Thursday, September 22, 2016

Atheists Aren't Sure

by John Michael Thompson
September 17 at 3:13pm
ATHEISTS AREN’T SURE
Throughout history every culture was religious. Every culture understood that the physical universe couldn’t cause itself to exist, so a higher cause not of the physical universe must necessarily exist.        
No one has ever been able to successfully explain the existence of the universe without the need for God, but now our scientists think they can. They say it all could have started with a Big Bang. Scientists measured the light coming from galaxies and concluded that the universe is expanding. Then they took this questionable measurement (there is credible evidence against it) and concocted a whole new story. Physicists theoretically plotted back in time and speculated that fourteen billion years ago the entire physical universe was crunched into a physical particle smaller than an atom.      
The Big Bang is not based on facts. Calculating how something could have happened does not prove that it actually did happen. What scientists are saying is that if the universe is expanding then it could have always been expanding starting all the way from nothing, and the Big Bang mathematical model is how it might have happened. Scientists have merely speculated about how the universe might have emerged from nothing. And there is another problem. As hard as they have tried scientists have not been able to scientifically explain how something could actually come from nothing. This means no energy and no vacuum – absolutely nothing. Something from nothing is magic, not science. So what would be the original cause?    

Science is supposed to be based on facts – not speculation. How could a scientifically educated person actually believe that an infinitesimally small particle exploded and accidentally became this magnificently complex universe in which we live in today? Many scientists are smart enough not to believe it, but this theory has caused many millions of people to trust science and believe that God does not exist.     

Atheists don’t understand that even if the Big Bang theory were true, it still would not explain how the universe exists, because how would the primal Big bang particle exist in the first place? How did the entirety of physical reality come to exist? It would either come from God or from nothing, and only someone with an atheist’s mentality could be led to believe that something could magically come from absolutely nothing.       

I understand how atheists think, because I used to be an atheist. Atheists are people with only a rudimentary understanding of science. They know just enough science to be an atheist, but they don’t have enough scientific understanding to realize that scientists cannot actually explain the universe without God. Atheists don’t know enough science to know whether scientists are right or not. Atheists have blind faith in science.        

When I was an atheist it began to trouble me that I was betting my life on a world-view that I didn’t know for sure was true, so I began an in-depth study of science to find out if scientists really can explain the universe without God. What I found out completely astonished me. I discovered that contrary to what we are led to believe, even though scientists know a lot about how the universe acts, scientists don’t have any understanding whatsoever about how the universe exists.       

Atheists don’t realize how little scientists actually know. The universe consists of space, time, and matter. But scientists don’t know what space is or how it exists, and scientists don’t know what time is or how it exists, and scientists don’t know what matter is or how it exists. Scientists have discovered that four forces of nature cause all motions in the universe, but scientists don’t have any idea as to what these forces are or how they exist. Scientists know how gravity acts on objects, but they don’t know what gravity is or how it exists. And scientists don’t know what electricity is or how it exists. And scientists don’t know what the nuclear forces are or how they exist. The list goes on and on. So if scientists can’t explain what the universe is or how it exists then why would we listen to them about God?      

Atheists counter that the fact scientists don’t understand the universe doesn’t mean that God does exist. The problem here is that atheists don’t understand the argument. All past cultures understood that the universe cannot be explained without God, and today’s scientists have tried but failed to eliminate God, so God is still the only answer.     

Atheists have bet their lives against God. They have much to lose if they are wrong, so they fiercely defend their godless world-view. But they don’t understand science, so their main line of attack is to mock religion as if this has something to do with disproving the existence of God.      

Atheists are surprised to find that this page is focused on scientific evidence of God’s existence. Atheists don’t realize that science is not on their side – it is on God’s side. Science actually proves that God does exist. Read “Scientific Theory Of God: Proof That God Exists”.      

I invite atheist to scientifically prove me wrong, but they respond the only way they know how – with name-calling and profanity.      

Atheists believe the universe and humanity come from nothing and return to nothing, which means that we all live and die in an accidental and meaningless universe. Atheists believe humans are accidents of evolution – no more than insignificant, purposeless animals. This means, like all animal species, that humanity would live and then die on an insignificant planet lost somewhere in infinite space and time without a trace.      

Apparently many atheists don’t understand atheism, because they look for meaning in a supposedly godless and therefore meaningless universe. But finding meaning in a godless and soulless universe is merely wishful thinking, because nothing a human being would think, say, or do would have any meaning whatsoever. A human life would be as meaningless as a goat or cow’s life. It would make no difference whatsoever whether a person succeeded, failed, loved, or murdered during his or her brief existence on earth.    

I am not trying to convert atheists. Atheists have the free will to bet against God and humanity if they so desire. That is between them and God. I publish this page to help spiritual people looking for scientific evidence of God.      

