Just Another Animal?

We have “evolved”. Really? Purely by accident we have supposedly “adapted naturally to our environment”. This poses some questions that should be obvious. If the argument from Naturalism is that we “used to be” [this], and we have evolved into [this]. We came from cave man, even apes, both of which “lived outside”…in nature. Lets look at how every other “animal” has completed this transformation and see if there is a difference…see if we too are “just another animal”

The most common theme I see in the arguments for Naturalism are that everything evolved to become better suited for life “outside”. Thing is,  now we can’t survive outside, or in many instances without clothing, shelter, and “unnatural heat”.  We die from “exposure to the elements”, or exposure to “outside”. I will be the first to notice the irony of the fact that this argument can also be used for Naturalism. So many will agree that it is dependant upon one’s point of view, biases they hold, and their belief system. <—-This, however can not be said about any of the other “animals” in nature.

Another argument from Naturalism is that morality can be “seen” in the animal world. This is an ongoing debate about subjective morality vs objective morality, and that morality and empathy are one and the same. According to scripture we have been given a soul by a creator, which none of the other animals have. They are said to have a spirit, but not a soul. Approaching this argument from this perspective is a sure stalemate. Is there any obvious, noticeable differences in man and animal? Too many to list, but lets look at this morality vs empathy from a different angle.

Man hunts other animals for sport.

Name another animal that seems to “want to” kill “other animals”, and even his own peers for enjoyment. Is this the same moral code of ethics we see in “animals”? Are there any psychopathic serial killer penguins roaming the Arctic with a law enforcement agency representative penguin hot on its tale? Do we see animals telling their peers lies to swindle them out of their “stash”? Any practical joking ants, grasshoppers? The comedian wasp? Yea, they’ve been known to be quite hilarious=)

Man’s morality goes a bit further than animal empathy. They are not even close to being the same thing. If morality comes from the need to survive as a group, then where are all the laws for that group, the lawless, the rebels, and the long journey to distant lands to war with the others of their own species? How can Naturalism explain the difference in opinions, or even better, show that animals have opinions? Do all animals have a hive mentality? Do all animals care for their young until they are old enough to survive on their own?  The answer to most questions like this is no, so…why not?

Why do some animals “teach” their young, and some abandon them at conception (egg layers even before birth)?

If the “goal” of a naturally evolving organism is to reach the most efficient state of developement for the survival of the species, then why do some achieve this and some become extinct, when they have the exact same resources starting out? Does management come into play in this? Did man gain the usage of knowledge and choices through powers of reason, allowing him to simply “decide to manage” the fate of everything else in existence…by “evolving”? Or, is this also “managed” by reason and knowledge, and choice? No other animal has this morality, or “mentality”.

So if we are “just another animal”, why are we not like any of them?

A Morning Fable. The Greatest Pitfall

“Somebody has turned someone that sees a person headed for a pit, and tries to warn them, into something altogether different”

Atheist, and non-believers of all types, often have this frame of mind about God. They tend to think that God says…

“Worship me, and you will go to heaven when you die. Do not worship me, and I will throw you into a lake of fire, and you will be tormented day and night!”

You may be thinking this yourself…

“But isn’t that what the Scriptures teach?” Not at all.

This is being taught, but not by Scripture, and Jesus certainly doesn’t teach this either. If this were the case, then there would be no need for a sacrifice…from anyone. You would just have a simple choice to make. This “simple choice” that is being taught is not free will.

What is free will? This is also being taught, and interpreted in different ways. If you ask me, “worship me or burn” is not much of a choice. Now, un-believers don’t understand that we are simply saying, “Don’t go that way. It’s a trap”.

“Worship me, or I will torture you” is a fable, or a lie. Don’t blame the atheist for thinking this is the case. This is what they were taught. Let’s look at this as a short story, because Jesus prefers this method of teaching above all others.

“Once upon a time, a man set out to trap a thief, and a murderer. The thief stole from him, and killed his friend. The thief boast that he would return, and the man dug a pit to trap the thief. The man then informed all of his friends of his trap, and warned them not to go near it, lest they fall in themselves. You see, the trap has three purposes. To catch the thief, and to hold the thief, and to punish the thief. The trap is permanent, and was built with a one way door, so the importance of staying out of the area was stressed, many, many times to his friends.

As the story unfolds, the man went on a journey, and left his house in the charge of his family, friends, and servants. The charge of keeping the people safe from the trap was also left to them.

One day, one of the servants noticed a villager headed in the direction of the trap. Obviously, he hadn’t heard about it, so he called out, and said, “Hey you. Don’t go that way. It’s a trap”. The Villager replied, “I’ve heard all about your ‘so-called-trap’, and I’m not falling for your trickery”. Then the Villager continued on, and fell into the trap.

