Boy It's Been a While

Boy there's a lot to catch up on.

Funny Links of the Day: There's a little 300 in all of us
Family Guy hits the censor nail right on the head....take responsibility!
Spider-Car
Tetris Ninjas
Drunk Squirrel.....and it's REALLY funny.
Ali G. vs. Kent Hovind
I don't think that was what the Professor REALLY meant.
Starcraft 2 is announced???? I guess that means I'll be like, 50 by the time it's released.

Scripture of the Day: Old Testament-Song of Solomon 6:4-7:5
New Testament-John 6:22-40
Psalms-Morning-98
Evening-66, 116

Saint of the Day: Constantine and Helena (from yesterday)

Icons of the....day/last month: Feast of the Raising of Lazarus
Palm Sunday
Christ cleansing the temple.
Maunday Thursday-Institution of the Lord's Supper
Jesus praying in Gethsemene
Good Friday
Holy Saturday-Christ's descent into Hell (1 Peter 3:18-20)
Easter Sunday
Ascension of our Lord

Debating God's Existence: Did anyone catch the recent Nightline debate with Way of the Master (WOTM) representatives Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort against the Rational Response Squad representatives Brian Sapient and "Kelly?" It was....um....interesting. With the exception of a poorly formed argument against evolution using transitional forms (I'm not a supporter of evolution by any means) from the WOTM group, their arguments were actually pretty good. The Rational Response Squad came across as both angry and their arguments were simply liberal philosophy and politics targetted at religion.....it came across as if America is the worst nation on earth and that because we are a "Christian nation," we should behave more morally than the atheistic nations which are much more moral than we are. Well, that would be misunderstanding Original Sin for starters.

I'm sorry...for me, to be an atheist means that logically I would have to deduce that ultimately there was no meaning in anything, and if I could get away with anything I wanted to....I could....and then I would believe that nihilism would be the best philosophy. As the noted and late saint Jaroslav Pelikan said on his deathbed (or was rumored to have said), "If Jesus Christ rose from the dead, nothing else matters. If Jesus Christ didn't rise from the dead....nothing else matters." As Lent drew to an end and the church celebrated Christ's resurrection, we look at how we are forgiven at the cross and what made the sacrifice ultimately possible and allows us to overcome sin, death, and the Devil is the resurrection. As Christians we are "Easter Christians," but we PREACH Christ crucified as the Holy Apostle Paul says.

Getting back to the debate, it is sad that for starters, they had two evangelists debating rather than apologists. This was a debate that left me banging my head on the desk. For starters, I agree with James White that in public debates (not scholarly ones), AUDIENCE QUESTIONS ARE HAVE NO PLACE!!!!! How could they not refer to the Uncaused First Cause? The atheists believed some of the most ludicrous things....they believed that Jesus never existed and that the universe is eternal!!!! That's completely a denial of the evidence and all they do is close their eyes and say, "show me evidence that Jesus existed and was God?" They can't do it! This is really the most laughable part of the debate.....several atheists are becomming so vehement in their arguments that they are accepting some of the most ridiculous arguments. First of all....Jesus existed! Aside from the New Testament, most of the 1st century documents we have are in reference to Jesus and/or mention Christianity! I don't know how Kelly can say there is quite a bit of 1st century documentation otherwise....she hasn't read them! All that we have from the first century can fit on one of my shelves!

She also claimed (under her breath) that Josephus's comment concerning Jesus was a forgery....and there's an interesting fact about this. Eusebius most likely quoted the original Josephus document (Antiquities) and there is a mention of Jesus albeit with less than we have now. This is evidence that Josephus mentioned Jesus but SOME of the quote, not all of it, is a forgery. There is of course also Tacitus, and the other non-canonical Gospels. Anyway, it is an important debate is because this is the first time on a primetime major network a debate of this magnitude has occurred.....so it was a HUGE evangelism opportunity.

Anway....sorry, my mind is in many different directions. I'm also listening to the Open Lines Way of the Master Radio from May 18th....and there are some questions that I don't agree with the answers given (well....they deny the Sacraments....so right there is a problem):
1. Does God repent of His actions....the Bible says He does change His mind....how is this possible? ANSWER: God changes His Mind which is behavior and action towards us IN TIME....God's Will is eternal and unchanging.
2. Where did the doctrine of Purgatory come about in Roman Catholicism (Todd said 1 Corinthians)? ANSWER: It's also in the book of 2 Maccabbees indirectly because there is efficacious prayer for the dead....though I don't think God speaks positively or negatively on the subject, it just happens.
3. When are we to worship? ANSWER: We should worship at all times...but we need to understand the difference between "sacramental" and "sacrificial"worship. When Holy Communion is offerred, it is considered a Divine Service/Liturgy/Mass where God is the primary actor and we respond secondarily.....and this type of service can happen anyday....but the church is called to offer it without fail on the Lord's Day which Scripture tells us the Apostles celebrated on Sunday.....and as Christians according to Acts 2:42 we are to follow in the spirit of Pentecost and "devote ourselves to the Apsotle's teachings."

Anyway....I'm going to bed :-). I pray that God's will is done on earth as it is in Heaven....this disunity among Christians is disheartening....even though I understand why it is here.

Pax Christi.