Articles by William Nugent on ArticleSnatch.com

Darwinian Reductionism and Religio-Science Terrorism

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 21:05:31 -0400

The major media largely ignored the fact that James Lee, the hostage taker who invaded the Discovery Channel's Bethesda Maryland offices on September 1st 2010, had Darwinian evolutionist motives. Since the prevailing culture in the media is secularism, perhaps they didn't wish to defame Darwinism. Darwinism is the origins myth of secularism. The blogosphere has plastered Lee's list of demands with their Malthusian, Darwinian and anti-religion themes all over the internet. No need to enlarge on that here. We are horrified by terrorism committed in the name of Islam. We read of cultists who twist the Christian faith. Yet all the acts of horror committed in the name of traditional religion are dwarfed by the horrors perpetrated by unhinged followers of Darwin. Joseph Stalin and Mao Tse-Tung were both profoundly influenced by Darwin. It has been reported that whenever Maoists seized a part of China they first taught Darwinian evolution as the philosophical backdrop for the doctrines of communism. They had to first deceive the people into thinking that humans are soulless descendants of apes and then build communist anti-religious ideals on top. **End Summary** Topics: Darwinian]]> reductionism]]> Darwin]]> evolution]]> terrorism]]> Darwinism]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> William Nugent, an award winning author, has written many articles on Christianity, philosophy and science. His books and articles are available at his website www.gracelawandsonship.com .

The SETI Search for Extra-Terrestials

Sat, 18 Sep 2010 16:35:29 -0400

I recently read an online news article with the bold headline "New Evidence of Life In Space." The article itself, however, didn't offer much of anything that could pass as evidence of alien life. Even when I clicked on a link to a more in-depth article I encountered another optimistic headline: "Search for ETs Focuses on 166 'promising' signals" but this article also offered only the most vague evidence. These two news articles described how SETI (the California based "Search for Extra-Terrestial Intelligence" institute) had crunched billions of radio signals received from outer space and is now focusing on 166 signals that have some features that could indicate that they came from intelligent life forms. Four pages into the second article I read that physicist Dan Werthimer, one of the leaders of the project, said he was not too optimistic that any of the signals are from extra-terrestial life and he puts the chance for success at less than one percent. Over the last 24 years Werthimer has examined many promising signals only to find that they were from a passing satellite or random noise. SETI was founded in 1984 and began operations the following year. **End Summary** Topics: SETI]]> extra-terrestials]]> intelligent]]> deep]]> space]]> DNA]]> aliens]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Bill Nugent, an award winning author, has written many articles on philosophy and science. His books and articles are available at his website www.gracelawandsonship.com .

The Epistemology of Christianity

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 22:56:43 -0400

Epistemology is the branch of philosophy which deals with knowledge. Epistemology is the analysis of the certainty of what we claim as truth. Many brilliant philosophers have spent lengthy careers defining knowledge and certainty. How can you be sure of what you believe? What is really, actually, literally true? Your beliefs, in a sense, rule you. Why not make truth your belief rather than belief your truth? All religions make truth claims, yet all religions contradict each other. Which religion is true above all others? The one true religion is the religion with the most rational evidence backing up its truth claims. Epistemology is how we escape from the feel good but wrong headed claim that all ideologies are equally true. But how can we be certain about anything in an uncertain, postmodern, relativistic culture? Christianity's holy book, the Bible, offers evidence from the supernatural that gives certainty to its claims. The truth claims of Christianity, its epistemology, is backed up by predictive prophecies and miracles. Some would say that Christianity is a matter of faith and not evidence. Indeed, Christianity is a faith but it's not a blind faith. **End Summary** Topics: epistemology]]> rational]]> logical]]> prophecies]]> miracles]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Bill Nugent, an award winning author, has written many articles on Christianity, philosophy and science. His books and articles are available at his ministry website www.gracelawandsonship.com .

