The Simple Gospel

July 6, 2011 by Sal Termini.

For God So Loved The World 

The gospel is a message about God’s great love for the world. To demonstrate His love He came Himself to save us from sin’s power over us and it’s consequences. God is offering us pardon and forgiveness for all our offenses against Him and His kingdom. He is seeking to reconcile us to Himself. He sent Jesus to take the penalty for our sins upon Himself, releasing us from God’s judgment and punishment. All we must do is turn to Jesus as our Lord and call upon Him to save and deliver us from sins power and penalty.

We All Have Sinned

We must recognize God is perfect and we have all sinned against Him. To not understand this is to fail to understand God. Sin is serious to God, even the smallest sin, because to God it is rebellion against Him, His kingdom, His nature, and His moral character. It is not just our sin alone that condemns us before God but our heart of rebellion against God that makes sin so serious. To sin is to suffer the penalty of separation from God for all eternity. Jesus suffered that penalty for all mankind on the cross. We can receive His dealth by faith as payment for our sins in a simple prayer of commitment and faith.

Faith In Christ

Many people are under a misapprehension that all we need to do is know that Jesus died for us to be forgiven of our sins. Others believe we simply say a prayer and we are forgiven. Some people rely on their best efforts to please God. Others believe a particular religion and it’s practices will earn our forgiveness. All of these come short of God’s perfection. It is not faith in ourselves, our works, or a religion, but putting our faith fully in Christ that saves us (from sins power) and delivers us (from God’s penalty of separation from Him.)

The Benefits Come Through a Full Commitment To God 

We need to fully commit to serving God before we can receive all the benefits of Christ’s work. When we do, God will send His Spirit to give us a new life filled with His Spirit and power. As we choose daily to turn from those thoughts, words, and deeds that offend God, with the power of Christ living in us, we will now succeed. This is the simple message of the gospel.

The Power, Penalty and Presence Of Sin

Sin is a power that controls us. We sin because we are sinners by nature. Jesus taught that we are slaves to sin. The power of sin can only be broken by receiving Christ as Lord and savior. When we do, the Spirit of God makes us a new creation because God’s Spirit now indwells us. The Spirit of Christ lives in us to empower us to victory over temptation and the pull of sin’s power that compels us to act upon our impulses. In the power of God’s Spirit we receive a new heart. This new heart gives us a character more like God. God’s Spirit also empowers a God-given discernment to clearly know good from evil. Our heart is made loving and obedient towards God. We will remain sinners, eternally separated from God and under sins power if we do not make Jesus Lord.

Sin will be punished by God. Sin brings consequences, such as spiritual death (separation from God), old age, sickness, disorder, suffering and pain. Sin demands justice for our rebellion against God and the destruction done to His kingdom and creation. God’s will has been rejected and His laws violated. If God is just and good sin must be punished and eradicated. Sin cannot be overlooked. It is a powerful reality that has ruined human lives and God’s creation. Sin has incurred God’s just wrath. The penalty for sin is a broken relationship with God resulting in being eternally separated from God. When Jesus died on the cross He took our place and our punishment, liberating us from the penalty of death. When he rose from the dead He liberated us from the power of death.

Sin will be removed from God’s presence and the creation for all eternity. If sin is not eradicated evil will grow and spread for all eternity, destroying our lives and God’s creation. Sin is not just a present problem it is an eternal one. When Jesus promises us eternal life He promises that sin and its consequences will be conquered and removed from our lives completely. When sin is removed from our hearts we will live in harmony with God’s will. The effects of sin will also be removed from the creation. In His presence is perfect order and happiness. Eternal life is more than a duration of time; it is a quality of life. We partake of the divine nature through our union with Christ. We will share in all that God is, and created.

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Poem of Life

June 15, 2011 by Sal Termini.

Life is for the brave and the bold. It looks at death and laughs, knowing that the hidden reality, the real meaning to life, is known by the spiritually minded.

Life is for the truth bearer a reality not found in a drunken stupor or a drug clouded myth, it is not found in cowardice but in facing life knowing the victory is in living the truth.

Life is for pleasure, not like those who escape in perversion or diversion. It is for those who know who they are and where they are going.

