As I was sitting in one of my classes one morning, I overheard a conversation between my instructor and a fellow classmate having to do with abortion. A comment was made that both surprised and nauseated me:
"I don't believe in abortion, but I'm not going to tell other people how they should live their lives...I mean, I'm a Christian...I think that if you're [the government] not going to take care of the children, that you should just shut up!"
There were so many things about the statement that bugged me that I jotted it down in my notes to study later. Many inconsistencies and misunderstandings of the world are directly related to a depreciation for both the truth and the godhead. Think about what was said...
As I think about the statement, I can't help but notice many things that seem both contradictory and out-right false. First of all, the reason this person doesn't approve of abortion is because of social and/or personal reasons. This indicates a different standard in mind - the individual. If you don't have a biblically-backed opinion regarding biblically-addressable issues, that opinion will be wrong or in vain (Jn. 17:17). Opposing gambling, drinking, and premarital sex is pointless until you realize that those things are wrong because God says they are. Therefore, take care to know exactly what makes things wrong, and don't pretend as if the social, personal, or political reasons somehow override the ones God gave us already. If you do, where have you placed you standard?
Additionally, I see a significant amount of shame in teaching the truth, marked by a fear of confrontation (Rom. 1:16-17). As a "Christian," this person should realize the importance of spreading the truth, but the conversation indicated both a misunderstanding of Christianity itself and of the purpose of a Christian's faith. "The Great Commission" (Matt. 28:18-20) alone gives us the generic authority to teach others the truth, as a direct result of Christ's authority over the earth (v. 18). Never forget to tell what you know of the truth, no matter how a person may perceive you because of it (Gal. 4:16)
Most disturbing, though, was the complete avoidance of the real problems - unpreparedness and a disregard for the value of life. That is usually the reason for an abortion, right? Either a mother is simply not prepared for yet another child, a couple isn't ready for their first baby yet, or a couple of teenagers never prepared for the consequences of their sinful actions together. Why is it that when an issue like this arises, the last thing people consider as a solution is to curb the original problem? Is it the government's fault that thousands of teens have had premarital sex? NO. What ever happened to accepting the consequences of your actions (Gal. 6:4-5)?
Think over the ideas you propose before you throw them unsparingly over your teeth. In public, your speech can cause you to be very influential yet very vulnerable. The hardest part about Christianity is that a majority of people won't agree with what you say in most cases (I Cor. 1:18ff), but it doesn't mean that "Shut[ting] up" is the solution (Acts 5;29 & Prov. 28:1).
Friday, March 23, 2007
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Compromise at it's greatest!
What is it in our schools and universities that seems to invite the most accepting and tolerant yet the most undiscerning and illogical types of instructors? Perhaps it is based in the source of curriculum or the societal demand for our educational compromise. From a Christian perspective, though, one can see that we have been found wanting in several areas of education and have accepted the current state of our knowledge base.
Today, I was talking with a new friend about a class we had together. As we got further into the study, we found out exactly why she'd been having so many problems with our historical geology class.
"I just don't believe it! That's why things have been so hard for me to understand." I thought about what she had said, and it brings up one thought that we should all consider more often.
Why is it that the world wants to shut us up about the Bible when everyone claims to be founded in tolerance for different beliefs? Double standards characterize much of the logical fallacies that are taught as theory and law in our education system. We cannot appeal to the spiritual minds of the Bible, yet scientists can appeal, in a very Argumentum-ad-Verecundiam manner, to their own scientific "oracles" such as Leonardo Divinci, Aristotle, and Plato. Some textbook writers even have the desparation and audacity to appeal to general agreements of other evolutionary or humanistic researchers.
To be honest, I'm not personally surprised with the direction our nation is going. The world constantly works much harder to complicate things than they do to listen to the simple truth. The result is a generation, if not a civilization, ruled in majority by confused students of modern science. Thinking over this situation, I can see why my friend was confused: she's one of the few in the world who sees this blind acceptance as a compromise.