Melchizedek, the Mysterious Priest of Genesis Fourteen

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 15:43:28 -0400

Since it says in Psalm 110:4 and Hebrews 5:6 that Christ is a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek, I think we had better get a good understanding about this amazing man, Melchizedek. Melchizedek first appears in Genesis 14:18-20 in which he verbally blessed Abraham and Abraham gave him a tenth of the spoils he obtained in battle. Verse 18 says that Melchizedek was both king of Salem and a priest of God most high. The first question that comes to mind is what covenant was the basis of the priesthood of Melchizedek? The answer is that a priesthood which offered blood sacrifices was implicitly established under the Adamic covenant (Genesis 1:28-31;3:21). One could also argue that Melchizedek's priesthood was based at least in part on the covenant God made with Noah in Genesis 9:1-17. The Adamic and Noahide covenants allowed for a man to simultaneously hold the office of both king and priest. Melchizedek was both a king and a priest. Noah was a priest and he offered sacrifices in Genesis 8:20. **End Summary** Topics: priest]]> priesthood]]> Melchizedek]]> Melchisedec]]> Hebrews]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Bill Nugent, a defender of the Christian faith, has written many articles on Christianity, philosophy and science. He has also written books that give Bible based teaching on sanctification and that caution against the error of legalism. His books are available at his ministry website www.gracelawandsonship.com .

The Manifestation of the Sons of God and the Resurrection of the Dead

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 22:37:10 -0400

The doctrine of the manifestation of the sons of God is a Bible doctrine that has seldom been taught or elaborated on until recent generations. The teaching on the manifestation of the sons of God is often called the "manifested sons message" or the "sonship message" or the "Kingdom Message" or "Present truth." In a nutshell the sonship message is the teaching that there is great power beyond the Pentecostal or Charismatic experience and certain believers in the body of Christ will apprehend this greater power and will enter a higher realm of personal holiness and ministry power to bring great deliverance in the end-times. The message has been taught since the 1950s by Bible teachers such as George Warnock, George Hawtin, Bill Britton and many others that have largely ministered in obscurity throughout their careers. The sonship movement has been and still is a small movement that has sadly been prone to straying into doctrinal error. The movement began in the outflow of the Latter Rain Revival of 1948. The message is still taught in the body of Christ today by such men of God as Buddy Cobb, Ron Cargil and Steve Everett. **End Summary** Topics: manifestation]]> sons]]> manifested]]> sonship]]> resurrection]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Bill Nugent, a defender of the Christian faith, has written many articles on Christianity, philosophy and science. He has also written books that give Bible based teaching on sanctification and that caution against the error of legalism. His books are available at his ministry website www.gracelawandsonship.com .

A Deck of Cards Disproves Evolution

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 23:44:28 -0400

You're out for a walk and happen to find a deck of playing cards by the side of the path. You flip through the cards and notice that they're all in numerical order by suit. In other words the diamonds are in order from 2 through 10 and Jack to Ace and the same is true for the other three suits. You have in your hands a deck of cards arranged in straight flush in all four suits. You say to yourself "What an amazing coincidence, someone shuffled a deck and the cards all came out in perfect flush order." In fact you are so amazed that when you get home you try and calculate the odds of getting a 52 card straight flush by shuffling a deck of cards over and over. What is the chance that the first card in a newly shuffled deck comes out to be the 2 of diamonds? That's easy, it's 1 in 52. And once you've gotten that card to come up first what's the chance of the second card being the 3 of diamonds? That too is easy, it's 1 in 51. **End Summary** Topics: genetic]]> mutation]]> probability]]> creator]]> evolution]]> DNA]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Bill Nugent, a defender of the Christian faith, has written many articles on Christianity, philosophy and science. He has also written books that give Bible based teaching on sanctification and that caution against the error of legalism. His books are available at his ministry website www.gracelawandsonship.com .

Does the Messiah Have to Obey the Rabbis?

