New Foetus Pain Evidence is Irrelevant to Debate

There is much in the news today around ‘evidence’ from the Royal College of Obstetricians. Link on BBC HERE.

Firstly I am not sure I entirely believe the report as there are many research folks who would disagree with this reports findings.

Secondly it states that a foetus does not feel pain before 24 weeks and is naturally sedated in the womb as well. The assumption therefore is that it is ok to abort/kill the foetus/Baby (interchange words depending on what helps you dehumanise the act) before 24 weeks and there is no medical/scientific reason to lower the limit.

However this entirely misses the point of the pro-life debate anyway and all it will do is reinforce the pro-choice lobby’s views getting us no where fast. The logic goes along the lines of ‘it is ok to tear a baby apart in the womb because they won’t feel it’. So if you follow that logic it is ok to kill a dying person as long as they are filled up with pain killers. Or it is ok to kill a person who is paralysed from the neck down and can’t feel their body. Or as long as the death is painless frankly anyone……..

You cannot separate science from ethics and morality, you simply can’t. I understand scientists just stating medical ‘facts’ but that is not the be all and end all of being human.

It is irrelevant if a baby can or can’t actually feel the pain of itself being killed in the womb. It is a human child and deserves every protection that a person who has been born deserves, period!

Jesus Ultrasound Poster and Subliminal Pro-Lifers

WARNING: This is a very blunt and personal view on the issues discussed and are entirely my own views and not those of any organisation I may be associated with!

Just saw this poster that is going to be used I gather by Churches across the nation in the run up to Christmas 2010. It is an interesting concept and design and I think I get where it is coming from.

A design to show that Jesus started as a real baby and it is an image that everyone, or at least most people, can relate to. The lower caption pointing out that ‘Christmas’ starts with ‘Christ’ etc….

I could take issue with the main caption in pointing out that Christ was born 2000 years ago and therefore has already arrived etc… but that would indeed be petty.

What I found interesting was an article on Christian Today that says secularists have got all hot under the collar about it. This following quote being classic secularist nonsense:

“It gives the impression that it was politically motivated, that they are trying to put across some sort of subliminal message,” said Terry Sanderson, director of the National Secular Society, according to The Guardian.

“The image is too specifically associated with pro-lifers to be seen in a benign context.”

Sanderson added, “They should go back to angels and cribs.”

The last sentence showing his true colours and renders everything he said previously as not worth listening to. So as usual with these types as long as Christians stay silent and not dare speak up we can carry on in our freakish weird world of believing in God. But we must not under any circumstance have our faith say anything to rampant secularism and go poking our noses into society with our ‘moral convictions’ about truth and justice.

Sanderson is of course referring to the Channel 4 Marie Stopes adverts that ‘subliminally’ advertises abortion services.

Well Mr Terry Sanderson how is this for a non subliminal pro-life message: Abortion is the murder of the unborn!

Of course I don’t take lightly the horrendous emotional and psychological issues surrounding abortion and unwanted pregnancy. I have heard all the arguments about what about rape, what about babies with some sort of illness or disability, a woman's right to chose etc…. But the bottom line is that for a large majority of Abortions in this country the reason comes down to inconvenience and selfishness on the part of the couple. They simply don’t want the responsibility of looking after a child at that point. There are possibly some very very few instances where there may be some grey area but rarely. How can inconvenience, timing, cost, even disability or pregnancy due to rape (extremely rare by the way) trump the right of a child to have a chance in life? No one can decide that the child's circumstances once born would be too hard and not be fair to bring them into. Who are you to make that decision?

The issue in part comes down to the devaluing of corporate human life in the western world today. For so many different reasons but two being Darwinian evolutionary thinking and the Western idol of self. Where does an Embryo/Foetus become a human life. In UK law it is at 24 weeks! After that the medical profession and Government has deemed that you are now worthy of some protection in law! Despite much evidence to the contrary and babies being born before that time and surviving.

Again I state that I do not say any of this lightly and fully take into account the awful circumstances people find themselves in and the financial, practical and counselling help that they need and that is often not available to them. Yes it can be heart breaking and painful and mind bogglingly difficult to raise a child under, well any circumstances actually.

But this is a human being we are talking about and once conceived has every right to existence as any other human being. It is made in the image of God, knit together in its mothers womb (Psalm 139). Oh no, there I go with that God talk again.

For a great organisation called The Oasis Crisis Pregnancy Centre click on the link. They offer support services for women with unplanned pregnancy or women coming to terms with abortion. A Wonderfully caring counselling service they provide.

What does Toleration Actually mean today?

I thought I would write this brief article on Toleration. Mainly I will quote something I read in a much bigger article that can be found here. The quote I want to look at is below.

The new toleration

The definition of "toleration" has been inverted in recent years. Historically, toleration implied disagreement. The powerful would tolerate ideas that they disagreed with or found unpleasant; they might argue against them or condemn them, but they did not suppress the ideas through violence or the courts.

Today, toleration means agreeing that selected categories—typically race, gender, and sexual orientation—are value-neutral, that is, that they have no significant bearing on human worth, moral standing, etc. To suggest otherwise is to commit the one unforgivable sin of being intolerant, judgmental or bigoted.

In other words, toleration has changed from referring to ideas to referring to people, and from learning to live with disagreement to agreeing that [specific] differences don't matter.

In my previous post on why we should vote in the election I mentioned the issue of ‘Toleration’ and quoted a book title by D.A Carson called The Intolerance of Tolerance. I think that title sums up the current view of what Toleration actually means. When you strictly narrow the categories by which you define what tolerance means it inherently becomes intolerant of anything outside of it. Now for those inside those categories this is not seen as an issue and seems entirely reasonable. However for those pushed to the boundaries or who are fully excluded this becomes a major concern and problem.

