October 12, 2015

From Gary... The sight of wonder


I don't know HOW this picture was made, but to me, it is beyond beautiful; reaching to the heights of sublime wonder, it makes me consider what really being able to fly must be like. Imagine: being able to open wide your wings and use the very air to defy gravity!!!  To see the world looking downward instead or horizontally, to feel and experience the power of that which we cannot see. Being able to effortlessly navigate with grace and dignity to the heights of our vision, or to almost matter-of-factly use that same hidden support to flutter to a place of perching on solid earth.

Amazing, almost beyond words. And yet, a simple bird can do this- every day of the week!!!

Three hundred years ago, the sight which we see in the picture above could not be seen, because photography had yet to be invented. A great many things which we take for granted, such as train or automobile travel, vaccines, TV, telephones, or even computers and the internet were mere dreams. Yet the principles underlying them have always been there, having been created since the foundation of the world. There remain untold wonders yet to be discovered; things beyond our wildest imagination. And these include mysteries that surround us daily- just look in the mirror, for you and I are fearfully and wonderfully made.  Look a little deeper into the mirror and you will realize that we are but a reflection of the one who created us and God has more important things to show us than a mere bird in flight. Having said this, consider the Apostle Paul's list of mysteries... 

Ephesians, Chapter 1 (WEB)
3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ;  4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without defect before him in love;  5 having predestined us for adoption as children through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his desire,  6 to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he freely bestowed favor on us in the Beloved,  7 in whom we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,  8 which he made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,  9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he purposed in him  10 to an administration of the fullness of the times, to sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens, and the things on the earth, in him;  11 in whom also we were assigned an inheritance, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who works all things after the counsel of his will;  12 to the end that we should be to the praise of his glory, we who had before hoped in Christ:  13 in whom you also, having heard the word of the truth, the Good News of your salvation—in whom, having also believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,  14 who is a pledge of our inheritance, to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of his glory.

This passage is so rich that a learned man might write a book on just these few verses. For my part, I just listed a few (21) things that seemed to just stand out to me.

Blessings in Heavenly places 3
Chosen in him 4
Our holiness 4
Our predetermination in Jesus 5
The glory of his grace 6
Freely bestowed favor on us 5
The forgiveness of our trespasses 7
The riches of his grace 7
Abound toward us 8
Making know to us the mystery of his will 9
Sum up all things in Christ 10
Things in the heavens..., things on the earth, in him 10
Foreordained according to the purpose of him who works all things 11
To the end that we should be 12
Hoped in Christ 12
The word of the truth 13
The Good News of your (our) salvation 13
Sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise 13
Our inheritance 14
God's own possession 13
The praise of his glory 14

Each and every one of these is a heavenly mystery with a view to our blessing. The wonder of flight is inconsequential when compared to how much God loves us and wants to bless us.  If you have the desire to make your day a truly great one, just think a bit on this list and re-read the passage. Who knows what wonders you might see.

