John N Clayton Archives

February 24, 2025February 23, 2025

Evidence Against Marijuana and Alcohol

One of the tragic aspects of marijuana use is that scientific evidence and demographic evidence of damage have not yet been assembled. The National Center for Drug Use Statistics reports that there is a high cardiovascular risk in marijuana use, and the more it is used, the greater the risk. There is also a higher risk of stroke. More than ever, we are seeing evidence against marijuana and alcohol.

On the social level, Elton John, Time magazine’s “Icon of the Year,” told the magazine, “Legalizing marijuana in America and Canada is one of the greatest mistakes of all time.” John says that marijuana is addictive and leads to other drugs. He speaks from experience with a past of marijuana use. John’s personal experiences with drugs are explored in a new Disney documentary, “Elton John: Never Too Late.”

Taking care of the body God has given you is essential. It affects not only you but also your descendants. It is too soon to tell if marijuana contributes to babies born with physical or mental problems, but those of us who lived through the days of LSD have seen huge suffering among children and grandchildren of LSD users.

Alcohol, which is the most destructive drug available today, has been responsible for more suffering than all the wars put together in terms of the number of people affected. Proverbs 31:4-6 tells us, “It is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: Lest they drink, and forget the law and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.”

Proverbs 20:1 says, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.” That was written before distillation, and it is even more true today. The evidence against marijuana and alcohol is growing.

References: Tufts University Health and Nutrition Letter for January 2025, page 2, and South Bend Tribune for December 16, 2024, Page 3A.

February 21, 2025February 19, 2025

Churchianity vs. Christianity

One of the things that frustrates congregational leaders and is used by atheists and skeptics to discredit the Church is that many Christians do not understand the difference between orthodoxy and orthopraxy. Orthodoxy is having the correct doctrine, and orthopraxy is having the proper practice. Both are essential, but a vast percentage of those who “attend church” are people who only practice orthodoxy. ”Churchianity” is saying to oneself, “I have doctrine, and I believe, so that’s all I need.” That is logically wrong, but more importantly, it’s biblically wrong.

Read Matthew 8:21-22, 9:9, 16:24, 19:21, and John 21:21-22. What phrase do all of those passages have in common? The answer is “follow me.” What did Jesus do? Did He go to worship service once a week?” Is that all He expects of us? Read Matthew 25:31-46. Does Jesus picture those who are saved as weekly church attendees who could quote selected biblical passages? Is that all there is to Christianity?

Read Matthew 6:19-21 and ask yourself what “treasures” Jesus is talking about. What good are earthly treasures when you face the end of life or the loss of someone you love? At those times, the value of following Jesus becomes clear. Is your heart set on earthly treasure or heavenly treasure?

The loss of young people from the Church today is not because they have a problem with Jesus Christ but rather because they see no practical value in Churchianity. We urge you to follow Jesus and practice orthopraxy as well as orthodoxy. Churchianity is a false way of life and has nothing to do with what Jesus intended for us to do and be.

— John N. Clayton © 2025
Reference: Why Aren’t Christians More Like Jesus by Michael J. Clemens, Keledei Publications, ISBN 9781958139493

February 20, 2025February 19, 2025

We Need Grace and It’s Freely Available

We Need Grace - A Cistern or a Well — The difference between a cistern and a well

One of the ways skeptics denigrate the Bible is to say it portrays God as an angry, violent, abusive being who deliberately looks for ways to inflict pain on innocent humans. Like most skeptical attacks on belief in God, this portrayal is full of ignorance and misunderstandings. The Bible clearly shows God’s real nature. God desires all humans to embrace good and receive the blessings He offers, rejecting evil and its consequences. Second Peter 3:9 says it well: “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (think differently). We need grace, and God provides it.

An analogy that might help understand grace is comparing it to water. We need water for physical survival. We need grace to survive spiritually. Water has a source – a lake, well, river, etc. Grace has a source – God. (See Ephesians 2:8.) Most water must be treated to give us health, and that treatment is very complex. Grace is much simpler, coming directly from Christ. Only water saves a body dying of thirst, and only grace saves a dying soul. (See Romans 6:1-4.)

You must turn on a faucet to get water, and to get God’s grace, you must want it. The local water department will not force you to accept their water. You can refuse it, but you will die if you do. We need grace, but God will not force us to accept His grace, love, forgiveness, and the way of living He offers. But if we reject it, we will die spiritually.

In Jeremiah 2:13, the prophet identifies two evils: forsaking God and making substitutes that Jeremiah calls cisterns.

“My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.”

