The Super Bowl of Global Warming

I have a habit between 10 A.M. and 1 P.M. on most Fridays. I listen to a voice from the right perspective of world events, Rush. While listening this morning and hearing two unrelated stories, I made an unusual connection that really contrasts the difference between the liberal humanist and the conservative Christian view points. I have yet to resolve or have an understanding of my devout Christian friends that have a more progressive view of the world.

First, the humanist perspective on two stories. Polar bears are being forced to swim a greater distance to play on the icebergs because Americans are driving their cars to much. The poor bears have to use more energy and time to swim between the shrinking ice sheets and floating icebergs. The perspective being we need to help them. Unrelated, the chastisement of super bowl couch potatoes that will just lazily sit back and watch the game and eat snacks. They are advised to get up and exercise more during the game. They need to be more active in their viewing. In summary, we need to help the deprived polar bears be less active and more comfortable, and get the gluten off the coach and be more active for his own good.

Second, my conservative perspective on those stories. Good news the polar bears are going to be more fit and healthy because they need to swim a little more. It will improve and keep them fit and help them to adapt to the ever changing world around them. And again unrelated, great news there is going to be great cause to cheer and celebrate an American pass time getting together with family and friends and enjoy each others company sharing wonderful food. Feasting on both the good company of friends and family, and also great food. For one day ignoring the routine and doing something different and special to break up our sometimes scripted lives. In summary, Nature is changing to help improve the health of polar bears, and celebration helps to relieve the daily stress of routine by overworked Americans.

Just a humorous look at the same two stories from opposing view points, from my perspective one of doom and gloom and misplaced call for action; and the other of relaxing and enjoying life a little more with friends and great food. Both evidence that everyone and everything needs to adapt to an every changing world around us.

By the way, I would like to predict the Bears triumph over the Colts with a score of 34-30. I hope the high calorie dip and salty tortilla chips are ready by game time…

A Course Correction

My original intentions for this web log was to compare Biblical Christianity to the false religion of Mormonism and the godless philosophy of human secularism. However, I am not an expert on any of these subjects. So This web log is going to be just as the title states. It is my story-I am the world’s expert on my life. It is the chronicle of my life as a new creature for Christ Jesus.

Why did I want to compare Biblical Christianity to Mormonism and secularism? In my tiny little world, they are the three main philosophies of the world. I am sure there are other ones out there, but these are the ones I have had direct contact with and have some knowledge about. I am trying to forget the knowledge I have about two of them, but from time to time they show their ugly heads, but for the most part my life is governed by the philosophy of Biblical Christianity. A brand of Christianity that although holding the Bible in high regard as the source of God’s word, holds God above everything. It is by God that the Bible was preserved. It is by God that we are saved through faith in Jesus. It is by God that we are drawn from the world. It is by God that we are transformed into our divine purpose.

Why Biblical Christianity? Because of the faith, hope, and peace I have found in Jesus. Hope that no matter what circumstances befall me, that God will be with me. Peace that comes from the certainty that Jesus has bought me with his precious blood and He will never leave me or forsake me. Faith that Jesus will provide for me; It may not be with a spacious home, a nice car, a perfect career, or any earthly object, He will meet my needs, not my desires or wishes. The path to Jesus was shown to me through my love for the written word of God. My appetite for God’s word is great. I am always hungry for it. It is not that God’s words do not nourish and feed me, It is that like food eating one great meal will not sustain anyone. One needs to eat several times a day and every day to keep the physical body fueled up with power. Likewise, one needs to partake of God’s word often to keep the spiritual body fueled up with power.

Why compare to Mormonism? I was born in a religious LDS home. I was raised with religion. Religion is not evil; It is that some people have placed religion ahead of God. I believe that Mormonism has done this. It surely can teach morality and even enforce and demand it, however it is an outside in, rather than an inside out method. But underneath the morality and obedience is uncertainty. The underlying sense that perfection is always out of grasp, that no matter how hard I tried, not matter what I did, It could not be achieved. It is draining. Hoping and trusting that I could do enough good works to earn that last measure of “grace” to achieve my exaltation, and never really knowing if I have done enough. Then reality came to me while I was being busy with religion in the form of a divinely guided transformation. A change that I witnessed in one, I loved. There is a better way. Jesus needs to be first; He does not provide the last measure to close the deal. He is the initial, continuous, and final measure that is the deal. The deal being salvation from our weakness. Our weakness being sin, evil thoughts and actions.

