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Apologetics for the Masses - Issue #76
General Comments
First of all, thank you for all the kind responses, support, and encouraging words I received after the last newsletter – and especially for all the smiley faces that folks sent. You guys!
Secondly, I was very edified by two or three folks who wrote in to say that they, too, occasionally had trouble with my “tone,” but that they completely understood after reading my comments. Alas, if only some of the folks featured in these newsletters would ever respond that way!
And, I would like to share with all of you a comment I received from Paul in Kentucky: "Count me as one who sometimes cringes at your ‘tone’…but also one who secretly revels in the fact that such confidence is inspired by our Church’s teaching. I know we are not in this to ‘win a debate’….but it strengthens my faith to see someone be so thoroughly thrashed by your presentation of the entire truth of what the Bible says versus a single passage that is twisted so ridiculously. It makes one wonder if the doctrine of “Once saved, always saved” should be changed to ‘Once Saved, Always Saved, Forevermore Irrational.’"
I wanted to share that with you for a couple of reasons: 1) Paul hit on the main reason I do these newsletters – to show you how the teachings of the Church of Christ absolutely eviscerate whatever ravings men have come up with on their own. These newsletters are not about how smart I am or how versed I am in Scripture, because I am always coming up against folks smarter than me and folks who have way more of the Bible memorized than I do. But, my confidence is not in me, as Paul says in that short quote, it is in the Church and its teachings. That’s why I can do what I do. If I was trusting in my intelligence and my ability or my whatever, I’d fold up shop today. But, I’m trusting in the teachings of the Church founded by Jesus Christ Himself. And, so should you. That’s what these newsletters are all about – building your confidence in the Church, so that you can go out there and defend her against all comers. So that you know that you have not only the Word of God on your side, but logic and common sense as well. If I can do it, you can do it. After all, people…I’m from Alabama.
2) The other reason I shared Paul’s quote with you is because I really liked what he said about the false dogma of once saved always saved – and “forevermore irrational.” I love it! Paul, just so you know, I’m stealing that from you.
A little update on my upcoming speaking engagements: I’ll be in Memphis tomorrow, speaking at a men’s conference at the Cathedral. Next weekend, I’ll be giving a couple of talks at the Fullness of Truth conference in Corpus Christi, and the following weekend I’ll be in Los Lunas, New Mexico, giving some talks. The weekend after that I’ll be speaking at a men’s conference in Worcester, Massachusetts. More info on all of these events is on the “Calendar” page of the website (www.biblechristiansociety.com). If you’re in the neighborhood of any of those events, I’d love for you to come out and say hello.
Introduction
This week, I’m going to get back to doing some basic Christian apologetics, rather than specifically Catholic apologetics. Below are a couple of statements someone sent me in an email. They had received these statements from a friend and asked if I could help them with a response. Nothing fancy, but I thought it might help if you come across similarly-minded folks.
Challenge/Response/Strategy
Statement #1
“Science can destroy religion by ignoring it as well as by disproving its tenets. No one ever demonstrated, so far as I am aware, the non-existence of Zeus or Thor — but they have few followers now.” Arthur C. Clarke
Response
It seems as if the limit of one’s intelligence and the limit of one’s stupidity are related in such a way that it is only the smartest of men who are capable of being the greatest of asses. Science can no more destroy religion than Arthur C. Clarke can rise from the dead of his own power.
What tenets of religion can science disprove? That there is a God who created everything from nothing? Oh, but wait, the latest dogma from the Religion of Science is that all matter came into being all at once at what is called a singularity. Matter, essentially, came into being from non-matter, instantanously. (Hmmm, sounds vaguely familiar.) No one has ever demonstrated, so far as I am aware, that non-existence produces existence – but the adherents of Science do so now believe it to be so. Is that science, or faith? By the way, if you read chapter one of Genesis, you will see that the Religion of Science has adapted one of the tenets of the religion it would destroy – all things were created out of nothing, in the beginning.
You know, for hundreds of years, science believed that the universe was infinite. That it had no beginning and would have no end. Religion, at least, the Judeo/Christian religion, said otherwise. Another example of Science catching up to religion.
Many ancient religions believed the sun and the moon to be gods. But, there was one ancient religion that believed them to be objects. Amazing, isn’t it?!
The sciences of Anthropology, Genetics, and Archeology are all pointing to the human race as having a common origin – that all of mankind descended from an original pair of human beings. Once again, modern science is catching up to the ancient writers of Genesis. How can that be?!
Zeus or Thor never walked the earth. Jesus Christ did. Jesus has close to two billion followers now. The small remainder of Arthur Clarke’s followers will be dead within a few short years and his name will be forgotten forever. But the name “Jesus,” lives on.
Pride and ego quite often interfere with the intelligent person’s ability to accept that without God, they are nothing.
Can science disprove the tenet that Jesus Christ was true God and true man? Can it disprove the tenet that the Savior was born of a virgin? Can it disprove the tenet that He rose from the dead? No. There is no tenet of religion, at least not the Christian religion, that science can disprove. And, if it wishes to ignore religion, it will not destroy religion, it will only do harm to itself.
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Statement #2
“Religion is an insult to human dignity. With or without it, you’d have good people doing good things and evil people doing bad things, but for good people to do bad things, it takes religion.” Steven Weinberg, Nobel Laureate in Physics
Response
Another person who is so arrogant and so filled with their own magnificence that they cannot humble themselves to accept simple truth. Without God, there is no good and no evil. Without God, we are all merely animals operating according to our pre-programmed natures. There is no morality other than the morality of survival of the fittest. So, there is no “good” to do without God, and there is no “evil” to be done. When one animal kills or hurts another animal, does anyone claim it is immoral, or evil? No. There is no morality among animals, and without God, we are just animals.
In Conclusion
I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend. God willin’ I’ll be back for another issue next week!
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