A 3,000-year-old large ceramic jar with the inscription of name common only in King David's Era

Click the link below for the whole article.

A 3,000-year-old large ceramic jar with the inscription of the name “Eshbaal Ben Beda.”




...This is the first time the name was found in an ancient inscription, they said. It is one of only four inscriptions discovered from the biblical 10th century B.C. Kingdom of Judah under the reign of King David.


The discovery is significant, as it disproves claims that biblical accounts from the time of David and Saul are not verifiable and could just be myths.


The announcement about the discovery was made after archaeologists put together the inscription discovered on shards found in a 2012 excavation in central Israel. The examination was done at Institute of Archaeology at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.


"We have found hundreds of jars in big cities across what was the Kingdom of Judah," Daily Mail quoted Ganor, the director of excavation at Khirbet Qeiyafa for the Israel Antiquities Authority, as saying. "This is the only one to have an inscription. For the jar to bear this man's name, it suggests he was someone very special and important. Writing from this period is extremely rare,"


"This is the first time that the name Eshba'al has appeared on an ancient inscription in the country," Garfinkel was quoted as saying. "It is interesting to note that the name Eshba'al appears in the Bible, and now also in the archaeological record, only during the reign of King David, in the first half of the tenth century BCE."


He added: "This name was not used later in the First Temple period. The correlation between the biblical tradition and the archaeological finds indicates this was a common name only during that period. The name Beda' is unique and does not occur in ancient inscriptions or in the biblical tradition."

Satanic Contract Demands Giving Souls to Satan

Dear friends:
Satan is still very active in our world, Unbelievable?
Proof: See the horrible human sacrifice news from CNN today; also take a peek of what kind of contract selling souls to Satan from CP news.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/27/asia/nepal-human-sacrifice/index.html

Satanic Temple Demands Followers Sign Contract Giving Their Souls to Satan Before Unveiling Satanic Statue in Detroit 

Satanic Temple Demands Followers Sign Contract Giving Their Souls to Satan Before Unveiling Satanic Statue in Detroit

BY STOYAN ZAIMOV , CHRISTIAN POST REPORTER

(PHOTO: REUTERS/THE SATANIC TEMPLE/HANDOUT)

The Satanic Temple's template for a statue of Baphomet is pictured in this undated handout photo obtained by Reuters June 27, 2014.

July 27, 2015|12:05 pm

The Satanic Temple group reportedly presented followers who attended its unveiling of a Satanic statue in Detroit on Saturday with a contract that pledges their souls to Satan.

"I agree that by signing this document under any name, given or adopted, actual or pseudonymous, I am hereby avowing my soul to Satan (aka Abbadon, aka Lucifer, aka Beelzebub, aka the Antichrist). I do so knowing that He (aka The Fallen One, aka The Father of Lies) or any of His representatives may choose to collect my eternal soul at any time, with or without notice," the contract reads, as shared by The Friendly Atheist blog.

"I understand that my signature or mark representing any name, real or made up, upon these papers constitutes a lasting and eternal contract, and that there will be no further negotiations on the matter of my eternal soul."

TST spokesperson Lucien Greaves explained that attendees had to sign the contract pledging their souls to Satan after received an e-ticket which revealed the secret location of the event.

The 8½-foot-tall statue unveiled in Detroit is of Baphomet, a Satanic entity with horns, hooves, wings and a beard, depicted next to two young children.

The Associated Press revealed that the group had originally planned to host the unveiling at a popular restaurant, but had to change to a secret venue after the owner began receiving threats.

"Detroit is a very religious area," said Bert Dearing, the owner of Bert's Market Place in Detroit's Eastern Market district.
"When I rented the place, I just thought it was a church. I didn't know about the unveiling of a statue. We weren't aware they were into devil worshiping."...

(* note by me: I think these people must have thought this souls wholesale to Satan contract is purely a big joke since they think Satan does not exist, and they think even their souls do not exist, so they can fictitiously, generously sold out their souls to Satan. Little do they know playing with fire will self-immolation, these self-conceited modern copies of  Dr. Faust! Wait until they find out the devil really exist, perhaps it will be too late for them to regret ?)

