We Want It To Be True
So often we desire something so badly that we make it true. In fact, we might even say, “Well, it is true to me,” or “It is true for this person or that person,” and watch the people we are talking to nod their heads in agreement.
In reality, the people we are with should be nodding their heads in disgust.
It is typical of mankind to want to make up truth. In the Christian world we often hear people talk about God leading them, when in reality, they are leading God by their wishes and desires. They so want something to happen or be true that they assign the "God's will " tag to it to silence their critics.
We often craft the stories we tell to our friends about ourselves and our lives so that the image we want to portray is clear.
Oprah, who grew up Baptist, once declared that Jesus Christ could not be the only way to heaven. Rob Bell, who cannot fathom the idea that Ghandi would be in hell, has decided that eternal punishment is not consistent with what his wishes would be, and what his God would do, so he has declared a new doctrine, a purgatory doctrine of sorts. Radical Muslims believed that running airplanes into buildings would be an act that satisfied Allah and give them great standing in the next life. Senior Digambar monks wear no clothes. They do not consider themselves to be nude — they are “wearing the environment.” In the practice of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a living person, acting as proxy, is baptized by immersion on behalf of a deceased person of the same gender. The baptism ritual is as follows: after calling the living proxy by name, the person performing the baptism says, “Having been commissioned of Jesus Christ, I baptize you for and in behalf of [full name of deceased person], who is dead, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” The Jedi Church believes that there is one all-powerful force that binds all things in the universe together. The Jedi religion is something innate inside every one of us. The Jedi Church believes that our sense of morality is innate. So they promote that you quiet your mind and listen to the force within you!
Woodism is a pop-culture-based religion created in 1996 by Reverend Steve Galindo. They follow the late cult director, Edward D. Wood Jr., and they look to him as a savior. At The Church of Ed Wood they use Ed and his films to inject spirituality into those who get little fulfillment from more mainstream religions like Christianity. By looking at his films and his life, they learn to lead happy, positive lives. They strive for acceptance of others and of the self.
One individual responded as follows when asked about religious beliefs: "One person's folly is someone else's truth. In many respects, any thing which is based on faith alone is just plain illogical whether it involves Xenu, Snakes, Fairies , Reverend Moon or a Virgin birth."
One person's folly is another's truth? I would think that this is using the word "truth" loosely.
We people are goofy when we decide what is true, rather than discovering truth. It is strange to think that my logic is the measure of all things true. It is obvious to anyone who ever took a debate class that rhetoric does not equal truth. It is obvious that those who intimidate are not always right, and that intimidation in and of itself has nothing to do with truth.
Today in America we are a people, a sheep, following whatever sounds good to us or whatever makes sense to us. Mostly, we follow whatever makes our lives easier or affirms us the most. We have opportunity to listen to many pontificates for hour upon hour, and have become followers of Oprah, Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly, Rob Bell, or Joel Olsteen.
What happened to those who followed Christ? Where are they?
Truth is. It needs discovering, not making up. It will win in the end no matter how much it takes a beating during the middle of the game. Truth will stand, and all who break the truth today will be broken by it tomorrow.
I am not claiming that I know all truth. I am stating that there is a truth that will be evident, and it will not be dependent upon a common vote, a smooth talking Oprah or Rob Bell.
The Scriptures tell us that Satan is a liar and the father of lies. Deceptions are lies in a terminal state, for when we hit that level of belief, we have little hope.
Here is what we all know for sure.
Somehow, the earth and universe came into existence.
Somehow, we, personally, came into existence.
At some point, we all will die.
Since even the most moronic person who ever lived and the most brilliant would agree on these three points, we can at least begin a dialogue.
Somehow, there was born an earth, sky, and universe. Once again, if logic was the only game in town, we could conclude some things from the existence of the earth, sky, water, etc.
For example, the very computer that I am typing these thoughts on is something that also exists. I need not prove its existence to anyone, for the fact that I am typing on it and looking at it proves my case of its existence.
