Are All Theists the Same?

As you may know (and if you don’t know you are soon to find out), atheism has declared war on theism. One of their tactics is to lump all of religion together. Here is the obvious problem with such generalizations: all religions are not the same. They do not all believe the same things; they do not all act the same ways.

Religion is not even settled on whether a supreme being exists. Those who believe in a supreme being are not in agreement on who or what he is. There’s not even agreement on his nature and expectations of those he created. The god of the Muslims, for example, is quite different from the God of Christians and Jews. The Muslim God expects his followers to rid the earth of the infidels. If you can’t persuade them, kill them. If you have to kill yourself, your children, your babies to eliminate a few of them…so be it. Then again, not all Muslims would agree with this, but they are strangely silent.

Atheists delight in pointing out the horrendous acts of religious people they lump together as “Christians.” A favorite target is the Roman Catholic Church with its crusades, persecutions, executions, edicts, etc. Next on their list are the Protestants with much of the same. Not only are these vastly different from each other, but they are quite different, in varying degrees, from the primitive Christianity exposed in the New Testament. They are the results of virgin Christianity being interfered with by the likes of Calvin, Luther, Wesley, Smith, Zwingli, popes, assorted false prophets, and various televangelists.

Now, if you don’t believe that most atheists lump together all religions, especially those claiming to be Christian, just have a look at their blogs and websites.

While you’re at it, have a look at John Clayton’s article, “Atheists Declare War on Faith“

Intelligent Design Websites

For those who are interested in seeking alternative scientific views regarding the universe, you can find a list of Intelligent Design links by going to the website below and clicking “Websites”. Thanks to John Staiger in Auckland, New Zealand for the tip. In fact the whole website looks good. Have a look.

New Ben Stein Movie — EXPELLED

This is something every theist should see and promote.  Also check out the movie website here. 

GET OUT THERE AND FIGHT!

It disturbs me greatly that so many Christians are remaining in the huddle instead of fronting up to the line of scrimmage and fighting the good fight. We stay within our own comfortable groups and pretend that all is well with the world. Well here’s a newsflash: there’s a war going on! The skeptics and atheists are on the attack and we ignore it to our harm and the detriment of our faith.

I’ve noticed most atheists/skeptics fall into two categories:

• Refugees from religion who have chosen a life of skepticism. They are in angry rebellion to the excesses and misdeeds of religious leaders and their contradictory, confusing, erroneous and ignorant teachings.
• People who have never been religious and look with disdain upon those who are. Their rationale is well-fed by the stupidity, misdeeds, inconsistencies, shenanigans and ignorance of religious pundits and their followers.

These are the aggressive skeptics and atheists who write blogs and books and appear on television.

What bothers me about this is how they are largely unopposed. It seems that the majority of religious people just shake their heads and silently go about their business. They’ve given up trying to make sense of it all. They’ve never given theism or atheism much thought. Well, the time has come for that to change. Here is what must happen and it must happen now.

1. Become aware. Realize that the conflict is raging. It is raging all around us. Get your head out of the sand and take a look. There are battles that must be fought.
2. Get educated.
   1. Read the Word. You must know your Bible if you are going to defend your faith. Read it for yourself. You’ll find that some of what you thought was truth is based on someone’s interpretation. Be like the Bereans (Acts 17:11).
   2. Read the books and blogs of those who oppose theism (that’s why I have a part of my blogroll called “The Opposition”). Become acquainted with their arguments. Study science (not pseudo-science but the real stuff). Science is the ally of faith, not its enemy. When you use science to defend your faith, know what you’re talking about.
   3. Read and learn from the books, websites and blogs of those who have been successfully fighting. One apologist I highly recommend is John Clayton. These people have been at it for a long time and you can benefit from their experience.
3. Get real. Some of the ridiculous stuff promoted by self-appointed apologists just doesn’t hold water. Stop trying to defend the indefensible. Stop trying to prove what cannot be proven. The existence of God cannot be proven (or disproven) but you can rally the evidence to show that it’s the reasonable choice. If you take No. 2 and 4 seriously, you will learn which arguments are effective and which are not.
4. Get engaged. There is no better way to learn how to “get real” than getting into the fray. Don’t be afraid to be proven wrong. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. We learn how to fight by fighting. Sometimes we will make valid points; sometimes we will discover a point is invalid. How do you get engaged? Seek out discussions with your atheist/skeptic friends. Comment on their blogs. Write your own blog. Write articles. Speak when you can. Above all…do something!
5. Be humble. You don’t know everything. Some of your opposition will know much more than you do (then again, some of them are dreadfully ignorant). Listen to them. Learn from them. There’s an old Texas saying, “You ain’t learnin’ nothin’ when yer talkin’.” Be polite, be civil, and be respectful. Don’t polarize your opposition by being an arrogant jerk.
6. Don’t retreat…don’t give up. If you lose a battle, learn from it and get back into the war. There’s no more effective soldier than a battle-hardened one.

“Rise up, O men (and women) of God! / Have done with lesser things. / Give heart and mind and soul and strength / To serve the King of kings” – William Merrill.

The War between Science and Faith

     If you would like to read an excellent, sensible and rational article on the supposed “war” between science and faith, go to Saij’s blog, Good Tithings. For some reason he applies it to Republican candidates but the reference is somewhat beside the point. Tell him Dwight sent you.

BLINK — a book review

I listen to audio books. I download from a service called Audible.com. I pay a certain amount each month and I can download two full-length books on a little digital player and, with a little FM broadcasting thingy which I plug into my car’s 12 volt outlet I can listen to books on my five hour round trips from Abilene to Lubbock where I teach.

I have listened to many fine books (and a few duds) and learned a great deal. I listen to novels which are entertaining or listen to non-fiction (science, history, biographies, etc.) which is educational. Occasionally I hear something absolutely sensational. Two books by Malcolm Gladwell fit into that category.

Some time ago I listened to his book, The Tipping Point. I was blown away. In the last few days I have listened to his book, Blink, and it’s happened again. I recommend both books highly but right now I want to talk about Blink. The subtitle is “The Power of Thinking Without Thinking.” Once you read this book you will never think about the way we think the same way.

What if I told you there is a psychologist who can predict the longevity of a marriage by spending only a few minutes observing a couple? What if I told you about some folks who, based on a few minutes listening to a physician talk to a patient, can accurately predict whether he will ever be sued? What if I told you about antiquities experts who can tell you whether a piece is a fake with just a glance?

In this book you will learn about the amazing accuracy of snap decisions. You will learn how what we hear and see can subconsciously impact the way we act. You will learn how, in many cases, a little slice of information is better than a lot of data.

The information in this little 254 page book can change the way you do business, the way you sell, the way you interact with other people…your world.

A special note to those who work with organizations (companies, churches, ministries, etc.) get this book and read it.

Malcolm Gladwell. 2005. Blink, Little, Brown and Company, New York, Boston.