WISDOM – INTELLIGENCE – AND RICHARD DAWKINS

 

The American Heritage Dictionary. 

Wisdom 1.Understanding of what is true, right, or lasting; insight. 2. Common sense; good judgment. 3. The sum of scholarly learning through the ages; knowledge.

Intelligence 1.The capacity to acquire and apply knowledge. 2. The faculty of thought and reason. 3. Superior powers of mind.

I am afraid that I have been confusing wisdom and intelligence most of my life. I always lumped them together. I assumed that if one were intelligent then one would be wise, but lately I have thought about it and I realize that one can be intelligent and yet lack wisdom.

Atheists like Mr. Dawkins are prime examples of those who are intelligent and yet lack wisdom. Most atheists that I have met are intelligent, but they do not use their intelligence to gain wisdom. Both atheists and believers, if being honest, would have to agree that in order to determine if God exists one has to examine the universe and everything in it.

The Bible says the heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows his handiwork and I use to think that was because it was so immense. But now I understand it means the universe is wasting away to its end. The light of the stars originates from matter being destroyed and matter is not being restored. If the universe has an end then logically speaking it must have had a beginning! Something has to have existed and will exist forever: either God or the universe. Its not rocket science.

Those who do not want to believe there is a God lump all religions together, but there are major differences and though all religions believe in some type of god the differences are too great to allow them to be grouped together.

The Christian religion commands followers to treat others as they want to be treated. No other religion has such a command. If all men obeyed such a command there would be world peace, because there would be no more transgressions between men. Even the leaders of the world would not war against other nations!

Atheists, if they had wisdom, would understand that world peace could result if everyone obeyed that royal law and they would encourage everyone to be a Christian. If there truly is no God then what does it matter what one believes? If I want to believe, even in Santa Clause, what is that to others?

Well it does seem to matter. Christians want all to believe, because they want all to be saved (you know ‘do unto others’), and the atheists want all not to believe because it makes the atheists look intelligent (and they are intelligent).

The problem between Christians and atheists, as I understand it, originates because atheists seem to lack confidence in their intelligence. They seem to believe that to make others seem stupid they will appear even more intelligent. They draw the less intelligent into discussions about science and other subjects, about which they have more knowledge than most Christians, and never mention that the universe is slowly coming to an end. It seems that it is not truth they desire, but admiration.

Then there is money as a reward for not seeking truth. One can receive royalties from books that are written to make their intelligent brothers feel good. And they feel good because it makes them seem more intelligent than the masses. There is also opportunities for advancement by agreeing with the other intelligent people as those who are intelligent usually have more power and influence than those who are not as gifted.

After saying all of this it is clear that I am still confused about wisdom and intelligence. How could someone be intelligent and yet not be wise? It is not wise to oppose a religion that would assure world peace and yet the intelligent do! At the very least it is a selfish and self-centered attitude.

DOES GOD LOVE EVERYONE?

First let us define what we are saying when we use the word love. The definition that we all use for love is “An intense emotional attachment”, but the Greeks had more than one word that we translate as love and they have different meanings.

God does not break His own laws and He tells us to love our enemies, so He also must love His enemies. But does He mean that we must have an intense emotional attachment for them as we think of love?

The answer that seems right to me as I study the Bible is “No He does not mean love as we understand love”.

The Greek word used when we are told to love our enemies is “agapao” which means to love in a social or moral sense. In other words, or my words, it means to “Do to others as you would have them do to you”. That is the basis of the God’s law for dealing with other humans. It is not the same as an intense emotional attachment.

Again I ask “Does God love everyone?” and the Bible answers that question very clearly. (Mal 1:2-3 NIV)  “I have loved you,” says the LORD. “But you ask, ‘How have you loved us?’ “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” the LORD says. “Yet I have loved Jacob, but Esau I have hated, and I have turned his mountains into a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.” In other words God did not, or does not have an intense emotional attachment to Esau.

God honored the second royal law when He blessed Esau with earthly things when Esau was physically alive on this earth. And God will only grant the wish of those who did not want to live with Him when He judges them at the end of this age.

I would say “Do not make the statement ‘Love the sinner, but hate the sin’, because in our language it does not convey the correct meaning. Just stick with what the Bible says and say “Do to others as you would have them do to you”. That is the formula for world peace and it is found in no other place, but the Word of God.

LIES THAT WE ACCEPT AS TRUTH!!!!!!

It amazes me when I realize that I have been accepting a lie as the truth and didn’t see it.

It happens because I do not stop to reason out whether it is true or not. I see this in others as well as myself, and I, as well as others, have built complicated understandings on very simple lies: which, of course are very flawed understandings.