The outrageous witch hunt against the Conservative candidate for Sutton, Philippa Stroud, is a prime example of this inversion of what society defines as Toleration (click HERE for good article on Christians in the media spotlight and Adrian Warnock’s take on it). The recent court case for Gary McFarlane is another example that highlights the shift on the way society views what is in or out of that category. Excellent article by Former Bishop of Rochester, Michael Nazir-Ali shows that Religious conviction is no longer viewed on a level playing field with such things as Sexual orientation or Gender identity. Therefore one set of beliefs/values subjugates another in the name of equality and tolerance in the law.

That effective inequality is the main problem with all this legislation that the Labour government and lobby groups have pushed through. In the attempt to stop discrimination against people on the grounds of Gender, Race, Sexual Orientation, Age and Religion they have inadvertently (or purposefully if you want to be cynical) created a clash between those categories. In this post-modern, post-Christian, secular, humanistic society we call Britain, Religious conviction is trumped by all the other categories.

I had a debate with someone on Twitter around if Philippa Stroud was a bigot and what that actually meant. The tactic most anti-Christian or Atheist people use is to simply dismiss the Bible completely and thus to try and prevent a Christian from arguing from that point of view. A Christians whole frame of reference is Biblical so it can be effective, especially over such things as Social Media as there is so little space to actually engage and debate a person.

The main contention I have is that by a person saying ‘your view is bigoted or Intolerant’ they are effectively saying my belief trumps your belief. I am right and you are wrong. So by the Oxford English Dictionary definition of Bigot are in fact being exactly that and are being Intolerant themselves.

Bigot: a person who is prejudiced in their views and intolerant of the opinions of others

We all bring our beliefs and world view to the table and to say one person is being Intolerant is simply to impose your worldview as the correct one and exclude another's. The very definition of Intolerance in the old definition above.

However generally the person is unwilling or unable to see or accept this. To do so would open debate and allow alternative viewpoints. As far as the person I debated with on twitter was concerned I was a homophobic hateful bigot simply because I was a Christian and held to Biblical authority and they could not accept they were being Intolerant or bigoted themselves. Because of the difference of interpretation of what it means to Tolerate or be Intolerant of something.

I truly believe this will only get worse in Britain in the coming years. It has already happened on more than one occasion that a person has been arrested under hate laws or breach of peace laws for simply repeating what the Bible says, specifically on the subject of Homosexuality. In a recent incident because the Police officer was themselves gay. It can be seen that Christians in public are targeted specifically on this subject because it will get them in trouble in Britain. Even if the laws were not instigated to do this the end result is that they are being used to suppress free speech by those that will not tolerate a moral world view that differs or clashes with their own.

Sadly these stories tend to misrepresent the Biblical world view and focus them solely on the Homosexuality issue making it more of a focus than the Bible actually places on it. Making Christians ‘sound’ like homophobes when in fact a true Christian is nothing of the sort in reality, though may be seen as one by the new definitions.

In my view Bigot, Intolerance or phobe has fear and hate fuelling it. Religious, self righteous types can be bigots and intolerant as much as Atheist humanistic types can be. A true Christian however will not, as they recognise that every one of us on this planet is justly heading for an eternity in hell unless God plucks them from the precipice. Thanks to Jesus Christ's supreme act Love and sacrifice the way is open for just that to happen. A Christian knows that it is only by Grace they are saved through no merit in them at all. Therefore they have no grounds to be self righteous towards anyone and are free to Love and serve others. Christianity defines what it is to have true equality and treat all people with love and respect.

But this does not mean it will agree with your world view. If you are not a Christian I cannot tell you that you are living in immoral life and expect you to change. I can only point you to Christ and if you give your life to Him then change will inevitably be the result as he changes your heart from the inside. But I can tell you that God has a better way to live, that if you live outside of that framework then things will not be as good as they could be and may in fact cause you harm. I cannot expect you to change or agree but I can point the way and this is not Bigoted or Intolerant or hateful because it disagrees with how you currently choose to live. A Christian is motivated by the Love of God for them which naturally wants the best for you.

But don’t expect Christians to be perfect and get it right all the time. We don’t and are on a journey ourselves of being changed. Take the time to understand who it is you are labelling and what they actually stand for before you judge them, you may be surprised by what you find.

Men in the Media + Torchwood mini-review

Just a short post to give a quick few thoughts on Torchwood. Yes I know it was a week ago but it takes me time to write.

I watched the first series of Torchwood and then avoided the second. Mainly because I was sick of the unnecessary homosexual and sexual content of the show. It drifted so far from a scifi show into the realms of a Channel 5 trash show that it became unwatchable. We get it Russell T Davies, you are a Gay man. We get it John Barrowman, you are also a Gay man. Now take the huge chip of your shoulder and get on with writing decent stories. Sorry Rant over!

So with that background I watched this 5 part mini-series with a certain trepidation. I liked what I saw in the trailers so gave it a go. I have to say I found it on the whole very entertaining. It certainly pulled no punches and didn’t wimp out when difficult plot threads had to work themselves out adequately.

The end solution to the Alien threat was uncomfortable because it involved a child dying. Interesting resolution that, with one person being sacrificed for the sake of many so that they could be saved from an eternity of hell as a drug supply to the Aliens, the 456. Remind you of anything ;-)

The government discussions over who should be taken by the Aliens was well written. One can imagine exactly that kind of solution being put forward by any government. Save the fittest and sacrifice the weakest. How very Darwinian!

However what I found stood out for me was the character of Jack Harkness. On the one hand he is very heroic, given that he can’t die this is not very surprising and may even not be heroic. On the other he came across as a very weak Man. He runs away from emotionally difficult situations, hiding behind a mysterious facade or actually running away physically as he did at the end. Instead of facing the consequences of the decisions he makes.

This got me thinking about how masculinity is portrayed in the media. I came to the conclusion of badly I think. Looking at Michael Jackson again. Here was a man, idolised by millions, yet was a seriously disturbed, abused and lost human being. A small boy stuck in an adults body.

So many of the men we see in public life are either chauvinistic or effeminate and weak. Now I am not talking physically here. A man can be a good man and still be what would be described as physically weedy.