 How did the Villager hear about the ‘so-called-trap’? When the thief returned to the man’s house, he saw a sign the man had left for him, warning him that the house was now protected from him. Knowing the man as the thief did, he didn’t dare go near the place again. This made the thief very angry, so he started a rumor in the village, and sent the villagers towards the trap, and towards their own doom.

The End?

Well that’s up to you. It’s up to me. It’s up to all of the people left with the charge of keeping the man’s house until his return.

This lie that is in some people’s mind, is darkness. These people are ‘pre-trapped’, and headed towards their own doom. They have been lied to, simple as that. So when we as Christians, warn others of the afterlife consequences, we are not recruiting worshippers for a tyrant God. The pit was not dug for us, or any of the Villagers. The lie is this; that we all have to die, and be no more, and there are no choices. This pit was dug for a thief, and a murderer. He does have to die, and be no more. We do not.

Period.

This of course leads to another Fable. The Fable of the Faithful Servant, that sacrificed his own life to go into the pit, and try to lead those out that have been fooled by the thief into falling in. He was given the only key there is to that leads out of the pit. The pit was made with a one-way door, and the only way to save these people, was for someone to sacrifice their self, and go into the pit, and build a door. The knowledge of the door is the key, and it was given to only one servant.

This servant holds the key to death, and Hell. This is the story I will tell on my next ‘Morning Fable’ blog.

In closing, I just want to remind you that this “lie” going around that says, “Worship me or else”, was started by the thief.

Jesus never said, “Worship me”. This is what He said…

“Take up your cross...This means ‘Hey you. Come along, with all your emotional baggage, sin, and any other hangups you might have’

And follow me…I am the only way out of this trap. This I know, because my Father built it.”

Pray…..a lot. Period. Reach out you hand to Jesus, and ask Him to guide you through this darkness. I can’t guide you, and neither can your pastor. Jesus made it simple enough. He simply says this… “Follow me”.

He is not saying, “Worship me, or I will throw you into the pit”.

-Peace all

The Mason, The Nut, & The Magic Man

The term “disciple” is derived from the Koine Greek word mathetes,[1] which means a pupil (of a teacher) or an apprentice (to a master craftsman), coming to English by way of the Latin discipulus meaning a learner while the more common English word is student. A disciple is different from an apostle, which instead means a messenger.[2][3] While a disciple is one who learns from a teacher, an apostle is one sent to deliver those teachings or a message.

The Wise and Foolish Builders…

I usually only quote from the KJV, but this version best suits this post. It has the phrase, “put into practice”. The parable of the wise builder is unique, in that Jesus gives us more than the two builders, the wise and the foolish. We also see the prudent, the lazy, the manipulative, and the building itself. Sinse this is also about the building, and not just the builders, I want to give you a brick. Hopefully, it will be added to others you pick up, and you can “freely” build a relationship with the living Christ.

Freely build? Let’s talk about, “Freemasonry and the conspiracy nut”

 The Wise and Foolish Builders

Matthew 7: 24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

We’ve all heard the conspiracy nuts. There are other “nut cases” too, like the ones that claim to see Jesus, and the ones that claim God “talks” to them. What I want to ask you is, why do the majority of people think they are nuts? People go to church, read their Bible, and proclaim a risen from the dead Jesus. It seems strange to nobody at all, that when someone claims they have seen this same Jesus, that they must be mad, and in the next breath, start their proclamation of the “real Jesus”. The one that is “up there”…”can’t talk”…”invisible”, “is coming one day, or some day”…just not today, so this guy must be nuts. Better watch out, better not pout, I’m telling you why, Jesus Clause is commin’ to town….one day, just not today, because…

“I got too much going on to stop what I’m doing, and put an end to my world as I know it today. Hit me up tomorrow, and we’ll see about it then”

“Above all the graces and all the gifts of the Holy Spirit which Christ grants to his friends, is the grace of overcoming oneself, and accepting willingly, out of love for Christ, all suffering, injury, discomfort and contempt; for in all other gifts of God we cannot glory, seeing they proceed not from ourselves but from God, according to the words of the Apostle, `What hast thou that thou hast not received from God? and if thou hast received it, why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it?’ But in the cross of tribulation and affliction we may glory, because, as the Apostle says again, `I will not glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ Amen.”
– St Francis

Jesus? Grants to His friends? Who are they?

