Ricky- Life here is just so hard, I have so much debt from college and even thinking of getting married and having kids seems impossible. I don't know how I would make ends meet! The world is getting so evil too, I'm scared what kind of place my future children will be brought up in. God is still good though, He will take care of us.
Lucy- How can you look around and say there is a loving God taking care of us? To think there is a big man up in the sky looking down is ridiculous. You're crazy.
Ricky- Well, what do you believe?
Lucy- We just formed here, and are just supposed to live a good life.
Ricky- So according to you, we have no purpose or meaning to life, and after we're dead we just stop there, nothing afterwards?
Lucy- Yeah.
Ricky- That's crazy.
We are all our own kind of crazy.
Where our life came from, and the meaning to our life here on Earth, has been a matter of debate for centuries. Here are what some famous philosophers and/or spiritual teachers said concerning life:
Aristotle- “Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.”
Solomon- Ecclesiastes 1:12-18 "I, the Teacher, was king of Israel, and I lived in Jerusalem. I devoted myself to search for understanding and to explore by wisdom everything being done under heaven. I soon discovered that God has dealt a tragic existence to the human race.I observed everything going on under the sun, and really, it is all meaningless—like chasing the wind. What is wrong cannot be made right. What is missing cannot be recovered. I said to myself, “Look, I am wiser than any of the kings who ruled in Jerusalem before me. I have greater wisdom and knowledge than any of them.” So I set out to learn everything from wisdom to madness and folly. But I learned firsthand that pursuing all this is like chasing the wind. The greater my wisdom, the greater my grief. To increase knowledge only increases sorrow."
Shannon L. Alder- “There are no coincidences in life. What person that wandered in and out of your life was there for some purpose, even if they caused you harm. Sometimes, it doesn’t make sense the short periods of time we get with people, or the outcomes from their choices. However, if you turn it over to God he promises that you will see the big picture in the hereafter. Nothing is too small to be a mistake.”
Friedrich Nietzsche- “Doubt as sin. — Christianity has done its utmost to close the circle and declared even doubt to be sin. One is supposed to be cast into belief without reason, by a miracle, and from then on to swim in it as in the brightest and least ambiguous of elements: even a glance towards land, even the thought that one perhaps exists for something else as well as swimming, even the slightest impulse of our amphibious nature — is sin! And notice that all this means that the foundation of belief and all reflection on its origin is likewise excluded as sinful. What is wanted are blindness and intoxication and an eternal song over the waves in which reason has drowned.”
Bertrand Russell- 'There is no reason to suppose that the world had a beginning at all. The idea that things must have a beginning is really due to the poverty of our thoughts.'
Swami Sivananda- "Always do good to others. Be selfless. Mentally remove everything and be free. This is divine life. This is the direct way to Moksha or salvation."
You see, there are all different opinions regarding the meaning and existence in life. Honestly, when you get down and think about the origin of life, and the meaning behind our existence from the viewpoint of each major belief system-it's absolutely crazy. How does anything sound logical?
Here are the basic views:
1. One intelligent being created this beautiful world out of nothing, and we live to give Him glory.
2. In the beginning, there was nothing, but something blew up and created everything. We evolved from blown up matter and we have no purpose.
3. There is no beginning and no end to the earth. We are supposed to live a good life, and when we die our soul lives on and we can receive a better body.
4. Earn our way to heaven by working to erase our sin.
I think they all sound quite crazy, but that is where faith comes in. We cannot scientifically, 100%, prove ANYTHING. The constant debate about not teaching faith in school is impossible, any belief system about nature and life on earth needs some element of faith. No matter what you believe, you are going to be crazy in the eyes of someone else. Just choose your own kind of crazy that you want to believe in. I am not saying that all belief systems are right, and you just have to choose. That isn't how the world works. But don't be under the assumption that other people are crazy for not believing you.
How we live our life is our choice, that is how God created it, and it is 50/50 where you end up. I chose to accept God's grace and forgiveness, and I put my faith in the God of the Bible. He was upfront about how hard it would be following Him, the path of Christianity isn't a easy road to walk. (Matthew 7:13) In Matthew 18, Jesus talks about having the faith of a child to enter the kingdom of heaven. How does a child like to discover new things? They are always inquisitive and love to learn more, but if they don't understand, they take it by faith. That is how I want to live my walk with Christ. As I study history and science, I see more and more evidence of God and His hand in the creation of this world. A wonderful site is www.answersingenesis.org, I encourage you to visit there! I want to constantly learn more and more, and if I don't understand, my faith in God and that His word is good and true steps in.
See? We are all crazy, I just hope and pray that you accept God's grace and forgiveness so you can join me in our crazy, beautiful, heavenly home.
Monday, August 31, 2015
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Is the separation of church and state constitutional?
Is separation of church and state constitutional? The short answer is no; not the way people think it means today. The term "separation of church and state" is not even in the Constitution!