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 22:48:17 -0400

The word "Messiah" is the anglicized form of the Hebrew word "Mashiyach." The word "Christ" is synonymous with "Messiah" and means "anointed." Messiah is a title that was commonly used in the Old Testament when referring to royalty. King David even referred to king Saul as the Lord's messiah in First Samuel 24:10. The rabbis acknowledge that there is quite a difference between a messiah and the Messiah. The rabbis also acknowledge that there are hundreds of prophetic passages in the Old Testament that predict the coming of a unique individual who will do great things and who is called the Messiah. One of the traditional Jewish objections to Jesus being the Messiah is the claim that Jesus did not properly observe the Sabbath. Christian apologists reply that Jesus did in fact observe Sabbath in accordance with biblical requirements but did not follow the extraneous Sabbath rules imposed by the rabbis. Christians maintain that Jesus did not violate any of the commands of the Torah (Old Testament law). The crux of the matter is whether or not the Messiah of Israel must obey the rabbis. **End Summary** Topics: Messiah]]> Jewish]]> objections]]> Mashiyach]]> Jesus]]> Sabbath]]> rabbinic]]> rabbis]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Bill Nugent has written many articles on Christianity, philosophy and science. He has also written books that give Bible based teaching on sanctification and that caution against the error of legalism. His books are available at his website www.gracelawandsonship.com .

Mary Magdalene: Closest Female Disciple to Jesus

Wed, 28 Apr 2010 13:59:12 -0400

The very first person to see the resurrected Christ was Mary Magdalene (John 20:16). She was also the only person recorded in scripture to witness all three of the major events of the final days of the first advent which were the crucifixion, the burial and the resurrection of Christ. Mary Magdalene is mentioned first in the list of female disciples who went to the tomb and became witnesses of the resurrection (Mark 16:1, John 20:1). While Mary Magdalene's prominence among the women is clear, the speculation regarding her personal relationship with Christ ranges from the prudent to the absurd. While the New Testament shows nothing beyond the relationship of a disciple to her Lord some have inferred a romantic tinge. The blasphemous and nonhistorical novel and film, "The Da Vinci Code," took this to the extreme. Jesus had many disciples and these disciples enjoyed varying degrees of access to their Master. There were the seventy who were sent forth to preach and to heal the sick, there were the twelve apostles and among the apostles were the three who had closest access to Christ and witnessed the transfiguration (Luke 9:28-36). **End Summary** Topics: Mary]]> Magdalene]]> Magdala]]> Da]]> Vinci]]> Code]]> tropological]]> anagogical]]> disciples]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Bill Nugent has written many articles on Christianity, philosophy and science. He has also written books that give Bible based teaching on sanctification and that caution against the error of legalism. His books are available at his website www.gracelawandsonship.com .

The Failure of Secular Materialism as the New Mythology

Sun, 04 Apr 2010 09:54:48 -0400

Every person has a deep unrelenting need to commit one's self to something larger than self. In virtually all societies throughout history this thing larger than self has had to do with the unifying myths of the culture. Every society has had an origins myth and a destiny myth. The myths were regarded as sacred truth. Western civilization is no exception. Our sacred unifying truth (not myth in our case!) has traditionally been the Christian Gospel and the Bible has been our holy book. Lately, however, the opinion shapers of the west have tried to make unbelief the new myth. Such unbelief is also called skepticism or materialism. Christians consider the Bible to be truth and not mere myth because it has a type of God's signature on it. This "signature of God" are the many thousands of predictive prophecies in the pages of the Bible and their fulfillments in history. Jesus Christ came in fulfillment of over 300 Old Testament Bible prophecies including 62 major prophecies. No other figure in all of world history can make anything like that claim. **End Summary** Topics: Secular]]> materialism]]> myth]]> mythology]]> horace]]> Mann]]> Antichrist]]> Darwinian]]> relativism]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Bill Nugent has written many articles on Christianity, philosophy and science. He has also written books that give Bible based teaching on sanctification and that caution against the error of legalism. His books are available at his website www.gracelawandsonship.com .

