It’s rampant in traditional Protestant churches mostly. And these churches are loosing congregants by the bucket load . The Catholic Church is the only Christian church that still maintains its positions & boundaries & morality and that’s why it has been so appealing to a younger generation in search of stability & Truth. Believing in God, believing in salvation history is the hardest most demanding engagement we can have as humans and the price is our soul & being on the right side of eternity. It’s not the Shangri-la -it asks of a real & active relationship with God.
Confession is the most underrated Sacrament in the ancient Church. Penance/Reconciliation is soul cleansing.
A good book to read for anyone exploring Christianity is Tom Holland’s ‘Dominion’ (2019). Tom is a British historian of antiquity, raised Anglican, went atheist, and through study of the ancients returned to Christianity, writing this treasure of a book, recounting how revolutionary Christianity has been on our human race:
These days I actually attend 2 services. Roman Catholic Mass 1st, by myself, it’s my origin faith. And then later in AM an Evangelical service with my wife, where we read direct from scripture. I enjoy the liturgy of the Mass the most, with its emphasis and hyper focus on the Memorial of our spotless victim.
that's where I feel myself going. i've been doing study and services with some amazing born again Christians, but more and more I feel pulled back to my Catholic roots!
We are not evangelicals in the way folks think with rock n roll bands and laptop computers. The centerpiece of our worship is the exposition of the Word of God, the Holy Scriptures. We share the same ecumenical creeds and councils as the Roman church through the Council of Chalcedon. We both part with the Eastern church over the Nicene Creed’s Filioque , four words. I have experienced the Divine Liturgy at a Syrian orthodox worship service. It is beautiful. I prefer the simplicity of Calvinist worship.
I would point you to the Roman Catholic Church. It’s perfectly imperfect. Just as Jesus encounters us. Becoming a Catholic as an adult involves 29 weeks of classes/study, 1.5 hours every week called OCIA:
Everyone is welcome to a Catholic Mass. Just do not receive the Eucharist until fully initiated. Prior to this time walk to altar w/ other parishioners and cross arms, receive blessing instead.
Yes, I converted as an adult to Catholic from Protestant some 30 years ago. Something was missing, and it turned out it was Jesus in the Eucharist! Best thing I ever did.
maybe not as much a war on religion as a war of religion. the left is a religion as sure is islam or christianity. they deny of course because they have defined themselves as something other than religion and then declare separation of church and state all the while their church ia the state. what the left really wants is their religion to have a monopoly on pomitical power.
in christianity your first level of commitment is to God and not man, so christianty will never legiitimately combine church and state. i.e. Christianity doesn't demand political power as an end unto itself as do islam, leftism, socialism, communism, fascism, etc.
As C.S. Lewis put it, Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.
Yes, and Mr. Lewis also said that Jesus can only be one of three things: either a liar, a lunatic, or The Lord. And if you read his words in the bible, you will come to know The Truth.
Pretty much sums it up. I would a lot better face death knowing there is a God that loves me and I am saved through Jesus. Better than wishing I had killed more Infidels.
C.S. Lewis: "Christianity, if false, is of no importance"
I don't see how that claim is accurate. True or not, Christianity had a profound influence on the West, which had a profound influence on the world. Or is he saying that the world by itself is of no importance?
(I'm assuming that by "is false", Lewis means "Christ does not exist".)
Our situation in the world today is less a political battle, more a spiritual battle. The sooner we understand this, the sooner we will be able to right the ship of civilization.
You're on the road. Don't be afraid. Did you read the book I sent you a few years back, A Case For Christ? Also read C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity........
Sasha, I can't wait to listen to this podcast. I'm a Christian. As you may know, many Christians love Judaism and the vital part it plays in Christian belief. I am one of them. Judeo-Christian morality is a pillar of Western Civilization (along with the Law, politics, and art of Greco-Roman tradition being the other pillars). Woke thought has infiltrated both Judaism and Christianity, but there are so many left who will fight for the values set forth first by the 10 Commandments. Thank you for your willingness to look at the only values that can save Western Civilization. PS, I am a HS History teacher who has fought, and been attacked, for teaching what used to be normal but is now reviled.
God could have chosen any race of people to reveal Himself. Could have been the Chinese or Ethiopians. But he chose the Jews/tribes of Israel. This reveal is called the era of Revelation, which came after the era of Creation. We are now in the era of Salvation and His invitation is available to both Jews and non Jews (Gentiles).
"God could have chosen any race of people to reveal Himself."
I never understood why God, having inspired the bible, didn't inspire other Israel-oriented bibles around the world, each written in a local native tongue, to identify who the chosen people are. It seems that God's having the tribe that is chosen be the only tribe to start distributing the book that *says* they are chosen doesn't seem like the best strategy... but then, that's why I'm asking. I can't understand it. It could be one of the main reasons Christianity, after 2000 years, has still not taken over the entire world, but still less than 30%.
Anyway, I'll just say there's a *lot* of things I don't understand about Christianity, and I was raised Christian... and kicked out for asking questions.
If you ask enough questions of Christianity, you will get to a point where you still have unanswered questions, but Christianity has no more answers beyond "because I said so", or "because the Bible says so", or some such. I'm not knocking Christianity, only pointing out the limits....
What's "not easy" is the cognitive dissonance one experiences being told something is there but not sensing it. In the novel 1984, this is famously identified as pushed by propagandists [godmongers]: "The party [clergy] told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command."
When one earnestly conjures up an imaginary thing, especially when out of desperation or other duress, yes, one can overcome this dissonance. The imaginary thing will then appear. This is in the nature of human beings. After many decades observing this, I am convinced this is precisely what goes on in ALL (revealed) religions, and nothing more.