I am surprised to get so many atheist comments. If human life has no meaning, then human thoughts and opinions have no meaning, so why would an atheist care about what is discussed on this page? Why wouldn’t atheists just live their lives as they desire while they can before they are dead and forgotten? Why do atheists try so hard to convince other people that human life is accidental and insignificant – unless they are not so sure? Atheists must be trying to convince themselves.



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Davey Round :  Carlos Rids Gouldos interesting you think?
LikeReply1September 17 at 8:24pm

Carlos Rids Gouldos We are trying to convince ourselves that there is no GOD!!
LikeReplySeptember 17 at 10:48pm

Mohammad Shafiq Khan Einstein's Theories of relativity lead to Big Bang Theory whereas under Big Bang paradigm there is absolutely no possibility of existence of God for following reasons.

1. Philosophically for any existence; it has to be some substance (visible, invisible, perceivable or not perceivable) and this applies to God also. Substances occupy space but there is absolutely no space for God to exist at the time of Big Bang & before.

2. Four things come out of Big Bang namely space, time, matter & light/radiation. We cannot look for eternal God in space & time as both had the beginning; secondly humans are in a position to produce all types of light/radiation and something which humans can produce could not be the God and since matter is made up of electrons, protons & neutrons these too could not be the God.
However Theories of Relativity & Big Bang Theory including Cosmic Inflation have been mathematically, theoretically & experimentally proved as baseless in the published paper "Experimental & Theoretical Evidences of Fallacy of Space-time Concept and Actual State of Existence of the Physical Universe" which is available at the journal site at http://indjst.org/index.php/indjst/issue/view/2885. For further details refer https://www.linkedin.com/.../adopted-paradigm-physics....
LikeReply1September 18 at 1:47am
Dave Benfield 'Nobody can imagine how nothing could turn into something. Nobody can get an inch nearer to it by explaining how something could turn into something else. It is really far more logical to start by saying ‘In the beginning God created heaven and earth’ even if you only mean ‘In the beginning some unthinkable power began some unthinkable process.’ For God is by its nature a name of mystery, and nobody ever supposed that man could imagine how a world was created any more than he could create one. But evolution really is mistaken for explanation. It has the fatal quality of leaving on many minds the impression that they do understand it and everything else; just as many of them live under a sort of illusion that they have read the Origin of Species.

But this notion of something smooth and slow like the ascent of a slope, is a great part of the illusion. It is an illogicality as well as an illusion; for slowness has really nothing to do with the question. An event is not any more intrinsically intelligible or unintelligible because of the pace at which it moves. For a man who does not believe in a miracle, a slow miracle would be just as incredible as a swift one.'

G.K Chesterton (from The Everlasting Man)
LikeReply1September 18 at 8:24am

Aaron Eggers Something had to create the universe. The universe is well designed and everything is put in the right place. Why is that? Science has yet to explain that and I love science. I see God. The universe had a beginning and that beginning was God. 


LikeReply1September 18 at 6:26pm

Ronald Jackson Boyd Like atheists have to absolutely know everything. That's the cool thing. We don't.
LikeReply20 hrs

James Gregg The way science measure stuff is not always right or a lie! It is not rocket science even a child can see god!
LikeReply

Sunday, September 11, 2016

The Hajj - A Holy Pilgrimage


The Hajj is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, and a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by all adult Muslims who are physically and financially capable of undertaking the journey, and can support their family during their absence.    

It is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, alongside Shahada (oneness of Allah), Salah (prayer), Zakat (alms-giving), and Sawm (fasting). The Hajj is considered the largest annual gathering of people in the world. The state of being physically and financially capable of performing the Hajj is called istita'ah, and a Muslim who fulfills this condition is called a mustati. The Hajj is a demonstration of the solidarity of the Muslim people, and their submission to Allah (God). The word Hajj means "to intend a journey", which connotes both the outward act of a journey and the inward act of intentions.    

Ihram is the name given to the special spiritual state in which pilgrims wear two white sheets of seamless cloth and abstain from certain actions, such as:  

> Hunting is prohibited during Hajj.
[Quran 5:1] - You shall not permit hunting throughout Hajj pilgrimage. God decrees whatever He wills.
> All warfare is prohibited in the Sacred months of Hajj except in self defense.
[Quran 2:217] - They ask you about the Sacred Months and fighting therein: say, ‘Fighting therein is a sacrilege.
> Sexual intercourse, misconduct and arguments prohibited.
[Quran 2:197] - Whoever sets out to observe Hajj shall refrain from sexual intercourse, misconduct, and arguments throughout Hajj."
> During Hajj, abstaining from cutting one’s hair is a requirement.
[Quran 2:196] - You shall observe the complete rites of Hajj and `Umrah for God. If you are prevented, you shall send an offering, and do not resume cutting your hair until your offering has reached its destination."

