4) What did God create? How did He create it? What was God’s opinion about what He created?
Day 1 – Light. He spoke it into being. This was not the sun. Created the sun later. God first created light. For what purpose? To force back the darkness. To bring warmth to an extremely cold world. He said it was good and created nothing else. What do you think God meant by that? He was pleased with what He did. Took pleasure in what He had accomplished. Is there a lesson for us? Hard for us to reflect on our accomplishments and take joy in it. We’re already moving on to the next project. Application – Over evening meal, reflect on day with family and share one thing you did that day you’re pleased with. Scientific study of light is called optics.
Day 2 – The heavens/sky/expanse. He spoke it into being. Essentially what God did was create the atmosphere. He created the gaseous elements that are the ingredients for our atmosphere – Nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, etc., that makes life sustainable. Scientific study of atmosphere called meteorolgy
Day 3 – Land and seas. Spoke it into being. Forming of oceans and continents. It was good. Didn’t stop there. On day 3, God also created plant life in the form grasses, flowers, vegetable and fruit bearing plants and trees. He spoke it into being. God said it was good. He was pleased with what He did and created nothing else. There are about 400,000 different species of plants probably more. The process of how a plant starts as a seed to become a flower, tomato plant, or oak tree amazes me. It is a designed process not an accidental process. Moreover, certain food producing plants and trees only do so certain times of the year. Plant in spring and harvest in fall. What is meant by according to its own kind? Simply put a bean plant will produce a bean not corn. An apple tree will produce an apple not an orange. Paul Kaseloo will be talking more on this topic. What is the purpose of plant life? Primarily source of food. Also oxygen. Process known as photosynthesis. Plant takes energy from light in order to convert carbon doxide into food the plant needs to survive. The byproduct of this process? Oxygen. Plants emit oxygen into the atmosphere. Who needs oxygen to survive? Humans and animals. Predominant science says that photosynthesis developed naturally - it happened on its own. I say photosynthesis was designed by God. Scientific study of land is called geology. Scientific study of oceans is called oceanography.
Day 4 – Lights in the heavens, specifically sun, moon, stars, and planets. He spoke them into being. God said it was good. He was pleased with what He did and created nothing else. Predominant science’s explanation for creation of moon – We think our planet collided with another planet. Not a direct collision. More like a side swipe. The partial collision took out a chunk of the earth sending it orbit around the earth at just the right spot necessary to enable complex life to form on earth. Overtime this chunk evolved into the moon.
What purposes did the lights in the heavens serve?
a) Separate day from night – On day 4, God creates specific objects whose purpose were to separate day from night. The light that God created on day 1 was not produced by the sun, moon, stars, etc. It was simply light that God created to force back the darkness.
b) Signs and seasons – Original purpose of constellations was not for purpose of astrology – foretell future events or determine fate of people. Example of how humans have perverted God’s creation. Constellations designed as a means to predict natural events – specifically, planting and harvesting of food producing plants and trees. Around the world, farmers know that for most crops, you plant in the spring and harvest in the fall. But in some regions, there is not much differentiation between the seasons. Since different constellations are visible at different times of the year, you can use them to tell what season it is. For example, Scorpius is only visible in the northern hemisphere's evening sky in the summer. Same is true with individual stars. People looked for certain stars to appear at a certain time to let them know it is time to plant or to harvest. For example, ancient Egyptians looked for the star Sirius to rise before the sun did. It coincided with the annual flooding of the Nile River which marked the beginning of planting season. Before the compass, how did sailors navigate the seasons? Stars and constellations. Constellations and stars appear certain times of the year in certain part of the night sky like clockwork. Not haphazardly. Another example of God’s design.
c) Days and years – With the creation of the sun and moon, the ability to tell time begins. God creates the means for how humans will be able to determine the length of a day, a month, and a year. Day/night – depending on the culture, day/night is determined by rising and setting or setting and rising of sun. Month – length of time determined by phases of moon that occurs about every thirty days. Many ancient peoples used the moon to tell time. Year – length of time it takes the earth to revolve around the sun – 365 days.
d) light the earth – sun to light the day and moon, stars, and planets to light the night. Imagine the night sky with no moon, stars, and planets. The darkness would be overwhelming. Whenever I go back home to rural Alabama, I make sure to take time to look up at the night sky. No man-made lights to dim the light produce by celestial bodies. Night sky is a masterpiece designed by God. I praise God for the beauty and wonder of His Creation whenever I see the night sky.