A cistern is an underground tank collecting and storing rainwater, usually from a roof. In a desert area, a cistern was essential. However, one problem was that sometimes the cistern, traditionally made of cement, would leak and no longer hold water. The substitutes Jeremiah talks about were human philosophies, religions, and psychological evasions. The prophet says these lifestyles (cisterns) can hold no water (grace). The result is pain, suffering, lack of purpose in living, and destructive lifestyles. We need the well of grace supplied by the endless spring of God’s love.

February 19, 2025February 18, 2025

Animal Coprophagy – Recycling Poop

One aspect of design in the natural world is that virtually no food goes to waste. To that point, researchers have discovered many instances of animal coprophagy, poop eating. A study published in the journal Animal Behaviour documents 150 species of animals ranging from adult black bears to baby koalas recycling poop.

Many of the animals could not survive if they didn’t eat the feces of other animals. One example is pikas, small mountain-dwelling mammals on the Tibetan Plateau. They could not survive the harsh winters if they didn’t eat the droppings of Yaks. Blind cave fish can’t leave the cave to forage for food, so they survive by eating the guano of bats that inhabit the caves. Cows have multiple compartments for processing food, but rabbits do not. Rabbits and other small animals survive by eating the droppings of larger animals that have eaten harsh foods, breaking them down to a form the rabbit’s gut can easily absorb.

You might think that animal coprophagy would lead to diseases and parasites, but the nutrition gained vastly exceeds the possible infection for many animals. Capybaras eat their own feces, so you can’t call it waste. An interesting fact is that lab rats eat up to 40% of the poop from other rats and even themselves. If lab workers prevent them from doing that, they become sick from vitamin B12 deficiencies. Insects such as dung beetles survive on animal dung.

Recycling poop gives evidence that God designed the animal world so food is not wasted. Meanwhile, humans are guilty of wasting food, leaving many people to starve. That is why Jesus Christ, in Matthew 25:35-46, told His disciples to give food and drink to those who are hungry and thirsty.

References: Science News for February 2025, page 27, and Animal Behaviour journal for December 2024, pages 75-86

February 18, 2025February 17, 2025

The Lure of Gambling

When I was eight, my parents took me to a gaming facility on the Mississippi River. My mother wanted to eat in a restaurant located there. It was my first introduction to slot machines. I saw people playing slot machines, and I wanted to try them. I asked my mother for a dime to play the slot machine, and that was the price of a candy bar in those days. As she gave me the dime, she said, “Now you can use the dime to play the slot machine and probably lose it, or you can use it to buy a candy bar.” Her intent may have been good, but I put the dime in the slot machine, pulled the lever, and hit the jackpot. I was able to buy a whole bucket of candy bars. The lure of gambling became obvious.

Fast forward that story to 2016, when my wife and I took a certificate we received in the mail to Las Vegas, where we purchased a room in a hotel at a significantly reduced rate. On the desk in the room was a $10.00 certificate to use in the hotel’s gaming center. My wife took the certificate and went into the gaming center. She had no money on her as she entered the center, but her first pull on the slot machine proclaimed her a winner and gave her a $20.00 bill. She returned to our room saying that if she played the slots five more times, she would have $100.00 minus the $20.00 she now owned. Again, the lure of gambling showed its ugly head.

That story has been repeated many times. In 2020, Americans spent 21.5 billion dollars on legal sports betting. In 2023, they spent 121 billion dollars, according to the American Gaming Association. They expect the final figures for 2024 to exceed 150 billion dollars.

Our congregation in Dowagiac, Michigan, is across the street from a casino. We regularly hear from people who have lost their life savings to the lure of gambling. The various Indian tribes that operate the gambling facilities continue to offer specials, such as a new car, to those they want to entice to participate in the casino’s gambling facility.

An organization called “DraftKings” offers gambling customers a $1,000 bonus if they deposit $5,000 and bet $25,000 within 90 days. Researchers at UCLA and USC have released a paper showing that online sports betting has led to 30,000 bankruptcies and eight billion dollars in annual debt collections. The lure of gambling leads to destruction.

As our culture moves farther away from the teachings of Christ, we can expect a constant increase in money spent on gambling. In 1 Timothy 6:17-19, Paul writes, “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.”

The lure of gambling is similar to prostitution. It takes something good that God has given us and turns it into a destructive, selfish addiction rather than using it for its intended purpose. The lure becomes the curse.

