One word is causing a world of controversy

The Mormon community, as well as outsiders, is abuzz over a slight change to the latest edition of the Book of Mormon.
Local Mormon faithful appear to be unswayed by the change, while those who already questioned the validity of the community’s religious claims are using the controversy to bolster their stance against the religion.
A Mormon scholar has called the hubbub “nonsense,” while an Arizona State University religious scholar said the change appears to be a nod to science.
All this over five letters. But those letters, the word “among,” could signal a bigger change than it seems.
The change is in the second paragraph of the introduction to the 2006 Book of Mormon, the most recent printing of the book published by Doubleday. The last sentence of that paragraph, which discusses the fate of ancient civilizations, stated in previous editions that the Lamanites, a nation of people that originated in Jerusalem, “are the principal ancestors of the American Indians.”

Read on...
there is also a very informative video there, so I recommend this article warmly.

Psychology or Theology?

One may put it another way: humanism or theism?
What is wrong in humanism? Well, to think about it, especially from a human (sic!) perspective, nothing is wrong with it. According to this point of view we are the highest link in the evolutionary chain of biological development and therefore have the right to glorify ourselves and justify everything we do. To think that we have come into being from some simple organism (to call any organism 'simple' is ridiculous, but anyway), developed throughout millions of years and multiple stages, to finally? achieve being human, must entitle us to some pride and rights. If this is true... But let us assume it is true. Just for a moment, all right?
So what makes us think that the development ends here? If the evolution is true, we are just as much inferior to some species millions years in the future as bacteria are inferior to us. Do we have anything to be proud of, then? Just a link in a chain, nothing more, a passing fancy of chance and time. What is the purpose of all the struggles and efforts? To fade away and go into oblivion, without goal, without meaning, without sense. No wonder so many believers in evolution get depressed. I would be pretty down myself, too, with that perspective in mind.
° Enters psychology, attempting to explain the way we think, interact and function.
° Enters psychiatry, taking care of broken natural men and women.
° Enter all sorts of ideologies, offering 'better' world to those who shall follow their teachings.
But to what avail, really? Everything is over in some 80 years, you get born, you live, you reproduce (if you are lucky enough), and you die. Finito. And you know what is so tragic about this picture? the fact that human rejection of God left a man alone and desperate, yet stubborn and pig-headed enough to rather choose death than life.

So which is it then? Humanism or theism?

First a very rational question, almost a selfish one: what do you have to lose by choosing theism? The truth, already articulated by Pascal, is that you have nothing to lose, but everything to win. For if the existence of God is true, you win eternal life, but if God does not exist, you lose nothing, because you will die regardless (the physical death). Call it the pragmatism of believers, IMO a very straightforward argument if any other argument fails.

For me there is more. Much more.

Heb 11:1

(ALT) Now faith is [the] assurance [or, substance] of [things] being hoped for [or, being confidently expected], [the] confident assurance [or, proof] of things not seen.

(ASV) Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen.

(Bibeln) Men tron är en fast tillförsikt om det som man hoppas, en övertygelse om ting som man icke ser.

(ESV) Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

(ISV) Now faith is the assurance of things we hope for, the certainty of things we cannot see.

(KJV+) Now1161 faith4102 is2076 the substance5287 of things hoped for,1679 the evidence1650 of things4229 not3756 seen.991

(KJVR) Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

(LITV) Now faith is the essence of things being hoped, the evidence of things not having been seen.

(MKJV) Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

(PBG) A wiara jest gruntem tych rzeczy, których się spodziewamy i dowodem rzeczy niewidzialnych.

Have a good Saturday!

A Must-Read (updated)

Do not blame me - I read so many texts that I sometimes forget the source. I found this book discussed on a blog :-) and consider it very important to read, hence the suggestion.
I skimmed it and may recommend it warmly. It is a sound view of science from the biblical perspective.
I will never cease saying that getting knowledge of science is important for a Christian in this time and age. We have to know how to defend our faith against the ever popular and ever stronger flood of evolutionism and its children. It is them, and not us, whom the Bible calls "made foolish":

For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
(1Co 1:19-21)

The real understanding is through the Word of God:

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
(1Co 2:12-16)

Look what God values and holds dear, and what is nothing to Him, and keep up hope and trust in Him:

Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. (1Co 3:18-20)

And remember this always:

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth forever.
(Psa 111:10)

In the beginning God

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
(Gen 1:1)

How many people do actually believe these words, the very first verse of the Bible?
Look at this statement. Bold and simple, clear and sharp. Yet probably the most questioned one of the Scriptures, together with the next thirty verses.
Look at the picture here. A beautiful, blue planet (it is called so by astronauts), quite lonely in the black nothingness of space. Well, yes, there are other planets, there is our Sun and an endless amount of other stars - but really, we are pretty lonely in space, aren't we?
Our human understanding of God is extremely limited, in spite of our imagination, faith and proof. We cannot possibly envision those first six days of our Universe. The immensity of the task, the vastness of space and matter is beyond us. How come then that people have almost no problems with putting their beliefs in theories of Big Bang or any other scientific absurdity disregarding God? In fact, Big Bang and its 'infinitely compressed matter' has a lot in common with 'something from nothing' from the Bible, with one huge difference - the CAUSE of it all.
Then come, of course, many other interesting things to believe. I mean really - it is a huge leap of faith to be an atheist and claim all that to be true. The intelligent life form represented by man is NOT a result of some function of time and coincidence. Plus primordial soup. Plus lots of luck. No such chance.