When God created the Sun, moon, planets, etc., He also created what is commonly referred to as natural laws. Examples - law of gravity, laws of motion. Laws that keep us firmly planted on the ground, maintain our orbit around the sun, etc. Study of celestial bodies is called astronomy.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
In the Beginning ... pt. 1
I. The Creation Story according to today’s science
In the beginning, we’re really not sure but we think the universe began with a Big Bang. All matter and energy was contained in a single point. Then in the blink of an eye, we think there was a period of exponential expansion driven by a mysterious propulsive energy. This energy caused something arbitrarily small to become arbitrarily big. Result was the creation of the universe. Over the course of billions of years, the universe began to cool. We think microscopic particles began to form and collide into one another. These particles formed a solar dust cloud that circled a star, the Sun. Over the next 30 million years, as the dust particles continued to slam into one another they became bigger and bigger eventually becoming planets including earth. Therefore, we think that the earth was formed by millions of pieces of rocks randomly stuck together. As the earth cooled, the earth’s crust (land) began to form. Over the course of billions of years, meteorites rained down upon the earth. These meteorites contained water. We think that meteorites brought water to earth drop by drop and after billions if years created oceans that covered the earth. We don’t know the number of meteorites it took to create all the water that is on the earth, but we think that is how water came to be. We also think meteorites brought the basic chemical building blocks for life, namely amino acids. They were the starting point for all life, plant and animal. Problem: there was no oxygen necessary to support such complex life forms. The atmosphere was extremely toxic with methane, carbon dioxide, and sulfuric acid. However, we think there were microorganisms that thrived in this environment. They breathed in the toxic gases and breathed out oxygen. We think that over the course of millions of years, billions of these microorganisms produced tons of oxygen that created our present atmosphere setting the stage for complex forms of life, plant and animal. Another factor, and perhaps the most important, is that the earth formed not too close or too far from the sun. In layman’s terms, the earth is a “Goldilock’s planet.” We are a fortunate/lucky to be in the perfect spot of the solar system that is not too hot or too cold to develop and sustain complex life.
One of the world’s leading scientist, Stephen Hawking, wrote in his latest book the Grand Design - Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist. It is not necessary to invoke God to explain the creation of the universe. Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing.
What is your reaction/response to Hawking’s statement?
II. The Creation Story according to the Bible.
Genesis chapter 1:1-2
1. Ponder over the words of Genesis 1:1. What does it say to you? Prior to the beginning, there was something, or I should say someone, God. The universe (heavens and earth) had a definite beginning. God did not. He’s always existed (Revelation 4:8.) The Hebrew word for “create” is Bara’ – to create, shape, form. I picture God as an artist/sculptor. The canvas is blank. The stone is uncut. In their mind’s eye, the artist/sculptor knows what the final product will look like. To get to that point, you have to have a plan. It has to be thought through. The artist/sculptor proceeds to form/shape what is in their mind. It takes time. There is a purpose to what is being created. Artist/sculptor does not create without a reason. Their creation serves a purpose. The final product says a lot about its creator.
The universe was not created on a whim. God created the universe with much forethought. God gave form/gave shape to the universe. He planned every minute detail of Creation starting from the atom (proton, neutron, electron) to the largest galaxy. It’s so easy to read “Let there be light, let there be plants, let there be animals, let there be sun, moon, stars” and think otherwise. Everything God created was done so by design and with purpose. When God created light, He set the speed of light in a vacuum at 186,000 miles per second. When God created water, He established the molecular code for water – H2O. When God created life, He established the configuration of cells (chromosomes, mitochondria, nucleus, etc.) that make life possible and gives each person their own individual identity. There was a reason why God created the moon. God did not create the moon just to light up the night sky. Without the moon, life on earth would not exist or, at least, be very different than it is presently. Moreover, God placed the moon in the right orbit around the earth in order to sustain life. Any closer or any further life would not be possible or at least different. God created the size of earth and set the rotational speed of earth to create a gravitational pull that would sustain life. If the earth was bigger or smaller or rotated faster or slower, life would be unsustainable or at the least different.
The above is what is meant by “God created” in Genesis 1:1. We’ll come back to the above point repeatedly as we examine Creation.
2) vs. 2. What was the earth like immediately after it was created? Formless – no shape to it. Void – empty of all life. Dark – Pitch black. Deep – covered in deep water.
3) What was God doing? Of all the places in the universe God could be, He was on earth hovering over the waters. Looking it over.