I, too, need not prove that the earth, sky, water, rocks, animals, or humans exist. They do, and all would agree to that.
I would also be safe in assuming that the computer on which I am writing this document was designed by someone, manufactured or made by someone or some process that was put in place by the designer, and eventually was created to fulfill the purpose for which it was designed.
Now, I do not need to know the designer, or like the designer, or agree with the designer to make any of my assumptions true. In fact, I could believe what I want, but my belief does not make anything true or false, and may indeed cause me to do some very foolish things with what was designed.
For example, I could decide that the designer did not know as much as I did about his design and purpose, so I would discover other uses for this computer that, I believe, would be better than the designer's plans. I could use the computer for a doorstop, and it could work perfectly for this purpose. In fact, it may be the best doorstop ever.
As foolish as it may be, I could eventually order computers for my entire company, and ask my employees to use them as doorstops because they work so well at holding the doors open. In this strange thinking I have indeed acknowledged and purchased something that was designed and manufactured, yet my shortsightedness has minimized the computer’s potential.
The universe, earth, and we, ourselves, were obviously designed. To think other than that puts one in the "moronic" category. If we were designed, we were designed with purpose, and we would be achieving that purpose or wasting it.
It is easier to never realize our potential. It is easier, much easier, to never be plugged in and used as a doorstop. Who’s to judge as to whether that not be a noble purpose?
I would say the same thing about the second universal observation. It seems quite obvious to all that the human body was planned out. There is very little random involved in the physical life we have. Our bodies seem to operate at a specific temperature, needs certain nutrients, need oxygen, need water, etc. We can believe anything we want to about temperature, nutrients, oxygen, and water, but the fact of the matter is that we need these things in order to sustain the life we have. Things are what they are and they work the way they were meant to work.
For example, we burn calories in order to have energy and keep warm. If we eat too many calories, we store the energy in the form of fat. If we eat too little, we stay skinny and could be lethargic. We can believe whatever we want to about weight loss and fitness, but the fact remains, calories in, calories out is what causes excess or not enough weight.
Man is intricately made. Therefore man has a creator, and since we have a creator, we have a purpose. As we ignore that purpose, we get caught up in being human door- stops, thinking that we do that well. We begin to think of ways that we could live to give us significance and security, and find neither in that we are looking for them in all the wrong places. Without a creator, it makes no sense. Without a purpose, we live for whatever is in front of us, and it becomes our purpose. We eventually begin to believe our personally written press clippings, and surround ourselves with those who would agree and applaud us.
This is interesting, at best.
The final universal fact that we agree on is the fact that all who are living will die. This is not hard to prove, and we as people learn this at a very young age. The fact of this matter makes this life, at best, a temporary place in our history. We come into existence one day, and if we make it out of the womb, we live x amount of years before dying and having our bodies turn back into clay. The human body that I give so much attention to today will be worm food tomorrow.
We all know this. We do not like it or dwell on it, because to us, this life thing is the only certainty we have, so we think.
In reality, death is more certain than life. Think about it. I cannot tell you for sure that I will be here the rest of this day, or tomorrow, or a year from now. But, I can, with certainty, tell you that I will die. It seems for me to live as if what is uncertain is certain, and what is certain as uncertain, is foolishness.
If this universe and our world in our universe had a designer, then it has a purpose. If my life had a designer, then I, too, have a purpose. If one day this wonderful body and brain I have will cease to function and become worm food, then either that is my purpose, or there is a greater and grander scheme at work in the universe.
I think it is much more logical to believe in a designer and in specific purposes rather than random design and purposeless existence.
If there is a designer and a purpose, then I would be wise to discover it, and not make it up according to my own desires and understandings. If there is a truth, it is not for those who are most eloquent, but for those who are most diligent.
Significance and security will never be found by those who seek them. Instead, they will be found by those who seek God, for if you would seek Him with all your heart, your mind, and your soul, you will find Him, and He will give you, as a gift of living in the context of your creation, the gift of significance and security.
The fool says in his heart there is no God....or no hell....or no truth....
