The root of suffering

The root of suffering – by P.K.Odendaal – August 2015

 

I think we have lost the thread somewhere or we got blindfolded by the biblical axiom.

The biblical axiom says that the love of money is the root of all evil. If that is so then we are exempt from the injunction that we are the sinners – money really is; so that cannot be, as we know too well. Giving money the blame for all our sins will just not fly. I think we read that axiom incorrectly or our deduction of the relationship between sin, evil and suffering is wrong.

Reception, Deception and Rejection

Father’s day 2015 and self-destruction – by P.K.Odendaal – June 2015.

For Father’s day 2015

Go ask the rolling river (a living thing)
Why it flows in ceaseless motion (from where it originated in the mountain)
To the all-absorbing ocean, (its grave)
Finding there the final goal. (its death)
It will say, I’m driven onward
By a force beyond control. (gravity)
From The Elixir of Love by Donizetti

The cause of rejection in ourselves is mainly from a mistaken identity. We have not identified or found ourselves or our place in this world, or we have not fashioned our identity at youth to someone we admire and respect, mainly for not having such a person on our radar, and the effects of this is devastating in our lives.

A God for all seasons - a secular view

A God for all seasons - a secular view - by P.K.Odendaal - April 2015.

 

We had joy, we had fun,

We had seasons in the sun,

But the stars that we could reach,

Were just starfish on the beach.

(by Rod Mc Kuen and Terry Jacks)

 

As we all know, the subject of my article is an aberration of the famous play and later film named 'A man of all seasons' by Robert Bolt which depicts the life of Sir Thomas More, the Chancellor of the Exchequer during the reign of King Henry VIII. The plot is based on the true story of Sir Thomas More, the 16th-century Chancellor of England, who refused to endorse King Henry VIII's wish to divorce his wife Catherine of Aragon, who did not bear him a son, so that he could marry Anne Boleyn, the sister of his former mistress. The play portrays More as a man of principle, envied by rivals such as Thomas Cromwell and loved by the common people and by his family.

What if God ... Part 3 - The aftermath of free will

What if God ... Part 3 - The aftermath of free will - by P.K.Odendaal - March 2014. 

So, now we have decided that we have free will after all. But what are its implications.

Firstly we can do what we like ... well maybe not everything. We cannot decide to spend the day on Mars - or such other trivial places. But ... why not? Surely I am body, mind, soul and spirit and my mind, soul and spirit are not tied to my body and are free to roam where they wish. So, my mind, soul and spirit can wander around Mars or anywhere else, for the day - nothing prevents me. If we think about Mars and imagine its surroundings and let our thoughts take flight ... then we are there.

What if God ... Part 1 - Introduction

What if God ... Part 1 - by P.K.Odendaal - March 2014.

There are at least a million such questions being asked everyday by millions of people, and some have the form of :Why did God ... or Why did God not ...

I am also quite sure that these questions can all be answered by a few short answers, and I will venture into this domain to find answers to some which bother me, but which I am sure have answers. I am also quite sure that I can compile a series of articles on this, which I am willing to venture out to do.

Adult Sunday School - Part 18 - The resurrection (continued)

Adult Sunday School - Part 18 - The resurrection (continued)

I believe in the resurrection of the flesh - by P.K.Odendaal - January 2014. 

In part 17 we spoke of the resurrection without going into detail.

There is a Nicene creed which was compiled in 325 AD in Nicea (now in Turkey)in which it says that we believe in the resurrection of the dead, which in later centuries have often been changed and adulterated to say: I believe in the resurrection of the flesh.

Although I doubt most of the creed as it is in its present form in the Dutch Reformed Church, I do now believe in the latter fully - and that because of a vision I had last week.

The Best of all Possible Worlds.

The Best of All Possible worlds - by P.K.Odendaal - September 2013. 

I have added another part to this original article of last month (The Perfect World) and tried to answer the questions the first part of this article begged.

I have added yet another part at the end setting out a scientific interpretation of the Many Worlds Interpretation concept. (October 2013)

Taken from the idea of The Perfect Storm - which was not so perfect.

If there is something I will definitely not like, it would be a perfect world. I cannot imagine the boredom and lack of creativity that will accompany a perfect world. In a perfect world there will not be any improvement, development, creative space or new ideas possible, because by definition it is perfect and cannot be improved.

I shudder at the thought.

The Perfect World

The Perfect World - by P.K.Odendaal - August 2013 

Taken from the idea of The Perfect Storm - which was not so perfect.

If there is something I will definitely not like, it would be a perfect world. I cannot imagine the boredom and lack of creativeness that will accompany a perfect world. In a perfect world there will not be any improvement, development, creative space or new ideas possible, because by definition it is perfect and cannot be improved.

I shudder at the thought.

The limits of Free Will

The limits of free will - by P.K.Odendaal - July 2013 

If you are still unsure whether you have free will, this is probably not for you, but read on - you just might be surprised. In previous articles I have elaborated on that and the gist of the argument is as follows:

 

Argument 1

God cannot make a mistake or error. I make mistakes and errors. I therefore do things for which only I am the author.

QED

The bondage of the Church - Part 3 - The Church Government

The bondage of the Church - Part 3 - The Church Government - by P.K.Odendaal - June 2013. 

In a previous article I have superficially written on the devastating persecution and war the Roman Catholic Church prosecuted against its disobedient members and even on people who did not want to have anything to do with it - like Jews and many others. It is too ghastly to go into the detail of those persecutions and wars. I referred you to the book: 'The Dogs of God' by Reston. Of course the recent film named 'Goya's Ghosts' is an excellent portrayal of the life under the Catholic Church, the inquisition and the abuse of church members.