From Gary... Bible Reading October 12


Bible Reading  

October 12

The World English Bible

Oct. 12
Proverbs 9-11

Pro 9:1 Wisdom has built her house. She has carved out her seven pillars.
Pro 9:2 She has prepared her meat. She has mixed her wine. She has also set her table.
Pro 9:3 She has sent out her maidens. She cries from the highest places of the city:
Pro 9:4 "Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!" As for him who is void of understanding, she says to him,
Pro 9:5 "Come, eat some of my bread, Drink some of the wine which I have mixed!
Pro 9:6 Leave your simple ways, and live. Walk in the way of understanding."
Pro 9:7 He who corrects a mocker invites insult. He who reproves a wicked man invites abuse.
Pro 9:8 Don't reprove a scoffer, lest he hate you. Reprove a wise man, and he will love you.
Pro 9:9 Instruct a wise man, and he will be still wiser. Teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.
Pro 9:10 The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom. The knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Pro 9:11 For by me your days will be multiplied. The years of your life will be increased.
Pro 9:12 If you are wise, you are wise for yourself. If you mock, you alone will bear it.
Pro 9:13 The foolish woman is loud, Undisciplined, and knows nothing.
Pro 9:14 She sits at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city,
Pro 9:15 To call to those who pass by, who go straight on their ways,
Pro 9:16 "Whoever is simple, let him turn in here." as for him who is void of understanding, she says to him,
Pro 9:17 "Stolen water is sweet. Food eaten in secret is pleasant."
Pro 9:18 But he doesn't know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.
Pro 10:1 The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son makes a glad father; but a foolish son brings grief to his mother.
Pro 10:2 Treasures of wickedness profit nothing, but righteousness delivers from death.
Pro 10:3 Yahweh will not allow the soul of the righteous to go hungry, but he thrusts away the desire of the wicked.
Pro 10:4 He becomes poor who works with a lazy hand, but the hand of the diligent brings wealth.
Pro 10:5 He who gathers in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during the harvest is a son who causes shame.
Pro 10:6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but violence covers the mouth of the wicked.
Pro 10:7 The memory of the righteous is blessed, but the name of the wicked will rot.
Pro 10:8 The wise in heart accept commandments, but a chattering fool will fall.
Pro 10:9 He who walks blamelessly walks surely, but he who perverts his ways will be found out.
Pro 10:10 One winking with the eye causes sorrow, but a chattering fool will fall.
Pro 10:11 The mouth of the righteous is a spring of life, but violence covers the mouth of the wicked.
Pro 10:12 Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all wrongs.
Pro 10:13 Wisdom is found on the lips of him who has discernment, but a rod is for the back of him who is void of understanding.
Pro 10:14 Wise men lay up knowledge, but the mouth of the foolish is near ruin.
Pro 10:15 The rich man's wealth is his strong city. The destruction of the poor is their poverty.
Pro 10:16 The labor of the righteous leads to life. The increase of the wicked leads to sin.
Pro 10:17 He is in the way of life who heeds correction, but he who forsakes reproof leads others astray.
Pro 10:18 He who hides hatred has lying lips. He who utters a slander is a fool.
Pro 10:19 In the multitude of words there is no lack of disobedience, but he who restrains his lips does wisely.
Pro 10:20 The tongue of the righteous is like choice silver. The heart of the wicked is of little worth.
Pro 10:21 The lips of the righteous feed many, but the foolish die for lack of understanding.
Pro 10:22 Yahweh's blessing brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it.
Pro 10:23 It is a fool's pleasure to do wickedness, but wisdom is a man of understanding's pleasure.
Pro 10:24 What the wicked fear, will overtake them, but the desire of the righteous will be granted.
Pro 10:25 When the whirlwind passes, the wicked is no more; but the righteous stand firm forever.
Pro 10:26 As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to those who send him.
Pro 10:27 The fear of Yahweh prolongs days, but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.
Pro 10:28 The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hope of the wicked will perish.
Pro 10:29 The way of Yahweh is a stronghold to the upright, but it is a destruction to the workers of iniquity.
Pro 10:30 The righteous will never be removed, but the wicked will not dwell in the land.
Pro 10:31 The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off.
Pro 10:32 The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked is perverse.
Pro 11:1 A false balance is an abomination to Yahweh, but accurate weights are his delight.
Pro 11:2 When pride comes, then comes shame, but with humility comes wisdom.
Pro 11:3 The integrity of the upright shall guide them, but the perverseness of the treacherous shall destroy them.
Pro 11:4 Riches don't profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.
Pro 11:5 The righteousness of the blameless will direct his way, but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness.
Pro 11:6 The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them, but the unfaithful will be trapped by evil desires.
Pro 11:7 When a wicked man dies, hope perishes, and expectation of power comes to nothing.
Pro 11:8 A righteous person is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked takes his place.
Pro 11:9 With his mouth the godless man destroys his neighbor, but the righteous will be delivered through knowledge.
Pro 11:10 When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices. When the wicked perish, there is shouting.
Pro 11:11 By the blessing of the upright, the city is exalted, but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.
Pro 11:12 One who despises his neighbor is void of wisdom, but a man of understanding holds his peace.
Pro 11:13 One who brings gossip betrays a confidence, but one who is of a trustworthy spirit is one who keeps a secret.
Pro 11:14 Where there is no wise guidance, the nation falls, but in the multitude of counselors there is victory.
Pro 11:15 He who is collateral for a stranger will suffer for it, but he who refuses pledges of collateral is secure.
Pro 11:16 A gracious woman obtains honor, but violent men obtain riches.
Pro 11:17 The merciful man does good to his own soul, but he who is cruel troubles his own flesh.
Pro 11:18 Wicked people earn deceitful wages, but one who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.
Pro 11:19 He who is truly righteous gets life. He who pursues evil gets death.
Pro 11:20 Those who are perverse in heart are an abomination to Yahweh, but those whose ways are blameless are his delight.
Pro 11:21 Most certainly, the evil man will not be unpunished, but the seed of the righteous will be delivered.
Pro 11:22 Like a gold ring in a pig's snout, is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.
Pro 11:23 The desire of the righteous is only good. The expectation of the wicked is wrath.
Pro 11:24 There is one who scatters, and increases yet more. There is one who withholds more than is appropriate, but gains poverty.
Pro 11:25 The liberal soul shall be made fat. He who waters shall be watered also himself.
Pro 11:26 People curse someone who withholds grain, but blessing will be on the head of him who sells it.
Pro 11:27 He who diligently seeks good seeks favor, but he who searches after evil, it shall come to him.
Pro 11:28 He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous shall flourish as the green leaf.
Pro 11:29 He who troubles his own house shall inherit the wind. The foolish shall be servant to the wise of heart.
Pro 11:30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life. He who is wise wins souls.

Pro 11:31 Behold, the righteous shall be repaid in the earth; how much more the wicked and the sinner!


Oct. 12
Ephesians 3

Eph 3:1 For this cause I, Paul, am the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles,
Eph 3:2 if it is so that you have heard of the administration of that grace of God which was given me toward you;
Eph 3:3 how that by revelation the mystery was made known to me, as I wrote before in few words,
Eph 3:4 by which, when you read, you can perceive my understanding in the mystery of Christ;
Eph 3:5 which in other generations was not made known to the children of men, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit;
Eph 3:6 that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of his promise in Christ Jesus through the Good News,
Eph 3:7 of which I was made a servant, according to the gift of that grace of God which was given me according to the working of his power.
Eph 3:8 To me, the very least of all saints, was this grace given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,
Eph 3:9 and to make all men see what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things through Jesus Christ;
Eph 3:10 to the intent that now through the assembly the manifold wisdom of God might be made known to the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places,
Eph 3:11 according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord;
Eph 3:12 in whom we have boldness and access in confidence through our faith in him.
Eph 3:13 Therefore I ask that you may not lose heart at my troubles for you, which are your glory.
Eph 3:14 For this cause, I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Eph 3:15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,
Eph 3:16 that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that you may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man;
Eph 3:17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
Eph 3:18 may be strengthened to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
Eph 3:19 and to know Christ's love which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Eph 3:20 Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,
Eph 3:21 to him be the glory in the assembly and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. 

Homer Sometimes Nodded, but the Bible Writers Never Did! by Wayne Jackson, M.A.


http://apologeticspress.org/apPubPage.aspx?pub=1&issue=475


Homer Sometimes Nodded, but the Bible Writers Never Did!

by Wayne Jackson, M.A.

Horace (65-8 B.C.), a Latin lyric poet, wrote: “Sometimes even the noble Homer nods” (Ars Poetica, 1.359). Homer was the blind Greek poet of the eighth century B.C., so well known for his works, the Iliadand the Odyssey. What Horace suggested was this: As accomplished as Homer was, he sometimes erred with reference to the facts of the incidents he mentioned.
More than a quarter of a century ago, the late B.C. Goodpasture, respected editor of the Gospel Advocatefor some thirty-eight years, published an article in that journal titled “Homer Sometimes Nods” (1970). The thrust of this fascinating essay was to show that human authors, regardless of their genius and skill, are fallible. Thus, in spite of their consummate care, they will “nod” or “slip” on occasion. By way of contrast, the writers of the biblical record never “nodded.” Even though many of them were not professional scholars (cf. Acts 4:13), nonetheless they wrote with astounding precision. The only reasonable conclusion the honest student may draw is this: their work was overseen by the Spirit of God. [I acknowledge my indebtedness to the revered Goodpasture for the idea embodied in this article, and for a few of the examples that illustrate the concept developed.]