We have a great example of this today: We are besieged by the Woke religion, which has come to believe that -- after intense propaganda, and along with a number of other ridiculous things -- that the biology of sex is malleable, and the sexes are any number in quantity. This, most of us in this forum recognize, is pure fantasy. Yet the Woke do believe it.
The difference between the Woke religion on the one hand and the Abrahamic religions on the other is simply a few thousand years. The true genesis of the Woke is therefore all but naked and very easy to critique by someone with an open mind, while that of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam is nearly completely obscured by time, and impossible to critique directly.
Given the horrific dangers the world faces, it is hardly the time to conjure up fantasies. Instead, it is high time for us to "get real".
Us mere humans don’t understand all the ways of our Creator. Nor do I think, are we designed to. One could reasonably ask why it took so long for God to send the world His only begotten Son. I don’t pretend to know or understand the answer to that. I’m only thankful that I was chosen to live in the era of Salvation, and given free will.
The idea of fundamental human rights (based on the fact that we are all humans and therefore all equal which we assume almost without thinking) - are based on Christian ideals and utterly alien to pre-Christian cultures like the Persians, Greeks and Romans.
I recently re-read the Odyssey and then went to watch Nolan’s movie of the same title. I was struck by Homer’s poem having very few Christian values in it (the genocide of both suitors and slaves at end as an example - this occurred in poem but not on screen). Nolan, obviously impacted by Christianity, brought to the film morality that came from Christianity, because he knows his culture/audience. And therefore Nolan’s Odysseus character had regret about the sacking Troy, and even handed over his kingship to his son, Telemachus. Both of which don’t occur in the ancient Greek epic.
This is evidence of just how deep Christianity morality has penetrated Western culture, for even those not actively practicing Christianity, are (beneficiaries) of its revolution upon the world.
"Us mere humans don’t understand all the ways of our Creator."
That may be so, but it seems impossible to know the ways that are actually *true*, unless you are willing to trust hallucinations. In other words, I'm stuck at understanding the people who are *telling* us what are "the ways of our Creator". As far as I can tell, the only things that actually exist are, well... godmongers.
So I do wish some God would open up the heavens to everyone and just yell out something -- anything -- like: "I'm here! And, for the record, you're to read & believe KJB, and check in with Dr. Graham for details! Over and out!" All it would take is 10 seconds, and boy, you *know* you would have 99% conversion practically on the spot! Why does he continue to allow 70% of the world to be condemned to being excluded from heaven?
So glad that you are increasing your interest in Christianity. I've been praying for you since I discovered your Substack. Christianity is very unfashionable with our woke betters, of course, but it's true.
I have subscribed to Jeremy. I look forward to your upcoming conversations.
I see the final years of my life just fly by. I have had serious health issues during the past 5 years. I know my life on earth is running out and my relationship with God has been rocky and difficult.
I just feel like my soul is empty. I feel angry about being ill. I'm so tired from being in physical pain. I'm sick of consulting with well meaning doctors and yet all their treatments/advice, has done little to improve my health. I feel like God hasn't heard my prayers. I need to find a way to feel like I'm closer to him. I need God's light to touch me and help me with acceptance for what I face now. If he feels that I can't be healed, then show me how to be bright, cheerful and find my right mind/soul again.
I have been praying and feeling unheard, yet Sasha's article was in my email box tonight. It sticks in my mind how much Sasha's words have meant to me. Perhaps this new collaboration with Sasha and Jeremy, is indeed the beginning of a prayer being answered 🙏
Anne, I will pray for your journey, it’s not fun when your body ages and betrays you. There are many alternative paths to heal, many are old and suppressed by pharma because they work and are cheap, and some are just homeopathic. I would encourage you to check out The Forgotten Side of Medicine, written by A Midwestern Doctor. It is fabulous and quite eye-opening, even for me, a nurse who doesn’t trust Pharma and looks for alternatives, but I didn’t know how deep this field is. Try it.
Commendations galore! I am a pretty religious guy - 10 commandments(with the details behind them) - and still don't believe in organized religion and their monetizing ways. Catholic Charities are the leading org - with YOUR taxpayer money - fueling illegal immigration. Obama brought on that 'funding'(billions of your money) in 2014....
I am an engineer so I was brought up on replicating tests to prove theory and I couldn't square something I couldn't see. Faith. That is what brought me around. I have faith that my wife will not cheat on me based on 33 years of togetherness. I have faith that there is God and Jesus went through a lot on our behalf.
Our oldest daughter is about to give birth to her third at the age of 25 with a wonderful husband and is coming around on the word faith.
Nobody expects you to 'convert', Sasha, just be yourself and see what happens as you have good instincts.
About a year ago, Sasha, I mailed you two books about Christianity that had a big impact on me! I hope you received them and might one day read them (by Henri Nouwen and Max Lucado). I have been praying for you since they were mailed!
I was raised a Baptist and married a Catholic. It took me 36 years to formally join the Catholic church whjich happened last year, and now I am Faith Director of our Knights of Columbus Council. Faith does not man certainty. If it was certain, there could not be faith. Catholics pray for '"those asleep in the HOPE of resurrection."
There is ambiguity between that and praying for deliverance into Heaven "at the hour of our death." The interesting thing is that if you live according to religious principles, your fear of death goes away. The real fear of death is by those who have lived in defiance of their conscience and are afraid the Devil is going to get them when they die.
Purgatory is a human invention. I know the verse in 1 Corinthians which someone may tell you to point to, but that verse doesn't imply purgation. It does show us the graciousness of God, who is faithful to save Christians whose lives after conversion may not have been impressive spiritually.
"...where they can practice doing better before they advance."
That shows me that while you may believe the indispensable thing, that Jesus Christ is The Second Person of the Triune Godhead made Incarnate, you haven't understood that salvation is a gift. It CAN'T be earned. Ephesians 2:8,9.
