October 2006


PonderingWhile walking to school this afternoon, the following question popped into my head (I don't recall the no doubt convoluted sequence of thought that led to this):

The Preamble for the United States Declaration of Independence reads, in part:
"We hold these Truths to be self-evident: that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."

How would our world be different from how it is now had it read instead:
"We hold these Truths to be self-evident: that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Holiness."?

Perhaps our society would not be so focused on personal gratification (lesser good), and instead more focused on personal sanctification (greater good)?

Questioning?Is there reasonable evidence that God exists? If not, frankly there's no reason to believe it!

Peter Kreeft, a philosophy professor who is also an excellent and engaging writer, has compiled a list of 20 reasons to believe God exists:
Twenty Arguments For The Existence Of God

This list is actually copied verbatim from one of his books. Note that these arguments are "religion neutral", that is, though Kreeft is Christian he is not arguing for the Christian God per se, just that God (of some nature) exists. Naturally, some arguments are stronger than others (in particular #17 is intended, I think, at least partially tongue-in-cheek) but some of those that I find particularly strong are:

Being a former atheist, I decided to investigate the evidence for myself for the first time. Are you willing to honestly take a first step, an unsure but hopeful step of 'faith' today and do the same? After all you've got nothing to lose. I did just that, and eventually concluded could no longer hold onto my atheistic beliefs any longer.

(For more resources, see the Existence of God section of Jesus: Fact or Fiction, or any of the links in the Links sidebar on the right hand side of this page.)

So I really wanted to make a new post tonight, but decided I should go to bed instead since I have an early class tomorrow … I happend to find this verse tonight which gave me some comfort: "I rise early, before the sun is up; I cry out for help and put my hope in your words." (Psalm 119:147, NLT) 😀

So anyways here's some of my recommendations for interesting posts that you may have missed! Some of the "Greatest Hits so Far" so to speak.

Woah!News source: USA Today, 'Jury awards $11.3M over defamatory Internet posts'

A Florida woman has been awarded $11.3 million in a defamation lawsuit against a Louisiana woman who posted messages on the Internet accusing her of being a "crook," a "con artist" and a "fraud." Legal analysts say the Sept. 19 award by a jury in Broward County, Fla. — first reported Friday by the Daily Business Review — represents the largest such judgment over postings on an Internet blog or message board. Lyrissa Lidsky, a University of Florida law professor who specializes in free-speech issues, calls the award "astonishing." … Scheff [plaintiff] says she wanted to make a point to those who unfairly criticize others on the Internet. "I'm sure (Bock [defendant]) doesn't have $1 million, let alone $11 million, but the message is strong and clear," Scheff says. "People are using the Internet to destroy people they don't like, and you can't do that."

Of course the $11.3 million award is ridiculous but the precedent set here is clear. A good reminder to think twice about whatever I (and you) post online!

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