SaintCal's prognosticationalisms

Time stops in the laboratory and Joshua nods

2012-01-05T06:39:00.000-05:00

Then Joshua spoke to Jehovah in the day when Jehovah delivered up the Amorites before the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun! Stand still on Gibeon! And, moon, stand still in the valley of Aijalon! And the sun stood still, and the moon stood still, until the people had avenged themselves on their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jasher? And the sun stood still in the midst of the heavens, and did not hasten to go down about a whole day. And there was no day like that before it or after it, that Jehovah listened to the voice of a man. For Jehovah fought for Israel.
(Joshua 10:12-14)

In the news today is ground breaking discoveries at the Cornell University involving the 'cloaking' of time itself. Although the proof of concept experiment only achieved "40 trillionths of a second" of a lapse in time, it brings the miracle of Joshua's battle with the Amorites into reality for the skeptics. These times must be tough for the Biblical naysayers.

Scientists create time cloak

Putting no confidence in the flesh

2011-09-11T04:23:00.000-04:00

One of the gifts of the Spirit is seeing things as they really are, the truth in other words. It really is central to the faith and a yardstick of true faith. If one is caught up in something that is not permanent, of the world, like sports for example, they have a sight problem. They don't see things as they really are therefore they have not grown in the knowledge of the Spirit. I'm not saying in and of itself sports is evil, it's just the preoccupation with it, the mixing of it's competitive ideals with scripture that is a problem.

As we enter this season of sport and it's distractions from reality remember the poor instead of the champions, the meek rather than the proud, the quiet rather than the raucous. Also remember the human body will not be present in heaven, it will have been destroyed along with all the memory of it.

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

(1 John 2:16)

Kimjongilia

2011-09-04T08:06:00.000-04:00

Dark North Korea

I often find myself in these depressed economic times worrying about my family's and friends futures. I got that from my mother I think, she was a consummate worrier. The reality is we really are in perilous times, the whole world is increasingly in upheaval. Some fantastic things along with the terrifying are in the headlines continually it seems. I remember growing up in the Cold War, how permanent it all seemed. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined the world we have today with an open Russia, a unified Europe and a crippled United States. And China, a communist country outpacing the west in capitalism? What?

Well, like the old adage says "If you think you've got it bad....", I just watched Kimjongilia on Netflix.
If your like me and have even a cursory knowledge of North Korea you know all about the oppression, hunger and pain of the people there. But when things are out of mind because of all the other noise of daily life around us, we forget. Next news headlines that shake the world will be from North Korea.

"It was the best of times.. it was the worst of times."

NetFlix
http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Kimjongilia/70113934?trkid=438403

YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6JOMvOwECo

Watch House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee Hearing on Human Rights in North Korea

from 9/20/11! Things are moving.

Our Narcissistic Society

2011-08-22T09:44:00.001-04:00

Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.
(Ecclesiastes 1:2)

Those timeless words from the wisest son of old that include the farthest reaches of the universe and all of it's histories, still only vain in comparison to the limitless power and majesty of it's Creator.

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

(2 Timothy 3:1-7)

Almost like reading the headlines. We live in a vain time. Social media largely serving egos of those with a full head of self-esteem. It's infected the Gospel in even our traditionally orthodox denominations. Teaching we're so valuable that even God will overlook our sin to win our hearts to Him. Slightly twisted theology is all it takes to change the original message. Somehow, repentance has become a dirty word along with sin. We've gotten away from the Apostle's words: "If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: " (1 John 1:6). The only value we have in His eyes is that which was given by justification by faith. No reason to feel proud at all, no room for self-esteem in other words. "Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. " (Romans 3:27)

Romans 3 is a good read for the self-esteem crowd in our churches. "Walking in darkness." Make sure your not.

Some relevant resources on this subject:

Don Matzat - The Intrusion of Psychology into Christian Theology

The Human Experience

2011-04-23T16:24:00.000-04:00

"Even in the deepest suffering there is significance, there is a meaningful process of positive possibilities."

"I think the suffering in the earth is only understandable in some kind of context of a cosmic spiritual conflict."

