The Religious Scientist

I will be a confirmed Episcopalian on March 4th. Today was the first day of my meetings with my priest, Mother Bear. I was glad to hear that the church will not consider me a heretic just because I don't believe God created the universe in seven earthly days.

Mother Bear did mention that the church is undergoing discussions of theology and doctrine at this time that will have a huge impact on the future Episcopal church. If that's the case, I hope that it will be in the direction of a blending of spirituality and science.

I was afraid to ask how 'the church' would respond to my belief that Jesus was not born of a virgin, but born of an immaculate love between Mary and Joseph. This, again, goes back to my belief that God cannot break his own laws. Some would say, "Well, God is omnipotent. He can do what he wants." I say, "Yes. He can do what he wants. But if he set up natural laws that 'make the world go round' then he must follow those laws. Otherwise he is not a part of nature and therefore does not exist."

My faith in God and his goodness lies within the proof that I see in the beauty of the human body and the world in which it resides. This trend that belief in the natural order must be suspended in order to be a true Christian doesn't sit well with me.

At the same time, sometimes I wonder: Am I a heretic? Will I be worthy when my Judgement comes? I don't think it is right to change a spiritual perspective simply because you are afraid of condemnation. I must be true to myself, as well as true to my faith and my God.

As my favorite quotable scientist once said, "Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind."



Of course, he didn't believe Jesus was born of a virgin birth either. So there you go! Ha!

If a duck floats in water...

I'm taking this God-awful math class in order to keep my hours up this semester. It is meant to show teachers how to give kids the basics in math. I hate it. I usually read over my pathophysiology notes instead of paying attention. Anyways, that's not exactly what this post is about.

The guy teaching the class kept us late tonight so that he could tell us about the Fibonacci sequence. I think the Fibonacci sequence is pretty darn interesting, but never thought it could be used to create such an uneducated and offensive rationale for Creationism.

His reasoning goes like this: The Fibonocci sequence proves that like comes from like. In Genesis, God states that he created each thing so that they would reproduce 'like from like.' Therefore, everything is the same as it was when God created it and the evolutionists are wrong.
And I quote, "Don't let the evolutionists talk you into believing that Creation is wrong because God created everything at once and this proves it."

So, here's my problem with that. For one, the Fibonocci sequence does not state "1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1=1." It states that 1+1=2, 1+2=3, 2+3=5 and so forth. It changes. It grows. It does not stay the same at all. So how does he rationalize it to be an unchanging thing? He's theory is faulty and wrong and he is spreading his lies at an institution of higher learning.

If anything, this sequence could help explain evolution. One person plus one person gives you two diversified gene sets. Introduce a child (#3) into the picture and you have another gene set. So forth and so on, following the sequence. All of this diversification allows for survival of the fittest and and natural selection. Voila! Evolution!

My second beef with this small-minded ape is the way he acted like anyone who believes in evolution is a fool at best and a heretic at worst. I am neither. I have been taught to use rational thinking to make decisions for myself and not simply accept what some Sunday school teacher shoved down my throat. I am a scientist. I am also a Christian. Christianity helps me develop my morals and directs me on how to be a good person. Science tells me how God created this world we live in. In my mind, the two do not conflict because they aren't discussing the same thing.

Look around us! The world is full of proof of evolution. That doesn't mean God doesn't exist. To me, it proves that God does exist.

We live in an amazing place, one that did not just happen by chance. Just because it took God longer than a week (on our scale) to get us to this point doesn't negate the fact that He did it. Why, as Christians, do we have to believe that God breaks His own laws? Do we not believe that He is smart enough to do what He needs to do within those laws?

Republican Jesus

As an equal opportunity offender, I present... Republican Jesus. Dun dun DUN!

hit the nail on the head

Why Can't I Own a Canadian?
October 2002

Dr. Laura Schlessinger is a radio personality who dispenses advice to people who call in to her radio show. Recently, she said that, as an observant Orthodox Jew, homosexuality is an abomination according to Leviticus 18:22 and cannot be condoned under any circumstance. The following is an open letter to Dr. Laura penned by a east coast resident, which was posted on the Internet. It's funny, as well as informative:

Dear Dr. Laura:

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate. I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some of the other specific laws and how to follow them:

When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord - Lev.1:9. The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?

I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness - Lev.15:19- 24. The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.

Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?

I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself?

A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination - Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this?

Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?

Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev. 19:27. How should they die?

I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev. 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? - Lev.24:10-16. Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)

I know you have studied these things extensively, so I am confident you can help. Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging.

Your devoted fan,
Jim

found here: http://www.humanistsofutah.org/2002/WhyCantIOwnACanadian_10-02.html

Father God, Jesus Wejus'

After a lovely weekend full of beautiful scenery and a romantic date Saturday night, I made my trek back into hot, sweaty, flat, dull Mississippi. The drive was easy, but leaving Asheville was difficult.

Once I got home last night I went into overdrive. My house stunk and felt dirty and my sheets were full of cat fur. I cleaned the litter box, vacuumed the floors, ran the air filter, and washed my sheets and all of my clothes from the trip. I even hung the clothes up after I got them out of the dryer. It felt good to know I was going to start the week with a relatively clean home.

I accidentally went to the Convocation at William Carey today. I got on campus around 9:30 to take care of some business, only to see EVERYONE on campus drifting into the auditorium. All of the offices and the library shut down. I couldn't do any of my errands, so I went inside. It took an hour and a half to commemorate the change from William Carey College (which sounds better) to William Carey University. Blah Dee Blah.

But then! My first day of class as a nursing student. I had Fundamentals of Nursing from 1 to 5. In five hours we covered about thirty minutes on the text we were assigned to read last week. It was nice, in a way, to ease into it all; but I'm ready to get down to business.

The rest of the time was spent on introducing ourselves, house keeping business, hearing the professor's life story, devotional and prayer. I was really hoping that the Nursing School part of Carey would be just a wee bit more secular. Alas. It wasn't so bad, despite being very different from my religious views about how much of a role God plays in daily life but one thing she said during the prayer bothered me.

'Father God, I pray for these students...that they have a relationship with You and put You first in their lives... That if they don't have a relationship with You that You will convict them... Because I know you can Lord. I know that You can make that impression on their lives.'

The Baptists have already 'saved' me three times. I think that the only people who need convicting are criminals. My prayer, while she was saying this, was 'Lord, please let my faith in You survive these 18 months intact.'