This blog is a continuation from a comment I made at Mark's site. It was too many words for his format.
To read the conversation that got me started, go to http://markcarstairs.blogspot.com/ and read Mark's post Timing is Everything with comments.
Next, concerning Brian's comments. You may be right that the new government in Iraq will end up being Islamic, and perhaps another haven for terrorists. (As Saddam's regime was. As far as that goes, Saddam was a terrorist to his own people, it is good he is no longer in power - that alone has been worth this effort.) But, I do not believe that the majority of the Iraqi people desire that outcome. There is so much good that is happening over there which the mainstream media refuses to report. Pulling troops out of there would be a huge mistake, an invitation for the extremists to move in and be stronger than ever.
This is not an easy battle. NO ONE ever said it would be a quick fix. These terrorists are brainwashed into believing that what they are doing is holy. The history of this world is replete with cruel acts done by men of a variety of faiths who believed they were carrying out God's will when they were really just usurping power without regard to the cost to the people who got in their way.
For me, I trust our President. I believe he is a man of integrity and that he is seeking to do what is right for our country, and his desire to see other nations living in freedom is a noble one. The efforts this government is making at this point in time are geared towards making it a safer world for us to live in. The United States has traditionally been a compassionate nation, it must continue to be so. To do otherwise is equivalent to telling someone to find their own ride away from danger, cause they aren't getting in our car.
This leads me to my next point. It does seem terrible to think that someone refused to give someone else a ride to safety when the call to evacuate came. It may well be that it happened that way, there are two sides to every story, But if it did, welcome to a world full of fallen sinful people. We have all had that every man for himself attitude. If you don't believe that, tune in to any reality TV and see how we are.
This idea, which is ubiquitous in the media right now, that the government has messed up terribly. that they should have gotten those people out much sooner, that they should have had equipment, food, etc. ready to go so they could easily rescue all of these people from what has been one of the worst natural disasters this country has experienced in its 229 years of existence--that if they didn't have people fighting in Iraq--all would have happened perfectly, is absurd. The magnitude of this thing is one of the worst disasters we have ever had.
No government can be that big or that prepared without absolute prior knowledge of the future. No one anticipated anything this big. (I do know of one government who overcame something worse: Egypt, when there was once seven years of famine. It took divine interaction through a man named Joseph to anticipate and prepare for that devastation.)
The people in this country need to step up to the plate (and fill it) and stop blaming men for this natural disaster.
Isaiah 40:8
The grass withers and the flower fades but the word of our Lord stands forever.
16 comments:
Amen! You expanded on my post in a much better way then I would have. Thank you.
Your welcome, Matt. Isn't the news coming out of the south heartbreaking? We need to keep them in constant prayer as well as do whatever else we can.
Good post! Pssst--that was Mark that commented before I, not I. :-)
I knew that too, of course, I apparently had a brain hiccup. Sorry Mark. Thanks Matt.
Being called Matt seems to be a hazard these days, doesn't it? :) No harm.
Hey, just consider the fact that you were complimented. I just have to decide if I was insulted! ;)
I blame it all on post-flood oxygen deprivation. Life would have been ugly before the flood, with so few people following the Lord, but we would have breathed easier under that canopy! Since we are in this cursed and changed environment, when the wrong words come out we have to try not to take them as either compliments OR insults : )
Have a great holiday!
That is an interesting perspective, I've never heard it before. Cool! :-)
I recommend that you go to the following website and wander through it, Matt, (and anyone else reading this : ) http://www.creationevidence.org/.
The curator of the museum is Dr. Carl Baugh, and he has the only creation museum along the Paluxy River in Glen Rose, Texas and he has dug up some great stuff.
I have a friend who teaches history who is so impressed with Dr. Baugh's work that he is seriously considering going on in his education combining creation science with history. The artifacts are on our side, no matter what the evolutionists say.
Dr. Baugh recently got to go to Israel to help with the dig at Siloam's Pool, which-it turns out-is about the size of a football field, not the pool at Hezekiah's Tunnel. The reason he got to go is that the Israeli government is interested in his research on hyberbaric chambers.
This stuff is facinating and will thrill you, I know.