TO ERR IS HUMAN

A poet once quipped: “To err is human....” How very true. Humans err. God does not. And that is why the careful student can discern clearly the difference between a document that is a mere human composition, and one which was penned under the guidance of the infallible Creator of the Universe.
Herodotus was a Greek historian of the fifth century B.C. Cicero called him “the father of history.” He wrote nine books dealing with the Greek and Persian wars, together with a history of the customs and geography of those empires. In one of his writings, Herodotus claimed that the reason the oxen in Sythia grew no horns was because it was too cold there (4.29). Apparently, he never had heard of reindeer!
Aristotle, the famous Greek scholar of the fourth century B.C., was renowned for his knowledge. Yet he made some colossal speculative blunders. In his work titled Parts of Animals, he argued that within the human body, man’s soul is “lodged in some substance of a fiery character.” He contended that the brain “is a compound of earth and water.” He further suggested that sleep is caused by the blood flowing into the brain, thus making it heavy. This, he declared, “is the reason why drowsy persons hang the head” (Book II, Chapter 3).
Marcus Porcius Cato was a Roman statesman who died about the mid-second century B.C. His famous work, De agri cultura (“On Farming”), has survived. In one passage (71) he gave a remedy for treating an ailing ox. It consisted of forcing down the ox a raw hen egg, swallowed whole, followed the next day by a concoction of leek and wine. However, this treatment—in order to be efficacious—absolutely had to be administered from a wooden vessel while both the ox and the administrator were standing (cited by Sarton, 1959, p. 408). It is obvious that the method of administration would have nothing to do with the curative value of Cato’s concoction. Yet such is the nature of human superstition.
Flavius Josephus was a Jewish writer who authored several works regarding the Hebrew nation, its fortunes, and its fate. Though considered a respectable historian for his day, he frequently slipped. For instance he declared that during the siege of Jerusalem (A.D. 70), a heifer, being led to be sacrificed in the temple, gave birth to a lamb (Wars, 6.3). Josephus also spoke of a certain place in Egypt where fierce serpents “ascend out of the ground unseen, and also fly in the air” (Antiquities, 2.10.2).
Samuel Johnson was the author of the first bona fide English dictionary. He also produced a Grammar of the English Tongue. In that work, the celebrated writer stated that the letter “H seldom, perhaps never, begins any but the first syllable” of a word. Regrettably he had not noticed that “h” commenced the secondsyllable in “perhaps.” His humiliation must have been keen.
The famous poet, Lord Byron, wrote a magnificent composition that he titled, “The Destruction of Sennacherib.” In beautiful rhyme this literary masterpiece dramatically told of the devastating deaths of the 185,000 Assyrian soldiers who once threatened Jerusalem in the days of Hezekiah, king of Judah. The poet slipped, though, because the rebel monarch Sennacherib was not destroyed when Jehovah’s messenger smote that vast heathen camp. The king was several miles away at Lachish when the destruction occurred. He eventually returned to his home in the east and was slain by his own sons—in fulfillment, incidentally, of sacred prophecy (2 Kings 19:7; 36-37).
Adam Clarke was probably the most famous scholar produced by the Methodist Church. He spent forty years writing his famous Commentary on the Holy Bible. As meticulous as he was, Clarke occasionally erred. For example, in commenting on Genesis 1:16, he suggested that the Moon has streams and vegetation, and is inhabited by intelligent beings. Our modern space explorations have proved that speculation quite erroneous. Clarke also stated that Jewish historian Josephus never mentioned the Syrian soldier, Naaman. He was wrong, though, because Josephus asserted that the warrior who mortally wounded Ahab, by shooting an arrow randomly into the air, was Naaman (Antiquities, 8.15.5).
Alexander Cruden produced a widely used concordance of the English Bible, a task for which he was well qualified by virtue of many years of scripture study (even though, at times, he suffered from emotional illness). Yet in his volume, Explanations of Scripture Terms, concerning the whale Cruden wrote: “The [whale is the] greatest of the fishes that we know of ” (1840, p. 366). He erred. Actually, the whale is a mammal, and not a fish at all.
The religion of Islam claims that the Qur’an is inspired of God. Clearly, however, it is not, for it is flawed by many examples of “nodding.” For instance, the Qur’an suggests that the human fetus results from “sperm” [no mention of an egg] that changes into “a clot of congealed blood,” which then becomes bones, later to be covered with flesh (sura 23:14). This hardly is an accurate description of fetal development.
The Book of Mormon is revered by millions of “Latter-Day Saints.” It purports to be an infallible revelation from God given to Joseph Smith Jr. by an angel of the Lord. Whoever composed the narrative, however, “nodded” more than once (one almost is tempted to say he lapsed into a coma!). For instance, in Alma 7:10 it is said that Jesus Christ was born in Jerusalem. But, as every school child knows, the Lord was born in that “little town of Bethlehem” (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:1). The Spirit of God makes no such blunders. Again, according to the Book of Mormon, a man by the name of Nephi was using a “compass” to find his direction in the sixth century B.C. (1 Nephi 16:10; 2 Nephi 5:12). It is well known, of course, that the mariner’s compass was not in use until at least a thousand years after the birth of Christ. This is a critical anachronism in Mormonism’s “sacred” book. Joseph Smith Jr. also taught that there were people living on the Moon—six feet tall, dressed like Quakers, and with a life span of 1,000 years (Huntington, 1892, 3:263). Brigham Young, Smith’s successor, when asked about this matter, concurred, suggesting that such beings lived on the Sun as well (Young, 13:271).
Mary Baker Eddy founded the “Christian Science” movement. She produced a book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, which she claimed was co-authored by God. But Mrs. Eddy more than nodded when, in that volume, she wrote: “Man is not matter—made up of brains, blood, bones, and other material elements.... Man is spiritual and perfect; and because of this, he must be so understood in Christian Science.... Man is incapable of sin, sickness, and death” (1934, p. 475). In spite of her denial of human mortality, she died December 3, 1910.
I cannot conclude this section without acknowledging my own fallibility. When I penned my little book,Biblical Studies in the Light of Archaeology (1982), I stated that “Henry Winckler” of the German Orient Society discovered the ancient Hittite capital of Boghazkoy. That was a “slip.” It was “Hugo Winckler,” not “Henry.” Henry Winkler was the “Fonz” of the old “Happy Days” television show! This merely demonstrated what many had suspected already—I am not inspired of God!