Image result for hajj pilgrimage enmassThe Hajj is associated with the life of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad, from the 7th century, but the actual ritual of a pilgrimage to Mecca is considered by Muslims to stretch back thousands of years to the time of Abraham

During Hajj, pilgrims join processions of hundreds of thousands of people, who simultaneously converge on Mecca for the week of the Hajj, and perform a series of rituals: 

  • each person walks counter-clockwise seven times around the Ka'bah (the cube-shaped building and the direction of prayer for the Muslims) - [Quran 22:29]
  • each person runs back and forth between the hills of Al-Safa and Al-Marwah (this is symbolic of Hagar running between the hills looking for water for her son, Ishmael, to drink) - [Quran 2:158]
  • each person drinks from the Zamzam Well (a famous water well in al-Masjid al-Haraam [the Sacred Mosque in Makkah], which is near the Ka’bah) - [Hadith of Abu Dhar al-Ghifari: the Prophet said concerning the water of Zamzam, “It is a blessing, and it is food that satisfies.” Haidth of Abu Dawood Al-Tayalisi added, “and a cure for the sick."]
  • each person goes to the plains of Mount Arafat to stand in vigil and spends a night in the plain of Muzdalifa - [Quran 2:198
  • each person performs symbolic stoning of the devil by throwing stones at three pillars - [Quran 15:34]
  • The pilgrims then shave their heads, perform a ritual of animal sacrifice, and celebrate the three-day global festival of Eid al-Adha. [Quran 22:36]
Pilgrims can also go to Mecca to perform the rituals at other times of the year. This is sometimes called the "lesser pilgrimage", or Umrah. However, even if they choose to perform the Umrah, they are still obligated to perform the Hajj at some other point in their lifetime if they have the means to do so.

History of the First Modern Pilgrimage

Image result for first hajj and muhammad the prophet
Journey of Muhammad
(from "Composition of Histories)
 c/1425, Afghanistan
(Metropolitan Museum of Art)
Muhammad, a Meccan merchant, had reported that from the age of 40 he was receiving revelations from God. He and his followers, called Muslims, were persecuted by the ruling clan of Mecca, the Quraysh, and forced to flee to the northern city of Medina. 

Several armed confrontations followed, along with the Muslims attempting a return pilgrimage to Mecca in 628 A.D., as directed by one of the revelations. 

They were rejected by the Quraysh, but the Meccans did agree to a truce, and the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah had a provision that the Muslims could return peacefully to Mecca for a pilgrimage in 629 A.D. The entire event was three days long.

Note: A pilgrimage that occurs during the month of Dhu al-Hijjah is named a "major pilgrimage", or just "pilgrimage" (Arabic: Hajj), while pilgrimages of all other months are called "minor pilgrimage" (Arabic: Umrah).

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Close to 3 Million Pilgrims Observe Arafat Today
by Dr. Hafiz Bilal  (Sunday, September 11, 2016)


Over 2 million Muslims have moved en-mass to Arafat ground today, Sunday, to observe the climax of 2016 Pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia - The Arafat standing. 

The pilgrims started trooping to Arafat before dawn this morning.   

They are following in the footsteps of Prophet Muhammad S.A.W.W. who performed the same rituals about 1,400 years ago.

“It’s an indescribable feeling. You have to live it to understand. This is my sixth hajj and I still cannot express how happy I am to be in Mecca,” said Hassan Mohammed, 60, from Egypt.

The hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam, which capable Muslims must perform at least once, marking the spiritual peak of their lives.

“People come from every country of the world, talk every language of the world, and meet here in one place under one banner, the profession of the Muslim faith,” said Ashraf Zalat, 43, also from Egypt.

The first day of hajj was traditionally the chance for pilgrims to let their animals drink and to stock up on water.

Then they proceed to Mount Arafat, several kilometres further, for the peak of the hajj on Sunday.

Meanwhile, for the first time in 35 years, Saudi Arabia’s top cleric will not give a traditional hajj sermon to pilgrims from around the world, a newspaper reported on Saturday.

Grand Mufti Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh has annually addressed the faithful from the Namira mosque in Mount Arafat for the peak of hajj, which this year falls on Sunday.

Okaz newspaper, citing anonymous sources, said Sheikh, “will step down from delivering the sermon on the day of Arafat, due to health reasons.”

He was appointed Grand Mufti in 1999 after the death of his predecessor, Sheikh Abdel Aziz bin Baz. But Okaz said Sheikh had for about two decades prior to that, given the annual address to the hajj throng at the site where Prophet Muhammad is said to have delivered his farewell sermon. Okaz said the mufti spent about two months preparing for each address.

Sheikh Abdulaziz is a descendant of Sheikh Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab, the 18th-century fundamentalist preacher who co-founded the Saudi state.

