In the lives of those that follow there is going to come a time When rhythm
starts to stumble and singsong swallows rhyme When imaginations crumble, false
foundations turn to dust Towers fall to piles of stones and girders into rust Til
you let the blood of Jesus wash the rubble from your mind And your eyes again
can see the one you almost left behind When theology's in tatters and reason is
absurd Still your soul in silence and listen for His word So many turns, so many
ways, so many voices cry Standing at the crossroads watching time go flashing by
Indecision paralyzes, it's the fear of choosing wrong But waiting is a step
itself, and you're wondering too long So again you search the scripture, and again
you ask your friends But last of all the One who knows the beginning from the
end In the clamor and confusion and the blindness of your choice Still your soul
in silence, and listen for His voice.
by Don Francisco
Showing posts with label belief. Show all posts
Showing posts with label belief. Show all posts
Tuesday, 3 September 2013
Tuesday, 27 March 2012
Atheism is unbelievable
Atheism is ridiculous.
It's a total cop-out.
I mean, this is the scenario humans are faced with:
What do atheists do? They answer these questions at a level one does not expect (or should not expect) in normal humans.
Why do we exist? "We just do."
How do we exist? "We just do." (It may have been an accident, at that.)
That's such a fundamentalist way to think. They decide what they want to believe and then close their minds to the questions that challenge them.
The thing is, why don't just exist. Had we been matter of the simplest form imaginable, perhaps the first answer would be feasible. But still the second would not.
Of course, we aren't dry matter. Which doesn't matter to atheists. If we as humans have no plan or purpose, we might as well have been pure matter.
To believe in a physical world alone is ludicrous.
How does a search for meaning even being to formulate itself without the existence of 'meaning' itself?
It's a total cop-out.
I mean, this is the scenario humans are faced with:
- We exist.
- Why do we exist?
- How do we exist?
What do atheists do? They answer these questions at a level one does not expect (or should not expect) in normal humans.
Why do we exist? "We just do."
How do we exist? "We just do." (It may have been an accident, at that.)
That's such a fundamentalist way to think. They decide what they want to believe and then close their minds to the questions that challenge them.
The thing is, why don't just exist. Had we been matter of the simplest form imaginable, perhaps the first answer would be feasible. But still the second would not.
Of course, we aren't dry matter. Which doesn't matter to atheists. If we as humans have no plan or purpose, we might as well have been pure matter.
To believe in a physical world alone is ludicrous.
How does a search for meaning even being to formulate itself without the existence of 'meaning' itself?
Saturday, 29 October 2011
Rambling Bedlam
Yeah, I know I don't write much. Actually that should be yes, I know... since I'm not an American. But, thank goodness every country isn't an isolated system. And spelling is just a convention...
I can't really say I don't have inspiration. I regularly think, and thinking can lend itself to writing. The past week and a day, I wrote in excess of 35 pages (not typed, by hand). All of that was 'inspired' by an imminent exam. I had to practise.
But blogging is different. You have no standard to aspire to, aside from that of honesty and perhaps human interest. You don't positively have to write anything. There is no obligation.
But that's not the main reason I don't blog much. I think the reason I don't blog much is because I can't imagine that my thoughts are very interesting, or because I don't have many profound thoughts, or simply because when I do think about stuff intensively, I really don't want to share it with the world wide web.
Sharing my fears and weaknesses, my hopes and dreams, the things that are important to me in such a public place is daunting. It is somewhat less daunting perhaps knowing that I'll probably never meet the people somewhere off in Alaska or Malaysia who read my blog, because to them I'm just a name and a picture. But there are people, friends, who do read my blog from time to time. Although it is a lot of fun to offload pressures and revelations, why do it on the net when I would hardly tell it to someone face to face?
Maybe that's the whole point though. Maybe my 'victories' will encourage the faith of another, maybe it will actually reach someone, which it won't do if I internalise it.
I suppose I can write about silly stuff. That's fun. But it's so insincere. To write about the dog in a Coke-ad when your thinking of things out-of-this-world. There's just no point in it.
I hope I haven't bored whoever is reading this stiff. But there is a point in this rambling. I kind of sort my thoughts out while I write. I think about it.
Reading about other people's personal struggles and victories has really helped me. It helps me to see that i don't have to be perfectly sorted out all the time. That it is in fact normal to be confused sometimes. When I think of the people who have helped me by doing this, I think of two things/blog/sites/people. I didn't start this out as a promotion, but here it is. Although I very often disagree with this blog, the writer has a very open way of talking, and has in fact unknowingly helped me to see that one needn't be completely sorted out to be of use to Elohim. (Well he said that pretty much, but I don't think I was his target audience). Particularly the Berge post came at the right time, I think. The other site is that of an organisation/family that I consider joining for a year. The people at their base and on their team videos are very real. I suppose sincere is a better word. Anyway, if anyone should encourage me to be more open in writing, it should be them. They really made me see that the point of their journey is to be changed, that the participants aren't all model Christians without problems. I find that very encouraging.