Why have we elevated fools to such a status that allows them to influence our make- believe truth?
Dave Wager davewager.com
In reality, the people we are with should be nodding their heads in disgust.
It is typical of mankind to want to make up truth. In the Christian world we often hear people talk about God leading them, when in reality, they are leading God by their wishes and desires. They so want something to happen or be true that they assign the "God's will " tag to it to silence their critics.
We often craft the stories we tell to our friends about ourselves and our lives so that the image we want to portray is clear.
Oprah, who grew up Baptist, once declared that Jesus Christ could not be the only way to heaven. Rob Bell, who cannot fathom the idea that Ghandi would be in hell, has decided that eternal punishment is not consistent with what his wishes would be, and what his God would do, so he has declared a new doctrine, a purgatory doctrine of sorts. Radical Muslims believed that running airplanes into buildings would be an act that satisfied Allah and give them great standing in the next life. Senior Digambar monks wear no clothes. They do not consider themselves to be nude — they are “wearing the environment.” In the practice of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a living person, acting as proxy, is baptized by immersion on behalf of a deceased person of the same gender. The baptism ritual is as follows: after calling the living proxy by name, the person performing the baptism says, “Having been commissioned of Jesus Christ, I baptize you for and in behalf of [full name of deceased person], who is dead, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” The Jedi Church believes that there is one all-powerful force that binds all things in the universe together. The Jedi religion is something innate inside every one of us. The Jedi Church believes that our sense of morality is innate. So they promote that you quiet your mind and listen to the force within you!
Woodism is a pop-culture-based religion created in 1996 by Reverend Steve Galindo. They follow the late cult director, Edward D. Wood Jr., and they look to him as a savior. At The Church of Ed Wood they use Ed and his films to inject spirituality into those who get little fulfillment from more mainstream religions like Christianity. By looking at his films and his life, they learn to lead happy, positive lives. They strive for acceptance of others and of the self.
One individual responded as follows when asked about religious beliefs: "One person's folly is someone else's truth. In many respects, any thing which is based on faith alone is just plain illogical whether it involves Xenu, Snakes, Fairies , Reverend Moon or a Virgin birth."
One person's folly is another's truth? I would think that this is using the word "truth" loosely.
We people are goofy when we decide what is true, rather than discovering truth. It is strange to think that my logic is the measure of all things true. It is obvious to anyone who ever took a debate class that rhetoric does not equal truth. It is obvious that those who intimidate are not always right, and that intimidation in and of itself has nothing to do with truth.
Today in America we are a people, a sheep, following whatever sounds good to us or whatever makes sense to us. Mostly, we follow whatever makes our lives easier or affirms us the most. We have opportunity to listen to many pontificates for hour upon hour, and have become followers of Oprah, Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly, Rob Bell, or Joel Olsteen.
What happened to those who followed Christ? Where are they?
Truth is. It needs discovering, not making up. It will win in the end no matter how much it takes a beating during the middle of the game. Truth will stand, and all who break the truth today will be broken by it tomorrow.
I am not claiming that I know all truth. I am stating that there is a truth that will be evident, and it will not be dependent upon a common vote, a smooth talking Oprah or Rob Bell.
The Scriptures tell us that Satan is a liar and the father of lies. Deceptions are lies in a terminal state, for when we hit that level of belief, we have little hope.
Here is what we all know for sure.
Somehow, the earth and universe came into existence.
Somehow, we, personally, came into existence.
At some point, we all will die.
Since even the most moronic person who ever lived and the most brilliant would agree on these three points, we can at least begin a dialogue.
Somehow, there was born an earth, sky, and universe. Once again, if logic was the only game in town, we could conclude some things from the existence of the earth, sky, water, etc.
For example, the very computer that I am typing these thoughts on is something that also exists. I need not prove its existence to anyone, for the fact that I am typing on it and looking at it proves my case of its existence.
I, too, need not prove that the earth, sky, water, rocks, animals, or humans exist. They do, and all would agree to that.