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The pilgrimage occurs from the 8th to 12th (or in some cases 13th) of Dhu al-Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic calendar. Because the Islamic calendar is lunar and the Islamic year is about eleven days shorter than the Gregorian year, the Gregorian date of Hajj changes from year to year. 

Saturday, September 3, 2016

The "Sevens" of Revelation

Image result for book of revelationThe last book of the Christian Bible, the Revelation of Jesus Christ, is the most controversial canon in the entire Holy Bible with its apocalyptic message. Written by the Apostle John in the 1st Century A.D., this book contains many references to the number seven (7).

It is a known fact the word "seven" occurs in Revelation more than any other book in the Bible; it [seven] occurs more than all the other books in the New Testament combined. Unusual format or a divine message?

The number "seven" is regarded as the number of perfection, which represents fulfillment and completion. The calendar is a good example. Most of mankind have followed a seven-day week calendar since the beginning of time (categorically speaking); but why? The most common answer relates to the Creation theory.
"By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done." ~ Genesis 2:2-3
The Creator completed His great work of creating and constructing the entire universe and all its creatures within the first seven-day period of human history. Which takes us back to the final book of the Christian Bible and the prominent "sevens". God started with the number "seven" in the Book of Genesis, so why not end with the same holy number in the Book of Revelation?  

In the Book of Revelation the holy number (7) is referenced 24 times:
    Image result for sevens in revelation
  1. Churches (1:4, 11, 20)
  2. Spirits (1:4, 3:1, 4:5, 5:6)
  3. Golden Lampstands (1:12-13, 20, 2:1)
  4. Stars (1:16, 20, 2:1, 3:1).
  5. Lamps (4:5).
  6. Seals (5:1, 5:5).
  7. Horns (5:6).
  8. Eyes (5:6).
  9. Angels (8:2, 6).
  10. Trumpets (8:2, 6).
  11. Thunders (10:3, 4).
  12. Thousand (11:13).
  13. Heads (12:3, 13:1, 17:3, 7, 9).
  14. Crowns (12:3).
  15. Angels (15:1, 6-8, 16:1, 17:1, 21:9).
  16. Plagues (15:1, 6, 8, 21:9).
  17. Bowls (15:7, 17:1, 21:9).
  18. Mountains (17:9).
  19. Kings (17:10-11).    
  20. Years of Judgment (11:3, 16:6, 14, 13:5)
The "seven" references continue with:
  1. Beatitudes [using the word "blessed"] (1:3, 14:13, 16:15, 19:9, 20:6, 22:7, 22:14)
  2. Attributes of the Lamb (5:12)
  3. seventh dispensation completing Scripture (20:1-10).
  4. seven divisions of each of the letters to the seven churches 
As a short monograph for the division of the seven letters, the following is a specific pattern that includes the following "seven" elements: 

Image result for revelation 7 elements in the 7 letters
  1. Church Name - The name of the church that summarizes each individual letter.
  2. Jesus' Name - Jesus gives himself a name that relates to that church.
  3. Commendation - Jesus gives the church a description and recommendation.
  4. Admonition - Jesus gives the church a warning and promised judgment. 
  5. Exhortation - Jesus gives the church thanks and encouragement.
  6. Closing - Jesus gives the church a final proclamation of their faults.
  7. Promise - Jesus makes a covenant with the church that overcomes.   
There is a mathematical formula going on in the Book of Revelation that should not be ignored. The geometric principle is clearly intentional and meaningful; to ignore it, would be to miss the message of the Revelation. There are many other numbers that are prominent in the last tome of the Bible as well, such as:
Image result for numbers in revelationAccording to Hebrew tradition, every number has a symbolic significance. Such numbers as 3, 7, 10, and 12 are known as "perfect numbers". It would appear these numbers [listed above] are also associated with an End Time message that the Apostle John related, yet the number seven is more extrusive in the Revelation than any other book in the Bible. 

Many ask why? The best answer takes us back to the Creator's perfection, fulfillment and completion of His original plan for mankind.

Many biblical scholars and theologians believe the First Covenant (the Old Testament), beginning with Genesis, describes the history of the preparation of a coming Savior. The New Covenant (the New Testament) details the coming of that promised Savior. And, the Book of Revelation structures that Savior's return, (aka: Second Coming of Jesus).

Why the Creator chose the number "seven" to announce His plans for an End Time scenario continues to stump even the greatest of experts and savants in our modern world. Only the Great Mathematician of the Universe holds such knowledge. And, He is not yet ready to relinquish His hold upon it.
"The book of Revelation, therefore, above all else, is designed to assure us that what God has said is true; that what He has promised, He will do. The book of Revelation is real, future history, as sure as Genesis is real, primeval history. Its characters are real and the events it prophesies will indeed come to pass." ~ Jay Mack, M.Div