I can't really say I don't have inspiration. I regularly think, and thinking can lend itself to writing. The past week and a day, I wrote in excess of 35 pages (not typed, by hand). All of that was 'inspired' by an imminent exam. I had to practise.
But blogging is different. You have no standard to aspire to, aside from that of honesty and perhaps human interest. You don't positively have to write anything. There is no obligation.
But that's not the main reason I don't blog much. I think the reason I don't blog much is because I can't imagine that my thoughts are very interesting, or because I don't have many profound thoughts, or simply because when I do think about stuff intensively, I really don't want to share it with the world wide web.
Sharing my fears and weaknesses, my hopes and dreams, the things that are important to me in such a public place is daunting. It is somewhat less daunting perhaps knowing that I'll probably never meet the people somewhere off in Alaska or Malaysia who read my blog, because to them I'm just a name and a picture. But there are people, friends, who do read my blog from time to time. Although it is a lot of fun to offload pressures and revelations, why do it on the net when I would hardly tell it to someone face to face?
Maybe that's the whole point though. Maybe my 'victories' will encourage the faith of another, maybe it will actually reach someone, which it won't do if I internalise it.
I suppose I can write about silly stuff. That's fun. But it's so insincere. To write about the dog in a Coke-ad when your thinking of things out-of-this-world. There's just no point in it.
I hope I haven't bored whoever is reading this stiff. But there is a point in this rambling. I kind of sort my thoughts out while I write. I think about it.
Reading about other people's personal struggles and victories has really helped me. It helps me to see that i don't have to be perfectly sorted out all the time. That it is in fact normal to be confused sometimes. When I think of the people who have helped me by doing this, I think of two things/blog/sites/people. I didn't start this out as a promotion, but here it is. Although I very often disagree with this blog, the writer has a very open way of talking, and has in fact unknowingly helped me to see that one needn't be completely sorted out to be of use to Elohim. (Well he said that pretty much, but I don't think I was his target audience). Particularly the Berge post came at the right time, I think. The other site is that of an organisation/family that I consider joining for a year. The people at their base and on their team videos are very real. I suppose sincere is a better word. Anyway, if anyone should encourage me to be more open in writing, it should be them. They really made me see that the point of their journey is to be changed, that the participants aren't all model Christians without problems. I find that very encouraging.
Saturday, 25 June 2011
Salvation
I have been pondering this subject for a while. Struggling with it, analysing it, and worrying about it. I had many questions about it.
What does 'by grace alone' mean? That we have no part in it? But aren't you supposed to believe correctly? And is believing correctly all there is to it? How does believing correctly change you? And wern't Yeshua's followers required to give up everything? How come we don't have to give up anything?
What are we saved from? From Hell? Why would Elohim want to chuck us in Hell because we don't realise an important truth? Is everyone who doesn't say the Sinner's Prayer going to Hell neccesarily? What about the Jews who have been blinded so the Gentiles can have a chance? (Romans 11:25-26)
That you cannot earn your salvation makes even more sense when you consider that we are saved from sin. Not the punishment for sin (although that too) but sin itself. How can you be saved from sin by not sinning? That doesn't make sense.
Also, we are saved because Yeshua died for us, and rose again. No-one on earth made Him do that. More importantly, he didn't rise from the dead because the disciples' belief was great. No-one on earth, by their virteous lives and great faith in Elohim, made Yeshua rise from the dead. Elohim rose Him so we could have life and life abundantly.
What I learnt recently: Don't try to be perfect. Let Elohim rule your life for you. He'll fix you, you won't.
What does 'by grace alone' mean? That we have no part in it? But aren't you supposed to believe correctly? And is believing correctly all there is to it? How does believing correctly change you? And wern't Yeshua's followers required to give up everything? How come we don't have to give up anything?
What are we saved from? From Hell? Why would Elohim want to chuck us in Hell because we don't realise an important truth? Is everyone who doesn't say the Sinner's Prayer going to Hell neccesarily? What about the Jews who have been blinded so the Gentiles can have a chance? (Romans 11:25-26)
That you cannot earn your salvation makes even more sense when you consider that we are saved from sin. Not the punishment for sin (although that too) but sin itself. How can you be saved from sin by not sinning? That doesn't make sense.
Also, we are saved because Yeshua died for us, and rose again. No-one on earth made Him do that. More importantly, he didn't rise from the dead because the disciples' belief was great. No-one on earth, by their virteous lives and great faith in Elohim, made Yeshua rise from the dead. Elohim rose Him so we could have life and life abundantly.
What I learnt recently: Don't try to be perfect. Let Elohim rule your life for you. He'll fix you, you won't.
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