Head-dibs

Depends on what is meant by "evil".

Thomas Brookes (1608 - 1680) answers the objection, "But there are worse people than me!" "Whatever evil you behold in other men's practices, realize that you have the same evil in your own nature.  There is the seed of all sins, of the vilest and worst of sins—in the best of men. When you see a drunkard—you may see the seed of that sin in your own nature. When you see an immoral man—you may see the seeds of immorality in your own nature. If you are not as wicked as others—it is not because of the goodness of your nature—but from the riches of God's grace! Remember this—there is not a worse nature in hell than that which is in you, and it would manifest itself accordingly—if the Lord did not restrain it! There was one who was a long time tempted to three horrid sins: to be drunk, to lie with his mother, and to murder his father. Being a long time followed with these horrid temptations, at last he thought to get rid of them, by yielding to what he judged the l...

[note: I pre-set this blog over a week ago, to post this today.  The headlines today are full of coverage of a tsunami in Japan.  Coincidental?] The “Epicurean Paradox” makes the following propositions: If God is willing to prevent evil, but is not able to, then He is not omnipotent. If He is able, but not willing, then He is malevolent. If He is both able and willing, then whence cometh evil? If He is neither able nor willing, then why call Him God? The Bible read like today’s headlines: people being burned alive, children being torn from the womb, mass killings, cannibalism, heads being cut off, hangings, stonings, rape, incest, adultery, lust, prostitution, bodies being eaten by worms, “men of God” running around drunk and naked, and so many other horrible things.  Has God lost control, or is He impotent? Let’s be very clear: the Bible shows who and what man really is as it exposes all our sins, our lusts, our hatred, our love for violence. God is not th...

We don’t live in the best of neighborhoods. Most law enforcement officers in our county know our neighbors well, having put most of them in jail or prison from time to time. When we first moved in, we discovered dogs with heavy chains held in the woods behind our house. Drugs are not uncommon with our neighbors, and traffic comes and goes regularly. We were burglarized once, but nobody “knew” anything. For the last three years, we’ve survived all night parties, shootings, domestic violence of various kinds. And this is perhaps the fourth generation, carrying on the patterns of their fathers (if any of the kids know who their fathers are—one lady boasted her many kids with no clue who any of their fathers are) while one dear very old lady, the matriarch of the family, picks up her Bible and goes to church every week. My wife called me at lunch today to tell me that a car wrecked in another neighbor’s yard. If you stand on my porch, looking at the street, our friends described above are ...

"The LORD is my shepherd ; I shall not want. He leads me beside still waters . He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil ; my cup overflows . Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever. " If The Good Shepherd is gone, we are alone in a world of evil. (Miller, Paul. A Praying Life .)

Jury Duty seems to liven life up a bit for law-abiding citizens. This is a "must read" from Ray Comfort's blog: "I was called to jury duty in Compton, California, the city that has been called "the murder capital of America." As I sat with 44 other people in the jury selection process, the judge asked the prospective jurors in the jury box if they would give as much credence to the testimony of a gang member as they would to the testimony of an officer of the law. I looked across at the two gang members who were on trial for the murder of an Hispanic “human being,” as the judge had put it. They looked nice enough, in their plush suits and ties. I imagined them in their baggies, with their long socks and hats to the side, holding their guns the way gangs do. The judge also asked the prospective jurors if they would be prejudice against anyone who pleaded the Fifth Amendment, and didn’t testify on their own behalf. The next day I was called to the jury box. ...

Oscar, Thank you for your good comments and questions in our discussion about the existence of God and "Can God make a rock so big He cannot lift it?" I will attempt to respond to your comments in turn and will conclude with one question for you. First, you replied: “ Omnipotent indeed means infinite power, that is, being able to do anything. So (according to what you say) either the bible overly vague (defective) in it's wording (read your dictionary) or the omnipotent idea of God is plain nonsense .” I agree with you in that Omnipotence means “all powerful” however, this is not an abstract concept. Omnipotence is connected to the person of God; therefore, God is all-powerful and able to do whatever He wills. To ask the question if God can make rocks so large that He cannot lift it does not ask if making such a rock is God’s will. What He did make was the Universe and all things in it and He upholds all things by the word of His power—why ask something so small about roc...