Universal Plausibility Metric Falsifies Evolution

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:52:16 -0500

Carl Sagan, the famous skeptic who died of cancer some years ago, often invoked the phrase "billions and billions of years" when he asserted that evolution had enough time to work. Random collisions of atoms in a primordial warm little pond somewhere were supposed to produce the first living cells if simply given enough time. Modern observational science has progressed to the point where we now know the exact composition of bio-polymers (proteins) and the probability of even one protein forming by random interaction of chemicals. Scientists as prominent as Francis Crick and Harold Morowitz have done probability analyses and shown that random formation of just one protein molecule, even one with "only" 200 precisely sequenced base pairs, is so remote as to essentially never happen. Those who cling to evolutionary dogmatism have nevertheless held on to their appeal to "deep time" which is to say "billions and billions of years." Unfortunately we can't put billions of years into a test tube and do observational experiments on them. So we have a stalemate. Random formation of proteins is theoretically possible but should a scientist regard such a hyper-improbable random event plausible and worthy of scientific respect? **End Summary** Topics: Universal]]> Plausiblity]]> metric]]> Carl]]> Sagan]]> evolution]]> Francis]]> Crick]]> Morowitz]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Bill Nugent has written many articles on Christianity, philosophy and science. He has also written books that give Bible based teaching on sanctification and that caution against the error of legalism. His books are available at his website www.gracelawandsonship.com .

Daniel's Seventy Weeks Prophecy Gives Precise Timing of the Coming and Death of the Messiah

Sun, 31 Jan 2010 15:00:38 -0500

Over 500 years before the birth of Christ a predictive prophecy was given that foretold the exact time of Christ's death. This prophecy is contained in the ninth chapter of the Old Testament book of Daniel. The Old Testament contains over 300 prophecies of the birth, ministry, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus the Messiah. ("Messiah" is synonymous with "Christ" and is derived from the Hebrew word "Mashiyach.") It is interesting to note that of the more than 300 predictive prophecies that tell of the coming of the Messiah very few actually use the word "Messiah." Most Old Testament prophetic passages that describe aspects of the coming Messiah do so without actually using that specific word. The passage in Daniel we are about to study, Daniel 9:24-26, is one of the few passages that uses the word "Mashiyach" in the original Hebrew to describe the coming One. In fact, this one passage uses the word, Mashiyach, twice. Therefore we can say that this passage is not only clearly messianic but is certainly one of the strongest messianic prophecies in the Hebrew scriptures. **End Summary** Topics: Daniel's]]> seventy]]> weeks]]> prophecy]]> messianic]]> Talmud]]> Messiah]]> coming]]> prophecies]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Bill Nugent has written many articles on Christianity, philosophy and science. He has also written books that give Bible based teaching on sanctification and that caution against the error of legalism. His books are available at his website www.gracelawandsonship.com .

Carbon 14 In All Coal and Diamonds Proves Young Earth

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 23:10:58 -0500

Eight PhD scientists recently released their findings on the radioisotope evidence for the age of the earth. They were called the RATE group (Radioisotopes and the Age of The Earth). They spent eight years on the project. They studied many radioisotopic dating methods including carbon 14. You may remember the carbon 14 dating method from your high school biology class. Carbon 14 is useful only in dating samples containing carbon which usually means plant and animal matter (though diamonds also contain carbon). Carbon 14 has a half life of only 5,730 years. This means an object 5,730 years old should have only half the amount of carbon 14 in ratio to carbon 12 as a new object. Any object that is older than twenty carbon 14 half lives should not have any detectable carbon 14. In other words, since carbon 14's half life is 5,730 years, twenty half lives would be 114,600 years and there should be no detectable carbon 14 in a sample that old. The RATE group tested ten samples of coal which it obtained from the US Department of Energy Coal Sample Bank. **End Summary** Topics: accelerator]]> mass]]> spectrometry]]> radiocarbon]]> carbon]]> 14]]> coal]]> diamonds]]> young]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Bill Nugent has written many articles on Christianity, philosophy and science. He has also written books that give Bible based teaching on sanctification and that caution against the error of legalism. His books are available at his website www.gracelawandsonship.com .

