The absence of belief

I have learned two things recently. First, it is now impossible for me to relate to the absence of belief in God.  I am trying and I just can't.  I have come to realize that I always believed; I simply denied the feeling to the depth of my soul.  In spending time recently examining arguments for and against the existence of God I have become increasingly convinced that atheism is a totally indefensible world view. It is, to put it simply, nonsensical, completely without merit, and in its purest form impossible.  Atheism is the denial of God's existence.  One can never hope to prove that God does not exist.  The atheist has to accept that he/she simply believes that God does not exist.  The same way that you can never prove that unicorns do not exist.  You cannot prove a negative, only disprove a positive.  Can you ever prove that God does exist?  I can, and so can any other believer.  The atheist has as much faith that God does not exist as the believer has that God does exist.


The Bible says that the just will live by faith (see Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 3:28, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38, etc). Not to be a clanging cymbal, but I say that the atheist will die by their faith and they are actually ok with that.  In fact it makes them happy.  The thought makes me incredibly sad. Here's what Soren Kierkegaard said about disbelief:

"People try to persuade us that the objections against Christianity spring from doubt. That is a complete misunderstanding. The objections against Christianity spring from insubordination, the dislike of obedience, rebellion against all authority. As a result people have hitherto been beating the air in their struggle against objections, because they have fought intellectually with doubt instead of fighting morally with rebellion."

I think Kierkegaard gets a bad reputation because he is now called the co-father of existentialism with Nietzsche, who declared that, "God is dead," however it is difficult for me to read that quote and not see the author as a devout Christian. How could an atheist admit to disobedience and rebellion against an authority they profess does not exist? I digress.

I have also learned something else. The goal of every Christian is, ultimately, not to see the whole world accept Jesus as their lord and savior, although that would definitely make us happy. I would argue that our goal is to simply spread the love of Christ. We do this by attempting to faithfully spread the gospel of Jesus (see my last post from Oct 09; it's the gospel). As a former atheist/agnostic/disobedient denier I understand that reason and argumentation alone does not turn a nonbeliever into a full on lover of Jesus; the conversion requires the work of the Spirit of God in the heart of the individual. By faith alone we are saved; not by losing or winning an argument. Reason alone does not draw one to God, it only affirms and cultivates a relationship which already existed. The gospel of Jesus is not a message which can be argued or reasoned by logic, but must be transmitted through love. By showing the love of Christ for others we facilitate and encourage the dissemination of His message. The real work is done by God Himself. Hallelujah.

The message is Love.

Jesus Christ died on a cross for our sins, was placed in a tomb for
three days, was resurrected from death, and was seen by many witnesses.

The message of the cross is love. 'For God so loved the world that
He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).' The message promises salvation, or everlasting life in the presence of God, for those who believe. 'For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved (John 3:17).'
We need saving, 'for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).' Jesus took the punishment upon Himself for all of us because He loves us. All of us; the whole world; everyone. He loves you! Hear the message. Jesus Christ is God. Believe it and
you will be saved. Believe it and you will be forgiven. No more suffering, no more fear. No more searching. I know it's not an easy decision, but it is one that you have to make. Think about this: 'for the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are
perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18).' Take the leap and you will not be disappointed. God gave us free will. The choice is yours. Are you absolutely sure you have made the right decision?

Isaiah 53
1 Who has believed our report?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant,
And as a root out of dry ground.
He has no form or comeliness;
And when we see Him,
There is no beauty that we should desire Him.
3 He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
4 Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He opened not His mouth;
He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,
And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment,
And who will declare His generation?
For He was cut off from the land of the living;
For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.
9 And they made His grave with the wicked—
But with the rich at His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was any deceit in His mouth.
10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him;
He has put Him to grief.
When You make His soul an offering for sin,
He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days,
And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.
11 He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied.
By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many,
For He shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great,
And He shall divide the spoil with the strong,
Because He poured out His soul unto death,
And He was numbered with the transgressors,
And He bore the sin of many,
And made intercession for the transgressors.
(NKJV)

the cross demands a decision.

black or white. on or off.  in or out.  there is no middle ground.  the foolishness of man or the wisdom of God.  

philosophy searches for the truth and falls short.  what answers have been discovered that did not lead to further inquiry?  psychology attempts to explain what only God can understand: the heart and spirit of a man.  there are no secrets, no mysteries.  all necessary things have been revealed.  what remains is only fuel for idle babbling.  

man searches for answers through many different methods but all man's pursuits only approach success; never providing satisfaction.  our quests for knowledge leave us wanting, never quenching the endless thirst.  

I am not just an animal; more than pockets of varied fluids and masses of tissue.  I am a man created for a purpose. my song is my own.  I am unique.  

there is truth.  the search is over.  don't be left behind.  by all means continue your futile pursuits, but know that they are futile.  the timing is not yours, but God's.  He has found you.  you will come to realize you were never lost.  He knew you before your time.  God is outside of time.  He knows you.  the wisdom of man is foolishness to God.  He will not be denied.      

