Kyle

Christians and Homosexuals

2012-02-13T22:12:00.000-08:00

If someone were to say to me that "you Christians are all homophobic and sexist." I would first respond by saying that not ALL Christians are sexist and homophobic. As Christians it states in the Bible many times that men and women are created equal. In the book of Genesis it says that we were created in the image of God. Although they have different roles, both are essential. So if you claim to be a Christian you should not be sexist because The Word of God is very clear on this issue. Secondly not ALL Christians are homophobic. Dictionary.com defines Homophobia as an “intense hatred or fear of homosexuals or homosexuality.” Very few people have a intense hatred or even fear of homo’s. As Christians we should hate the sin and not the sinner. But to often we associate the sin and the sinner together so we might end up hating the person. We should reach out to these people and try to show them the Lord. Although I do not think that it should be legal for gay’s to get married, I do believe that the church and in general more Christians should reach out to this community more and try to share Gods word to them in a kind and loving way. As of now the Church has failed to come up with an effective way to do this. It is because of this that people stereotype Christians for being homophobes.

The Government Wants More Power

2012-02-08T14:34:00.000-08:00

The Government should not get involved with families. The only exception should be if the parents abuse their kids. And abuse is a rare case that does not happen very often. What would give the government the right to come into our homes and essentially “brain wash” our kids with the ideas that they want to instill in them? If we let the Government in our homes and spend as much time with our kids as possible then, what’s next? Once you give the government an inch they take a foot. Children are so unpredictable and different. For the Government to want to come into our houses and attempt to teach and try to understand or kids is a ridiculous idea. Our government today is doing a bad job in almost every category, and now they want more power!? Why would we trust a government that doesn’t even know how to balance a budget? We need to teach them Math and Economics! We are over 15 TRILLION dollars in debt. While looking at the bills Pre-K Act (HR 3289) and the Education Begins at Home Act (HR 2343), at first they might look good because it is suppose to help children. After looking at them more I felt like it was just another way for the government to gain more power. While it might have started with a good idea, the bill took it way too far. The Government already controls enough and they can’t even handle what is on their plate right now so we would be foolish to entrust them with more.

Biology #1

2011-12-11T14:31:00.000-08:00

The worldview of Naturalism has many problems or issues that just don’t add up. While Christians believe that we came to be by intelligent design, Naturalist does not. A Naturalist believes in Evolution. By Evolution I mean the theory in which Darwin described as being random and formed by non-living things that they cannot explain.

The first big problem that I see with the Naturalistic explanation of life has to do with the fossil records. Evolution claims that over time animals have slowly transformed into different species. If this were true there would be many transitional fossils of this. According to the Evolutionist there should be a lot of these out there. The truth is though we haven’t found one transitional fossil. This is a huge problem for someone that believes is Evolution. I would argue that it takes more faith to believe in evolution then to believe in an intelligent creator.

The second problem that evolutionists have, is trying to explain how these what they call “Mutations.” Mutations are a negative thing in which things change in the genes of the organism. Evolutionists say that animals mutations aloud them to change or transform into other species. Today almost all mutations have a negative affect. For example Down syndrome is an example of a “mutation.” Down syndrome does not help a child but hinders him in life. Another example of a mutation is the four-winged fruit fly. At first this looked like having more wings would benefit the fly but no… This fly’s wings weren’t attached to the muscles so the extra set or wings was just a hindrance to it. This fly could only survive in a laboratory. My point is that Mutations are bad therefore they could have not of played a role in evolution.

The third problem with evolution is with physics, in this case the Second Law of Thermodynamics. This law says that the process of the Universe goes from order to chaos. For example if you left your laptop outside. When you first placed it outside it was functioning. After a month of sitting outside the weather has will destroy it. It is now rusted, dented and just useless. While this is what happens in real life, Evolution believes the opposite. They think that the world came to be by “the big bang” or in other words “chaos.” They think that the world is then working towards order. The Second law of Thermodynamics proves this wrong therefore Evolution cannot be true.

Ethics #2

2011-11-28T21:07:00.000-08:00

If there were no moral absolutes than the world would hectic. The United States is a place that is founded on absolute truths. We have laws and if you don’t follow those laws then you will be punished. For the most part our society has been successful because we have been able to sustain it. With no moral absolutes there is no hope at all.

Believing in no moral absolutes is taking the easy way out. Thinking that there is no absolute truth is ridiculous because as humans we know that murder is wrong. If you were to argue with this statement then you are probably insane. We are born with a sense of right and wrong. Some people call them instincts, your conscious or the moral law/code. You can call it whatever you want, but we were born with it. To deny this is absolutely preposterous. Without rules we would live in a world of chaos.