Four Men Who Rule the World From the Grave

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 22:41:18 -0500

In postmodern western civilization most people claim to be free thinkers yet are enslaved to the ideas of four men who rule the world from the grave. The four men are Charles Darwin (1809 - 1882), Karl Marx (1818 - 1883), Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 - 1900) and Sigmund Freud (1856 - 1939). These four men of the nineteenth century were the wrecking balls of western civilization. Their poisonous ideas challenged traditional Christian views and seduced Europe and America into a grand social experiment in unbelief. What philosophers discuss over tea in one generation is taught in college in the next. A generation later it's taught in high school. Then it's in popular culture and finally it's even taught in primary school. Charles Darwin's atheistic theory of evolution undermined the Christian faith of hundreds of millions. Marx, Nietzsche and Freud were directly and profoundly influenced by Darwin's writings. The Darwinian contention that human beings are nothing more than soulless descendants of apes who have no conscious existence after death became the presuppositional foundation of the whole secular intellectual edifice. **End Summary** Topics: Marx]]> Darwin]]> Freud]]> Nietzsche]]> existentialism]]> marxism]]> postmodernism]]> psychoanalysis]]> evolution]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Bill Nugent has written many articles on Christianity, philosophy and science. He has also written books that give Bible based teaching on sanctification and that caution against the error of legalism. His books are available at his website www.gracelawandsonship.com .

No Transitional Fossils In Cambrian Explosion: A Challenge to Darwinism

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:23:12 -0500

Anyone who has been exposed to the teaching of evolution has heard of the Cambrian Explosion of fossils. The evolutionists call it an "explosion" of fossils because so many fossils appear so abruptly in the geologic column. The Cambrian rock layers are among the lowest and "oldest" layers in the geologic column yet are extremely rich in both number and variety of fossils. The layers below the Cambrian are virtually void of fossils. The Cambrian layer contains billions of marine invertebrate fossils. About 95% of all animal fossils are of marine invertebrates. These include mollusks such as clams and snails, crustaceans such as crabs and lobsters and cephalopods which include squid. The Cambrian layers also include abundant plant fossils and a significant variety of insect fossils. Evolutionists have long been puzzled by the well preserved Cambrian fossils of sea creatures that look almost exactly like marine invertebrates alive today. Great momentum was given to the evolutionist's perplexity when The Burgess Shale was discovered in the Canadian Rockies in 1909. The Burgess Shale contains billions of fossils that are so well preserved that even many of the soft body parts are clearly discernible. **End Summary** Topics: Cambrian]]> explosion]]> transitional]]> forms]]> fossils]]> creation]]> Noah's]]> flood]]> Burgess]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Bill Nugent has written many articles on Christianity, philosophy and science. He has also written books that give Bible based teaching on sanctification and that caution against the error of legalism. His books are available at his website www.gracelawandsonship.com .

The Worst German Victory in World War II

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 23:02:36 -0400

World War II is called "World War" because of its worldwide geographic extent and this is perhaps the least imaginative and least instructive basis to name a war. The Second World War was a teachable moment in a multitude of ways and we should draw as much of a lesson as possible from this costly and utterly tragic conflict. This article will focus on the European theater and the ultimate German victory in that theater. The war in Europe in WW II was a war over philosophy. Many if not most wars are over philosophy when you boil it all down. For instance, the Napoleonic wars were the effort of France to impose Enlightenment philosophy on all of Europe. In essence it was a conflict of modernism (Enlightenment) against the Christian worldview. Napoleon lost but modern philosophy went on to dominate Europe and the world. Our own war in Iraq, that still smolders as I write this, is America's effort to spread democracy, which is a political philosophy, across all of the Middle East in order to end terrorism. **End Summary** Topics: postmodernism]]> modernism]]> nihilism]]> existentialism]]> nazism]]> Germany]]> nazi]]> World]]> War]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Bill Nugent has written many articles on Christianity, philosophy and science. He has also written books that give Bible based teaching on sanctification and that caution against the error of legalism. His books are available at his website www.gracelawandsonship.com .

