We are going to have a “Man Night” at the Parsonage from 7:30 – 11 PM, Jan. 4th. We will play games, eat food, and maybe have a massive snowball fight (depends on if it snows). Bring $5 to help with food and stuff. Let me know if you plan to attend.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Man Night (Men Only)
We are going to have a “Man Night” at the Parsonage from 7:30 – 11 PM, Jan. 4th. We will play games, eat food, and maybe have a massive snowball fight (depends on if it snows). Bring $5 to help with food and stuff. Let me know if you plan to attend.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Myspace
There is a Calvary 212 Group on Myspace. Add Jim as a Friend and find the group through his page.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Friday, November 16, 2007
Calvary 212 Now on Facebook
If you have a Facebook, be sure to join the 212 - Calvary High School Student Ministry group. We will post discussion topics, upcoming events, pictures from events, and videos. Plus, this gives you another way you can connect with to your friends from 212. Happy Facebooking!!!
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Arguments for the Existence of God - Part IV
Meaning and Conclusion
Without God, everything in life is meaningless. If there is no god who created everything, then there is no purpose. If there is purpose without a god, who purposed it? If there is no god who created everything, then there is no meaning. If there is meaning, who meant it. If there is no god who created everything, then there is no truth. If there is truth, how could we know it? Truth, meaning and purpose left only to man to decide is not only irrational, but is useless in that it cannot govern anything at all. If you were to run across some scribbles on a piece of paper, you may decide to spend some time trying to figure out who wrote those scribbles and what they mean. However, if you found out that the scribbles were randomly placed there and had no meaning, but only ended up there by chance, you would stop searching for the purpose for them and the meaning behind them. If this universe is the result of chance in evolution, then there is no reason to look for meaning in life. There is no reason to look for purpose in life. You simply live, and when you die, you are dead and cease to exist. However, there is meaning to life and there is a purpose for our being here. We do not all know what that meaning and purpose is, but we know there should be one. There indeed is meaning and purpose, but it exists because God meant it and purposed it when He created the universe and everything in it. In order to disregard a god, you must accept things most atheists are unwilling to accept.
Things you must believe to be a true and rational atheist:
• God does not and has never existed
• Right, wrong, virtue, love, and truth are merely man-made inventions that have no objectivity or reality to them (logic and math have no real meaning either).
• There is no meaning to life whatsoever.
• Everything is random and even your thoughts
• When you die, you are dead and that is all. No Heaven.
• Hitler, Jeffrey Dahmer, Mother Theresa, Jesus Christ and you are all on the same level morally, spiritually, and ontologically. None is more right than the other.
Without God, everything in life is meaningless. If there is no god who created everything, then there is no purpose. If there is purpose without a god, who purposed it? If there is no god who created everything, then there is no meaning. If there is meaning, who meant it. If there is no god who created everything, then there is no truth. If there is truth, how could we know it? Truth, meaning and purpose left only to man to decide is not only irrational, but is useless in that it cannot govern anything at all. If you were to run across some scribbles on a piece of paper, you may decide to spend some time trying to figure out who wrote those scribbles and what they mean. However, if you found out that the scribbles were randomly placed there and had no meaning, but only ended up there by chance, you would stop searching for the purpose for them and the meaning behind them. If this universe is the result of chance in evolution, then there is no reason to look for meaning in life. There is no reason to look for purpose in life. You simply live, and when you die, you are dead and cease to exist. However, there is meaning to life and there is a purpose for our being here. We do not all know what that meaning and purpose is, but we know there should be one. There indeed is meaning and purpose, but it exists because God meant it and purposed it when He created the universe and everything in it. In order to disregard a god, you must accept things most atheists are unwilling to accept.
Things you must believe to be a true and rational atheist:
• God does not and has never existed
• Right, wrong, virtue, love, and truth are merely man-made inventions that have no objectivity or reality to them (logic and math have no real meaning either).
• There is no meaning to life whatsoever.