I am not going in to what makes a good, godly man now but just wanted to make the observation. Men are no longer men and have been tamed by the feminists and PC brigade. Let’s discover what a real man is before our whole society goes further down into the sewer of broken homes, no respect for authority, abuse etc…

Thoughts on Idol/Hero Worship in light of the death of Michael Jackson

After the death of any major popular public figure it always brings with it a major outpouring of hysteria, sentiment and grief. The death of Princess Diana and now Michael Jackson are two very good examples. What you see reported on the news for days afterwards is the views of anyone and everyone who claimed to have met, known, passed in the street one day, that person who has died.

Now of course it is sad when someone dies. What I find troublesome though is the value held to these public figures compared to any ‘normal’ person. Thousands of adults and children die every day, around the world, through starvation, war, illness, abortion, accidents etc… These countless thousands are no less important and valuable human beings. So what is it that causes us to be affected so much by the death of a public figure who we really didn’t know personally. We may have liked the music, liked what they stood for, admired their determination in the face of struggle. But does their death really warrant the mass scenes of grief and tears, the hype and hysteria that are played out on the news. People gathering where the person died, lived, is buried etc… just to be near something of that person.

This level of fanaticism and reaction shows that these public figures like MJ, Princess Diana, Elvis, John Lennon, Kurt Cobain etc.. are raised to a level of ‘Hero Worship’ by many people. They may not describe it as worship themselves, as ‘Worship’ tends to be seen in a religious setting  or as an externally visible act. However the reaction to that person no longer being around uncovers the reality of the heart.

We are all Worshippers! We are all Thirsty!

You see we are all worshippers. It is irrelevant whether you affiliate yourself with a religion of some description. Even the most die hard, ardent atheist is a worshipper. Richard Dawkins is a worshipper, mainly of himself, but a worshipper none the less. The question is what or who do we worship? What or who do we lift up as having ultimate value in our lives? Who or what do we pour ourselves out to, giving most of our time, money and energy? Who or what has first place in your life, is preeminent? Who or what, when it calls, do you drop everything to give it attention or time?

Below is a list of some, but by no means all, things that you can worship in your life:

• Your Job
• Sex
• Money
• Food
• Alcohol
• Sports Team or person
• Pop/Music Star or Public Figure
• Your Husband or Wife
• Children
• Relationships
• Technology
• Drugs
• Religion
• Television
• The Environment
• Health

Now most of that list are not actually bad things in and of themselves. Some are very good things indeed and are certainly to be enjoyed. But the problem comes when, to quote Mark Driscoll, ‘a good things becomes a God thing which is a bad thing!’. To put it in Biblical language, you knew I would go there eventually, it is Idolatry, plain and simple.

When something becomes the controlling factor that determines what you do day to day then it may have become an Idol. I realise Idolatry is not a term used much in modern language. It possibly conjures up images of stone or wooden figures, shrines and primitive people bowing down to them. However in the Bible it is essentially anything you place above God in your life.

Now for someone who is not a Christian this will not seem a particular problem. Why would you place God above any of the list above? Which is true, you wouldn’t and can’t do anything else other than to give yourself to one or several of the above or any host of other things this world offers a thirsty soul.

Which leads me on to the second point. We are all ‘Thirsty’! In Jeremiah 2:12-13, a chapter strong in language against Idolatry especially verse 20, God calls Himself ‘the fountain of living waters’ and condemns Israel for ignoring him and trying to find water for themselves. In John 4:13-14 Jesus indicates we are thirsty souls needing the ‘spiritual’ water that only He can provide that ‘wells up to eternal life’. The Bible is full of language indicating we are thirsty souls looking for satisfaction to our spiritual thirst that only God can provide. These are often linked with passages where people are chastised for trying to get that thirst satisfied in places other than the Lord God. This is called Idolatry and as we shall see later, God is not impressed at all!

So why are we the way we are. Why are we Thirsty Worshippers desperate for the deep longing in our heart and soul to be satisfied by something.

Why are we all Worshippers? Why are we all Thirsty Souls?

Firstly the Bible indicates that God is effectively a worshipping community of One. The Father, Son and Holy Sprit are, though One God, always in a state of Glorifying the other. God the Father glorifies Jesus the Son, Jesus glorifies the Father and The Holy Spirit both. God is complete in Himself and needs nothing and no one. He did not create us because He needed anything from us.

If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine. Psalm 50:12

The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. Acts 17:24-25

“For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” Romans 11:35

Now since we human beings are made in the Image and Likeness of God, Genesis 1:26-27, it follows that we therefore are worshippers. However we are not God. We are created and He is creator. We were quite simply made to Worship God and have perfect communion and relationship with Him, as Adam and Eve did in Eden. In that relationship with God we were created to find perfect satisfaction and wholeness for our heart and soul. There was no emotional pain, rejection, fear, abuse or anything negative that we find so often in our relationships today. So what went wrong? Why do we now find our heart longing for something better than what we have. No matter how good our relationships are we still, deep down, know that something is wrong. It could end, it could be taken from us. We know that we will be hurt, rejected, let down, disappointed by those around us. We fear hoping too much for something or someone in case what we place our trust in falls down around us.

When the devil tempted Eve he did so by subverting Gods word and undermining the perfect trust relationship with God. In Genesis 3:1 the devil used the term “Did God actually say?”. This put doubt in Eve’s mind and the rest of the conversation raised a question regarding Gods goodness. The effect of the fall and sin means we are cut off from any relationship with God. Sin stands between us and God and we are lost. We are cut off from the only true source of salvation and satisfaction that our souls need. We doubt God’s goodness towards us and spend our lives trying to organise our own satisfaction and salvation. We are thirsty and we look everywhere but God to find something to quench our parched souls. Psalm 42 and Psalm 63 are wonderful descriptions of a thirsty soul longing for God to bring satisfaction.