Here is one of the best lies Satan has perpetrated on Americans, “This Country was founded on Christian principles”!

The truth is this Country was founded in rebellion to God by those who would not pay taxes!

Romans 13:1&2 (NIV) Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.

The Colonies had a governing authority and they rebelled against it. The motto was “Taxation with out representation”, but Romans 13:6 says Christians should pay taxes.

The colonist would not pay taxes and they rebelled against England. These are the reasons the colonist formed this government and these are not Christian principles!

This leads me to realize the second greatest lie about this government and that is “We are free!” Free from what? We certainly are not free from unjust rule. And that leads us to the third greatest lie, “Those who hold office are servants to the people”!

You can throw rocks at me later, but right now stop and reason out what I am saying. When you vote for a candidate you are in effect saying that you want that man to rule over you. I know that Satan has you believing that you are choosing that person to serve you and your fellow man, but in reality you are giving him or her power to govern you. You are not choosing a servant you are choosing a master! It is true that the people have the power to choose another later, but for the term of that office that person is your master.

What ever those who hold office do to the people are not undone when they leave office. Taxes that are imposed stay imposed. The abortion that was legalized stays legalized. Jobs that were given to Mexico and China are not taken back. You may get rid of the master that you have chosen, but only by choosing another: who will tack on even more abuse for and to you.

Imagine how God feels when we choose a man to rule us when it is apparent that God should and even wants to be our master. The dangerous thing about God is that He will usually give us what we want. I believe that He has allowed this government to be established and exist as long as it has to demonstrate, or prove to mankind that it will not work.

Those who hold office know that it is not the people that elected them. They were put in office by money. It was money that enabled them to sway the people and that makes the people only pawns to be used. Why would a politician really have any respect for the people when they can be swayed with money? Doesn’t their loyalty really lie with the party that supplied the money to sway the people? If they do not toe the party line will they receive finances to run in the next election?

I always hear others say ‘Well I didn’t vote for him’, but if they participate in the system aren’t they guilty of what the system does? If someone drives the getaway car aren’t they guilty of the robbery? And if someone is murdered because of the robbery then aren’t they guilty of murder?

If you believe in this system or any system of government where a man governs another man then stop and reason it out and maybe you will reach the same conclusion that I have. Maybe you will not, but if a man must lie to get elected and he surly must, then why do we believe he will stop when he begins the work of that office?

Belief is an odd thing. We believe what we want to believe and if someone says something that doesn’t coincide with what we want to believe we will not accept it. We will usually refuse to consider an opposing view. Facts and common sense are oppressed in our minds and the opposing points are only targets to be destroyed. If that is how you view what I have said and you believe that the Bible is the Word of God then where does it say that man should rule himself? Remember the motto of this country is ‘Of the people, by the people, and for the people’.

AS CHRISTIANS WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT OUR GOVERNMENT?

If you have read anything I have said about this country you know I have little respect for the system of government that we have. In case you haven’t just let me say this, “This Country was formed in rebellion to God”.

I didn’t always have this view, but I read Romans 13:1&2 and applied it to the formation of this Government and it changed my understanding of democracy. I have since repented and no longer believe in this Democracy. It came down to who do I really put my trust in and I realized that first my loyalty must rest in God and anything and everything else must agree with that loyalty. You can see that anything else would be a sin.

As I said, I have repented. Since I understand that this Nation was formed in rebellion to God I have not participated in politics at all. I am no longer a registered voter and do not endorse any candidate or political party. I believe God when He says He appoints the authorities and I believe that is the only way it should be.

The problem stems from our sin. God does not stop sin and when our forefathers decided the people could do a better job of appointing authorities He did not stop them. Nor does He stop us as we try to elect a man.

I know that if every Christian does as I have that there is no hope for our country. I do not want this as it can only result in Satan winning this part of the battle. So I have devoted some thought to the problem, or I should say I have wrestled with God over an answer to our plight. As you know I am only a student and I don’t always understand what the Spirit is trying to teach me so I am going to post what seems right to me and maybe someone who understands more clearly can straighten me out and maybe we can begin to work toward a real solution to our problem.

First even though the system is basically flawed we must work within it. We can not rebel. Even though it was not God’s idea that we should choose authorities He has appointed the authorities that we wanted. To rebel against those authorities is to rebel against God as Romans 13:1&2 make clear.

The first thing that we must do is we must all repent. (2 Chr 7:14 NIV) “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

We must humble ourselves and admit it is wrong to attempt to choose our own authorities. We must ask God to honor His word and again choose authorities for us. That is the way it should be, because we do not know what is in another man’s heart and we do not know what someone will do in the future, but God knows both.

