WHO IS "THE REAL, THE TRUE, THE LIVING" JESUS?
Just sharing some thoughts on the LIVING Jesus (see https://thelivingjesuschrist.wordpress.com/)
Other Youtube videos by NT Wright are available at https://www.google.co.nz/?gws_rd=ssl#q=nt+wright+youtube&revid=68551138
You may also find this article of interest: Ebbing of Kiwis’ faith defies belief by Jeff Tallon
click on http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10867954
Enjoy and Happy Christmas + safe and relaxing holidays to you all “out there”
http://encouragementfortheday.wordpress.com/2014/07/24/a-quote-137/
Each one of us can (choose to) be “Ambassadors for Christ”
“God, Ultimate Source, Ground of All Being works in and through people…’ordinary’* people.”
-c
* what’s that!
from http://beyondthezonespirit.wordpress.com/
“Together, one mind, one life (one step at a time), let’s see how many people we can encourage, impact, empower, uplift and perhaps even inspire to reach their fullest potentials.”
No matter what you may or not believe about Jesus, here are some interesting thoughts on the most amazing “person” who ever lived!
“Whilst we can (and should) cherish and celebrate our ‘unique’ differences, let not our different beliefs divide us, but let the Spirit of our shared humanity be what defines and unites us as common inhabitants of our planet.”
– me
Why Christianity is NOT a Religion
The way to be right with God in every religion is by earning your way. It is based on works, not grace. Christianity is different from every religion in this aspect: all other religions (including Mormonism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism) state that you must earn the right to be reconciled with God. It is by what you do in this life (good deeds or bad deeds) that determines your eternal destiny. Christianity is completely different from this. It is not religion.
“The difference between Christianity and every other faith in the world is that all other religions are about man trying to reach up to God. Christianity is about God reaching out (down) to man.”
People have used Jesus to justify adding so many “requirements” to being a Christian.
Jesus hated the way the Pharisees used the people’s love for God (or fear of God) to control them, limit their freedom, and empty them of the relationship with God that was intended.
“Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
– Philippians 1:6
“Whilst we can (and should) cherish and celebrate our ‘unique’ differences, let not our different beliefs divide us, but let the Spirit of our shared humanity be what defines and unites us as common inhabitants of our planet.”
– me
from https://basicchristianityfordummies.wordpress.com/
From Seeds of Hate to the Bonds of Love
A “Review” of the Book ‘Once An Arafat Man’ by Tass Saada
The Purpose-Driven Life by Rick Warren
A Book Summary
Here are some notes (in point form), that I made many years ago in my black Bible given to me years ago in a very dark period of my life when my “entire world/life” fell apart in a time where I had “ NO God-consciousness” It marked the start of a new journey
“Our Journey”: MY NOTES FROM BIBLE 1 (black)
MY NOTES FROM BIBLE 1 (black) Here are some notes (in point form), that I made many years ago in my black Bible given to me years ago by my dear sister Glenda in a very dark period of my life when my “entire world/life” fell apart in a time where I had “ NO God-consciousness” It marked the start of a new journey. Since then the wisdom in this book has served to sustain, encourage and inspire me since that time in the “deep, deep valley” of life.
As someone wrote, “we learn far more from our tears than from our laughter.”
“If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed…nothing shall be impossible to you . . . ”
“According to your faith, be it unto you.” – Matthew ix.290
“If God be for us, who can be against us?” – Romans viii.31
(and you may as well be too!!!)
Simply affirm:” God is with me in this situation; God is helping me; God is guiding me.
Remind yourself that God is with you and nothing can defeat you. BELIEVE that you now receive power from Him.