Why compare to human secularism? My success and aptitude for science nearly set my course on a path that would have placed God, behind my ambition. Early in my college career, I found great success in learning and understanding the physical world around me, particularly earth sciences, namely, Geology and to some extent Geography. It is part of me just like the color of my eyes, blue, or hair, brown. I was on the verge of traveling a path of science to explain the world around me. One event, I think divine, caused a course correction. I complete a major term paper on Tsunamis, the big waves from earthquakes like the one that killed many people several years ago, in the course of writing that paper I had done a lot of reading about the theory of catastrophism. My paper devoted a lot to this theory. It is the theory that the earth and all its formations like the Grand Canyon, Mountains, and other features were made by sudden dramatic events and not the slow gradual process that can be observed each day, ones which are slowly building and eroding the earth in an endless cycle. After a brief conversation with my professor in which he attempted to recruit me into the field, He explained to me that this was a dead end branch of earth science and to continue in the field, I need to spend more time studying the geologic column and theories of uniformitarianism. The theory that everything occurs gradual over time and the twin in earth science to the theory of evolution in biology. Thus, my course was changed by what I observed and saw in the natural world, That it was made and that the awesome formations visible were not created by millions of years of natural processes, but by divine interventions or by catastrophic events like a global flood, massive earthquakes, great storms and even heavenly bodies striking the earth. So, I turned and focused my attention to Geography which although similar focuses more attention to human interaction with the natural world. Hence, my degree in Geography.

By two small divine events my life was set on a course for Jesus. First, the the closing of a door that would have lead to a life devoted to science and a lifetime of studying the natural phenomenon of the world, and second a transformation of one I love. Science and religion are not evil; They can be idols that are placed above God, and for me chasing after them would have lead to my destruction. This may not be the case for others, but for me I know it would have been.

Foundations of the World-A Human Secular View

First, I am not a Secular Humanist, and have never followed that philosophy. Also, I have little knowledge of astronomy or astrophysics. This is a simple explanation maintaining some of the scientific names compiled from web sources from NASA and JPL. Basically, the formation of the universe amounts to an explosion of hot particles that started to cool down and combined together to form gaseous elements like hydrogen.

Chapter 1. Origin of the Universe (the heavens)

Approximately 15 billion years ago a tremendous explosion started the universe. Before this event all of the matter and energy of space were contained in a single point, called a singularity. This explosion was not a conventional explosion but rather an event filling the universe with all of the particles rushing away from each other. This explosion laid the foundations for the universe.

The result of these particles, matter and antimatter, rushing apart in all directions caused the universe to be tremendously hot. It started to cool. There existed an almost equal amount of matter and antimatter. They began to collide and destroy each other creating pure energy. There was slightly more matter than antimatter allowing the universe to mature in a way that favored matter over antimatter. As the universe first began to expand, the discrepancy between matter and antimatter grew larger. The particles which began to dominate were those of matter. As the universe continued to expand and cool, common particles began to form. These particles are called baryons and include photons, neutrinos, electrons and quarks. They became the building blocks of matter and life.

After the universe had significantly cooled, a radical transition began similar to the phase transition of water turning to ice. Composite particles such as protons and neutrons, called hadrons, became the common state of matter. However, no matter more complex could form at these high temperatures of 3000 degrees Kelvin. Other lighter particles, called leptons, also existed, but did not react to these heavier particles. Eventually conditions cooled and allowed these leptons, including electrons, to join with their hadron kin. This union continues to define the nature of common matter.

When the universe was three minutes old, protons and neutrons began to react with each other and created Deuterium, or heavy hydrogen. This element soon collected another neutron to form tritium. Rapidly following this reaction was the addition of another proton which produced a helium nucleus. The ratio of one helium nuclei to ten single protons was set during these first few minutes and persists to the present. After further cooling, these single protons would be able to capture an electron to create common hydrogen and the helium nuclei were able to capture their electrons to make helium.

Our Birthright

On October 24, 1974, I was born. My birth was among the dimishing number of miracles that year. It was at the beginning of the age of legalized abortion in the United States of America. Recently our nation celebrated the birth of the 300 millionth American born. I wonder when some Americans will celebrate the abortion of the 40 millionth pre-born child. I often wonder if older people, those born before 1973 feel as grateful to be alive as those of us born after the United States Government discovered the right of mothers to kill their children. The unborn child in America is in more danger than an American Soldier. This year it is estimated that around 1 million pre-born babies will be sacrificed at the alter of Freedom of choice. In the entire history of America there have been slightly over 1 million soldiers that have offered their lives upon the altar of freedom. I thank God everyday that my mother surrendered her right of choice. The decision whether my life would continue even though I was completely dependant on her and not to end it. I think my three children and wife are also grateful.

Our birthright gifted to us by our parents through their decisions is a culture of death. A culture were death and murder is legal under a list of certain conditions. A list of conditions including pre-born children and that continues to grow soon to include children sacrificed for science in the quest to cure our ailments through stem cell research. How selfish are we? Sacrificing the lives of others so cures for our health problems can be found. What a price to pay? Innocent blood. Atleast, unlike other cultures we are sanitary in our offerings to our gods. We prefer the clinic or hospital to give our sacrifices over the stony charred altar. Our dead children are quietly being burned in the incinerators of hospitals and clinics. What judgement do we deserve for these actions? The word of God should be our moral compass. The holy bible our final source. In it another culture, including their king sacrificed its children just as American culture does now. That nation was defeated and made to serve as slaves to others.