Pretending like there's no problem with this ideology makes one just as guilty as those who preach it from the lecturn(II John 7-13). You don't have to be force fed lies just because you're a student. In fact any student has the responsibility to verify all that the teacher says, no matter the setting (Acts 17:11). Truth can be taught to unbelievers. If it were not so, God would not have created us (Ephesians 2:10).
God's truth allows us to see the compromise into complexity that the world entertains itself with daily. Keep an open mind and a discerning heart (IITimothy 1:7).
Today, I was talking with a new friend about a class we had together. As we got further into the study, we found out exactly why she'd been having so many problems with our historical geology class.
"I just don't believe it! That's why things have been so hard for me to understand." I thought about what she had said, and it brings up one thought that we should all consider more often.
Why is it that the world wants to shut us up about the Bible when everyone claims to be founded in tolerance for different beliefs? Double standards characterize much of the logical fallacies that are taught as theory and law in our education system. We cannot appeal to the spiritual minds of the Bible, yet scientists can appeal, in a very Argumentum-ad-Verecundiam manner, to their own scientific "oracles" such as Leonardo Divinci, Aristotle, and Plato. Some textbook writers even have the desparation and audacity to appeal to general agreements of other evolutionary or humanistic researchers.
To be honest, I'm not personally surprised with the direction our nation is going. The world constantly works much harder to complicate things than they do to listen to the simple truth. The result is a generation, if not a civilization, ruled in majority by confused students of modern science. Thinking over this situation, I can see why my friend was confused: she's one of the few in the world who sees this blind acceptance as a compromise.
Pretending like there's no problem with this ideology makes one just as guilty as those who preach it from the lecturn(II John 7-13). You don't have to be force fed lies just because you're a student. In fact any student has the responsibility to verify all that the teacher says, no matter the setting (Acts 17:11). Truth can be taught to unbelievers. If it were not so, God would not have created us (Ephesians 2:10).
God's truth allows us to see the compromise into complexity that the world entertains itself with daily. Keep an open mind and a discerning heart (IITimothy 1:7).
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Always with the education system...
As my first post, I'd like to bring up the very topic that motivated me to create this blog. In college, where professor can spurt out virutally anything they deem justifiable, it's especially hard to establish oneself logically and emotionally when everything being taught (or simply thrown out at you, which is another problem) usually follows atleast one of the following trains of thought:
-God either doesn't exist or doesn't care what happens to us anyway Psalm 19:1 & John 3:16).
-The purpose of science is to disprove the Bible, instead of using it as the instructional tool it was designed for (II Timothy 3:16-17).
-Because there is no meaning (based on the other assumptions) we're not accountable to anyone but ourselves(Jeremiah 10:23).
Always be careful as to what ideas, assumptions, or experiences have led you to a particular mindset or belief. God truly knows everything, especially his own creation (Luke 16:15). Also don't be afraid to challenge an idea, no matter who holds it, because the preservation and defense of the truth is what keeps others aware that Christ's Church (the one established at Pentacost in the first century) still lives on today (Romans 1:16-17). Don't let teachers, family members, or your own assumptions blur the clearness of the Bible (Colossians 2:21-23).
-God either doesn't exist or doesn't care what happens to us anyway Psalm 19:1 & John 3:16).
-The purpose of science is to disprove the Bible, instead of using it as the instructional tool it was designed for (II Timothy 3:16-17).
-Because there is no meaning (based on the other assumptions) we're not accountable to anyone but ourselves(Jeremiah 10:23).
Always be careful as to what ideas, assumptions, or experiences have led you to a particular mindset or belief. God truly knows everything, especially his own creation (Luke 16:15). Also don't be afraid to challenge an idea, no matter who holds it, because the preservation and defense of the truth is what keeps others aware that Christ's Church (the one established at Pentacost in the first century) still lives on today (Romans 1:16-17). Don't let teachers, family members, or your own assumptions blur the clearness of the Bible (Colossians 2:21-23).
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