You can't "grow" into it. You can't make yourself "worthy" of it, although Christians are commanded to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. This means that as a Christian matures spiritually, he wears his faith more becomingly as he is transformed subtly to be more and more like Jesus Christ. This glorifies God and tends to draw to us people whom God is on the hunt for, and to whom we can witness with inarguable credibility.
Please read The Gospel of John and The Epistle to the Romans, chapter one through five.
From what I can tell, *everything* (i.e. every human perception) is a human "invention". I suspect you will agree that every human is, necessarily and irreversibly, limited and fallible, right? Unfortunately, that limitation must then apply to every human concept, such as the concept of God, no matter how powerful the illusions otherwise. Protagoras was onto this, and Socrates, in his own way, confirmed it.
That's sophistry. God is The First Cause. He has always been. The things of Creation show His power and glory, leaving each of us without excuse if the person rejects the knowledge of Him.
Read The Epistle to the Romans, chapter one.
What is absurd is that life happened accidentally. You have to will to shut God out in order to try to do it, and even then, you can't succeed.
I think all of Flannery O'Connor's stories are online. If so, or if you must get it in a book, read her story "The Enduring Chill."
You might want to work more on your argument (well, here your declaration by fiat, really) equating religious skepticism with sophistry. You want to convince that skeptic (me), right? To do that, you'll need to have the sets of premises on each side that are equivalent and accepted by both. (A believer needs no convincing; he readily accepts fiat declarations and all their hidden premises.) Then, you have a basis for comparing differing conclusions. If the premises are not equivalent, it's like speaking two languages -- one is gibberish to the other, and the argument is null and useless.
I know a lot of revealed religions (Abrahamic, Islam, Marxism, Wokism, etc.) laugh at the idea of reaching the skeptic halfway, but then maybe that's why holy wars exist.
"What is absurd is that life happened accidentally"
Yes, it's absurd to most humans. Doesn't mean it couldn't happen without direction. (The concept "accident" is itself anthropomorphic. The whole paragraph, in fact.)
Let me use this counterexample to an intelligent creator: if you put a stick, or pin, in the ground, attach a string, and then drag the taut end of the string completely around in all directions possible, you can easily make a an essentially perfect circle -- more perfect even than your concentrating hard on making one freehand. Hopefully, you will easily recognize the physics or geometry involved in this simple case, and realize that though the circle is perfect, the pin, string, and forces are not "intelligent". If you extrapolate this type of physical perfection through an unlimited series of all kinds of scenarios of physics, chemistry, etc, you will hopefully recognize that all kinds of "behaviors" can occur that have nothing to do with intelligence. Unless you assume by fiat that everything that exists is somehow imbued with intelligence, whatever that can mean.
That’s the glorious beauty of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Alan and Cristina: Christ’s perfect (sinless) sacrifice provides the perfection God’s righteousness and justice demands…there is nothing we can do or add to achieve perfection, the Father credits the Son’s perfection to us through the covering of our sins by His very blood. It is our faith in His Son and acceptance of the Gift of Salvation that provides our access to Almighty God and Eternal Life with Him and all fellow believers. It is a choice. We do not have license to sin, however; graciously God has provided us a “Paraclete,” an advocate, through the Holy Spirit to enable us to live righteously (sanctification) though we will still make choices to sin—requiring repentance—until we receive our new eternal bodies. Stay in and study the Word, and though we recognize there are many false religions and theologies, find a church family that teaches the complete Word of God, the Bible, from cover to cover. Maranatha!✝️
That's a sound explanation of our time on Earth. If our souls are destined to live in Eternity, it is well that we experience the travails of the Earthly life before we get there. The Earthly life is a time of learning and testing. Every day is precious, because the days are fleeting.
It’s not like summer school-😂 It’s a place where most of us will go to in order to purify our souls so we can enter Paradise in total purity & love. None of us are holy & pure enough to enter Heaven immediately-maybe Mother Theresa and some select few.
Cristina, I come close to despair when I read comments like yours. I am as ready to enter Heaven at this moment as I ever will be because God sees me in Jesus Christ. He doesn't see Bobby Lime, sinner.
Do you understand that if left to ourselves, "all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags?"
No works will save us; otherwise it diminishes God's supreme sacrifice of His Son on the cross. We are redeemed by the resurrection and saved from our sinful nature. No other 'work' is required other than belief and living a life of faith. Thank you, Jesus! Purgatory in Roman Catholic theology is confused with Abraham's Side of Paradise. Jesus Christ went to Paradise after he died on the cross, and before he reappeared to the disciples. He told the thief hanging next to him that this would be true: Paradise is empty today because Jesus released the souls of the O.T. (Abraham's descendants who were waiting for the messiah) saints...all of us who believe in Jesus, the Hebrew Messiah, have a spirit that will go directly to heaven/God at our earthly demise. Catholics are more tentative in believing this Biblical promise.
To understand God, start with man- His creation- we are part of a general revelation- and in His word, God also reveals Himself in special revelation— Call it science, DNA or The Cosmos’ universal truths about life allow the particulars to fall into place. This is the opposite of a random accidental adaptation over time vs. c. 5-6 centuries BC. when our sin nature entered the world. The theory of evolution is Darwin’s pernicious lie.The discovery of DNA was not designed but rather, it looks designed. Creation was designed by intelligence, in a peacock’s tail or the human eye (which drove Darwin’s defense of natural selection into a shallow irrefutable corner). I highly recommend this lecture about Truth, Science & History. https://vimeo.com/895105096
I couldn’t agree more. It’s possible for one to make a decision to believe, even in the face of much doubt. There is a reason people refer to a “leap of faith”. And on one side of the chasm is hope and on the other is side despair and nihilism.
You’re right about that, but the theist’s contention is that the God who uses the laws of nature to achieve his ends is also the author of those laws. Therefore His intention creates not just the circle, but the stick, the string, and the fundamental geometric principles that make the whole experiment possible.
I believe God did create those laws, but not all at once. The process of evolution of the Universe and of human beings took time. 14 billion years from the Big Bang and counting.
The fossil record and the finches' beaks will find an exception to your claim 'it took 14 billion years from the Big Bang and counting.' We were all fed Darwinian folly, which brainwashed a nation while never knowing the author was such an atheist it was pitiful. So yes, Creation is the result of a Creator who also commanded Moses to write down ten laws ALL AT ONCE, too. Read GENESIS cover-to-cover with an open mind; God wants to speak to you, and wipe away the deceit of evolution of His universe. God is a part of everyday life, Darwinists want us to believe He is outside the box. False.
I believe God created DNA as the superstructure of life. It did not create itself. DNA is structured with an adaptable character than enables natural selection --- for example of dark skinned people in the tropics, and light skinned people in the high latitudes. But I believe God engineered DNA for the ultimate purpose of creating humans, and that His intelligent design guided evolution every step of the way, with the deliberate purpose of bring us into being.
I think He said, "A Universe without Humans to revel in its beauty is not much of a Universe."
btw. Darwin did not start out an atheist. In his most famous book, he wrote:
===
The question of [visible evidence of natural selection] is of course wholly distinct from that higher one, whether there exists a Creator and Ruler of the universe; and this has been answered in the affirmative by the highest intellects that have ever lived.
Darwin, Charles. The Descent of Man (Illustrated) (p. 18). Unknown. Kindle Edition.
===
He became an agnostic late in life, but never an atheist. The possibility of God never entirely left his mind.
A final note about Darwin's worldview: Evolution did not create itself; we are told it is random, whereas God is the Creator. Both cannot be true I suspect Darwin knew the bottom line was all about whether Jesus was the Messiah; but he chose not to believe the God of Abraham's prophecies and covenants for mankind. Carl Sagan said 'evolution is a fact,' which is also not true. Dawkins said, 'ignorant people reject evolution." C. Richard Bozarth, an American atheist, must have believed that "Jesus' earthly life was necessary to destroy Adam & Eve's original sin," so he just pulled back the rubble of creationism and (voila: the theory of evolution, cis boom bang, according to Tackett;, therefore, there's no need for Jesus on the cross!" That's atheistic rationalization in my dictionary and how science became the god (lowercase) of the modern world. Blessings to the believers who read this; hope for those who search for meaning in earthly life. In a word, it's Jesus.
So happy to hear the Lord is drawing you to Himself. Jesus is the reason I live in peace, live with an expectancy of His goodness in my life and the lives of my family and have no fear of death. He is in the business of setting people free! Praying for you🙏
I was raised Catholic and still consider myself Catholic, altho I nearly never go to church and have little admiration for the "organized" part of the church. But in doing meetups and the like, I am amazed at how many former Catholics I meet who seem almost proud to be former Catholics who "went to Catholic school". These are seniors, like myself in our 60's and 70's.
And yet, what I find amazing about these mostly senior former Catholics is that most of them still seem to have strong spiritual beliefs, not so dissimilar to what they learned years ago as Catholics. They still believe in God and wonder how to live a better life.
At the same time, there is a massive isolation crisis going on in our country right now, where many people feel socially disconnected, and miss the kind of community the church used to help provide.
Yet, the former Catholics I meet mostly seem to have zero interest in reconnecting with the organized church as it currently exists. Like me, they bristle at the idea of going back to church as it currently is organized. The administrative, ossified part of the church holds little appeal for us.
There must be someway to reconnect all of these people into a spiritual community, it seems to me.
"There must be someway to reconnect all of these people into a spiritual community, it seems to me."
I have a suggestion: If a goodly portion of "these people" could find a way excise a certain menagerie of invisible, powerful, magical creatures which are unnecessary in plumbing the depths of human nature (you might check in with the world's 70+% non-Christians on this), there are a lot of people who would breathe easier, believing we are back in a world of the sane.
So glad you are giving Christianity a look, Sasha. The Greatest Story Ever Told and you, me and everyone on earth is part of it!
God’s creation, humanity’s fall, the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, culminating in the promise of eternal life.
Nothing this world has to offer - compares to the promises I have in Jesus Christ.
You think you are seeking God.
The real story is God is seeking you.
Perfect message and perfect timing Jim.
God-directed prayers for the lost are part of the picture.
The war on religion is real!
The woke disease is rampant in houses of worship across the board.
Lots of us wish we had somewhere to worship with traditional values , but not so orthodox. Lots of currently “homeless” Christians & Jews. Help!
It’s rampant in traditional Protestant churches mostly. And these churches are loosing congregants by the bucket load . The Catholic Church is the only Christian church that still maintains its positions & boundaries & morality and that’s why it has been so appealing to a younger generation in search of stability & Truth. Believing in God, believing in salvation history is the hardest most demanding engagement we can have as humans and the price is our soul & being on the right side of eternity. It’s not the Shangri-la -it asks of a real & active relationship with God.
And then some rediscover the Reformed Confessions from the 16th Century. Our church uses them every week.
Confession is the most underrated Sacrament in the ancient Church. Penance/Reconciliation is soul cleansing.
A good book to read for anyone exploring Christianity is Tom Holland’s ‘Dominion’ (2019). Tom is a British historian of antiquity, raised Anglican, went atheist, and through study of the ancients returned to Christianity, writing this treasure of a book, recounting how revolutionary Christianity has been on our human race:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43885149-dominion
Seems you are Roman. I am Reformed. Old school not modern. Then we also have Eastern Orthodoxy. Let’s try not to confuse Sasha.
