Wednesday, March 16, 2011

God versus Science

I received this in an email this morning, and it did bring a smile so I had to share.  Being I don't generally like to forward anything via email, I decided to share here. 

It seems this is a true story. A bit long, but well worth the read...
 

 
'Let me explain the problem science has with religion.'
The atheist professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his new students to stand.
'You're a Christian, aren't you, son?'
'Yes sir,' the student says.

'So you believe in God?'
'Absolutely.'
 Is God good?'
 'Sure! God's good.'
 'Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?'
 'Yes'
 'Are you good or evil?'
 'The Bible says I'm evil.'
The professor grins knowingly. 'Aha! The Bible! He considers for a moment. 'Here's one for you. Let's say there's a sick person over here and you can cure him. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you try?'
'Yes sir, I would.'

'So you're good...!' 
'I wouldn't say that.'
'But why not say that? You'd help a sick and maimed person if you could. Most of us would if we could. But God doesn't.'
The student does not answer, so the professor continues. 'He doesn't, does he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he prayed to Jesus to heal him. How is this Jesus good? Can you answer that one?' 
The student remains silent. 'No, you can't, can you?' the professor says. He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax. 'Let's start again, young fella. Is God good?'
'Er..yes,' the student says.
'Is Satan good?
The student doesn't hesitate on this one. 'No.' 
'Then where does Satan come from?'
The student falters. 'From God'
'That's right. God made Satan, didn't he? Tell me, son. Is there evil in this world?'
'Yes, sir..'
'Evil's everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything, correct? 
'Yes'
'So who created evil?' The professor continued, 'If God created everything, then God created evil, since evil exists, and according to the principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil.' 
Again, the student has no answer. 'Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things, do they exist in this world?'

The student squirms on his feet. 'Yes.'
 'So who created them?'
The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his question. 'Who created them?' There is still no answer. Suddenly the lecturer breaks away to pace in front of the classroom. The class is mesmerized.
'Tell me,' he continues onto another student. 'Do you believe in Jesus Christ, son?'
The student's voice betrays him and cracks. 'Yes, professor, I do.'
The old man stops pacing. 'Science says you have five senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?' 
by
myeuropeantouch
on Etsy
'No sir. I've never seen Him.'
 'Then tell us if you've ever heard your Jesus?'
'No, sir, I have not..'
'Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelt your Jesus? Have you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, or God for that matter?' 
'No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't.'
'Yet you still believe in him?'
'Yes'
'According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your God doesn't exist... What do you say to that, son?'
'Nothing,' the student replies.. 'I only have my faith.'
'Yes, faith,' the professor repeats. 'And that is the problem science has with God. There is no evidence, only faith.' 
The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of His own. 'Professor, is there such thing as heat?'
'Yes.
'And is there such a thing as cold?'
'Yes, son, there's cold too.'
'No sir, there isn't.'
The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested. The room suddenly becomes very quiet. The student begins to explain. 'You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don't have anything called 'cold'. We can hit down to 458 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder than the lowest -458 degrees. Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat. You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.'
Silence across the room. A pen drops somewhere in the classroom, sounding like a hammer.
by
'What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?'
'Yes,' the professor replies without hesitation.. 'What is night if it isn't darkness?'
'You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use to define the word. In reality, darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?'
The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him. This will be a good semester. 'So what point are you making, young man?'
'Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed.'
The professor's face cannot hide his surprise this time. 'Flawed? Can you explain how?' 
'You are working on the premise of duality,' the student explains... 'You argue that there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought.' 'It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it.' 'Now tell me, professor.. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?'
'If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes, of course I do.'
'Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?'
The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes where the argument is going. A very good semester, indeed.

by
Sandyscapecodoriginals
on Etsy

'Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?'
The class is in uproar. The student remains silent until the commotion has subsided. 'To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, let me give you an example of what I mean..' The student looks around the room. 'Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the professor's brain?' The class breaks out into laughter. 'Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor's brain, felt the professor's brain, touched or smelt the professor's brain? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, with all due respect, sir.' 'So if science says you have no brain, how can we trust your lectures, sir?'
Now the room is silent. The professor just stares at the student, his face unreadable. Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man answers. 'I Guess you'll have to take them on faith.'
'Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with life,' the student continues. 'Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?' Now uncertain, the professor responds, 'Of course, there is. We see it Everyday. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in The multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil.'
To this the student replied, 'Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light.'
The professor sat down. 
If you read it all the way through and had a smile on your face when you finished, share it with others please.


by
Echoesofstars on Etsy

PS: the student was Albert Einstein.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

In Honor of My Mother in Law, Painter and Artist Extrordinaire

As you can tell by the title of this post, this is in honor and memory of my mother in law, who passed away 2 years ago this month.  She was very creative with just about anything she put her hands to, but her primary love (aside from God and her hubby) was painting.  Shirley started painting by using oils, then turned to acrylic and watercolors, after finding she was allergic to the oil paint.  Here are some pictures of Shirley's paintings I have up on the walls of my home.