Genesis 1:3-31
There is much discussion concerning the length of time it took for God to create the earth. Six days? Six billion years? The Hebrew word for “day” used in Genesis has a dozen different definitions – 12 hour day, 24 hour day, year, age, etc. What all the definitions have in common is that they refer to the passage of time. Beginning of something to the end of something. Read II Peter 3:8. What is a day to someone who is eternal? As we look at Creation, our focus will be on who created, what was created, and how it was created and not on how long it took to create. For me the who, the what, and the how are for more important than when. God could have created the earth and everything on it in six seconds if He wanted to. God did not create the earth in one moment of time. He did so across six separate periods of time. Why? To set an example for us to follow. Exodus 20:8-11. We are to follow the example of our Creator. God has given us six days to do our work. We are not to accomplish every task in one day. Talk more on this topic when we get to the seventh day of Creation.
In the beginning, we’re really not sure but we think the universe began with a Big Bang. All matter and energy was contained in a single point. Then in the blink of an eye, we think there was a period of exponential expansion driven by a mysterious propulsive energy. This energy caused something arbitrarily small to become arbitrarily big. Result was the creation of the universe. Over the course of billions of years, the universe began to cool. We think microscopic particles began to form and collide into one another. These particles formed a solar dust cloud that circled a star, the Sun. Over the next 30 million years, as the dust particles continued to slam into one another they became bigger and bigger eventually becoming planets including earth. Therefore, we think that the earth was formed by millions of pieces of rocks randomly stuck together. As the earth cooled, the earth’s crust (land) began to form. Over the course of billions of years, meteorites rained down upon the earth. These meteorites contained water. We think that meteorites brought water to earth drop by drop and after billions if years created oceans that covered the earth. We don’t know the number of meteorites it took to create all the water that is on the earth, but we think that is how water came to be. We also think meteorites brought the basic chemical building blocks for life, namely amino acids. They were the starting point for all life, plant and animal. Problem: there was no oxygen necessary to support such complex life forms. The atmosphere was extremely toxic with methane, carbon dioxide, and sulfuric acid. However, we think there were microorganisms that thrived in this environment. They breathed in the toxic gases and breathed out oxygen. We think that over the course of millions of years, billions of these microorganisms produced tons of oxygen that created our present atmosphere setting the stage for complex forms of life, plant and animal. Another factor, and perhaps the most important, is that the earth formed not too close or too far from the sun. In layman’s terms, the earth is a “Goldilock’s planet.” We are a fortunate/lucky to be in the perfect spot of the solar system that is not too hot or too cold to develop and sustain complex life.
One of the world’s leading scientist, Stephen Hawking, wrote in his latest book the Grand Design - Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist. It is not necessary to invoke God to explain the creation of the universe. Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing.
What is your reaction/response to Hawking’s statement?
II. The Creation Story according to the Bible.
Genesis chapter 1:1-2
1. Ponder over the words of Genesis 1:1. What does it say to you? Prior to the beginning, there was something, or I should say someone, God. The universe (heavens and earth) had a definite beginning. God did not. He’s always existed (Revelation 4:8.) The Hebrew word for “create” is Bara’ – to create, shape, form. I picture God as an artist/sculptor. The canvas is blank. The stone is uncut. In their mind’s eye, the artist/sculptor knows what the final product will look like. To get to that point, you have to have a plan. It has to be thought through. The artist/sculptor proceeds to form/shape what is in their mind. It takes time. There is a purpose to what is being created. Artist/sculptor does not create without a reason. Their creation serves a purpose. The final product says a lot about its creator.
The universe was not created on a whim. God created the universe with much forethought. God gave form/gave shape to the universe. He planned every minute detail of Creation starting from the atom (proton, neutron, electron) to the largest galaxy. It’s so easy to read “Let there be light, let there be plants, let there be animals, let there be sun, moon, stars” and think otherwise. Everything God created was done so by design and with purpose. When God created light, He set the speed of light in a vacuum at 186,000 miles per second. When God created water, He established the molecular code for water – H2O. When God created life, He established the configuration of cells (chromosomes, mitochondria, nucleus, etc.) that make life possible and gives each person their own individual identity. There was a reason why God created the moon. God did not create the moon just to light up the night sky. Without the moon, life on earth would not exist or, at least, be very different than it is presently. Moreover, God placed the moon in the right orbit around the earth in order to sustain life. Any closer or any further life would not be possible or at least different. God created the size of earth and set the rotational speed of earth to create a gravitational pull that would sustain life. If the earth was bigger or smaller or rotated faster or slower, life would be unsustainable or at the least different.
