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Showing posts with the label Theology

Gender Confusion and Regret

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Before the chaos of today, young people would eventually grow comfortable in the sexes they were born with. There was therapy for them if needed. Not all that long ago, people were not demanding to have so-called gender reassignment surgery and to be called by pronouns of their choosing. Worse, children are being given puberty blockers which adversely affect their health. Medical professionals are causing harm and making big money doing it. Transsexuals are having regrets over their devastating life-changing choices. Daylily, Pixnio / Bicanski Rebellion against God's design for marriage and authority have been increasing for the past few years, and there is a great deal of pride and selfishness involved. At the beginning of creation, marriage was to be one man and one woman. Marriage has been redefined by courts and legislation by uppity humans. Also, it is impossible  to actually change genders. Hormones, laws, surgeries — but the reality of the sex one was born with persists all

The Wonder and Why of Christmas

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Some folks get jaded with Christmas, reading or hearing readings of the birth of Jesus, the arrival of the Magi, the census taken while Quirinius was governor, and more. Same old thing every year, right? Some of us terribly miss the "same old" that we will never have again... If we slow down and pay attention, there is a great deal to give us a sense of wonder. Hundreds of years before, Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would be born of a virgin . Micah 5:2 prophesied where. Ironically, some prophesies were fulfilled by unbelievers. Nativity of Jesus figurines, Pexels / Susanne Jutzeler We can also find out that there are many misconceptions surrounding Christmas (especially that "Christmas is pagan and you can't celebrate it" nonsense ). That bad old innkeeper who turned Mary and Joseph away, but his kindhearted wife attended to the delivery — never happened. The Magi were powerful king makers, and there was probably an entourage, not just three (three gifts  are me

Pondering the Evil of Wasps

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A spell back, we used the expensive word anthropomorphize , which basically means to assign human traits to animals and other things . It is also a very common thing to do. Charles Darwin saw evil in the insect world and wondered how a loving God can allow this. Others have wondered about similar things. Evil is actually rebellion against God and his Word, and critters are doing what they know without considering morality. In discussing biology, however, their predatory behavior is often called  natural evil . Wasp on grape, Pixnio / Bicanski We tend to think of the big wasps that sting just about anything, but smaller species escape our attention because they cannot sting us. Wasps often go after each other. After all, they want to survive and reproduce. Their methods are often brutal and even disgusting to us. The source of this behavior is not found in natural science, but theology — go back to Genesis. Who hasn’t had a picnic ruined by angry, stinging wasps coming out of nowhere, o

Malaria Invading USA Again

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Wait, what? Malaria has been eradicated in these parts for decades. Well, not really. In a way, it is not entirely surprising for infections to show up. Folks go to countries where it still exists, get bitten by an infected mosquito, then exhibit symptoms later. What is disconcerting is when malaria is locally acquired. On this big continent, conditions have to be right for it to spread. Someone can be a carrier, get bitten by a mosquito, then that  noxious critter bites someone else and gives the gift of malaria. It is not always fatal, and is a disease involving four different parasites. Plasmodium vivax schizonts, CDC / Dr. Mae Melvin It is apparent that Plasmodium vivax has been designed. This touches on an area where creationists have to be ready to explain themselves. Yes, everything was created, and it was very good  at the end of creation week. When Adam sinned, things began to fall apart. Death and disease showed up. Like other things like viruses and bacteria, Plasmodium  w

Design Denial is a Science Stopper

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by Cowboy Bob Sorensen From the standpoint of producing evidence for what they teach, biblical creationists can be baffled by the resistance displayed by anti-creationists. Some tinhorns claim that we never produce evidence — making such insipid claims on posts such as " Overview of Geologic Evidence of the Flood !" Material exposing evolutionary fraud and bad science is ignored or waved away. In literally thousands of books, articles, videos and such, Creationists and Intelligent design proponents have discussed how evidence for design is abundant. Instead of intelligently discussing interpretations of evidence, atheists and evolutionists go beyond insults and attempt to dehumanize us . Red-bellied woodpecker, Unsplash / Joshua J. Cotten When misotheists attempt to dehumanize us, it shuts down rational discourse. It also indicates fear on their part. Can't be letting evidence for design get wide circulation, nosiree! That's bad medicine for atheism. Further, what doe

Clear Evidence for God — No Excuse

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One of the most common complaints by professing atheists is that there is insufficient evidence for God. They have disingenuously redefined atheism from one who believes there is no God or gods  into lacking belief . Many will not give a direct answer as to what would constitute evidence for God, or even whether or not he would be able to make himself known. Many want God to meet their arbitrary subjective standards. The Creator of the universe is not a performing seal, old son. Webb telescope galaxies, NASA , ESA, CSA, and STScI (usage does not imply endorsement of site contents) Those of us who believe that the Bible means what it says know that despite their protestations, God has indeed made himself known. A standard argument by theists is to say that unbelievers just need to look around, his design is clearly evident. Do not  fall into the "prove it to me" trap because they are getting you to admit that you don't believe what God's Word says. Somehow, tinhorns li

