Any requests?

I'm still working on my sexuality, science, and the Bible post, just to let you all know.
I was also wondering. . .do any of my (small number of) readers have any science questions or concerns related to the Bible that they'd like addressed? The media puts out a lot of information that isn't necessarily true or accurate, not that I'm saying I'm 100% correct, but I do view science from a completely different point of view than most of the world. So let me know if you questions and I'll try to address them. :)
Oh, you can email me or post a comment--my comments are moderated so I'll see it before it posts.

Finally, a new post!

Ok, so it has been over a year since I have written a blog. I have at least been thinking  harder about blogging lately.  Telling myself, "Man, I really need to blog about this or that." Blogging helps me think about why I believe what I believe, which helps me defend my beliefs when asked questions by non-believers (I hate defending myself though, I am a very weak debater).
I've also been asked a few times if I would write a new blog. . .I've even gotten a few compliments mixed in with requests (positive reinforcement always helps :) ). . . There are many excuses, none of them are good enough (well maybe having a toddler might be a slightly valid excuse). I think I was mostly selfish with my time. But I've been telling myself since the last Gospel meeting that I need to be willing to make sacrifices of some kind, especially in light of the sacrifice that Jesus made. Tom Hamilton preached this last Gospel meeting and pointed out that the only thing that kept Jesus on the cross was his love for us. Since He created everything, it wasn't the iron of the nails or the wood of the cross that kept him up there. . .as Tom put it, there was nothing to stop him from coming down from the cross and destroying everyone with laser beams (of course the laser beam thing really helped the whole idea gel with me, :) I read a lot of comic books as a kid--and yes I am a girl--a very nerdy girl). The only thing that could have stopped Him, and did stop Him, was the fact that if He didn't finish His Father's will, the human race would be lost. So Brother Tom pointed out that we should all be willing to make a sacrifice. Most of us will not be asked to give our lives for others, and none of us would be in the position of Jesus, none of us would have the ability to call down 12 legions of angels, let alone the ability to resist calling them down, but all of us will have an opportunity (probably daily) to give a little of ourselves either by sacrificing our time or our money. What it boils down to is that we (I) need to sacrifice something that means something to us or it isn't a sacrifice. I prefer to read a book or watch a movie or surf the 'net or play a video game, all of which I spend my free time and money on doing (Notice that all of things allow me to avoid interacting with other people? I'm an introvert--which really could be a whole other blog post--how to be an introverted Christian).
Anyway, what finally prompted me to start up my blog (Lord, please help me stay on top of it this time) was a Bible study I'm doing on email with some of the ladies from church. The book we are studying out of (Forgotten Womanhood, by Joanne Beckly) brought up a question about some scientific discoveries about transsexuals and what this mean for a Christian. One wonderful lady (and my mentor--don't blush ML!) was wondering about this question, and I can not resist a question related to science. Besides, shortly after I became a Christian I had a very similar concern and discussed my concerns with a very smart man (Keith Camp, oddly enough, over email :) honestly, it is a lot more convenient for me to do email discussions and studies because of the needs of my family coupled with having a sometimes-more-than-full-time job--it just so happens that it also fits my personality :) ).
So my next topic is going to be on sexuality and the bible. Probably the most controversial topic I have written about yet. I definitely was not planning on staging a comeback with that topic, for sure!! But it is practically already written. . . so be looking for it soon :)

A letter to my mom (in response to her note on face book)