Life is for happiness and happiness is not for the weak but for the strong who can put the morose, the negative, and the fearful things of this world under their feet.

Life is for love, to be loved and to give love deeply, truly, faithfully, and unselfishly; only then can you say you have truly lived.

Life is about time; not it’s limits but it’s endless plans of future dreams, present ideals, past fond and beautiful remembrances that will linger as a sweet fragrance of never ending tomorrows.

Life is about Christ, for in Him was death conquered, time made a servant, pleasure found in real love, happiness a reality, and God, the author of all our hopes that we know are made sure in knowing Him.

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Today Is Your Chance

June 7, 2011 by Sal Termini.

Apostle Paul, in a letter to the Philippians wrote:

Philippians 3:7-12 (NKJV)7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.

 

There are five things we must do continually:

1- Count all things outside of Christ as refuse, the garbage of a fallen world that will never bring God’s best into our lives. So many people live in Satan’s dumpster rather than God’s blessings.

2- All we think as gain in the world is trash compared to the relationship we have with God in Christ. Live miraculously, supernaturally, and be filled and led by the Spirit.

3- Jesus’ final words to the seven churches in Revelation indicated that it is not those who say the sinner’s prayer who belong to Him but those who overcome. This is the courage of our call, and the witness in our lives to all who are looking to us in hope for the truth.

4- The greatest act of love is to act in obedience towards God. It is the true demonstration of Christian courage and faithfulness. Jesus said, “If you love me you will obey me.”

5- Finally forget those things that are behind, the failures, mistakes, temptations, and trials. Every day is a new day. Begin with an overcomer’s spirit.

Today is your chance to make it all right.

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Observations on Islam and the Middle East, Part 1

May 31, 2011 by Sal Termini.

Islam’s political and religious ideology

On Sept 11, 2001 the United States suffered the worst attack on it’s shores since Pearl Harbor. Pictures of the jets flying into the buildings, burning bodies falling, others jumping to their deaths, and the buildings collapsing left an indelible and unforgettable horror in the minds of millions of Americans. The news showed people in the Middle East celebrating the deaths of over 3000 people. To some, these people who killed so many innocent people were murderers. To other they were heroes. There is a growing philosophical rift between the east and the West and it is becoming dangerous because millions of lives are at stake. The Islamic ideology in combination with Arab dictatorships in the Middle East are hard at work to destabilize the West through terrorism. The Middle East itself is continually plunged in to war, chaos, poverty, and destruction because of these religious and political beliefs. This heinous act on 9/11 was also responsible for killing Muslims. Is the killing of innocent people including other Muslims part of the teachings of the Koran? I believe it is and this is the beginning of uncovering a global ideology that will continue to bring suffering to the whole world.

Recognizing evil religions and ideologies

If a nation such as America has prosperity and might does it make that nation unjust? Must such a nation be brought down and destroyed for the less fortunate to feel better about themselves?

“Is it not in the power of those who belong to a nation, religion, or ideology to make a great nation of themselves?”

There is something about the religious and political ideology in the Middle East that fails to unify Arab and Muslim people around building a stable nation. They do not understand how to create a government whose intent is the welfare and security of their own people. There are many good examples of Middle Eastern governments that have failed to meet the needs of their own people such as Saudi Arabia, Libya, Syria, Iran, Iraq, and Yemen just to name a few. Many Arab nations are in the midst of terrible economic woes, internal struggles, division, hatred and violence against their own people. The purpose of many of these nations is to build a powerful military to wage war on it’s chosen enemies and acquire nuclear technology. The blind hatred of many Arab nations to eliminate Israel and overthrow western nations is part of what is destroying the freedom and prosperity of it’s own people. People are caught in unjust power structures that suppresses the rights of their own people to prosper and be free. Arab countries exalt a few elite to hold power over the people gaining wealth and power while the rest live nominal lives. Even the so-called peaceful Arab nations have schools that teach generations of children to hate the West and Israel. The religion of Islam seems to be at the very heart of this unrest, breeding discontent, poverty, and violence. It is a religion that never builds but destroys. Islam dictates the fate of millions of people in the Middle East by forcing them to believe as they do through fear, intimidation, and violence. Freedom and human rights are being subjugated to a barbaric ideology centered deeply in the writings of the Koran. The Koran itself seems to radicalize it’s adherents. The intent of Islamic ideology is to destroy the West instead of unifying themselves as a people to create a just society with a good standard of living for their people.