I would also be safe in assuming that the computer on which I am writing this document was designed by someone, manufactured or made by someone or some process that was put in place by the designer, and eventually was created to fulfill the purpose for which it was designed.
Now, I do not need to know the designer, or like the designer, or agree with the designer to make any of my assumptions true. In fact, I could believe what I want, but my belief does not make anything true or false, and may indeed cause me to do some very foolish things with what was designed.
For example, I could decide that the designer did not know as much as I did about his design and purpose, so I would discover other uses for this computer that, I believe, would be better than the designer's plans. I could use the computer for a doorstop, and it could work perfectly for this purpose. In fact, it may be the best doorstop ever.
As foolish as it may be, I could eventually order computers for my entire company, and ask my employees to use them as doorstops because they work so well at holding the doors open. In this strange thinking I have indeed acknowledged and purchased something that was designed and manufactured, yet my shortsightedness has minimized the computer’s potential.
The universe, earth, and we, ourselves, were obviously designed. To think other than that puts one in the "moronic" category. If we were designed, we were designed with purpose, and we would be achieving that purpose or wasting it.
It is easier to never realize our potential. It is easier, much easier, to never be plugged in and used as a doorstop. Who’s to judge as to whether that not be a noble purpose?
I would say the same thing about the second universal observation. It seems quite obvious to all that the human body was planned out. There is very little random involved in the physical life we have. Our bodies seem to operate at a specific temperature, needs certain nutrients, need oxygen, need water, etc. We can believe anything we want to about temperature, nutrients, oxygen, and water, but the fact of the matter is that we need these things in order to sustain the life we have. Things are what they are and they work the way they were meant to work.
For example, we burn calories in order to have energy and keep warm. If we eat too many calories, we store the energy in the form of fat. If we eat too little, we stay skinny and could be lethargic. We can believe whatever we want to about weight loss and fitness, but the fact remains, calories in, calories out is what causes excess or not enough weight.
Man is intricately made. Therefore man has a creator, and since we have a creator, we have a purpose. As we ignore that purpose, we get caught up in being human door- stops, thinking that we do that well. We begin to think of ways that we could live to give us significance and security, and find neither in that we are looking for them in all the wrong places. Without a creator, it makes no sense. Without a purpose, we live for whatever is in front of us, and it becomes our purpose. We eventually begin to believe our personally written press clippings, and surround ourselves with those who would agree and applaud us.
This is interesting, at best.
The final universal fact that we agree on is the fact that all who are living will die. This is not hard to prove, and we as people learn this at a very young age. The fact of this matter makes this life, at best, a temporary place in our history. We come into existence one day, and if we make it out of the womb, we live x amount of years before dying and having our bodies turn back into clay. The human body that I give so much attention to today will be worm food tomorrow.
We all know this. We do not like it or dwell on it, because to us, this life thing is the only certainty we have, so we think.
In reality, death is more certain than life. Think about it. I cannot tell you for sure that I will be here the rest of this day, or tomorrow, or a year from now. But, I can, with certainty, tell you that I will die. It seems for me to live as if what is uncertain is certain, and what is certain as uncertain, is foolishness.
If this universe and our world in our universe had a designer, then it has a purpose. If my life had a designer, then I, too, have a purpose. If one day this wonderful body and brain I have will cease to function and become worm food, then either that is my purpose, or there is a greater and grander scheme at work in the universe.
I think it is much more logical to believe in a designer and in specific purposes rather than random design and purposeless existence.
If there is a designer and a purpose, then I would be wise to discover it, and not make it up according to my own desires and understandings. If there is a truth, it is not for those who are most eloquent, but for those who are most diligent.
Significance and security will never be found by those who seek them. Instead, they will be found by those who seek God, for if you would seek Him with all your heart, your mind, and your soul, you will find Him, and He will give you, as a gift of living in the context of your creation, the gift of significance and security.
The fool says in his heart there is no God....or no hell....or no truth....
Why have we elevated fools to such a status that allows them to influence our make- believe truth?
Dave Wager davewager.com
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