— John N. Clayton © 2025
Reference: Time magazine for February 10, 2025, page 46, and time.com

February 17, 2025February 15, 2025

Required Pilgrimages Not Required

A unique characteristic of the teachings of Jesus and the first-century Church is the freedom from religious pilgrimages. A recent incident reminded us of the problem and tragedy of required religious pilgrimages when people died or were injured during the Hindu festival of Kumbh Mela. This Hindu celebration is supposed to absolve people of sins and bring salvation. It is held in Prayagraj, India, at the confluence of three sacred rivers – the Ganges, the Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati. A stampede developed when people jumped over crowd-control barriers. Last year, 1.8 million Muslims made Hajj in Mecca, Arabia, to cleanse their souls of sin.

There are other examples, all of which show the human desire to be free from evil and sin. We have to admire the dedication of the Hindus and Muslims who are willing to sacrifice to make their required pilgrimages. It certainly shames many people who claim to be Christians and contrasts with the obsession many Americans have with materialism and physical pleasure.

The teachings of Jesus Christ starkly contrast with the required pilgrimages. Christ taught us to focus on serving others and avoid selfish greed. Jesus did not establish a sacred place for worship. When the Samaritan woman at the well tried to argue about the proper place to worship, Jesus replied, “The hour has come when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth” (John 4:19-24). In Matthew 25:31-46, Christ made it clear that serving the needs of others shows that we are saved. In Romans 6, Paul tells us what is involved in cleansing our souls.

The wisdom of not having required pilgrimages is obvious. It involves more than avoiding a stampede or using our limited resources to visit a geographic location or have a sacred object. People can participate in Christian worship anywhere, anytime, free of sacred objects. Serving those in need benefits everyone and brings peace to a world desperately needing freedom from religious wars, selfish materialism, and politics.

It is tragic that some who wear the name “Christian” disregard the teachings of Christ and adopt the same destructive practices of the rest of the religious world. When Christians fail to follow the teachings of Christ, others see no value in becoming followers of Jesus.

— John N. Clayton © 2025
Reference: AP News

February 14, 2025February 10, 2025

Conquering Fear Through Faith

We live in an age of anxiety. The American Medical Association says that fear is the number one health issue in the United States. Americans spend massive amounts of money on alcohol, marijuana, prescription drugs, and pop psychologists and psychiatrists to help them deal with fears. The problem of conquering fear is not new, and the Bible uses the phrase “fear not” 366 times.

Susan Giboney, writing in the March 17, 2025, issue of Power For Today, tells of a person she calls the superhero “Anxiety Girl” who can jump to the worst possible conclusion in a single leap. One of the causes of fear in our day is collateral damage from rejecting God. If this life is all you have and you are in danger of losing it, you have a lot to be anxious about. Here are five suggestions about how to reduce the effect of being an “Anxiety Superhero.”

#1) Building faith leads to conquering fear. This program offers courses, DVDs, and books to help fearful people actively build faith in God. Faith can help you realize that this life is not all we have. We are not talking about blind faith but evidential faith.

#2) Listen to the teachings of Jesus Christ. Read Matthew 6:25-34 and think about the questions it raises. What do you worry about? Having water, how you look, what you wear, what will happen tomorrow? Read the words of Christ and think!

#3) Know what the Lord will deal with the wicked. Read Psalms 94:16-23 and 1 Corinthians 10:13 and understand that Christians have relief from the awful things in this world.

#4) The Bible calls us to repent. That means we must learn to think differently. Repentance is not just sorrow for our mistakes, although that can be part of it. Read Philippians 4:8 and follow its advice. Focus on the good things. If the news upsets you, don’t watch it. If the TV show is negative or violent, turn it off. Don’t watch depressing movies or listen to songs full of profanity. Avoid abusive people. The Church is the “called out ones” and can provide help and support.

#5) Trusting God to do what He says leads to conquering fear. Read 2 Peter 3:9 and understand God wants you to be saved and to live with the forgiveness promised through Christ. God provides continuous cleansing and a better existence beyond this life. (See 1 John 1:6-10.)

We all have an instinctive drive to avoid death, but the fear that fills us with anxiety is what affects our lives from day to day. Faith addresses and reduces that fear. Drugs and other alternatives to God do not.

February 12, 2025February 10, 2025

Astronaut Eyes in Space

We read many quotes from various sources about humans traveling to the Moon, Mars, or some distant moon of Jupiter or Saturn. Most media stories seem to indicate that all astronauts would need to survive the journey is a space suit. They overlook the fact that the human body is carefully engineered to survive on Earth, but studies from the International Space Station show a new challenge for astronaut eyes in space.

We can address the damage to the heart and some other organs by providing enough cardiovascular activity on treadmills. However, new data on astronaut eyes in space show that long periods of weightlessness affect ocular biomechanics. More than 70% of astronauts on the International Space Station have Spaceflight-Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome (SANS).