We may try to deny or white wash it by declaring politically correct statements that good and bad people are in all religions. The truth is, the Koran teaches conquest through violent means. The flourishing dictatorships are the fruit of Islamic ideology. These nation have an Islamic and political ideology that promotes violence, and takes away basic human rights. They also exploit one another through the self interest of the sect of Islam that is in power. Islamic beliefs at the core of Arab nations have created governments that are morally bankrupt. I believe the outrage and violence these ideologies foster is because they have failed to meet the needs and expectations of their own people.They have created a frustration that is being directed and taken out on America and other western nations because of their success and achievements. By depicting the West as evil it gives Islamic fanaticism a reason to exist and gather an army around a false cause.

Islam is a large religious group that is teaching generations of children to hate others different from themselves. I believe in religious freedom but people worldwide are being killed and coerced to serve a religious ideal based on violence and hatred. As communism brings about injustice, poverty, class warfare, and suffering so does a belief in the Koran. Wherever this religious quasi-political religious ideology exists people’s human rights are diminished, and prejudice, poverty, crime, and violence abound.

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The Inconvenient God

May 1, 2011 by Sal Termini.

Inconvenient - adjective 1. not easily accessible or at hand 2. inopportune; untimely 3. not suiting one’s needs or purposes.

There are some wonderful things in life we can desire, like falling in love, having great friendships, or a career we’re passionate about. There is also a great danger of taking for granted these things that are so important to us and mean so much to our lives. Without them we would not be who we were meant to be. As wonderful as these things are, nothing is more meaningful than truly knowing God and having a relationship with Him. It is the most satisfying thing we can do as human beings. Yet because God SEEMS inaccessible we fail to pursue a relationship with Him. God’s word says, “when you seek me with all your heart you will find me.” God is hard to find because He wants us to desire Him as much as we desire the things of this life and world before He reveals Himself to us. Even when our lives and the world at large have fallen far short of real happiness, we fail to seek for God. We are a broken and fallen race yet we keep trying to live our lives without Him. What drives us to such independence from God, especially when He is our only hope? For to many of us, to take the time to have a relationship with God is just too inconvenient.

Imagine someone you love deeply treating you as an inconvenience. This is how the world treats God. His morality, truth and requirements for goodness are seen as an inconvenience. To serve Him is seen as an outrageous inconvenience. We tell ourselves God should be serving us and that we are the center of the universe after all. His morality is untimely and inopportune for our plans and purposes. In our myopic selfish and sinful lives we avoid Him because He convicts us that we are selfish. It is inconvenient to walk in the truth and serve God because we don’t want to live by principle but rather by pleasure. So we remain unsatisfied pursuing things that are meaningless because pursuing the truth is inconvenient.

The word inconvenience to many means not doing anything that does not serve our personal needs and purposes. The grand needs and purposes of God are lost in our petty selfish lives. When we look at our entertainment values we see, Jersey Shore, Desperate Housewives, or celebrities with questionable moral values. We find ourselves enamored by the lives of the most shallow and selfish people. We make them our heroes because they have reached celebrity. Celebrity takes no sacrifice — just ego, pride, arrogance, and a selfishly driven lust for more attention. Jesus is a hero because heroes sacrifice and inconvenience themselves to love others as themselves. If we cannot learn to love God who is perfect how shall we ever love one another who are so imperfect.

We need to come to church where our short comings will be healed. Making the pursuit of God a worthwhile convenience will result in a true and lasting happiness.

-Sal Termini

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A Trinity Of Questions

March 30, 2011 by Sal Termini.

We are called to ask three questions of ourselves. This trinity of concepts about human life can make a big difference in our happiness present and future.

Who am I?
What will I become?
What is my destiny?