So we are created to be worshippers, to pour ourselves out to something or someone and we are thirsty beings who are no longer in touch with the only source of true thirst quenching satisfaction, The Lord God. So we spend our lives worshipping that which we think will satisfy our thirsty souls, bring salvation to our lives, relief from the pain and a little taste of heaven on earth.

So what practically does this look like in our lives?

What Idolatrous Worship Looks like

I had a picture/vision, whatever you want to call it, recently that was of a desert oasis. A person in this oasis sees another one appear in the distance. Not being satisfied with the one they are in and thinking the other one will be better they run out into the heat of the desert towards that new one. When finally they reach that one, hot, weary, dehydrated, gasping for breath and desperate for water it vanishes into nothing. It was a mirage, a trick of the mind. Then they see another one and off they head. Forgetting the real one they left in the distance. This is what we do with God and idols.

We might give ourselves to our career at the expense of family and friends. We might become addicted to pornography, sex, money, alcohol, people, religious activity, whatever it may be that we think is the thing that will quench our thirst.  This could be the adulterous couple, the parents who let their children dictate how the family is run never saying no. The unmarried couple living together. The person who start the path down drug addiction with just the odd puff on a spliff. The person or couple always doing something on their house to make it look better. The person who changes job regularly. Any number of things that brings the high, the feeling of being alive, the relief that thing brings us temporarily is all with the aim of satisfying that thirst.

But it never, ever does, not fully. It is an illusion. It may give the impression of temporarily satisfying us but eventually we realise we are still thirsty. We either carry on in pursuit of that thing in the hope it once again brings some relief or we switch to something else. Endlessly running after something that will always leave us face down in the mud, more desperate, more determined to find something under our control to satisfy us. Every person is caught in this endless cycle, some more obviously than others. However every single human being that has ever lived and will ever live is in the same situation. A sinner apart from God, lost, thirsty with no possibility of finding for themselves a way out.

What God has to Say about Idolatry

I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols. - Isaiah 42:8

I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god - Isaiah 44:6

To whom will you liken me and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be alike? - Isaiah 46:5

I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me - Isaiah 46:9

Deuteronomy 4:15-31

15 “Therefore watch yourselves very carefully. Since you saw no form on the day that the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, 16 beware lest you act corruptly by making a carved image for yourselves, in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female, 17 the likeness of any animal that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air, 18 the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth. 19 And beware lest you raise your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, you be drawn away and bow down to them and serve them, things that the Lord your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven.

24 For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

25 “When you father children and children's children, and have grown old in the land, if you act corruptly by making a carved image in the form of anything, and by doing what is evil in the sight of the Lord your God, so as to provoke him to anger, 26 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that you will soon utterly perish from the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess. You will not live long in it, but will be utterly destroyed. 27 And the Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the Lord will drive you. 28 And there you will serve gods of wood and stone, the work of human hands, that neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. 29 But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul. 30 When you are in tribulation, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, you will return to the Lord your God and obey his voice. 31 For the Lord your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that he swore to them.

1 Corinthians 10:1-22 Paul warns against idolatry and goes as far as saying that any other God except the God of the Bible is a demon and reminds us what happened in Exodus 32 when Israel fell into idolatry.

Romans 1:18-32 The great passage where Paul sais we have in verse 25, ‘because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator’.

There are innumerable passages that show God is not at all impressed with His children worshipping any one or thing other than Him. This may seem harsh and wrong on the face of it. However, firstly God is God, creator and has every right to expect His creation to worship Him. It is not wrong in any way. It is selfishness, prideful, folly and arrogant for a human to desire or demand to be worshipped but not God. Secondly it is in our absolute best interest that we worship God and that God is jealous for our worship. He knows what is best for us, that we can only find true satisfaction in worshipping Him. As John Piper would say “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him!”.

 

The Solution to our Idolatry

So the obvious solution to our Idolatry is Worship of the one true God of the Bible. The God who humbled himself to become a human man, lived a perfect sinless life. Died in our place, took our sins upon himself and imputed his righteousness. By his death and resurrection we have access to God and our relationship restored and our sins forgiven if we turn to Christ. We have a new, regenerated heart that knows where to find satisfaction. This doesn’t mean we always go there but it means we can go there. I hate the idolatry I find in my own life that robs me of joy in my relationship with God and everyone else.

But by the Holy Spirit we can turn from temptation and idolatry to worship God and find joy and peace and love and security.

The first of the Ten Commandments is in Exodus 20:3-6

3 “You shall have no other gods before me.

4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

If that is our first priority and our hearts desire then all the other commandments fall into place. If we worship God and God alone we will not need to or desire to turn to alcohol, sex, porn, adultery, shopping, people, jobs, money, greed. All our non physiological problems are found in idolatry in one form or another. Where we seek something other than God to satisfy what only God can.

Only through Jesus Christ can you find forgiveness of sins. Only in worship of God can you find the answer to your thirsts and longings that this world absolutely, 100% fails to satisfy. Stop listening to the lies that you can do it yourself apart from Jesus.

Michael Jackson died, the ‘King of Pop’. Every idol, public figure, pop star, hero, person and everything will pass away but the ‘King of Kings’, the Lord Jesus will remain forever.

Only in him can we find a passionate, loving, all satisfying relationship that can see you through everything this world throws at you and into eternity with Him rather than eternity in hell.

Church Compromises! – Lets Celebrate Darwin

Just read this article on Christian Today. This is my view is one of the single biggest mistakes that the Christian Church is making today. I am in now way denying the huge impact and importance of what Darwin wrote. Just not in the way that the secular scientists and humanists would describe it.

I am not going to detail why this is such a tragedy as there are plenty of websites that do that significantly better than I can, eg: Click Here. However I will say that I believe this is one of the reasons why the Church of England and other denominations are in decline. They compromise and undermine the truth and authority of scripture interpreting it in the light of humanistic beliefs. Once you start doing that then no passage of scripture can be taken as an absolute truth. You fall into the modern quagmire that is moral relativism. The compromises on Homosexuality, sex outside of marriage and dare I say it, women priests and Bishops are other examples.