Thanks. Have you ever read about Answers in Genesis? (www.answersingenesis.org)--they're another great Creation group. They're building a museum just a few miles away from where I live in Kentucky. I heard Ken Ham speak one time while I was at TMC and it was very good.
From Answers in Genesis (Arguments we think Creationsists should not use):
"Many of Carl Baugh’s creation ‘evidences’. Sorry to say, AiG thinks that he’s well meaning but that he unfortunately uses a lot of material that is not sound scientifically. So we advise against relying on any ‘evidence’ he provides, unless supported by creationist organisations with reputations for Biblical and scientific rigour. Unfortunately, there are talented creationist speakers with reasonably orthodox understandings of Genesis (e.g. Kent Hovind) who continue to promote some of the Wyatt and Baugh ‘evidences’ despite being approached on the matter (ed. note: see our Maintaining Creationist Integrity, our response to Hovind’s reply to this article)."
For the record, I'm not a Creationist, but this site is specifically geared towards Creationism.
Which site? AiG definately is a Creationist site--however, they would argue, and I would agree that they aren't anti-science. They don't believe that either Evolution or Creation can be proven scientifically. They believe that the Word of God is 100% accurate and true and that everything seen in science backs up what the Bible says about the origins of life, the universe, and everything.
*shrugs* I see AiG as a Creationist site. As far as proving things, there are plenty of things we take for granted that haven't been "proven." No one has directly observed the earth going around the sun (though it's currently feasible we could send a probe far enough out and set it to record for a year). Also, you cannot definitively prove that something does not exist, or does not happen. All you can say is 'it has not been observed thus far,' or 'there is currently no evidence for it.' To prove something does exist, produce it. To prove something does happen, show it.
I agree with you about Creationism--AiG bills itself as a Creationist website--I'm not seeing the confusion, ;).
The point about Evolution/Creation being proven is that I would say you can't see either taking place. If you believe the Bible no human saw God create everything--likewise if you believe Evolution no human was around to see life evolve from inorganic matter or aquatic creatures evolve into land creatures or land creatures evolve into flighted creatures (or vice versa). Therefore we only see the aftereffects of whatever really happened and can interpret what we see now in a number of ways--two of which are Creationism and Evolution.
Life has been pretty intense and though I have been stealing moments to peak at the blogs, I haven't had time to comment.
Qalmlea, I appreciate your input. I know that Answers in Genesis and others do not approve of all that Dr. Baugh is doing. But I have listened to him on numerous occasions and, as I said, had an opportunity to hear him in person. He may be too confident about some of his ideas about the creation model he has developed, (I have heard variations from other creationists that are equally interesting speculation) but the evidences in nature that he tells about are observable and compelling. Many of the things he presents are also spoken of by other creationists.
His research on the hyperbaric chamber is ongoing and very interesting. The artifacts he has exist and support the creation model. My favorite is the footprint of a sandal with three trilobites crushed underneath. A critter can only be crushed if it is either alive or recently dead. Fossils don't squash like a bug.
To read about this one and see a photo of it, go here: http://www.creationevidence.org/cemframes.html
Click on Museum Displays in the green panel on the left,
Scroll down and click on the brown footprint picture on the right which is underneath the finger.
The bottom line on this whole thing, from my perspective, is that I don't need evidences from nature that support what the Bible says--although much does exist--because I know that the Bible is true; I know the Author (Who is also the Creator) personally. That being said, I find the scientific study of the fossil record, and creation itself thrilling.
For an amazing experience go here:
http://songpeddler.com/ConstanceDemby/CDGodsCricketChorus_CDemby.asp#track and listen to the sample soundtrack. I had heard about this from a lady who went on a dig last summer on the Paluxy River, she said that someone brought a cassette for them to listen to while they were working. I decided to Google it while typing this up, I am overwhelmed. Note that it is all cricket sounds--two tracks, one normal, one slowed way down--nothing else.
When you look and listen, to creation it is so clear that it was designed, its order demands Intelligence. The Fibonacci numbers are a perfect example. I liken them to God's fingerprints, which He has left all over His creation.
Your beliefs are your own. Mine differ. Order is not proof of design. Beyond that, I will say nothing. I have posted a rather lengthy spiel on my blog if you wish to read it, but it would be disrespectful to post it here. *inclines her head, right fist placed gently in left palm*
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