Faith is a choice It’s a decision It’s a commitment
“The just shall live by faith – Romans 1:16,17
MATTHEW: “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.” *
Article Title: Sharing Some Uplifting Thoughts (Thought Conditioners) from Dr Norman Vincent Peale
Shared by: Craig Lock
Category (key words/Tags): Self help, self help books, Norman Vincent Peale, Christianity, faith, hope, persistence, trials, words of upliftment and inspiration , Inspirational Quotes, books, spiritual, spiritual writings, spiritual growth, Jesus, Jesus Christ, inspiration, empowerment, words of empowerment (enough there now, craig)
Web sites: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=la_B005GGMAW4_sr?rh=i%3Abooks&field-author=Craig+Lock http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005GGMAW4 http://www.creativekiwis.com/amazon.html and http://goo.gl/vTpjk
The submitter’s blogs (with extracts from his various writings: articles, books and new manuscripts) are at http://www.sharefaith.wordpress.com and http://craigsblogs.wordpress.com
Other Articles are available at: http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/user/15565 and http://www.ideamarketers.com/library/profile.cfm?writerid=981
(Personal growth, self help, writing, internet marketing, spiritual, ‘spiritual writings’ (how ‘airey-fairey’), words of inspiration and money management, how boring now, craig
Publishing Guidelines:
This piece (as with all my writings) may be freely reproduced electronically or in print. If it helps others “out there” on the ‘amazing journey of life’, then we’re very happy.
“We share what we know, so that we all may grow
#
SHARING SOME UPLIFTING THOUGHTS from DR NORMAN VINCENT PEALE (to Give Comfort, Strength and Peace of Mind in Times of Trial and Struggle)
Submitters Note:
These are some notes that I wrote down many years ago in a very dark period of my life . . . a time of prolonged great hardship in a seemingly impossibly difficult situation, which I’m “passing on”. (I think they were from Norman Vincent Peace, the author of the Power of Positive Thinking). Yes, on checking my notes these words from Dr Peale’s ‘Self Help Book’ of Thought Conditioners (from the Bible) served to sustain and encourage me to “hang in there” with hope, faith and persistence. And I hope they may do the same for you . . . whatever situation you may find yourself in.
Hope these thoughts are not “too heavy-heavy religious” for you.
The light of God will be with you on the path up ahead.
*
Christianity has its roots in the mystery of eternal life. This faith is a way of understanding the unknowable. Wanted to understand the cycle of life, death and rebirth.
However, one has to be a believer to “get into different levels of understanding”… which is achieved through the immense power of faith.
“If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed…nothing shall be impossible to you . . . ”
“According to your faith, be it unto you.” – Matthew ix.290
“If God be for us, who can be against us?” – Romans viii.31
(and you may as well be too!!!)
Simply affirm:” God is with me in this situation; God is helping me; God is guiding me.
Remind yourself that God is with you and nothing can defeat you. BELIEVE that you now receive power from Him.
“Let nothing disturb you. Let nothing frighten you. Everything passes away except God. God alone is sufficient.”
Thomas Carlyle: “Silence is the element in which great things fashion themselves.”
“
I was in a situation where I had to make a decision: an intellectual, rational one (of the mind), or that of some kind of spiritual discipline and faith. The first (selling Sky subscriptions) one was easy, the second, the writing path) hard. The first is about ego, the second about the battle inside you that gives life meaning.
I chose the hardest path – it was like having wings. I wanted to look at everything another way.
It’s no specific faith. It could be any religion – it’s a deep belief in God, the human spirit.” – the words of Ingrid Betancourt (Colombian hostage)
Faith is a choice It’s a decision It’s a commitment
“The just shall live by faith – Romans 1:16,17
MATTHEW: “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.” *
LIFE’S PROBLEMS
1. Believe, really believe, that for every problem, there is a solution (and very often it’s a spiritual one).
2. Keep calm. Tension blocks the flow of thought power. Your brain cannot operate efficiently under too much stress.
3. Don’t try to force an answer. Keep the mind relaxed and the solution will become clear. List the facts of the problem on paper – be objective, so that your problem does not become subjective.
Be patient waiting for an answer, a solution …which comes via the subconscious mind
6. Pray about your problem, affirming that God will flash illumination into your mind. Believe God’s promise in the 73rd Psalm: “Thou wilt guide thee by thou counsel.”
7. Trust fully in the faculty of insight and intuition.
Go to church (and/or meditate) and let your subconscious work on the problem.
There is always a close connection between how a man thinks and how he feels. In addition, there is impressive evidence to support the view that God works through both the practitioner of science, the doctor, and the practitioner of faith, the minister (mind-body relationship). The answer is in the healing teachings of Jesus.
“Be still and know that I am God.” – Psalm XVI.10
“In him we live and move and have our being.” – Acts xvii.28
By faith you place yourself in the flow of divine power.