Dear Mom,
Maybe your note is pointed at me in particular. If it is then I would make the following responses. You appear to be stereotyping all "organized" religion. But you haven't stepped foot into any of these churches. Please don’t think I'm trying to argue with you either. I know where you are coming from, you raised me :) I think you did a wonderful job. You also taught me how to stick up for myself, other people, my beliefs, not to judge a book by its cover, not to fall for stereotypes, and that what I perceive is not necessarily reality (a rule I still have difficulty with).
In response to your first point: I chose a church that chooses to follow the plan outlined by God for the use of church funds. It is clearly stated in the Bible how these funds should be used. Our elders use our funds to support the upkeep of our church (which is mostly 4 walls and 1 roof), to support our preacher, and to partially support a few men who are spreading the Word. The Bible does not give us permission to spend church funds on recreational activities, orphanages, colleges, or anything except supporting the church or believers in need.
To your second point: I am assuming by “organized religion” you are referring to any of the religions that base their beliefs on what they believe is the Word of God. These include Jews, Protestants, Catholics, Muslims, and Mormons. Since I am a Christian I obviously believe that I am right and everyone else is wrong, just like everyone else believes they are right and I am wrong. That is part of having faith in your religion. This obviously makes me intolerant. But do you understand why believers of any faith are intolerant? The Bible is very specific about what is right and what is wrong. I try to follow God and Jesus’ example. God loves everyone, but God abhors sin. I try to love everyone too. But I do not love their sin, or their choice to sin, or my sin. I hate sin. Unfortunately I sin all the time. But if you follow God’s plan of salvation then you are forgiven of all your sins. I don’t think this is a free ticket to Heaven either. I don’t think you can repent and then go straight back to knowingly sinning. But you can ask God to forgive you a million times as long as you are sincere and keep trying you will be forgiven. So my point is . . . God has outlined for us in the Bible what is sinful. This includes all of the things you have mentiones:

1. People who are married to divorced people. Jesus specifically says, “. . . whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery” Matthew 5:31; and He says, “. . . whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.” Matthew 19:9, Mark 10: 11-12; and Paul (the Apostle and therefore inspired writer) said that divorce is not permitted, but if it does happen then the divorcee should not remarry. And yes I know that many people find this fact offensive, scary and hurtful, but I did not make this rule, I am quoting the Bible.
2. Those living out of wedlock. This is simply fornication which we are told many times is a sin, Matthew 15:19, Mark 7:21, 1 Corinthians 6:9, Hebrews13:4. I myself did this, but I was ignorant, and have repented, and yes that is easy for me to do now. . . I hope I would have stopped doing it then, but I don’t know.
3. Homosexuals, we are also told that this choice is a sin (1 Corinthians 6:9, 1 Timothy 1:10, Romans 1:27).

Now, I do my best not to judge others based on my beliefs. We are only allowed to show others what the Bible says. We can not condemn anyone else. I agree with you, there is only one Judge. Only God knows what is in the hearts of man and only he knows why people do what they do. But he gave us a rule book to tell us how to live so that we can be united with him after this life. I can only tell you what I read. But I think it would be helpful if you studied the Bible too or even come to my church. Then maybe you could see why we think the way we think. I think it is a little unfair of you to be so angry when you haven’t actually met the people at my church and generalize all of the hypocrisy from others you have interacted with. Believe me I am not saying we are perfect. We understand that nobody is perfect, but we try to do our best.
Perhaps you are disappointed in my choice to follow the Bible. But you should consider why I ended up choosing that path. My whole life brought me to that choice. I searched for several years, and I finally found something that makes sense to me. I’m not saying it is easy to give up a worldly life. That was all I knew before. But I also was empty on the inside. I tried to fill my soul with useless things like alcohol, material items, and boys. I feel free now. I no longer think about how to fill the emptiness inside. It is filled. I know my purpose in life. To love God by obeying His Word. I wish that everyone could find this out, but the Bible also warns us that people will either hear the word and be pierced to the heart and be saddened and want to change (Acts 2:37) or be cut to the quick and become very angry and not listen (Acts 5:33; 7:54). Everybody in my church wants everybody else to go to heaven and will try to help each other get there. We want everyone to go to heaven, but we understand that people will choose to live their own lives how they see fit. God gave us the ability to choose for a reason.

Scientific theories: Should we believe everything scientists tell us?