Who Wrote the Book of Revelation?

John the Apostle Being Exiled at Patmos, Greece

Dear friends:
Since I am aware that there are controversial arguments about the author of the Book of Revelation through generations, I now present following simple logic for you to consider ( copied from other blog).

...So, what it comes down to is this:

We have modern-day Biblical scholars, who lived some two thousand years after the fact, arguing over who did and who did not write The Book of Revelation; and

We have near contemporary Christian authors’ assertions that John, the beloved apostle, wrote The Revelation.

Who am I therefore to believe? Who would you believe?

Setting my own prejudices aside, I would still have to believe the near contemporaries who were closer to the situation than our modern-day scholars. One would have to believe their knowledge exceeds the knowledge of those up to two thousand years removed. At least, I am convinced.

(you may also click the link below for this author's whole article)

Who Was the Author of the Book of Revelation?


(..And lastly: ( 2 major points listed in the above link))

“Was St. John the apostle and evangelist the writer of the Revelation? The evidence adduced in support of his being the author consists of (1) the assertions of the author, and (2) historical tradition. (1) The author’s description of himself in the 1st and 22d chapters is certainly equivalent to an assertion that he is the apostle. He names himself simply John, without prefix or addition. He is also described as a servant of Christ, one who had borne testimony as an eye-witness of the word of God and the testimony of Christ. He is in Patmos for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. He is also a fellow sufferer with those whom he addresses, and the authorized channel of the most direct and important communication that was ever made to the Seven Churches of Asia, of which churches John the apostle was at that time the spiritual governor and teacher.All these marks are found united in the apostle John, and in him alone of ...all historical persons. (2) A long series of writers testify to St. John's authorship. Justin Martyr (cir. 150 A.D.), Eusebius, Irenaeus (A.D. 195), Clement of Alexandria (about 200), Tertullian (207), Origen (233). All the foregoing writers, testifying that the book came from an apostle, believed that it was part of Holy Scripture. (Smith’s Bible Dictionary, pp. 562-563, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1984.)

You may also click the link below for further discussions.

http://www.equip.org/bible_answers/who-wrote-revelation/


,,,Finally, while there is little to commend the notion that a shadowy figure named John the Elder wrote the book of Revelation, there is ample evidence that it was written by John the apostle. The very fact that the author of the apocalypse simply calls himself John is a dead giveaway that he was well known throughout the churches in Asia Minor. Additionally, the fingerprints of John the apostle are all over the apocalypse! One need only open their eyes and ears to apprehend the clues. For example, John, and John alone, identifies Jesus as the Word, or Logos (John 1:1, 14; Revelation 19:13). Likewise, John alone identifies Jesus as the true witness (John 5:31–47; 8:14–18; Revelation 2:13; 3:14), and it is John who most exploits the Mosaic requirement of two witnesses (John 8:12–30; Revelation 11:1–12). Added to this, there is undeniable commonality in the symbolic use of the number seven that transcends its literal meaning. It is also noteworthy that like the gospel of John, Revelation is a literary masterpiece.

Israel - Reborn in One Day as Being Foretold Long Ago

Dear friends:

Over 300 years ago, King Louis XIV of France asked Blaise Pascal, the great Christian philosopher and a famous Mathematician, to give him proof of God. Pascal answered, “Why? the Jews, your Majesty, the Jews!”

CLICK HERE for the MP3 on this

That the Jewish nation—such a tiny group of people—survived two thousand years of exile and persecution was nothing short of a supernatural phenomenon. Pascal wasn’t the only one who was so amazed by the survival of the Jewish people. Other thinkers, philosophers and historians have noticed something unusual about the Jews.

The 7 Wonders of Jewish History

(Click the above link for the whole article.)

As the Jew owner of the above blog pointed out,

..."When we look at Jewish history, we see a history where the Jewish people have defied the laws of nature and the laws of history! We have survived and impacted this world though we have been thrown out of our land not once, but twice! We have impacted the world perhaps more than any other people in history—the concepts of the value of human life, universal education, justice and equality, the importance of and goal of world peace (as opposed to glorifying war), the importance of a strong stable family as a basis for a moral foundation for society, individual and national responsibility for the world—though we were beaten, killed and exiled from one nation to the other. Though few in number and spread to the four corners of the earth, we survived as a people, never assimilating into anonymity. Even our land, the Land of Israel, defied the laws of nature, only fertile when the Jewish people inhabited it.


