Abraham Lincoln

I recently read the biography of Abraham Lincoln. It was written in Lincoln’s own words, based on historical records. As I turned each page, I wondered how they would handle his assassination because he didn't say anything after he was shot in the head. In the book, he spoke of the grief of the civil war, about how good it was to have peace back in the country, and how he went to a play with his wife. It was a comedy, so he spoke about how it was good to hear people laugh again. He said, "…to be with Mary…to think of the years ahead. Please God, never let people forget the joy of love, the pleasure of laughter, and the beauty of peace." Then there was simply a bold headline that read: "WASHINGTON, D.C. --President Abraham Lincoln was shot at Ford’s Theater shortly after ten o’clock last evening. At 7:22 this morning, April 15, 1865, he died."

As I read those words, tears ran down my cheeks. I couldn’t believe my reaction. I knew it was coming, so why was I crying like a child? This is why. Throughout the book, I got to know Abraham Lincoln not as a cold historical figure, but as a man with fears and pains. I grieved when his beloved sister suddenly died in her youth. I grieved with him at the loss of two of his children through sickness. The book personalized him to a point where I personally felt the pain of his untimely death.

Did you know that every 24 hours 150,000 people die? That’s a lot of people. It makes us rise an eyebrow. But because it is just a cold statistic, it can wash over us like water on a dead duck’s back. If we are going to have a passion for the unsaved, we have to personalize ourselves with them to a point where it brings more than a tear to our eye. We have to see that 150,000 people as moms and dads, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters…people with the same fears and pains we possess. That is what is known as "empathy"--a virtue of compassion that causes us to feel the pain of another--"And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh" (Jude 1:22-23).

The Atheist Lie-list

It is no big deal to some atheists to lie, exaggerate, or embellish the truth--just a little--to strengthen their argument that there is no God. Numerous atheist sites list "great minds" who were atheists. These are very impressive at first glance. The problem is, what they maintain about these men and women just isn’t true. Few in their long lists are actual atheists. Take for instance the small list of big names given, in a challenge from David W. Irish. He said,

"I find it funny to note that not one person has accepted my challenge to find 'Great Americans' (citizens who made great contributions to America's treasured literature, science, engineering, and who orchestrated social reforms that made America great) who are 'Evangelical Fundamentalist Christians' . . . I've actually done research, and I know of at least three, and they are nothing of the caliber of great Americans like Thomas Edison, Mark Twain, Robert Frost, Ernest Hemingway, and Susan B. Anthony (who are, incidentally, all atheists) . . . Why have so many great contributions to Americans and world society been made by atheists, and so few by Evangelicals? The challenge is still open."

Look at his impressive list of great American atheists:

1. Thomas Edison
2. Mark Twain
3. Robert Frost
4. Ernest Hemingway
5. Susan B. Anthony

I wonder how many gullible theists have become atheists because they believed that so many great minds of history denied the existence of God? The problem is that only one of the above list of five was an atheist, and his story is a very sad case indeed. Let’s look one-by-one at these great Americans who were "all" atheists:

Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison (1847–1931) was an American inventor and businessman who developed many devices that greatly influenced modern life, including the phonograph and the long-lasting and practical electric light bulb.

I recently devoured a biography about this incredible man to whom we owe so much. I am consoled by his, "I have not failed 700 times. I have not failed once. I have succeeded in proving that those 700 ways will not work." And I love his philosophy of, "I find out what the world needs. Then, I go ahead and invent it."

So, was Thomas a doubting-Thomas? Far from it. Like many thinking minds, he simply hated the hypocrisy of "religion." However, Edison was not an atheist:

"I do not believe in the God of the theologians; but that there is a Supreme Intelligence I do not doubt."

"I am much less interested in what is called God's word than in God's deeds. All Bibles are man-made."

Henry Ford once said, "I believe God is managing affairs and that He doesn't need any advice from me. With God in charge, I believe everything will work out for the best in the end. So what is there to worry about." Ford was a very close friend of Edison, and after his death, he said, "He felt there was a central processing core of life that went on and on. That was his conclusion. We talked of it many times together . . . Call it religion or what you like, Mr. Edison believed that the universe was alive and that it was responsive to man's deep necessity. It was an intelligent and hopeful religion if there ever was one. Mr. Edison went away expecting light, not darkness."

Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835 – April 21), better known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American humorist, satirist, lecturer and writer. Twain, like Edison, had a distain for the hypocrisy of established religion. However, also like Edison, he was definitely not an atheist. He said,

"God puts something good and loveable in every man His hands create."

"No man that has ever lived has done a thing to please God--primarily. It was done to please himself, then God next."

"None of us can be as great as God, but any of us can be as good."

Robert Frost
Robert Lee Frost (1874 – 1963) was an American poet. He is highly regarded for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech. He was honored frequently during his lifetime, receiving four Pulitzer Prizes. In his lectures and letters, Frost often alluded to one of his very real fears:

"My fear of God has settled down into a deep and inward fear that my best offering may not prove acceptable in his sight" he told his friend G. R. Elliott in 1947. In a 1932 letter to poet Louis Untermeyer, Frost specified that the god he feared was the "God of Israel, who admits he is a jealous God." In his last letter, written a few days before he died, he insisted we cannot save ourselves unaided. 'Salvation,' he said, 'we will never have from anyone but God.'"

As in the case of Thomas Edison and Mark Twain, Robert Lee Frost was not an atheist.

