and science, Hawking said, "There is a fundamental difference between religion, which is based on authority, [and] science, which is based on observation and reason. Science will win because it works."
Just before this statement, Hawking says that human life is an accident...here is his quote:
"They made a human-like being with whom one can have a personal relationship. When you look at the vast size of the universe and how insignificant an accidental human life is in it, that seems most impossible." (emphasis added).
...and then to conclude the interview, Sawyer asked what three pieces of advice Hawking gives his children...Hawking says the following:
"One, remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Two, never give up work. Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is empty without it," he said. "Three, if you are lucky enough to find love, remember it is there and don't throw it away."
> One, how can science win if it can not explain with certainty the origins of the universe based on observation and reason?
> Two, if human life is an accident, why would someone tell their kids that work gives 'meaning' and 'purpose?'...and why would love matter?...if human life is insignificant and accidental, then nothing has purpose and love is just an illusion...
> Third, In his new Discovery series, "Into the Universe," Hawking said intelligent alien life almost certainly exists, even speculating on the shape of creatures that could exist on other planets and moons.
Wait, I thought science wins because it is based off of observation and reason? Has anyone observed an alien...and why is it that it's always intelligent alien life? If aliens exist, who says they are intelligent?
Look, Stephen Hawking is freaking brilliant, and I can understand that he may wonder why he was diagnosed with ALS...he was diagnosed with ALS at 21...he is now 68...once diagnosed, he was told that he would not live more than a few years...
...you know what I think? I don't think Stephen Hawking is an accident and I don't think it is a coincidence that he has defied all odds by living well into his 60's...I believe he has purpose and his contributions to life are significant...
In terms of family Hawking has fathered 3 children and has one grandchild...do you think they would say he is an accident or insignificant? Nope. And I don't believe he would say his children and grandchild are insignificant either...
In terms of work, as physicist Kip Thorn at last week's World Science Festival event honoring Hawking, said, "Stephen has had a tremendous impact on our understanding of the universe, particularly of warp space and warp time in the universe, black holes, the origin of the universe..."
...so could it be that God has used Stephen Hawking to show that despite circumstances, a human life is capable of doing incredible things...Life is not insignificant nor accidental...We know love because God is love...we have purpose because God created us for His Glory...I pray that Stephen will come to see that God loves him and has used him for specific purposes...
Is There Really A God?
They offer great points and counter points that increase our faith and give substantiation to our logical and reasonable claims that God is the creator of all.
...here is the link, followed by a great excerpt (green ink) from the article:
"But if the universe were merely a chance accident, then why should logical reasoning be possible? If my brain is merely the product of mutations (guided only by natural selection), then why should I think that it can determine what is true? The secular, evolutionary worldview cannot account for the existence of logical reasoning.
Likewise, only a biblical worldview can really account for the existence of science—the study of the natural world. Science depends on the fact that the universe obeys orderly laws which do not arbitrarily change. But why should that be so? If the universe were merely an accident, why should it obey logical, orderly laws—or any laws at all for that matter? And why should these laws not be constantly changing, since so many other things change? (emphasis added).
The Bible explains this. There are orderly laws because a logical Law-Giver upholds the universe in a logical and consistent way. God does not change; so He sustains the universe in a consistent way. Only a biblical worldview can account for the existence of science and technology." (link added).
• • •
Those are great points, if we are created by accident and random chance events, why is order or logic even possible?...if evolution states that we are created via chance and adaptation, why is it that the very laws of the universe have not changed? It seems like the gravitational acceleration should no longer be 9.8 m/s squared...or why is the speed of sound still 340 m/s? You can not claim that we exist by random chance and disorder and then magically believe that we now exist off of order and structure...that violates not only Scripture and logic, but it violates science and the second law of thermodynamics...disorder can not create order...
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
The Fourth Dimension
In mathematics the fourth dimension, or a four-dimensional space, is an abstract concept, obtained by taking the rules of our three-dimensional space and generalizing them to a space with one more dimension. It has been studied by mathematicians and philosophers for almost two hundred years, both for its own interest and for the insights it offered into mathematics and related fields.*But for me, 1 Corinthians 2.9-10 gives a better definition of the fourth dimension, a more applicable definition:
But, as it is written,"What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love him"—these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God (emphasis added).
You see, there are believers and there are skeptics in almost all areas of life, specifically when it comes to belief in God and belief in Jesus Christ. The problem most skeptics and at times, even immature Christians (myself included) have, is that they are only using "three dimensions," that is, only using the aforementioned "eye," "ear," or "heart." In other words, we try to reason everything out or want some sort of physical proof of seeing, hearing, or feeling. But God takes us to the next level, He gives us the "X" factor...the Fourth Dimension. God gives all believers of Jesus Christ The Gift of The Holy Spirit, and it is when we have The Spirit living with in us, this amazing gift of "the fourth dimension," that we can know "even the depths of God"
...I am all for questioning, all for seeking and research, all for a lifetime of studying, because this is what brings us closer to truth...closer to God...