"The crucifixion was the culmination of the drama of suffering.... and the drama of love. Death and love... brought together at the crux point of all history."

Dr William B. Hurlbut
The Human Experience

Watch The Human Experience on NetFlix

The Grand Design

2011-03-27T04:40:00.001-04:00

Or rather better named The Grand Delusion..... Steve cranks out another "science is the answer for everything" book (September 2010) which tries to lead you down a road to nowhere in quantum land.

The Grand Design has some merits while trying to persuade you that "all this obvious design" can't be "normal" for universes, it then stands you on your head and claims because of the law of gravity the universe couldn't help but "self create".

::hit myself on the forehead::

Steve is a "Multiverse" advocate that believes out of some 10 to the 500th power universes we're just "lucky" to be in one that actually works for life. According to Steve, "if" there is a god, he has a grand casino in the sky and amazed himself with the luck of the spin of creation. Sometimes I think Steve is just playing with us with these outlandish statements. But then I truly think he's serious, sadly.

There is no evidence of any other universes. Theoretically it's been shown no information could be shared between universes even if they existed. The "Multiverse" theory is the last gasp of Darwinian/Atheistic/Materialistic philosophy (I use that 'p' word that Steve hates) to avoid the obvious conclusion that there is a Creator. Although to complicate things, Frank Tipler in his book The Physics of Christianity embraces the multiverse and tries to smoke biblical concepts out of it being a Christian himself, albeit a strange character indeed. Sorry Steve, the Bible still has you beat, your not even close to convincing us there's no need for God. Quantum physics doesn't have the corner on truth.

Amit Goswami I believe has a better handle on the significance of quantum physics from a spiritual point of view, although definitely non-Christian. I did get the creepy feeling Amit is introducing an End-time religion, that "strong delusion" that even Christians will be tempted by, so be careful.

There is a treasure trove of "Biblical" insight to be found in the hard science of quantum physics though. It is verifying much of what we Christians have believed and experienced. Hence it's prime candid-ency for strong delusional material. In my opinion of course....

Some links to relevant articles:

http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/02/mf_gleick_qa/all/1

The Island

2010-12-25T09:42:00.004-05:00

Holiday movie watching suggestion.

This week I stumbled upon a gem of a film. The Island, starring Pyotr Nikolayevich Mamonov as Father Anatoly, is a Russian film about a haunted man finding himself a resident of an isolated Russian Orthodox monastery. Gifted with prophecy and discernment, he carries out his humble duties at the monastery stoking the ever hungry coal burning boiler and taking in pilgrims in search of physical healing and other miracles.

Mamonov in real life is a rock musician and actor whom had converted to Christianity in the 1990's and now resides in a tiny village.

Although the soundtrack is in russian, it is subtitled in english.

You can watch it free in low res on YouTube here or if you have a Netflix account you can watch it here.

Want the dvd? You can purchase it here.

Why Us? - Best written critique of Evolution in our times. (IMHO)

2010-08-29T22:36:00.000-04:00

James Le Fanu, author and medical doctor among his many life accomplishments, has won a prominent place on my book shelf in defense of non-Darwinian world-view. A master with words and logic, James invites you to dare think outside the restrictive Darwinian box and face the truth like a man (or woman). This work is a beautifully illustrated and written direct attack on some of the most fundamental assumptions of modern biology and all of it's relevant disciplines.

Audio Book Pick

2010-08-17T19:24:00.000-04:00

Peter Hitchens, brother of Christopher Hitchens, converted to Christianity after seeing firsthand the results of atheism's effect on society while working as a foreign news corespondent in the former USSR before the fall of the Iron Curtain. Peter lays out the thesis of his latest work in this video.

Although Peter's accent took some getting used to for a "Yank" like myself, I would recommend the audio version of the book to get the full effect of Peter's timely message.
At the least, it's an encouragement to us that feel downtrodden at times by the scope and intensity of attacks on our faith to see such a prominent figure stepping out and defending Christianity. At best, it is another salvo of truth against the enemy of all souls.

Inception

2010-07-26T08:58:00.002-04:00

Inception - an event that is a beginning; a first part or stage of subsequent events.