These days I actually attend 2 services. Roman Catholic Mass 1st, by myself, it’s my origin faith. And then later in AM an Evangelical service with my wife, where we read direct from scripture. I enjoy the liturgy of the Mass the most, with its emphasis and hyper focus on the Memorial of our spotless victim.
that's where I feel myself going. i've been doing study and services with some amazing born again Christians, but more and more I feel pulled back to my Catholic roots!
We are not evangelicals in the way folks think with rock n roll bands and laptop computers. The centerpiece of our worship is the exposition of the Word of God, the Holy Scriptures. We share the same ecumenical creeds and councils as the Roman church through the Council of Chalcedon. We both part with the Eastern church over the Nicene Creed’s Filioque , four words. I have experienced the Divine Liturgy at a Syrian orthodox worship service. It is beautiful. I prefer the simplicity of Calvinist worship.
Don't forget Coptic, & Maronite Christians, & Russian Orthodox, many flavors! And many more....
We are all tuned into the same message, just different channels of expression. It’s all about the Passion 😀
I know. I think we shouldn’t confuse Sasha right now.
I read Dominion-excellent
I would point you to the Roman Catholic Church. It’s perfectly imperfect. Just as Jesus encounters us. Becoming a Catholic as an adult involves 29 weeks of classes/study, 1.5 hours every week called OCIA:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_Christian_Initiation_of_Adults
Everyone is welcome to a Catholic Mass. Just do not receive the Eucharist until fully initiated. Prior to this time walk to altar w/ other parishioners and cross arms, receive blessing instead.
Yes, I converted as an adult to Catholic from Protestant some 30 years ago. Something was missing, and it turned out it was Jesus in the Eucharist! Best thing I ever did.
maybe not as much a war on religion as a war of religion. the left is a religion as sure is islam or christianity. they deny of course because they have defined themselves as something other than religion and then declare separation of church and state all the while their church ia the state. what the left really wants is their religion to have a monopoly on pomitical power.
in christianity your first level of commitment is to God and not man, so christianty will never legiitimately combine church and state. i.e. Christianity doesn't demand political power as an end unto itself as do islam, leftism, socialism, communism, fascism, etc.
Exactly!
"The war on religion is real! / The woke disease is rampant in houses of worship across the board."
But the Woke *is* religion -- and in exactly the same way.
So you want a buffet with your religion? That’s not exactly how it works. But I’m sure you’ll land on something.
As C.S. Lewis put it, Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.
Yes, and Mr. Lewis also said that Jesus can only be one of three things: either a liar, a lunatic, or The Lord. And if you read his words in the bible, you will come to know The Truth.
Pretty much sums it up. I would a lot better face death knowing there is a God that loves me and I am saved through Jesus. Better than wishing I had killed more Infidels.
C.S. Lewis: "Christianity, if false, is of no importance"
I don't see how that claim is accurate. True or not, Christianity had a profound influence on the West, which had a profound influence on the world. Or is he saying that the world by itself is of no importance?
(I'm assuming that by "is false", Lewis means "Christ does not exist".)
Well quoted!
Our situation in the world today is less a political battle, more a spiritual battle. The sooner we understand this, the sooner we will be able to right the ship of civilization.
you can feel the battle gathering!
You're on the road. Don't be afraid. Did you read the book I sent you a few years back, A Case For Christ? Also read C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity........
Mere Christianity will answer questions you didn't even know you had, Sasha. ❤️
CS Lewis’s Screwtape Letters is a humorous version of the same message, if you like Brittish humor--somewhat farsical. But good.
I have read them both. Both are invaluable for anyone exploring Christianity.
Well, and the Prologue of John, which sums it all up
Sasha, I can't wait to listen to this podcast. I'm a Christian. As you may know, many Christians love Judaism and the vital part it plays in Christian belief. I am one of them. Judeo-Christian morality is a pillar of Western Civilization (along with the Law, politics, and art of Greco-Roman tradition being the other pillars). Woke thought has infiltrated both Judaism and Christianity, but there are so many left who will fight for the values set forth first by the 10 Commandments. Thank you for your willingness to look at the only values that can save Western Civilization. PS, I am a HS History teacher who has fought, and been attacked, for teaching what used to be normal but is now reviled.
God could have chosen any race of people to reveal Himself. Could have been the Chinese or Ethiopians. But he chose the Jews/tribes of Israel. This reveal is called the era of Revelation, which came after the era of Creation. We are now in the era of Salvation and His invitation is available to both Jews and non Jews (Gentiles).
"God could have chosen any race of people to reveal Himself."
I never understood why God, having inspired the bible, didn't inspire other Israel-oriented bibles around the world, each written in a local native tongue, to identify who the chosen people are. It seems that God's having the tribe that is chosen be the only tribe to start distributing the book that *says* they are chosen doesn't seem like the best strategy... but then, that's why I'm asking. I can't understand it. It could be one of the main reasons Christianity, after 2000 years, has still not taken over the entire world, but still less than 30%.
Anyway, I'll just say there's a *lot* of things I don't understand about Christianity, and I was raised Christian... and kicked out for asking questions.
If you ask enough questions of Christianity, you will get to a point where you still have unanswered questions, but Christianity has no more answers beyond "because I said so", or "because the Bible says so", or some such. I'm not knocking Christianity, only pointing out the limits....
Agreed. Essentially, Scripture "communicates" only to people who *already believe* it, even unknowingly, before they even read it.
Belief Requires faith as defined in Hebrews 11:1:
“Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see.” Not easy.
What's "not easy" is the cognitive dissonance one experiences being told something is there but not sensing it. In the novel 1984, this is famously identified as pushed by propagandists [godmongers]: "The party [clergy] told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command."
When one earnestly conjures up an imaginary thing, especially when out of desperation or other duress, yes, one can overcome this dissonance. The imaginary thing will then appear. This is in the nature of human beings. After many decades observing this, I am convinced this is precisely what goes on in ALL (revealed) religions, and nothing more.