William James: “The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.” As you think, so shall you be. fill your mind with fresh new creative thoughts of faith, love and goodness.”
1. Don’t get the idea that you are Atlas carrying the world on your shoulders. Don’t strain so hard. Don’t take yourself so seriously.
2. Determine to like your work. Change yourself and your work will seem different.
3. Plan your work and work your plan.
4. Don’t try to do everything at once: “This one thing I do.”
5. Get the right mental attitude.
6. Practice being relaxed – take it all in your stride.
William James: “One of the deepest drives of human nature is the desire to be appreciated.”
“If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peacably with all men.’ – Romans xii.18
It is not advisable to attempt to carry the burden of sorrow and mental pain without Divine help; for it’s weight is more than the personality can bear. There is always the soothing presence of God at hand.
“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.” – I Corinthians ii.9
Socrates: “No evil can befall a good man in this life or in the next.”
* State your problem
* Ask for a specific answer. Believe that you are getting that answer. BELIEVE, really believe that now through God’s help, you are gaining power over that difficulty.
Higher Power/Authority
If there is deep desire, intensity of longing, and a reaching out after the Power, it will be given.
We may never meet in person, but in this book we have met. We are spiritual friends. I pray for you, God will help you – so believe and live successfully.
Jesus Christ: “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John X 10.
*
PRAYER
Prayer helps people to tap forces and to utilise strength not otherwise available.
A famous psychologist once said these wise words: “Prayer is the greatest power available to the individual in solving his personal problems. It’s power astonishes me.” Release of spiritual energy through prayer. It releases and keeps power flowing freely.
“According to your faith, be it unto you.” – Matthew ix.29
“What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” – Mark xi.24
Faith and harmony are important factors in the prayer process.
Hard work, positive thinking, fair dealing, right treatment of people, and the proper kind of praying always gets results. Formula: * Prayerise + * Picturise + * Actualise
The Kingdom of God is within you.” – Luke xvii.21
Prayer is the mightiest power in the world. Every day is good if you pray.
Always accept willingness to accept God’s will in your life. Ask for what you want; but be willing to take what God gives you. It may be better than what you ask for.
Prayer: I believe I am always divinely guided I believe I will always take the right turn of the road.
I believe God will always make a way when there is no way.
A P R P B W P R A: Affirmative prayers release powers by which positive results are accomplished. PEACEWORK
Prayer helps people to tap forces and to utilise strength not otherwise available.
A famous psychologist once said these wise words: “Prayer is the greatest power available to the individual in solving his personal problems. It’s power astonishes me.” Release of spiritual energy through prayer. It releases and keeps power flowing freely.
“According to your faith, be it unto you.” – Matthew ix.29
“What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” – Mark xi.24
Faith and harmony are important factors in the prayer process.
Hard work, positive thinking, fair dealing, right treatment of people, and the proper kind of praying always gets results. Formula: * Prayerise + * Picturise + * Actualise
“The Kingdom of God is within you.” – Luke xvii.21
Prayer is the mightiest power in the world. Every day is good if you pray.
Always accept willingness to accept God’s will in your life. Ask for what you want; but be willing to take what God gives you. It may be better than what you ask for.
Prayer: I believe I am always divinely guided I believe I will always take the right turn of the road.
I believe God will always make a way when there is no way.
A P R P B W P R A: Affirmative prayers release powers by which positive results are accomplished.
“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you.” – John xiv.27
“Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest awhile.” – Mark vi.31
Discipline ourselves to quietness. Slow down, quiet down. do not fume, do not fret, practise being peaceful.
“The peace of God which passeth all understanding.” – Philippians ix.7
Life can get muddled, but muddied water, let stand, will become clear.” – Lao-tse
Practise serenity
Affirm: “God is here and his peace is touching me.”
“Come unto me, all that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew xi.28
“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” – John xiv.27
“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee.” – Isaiah xxvi.3
Tranquillity – the very word denotes a sense of peace.
So long thy power hath kept me, sure it STILL will lead me on. Send into the area of your thinking a healing balm.
With God’s help I am now emptying my mind of all fear, all anxiety, all insecurity. Repeat. Picture all worry thoughts flowing out of you.