My son Andy and I made time to go see the new Sci-fi thriller Inception Saturday night. Having only read one review from Wired.com I was intrigued enough to shell out my dough for the ticket. And, I'll say it is more than I thought it would be. A central theme of the movie is planting an idea in ones mind through a dream. Technology is used to do a Vulcan like mind meld and allow the team of thieves to interact with the target's lucid dream and eventually steal his secrets. This all should sound familiar to those whom have had similar spiritual experiences. Ideas are being "planted" like seeds all the time in our minds, and not always from our fellow humans. No, not aliens folks, I'm not that wacky... yet. It is most often very mundane. Advertising is the commercial practice of mind seeding for example. Much research has been done over the decades in subliminal communications in one form or another. It goes right down to the arrangement of product on the shelves, isles, color of packaging etc etc. The gambling industry tries to make you feel rich before they take your hard earned money. Automotive manufacturers show how you will become free, important, safe, cool and attractive in their product. Advertising, politics, war, all use deception to win over their targets. Inception by Deception.

Scripture has some good advice for that garden of the mind;

Php 4:8 Finally, my brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are right, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report; if there is any virtue and if there is any praise, think on these things.

A practical defense of the bombardment our minds take each day by our society is to 'displace' those seeds of deception by purposely thinking on good things. First, know who you are in Christ. Remember your identity, your heritage and future. Nothing can beat eternal life. Now that you have a good perspective, scrub away your mind with Bible study, prayer and meditate throughout the day on the things of God. You'll be surprised at how even the common things in life contain some profound insights into the realm of the Eternal.

Interesting follow up article on wired.

Something just isn't right here.

2010-07-05T09:22:00.000-04:00

Ever have that gnawing feeling that just won't go away? That something just doesn't "feel" right. It could be an everyday and common business transaction or a light conversation with someone you've known for years or even a perfect stranger. It could be a series of seemingly unconnected events spanning years that suddenly point to something, a conclusion you have never considered, nor wanted to. Or, something totally out of the blue. A contempt for someone you know absolutely nothing about. He or she could be the most likable gal or guy anyone has met including you. But there it is, an angst about a person you can't trace to anything he or she has said or done by yourself or anyone else. Or conversely, it is something said in jest or sincerity that piques your conscience, jabs at your heart. A warning that what your seeing or hearing has roots that go deep. The intellect kicks in right about here and says "there is no rational reason for you to feel this way". Quickly you come to a conclusion that you have "issues" that need dealt with. Maybe your just jealous. That all common, awful rotten manifestation of the heart that can ruin a man.

O! beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock. The meat it feeds on.

~William Shakespeare, Othello

But then, you ask, "why would I be jealous of someone I don't know?" "Am I insecure?" (Whatever that means) "That could cause feelings of being threatened....." (from what?) No man knoweth his own heart better than himself beside God alone. "If jealousy, then kill it" you say. You know your just as weak as the next person, the Spirit has taught you this. The only way to deal with the flesh is to deal whatever it tries to bind you with a death blow. Self sacrifice. Everything has to go on the line. In the world, it would call for war, competition, "hard work" to mend those pangs of inadequacy and overcome the foe to prove your superiority. Sports is the "soft porn" of this prideful way. But in the Kingdom, fear, humility and faith are the rule. There is no glory in man there.

Welcome to the realm of doubt, paranoia and the walk by faith alone. Every Christian should feel this state of mind at one time or another or they are impostors. The true Christian walk isn't all feel good honey sweet blue sky Joel Osteen kind of way. If you feel a little uncomfortable around these kind of people don't be discouraged. God doesn't enjoy "clanging cymbals" either. He puts them in the same category with lukewarm water. Rather, it's often more like hand-to-hand combat with the enemy, and that enemy in your face and in your nostrils is you. Once you put that "gut" feeling through the filter of self examination and prayer, maybe even seeking out godly advice from a trusted brother or sister, and you have a clear conscience, you have yourself a bona fide mystical experience. Now is the time the opposition begins it's work. The hidden truth has just now been exposed and the enemy of souls is never happy to have his dirty work known. You will be a target. And the very tests you put yourself through will be used against you. You will be accused of jealousy for example, insecurity or any number of psychological nonsense. If you've already been there you can have confidence. If not, if it was overlooked, you can stop and reconsider before moving on to the next step of faith. It's about to get messy.