We have a great example of this today: We are besieged by the Woke religion, which has come to believe that -- after intense propaganda, and along with a number of other ridiculous things -- that the biology of sex is malleable, and the sexes are any number in quantity. This, most of us in this forum recognize, is pure fantasy. Yet the Woke do believe it.
The difference between the Woke religion on the one hand and the Abrahamic religions on the other is simply a few thousand years. The true genesis of the Woke is therefore all but naked and very easy to critique by someone with an open mind, while that of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam is nearly completely obscured by time, and impossible to critique directly.
Given the horrific dangers the world faces, it is hardly the time to conjure up fantasies. Instead, it is high time for us to "get real".
i wrote you a much longer reply on this thread, below. hope it helps!
Thanks. Please also see my comment parallel to this (just above or just below) about propaganda. I think it captures a piece of my perspective on revealed religion: https://www.sashastone.com/p/a-conversation-on-faith/comment/317099100
Us mere humans don’t understand all the ways of our Creator. Nor do I think, are we designed to. One could reasonably ask why it took so long for God to send the world His only begotten Son. I don’t pretend to know or understand the answer to that. I’m only thankful that I was chosen to live in the era of Salvation, and given free will.
The idea of fundamental human rights (based on the fact that we are all humans and therefore all equal which we assume almost without thinking) - are based on Christian ideals and utterly alien to pre-Christian cultures like the Persians, Greeks and Romans.
I recently re-read the Odyssey and then went to watch Nolan’s movie of the same title. I was struck by Homer’s poem having very few Christian values in it (the genocide of both suitors and slaves at end as an example - this occurred in poem but not on screen). Nolan, obviously impacted by Christianity, brought to the film morality that came from Christianity, because he knows his culture/audience. And therefore Nolan’s Odysseus character had regret about the sacking Troy, and even handed over his kingship to his son, Telemachus. Both of which don’t occur in the ancient Greek epic.
This is evidence of just how deep Christianity morality has penetrated Western culture, for even those not actively practicing Christianity, are (beneficiaries) of its revolution upon the world.
"Us mere humans don’t understand all the ways of our Creator."
That may be so, but it seems impossible to know the ways that are actually *true*, unless you are willing to trust hallucinations. In other words, I'm stuck at understanding the people who are *telling* us what are "the ways of our Creator". As far as I can tell, the only things that actually exist are, well... godmongers.
So I do wish some God would open up the heavens to everyone and just yell out something -- anything -- like: "I'm here! And, for the record, you're to read & believe KJB, and check in with Dr. Graham for details! Over and out!" All it would take is 10 seconds, and boy, you *know* you would have 99% conversion practically on the spot! Why does he continue to allow 70% of the world to be condemned to being excluded from heaven?
The Biblical text is rich and nuanced. It’s our guidepost for living a good life 👍🏼
Way too much of it doesn't make sense to me. As in, I don't even know what it's telling me, never mind who it was that wrote it.
C.S. Lewis “Mere Christianity” is a game changer. He talks about the true Christ and what that means for each of us.
He does not talk of the niceties and social issues that keep modern Sunday offering plate full of money.
Thank you! This should be interesting.
Meanwhile, do you have an update on Jasper?
So glad that you are increasing your interest in Christianity. I've been praying for you since I discovered your Substack. Christianity is very unfashionable with our woke betters, of course, but it's true.
I have subscribed to Jeremy. I look forward to your upcoming conversations.
I see the final years of my life just fly by. I have had serious health issues during the past 5 years. I know my life on earth is running out and my relationship with God has been rocky and difficult.
I just feel like my soul is empty. I feel angry about being ill. I'm so tired from being in physical pain. I'm sick of consulting with well meaning doctors and yet all their treatments/advice, has done little to improve my health. I feel like God hasn't heard my prayers. I need to find a way to feel like I'm closer to him. I need God's light to touch me and help me with acceptance for what I face now. If he feels that I can't be healed, then show me how to be bright, cheerful and find my right mind/soul again.
I have been praying and feeling unheard, yet Sasha's article was in my email box tonight. It sticks in my mind how much Sasha's words have meant to me. Perhaps this new collaboration with Sasha and Jeremy, is indeed the beginning of a prayer being answered 🙏
Anne, I will pray for your journey, it’s not fun when your body ages and betrays you. There are many alternative paths to heal, many are old and suppressed by pharma because they work and are cheap, and some are just homeopathic. I would encourage you to check out The Forgotten Side of Medicine, written by A Midwestern Doctor. It is fabulous and quite eye-opening, even for me, a nurse who doesn’t trust Pharma and looks for alternatives, but I didn’t know how deep this field is. Try it.
Commendations galore! I am a pretty religious guy - 10 commandments(with the details behind them) - and still don't believe in organized religion and their monetizing ways. Catholic Charities are the leading org - with YOUR taxpayer money - fueling illegal immigration. Obama brought on that 'funding'(billions of your money) in 2014....
I am an engineer so I was brought up on replicating tests to prove theory and I couldn't square something I couldn't see. Faith. That is what brought me around. I have faith that my wife will not cheat on me based on 33 years of togetherness. I have faith that there is God and Jesus went through a lot on our behalf.
Our oldest daughter is about to give birth to her third at the age of 25 with a wonderful husband and is coming around on the word faith.
Nobody expects you to 'convert', Sasha, just be yourself and see what happens as you have good instincts.
About a year ago, Sasha, I mailed you two books about Christianity that had a big impact on me! I hope you received them and might one day read them (by Henri Nouwen and Max Lucado). I have been praying for you since they were mailed!