BIBLICAL ACCURACY

By way of glaring contrast, the holy writers of the biblical records never “nodded.” Their works are characterized by a razor-sharp accuracy that defies explanation, save on the ground that they were controlled by the Spirit of God. Consider the following factors.
(1) The first two chapters of the Bible contain the divine record of the commencement of the Universe, including the Earth and its inhabitants. Though it was penned thirty-five centuries ago, there is not a syllable in this account that is at variance with any demonstrable fact of science. Any book on astronomy or Earth science, penned fifty years ago, already is obsolete. And yet Genesis, simple and sublime, is factually flawless. The Mosaic narrative asserts that the Universe had a “beginning” (1:1), which is perfectly consistent with the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Contrast this with the Enuma Elish, the Babylonian creation tablets, which asserts the eternality of matter (see Pfeiffer, 1966, p. 226). The Genesis record affirms that creation activity was concluded by the end of the sixth day (2:1-3). Science says, as per the First Law of Thermodynamics, that nothing is being created today. No less than ten times Genesis 1 affirms that biological organisms replicate “after [their] kind.” In passing, we must note that modern pseudoscience (i.e., the theory of evolution) is dependent upon the notion that in the past organisms have reproduced after their non-kind! The biblical account, however, is perfectly in harmony with the known laws of genetics.
(2) The medical knowledge revealed in the Bible record truly is astounding. It is well known, for instance, that in the antique world, medicine was based upon myth and superstition. This was true both in Babylon and in Egypt. For example the Papyrus Ebers (from the sixteenth century B.C.), edited by Georg M. Ebers in 1874, offered some very strange remedies for various illnesses. Here is a prescription for folks who are losing their hair: “When it falls out, one remedy is to apply a mixture of six fats, namely those of the horse, the hippopotamus, the crocodile, the cat, the snake, and the ibex. To strengthen it, anoint with the tooth of a donkey crushed in honey” (as quoted in McMillen, 1963, p. 11). Even the Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus, one of the more sophisticated examples of Egyptian medical “science,” contains a spell for “transforming an old man into a youth of twenty.”
In spite of the fact that Moses was reared in an Egyptian environment, and “was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians” (Acts 7:22), not one time did the great law-giver incorporate any of this magical mumbo-jumbo into the Scriptures. On the contrary, Moses was far ahead of his time in terms of medicine and sanitation. A careful study of Leviticus 13, with reference to certain skin diseases, reveals some rather modern techniques, e.g., diagnosis of certain symptoms, treatment to lessen spread (e.g., disinfection), and quarantine. No other law code in the whole of ancient history came anywhere near rivaling these health regulations. Consider, for instance, the fact that the “leper” was required to “cover his upper lip” (Leviticus 13:45). Dr. J.S. Morton has noted: “Since the leprosy bacilli are transmitted from nasal drippings and saliva, this practice of having lepers cover their upper lips was a good hygienic policy” (1978, p. 255). Concerning Moses’ procedures for quarantining, Dr. William Vis has written:
To show how far Moses was ahead of modern society we need only to remind ourselves that the word quarantine originated in the fourteenth century when the Italian ports of Venice and Genoa first refused admission to immigrants who might be harboring plague and required them to stay on board for forty days, hence the word quarantine. Even in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries leprosy spread over southern Europe until the principles of Moses were re-enacted successfully (1950, p. 244).
(3) When the Encyclopaedia Britannica first was published, it had so many mistakes relative to American geography and topography that the publishers of the New American Cyclopedia issued a special pamphlet correcting the numerous blunders of its British rival. J.W. McGarvey once noted that when Tacitus wrote his celebrated work, Germany, which dealt with the geography, manners, customs, and tribes of Germany, it contained so many errors that many were inclined to doubt that this well-known Roman historian could have produced such a flawed volume (1956, 3:26-27). The Encyclopaedia Britannica stated concerning Tacitus’ work that “the geography is its weak point” (1958, 21:736).
The biblical writings contain literally hundreds of references to geography and topography relating to those lands that the prophets and apostles traversed. For example, we are quite casual in our topographical allusions. One is said to travel from Atlanta up to Chicago, whereas Chicago is almost 500 feet lower than Atlanta. Usually we speak of going “up” north and “down” south. With the biblical writers, elevation references always are precise. One travels from Jerusalem (in the south) “down” to Antioch, some 150 miles to the north (Acts 15:1-2). Not once is there a geographical or topographical blunder in the sacred volume, in spite of the fact that the ancients did not possess the sophisticated instruments that we have today.
Here is another amazing fact. In the book of Acts, the historian Luke mentions thirty-two countries, fifty-four cities, and nine of the Mediterranean islands (Metzger, 1965, p. 171). There is not the slightest mistake in any of his references. Luke has been criticized over the centuries to be sure; his influence has increased, however, while his critics’ credibility has decreased!