Collimation

2010-06-21T17:57:00.003-04:00

One of my rediscovered interests has been astrophotography. I have been enjoying the process of learning the intricacies of digital photography and telescope operation all at once. It has been a lifelong love of the skies that I have been encouraged to return to my childhood hobby. There is something more awe inspiring about seeing those familiar celestial objects in real life rather than relying on someone else's work. For me, it's parallels my Bible study in quality time with the Lord. I think He likes those of faith who want to look at His handiwork up close, with eyes that see them for what they really are. Not just glowing balls of gas or pock marked dead planets and moons, but works of wonder reflecting the majesty and glory of it's Maker. But with untrained spiritual eyes we see things rather fuzzy and out of focus. The beauty is blurred by crooked thinking and ideas born of this world that cause the light to be deflected from it's intended destination, hence the full impact of that information, that picture is lost. Thats why the astronomer needs to collimate his instrument of exploration, the telescope, and why the theologian needs to align his heart and life with the source of all light, God. Look at these two images closely and you will see distortion caused by poor collimation. Imagine how much better they will be with a little collimation. Next week.

Update 7-5-10 Post collimation with laser device.

Flight to Heaven

2010-06-13T08:26:00.000-04:00

Captain Dale Black, retired commercial airline pilot and survivor of a tragic airplane crash when he was 19 years old, goes public after forty years with his new book Flight To Heaven. If you have listened to or read other accounts of near death experiences and were left with doubts about the credibility of those stories, this one will be different. I would recommend purchasing the audible version here and listen to Captain Black read his story to you himself.

I felt this account was most helpful in reassuring the Christian that there truly is a better place after this life and it won't be totally unfamiliar apparently. Along with his experience, you will hear the salvation message clearly explained so if you have friends or relatives that you want to present to the Lord, this would be an ideal resource for you.

The Atheists Among Us

2010-06-11T20:25:00.001-04:00

While perusing Hulu.com for anything worth watching while waiting for my last stint of night shift for the week, I ran across a book review recorded in San Francisco last March that piqued my interest with the title: In the Land of Believers: An Outsider's Extraordinary Journey Into the Heart of the Evangelical Church. My first reaction was disgust at the revelation this author had the temerity to sneak into Jerry Falwells church and pose as a believing Christian for two years merely to make a name for herself among her atheist peers and write a book about "those" people. Made my skin crawl. But, I continued to watch Gina Welch as she discussed her book with the interested left in the "Bay" and I began to soften my attitude. Gina seemed somewhat contrite about the experience and expressed a desire to be a bridge builder between the Evangelical Church and the Atheist Left of the Intelligentsia. Whether that is at all possible remains to be seen but like any good ole 'Falwellite' would say' "everything has a purpose". Gina may be unwittingly a key part of a plan she doesn't believe in. Yes, God does have a wonderful sense of humor. Gina is teaching Creative Writing at George Washington University.

Signature in the Cell

2010-06-09T19:38:00.002-04:00

With the recent news from the J. Craig Venter Institute, regarding the announcement of the success of the manufacture of synthetic life and the myriad of problems coaxing a host cell to "boot up" a synthetic DNA molecule, science is reaffirming the complexity of life and the incredible design of even the simplest of cell. In Stephen C. Meyer's latest work, Signature of the Cell, a case for design rather than random mutation and natural selection (Darwinism) is meticulously laid out. DNA, the source of the incredibly precise information contained within every cell in every living thing and directing the manufacture of every function of life, bears all the appearance of an intelligent designer. A prediction of further complexity and design to be found by the researchers in genomics is now expected using the scientific model of Intelligent Design or otherwise known as ID. Rather than considering the information contained within DNA as accidental as in Darwinism and therefore couching new findings in that paradigm, ID presumes design and attempts to understand the mechanisms in that light. It promises to open new vistas in biological sciences Darwinism fails to envision.

