Showing posts with label humanity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label humanity. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Why God Punishes Evil

God punishes evil
Exercise of free will determines punishment.
Scripture bears the truth that God does chastise His people for being disobedient to His will and for continuing to live in an unacceptable manner.  God delivers that sort of punishment meant to correct a person, with the hope of teaching them not to repeat the wrongdoing.

When God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden everything was perfect.  It was a beautiful paradise with every animal and bird of nature and God had given them everything they would ever need.  Adam was told that he could live forever and be happy forever if he listened to God’s instructions. God told Adam that he could eat the fruit of every tree in the garden, except one.  He clearly outlined the penalty of eating of this one particular tree.

Why Bad Things Happen To Good People

Bad things can happen to good people
The tragedies of life affect all of us.
In asking the question "Why do bad things happen to good people", there must be underlying questions about the character of God.  The question could probably be more appropriately worded  - "If God loves us, why does He allow bad things to happen to good people?"

A person can live a life of faith, be an upstanding member of the church and the community, be a good husband and father and still experience the tragedies of life.  Why?

The answer to this question certainly isn't simple by any means, but the root of the answer lies in our ability to choose, our free will.  When God created Adam and Eve, He placed them in paradise with the free will to do whatever they pleased, except for one thing.  God gave them specific instructions to not eat fruit from the tree of knowledge.

Creating A Better Life

spiritual living creates a better life
"Sing as though no one can hear you."
In trying to narrow down the steps to creating a better life, I would like to identify three principles of life to live by. In considering this subject, I am immediately drawn to three plaques hanging on the wall in my office. Let’s take each plaque one by one:

“Sing as though no one can hear you.” 

 

I came across this plaque while rummaging through picture frames and other plaques at a local Goodwill store.  When I saw it, I was reminded of an incident that happened to me a few years ago.

It was a nice spring morning and I had come to work very early  to get caught up.  The sun was up, so I decided to go outside with my cup of coffee.  In just a few minutes, I thought I heard someone singing, but couldn’t see anyone.  I looked behind the building and saw a very old black man coming down the street.  He was all bent over, walking with a limp and digging his cane into the pavement as he moved slowly toward me.  Even though each step seemed to be painful, this old man was singing as loud as he possibly could.  As he approached me, I greeted him with a “Good Morning” and I will never forget what this man said to me.  He looked me square in the eye and said, “Sometimes you just gotta’ sing.” 

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Evil Is The Nature Of Humanity

Evil and humanity
Evil thoughts and deeds are changing mankind.
There can be no better example of humanity's nature for evil than the recent mass shootings at an elementary school in Connecticut.  This tragedy ended in the needless, unmerciful murder of 20 totally innocent children.  According to the experts, this heinous crime was not the result of someones temporary insanity, but rather it was a well thought out premeditated plan.  It is the evil thoughts and deeds of this one individual that have forever changed the lives of every parent and grandparent in all areas of the free world.

The Bible teaches us that man is essentially evil by nature in Mark: 7:20-23 (NIV);
 "He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.  All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”

Do Christians Judge Others?

Should Christians judge others?
"It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment."
It is most certainly not against Christian principles to "judge" the actions of others, but we must be very careful of our interpretation of the word and its many uses scattered throughout the Bible. We all "judge" in one form or another. 

Here's a perfect example: Let's suppose we hear a news report on the 6 o'clock news that involves the murder of two small children. The video shows the father, who is in handcuffs, being placed in the back of a police car. I would bet my next paycheck that the following thought (or something similar) is going through the minds of 90% of the people who saw the newscast "They shouldn't even waste the money and time to try that scum, they should just hang him from the public square." The sad thing is that we don't even know whether or not the man has been accused of a crime or not.

Does Christianity Have Room For Other Beliefs?

Christianity and other beliefs
Our beliefs must help us strive for a better life.
Christianity has its origin in Judaism, after all Jesus was a Jew. The followers of Jesus believed him to be the "messiah". At the convening of the first Christian council, the apostles decided that Christians didn't have to follow Jewish laws and the two faiths or beliefs moved further away from one another.

A few of the major differences between Judaism and Christian beliefs are:

  • Christian principles are founded in the Bible, while the sacred text of Judaism is the Tanakh. (It is important to note here that the Old Testament of the Holy Bible was originally the Jewish Bible.)
  • Christians believe in the "Trinity" of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit as three persons, while Judaism normally recognizes "Unity", one person. (There are some Christians who believe the same as Judaism in this area.)
  • Christians believe in a virgin birth of Jesus, while Judaism believes he was born by a normal birth.
  • Christians believe Jesus to be the Son of God, while Judaism recognizes him as a false prophet.
  • Christians believe that Jesus ascended into heaven after his crucifixion; Judaism does not.
  • Christians believe that Jesus will return to earth one day; Judaism does not.
  • Christians accept Judaism as a true religion with incomplete revelation, while Judaism believes Christianity to be a false interpretation of Judaism.

Monday, May 19, 2014

Should Churches With Small Congregations Be Banned?

Small churches should not be banned
"Where two or three are gathered together in my name . . . "
It is very confusing and somewhat alarming to hear that some would desire to "disband" churches in these United States with what they term "small" congregations.  It is a fact that most Christians in the United States attend small churches. The problem lies in the fact that it is the "mega churches" who get all of the attention.

Here are the qualifications of different sized church congregations according to USAChurches.org:

  • Mega Church: Average weekend attendance is more than 2,000 people.
  • Large Church: Average weekend attendance is between 301 and 2,000 people.
  • Medium Church: Average weekend attendance is between 51 and 300 people.
  • Small Church: Average weekend attendance is less than 50 people.