2 Chronicles 28:1-5 [NKJV]
Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do what was right in the sight of the LORD, as his father David had done. For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made molded images for the Baals. He burned incense in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, and burned his children in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel. And he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree. Therefore the LORD his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria. They defeated him, and carried away a great multitude of them as captives, and brought them to Damascus. Then he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who defeated him with a great slaughter.

I pray that God will be merciful to America and not judge us as He did His people. That God would not led us into defeat by the hands of our growing list of enemies and made to be their slaves. That we would come to our God given sense of right and stop the madness of legalized murder.

In speaking of the freedom of choice that so many believe is paramount. In the upcoming election in less than one month, I wish I could have had a real choice this year. The right to have voted for some of my peers. I think I might have voted for aborted baby boy #23823 for the United States House of Representatives, and I might have even voted for aborted baby girl #7521 for the United States Senate. It may also be nice to vote for aborted baby boy #859 as President in 2008. The first year that a legally aborted child would have been eligible to be President. In a few more years, even aborted baby girl #326 may have been appointed to the very court that legalized her death. Do you think she would vote the same way?

I wonder if the cure for cancer, a vaccine for AIDS, a clean renewable energy source, or countless other major breakthroughs would have been made by any of those not given the right to life. A right, we declared, fought to secure, and continue to defend for most found in the second paragraph of our own Declaration of Independence.

“We hold these truths to be self evident; that all men are created equal; and they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the persuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men”

Governments need to secure these rights and protect life, especially innocent life, not legalize death. Otherwise, history gives us an answer to what will happen. May God be merciful to all of us and may the Heavenly court have a stay of judgement against us until our nation again protects these unalienable rights granted us by our Creator and abolish the offerings of burnt America children to America’s god-themselves.

Holy Sacraments-Death and Earthworms

So far I have discussed topics, prophets and priesthood, that raised questions and concerns, I had while I belonged to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons). Personal study of a few Mormon doctrines I could not reconcile within my own conscience which when combined with other divine events led to my spiritual birth. They were topics that are atleast in my mind connected to my conversion to Bible-based Christianity. I did not want to limit my topics to a comparision between mainstream Protestant theology, the so-called evangelical flavor, versus Mormon doctrine. I do not want to appear to only discuss the musings of a single group that threatens the body of Christ with its unbiblical teachings. Although living in Logan, Utah, it is difficult to consider other threats because of the monolithic hold that the Mormon church and its culture have on this area, were about 70-80% of the population belongs to the Mormon church and near the top of the town casting a large shadow looms their Temple. But there are other threats to the body of Christ lurking nearby. It also has a prominant hill in the valley and casts its own shadow.

For those of you that do not know there is a large university in Logan and when fully enrolled comprises about a quarter of the population of the entire city. Basically, it has consideral influence on the area. Its halls teach diverse subjects. All education is not evil, but some can cultivate seeds that rob men of eternal life. As a classified employee of the university, I daily come into contact with all types of people, the two main classes are Mormons and secularists. Secularists is not really the best label, but it conveys an absence of regular religous activity and lack of deep devotion to a divine Creator.

There are holy sacraments for many different groups. I call them holy sacraments because those devoted to a group will defend their partaking of these and often attack those that oppose them. For the Mormon church, it is their unique claim to be the only source of the complete gospel restored to Joseph Smith, jr.; for the Catholic church, it is the tradition of unbroken apostolic succession begining with St. Peter; for Protestants, it is the inerrancy of the Bible and its teaching of salvation by faith alone; for Secularists, it is relative morality and the natural formation of the universe.

As the holy sacrament of a secularist, relative morality is the driving force of their behavior. The absence of absolute truth, right, or wrong. The grey-scale applied to all human activity based on the current beliefs of a person. Among this relative morality is the sacred right of choice of death over life, deciding whether the life of the unborn baby should continue or cease in the womb. I deliberately ignored the common medical term used to describe this procedure, because in the vast majority of the time it is used, there was no medical need. The only medical need is to save the life of the mother. Not as a remedy for poor choices or other selfish reasons.

This relative morality is usually the orphaned child of another belief. The belief in the natural formation of everything including the descent of man from simple life forms like earthworms. Again, I deliberately ignored the common term used to describe this theory, and it is still just a theory. These two holy sacraments are the bread and water of life for them. They both ignore God’s creative power. Ignore is not even the right word. They replace God’s creative power with their own.

What holy sacrament do you partake of–death and earthworms? does it provide nourishment for your soul? Or do you partake of another? One that gives eternal life. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.