Bible Archives - Page 5 of 130 - DOES GOD EXIST? TODAY

September 27, 2024September 24, 2024

Understanding God’s Nature and Dimensions

One of my favorite book titles and quotes is Your God Is Too Small, written by J. B. Phillips in 1953. The book’s theme is that humans are limited in understanding God’s nature. That issue continues today with questions concerning the spiritual realm. God is not a physical being, limited to physical dimensions. What does that mean?

We live in a three-dimensional world, meaning you can move up or down, left or right, straight ahead or behind you. In mathematics, we demonstrate this concept on the cartesian axes of x, y, and z, and we can plot each of those dimensions against time. You can go to the left or right, up or down, forward or backward at a certain speed until you arrive at a particular spot. Notice that each case requires the passage of time. You can’t put time on a cartesian axis because time is 4th dimensional. Just as God created the three dimensions, He also created the 4th dimension. We struggle with that concept because we can’t control the time dimension. It controls us.

The Bible describes God as a being outside of time, not limited by that dimension as we are. Psalms 90:4 (repeated in 2 Peter 3:8) tells us that “with the Lord, one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” Revelation 1:8 and 11, 21:6, and 22:13 describe God as “the Alpha and Omega – the beginning and the end.” We realize that has enormous implications for understanding God’s nature. When we pray, God hears our prayer outside of time. Revelation 21:3-4 is easier to comprehend if we realize that without time, all the bad stuff relating to time, including pain, suffering, death, disease, and war, are gone.

If God is outside of time and created time, He exists in a dimension higher than time. There are virtually unlimited dimensions in mathematics, and here we are struggling with one we can’t perceive physically. The Apostle Paul got a glimpse of this and tried to describe it in 2 Corinthians 12:1-5. God’s answer to prayer is frequently not in the time frame we understand. Our concept of heaven and hell is badly distorted by not understanding God’s nature and the spiritual realm outside of time.

The people who heard Paul speak at the Areopagus in Acts 17:22-32 struggled with understanding God’s nature, and Paul challenged them to think. For many of them, and many in today’s world, their God was and is too small.

September 24, 2024September 23, 2024

Addictions Are Linked to Trauma

One of the significant symptoms of today’s decadent society is the massive amount of addiction we see in all age groups, races, and nationalities. Addiction treatment experts have been unsuccessful in dealing with addiction because they have not addressed the root causes of addiction. It is becoming more evident that all kinds of addictions are linked to trauma people have experienced.

Statistics show that more than 40% of people with opioid addiction report some type of childhood abuse or neglect. Of addicted women, 41% report having been subjected to childhood sexual abuse. Other studies have shown that at least 85% of all people who have an addiction have had at least one adverse childhood experience, and the risk increases with each additional experience. There is also a high correlation between PTSD and addiction, with 58% of PTSD sufferers having a substance abuse addiction.

All of the drug therapies and socialization efforts we can offer do not undo the past. We will never stop wars as long as greed and selfishness dominate and humans practice survival of the fittest. Addictions are linked to trauma, and this is where authentic Christianity (not denominational religion) can make a difference. The biblical design of the nuclear family is the best tool we have for most of addiction’s challenges.

Ephesians 5:21-6:4 speaks of submitting to one another in the fear of God. Husbands should love their wives as Christ loved the Church, and love them as they love their own body. Wives are told to respect their husbands. Fathers are to bring up children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Colossians 3:21 warns fathers not to provoke their children to anger. As people base their conduct on skepticism, atheism, and naturalism, we can expect addictions to increase.

Following the teachings of Jesus Christ is not only a key to eternal life but also to life on Earth, free of the addictions linked to trauma. Chemicals cannot help people find meaning and purpose in life, but Christ and His Church can.

— John N. Clayton © 2024
Reference: “New Treatments Address Addiction alongside Trauma” by Maia Szalavitz in Scientific American magazine for October 2024, pages 45-51

September 18, 2024September 17, 2024

Effects of THC on the Human Brain

The human brain is the most complex computer in the world. In one study trying to understand brain health and disease, scientists identified 3,313 different types of neurons in the brain, but there is much more to learn. Other studies have examined the effects of THC on the human brain. THC is the primary psychoactive chemical in marijuana (cannabis) plants.

One study of teen health in Australia and New Zealand dealt with the effects of THC on the human brain regarding depression and suicide. It showed that adolescents using cannabis were 2.5 times as likely to have depression and three times as likely to have suicidal ideas than those who did not use cannabis.

A study of adults who used cannabis daily showed there was five times the risk of psychosis compared to non-users. A Canadian study has shown that emergency department visits for cannabis syndrome increased by a factor of 13 between 2014 and 2021. Despite today’s concentrated cannabis products, science does not fully understand the effects of THC on the human brain, so users have become the test subjects.

Humans have long used breeding to increase desirable features in animals, such as dogs, and plants, such as corn. They have used the same methods on marijuana plants to increase the content of THC. The result is that today’s marijuana has a much more potent effect on the human brain. In 1995, the total THC by weight of marijuana was around 4%. Today it is 20% or more. Concentrated cannabis products can have THC content as high as 95%. Teen exposure to THC can lead to long-lasting problems with memory and learning. Use by teens is more likely to lead to addiction than adult use, and cannabis addiction is linked to schizophrenia.

Recreational drug use has a long history, but there is very little research available on the long-term effects of cannabis and the effects of THC on the human brain. The Christian concept of the human body as the dwelling place for God’s Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16) advises against activities that harm our health. God speaks to us in verse 17, saying that if anyone defiles the temple of God (our body), there will be severe consequences. We are seeing that promise carried out in the adverse effects of cannabis use.

— John N. Clayton © 2024
References: “Transcriptomic diversity of cell types across the adult human brain” in the journal Science, and “The teen brain is especially susceptible to the harms of THC” in Science News magazine

September 16, 2024September 15, 2024

Why Doesn’t the Bible Mention Dinosaurs?

The fossil evidence for the existence of dinosaurs is undeniable. Thousands of fossil remains exist, and no human remains have ever been found together with dinosaur fossils. You can go to various museums and see these fossils for yourself or go to this article to see how people dig up and assemble them. Then, if they actually existed, why doesn’t the Bible mention dinosaurs?

Remember that the Bible also does not mention bacteria, platypuses, penguins, parasites, or many other living things. It does not attempt to explain the creation of the millions of species of every living thing on Earth, even though people today want to know about them. However, the Bible was not written just for people living today but also for people living thousands of years ago without microscopes or global travel.

The Bible’s message is spiritual, not a physical history of life on Earth. Why doesn’t the Bible mention dinosaurs? Some people try to say that it does. The Hebrew “behemoth” in Job describes an animal known to Job that ate grass, had a tail like a cedar, and lay under shady trees (Job 40:15-24). None of those things apply to dinosaurs. The description of the “leviathan” of Job 41, Psalms 74:14, and 104:26 has nothing in common with what we know about dinosaurs.

What we do know about dinosaurs is that they were part of a very different ecosystem than what we have today. The world of the dinosaurs was hotter and had a different atmosphere. The time of the dinosaurs was perfect for plant growth, resulting in massive amounts of vegetation. We see the remains of that vegetation in coal and peat.

It is essential to understand that God used two methods to give us the world with the resources we have today. One method was the production of things by a miraculous act. Time, space, and matter/energy were created out of nothing by this method. Today, quantum mechanics helps us verify that. The Hebrew word “bara” describes this method and is correctly translated as “created” in Genesis 1 only in verses 1, 21, and 27.

The second method is to change what God had previously created. The Bible uses the Hebrew “asah” for that. You will find it in verses 7, 16, 25, and 31 of Genesis 1. Humans can locate resources such as coal and oil because God used this method. At the conclusion of the creation account, Genesis 2:3 tells us that He “rested from all His work which God created (bara) and made (asah).” Then why doesn’t the Bible mention dinosaurs? The Bible contains the story of God’s spiritual relationship to humans, and dinosaurs were part of God’s method of preparing the Earth for humans.

— John N. Clayton © 2024
References: “God’s Revelation In His Rocks and His Word” by John N. Clayton and “How to bring a 75-foot-long dinosaur back to life” in National Geographic

September 9, 2024September 8, 2024

False Stories Travel Faster than the Truth

A study of 126,000 stories spread on Twitter by around three million people from 2006 to 2017 showed that false stories travel faster and reach more people than the truth. That is not new, and it’s true in every aspect of our lives. In 1710, Jonathan Swift wrote, “Falsehood flies, and truth comes limping after it …”

During my 41 years of teaching science in public schools, I always told my students, “Don’t believe something just because I say it. If I can’t show you solid evidence, then just regard it as one person’s opinion.” That didn’t endear me to the other faculty members in my school, but it led to much discussion and activity in my classes.

False stories travel faster than the truth, and it is easier for people to latch on to misinformation. Why is that? Here are some reasons psychologists give:

(1) Our default setting is to believe what others say. Psychologists refer to this as “truth bias.”
(2) Repetition breeds belief. When people hear something repeatedly, they remember it and begin to believe it, even if it is implausible.
(3) Vivid stories and images remain in our memories and influence our thinking.
4) People buy into things that confirm their beliefs, whether true or not.
5) We tend to be around like-minded people who reinforce our thinking, while we mistrust those with whom we disagree.

All of these factors are true in today’s world. False stories travel faster, and when trying to debunk false information that someone believes, begin with kindness and respect for the person’s view. Peter wrote that we must always be “prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect…” Did Jesus Christ confront misinformation, and did He have a way to overcome it? The answer to both of these questions is “yes.” He confronted doubt with proof. The entire “Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew 5-7 is saturated with instructions to His followers on how to live out the truth of their faith.

Rather than arguing with unbelievers, we need to show them the truth of Christianity by how we live and what we do. The Church needs to use the same techniques I used in teaching science. Show people what is true, not because “I say so,” but with kindness and respect show the evidence. Then, live out your faith so others can see Jesus in you.

— John N. Clayton © 2024
References: “Lies spread faster than the truth” in the journal Science vol. 359, no. 6380, pages 1146-1151, and the textbook Exploring Psychology, 13th edition.

September 5, 2024September 4, 2024

“Aliens Are Controlling Earth’s History”

When this ministry began in 1968, one of the first things we ran into was a host of claims that aliens are controlling Earth’s history and its people. Science fiction writers claimed the Tunguska event of 1908, in which a meteorite exploded in the atmosphere above Earth’s surface, was the crash of an alien spaceship. In 1968, a Danish bartender named Erich von Daniken published a book titled Chariots of the Gods, claiming that aliens precipitated the advance of some civilizations and that accomplished human genetic advancement. Writer Charles Berlitz claimed that the Bermuda Triangle was an alien spaceport and the underwater city of Atlantis where aliens destroyed any trespassers.

In our various publications, we have shown that scientific evidence easily explains these things without alien involvement. Despite the evidence and scientific facts, we continue to see a flood of material suggesting that aliens are controlling Earth’s history. An “Ancient Alien” television series offers alien explanations of many things, including Albert Einstein’s work. Chariots of the Gods was made into a movie. Hollywood has not missed the opportunity to exploit the alien nonsense and draw an audience from people unaware of the evidence.

As you might expect, skeptics of Christianity have used the alien hypothesis to explain biblical stories. Some even claim that Jesus Christ was an alien who came to change the direction of human culture. Biblical stories of everything from Adam and Eve to Noah have been attributed to alien involvement in human affairs. People who say that aliens are controlling Earth’s history have criticized our archaeological material, such as the “Beyond Reasonable Doubt” video series.

The fact is that Jesus Christ lived, the Bible is the Word of God, and aliens are not involved in human history. If there are other civilizations on other planets in other galaxies, we will probably never know about them because they are so f ar away. Science fiction can create fantasies, but Christ is real and can help you with your struggles in life.

— John N. Clayton © 2024
Reference: space.com

September 4, 2024September 3, 2024

Problems Our Ancestors Had in Securing Food

In our day of domesticated cattle, we may not appreciate the problems our ancestors had in securing food and other essentials. The Bible and the fossil record agree that the first humans were gatherers, eating only things that could be secured by hand, primarily plants. Genesis 4:2 indicates that Abel was a keeper of the flocks, probably sheep. In Genesis 9:3, God says, “Everything that lives and moves will be food for you,” but verse 2 says that all the animals will be afraid of humans. Like many biblical passages, we are left with questions, so we can look to other methods for clarification. The fossil record and archaeological evidence do that for us.

There is a great deal of evidence that humans were gatherers before hunting animals became a method of getting food. The Bible does not tell us how Abel secured the flocks of Genesis 4:2, but the domestication of wild goats and sheep clearly occurred. Genesis 15:9 is the first mention of goats in the Bible, but recent DNA evidence shows that goats were domesticated in significant numbers by 8200 B.C. Goats provided milk and meat, but they also provided other valuable materials, including hair, hides, and sinew for use as clothing. Ancient people used goat bones as tools and their dung as fuel for fires. Goats were much easier to raise than sheep or other animals. Goats can eat about anything and survive in virtually any terrain. They were the perfect animals to meet the needs of early humans.

Despite the problems our ancestors had in securing food, the message here is plain. God has met every NEED that humans have. We are talking about needs, not wants. Some things we might like to have are not needs, and needs can sometimes be secured only by work. God told Adam, “In the sweat of your face, you will eat bread” (Genesis 3:19). God has made it available, but we must work to secure what we need. We know that God will bless us when we do the work He has given us to do.

August 30, 2024August 27, 2024

Dinosaur Fossils and Human Values

By the end of July 2024, I had personally received 98 written requests for financial help to address human needs. That is in addition to numerous phone calls and emails, and I am sure most of the needs are real. Pathetic pictures of starving children, people needing medical attention, and people victimized by war and greed tug at the heartstrings, but on a teacher’s pension, I cannot solve all of these issues. At the same time, we live in a world of corruption and badly distorted values, as demonstrated by the price of dinosaur fossils.

The largest and most complete stegosaurus fossil ever found was sold to a private collector for $44,600,000. A “mystery buyer” paid $12.4 million for a velociraptor skeleton, and in 2020, a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton known as Stan sold for $31,800,000. While the academic community laments that these skeletons are lost to science, the more significant issue is what the price of dinosaur fossils says about human values. The Christian concept of love expressed by the Greek word “agape” permeates the teachings of Christ, but today, people vilify Christianity and ridicule the plea to love one another.

The media takes great delight in stories of the abuses of some who have claimed to be Christians. Sadly, some religious leaders spend massive amounts of money on religious structures, airplanes, cars, and personal homes, as non-believers spend excessive amounts on dinosaur fossils and entertainment.

Most of the people feeding needy children are motivated by their understanding of Jesus’ teachings. Digging wells so people aren’t forced to drink polluted water is almost entirely the work of people who express their faith in Christ and His teachings. Many followers of Jesus quietly take what little they have and use it to relieve human suffering.

In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus indicates how God looks at our situation. Dedicated Christians who have the hope of eternal life prioritize addressing human needs. Those who use what God has loaned them to have a dinosaur skeleton in their private collection will learn that their lives are just as dead as the dinosaurs on which they spent their resources.

August 29, 2024August 27, 2024

Trees Are Affected by Smoke

Smoke from wildfires has been a fact of life for virtually everyone. Even here in Michigan, we have seen smoke from the fires on the West Coast. At times, it has been dense enough that some folks with respiratory illnesses have had to stay inside and use air purifiers to breathe. Researchers at Colorado State University have found that even trees are affected by smoke, but they have a system designed into them to avoid damage that smoke can cause.

Plants have pores called stomata on their leaves, which do the opposite of our lungs by taking in carbon dioxide and expelling oxygen. However, taking in smoke could interfere with this process. The researchers found that when smoke wafted across ponderosa pines, the trees responded by closing their stomata, essentially holding their breath.

Smoke in the air is not a new feature in the natural world. Fires are expected whenever there are forests and dry weather, even without human carelessness. Since trees are affected by smoke, they have a designed response to what might damage their ability to take in carbon dioxide. This is just one more example of the incredible thought and planning that went into the creation.

Genesis 1:11-12 tells us that God created the fruit tree, but as we look deeper into the makeup of trees, we see the handiwork of God displayed in this remarkable design. Research is ongoing to see if this is true of all plants, including those we depend on for food. This question becomes very important with the increase in wildfires in the past two years.

August 28, 2024August 27, 2024

New Data on Neanderthals

In 1864, a research paper was distributed in the scientific community announcing the discovery of a form of ancient humans called Homo neanderthalensis. The artistic reconstructions showed ape-like humans, and evolutionists called it a missing link proving human evolution from apes. The artistic reconstructions were inaccurate. More advanced scientific tools have given us new data on Neanderthals, providing a better picture of what they were like.

Past research has not shown that Neanderthals lived together in communities. However, Neanderthal DNA in Siberia indicates a possible community, and some 600 footprints recently found near Normandy, France, indicate a group of adults with children and teenagers. The new data on Neanderthals gives evidence that they formed tight-knit communities. Another interesting discovery is that the communities cared for individuals with deformities or severe injuries for many years. Neanderthal burials indicate that they showed special care to children.

We can learn many lessons from recent studies that provide new data on Neanderthals. One thing we learned is to avoid jumping to conclusions too quickly. One of my favorite lines I heard during my graduate work was, “Always be sure your data conforms to your conclusions.” The point was and is that people take what they already believe and then work to find ways to support that belief. The media jumped on early finds of Neanderthals, and their depictions gave an unclear picture of what they were like.

For people who have religious convictions about the history of humans, the same problem exists. The fact that Neanderthals clearly lived more than 6,000 years ago flies in the face of some denominational teachings. The point is that the Bible is silent on how long ago Adam lived. There is also a tendency to make Adam in our physical image when the Bible says Adam was created in God’s spiritual image. Biblical literature may show Adam with light skin and blue eyes, but that is almost certainly not what Adam looked like.

You and I are created in God’s image. That means we all have equal value and demonstrate spiritual characteristics and talents. These include creative ability in art and music, the capacity to worship, empathy and sympathy, and guilt, which have nothing to do with our physical or racial makeup. New data on Neanderthals shows that they demonstrated some of those characteristics, and we have some Neanderthal markers in our DNA.