The above is what is meant by “God created” in Genesis 1:1. We’ll come back to the above point repeatedly as we examine Creation.
2) vs. 2. What was the earth like immediately after it was created? Formless – no shape to it. Void – empty of all life. Dark – Pitch black. Deep – covered in deep water.
3) What was God doing? Of all the places in the universe God could be, He was on earth hovering over the waters. Looking it over.
Genesis 1:3-31
There is much discussion concerning the length of time it took for God to create the earth. Six days? Six billion years? The Hebrew word for “day” used in Genesis has a dozen different definitions – 12 hour day, 24 hour day, year, age, etc. What all the definitions have in common is that they refer to the passage of time. Beginning of something to the end of something. Read II Peter 3:8. What is a day to someone who is eternal? As we look at Creation, our focus will be on who created, what was created, and how it was created and not on how long it took to create. For me the who, the what, and the how are for more important than when. God could have created the earth and everything on it in six seconds if He wanted to. God did not create the earth in one moment of time. He did so across six separate periods of time. Why? To set an example for us to follow. Exodus 20:8-11. We are to follow the example of our Creator. God has given us six days to do our work. We are not to accomplish every task in one day. Talk more on this topic when we get to the seventh day of Creation.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Teachings of World Religions pt. 2
Islam
I. Origin – approximately 610 A.D. in Arabia. Founded by Muhammed. Born in a Mecca – a leading religious and commercial city in Arabia. Major caravan trading city. Jewish and Christian merchants brought their religious teachings with them, particularly the belief in one God. Muhammed’s father died before he was born and his mother died before he turned seven. Raised by an uncle who was a caravan trader. Travelled frequently with his uncle. According to tradition, during a caravan journey to Syria, Muhammed met and had a friendly relationship with a Christian monk. As an adult, Muhammed was a successful caravan trader. He married and had six children – four daughters and two sons. Both sons died in infancy. Grieving over the death of his sons and discontented with life in Mecca, Muhammed went off to a cave by himself for a period of time to meditate and reflect on his life. He went without food and drink for a long period of time. One day Muhammed claimed to receive a revelation from God through the archangel Gabriel. This god claimed to be the god of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and the other OT prophets as well as the god of Jesus, who was not the Son of God but a human prophet. This god told Muhammed that He was anointing Muhammed to be the next prophet to spread God’s message to the world – there was only one god, Allah. In fact, Muhammed would be the last prophet. The Jews and Christians had failed to carry out this mission. They had distorted his message. Muhammed would succeed where they failed. He would restore the one true faith. Muhammed went to his family and shared with them his revelation in the cave. Muhammed’s wife called an elderly cousin, a recent convert to Christianity, to listen to Muhammed to determine whether or not he was crazy. The cousin said no; Muhammed had received a true revelation from god just like Moses and Muhammed must submit to it. Muhammed went back to the cave where he received more revelations from Gabriel.
II. Sacred Writings - The Koran – Revelations of Allah given to Muhammed by Gabriel over the course of 23 years. The Koran focuses on moral guidance and is considered the sourcebook of Islamic principles and values. Muslims regard the Koran as the culmination of a series of divine messages which include the Torah of Moses (first five books of the Bible,) the Psalms of David, and the Gospel of Jesus (not the NT Gospels.) Muslims believe the Koran, the final holy scripture, was sent because all the previous holy books had been either corrupted (story of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, Jesus being the Son of God) or lost. Koran 3:3 - It is He (Allah) Who sent down to thee (step by step), in truth, the Book (Koran), confirming what went before it; and He sent down the Law (of Moses) and the Gospel (of Jesus) before this, as a guide to mankind. The Koran recounts stories of many of the people and events recounted in Jewish and Christian sacred books although it differs in many details. Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Lot, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, David, Solomon, Elijah, Elisha, Jonah, Aaron, Moses, John the Baptist, and Jesus are mentioned in the Koran as prophets of God.