Let me run something by you. Most people probably haven’t thought about this much, but you know what a concept is, I’m sure. Also, I’m guessing you know what a misconception is. I talk to people all the time, and mostly un-believers, to try to find out why they think what they think. Mostly from what I’ve gathered, or as far as I can tell, they’ve been lied to. Jesus has been turned into Santa Clause. The same reason Jesus was killed, is also the same reason He has been turned into a Santa Clause today, or some sort of “Magic Man”…a myth. “Someone” killed Him, and this “someone” wants to keep Him dead.

Ever get the feeling that the world seems to be stuck on stupid?

Let’s think about this as a fact; that we are being lied to by people that want to control everything. This is the cry of the conspiracy nuts. This is probably not news, but there are things that some people know, that can not be shared because of something in the mind. The idea that, “some things are better off kept to oneself”. This idea has to have been “placed” there. This is a truth, and no conspiracy. Commercials do it all the time. Big oil, Monsanto, Wall street…you get the idea.

Don’t rock the boat

What makes a well known (but little talked about) fact, seem to be delusion, and even laughable, as if it were not really true? Is this is a really good trick someone has played on us? Not exactly.

It’s a really good trick someone talked us into playing on ourselves.

This same “someone”, also talked Adam & Eve into doing the same thing. There are things that some people know, that can not be shared because of something in the mind… that has to have been “placed” there. This “thing” is a lie. This is a truth, and no conspiracy…

There’s no way we are as stupid as we “seem” to be.

I realize long post are not a good idea, and I try not to do long post, but some things can’t be said in an abbreviated format. So I’ll ramble some. What the heck, right? Let’s look at the Jesus story.

The entire Bible is actually a very simple book, with a very simple message, that says only one thing that makes any difference. He died, then rose. That’s the only thing that matters, and the only thing that’s easy to find out, and easy to prove…to yourself, or anybody else… Lets establish this as a fact right now. It’s either true… or it’s not.

It’s really that simple. The whole thing is either true, or it is not.

Question. If a scientist were to come up with a way to actually come back from the dead, and live forever without being hungry, or age, and never get sick; why would that be more believable than Jesus doing the exact same thing? Simple. This way man gets he credit, or science, or in other words, anyone but Jesus would be okay…just not Him.

The people that now sell electricity (that should be free for us all), have been in control of things for a very long time. “They” started a story of a Magic Man, that does “magic things”…parts oceans, and walks on water. You may be thinking, “but I thought He did do those things”. Actually, the truth is that people saw Him do those things, but ‘you’ didn’t.

My question is, why aren’t you watching Him do those things right now?

“They” <—-nutjob conspiracy talk starts like this… they don’t want you to realize that He is only a man, just like us. There’s nothing ‘magic’ about Him.

There’s no way we are as stupid as we seem to be. Yet knowing this, we continue to be stupid anyway? Why?

We polute our own earth, and allow it’s exploitation, and rape, without much of a concern at all. We allow all kinds of abominations to go on unchecked, all the time…why? Allow me to fill you in on a very old prophecy…

“The stone which the builders refused is become the head of the corner” Psalms 118:22 KJV

This was later retold by Jesus, but Jesus says it is “marvelous”.  Marvelous does not mean wonderful. This means it is something He noticed, and that we should notice it too, and “marvel at it”, or “wonder about it very, very intensely”.

It is a very, very strange thing. Jesus says this…

He had just spoken to the people that would kill Him, and told the parable of the man that had a vineyard, and let some people take care of it for him, and left to go on a journey. These people that were trusted with the vineyard saw opportunity to gain from His absence. They took over the vineyard, and manipulated the “product”. Mark 12, KJV  When you’re done reading this, you really should read the first part of Mark 12.

Jesus was talking directly to these same people that had taken over the vineyard, and the parable was directed strait at them, and they knew it. He then said this, to let them know He was on to them, and that we would be as well…

“Have ye not read in scripture; the stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner” Mark 12:10 KJV(or chief corner stone for the building…first laid brick of a foundation), then he says this…

“This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes” Mark 12:11, KJV

What? I thought Jesus was “The Lord”? Notice also that He says “our eyes”. He has placed Himself in our rank, and (hello?) this is the very Gospel. He became a man, and not a magic one either…just a plain, ordinary, man. Later, after “they” killed Jesus, Peter had this to say, to the exact same people, and in the sight and hearing of the church…

He is talking about Jesus, and says..