I was raised a Baptist and married a Catholic. It took me 36 years to formally join the Catholic church whjich happened last year, and now I am Faith Director of our Knights of Columbus Council. Faith does not man certainty. If it was certain, there could not be faith. Catholics pray for '"those asleep in the HOPE of resurrection."
There is ambiguity between that and praying for deliverance into Heaven "at the hour of our death." The interesting thing is that if you live according to religious principles, your fear of death goes away. The real fear of death is by those who have lived in defiance of their conscience and are afraid the Devil is going to get them when they die.
Well, if they die separated from God they are not going uptown.
The Catholics have Purgatory where they can practice doing better before they advance. It's kinda like summer school for the soul.
Purgatory is a human invention. I know the verse in 1 Corinthians which someone may tell you to point to, but that verse doesn't imply purgation. It does show us the graciousness of God, who is faithful to save Christians whose lives after conversion may not have been impressive spiritually.
"...where they can practice doing better before they advance."
That shows me that while you may believe the indispensable thing, that Jesus Christ is The Second Person of the Triune Godhead made Incarnate, you haven't understood that salvation is a gift. It CAN'T be earned. Ephesians 2:8,9.
You can't "grow" into it. You can't make yourself "worthy" of it, although Christians are commanded to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. This means that as a Christian matures spiritually, he wears his faith more becomingly as he is transformed subtly to be more and more like Jesus Christ. This glorifies God and tends to draw to us people whom God is on the hunt for, and to whom we can witness with inarguable credibility.
Please read The Gospel of John and The Epistle to the Romans, chapter one through five.
"Purgatory is a human invention."
From what I can tell, *everything* (i.e. every human perception) is a human "invention". I suspect you will agree that every human is, necessarily and irreversibly, limited and fallible, right? Unfortunately, that limitation must then apply to every human concept, such as the concept of God, no matter how powerful the illusions otherwise. Protagoras was onto this, and Socrates, in his own way, confirmed it.
That's sophistry. God is The First Cause. He has always been. The things of Creation show His power and glory, leaving each of us without excuse if the person rejects the knowledge of Him.
Read The Epistle to the Romans, chapter one.
What is absurd is that life happened accidentally. You have to will to shut God out in order to try to do it, and even then, you can't succeed.
I think all of Flannery O'Connor's stories are online. If so, or if you must get it in a book, read her story "The Enduring Chill."
Another comment I made to this post captures a relevant piece of my perspective on revealed religion: https://www.sashastone.com/p/a-conversation-on-faith/comment/317099100
You might want to work more on your argument (well, here your declaration by fiat, really) equating religious skepticism with sophistry. You want to convince that skeptic (me), right? To do that, you'll need to have the sets of premises on each side that are equivalent and accepted by both. (A believer needs no convincing; he readily accepts fiat declarations and all their hidden premises.) Then, you have a basis for comparing differing conclusions. If the premises are not equivalent, it's like speaking two languages -- one is gibberish to the other, and the argument is null and useless.
I know a lot of revealed religions (Abrahamic, Islam, Marxism, Wokism, etc.) laugh at the idea of reaching the skeptic halfway, but then maybe that's why holy wars exist.
"What is absurd is that life happened accidentally"
Yes, it's absurd to most humans. Doesn't mean it couldn't happen without direction. (The concept "accident" is itself anthropomorphic. The whole paragraph, in fact.)
Let me use this counterexample to an intelligent creator: if you put a stick, or pin, in the ground, attach a string, and then drag the taut end of the string completely around in all directions possible, you can easily make a an essentially perfect circle -- more perfect even than your concentrating hard on making one freehand. Hopefully, you will easily recognize the physics or geometry involved in this simple case, and realize that though the circle is perfect, the pin, string, and forces are not "intelligent". If you extrapolate this type of physical perfection through an unlimited series of all kinds of scenarios of physics, chemistry, etc, you will hopefully recognize that all kinds of "behaviors" can occur that have nothing to do with intelligence. Unless you assume by fiat that everything that exists is somehow imbued with intelligence, whatever that can mean.
You are wrong but I’m not engaging further.
That's not an answer anyone can respect.
A five year old can say that.
That’s the glorious beauty of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Alan and Cristina: Christ’s perfect (sinless) sacrifice provides the perfection God’s righteousness and justice demands…there is nothing we can do or add to achieve perfection, the Father credits the Son’s perfection to us through the covering of our sins by His very blood. It is our faith in His Son and acceptance of the Gift of Salvation that provides our access to Almighty God and Eternal Life with Him and all fellow believers. It is a choice. We do not have license to sin, however; graciously God has provided us a “Paraclete,” an advocate, through the Holy Spirit to enable us to live righteously (sanctification) though we will still make choices to sin—requiring repentance—until we receive our new eternal bodies. Stay in and study the Word, and though we recognize there are many false religions and theologies, find a church family that teaches the complete Word of God, the Bible, from cover to cover. Maranatha!✝️
https://versebyverseministry.org/bible-answers/imperfect-people-in-heaven
Judy, I wish my congregation were blessed by your presence in it.
Purgatory in my opinion is our time on earth right now. What else can explain what we are all living through?
That's a sound explanation of our time on Earth. If our souls are destined to live in Eternity, it is well that we experience the travails of the Earthly life before we get there. The Earthly life is a time of learning and testing. Every day is precious, because the days are fleeting.
It’s not like summer school-😂 It’s a place where most of us will go to in order to purify our souls so we can enter Paradise in total purity & love. None of us are holy & pure enough to enter Heaven immediately-maybe Mother Theresa and some select few.
Cristina, I come close to despair when I read comments like yours. I am as ready to enter Heaven at this moment as I ever will be because God sees me in Jesus Christ. He doesn't see Bobby Lime, sinner.
Do you understand that if left to ourselves, "all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags?"
Thank God for the Reformation.