I am sure not all Anglican or other Denomination members are in support of the Darwin Worship and I would not like to make such sweeping statements. However when the Top leadership of such organisations come out in support of placing Darwin on the pedestal he is being placed on then it is a sad indeed. Belief in Theistic Evolution is a compromise and weakens every biblical and moral argument you subsequently make. Darwin knew this and Dawkins knows this and almost has more contempt for those that compromise what scripture teaches, than the Creationists he so violently and unflinchingly opposes.

If you are blown by every change of what society accepts and absorb it into your own worldview then how do you stand out from the world. How are you salt and light to a dark world. If there was no fall as described in Genesis and we evolved from pondscum then there is no sin, there can be no explanation of suffering that doesn’t make God out to be at best uncaring and at worst hateful, mans glorious standing as being made in the image of God is reduced to our existence having no meaning or purpose, there is no need for Christ to have come to redeem and save the lost. There is no Gospel!

David Attenborough and the Hate Mail

I just read this article on the BBC web site. I find this absolutely horrendous and totally unacceptable. I am a creationist and disagree with just about everything that DA says in his TV shows when it comes to origins. However I would never wish harm upon the man or even think of sending such a message.

I true Christian should never do such a thing and they really need to examine their hearts before the Lord and send an apology if they are truly Christian. The other thought of course that occurred to me was this ‘could’ and the emphasis is on ‘could’ have come from a non Christian and non creationist just trying to stir up trouble and controversy and further smear the name of Christianity and Creationists. Of course i have no proof it is just something that crossed my mind as it would not be the first time such has happened.

I know I cannot speak for all Christians and all creationists but I would nevertheless like to apologise to you Sir David if one of my brothers/sisters in Christ has sent this. There is no excuse!

If on the other hand it came from someone trying to stir up trouble for the sake of it or for some vendetta then grow up and repent or reap the message that you sent!

There is probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life?

That title is what will be appearing on the sides of London buses shortly. This advertising campaign is sponsored by the British Humanist Association.

'There is probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life!'

It is hardly suprising that they got a reasonable amount of money from supporters, including my 'favorite' atheist Richard Dawkins.

And Richard, bless him, has been spouting his usual nonsense about "thinking is anathema to religion". Which of course is plainly wrong and utter rubbish. I challenge anyone to prove otherwise! But Dawkins thinks anyone who disagrees with him has faulty thinking so hardly surprising.

I agree with this article where the writer believes this campaign will actually benefit 'religion'.

The 'probably' says it all. They cannot be sure about it or they are just trying to be a bit PC rather than stating 'there is no God'. Don't lay the message on too thick to start with. However if it gets people thinking and talking about it that can only be good. It gives Christians an opportunity they otherwise might not get to so easily raise the topic.

Also the advice in the advert just shows humanism for what it is. Entirely self centred! If all they can offer is 'enjoy life' in the midst of economic meltdown, job loss, hardship and death then their message is hollow, a shell with no substance. Which it is! Humanism can offer no word of comfort to the grieving, the hurting, the depressed, the abused and outcast.

Let them have their 5 minutes and watch what happens. Certainly not what they would like!!

Who are the British Creationists? Should it be discussed in School?

Just Who are the British Creationists?

This is the question posed by the BBC site (hotlink above) prompted by a comment by Professor Michael Reiss (BBC Link) where he thinks that Creationism should be allowed to be discussed in a Science lesson if a pupil brings it up. From what I gather this is purely from the point of view that this would then enable the teacher to point out, in his view, that Creationism had no scientific basis and that Darwinian molecules to man Evolution does. He believes it is better to open dialogue in order to hopefully 'educate' a person in a real scientific view.  To quote:

"However, if a young person raises creationism in a science class, teachers should be in a position to explain why evolution is a sound scientific theory and why creationism is not, in any way, scientific."

Now this created a complete overreaction by some more vocal evolutionary evangelicals in the scientific community. I am not sure if they just read the media and believed the misquotes and assumptions made and got all emotional rather than approaching it 'scientifically' and finding out some facts first. However this has led to Professor Reiss being pressured into resigning his position as 'Director of Education' of the Royal Society (BBC Link).

All I can say is what does this tell us about the scientific community in this country. Are they so arrogant or threatened when anyone mentions Creationism that they react like this. If they are so sure they are right and Creationists are wrong then why are they so threatened by one of their own suggesting lets actually engage these young people in the classroom in the hope of convincing them that Molecules to Man evolutionary theory is the only scientific viewpoint.

As Dr Ross Rosevear, curator of the Genesis Expo museum and part of the UK Creation Science Movement, says in the first article I linked too.

"All we are saying is that it is not unreasonable to present an alternative explanation of how life began,"

The article fails to mention that he is a Biochemist who used to lecture at the University of Portsmouth and knows his stuff. He is not some ignorant crackpot with is head buried in the sand. Neither are most true Creationists, who have usually read widely both sides of the debate and are either actual research scientists or lay people with a scientific interest. I count myself in that second category. Many I know are former Evolutionists who realised the argument is in no way as cut and dry as the likes of Dawkins would like everyone to think.

So I am one of these British Creationists. I am not ignorant, stupid, blind or unquestioning. I question everything! This is why I 'AM' a Creationist when I looked at what I was taught in science class and what I was being bombarded with in the media. It didn't all fit and make logical sense.

I do believe genetic mutation coupled with natural selection causes changes/adaptations in the animal kingdom but only within kind. The straw man argument used that Creationists don't believe in Evolution is nonsense. Humans have artificially done to dogs for hundreds of years what would have taken thousands of years naturally to accomplish and they are still 100% dog and always will be. Just one example. No amount of this process could create the complexity and diversity of life we have today from a single common ancestor.

In some respects I think it will be difficult for teachers to deal with children who raise the Creationists viewpoint in class. They, the teacher, will have no understanding of it and likely the child will know more than them. They may end up losing any authority with the young people when they are unable to counter a strong Creationist argument or show Darwinian Molecules to man Evolutionary theory is in fact provable in science...... cause it isn't!