If a society were based on no absolute truth it would fail instantly. With no rules there would be senseless killings and people would be stealing right and left. With no structure you cant get anything substantial done. The idea that what is good for you might not be good for me is nonsense. With this society it does not reward the hard working man, because someone could steal all of his money and it would be just fine: you couldn’t do anything about it because there would be no law enforcement because they believe its not needed. In my opinion this society is corrupt, selfish, evil, and unjust.

Karma

2011-11-20T14:27:00.001-08:00

Karma is defined by dictionary.com as “an action, seen as bringing upon oneself inevitable results, good or bad, either in this life or in a reincarnation.” This means that you control your life’s outcome with the decisions that you make. If you live a good life and are nice to people you will be rewarded. If you are a bad person you will be punished by Karma. In the video the guy said, “Everything happens for a reason.” I believe that, but I believe that God makes everything happen for a reason not Karma. While karma seems at first to hold some Christian principle in the end it falls short. At first this could seem like the logical answer to life: good people are rewarded while bad people are punished. This seems fair but Karma doesn’t answer a lot of basic questions. According to Karma what is evil? What is good? Is there a universal right and wrong or are they relevant to the situation? Karma fails to answer these crucial questions. If there is a universal right and wrong then where did it come from? If Karma is true then that means that everyone who is poor or has a disability must have lived a sinful life because they are not as fortunate as others. Karma just doesn’t answer any of the basic questions about this world we live in therefore it is a fictitious world-view.

Philosophy #3

2011-10-31T18:57:00.001-07:00

Non-Naturalism does a poor job in their attempts to explain truth, reality and knowledge. Non- Naturalism is just the opposite of naturalism. While Naturalism believes only in the physical world, Non-Naturalism believes only in only the virtual world. They believe that there is no such thing as the physical world. This belief only thinks that the brain, thoughts and logic exist. They believe that if you look inside yourself you can find the truth. So that means that we are ultimately God-like. In the video it says, “Pure conciseness is the only reality. Physical world is virtual reality.” They claim that they know nothing about reality. Then how do they know that their worldview is real? A Non-Naturalist believes that everything we tough, see, taste, smell, and hear is only electrical signals to our brain. They think that the world we live in now or the world we think we live in is all just an illusion. One could then ask the question if it is all just an illusion why not commit suicide? Their answer to this would be something along the lines of well if that is true for you then great. This means they don’t believe in an absolute truth. So how does a community of Non-Naturalist function? If someone says that this is true for him or they cant say that the other person is wrong because there is no absolute truth. There society would be full of confusion. They are confused because their worldview does not make any sense. It is very hard to live in a physical world and not believe it. This creates many problems for them. Basically Non-Naturalism is a false sense of security. If there is no total truth then how do they even attempt to explain math or any facts about life? They cannot answer these questions and this is where there belief breaks down.

Philosophy blog #2

2011-10-23T11:23:00.000-07:00

Naturalism and Dialectical materialism are similar worldviews but they do have some important differences. Dictionary.com states that Naturalism is “the view of the world that takes account only of natural elements and forces, excluding the supernatural or spiritual.” The same source also states “Dialectical materialism is the Marxist theory that maintains the material basis of a reality constantly changing in a dialectical process and the priority of matter over mind.” Both of these hold the atheist worldview. Dialectical Materialism believes that in everything there is a thesis. They also believe for every thesis there is an anti thesis. This is just simply the opposite of the thesis. This worldview believes that both of these clash and eventually merge to form the synthesis, and this becomes the new thesis. This is a never-ending cycle. Naturalism on the other hand believes solely in Evolution. This is Charles Darwin’s belief that the earth’s species have changed and diversified over time under the influence of natural selection, or the survival of the fittest. A Naturalist believes that in Karma. They believe that if something bad happens to you its because of something you did in your past that has come back to get you.

So Naturalism looks to science for all of the answers, while Dialectical Materialism thinks that social change happens by clashes and struggles between two opposite beliefs, the thesis and antithesis. Both of these worldviews deny that there is a God, so there is no hope in either of these beliefs.

Naturalism

2011-10-16T13:57:00.000-07:00

Naturalism cannot explain reality, truth, or knowledge. Naturalism believes that everything is physical, in this natural world. They do not believe in the super natural. Naturalism only believes in things that you can touch, feel, smell, see, or taste. Anything outside of the five senses they do not believe in. This is a huge problem for naturalists. How do they explain thoughts or logic? As humans we know thought exist because we experience them on a daily basis. Logic is also something that is not physical but yet we base most of our decisions off of it.

Supernaturalism is the belief that they are more then just the natural or the physical world. Christianity is an example of this. Christianity answers all of these questions, which the naturalistic worldview cannot explain. Christians believe in a God that is an eternal being so it would make sense that a God that is not only natural, but supernatural to put things in the world that are not natural as well. Our God gave us instincts that naturalism does not believe in. Naturalism denies things that they use everyday. Why wouldn’t they acknowledge this?