Coincidence? Good luck? A roll of the dice? Perhaps—except that each and every phenomena was prophesied and predicted in the Torah hundreds and thousands of years before the events. Does it make you think that perhaps something is going on here? That perhaps there is a special relationship between the Almighty and the Jewish people?


The Almighty, the Jewish people and the Torah are intertwined. In the past 3,300 years there have been effort after effort—from within as well as from without—to redefine and redirect our people. Each and every one has failed. If you wonder why, then perhaps the time has come to read the Torah( The first 5 books in O.T. Bible) and find out. The Torah is not only their heritage, it is the game plan for the Jewish people and the world."

Furthermore, you may click the link below for more exact prophecies.
Bible Prophecies Foretold the Return of the Jews to Israel

Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Bible passages predict the return of Israel to the land of Palestine.

Israel, a nation that had not really existed as a separate nation for nearly 2,500 years, was declared a new sovereign state by an act of the United Nations on May 14, 1948. The nation was born in a day. Amazing indeed! Now please examine a few fulfilled prophecies about its return and other amazing restorations and look up OT Bible.

...

Sign #2: The Return Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Bible passages predict the return of Israel to the land of Palestine. Here are only two. Ezekiel 20:34 - "I will bring you from the nations and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered -- with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with outpoured wrath." Isaiah 11:11-12 NIV - "In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the remnant that is left of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the sea. He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth."

...
Sign #4: Israel - Reborn in a day

Israel, a nation that had not really existed as a separate nation for nearly 2,500 years, was declared a new sovereign state by an act of the United Nations on May 14, 1948. The nation was born in a day.

Isaiah 66:8 NIV - "Who has ever heard of such a thing? Who has ever seen such things? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children."

Sign #5: The order of the return The first returning Jews to Palestine came primarily from eastern Arab countries. The next major movement came from the western countries of Europe, especially Germany. Then they came in great numbers from Russia (north) during the end of the 1980's. The last great migrations of Jews returning to Israel came from Ethiopia in the south. This precise order of return was predicted by Isaiah the prophet. Isaiah 43:5-6,21 - "Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, `Give them up!' and to the south, `Do not hold them back.' Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth..." "... the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise." Psalm 107:2-3 NIV - "Let the redeemed of the LORD say this -- those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south.

...
Sign #7: The shekel

After nearly 2,000 years the shekel has been reinstated as the common monetary unit in Israel, again, just as predicted.

Ezekiel 45:12-16 NIV - "The shekel is to consist of twenty gerahs. Twenty shekels plus twenty-five shekels plus fifteen shekels equal one mina.... All the people of the land will participate in this special gift for the use of the prince in Israel."

Sign #8: Named cities of Israel There are many cities in Israel that bear the ancient names of previous Jewish cities. Some of these that bear their Biblical identification include: Cana, Nazareth, Jericho, Nain, Bethany, Bethlehem, Hebron, Gaza, etc. Again, as the ancient nation was in the process of being destroyed, Ezekiel the prophet predicted that many of the ancient cities would, in fact, be re-inhabited and settled in the exact locations. Ezekiel 36:11; 24 KJV - "And I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bring fruit: and I will settle you after your old estates, and will do better [unto you] than at your beginnings: and ye shall know that I [am] the LORD.... For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land."

Sign #9: Cities excepted - never to be inhabited Jesus pronounced a curse on at least three cities within the land. These remain in ruins today. Matthew 11:21-23 NIV - "Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day."

... Sign #10: From desolation to productivity The restoration of the agriculture and of the trees and forests of Israel has been another remarkable miracle. Scarcely 75 years ago, the land was a desolate waste, full of malarial swamps and deserts. Today the replanted forests are flourishing and the Israeli agricultural production is one of the great wonders of the world. This tiny country exports quality produce around the world. Should we say, "Again, just as predicted!" Isaiah 26:6 NIV - "In days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will bud and blossom and fill all the world with fruit." Isaiah 35:1-2 NIV - "The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy...."

What is "The Tree of Knowledge( of Good and Evil "?

Dear friends:

Recently a friend has asked me about the 'Tree of Knowledge'. If God didn't want the man to eat the fruit from it why did He plant it in the Garden of Eden in the first place?

So I have restudied this topic and collected a couple links and a few paragraphs below to share with you. For the original articles, you may click the links for yourself.

...Skeptics often complain that God set Adam and Eve up to fail. However, God had to give Adam and Eve a choice. Without free will to choose, Adam and Eve would have been mere puppets. True love always requires choice.God wanted Adam and Eve to choose to love and trust Him. The only way to give this choice would have been to command something that was not allowed. Since God had planted in the garden all the different trees from which we now get fruit,¹the test was not too difficult. Adam and Eve had plenty to eat and a large variety of fruits from which to choose, and could have chosen to believe God. They were only commanded not to eat from one tree out of the many.

http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/tree.html

Why did God choose the knowledge of good and evil?

Since everything else God planted in the garden was good, the natural choice of something to choose from would be knowledge of evil. God's plan for Adam and Eve was to enjoy each other and their fellowship with Him without the influence of evil. God did not want Adam and Eve to experience evil or even know about it. However, Satan had already rebelled against God and then tempted Eve to join him in rebellion against God. Satan used the oldest ploy in his playbook of deceit - God is a cosmic killjoy who is trying to keep something good from you. Satan first asked Eve about the tree from which they were told not to eat.³ Eve told Satan they were not to eat of the forbidden fruit or they would die. Satan's reply indicated that God was a liar and that He just wanted to keep something good (the fruit) from them, saying, "God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."³ So, Adam and Eve gained knowledge of the difference between good and evil through direct experience, instead of through instruction by God. The text suggests that Adam and Eve had enjoyed daily walks with God through the garden prior to their fall (Genesis 3:8). The knowledge of evil brought fear and shame to Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:10).⁴ So, the knowledge of good and evil wasnot a good thing, since it ruined their innocent relationship with God and each other.

Return to innocence?

This is somewhat speculative, but I believe that we believers will lose our knowledge of evil in heaven. Isaiah 25:8⁵ says that God will wipe all the tears from us and our reproach will be removed (see also Revelation 7:17 and 21:4).⁶ We will be able to experience and enjoy God directly⁷ without influence or knowledge of sin and evil.

Conclusion 

Skeptics claim that God set up Adam and eve to fail by giving them a test that was either too difficult or deceptive. However, the Bible makes it clear that God gave Adam and Eve all they needed - with lots of different trees from which to eat fruit. It is clear that Eve knew she should not eat from the one tree in the middle of the garden that she was instructed to avoid. Instead of believing God and trusting Him, after all He had done for them, Eve chose to believe the lies of Satan (in snake form), and believed that God was lying to her. She ate the forbidden fruit and convinced her husband to do the same, resulting in their loss of innocence and a broken relationship with God and each other. Yes, they now had knowledge of good and evil, but it wasn't quite as originally advertised by the snake. We still have the same choice as Adam and Eve. We can gain the knowledge of evil by directly participating in it or we can believe God and avoid the things He has said are bad for us.

http://christianthought.hbu.edu/2012/10/08/why-did-god-create-the-tree-of-the-knowledge-of-good-and-evil/

...I don’t know if there is AN answer to that question, but I do have some thoughts which may be helpful. The prophet Isaiah reminds us that God’s ways are not our ways, his thoughts are not our thoughts. He said that God’s thoughts are as high above our thoughts as the stars in the heaven. So whatever God had in mind when he did it is not available to us, unless God’s chooses to reveal it to us plainly. Genesis 3 tells us what God did but not why.