Let's Talk Ourselves Into Recession

I am no economist and very likely have a limited grasp of global and local economics. However I do know that quite a lot of it is based on confidence in the Market from pretty much everyone. Including us poor consumers.

I have noticed recently in the media that nearly every day is a report on credit crunch this and recession that. Now this strikes me as being very foolish but also typical of the media. There is talk of everyone buying less and spending less. Half of which I am sure is for legitimate financial reasons. However I am convinced much of it is because we are being told there is a recession therefore we automatically tighten our belts when it comes to spending money. We are effectively being talked into a recession by the media. I know it is more complex than that but I am certain that plays a significant part.

If something is repeated enough times we take it as fact. A bit like Dawkins in his program last week repeatedly saying evolution is fact in the hope if he said it enough times it becomes believed to be fact. When of course the molecules to man evolution to which he refers is nothing of the sort.

The media really should take responsibility for the power it wealds and the influence it has over our nation and much of the world and choose the way things are presented way more carefully than the cavalier way it currently does!

And breath and step off soap box!

Posted with LifeCast

New Labour's attack on true Demomcracy - 'Free Vote' sham!

I have previously posted my views on the Human Embryology bill recently passed in all it 'glory' by our government. I knew the 'free vote' statement by Gordon Brown was a joke but this article just highlights what an utter sham and disgrace it was. It was obvious that 'Free Vote' means free to vote as long as you vote the way we want you to.

No party is without its skeletons and in any way perfect but Labour has become so dictatorial from its leadership that I question how democracy can be served in this country with them as the Governmental party.

Dispatches 'In God's Name' - Liberal intolerance and poor Journalism.

Channel 4 in the UK showed a program last night called 'In God's Name' and was placed in their Dispatches series of programs. Click HERE for a very good article and analysis of the program. Also views on the Embryology Bill.

Embryology Bill and the state of Scientific morality/ethics!

 

BBC NEWS | Politics | MPs to vote on abortion limit cut

 

The Link above takes you to the details about the bill from the usually biased BBC website. Here is a link from another point of view that details why in particular stopping Animal-Human hybrids, the threat of 'spare part children' and Fatherless families and Abortion Limit reduction are so important.

At least David Cameron is voting to drop the 24 week limit and Ian Duncan Smith is behind wanting to keep the requirement for a Father with IVF. Mr Brown on the other hand is voting yes on all of them. How can a man who professes to be a Christian support this Act.

The Hybrid arguments that support the creation of Animal-Human hybrid creation just highlights to me where evolutionary thinking leads. If we are just a cosmic accident and here by pure chance then there is no basis for morality. An argument that sticks dogmatically to the point that it 'may' help develop cures for diseases is missing a huge side. Where do we draw the line between the noble cause of wanting to help cure horrible diseases and taking another life to do it. From an evolutionary point of view it is survival of the fittest or just nature and natural selection. It is this kind of thinking that devalues human life and has led us to the point we are at.

It begs the question as Mr Spock said in 'The Wrath of Kahn', '... the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.... or the one'. I don't believe in this instance that applies. To understand why I feel that let me explain my point of view on when life is created. I believe at the point of conception a foetus should have the right to a full life. Therefore I believe it is quite simply infanticide or more bluntly murder to destroy a foetus for whatever reason. Therefore I believe creating a hybrid embryo to be morally bankrupt on so many levels let alone abortion.

We have crossed a line here in the UK by allowing this to go ahead. This is not the needs of the many or even the one in the case of a mother wanting an abortion. This is about the innate value of every human life. One persons 'rights' are not above another's. A woman's 'right' to choose stops when she gets pregnant from unprotected sex and is then responsible for another life. Up to that point she and her partner have a choice!

Lord Acton certainly had it right in saying, "Liberty is not the power of doing what we like, but the right of being able to do what we ought."

20:49 pm MP's have removed the necessity for a Father in IVF. Again the rights of Fathers is corroded to the point of non-existence. Contrary to Liberal PC nonsense a baby is made by a Mans stuff and a Woman's stuff mixed together. A further corrosion of the family unit by this Government.

I realise this is not a very well constructed article but I felt the need to vent!!!!

God help us all!

Teddy Bears, Muhammad and common sense out the window!

So Gillian Gibbons has been charged in Sudan for 'insulting religion, inciting hatred and showing contempt for religious beliefs' according to the BBC Website. Her crime, allowing her school children to call a class teddy bear Muhammad. I am sorry to cast judgment and all that but this is the most pathetic thing I have heard in a long time. Believe me I get the whole, not making images of 'the Prophet Muhammad' viewpoint since as a Christian I believe images should not really be made of Jesus Christ lest we fall into revering/idolising an image as opposed to worshiping Christ Himself. No image will ever be accurate of Christ's incarnated body since we don't know what He looked like and the bible is quite clear on creating images and idols etc...

However, to arrest and charge a woman with the above charges on account of calling a teddy bear after a name some school children voted for on account of some of them actually being called Muhammad is just a religion 100% losing sight of its heart. Christians have been as guilty of this as any Islamic fundamental here. I can't speak for Islam that much since I only have a basic grasp of its beliefs but for Christians when works and the trappings of religion become more important than God Himself then you lose sight of the most important aspect. Surely at its heart, Islam is about service, sacrifice of self for others and worship of Allah, not persecuting an innocent woman on grounds of a teddy bears name.

If I heard similar from Christians I would be astonished and ashamed of them. When telling others what they should and shouldn't do, see or say becomes more important than loving God first and foremost, personal holiness then sacrificially loving others, serving others and by doing so bringing them to the foot of the cross to the reality of sin and the need for repentance, then we have totally lost the point of our faith.

Sudanese Government, please see common sense and release this woman and stop this insanity!

Goodbye Super Casino................hopefully!

Well Gordon Brown must actually be applauded this week. He has apparently, to all intents and purposes, scrapped the idea of the Super Casino to be built in Manchester. He suggested that maybe the money would be better spent on regeneration, duh do you think!