NASA collected data on 13 astronauts who spent between 157 and 186 days in a weightless environment. The studies detailed a 33% decrease in ocular rigidity, an 11% decrease in interocular pressure, and a 25% reduction in ocular pulse amplitude. These changes caused decreased eye size, an altered focal field, optic nerve edema, and retinal folds. The researchers point out that some of these effects can produce long-lasting changes in the eye’s mechanical properties.

Science shows that the human body is engineered and designed for the gravitational effects of our planet. If only one or two things were essential for life on Earth, you might attribute it to chance. We are not talking about one or two things but the human body as a total unit. Every organ has to adjust when the body is subjected to weightlessness, but most organs cannot change. When NASA put Scott Kelly in space and his identical twin Mark stayed on Earth, it provided a comparison. Scott was in space for 340 days during 2015-16, and there were changes in his DNA and numerous changes in his body.

Now, we have additional data showing the effect of weightlessness on astronaut eyes in space. Some items like ocular pressure have potential complications like glaucoma. It is obvious that our bodies are engineered with many individual characteristics essential for life. The more variables that must be “just right,” the less likely it is that the final product could exist by chance.

For an airplane to fly, thousands of features must be carefully engineered. That requires engineers, not chance. That is even more true for the human body. God carefully designed us to live on planet Earth, and the media often oversimplifies what we need for space travel. Look in the mirror and behold the handiwork of God. (See Psalms 139:14.)

February 11, 2025February 9, 2025

Symbiotic Relationships Show Design

A stable ecosystem needs all forms of life to benefit other life forms. When two living things mutually benefit each other, we call it symbiosis. A simple example I see from my window is squirrels gathering acorns that make up a large percentage of their diet. The squirrels bury acorns in various places around the neighborhood and either forget where they buried them or don’t need all the acorns they buried. The result is that oak trees are planted all over the neighborhood. If there were no acorns, the squirrels would starve. If squirrels didn’t plant the acorns over a wide area, the oak trees would be crowded and unable to grow successfully. Squirrels and oak trees are one example of symbiotic relationships.

In the insect world, there are many symbiotic relationships, and some insects have multiple such relationships. The red wood ant is an example. The ants have a symbiotic relationship with aphids, which excrete energy-rich honeydew, which supplies food for the ants. In return, the ants protect the aphids from their enemies.

Another symbiotic relationship is with Eurasian jays. The birds land on an ant mound and allow the ants to crawl on them, spraying their feathers with formic acid. The acid is low enough concentration that it doesn’t harm the birds but is strong enough to kill parasites, including mites, that hide in their feathers. In this way, the jays find protection from mites.

A third symbiotic relationship of red wood ants protects spruce forests by controlling the wood-boring beetles that destroy them. The ants bite the beetles and spray formic acid into their wounds. Killing the beetles protects the spruce trees and provides a home for the aphids that live in them. That takes us back to the ant-aphid symbiosis.

The multiple symbiotic relationships of red wood ants remind us that removing one species may affect many symbiotic relationships. Symbiotic relationships show design. Proverbs 6:6-8 tells us, “Go to the ant, you slacker! Observe its ways and become wise. Without leader, administrator, or ruler, it prepares its provisions in summer; it gathers its food during harvest.”

— John N. Clayton © 2025
Reference: The February 2025 issue of National Geographic magazine (pages 110-132) or nationalgeographic.com

February 10, 2025February 9, 2025

The Design of Mountain Goats

Every niche in the natural world has a designed relationship with plants and animals that live there. Goats thrive in a variety of environments that are unsuitable for other animals. The design of mountain goats allows them to run up vertical mountain slopes and even climb trees in areas where no ground forage is available. Their ability to run vertically up steep slopes protects them from predators like bears or mountain lions. The only predator goats have to worry about are those that can fly. However, eagles and hawks can carry away small young goats.

The secret that allows mountain goats to do these seemingly impossible things is their hoof design. The outer edge of a goat’s hoof consists of very hard material. The hoof has adjustable toes that can compress to a sharp point for digging or to gain traction on a narrow ridge. Mountain goats can also expand their toes for a wider surface. The hoof edges have pointed toenails to catch on small crevices in rocks. The center of the hoof has a soft, rubbery material that gives traction for walking.

People who raise goats have found them difficult to hold in a pen. They can scale any material the walls of an enclosure might be made of and even move about on a steel roof with ease. No other animal has all of the features that allow goats to thrive in places where other animals can’t survive.

The design of mountain goats is challenging to explain based on chance. They are uniquely designed to be the leading players in the ecology of mountainous areas. Their design speaks loudly of the statement of Romans 1:20 that we can know there is a God through the things He has made.