• Everything is random and even your thoughts
• When you die, you are dead and that is all. No Heaven.
• Hitler, Jeffrey Dahmer, Mother Theresa, Jesus Christ and you are all on the same level morally, spiritually, and ontologically. None is more right than the other.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Blog
Check out the poles on the side bar --->
Also, we have 3 out of 4 arguments for the existence of God up. Check them out and leave a comment.
Also, we have 3 out of 4 arguments for the existence of God up. Check them out and leave a comment.
Arguments for the Existence of God - Part III
Morality
“If God does not exist, everything is permissible” Ivan Karamazov and Jean-Paul Sartre
“God is dead” Friedrich Nietzche
Most of the facts that you encounter are about the way the world is. Thes are facts like the capitol of Missouri, and that four quarters equal a dollar, and so on. Moral facts are not like that. The fact that we ought to do something about the problem of homelessness is not a fact about the way the world is, but a fact about the way the world ought to be. There is nothing out there that makes a moral fact true because moral facts are not descriptive of a real thing, but prescriptive of a change to be made to things that already exist. Moral facts are like commands in that sense. They are intended to bring about a result that is not already present.
Similarly, there are things in this world that cannot exist without something else existing with them. There cannot be something carried unless there is something else carrying it. There can’t be something that is popular unless there are lots of people that like it. Commands are like this, they cannot exist unless something else commands them. The moral argument shows that if there is a command, there must be a commander.
Moral commands are such that they over-ride anything else. If you know that it is right to give money to a charity, but would like to buy something for yourself, while it might be in your best interest to buy and not give, morally you know you ought to give. You can make a decision one way or the other, but you know what you ought to do.
Commands are also only as good as the authority who issues them. If I say that you should pay extra taxes on things that you buy so that we can have better education in schools, you and no one else would do it because I have no authority. However, if the governing authorities decree it, we would have to by law. Those who do not would face a consequence. Without the consequence, the governing powers would have little power.
Without God, only men create and issue morals. If there is no god, there are no morals. If there are morals, but no god, then a man created them and we don’t really need to obey them. Why? Because they are no better than the morals we create for ourselves. Nietzche, as I said above, claimed god was dead. As a result, he concluded that there is no right or wrong, just the will to power, meaning the power to punish those who don’t listen to what you say. That is the only way anyone should believe you if there is no god.
But doesn’t it seem some things are right, even without a consequence you must suffer? Everyone would agree that there is a generally agreed upon morality across all cultures. If not, then why isn’t murdering ok in some cultures. C.S. Lewis said, “I need only ask the reader to think what a totally different morality would mean. Think of a country where people were admired for running away in battle, or where a man felt proud of double-crossing all the people who had been kindest to him. You might just as well try to imagine a country where two and two made five”.
The truth is that we all accept an objective morality, but some wish not to own up. If you do not believe in God, then you ought not believe that what Hitler did was wrong, that child molestation should be illegal, and that having your car stolen is an injustice. Who are we to say it is wrong if there is no real authority issuing the command. It is just mere men choosing that which they think is right. Morality is real and true. People may sometimes get them wrong just like they get a sum incorrect in math class, but they are not a matter of taste and opinion any more than the answers to a math quiz.
There can be no moral command without a moral commander. If man is that commander, even a large group of men, then we should flee there rule and live as we please. However, because so many people have agreed on many things that are moral, then we should think that there is a greater commander than any man.
“If God does not exist, everything is permissible” Ivan Karamazov and Jean-Paul Sartre
“God is dead” Friedrich Nietzche
Most of the facts that you encounter are about the way the world is. Thes are facts like the capitol of Missouri, and that four quarters equal a dollar, and so on. Moral facts are not like that. The fact that we ought to do something about the problem of homelessness is not a fact about the way the world is, but a fact about the way the world ought to be. There is nothing out there that makes a moral fact true because moral facts are not descriptive of a real thing, but prescriptive of a change to be made to things that already exist. Moral facts are like commands in that sense. They are intended to bring about a result that is not already present.
