my husband alerted me to a troubling statistic last night: very few Americans (even among people who claim Christianity!) believe the Bible to be literal. i looked this up online, and found a gallup poll from 2005-7. according to gallup, the almost half of Americans think the Bible is from God, but not literal; and quite a few believe it's just a collection of fables and myths, and about 1/3 believe that the Bible is literal. crazily enough, within the group who call themselves 'protestant Christians,' only 41% believe the Bible is literal! * granted, this poll was of a small sample of 1,000 people, but it's still not good news.
Christians over time are listening to the rest of the world saying: 'Jonah and the whale? that couldn't happen! what a crazy story!' and 'God had the Israelites kill other people?? that's terrible! God doesn't make any sense if He tells you to be peaceful but told the Israelites to kill!'
but dismissing parts of the Bible as figurative or throwing other parts out is a problem. the Bible presents itself as literal, and as God's true story. if you dismiss whatever you want to fit your desires, then you are creating your own religion. in your mind then, the Bible has no authority over you, except as a nice book of guidelines and stories. if you allow yourself to pick and choose what's literal and what's not, you are saying that YOU have authority over the Bible, because the Bible presents itself as literal and 'God-breathed' (2 Timothy 3:16).
how can people who call themselves Christian be satisfied claiming a belief that they themselves have picked apart?! it reminds me of religions that 'civilized' people scoff at: those where the human creates a god and then worships it. it doesn't make sense! and it is the same thing when a human reads God's word and then chooses what he likes and what he dislikes; he is creating his own god to worship.
"[The carpenter] cut down cedars,
or perhaps took a cypress or oak...
It is man's fuel for burning;
some of it he takes and warms himself,
he kindles a fire and bakes bread.
But he also fashions a god and worships it;
he makes an idol and bows down to it...
He prays to it and says,
'Save me; you are my god.'
No one stops to think,
no one has the knowledge or understanding to say,
'Half of it I used for fuel;
I even baked bread over its coals,
I roasted meat and I ate...
Shall I bow down to a block of wood?'
He feeds on ashes, a deluded heart misleads him;
he cannot save himself, or say,
'Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?'"
Isaiah 44:14a, 15, 17b, 19-20
yes, there are things in the Bible that are difficult to figure out, but remember: God is beyond our understanding! even so, He never changes, He is always good, He is infinite, He is God and you are not.
it reminds me of another example of society infiltrating Christian thought: scholars and scientists have adopted the unproven THEORY of evolution as FACT. that paradox itself should raise red flags. Americans are like sheep when it comes to believing 'modern science' and textbooks and 'scientific studies' and whatever the media says (i'm not above this gullibility either). generally we believe 'science' and then look to see if the Bible fits.
when you really get down to it, 'science' is just the study of the world around us. it is always done by humans, who usually have an agenda/bias, who often make mistakes in their experiments and have to retract their findings, and who are always limited by their finite human minds. how is it that people in the church put this above the Bible?!
and that brings me to one more example of how the world has infiltrated our thinking: new age religion has made a big step into Americans' lives, without most even knowing. we absorb the following self-god philosophies on tv and at our workplaces and on facebook without even batting an eye:
'no one can tell me what to do'
'i make my own path in life'
'no one has power over me.
'i deserve the best'
and a weird ad i recently saw for a phone (i think): 'i am unlimited'
these quotes sound normal, right? to most people, they sound encouraging or empowering...
but what do they really mean? all these phrases are really claims that 'i am god.'
think about it: the above sentences claim omnipotence (all-powerfulness), omniscience (all-knowingness), praiseworthiness, perfection... and what is a god by definition? - all of these things.
now to any readers who do not believe in Jesus, i have this to say: whether you like it or not, you have a god. you may think you are free from that 'archaic' notion of worship, but you're not. the question is, do you worship THE God, or do you worship YOURSELF? do you do what you want to do, or do you answer to God's authority?
when i was little, i heard it explained this way: there is a throne in your heart. either you are on it as king of your life, or you get off and let God be King of your life. there is only room for one on the throne, and, as my pastor once said, 'God will not share the throne with you.'
you might say, 'no, there are other religions with other gods.' but i say this: any religion that focuses on things that we humans have to do to get a better afterlife or to have a more enjoyable reincarnation or anything of the sort is still focused on HUMAN ACTIVITY. and when you, human, are relying on yourself to get to whatever better end, you are claiming omnipotence, omniscience, praiseworthiness, perfection... you are worshipping yourself. the difference with Christianity is that God did everything. Jesus came to earth to save us, not by anything we did. our job is to simply accept a gift being handed to us and to relinquish that throne in our heart to His Godship.
i wrote more about this subject of worship on another post: glory post
more than just believing self-god phrases, we have opened ourselves to the practice of 'emptying our minds' and 'clearing our heads' and doing yoga with 'calming' meditation... sounds nice, relaxing. but the truth has been twisted. when you 'open your mind' and 'look for guidance or self-realization,' you are opening yourself to Satan. if God is not the focus, Satan will step in.
here's a story Jesus told, illustrating the danger of simply being empty, without God on the throne filling you with His Spirit:
"'When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.'"