Susan B. Anthony
Susan Brownell Anthony (1820–1906) was a prominent, independent and well educated American civil rights leader who, along with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, led the effort to secure Women's suffrage in the United States. When on trial for her convictions, she defended herself with:

"May it please your honor, I shall never pay a dollar of your unjust penalty . . . And I shall earnestly and persistently continue to urge all women to the practical recognition of the old revolutionary maxim, that 'Resistance to tyranny is obedience to God.'"

Once again, like Hemingway, Frost and Mark Twain, she didn’t deny the existence of God. Look at her own words:

"I always distrust people who know so much about what God wants them to do to their fellows."

"I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do, because I notice it always coincides with their own desires."

"I shall earnestly and persistently continue to urge all women to the practical recognition of the old Revolutionary maxim. Resistance to tyranny is obedience to God."

"The Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, the constitutions of the several States and the organic laws of the Territories, all alike propose to protect the people in the exercise of their God-given rights. Not one of them pretends to bestow rights: 'All men are created equal, and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights. Among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. To secure these, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.'"

She also said, "The preamble of the constitution of the State of New York declares the same purposes. It says: 'We the people of the State of New York, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, in order to secure its blessings, do establish this constitution.' Here is not the slightest intimation either of receiving freedom from the United States Constitution, or of the State's conferring the blessings of liberty upon the people; and the same is true of every other State constitution. Each and all declare rights God-given, and that to secure the people in the enjoyment of their inalienable rights is their one and only object in ordaining and establishing government."

Ernest Hemmingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway (1899—1961) was a novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. He received the Pulitzer Prize in 1953 for The Old Man and the Sea, and the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. He once said, "All thinking men are atheists," which makes me suspect that the atheist "lie-list" may not be something new.

Hemmingway, who fought in the First World War, perhaps revealed his own thoughts about God in one of his plays. A reviewer said of "A Farewell to Arms":

"As a Lieutenant during World War I, Frederic Henry claims to have no religion or love for God. In a conversation with his group's priest, Frederic only admits to be fearful of God 'in the night sometimes' (Hemingway 72). The reason why he only feels this at night is because it is the loneliest time; the time when there is a chance to think about the terrible and meaningless war, as well his meaningless life."

Ernest Hemingway is the only atheist in the list of five supposed great Americans atheists. The prolific writer is a very sad testimony to the truth of the words of Jesus, where He describes a man who built his house on sand, and when the storms of life came, it tragically crumbled:

"On a safari he was the victim of two successive plane crashes. The injuries he got away with were grave and numerous. He sprained his right shoulder, arm, and left leg, had a grave overall concussion, temporarily lost his vision in the left eye, his hearing in the left ear, had a paralysis of the sphincter, crushed his vertebra, suffered from a ruptured liver, spleen and kidney and was marked by first degree burns on his face, arms and leg. As if this was not enough, he was badly injured one month later in a bushfire accident which left him with second degree burns on his legs, front torso, lips, left hand and right forearm. The physical pain caused him to lose his mind. His strength was gone entirely, and so was his will to live."

When we don’t built our lives on the teaching of Jesus, the storms of life will eventually cause our downfall. Sadly, Ernest Hemmingway turned to alcohol to try and drown his sorrows. He attempted suicide in the spring of 1961, and received treatment, but it was unable to prevent his suicide on July 2, 1961. At 5:00 am, he tragically died as a result of a self-inflicted shotgun blast to the head. God only knows what happened moments before he took his life.

Notes:
http://atheisme.free.fr/Quotes/Edison.htm
The Atlantic Monthly Vol. 128, No. 4 (October 1921), p. 520 "I believe in the existence of a Supreme Intelligence pervading the Universe." As quoted in Thomas A. Edison, Benefactor of Mankind : The Romantic Life Story of the World's Greatest Inventor (1931) by Francis Trevelyan Miller, Ch. 25 : Edison's Views on Life — His Philosophy and Religion, p. 293
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/h/henry_ford.html
Henry Ford as quoted in Thomas A. Edison, Benefactor of Mankind : The Romantic Life Story of the World's Greatest Inventor (1931) by Francis Trevelyan Miller, p. 294
The American Vandal speech, 1868
Mark Twain, a Biography
Mark Twain's Notebook, 1902-1903
http://www.liberator.net/articles/SloanGary/RobertFrost.html
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/s/susan_b_anthony.html
http://gos.sbc.edu/a/anthony.html
http://www.bookrags.com/essay-2005/11/25/14119/869
http://www.biographybase.com/biography/Hemingway_Ernest.html

Another Anthony Flew?

The following is from an article called, "Is Richard Dawkins still evolving?" (Thursday, 23rd October 2008):

"On Tuesday evening I attended the debate between Richard Dawkins and John Lennox at Oxford’s Natural History Museum. This was the second public encounter between the two men, but it turned out to be very different from the first . . . This week’s debate, however, was different because from the off, Dawkins moved it onto safer territory–-and at the very beginning made a most startling admission. He said:

'A serious case could be made for a deistic God.'