No.
First of all for those of you that don't know anything about me: I have a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Toxicology. This basically means I am a scientist. My particular research focuses on behavioral pharmacology, which means I experiment with how drugs affect behavior. I will never be a famous scientist (I am not interested in any field that might have led to that--and I chose to make my family my number 1 priority). But through the process of earning my Ph.D. I have developed strong analytical skills and the ability to use deductive reasoning. I have also learned how to read large amounts of information and pull out the important little tidbits. Please do not think I am bragging, you have to learn these skills to successfully defend your dissertation and earn your Ph.D. I want the reader to understand where I am coming from with this particular post.
With that said. . .
One of the brethren at my local church was given an assignment in school requiring him to write a short paper to prove or disprove the theory of evolution, using scientific literature to support his argument (at least 3 sources). I loaned him a book that had essays from 50 other scientists discussing why they believed in the 6 days of creation. I warned him that there was tons of information supporting evolution, but that it would be difficult disproving evolution. I also pointed out that, unfortunately, depending on his teachers bias, he may not get a fair grade if he goes with what he believes. I encouraged him to go for it (if time permitted him). I also pointed out something that bothers me a great deal. This is:
Just because the majority of scientists believe that certain assumptions are true, does not make the theory true (I didn't actually say it like that, 'cause I had got all worked up about it when I was talking to him :p).
I was reminded of our conversation while I read the following article this morning: Father wants biology book banned
I actually made a similar comment to what I told my friend on the article this morning (it was drowned out by all of the other comments, but I put my 2 cents in anyways).
So here is why we should NOT believe everything scientists tell us (some of this I have written in a previous post (Observations on Humanity's Arrogance)):
It is impossible to prove anything that happened in the past. However, we can come up with theories describing what happened. These theories are typically based on several assumptions. Dictionary.com defines assumption as the following
–noun

1.something taken for granted; a supposition: a correct assumption.
2.the act of taking for granted or supposing.
3.the act of taking to or upon oneself.
4.the act of taking possession of something: the assumption of power.
5.arrogance; presumption.
6.the taking over of another's debts or obligations.
The definition that applies to our discussion is number 1. Dictionary.com further defines supposition as:
–noun

1.the act of supposing.
2.something that is supposed; assumption; hypothesis
So when coming up with theories to explain something that occurred in the past, scientist have to come up with these assumptions.
For example, when making certain scientific calculations, you use certain scientific constants. An example of a scientific constant is the speed of light. Anybody who has ever used this constant in a physics equation knows that it is based on (at least) 2 assumptions: (1.) the speed of light doesn't change and (2.) that (putting in extremely simple terms) the light is traveling through a vacuum (so there is nothing to interfere with its speed). ***disclaimer*** I was never a fan of physics and while I studied this kind of stuff in physical chemistry I forgot it as soon as I could :).
So, logically, if you are trying to calculate an equation that uses the speed of light constant the answer you come up with would only be accurate, or correct, if we lived in a vacuum, which is not possible for millions of reasons, number one being no air to breathe. Since we don't live in a vacuum, all those calculations I made in Physics I and II are technically incorrect.
One assumption that is made to prove the age of the age of the earth is billions of years old is that radioactive decay constants have always (over the billions of years) been the same. These constants have never changed. My thing is, how could we possibly prove that? We can no more prove that uranium decays at exactly the same rate it does now that it did 1 billion years ago, then we can scientifically prove that God does exist. You have to have faith either way. I personally find it much easier to believe that God created the earth 6000 years ago, then to believe that a bunch of elements randomly came together and formed a bunch of random chemicals, that formed a bunch of random proteins and DNA molecules, that formed a bunch of random cells, etc. Yep, it took me almost 30 years (well 25, since we won't count my first 5 years) to figure out that God makes way more sense.
So please, don't believe something is true just because a bunch of highly educated scientists say it is. If you want to believe something is true, make sure you understand the underlying assumptions that were used for proving it. Then you'll understand that both evolution and creationism are equally provable or improvable and YOU have to decide for YOURSELF which makes more sense to YOU. But, know that, based on my beliefs and assumptions, I will be praying for you to find the Truth. Also, if I am wrong, no big deal right? But if you believe in evolution and you're wrong, we may not see each other in the next life, and it hurts my heart to think of the eternal torment that you would suffer (if you are wrong).
God bless you.