Biblical Creation and the Ceratioid Anglerfish

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Anglerfish are denizens of the deep, dark, cold sea. They have, as Tim the Enchanter would say, "Nasty big pointy teeth!" Anglerfish have a bioluminescent lure that dangles in front of them to attract prey. Bioluminescence is when a creature chemically generates its own light; fireflies are actually bioluminescent beetles. They live so far down, the pressure is immense. Scientists find it difficult to keep them alive for research. One type of Anglerfish, the Ceratioid, is a bit of a difficulty for biblical creation: If everything was created very good , why does this happen? Cryptopsaras couesii , Wikimedia Commons / Masaki Miya, et al  ( CC BY 2.0 ) Interesting how what happens to C. couesii is wrongly used as "evidence" for Darwinism. You'll read about that in the link below. This is where it becomes part science and part theology. Yes, everything was very good in the beginning with no death and suffering, but something happened. When Adam sinned (the Fall of

He Arrived with Humility

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Study on it a while. Jesus is God the Son, the second person of the Trinity. God is perfect in holiness and majesty, and everything in creation belongs to him. Jesus is the Creator (John 1:1-3, Heb. 1:2-3, Col. 1:16). He was born in the jerkwater town of Bethlehem, and lived in Nazareth — which was not exactly the Gangnam District of Seoul, savvy? We have all sinned against God, and are deserving of death (Rom. 3:23, 6:23). This began with Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:1-7). God could have simply made the world go away. The Adoration of the Shepherds   /   Giorgione, 1505-1510 (they all look very white, though) The gap between creation and Creator is unfathomable, so why would he want to come to Earth? Out of love (Rom. 5:8), he emptied  himself , giving up his glory and took human form (Phil. 2:5-8). He was born of a virgin in humble circumstances. He was never regal in his earthly life. One reason for that is that Jesus was acceptable to the common man, not someone only catering to the rich

Creation, the Fall, the Curse

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As stated before, there are many models in creation science that come and go, but the foundation is the inerrant Word of God. Biblical creationists attempt to square their ideas with Scripture and science. They reason from the Bible, and one consideration is the condition of creation at the beginning. There are differing speculations among creationists about the meaning of biblical texts regarding the state of creation. It was perfect, but some people read some idealism into it that was borrowed from the Greeks and not supported by the text. Pixnio / Drazen Nesic Some even think that there was no entropy before the Fall of Man and the Curse, but that idea does not fit with science or Scripture . Indeed, the Second Law of Thermodynamics had to be  in effect at the beginning for creation to even function . The Bible clearly indicates that the Fall and the Curse had definite physical effects on creation, and biblical creationists can study further on this. In the metanarrative of Scriptur

Thanksgiving and Proper Motivation

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This is Thanksgiving Day in the formerly United States, and other places around the world have something similar. This kind of thing is mostly done mostly in areas with Christian populations. But have you ever noticed that thankfulness does not seem to be a part of human nature? Gratitude has to be learned. I reckon most of us can relate to giving a child a gift and a parent has to prompt, "Say thank you!" Eventually we learn to express gratitude — especially if it betters our chances of getting more stuff. More importantly, learn  why  we should be thankful. Unsplash / Guillaume de Germain Secularists recognize gifts of our Creator but try to make them into naturalistic responses or will rewrite history (such as the disgusting modification of the Pilgrims gave thanks to the natives , omitting God). Some fools thank the universe, an obvious appeal to pantheism. Others use reification and hate, such as this reaction to a Thanksgiving post (Rom. 1:21): Today is the anniversary

Moses Wrote the Pentateuch

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Something I learned from Ken Ham several decades ago (and stated by many others) is the insidious nature of attacks on the Bible. Those with Atheism Spectrum Disorder simply lash out with ridicule, demonstrating their bigotry and lack of reasoning skills. We easily dismiss them. Christians and creationists have had to deal with more subtle and effective assaults. Specifically, they seek to undermine our foundations. All major Christian doctrines begin in Genesis , and not only has Genesis been getting bushwhacked, but the authorship of the Bible as well. Ketef Hinnom Silver Scrolls , Flickr / Biblical Papyrus Photos Moses is the author of the Torah (Pentateuch), the first five books of the Bible. (Some of us believe that, because of the structure of certain sections in Genesis, Adam and other wrote certain sections, but Moses was the editor and compiler.) When liberal theologians and unbelievers say that Moses had nothing to do with the books for which he is credited, they are calling

Reasons Creationists Critique Evolution

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by Cowboy Bob Sorensen  Many years ago, I asked someone to criticize an article I had written. He replied, "No, but I will critique it." Then I learned that criticize has a connotation of negativity, but a critique can be positive and constructive . The term constructive criticism  is often mere criticism and not constructive. While a critique is most commonly known for art and literature, it is also useful when discussing science and writing papers. Critiques help determine if claims are supported or where the material is lacking. Creationists critique evolutionary material. Pexels / fauxels (seriously?), modified with FotoSketcher In my article on debate challenges , I emphasized some things learned from Dr. James R. White. In a true  debate, there is structure and some amount of graciousness. Debaters work on the material presented instead of taking cheap shots at the people. (I'll allow that it's very difficult to remain clinical when discussing deceivers and v

So Dinosaurs Were Fake All Along!