Naturalism cannot even explain thoughts or reality. Therefore they cannot exist according to their worldview. This worldview has so many problems with it; one would have to be a fool to believe something that cannot even explain your daily life.

Theology #2

2011-10-06T23:02:00.000-07:00

I would have to respectfully disagree with Sarah and Mark. I think it is silly to believe that God is a human invention. I think it is more logical to believe that we came to existence by and intelligent designer, then oppose to a big bang. If god is a human invention, then what is the purpose of life? How do you explain good and evil? If you don’t believe in God then you cannot answer these questions. If you look at the facts it is way more likely that someone created us. If there is no God then there is no hope. We were then created by accident. But because God created us we have a hope and a purpose to live.

With God creating us we don’t need or want to evolve past needing a God. Why would you want to forget your creator, the one who gave you life? With God we have someone who never lets us down. With him we have a reason to live and for this we should praise him. If you are a Christian you should not want to evolve past needing God because He is giving us a second chance. With this second chance we could send eternity with him.

Utt blog #3 Pantheism

2011-10-02T20:38:00.000-07:00

“The All”

At first, when watching this video I knew I didn’t agree with it, but I didn’t know how to respond. Pantheism is so general I didn’t even know where to begin. I started thinking about Pantheism, and how there is basically no proof for this religion. Logically it just doesn’t make any sense. The Bible has historical facts imbedded inside of it. The Bible is also a huge book and it never contradicts itself once! The Bible is so complex; it is one of those things that just cant be made up. What does Pantheism have? What do they base their beliefs on? Pantheism in my opinion is probably the most illogical religious claim out there.

Pantheism states that we are all gods. They say that everything is equal. Really? A human is equal to a housefly? I strongly disagree with this. If everything is equal than why do Humans have control over every other species? If we were all gods, wouldn’t we all have the same authorities and capabilities? Pantheism is so broad of a religion its not even funny. Pantheism cannot even explain evil. If we are all gods then how come human do horrible things. Would a god put millions of people or “other gods” into concentration camps? How can it be possible for gods to kill other gods? Pantheism cant even answer what the purpose of life is. If a human is equal to an ant then how could their ways of life be so far from each other’s and still be equal. None of this makes any sense. In the video it also said that the All has always been here. How can Pantheism even say that? So if we are the All then we created ourselves. If we were gods then we should be able to still create stuff now. One could seriously ask a Pantheist any question about there religion and they wouldn’t have a logical answer for it. Pantheism can’t even answer the basic questions of life; there for I know it is false.

UTT Blog #2

2011-09-25T20:48:00.000-07:00

When sharing your faith as a Christian we need to keep in mind that everyone was not raised up the same way, so this might cause him or her to have a very different worldview. We need to learn how to listen to their concerns and then address then politely. If someone disagrees with you, don’t get mad and tell them they are wrong, but rather have a good discussion and try to look at it from their perspective and see why they believe what they do. From here you can respectfully disagree and share your thoughts and why you believe it.

As Christians I believe we need to be more open minded to others. A lot of people when they think of Christians, they think of people tying to shove the Bible down their throats. This is not what being a Christian is about. Christians should be more understanding to those who don’t share the same beliefs. We as Christians need to reflect God in our actions. We need to be good ambassadors of Christ. This means that we need to be real with people. We can’t be quick to judge people for their actions, because we don’t know what they have been through that might have made them make the decisions they did. Everyone sins, and just as God forgives us we need to learn how to forgive others as well.

UTT blog #1 worldview

2011-09-20T22:04:00.000-07:00

A worldview is simply how one looks at the world. The best example I have heard is how people look through glasses, not everyone needs the same prescription of glasses, but they help everyone see the world. So everyone has a worldview but that doesn’t mean they all have to be the same.

Developing a Christian worldview is not something that happens all at once it takes time. I have developed my Christian worldview over many years at Christian schools. I have also been educated from the church. So all of my life I have been fed Christian ideas and beliefs. All of this is good but only being around Christians comes with a risk. What I’m talking about is never being challenged in your faith. If we as Christians never or rarely go outside of our Christian bubble, we will never learn other beliefs. We need to learn other religions beliefs so that we can understand these people better and not be disconnected from this world we live in. If we take the time to research other religions then we can better understand and defend our own. To truly have a strong Christian worldview you also need to know the bible. You don’t need to know all of it but you need to learn how to study it. If you know how to study it then it is easier to understand the lesson that God intended for you. So to truly have a good Christian worldview you need to have a balance of knowing your religion, knowing others beliefs, and know how to properly study scripture. If you know all of these things you will have a solid Christian Worldview.