Matthew 12:43-45
so, Christians, i say: TEST EVERYTHING! don't believe everything you hear! think through it and as your guide, use God's word and His prompting as you live in prayer! do not be fooled!!! and do not be pushed into changing beliefs because you are afraid to be different, or afraid of going to jail...
* http://www.gallup.com/poll/27682/OneThird-Americans-Believe-Bible-Literally-True.aspx
* http://www.christianpost.com/news/in-us-3-in-10-say-they-take-the-bible-literally-52070/
Christians over time are listening to the rest of the world saying: 'Jonah and the whale? that couldn't happen! what a crazy story!' and 'God had the Israelites kill other people?? that's terrible! God doesn't make any sense if He tells you to be peaceful but told the Israelites to kill!'
but dismissing parts of the Bible as figurative or throwing other parts out is a problem. the Bible presents itself as literal, and as God's true story. if you dismiss whatever you want to fit your desires, then you are creating your own religion. in your mind then, the Bible has no authority over you, except as a nice book of guidelines and stories. if you allow yourself to pick and choose what's literal and what's not, you are saying that YOU have authority over the Bible, because the Bible presents itself as literal and 'God-breathed' (2 Timothy 3:16).
how can people who call themselves Christian be satisfied claiming a belief that they themselves have picked apart?! it reminds me of religions that 'civilized' people scoff at: those where the human creates a god and then worships it. it doesn't make sense! and it is the same thing when a human reads God's word and then chooses what he likes and what he dislikes; he is creating his own god to worship.
"[The carpenter] cut down cedars,
or perhaps took a cypress or oak...
It is man's fuel for burning;
some of it he takes and warms himself,
he kindles a fire and bakes bread.
But he also fashions a god and worships it;
he makes an idol and bows down to it...
He prays to it and says,
'Save me; you are my god.'
No one stops to think,
no one has the knowledge or understanding to say,
'Half of it I used for fuel;
I even baked bread over its coals,
I roasted meat and I ate...
Shall I bow down to a block of wood?'
He feeds on ashes, a deluded heart misleads him;
he cannot save himself, or say,
'Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?'"
Isaiah 44:14a, 15, 17b, 19-20
yes, there are things in the Bible that are difficult to figure out, but remember: God is beyond our understanding! even so, He never changes, He is always good, He is infinite, He is God and you are not.
it reminds me of another example of society infiltrating Christian thought: scholars and scientists have adopted the unproven THEORY of evolution as FACT. that paradox itself should raise red flags. Americans are like sheep when it comes to believing 'modern science' and textbooks and 'scientific studies' and whatever the media says (i'm not above this gullibility either). generally we believe 'science' and then look to see if the Bible fits.
when you really get down to it, 'science' is just the study of the world around us. it is always done by humans, who usually have an agenda/bias, who often make mistakes in their experiments and have to retract their findings, and who are always limited by their finite human minds. how is it that people in the church put this above the Bible?!
here are a couple of examples of problems with the THEORY of evolution:
first of all, the scientists who present it as fact often use circular reasoning. here's an example: ask them 'what time period did that bone come from?' and they'll say, 'well, we found it in this particular strata of earth, so it's ____ old.' later, when you run across a diagram of the strata of the earth, ask, 'how do you know how old each strata of the earth is?' their very serious answer will be, 'well, look at the bones inside. those species were alive during ____ age.'
secondly, carbon dating (or any elemental dating): the farther back in time you go, the less reliable it is. as in, some bones have been tested multiple times and the result can vary by so-called 'millions' of years!!! how is that reliable? the scientists then present what they guess to be the age, based on where it was found or what type of animal it was (that whole strata thing again)...
and thirdly, the idea that since we are more similar to certain animals, we must be related. but that is not good reasoning. just because we function similarly or look alike doesn't make us ancestrally related! when it comes to intelligence, we're close to dolphins and pigs, but the scientists don't label us in the same group because we don't look alike. ridiculous. if looks were the rule, some of us wouldn't even be categorized in our own families!
it's like scientists are grasping at straws, trying to force the world to fit into this evolution thing, so they don't have to look dumb for believing it in the first place.
some arguments i have: we all have dna, so that means there are certain things that are going to be similar because dna always acts the same, no matter what creature it's in. and if everything is continually evolving, where are all the in-between creatures? they can't find them in the fossils (hence, the 'missing links') and they don't exist now either!