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There comes a time when everyone has to cowboy up and face the failings, and this is mine. It turns out that not only have many others and I been deceived, but I have been deceiving my readers in my misguided zeal. Dinosaurs never existed. Playtime is over. Now we get to more serious but still almost unbelievable material. Although I have heard of them, I never met someone who claimed that dinosaurs are not real. The reasons for thinking this get...truly bizarre. Unsplash / Katie Smith I have to stop for a moment and say that this post almost went to Biblical Creation and Evangelism . It ended up here because, although it has to do with theology, biblical creationists emphasize critical thinking skills. To believe the outrageous idea that dinosaurs were never real, one must believe conspiracy theories on an absurdity level of September 11 "truthers" and Flat-Earthers. In all three cases, thousands  of people would have to keep secrets very well, and not have consciences that

Why Atheists and Old Earthers Fear the Genesis Flood

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by Cowboy Bob Sorensen  Many times, biblical creationists will post something about the Genesis Flood, then professing atheists get all fired up. Professing Christians who believe in an old Earth (especially theistic evolutionists) often saddle up and with misotheists against creationists. Their antics are vexatious. Often, self-appointed defenders of materialistic science comment on social(ist) media with personal insults, attacks on God and the Bible, etc. Occasionally they will form a posse comitatus  for a trolling raid. Creation science (and especially the Flood) are threats to deep time. The Man Made Mad by Fear / Gustave Courbet, 1844 We often get remarks that science has refuted the Flood. These owlhoots often find links that supports their preconceptions, post them, and pretend that they are "gotchas" to creation science Flood geology. What is omitted is the speculative nature of uniformitarian geology as well its problems. Years ago, the Bearded Buddha himself put

Darwinian Naturalism and Freedom for Evil

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by Cowboy Bob Sorensen As regular readers have probably observed, many of my articles were inspired by the work of others. This one from Revolution Against Evolution  was written in 2017, and is something that was useful for expansion. How can we reach a point where evil behavior is not only tolerated, but accepted and encouraged? Far too many people refuse to learn from history, and it is repeating itself today. There are many analyses of how Adolf Hitler came to power, but he was unlikely to have made it with a platform of exterminating Jews and other "races". It seems safe to assume that Eichmann, Göring, and his other henchmen would not have been given the time of day. Public domain image was modified, jigsaw effect from Big Huge Labs Small Beginnings Hitler's book Mein Kampf was a diatribe against Jews, but the full force of those philosophies was gradual. Propaganda was utilized, one point being that they were the common enemy. Another tactic was concentration and r

Science, the Bible, and GMOs

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Folks are a mite confused about this GMO thing, and there are strong passions on both sides of the issue. Some see this genetic manipulation as evil, so some food merchandisers proudly proclaim, "No GMOs!" Others see it as a tremendous scientific boon. Both images found at Pexels Angry fox:  Vinicius Altava ; Statue facepalm:  karatara There are views all over the map, and a great deal of emotion. Some people who are against GMOs manipulate emotions and say that they're dangerous, and this child suspects that most people have no knowledge of the controversy. What's the hubbub, Bub, about Genetically Modified Organisms? I'll allow that genetic modification where people modify the gene itself has not been happening for all that long, but a form of genetic modification has been around for millennia. There are foods that we eat that are the product of artificial selection (Darwinists consider artificial selection a form of how natural selection causes evolution, but n

When Genesis Flood Models Collide

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As stated before, scientists who ride for the biblical creation brand are like their counterparts in the secular science industry. Not only are they educated and credentialed, but are not always in lockstep when it comes to scientific models. Heavily modified from an image at Pixabay by Jeff Jacobs One major difference between the camps is that biblical creationists believe that the Bible is true, but models will come and go. Secularists have been dishonest for money and prestige. There are a few scientific models for the Genesis Flood among creationists, but the two best known are Catastrophic Plate Tectonics and the Hydroplate Theory . Some people passionately promote the Hydroplate Theory and consider it superior to Catastrophic Plate Tectonics. However, most creationists find serious flaws with it. If it is superior, then it would be the best of the worst — sort of like the nebular hypothesis  for the formation of the solar system is bad, but the others fail even more. Mo

Evolution, Paganism, and Gender Confusion

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Although real science affirms what most of us know (that men and women are different ), there are some people who do not like their genders. In fact, new words have been manufactured to distinguish between sex (what you were born with) and gender (whatever way you identify yourself). Some people resent the way they were born and want to change (gender dysphoria). There are several causes. Credit: Pixnio / Bicanski Although there are some strange twisting of science, critters know what they are and don't resent being male or female. It is politically and culturally incorrect to mention the fact that there are people who transitioned to having the appearance of the other sex and regretted it , but there are those who say, for example, "I am a woman trapped in a man's body!" — as if he would know. Research is showing that gender dysphoria has nothing to do with genetics or biology . And they have the nerve to call biblical creationists "science deniers"!