“To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious. Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God, by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious, and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe He is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made head of the corner, and a rock of stumbling, and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed” 1st Peter 2:4-8

“The word” is simple. He rose, and is alive. To stumble at the word, is to keep the word, and “disallow” the chief stone. The Bible has even replaced Jesus as the stone, and is now worshipped instead. The result of this? Let’s see…

If a man happened to show up at my house, that had died, and came back…and had a map between the two ‘places’… if he could come to me now, after being dead…and could teach me how to not only do the same, but also live free of any bondage of sicknesses… and how to not only do away with the light bill, but how to be the light… and was willing to show me “the way” to do this….How stupid would I have to be to say, “no thank you, I’d rather die, and keep paying a light bill. Besides, if I listen to you, and do that, and somebody sees me…what will people think”?

This is indeed what is happening, and I, for one, am totally into finding out why people think the way they do. Keep this in mind. The “nut jobs” say that the “who’s who” behind this are, ironically, masons, and builders. “They” are building a building too. It’s the grand illusion. It’s not quite as funny as you may think.

Read the book, but while you’re reading, stop every once and a while and realize what it is telling you. It’s a simple message. Jesus is alive now, and He does not live in a book.

-Peace all

“Potholes & Pits”

Picture-‘worried man’, by migueletra

On Being “Led” By The Spirit”

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God”
-Romans 8:14

Funny how you hear, and read all your life about listening “for” God, and “to” God, and “being led by the spirit, and not by the flesh”; and then one day you realize “hey, I’m doing it! But it’s not like I thought it was!”…Let this be your end game =)

What does it mean to be “led by the Spirit”? Believe it or not, it’s the very difference between seeing God influencing and affecting things in your natural, physical life, and a blind hope in a fantasy; where you pray, and nothing at all happens. If the latter is you, consider this:

“Ye lust (or want), and ye have not: ye kill, (the power of the Spirit to act on your behalf) and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight (against the Spirit) and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.” James 4:2 KJV

This is telling you that you’re shooting down your request before it is even made, and therefore…it is not made. This is the same as not asking at all.

“Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lust.” -James 4:3 KJV

First, the word lust, means “want”. Confused? We ask because we want, right? Yes we do. Then what is this saying? It’s saying you’re asking for something that will feed your want (or lust) and make it bigger. In other words, you’re asking God to make your problems remain, and grow.

This is about the reason you don’t get what you want, and why God ignores you. The reason is not the thing you want; let’s be real, it may be something you really need. This does not matter to God one bit. He already knows what you need before you ask him.  It’s the reason you want it, and why you think you need it that God is concerned with.“…consume it upon your lust” ? Look at this verse:

“If a son ask bread of any you that is a father, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent” -Luke 11:11 KJV

God is not going to give you something that will in any way contribute to the bondage you are already in.

Read that again.

He will not give you something that leaves you better off in he short run, at the expense of your long run, or end game.

People usually reflect a looming cloud of skepticism when they hear me say, or read in my post that God always answers my prayers, and always gives me what I ask for. He will for you as well, or anyone that asks. He has no respect of persons. Thing is, He’ll give you what you ask for, not what you think you’re asking for.

If you pray for a financial situation, and after a long wait your circumstances remain the same, and a pile of money didn’t magically appear on your doorstep, consider this: God doesn’t react to tears the way we think He does. Does He heed tears? Sure He does. But He will not look at your request for money as a request for money. He will look at the reason you think you need money. Then any number of things can happen. He may know you need a light bill, for instance. He will also know if you are depending on your electricity a little too much, and decide to take electricity away from you for a while…because you’re asking for money, becoming dependant on money, then like the chain reaction it is, you will become dependant on the things you get with the money, like electricity. Electricity will become more than a want, or even a need. It will consume you. (remember the line, ‘consume it upon your lust’?) Look at Luke 11:11 again.

Jesus Christ is first and foremost concerned with making you free from any and all dependencies, or ‘bondage’; because He wants you to depend on Him? Not at all. He wants you to trust Him that He will take care of “all these things”, and is more concerned about your worry of them. ( Matthew 6:26)

This is a type of bondage, and believe it or not, if God were to place a bundle of money on your doorstep, the problems would only get worse…then tomorrow you’ll be praying for a bigger pile…

 ...and in the long run, or end game, your potholes would become bottomless pits.

Learn to ask rather that He uphold you, and yours, in all that you choose to do. Then give thanks to Him for doing just that, before you worry yourself into a bigger hole than you’re in now.

Don’t pray for money to solve a problem, and then continue to worry about the problem. This is what kills your request before it is even made. This is the opposite of thanks or praise, and an insult to God that says a very loud, “You’re not taking very good care of me.” The very opposite of faith. The cure…look at what you do have, and thank him for that. Pretty soon you will realize He is taking care of things even before you have a chance to need them. 
-Peace all