I place this day, my life, my loved ones in the Lord’s hands.
“… but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians iii.13-14
Mark in your Bible every passage that speaks of faith, hope, happiness, glory and radiance. Commit each to memory.
When Jesus Christ was born He was called Immanuel, meaning God with us.
* PRAYER
EXPECT THE BEST AND GET IT
“If thou can’st believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” – Mark IX 23
Whatever you believe you can do, you can do, with God’s help. When you put your trust in God, he guides your mind so that you do not want things that are not good for you, or that are inharmonious with God’s will. When you learn to believe, then that which has seemingly been impossible moves into the area/becomes possible. When you expect the best, you release a magnetic force in your mind, which by a law of attraction tends to bring the best to you.
Faith moves mountains: Faith, belief, positive thinking, faith in God, faith in other people, faith in yourself, faith in life.
Freed from self doubt, you can put your whole self into your endeavour, and nothing can stand in the way of the man or woman, who focuses their entire self on a problem. Expect to succeed and you WILL.
“Throw your heart over the bar and your body will follow.”
Expect the best, not the worst, and you will attain your heart’s desire. It is what is in the heart of you, either good or bad, weak or strong, that finally comes to you. Emerson: “Beware of what you want, for you will get it.” faith power works wonders.
Have faith in God. “For verily I say unto you, that whosoever shall say unto this mountain, be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea.”
– Mark 11
“But shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.” – Mark XI. 22-23
Be specific. Ask God for any right thing, but as a little child, don’t doubt…NEVER.
* STRENGTH
“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
– Phillipians iv.13
“Mighty oaks from little acorns grow.”
“A clean mind, as a clean engine, always delivers power.”
A fundamental doctrine of Emerson: the human personality can be touched with Divine Power and thus greatness can be released from it.
“The greatest factor in any undertaking is one’s belief about it.”
– William James
Thoreau: the secret of achievement is to hold a picture of a successful outcome in mind.
Jefferson: “Take the smooth handle”…ie. follow the path of least resistance.
RELAX. Affirm the thought that God is filling us with strength and quiet energy. Get yourself in tune with Him and open yourself to the flow of His power.
Give your job all you’ve got, but in a relaxed manner.
“According to your faith be it unto you.” – Matthew ix.29 is a basic law for successful living.
“The just shall live by faith – Romans 1:16,17
“YOU are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.” – Matthew
“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint.” – Isaiah 40.28-31.
Shared by craig (“Information and Inspiration Distributor, Incorrigible Encourager and People-builder”)
PPS
For more of my writings on Dr NV Peale see
About the submitter:
In his life mission Craig hopes to encourage, motivate and inspire people to be their best through realising their full potentials and live their very best lives. Craig believes in the great potential of every human being in the journey of life and loves to encourage people to share their individual (and guiding) spirits, so that they become all that they are CAPABLE of being.
The various books that Craig “felt inspired to write” are available at: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=la_B005GGMAW4_sr?rh=i%3Abooks&field-author=Craig+Lock http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005GGMAW4 http://www.creativekiwis.com/amazon.html and http://goo.gl/vTpjk
“The world’s smallest and most exclusive bookstore”
The submitter’s blogs (with extracts from his various writings: articles, books and new manuscripts) are at http://www.sharefaith.wordpress.com and http://craigsblogs.wordpress.com
“A book is small enough to hold in your hand; but when you read it, the walls fall away and you’re in a room as big as the world.”
A book is like a garden carried in the pocket.” – Chinese proverb
“A book, like a dog, is man’s best friend, but inside it’s too dark to read.” – Groucho Marx)
“Together, one mind, one soul at a time, let’s see how many people we can impact, empower, encourage and perhaps even inspire to reach their fullest potentials. Change YOUR world and you help change THE world…for the better”
THESE THOUGHTS MAY BE FREELY PUBLISHED
“What we learn in the darkness, we are to share in the eternal light.”
PPS
“When (or is it perhaps if ever ??) you arrive in a place (or rather state ) known as heaven, let faith, hope and love be the wings of the chariot that carried you there.”
– craig (as adapted from the words of Jonathan Edwards, a former minister in Massachusetts (New England
“The Greatest Race: Living by (with) faith, hope and love is the highest podium any person can reach, God’s podium that anyone stand on.”