III. Deities – Allah and no other
IV. Teachings
Five Pillars of Islam: 1) Believe that there is no other god but Allah and Muhammed was his prophet. 2) Pray five times a day facing Mecca, the holiest of Islamic cities. 3) Fasting during the month of Ramadan, the month in which the first verses of the Koran were revealed to Muhammad during his fasting. The fast is meant to allow Muslims to seek nearness to God, to express their gratitude to and dependence on him, atone for their past sins, and to remind them of the needy. 4) Pay the zakat – charitable giving to the poor and needy. Zakat consists of spending 2.5% of one's wealth for the benefit of the poor or needy. 5) Hajj – a pilgrimage to Mecca. Every Muslim, male and female, are obligated to go to Mecca at least once in their lifetime if they can afford it. The main rituals of the Hajj include walking seven times around the Kaaba, touching the Black Stone (Islamic tradition holds that the Stone fell from Heaven to show Adam and Eve where to build an altar, which became the first temple on Earth. Muslims believe that the stone was originally pure and dazzling white, but has since turned black because of the sins of the people. Abraham was said to have later found the Black Stone at the original site of Adam's altar when the angel Gabriel revealed it to him. Abraham ordered his son Ishmael to build a new temple, the Kaaba, in which to embed the Stone.), traveling seven times between Mount Safa and Mount Marwah (Hagar’s search), and symbolically stoning the Devil in Mina (Temptation of Abrahama.) Do the previous and live a good moral life and on Judgment Day you will enter Paradise. If you do not, you will be condemned to eternity in Hell.
Between Muhammed’s death in 632 A.D. and 750 A.D., Islam stretched from Spain to India.
Approximately 1.6 billion Muslims in the world. Middle East, North Africa, South Asia, and Southeastern Europe. Almost 1 in 4 people in the world are Muslim.
What role, if any, do you believe Satan played in the birth of Islam? II Corinthians 11:1-15. My opinion - Satan deceived Muhammed by appearing to him as an angel of light/a messenger of God.
All religions (Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity) are different paths that lead to the same God. True or false? John 14:6
Written by Bill Perkins
Sometimes people get upset when they realize that Jesus taught that he is the only way to God. They insist that such a narrow and exclusive message must be wrong. Of course, their conclusion is based on the assumption that anything that's narrow must be wrong. Today we're taught the value of tolerance. And we do need to be tolerant of people with different views. Indeed, such tolerance is virtuous. But we don't want to be tolerant of error.
And it's an error to assume that anything that's narrow is wrong. Truth is narrow and exclusive. Every time I'm in a plane and it lands on the designated runway in the designated direction I'm glad the pilot accepted the narrow and exclusive directions he received from the tower. Or take mathematics, for example. The equation, 2+2= 4, is narrow and exclusive. The combination to a lock is narrow and exclusive.
Jesus taught a narrow path to God? Was he right or wrong? I would suggest he was right as proven by his works. The Old Testament prophets, under divine inspiration, made predictions which only the Messiah could fulfill. The one man who fulfilled all of these prophecies would be the promised Savior. In his book, Science Speaks, Professor Stoner considers eight specific prophecies.
Born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; fulfilled in Matt. 2:1-7; John 7:42).
Preceded by a messenger (Isaiah 40:3; Malachi 3:1; fulfilled in Matt. 3:1-3)
Enter Jerusalem on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9; fulfilled in Luke 35-37).
Be betrayed by a friend (Psalms 41:9; 55:12-14; fulfilled in Matt. 10:4).
Sold for 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12; fulfilled in Matt. 26:15; 27:3).
Betrayal money thrown to the potter in God's house (Zec. 11:13; fulfilled in Matt. 27:5-7).
Silent before his accusers (Isaiah 53:7; fulfilled in Mat. 27:12).
Crucified (Psalm 22:16; Zec. 12:10; Is. 53:5,12; fulfilled in Luke 23:33)
Stoner said that by applying the modern science of probability to just these eight prophecies, the likelihood one man up to the present time could have fulfilled them all is 1 chance in 1017th." That would be one in 100,000,000,000,000,000. Of course, such a huge number is meaningless.
Realizing this, Professor Stoner utilized an illustration intended to bring the number down to earth. He asked the reader to imagine the state of Texas covered two-feet deep with silver dollars. That number of silver dollars would approximate 1017th. From that massive pile a single dollar is lifted out and marked. It is then returned to the pile and all the dollars are thoroughly stirred. Finally, a man is blindfolded and told that he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up the one silver dollar with the mark on it.
The chance he would get the right one is the same chance that the prophets would have had of writing those eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man, from their day to the present time, providing they wrote in their own wisdom.
The only conclusion we can draw is that the prophecies were either given by divine inspiration or the prophets guessed what would happen. In such a case the prophets had just one chance in 1017 of having them come true in any man, but they all came true in Christ.
Why did this happen? Because God wanted us to know that Jesus was who he claimed to be--the only way a person can approach God.