don't be fooled. Colossians 2:8 says this,
"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of the world rather than on Christ."
another way the fallacy in society has seeped into our pews is on the subject of homosexuality. i talked more in depth about this in a prior post: post about how the media steers our thinking but i'd like to mention it again, because it's tragic and it's not stopping. it seems each day there's a new story of someone 'coming out' and on each show there's that 'token gay person' these days.
and even after our presidential inauguration, the media couldn't help but focus on who in the presentations were gay.
this makes it seem 'normal' to us, and even 'right.' if the government believes it and is making laws about it, it couldn't be wrong, could it?? don't forget slavery was well-accepted by the law and by common people, not that long ago.
Satan knows how to convince us that we need to change our beliefs. he uses the people we look up to, he uses cunning phrases that make us feel bad enough to question our beliefs. celebrities are experimenting with homosexuality, movies are applauding it, laws are being changed to make it a 'hate crime' to even say homosexuality could be wrong, scientists are reporting that they're 'looking for a gay gene' (note: they never found one, but that wasn't reported)...
the bottom line is this: the Bible says that the act of homosexuality is wrong. it is a sin. homosexuality is not genetic; it's a choice. and if you have been practicing homosexuality, or have even believed that you were born that way, you can TURN, just like any human being can turn from ANY sin!
"Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."
1 Corinthians 6:9-10
notice the next verse (11):
"And that is what some of you WERE. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."
your temptation may be homosexuality, just like someone else's temptation is pedophilia. it may seem overpowering. but GOD has the power to overcome it. don't let the world give you the excuse to continue living in sin. remember, the world is working on 'hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of the world' (Colossians 2:8). and the world is presently given over to Satan's corruption, so it is twisted by his lies. (Ephesians 2:2...)
the only way for any of us to overcome our sins, our temptations, is to believe in Jesus as our Savior, and to accept Him as ruler of our life.
'no one can tell me what to do'
'i make my own path in life'
'no one has power over me.
'i deserve the best'
and a weird ad i recently saw for a phone (i think): 'i am unlimited'
these quotes sound normal, right? to most people, they sound encouraging or empowering...
but what do they really mean? all these phrases are really claims that 'i am god.'
think about it: the above sentences claim omnipotence (all-powerfulness), omniscience (all-knowingness), praiseworthiness, perfection... and what is a god by definition? - all of these things.
now to any readers who do not believe in Jesus, i have this to say: whether you like it or not, you have a god. you may think you are free from that 'archaic' notion of worship, but you're not. the question is, do you worship THE God, or do you worship YOURSELF? do you do what you want to do, or do you answer to God's authority?
when i was little, i heard it explained this way: there is a throne in your heart. either you are on it as king of your life, or you get off and let God be King of your life. there is only room for one on the throne, and, as my pastor once said, 'God will not share the throne with you.'
you might say, 'no, there are other religions with other gods.' but i say this: any religion that focuses on things that we humans have to do to get a better afterlife or to have a more enjoyable reincarnation or anything of the sort is still focused on HUMAN ACTIVITY. and when you, human, are relying on yourself to get to whatever better end, you are claiming omnipotence, omniscience, praiseworthiness, perfection... you are worshipping yourself. the difference with Christianity is that God did everything. Jesus came to earth to save us, not by anything we did. our job is to simply accept a gift being handed to us and to relinquish that throne in our heart to His Godship.
i wrote more about this subject of worship on another post: glory post
more than just believing self-god phrases, we have opened ourselves to the practice of 'emptying our minds' and 'clearing our heads' and doing yoga with 'calming' meditation... sounds nice, relaxing. but the truth has been twisted. when you 'open your mind' and 'look for guidance or self-realization,' you are opening yourself to Satan. if God is not the focus, Satan will step in.
here's a story Jesus told, illustrating the danger of simply being empty, without God on the throne filling you with His Spirit:
"'When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.'"
Matthew 12:43-45
so, Christians, i say: TEST EVERYTHING! don't believe everything you hear! think through it and as your guide, use God's word and His prompting as you live in prayer! do not be fooled!!! and do not be pushed into changing beliefs because you are afraid to be different, or afraid of going to jail...
"Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm.
Let nothing move you.
Always give yourselves fully
to the work of the Lord,
because you know that
your labor in the Lord is not in vain."
1 Corinthians 15:58
* http://www.gallup.com/poll/27682/OneThird-Americans-Believe-Bible-Literally-True.aspx
* http://www.christianpost.com/news/in-us-3-in-10-say-they-take-the-bible-literally-52070/
Encouraging! Keep up the good work! Is it not worth it?!
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