Psalm 22

 ¹ My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?
         Why are You so far from helping Me, 
         And from the words of My groaning?
 ² O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear;
         And in the night season, and am not silent. 
         
 ³ But You are holy,
         Enthroned in the praises of Israel.
 ⁴ Our fathers trusted in You;
         They trusted, and You delivered them.
 ⁵ They cried to You, and were delivered;
         They trusted in You, and were not ashamed. 
         
 ⁶ But I am a worm, and no man;
         A reproach of men, and despised by the people.
 ⁷ All those who see Me ridicule Me;
         They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
 ⁸ "He trusted in the LORD, let Him rescue Him;
         Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!" 
         
 ⁹ But You are He who took Me out of the womb;
         You made Me trust while on My mother's breasts.
 ¹⁰ I was cast upon You from birth.
         From My mother's womb 
         You have been My God.
 ¹¹ Be not far from Me,
         For trouble is near; 
         For there is none to help. 
         
 ¹² Many bulls have surrounded Me;
         Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me.
 ¹³ They gape at Me with their mouths,
         Like a raging and roaring lion. 
         
 ¹⁴ I am poured out like water,
         And all My bones are out of joint; 
         My heart is like wax; 
         It has melted within Me.
 ¹⁵ My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
         And My tongue clings to My jaws; 
         You have brought Me to the dust of death. 
         
 ¹⁶ For dogs have surrounded Me;
         The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. 
         They pierced My hands and My feet;
 ¹⁷ I can count all My bones.
         They look and stare at Me.
 ¹⁸ They divide My garments among them,
         And for My clothing they cast lots. 
         
 ¹⁹ But You, O LORD, do not be far from Me;
         O My Strength, hasten to help Me!
 ²⁰ Deliver Me from the sword,
         My precious life from the power of the dog.
 ²¹ Save Me from the lion's mouth
         And from the horns of the wild oxen! 
         
         You have answered Me. 
         
 ²² I will declare Your name to My brethren;
         In the midst of the assembly I will praise You.
 ²³ You who fear the LORD, praise Him!
         All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, 
         And fear Him, all you offspring of Israel!
 ²⁴ For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted;
         Nor has He hidden His face from Him; 
         But when He cried to Him, He heard. 
         
 ²⁵ My praise shall be of You in the great assembly;
         I will pay My vows before those who fear Him.
 ²⁶ The poor shall eat and be satisfied;
         Those who seek Him will praise the LORD. 
         Let your heart live forever! 
         
 ²⁷ All the ends of the world
         Shall remember and turn to the LORD, 
         And all the families of the nations 
         Shall worship before You.
 ²⁸ For the kingdom is the LORD's,
         And He rules over the nations. 
         
 ²⁹ All the prosperous of the earth
         Shall eat and worship; 
         All those who go down to the dust 
         Shall bow before Him, 
         Even he who cannot keep himself alive. 
         
 ³⁰ A posterity shall serve Him.
         It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation,
 ³¹ They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born,
         That He has done this.

(NKJV) 

Debate

When someone says they are open-minded, they sincerely don’t care, they are fools, or they imply they are open to listening to your side of the argument long enough for an opportunity to interject their opinion while holding the same objective as you:  to win you to their cause.  This almost never works.  People just don’t listen to opposing facts (assuming at least one side bothered to start the process with any facts).  Maybe it’s a problem with the media.  We no longer know who to trust.  Liberals attack conservatives, conservatives call liberals communists, liberals call those conservatives who called them communist, racists, while racists call everyone racists except themselves and we are all left puzzled when we didn’t realize we were a member of any of the above groups and where’s the cover sheet on your TPS report, didn’t you get the memo?  Everyone has their own agenda (yes, everyone!).  The objective is to win you to their ‘side’.  I don’t think people set out to lie, but lies are propagated on all sides.  Lies are easier to come up with than facts.  If the facts don’t support your cause you can lie.  If the lie is discovered; change it.  Lie again.  Lie bigger.  Retreat, mix in a little fact (lie less), regroup and lie differently (but the same).  I’m not speaking of any group or cause here, just in the general sense.  Whoever is more powerful wins, and they won before the debate started.  But it’s nice to be polite and give the other side a chance isn’t it?

When it comes down to it I really don’t care about the politics; pretty much got Maslow's hierarchy of needs covered.  So why do I enjoy debating the issues so much?  Is it really the issues themselves?  Ultimately I am removed from the final decision making process.  Is it the issues themselves or is it just the conflict, the battle of wits?  It’s human nature to love conflict.  It's sometimes an adrenaline rush, but there is hardly ever any resolution because those who are willing to enter into the thing in the first place have similarly strong feelings but inclined to opposite sides of the argument.  Why do we always assume what seems to us to be an elegantly structured, logical, and perfectly reasonable solution never resolves the issue or converts the other participant to our side?