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God's Word: Fact or Fiction

***DISCLAIMER: I encourage anyone who reads my blog to fact check anything I write. First of all, I don't want to lead anyone astray. Secondly, I would appreciate knowing if I was in error so I can correct my ways. Thirdly, I am a scientist who became a Christian; I am not trained in biblical studies. The stuff I come up with is the stuff I have picked up from my church, reading the Bible, and doing random bits of research in the last year since I converted. ***
This topic has been on my mind for a couple of weeks now. My husband feels that the Bible is a guide book for us to live by and that as long as we try to live good lives we will get to heaven. He further believes that there are some parts of it that are true and some parts of it that are fiction. We recently had a discussion on this latter belief. Unfortunately I am not very good at discussing things. I have an easier time writing out why I agree or disagree with him. So the topic of this particular post is an argument for believing in the entirety of the Bible.
I will address three points brought up in mine and my husband's discussion. They are as follows:

1. We are told throughout the scriptures that they are God's inspired Word: written by men, inspired by God.
2. Many people are concerned about the Bible being corrupted (I was one such person).
3. There are clearly illustrative stories in the Bible. Jesus frequently makes use of such (parables), and for good reason. (I believe that this is going to have to be a post of it's own).

First I just want to give a little background on the Bible in general. For a newbie in Christ there were several connections that I had to make when it came to God's Word, the Bible, the Old Testament (OT), the New Testament (NT), scriptures, and Jesus. Some of these connections I am still grasping. Basically I will use God's Word interchangeably with the Bible. The Bible is made up of the OT and the NT. Scriptures make up the Bible. Jesus is also referred to as the Word (John 1:1-5). When Jesus refers to scriptures, he is referring to OT (that is probably obvious to people who were raised in the church, but not so obvious to someone who has never actually studied the Bible--or maybe just me :) ). A reference in a gospel to scriptures is going to refer to the OT, but a reference in the epistles (all the books of the NT that are not the 4 gospels or Acts) to scripture may mean OT, books of the gospels, Acts (this is a history of the start of the church and is extremely important), and the epistles that early churches authenticated as scripture (and by early I mean churches in the first and second century). Some of this is so easy to grasp, that people overlook it and I think clarity of these words is important to my effort to make my argument (not that I offered much in
the way of clarity, but at least it is all laid out :D).
Point 1: Written by Men, Inspired by God.
When my husband and I were having this discussion I forgot that I had bought a Bible study guide (Self-Study Bible Course, by Derek Prince) a while back--which I have barely started. The first topic in the study guide is on God's Word. The first memory verse it gives you is 2 Timothy 3:16, "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;" Obviously my point here is "ALL Scripture is inspired by God." Ok, dictionary.com defines inspired as an adjective:
1. aroused, animated, or imbued with the spirit to do something, by or as if by supernatural or divine influence: an inspired poet.

So yes, God inspired men to write the Scriptures. Peter basicaly tells us in 2 Peter 1:20-21 that humans can not interpret prophecy into Scripture, on a human moved by the Holy Spirit have spoken from God. The OT can be divided into sections. The first five books are the Law, then there are the histories, the poetical books, the major prophets, and the minor prophets. When you read a book of a prophet you are told over and over that the prophet is being told what to say (or write) to the people by God. I am not going to list actual verses because they are too numerous, but look in Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel for examples. The interesting thing about stuff the prophets told of is that their prophecies came true! (Again I can't cite these verses because they are too numerous, basically read one of the gospels, particularly the book of John). This brings us to
Point 2: Incorruptible (if God laid out a plan of salvation dontcha think he would protect it?).
A lot of people worry about the fact that men have messed with the Bible. But that is one of the interesting things about the Bible. A lot of people have messed with it, yet we still have the "originals." It is just a matter of figuring out who is right and who is wrong.
Here are a couple of interesting points that I have learned over the last year (*WARNING* if you belong to a particular denomination/religion this may upset you):
The Bible has been corrupted into other books that claim to be holy texts. However, the plan of salvation is laid out for us in the NT.
Israel broke God's covenant with them over, and over, and over (Judges is a good example of that). I am no better than the ancient Israelites;  I try, and try, and try to do what is right in the sight of the Lord. But that is the beauty of the NT--the gospel is the fulfillment of God's covenant (the old covenant, AKA the OT) with Israel and the beginning of the new covenant (i.e., NT. examples: Matthew 5:17--Jesus came to fulfill not abolish the Law or Prophets; Jeremiah 31; Jeremiah 32:40; Ezekiel 16:60--the establishment of an everlasting covenant; Hebrews 9; etc). So the Gospel, which is defined as "glad tidings" (dictionary.com #6) is that (for those who choose to believe in the Son) Israel is free from trying to gain salvation from following the Law (thanks to the Grace of God) and the rest of the world (gentiles) may also become God's people and receive God's Grace. All of us now have the opportunity to obey God's Word and join our Creator in heaven (provided we follow God's plan of salvation that is outlined for us in the NT).
With that said, why would it be necessary to add anything to the Bible? (For those of you who don't know this, the Quran and the book of Mormons are based--or perhaps "include" would be a better choice of words--on the OT/NT Bible--but please note, I have not read either of these so I can not say what is different and what is the same, I would like to be able to study these one day to strengthen my arguments, but I do not have that kind of time at this period in my life). It is also important to note that very few religious texts claim to be revelations of God. At least in the case of the Bible we have history to show us that prophecy did come true. As far as I can tell, none of the other texts that claim to be divine revelations can boast such a claim.
Now, I could continue this discussion, but it is very late (for me). So I am going to stop here, on a weak note, and pick this up again on Thursday (Lord willing!). Sorry to leave you guys hanging. May God bless you and keep you safe!

