The Big Questions series: What Is Sin? Most of what Jesus said about sin was in the context of Judaism. Jesus was a Jew and a firm believer in following the Torah, which is Jewish Law based on the first five books of the Bible. There were some disparities in what Jesus taught. Jesus taught the Jews a more lenient view of sin, and then sent his apostles to non-Jews with a message of forgiveness. Jewish views of sin –... Read more
From a recent celebration of life. I spoke as the “religious person.” It was well received. Death is often with us and when it is we should take time to celebrate what that life meant to us. Rather than platitudes, which often lack comfort, we should be there for each other and talk about what each person meant to us. (Insert something personal and humorous.) Intro Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not... Read more
The Big Questions series How should we understand sin? Jesus’ mission was to the Jews. Only later did he send his apostles to non-Jews with a message of forgiveness (the Good News). So do we look to Judaism or to a different understanding of what it meant for non-Jews? When Jesus spoke of sin he spoke of it within the context of Judaism and their 613 Laws and notions of sin. Offhand I don’t remember Jesus mentioning much about individual... Read more
The Big Questions series What is Sin? It depends on who you ask. There are many definitions of sin in Christianity today. This series will delve into this question in multiple parts. The Oxford Language dictionary defines it as: “an immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law.” Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as: “an offense against religious or moral law. : an action that is or is felt to be highly reprehensible.” A Wikipedia article about sin thoughtfully... Read more
The Big Questions series When my vitality was vanishing and I was facing heart bypass surgery, I had no qualms about doing it. No fear, just peace. Of course this level of surgery is at the top of the line in terms of magnitude. And facing having your heart stopped and your chest pried apart like a clam is not something I or anyone else looks forward to with delight. But I had peace about it. I made a few... Read more
Series: The Big Questions Generation Z is just as “spiritual” as other generations and open to religion. But when churches have embraced LGBTQIA+ and other divisive issues, churches have continued in decline. Critics might say that they went the wrong direction, pandering, worldly, even against the Bible. Others are left scratching their head, believing they did the right thing but why didn’t it work. Research by major institutions give major insight into the attitudes of these groups and why they... Read more
Series: The Big Questions I’ve worked in three fields relevant to AI and I utilize AI on a daily basis. Google Search is a type of AI. I also use ChatGPT minimally – I don’t trust it yet. I do use it to create images such as the one below. I use AI in Microsoft Word to find my errors, and I employ WordTune to refine some sentences. The reason is because my brain tends to deliver brain dumps without... Read more
The Big Questions series Worldwide, people hate change. They resist it tooth and nail. But in the end they adapt. Or they don’t and it’s very disruptive to them and the world around them. How do we adapt to change when the world around us is constantly changing? It’s really difficult and many of the problems we’re seeing today come from resistance to change. It causes extremist views. It causes people to declare facts invalid in their lives. Change creates... Read more
The Big Questions series Many religious people want to know what evolution is and does it conflict with Christianity or other religions. I don’t see a conflict there. We don’t know in any way how God created the universe and our world. We only know that God is the most likely cause that set it in motion. Science doesn’t have an explanation for “First Cause,” which caused it from the very beginning. Image Origin of life stages by Chiswick Chap... Read more
The Big Questions series Is the scientific theory about how the universe came in to existence at odds with the Bible. Short answer: Not in any way. Two different fields of knowledge that don’t intersect Science and spirituality-religion are entirely different fields with entirely different methodologies. Science explores the physical universe. It doesn’t explore the spiritual universe. The spiritual universe and religion don’t explore the physical universe. Scientific methodology – empirical Scientific methodology aims toward a theory to define an... Read more
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