Who am I?
We all need some sense of identity and belonging. Everyone joins with some group, part of society or culture that they identify with. It is natural and spiritual for us to find people we can agree with. Our core call or first identification SHOULD BE to first identify ourselves as people of God. God has purposes that will stretch into eternity. Society, culture, and groups of people will change and even cease to exist because they are based upon human reasoning which is finite and their thinking is corrupted by sin. We need to identify ourselves with the infinite wisdom in the mind of God and His eternal purposes. We must identify with God’s values which will last forever regardless of cultural, political, or societal influences. In effect we must be eternity minded. We are too earthly minded and limited to a human perspective of time which is short and myopic. You must choose at some point to become a child of God with all its responsibility and passion. Then you will find out who you are, someone God has created to be in His image and likeness.

Jn 1:12-13 ESV: But to all who did receive him, (Jesus) who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

What will I become?
Life is always changing. The real purpose to life is to be transformed daily into our best selves. The ultimate purpose of our existence is to be made in the image and likeness of God. I like the word “made.” It reflects a personal effort, a cooperation with the creative power of God through His word. Godly character expresses itself in dominion. We are constantly being called to become better no matter what sphere of life you operate in. We are called to have dominion to rule over negative and evil forces that want to conquer us. Our core value must be to become a better person or we will not have the strength to do so. We need to see someone who reflects the goodness we are aspiring to. The example of selfless love and perfect character is clearly seen in Jesus Christ. We need heroes who have lived life and succeeded in being better people. In essence everyday we should seek to become more like God. Jesus Christ is God in human flesh. He came to be our example. He is perfect, and perfection is what we must shoot for. Jesus taught us to be perfect even as our Father in heaven is perfect. Perfection comes when we truly love what we want to become. The only way to achieve perfection is to love the goal. The goal then becomes life itself, the purpose we are living for.

What is my destiny?
There is an eternal destiny we must all think about. We think about eternity like health or life insurance, something we only need with dread in the future. If we have living faith we already possess eternity. We already possess the spiritual strength needed to fulfill our destiny. The seeds of becoming like God and living in dominion are in us if the Spirit of Christ lives in us. The Bible teaches the Holy Spirit in us is the down payment for the full image of God coming into power and reality in our lives. Embrace this eternal truth as the most important part of your life and destiny. The Bible teaches if God be for us, how can we fail. Who or what can be against us to defeat us with God on our side. Don’t put eternal things off because life is preparation for eternity. We cannot live believing that death or the reality of an afterlife does not exist. This trinity of introspection will bring us to a place were we ask ourselves, is there an eternal destiny and how do I fit into that?

Answer the big questions of life.
When we answer the big questions about life, the little things seem to work out better. Don’t be afraid of change. Don’t fear the challenge of becoming a better person that true relationship with God through Christ affords. Don’t fear death, it is only transition. We are children of God in the process of becoming more like him in every way. This is our eternal quest, destiny, purpose, and what we must become. We were created to be eternal. Eternal is not just living longer it is living better, fully engaged at being our best selves.

Some people say to me that trying to become like God is too hard. God is perfect and I am not. Now we are finally getting to the heart of the matter. God will help you become more like Him. The purpose of your existence is to become more like God and if you let Him, He will help you achieve this lofty goal. Identify with Him and you enter an eternal joy-filled friendship with Him. The reason Jesus came is because we cannot do it on our own; we need Him in Spirit and truth to be transformed.

-Sal Termini

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Fear Not

January 31, 2011 by Sal Termini.

The Bible tells us to FEAR NOT approximately 365 times. That is once for every day of the year. I don’t believe that is a coincidence. It is God speaking to us that He is with us every day of the year to bless us. The Bible tells us His mercies are renewed every morning. This means 365 days of the year mercy is given us even before we start our day. We must remind ourselves of God’s goodness especially during trials. Remind yourself every morning about His mercies, and fear not 365 days of the year.

The Bible also tells us God has not given us a Spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind. He gives us a Spirit that enables us to call God our Father. Apostle John tells us God’s perfect love will remove all our fears. God is revealing His perfect love for us so that we will not live our lives in fear.

The word peace is repeated over and over in the gospels and in the epistles. Jesus said, “My peace I give you, not as the world gives you.” Jesus is speaking peace into our lives to counteract anything fearful that can happen to us in this world. One powerful scripture in the Bible says, “When evil tidings come the righteous are not moved.” As we learn to trust God we will grow in faith and conquer our fears. The word of God says this about God, “He is a very present help in time of need.”