This was surely remarkable. Here was the arch-apostle of atheism, whose whole case is based on the assertion that believing in a creator of the universe is no different from believing in fairies at the bottom of the garden, saying that a serious case can be made for the idea that the universe was brought into being by some kind of purposeful force. A creator. True, he was not saying he was now a deist; on the contrary, he still didn't believe in such a purposeful founding intelligence, and he was certainly still saying that belief in the personal God of the Bible was just like believing in fairies. Nevertheless, to acknowledge that ‘a serious case could be made for a deistic god’ is to undermine his previous categorical assertion that '...all life, all intelligence, all creativity and all 'design' anywhere in the universe is the direct or indirect product of Darwinian natural selection...Design cannot precede evolution and therefore cannot underlie the universe.'

http://www.spectator.co.uk/melaniephillips/2543431/is-richard-dawkins-still-evolving.thtml

The God of the Old Testament is Different From the God of the New Testament

"[Richard] Dawkins refers to, very specifically, 'The God of the Old Testament' and not the general concept of God with [the] phrase, 'Megalo-maniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.'"

The God of the New Testament is just as offensive to the ungodly as the God of the Old Testament, because they are One in the same. He never changes. Jesus warned to fear Him because He had the power "to cast body and soul into Hell" (see Matthew 10:28).

Look at His terrible New Testament judgments: He killed a husband and wife, simply because they told one lie (see Acts 5:1-11). His "wrath" abides on every unbeliever for their sins (see John 3:36, Ephesians 5:6). He will punish the unsaved with a fearful "indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish" (Romans 2:8-9), and warns that He is going to be "revealed from Heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ" (see 2 Thessalonians 1:8).

He is so angry at this world He calls us His enemy (see James 4:4) and promises to "shake not only the earth, but also Heaven" in His wrath (Hebrews 12:26). Our God is "a consuming fire" (see Hebrews 12:29) and His justice will cause some to gnaw their tongues in pain (see Revelation 16:10). He is so serious about sin He will cast all liars into the lake of fire (see Revelation 21:8).

If you still want to paint the Old Testament God as been mean and the New Testament God as being nice, please realize that the God of the New Testament proclaimed the death sentence on every man, on every woman and on every child of the human race. Every single human being will die because they have violated God's Law (see Romans 5:12, 6:23).

So the two Gods scenario is imaginary, and He isn’t a Megalo-maniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully, but an utterly perfect, holy and righteous Creator. He will see that absolute justice is done on what the Bible calls "the Day of Wrath." That is what is offensive to guilty sinners. They are at enmity with God’s Law (see Romans 8:7). They hate His moral government.

However, the same God of the Bible (who in the Old Testament said to love your neighbor as much as you love yourself--see Leviticus 19:18), is rich in mercy. He provided a way for us (in the New Testament) to be saved from His just wrath. This was through the blood of the cross. If we refuse His offer of mercy, we will have to stand before His fearful justice. The New Testament warns "It is a fearful thing to fall into the Hands of the Living God" (see Hebrews 10:31) and further adds "How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?"

When famous atheists went to meet their Maker

Mao Zedong 1893–1976 Politician
Arthur C. Clarke 1917–2008 Author
Sir Noël Coward 1899–1973 Actor
Marlene Dietrich 1901–1992 Actress
Friedrich Nietzsche 1844–1900 Philosopher
Madalyn M. O'Hair 1919–1995 Atheist activist
George Orwell 1903–1950 Author
Richard Rodgers 1902–1979 Musician
Bertrand Russell 1872–1970 Philosopher
Carl Sagan 1934–1996 Scientist
Leon Trotsky 1879–1940 Politician

From, The Atheist Bible (publishing date--Jan. 2009)

Do They Already Know?

"One of the people witnessing with us mentioned later the issue of the holy spirit convicting people, and Romans 2:14 which speaks about the law written on the hearts of men as their conscience, and therefore we do not need to take them through the law because they already know they are sinning and doing wrong."

If that's the case, then later on in Romans 2:21-24, the Apostle Paul wasted his time, when he took his hearers through the Law:

"You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal? You who say, "Do not commit adultery," do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law? For 'the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,' as it is written."

Also, it's not true according to Scripture or by experience, that sinners know the nature of sin. Look at Paul's own testimony in Romans 7:7:

"What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, 'You shall not covet.'"

All you have to do to see the reality of what Scripture is saying, is ask an unsaved person if they think that they are a good person. They will almost always say, "I'm a very good person" (see Proverbs 20:6). This is because they are ignorant to God's perfect standard of righteousness. They measure themselves by their own very low moral standard, and come up clean in their own eyes. This is why they need the Law. It's like a mirror that simply reflects the truth.

The Holy Spirit convicts of sin (which is transgression of the Law--see 1 John 3:4), righteousness (which is of the Law), and judgment (which is by the Law--see Romans 2:12, James 2:12). So, if you make the mistake of leaving out the Law, you rob the gospel of its power. You remove the bow from the pointed arrow. It leaves the gospel with no point. The sinner concludes, "Why do I need a Savior if I'm not a desperately wicked sinner?"

The Malevolent Bully

The atheist doesn’t realize that the concept of the God in which he doesn’t believe, doesn’t exist. What all of us tend to do is create an "image" of what we think God is like. We make up a god in our minds with which we feel comfortable. This is standard idolatry. The atheist goes one further. He is guilty of atheistic idolatry. He paints his image of God as a bloody tyrant, cruel and unjust, with which he feels uncomfortable. He may even construct his idol with material from the Scriptures and call his construction a "Megalo-maniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully." Then, once his not-so-nice god has been eliminated as being too evil to exist, he feels justifiably free to sin his heart out.