ALLEGED SLIPS

Over a span of many centuries, hostile critics of the Bible have charged the sacred writers with “nodding.” Time after time, however, when the true facts have come to light, the Scriptures have been vindicated. Reflect upon a few examples of such.
The Genesis record declares that while he was in Egypt, Pharaoh presented Abraham with some camels (Genesis 12:16). Liberal writers disputed this. T.K. Cheyne wrote: “The assertion that the ancient Egyptians knew of the camel is unfounded” (1899, 1:634). Professor Kenneth Kitchen has shown, however, that “the extant evidence clearly indicates that the domestic camel was known [in Egypt] by 3,000 B.C.”—long before Abraham’s time (1980, 1:228).
On several occasions in the book of Genesis it is recorded that Abraham and Isaac had associations with the Philistines (cf. Genesis 21; 26). Liberal scholars consider these references to be anachronistic (details from a later age inappropriately inserted into the patriarchal account). H.T. Frank characterized the allusions as “an historical inaccuracy” (1964, p. 323). It has been shown, however, that “Philistine” was a rather generic term and that there is no valid reason to doubt that these groups were in Canaan before the arrival of the main body in the early twelfth century B.C. (Unger, 1954, p. 91; Archer, 1964, p. 266; Harrison, 1963, p. 32). Harrison noted that the archaeological evidence “suggests that it is a mistake to regard the mention of the Philistines in the patriarchal narratives as an anachronism” (1983, p. 362).
Elsewhere, I have catalogued no less than twenty major “slips” with which the biblical writers have been charged (Jackson, 1982). Each has evaporated with the passing of time and the exhumation of evidence.
Yes, even the noble Homer may nod; those guided by the Spirit of God, however, never did. You can trust the Bible!

REFERENCES

Archer, Gleason (1964), A Survey of Old Testament Introduction (Chicago, IL: Moody).
Cheyne, T.K. (1899), Encyclopedia Biblica (London: A. & C. Black).
Cruden, Alexander (1840), Cruden’s Explanations of Scripture Terms (London: Religious Tract Society).
Eddy, Mary Baker (1934), Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (Boston, MA: The First Church of Christ, Scientist).
Encyclopaedia Britannica, (1958), “Tacitus,” (London: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.).
Frank, H.T. (1964), An Archaeological Companion to the Bible (London: SCM Press).
Goodpasture, B.C. (1970), “Homer Sometimes Nods,” Gospel Advocate, 112[21]:322,325.
Harrison, R.K. (1963), The Archaeology of the Old Testament (New York: Harper & Row).
Harrison, R.K. (1983), The New International Dictionary of Biblical Archaeology, ed. Edward Blaiklock and R.K. Harrison (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan).
Huntington, Oliver B. (1892), “Inhabitants of the Moon,” Young Woman’s Journal.
Jackson, Wayne (1982), Biblical Studies in the Light of Archaeology (Montgomery, AL: Apologetics Press).
Kitchen, K.A. (1980), The Illustrated Bible Dictionary, ed. J.D. Douglas (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale).
McGarvey, J.W. (1956 reprint), Evidences of Christianity (Nashville, TN: Gospel Advocate).
McMillen, S.I. (1963), None of These Diseases (Westwood, NJ: Revell).
Metzger, Bruce M. (1965), The New Testament: Its Background, Growth, and Content (Nashville, TN: Abingdon).
Morton, J.S. (1978), Science in the Bible (Chicago, IL: Moody).
Pfeiffer, Charles (1966), The Biblical World (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker).
Sarton, George (1959), A History of Science (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press).
Unger, Merrill (1954), Archaeology and the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan).
Vis, William R. (1950), “Medical Science and the Bible,” Modern Science and the Christian Faith (Wheaton, IL: Van Kampen).
Young, Brigham (1854-75), Journal of Discourses (Liverpool, England: F.D. Richards).

The Implications of Evolution by Bert Thompson, Ph.D.


http://apologeticspress.org/apPubPage.aspx?pub=1&issue=474


The Implications of Evolution

by Bert Thompson, Ph.D.

Origins. The mere mention of the word evokes in people deep-seated emotions, because this is one issue on which almost everyone has an opinion. From earliest times, men have inquired about their origin, and the question, “whence have I come?,” rarely has been far from either their thoughts or their lips. Today, discussions about origins frequently stir quite a controversy as proponents of competing theories battle each other in public debates, in the news media, in the classroom, in the courtroom, and through the printed word.
Adding to the controversy is the fact that as people explore scenarios intended to explain their origin, they may discover (sometimes to their dismay) serious implications encompassed within those scenarios. These implications, it turns out, are of no small consequence, because they relate to such matters as ethics, morals, truth, values, and a host of other concepts of importance to humankind. Without doubt, these implications bear investigating.
One of the explanations for man’s origin is known popularly as evolution. The term “evolution” derives from the Latin evolvere, which means to “unroll, unfold, or change.” The word evolution may be used legitimately to speak of a bud’s development into the flower, the metamorphosis of the butterfly, or the production of new varieties of organisms (e.g., Brangus cattle, or cockapoo dogs). However, this is not what the average person generally has in mind when he speaks of evolution. In everyday parlance, the word carries quite a different meaning.
In 1960, British physiologist G.A. Kerkut authored a small volume titled The Implications of Evolution, in which he defined not one, but two theories of evolution. One of those he labeled the Special Theory of Evolution (often known as “microevolution”). There is no controversy over this theory, as it merely describes small changes that do not cross what biologists call “phylogenetic boundaries.” While the Special Theory of Evolution allows for change within groups, it does not allow for change between groups.
In addition to the Special Theory, Kerkut also identified, defined, and discussed what he termed theGeneral Theory of Evolution (often known as “macroevolution”). He wrote: “On the other hand, there is the theory that all the living forms in the world have arisen from a single source which itself came from an inorganic form. This theory can be called the ‘General Theory of Evolution’ ” (1960, p. 157). This is what we today know as “organic evolution,” or simply “evolution.”