Of all God’s creatures human beings are made in His image. This means, among other things, that we have a will of our own and make choices. Animals cannot choose. A species of bird driven by instinct to build a nest in the trees cannot decide to burrow beneath the ground for its home. Human beings, though, uniquely fashioned from the earth are not only able to make decisions, they must. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was there, in part, to provide humans with a choice: to obey the Voice of God or not. Had there been no choice, there could be no obedience. The ongoing question for us is whether we will choose to follow, love and obey the One True God. Yes, I think God knew that some people would choose to follow. Others would choose to follow their own desires. That is not a failure in God but in us. Had God made us so that we could only love him, then it would be no love at all. Love is at the heart of creation.

Another matter which comes to mind. The knowledge of good and evil seems like a good thing to have, but the question is: where should this come from? The “sin” of Adam and Eve is that they want to be “like God.” This means that they do not want to depend on God for the guidance of what is good and evil. They want to know it for themselves, which makes them the judge. They want the option in the future to say what is good and what is evil. In fact, God is the only judge in these matters. The Hebrew word translated “knowledge” may imply “knowledge by experience” rather than theoretical knowledge. God did not want young Adam and Eve to know evil by experience. As a parent, I can understand that. I want my adult son to “know” that adultery is evil and will harm him and his family, but I don’t want him to have to experience it to know it. Adam and Eve, however, chose disobedience; they apparently wanted to experience for themselves good and evil. That experience changed them and the world in profound ways.

Are Most Muslims Peaceful People?

Dear friends:

It is political incorrect to say that Muslims are not peaceful people. Most friends would argue that their Muslims neighbors are very peaceful and nice people. Indeed, many moderate Muslims are nice and peaceful in US. However, the fundamental teaching of Islam to kill or eliminate infidels as Koran so teaches remains the bottom line. (Let believers not take for friends and allies infidels rather than believers: and whoever does this shall have no relationship left with Allah—unless you but guard yourselves against them, taking precautions – Koran 3:28)

Take a look of the real stories when Muslim neighbors betray their life long neighbors as ISIS or al-Qaeda invaded their towns. 

When Muslims Betray Non-Muslim Friends and Neighbors

We also can learn from history too. Here are a few real stories told by recent refugees:

...Georgios, a man from the ancient Christian town of Ma'loula—one of the few areas in the world where the language of Christ was still spoken—told of how Muslim neighbors he knew all his life turned on the Christians after al-Nusra, another jihadi outfit, invaded in 2013:

We knew our Muslim neighbours all our lives. Yes, we knew the Diab family were quite radical, but we thought they would never betray us. We ate with them. We are one people.
A few of the Diab family had left months ago and we guessed they were with the Nusra [al-Qaeda front]. But their wives and children were still here. We looked after them. Then, two days before the Nusra attacked, the families suddenly left the town. We didn't know why. And then our neighbours led our enemies in among us.
The Christian man explained with disbelief how he saw a young member of the Diab family whom he knew from youth holding a sword and leading foreign jihadis to Christian homes. Continues Georgios:

We had excellent relations. It never occurred to us that Muslim neighbours would betray us. We all said "please let this town live in peace — we don't have to kill each other." But now there is bad blood. They brought in the Nusra to throw out the Christians and get rid of us forever. Some of the Muslims who lived with us are good people but I will never trust 90 per cent of them again.

...Likewise, watch this 60 Minute interview with a Yazidi woman. When asked why people she knew her whole life would suddenly join IS and savagely turn on her people, she replied:

I can't tell you exactly, but it has to be religion. It has to be religion. They constantly asked us to convert, but we refused. Before this, they never mentioned it. Prior, we thought of each other as family. But I say, it has to be religion.
Lest it seem that this phenomenon of Sunni betrayal is limited to Islamic jihad in Mesopotamia, know that it has occurred historically and currently in other nations. The following anecdote from the Ottoman Empire is over 100 years old:

Then one night, my husband came home and told me that the padisha [sultan] had sent word that we were to kill all the Christians in our village, and that we would have to kill our neighbours. I was very angry, and told him that I did not care who gave such orders, they were wrong. These neighbours had always been kind to us, and if he dared to kill them Allah would pay us out. I tried all I could to stop him, but he killed them — killed them with his own hand. (Sir Edwin Pears, Turkey and Its People, London: Methuen and Co., 1911, p. 39)

Let believers not take for friends and allies infidels rather than believers: and whoever does this shall have no relationship left with Allah—unless you but guard yourselves against them, taking precautions – Koran 3:28

Please click the link below for more real stories.