Similarly, there are things in this world that cannot exist without something else existing with them. There cannot be something carried unless there is something else carrying it. There can’t be something that is popular unless there are lots of people that like it. Commands are like this, they cannot exist unless something else commands them. The moral argument shows that if there is a command, there must be a commander.
Moral commands are such that they over-ride anything else. If you know that it is right to give money to a charity, but would like to buy something for yourself, while it might be in your best interest to buy and not give, morally you know you ought to give. You can make a decision one way or the other, but you know what you ought to do.
Commands are also only as good as the authority who issues them. If I say that you should pay extra taxes on things that you buy so that we can have better education in schools, you and no one else would do it because I have no authority. However, if the governing authorities decree it, we would have to by law. Those who do not would face a consequence. Without the consequence, the governing powers would have little power.
Without God, only men create and issue morals. If there is no god, there are no morals. If there are morals, but no god, then a man created them and we don’t really need to obey them. Why? Because they are no better than the morals we create for ourselves. Nietzche, as I said above, claimed god was dead. As a result, he concluded that there is no right or wrong, just the will to power, meaning the power to punish those who don’t listen to what you say. That is the only way anyone should believe you if there is no god.
But doesn’t it seem some things are right, even without a consequence you must suffer? Everyone would agree that there is a generally agreed upon morality across all cultures. If not, then why isn’t murdering ok in some cultures. C.S. Lewis said, “I need only ask the reader to think what a totally different morality would mean. Think of a country where people were admired for running away in battle, or where a man felt proud of double-crossing all the people who had been kindest to him. You might just as well try to imagine a country where two and two made five”.
The truth is that we all accept an objective morality, but some wish not to own up. If you do not believe in God, then you ought not believe that what Hitler did was wrong, that child molestation should be illegal, and that having your car stolen is an injustice. Who are we to say it is wrong if there is no real authority issuing the command. It is just mere men choosing that which they think is right. Morality is real and true. People may sometimes get them wrong just like they get a sum incorrect in math class, but they are not a matter of taste and opinion any more than the answers to a math quiz.
There can be no moral command without a moral commander. If man is that commander, even a large group of men, then we should flee there rule and live as we please. However, because so many people have agreed on many things that are moral, then we should think that there is a greater commander than any man.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Arguments for the Existence of God - Part II
Design vs. Chance
This universe and more specifically, this earth is set to the exact conditions needed to sustain life. Any change one way or another would destroy all life on planet earth.
Here are some examples:
The Earth: Its size is perfect. The Earth's size and corresponding gravity holds a thin layer of mostly nitrogen and oxygen gases, only extending about 50 miles above the Earth's surface. If Earth were smaller, an atmosphere would be impossible, like the planet Mercury. If Earth were larger, its atmosphere would contain free hydrogen, like Jupiter. Earth is the only known planet equipped with an atmosphere of the right mixture of gases to sustain plant, animal and human life.
The Earth is located the right distance from the sun. Consider the temperature swings we encounter, roughly -30 degrees to +120 degrees. If the Earth were any further away from the sun, we would all freeze. Any closer and we would burn up. Even a fractional variance in the Earth's position to the sun would make life on Earth impossible. The Earth remains this perfect distance from the sun while it rotates around the sun at a speed of nearly 67,000 mph. It is also rotating on its axis, allowing the entire surface of the Earth to be properly warmed and cooled every day.
And our moon is the perfect size and distance from the Earth for its gravitational pull. The moon creates important ocean tides and movement so ocean waters do not stagnate, and yet it restrains our massive oceans from spilling over across the continents.5
Water: It’s colorless, odorless and without taste, and yet no living thing can survive without it. Plants, animals and human beings consist mostly of water (about two-thirds of the human body is water). You'll see why the characteristics of water are uniquely suited to life:
• It has an unusually high boiling point and freezing point. Water allows us to live in an environment of fluctuating temperature changes, while keeping our bodies a steady 98.6 degrees.