 The picture above is one of my favorites of mom's paintings.  This is one of her earlier works beings it is an oil painting.  I like this one because it is a painting of an area in the mountains here called Ohiopyle.
This painting has won an award at our local county fair.  It makes me think of stairways to heaven.

This one is of the back of on of her boys (when they were young).  I believe it is suppossed to be my husband.  I especially like the book in the painting.
This is one of mom's earlier paintings (oil).  It is a depiction of how she saw the 3 wise men as they followed the star that led them to see the Christ child.

After mom passed, Pete found some of her sketch books, and more paintings.  I have some more up on the walls of my home, and will post those another time.

Be blessed today and always!

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Knocking on Heavens Door

Knocking on Heavens Door
a comic strip by Tommy Blaze and Nate Fakes




This is such a cute comic strip one of my friends from church showed me.  Just thought I would share one of their strips with everyone.

Be blessed!              Tricia

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Gemstones in the Bible

Did you know that many of the gemstones used in our jewelry creations are mentioned in the Bible?  It is fascinating to know that all these beautiful gems are a part of God's beautiful creation.  Amethyst, onyx, sapphire (lapis lazuli) and many more.

In Exodus, chapter 28 God tells Moses to make the High Priest's breastpiece for Aaron, and to use specific precious stones in it.  In Revelation, chapter 21, John mentions 12 stones that adorn the foundation of the New Jerusalem.  There is more, of course, but I am planning on a series of blog posts that will go thru each stone mentioned in God's Word.








Today I am going to post on Amethyst and where exactly it is mentioned in The Word. 

Amethyst is a variety of quartz that is best know for it's rich, violet-purple hue.  The color can vary in intensity from a pale, almost pinkish (mauve) color to a dark purplish violet.

Amethyst is mentioned in Exodus 28:19:  "the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;",  where God is telling Moses how to make the breastpiece for Aaron the high priest.

Exodus 39:12:  the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst, is telling us the workmen made the breastpiece just as God told Moses.

Revelation 20:21:  the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.  This is speaking of the layers of the foundation  of the New Jerusalem.

The Hebrew word for amethyst, ahlamah, literally means “dream stone,” and it was thought that it induced pleasant dreams. The Greek name for the stone, amethustos (from which we get “amethyst”), literally means “not drunken” and it was believed that the gem guarded one against intoxication. Beautifully carved and engraved amethyst goblets, vases, charms and miniatures have been found in excavations. Historically amethyst has been highly valued as a precious stone for the uniqueness of it's color, as there are few purple gemstones.

I love doing Bible studies, and this one is no different.  I've learned something I did not know prior to this study which is the literal meaning of the Greek amethustos.  Hmmmm...maybe I should put lots and lots of amethyst in my bead store, beings I am directly accross from the liquer store.

God created us in His image (Genesis 1:26), so let's use His creativity to be creative like Him.  Here's a few creations using amethyst from CAST teammates.

To see more wonderful jewels
http://www.etsy.com/shop/strandsoflight?ref=seller_info


To see more creations from this seller
http://www.etsy.com/shop/NaturesGemsbyKasha?ref=seller_info





Hope you have enjoyed this post on the Gemstones of the Bible.  Look
for more in this series soon.

Be Blessed!







visit this shop and see all the pretties
http://www.etsy.com/shop/SharisEssentials?ref=seller_info





























Thursday, January 27, 2011

Tongues in Disguise


Did you know you have power in your tongue? Proverbs 18:21 tells us The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
 
Did you know in this day and age our tongues can be disguised in several different ways? Let's see.... a computer keyboard, a chat window, a cell phone 'qwerty' keypad, and there is probably more that I can't think of.
 
A pastor I had heard years ago was preaching on this verse and I believe we can all use what he said. Before we say anything to anyone, we should T.H.I.N.K. first.  If before we say, type or text anything we should ask ourselves: is what I am about to say, type or text:
Bookmark is available at http://www.mystuff2.etsy.com/


True
Helpful
Inspiring
Necessary
Kind
 
Was your answer yes to all? Super, go ahead and say, type or text your message.
 
Or maybe you answered just one 'no'....you may want to reTHINK what you are about to say, text or type. Unfortunately when we use these disguises for our tongue(computer, etc) it can come accross on the other end much different than intended. I believe if we
 
T H I N K
 
and ask ourselves: is what I am about to say True, is it Helpful, is it Inspiring, is it Necessary, and is it Kind- what we say, text, type will come accross on the other end as it was intended.
 
Please visit http://www.mystuff2.etsy.com/ to see more wonderful items, including photo bookmarks, photo greeting cards, greeting cards and more.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Handmade lampwork beads by Darlene Shaw




Many people have been coming to our bead (Graft Unlimited, the spot for beads and more) store asking for Pandora style beads and that request has been fulfilled in the form of Baci beads.  Through joining teams on Etsy (CAST team, CAPS team, BURGH team) I've had the honor to be in contact with many wonderful artists from all over this wonderful world God has placed us in.