THE IMPLICATIONS OF EVOLUTION

It is a well-known and widely-admitted fact that actions have consequences. But no less true is the fact that beliefs have implications. Prominent humanist, Martin Gardner, devoted a chapter in one of his books to “The Relevance of Belief Systems,” in an attempt to explain that what a person believes profoundly influences how a person acts (1988, pp. 57-64). In his book, Does It Matter What I Believe?, Millard J. Erickson, wrote that there are numerous reasons
...why having correct beliefs is important. Our whole lives are inevitably affected by the real world around us, so what we believe about it is of the utmost importance.... What we believe about reality does not change the truth, nor its effect upon us. Correct belief, however, enables us to know the truth as it is, and then to take appropriate action, so that it will have the best possible effect upon our lives. Having correct beliefs is also necessary because of the large amount and variety of incorrect beliefs which are about (1992, pp. 12,13).
Erickson is right. Having correct beliefs is important. Consider, for example, the position of the person who believes in evolution. By definition (since evolution is a completely naturalistic process—see Simpson, 1960), a Divine Creator is ruled out. Acknowledging this causes certain issues to spring to mind: “If there is no Creator, if everything springs ultimately from natural causes, and if this life is all there is, why ought I do/not do certain things, or act/not act in certain ways?”; “If man is merely the latest in a long chain of animals, why should he be viewed as different from any other animal?” These, and other similar questions, inevitably arise from a belief in evolution.
But if a person freely chooses to believe in evolution, what, then, are the implications of that belief? And how does that belief translate into the reality of daily living? Though it is rare to see evolutionists actually admit it, the simple fact of the matter is that belief in evolution produces a society that is not a very pleasant one in which to live. Several years ago, British evolutionist Richard Dawkins [who has described himself as “a fairly militant atheist, with a fair degree of hostility toward religion” (see Bass, 1990, p. 86)] authored a book titled The Selfish Gene, in which he set forth his theory of genetic determinism. In summarizing the basic thesis of the book, Dawkins said: “You are for nothing. You are here to propagate your selfish genes. There is no higher purpose in life” (Bass, 1990, p. 60). Dawkins explained:
I am not advocating a morality based on evolution. I am saying how things have evolved. I am not saying how we humans morally ought to behave.... My own feeling is that a human society based simply on the gene’s law of universal ruthless selfishness would be a very nasty society in which to live. But unfortunately, however much we may deplore something, it does not stop it being true (1989, pp. 2,3, emp. added).
Dawkins is correct in his assessment that a society based on the truthfulness of evolution would be “a very nasty” place to live. But why is this so? The answer has to do with the implications of belief in evolution.

Evolution and Ethics

Ethics generally is viewed as the system or code by which attitudes and actions are determined to be either right or wrong. But the truth of the matter is that if evolution is correct, and there is no God, man exists in an environment where “anything goes.” Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky, in The Brothers Karamazov (1880), had one of his characters (Ivan) say that in the absence of God, everything is allowed. French existential philosopher, Jean Paul Sartre, wrote:
Everything is indeed permitted if God does not exist, and man is in consequence forlorn, for he cannot find anything to depend upon either within or outside himself.... Nor, on the other hand, if God does not exist, are we provided with any values or commands that could legitimize our behavior (1961, p. 485).
Sartre contended that whatever one chooses to do is right; value is attached to the choice itself so that “...we can never choose evil” (1966, p. 279). These men are correct about one thing. If evolution is true and there is no God, “anything goes” is the name of the game. Thus, it is impossible to formulate a system of ethics by which one objectively can differentiate “right” from “wrong.” Agnostic philosopher Bertrand Russell observed:
We feel that the man who brings widespread happiness at the expense of misery to himself is a better man than the man who brings unhappiness to others and happiness to himself. I do not know of any rational ground for this view, or, perhaps, for the somewhat more rational view that whatever the majority desires (called utilitarian hedonism) is preferable to what the minority desires. These are truly ethical problems but I do not know of any way in which they can be solved except by politics or war. All that I can find to say on this subject is that an ethical opinion can only be defended by an ethical axiom, but, if the axiom is not accepted, there is no way of reaching a rational conclusion (1969, 3:29, emp. added).
With no way to reach a rational conclusion on what is ethical, man finds himself adrift in a chaotic sea of despair where “might makes right,” where “the strong subjugates the weak,” and where each man does what is right in his own eyes. This is not a system of ethics, but a society of anarchy.

Evolution and Morality

Morality is the character of being in accord with the principles or standards of right conduct. Interestingly, evolutionist George Gaylord Simpson argued that “man is the result of a purposeless and materialistic process that did not have him in mind,” yet admitted that “good and evil, right and wrong, concepts irrelevant in nature except from the human viewpoint, become real and pressing features of the whole cosmos as viewed morally because morals arise only in man” (1951, p. 179, emp. added). Simpson was forced to conclude: “Discovery that the universe apart from man or before his coming lacks and lacked any purpose or plan has the inevitable corollary that the workings of the universe cannot provide any automatic, universal, eternal, or absolute ethical criteria of right and wrong” (1951, p. 180).
If such concepts as “good and evil, right and wrong” are “real and pressing features,” how, then, should morals be determined? Since man is viewed as little more than the last animal among many to be produced by the long, meandering process of evolution, this becomes problematic. In his book, Origins, Richard Leakey wrote: “There is now a critical need for a deep awareness that, no matter how special we are as an animal, we are still part of the greater balance of nature...” (1977, p. 256, emp. added). Charles Darwin declared: “There is no fundamental difference between man and the higher mammals in their mental faculties” (as quoted in Francis Darwin, 1889, 1:64). A lion is not plagued by guilt after killing a gazelle’s infant offspring for its noon meal. A dog does not experience remorse after stealing a bone from one of its peers. Since no other animal throughout evolutionary history has been able to locate and live by moral standards, should we somehow trust a “naked ape” (to use zoologist Desmond Morris’ colorful expression) to do any better? Darwin himself complained: “Can the mind of man, which has, as I fully believe, been developed from a mind as low as that possessed by the lowest animals, be trusted when it draws such grand conclusions?” (as quoted in Francis Darwin, 1889, 1:282).
Matter—in and of itself—is impotent to evolve any sense of moral consciousness. If there is no purpose in the Universe, as Simpson and others have asserted, then there is no purpose to morality or ethics. But the concept of a purposeless morality, or a purposeless ethic, is irrational. Unbelief therefore must contend, and does contend, that there is no ultimate standard of moral/ethical truth, and that morality and ethics, at best, are relative and situational. That being the case, who could ever suggest, correctly, that someone else’s conduct was “wrong,” or that a man “ought” or “ought not” to do thus and so? The simple fact of the matter is that infidelity cannot explain the origin of morality and ethics.

