[Vision2020] Re: Religious Diversity Education
Donovan Arnold
donovanarnold@hotmail.com
Fri, 06 Jun 2003 02:15:25 -0700
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<P>Luke,</P>
<P>If the western world conception of God is so correct, and the Bible has all the anwers then humor me with the answer to these questions?</P>
<P>If God can do anything, can he make the world so heavy he can't pick it up?</P>
<P>Can he make the Sun so hot he can't touch it?</P>
<P>Can God make the ocean so deep that he cannot swim to the surface?</P>
<P>Can he make the sky so high he can't reach the top?</P>
<P>Can he make the world so far away that he can't reach it?</P>
<P>There is an answer to these questions, but your can't get to it with Western Ideology of God being an old man sitting on a thrown somewhere floating around in space. </P>
<P>Donovan J Arnold</P>
<P><BR><BR> </P></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>>From: "Luke" <LUKENIEUWSMA@SOFTHOME.NET>
<DIV></DIV>>To: "Ted Moffett" <TED_MOFFETT@HOTMAIL.COM>
<DIV></DIV>>CC: "vision2020" <VISION2020@MOSCOW.COM>
<DIV></DIV>>Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Re: Religious Diversity Education
<DIV></DIV>>Date: Thu, 5 Jun 2003 21:50:50 -0700
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>Hello, Mr. Moffet:
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>> > The words "under God" I believe were added to the pledge of allegiance in
<DIV></DIV>> > 1954, I'm pretty sure. Check on this!
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>Well, that simply goes to show my point even more. Those words were added rather recently, and they can be taken right out again easily.
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>> Why do you say it does not matter? Even assuming your claim that
<DIV></DIV>> > the science classes teach there is no God, I think it reasonable to assume
<DIV></DIV>> > that many sincere students and teachers of many faiths regard the reference
<DIV></DIV>> > to "under God" in the pledge to be of great significance for their faith,
<DIV></DIV>> > and the overall moral and spiritual orientation of the public schools as
<DIV></DIV>> > they serve society.
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>> Maybe so for a few, but not the majority of the students. The reason I say it doesn't matter is that the philosophical implications of neo-Darwinism reduce us to mere organisms striving to survive, intaking energy, placed on earth by mere chance. Just like all the other creatures. In fact, since we're just more fully evolved animals, the logical conclusion from this is that we live like animals.
<DIV></DIV>> When is the last time you saw a squirrel give a skunk, or a cat, or another squirrel some nuts out of kindness? The ramifications of evolution are self-centered lifestyles. That is why I say it does not matter whether some highschool kid, taught that he's the new and improved ape, says "one nation under God" once, or twice, or 5 times a week.
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>To attempt an answer to your "God and evil" dilemma:
<DIV></DIV>>God has the power to do anything, but another attribute of God is His perfect righteousness. Therefore, He never sins, yet is capable of all things. He allowed man to sin so that He could glorify Himself and make man more glorious than he already was. It's like allowing a silver vase to get dirty so you can clean it and put on polish, and make it far more shiny and beautiful than before.
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>God did not create evil, He created man as capable of evil. Evil exists as the opposite of God. You cannot have light without darkness, which is simply the absence of light; the same thing applies to God's goodness.
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>For every single question that man can make, there is a true answer. And everyone cannot be right. On a trigonometry test, there can be a hard question with only one correct answer. Many students may come up with the wrong answer, and have their own proofs etc to back it up too yet; however, there is still only one answer. And when you know you have the right answer, you don't have to try to solve the problem any longer or consider other solutions.
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<DIV></DIV>>Best,
<DIV></DIV>>Luke Nieuwsma
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