I. Origin – approximately 610 A.D. in Arabia. Founded by Muhammed. Born in a Mecca – a leading religious and commercial city in Arabia. Major caravan trading city. Jewish and Christian merchants brought their religious teachings with them, particularly the belief in one God. Muhammed’s father died before he was born and his mother died before he turned seven. Raised by an uncle who was a caravan trader. Travelled frequently with his uncle. According to tradition, during a caravan journey to Syria, Muhammed met and had a friendly relationship with a Christian monk. As an adult, Muhammed was a successful caravan trader. He married and had six children – four daughters and two sons. Both sons died in infancy. Grieving over the death of his sons and discontented with life in Mecca, Muhammed went off to a cave by himself for a period of time to meditate and reflect on his life. He went without food and drink for a long period of time. One day Muhammed claimed to receive a revelation from God through the archangel Gabriel. This god claimed to be the god of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and the other OT prophets as well as the god of Jesus, who was not the Son of God but a human prophet. This god told Muhammed that He was anointing Muhammed to be the next prophet to spread God’s message to the world – there was only one god, Allah. In fact, Muhammed would be the last prophet. The Jews and Christians had failed to carry out this mission. They had distorted his message. Muhammed would succeed where they failed. He would restore the one true faith. Muhammed went to his family and shared with them his revelation in the cave. Muhammed’s wife called an elderly cousin, a recent convert to Christianity, to listen to Muhammed to determine whether or not he was crazy. The cousin said no; Muhammed had received a true revelation from god just like Moses and Muhammed must submit to it. Muhammed went back to the cave where he received more revelations from Gabriel.
II. Sacred Writings - The Koran – Revelations of Allah given to Muhammed by Gabriel over the course of 23 years. The Koran focuses on moral guidance and is considered the sourcebook of Islamic principles and values. Muslims regard the Koran as the culmination of a series of divine messages which include the Torah of Moses (first five books of the Bible,) the Psalms of David, and the Gospel of Jesus (not the NT Gospels.) Muslims believe the Koran, the final holy scripture, was sent because all the previous holy books had been either corrupted (story of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael, Jesus being the Son of God) or lost. Koran 3:3 - It is He (Allah) Who sent down to thee (step by step), in truth, the Book (Koran), confirming what went before it; and He sent down the Law (of Moses) and the Gospel (of Jesus) before this, as a guide to mankind. The Koran recounts stories of many of the people and events recounted in Jewish and Christian sacred books although it differs in many details. Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Lot, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, David, Solomon, Elijah, Elisha, Jonah, Aaron, Moses, John the Baptist, and Jesus are mentioned in the Koran as prophets of God.
III. Deities – Allah and no other
IV. Teachings
Five Pillars of Islam: 1) Believe that there is no other god but Allah and Muhammed was his prophet. 2) Pray five times a day facing Mecca, the holiest of Islamic cities. 3) Fasting during the month of Ramadan, the month in which the first verses of the Koran were revealed to Muhammad during his fasting. The fast is meant to allow Muslims to seek nearness to God, to express their gratitude to and dependence on him, atone for their past sins, and to remind them of the needy. 4) Pay the zakat – charitable giving to the poor and needy. Zakat consists of spending 2.5% of one's wealth for the benefit of the poor or needy. 5) Hajj – a pilgrimage to Mecca. Every Muslim, male and female, are obligated to go to Mecca at least once in their lifetime if they can afford it. The main rituals of the Hajj include walking seven times around the Kaaba, touching the Black Stone (Islamic tradition holds that the Stone fell from Heaven to show Adam and Eve where to build an altar, which became the first temple on Earth. Muslims believe that the stone was originally pure and dazzling white, but has since turned black because of the sins of the people. Abraham was said to have later found the Black Stone at the original site of Adam's altar when the angel Gabriel revealed it to him. Abraham ordered his son Ishmael to build a new temple, the Kaaba, in which to embed the Stone.), traveling seven times between Mount Safa and Mount Marwah (Hagar’s search), and symbolically stoning the Devil in Mina (Temptation of Abrahama.) Do the previous and live a good moral life and on Judgment Day you will enter Paradise. If you do not, you will be condemned to eternity in Hell.
Between Muhammed’s death in 632 A.D. and 750 A.D., Islam stretched from Spain to India.
Approximately 1.6 billion Muslims in the world. Middle East, North Africa, South Asia, and Southeastern Europe. Almost 1 in 4 people in the world are Muslim.