Recent links:
Discovery Institute: Dogmatic Signs

Synthetic Life

2010-05-21T18:14:00.001-04:00

In the news this week the J. Craig Venter institute announced the creation of the first synthetic DNA cell. If your worried we're going down a perilous path your not alone.

Full length video here.

Remembering the Future

2010-05-17T21:24:00.001-04:00

Remembering what? The future you say? Are you daft man? ....Yes, remembering the future is the thesis of my recent studies. In an uncanny way, my interest has been focused on randomness, the Arrow of Time, particle physics, casting lots, prophecy, cellular biology, brain function, astrophysics, the lottery, a little parapsychology and last but not least, Christian theology. It has been a dizzy ride spanning decades, punctuated by life's crossroads, but always returning to the next question. It seems everyday something new comes to my attention that is relevant to... I haven't quite grasped that yet to be honest. But here is partly what I have so far.

We are designed not only to perceive memories but also the future. Recent brain research has discovered the same brain functions used in our memories is also used in imagining the future. The "hard" sciences try to grasp, as well as it can, the future through probabilities. They can get you in the right neighborhood and even have computer models for weather that are accurate out to 12 days or so. But, they can't literally "see" the future like the prophecy that is found in scriptures, but rather give you a number. You can make pretty impressive charts from these numbers, but that isn't literally the future your looking at, it's just a guess. A guess based upon the past, or those law-like things we can find in the past. If the future holds something new and seemingly disconnected to any law we can identify today, then you are outside the help of science. The future is real though as we all find out every moment of the days of our lives. Time, in the end, is a perception more than a "thing". Although it is treated as a dimension in physics, it's true nature is still a mystery.

I believe that the future has already happened. With Relativity, we know time is fluid and the point of reference depends on your location within a gravity field or your speed relative to something else. The faster you go, the more everything else speeds past you into the future. The very fact that time can be slowed to a crawl in an intense gravity field or traveling near the speed of light shows that the future is no different than the present or past in nature.

Prophecy, interestingly, is often written in the past tense in scripture. We know the past is fixed, although knowledge entropies over time and becomes much like the mystery of the future given enough... time. Therefore, the future must be fixed also. If your one that doesn't believe in scripture or prophecy, that doesn't matter. Truth is true whether you believe it or not. We add or take away nothing by our knowledge or ignorance of it. Why then the fuzzy, random nature of the future? Or is it just a perception that it is random and "fuzzy"?

Consider Ecclesiastes 1:9-11 "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us. There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after. "

I can hear you protest, "but that isn't what Solomon meant, that time is fixed and repeats itself..." That is exactly what he meant. Time, history, future or however you conceive it, is already finished. Interesting isn't it that our brains are wired to treat the past and the future the same? Solomon wasn't a brain scientist, but he knew this already. More on this hopefully later.

Update: http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/01/timelike-entanglement/

"Don't rock the boat"

2010-05-09T05:15:00.001-04:00

I can't recall anyone telling me "don't rock the boat" in those very words, but I certainly have been "encouraged" not to be quite so passionate about my beliefs and convictions over the years. It's a lonely life indeed being a non-conformist, even if you are pretty considerate about it. Age does temper one's methods in non-conformity but it's still unsettling to the status quo and you once again find yourself peering through the fence at the game. Try to be a conformist for comforts sake and you'll find yourself a miserable man. You could find yourself in the belly of the fish of depression. You were made to be different, that's the lot you have been given, that's it, no more quibbling about it...... Age also brings humility after countless lessons of failure. You know, those times when you were fulfilling your "calling" as a non-conformist and you find yourself on the wrong side of the truth, ugh, hate that when it happens. After years of scouring by the streams of life you find yourself just another smooth stone amongst all the other. To God however, you're now a perfect weapon for the take-down.