I 'met' Darlene Shaw after joining the Burgh team on Etsy.  The Burgh team is comprised of Etsians who live in Pittsburgh and surrounding areas (all the nearby 'burgs').  Darlene creates beautiful lampwork beads and sells them in her Etsy shop.  Check out her shop here  http://www.ltdartglass.etsy.com/.  Darlene contacted me shortly after I joined the Burgh team and asked if I would like to carry her beads in my shop.  My response was:  most definitely!  These beads are gorgeous!
I am so pleased to have Darlene's beads in the store!  Thank you for stopping by and seeing her gorgeous creations!

Be blessed today and always!

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Christmas Dinner with Murphy's Law

I hope and pray everyone had a fabulous Christmas this year.  I had an interesting Christmas to say the least, and still I am blessed by Him whose birth we celebrate.

I'm gonna tell the story of my crazy Christmas dinner, starting with Christmas eve. 

It all started Friday (Christmas eve) at approximately 6pm when I opened the oven to put the apple pies in to bake.  EEK...there was not a drop of heat in my oven, it wasn't even warm, so I yelled loud enough for Pete, my husband, to hear:  "problem, we've got a big problem!".  Pete came down and played with the oven for a bit, then tested the element by checking the cleaning cycle.  The heating element was working, but this Fault code kept appearing.  Murphy's law has arrived!

As Pete is working on the oven, I'm thinking about the 14 pound turkey I've got in the fridge to cook tommorrow.  How am I going to cook that??  Pete kept telling me to take deep breaths, it will all work out. (my thought to that was:  deep breaths aren't going to make my oven work)

As I'm thinking all these GREAT thoughts about Christmas dinner, I've still got 2 apple pies to bake.  Pete decided if we can maintain a 200 degree temperature by turning the cleaning cycle on and off, we would be ok.  How many of you ladies reading this think that is a crazy idea??

We did exactly that, with Pete monitoring the temperature while the pies are in the oven.  My pies normally take about 1 hour to cook, well...I was 'slow cooking' these 2 apple pies for sure.  I finally gave up at midnight (the pies weren't getting brown), knowing it was going to be an interesting Christmas dinner the next day.  Murphy is still visiting.

Moving on to Christmas day:

I wake up at 6am, thinking of all the things needing to be done, and how it was going to get done with an oven that is not cooperating.  So I clean the bird, make the stuffing, place it in the roaster, all the while trying to time everything out with an adjustment for 'slow cooking' beings we were only able to maintain about a 200 degree temperature by turning the clean cycle on and off.  Pete is now awake (it is about 8am) and I tell him, 'we have got to get this bird in the oven, to make sure it is done by 2pm (dinner time)'  Pete was my 'heat monitor' for the oven, and he was turning it on and off throughout the day to maintain the 200 degree temperature.

So now I'm thinking to myself, just maybe it will all work out ok.  And then I hear beeping in the kitchen-it was the oven yet again, and Pete tells me a different fault code is now showing, and he can't even turn the oven on.  This was about 12:20pm (dinner is scheduled for 2pm) and I was thinking 'NOW WHAT'!
Murphy - GO AWAY!

My brain was working overtime to figure out how to finish cooking this big bird.  I've got it:  the grill!!  So I had Pete fire up the grill to preheat it.  He took the turkey out and put it on the grill, then comes back in the house and tells me we are out of gas for the grill.  (Murphy really needs to end his visit with this house now)Oh no....now what?  Pete gets his coat on, and says I'm going to find somewhere to get gas for the grill.  I'm thinking, it's Christmas day, where in the world is he going to gas for the grill today?!

Thank God for Home Depot's automated machines!  Put the empty canister in, swipe your card, full canister appears.  Yeah, we're in business again!

So, Pete comes back with gas for the grill, connects everything up, gets the grill started and preheated, takes the turkey out and we are going to get it all done.  I'm inside doing mashed potatoes, gravy, veggies, etc etc etc., when I went to open a cabinet door and not paying attention to which door I was opening, smacked myself in the head pretty hard with the cabinet door.  Murphy is still here.

Pete comes back in the house to me in tears because I hit my head.  I've even got a bit of knot on my head.  I said "Murphy really needs to go away", and of course, Pete laughed.

I got it all done, and everything was tasty I was told.  The slow cooked apple pies weren't all that great, but Pete says they are fine.  He would as apple is his favorite pie.

All in all, it was a very interesting day for sure.  Usually before this type of dinner I am a bit nervous and have butterflies in my belly, this Christmas I wasn't nervous at all about the big dinner.  Murphy sure fixed that.

Hope you all enjoyed reading about my Christmas dinner with Murphy's law, it was interesting!

Be Blessed!

Tricia