Well praise God for some sense. What person can consider placing a Casino in the heart of a run down area as a good idea. A Casino is where people go and waste their money duped into thinking they can win big. It can start an addictive cycle that destroys careers, families and lives. Gambling is dangerous on so many levels. Being highly addictive one of them. Place it in a poor area and you will have people blowing money they don't have on an unattainable dream. We are already a nation of gamblers with the National Lottery. Thank goodness Gordon Browns moral sense, and I believe he has one, has shone through here. Lets us hope more of his policies are shaped by his Christian faith that he claims to have.

I doubt I'll vote for him but on this I applaud him!!!!!

Lydia Playfoot 'Purity Ring' Case in High Court and The State of Modern Britain

So Lydia Playfoot is finally getting the opportunity to have her case heard. This is very high profile and is headline news on the BBC (A Video here). Should she be allowed to wear a ring symbolising her commitment to chastity until marriage? Is the school discriminating against her when other faiths are allowed to wear expressions of their beliefs that involve jewelry?

This is difficult subject for me to comment on though I do feel passionately about Christians being discriminated against and applaud anyone who stand up and fights the madness that is Political Correctness. I go to the same church as Lydia and her family. Phil, her father, is Kings Church's main leader. The church is the first in the UK to run the Silver Ring Thing (SRT). Andy Robinson, the youth leader of my church heads up SRT in the UK. Therefore it is something I am very aware of and connected to.

I think this is really two issues:

• Should Millais School ban or allow the wearing of jewelry by it pupils?
• Is the ring that the SRT encourages the youth to wear a Christian religious symbol on a par with what is required by other religions.

The first point is I think what this case should be about and is the point worth fighting for. Personally I think the school should either completely ban any jewelry or item that does not conform to standard uniform policy. Or allow, within reason, the wearing of such items. The whole health and safety argument is nullified if exceptions are made. I cannot see how allowing some exceptions and not others is either fair or workable as this case highlights. The slope is simply too slippery to start down. I have every sympathy for those of other faiths that have a requirement for specific items to be worn. But sooner or later if you make exceptions everyone is going to pipe up and say their beliefs require them to wear a certain item. Where do you stop before alienating and discriminating against genuine beliefs and the loony fringe? As much as it flies in the face of the PC brigade I think there is no middle ground.

As for if the ring in question is a required item of the Christian faith then I have to say no, it is not. There are no symbolic items required by Christianity. The Bible does require a modest dress code for women. But there is no 'requirement' for a Christian to wear any symbolic items representing a part of the faith. The SRT ring is a small unobtrusive ring worn on the wedding finger to symbolise the persons commitment to chastity until marriage. It is a good talking point to use, it is not required though. It is a personal choice to wear it as a reminder of your vow of chastity before God as is a wedding ring a vow of commitment to your spouse before God.

I hope regardless of the outcome that Lydia continues to stand up and be counted for her belief and that it impacts her friends to think about their sexual activities and that there is an alternative that is 100% safe and is by far the best approach to dealing with this countries massive problem with STD's, underage sex and unwanted pregnancy leading to abortion.

I am sure God is saying well done good and faithful servant, whatever the outcome!

The State of Modern Britain

If you follow the BBC link and look at the 'Have your Say' views once again we should be proud of our lovely tolerant views in the UK..........Not! So many of the comments are just plain ignorant and the arguments put forward are weaker than a wet paper bag. This shows the state of modern Britain and the utter hypocritical intolerance embedded in our secular humanistic society. People making judgments when they simply do not know the facts, know the people involved or have any understanding of the issue at all. It makes me so sad reading these comments and thinking that things will only get worse I fear.

The Teenage Sexual Health Crisis in the UK

The BBC web site ran this article recently about the crisis in Britain's Teenagers in regard to their sexual health. The following points are raised:

• recent government campaigns had failed to recognise the link between drink, drugs and sexual health
• the UK has the highest rates of teenage pregnancy and sexual infections in Europe
• Increasing numbers of young teenagers are defining their lives by taking drugs, drinking alcohol and having under-age sex encouraged by today's celebrity culture.
• Professor Mark Bellis, head of the centre for public health at Liverpool John Moores University and one of the authors of the report, called the link between alcohol, drugs and risky sexual behaviour a "fuel for a sexual health crisis".
• "They see around them this culture of celebrities, in the newspapers, around sex and drugs, alcohol, all being brought together, and they're not being given alongside that the information and the education they need to handle issues like drugs and alcohol and sex as they're growing up."

One of the apparent answers to this was: It recommended condoms should be readily available to young people.

Now sorry if I have a rather simplistic view or understanding of the situation in Britain today. But the report and findings just state the blindingly obvious and also point the blame in entirely the wrong direction. Of course alcohol, drugs and sex is a very bad mixture indeed. I have no doubt that this is a reason for some of the very high rates of STD's and pregnancies in young people.

However why is no one asking why youth feel the need to get drunk, take drugs and participate in often illegal underage sex and without adequate protection? Surely the cause of our youths desperation and desire to escape in this way needs to be looked at. Why are our youth so casual about sex, drugs and alcohol. Why do they seem to have no respect for themselves or each other? Why do they have no moral framework within which to operate?

It is so easy to pint the finger at celebrity culture, the worship of celebrity, the media etc... They don't help certainly and have a lot to answer for in their morally bankrupt output. However I believe the cause has to be closer to home. What ever happened to parental responsibility? The modern parenting way seems to be to expect everyone else to teach their children about right and wrong, sexual health, boundaries etc... when the root responsibility is theirs. The modern approach to parenting that doesn't seem to be able to say no to kids has got to be at the heart of the issue. Children with no boundaries or moral code have no framework on which to build their understanding of the world around them and their relationship to it. They are the centre of their world. Add to that the pressures on teenagers from the media, peers and schooling and no wonder they feel the desperate need to escape into these things. The Moral Relativism that pervades modern culture also has a lot to answer for and the secularists who promote it need a kick up the backside and to open their eyes.