Talmud Gives Unintended Proof of Jesus Being the Messiah

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 17:53:24 -0400

The Talmud of the Jews consists of an extensive collection of teachings of the ancient Jewish Rabbis. It consists of the Mishnah (the oral law) and the Gemara (commentary on the oral law). The Talmud is not an inspired writing like the Bible but it does contain important eyewitness accounts of things that occurred during the first century AD and surrounding centuries. The Talmud does not affirm that Jesus is the Messiah - far from it - but it does give many bits of information that unintentionally support the messianic claims of Jesus of Nazareth. You must realize that the Talmud was written centuries before sophisticated arguments were formulated against Christianity. For instance the Bible in Zechariah 12:10 says "they shall look upon me whom they have pierced." Today's traditional Jewish apologists will strenuously argue that this could not refer to the crucifixion of Jesus in which His hands and feet were pierced. Jewish apologists would argue that this verse is not a messianic prophecy. Most present day Jewish Bibles also give a different rendering of the wording of Zechariah 12:10 that renders its messianic ramifications less clear. **End Summary** Topics: Talmud]]> Messiah]]> rabbis]]> prophecy]]> sanhedrin]]> messianic]]> Yoma]]> atonement]]> Yom]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Bill Nugent has written many articles on Christianity, philosophy and science. He has also written books that give Bible based teaching on sanctification and that caution against the error of legalism. His books are available at his website www.gracelawandsonship.com .

Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Profound Impact On Philosophy and Politics

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 11:42:35 -0400

The French Revolution was the result of a culmination of ideas. Philosophers introduced new ideas to the literate elite. The elite put those ideas into motion. It resulted in a period of radical social upheaval and genocide that changed the course of civilization. The mass murders and guillotining of people in the Vendee district of western France were unparalleled at the time and not to be exceeded until the genocides of the 20th century. The French Revolution was a direct result of the philosophical period called The Enlightenment. Historians date the Enlightenment to roughly the middle decades of the 1700s. The major philosophical shift that occurred in the Enlightenment was a turning away from revelation (the Bible) as the authoritative source of absolute truth and the embrace of human reason as the source of truth. It is often called the age of reason although there was much illogic and anti-reason about it. The Enlightenment philosophers embraced Natural Law as the principle way of understanding human relations. The philosophers believed in God but by rejecting propositional (Bible) revelation they limited themselves to revelation in nature. **End Summary** Topics: Enlightenment]]> romanticism]]> natural]]> law]]> French]]> Revolution]]> Rousseau]]> social.contract]]> marxism]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Bill Nugent has written many articles on Christianity, philosophy and science. He has also written books that give Bible based teaching on sanctification and that caution against the error of legalism. His books are available at his website www.gracelawandsonship.com .

The Perfect Jew: A Picture of the Perfect End of Our Age

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 20:52:24 -0400

Most people who study the Bible in depth would say that biblical Judaism did not end well. By biblical Judaism I mean the Torah Judaism of the Bible which was centered around animal sacrifices which were offered in the stone Temple located in Jerusalem. By the first century AD, Judaism had a corrupt priesthood, was rigidly legalistic and was oppressed by the Roman occupation. The Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. After that time Rabbinic Judaism rose up and it continues on to this day. In Rabbinic Judaism, Jewish men wear the yarmulke because it is a symbol that they are in mourning over the loss of the Temple. For a Jewish man to cover his head means that he is in mourning. However, I believe that the scriptures show that in at least one aspect, Biblical Judaism ended with great success. This aspect of the successful end of biblical Judaism has ENORMOUS prophetic and practical applications for us today as we near the end of the dispensation of grace which is the church age. This one aspect of the triumph of biblical Judaism has to do with Jesus of Nazareth being the perfect Jew. **End Summary** Topics: dispensations]]> dispensationalism]]> end]]> times]]> Jew]]> fulfillment]]> prophecies]]> Jesus]]> church]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Bill Nugent has written many articles on Christianity, philosophy and science. He has also written books that give Bible based teaching on sanctification and that caution against the error of legalism. His books are available at his website www.gracelawandsonship.com .

Communist Murders Linked to Darwinism

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Darwinian evolution, wherever it has been taught, has had the effect of implicitly denying the existence of God. Whether intentional or not, this denial of God has undermined faith and promoted secularism. In this article let's examine one of the fruits of secularism, namely militant communism. Communism is nothing new. Plato wrote of an idealized communist society in his work entitled Republic. In the 1500s, Thomas More wrote a book called Utopia about a mythical communist society. Communist ideas were never seriously implemented until the 1800s when the rise of secularism (atheism) blunted many people's hopes for redemption by God. This resulted in a huge movement led by intellectuals and their students to create man's own redemption on earth. This secular redemption on earth would be a perfect classless society in which all property is held in common. I will mention again that the gasoline on the fire of secularism was and is Darwinian evolution. Communist ideology maintains that individual people are nothing more than atoms in motion and have no value. Communism also asserts that the society which is composed of many people is greater than the sum of its parts. **End Summary** Topics: communism]]> genocide]]> mass]]> murder]]> Darwin]]> Darwinian]]> secularism]]> Stalin]]> Lenin]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Bill Nugent has written many articles on Christianity, philosophy and science. He has also written books that give Bible based teaching on sanctification and that caution against the error of legalism. His books are available at his website www.gracelawandsonship.com .