• Water is a universal solvent. This property of water means that thousands of chemicals, minerals and nutrients can be carried throughout our bodies and into the smallest blood vessels.
• Water is also chemically inert. Without affecting the makeup of the substances it carries, water enables food, medicines and minerals to be absorbed and used by the body.
• Water has a unique surface tension. Water in plants can therefore flow upward against gravity, bringing life-giving water and nutrients to the top of even the tallest trees.
• Water freezes from the top down and floats, so fish can live in the winter.
Ninety-seven percent of the Earth's water is in the oceans. But on our Earth, there is a system designed which removes salt from the water and then distributes that water throughout the globe. Evaporation takes the ocean waters, leaving the salt, and forms clouds which are easily moved by the wind to disperse water over the land, for vegetation, animals and people. It is a system of purification and supply that sustains life on this planet, a system of recycled and reused water.7
The Human Brain: simultaneously processes an amazing amount of information. Your brain takes in all the colors and objects you see, the temperature around you, the pressure of your feet against the floor, the sounds around you, the dryness of your mouth, even the texture of this article in your hand. Your brain registers emotional responses, thoughts and memories. At the same time your brain keeps track of the ongoing functions of your body like your breathing pattern, eyelid movement, hunger and movement of the muscles in your hands.
The human brain processes more than a million messages a second.8 Your brain weighs the importance of all this data, filtering out the relatively unimportant. This screening function is what allows you to focus and operate effectively in your world. A brain that deals with more than a million pieces of information every second, while evaluating its importance and allowing you to act on the most pertinent information...can we say mere chance brought about such an astounding organ?
Consider for a moment an illustration:
Imagine that you were on an Amtrak train that was headed for Baltimore. While on the rain, you look out the window and notice that some rocks on the side of a hill spell out “Amtrak Welcomes You To Baltimore”. How do you assume that they got on the side of that hill to spell that message?
A.They fell from the sky and landed in that exact place.
B.They rolled down the hill over time to exactly that place with no help from an intelligent being (man or god).
C.They were placed there by some men to communicate a welcoming message to people who see it by Amtrak. Any intelligent person would find it most rational to believe that the message was placed there by men.
However, let’s say that I believe that they did indeed roll down the hill over time by chance and ended up in that exact location. This is definitely possible (although not likely) that these stones could have rolled down the hill to that position. The chances would be through the roof that they would do that, but it is still possible. While this is a position that is difficult to accept, it would be infinitely more bizarre for me to believe, solely on the evidence provided by the stones that I was actually entering Baltimore !!! If, I suppose that the stones might have come to that arrangement accidentally, over the course of time, simply by rolling down the hill, one by one, and finally just happening to end up that way, or if they were strewn upon the ground that way by the forces of any earthquake or storm or what-not, then my argument would in no sense constitute evidence that I was actually entering Baltimore, or anything at all connected with that message is true because the message was simply brought about by chance. It has no way of communicating anything at all if it was the result of random accidental chance over time. Just like it is possible for a collection of stones to present an intelligible message on the side of a hill over time, so also it is possible for such things as our cells, organs, and mind to be the accidental, unintended result, over ages of time, of impersonal, non-purposeful chance. However, even if one does believe that our bodies did come about by chance, it is irrational for one to say that your mind, emotions, and thoughts reveal any truth about the world with respect to themselves. If your body is a result of chance, then your mind is as well. So, any message your mind may communicate to you would be just as non-purposeful and random as the process that brought it about. Without God, there is no way to believe in truth or logic.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Arguments for the Existence of God - Part I
Here are some arguments for the existence of God. I have this posted on my other blog as well. These are not arguments for the Christian God (nor the Hindu or Muslim). I am simply trying to establish that a god exists. Anyway, this series will be four parts. Here is part one. Please let me know what you think.