Arguments don’t gain any ground.  Debate does not win hearts.  Debate does not win minds.  Debate is like a boxing match.  Sure a boxer wants to win, but they really just want to go out and kick some ass.  To see the other boxer humiliated with bloody eyes and mouth.  It’s an organized endeavor.  After the ass kicking you shake hands and there is no guilt.  But you’ve tasted blood.  You want to kick ass again.  I was on the frontline.  I was the boxer.  I was the best; undefeated, but with no victories:  Running on a hamster wheel watching punishment and humiliation receiving the occasional nugget of worthless corn that has no nutritional value.  Call that life?

I give up the fight.  I am a treasure in the arms of Christ.

sin and wrath, that stuff sucks

sin and wrath, that stuff sucks. no one wants to hear about you just
want to hear about the good stuff. how about endless happiness.
untapped promise of flowing pleasure on demand with no end. sinless
immortality full of joyful song and crying out in infinite rejoicing.
smiling happy people laughing. ethereal bodies singing with
undulating vibration whose only purpose is to worship the glory of the
creator of the universe forever. floating. flying praise and light.
no pain no darkness no fear no death no loss no more. guaranteed
through justification by faith. the perfect sacrifice narrow is the
path fulfillment of the law. more buzzwords? new vocabulary new
ideas new outlook new life. more happy. freedom forgiveness and a
future. comfort warmth and happiness without end.

so many words too many words no words can describe the experience you
have to try it for yourself. I'm no poet this is just me. I wrote it
but I've been filled with the spirit. kind of fun on this tiny
keyboard once again the spell checker is on top of things. just
messing around trying to fill up my blog archive nobody reads my rants
anyway not for anybody just to waste time. bored but not with the
lord. worship forever again with no end and hands raised to heaven.
outstretched open to love and receiving grace for free undeserved gift
priceless everlasting hallelujah.

Here’s the Thing…

To put it lightly it’s a big issue. Health care. Education. Socialism. Deception. Lies. The role of government. Is it the place of government to provide for the every need of citizens? Citizens do not belong to the government. The government belongs to the citizens. Freedom is, ultimately, the ability to make choices. When choices are made for you, even with the best of intentions, you have lost your freedom. Your ability, no, your opportunity, to make choices has been removed.Therefore your freedom is removed. How else do you define freedom? Isn’t the big picture awesome? So many people focus on the details that they forget what is important. No one wants homelessness, or poverty, or illiteracy, or war, or murder, pain, death, or sickness. Socialism and Communism sound great until they are imposed upon society. Imposed Upon You.

"As soon as A observes something which seems to him to be wrong, from which X is suffering, A talks it over with B, and A and B then propose to get a law passed to remedy the evil and help X. Their law always proposes to determine what C shall do for X, or in the better case, what A, B, and C shall do for X.... [W]hat I want to do is to look up C.... He is the man who never is thought of."

"He works, he votes, generally he prays--but he always pays. . . ."

(William Graham Sumner)

The forgotten man. If I bring that up does it sound like I’m whining? I don’t mean to complain.When it comes down to it, I don’t really care about taxes. I pay them. Money comes in, money goes out. My daughters have their ballet costumes and they smile a lot. They love Jesus. I love them and that is what makes me happy. All of this political garbage is just a distraction. I volunteered to go to war. I hate war. I don’t like watching movies with animal protagonists because I know that I will develop sympathy for the poor creature and my emotions will take over. I consider myself an everyman; a regular guy sojourning through life with the desire to do great things but ready to accept mediocrity if that be my fate.

There is a fundamental problem in our society. It is painful for some to hear. It is utterly dismissed and disdainfully rejected by others. I’m no prophet. It can be said in many ways. I have a set of beliefs so I say it in accordance with my beliefs, which are no longer deemed ‘politically correct.’ I am sometimes profane in my language because I have strong feelings. I hope that others will see things my way, but in all probability, and to my understanding, not everyone will. Unfortunately, there may be some who have been appointed to wrath. We are on the path to destruction. I really do believe that. I don’t think I am crazy. I’ll spare you the scripture, but the writing is on the wall. (Sorry, I lied) Everything is scripture.

For about a year there, before the last election, I began to get interested in politics. I started watching the news for the first time. At first I tried watching several channels and news outlets and I listened to all the different talk radio shows in my market. I quickly realized that I was a conservative. I picked up a few other labels for myself in recent months. Far right conservative.Fundamentalist/Evangelical Christian, or Jesus Freak. I believe in limited government. I like Fox News and I enjoy Glenn Beck. I believe that elected officials are supposed to represent the people who elected them. When a large group of people gather to protest that generally means they are upset about something. This may not be the end that the Bible promises us, but if things continue as they are I fear for the future of my country.

The wicked shall be turned into hell,

And all the nations that forget God.

For the needy shall not always be forgotten;

The expectation of the poor shall not perish forever.

Arise, O LORD,

Do not let man prevail;

Let the nations be judged in Your sight.

Put them in fear, O LORD,

That the nations may know themselves to be but men.

(Psalm 9:17-20)

So what's my point? I forgot. When the time comes so will you. So let's all get over ourselves and remember what's important. Today. Remember: Its not about what would Jesus do? It's about what Jesus did. Look it up because its important.