Inspired by
this thread
I wish there was some regulation for not letting a chaplain use his position as a soapbox. And for keeping him from abusing his position to send controversial views to the entire base. If anybody knows of such a regulation, feel free to pass it on to me.
Here is today's "Daily Devotion"
The theory of evolution is not without its problems. One scientist says this about life starting on its own: "Amino acids would have to be arranged in an exact sequence to form a protein . . . just like the letters in a sentence. Mere laws of chemistry and physics cannot do that. The probability of a protein forming by chance would be 1064 [10 with 64 zeros after it] to 1!"
Many people assume the theory of evolution to be true. But can it be scientifically proven? Something is considered scientifically true only if it can be repeatedly verified under laboratory conditions. The claim that life sprang up on its own out of a long impersonal process cannot pass this test of truth. That is why evolution remains only a theory.
So if you're ever tempted to doubt the Genesis account of the creation story, consider the alternative. The odds against even a simple protein creating itself are astronomical. How much more reasonable to believe God and His Word: "By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible" (Hebrews 11:3).
Isn't it more reasonable to believe that God designed and created the universe? (Genesis 1:1).
I'm trying to think of a really good reply. So far I have
Can Creationism be scientifically proven?
The genesis account says it took 7 days to create the world. This does fly in the face of both the geological record and the fossil record, both of which are not theories.
but I know I can do better, especially with the help of the dkos community. I'd especially like to hear from Darksyde. Go to town and have fun writing your own replies to his "evolution is bad!" email.
In case you're wondering if this is an isolated incident, it's not.
Here are some previous emails:
There's a story about a group of scientists who decided that humans could do without God. So one of them looked up to God and said, "We've decided that we no longer need You. We have enough wisdom to clone people and do many miraculous things."
God listened patiently and then said, "Very well, let's have a man-making contest. We'll do it just like I did back in the old days with Adam." The scientists agreed, and one of them bent down and picked up a handful of dirt. God looked at him and said, "No! You have to make your own dirt!"
In Jeremiah's day, the Israelites were living as if they no longer needed the Lord. They had entrusted themselves to other gods, even though their gods could not respond to their needs. Jeremiah confronted them about their rebellion, for they had forsaken the true God and shown disrespect for Him (Jeremiah 2:13,19).
Are we guilty of living as if we don't need God? We may know Him as our Savior but be worshiping the idol of our own wisdom or self-sufficiency. Could the Lord be saying of us, "They have gone far from Me"? (2:5).
Living far from God dishonors and displeases Him, and it will never meet our deepest needs. But we can return to Him today
But who made God?
I've seen a number of recent reports about efforts to remove monuments with the Ten Commandments from public places in the US. It's regrettable, for the monuments celebrate righteousness, and "righteousness exalts a nation" (Proverbs 14:34). I believe that removing these reminders is a reflection of our crumbling moral foundations.
There is one enduring monument to righteousness, however, that cannot be removed: the truth of Christ, written on human hearts by the Spirit of God (2 Corinthians 3:3).
Those who have the law of God written on their hearts love the Lord with all their mind, soul, and strength. They demonstrate this love to the world by showing honor to their parents, faithfulness in their marriage, and integrity in their work. They respect human life and treat all men and women with dignity and honor. They don't speak evil of anyone, no matter how much evil has been done to them. They are content with God and what He has given them, and they want nothing more. These are the outward signs that God's law is alive, written on our hearts "by the Spirit of the living God" (v.3).
You and I are living monuments to His grace. We must stand tall. The world is watching.
God is highly dangerous. We are sinful and He is holy. Sin can no more exist in the presence of God than darkness can exist in the presence of light. To stand before Him in self-righteousness would be to invite our destruction. The psalmist wrote, "If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?" (Psalm 130:3).
In a cemetery not far from New York City is a headstone engraved with a single word: Forgiven. The message is simple and unembellished. There is no date of birth, no date of death, no epitaph. There is only a name and the solitary word forgiven. But that is the greatest word that could ever be applied to any man or woman, or that could be written on any gravestone.
The songwriter said, "There is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared" (v.4). That refrain echoes in both the Old and New Testaments. God is honored and worshiped because He alone can clear our record.