What role, if any, do you believe Satan played in the birth of Islam? II Corinthians 11:1-15. My opinion - Satan deceived Muhammed by appearing to him as an angel of light/a messenger of God.
All religions (Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity) are different paths that lead to the same God. True or false? John 14:6
Written by Bill Perkins
Sometimes people get upset when they realize that Jesus taught that he is the only way to God. They insist that such a narrow and exclusive message must be wrong. Of course, their conclusion is based on the assumption that anything that's narrow must be wrong. Today we're taught the value of tolerance. And we do need to be tolerant of people with different views. Indeed, such tolerance is virtuous. But we don't want to be tolerant of error.
And it's an error to assume that anything that's narrow is wrong. Truth is narrow and exclusive. Every time I'm in a plane and it lands on the designated runway in the designated direction I'm glad the pilot accepted the narrow and exclusive directions he received from the tower. Or take mathematics, for example. The equation, 2+2= 4, is narrow and exclusive. The combination to a lock is narrow and exclusive.
Jesus taught a narrow path to God? Was he right or wrong? I would suggest he was right as proven by his works. The Old Testament prophets, under divine inspiration, made predictions which only the Messiah could fulfill. The one man who fulfilled all of these prophecies would be the promised Savior. In his book, Science Speaks, Professor Stoner considers eight specific prophecies.
Born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; fulfilled in Matt. 2:1-7; John 7:42).
Preceded by a messenger (Isaiah 40:3; Malachi 3:1; fulfilled in Matt. 3:1-3)
Enter Jerusalem on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9; fulfilled in Luke 35-37).
Be betrayed by a friend (Psalms 41:9; 55:12-14; fulfilled in Matt. 10:4).
Sold for 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12; fulfilled in Matt. 26:15; 27:3).
Betrayal money thrown to the potter in God's house (Zec. 11:13; fulfilled in Matt. 27:5-7).
Silent before his accusers (Isaiah 53:7; fulfilled in Mat. 27:12).
Crucified (Psalm 22:16; Zec. 12:10; Is. 53:5,12; fulfilled in Luke 23:33)
Stoner said that by applying the modern science of probability to just these eight prophecies, the likelihood one man up to the present time could have fulfilled them all is 1 chance in 1017th." That would be one in 100,000,000,000,000,000. Of course, such a huge number is meaningless.
Realizing this, Professor Stoner utilized an illustration intended to bring the number down to earth. He asked the reader to imagine the state of Texas covered two-feet deep with silver dollars. That number of silver dollars would approximate 1017th. From that massive pile a single dollar is lifted out and marked. It is then returned to the pile and all the dollars are thoroughly stirred. Finally, a man is blindfolded and told that he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up the one silver dollar with the mark on it.
The chance he would get the right one is the same chance that the prophets would have had of writing those eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man, from their day to the present time, providing they wrote in their own wisdom.
The only conclusion we can draw is that the prophecies were either given by divine inspiration or the prophets guessed what would happen. In such a case the prophets had just one chance in 1017 of having them come true in any man, but they all came true in Christ.
Why did this happen? Because God wanted us to know that Jesus was who he claimed to be--the only way a person can approach God.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Teachings of World Religions pt. 1
Hinduism
I. Origin – approximately 1000 B.C. in India. No one person founded Hinduism. Began as a worship of animals (bulls, goats, elephants, tigers, zebus) by early Indians who lived along the Indus river. Hindu beliefs and practices began to be fully developed by 600 B.C.
II. Sacred Writings
A. Vedas – oldest Indian writings; mixture of religious hymns, history, and mythology; comparable to Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey
B. Upanishads – teachings of Indian holy men who led hermitlike lives to pursue wisdom, truth, and contentment. Involved abstaining from food, drink, and worldly pleasures and long hours of meditation. Upanishads means “to sit down in front of.” These holy men had disciples who sat down in front of them to learn their teachings by repeating what the holy men said in ceaseless incantations. The teachings of these holy men written down and collected as the Upanishads. These writings molded Hindu teachings.
C. Bhagavad Gita (Song of God) – most revered of Hindu writings. Summary of Hindu theology. Takes the multitude of holy men teachings found in the Upanishads and created one unified Hindu belief system. Illustration – Mix, heat, and eat soup; 6 different soups mixed together to make one soup.