The word peace comes from the Hebrew word shalom, which means means to prosper the whole person. It is prosperity in body with health, provision, and protection. It is prosperity in soul, with joy, peace, love, and faith. It is prosperity of Spirit as God’s power and person resides in us and is with us to overcome sin, Satan, and self. God showed us the depth of His love for us in Christ. God wants us to rise above condemnation — the fear that God is angry with us and has abandoned us. God removed our fear and gave us peace with Him. It is a peace that comes when we accept the sacrifice of Jesus’ death on our behalf as payment for our sins.

Begin the new year fearless, and live that way all 365 days.

-Sal Termini

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The Gift

December 16, 2010 by Sal Termini.

John 1:14 And the Word (Christ) became flesh (human, incarnate) and lived (fixed His tent of flesh, lived awhile) among us; and we [actually] saw His glory (His honor, His majesty), such glory as an only begotten son receives from his father, full of grace (favor, loving-kindness) and truth.

photo © 2008 Adrian Clark | more info(via: Wylio)

The Christmas story is a three act drama played out in the real world of time, space, and human history. The first act of the play begins with the story that God has become like us. The second part of this great drama is that God is for us. The third part is God is with us. Three little words, like, for, and with, have changed the course of human history.

Act I scene one: God has become like usGot identified with us from birth to death. He identifies with our humanity. He suffers hunger, thirst, tiredness, rejection, disappointment, and finally physical death. The Bible says, Jesus learned from the things he suffered. How can God learn? The God who knows all things has now experienced what it’s like to be fully human. God reveals to us that He is no a stranger to our suffering and to the hardships of our life. We can never say to God, you do not understand what I’m going through. We can never say to God, you remained safe on your throne, while humanity suffered. We can never say to God, you don’t understand. He became fully like us so that in all points he can show us His compassion. The Bible reveals Christ is a great high priest, because He suffered just like us in all things. He is able to secure an answer to our prayers because He has experienced our pain and suffering understands our need. Through His compassion for us He is able to secure answers to our prayers from God His Father. God has become fully one of us that we might become fully like him.

Act II scene two: God is for usThe God of heaven and earth who made all things perfect now sees his world ruined, and evil reigning. The world is already suffering the consequences of its rebellion and disobedience to God. Humanity has fallen from the image of God. It has chosen to usurp God’s will with its own. It is in league with the devil who promises evil pleasures without consequence. One would think, surely God has come to destroy us, to punish us, to judge us for our evil. Instead a gentle babe is wrapped in garments and laid in a manger. The King has come not to destroy, not to punish, but to identify and save us who are far from him. He has come to win our hearts again. He has come to give us not what we deserve, but instead a second chance. It is a grace encounter by bringing with him the gift of eternal life.

Act III scene three: God is with usIn all our troubles God speaks loudly, “You are not alone.” God is saying to us, “I will help you.” In all our error, failures, mistakes, and poor decisions, God says, “I will guide you out.” I have come to save you from yourself, is the message of Christ. I have come to transform you, this means, you must change when I call you. You must answer when I call your name. You must allow me to transform your life back into the image and likeness of God. If you do, it will be a day of glorious deliverance. When you accept my word as my will your future will be filled with hope, strength, life, and eternal joy. No matter what you’re going through you are not alone. The reason you are alone is because you have abandoned me, I have not abandoned you. You have turned from me, but I have not turned from you. You have accused me of being cruel because of my just judgments, but I have come to bring mercy. You have been afraid of death, but I will guide you through its dark shadows and its valleys into the light of life. I was there when you were born, and I will be there when you die, if you accept my saving love.

In Christ we see the real meaning of Christmas. He came to give himself as a ransom. He came to give us his love. He came to give us eternal life. He came to take away our sins. He came to bring us forgiveness. He came to give us Himself as the lover of our souls. He came to deliver us from the suffering, judgment, and the torment sin will bring upon us. God himself has become the greatest gift the world has ever known. A gift simply to be received from the generosity of His heart. I have never received a gift without feeling closer or more loving towards the giver. You see, the gift is meant to have you fall in love with the giver. The gift of His incarnation is a symbol of God’s transforming love. Its purpose is to connect us back to God. Its purpose is to restore our relationship to him. Eternal life is being in the presence and power of God for all eternity. It is God that makes heaven beautiful and life worth living.