I find the situation so sad and so unnecessary. I am sure God sheds tears for the young people destroying their lives and potentially the life of an unborn child through abortion. Another article out today is about how Abortion rates are increasing again. 193,700 children were killed in the name of freedom of choice in 2006. That number is simply staggering and horrific. If you have sex and get pregnant take responsibility for your actions. If you are not prepared for the consequences then don't have sex. A child's life is not an inconvenience to be flushed away because a person is not ready etc... Tough!

Anyway the answer can only be found by surrendering your life to follow Christ and living within the framework laid out in scripture. True freedom and life can only be found there and not in celebrity, sex, drugs, or alcohol. Our teenagers need to know who they really are, created in the Image of God. They need to know how much they are valued and loved by the Lord God and He is where there identity lies. It is not found by escaping into all these other means. Sadly the well meaning agencies will only attempt to plaster over the cracks and not to clean out the wound. Only God through the church can do that!

I found this link on Christian Today that is about this issue and is a very insightful read.

The BBC bias strikes Again. (Creation vs Evolution debate)

The Biased Broadcasting Corporation has been at it again. This time on its own Sunday morning 'Heaven and Earth Show'. This is a show that in the BBC's politically correct world view is there to represent multi faith Britain. However as usual with most of the BBC's religious output there is a bias against conservative/evangelical viewpoints. Even the BBC have begun to realise the bias within their own organisation, read this article. (including: former political editor Andrew Marr, who said the BBC has an "innate liberal bias")

This was demonstrated with the Heaven and Earth Show on the 10th June. On the panel of guest discussing the programs articles was Dr Evan Harris, MP who is the Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary of State for Health. He is also an honorary associate of the National Secular Society. There was also on the Panel Fareena Alam, editor of the Muslim magazine Q-News. Lastly Anne Atkins who was the Christian voice on the panel.

Now I have no problem with any of these people personally and they are entitled to their opinions of course. It is a free democratic country, apparently, where we are allowed to have many opposing opinions.

The article that led me to be writing this blog was about the new Creation Museum in Kentucky. I had already seen James Westhead's news report and they showed it in full on this program. Followed by discussion from the three persons I have named above. Included in the report was an interview with a 'British Scientist' who just said something along the lines of 'all you need is yabdabadoo' in relation to the belief about dinosaurs and humans living at the same time. Of course this is meant too, in one foul swoop, discredit everything because an expert sais so. As one would expect they universally derided and laughed at the whole idea. The Muslim lady denying that Islam teaches creation from Allah as literal. The 'Christian' voice of Anne Atkins making a sweeping statement effectively saying no right minded Christian in Britain believes this nonsense and that the creation story is not written as historical narrative. Finally the person you would fully expect to take full advantage to poke fun, Evan Harris, wasted no time in sweepingly saying no one who believes this can be sane, Evolution is proven fact and religious people don't rely on facts. All the usual nonsensical garbage that you would expect from a secularist.

Now as I have said they are all entitled to their own world view, but what really frustrated me was that there was no one to represent the creationist viewpoint. No one to counter the views from the panel and they could all be countered with perfectly reasoned argument. This is typical of the liberal media in Britain. It is highlighted as an issue for the BBC in the article on their own website I linked above. This was a good case of the anti-creationist propaganda and an unwillingness to debate the viewpoints. They just try to laugh, discredit with 'an expert' and hope it all goes away and that no sane person will take any notice of this non science.

In the following article entitled 'Science or the Bible' there is a very good definition of the problem which can be used to debate the issue.

Anyway that is enough ranting on this subject, until the next time that is!!

Persecution in one of the Oldest Churches in Turkey!

Please read this link as it highlights more persecution of the Christian Church by Islamic Fundamentals in Turkey. I doubt I could be so forgiving faced with such savagery. What a witness and example these brothers and sisters in Christ are.

This church in Smyrna is mentioned in the book of Revelation and is one of the oldest churches in existence. What I find amazing is the reported fact that Evangelical Christianity is labeled as a terrorist organisation by the Turkish Security Directorate.

Another reason Turkey should not be allowed membership of the EU until it cleans up its human rights record.

Thoughts on the Virginia Massacre

I am not going to go into a big blurb about Guns and violence and the causes of Gun crime as I am not really qualified to comment that much. I have a view about it most definitely. People kill people, Guns are just a tool. The easier it is to get the tool the more likely people will use it. You will never keep guns out of the hands of criminals, I am not naive enough to think gun control will achieve that. But maybe, just maybe, if that student had not been able to walk into a store and easily purchase a gun, this might have been avoided.

However, my main thoughts are sadness for both the victims and the perpetrator of the killings. Sure he will face judgment before God and most likely pay in eternity for the crime. However my immediate thoughts were what has to happen in a persons mind to get to the place where they calmly purchase a gun, then days later just start indiscriminately ending fellow human beings lives who they have been studying with the day before. I am sure many people think about killing someone else for some perceived crime against them, but what makes you go from that thought to stepping over that line where no ones life has any value to you. Was it pathological depression, where drugs may have helped. Was it psychological depression due to previous trauma's? We may never know. My prayers are with the families and friends of the victims, may God bring comfort and hope in the face of such an grief and loss.

What I do find interesting in these situations is how a situation like this, terrible and devastating though it is, is seen as more shocking than say the 170 people killed today in Iraq by indiscriminate, cowardly car bombs. We are so used to hearing about the daily bombs and rising death toll in Iraq that we seem to treat it as normal news now. Nothing out of the ordinary! What a statement that makes about us! Those being killed in Iraq are no different than those young students murdered in Virginia. They are human beings, going about their daily lives, struggling for normality in the face of such evil cowardly acts. Let us not become immune to the reports of lives lost anywhere in the world.

May we see those people as God sees them and weep for the world in which we live. I world lost in sin and wreaking of death. There is only one hope for all nations and people. The hope of salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ.