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	<title>PALLAYI &#187; Christianity</title>
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	<description>Intelligent Designs In The Heart</description>
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		<title>Joys of Muslim Women</title>
		<link>http://www.pallayi.com/2010/08/31/joys-of-muslim-women/</link>
		<comments>http://www.pallayi.com/2010/08/31/joys-of-muslim-women/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:21:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jeejo Pallayi</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Apologetics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christianity]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.pallayi.com/?p=167</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Joys of Muslim Women by Nonie Darwish In the Muslim faith a Muslim man can marry a child as young as 1 year old and have sexual intimacy with this child, consummating the marriage by 9.  The dowry is given to the family in exchange for the woman (who becomes his slave) and for the [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-168" style="margin: 5px; border: 5px solid black;" title="Nonie Darwish" src="http://www.pallayi.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Nonie-Darwish-240x300.jpg" alt="Nonie Darwish" width="240" height="300" /></p>
<p><strong>Joys of Muslim Women<br />
</strong>by Nonie Darwish</p>
<p>In the Muslim faith a Muslim man can marry a child as young as 1 year old and have sexual intimacy with this child, consummating the marriage by 9.  The dowry is given to the family in exchange for the woman (who becomes his slave) and for the purchase of the private parts of the woman, to use her as a toy.</p>
<p>Even though a woman is abused, she can not obtain a divorce.</p>
<p>To prove rape, the woman must have (4) male witnesses.</p>
<p>Often after a woman has been raped, she is returned to her family and the family must return the dowry.  The family has the right to execute her (an honor killing) to restore the honor of the family. Husbands can beat their wives &#8216;at will&#8217; and the man does not have to say why he has beaten her.</p>
<p>The husband is permitted to have 4 wives and a temporary wife for an hour (prostitute) at his discretion.</p>
<p>The Shariah Muslim law controls the private as well as the public life of the woman.</p>
<p>In the Western World ( America ) Muslim men are starting to demand Shariah Law so the wife can not obtain a divorce and he can have full and complete control of her.  It is amazing and alarming how many of our sisters and daughters attending American Universities are now marrying Muslim men and submitting themselves and their children unsuspectingly to the Shariah law.</p>
<p>By passing this on, enlightened American women may avoid becoming a slave under Shariah Law.</p>
<p>Ripping the West in Two</p>
<p>Author and lecturer Nonie Darwish says the goal of radical Islamists is to impose Shariah law on the world, ripping Western law and liberty in two.</p>
<p>She recently authored the book, Cruel and Usual Punishment: The Terrifying Global Implications of Islamic Law.</p>
<p>Darwish was born in Cairo and spent her childhood in Egypt and Gaza   before immigrating to America in 1978, when she was eight years old. Her father died while leading covert attacks on  Israel .  He was a high-ranking Egyptian military officer stationed with his family in Gaza ..</p>
<p>When he died, he was considered a &#8220;shahid,&#8221; a martyr for jihad. His posthumous status earned Nonie and her family an elevated position in Muslim society.</p>
<p>But Darwish developed a skeptical eye at an early age. She questioned her own Muslim culture and upbringing. She converted to Christianity after hearing a Christian preacher on television.</p>
<p>In her latest book, Darwish warns about creeping sharia law &#8211; what it is, what it means, and how it is manifested in Islamic countries.</p>
<p>For the West, she says radical Islamists are working to impose sharia on the world. If that happens, Western civilization will be destroyed. Westerners generally assume all religions encourage a respect for the dignity of each individual.  Islamic law (Sharia) teaches that non-Muslims should be subjugated or killed in this world.</p>
<p>Peace and prosperity for one&#8217;s children is not as important as assuring that Islamic law rules everywhere in the Middle East and eventually in the world.</p>
<p>While Westerners tend to think that all religions encourage some form of the golden rule, Sharia teaches two systems of ethics &#8211; one for Muslims and another for non-Muslims. Building on tribal practices of the seventh century, Sharia encourages the side of humanity that wants to take from and subjugate others.</p>
<p>While Westerners tend to think in terms of religious people developing a personal understanding of and relationship with God, Sharia advocates executing people who ask difficult questions that could be interpreted as criticism.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s hard to imagine, that in this day and age, Islamic scholars agree that those who criticize Islam or choose to stop being Muslim should be executed. Sadly, while talk of an Islamic reformation is common and even assumed by many in the West, such murmurings in the Middle East are silenced through intimidation.</p>
<p>While Westerners are accustomed to an increase in religious tolerance over time, Darwish explains how petro dollars are being used to grow an extremely intolerant form of political Islam in her native Egypt and elsewhere.</p>
<p>In twenty years there will be enough Muslim voters in the U.S. to elect the President by themselves! Rest assured they will do so&#8230; You can look at how they have taken over several towns in the USA .. Dearborn Mich. is one&#8230; and there are others&#8230;</p>
<p>I think everyone in the U.S. should be required to read this, but with the ACLU, there is no way this will be widely publicized, unless each of us sends it on!</p>
<p>It is too bad that so many are disillusioned with life and Christianity to accept Muslims as peaceful. Some may be, but they have an army that is willing to shed blood in the name of Islam.  The peaceful support the warriors with their finances and own kind of patriotism to their religion. While America is getting rid of Christianity from all public sites and erasing God from the lives of children the Muslims are planning a great jihad on America.</p>
<p>This is your chance to make a difference! Pass it on to your email list&#8211;or at least those you think will listen.</p>
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		<title>Modern Thinker’s Creed, by Steve Turner</title>
		<link>http://www.pallayi.com/2010/08/24/modern-thinker%e2%80%99s-creed-by-steve-turner/</link>
		<comments>http://www.pallayi.com/2010/08/24/modern-thinker%e2%80%99s-creed-by-steve-turner/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 24 Aug 2010 07:09:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jeejo Pallayi</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Apologetics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christianity]]></category>
<category>Apologetics Evangelical Christian</category><category>Darwin</category><category>Freud</category><category>Marx</category><category>Religion amp Culture</category><category>Sex</category><category>Skeptics-Seekers</category><category>Steve</category><category>Steve Turner</category><category>Turner</category><category>UFO</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.pallayi.com/?p=142</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We believe in Marx, Freud and Darwin. We believe that everything is okay as long as you don’t hurt anyone, to the best of your definition of hurt and to the best of your definition of knowledge. We believe in sex before, during and after marriage. We believe in the therapy of sin; we believe [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.pallayi.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/essays.png"><img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-146" style="margin: 5px;" title="Modern" src="http://www.pallayi.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/essays-150x150.png" alt="Modern" width="150" height="150" /></a>We believe in Marx, Freud and Darwin.</p>
<p>We believe that everything is okay as long as you don’t hurt anyone, to the best of your definition of hurt and to the best of your definition of knowledge.</p>
<p>We believe in sex before, during and after marriage.</p>
<p>We believe in the therapy of sin; we believe that adultery is fun; we believe that sodomy is okay; we believe that taboos are taboo.</p>
<p>We believe that everything is getting better despite evidence to the contrary. The evidence must be investigated and you can prove anything with evidence.</p>
<p>We believe there is something in horoscopes, UFO’s and bent spoons. Jesus was a good man just like Buddha, Mohammad and ourselves. He was a good moral teacher although we think basically that his good morals were really bad.</p>
<p>We believe that all religions are basically the same; at least the ones we read were. They all believe in love and goodness, they only differ on matters of creation, sin, heaven, hell, God, and salvation.</p>
<p>We believe that after death comes nothing, because when you ask the dead what happens, they say nothing. If death is not the end, and if the dead have lied then it’s compulsory heaven for all except perhaps Hitler, Stalin and Kahn.</p>
<p>We believe in Masters and Johnson – what’s selected is average, what’s average is normal and what’s normal is good.</p>
<p>We believe in total disarmament. We believe there are direct links between warfare and bloodshed. American’s should beat their guns into tractors and the Russians would be sure to follow.</p>
<p>We believe that man is essentially good, it’s only his behaviour that lets him down. This is the fault of society, society is the fault of conditions and conditions are the fault of society.</p>
<p>We believe that each man must find the truth that is right for him and reality will adapt accordingly. The universe will readjust; history will alter. We believe there is no absolute truth, except the truth that there is no absolute truth. We believe in the rejection of creeds and the flowering of individual thought.</p>
<p>If Chance be the Father of all flesh, disaster is His rainbow in the sky. And when you hear “State of Emergency”, “Sniper Kills Ten”, “Troops on Rampage”, “Youths Go Looting”, “Bomb Blasts School”, it is but the sound of man worshipping his maker.</p>
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		<title>God vs Science</title>
		<link>http://www.pallayi.com/2009/11/19/god-vs-science/</link>
		<comments>http://www.pallayi.com/2009/11/19/god-vs-science/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jeejo Pallayi</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Apologetics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christianity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Scientists]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bible]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Charles Darwin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Judeo-Christian]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Scientist believes in God]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[True Christianity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[truth]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.pallayi.com/?p=100</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8220;LET ME EXPLAIN THE problem science has with Jesus Christ.&#8221; The atheist professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his new students to stand. &#8220;You&#8217;re a Christian, aren&#8217;t you, son?&#8221; &#8220;Yes, sir.&#8221; &#8220;So you believe in God?&#8221; &#8220;Absolutely.&#8221; &#8220;Is God good?&#8221; &#8220;Sure! God&#8217;s good.&#8221; &#8220;Is God all-powerful? Can God do [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>&#8220;LET ME EXPLAIN THE problem science has with Jesus Christ.&#8221; The atheist professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his new students to stand. &#8220;You&#8217;re a Christian, aren&#8217;t you, son?&#8221;<br />
&#8220;Yes, sir.&#8221;<br />
&#8220;So you believe in God?&#8221;<br />
&#8220;Absolutely.&#8221;<br />
&#8220;Is God good?&#8221;<br />
&#8220;Sure! God&#8217;s good.&#8221;<br />
&#8220;Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?&#8221;<br />
&#8220;Yes.&#8221;<br />
&#8220;Are you good or evil?&#8221;<br />
&#8220;The Bible says I&#8217;m evil.&#8221;<br />
The professor grins knowingly. &#8220;Ahh! THE BIBLE!&#8221; He considers for a moment. &#8220;Here&#8217;s one for you. Let&#8217;s say there&#8217;s a sick person over here and you can cure him. You can do it. Would you help them? Would you try?&#8221;<br />
&#8220;Yes sir, I would.&#8221;<br />
&#8220;So you&#8217;re good&#8230;!&#8221;<br />
&#8220;I wouldn&#8217;t say that.&#8221;<br />
&#8220;Why not say that? You would help a sick and maimed person if you could&#8230;in fact most of us would if we could&#8230;.God doesn&#8217;t.&#8221;<br />
[No answer]<br />
&#8220;He doesn&#8217;t, does he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer even though he prayed to Jesus to heal him. How is this Jesus good? Hmmm? Can you answer that one?&#8221;<br />
[No answer]<br />
The elderly man is sympathetic. &#8220;No, you can&#8217;t, can you?&#8221; He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax. &#8220;In philosophy, you have to go easy with the new ones. Let&#8217;s start again, young fella. Is God good?&#8221;<br />
&#8220;Er&#8230; Yes.&#8221;<br />
&#8220;Is Satan good?&#8221;<br />
&#8220;No.&#8221;<br />
&#8220;Where does Satan come from?&#8221;<br />
The student falters. &#8220;From&#8230; God&#8230;&#8221;<br />
&#8220;That&#8217;s right. God made Satan, didn&#8217;t he?&#8221; The elderly man runs his bony fingers through his thinning hair and turns to the smirking student audience. &#8220;I think we&#8217;re going to have a lot of fun this semester, ladies and gentlemen.&#8221; He turns back to the Christian. &#8220;Tell me, son. Is there evil in this world?&#8221;<br />
&#8220;Yes, sir.&#8221;<br />
&#8220;Evil&#8217;s everywhere, isn&#8217;t it? Did God make everything?&#8221;<br />
&#8220;Yes.&#8221;<br />
&#8220;Who created evil?&#8221;<br />
[No answer]<br />
&#8220;Is there sickness in this world? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness. All the terrible things &#8211; do they exist in this world? &#8221;<br />
The student squirms on his feet. &#8220;Yes.&#8221;<br />
&#8220;Who created them?&#8221;<br />
[No answer]<br />
The professor suddenly shouts at his student, &#8220;WHO CREATED THEM? TELL ME, PLEASE!&#8221; The professor closes in for the kill and climbs into the Christian&#8217;s face. In a still small voice, he asked, &#8220;God created all evil, didn&#8217;t He, son?&#8221;<br />
[No answer]<br />
The student tries to hold the steady, experienced gaze and fails. Suddenly the lecturer breaks away to pace the front of the classroom like an aging panther. The class is mesmerized. &#8220;Tell me,&#8221; he continues, &#8220;How is it that this God is good if He created all evil throughout all time?&#8221; The professor swishes his arms around to encompass the wickedness of the world. &#8220;All the hatred, the brutality, all the pain, all the torture, all the death and ugliness and all the suffering created by this good God is all over the world, isn&#8217;t it, young man?&#8221;<br />
[No answer]<br />
&#8220;Don&#8217;t you see it all over the place? Huh?&#8221; Pause. &#8220;Don&#8217;t you?&#8221; The professor leans into the student&#8217;s face again and<br />
whispers, &#8220;Is God good?&#8221;<br />
[No answer]<br />
&#8220;Do you believe in Jesus Christ, son?&#8221;<br />
The student&#8217;s voice betrays him and cracks. &#8220;Yes, professor. I do.&#8221;<br />
The old man shakes his head sadly. &#8220;Science says you have five senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?&#8221;<br />
&#8220;No, sir. I&#8217;ve never seen Him.&#8221;<br />
&#8220;Then tell us if you&#8217;ve ever heard your Jesus?&#8221;<br />
&#8220;No, sir. I have not.&#8221;<br />
&#8220;Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelt your Jesus&#8230; in fact, do you have any sensory perception of your God whatsoever?&#8221;<br />
[No answer]<br />
&#8220;Answer me, please.&#8221;<br />
&#8220;No, sir, I&#8217;m afraid I haven&#8217;t.&#8221;<br />
&#8220;You&#8217;re AFRAID&#8230; you haven&#8217;t?&#8221;<br />
&#8220;No, sir.&#8221;<br />
&#8220;Yet you still believe in him?&#8221;<br />
&#8220;&#8230;yes&#8230;&#8221;<br />
&#8220;That takes FAITH!&#8221; The professor smiles sagely at the underling. &#8220;According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your God doesn&#8217;t exist. What do you say to that, son? Where is your God now?&#8221;<br />
[The student doesn't answer]<br />
&#8220;Sit down, please.&#8221;<br />
The first Christian sits&#8230;defeated.<br />
Another Christian raises his hand. &#8220;Professor, may I address the class?&#8221;<br />
The professor turns and smiles. &#8220;Ah, yet another Christian in the vanguard! Come, come, young man. Speak some proper wisdom to the gathering.&#8221;<br />
The Christian looks around the room. &#8220;Some interesting points you are making, sir. Now I&#8217;ve got a question for you. Is there such thing as heat?&#8221;<br />
&#8220;Yes,&#8221; the professor replies. &#8220;There&#8217;s heat.&#8221;<br />
&#8220;Is there such a thing as cold?&#8221;<br />
&#8220;Yes, son, there&#8217;s cold too.&#8221;<br />
&#8220;No, sir, there isn&#8217;t.&#8221;<br />
The professor&#8217;s grin freezes. The room suddenly becomes very quiet. The second Christian continues.<br />
&#8220;You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don&#8217;t have anything called &#8216;cold&#8217;. We can hit 273 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can&#8217;t go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold, otherwise we would be able to go colder than -273°C. You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.&#8221;<br />
Silence. A pin drops somewhere in the classroom.<br />
&#8220;Is there such a thing as darkness, professor?&#8221;<br />
&#8220;That&#8217;s a dumb question, son. What is night if it isn&#8217;t darkness? What are you getting at&#8230;?&#8221;<br />
&#8220;So you say there is such a thing as darkness?&#8221;<br />
&#8220;Yes&#8230;&#8221;<br />
&#8220;You&#8217;re wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something, it is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light&#8230; but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it&#8217;s called darkness, isn&#8217;t it? That&#8217;s the meaning we use to define the word. In reality, Darkness isn&#8217;t. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker and give me a jar of it. Can you&#8230; give me a jar of darker darkness, professor?&#8221;<br />
Despite himself, the professor smiles at the young effrontery before him. This will indeed be a good semester. &#8220;Would you mind telling us what your point is, young man?&#8221;<br />
&#8220;Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start with and so your conclusion must be in error&#8230;.&#8221;<br />
The professor goes toxic. &#8220;Flawed&#8230;? How dare you&#8230;!&#8221;<br />
&#8220;Sir, may I explain what I mean?&#8221;<br />
The class is all ears.<br />
&#8220;Explain&#8230; ohhhhh, explain&#8230;&#8221; The professor makes an admirable effort to regain control. Suddenly he is affability himself. He waves his hand to silence the class, for the student to continue.<br />
&#8220;You are working on the premise of duality,&#8221; the Christian explains. &#8220;That for example there is life and then there&#8217;s death; a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science cannot even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism but has never seen, much less fully understood them. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life, merely the absence of it.&#8221; The young man holds up a newspaper he takes from the desk of a neighbor who has been reading it. &#8220;Here is one of the most disgusting tabloids this country hosts, professor. Is there such a thing as immorality?&#8221;<br />
&#8220;Of course there is, now look&#8230;&#8221;<br />
&#8220;Wrong again, sir. You see, immorality is merely the absence of morality. Is there such thing as injustice? No. Injustice is the absence of justice. Is there such a thing as evil?&#8221; The Christian pauses. &#8220;Isn&#8217;t evil the absence of good?&#8221;<br />
The professor&#8217;s face has turned an alarming color. He is so angry he is temporarily speechless.<br />
The Christian continues, &#8220;If there is evil in the world, professor, and we all agree there is, then God, if He exists, must be accomplishing a work through the agency of evil.1 What is that work God is accomplishing? The Bible tells us it is to see if each one of us will, of our own free will, choose good over evil.&#8221;2<br />
The professor bridles. &#8220;As a philosophical scientist, I don&#8217;t view this matter as having anything to do with any choice; as a realist, I absolutely do not recognize the concept of God or any other theological factor as being part of the world equation because God is not observable.&#8221;<br />
The Christian replies, &#8220;I would have thought that the absence of God&#8217;s moral code in this world is probably one of the most observable phenomena going, Newspapers make billions of dollars reporting it every week! Tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?&#8221;<br />
&#8220;If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes, of course I do.&#8221;<br />
&#8220;Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?&#8221;<br />
The professor makes a sucking sound with his teeth and gives his student a silent, stony stare.<br />
&#8220;Professor. Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?&#8221;<br />
&#8220;I&#8217;ll overlook your impudence in the light of our philosophical discussion. Now, have you quite finished?&#8221; the professor hisses.<br />
&#8220;So you don&#8217;t accept God&#8217;s moral code to do what is righteous?&#8221;<br />
&#8220;I believe in what is &#8211; that&#8217;s science!&#8221;<br />
&#8220;Ahh! SCIENCE!&#8221; the student&#8217;s face splits into a grin. &#8220;Sir, you rightly state that science is the study of observed phenomena. Science too is a premise which is flawed&#8230;&#8221;<br />
&#8220;SCIENCE IS FLAWED..?&#8221; the professor splutters.<br />
The class is in uproar. The Christian remains standing until the commotion has subsided. &#8220;To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, may I give you an example of what I mean?&#8221;<br />
The professor wisely keeps silent.<br />
The Christian looks around the room. &#8220;Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the professor&#8217;s mind?&#8221; The class breaks out into laughter. The Christian points towards his elderly, crumbling tutor. &#8220;Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor&#8217;s mind&#8230; felt the professor&#8217;s mind, touched or smelt the professor&#8217;s mind? No one appears to have done so.&#8221; The Christian shakes his head sadly. &#8220;It appears no one here has had any sensory perception of the professor&#8217;s mind whatsoever. Well, according to the rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science, I DECLARE that the professor has no mind.&#8221;<br />
The class is in chaos.<br />
The Christian sits.<br />
&#8212;-</p>
<p>If you didn&#8217;t get it, here is a brief synopsis. The atheist argument is that since God created everything, He is responsible for the creation of evil. However, &#8220;evil&#8221; is a word that we use to describe certain things that happen to us (most of which are caused by other people). In reality, it is not a physically created thing at all and, therefore, does not fall within the realm of something created by God. So, the argument is fundamentally flawed. As stated on this site, evil is allowed by God so that free will beings can choose between good (i.e., God) or evil (absence of God). Without evil, it is not possible to choose between good and evil, and the universe would have no ultimate purpose.</p>
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		<title>What is Apologetics</title>
		<link>http://www.pallayi.com/2009/09/07/what-is-aplogetics/</link>
		<comments>http://www.pallayi.com/2009/09/07/what-is-aplogetics/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 07 Sep 2009 21:43:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jeejo Pallayi</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Apologetics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christianity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Scientists]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.pallayi.com/2009/09/07/what-is-aploogetics/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[You walk up to the man on the street and tell him that Jesus Christ loves him and died so he could receive forgiveness of his sins. You explain that everyone should obey Jesus because He is the Son of God. The man wants to know how you know this information. You inform him that [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>You walk up to the man on the street and tell him that Jesus Christ loves him and died so he could receive forgiveness of his sins. You explain that everyone should obey Jesus because He is the Son of God. The man wants to know how you know this information. You inform him that the Bible, the inspired Word of God, declares it to be true. He wants to know two things: (1) How can you prove that there is a God?; and (2) How can you prove that the Bible is His Word? He is not being belligerent or cantankerous; he simply wants some good evidence that would warrant the total overhaul of his life you are asking him to make.</p>
<p>It is now your responsibility to present solid, rational arguments that prove the things you have affirmed. You must defend the propositions you have presented. You are appointed for the defense of the Gospel (Philippians 1:17, NKJV).</p>
<p>The term “apologetics” derives from the Greek word apologia, which means “to defend” or “to make a defense.” Thus, apologetics is a discipline dedicated to the defense of something. There can be as many different types of apologetics as there are beliefs in the world: atheistic apologetics, Hindu apologetics, Buddhist apologetics, Christian apologetics, ad infinitum. However, generally when the discipline is discussed, most people associate it with Christian apologetics. Therefore, for the remainder of this discussion, when I use the term apologetics, I will be referring specifically to Christian apologetics.</p>
<p>What is apologetics? Christian philosopher Dick Sztanyo has suggested: “Apologetics is the proclamation and defense of the gospel of Christ regardless of whenever, wherever, and by whomever it is challenged.” The apostle Peter used apologetics when he appealed to the empty tomb on Pentecost. Paul used apologetics when he quoted the stoic poets to draw attention to God’s existence as he addressed the Athenians. Christ used apologetics when He appealed to a Roman coin to prove that Jews should pay taxes. We can see, then, that the word apologetics carries no hint of “apologizing”—in the sense of being sorry or ashamed. On the contrary, the word houses the exact opposite idea of intelligent vindication by vigorous argument. In fact, Paul stated in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5: “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” Apologetics vigorously defends the truth by refuting arguments that exalt themselves above God’s Word.</p>
<p>What tools, then, can apologetics use to “cast down” faulty arguments? Its toolbox is as endlessly deep as it is long. Any discipline—from astronomy to zoology—can be called upon to come to the aid of apologetics. Just as Peter used the physical evidence of the empty tomb, just as Paul used contemporary literature, and jut as Jesus used an inscription on a coin, modern apologists can use archaeology, literature, science, morality, technology, and countless other facets of human life to defend Christianity. A small child can watch ants hard at work and testify to the wisdom of the book of Proverbs. An astrophysicist can contemplate the Second Law of Thermodynamics and maintain that the world will not last forever. An archaeologist can find an ancient inscription about a people known as the Hittites and assert that the Bible has accurate information about this ancient group of people. A professor of literature can read poetry from ages past and ascertain that mankind always has desired to worship a Creator Who is infinitely higher than humanity. From the heights of the mountains to the depths of the oceans, facts surface that provide an ample array of ammunition that can be fired from the cannon of apologetics.</p>
<p>However, the machinery of apologetics can operate only on the fuel of reason, for without reason apologetics has no sure foundation. The Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary defines reason as “the power of comprehending, inferring, or thinking, especially in orderly, rational ways.” Paul contrasted reason with insanity in Acts 26:24-25: “Now as he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, ‘Paul, you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad!’ But he said, ‘I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak the words of truth and reason.’ ” God and His spokesmen always have spoken rational, reasonable truths. God employed reason to convince Isaiah’s listeners of their sin: “ ‘Come now, and let us reason together,’ says the Lord, ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow’ ” (Isaiah 1:18). When Samuel spoke to the Israelites at the coronation of Saul, he said: “Now therefore, stand still, that I may reason with you before the Lord concerning all the righteous acts of the Lord which He did to you and your fathers” (1 Samuel 12:7). From the dawn of time, God presented man with the facts, and then allowed man to use reason to reach correct conclusions. Thus, Romans 1:20 states: “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made….” Reason provides for the removal of all contradictory and fallacious arguments, leaving only those facts that are consistent and correct.</p>
<p>The Christian religion, at its core, is based upon historically verifiable facts. The Bible is not a sourcebook of wise proverbs that somehow stand upon their own merit. Without an establishment of the facts concerning the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the Word of God as we know it—even with all of its sound wisdom and practical guidance—is nothing more than a devotional book full of helpful platitudes that deserves to be placed on the shelf next to the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. By using historical facts that are consistent and correct, apologetics makes its defense by appealing to man’s capacity to reason. God never has desired that His human creatures blindly accept unreasonable propositions postulated by perverse persons. He does not want us to be “children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness by which they lie in wait to deceive (Ephesians 4:14). On the contrary, He demands that we “test all things; hold fast what is good” (2 Thessalonians 5:21). In the end, however, apologetics can soften only the hearts of those who agree to be honest with themselves and to deal honestly and reasonably with the available evidence. There is much truth in the old adage: “A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.”</p>
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		<title>50 Nobel Laureates and scientists who believe in God</title>
		<link>http://www.pallayi.com/2009/05/10/50-nobel-laureates-and-scientists-who-believe-in-god/</link>
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		<pubDate>Sun, 10 May 2009 05:44:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jeejo Pallayi</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Apologetics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christianity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Albert Einstein]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bible]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Charles Darwin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christian Anfinsen]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Galileo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[George Wald]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Louis Pasteur]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nobel Laureates]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rene Descartes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Scientist believes in God]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Voltaire]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Nobelists.net has a free e-book called “50 Nobel Laureates and Other Great Scientists Who Believe in God.” The book is comprised mostly of quotes from scientists, writers and philosophers. The purpose of the book, from the author’s introduction: “I believe that this book will inspire believers, that it will give hope to seekers and that [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Nobelists.net has a free e-book called “50 Nobel Laureates and Other Great Scientists Who Believe in God.”</p>
<p>The book is comprised mostly of quotes from scientists, writers and philosophers. The purpose of the book, from the author’s introduction: “I believe that this book will inspire believers, that it will give hope to seekers and that it will challenge those who think that religion and contemporary science are in an insurmountable conflict.”</p>