Perhaps we should form another political party: the Christian political party. The other two parties have already determined which candidates will do as they want and if they do not then the next time they will not receive money for their campaign. This action would result in every church that participated losing its tax exempt status, but we can really serve only one master and money is not the one we should be serving.

You may say that this is only my idea, but Scripture clearly states the way we can extract ourselves from this mess (2 Chr 7:14). It should be clear that we can not govern ourselves. We need God for that task and only God. We have sinned by not accepting God’s word that He will choose our authorities and attempting to do it ourselves. We need to heed our own words and really put our trust in God.

Will this come about? No! I don’t believe most of my brothers and sisters have the faith that is required for the cure!

DID GOD SAY, “YOU MUST DESTROY ALL THE PEOPLE THE LORD YOUR GOD GIVES OVER TO YOU”?

Well, no I don’t think that He did! He didn’t say that in Exodus. I would print the verses here, but it would only make this post long, so read Exodus 23:20 to 32.

These are the words of God and He does not say kill anyone. He also does not say destroy the cities. The only thing God said destroy were the gods of the people that lived in the land, His land, which He gave to Israel. If I were to interject my feelings into this command it would be that the gods made by man should be destroyed by man. They are too defiled for me to ask God to destroy.

Anyway, no one had to die! The closest God said about destroying the people was when He said, “I will hand over to you the people who live in the land and you will drive them out before you”, but even then He did not say slay them, only drive them out. No women or children had to die, they didn’t even have to suffer stings from the hornets, because when the men left they would have gone with them.

Now when we read Deuteronomy 7:16 Moses said, “You must destroy all the peoples the LORD your God gives over to you”, but God did not say that. If Moses had remembered what God had said or if he believed God then he would not have said that.

It seems to me just another case of God being blamed for what man does. If God wanted to destroy men to protect Israel He is quite capable of the deed Himself. He demonstrated that when He destroyed the army of Pharaoh.

Israel, just like the people of today, had to take things into their own hands and defile what God planed for them.

I am purposely not going to study any farther on this subject now. If you see some place in the Bible where God told Israel to destroy the people and or the cities please write a comment. This is supposed to be a Bible study, so if you really want to study I think this is a worthy subject. The more I learn about God the more awesome, fair, and wonderful He is shown!

HEY STUPID THE ECONOMY AIN’T ROCKET SCIENCE

Does everyone think the American citizens lack any intelligence what so ever? You would think so if you pay any attention to the “NEWS”.

 

We hear the problems that we have with the economy is a “credit crunch”. Well there is some truth to that, because someone that has no job cannot get or use credit. They cannot acquire a loan to buy a home, or car, or TV, or anything else.

 

Without a job they cannot pay the loans that they already have which means they will lose their house, car; everything. They cannot support the rest of the economy so the businesses that depended on the American worker also cannot meet their finical obligations.

 

The Government decided that the American worker should compete with any worker in the world with no protection. An American worker must compete with a worker in China that may be making a tenth of what it would require just to exist in America! When we all began to lose our jobs they blamed it on us! The only responsibility the Government has is to protect the people and look what they have done to us! ARE THEY CRAZY?

 

The Government is supposed to fix the problem buy borrowing money when they say our problems stem from our misuse of credit!        ARE THEY CRAZY?

 

The Government is going to create jobs for us by using our money! Well actually our credit! Of course when someone makes a buck they have to spend it on a product made in China! You can not find much of anything that is made in America and when you do it cost 10 times more that the same thing made in China and when times are tight one has to get the best buy for their money.

 

Let me see if I understand this great plan. The government is going to borrow money, which they tell us not to do, from China so they can create virtual jobs and the result is we will buy something made in China; therefore strengthening the economy of China! ARE THEY CRAZY OR JUST PLAIN STUPID?

 

IF NAFTA AND THE MOST FAVORED NATION STATUS OF All FOREGIN GOVERNMENTS ARE NOT REPEALED THERE IS NO HOPE OF THIS ECONOMY EVER RECOVERING. IF THE ECONOMY OF THIS NATION DOES NOT RECOVER THERE IS NO HOPE FOR THIS NATION.

 

HEY STUPID THE ECONOMY AIN’T ROCKET SCIENCE !!!!!!

 

HAVE WE REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT IT?

We have elected a new president, but have we thought, with truth, about what we have done?