Why Christ is the Only Way to Heaven

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Christians are often criticized for saying that Jesus is the only way to heaven. This criticism is unjust because every religion and philosophy makes exclusive truth claims. All religions contradict each other on major issues yet all religions make either implicit or explicit claims of being the only true religion. Even Hinduism claims that everyone eventually gets reincarnated as good Hindus in order to enter heaven. To explain, let me point out that the laws of logic dictate that two contradictory statements can't possibly both be true. Islamic teaching on salvation directly contradicts Christian teaching on salvation. If Islam is true, Christianity is false. If Christianity is true, Islam is false. There's just no other way to deal with it logically. Do we tolerate Muslims? Of course we do! We accept them as people although we disagree with their teachings. A postmodernist might say to a Muslim "Islam is true for you." To say "Islam is true for you" is blatantly illogical. That's like saying to a flat earth society member "The earth is flat for you." The earth is round for everyone, including flat earthers whether they believe it or not! **End Summary** Topics: Christ]]> heaven]]> only]]> way]]> logic]]> Bible]]> prophecy]]> Hinduism]]> Islam]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Bill Nugent has written many articles on Christianity, philosophy and science. He has also written books that give Bible based teaching on sanctification and that caution against the error of legalism. His books are available at his website www.gracelawandsonship.com .

Alien Abductions Stopped by the Name of Jesus

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Nobel prize-winning biochemist, Francis Crick, calculated the probability of a living cell forming by accident from nonliving chemicals and found the likelihood to be less than 1 in 10 to the 40,000th power. (That's a 10 with 40,000 zeroes after it!) To put that in perspective consider that the number of atoms in the known universe is only 10 to the 130th power! What is the likelihood of finding the right atom out of all the atoms in the universe even if you picked out one atom every second for ten billion years? Life forming by chance is far less likely than that. Francis Crick didn't fall on his knees and say "there must be a God!" Instead he said that aliens (extra-terrestials) from outer space brought life to earth. This brings us to the question of aliens, UFOs and alien abductions. In recent years many people have come forward and said they woke up one morning with the distinct memory of being abducted by aliens and taken aboard a spacecraft. This usually happens with people who are involved in the occult or are into "New Age" belief systems. **End Summary** Topics: alien]]> abduction]]> close]]> encounters]]> UFOs]]> UFO]]> extra-terrestials]]> name]]> Jesus]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Bill Nugent has written many articles on Christianity, philosophy and science. He has also written books that give Bible based teaching on sanctification and that caution against the error of legalism. His books are available at his website www.gracelawandsonship.com .

Death of Stephen J. Gould

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400

With sadness I must report the recent death of Dr. Stephen Jay Gould, 61, Harvard professor and prolific author. Dr. Gould was a down to earth, affable man who wrote many books on the subject of evolution. He attempted to bring evolution to the masses in simplistic terms. His work is reminiscent of that of Thomas Huxley (1825-1895). Huxley was called Darwin's bulldog for his aggressive spreading of the Darwinian faith. Why would a creationist as myself mourn the death of a man like Dr. Gould? I guess I regard death as a tragedy for any person and especially for a person who most likely did not know God. I prefer not to speculate as to where the soul of Dr. Gould presently resides. Dr. Gould was a smiley faced writer who undermined the faith of millions. I don't know if he ever repented and turned to Christ to receive forgiveness of his sins. The Bible says "'As I live!' declares the Lord God, 'I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways!...'" (Ezekiel 33:11 NAS). Dr. **End Summary** Topics: evolution]]> punctuated]]> equilibrium]]> hopeful]]> monster]]> creationism]]> creation]]> Gould]]> Stephen]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Bill Nugent has written many articles on Christianity, philosophy and science. He has also written books that give Bible based teaching on sanctification and that caution against the error of legalism. His books are available at his website www.gracelawandsonship.com .