– craig
“Having pursued the goals, the dreams set before us and run the race with persistence and endurance, after giving it all. Then one day standing on the summit of life, breathing in the pure sweet oxygen of achievement, totally satisfied in running the greatest race, the race of life one that ANYONE can run and win.”
craig 11/11
from http://godandformula1.wordpress.com/2013/07/08/on-the-podium-after-the-greatest-race/
and The Chequered Flag
Available at http://www.amazon.co.uk/THE-CHEQUERED-FLAG-GREATEST-ebook/dp/B0064R6D36
May you all see God’s bright light on the path (road) up ahead
From http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11201657
9:30 AM Friday Feb 14, 201471 comments
Parents at St Heliers School in Auckland can apparently breathe a sigh of relief. Their children will remain shielded during school hours from the controversial topic of religious education. After receiving complaints from a handful of parents, including a complaint to the Human Rights Commission (currently in mediation), the Board of Trustees has backed down; and will no longer deliver religious instruction during school hours.
A small victory for secular education in New Zealand?
Or a worrying sign that parental concerns over religion are standing in the way of kids getting a well-rounded education.
Let’s look at the facts. New Zealand is a secular society. Just over a half of New Zealanders’ identify with being Christian. There is a general decline in Christianity in New Zealand, but there is an overall increase in non-Christian religions. Mostly attributed to the fact that those born overseas bring their beliefs with them, contributing to a general increase in those identifying as Sikh, Hindu, or Muslim.
Given these statistics, why should we have religious education in schools – particularly Christian education? The Secular Education Network (which backed the parents’ complaints) suggests on its website that religious education is a form of “indoctrination”. They would prefer, it seems, to have children grow up in ignorance of Christianity – the religion that has profoundly shaped who we are as a nation – than have them exposed to a subject which has contributed more than any other to a diverse range of topics; such as the arts, politics, law, and literature.
Let’s look at the Bible. It is filled with metaphor, symbolism and conflict, making it one of the most complex reads. It crosses historical, theological, and literary genres. It is the basis of much great literature and art, from Milton and Shakespeare to Da Vinci.
In 2009, an exhibition in the Gallery of Modern Art in Glasgow caused a stir when an open Bible was placed in the gallery next to a container of pens with the words, “If you feel you have been excluded from the Bible, please write your way back in to it”. The point being that the Bible is one of the major texts by which we start to understand our place in the world and our relationship to others. We can either reject its relevance and influence as a spiritual doctrine, or accept it. But either way, it is hard to deny its relevance as a starting point in Western culture. Just as it would be hard to deny the relevance of the Bhagavad Gita, or the Koran in the East.
Andrew Motion (Poet Laureate for Britain from 1999-2009), and self-described atheist, argues that children need be taught about the Bible because it is an “essential piece of cultural luggage without which they will struggle to understand great literature“. Parents who don’t believe in God, have nothing to fear from their children learning about the Bible, and ignorance of the Bible, he argues, is a “serious handicap for those studying literature”.
So is this a true victory in St Heliers, or is it a worrying trend? It depends on how you want your kids to grow up. To me, it seems that children denied information about religion are being denied a well-rounded education. Even the world’s most famous atheist, Richard Dawkin – author of The Selfish Gene and The God Delusion – has admitted to celebrating Christmas and singing carols. He has made his reputation arguing against religion, but if he was denied that information as a child, then his work would have little power or purpose.
The Human Rights Commission is still considering its response to the complaints which will raise complex issues of discrimination on both sides of the argument. Until then, we will just have to wait and see if other schools follow suit.
• Dana Wensley has a PhD in law and ethics from King’s College (London), and specialises in commenting on social and political issues
Debate on this article is now closed. Readers are remided to keep their comments to a publishable standard.
From http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11201657
The Bible has to be read rationally as I have suggested and in the totality of its teaching, says Tallon. Photo / Getty Images
Strange how some people are so fearful of religion. Nowadays it’s everywhere. A week or so back London officials banned the use of the phrase “in sickness and in health” in civil registry wedding vows as “too religious”.
Then, here, it was prayers in schools – to expunge these we would have to drop the National Anthem. And every day I hear passionate prayers from the most irreligious – all it takes is a finger caught in a door. Now it is the Bible in schools.