...and in all reality, the mere fact that we have questions, that we need to seek, actually proves the point that God does exist and that He cares...our inability to know everything from a human perspective proves that we are not God and that we desperately need God...that we desperately need The Holy Spirit teaching us...and the fact that we are finite points to God being infinite...(what is created has a cause, we are created with a cause and need a creator = God...God is infinite and therefore does not need a creator, He is The Creator...but this is for another topic for another day!)
So how do we tap into this fourth dimension and take our life to the next level? It's all about having "The Mind Of Christ." It's what will take us from milk to solid food, (see 1 Cor 3) or as I like to say, from "milk to meat"...can't wait to cover this next topic!
But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it (1 Cor 3.1-2)....
For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.(1 Cor 3.9)
wikipedia.org (The Fourth Dimension)
http://acm.pku.edu.cn/JudgeOnline/problem?id=1022 (Graphic)
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Privileged To Trust
~ Taser ~
Just because we don't understand all things at all times does not mean we should reject, deny, or ignore the fact that God exist and that God cares. We need to use our God-given intelligence to reason things out and search for meaning, but this does not mean that we can not have faith like a child...
In fact, we have faith in other areas of life that we may or may not understand, yet it does not stop us from trusting that they work. We don't stop and ponder how gravity or cell phones work, or why ice floats, we just trust they do...And even when we do 'understand' how things SHOULD work, we find that sometimes they don't. For instance, a Yale physics professor has "proven" that it is impossible to hit a fastball, yet we see it happen over and over again.
Here's the deal. For us to become followers of Jesus Christ, it's not going to be through something we can explain...something that fits into a categorical "God Box" that makes us say, "Oh I get it now..." Rather, it is going be through something personal.
Andy Stanley, in his series called It's Personal, explains it like this, "To become a believer in Jesus Christ, it's not going to be categorical (explainable), it's going to be personal (undeniable)."
Let's keep seeking and searching, but even more importantly, let's keep trusting and believing, because as we do, we will realize that even if unexplainable, The life of Christ is undeniable.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Transformed
He gave a great illustration from a study that was performed at the National Institutes of Mental Health. The study was on a finger-tapping exercise and it showed how we can actually create new neurons in our brains, a process called Neurogenesis.
Like Mark said in his post, we can juxtapose this with Romans 12.2:
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
I love this thought because as we read Scripture, our goal should not simply be a gain in knowledge. I am a trivia junkie with the best of them, but we must shift our hopes from answering all the Bible trivia on Jeopardy one day, to a desire of transformation and gaining the Mind of Christ.
This is so applicable to all areas of life as well. If our end goal is merely knowledge, then nothing will ever get done because we are not meshing it with action. Without a transformation, without a rewiring, without a Neurogenesis in our lives, then we will never:
Be good stewards
Walk By Faith
Obtain our New Year's Resolutions
Break a bad habit or start a good habit
Love our neighbor
Get in shape
Save and invest our finances wisely
Form good relationships
You name it, the list goes on and on... As humans, we represent the most intelligent of all life forms. But you must agree, that we are also rationally irrational. We know what is right and wrong, good or bad, yet we still do the same things over and over again. Why? Because we have not changed despite our wealth of knowledge.
So to live according to God's assignment in our lives and complete down to the last detail what He has called us to do, to achieve our hopes and dreams during this generation of life, we must have new synapses fire, we must start "finger-tapping" in all areas of our lives so that new connections will be made. Attitudes must change and paradigms must be shifted...
...Easy? Not quite, Newton's first law of motion does not only apply to mechanics and laws of physics. We also have a resistance to change, an inertia, in our daily activities and thought patterns. So it is time to take our knowledge and mesh our beliefs with our works...
How do we get transformed?
1. Dig into God's Word (Landscaped with The Word of God) and then Act on it!
2. Grab a Glimpse of God's Revelation...eliminating all distractions
3. Be men and woman of action...we will find delight and affirmation in the action...
I love how James puts it in his famous, Faith In Action, section of Chapter 2. "Dear friends, do you think you'll ever get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything?
He goes on to say, how we have works of faith...The full meaning of "believe" in the Scripture sentence, "Abraham believed God and was set right with God," includes his action. It's that mesh of believing and acting that got Abraham named "God's friend." Is it not evident that a person is made right with God not by a barren faith but by faith fruitful in works?
Why a person would sit when he can soar, spectate when he can play,
or atrophy when he can develop is beyond me - Bill Hybels
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Science Points To God: Organized Packaging
The molecule of DNA (2-nanometer diameter overall) in a single human chromosome ranges in size from 50 x 106 nucleotide pairs in the smallest chromosome (stretched full-length this molecule would extend 1.7 cm) up to 250 x 106nucleotide pairs in the largest (which would extend 8.5 cm).
Stretched end-to-end, the DNA in a single human diploid cell would extend over 2 meters. In the intact chromosome, however, this molecule is packed into a much more compact structure. [Link]. The packing reaches its extreme during mitosis when a typical chromosome is condensed into a structure about 5 µm long (a 10,000-fold reduction in length).