Evolution and Hedonism

Hedonism is the philosophy which argues that the aim of “moral” conduct is the attainment of the greatest possible pleasure with the greatest possible avoidance of pain. In an article titled, “Confessions of a Professed Atheist,” Aldous Huxley wrote eloquently about why he, and others of his generation, purposely chose to flout both convention and established moral/ethical principles to “do their own thing”:
I had motives for not wanting the world to have meaning; consequently, assumed it had none, and was able without any difficulty to find satisfying reasons for this assumption.... The philosopher who finds no meaning in the world is not concerned exclusively with a problem in pure metaphysics; he is also concerned to prove there is no valid reason why he personally should not do as he wants to do.... For myself, as no doubt for most of my contemporaries, the philosophy of meaninglessness was essentially an instrument of liberation. The liberation we desired was simultaneously liberation from a certain political and economic system and liberation from a certain system of morality. We objected to the morality because it interfered with our sexual freedom (1966, 3:19, emp. added).
Such statements do not leave much to the imagination. Huxley’s goal was to be ready for any sexual pleasure. Humanists of our day seek the same thing. One of the tenets of humanism, as expressed in theHumanist Manifesto of 1973, suggested:
...we believe that intolerant attitudes, often cultivated by orthodox religions and puritanical cultures, unduly repress sexual conduct. The right to birth control, abortion, and divorce should be recognized. While we do not approve of exploitive, denigrating forms of sexual expression, neither do we wish to prohibit, by law or social sanction, sexual behavior between consenting adults. The many varieties of sexual exploration should not in themselves be considered “evil.” Without countenancing mindless permissiveness or unbridled promiscuity, a civilized society should be atolerant one. Short of harming others or compelling them to do likewise, individuals should be permitted to express their sexual proclivities and pursue their lifestyles as they desire (1973, pp. 18-19, emp. in orig.).
What have been the consequences of this kind of thinking? Sexually-transmitted diseases are occurring in epidemic proportions. Teenage pregnancies are rampant. Babies are born already infected with deadly diseases such as AIDS, because their mothers contracted the diseases during their pregnancies and passed them on to their unborn offspring. In many places divorces are so common that they equal or outnumber marriages. Jails are filled to overflowing with rapists, stalkers, and child molesters. What else, pray tell, will have to go wrong before it becomes apparent that attempts to live without God are futile?

Evolution and the Value of Human Life

Having grown up under a father who was a veterinarian, and personally having served as a professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Texas A&M University for a number of years, I have seen firsthand the fate of animals that have suffered irreparable injuries, have become riddled with incurable diseases, or have become too old and decrepit to control their bodily functions. I have had to stand by helplessly and watch my father, or my colleagues, discharge a firearm to end the life of a horse because of a broken leg that could not be healed. I have had to draw into a syringe the life-ending drug to be inserted into the veins of someone’s pet dog to “put it to sleep” because the combination of senility and disease had taken a toll that not even the ablest practitioner of the healing arts could reverse. It is neither a pleasant task, nor a pretty sight. But while a pet dog, or champion 4-H gelding, may have held a place of esteem in a child’s heart, the simple fact of the matter is that the dog is not someone’s father or mother, and the horse is not someone’s brother or sister. These are animals—which is why we shoot horses.
In the evolutionary scheme of things, however, man occupies the same status. He may be more knowledgeable, more intellectual, and more scheming than his counterparts in the animal kingdom. But he is still an animal. And so the question is bound to arise: Why should man be treated any differently when his life no longer is deemed worth living? Truth be told, there is no logical reason that he should. From cradle to grave, life—from an evolutionary vantage point—is completely expendable. And so it should be—at least if Charles Darwin is to be taken at face value. In his book, The Descent of Man, he wrote:
With savages, the weak in body or mind are soon eliminated; and those that survive commonly exhibit a vigorous state of health. We civilised men, on the other hand, do our utmost to check the process of elimination; we build asylums for the imbecile, the maimed, and the sick; we institute poor-laws; and our medical men exert their utmost skills to save the life of everyone to the last moment. There is reason to believe that vaccination has preserved thousands, who from a weak constitution would formerly have succumbed to small-pox. Thus the weak members of civilised societies propagate their kind. No one who has attended to the breeding of domestic animals will doubt that this must be highly injurious to the race of man. It is surprising how soon a want of care, or care wrongly directed, leads to the degeneration of a domestic race; but excepting in the case of man himself, hardly any one is so ignorant as to allow his worst animals to breed (1870, p. 501)
In Darwin’s day (and even in the early parts of this century), some applied this view to the human race via the concept of eugenics.
By January 22, 1973, the United States Supreme Court, in a 7-to-2 vote, decided that the human embryo growing within the human womb no longer is “human.” Rather, it is a “thing” that may be ripped out, slaughtered, and tossed into the nearest garbage dump. And the lengths to which evolutionists will go in order to justify such a position defy description. As an example, consider the position of the late evolutionist, Carl Sagan, and his wife, Ann Druyan. In an article on “The Question of Abortion” that they co-authored for Parade magazine, these two humanists contended for the ethical permissibility of human abortion on the grounds that the fetus, growing within a woman’s body for several months following conception, is not a human being. Their conclusion, therefore, was this: the killing of this tiny creature is not murder.
And what was the basis for this assertion? Sagan and Druyan argued their case by subtly employing the concept known as “embryonic recapitulation,” which suggests that as the human embryo develops, it repeats its evolutionary history, going through ancestral stages such as an amoeba-like blob, a fish, an amphibian, a reptile, etc. So, watching the human embryo grow is like watching a “silent moving picture” of evolution. They stated that the embryo first is “a kind of parasite” that eventually looks like a “segmented worm.” Further alterations, they wrote, reveal “gill arches” like that of a “fish or amphibian.” Supposedly, “reptilian” features emerge, and later give rise to “mammalian...pig-like” traits. By the end of two months, according to these two authors, the creature resembles a “primate but is still not quite human” (1990, p. 6).
The concept of embryonic recapitulation, which was first set forth in the mid-1860s by German scientist Ernst Haeckel, long since has been discredited, and shown to be without any basis in scientific fact (see Simpson et al., 1957, p. 352). But so desperate were Sagan and Druyan to find something—anything—in science to justify their belief that abortion is not murder, they resurrected the ancient concept, dusted it off, and attempted to give it some credibility as an appropriate reason why abortion is not murder. Surely, this shows the lengths to which evolutionists will go in attempts to substantiate their theory, and the inordinate practices that the theory generates when followed to its logical conclusion.
According to Darwin, “weaker” members of society are unfit and, by the laws of nature, normally would not survive. Who is weaker than a tiny baby growing in the womb? The baby cannot defend himself, cannot feed himself, cannot even speak for himself. He (or she) is completely and totally dependent upon the mother for life. Since nature “selects against” the weaker animal, and since man is an animal, why should man expect any deferential treatment?
Once those who are helpless, weak, and young become expendable, who will be next? Will it be the helpless, weak, and old? Will it be those whose infirmities make them “unfit” to survive in a society that values the beautiful and the strong? Will it be those who are lame, blind, maimed? Will it be those whose IQ falls below a certain point, or whose skin is a different color? Some in our society already are calling for such “cleansing” processes to be made legal, using euphemisms such as “euthanasia” or “mercy killing.” After all, they shoot horses, don’t they?