Have a blessed Christmas,Pastor Sal Termini

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Some Thoughts About Thanksgiving

December 1, 2010 by Sal Termini.

As we get into the swing of the holiday gift giving (and buying) seaons, here’s a great article that’s well written and very true. Enjoy!

-Sal Termini

by Ken Connor (Ken Connor is Chairman of the Center for a Just Society in Washington, DC)

“…I have learned to be content, whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:11-13)

photo © 2005 Tracy O | more info(via: Wylio)Americans spend a lot of time and energy pursuing “the good life,” and thanks to the “Mad Men” of the advertising world, we have a pretty good idea of what the good life looks like: A state-of-the-art home with all the amenities, a garage full of luxury automobiles, a closet full of designer clothes, all the latest technological gadgets, a well-diversified investment portfolio, an upwardly mobile career with cushy benefits… the list goes on and on. In a nutshell, we are told that the good life consists of feeling good, looking good, and having lots of stuff.

There’s only one problem with this portrayal of the good life:It’s not enough. It’s never enough. It’s like drinking salt water - the more you drink, the thirstier you get. And let’s get real: the very purpose of advertising is to foster perpetual discontentment with the status quo. Remember that shiny new iPhone you waited hours in line for last year? It’s now obsolete. Still in love with your LCD flat screen TV, or are you feeling behind the curve because you haven’t joined the 3D technology bandwagon? Is the trusty family minivan a beloved symbol of family togetherness, or an embarrassing reminder that you haven’t yet upgraded to an SUV replete with all the trimmings?

Despite the fact that we live in the freest country in the world - a land of unprecedented opportunities, liberties and advantages - study after study reveals that the more American’s have, the less fulfilled and content we actually feel. The Thanksgiving season, then, is a good time to reflect on what truly constitutes the good life, and to look back at the original Thanksgiving story to see what it can teach us about the origins of true happiness.

Even though they were facing a hard winter in a strange place, the Pilgrims set aside time to give thanks to God for His provision in a strange new land. Their attitude was key to their happiness. In modern America, and across much of the modern developed world, we do not give thanks in the way the Pilgrims did, even on Thanksgiving. How many of us live in a spirit of gratitude, with humble appreciation for the many blessings God has given us, and how many of us dwell on the perceived shortcomings in our lives? How many of us, like Martha in the famous Bible story, stress ourselves to the max striving for the perfect home and the perfect meal to the point that we completely lose sight of the reason we’ve gathered to celebrate in the first place?

The pilgrims were not plagued with such frenzied spirits, and for that reason they were able to give thanks joyfully despite the many uncertainties in the road ahead. Because they were men and women of faith, they knew that contentment and security is to be found not in this material world but in spiritual union with the Savior, Jesus Christ. They knew that their future was in His hands, and with that conviction they were free to joyfully celebrate the harvest and their many blessings. They also understood that the chief end of man was to worship God and enjoy Him forever. Contentment was to be found in Christ, not in their circumstances.

When we deny our design and reject our purpose, however (as we moderns have largely done), all we are left with is the spirit of discontentment and envy that Madison Avenue profits from. When we fall prey to the myth that the good life is found in the abundance of our possessions, we are setting ourselves up for perpetual disappointment.

But there is another way. Through union with Christ, there is a joy that cannot be found in material possessions: a peace and contentment that passes all understanding. This is the promise of the Resurrection, a promise that no ad-man and no amount of stuff can ever match. As we conclude this year’s Thanksgiving celebration, we should all take a step back from the frenzy and chaos of the holiday season to meditate on the blessings that will last for eternity.

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A Little Fun With Atheism And Evolution

November 8, 2010 by Sal Termini.

photo © 2007 Louisiana Sea Grant College Program Louisiana State University | more info(via: Wylio)

A science professor begins his school year with a lecture to the students, “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? Hmmm? 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?”

“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,” the professor replies. “There’s heat.”

“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 go 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.

“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.

“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.

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