Infanticide has been a custom of human societies for thousands of years. Infanticide simply put is the killing of an infant. There are records of infanticide dating far back in the historical record. We have records of the practice in Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia, North America, and South America. The practice is known to have continued into the middle ages, and even into the modern day but is no longer a commonly accepted practice throughout the majority of the world.
Author: Thomas Kuhn
We find in 2 Corinthians 10 that in Paul’s absence there were those who spoke against his authority, and against him as a person. These attacks seem to have come only in his absence, not in his presence. Verses 8-10 shed light on the nature of the attacks:
“For even if I boast somewhat further about our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be put to shame, for I do not wish to seem as if I would terrify you by my letters. For they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his personal presence is unimpressive and his speech contemptible.” Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters when absent, such persons we are also in deed when present.“
Occasionally I will hear people make comments referencing “the God of the old testament,” or “the God of the new testament.” Statements like these stem from the perception that God behaved differently, with different expectations in the old testament than he did in the new. Often the connotation is that the “old testament God” was an angry and vengeful God, while the “new testament God” is kind, forgiving and loving God. There are many examples to counter such ideas, one has but to look at the repeated cycles of forgiveness and redemption in the old testament or the ultimate punishment outlined in Revelation to see that God is kind, capable of righteous anger, forgiving, able and willing to exact vengeance, and loving.
Often in life its easy to lose to perspective, to become distracted by the things and cares of this world. At times we may think we know a better way than what God has given us, sometimes we question God’s Word. One of my favorite passages to turn to when I need a perspective adjustment is Job 38-40.
Job 38:1-2 “Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? “Now gird up your loins like a man, and I will ask you, and you instruct Me!”
1 Corinthians 1:18-26 discusses the wisdom of God as contrasted with that of man. This is a fascinating section that forces one to ponder the differences between God’s wisdom and man’s wisdom. In order to better understand I believe a character study of Joab is useful. Joab was the commander of King David’s armies, David’s nephew, and powerful man in his own right. Throughout his life he demonstrated the wisdom of man. Contrasted with David, a man after God’s own heart, 1 Sam 13:14, we can see a good juxtaposition of God’s and man’s wisdom. What follows is a walk through the life of Joab, please crack open your Bibles and follow along. 1 Chron 2: 13-17 | David’s nephew, brother of Abishai and Asahel, cousin of Amasa
This post was initially written as an essay for a History of Science and Religion course that I took in college, as such please forgive the length. In the beginning was the universe. Before and after that point the debate gets messy. Was there a pre-beginning? If so, what was there, God? Aliens? Other Universes? Eventually the Earth comes along, some period of time later humans crept up and asked the question, who controls this crazy place? God, or time? In order to address this question this essay will look at the views of society, science, and the bible in terms of time, and God.
Matthew 22:1-14 contains the parable of the wedding feast. Verses 1-7 describes a king whose son is to be married. He has planned a grand feast and invited an honored few. Despite the honor of being invited to the wedding feast some ignore the invitation and others mistreat and kill the messengers announcing the feast, in his fury the king sends his armies, executes the murderers and burns their city. This portion of the parable is a reference to God’s chosen people, the Jews. God chose the Jews to be his people, he led Abraham out of the land of Ur, he led Moses and the children of Israel out of Egypt, he led the people out of their captivity in Persia. He sent them prophets and judges, blessings and curses. They ignored and killed the prophets and judges, or forgot their wisdom in a generation. They forgot about the blessings and wailed at the perceived injustice of the curses. When the Son of God came he was rejected by his chosen people.
Religion vs Atheism. Creation vs Evolution. Science vs Religion. Many of the great debates today are phrased in the context of Faith vs Reason. It is assumed that faith and reason are incompatible opposites. Caricatures of both sides are often accepted as fact. Atheists are seen as having of no faith in anything besides themselves, living sad and worthless lives. The religious are seen as having no capacity for reason, blindly believing the words in an ancient book, living sad and worthless lives. Neither view seems to be particularly useful as a starting point in a genuine discussion. As such this article will seek to reframe the discussion. Are faith and reason truly opposite viewpoints, opposing frameworks from which to view the world? Are they mutually exclusive concepts?