Why the fuss? Herald on Sunday columnist Paul Little asserts that religion amounts to “an intellectual transit lounge where the shackles of reason are thrown off and replaced with the loose fitting robes of superstition”. David Hines, “Rationalist”, is stuck in a time warp, still choking on Crusades and Inquisitions. Both are caricatures that fall little short of bigotry.
If rationalism means, as my dictionary states, “reliance on reason as the best guide for belief and action” then I am a Christian rationalist.
And so are many of my Christian colleagues and friends. Indeed I would expand “reason” to read “reason and evidence”.
Biblical references an everyday part of our lives: Jeff Tallon
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10909056
5:30 AM Wednesday Aug 7, 2013 80 comments
From http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10909056
No matter what you may or may not believe, here’s a thought-provoking article to ponder… whether you may agree or not!
Strange how some people are so fearful of religion. Nowadays it’s everywhere. A week or so back London officials banned the use of the phrase “in sickness and in health” in civil registry wedding vows as “too religious”.
Then, here, it was prayers in schools – to expunge these we would have to drop the National Anthem. And every day I hear passionate prayers from the most irreligious – all it takes is a finger caught in a door. Now it is the Bible in schools.
Why the fuss? Herald on Sunday columnist Paul Little asserts that religion amounts to “an intellectual transit lounge where the shackles of reason are thrown off and replaced with the loose fitting robes of superstition”. David Hines, “Rationalist”, is stuck in a time warp, still choking on Crusades and Inquisitions. Both are caricatures that fall little short of bigotry.
If rationalism means, as my dictionary states, “reliance on reason as the best guide for belief and action” then I am a Christian rationalist.
And so are many of my Christian colleagues and friends. Indeed I would expand “reason” to read “reason and evidence“.
I am an orthodox Christian because of reason and evidence. I see no “shackles” piled up outside the door of my church each Sunday.
Does it not occur to these gentlemen, and so many others like them, that the institution that gave us modern empirical science is actually rather likely to engage with the mind?
Now in fairness I think we should be allowed to inspect Rationalist websites. What does one find? No end of bigotry, abuse and hatred of all things religious.
There is an issue about Crusades and Inquisitions and it’s this: People in the church have always distinguished between the church political and the church pious.
Of course the church political has lost its way from time to time. Look at any regime where accountability has been mislaid. But also time and again the church pious has pulled it back to its roots and reformed its practice. What are those roots? They are the Bible.
The Bible has to be read rationally as I have suggested and in the totality of its teaching. That core teaching lies at the heart of our institutions of democracy, freedom and justice, our understanding of the inviolability of human dignity, our very understanding of “the Western way of life”. Any denial of this is just modern-day medieval book burning.
So why would it not be taught in schools? If we want facts, data, evidence, archaeology – then all that can be provided. It forms part of my daily study.
And here’s the rub. All this data is actually substantial and requires a great deal of study to critically assimilate. I find people are simply unaware of the sheer quantity that is available.
Can we find the teachers who can teach this? That remains a challenge. I’m sure that in practice there are good examples and poor examples and, like all teaching, it requires excellent training.
It would be futile to attempt to remove religious terms from secular discourse. Here are some rather clumsy but illustrative few paragraphs:
There’s a fly in the ointment. It’s a sign of the times that politically correct busybodies, who are a complete law unto themselves, try to force us to set our house in order. Faith is the scapegoat. Religion, we are told, is the root of all evil, a thorn in the flesh for society which is wallowing in the mire of medieval beliefs. We need the patience of Job. How can we hold our peace? The PC powers that be, self-professed salt of the earth, have seen the light and seek to redeem us lost sheep from the howling wilderness of faith and bring us safe and sound back to sterile secularism. At the eleventh hour they hope to rescue us by the skin of our teeth.
Of course each of these phrases were introduced to the English language from the Bible.
Point made? Our historical religion lies doggedly at the heart of all our culture – our language, our institutions, even our science. Seems like there’s plenty to teach in schools.
Dr Jeff Tallon is a physicist specialising in superconductivity.
Debate on this article is now closed.
From http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10909056
WHO IS "THE REAL, THE TRUE, THE LIVING" JESUS? 
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