Faith, the final frontier. . . (man I am such a dork!)

Now, I have been having an email discussion with a fellow believer, who used to be a staunch "once saved, always saved" believer, but has relaxed his stance over the years. I haven't had a chance to respond to his most recent response in our discussion, but I have been meaning to tell him I think we actually agree with each other on the fundamental fact that Grace cannot be earned. That is what makes it Grace. Once we are in Christ we receive Grace, which is a gift that is not deserved. I think that this is an indisputable fact. Humans do not deserve to be in the presence of God. But God loves us and has made it possible for us to be with Him one day. He has given us a precious gift. We also agree that a person can loose faith, and then loose their place with God. What we might disagree on is how one goes about losing faith.
I believe that we should recognize our sins and ask God to forgive us of them. I believe that we have to have faith that God will forgive us of them. I think people give up on repenting, because they listen to that evil inner voice that tells them, "You will never be good enough, you might as well give up, and you know you will do this again tomorrow." When that happens, you are losing faith that God will forgive you. You lose faith that Christ's blood is all that is needed to purify you. As my friend pointed out, the only thing God requires of a Christian is to have faith. Why should we have a place in heaven if we aren't going to have faith to believe in God? Now my friend and I probably disagree on how faith is demonstrated. I do not believe in faith only, per se. I believe we demonstrate our faith in God by obeying God's word. I feel like if we could go to heaven on faith only or once saved always saved then the New Testament would have a lot less books and pages in it. What would be the point of the epistles? Even if we remove the epistles that people say aren't as "important" as others, there are still several epistles describing to us how a Christian should live. I think we demonstrate our faith by obeying these guidelines that God had the apostles write for us. I also think these guidelines are timeless. Therefore they are just a useful and pertinent now than they were 2000 years ago.
From an atheist’s point of view, the Bible is a bunch of rules that goes against our natural urges. Why fight it? Well, little do atheists know (and don't forget I was once such a one), if you try to live by God's rules, your life is so much better. If you look out for others first instead of looking out for yourself, you will be sooo much happier. It is when we are looking out for ourselves that we end up getting ourselves hurt.
Well, it isn't very late, but I am very tired (I've been working a lot lately, and work has been pretty crazy the last few months--it wears on a girl). So I am not sure if this blog even makes sense, but I started writing it at the end of the other one, when I realized they weren't really the same topic. I think the take home message of this post is that, you have to have faith to go to heaven. By obeying God's word you are demonstrating your faith. When you lose faith, you are lost.
Remember, God loves each and everyone of you, but he hates your sin. He wants all of us to be with Him, but it does require a little effort on your part. Feel free to post a comment I was considering putting my email out there, but with all of my *controversial* topics, I think I'll just let people leave comments. Please note: I will post your comment even if you disagree with me. I will not post your comment if it is hateful or obscene.
God bless you all and I pray that if you are searching you find Him :)