 

The Bible says over and over that we should put our trust in God and not man. Haven’t we put our trust in man when we vote? Don’t we trust our own judgment as to who should be president? Or perhaps you would feel better if I said we trust the people to choose rightly. Either way we have put our trust in man; not God.

 

The truth is God knows the heart of everyone on this earth and only God is capable of choosing the best man for the job.

 

The candidate that would tell the truth is the candidate that stands no chance of being elected. You know that is true, so you know the very quality demanded for success is to be untruthful. Have you realized that only two men in the world claimed to know how to save the economy? Both just happened to be running for president and both claimed the other was wrong!

 

You may say that you prayed to God for guidance when you voted, but why would God answer a prayer about which man should someone put their trust in when He said do not put your trust in man? Would it be right for a bank robber to ask God which bank to rob? Could he really expect an answer?

 

Democracy is a system where the people choose the authorities, not a system where God does. God has chosen our authority and that is Jesus who is a King not a president. It is a shame that those who lead God’s people do not, or will not understand.

 

Does no one understand that the founding fathers of this country rebelled against the authorities that God established? God says that is rebelling against what He instituted and yet many churches exalt this system of government. Does no one realize that we are exalting rebellion against God?

 

I feel no joy or excitement because we have a new president. I still have a King and though I am sure the president will fail in many ways I am equally sure my King will not.

 

When you calm down and stop thinking about how much you dislike me for saying this, instead of continuing to think about me, think about what I said.

NOTHING MAKES SENSE WITHOUT FREEWILL

I might add that everything makes sense with free will. Pick the subject that would keep anyone from believing and view it as if we have free will and it is obvious that we (mankind) are responsible for it.

 

Sin abounds in this world and if we have no free will then God would be responsible for it. It is sin that separates us from God. If there is no free will then it is God that separates us from Him by making us sin. Those who understand God know He would not do such a thing.

 

There are those who say “I can not believe in God because a loving God would not allow war”, but God must allow war, because if He stopped it no one had the right or power to sin in that way. The fact that man goes to war proves free will: just as any sin proves free will.

 

We pray that God will stop sin, especially when someone is sinning against us, but with a little thought it can be seen that God has tied His own hands and can not stop sin without ending this age.

 

I believe that it is right to pray that sin be stopped, however I think we should always add that we want God’s will to be done. There are more sinners that God knows will turn to Him and therefore He does not end this age.

 

Pick your sin, any sin, murder, theft, even child abuse and if you apply free will to it you can see that God cannot completely stop it without removing the power to commit it.

 

It is God’s plan that we have the power to sin. He did not prevent Eve from eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, though it cursed all of mankind. Unfortunately all sin hurts others as well as the one that sins: which is one of the reasons that God hates sin.

 

Consider these two verses. (Exo 32:33 NIV)  The LORD replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book” and though I usually quote from the NIV it seems to me that the KJV says this better, (Mat 18:7 KJV) Woe unto the world because of offences! For it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!

 

It may seem a dichotomy, but I am not saying God can not stop sin. If you believe that God can do anything then stopping sin would not be beyond His abilities. I just don’t think it would be in His will.

 

Right now we face a great depression and life will not be as easy as it was. It will help if we can keep in mind that it was the greed of the rich that has caused it and if we are adversely affected it is not God’s fault. It is time to remember what God has done for us and to know these problems will not last forever. After theses times we will live forever happy.

 

Now we need to feel sorry for the rich and pray for them, because they are the ones who are really poor: poor in spirit and that is true poverty.

JUST QUESTIONS THAT HAVE OCCURRED TO ME LATELY

1. Do you think that the economic situation that we face today is just a step in God’s plan to let a one world government be formed? I say this because the economy is the one entity, other than God, that has the power to form a one world government. I might add that the power of government is money.

 

2. How far do you think God will let the value of money decline? If you read Revelations chapter 18 and view Babylon the Great as money many of the things that are said there could be said of money. But then the same could be said of greed. It should be obvious that what ever Babylon the Great is, it is only a symbol. Babylon has been here as long as nations. It is said that Babylon gave herself glory and luxury and it seems that it is talking about a person, but doesn’t money give glory and luxury? Aren’t the rich glorified because of their money? We are supposed to emulate Jesus and Jesus was as far away from money as He was from the fish of the sea (Mat 17:24-27). When Jesus wanted a denarius (Roman penny) He had to ask that someone else produce it.

 

3. Do you really think that the American people control the government? Would you have given your money to those who, by their greed and dishonesty, caused the economic problems that we face? Does that make any sense? Isn’t this from men of this world whose reward is in this life?

