"Founders and Evolution"
11/18/2012
First From Julie's Keyboard:
Give Thanks.....
As our hearts and minds turn toward this wonderful season of the year when ( hopefully) many still realize the importance of "counting their many blessings," I'm reminded of a passage in the book of Philippians that refers to "thanksgiving."
"Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Php. 4:4-7
As our Pastor reminded us this morning, this attitude of thanksgiving should be a consistent behavior for us as God's children. It's wonderful that as a nation we would observe a day set apart to remember the goodness of our God in all that He has provided. However, a day isn't enough to even begin to offer unto Him the reverence and praise that He is due.
While we're enjoying the fellowship of family and friends this season, may we ponder within the need to cultivate a heart of continual thankfulness. Even in the direst of circumstances, a believer will have many things for which to be thankful.
If we'll notice from the passage above, there's a reward for honoring the Lord with this style of living. He's promised to give us His peace, a peace that passes all understanding.
Do you know this peace in Him today? If not, He longs to see you receive the manifold blessings that He's already provided through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Julie
____________________________________________
"Founders and Evolution"
Give Thanks.....
As our hearts and minds turn toward this wonderful season of the year when ( hopefully) many still realize the importance of "counting their many blessings," I'm reminded of a passage in the book of Philippians that refers to "thanksgiving."
"Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Php. 4:4-7
As our Pastor reminded us this morning, this attitude of thanksgiving should be a consistent behavior for us as God's children. It's wonderful that as a nation we would observe a day set apart to remember the goodness of our God in all that He has provided. However, a day isn't enough to even begin to offer unto Him the reverence and praise that He is due.
While we're enjoying the fellowship of family and friends this season, may we ponder within the need to cultivate a heart of continual thankfulness. Even in the direst of circumstances, a believer will have many things for which to be thankful.
If we'll notice from the passage above, there's a reward for honoring the Lord with this style of living. He's promised to give us His peace, a peace that passes all understanding.
Do you know this peace in Him today? If not, He longs to see you receive the manifold blessings that He's already provided through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Julie
____________________________________________
"Founders and Evolution"
In
1859 Charles Darwin published his renound work "Origin of Species" and
it is considered to be the foundation of evoloutionary thought. It
seems we are led to believe that Mr. Darwin discovered some new
scientific evidence for our existence and origin.
After all, everybody knows by now that this new scientific discovery has opened up for us finally the truth about life and our existence, and we can finally cast out those old foolish concepts of thought that held for a Divine Creator. Surely, had this new idea been discovered long ago, the foolishness of creation would have fallen by the way side!
Oh, but wait, it seems our Founding Fathers were discussing this issue, but that would have been before Darwin's new discoveries! Just what was being discussed and how far back can we go?
Well, Anaximander (610 - 546 B.C.) introduced the theory of spontaneous generation. The same idea it seems we find in this new discovery today. Then there was Diogenes (412 - 323 B.C.) who introduced the concept of primordial slime, and Empedocles (495 - 455 B. C. ) who introduced the theory of the survival of the fittest and of natural selection.
I suppose Mr. Darwin may have made some of his new discoveries by reading from Diognes and Empedocles!
As we come a little closer, Buffon (1707 - 1788) taught that man was a quadruped ascended from apes, about which Helvetius also wrote in 1758, near 100 years before Mr. Darwin. Swedenborg (1688 - 1772) wrote on the nebular hypothesis (the early "Big Bang" theory) in 1734, as did Kent in 1755. It seems Mr. Darwin had most of his work done for him in the 2,000 years before him! So all this new scientific discoveries are not all that new after all.
But what do you suppose our Founders would have to say about this new view that is being propagated in our society today?
Well, lets ask them!
After all, everybody knows by now that this new scientific discovery has opened up for us finally the truth about life and our existence, and we can finally cast out those old foolish concepts of thought that held for a Divine Creator. Surely, had this new idea been discovered long ago, the foolishness of creation would have fallen by the way side!