However, the Creator revealed in Scripture not only made the infinite universe, but He fills its space with His holy presence. He is perfect in righteousness, absolute in justice, and sees even the very atoms He used as building blocks for creation. He sees darkness as light, every hair on every human head, and every thought of every human heart. Such a concept is too high for human minds to even begin to comprehend. He is nothing like any of us imagine Him to be. From, The Atheist Bible (due Jan. 2009).

Thank You Atheists

I am delighted that atheists in Great Britain are reminding the public about God and His existence. The sides of some of London's buses will soon carry ads saying "There is probably no God," as nonbelievers fight what they say is the preferential treatment given to religion in British society.

Organizers of a campaign to raise funds for the ads said Wednesday they received more than $113,000 in donations, almost seven times their target, in the hours since they launched the project on a charity Web site. Supporters include Oxford University biologist Richard Dawkins, who donated $9,000.

This can do nothing but remind people about God, and promote the gospel as it gives Christians another reason to share their faith. I do a similar thing when I want my wife to drive carefully. I know that if I say, "Drive carefully," it will be like water off a duck’s back. So I instead say, "Drive dangerously." That makes her think more about driving carefully. It’s human nature to do that.

Nothing but good will come from this campaign, thanks to the kindness of Richard Dawkins and his followers. When I heard about this, I immediately snapped up www.TheresProbablyNoGod.com

Einstein and Miracles

Everything Is A Miracle--by Albert Einstein

There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.

But without deeper reflection one knows from daily life that one exists for other people; first of all for those upon whose smiles and well-being our own happiness is wholly dependent, and then for the many, unknown to us, to whose destinies we are bound by the ties of sympathy.

A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving.

A human being is part of a whole, called by us the "Universe," a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest--a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us.

Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.

Only a life lived for others is worth living.

Good News for Atheists

The reason atheists have no definitive answer to these questions (they vary as much as the imagination of each atheist), is because there is no atheist "Bible." There is no consensus as to what an atheist should or shouldn’t believe. That is, up until now. Thanks to a respected Bible publisher who isn’t afraid of being adventurous, as of early next year, there will be such a thing as The Atheist Bible--a genuine Bible, complete with a commentary written specifically for atheists.

Feel free to give your thoughts or ideas.

Questions Atheists Can’t Answer

1. What was in the beginning?
2. How will life on earth end?
3. What happens after death?
4. What is the purpose of existence?
5. Why there is order in all of creation?
6. Why there is morality in every civilization?
7. Why does every civilization believe in a Creator?
8. Why does every sane person have a conscience, even when it is not dictated by society?
9. How did nothing create everything?
10. Which came first--the chicken or the egg?

Why Doesn't God Say Something?

"Why do you suppose God needs people to speak for him? Why can't your God speak for himself? Audibly? Where I and everybody else in the room can hear him?"

He did speak audibly to Israel when He gave the Ten Commandments, and the Bible says that Israel was so fearful they pleaded that He no longer speak to them. He did speak on the Mount of Transfiguration and terrified the disciples. When He spoke audibly to Jesus, the people thought that they heard thunder. So why didn't God just whisper on these occasions? Perhaps He did.

However, God (in His infinite wisdom) has chosen what the Bible calls "the foolishness of preaching" to speak to humanity. He has condescended to use man to deliver the message of everlasting life to man. There you have it--the offer of everlasting life. Take it or leave it.

"How is it possible for this entry to win? She didn't even say her reasons for not believing in God! I'm not usually surprised by anything here, but call me surprised. Daniel Florien."

No one gave any justifiable reasons.

The Winner

Kaitlyn said..."I like these posts of yours, Ray, where you discuss your own faith rather than try to tear down atheism or evolution. I have a few comments on your writing style, but that's pretty much it. You wrote: 'If you hate someone, as far as God is concerned you are physically putting a knife into his back.' I think you meant metaphorically. I don't understand how you can 'physically' put a knife in the back of a non-corporeal being such as God. You wrote: 'His was a 'vicarious' sacrifice.' I don't know if you are using 'vicarious' correctly...You can say Christians live vicariously through the actions of Jesus, but that's not the most commonplace usage of the word, 'vicarious.'... 'He paid the fine so that God could legally dismiss our case.' I think you should get rid of the word, 'legally.' You're not being literal."

Kaitlyn, here is a not-very-good analogy for you: A doctor held out a cure to a deathly sick patient and said, "You will be dead in seconds if you don’t take this cure. You need to take it now!" The dying patient ignored the cure and instead responded, "Where I come from, you should always use your right hand when giving something to somebody. Besides, your utilization of the word "will" is incorrect. I would rather substitute it with a superlative, and therefore avoid what is lacking linguistically because it correlates with the word "dead" in a manner unheard of in the circles in which I frequent. "Dead" is an overly strong expression to use when having any conversation, because it doesn’t address the felt-need with regard to the self-esteem. Personally, I would rather that you use a dissimilar utterance, because...aghhhhhhh....

Kaitlyn. You won the $100, with your excuse for not believing in God. Please send your address to me via mark@livingwaters.com

Thanks.

How's Your Word Knowledge?