Chance and Reason

2010-05-04T21:02:00.000-04:00

Among some benchmark works valuable in assessing the new science of Intelligent Design is David Bartholomew's God Chance and Purpose. Mr Bartholomew was Emeritus Professor of Statistics at the London School of Economics and Political Science along with a long and impressive list of accomplishments. He is also a Methodist preacher. In his latest book, Mr Bartholomew convincingly lays out the argument for chance being part of God's creation. From the laws of statistics used everyday in science and industry, he demonstrates that any model for Intelligent Design has to grapple with the "reality" of randomness or chance found in nature. Addressing Dr. William Dembski's contributions to Intelligent Design, namely the theorem of Specified Complexity (see my article) David finds some concerns in what he describes as circularity in Dembski's method. Dr Dembski answers those concerns here. I agree with Dembski that any theology that is in discord of the plain teaching of scripture is suspect. Dembski's accuses Bartholomew of being an advocate of what is known as Open Theology which is more liberal than traditional Arminianism. Although I'm not interested in getting in any arguments about Predestination and Arminianism, I agree with the predestination camp that believes God knows everything, even the future. If God isn't aware of the future, then it would negate all prophecy. At the same time however, I believe chance and randomness are also "true" in our sense and experiences. It's demonstrable characteristics show us that it is real. But if the arrow of time, the nature of time to be one-way or irreversible in our experience, shows us that the past is fixed, then why not the future also? Why would the future be any different than the past? Chance would then be merely an illusion, a veil that only prophets are given a peek through occasionally. We know, through real prophecy found in the scriptures, that information can flow from the future to the past and then to us in the present. One of the interesting studies I am pursuing is the ancient practice of casting lots. It is mentioned not only in the Old and New Testaments but also in extant writings of the surrounding cultures. More on all this in the next post.

Specified Complexity

2010-04-21T20:21:00.000-04:00

Those two words will be in the public eye in the coming months as the debate continues between Darwinist evolution and the new emerging science of Intelligent Design. ID, far from being a religion, is the new kid on the block in biology. While Darwinists tinker and play with their new found toy DNA molecule, thinking it's just another accident of a blind meaningless world, the Intelligent Design scientists are hard at work formulating a rock solid argument for the design hypothesis through a testable model called Specified Complexity. In The Design Revolution , author William A. Dembski, a mathematician and philosopher and just one of the leading advocates for Intelligent Design, meticulously covers the thesis of this cutting-edge science. Mr Dembski has been churning out multiple books on the subject before and since the Design Revolution. As science begins to formulate that innate ability for intelligent minds to recognize the work of other intelligent minds, we find ourselves on yet another crossroads in society. While materialism has dominated the mindset of the western world for the last 150 years much to the credit of Darwinism, Intelligent Design, instead of the materialistic Darwinism, has finally grasped the significance of the recently discovered and unexplainable "code of life" found in the DNA molecule. I became breathless by the revelation that we are looking at something most holy and precious scribed on every cell within our bodies. Like the loving handiwork of a much loved grandpa in his workshop, that handmade object from the past connecting us to the unknown inner lives of our ancestors, the "work" inscribed on a molecule is from the very Person who waits for us at the door of eternity. Science is finally returning to it's "first love", " thinking God's thoughts after Him."

I will praise You; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are marvelous and my soul knows it very well. My bones were not hidden from You when I was made in secret and skillfully formed in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my embryo; and in Your book all my members were written, the days they were formed, and not one was among them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!

Psalm 139:14-17

TED

2010-04-06T17:06:00.000-04:00

We all have our favorite hangouts on the web like Facebook or Hulu. I found another place I like to visit frequently for video content - TED. TED.com has new "talks" every week limited to an easy 18 minutes in length. Although largely left leaning politically and ideologically, there are lots of fascinating subjects covered that are more up-to-date than anything else on the net. You'll hear from the scientists and other pioneers as they open their worlds to us. There is even a special section for those like myself who want to discuss religion. If your a life long student and want to keep up with the latest in a wide variety of research, I highly recommend visiting TED.