When Muslims Betray Non-Muslim Friends and Neighbors

Blind Faith, Unreasonable Faith or Reasonable Faith?

Christianity Promotes Rational (and Evidential) Exploration

Anais Nin, the avant-garde author and diarist, once said, “When we blindly adopt a religion, a political system, a literary dogma, we become automatons. We cease to grow.” I couldn’t agree more. As a detective and evidentialist, the last thing I want a jury to do is adopt a position blindly. Many people seem to think that Christians do this very thing, however, when they adopt the view that Christianity is true. This is largely due to the fact that the term, “faith” is largely misunderstood. For some (even for some Christians), faith is best defined as “believing in something that lacks supporting evidence.” But this is not the definition of faith that is presented on the pages of Christian Scripture. Instead, the Biblical notion of faith is more akin to “trusting in the best inference from the evidence” (more on this in my post on Friday).

The Biblical authors repeatedly encouraged their readers to search the evidence to investigate the claims of Christianity so they could be convinced of the truth of these claims. This encouragement is consistent with the notion that the evidence will lead us to a rational conclusion about the nature of Jesus In fact, Jesus also encouraged his followers to consider the evidence he provided about his deity (John 14:11 and Acts 1:2-3). Christian faith is not blind. Instead, the Christian faith encourages investigation related to Jesus and to the world around us. Christians ought to understand 

the distinctions between unreasonable, blind and reasonable faith:

Unreasonable Faith Believing in something IN SPITE of the evidence. We hold an unreasonable faith when we refuse to accept or acknowledge evidence that exists, is easily accessible and clearly refutes what we believe

Blind Faith Believing in something WITHOUT any evidence. We hold a blind faith when we accept something even though there is no evidence to support our beliefs. We don’t search for ANY evidence that either supports or refutes what we are determined to believe

Reasonable Faith Believing in something BECAUSE of the evidence. We hold a reasonable faith when we believe in something because it is the most reasonable conclusion from the evidence that exists. The Bible repeatedly makes evidential claims. It offers eyewitness accounts of historical events that can be verified archaeologically, prophetically and even scientifically. We, as Christians are called to hold a REASONABLE FAITH that is grounded in this evidence.

The pages of Scripture support the notion of “reasonable faith”. Perhaps this is why so many Christians are evidentialists and have applied this evidential view of the world to their professional investigations (I’ve assembled a partial list of some of these Christian investigators in a variety of fields). Christianity has not stunted the intellectual growth of these men and women (as Anais Nin seemed to insinuate), but has instead provided the foundation for their exploration. For these investigators, the evidential nature of the Christian Worldview was entirely consistent (and even foundational) to their investigative pursuits in every aspect of God’s creation. Christianity did not cause them to “cease to grow” but, instead, provided the philosophical foundation for their investigations.

(* some detailed Biblical references from the original post: 

The Biblical authors repeatedly encouraged their readers to search the evidence to investigate the claims of Christianity (1 Thessalonians 5:19-21 and 1 John 4:1) so they could be convinced of the truth of these claims (Romans 14:5, 2 Timothy 1:8-12 and 2 Timothy 3:14). This encouragement is consistent with the notion that the evidence will lead us to a rational conclusion about the nature of Jesus. )

Click the link below to visit the original website.

Christianity Promotes Rational (and Evidential) Exploration | Cold Case Christianity

Does “Faith” Involves Making An Inference From Evidence?

If “Faith” Involves Making An Inference From Evidence, Why Do We Call It “Faith”?

 ( click this above link to access the original website) for Chinese translation, click the link below.

•    信仰何需證據推理？

• 
  

In the past here at ColdCaseChristianity.com, I’ve offered a definition of Biblical “faith” that is more akin to “trusting the best inference from the evidence” than “believing something that lacks supporting evidence”. Whenever I make this distinction, someone inevitably asks, “If you’re simply making the most reasonable inference from the evidence, what’s the need for ‘faith’ at all?” The definition I’ve offered does sound like there’s little left unanswered in a process of reasoning that seeks inferences and requires evidence to direct our decision. After all, we ask juries to enter into this form of reasoning all the time, don’t we? Juries attempt to find the best inference from the evidence and we don’t call their decisions an act of “faith”! If evidence is an integral part of “faith decisions”, what is left for there to have “faith” about?