III. Deities – One universal spirit (Brahman), a group of major gods (Vishnu, Shiva, Ganesha) and a multitude of lesser gods. Hindu religion has thousands of gods. Brahman and the other gods periodically make themselves known to humans through “avatars.” Put on a disguise, human or animal, to share knowledge, wisdom, or truth. Hindus belief Jesus to be an avatar of Vishnu. They believe the gods and leading teachers of other religions were avatars of Hindu gods.
IV. Teachings
Brahman animates all life (gods, humans, animals) and is present inside each individual. Think “the Force” from Star Wars. Upanishads – “There is a light that shines beyond all things on earth, beyond us all. This is the light that shines in our heart.” That light or soul is immortal and longs to be reunited with Brahman. Problem – Soul is trapped in an “ill-smelling” human body that desires worldly pleasures (food, drink, wealth, possessions, sex) more than Brahman.
Hinduism teaches reincarnation. One’s soul endures a near endless cycle of life, death, and rebirth in its return journey to Brahman. One’s actions/behavior (karma) in their present life determined how much closer or further away to Brahman they would be in their next life. If a person behaved well (good karma), they would be reincarnated into a higher status and a life of happiness and ease. If a person behaved badly (bad karma), they would be reincarnated into a lower status and a life of suffering. Salvation came when the cycle of death and rebirth ended and one’s soul was reunited with Brahman. Enjoy eternal bliss. This could only be achieved when one completely rejected their selfish desires and worldly pleasures. One did this by practicing ascetism and yoga which involves meditations, chanting, postures, and breathing exercises. The goal of both is to free one from worldly desires and concerns in order to gain greater wisdom and knowledge that will help you move closer to Brahman in the next life. Journey to Brahman involves multiple deaths and rebirths.
800 million-1 billion Hindus in the world. Mainly South Asia.
Buddhism
I. Origin – approximately 525 B.C. in India. Founded by Siddhartha Guatama. He was the son of a local Indian ruler near the Ganges River. A holy man told Guatama’s father that his son would grow up to be either the greatest king ever or the greatest teacher ever. To ensure that he would he become a king, Gauatama’s father shielded his son from the outside world. One day, Guatama escaped his father’s protection and saw the misery of the world. At that moment, he was determined to escape the sufferings of this world and find peace for his soul. He abandoned his high social position and chose to become a follower of Hinduism. Guatama fasted for weeks and practiced yoga for hours, meditating and assuming awkward and painful positions. He completely denied himself the comforts of life. However, Guatama failed to find release for his soul. Guatama sat under a tree for seven weeks to solve the riddle of suffering. At some point, Guatama experience a condition of extreme peace and his soul entered a flawless realm called Nirvana. At that point, Guatama became Buddha, the Enlightened One.
II. Sacred Writings
Buddhism has no single central text of sacred writings. The multitude of Buddhist sects have their own individual writings that they regard to be sacred.
III. Deities – None.
IV. Teachings
A person’s goal in this life is to seek Nirvana (extinction … specifically desire and ignorance and therefore suffering.) It is a place of contentment and wisdom and therefore tranquil. To attain Nirvana one must avoid extremes and practice moderation (the Middle Way.) Learn and accept the Four Noble Truths: 1) Suffering exists. 2) The cause of suffering is desire (craving for wealth, possessions, love, social standing, respect, the after life.) 3) The cause of suffering can be overcome. Pain will cease when desire is forsaken. 4) The path of release is obtained by following the Eightfold Way: right perspective of life, right intentions, right speech, right actions, right livelihood (occupation that does not do harm to living things), right effort, right mindfulness (being alert), and right meditation. Do all this and you will be able to escape the sorrowful cycle of human existence into the serenity of oblivion.
Buddhism teaches karma and reincarnation. Unlike Hinduism, a person does not need to endure the torture of near endless cycle of life, death, and rebirth. One can achieve Nirvana in one lifetime.
Approximately 500 million Buddhists in the world. Mainly China (Tibet) and Southeast Asia.
After learning about Hinduism and Buddhism, how can one witness to a Hindu or Buddhist? Get a Topical Bible. Find a subject that is mentioned prominently in Hindu/Buddhist theology and see what God has to say about that subject. Start a dialogue/conversation. Example: Hindu – Your sacred writings says, “There is a light that shines beyond all things on earth, beyond us all. This is the light that shines in our heart.” This is what my holy scriptures says about this light. John 1:1-17; John 8:12; John 9:5; John 12:36; Hindu and Buddhist – topic: karma/struggling with the desires of human flesh. Romans chapters 6-10. Reincarnation – Hebrews 9:27
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