Intelligent Design

2010-03-10T19:05:00.006-05:00

I like following the ongoing debate between the ID'ers and staunch Neo-Darwinists. On the one hand, are the Mr Obviouses with the pictures and video clips and on the other are the Evolution-is-a-fact-and-dont-bother-me-with-the-evidence establishment that owns our government, museums, public education, media, the Catholic church, your local grocery store and any hope you may have of dignity as a human. It's a fascinating study in human nature, especially on the side of the evolutionists who have become very sensitive to say the least of any scrutiny of their bully pulpit. It's a win at any cost of intellectual capital war for the Neo-Ds it seems. To see all those little molecules lining up like little soldiers to do their jobs in the animated clip of cellular processes the "other side" has come up with makes it so obvious that there is something more than blind natural selection/random mutation going on here. It has to be embarrassing trying to defend the argument that the molecular electric motor found in the flagellum of bacteria is just a product of chance. There is a mountain of evidence on the ID side of purposeful design found in all life and the only snobbish argument the Neos can come up with is a "faulty" design feature they occasionally find in animal life. They seem to take great pleasure poking fun at the straw-man god they imagine 98% of us believe in. I am always amazed at the ignorant statements coming from these followers of the Bearded-Man-who-thought-cells-were-blobs-of-protoplasm, like "man will surpass the design found in nature someday". We have barely scratched the surface of the micro and macro creation we live in and they make these incredibly stupid remarks. Here is a prediction. Not too far in the future it will be discovered that rather than random mutation being the mechanism whereby positive change is invoked in biological systems, smart molecules have been programmed to monitor the environment and make changes accordingly. There will be found an anticipatory nature in molecular biology that cannot be explained away by the throwing of Darwinian dice. Now that's what we all know as Intelligence.

Resources:

Signature in the Cell Discussion (audio)
The Inner Life of a Cell animation
CS Lewis Society

The Irrationality of Truth

2010-03-03T21:37:00.001-05:00

'Truth is stranger than fiction' an old saying attributed to Lord Byron in his epic poem Don Juan (1819-1824), turns out to be more than just a passing observation of some of the ironies of life but a foundational scientific principle discovered in the way the human brain processes reality. The diagram to the top right is illustrative of the way the sight perceives relative sizes. Compare the sizes of the center circles. Which of the two are smaller and larger? Now measure each one and you'll see , as you probably expected, they are both the same size. Our perception will still see them as different sizes even after we gained this 'truth' because of a trait in our brains called relativity. This isn't the Einstein relativity but that of social science such as found in Behavioral Economics.[1] Are Christians immune to these misperceptions? Not at all. We're all 'wired' the same whether we believe and trust in God or not. The difference lies in how we judge what the truth is. Whether we trust our eyes (mind) or an external standard. The same is true in understanding our Christian walk. Is scripture our standard, the rule of our life experiences and opinions or do we have more faith in our own understanding. The knowledge that our perception is fallible as demonstrated here should bring us to the conclusion that we can't always trust our eyes let alone our understanding.

"For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise." 2 Corinthians 10:12

Paul knew the limitations of human perception as well as anyone else and saw how it could divide the church. It's a powerful force in our lives today as it was in Israel in New Testament times. Put a 'Dr' in front of your name or have a British accent and you become an authority. But God rarely uses these types as we see in this letter to the Corinthian church;

"Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence."

1 Corinthians 1:25-29

There is a temptation within the church to overlook the ignoble,the common. It's only natural for us to esteem those smarter, richer and better looking, we're 'wired' that way. But the deep wisdom, that other-worldly knowledge turns everything upside down. It seems irrational, but in fact is Truth. God uses the weak things to show us not to depend on the ordinary but to see the world the way He does.

Additional resources:

Dan Ariely asks, Are we in control of our own decisions?

Keith Barry

Notes:

Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

The Placebo Effect

2010-02-24T21:07:00.005-05:00

Placebo

Latin - I shall please

For many years I have wondered about the mysterious phenomenon called

the Placebo Effect. The term coined by Henry K.Beecher in 1955, describes an ability for the mind to initiate the process of healing without aid of pharmacological or surgical procedures. Often viewed as a nuisance in modern medicine due to its masking of the true effectiveness of a drug or procedure, it is now gaining a new scrutiny in science. Among the recent discoveries is a new subset of placebo effect called conditioning. This new effect was observed in rats given a immune suppressive drug and saccharin sweetened water to condition the brain to associate the drug to the taste of the sweetened water. When only the sweetened water was given later, the reaction was identical.[1] In other words, the rat doesn't have the ability to consciously believe in the treatment but nonetheless receives the desired effect from just a placebo. This shows that the placebo effect is biological rather than psychological, unless there is a rat psychologist out there to argue the point. But even given this new discovery, it's still mind boggling to think the brain can assemble the resources the body needs to alleviate pain and even shrink tumors from... what? Mimicking the effects of a drug even weeks after it was administered is hard to explain simply in physical or biological terms given our limited knowledge of the processes in the brain we call 'belief'. And just what are we 'conditioning' in the brain? And, where are the lines crossed between biological and psychological? Even if we do reduce the entire process down to a complex sequence of chemical and molecular interactions, we are still left with the awesome question of why does our body have this innate ability to heal itself? Could it be a remnant of something from our distant past?
You know this implies those little molecules have some 'intelligence' built into them with an 'awareness' of their environment and the ability to carry out their little part in the big task of healing in coordination with other little molecules. What do they make to mimic a compound that doesn't naturally occur in the body? I suppose that will be discovered someday but it still will be incredible. To the molecule, it wont be anything new in it's repertoire. It goes about doing it's 'thing' all the time. For, what is healing other than building or rebuilding or tearing apart and disposing? The computer at it's most elemental level is just a whole bunch of switches turning on and off. And yet look at what it can do even at a order of complexity far less than that of our own biology. What initiated or commanded all those molecules to work on this project? We can watch it all happening but it still doesn't explain why. In other words, there has to be something outside the physical directing and coordinating these processes. Whether we say that the system intelligence is innate or resides invisibly outside, it still has to be there.
So it seems the more we learn of this uncanny phenomenon, the more questions arise. At the same time however, it does give credence to the faith community which drives atheists crazy. Which brings us to a story found in the Bible. In the Pentateuch, Numbers 21:4-9, the children of Israel are in the wilderness after the miraculous deliverance from Pharaoh.

And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived. Numbers 21:4-9

Could it be the placebo effect is an echo of this miracle? I find it ironic that the symbols of medicine such as that above, the Caduceus, recall the event we just read in the Bible when medical science is about as far from it's roots in faith as it has ever been, but still uses the symbol of the serpent on the pole. And the thorn in the proverbial side of medical science is the placebo effect. Does God have a sense of humor or what?

Notes:

1. Scientific American - February/March 2009 - Cure in the Mind

Available sources not noted or used in this article:
Placebo Effects: Understanding the mechanisms in health and disease
The Placebo Effect: An Interdisciplinary Exploration
The Placebo Response and the Power of Unconscious Healing
The Placebo Effect and Health: Combining Science and Compassionate Care
Extreme Healing - a National Geographic presentation

Repentance

2010-02-21T05:20:00.001-05:00

He gives snow like wool; He scatters the hoarfrost like ashes. He casts forth His ice like crumbs; who can stand before His cold? Psalm 147:16-17

Not too long ago, my son Andy shared a link on Facebook to an essay about the cold. Jason Peters eloquently lays out the love we northerners (those born into it) have for cooler weather and even enjoy the months of winter for it's beauty and clean look. I can't count the times, while crossing a windswept parking lot near the midnight hour, cold wind and sometime sleet or snow stinging my face, I've thought of Psalm 147:17. I remember the first time I had read this scripture and how it struck me that I hadn't thought of the cold as His cold. He can make it so cold, even I, the toughened old northerner wouldn't be able to "stand" for long. Now, instead of grumbling about the cold, I can see it as a message, a lesson. What are those lessons? If you've felt utterly undressed in the cold wearing your finest winter gear, you would know. In this season of Lent, I think it's important to be thankful to God's cold that brings us to repentance. We are "naked" before Him. There is nothing we can hide. It is better to feel His cold and know this. And acknowledge our sins before Him. And He will cloth and warm us with His Grace.

"As for me, God willing, I shall walk through the cold on such northern days as this—that I might be its earnest and deserving pupil." Jason Peters

Books written by Jason Peters: Wendell Berry: Life and Work (Culture of the Land)