My experience in criminal trials continues to teach me about the nature of evidential cases. I’ve yet to investigate or present a case where there weren’t a number of questions that the jury had to leave unanswered. Although my cases are typically robust, cumulative and compelling, they always have some informational limit. There are always some questions that never seem to get answered: How precisely did the defendant dispose of the victim’s body? How did he find time to clean up the crime scene? What did he do with the murder weapon? There are some questions that simply cannot be answered unless a suspect is willing to confess to the crime (and that doesn’t happen all that often). This is such a regular and expected part of criminal cases that prosecutors typically ask jurors (prior to their selection) if they are going to require that every question be answered before they will be able to come to a decision on our case. If a potential juror says that he or she needs every question answered, we simply remove them from our panel. I’ve never seen a perfect case presented without an unanswered question, and jurors that expect such a case will be a problem for both sets of attorneys. The expectation for perfection is simply unreasonable.

So, in the end, the decision that a jury makes (based on the evidence that has been presented to them) requires them to decide and act on something for which they have less than complete knowledge. We usually think of such an action as an “act of faith”. Jurors have to so this all the time, but it turns out that each of us does this every day, regardless of our theistic (or atheistic) worldviews. As an atheist, I made a decision and acted on something for which I had less than perfect knowledge. Although my worldview could not completely account for the origin of life, the beginning of the universe, the presence of free will, the existence of consciousness or many other realities of my human experience, I was willing to embrace the notion that God did not exist. I did this, even though I still had several unanswered questions. Although I trusted in something for which I had less than perfect knowledge and understanding, I seldom thought of it as an act of faith. Instead, I thought of it as a reasonable conclusion based on the best inference from the evidence and I was comfortable with the unanswered questions.

As a Christian, I am even more comfortable with the questions that are still unanswered. Why? Because I think there are far fewer unresolved questions on this side (the theistic side) of the equation. I think the evidence for God’s existence and the reliability of the New Testament account of Jesus is robust, cumulative and compelling. I think that Christianity is the best inference from the evidence. This doesn’t mean that all my questions are answered. They aren’t. But the evidence leads me to a conclusion in the same way that the evidence can lead a jury to a conclusion. So, I decide and I act, trusting the most reasonable inference from the evidence, even though there are unanswered questions. I guess you can call this an act of faith, but it’s a reasonable “trust in the best inference from the evidence” rather than an irrational “belief in something that lacks supporting evidence”.

J. Warner Wallace is a Cold-Case Detective, a Christian Case Maker, and the author of Cold-Case Christianity

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Peace for Broken Pieces

Dear friends:

As recent killings of innocents happened in so many places, our hearts are saddened and broken; I am learning a new song that comforts a lot and I'd like to share its lyric with you below.
(I couldn't find this song in YouTube, If you could, please give me the link.)

"Peace for Broken Pieces" 
by Doug Holck

When the castles of our dreams are swept away, with the tide, And hope is lost and gone  and there is no place to hide. In all the disarray, if we could stop and hear Him say" Give to me your broken pieces and I will give to you My Peace.

My peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you, My peace for your broken pieces I now give to you.(2x)

When we seem to lose our way in the shifting sands of each day, His Word is ever sure; "Each trial we can endure "

Whatever may come our way, if we could stop and hear Him say," Give to me your broken pieces and I will give to you My Peace.

My peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you, My peace for your broken pieces I now give to you.

My peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you, My peace for your broken pieces

I now give, I now give, I now give to you.

(John 14:27"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid.")

As I googled for the images of sandcastles, I ran into a very good article, I would like to briefly posted a few paragraphs below. 

"Sandcastles of Life"

...You and I should be so wise. The stuff of this world is about as permanent as sandcastles on a beach. Yet we get so caught up in it, defensive over it, and depressed over the loss of it. But God didn’t create you for this world. Your destiny is not bound up in physical stuff. So living to be a hundred years old is far less important than living well – even if for a relatively short time.

