Christian Living Archives - DOES GOD EXIST? TODAY

December 17, 2024December 16, 2024

The Value of Women

If you listen to media hype or read books written by skeptics, you might conclude that the Bible is a product of a bunch of men who wanted to keep women under their thumb. This desperate attempt to denigrate the Bible shows incredible ignorance of the value of women in the Old Testament and the teaching of Jesus Christ in the New Testament.

The Old Testament portrays women as equal to men in every way. The creation account in Genesis 1:26-27 uses the plural term – “In the image of God created He THEM” – both men and women. The term “help meet” in Genesis 2:18 means one who would fill what is lacking in man. Modern translations use the term “helper.” The Bible describes men and women as having unique qualities of equal value. That is common sense, for how could a man produce offspring without a woman, and how could a woman become pregnant without a man?

The Old Testament does not portray women as merely glorified incubators. It called for men and women guilty of evil to be treated equally. (See Deuteronomy 17:2-7 and Numbers 5:5-7.) Proverbs 31:10-31 praises a woman who cared for her family and ran her own business. The laws of the Old Testament demanded that men were legally bound to care for their wives. Prostitution was forbidden, and kidnapping and rape were punishable by death. Women who were prisoners of war could be married or set free but never abused or sold. (See Deuteronomy 21:10-14, 22:25-29, 23:17.)

Jesus Christ treated women with respect and care, and the New Testament Church taught that women are equal in every way. Galatians 3:28 says, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” It is true that politicians and selfish males have attempted to use the Bible to control others, but the Bible promotes equality and the value of women.

December 4, 2024December 3, 2024

The Recreational Use of Cannabis

Cannabis use in the United States has skyrocketed as many states have legalized it as a recreational drug. It is essential to understand that cannabis can be used for medical purposes to treat pain, nausea, insomnia, and various other disorders associated with chemotreatments. The issue is the recreational use of cannabis.

Forty-eight million Americans use cannabis regularly, making it a 33-billion-dollar industry. Cannabis products go far beyond the 1995 joints of weed with 4% THC content. We now have vape pens, oils, drinks, gummies, and lollipops with THC concentrations as high as 70%.

Amazingly, people are doing this without attention to the harm caused by the recreational use of cannabis. Alcohol has been around for a very long time, and we are just now finding its damaging effects on humans. A recent study reported in Animal Models and Experimental Medicine shows that alcohol causes women to experience disrupted menstruation and ovulation, including fertility issues, and affects men’s sexual function and sperm production. If we are only now learning the harmful effects of alcohol, imagine what we will learn about cannabis when it can be thoroughly studied.

Research is already showing a high correlation between psychotic disorders and cannabis use. A recent Danish study has shown that as many as 30% of schizophrenia cases could be attributed to the use of cannabis. Canadian research has shown that teens using cannabis are eleven times more likely to develop a psychotic disorder than non-users, and more than 4.5 million teens use cannabis daily.

Why do people use recreational cannabis? Could it be because our culture has rejected God as a source of well-being and people are seeking solutions to their emotional needs? The substitute for following biblical instructions has been the use of various recreational drugs, and cannabis is the latest drug of choice.

People choose to ignore the scientific evidence for the destructive nature of drugs as a substitute for faith. Biblical passages like 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 make the consequences clear: “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit has His home in you. If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will bring them to ruin. For the temple of God is sacred, and that is what you are.” God does not prevent the consequences if we choose to abuse our bodies. We have seen that with previous recreational drugs, and it is already apparent with the recreational use of cannabis.

— John N. Clayton © 2024
References: The Week 11/8/24, page 11, and Reader’s Digest for November 24, 2024, page 40

November 15, 2024November 16, 2024

Singing and Making Melody in Your Heart

We hear many sounds in the natural world. Animals make sounds as a vehicle to convey a need they have. Birds get a lot of attention because we enjoy the sounds they use to mark territory or find a mate, but it is not music. What is music? We define music as “an art form that combines either vocal or instrumental sounds, sometimes both, using form, harmony, and expression of emotion to convey an idea.” Ephesians 5:19 talks about “singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.”

Genesis 4:21 tells us that Jubal was the father of the harp and the flute, and archaeological evidence shows that, along with drums, those were the first instruments of music. In 1 Samuel 16:14- 23, King Saul had mental issues, and his servants suggested that music might help. This led to David playing the harp in the presence of Saul, and every time he did, “Saul was refreshed and was well, and the evil departed from him.”

