A Grain of Salt

Very original.

Woah, nelly.

According to that purply-looking text up there, 87% of people in the United States believe that “sin”, which was defined as something “that is almost always considered wrong, particularly from a religious or moral perspective.” Of course, that’s good news, in a way. But what I think is more important are the actual statistics behind that one.

The top-rated sin ( Wow, never thought I would say that) is adultery, with 81% of people saying they believe that it is still a sin. Strangely enough, however,  only 45% believe that premarital sex is a sin. What seems to be the difference? Well, if you were to ask me, I would probably give two reasons. First, I would say that it has something to do with our society’s disregard for the consequences of sex in a relationship. There’s an excellent article in The Week (one of my favorite magazines)  about the state of relationships among young people today that I thought explained the problem well. Without getting into too much detail, I’ll just say that without a permanent relationship, sex does nothing but provide a connection that will be torn apart.

The other is selfishness. People as a whole (myself included) are inconsiderate. We only like to think about ourselves, and what benefits us in the here and now. It’s as simple as that- we want what feels good, we want it now, and as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone know, go right ahead. Too bad for us, I guess.

I guess this isn't King James...

Ha ha. Wow.

For all of you who may have happened to miss the link… well, I’ll just copy the entire article.

CANTON, North Carolina (AP) — A North Carolina pastor says his church plans to burn Bibles and books by Christian authors on Halloween to light a fire under true believers.

Pastor Marc Grizzard told Asheville TV station WLOS that the King James version of the Bible is the only one his small western North Carolina church follows. He says all other versions, such as the Living Bible, are “satanic” and “perversions” of God’s word.

I just… wow. Again, I have two main points about this article. The first of which is, well, get over it. The King James version, while poetic, striking, and powerful is NOT THE ONLY VERSION OF THE BIBLE. You read that right. I do love me some King James, to be true, but when people claim it is the only REAL version that can be trusted, it gets to me. Sure, several other translations may leave out verses, making King James one of the most accurate. But to a new Christian, accuracy may take a back seat to readability. To anyone new to the faith, I recommend a read-through of John, in a version like NIV. But for later study, I cannot recommend King James highly enough. It’s accuracy is unparalleled. Now, this person has taken this thought process to it’s logical extreme- the versions that don’t match up with this one are from the devil… Offending anyone who reads them and deeply confusing new believers who rely on their language.

Secondly, this is exactly the sort of action that portrays Christianity as a fragmented religion. I can see nothing wrong with the books of Billy Graham, (though Rick Warren… meh.) and think he is one of the centuries’ greatest evangelists. If you’re going to do something like this, try something a little less…drastic. Perhaps a seminar on why you believe these things are wrong, a sermon, or maybe even your own book. But actions like this serve no purpose other than to rile people up and draw attention to yourself. So THINK BEFORE YOU ACT. The appearance of our religion is failing, and we need to set the public right about the world’s true religion of love.

A small side note- appearance isn’t everything. More on that later.

I’ve heard it said that Christianity is an undefendable faith. Any or all proof of God’s existence is purely emotional, or cannot be proven logically.

This is the kind of attitude that is destroying the reputation of the church today.

The argument that the bible has been changed over the years is one of the most prominent anti-Christian tactics used today. The most common response? “But it’s the Bible! You just have to believe!” HA! This is the most easily countered point, but many Christians just fold up in front of it like a scarecrow in a storm. There exist THOUSANDS of Greek manuscripts of the new testament that can be read in the original Greek to check authenticity. Anyone who doubts the Bible’s lack of change can simply read the origina and judge for themselves.

Next, someone might bring up the contradictions of the Bible. Several of the “contradictions” in this compilation are easily refuted, such as

Is Jesus equal to or lesser than?

JOH 10:30 I and my Father are one.

JOH 14:28 Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.

This I fail to see as a contradiction. Jesus, in the first verse, is simply stating that He and the Father are one. The second, he is exalting God over himself, as he must do. He goes from showing his deity, to worshiping God. Some of the supposed contradictions just sound downright silly-

Snails do not melt

PSA 58:8 As a snail which melteth, let every one of them pass away: like the untimely birth of a woman, that they may not see the sun.

I don’t know about the author, but I have seen a dead snail. When you find the shell, and the dead creature slowly oozes out, it sure seems like it has “melted” to me.

Across the internet, there are thousands of websites devoted to debunking these contradictions. And yet, Christians never seem to have any valid arguments to counter the logic of these attackers.

Some even claim that there is no need to defend the faith ( which seem to me like a form of cowardice ).  Paul however, did just that, saying that-

Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you’re living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy. Keep a clear conscience before God so that when people throw mud at you, none of it will stick. They’ll end up realizing that they’re the ones who need a bath.- 1 Peter 3:15 ( The Message )

And that will be the verse that defines the rest of this blog- ALWAYS BE READY. Hopefully, I can arm you with reason through science, history, and philosophy to not doubt God’s existence. And having reason to your belief is always a good thing.