UFOs are Connected to Occult Religion

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0400

In the 1970s Erich Von Daniken wrote the books Chariots of the gods and Gold of the gods and a few others. These books made the claim that UFOs brought life to Earth and directed civilization over a period of hundreds of years. Von Daniken made very bold and extravagant inferences based on very limited archaeological and historical evidence. In response to these weakly based claims Clifford Wilson wrote a book called Crash Go the Chariots that refuted Von Daniken point by point. I have heard a rumor to the effect that Von Daniken himself has repudiated his own theory. In the decades since the 70s most serious UFO researchers of all creeds have abandoned the notion that UFOs are literal, physical, metal spacecraft piloted by aliens from other planets. Hardly anyone believes in steel or titanium "flying saucers" anymore. To confirm this view many observers point to the fact that the California based S.E.T.I. (Search for Extra-terrestial Intelligence Institute) has never found a pattern of radio or other electromagnetic transmissions from deep space. Such transmissions would be expected to be found if there were indeed any "starships" out there. S.E.T.I. **End Summary** Topics: UFO]]> UFOs]]> Swedenborg]]> New]]> Age]]> occult]]> extraterrestials]]> abduction]]> close]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Bill Nugent has written many articles on Christianity, philosophy and science. He has also written books that give Bible based teaching on sanctification and that caution against the error of legalism. His books are available at his website www.gracelawandsonship.com .

The Kingship of the Believer

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0500

The preacher looked out over the large congregation and said "Are there any priests here today?" The people were surprised and fidgeted in their seats. Many looked around to see if there were any men with the telltale clerical collar. The pastor continued "Will all the priests present this morning please raise your hands." Again the people wondered if the pastor thought a busload of Catholic priests had mingled in with the congregation. Then some of the men and women cautiously raised their hands. The pastor chuckled and said "Every hand should be raised. If you are a born-again Christian you are a priest! The Bible says in First Peter 2:9 we are a royal priesthood!" The above illustration shows how uncomfortable we are with the term "priest." We associate it with Catholicism or high church Protestantism. All born-again Christians are priests. A priest is someone who approaches God on behalf of others. A priest is an intercessor. Whenever you pray for others you are fulfilling a priestly function. In the 1500's during the Reformation, Martin Luther trumpeted the biblical truth of the priesthood of the believer. **End Summary** Topics: kings]]> priests]]> Thomas]]> Hooker]]> abortion]]> politics]]> welfare]]> reform]]> Calvinism]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Bill Nugent has written many articles on Christianity, philosophy and science. He has also written books that give Bible based teaching on sanctification and that caution against the error of legalism. His books are available at his website www.gracelawandsonship.com .

Surviving College Comparative Religion Class

Sun, 26 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400

A young college woman sits down at her desk on the first day of a course on comparative religion. She thinks it's a good deal. She gets college credit for a casual review of her own Christian faith and gets to learn about other world religions. The professor enters the room fashionably late. He's casually dressed in frumpy clothes and his hair is in a thin gray ponytail. What follows in that first class and throughout the rest of the semester is a battle for the souls of the students in the class. The professor's secular, atheistic, materialist bias is revealed from the first time he opens his mouth. He nevertheless gives all religions a modicum of respect except for traditional Christianity for which he reveals unvarnished disdain. The professor, when dealing with the Christian faith, attacks it in a manner commonly used in comparative religion classes in college. His bright shining lie is the claim that in the early centuries of Christian history there were several vastly different sects of Christianity each with their own sacred texts, competing with each other on a more or less equal basis to become the dominant mainstream branch. **End Summary** Topics: gnosticism]]> Da]]> Vinci]]> gnostic]]> sect]]> texts]]> New]]> Testament]]> religion]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Bill Nugent has written many articles on Christianity, philosophy and science. He has also written books that give Bible based teaching on sanctification and that caution against the error of legalism. His books are available at his website www.gracelawandsonship.com .