Category: Religion

Not So Random Thoughts on Evolution

Evolution does not satisfactorily explain the big picture, and it seems to me that the forest gets lost in the trees.

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sad chimpanzee

I am fascinated by evolution. I have learned more about evolution in the last ten years of my life than I did in the first 50. I have come to respect the science, though I do not come to it from within the scientific community. As an outsider to this community, I am curious to see the religious fervor with which evolution, as theory for the origin of life, provides for its adherents. It prompts me to ask: why are so many people so religiously attached to evolution?

I am no scientist. I will admit that; at the same time, I can spot dogmatism when I see it. Questioning the theory of evolution as an explanation for the origin of life is sacrilege in these modern times – so much so that we have laws in the United States that forbid competing theories (like intelligent design or creationism, which are very different models) from even being mentioned in a public school.

As I focus on evolution in this blog piece, I am not talking about the adaptation of species. I see more than sufficient proof of evolution in that sense. I am not even talking about the origin of species, though I believe we need more sufficient evidence to prove that evolution is the sole explanation for the origin of species.

I am talking about the origin of life, itself – the big picture, the forest, not the trees. When talking about the evolutionary paradigm as an explanation of the origin of life, I do not see a satisfactory explanation of the big picture, not even close, and it seems to me that the forest gets lost in the trees. Continue reading “Not So Random Thoughts on Evolution” →

Different Roads: Islam & Christianity

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There are many more Muslims who are moderate than the extremist Muslims in the world. Some say that Islam is really a religion of peace, and ISIS, al Qaeda and [you name the group] are just aberrations; they are not really Islamic. If that is the case, then it appears they have hijacked the religion and millions are jumping on board.

Current news reports of terrorism at the hands of Muslim jihadists all around the world have prompted me to learn more about Islam, its history, its scripture (the Qur’an), its quasi-scripture (the Hadith and Sunnah), and its two main flavors, Sunni and Shiite – both of which have spawned terror.

Many people carry the notion that all roads lead to the top of the mountain, that Islam and Christianity (and Buddhism, Hindu, Shinto, Animism, Paganism and you name the ism) are all paths to God. If that is so, we should be able to compare and find some common threads.

In this article, I explore a comparison of Islam to Christianity in several different aspects. Others have done more comprehensive comparisons, but here are things that strike me. Continue reading “Different Roads: Islam & Christianity” →

Israel, the Promised Land

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Panorama of Jerusalem, Israel

Israel is the only nation in the world that is living under the same name, speaking the same language, observing the same religion and located in the same place that they were 4000 years ago.

After a lapse of nearly 2000 years during which the Israeli people were scattered and often persecuted in the various places to which they were dispersed, the UN declared the reestablishment of the nation of Israel on May 5, 1948. The nation of Israel was ousted from their native land in 70 AD when the Romans destroyed the temple in Jerusalem, 1878 years earlier. That UN decree brought 3.6 million Jews back to the historic land of Jews from over 90 nations in 1948, an unprecedented event.

This history is as remarkable as it is unprecedented.  Continue reading “Israel, the Promised Land” →