We are not a nation of free people we are slaves to the government and this is a communistic government. Well, perhaps we need a new name for this government, because communism is controlled by one political party and we are controlled by two that have hoodwinked us and possibly themselves into believing the people are in control.  This whole “Bail out” scheme is like the ship has a hole in it and it is sinking and those who are in charge say we must drill a bigger hole to stop it! I might add that it is because our nation believes in money: not God. Instead of calling on the power of God to rescue us we call on the power of money. God cares, but money is an idol and cannot care.

 

4. If Ephesians 6:12 is true and we were in control then wouldn’t we be the authorities and therefore the enemy?  (Eph 6:12 NIV)  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

 

5. I wonder if those Islamic terrorist have figured out that they worship a god that is so weak that it can’t even do its own killing! If the God of the Bible wanted someone dead they would be so. The fact that anyone is alive is proof that God wants them that way. By the same reasoning, to kill someone is to declare God wrong. The true God will take everyone’s life the way that He planned, but because He allows sin some will murder. He has given everyone the power to sin, so He does not stop terrorist from sinning, but there will be a terrible price to pay for it.

 

Well, I have many thoughts and some deserve a post instead of just a few lines so these are all the questions I am listing today. Anybody got any answers?

THE SOLUTION TO THE ECONOMY AS I SEE IT.

When we examine the very basics of the economy we find that it consists of workers, customers, venders, and manufactures and each one depends on the others. It seems that the government doesn’t even understand the very basics.

 

It makes no sense to give business money for nothing. The government has become the only entity large enough to solve the problem. The government can either give business money for nothing, which will only delay bankruptcy, or they can become the largest customer of their goods.

 

The auto manufacturing companies can manufacture all kinds of military equipment and we just happen to need to replace equipment. They would have a customer and we would have jobs: plus the country would get something for our money.

 

They could also be made to manufacture cheap, fuel efficient, and good autos like foreign manufacturers do. Having a customer as large as the government could insure that we get what we must pay for; though we aren’t now, so there is not much hope for that. The government would have enough clout to set fair prices as well as setting standards. Well, that is if graft were controlled and it isn’t now.

 

If this sounds like communism to you then it should be obvious that we are all ready communists or perhaps we do not even have a system. It is certain that this system is not working.

 

The government caused this recession by giving all of our manufacturing jobs to any foreign business that wanted them. It is not a credit problem. If you have no job then no one is going to loan you money, so the banks are just sitting on the money that was given to them; with no accountability to handle it properly I might add. Eventually, without customers, the money will all be spent on expenses and they will want more.

 

To recover from the last “Great Depression” the government spent money on roads, bridges and many other projects that ultimately benefited the people. This government needs to come to its senses (if it has any) and use the wealth as a business would.

 

GET SOMETHING FOR IT.

 

The government could buy the vehicles that the auto companies can not sell, because no one can afford them. Then put the people back to work and have drawings for what they had no choice but to buy; at least we would have an income and some of the people would get something for all of the people’s money, and eventually the economy would recover.

 

Every time the politicians that we elect do not do as they promised we say that we will kick them out of office and elect someone that will do as they say. Well, we haven’t elected one yet. Those that we have just elected have the opportunity to produce, but by now I have no confidence in the system.

 

Anyway, if the people’s money (actually credit) were to be handled correctly the basics of economy would be fulfilled. The people would have income to pay for housing, food, and the taxes that will have to be paid, the businesses of the country would have a buyer for their goods and therefore could keep or hire employees, the venders would have something to vend, and the government would demonstrate some responsibility with the people’s money.

 

Of course these unfair “free trade” agreements have to be stopped. It is not fair when other countries subsidize trade and we do not. It is not fair when we must protect the environment and other countries do not. It is unfair when our living expenses are out of sight when compared to those in foreign countries. It is unfair and even illegal to pay an American worker the low wages that are paid in other countries; not to mention he can not exist on those wages.

 

If the government will not stop this then maybe dock workers or those who are responsible for berthing the ships could slow everything down. If they can’t unload the goods then they can not sell them and unfairly compete with the American worker. Somebody has to do something other than just giving our future to the rich.

 

If these agreements are not stopped there is no hope of recovery. Americans or anyone for that matter will buy at the lowest price. That is what got us here. It is not the American workers fault. It is the fault of those who allowed the unfair trade. If jobs are reinstated for the American worker and unfair trade continued to be allowed we will never recover, as we all buy at the lowest price; especially when we have no steady income. It is a shame that the government is not doing the very basic task for which it was formed. The basic job of government is to protect the people that it governs: not the whole world.

 

BUT THEN MAYBE THAT IS JUST TOO DAMN SIMPLE.