The basic philosophical questions of life are three: "Who am I?" "Why am I here?" and "Where am I going?" You can tell one's worldview by the way they answer these questions. Up until about 150 years ago the answers to these questions were mostly based on man's understanding of God as the Creator of all things. Then, like a slow moving locomotive the age of enlightenment appeared. Slowly but ever so surely it was declared that truth might be known by following the rails of reason. The concept of God was placed on the back burner while men searched for truth through their own methods of logic. Having evicted God from the train, men began to develop atheistic ideas that were vacuous in content. The result was a carving of hopelessness in their hearts. God had affirmed to man that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom". (Proverbs 9:10) The depraved state of men's minds was made vulnerable by the absence of the fear of God. Men began to develop absurd arguments that the complex and beautiful world in which we live was all a "mysterious accident". They propped up these arguments with nonsensical statements such as, "Something came from nothing". One NASA scientist seems to have recognized the folly of trying to reason our way to truth without the help of a Supreme. Robert Jastrow said, "For the scientist who has lived by faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries." Though these three questions are life's most important, Americans in general are very apathetic about finding answers to them. The American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS) reveals that the number who claim to have no religious affiliation increased from 8% in 1990 to 15% in 2008. When asked about having purpose in life, 28% told a Lifeway survey that "It's not a priority in my life to find my deeper purpose". The collective reply of many younger Americans regarding the discovery of the wisdom of God is a resounding "whatever"!
When she started her missionary work she had only three saris and a five rupee note in her hand. She proved to the world that one can achieve anything in this world even without money. When she saw orphan children dying out of hunger she went to a bakery man and begged him to give some bread. The enraged man spit on her hand. But Mother Teresa told him softly that she would keep the spit for herself and begged him to give something to eat for the poor and orphaned children holding out her other hand. The man realized her gentle character and later donated her with bread whenever she needed. This incident shows her magnanimity, one of the wonderful leadership qualities in her.
She was so simple and humble that she never cared for her own comforts. The sari she wore costs only one Us dollar. The white sari with blue border has become a symbol of peace and solace to the poor and destitute. She knew very well that if she should heal other people she must suffer herself and this was what she stated to Princess Diana once when she met her. She took initiatives during a famine in Ethiopia, spread the message to the then Us President Ronald Reagan and he sent his help to the place with food and medicine.
'There's a thing called the internet which links millions of computers all over the world and you can use it to find out the facts about everything.' OK, I use my home computer to do just that. But all I know is that words and pictures appear on the screen when I fiddle with the keyboard. For all I know some demon is tapping into my phone connection and making it all up. Maybe there is no internet. Descartes carried this process to its logical conclusion. He knew that all the information received by his brain came through the nerves connected to his eyes, ears, skin, nose and mouth. And the demon could be feeding bogus information along those nerves. So where did that leave him? He now made the statement that remains famous 400 years later:
Where am I going? The atheist believes that the universe will eventually drift further and further apart until the energy and heat and gravity will no longer affect the heavenly bodies. Just as the universe will cease to exist, man will also cease to exist. Death is simply an eternal sleep. From nothing we came and to nothing we shall return.
The Christian strongly disagrees with the atheist. The Christian doesn't believe we came from nothing nor does he believe we are on the road to nowhere. Solomon makes a solemn comparison when he says, "Man's fate is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies so dies the other...All go to the same place; all come from dust and to dust all return." (Ecc. 3:18) Christians understand that Christ is coming back again. He has not promised us emptiness, he has promised us restoration. He will renew his creation and establish a new kingdom. He will rule that kingdom with perfect justice which will result in everlasting peace.
The atheist finds no significance in his life. The Christian realizes that he has unfathomable significance because he was created in the image of God. The atheist finds no meaning in life. The Christian agrees with Solomon's proclamation that life is indeed meaningless apart from God. "...here is the conclusion of the matter, fear God..." (Ecc. 12:13) The atheist has no hope for his future. The Christian revels in the truth of Christ's resurrection. He has brought us "into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." (1 Peter 1:3) He has gone to prepare a place for us. (John 14:3) and he promises he will return for us.
When she started her missionary work she had only three saris and a five rupee note in her hand. She proved to the world that one can achieve anything in this world even without money. When she saw orphan children dying out of hunger she went to a bakery man and begged him to give some bread. The enraged man spit on her hand. But Mother Teresa told him softly that she would keep the spit for herself and begged him to give something to eat for the poor and orphaned children holding out her other hand. The man realized her gentle character and later donated her with bread whenever she needed. This incident shows her magnanimity, one of the wonderful leadership qualities in her.
She was so simple and humble that she never cared for her own comforts. The sari she wore costs only one Us dollar. The white sari with blue border has become a symbol of peace and solace to the poor and destitute. She knew very well that if she should heal other people she must suffer herself and this was what she stated to Princess Diana once when she met her. She took initiatives during a famine in Ethiopia, spread the message to the then Us President Ronald Reagan and he sent his help to the place with food and medicine.
'There's a thing called the internet which links millions of computers all over the world and you can use it to find out the facts about everything.' OK, I use my home computer to do just that. But all I know is that words and pictures appear on the screen when I fiddle with the keyboard. For all I know some demon is tapping into my phone connection and making it all up. Maybe there is no internet. Descartes carried this process to its logical conclusion. He knew that all the information received by his brain came through the nerves connected to his eyes, ears, skin, nose and mouth. And the demon could be feeding bogus information along those nerves. So where did that leave him? He now made the statement that remains famous 400 years later:
Where am I going? The atheist believes that the universe will eventually drift further and further apart until the energy and heat and gravity will no longer affect the heavenly bodies. Just as the universe will cease to exist, man will also cease to exist. Death is simply an eternal sleep. From nothing we came and to nothing we shall return.
The Christian strongly disagrees with the atheist. The Christian doesn't believe we came from nothing nor does he believe we are on the road to nowhere. Solomon makes a solemn comparison when he says, "Man's fate is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies so dies the other...All go to the same place; all come from dust and to dust all return." (Ecc. 3:18) Christians understand that Christ is coming back again. He has not promised us emptiness, he has promised us restoration. He will renew his creation and establish a new kingdom. He will rule that kingdom with perfect justice which will result in everlasting peace.
The atheist finds no significance in his life. The Christian realizes that he has unfathomable significance because he was created in the image of God. The atheist finds no meaning in life. The Christian agrees with Solomon's proclamation that life is indeed meaningless apart from God. "...here is the conclusion of the matter, fear God..." (Ecc. 12:13) The atheist has no hope for his future. The Christian revels in the truth of Christ's resurrection. He has brought us "into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." (1 Peter 1:3) He has gone to prepare a place for us. (John 14:3) and he promises he will return for us.
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