The First Cause
History consists of a series of events that have happened over time one after the other. Each of these events has a cause and most are a result of the previous event, but all are certainly affected by the previous event. The world as it is came from the result of the world as it was which also came from the world as it was before. If we trace these events all the way back, what will we find? You will either find the first event, or the past stretches back into infinity. If it went back into infinity we run into many problems logically which we don’t have time to get into tonight. It seems common to all that there must have been a beginning at some point. Scientist call this the big bang, because the idea that it stretched back into infinity is ridiculous and illogical. But the questions still remains, who caused the big bang? Where did everything come from that banged? It couldn’t have just appeared out of nowhere. A common axiom of philosophy is “from nothing, comes nothing”. You cannot believe that everything just appeared. It is equally ridiculous to believe that this universe has just always existed. So, where did it come from. Who caused the bang, if there was one?
Ancient philosophers noted that there must be an “unmoved mover” or a god who cannot be changed, who is not affected by time, who set things in motion. God is not bound by time like we are. We had to have a beginning. Everything we experience in this universe had to have a beginning, but God doesn’t. He created it from nothing and started it all. The fact that God has always existed is impossible for us as finite humans to understand, but it is not illogical like the idea that the universe has always existed. God is our first cause.
Come back for more argument for the existence of God.
The First Cause
History consists of a series of events that have happened over time one after the other. Each of these events has a cause and most are a result of the previous event, but all are certainly affected by the previous event. The world as it is came from the result of the world as it was which also came from the world as it was before. If we trace these events all the way back, what will we find? You will either find the first event, or the past stretches back into infinity. If it went back into infinity we run into many problems logically which we don’t have time to get into tonight. It seems common to all that there must have been a beginning at some point. Scientist call this the big bang, because the idea that it stretched back into infinity is ridiculous and illogical. But the questions still remains, who caused the big bang? Where did everything come from that banged? It couldn’t have just appeared out of nowhere. A common axiom of philosophy is “from nothing, comes nothing”. You cannot believe that everything just appeared. It is equally ridiculous to believe that this universe has just always existed. So, where did it come from. Who caused the bang, if there was one?
Ancient philosophers noted that there must be an “unmoved mover” or a god who cannot be changed, who is not affected by time, who set things in motion. God is not bound by time like we are. We had to have a beginning. Everything we experience in this universe had to have a beginning, but God doesn’t. He created it from nothing and started it all. The fact that God has always existed is impossible for us as finite humans to understand, but it is not illogical like the idea that the universe has always existed. God is our first cause.
Come back for more argument for the existence of God.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Friday, September 7, 2007
Upcoming Events
Knowing Christ:
- Catechism Class – Sundays @ 6 – 7 PM, September 9th through November 4th in Choir room
- H2O (formerly WAVE) – Sundays @ 7 PM in the Family Life Center starting September 9th
- Study of Colossians Fuel Group – Tuesdays @ 7 PM at the Parsonage starting September 18th
Growing in Christ:
- Revolve Tour (Girls only)– October 5th and 6th weekend in St. Louis
- Man Camp (Boys only)– October 5th and 6th weekend at the Parsonage
- “Girls Only” Fuel Group – Wednesdays @ 7 PM at the Parsonage starting October 10th
- “Be A Man!!!” Fuel Group – Wednesdays @ 7 PM (meeting place TBA) starting October 10th
Serving and Sharing Christ:
- Catalyst Workshops, Sundays @ 9:30 AM & 10:45 AM starting Sept. 9th