Music has many forms and people have used it for dancing in every culture. The dancing can be part of worship, between two people, or by an accomplished dancer. All of these are possible because of the human relationship with God, as we are created in His image. Singing was part of many activities described in the Old Testament. The Hebrew word “zamar” was used when the singing was a praise to God. Singing aloud used the word “ranan,” while singing of God’s attributes was described by the Hebrew word “shir.”

In the New Testament, Greek words refer to an individual’s response to God in song. The Greek word “ado,” used in Ephesians 5:19, “singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,” indicates that singing is to be done with understanding. The same word is used in Colossians 3:16. James 5:13 tells Christians to sing when they are happy. The word used there is “psallo,” and the same word is used in Romans 15:9 and 1 Corinthians 14:15.

Worship is not a spectator sport, and God did not intend for Church worship to be a time of entertainment. All of us should sing in worship, but some say, “I’m tone-deaf and don’t sing well.” The truth is that most of the singing in ancient times involved chants – not four-part harmony. God listens to your heart, not to your sharps and flats.

Today, many churches have paid singers and special programs that feature skilled musicians. These are wonderful to attend and listen to. I enjoy listening to Bill Gaither’s programs on television, but I don’t participate—I listen. One of our co-workers is Paul Foster, who has a beautiful voice and is a skilled musician. He has a daily YouTube program called “Songs of Encouragement.” It is a wonderful teaching tool for anyone but does not replace worship.

Music testifies to human uniqueness and is a great tool God gave us. God’s Spirit is a part of our singing in worship that unifies us and brings us closer to God. Don’t neglect your personal involvement in “singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.”

November 13, 2024November 11, 2024

The Curse of Incarceration

The Does God Exist? ministry recently mailed out our 6,000th apologetics course to a person in prison. Over the years, we have presented our programs in prisons throughout the United States. I recently had a conversation with an inmate who said he was glad to be in jail, where he was learning things from other prisoners to help him not get caught when he gets out and resumes his life of crime. This shows that the curse of incarceration is not working.

The solution to this curse is to change our concept of how to handle a person who has committed a crime. From a financial standpoint, when taxpayers must pay for a person who will be in jail for many years or even life, the cost is massive. There are some bright spots in this very dark problem. In Texas, a program called C.A.S.A (Christians Against Substance Abuse) has been able to change the lives of literally thousands of incarcerated men and women through education and counseling. Several chaplains in Texas prisons are using the “New Life Behavior” curriculum.

Recently, two factors have made getting our life lesson materials to prisoners more challenging. The mail service is more expensive, and prisons have extreme requirements for delivery because so many prisoners have received mail with hidden drugs.

Christians believe that every human being is created in the image of God and should be shown the “agape” kind of love that Jesus taught. (See Matthew 5:43-44.) Prisons should be places where people are rehabilitated, not tortured. We cage dangerous animals, and caging a human is like caging a vicious dog. It doesn’t make the dog less vicious. That is the curse of incarceration.

Educating and rehabilitating humans would be far less expensive than our present system, where most prisoners are simply learning how to be smarter criminals and commit more crimes when released. Will America wake up to this need? If it happens, Christians are the ones who will lead the way.

— John N. Clayton © 2024
Information on CASA is available from Kings Crossing Prison Ministries at https://www.kingscrossingprisonministries.org/.

November 12, 2024November 11, 2024

Trashing God’s Creation

The Bible tells us that God created our planet to be a beautiful place and gave humans the responsibility to take care of it. However, we see today that humans are trashing God’s creation.

Several times in my life, I have had the privilege of being in an area where no human activity had ever been present. From the underwater gardens in the Galapagos Islands to isolated regions of Alaska, the beauty of the natural world has astounded me. In Australia, I was allowed to be in places where the nearest human city was hundreds of miles away, and the beauty was breathtaking. Canoeing in Canada’s Quetico wilderness was another place where I saw incredible beauty. Numerous trips to the bottom of the Grand Canyon allowed me to see an unspoiled natural environment.