I wonder if you know what the word "vicarious" means. It's an adjective that means that something is "Endured or done by one person substituting for another: vicarious punishment." It's probably meaningless to an unsaved person. Few have had someone take their punishment for them. However, it means everything to the Christian. The saved person knows that he was once a law-breaker--a devious criminal in the eyes of a holy God. He knows that God's standard of righteousness is so high that the crime of lying demands the death sentence, and that He considers hatred of another human being to be murder. If you hate someone, as far as God is concerned you are physically putting a knife into his back. If you lust after another human being, God considers you to be an adulterer. That's the height of His moral standard, and that will be the standard of judgment on Judgment Day.

However, this same wrath-filled God is rich in mercy to all that call upon Him. He was manifest in the flesh and suffered for us, so that we could be free from the demands of Eternal Justice. His was a "vicarious" sacrifice. He paid the fine so that God could legally dismiss our case. Then He rose again on the third day, and all who repent and trust in Jesus receive remission of sins. They are forgiven, and washed clean of their filthiness. God grants them the gift of everlasting life. How do you know if this is true? Obey the gospel "and you will know the truth and the truth will make you free" (see John 8:31-32).

Guess He Didn't Want to be Involved

"Negro how much do you make from your !*$&@! book sales? It's a *@!#$ of a lot more than a measly 100 dollars. How many *$%@!* are gonna let you publish their $#@!*& and receive no royalty from that? *%$@! dude. Just make &%$@! up. That's what you always do anyway. Even if you don't make it up, just make it vague enough that anyone dumb %!@#* will fall for it. Kind of like the bible. *&%$@ &%$@! mother $#@!%&. Get %$#@!" 100buxwontbuyyounuthin

Atheist Contest

I won't be posting for a few days (I will be at the "Deeper" conference in Georgia). So I have a proposal for atheists. Write a 200 words or less article called "Why I don't Believe in God."

The winner will get $100 and get published (I will be the judge), runners up and other thought-provoking articles will also get published, along with my rebuttal. Contest closes Monday 20th, October, 2008.

Watch Me Get Called a Liar

Did you know that 49% of Americans have cereal for breakfast every day? Almost half the country started today with cereal. The Food Network says that the breakfast is "the ultimate Comfort food." How did they know? I have cereal for breakfast, for lunch, and I have it after dinner. The average American eats an amazing 160 bowls every year. I down 884 bowls of cereal, and slurp through 129 gallons of milk annually. My bone density is off the charts.

Here’s what atheists won’t be able to swallow. Recently I went to Trader Joe’s and purchased 252 boxes of Weetabix (15 ounce--that’s the large box). I kind of like it. I guess my love for cereal is a left-over from my surfing days. When the surf is up, you want to down a quick and easy-to-digest breakfast.

What has this to do with God? Everything. He made me, He gave me my appetite, He made the plants from which cereal comes, He made the sugar for the sweetness, and He made the cow from which we get the cool milk. So I thank Him for every mouthful, before, during, and after the event (see Psalm 23:5). I hope you do also.

Revealing Honesty...

"In speaking of the fear of religion, I don’t mean to refer to the entirely reasonable hostility toward certain established religions… in virtue of their objectionable moral doctrines, social policies, and political influence. Nor am I referring to the association of many religious beliefs with superstition and the acceptance of evident empirical falsehoods. I am talking about something much deeper – namely the fear of religion itself…

"I want atheism to be true and am made uneasy by the fact that some of the most intelligent and well-informed people I know are religious believers. It isn’t just that I don’t believe in God, and naturally, hope there is no God. I don’t want there to be a God; I don’t want the universe to be like that." —Thomas Nagel, Professor of Philosophy and Law (The Last Word, pp. 130-131)

Ch--ch. What's missing? u.r. We're waiting for you.

An Intellectual Embarrassment

"Ray you might have been a proud/greedy jerk when you were an atheist, but don't assume that all atheists are the same as you were." Tim

I was a proud, greedy, stupid jerk before I was a Christian, but I wasn’t dense enough to be an atheist (see Psalm 14:1). I’m embarrassed to think that any professed rational human being could be so mentally deficient to be one (see Romans 1:22). I don’t know where you heard that I denied the existence of God, but I never did. Not for a moment.

The Call of Discovery

The Discovery Channel called recently, wanting an interview about the prophecies of Nostradamus. I doubt if they will quote me. I told them that Nostradamus was a thief and a liar. I have documented evidence that he read his Bible in secret, and ripped off its prophecies. If you read his predictions carefully, you will find that there are certain words he uses such as earthquakes, a thousand year reign, anti-Christ, etc. He merely took biblical truth and claimed it as his own. Then he mixed these up with nebulous ramblings, and so anyone who is ignorant of biblical prophecy will be impressed with Nostradamus.

And many are impressed; so much so that he has become a multi-million industry.

Today's Atheist Memory Verse:

If you live in the United States, you are rich--this verse applies to you (you are not living in a mud hut, with flies crawling over your emaciated face). Note the specific use of the word "trust," the word "uncertain," and where your trust should be:

"Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy..." (1 Timothy 6:17).

The word "highminded" sure does describe us before we come to Christ. And there's nothing like having the rug pulled from under us, to bring us down to earth.

World-Wide Economic Meltdown

Those of you who are regular atheists must be getting worried. Not about the future, but about the fact that you know what the Bible had to say about the future. I watched CBS news this morning. This is how it began:

"Breaking News. Global market’s plummet this morning after Wall Street’s nearly 900 billion dollar loss on Thursday. Credit markets around the world are seized up in a manner no one has ever seen before."