Look in the mirror, look at your children laughing, talking, learning new things every day, intelligently irritating you, loving you unconditionally.
Do you see clouds in the sky? Their ever changing forms and colors?
Do you see the forest line against the sky in the evening sunlight? It looks like it were burning, only to get grey and black a short while later...

Think of the variety of languages we use, of our urge to put our words for future usage, on paper or on screen... Isn't that awesome how people apply extremely complicated codes of communication with ease, from the first year of their lives? And how impossible a task it is to scientifically describe a language, or even more difficult to computerize it? I studied both disciplines, they are both captivating, interesting, developing constantly, but still so inadequate in comparison to the real thing - human language.

God made us with our complexity and beauty, and He protects us by His Grace.

The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my savior; thou savest me from violence.
(2Sa 22:3)

My Lord and My God.

PS.

1. Watch The Privileged Planet
2. Watch The Free Creation Science Videos

Lessons in Science -

- or Creationism vs Darwinism. The idea of NOT looking for truth in God-denying science may seem crazy for many. We are so used to our school science lessons, to our school books, to the fancy films about a primitive ape becoming a less primitive ape becoming an even less primitive ape... - that we eventually cannot imagine anything else. Many so called Christian religions are perfectly happy with evolution. I am seldom surprised nowadays, I guess it comes with the territory of getting older, having seen much, being beaten by circumstances, etc. But this blows my mind - when I ask a so called Christian (Roman Catholic), whether he can see a contradiction between evolution and his beliefs, and his answer is 'no, why should there be any?'

Yet the more objectivity and clear mind is applied, the more clear picture is perceived. Take the facts, analyze them without stating whether a Deity is in working or not, and then decide on your conclusions. This is the way true science should operate. But this is exactly the way the God-denying science does not.

Know your Bible, Christian - I was told of many. This is absolutely essential, as it has always been. But it is not enough if I want to talk to people about God. The battle for souls is no longer fought between different religious views, but rather among various ideas of the origin of the Universe, many of them atheistic, quite firmly based upon this deceiving scientific 'objectivity' that I call God-denying one.
I may be naive, but I hope that by showing the absurdness of evolution and even a slight possibility of creation some souls can be won for Christ. Why do I think so? Because, in a way, this was my way, so there is something I can prove works :)
But for this approach we need to educate ourselves, to know the facts, to know not only scientific facts, but also how the other side operates and thinks. It is a humongous load of work. Worth trying, exciting, time-consuming. Profitable. Good for you. Go for it :-)

For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else. (Isa 45:18)

So called science

I was raised in an immense respect for Knowledge. This respect meant everything to my parents, who, being poor, wanted to provide me with the only wealth they knew worked - knowledge.
I embraced the idea from the very start, fortunately for them, and always enjoyed studying, at each level of my education. There were some subjects I struggled with, but overall I did well and made my folks proud.
I remember until this day all those quirky biological terms describing geological strata, and I remember (today with a slight terror), how wonderfully logical all that seemed to be. Evolution, well, why not? If science says that things are so, then the things are so, right?
I was born in a Roman-Catholic family, in a very Roman-Catholic country, the country of the late JPII. It tells one a lot. We were taught religion weekly, in my times in church, today they do it in public schools. But there was never a time when a priest objected to evolution. They either did not mention it, or just ignored it somehow (take a pick).
God rescued me using my drive for knowledge. He always uses the best tool possible, yet specifically fit for each and every one of us. He led me to a complete reevaluation of my concepts and views, pointing to creation science and helping me to understand the folly of evolutionary religion.
I would like to recommend some great sites on the subject:

• http://evolution-facts.org/
• http://www.pathlights.com/
• http://www.amazingdiscoveries.org/
• http://www.answersingenesis.org/

There are many, many more, but it is very nourishing to start from those mentioned above :)

To be a Christian means to know Your God and His works, his Creation, it also means to be able to defend this knowledge scientifically. Contemporary Christian is being attacked daily by wordly philosophy of atheism, by daily scientific discoveries denying the existence of God, by daily hardships imposing on him the idea that God cannot be real, because a real God would not allow so much evil. There you have it. And if you cannot stand firmly in your faith, you may fall...
This is no universal recipe, just my own one :)

Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great?
(2Ch 1:10)

And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honor, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king: Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honor, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like.
(2Ch 1:11-12)

I will fetch my knowledge from afar, and will ascribe righteousness to my Maker.
(Job 36:3)

For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
(Pro 2:6)