Finding unspoiled places today has become increasingly difficult. Human greed, selfishness, and materialism have led to trashing much of our planet. Many people have sensed this loss, including those who may not see it as God’s creation but cannot deny the destruction of the natural world. One organization is the Ocean Conservancy, which is involved in global cleanup. One of their programs is the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC), which uses volunteers to pick up trash worldwide.

In 2023, ICC volunteers collected 1,947,483 cigarette butts, 1,358,870 plastic beverage bottles, 853,086 plastic bottle caps, 762,803 food wrappers, 563,390 plastic grocery bags, and a variety of trash, adding up to 14.3 million items. The issue of trashing God’s creation has gotten more attention since scientists discovered that microplastics contaminate all oceans and even show up in the human bloodstream. Medical research shows that these tiny plastic particles combine with chemicals to produce cancer, birth defects, brain damage, infertility, and various other health issues.

We see skeptics blaming God for these illnesses and problems when the root of much of the pain and suffering is humans trashing God’s creation. Christians cannot assume that this problem is unrelated to their faith. We need to be leaders in caring for God’s creation just as we must lead in helping our world understand Christ’s wisdom as He tells us how to live and how to treat each other.

— John N. Clayton © 2024
Reference: The Ocean Conservancy in their Splash newsletter for Winter 2024

November 8, 2024November 7, 2024

Is Prayer a Waste of Time?

We recently received an email from a man saying, “I have quit praying. It is a waste of time. Nothing I ask for ever happens or comes.” Is prayer a waste of time?

I understand the man’s comment. When my son was born, I prayed he would be healthy and blessed with a keen mind. After about six months, we learned that he had congenital cataracts. I prayed that his vision would be restored after cataract surgery, but then we learned that he had retinal problems and would be blind. I knew some blind friends who were very bright and had purposeful lives, so I prayed that my son would be bright and full of potential. However, by the time he reached school age, it was evident that he was mentally challenged.

At that point, I had to ask myself, “Is prayer a waste of time?” As a Christian, I knew the Bible said I should pray (John 16:24, Mark 11:24, Matthew 5:44, James 5:16). While studying this question, I gradually realized that prayer was never about physical needs. Jesus warned that problems would come (Matthew 24:4-13). Prayer did not remove issues for Jesus or Paul. Jesus was still crucified, and Paul still had an affliction (2 Corinthians 12:7-9).

The Bible teaches that prayer is primarily about spiritual issues, not physical ones. That doesn’t mean we should not talk with God about physical problems, but the promises of what prayer will do are spiritual. James 1:5 tells Christians to pray for wisdom, not intelligence. James 5:13-14 says, “Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray.” (KJV) The Greek word “afflicted” is “kakopatheo,” meaning to suffer evil. This is not about physical affliction but letting evil take over your life. The use of oil mentioned in the passage was not about medicinal value but a symbol of gladness or spiritual nourishment. (See Deuteronomy 33:24, Psalms 23:5, and Job 29:6.)

Colossians 3:2 tells Christians to “Set your mind on things above, not on things on this Earth.” Philippians 4:6-7 tells Christians that prayer will guard our hearts and minds, not skin and joints. Is prayer a waste of time? I have had atheist friends tell me they don’t understand how I keep going with all the things that have happened in my life. They don’t realize that prayer brings what this passage calls “the peace of God.” Peace doesn’t come from politicians or things of this world. Realizing that you have a purpose for existence is a beautiful reward of being a Christian. My prayer for you is that you will find that peace.

November 6, 2024November 4, 2024

The Accents of Their Mothers

According to an article in American Scientist magazine, newborns cry in the accents of their mothers. They differ in their cries when they are first born, and this translates into speech later on. In the seventh week of pregnancy, the unborn baby begins to move and discover its body and world. The abortion issue is incredibly complex.

Doctors have told me that babies react emotionally to sounds that have been a part of the mother before the baby’s birth. If a woman has been abused by her husband during pregnancy, the child will scream and move away from the husband after birth. A mother singing to the baby in her womb will find that those same songs will calm the child after birth.

Many years ago, as a graduate student at Indiana University, I was privileged to attend a concert for music majors by the violinist Isaac Stern. During a break in his music, he introduced a tune that he called a mystery melody. The story goes that Stern was playing a piece while his mother was listening. She asked him where he got the piece, and Stern said he didn’t know. His mother said, “I wrote it when I was carrying you and played it over and over, but I didn’t save it, and it was never published.” Stern played it to honor his mother.