We are seeing Bible prophecy being fulfilled before our very eyes. Experts have long predicted that we would see a world-wide economic collapse, a one-world government, and the raising up of a charismatic world leader that will bring peace and stability and will not let people buy and sell without a mark...

As this unfolds, it is slowly dawning on you that the Bible is right, and that all those "mistakes" you found in the Bible were actually your mistakes. And that leads to a sobering revelation. It means that Hell is real. So, what are you going to do? I have a suggestion. Humble yourself, then admit you were wrong, and get right with God through repentance and faith in Jesus. Then begin to reach out to the lost with the same zeal you had as an atheist.

Today's Atheist Memory Verse

"Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket, and are counted as the small dust on the scales; look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing" (Isaiah 40:15).

(The God you don't believe in doesn't exist. He is nothing like what you perceive Him to be).

Who Cares About Apathy

I watched the TV monitor as the pastor of a church in West Virginia invited his congregation of 600 to join him, as he held a sign saying that abortion was wrong. He said that he stood on the side of the road for one hour the previous year, and asked who would join him this time. Twenty people raised their hands. I could sense his disappointment at their apathy. He then introduced me as the morning’s guest speaker.

I told the congregation that I felt passionate about the subject of abortion, for a good reason. Many years ago someone told me that a new Christian (named Fran) was about to take the life of her child through the procedure. I was horrified, and found out that she was due to have it done within a couple of hours. I sped to the hospital, praying all the way that God would give me the words to change her mind. I rushed in, ran up to the second floor and into her room. She was sitting on the bed, and had already had her preoperational medication. I pleaded, "Please don’t do this!"

To my surprise, she just looked at me, and smiled. Then she said, "It’s okay. I’m not going to have it. I just prayed 'God, if you don’t want me to have an abortion, make Ray Comfort come up and see me.'"

Two years later, I was at a church picnic when I saw a beautiful little girl playing in the grass. It was Fran’s child. As I knelt down by the cute toddler, it hammered home the issue that we are dealing with when it comes to abortion.

I told the congregation (with some passion), that I would never, ever, vote for a man who advocated the murder of a child in the womb. I don't care about his fiscal policies, because the blood of the innocents is on his hands. I also encouraged them to follow the wonderful example of their faithful pastor. I heard later that afternoon that between 400 and 500 turned out. God bless them.

However, the answer to the issue of abortion isn’t just to protest, although that's a start. A nation that kills 50 million of its citizens through abortion with no qualms of conscience needs more than a voice of protest. We are no different than Nazi Germany. We have given ourselves to the wickedest of sins, and that will eventually have terrible national consequences. We desperately need God’s forgiveness, and we need a new heart that can only come with conversion. Only the gospel can take a self-righteous, blaspheming, idolatrous, hypocritical, baby-killing nation, forgive it, and make it brand new:

"Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them" (Ezekiel 36:25-27).

Plane Speaking

I sat next to an intellectual on a plane recently. He was involved in the financial side of a well-known national corporation. I knew that he was pretty intelligent when I asked him a few question, just to fill in time and he answered them correctly. The first was, “How many U.S. Presidents are not buried in the United States? There are four. They are Jimmy Carter, George Bush Senior, George Bush Junior and Bill Clinton (although time will change the answer). The second was "What was the highest mountain on earth, before Mount Everest was discovered?" He knew that it was Mount Everest. It's always been the highest. He was one sharp cookie.

When I asked Joe what he thought happens after someone dies, he said that he wasn’t an atheist, but he didn’t believe in an afterlife. There was no Heaven and no Hell. So was that the end of the conversation? Where can it go if someone doesn’t believe in Heaven or Hell? There is a way. I asked Joe to imagine that there is a Heaven, and asked if he thought that he was good enough to go there. Did he think that he was a good person? The conversation went like this:

"I’m a very good person."
"Let’s go through some of the Commandments to see if you are, and if you will make it to Heaven. How many lies have you told in your life?"
It turned out that he was a liar, a thief, a blasphemer, and he had committed adultery in his heart many times. I explained the cross, the necessity of repentance and faith, and thanked him for listening to me.

About thirty minutes later he started up the conversation again:
"I have a question for you. Why is it that Christianity says that people from all other religions are going to Hell?"
"All other religions are what are called 'work-righteousness' religions. They think that they have to do something to earn everlasting life. The Muslim prays five times a day, fasts, etc.. The Hindu fasts, prays, lies on beds of nails, etc. The thing that changes the equation is God’s Law. It shows us that we are not simply unfortunate human beings trying to make our way through this life, but that we are wicked criminals in the sight of a holy God. So our 'good' works suddenly are not good works, but are actually attempts to bribe the Judge of the Universe. And the Bible warns that "the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord." He will not be bribed. But in Christianity, God provided a way for all humanity--the Muslim, the Hindu, the Buddhist, the Jew and the Gentile to be saved. The offer of everlasting life is come by the mercy of the Judge--as a free gift. It is universal--'whosoever will,' may come."

Joe thought for a moment, and said,
"I don’t accept that. It seems unfair to me that it is exclusive."
"You mean that Jesus said that He was the only way to God?"
"Yes."
"Do you think that Christianity is 'intolerant?'"
"Yes, I do."
"So you are being intolerant of Christianity? You are doing what you are accusing Christianity of doing. Being intolerant."
"No, no, not at all. I was just wondering..."