If God could not forgive us, we could only flee from Him in terror. Yet the God whose holiness threatens us is the God who through Christ redeems us. This dangerous God offers forgiveness for all our sins. We only need to ask Him.
Are you forgiven?
"Finding the right questions is as crucial as finding the right answers," says devotional writer Henri Nouwen. Yet how easy it is to run ahead of God's Spirit as we talk to unbelievers about Christ, giving pre-packaged answers before we listen to their questions.
This tendency was highlighted several years ago when someone scrawled the words "Christ is the answer!" on the side of a building. A cynical passerby added these words: "What is the question?"
Paul and Silas, thrown into prison for the gospel's sake, provoked a deep spiritual question in the heart of their jailer. This question was raised not because they had preached a three-point sermon at him but because they prayed and sang hymns to God. When an earthquake opened the prison doors and broke their chains, the jailer was about to kill himself, fearing that he would be put to death if his prisoners escaped. But Paul and Silas stopped him by choosing to stay in prison for his sake. At this he cried out, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" (Acts 16:30).
Today, as then, the Spirit will create the right questions in people's hearts and make them ready for the right answer--Jesus Christ.
What is the greatest challenge to us as Christians in the 21st century? Is it rampant immorality? Is it divisive social issues? Is it increasing hostility toward God? Those are dangers, for sure, but I would venture to say that our biggest threat is religion--religion that draws us away from the gospel.
Some religions openly oppose Christ, but others are more subtle. They use language Christians already know, giving their faith a familiar sound. Then they add to it their own twisted brand of thinking.
If such groups sound Christian, how can we know if they are preaching "a different gospel"? (Galatians 1:6). Here are some false teachings to watch out for.
Salvation through anything other than faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross (Acts 4:12).
A refusal to see Jesus as the eternal God in the flesh, our only Savior (John 1).
Giving more importance to the word of man than to the Word of God (1 Corinthians 2:12-13).
Leaders who do not provide Christlike guidance through careful biblical instruction (1 Timothy 4:6; Jude 4).
There are those who want to lead you into another gospel. Learn God's Word, so you won't be deceived.
Incidentally, progressive and liberal Christians, especially those in the UCC, can take that as a direct attack. He's criticizing anybody not preaching his brand of gospel.
There were more emails, every day, in June and May, but my email account crashed in late June so the only ones I have are for July and what little of August we've had so far.
If anyone is curious, I have all of the above emails and will be happy to forward them to you.
Incidentally, way back in May, within a few days of my getting here, I tried to get off the email list.
Are there presently any worship/ceremony options for Pagans, Wiccans, Shamanists, or similar religious choices? I’m a Pagan, and I’m curious as to whether there’s anything presently established for us. If not, that’s fine, I’ll just keep on keeping on with being a solitary, it doesn’t bother me any. However, is there any way I could be excluded from emails being sent out to a group of people whose religion I’m not? I’d greatly appreciate it. I’m sure it’s useful for a lot of people, but to me it is, in all honesty, just mailbox clutter. Thanks
I have a buddy in the Chaplain's office who is a Chaplain Assistant, and this is what he sent me.
Hey man! How are you settling in? Crazy here huh?
Ch Harvell is gonna check on Pagan worship, but I have not found anything yet...
The e-mail thing is different though.
-The Commander thinks that inspirational words are good for the people, and they are ya know?
If we were to disclude only one or two people, then we would have to type out everyone elses names.
The way it is set-up, is to just go out to all of Sather...
You can set it up as junk e-mail, and then Outlook will flag it when you get it in.
If you want to talk, give me a call at 543-0200.
The only problem with that being that any time I use a different computer, it throws those rules out, and I have to create them anew. We have three different computers in my shop alone, and several that I use frequently in the morale tent. In early July, the chaplain sent out the following email:
In order to continue to provide daily encouragement and devotional thoughts we would like to build an e-mail list comprised of those who wish to continue to receive the “Daily Bread” devotionals. These devotional thoughts are written by Christian men and women and are geared toward people whose faith is in Christ. If you would like to continue to receive the “Daily Bread” e-mails, please respond to this message.
The chaplain continues, a month later, to send the emails base-wide.
Maybe I will go to the IG with this. I'm only going to be here for another month though, so it's tempting to just hit delete on the emails and keep slogging.