No works will save us; otherwise it diminishes God's supreme sacrifice of His Son on the cross. We are redeemed by the resurrection and saved from our sinful nature. No other 'work' is required other than belief and living a life of faith. Thank you, Jesus! Purgatory in Roman Catholic theology is confused with Abraham's Side of Paradise. Jesus Christ went to Paradise after he died on the cross, and before he reappeared to the disciples. He told the thief hanging next to him that this would be true: Paradise is empty today because Jesus released the souls of the O.T. (Abraham's descendants who were waiting for the messiah) saints...all of us who believe in Jesus, the Hebrew Messiah, have a spirit that will go directly to heaven/God at our earthly demise. Catholics are more tentative in believing this Biblical promise.
To understand God, start with man- His creation- we are part of a general revelation- and in His word, God also reveals Himself in special revelation— Call it science, DNA or The Cosmos’ universal truths about life allow the particulars to fall into place. This is the opposite of a random accidental adaptation over time vs. c. 5-6 centuries BC. when our sin nature entered the world. The theory of evolution is Darwin’s pernicious lie.The discovery of DNA was not designed but rather, it looks designed. Creation was designed by intelligence, in a peacock’s tail or the human eye (which drove Darwin’s defense of natural selection into a shallow irrefutable corner). I highly recommend this lecture about Truth, Science & History. https://vimeo.com/895105096
I couldn’t agree more. It’s possible for one to make a decision to believe, even in the face of much doubt. There is a reason people refer to a “leap of faith”. And on one side of the chasm is hope and on the other is side despair and nihilism.
You’re right about that, but the theist’s contention is that the God who uses the laws of nature to achieve his ends is also the author of those laws. Therefore His intention creates not just the circle, but the stick, the string, and the fundamental geometric principles that make the whole experiment possible.
I believe God did create those laws, but not all at once. The process of evolution of the Universe and of human beings took time. 14 billion years from the Big Bang and counting.
Whoops! That was meant as a reply to another comment. I have no disagreement with what you have said. Sorry!
The fossil record and the finches' beaks will find an exception to your claim 'it took 14 billion years from the Big Bang and counting.' We were all fed Darwinian folly, which brainwashed a nation while never knowing the author was such an atheist it was pitiful. So yes, Creation is the result of a Creator who also commanded Moses to write down ten laws ALL AT ONCE, too. Read GENESIS cover-to-cover with an open mind; God wants to speak to you, and wipe away the deceit of evolution of His universe. God is a part of everyday life, Darwinists want us to believe He is outside the box. False.
I believe God created DNA as the superstructure of life. It did not create itself. DNA is structured with an adaptable character than enables natural selection --- for example of dark skinned people in the tropics, and light skinned people in the high latitudes. But I believe God engineered DNA for the ultimate purpose of creating humans, and that His intelligent design guided evolution every step of the way, with the deliberate purpose of bring us into being.
I think He said, "A Universe without Humans to revel in its beauty is not much of a Universe."
btw. Darwin did not start out an atheist. In his most famous book, he wrote:
===
The question of [visible evidence of natural selection] is of course wholly distinct from that higher one, whether there exists a Creator and Ruler of the universe; and this has been answered in the affirmative by the highest intellects that have ever lived.
Darwin, Charles. The Descent of Man (Illustrated) (p. 18). Unknown. Kindle Edition.
===
He became an agnostic late in life, but never an atheist. The possibility of God never entirely left his mind.
A final note about Darwin's worldview: Evolution did not create itself; we are told it is random, whereas God is the Creator. Both cannot be true I suspect Darwin knew the bottom line was all about whether Jesus was the Messiah; but he chose not to believe the God of Abraham's prophecies and covenants for mankind. Carl Sagan said 'evolution is a fact,' which is also not true. Dawkins said, 'ignorant people reject evolution." C. Richard Bozarth, an American atheist, must have believed that "Jesus' earthly life was necessary to destroy Adam & Eve's original sin," so he just pulled back the rubble of creationism and (voila: the theory of evolution, cis boom bang, according to Tackett;, therefore, there's no need for Jesus on the cross!" That's atheistic rationalization in my dictionary and how science became the god (lowercase) of the modern world. Blessings to the believers who read this; hope for those who search for meaning in earthly life. In a word, it's Jesus.
So happy to hear the Lord is drawing you to Himself. Jesus is the reason I live in peace, live with an expectancy of His goodness in my life and the lives of my family and have no fear of death. He is in the business of setting people free! Praying for you🙏
Interesting topic, and a timely one!
I was raised Catholic and still consider myself Catholic, altho I nearly never go to church and have little admiration for the "organized" part of the church. But in doing meetups and the like, I am amazed at how many former Catholics I meet who seem almost proud to be former Catholics who "went to Catholic school". These are seniors, like myself in our 60's and 70's.
And yet, what I find amazing about these mostly senior former Catholics is that most of them still seem to have strong spiritual beliefs, not so dissimilar to what they learned years ago as Catholics. They still believe in God and wonder how to live a better life.
At the same time, there is a massive isolation crisis going on in our country right now, where many people feel socially disconnected, and miss the kind of community the church used to help provide.
Yet, the former Catholics I meet mostly seem to have zero interest in reconnecting with the organized church as it currently exists. Like me, they bristle at the idea of going back to church as it currently is organized. The administrative, ossified part of the church holds little appeal for us.
There must be someway to reconnect all of these people into a spiritual community, it seems to me.
"There must be someway to reconnect all of these people into a spiritual community, it seems to me."
I have a suggestion: If a goodly portion of "these people" could find a way excise a certain menagerie of invisible, powerful, magical creatures which are unnecessary in plumbing the depths of human nature (you might check in with the world's 70+% non-Christians on this), there are a lot of people who would breathe easier, believing we are back in a world of the sane.