For the next hour or so, Joe had many questions. He listened thoughtfully, and took a "What Hollywood Believes" CD, and a copy of The Way of the Master New Testament. At the end of the flight he then thanked me for the conversation, and said that he had learned a lot.

When he said that he didn’t believe in Heaven and Hell it seemed like a dead end. So, if someone doesn’t believe, surmise with them for a moment. Have them imagine that there's a Heaven (it's easy if you try), and it will open up a door to their heart. Always remember that you are dealing with those that the Bible says are blind. You want them to know that there is another world, so speak to their God-given imagination, and that will given you the opportunity to speak to their God-given conscience.

Oh Dear

Way back in 1976, I was ushered into a very impressive board room, while I waited for a friend. I was alone, so I decided to sit in the chairman’s seat. It was like a large throne and made me feel important. As I sat there I noticed a new high-tech phone on the table in front of me. It was just a matter of pressing a few buttons and I could talk to someone without even lifting the receiver. I decided I would call someone, just for fun. I phoned the manager of my bookstore, chatted for a minute, and then said goodbye.

Then I decided to call my friend Roger. When he answered, I said, “Hi Roger. Guess where I am? I’m in a big board room, sitting at the huge table, on a large chair. I called you on a high-tech phone, and I didn’t even have to lift the receiver. In front of me is a big wooden gavel, and a round thing that looks like a coaster,” and as I spoke I brought the hammer down on the wooden coaster and hit it. But it wasn’t wooden. It was made of china, and it smashed into a thousand pieces!

It was then that I realized that my feet didn’t touch the floor on that big throne, and I said, “I’ve got to go now Roger.”

We proudly sit on our big godless thrones, thinking that we have the world at our fingertips. But all it takes is one of life’s realities to bring us back down to earth--to humble us and show us that we are not God, and that we desperately need His mercy (see Psalm 10:4).

A Pin Drop

After this week's Transformed conference on the East Coast, with management's permission, Kirk Cameron, myself (and 14 others from our team) went to a showing of Fireproof. We entered about 30 minutes before the end, and when it concluded, Kirk stood up and introduced himself. You couldn't have heard a pin drop. There was too much noise -- too many gasps of unbelief. They had just watched a wonderful movie and now the hero was standing in front of them...in real life.

He spoke about some of the highlights of the movie, and explained that the woman he kissed in it wasn't his on screen wife, but his real wife who was especially flown in as a stunt double (that had to be a Hollywood first). Then Kirk introduced me, and I preached the gospel. It was as much a delight for us to speak as it was for the audience to see him in person. As we made a quick exit, a tall man in his thirty's ran after us and said that he wanted to surrender his life to Christ. It was sweet icing on the cake of a night.

Another Atheist Blooper

"Matthew 16:28: 'There shall be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.' Whoops. Reynold."

The "woops" is yours. The key is the word "power" (see Mark 9:1). The Kingdom of God came in power on the Day of Pentecost. See Acts 1:8.

Right on the Money

Look at how precise Scripture is in its prediction:

1. There would be scoffers in the last days (preceding the Second Coming).
2. They would say that the signs of the Second Coming have always been around.
3. They would deny the Noahic world-wide flood (despite overwhelming scientific evidence).
4. Their specific sin would be "lust."
5. God is waiting for them to repent, because it's not His will that they go to Hell.
6. Their error is that they think that God is subject to the dimension of time.

"...knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, 'Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.' For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:3-9).

The Hangover

Some years ago a friend flew me to Israel. After visiting Jericho, we boarded a bus and made our way back through the mountainous passes towards Jerusalem. I was sitting right up the front of a large bus, on the right side, while the rest of the group sat more towards the back.

The road was very narrow, with a deep valley on the right hand side. As we approached a very sharp left turn in the road, the driver slowed down, moved towards the right of the road, then swung the steering wheel around the corner. The result was that my part of the bus went right over the edge of the road as we slowly turned. It was just then that I made the mistake of looking out of the window. My part of the bus was suspended over the edge as we turned, and I looked down in horror at a 3,000 foot drop into the deep valley below. For about two seconds I was sure that I was going to die.

Suddenly it was over, and we were merrily driving along the road. The driver and rest of the passengers were totally oblivious as to what I had just experienced. I sat there in disbelief, and humbly thanked God that I was still alive. In a matter of two seconds, I had gained a new appreciation for my precious life.

Even at this moment, I still benefit profoundly from that terrifying experience. I am forever thankful for the gift of life, and my gratitude is directed at God alone.

The moral Law hangs us over eternity. For those of us who experience true conviction of sin, it is an overwhelming horror. The reality of our depravity demands that we be damned forever. We look around at the rest of humanity and see that they are oblivious to what is happening. Life is a joyride, and death and damnation are far from their thoughts. But for us, the Law calls for our execution. It stirs a conscience that points its finger at our guilt. We are going to be damned, and there’s no hope. None. The experience takes our breath away in horror.

But then we hear of the cross--the glorious good news of the cross! Jesus Christ suffered and died for us, while we were yet sinners. We hear that God has turned a corner for humanity through the gospel. We can live--forever. Oh the relief of God’s mercy! Oh the unspeakable gratitude that suddenly comes from nowhere and explodes towards God for His kindness.

Without the terrors of the Law, the professed Christian drives along the path of life with no appreciation for what we have been given in the gospel. That’s why so many within the Church can sit passively in the pew. They have never experienced the terrors of the Law, and so they don’t have gratitude enough to even consider doing the will of the God they profess to love.