Oh, but wait, it seems our Founding Fathers were discussing this issue, but that would have been before Darwin's new discoveries! Just what was being discussed and how far back can we go?
Well, Anaximander (610 - 546 B.C.) introduced the theory of spontaneous generation. The same idea it seems we find in this new discovery today. Then there was Diogenes (412 - 323 B.C.) who introduced the concept of primordial slime, and Empedocles (495 - 455 B. C. ) who introduced the theory of the survival of the fittest and of natural selection.
I suppose Mr. Darwin may have made some of his new discoveries by reading from Diognes and Empedocles!
As we come a little closer, Buffon (1707 - 1788) taught that man was a quadruped ascended from apes, about which Helvetius also wrote in 1758, near 100 years before Mr. Darwin. Swedenborg (1688 - 1772) wrote on the nebular hypothesis (the early "Big Bang" theory) in 1734, as did Kent in 1755. It seems Mr. Darwin had most of his work done for him in the 2,000 years before him! So all this new scientific discoveries are not all that new after all.
But what do you suppose our Founders would have to say about this new view that is being propagated in our society today?
Well, lets ask them!
Mr.
Webster, through our new scientific discoveries, we understand today
that the foolishness of God being considered in the origin of creation
is all but removed. We now know that over millions of years man has
evolved from simply soup to monkeys to our current adaptation of human
species. Sir, could you for a moment please speak upon your view?
"If mankind, with their inherently intellectual powers and natural capacities for improvement, had inhabited this earth for millions of years, the present inhabitants would not only be vastly more intelligent that we now find them but there would be vestiges of the former races to be found in every inhabitable part of the globe, floods and earthquakes notwithstanding.
Unless we adopt Lord Monboddo's [1714 - 1799, a Scottish anthropologist whom your Darwin must have studied after] supposition that mankind were originally monkeys, it is impossible to admit the idea that they could have existed millions of years without making more discoveries and improvements that the early histories of nations warrant us to believe they have done.
The belief in an uncreated, self - existent, intelligent First Cause takes possession of our minds whether we will or not, because if man could not create himself, nothing else could; and matter, if it were not external could produce nothing but matter; it could never produce thought nor free will nor consciousness.
There must have been, therefore, a time when this globe and its inhabitants did not exist. The question then arises, what gave it existence? We answer: God, the great First Cause of all things." ~ Daniel Webster.
Thank you Mr. Webster, it seems Mr. Adams would like to add something to your comment. Mr. Adams, I yeild the floor to you Sir.
"If mankind, with their inherently intellectual powers and natural capacities for improvement, had inhabited this earth for millions of years, the present inhabitants would not only be vastly more intelligent that we now find them but there would be vestiges of the former races to be found in every inhabitable part of the globe, floods and earthquakes notwithstanding.
Unless we adopt Lord Monboddo's [1714 - 1799, a Scottish anthropologist whom your Darwin must have studied after] supposition that mankind were originally monkeys, it is impossible to admit the idea that they could have existed millions of years without making more discoveries and improvements that the early histories of nations warrant us to believe they have done.
The belief in an uncreated, self - existent, intelligent First Cause takes possession of our minds whether we will or not, because if man could not create himself, nothing else could; and matter, if it were not external could produce nothing but matter; it could never produce thought nor free will nor consciousness.
There must have been, therefore, a time when this globe and its inhabitants did not exist. The question then arises, what gave it existence? We answer: God, the great First Cause of all things." ~ Daniel Webster.
Thank you Mr. Webster, it seems Mr. Adams would like to add something to your comment. Mr. Adams, I yeild the floor to you Sir.
"It
is so obvious to every reasonable being that he did not make himself,
and the world which he inhabits could as little make itself, that the
moment we begin to exercise the power of reflection, it seems impossible
to escape the conviction that there is a Creator" ~
John Quincy Adams. Letters of John Quincy Adams to His Son on the Bible
and Its Teachings (Auburn, NY: James M. Alden, 1850), Letter II, p.23.
May God bless each of you,
David
May God bless each of you,
David
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