<p>Here is a sampling of some the more interesting quotes from the e-book:</p>
<ul>
<li>“When it comes to the origin of life there are only two possibilities: creation or spontaneous generation. There is no third way. Spontaneous generation was disproved one hundred years ago, but that leads us to only one other conclusion, that of supernatural creation. We cannot accept that on philosophical grounds; therefore, we choose to believe the impossible: that life arose spontaneously by chance!”<br />
<strong>George Wald</strong>- Nobel Laureate in medicine and physiology</li>
<li>To the question, “Many prominent scientists &#8211; including Darwin, Einstein, and Planck &#8211; have considered the concept of God very seriously. What are your thoughts on the concept of God and on the existence of God?”<br />
Christian Anfinsen replied: “I think only an idiot can be an atheist. We must admit that there exists an incomprehensible power or force with limitless foresight and knowledge that started the whole universe going in the first place.”<br />
<strong>Christian Anfinsen</strong>- Nobel Laureate in chemistry</li>
<li>To the Lord, whom I worship and thank,<br />
That governs the heavens with His eyelid<br />
To Him I return tired, but full of living.”<br />
<strong>Galileo</strong>- founder of experimental physics</li>
<li>In the beginning of his <em>Meditations</em> (1641) Descartes wrote:<br />
“I have always been of the opinion that the two questions respecting God and the Soul were the chief of those that ought to be determined by help of Philosophy rather than of<br />
Theology; for although to us, the faithful, it be sufficient to hold as matters of faith, that the human soul does not perish with the body, and that God exists, it yet assuredly seems impossible ever to persuade infidels of the reality of any religion, or almost even any moral virtue, unless, first of all, those two things be proved to them by natural reason. And since in this life there are frequently greater rewards held out to vice than to virtue, few would prefer the right to the useful, if they were restrained neither by the fear of God nor the expectation of another life.”<br />
<strong>Rene Descartes</strong>- founder of Analytical Geometry and modern philosophy</li>
<li>“The impossibility of conceiving that this grand and wondrous universe, with our conscious selves, arose through chance, seems to me the chief argument for<br />
the existence of God.”<br />
<strong>Charles Darwin</strong>- founder of the Theory of Evolution</li>
<li>“In good philosophy, the word cause ought to be reserved to the single Divine impulse that has formed the universe.”<br />
<strong>Louis Pasteur</strong>- founder of microbiology and immunology</li>
<li>“Tonight I was in a meditative mood. I was absorbed in the contemplation of nature; I admired the immensity, the movements, the harmony of those infinite globes.<br />
I admired still more the Intelligence which directs these vast forces. I said to myself: ‘One must be blind not to be dazzled by this spectacle; one must be stupid not to recognize the Author of it; one must be mad not to worship Him’.”<br />
<strong>Voltaire</strong>- French philosopher one of the most influential thinkers of the Enlightenment</li>
<li><em>You accept the historical Jesus</em>?<br />
- Unquestionably! No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life.”<br />
<strong>Albert Einstein</strong>, from an interview with the <em>Saturday Evening Post</em></li>
</ul>
<p>The PDF can be downloaded can be found here:</p>
<p><a href="http://nobelist.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/50-nobelists.pdf">CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE WHOLE e-BOOK IN ENGLISH (PDF)</a></p>
<blockquote><p><span style="font-size: small;">The book <strong><em>50 NOBEL LAUREATES AND OTHER GREAT SCIENTISTS WHO BELIEVE IN GOD</em></strong> comprises well-documented quotations from some of the most influential scientists and writers in the world.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"> In the course of my 11-year search I have studied hundreds of books, articles and letters – primarily those found in the archives of the National Library of Bulgaria (Sofia), Biblioteca Comunale di Milano and the Austrian National Library (Vienna). I have also corresponded with many contemporary Nobel Prize-winning scientists who have shared their personal beliefs about God.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"> I believe that this book will inspire believers, that it will give hope to seekers and that it will challenge those who think that religion and contemporary science are in an insurmountable conflict. </span></p></blockquote>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">Tihomir Dimitrov – compiler</span></p>
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