The term was said by Thomas Jefferson, and it was a common term of the times because of the acts of England trying to force a certain religion on the people. Jefferson said it in response to a letter sent to him by the Danbury Baptists of Connecticut, they were concerned about the new government's ability to meddle in the religious affairs of the people.
Here is what Jefferson said.
"Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between Church & State."
You can read the letter in its' entirety here.
You can see that the wall of separation comes from not establishing a religion that must be followed, and not prohibiting the American people from practicing whatever religion they choose.
Many people say this phrase to back up the actions of the government prohibiting prayer during school, sports games, court, etc. But in reality, prohibiting prayer in any setting goes against the First Amendment.
-First Amendment-
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Hindering prayer is prohibiting the free exercise of that individuals' religion. Yes, a few people may not agree with the beliefs of the one doing the prayer, but that doesn't mean that it's unlawful for the prayer to happen. Whether the prayer is to the God of the Bible, Buddha, Mother Earth, Allah, or whomever, we CAN NOT stop them unless it comprises the physical safety of the American People. I don't care if you are offended or feel like it is getting forced on you, that is not the issue here! Feeling like it's being forced does not apply, the First Amendment is talking about physically. In Britain, they would be jailed or fined for not worshiping as the King saw fit, that is the kind of forced they were addressing. I will admit, I don't like the aspect of people praying to Allah, in the Quran it says to kill anyone who doesn't conform to Islam. But according to our laws, we can't stop them from praying unless, I say again, it is physically being forced on us. There have also been petitions to get the Ten Commandments removed from government buildings or "In God We Trust" off of money, reason being it is against the First Amendment. No, it is not. Congress isn't establishing a religion, or prohibiting you from exercising yours. The government simply shows what the majority of Americans believe.
During the beginning of our nation, there were many references to Christianity. It is easy to see that the founders did not consider their practice of Christianity during affairs of the State as unconstitutional.
Benjamin Franklin-
"I have lived, sir, a long time; and the longer I live the more convincing proofs I see of this truth- That God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured, sir, in the sacred writings, that 'except the Lord build the house they labor in vain that build it.' I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel; we shall be divided by our little partial, local interests, our projects will be confounded and we ourselves shall become a reproach and a byword down to future ages."
Capitol building used as a church building-
From Thomas Jefferson through Abraham Lincoln, church was held in the Capitol. It was approved by Congress in 1800 http://www.wallbuilders.com/libissuesarticles.asp?id=90
Religion encouraged in schools-
In the Northwest Treaty of 1787 it states in Article 3, "Religion, morality, and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged." Note that it says encouraged, not forced.
Samuel Adams, Governor of Massachusetts- Signer of the Declaration of Independence
On February 28, 1795, Samuel Adams issued a statewide proclamation for a day of fasting, humiliation, and prayer for God's guidance in the affairs of Massachusetts.
Copy of the proclamation-
While the state can issue religious proclamations and such, the federal government is supposed to stay out of it, Jefferson wrote, "Special provision has been made by one of the amendments to the Constitution, which expressly declares that 'Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,...' thereby guarding in the same sentence, and under the same words, the freedom of religion, of speech, and of the press, insomuch that the sanctuary which covers the others; and that libels, falsehood, and defamation, are withheld from the cognizance of federal tribunals." Nicholas Gilman, signer of the Constitution, further said concerning congressional actions, "Congress will superintend the great national interests of the Union. Local concerns are left to the state legislatures. They cannot extend their influence or agency to any objects but those of a general nature." What Nicholas said is simply laid out in the Tenth Amendment "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." Why we have allowed the federal government to have so much power that wasn't originally intended for them to have, I have no idea. What I do know is that they screw up most of what they try and fix. Their troubles are understandable though, this is a big nation, so they need to leave it to the states! While it won't be perfect, it will likely be a lot better.
In closing, I urge you to read the Constitution and investigate what the founders originally intended the nation to be. Read books written about the Constitution from as close to the beginning of our nation as possible. Opinions have changed over time,so history books have changed. Contrary to what is now taught, I believe that our nation was founded on Christian principles. Why do I believe this? I believe it because a majority of our founding fathers and signers of the Declaration and Constitution were Christian, and your core beliefs greatly influence what you do. I also believe it by looking at their actions and writings. The president of the Continental Congress, Elias Boudinot, was the first president of the American Bible Society. Thomas Jefferson also condensed Jesus' writings into a book for missionaries to take to the Indians.
Breakdown of religious affiliation of our founders.
One book I suggest to read is "The Making of America: The Substance and Meaning of the Constitution" by W. Cleon Skousen. This book gives quotes from the founders concerning why they made certain laws and the meaning behind them, and where they got the ideas for the Constitution we have. The book also breaks down the articles and amendments, and explains what they mean in the words of the founders.
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