        ...Everything about this life is so transient. The incoming wave or our mortality is going to sweep it all away. Like sandcastles at the edge of the ocean, nothing we do for the sake of this world can survive. Only what we do here for eternity will last. Only the treasures we send ahead will escape corruption.

        What would the loss of your job or business do to you? What if your house were to go up in smoke tonight? What if a pain sent you to your doctor and led to the discovery that you have but a few weeks to live?

        These things really do happen to people, you know. We are all vulnerable. We are all quite mortal. Everything about our existence here is about as enduring as sandcastles...

http://thepreachersword.com/2012/09/06/the-sandcastles-of-life/

"主賜平安給破碎的心"

當我們築夢的沙灘城堡被潮水一掃而空，希望丟失，不見了，也沒有地方可躲藏。在所有的混亂中，如果我們能夠停下來，聽主說：「給我你破碎的心，我會給你我的平安。」

「我的平安，我留給你。我的平安，我給你，我的平安，取代你破碎的心，我現在給你。」(2x)

當我們在每天時間的流沙裡，似乎失去了我們的方向，主的話卻是永遠確定;「每次的試煉，都是我們可以忍受的住的。」

不管何事臨到我們，如果我們能夠停下來，聽主說， 「給我你們破碎的心，我會給你們我的平安。」

「我的平安，我留給你，我的平安，我給你，我的平安，取代你碎碎的心，我現在給你。

我的平安，我留給你，我的平安，我給你，我的平安，取代你破

碎的心，我現在給，我現在給，我現在給你。」

Some ISIS Fighters Have had Jesus Dreams!

http://www.christianpost.com/news/report-isis-fighter-who-enjoyed-killing-christians-wants-to-follow-jesus-after-dreaming-of-man-in-white-who-told-him-you-are-killing-my-people-139880/
An Islamic State militant holds a gun while standing behind Ethiopian Christians in Wilayat Fazzan, in this still image from an undated video made available on a social media website on April 19, 2015.

Report: ISIS Fighter Who 'Enjoyed' Killing Christians Wants to Follow Jesus After Dreaming of Man in White Who Told Him 'You Are Killing My People'

Is God Using 'Jesus Dreams' to Reach Islamic State Militants and Convince Them to Follow Christ?

It has become a common occurrence over the years for Muslims in the Middle East who have converted to Christianity to claim to have been compelled to do so after dreaming of a person who they believe is Jesus Christ. Now, one militant belonging to the brutal Islamic State that has massacred Christians has converted to his victims' religion after dreaming of "a man in white" with a startling message, according to one missionary's account.

"One of our YWAM workers in the Middle East was contacted by a friend earlier this year and they met up and he was introduced to an ISIS fighter who had killed many Christians already. I mean that's a horrible situation, and admittedly, he was probably on guard," Gina Fadely, director of Youth With A Mission Frontier Missions, Inc. (YWAM), said during a recent appearance on The Voice of the Martyrs Radio

...Fadely, who appeared on the VOM radio program along with Kevin Sutter, another YWAM leader, went on to share that this Islamic State jihadi confessed not only to killing Christians but "that he had actually enjoyed doing so."

"He told this YWAM leader that he had begun having dreams of this man in white who came to him and said, 'You are killing my people.' And he started to feel really sick and uneasy about what he was doing," Fadely continued. "The fighter said just before he killed one Christian, the man said, 'I know you will kill me, but I give to you my Bible.' The Christian was killed and this ISIS fighter actually took the Bible and began to read it. In another dream, Jesus asked him to follow him and he was now asking to become a follower of Christ and to be discipled."

"So who knows. Perhaps this man will be like Saul in the Bible that persecuted Christians and he turned from that persecution of the early church to become the Apostle Paul who led it," Fadely added. "God can turn it around."...

Click the link below for another real story:

Saudi Sheikh Who Taught ISIS Fighters ' Jihad 101...

• www.christianpost.com

Saudi Sheikh Who Taught ISIS Fighters 'Jihad 101' Asks for Bible After Growing 'Sick of the Killing,' Missionary Claims