The Great Debate

I have found myself in recent days arguing with atheists on different forums and blogs. I have hesitated in the past to even lock horns with these types...you know, the old "casting your pearls before swine" idea. I probably will not return to it any time soon because, for me, it's like banging your head against a brick wall. It's hard to discuss anything when there is no common ground or starting point. These people have no clue where I am coming from, whereas I know where they are coming from because at one time I WAS an atheist (at least agnostic). It's two people with two totally different world views and neither the twain shall meet. Skeptics are very intelligent people, but it's the wisdom of the world (system) they possess. Their eyes are blinded by the evil one.

I learned last week from my son that a mutual friend/acquaintance of ours announced to my son that he has "become" an "atheist/agnostic" (I don't know which he is....they are two different animals, you know). He has turned his back on the God he has believed in and worshipped most of his life and now denies His existence. This very thing was prophesied...1 Timothy chapter 4 says "in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons." I can't help but wonder, did this individual come to this conclusion through years of calculated intellectual study, or is he attempting to justify sin in his life? I am not being judgmental....I can sin with the best of them. I am fascinated with what must be going on in this guy's head. Does he now believe he wasted the first 54 years of his life? The apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:17 "...if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins." Also verse 19 says "If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied."

The bottom line.....if the doctrine of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is true....then our atheist friend (and anyone else who does not believe) is screwed. If the Lord Jesus Christ was not raised from the dead, then we are all screwed. The way I see it, my atheist friend loses either way. I've got a 50-50 chance at the worst. But I believe Jesus Christ did come out of that tomb some 2000 years ago, so it is not a gamble for me. It's a sure thing because I know God is real and His word is true.

Balance is normal

It is amazing how time is a teacher. As I age I learn things I could not understand, say ten or twenty years ago. I remember being labeled as "wishy-washy" by a brother-in-law once when it came to some matters of faith. At that particular time I was going through some changes in my beliefs, but it was not a matter of "waffling" but of growth. I was growing and changing as I learned more. I thought at one time I was a "fence-sitter" because I allowed others to label me as such. Thankfully I have realized that is not the case. I have definite beliefs and opinions. I am convinced you have the two extremes....left and right (whether political, social, religious, whatever) and the middle, where the majority (average people like myself) falls. As I said, I have definite beliefs and opinions....some of them may be considered conservative, others liberal. I know people who fall in the two "extreme" camps, some are friends, some are relatives and they look at me as if I were from another planet when I expound my "libertarian" views. So, brother (in-law), I am not "wishy-washy", I am just an average guy who stands firm on the non-negotiables and is open-minded enough to discuss the negotiables. If I have said it once, I have said it a hundred times, God is a God of balance. Since we are made in His image, it is only logical that we be balanced as well.

Thoughts on alcohol

Up until a few weeks ago I lived near and worked in the largest "dry" city in the state of North Carolina. Some people have even said the largest east of the Mississippi River (I don't know that was ever proven). That all changed on July 29, 2008 when the citizens of that town voted 60% to 40% to allow the sale of alcohol for the first time in over 50 years (first time in my lifetime).

I can see both sides in this hotly debated issue. At the same time I don't buy all the arguments that both the "for" and "against" forces put forth during the heated campaign leading up to the vote. I understand on one hand people believed that keeping alcohol out made the area a more wholesome place to live, but illegal alcohol sales have always been here. Plenty of drinking was taking place here...you just had to drive 10 to 15 miles to purchase it. While living in another state years ago, my wife and I raised three small children with our home being within walking distance of bars and it never affected us in any way. Being this is America, I think a person should have the right to purchase it, or not. I see nothing wrong with wine with dinner or an occasional drink. And no....they did not drink grape juice in biblical times....it was real wine.

Well, the sun rose in the east the day after the alcohol referendum passed just as it always has and I believe in the long run things will be okay. Again, I understand the strong emotions on both sides of this issue, but it's time to move on and deal with a lot more serious problems we face in this world.

Oh, by the way, I did not vote...I couldn't...I live outside the city limits.