- Chicago Food Depository Outing, September 15th @ 8:30 AM
- 30 Hour Famine, Week-end of November 17th
- Trick-or-Treat Canned Food Drive, evening of October 31st
- Operation Christmas Child, coming in mid-October
- Many more to come…
Fun Events:
- Lock-in, Friday, September 21st @ 9 PM – Saturday, September 22nd @ 7 AM at the church
- Solid Rock Christian Concert, Friday, October 12th (time to be determined)
- Horseback Riding on Thanksgiving Day at sunrise
- Many more to come…
- Catechism Class – Sundays @ 6 – 7 PM, September 9th through November 4th in Choir room
- H2O (formerly WAVE) – Sundays @ 7 PM in the Family Life Center starting September 9th
- Study of Colossians Fuel Group – Tuesdays @ 7 PM at the Parsonage starting September 18th
Growing in Christ:
- Revolve Tour (Girls only)– October 5th and 6th weekend in St. Louis
- Man Camp (Boys only)– October 5th and 6th weekend at the Parsonage
- “Girls Only” Fuel Group – Wednesdays @ 7 PM at the Parsonage starting October 10th
- “Be A Man!!!” Fuel Group – Wednesdays @ 7 PM (meeting place TBA) starting October 10th
Serving and Sharing Christ:
- Catalyst Workshops, Sundays @ 9:30 AM & 10:45 AM starting Sept. 9th
- Chicago Food Depository Outing, September 15th @ 8:30 AM
- 30 Hour Famine, Week-end of November 17th
- Trick-or-Treat Canned Food Drive, evening of October 31st
- Operation Christmas Child, coming in mid-October
- Many more to come…
Fun Events:
- Lock-in, Friday, September 21st @ 9 PM – Saturday, September 22nd @ 7 AM at the church
- Solid Rock Christian Concert, Friday, October 12th (time to be determined)
- Horseback Riding on Thanksgiving Day at sunrise
- Many more to come…
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
212° - Where Lives Change
“they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were”
Acts 2:1-2
Anyone who has had a science class knows that in order to get H20 (Water) to change to steam, you need to add energy, usually heat, to get the water to its boiling point (212º). Water at 211º won’t change – its just hot water. But, at 212º, everything changes.
We at Calvary Student Ministries want to live at the boiling point in our lives. So often, people find themselves living lives that are normal, mundane, and even boring. God, however, promises abundant life where we are experiencing incredible things that not only change us, but change the world around us. If we are going to live that type of life, we need God to help us reach the boiling point.
There are three things that must be present for water to boil:
Water (H20)
Energy (Fuel) which results in…
Change (Catalyst)
We offer three things at Calvary that we believe will help each student achieve ‘boiling point’ in their life:
H2O (Sundays at 7 PM)
Fuel Groups (Various Times)
Catalyst (9:30 and 10:45 AM)
H20 – Sunday Nights at 7 PM
If the Word of God is applied to a heart that is willing to be changed, the Holy Spirit will do great things. In this fun and laid back atmosphere, we offer games, worship, and the very Words of God applied to our lives. This gathering is for the purpose of worshipping Jesus and understanding from His Word what it is that He wants for us each day.
Fuel Groups– offered at various times
People need a smaller community where they can be vulnerable. We offer a safe place where people can be supported, ask tough questions, grow, or even be healed. God uses these groups to supply the energy we need for our lives.
This fall we offer the following:
• Catechism Class – Sundays @ 6 – 7 PM, September 9th through November 4th in Choir room.
• Study of Colossians Fuel Group – Tuesdays @ 7 PM at the Parsonage starting September 18th.
• “Girls Only” Fuel Group – Wednesdays @ 7 PM at the Parsonage starting October 10th.
• “Be A Man!!!” Fuel Group – Wednesdays @ 7 PM (meeting place TBA) starting October 10th.
Catalyst - Sunday Mornings at 9:30 and 10:45 AM, and other opportunities each month.
Everyone has a ministry that the Lord has prepared for them. Through opportunities in the church and in the world, God shapes us by our serving others. We offer homeless outreach, mission trips, artistic and musical expression, and children’s ministry to name a few. We want you to have a ministry utilizing whatever gifts and callings God has for you. So, if we don’t have something that interests you, talk to the Youth Pastor, Jim, and he can help find or create a place for you.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