CONCLUSION

Christ, in His “Sermon on the Mount,” warned that “narrow is the gate, and straight is the way, that leads unto life, and few are they that find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). The majority ultimately will abandon God’s grace and mercy in favor of their own “wisdom.” In Romans 12:2, Paul admonished Christians: “be not conformed to this world.” His command had its basis in both Christ’s teachings, and those of Moses. In Exodus 23:2, Moses commanded the people of Israel: “Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil.” In speaking of this divine injunction, Guy N. Woods observed that it
...was designed to guard the Lord’s people from the corrupting influences of an evil environment, as well as from the powerful appeals of mob psychology to which so many in every generation succumb....
Man, by nature, is a social and gregarious being, tending to flock or gather together with others of his kind.... The disposition of man to desire the companionship and association of others of his kind has many advantages. It enables man to enjoy the accrued advantages of the many, and to have legally and properly the fruits of the labors of others as well as those of his own. But there are grave dangers attending the privilege. Man may, and often does, imbibe the evil characteristics of those about him as readily, and often more so, than the good ones (1982, 124[1]:2).
It is true that there are many who reject the biblical account of creation and accept the atheistic system of organic evolution. But, as Woods noted: “It is dangerous to follow the multitude because the majority is almost always on the wrong side in this world” (1982, 123[1]:2, emp. added). The “wisdom” with which we sometimes are impressed is not necessarily the wisdom with which we should be impressed. We must not fall prey to mob psychology—the idea which suggests because “everyone is doing it,” that somehow makes it right. The cartoon character Lucy was correct when she said to Charlie Brown, “You’re not right; you just sound right!”
The simple fact of the matter is that we are responsible for what we believe. Using the personal volition with which God has endowed us, we may freely believe in Him, or we may just as freely reject Him. The choice is up to each individual. Once the unbeliever has closed his mind irrevocably, God will not deter him, as Paul made clear when he wrote his second epistle to the Thessalonians. In that letter, he spoke of those who “received not the love of the truth” (2:10), and then went on to say that “for this cause God sendeth them a working of error, that they should believe a lie” (2 Thessalonians 2:11). Indeed, actions have consequences. And beliefs have implications.

REFERENCES

Bass, Thomas (1990), “Interview with Richard Dawkins,” Omni, 12[4]:57-60,84-89, January.
Darwin, Charles (1870), The Descent of Man (New York: Modern Library). This is a two-volume edition in a single binding that also includes The Origin of Species.
Darwin, Francis (1889), Life and Letters of Charles Darwin (London: D. Appleton).
Dawkins, Richard (1989), The Selfish Gene (Oxford: Oxford University Press).
Erickson, Millard J. (1992), Does It Matter What I Believe? (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker).
Gardner, Martin (1988), The New Age: Notes of a Fringe Watcher (Buffalo, NY: Prometheus).
Humanist Manifestos I & II, (Buffalo, NY: Prometheus).
Huxley, Aldous (1966), “Confessions of a Professed Atheist,” Report: Perspective on the News, June.
Kerkut, G. A. (1960), The Implications of Evolution (London: Pergamon).
Leakey, Richard (1977), Origins (New York: E.P. Dutton).
Russell, Bertrand (1969), Autobiography (New York: Simon & Schuster).
Sagan, Carl and Ann Druyan (1990), “The Question of Abortion,” Parade, April 22.
Sartre, Jean Paul, (1961), “Existentialism and Humanism,” French Philosophers from Descartes to Sartre, ed. Leonard M. Marsak (New York: Meridian).
Sartre, Jean Paul (1966), “Existentialism,” Reprinted in A Casebook on Existentialism, William V. Spanos (New York: Thomas Y. Crowell).
Simpson, George Gaylord (1951), The Meaning of Evolution (New York: Mentor Books).
Simpson, George Gaylord (1960), “The World Into Which Darwin Led Us,” Science, 131:966-969.
Simpson, George Gaylord, C.S. Pittendrigh, and L.H. Tiffany (1957), Life: An Introduction to Biology (New York: Harcourt, Brace).
Woods, Guy N. (1982), “’And be not Conformed to this World’,” Gospel Advocate, 124[1]:2, January 7.