Stories like this one are numerous and remind us that a human embryo is not just an extension of the mother’s body. Morning sickness happens because the woman’s body recognizes there is a foreign object in her. We know that unborn babies are aware and react to what is going on in the outside world. Late-term babies will fight the intrusive medical hardware being used to do an abortion. Now, we know that newborns cry in the accents of their mothers.

The abortion issue is incredibly complex, but the “woman’s right to choose” argument has the wrong timeline. She chooses whether to have a child or not when she enters a sexual relationship. Denying that the baby is a human flies in the face of all the evidence.

Discarding God’s moral laws is the root of the abortion issue and also the complex end-of-life issues. The slippery slope is real, and we must discuss what we want our society to be like in the future. Survival of the fittest started with Darwin, and we see it today in these issues.

— John N. Clayton © 2024
Reference: “Baby Talk” in American Scientist magazine for November/December 2024, pages 368-374

November 1, 2024October 28, 2024

The Violation of Parental Rights

A struggle with faith connections in America today is the violation of parental rights. By a parent, we mean more than the woman who gave birth to a child and the father who impregnated her. I am the father of three children who are not biologically related to me. They came into our home as infants, and my wife and I raised them. Their birth certificates identify my wife and me as their mother and father. We love our three children as much as any parent can, and they refer to us as mom and dad.

We are seeing a disturbing violation of parental rights in America. In some cases, the government can take children from their parents if they refuse to promote gender ideology. Reported instances of adults telling kindergarten students that there are more than two genders or that they may have been born in the “wrong body” cause concern among parents. Government agencies can tell people of faith that they cannot adopt a child or raise a child in a foster home because they won’t promote the current craze of trans-genderism.

Some public schools have adopted “secret social transition” policies requiring school staff to treat children with gender dysphoria as the opposite sex without telling the child’s parents. The long-term effect of hormone drug treatment is still unknown, but all available evidence is that it has a negative impact on a child’s longevity. Secret transition policies are a violation of parental rights.

In the Bible, Proverbs contains many admonitions to children, fathers, and mothers. (See Proverbs 22:6, 23:13-14, and 22-25.) The New Testament addresses parents directly, charging both mother and father with parental responsibility. (See Ephesians 6:1-4, Colossians 3:20-21, and 1 Timothy 3:4.) The biological process of conception and having a baby is a small part of being a parent, and God’s plan works and produces the very best long-term results.

October 14, 2024October 13, 2024

Low-Cost Ways to Improve Your Health

Who doesn’t want better health? What if you could achieve better physical and mental health without spending money? At a time when people are facing depression and anxiety about inflation, wars, and even elections, here are some suggestions for easy, low-cost ways to improve your health.

The first suggestion is to move your body. Studies have shown that physical activity can sometimes do more to reduce mild to moderate depression, anxiety, and stress than medications can. Medications also have their side effects. Sitting in a chair for many hours each day can lead to various health problems, but even a small amount of exercise can make us feel better. Physical activity strengthens your bones and muscles, including your heart, while brightening your outlook on life. Gardening or housework can be rewarding. Bicycle riding or walking can allow you to see things you won’t see while sitting at home.

The next suggestion for easy, low-cost ways to improve your health is to go outdoors. Seeing the beauty of God’s creation can be very soothing. Walking in the woods, away from traffic and noise, is stress-relieving. Oceans, lakes, and rivers bring a soothing calm and relief from everyday pressures. Our daily postings on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) show design and beauty in God’s creation. Watching animals and birds in the wild can inspire you with their various activities. Bird songs and the sounds of nature can be soothing. The beauty of plants and trees, especially in the fall and spring, reminds us that God created beauty for us to enjoy. Studies have shown that exposure to nature can improve cognitive function, blood pressure, and sleep.

While considering easy, low-cost ways to improve your health, we must recognize the value of connecting with others. God designed us to be together and support each other, and living in isolation can lead to mental depression and anxiety. First and foremost, families are important, but family members are often far away or estranged. It is also essential to have friends outside of family members. In a church congregation, you can find friends who will give you love and support. Clubs and community groups can provide fellowship with others, but there is nothing as close as sharing life and faith in the fellowship of a solid biblical church.

We encourage you to try these suggestions and see what positive changes they can make in your life and health.