Interesting...

A new scientific study has revealed that, if your parents didn’t have children, neither will you.

Today's Atheist Memory Verse

"For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse..." (Romans 1:20)

Grasping for Evidence

"I'm intrigued that you say paintings and watches are bound by the laws of nature when the Bible talks of parting seas, walking on water, healing without medicine, random, global flooding, smiting, pillars of salt, virgin birth, resurrection and more -- none of which seem to obey any laws of nature we've discovered to date." Andy

This epitomizes the problem of speaking with a professing atheist. They stand on their own oxygen hose, and then wonder why they are grasping for evidence of the existence of God. However, what they maintain that they cannot find--evidence, is right in front of their nose. God created the sea. It didn’t crawl up out of a puddle billions of years ago, created by nothing. How crazy is that? So, if God made the sea, He can part it if He wants to. If He made the sea, He can also walk on it. If He created the human body, He can fix it when it breaks. He can smite what he wants, when He wants. He can create pillars of salt, pillars of fire, and pillars of goose feathers, if He wants. Virgin birth? No problem. Resurrection--piece of cake (see Acts 26:8).

The problem is, we are trying to reason with the person the Bible calls a "fool" (see Psalm 14:1) and fools tend to be very unreasonable. Want proof? Watch the comments for evidence.

A Big Deal For an Atheist

"Man, you just gotta love it. Ray, you become more and more a self-parody every day.The man in your little comic is clearly pitching the Bible over his left shoulder, despite the Bible predicting that he would do it over his right shoulder. This is especially funny because unlike text that you can just edit after the fact, you won't be able to edit the image to cover the error nearly as easily. What will you do, I wonder? Will you beseech Richard Gunther to draw up a corrected version? Will you try to Photoshop it yourself? Or will you just yank the post entirely, to try to cover your idiocy? It really doesn't matter what you do, Ray...we'll save the original comic for posterity."

You Have to Hear This

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QERyh9YYEis

News Release: Religulous: Maher Mockery of Muslims May Backfire

In Religulous, due to be released in 500 theaters this week, comedian Bill Maher travels to numerous religious sites, such as Jerusalem, the Vatican, and Salt Lake City, interviewing believers from a variety of backgrounds, including Jews for Jesus, Christians, and Muslims.

Best-selling author and TV co-host Ray Comfort said, "I don’t blame Bill Maher for mocking religion. Manmade religion has left a trail of destruction throughout history--from the Roman Catholic Inquisition, its famous Crusades against Islam, and pedophile priests, to hypocritical Protestant ministers and money-hungry televangelists. I can see why he took the trouble to make the movie. In one sense, it’s overdue."

However, the author said that although the film is bound to be popular in the U.S., it may badly backfire on Maher. Comfort said that in 2007 he befriended the atheist who received national attention for encouraging other atheists to post videos of themselves blaspheming God. "I emailed him explaining that Muslims translate the name 'God' as 'Allah,' and suggested that he rethink what he was doing. Muslims killed a number of people for merely publishing cartoons of their prophet Mohammad. I also reminded him that author Salmon Rushdie is still hiding in fear of his life for his Satanic Verses. All it would take is a report on Arab television that Americans were making videos blaspheming Allah and saying, 'And I am not afraid,' to stir a response. After I sent that email, the blasphemy challenge seemed to disappear very quickly."

Comfort warns that Hollywood has gotten away with mockery of Christianity, but many Muslims aren’t so tolerant. "How will they react to a movie that critics describe as 'a blasphemous detonation of all things holy'? Even Maher’s casual jesting with his Jesus could be offensive to Muslims, who believe Jesus was a prophet. Imagine if the movie catches the attention of Arab news, which reports, 'American Comedian Mocks Allah in Popular Movie.' Already, the International Herald Tribune’s lead article was titled "Maher vs. God." The movie’s website www.lionsgate.com/religulous/ links to a site that has a Muslim symbol with the word 'Bastard' beside it. While that site has a sense of anonymity, the famous comedian doesn't, as his face is easily recognizable. I wouldn’t want to be in Maher's shoes, or even in the seat of a theater that upsets Muslims. We are living in volatile times. We don’t need this sort of thing right now--religious intolerance. I seriously suggest that he postpone the release date, and do a little last-minute editing."

The Canadian Press said that Maher "dissects organized religion, but he's doing it in his laceratingly funny, typically sardonic way . . . But Maher undermines his arguments at the end when the tone turns sharply serious: He tries to make a connection between religion and all the wars and violence in the world, and he does it with the same kind of certitude he just got done condemning others for having."

Comfort added that he also believes Maher is straining at gnats and swallowing a camel with his movie. "He is speaking the truth when he talks of religion’s trail of destruction. But religion comes in second when it comes to committing atrocities down through the ages. Atheistic communism is number one. It is responsible for more than 100 million deaths. The problem isn’t religion or atheism. It’s human nature. That's what needs to change."

Comfort is the author of Hollywood Be Thy Name (Bridge-Logos), which looks at Hollywood’s history of blasphemy and why it is so out of step with mainstream America. It explains why movies such as Religulous wouldn’t have made it to the box office before the 1950s, and what it was in 1962 that opened the floodgates to unrestrained blasphemy.

Contact: T. Ramos: tramos@livingwaters.com