Fact of the matter is that the Vatican set up a government complete with military wing to keep the Pope in power over these two millennia. It is clear from the history that if you did not obey the Pope, you were dead.

The Bondage of the Church - Part 2 - Who is in charge?

The Bondage of the Church - Part 2 - Who is in charge? - by P.K.Odendaal - June 2013. 

In Old Testament times, God spoke to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, to His leaders of the people like Moses, to His friends like Enoch, and to the High Priest in the Holy of Holies.

The reason He did not speak to plebs like you and me in those times was that there was a dividing wall of sin between us and God - and secondly, we were afraid to speak to God lest we should die. I can quote a scripture which is relevant in this regard:

The bondage of the Church - Part 1

The bondage of the Church - Part 1 - by P.K.Odendaal - June 2013 

In previous articles I have written superficially of the bondage of the Church, but now I intend to delve deeper into it. We stand at a crossroads where the Church in general is not fulfilling its calling and its obligation towards Christians anymore. It is not the first time in history that this happens and the Church history is full of this type of abuse, but we cannot have a reformation over and over each century.

Dialogue with an atheist - Part 10 - The Invisible hand

Dialogue with an atheist - Part 10 - The Invisible hand.

by P.K.Odendaal - January 2013

 

Our Protagonist's acronym GLC stands for God Loving Creature.

GLC:        Hi Atheist, care for a curved ball from me?

Atheist:   Why not?

GLC:        Have you heard of the Invisible Hand?

Atheist:   Why, no.

GLC:        It is quite a well known and basic principle in Economics.

Atheist:   Why do you want to tell me? I don't like economics.

GLC:        Because it demonstrates quite clearly the presence of God in inanimate things, of which Economics is an excellent example. We can then also extrapolate this phenomenon throughout the Universe.

Dialogue with an atheist - Part 9 - Talking to God

Dialogue with an atheist - Part 9 - Talking to God

GLC         Do you think that inanimate things have souls - or can feel emotion - or can understand something?

Atheists:  Of course, I believe in it. That is what Darwinism is all about. Darwinism posits that the tiny cells, even in inanimate things, steers the course of evolution in a random way. And if you did not know, electrons which are totally inanimate know their way around an atom's nucleus. This has been determined by our brilliant scientists. In fact, we do not believe in any external meta-physical influences on such an electron. It knows by itself and the nuclear forces acting on it, what it should do, and it does it every-time without fail.

Dialogue with an atheist - Part 8 - Tree of death

Dialogue with an atheist - Part 8 - The tree of death - by P.K.Odendaal

January 2013

 
Note added by the narrator 13 March 2013.

Our Protagonist's acronym GLC stands for God Loving Creature. 

GLC:        Hi Atheist, why do you look so intoxicated today - have you had some drink or drugs?

Atheist:   I will have you know that I do not drink and I don't do drugs - and I am very sober as I stand here. My behaviour conforms to the highest moral standards of society - much higher than most of you Christians.

GLC:        I was talking of your intoxication with the drugs which come from the fruit of the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, because I see  that you have had too much it. It intoxicates the soul with temporary pleasure and vainglory, takes away hope and faith, sells you as a slave and in the end kills you - like all other drugs. It burns you from the inside until there are only ashes left in your soul.

Dialogue with an atheist - Part 7 - Spirits

Dialogue with an atheist - Part 7 - Spirits - by P.K.Odendaal - December 2012

Our Protagonist's acronym GLC stands for God Loving Creature. 

GLC:        Hi Atheist, why are you coming back time and again. I thought you would have shunned my company many moons ago.

Atheist:   I don't know. I do not like Christians, but somehow you give me something to think about now and then. You sometimes have a point - a weak one, but still. And you do not shun or force Christianity down my throat immediately, like other Christians do. I am so fed up with them about that. But ... what are we talking about today.

GLC:        We are going to jump directly into the spiritual world - the one you are so sure does not exist. You must have gathered from the subject of our previous dialogue, called 'Evil', that I would now follow with Spirits, because spirits are the abode of evil. Evil does not exist anywhere else, despite this humorous poem by Lewis Carroll (from Phantasmagoria):

Dialogue with an atheist - Part 6 - Evil

Dialogue with an atheist - Part 6 - Evil - by P.K.Odendaal - December 2012.

Our Protagonist's acronym GLC stands for God Loving Creature.

Atheist:   Last time you talked about evil, and I wish to take you up on that. Why do you say Dawkins and company are evil and the Israelites are not? I thought the latter were indeed the worst - if one can believe the Bible.

GLC:        Sorry for the ambiguity. I meant that I regard Dawkins and company as evil, but they cannot be described as evil to an atheist, because there is no concept of evil for an atheist. Evil, Satan, Hell, Perdition and the Last Judgement are words defined and created in the Bible - by God and the writers of Scripture. Of course, if you do not believe in God, then Evil, Satan, Hell and the Devil are also non-existent concepts.

Atheist:   That is an insult to me - of course I know what evil is and means. I see it around me every day.

Dialogue with an atheist - Part 5 - War and peace

Dialogue with an atheist - part 5 - War and Peace -  by P.K.Odendaal - December 2012

Our Protagonist's acronym GLC stands for God Loving Creature.

Scripture

Atheist:   Hi GLC, I have been looking for you everywhere after you insulted my heroes or revered writers last time. You got very uptight, and I thought that you were so clinically rational.

GLC:        Hi Atheist. I am not only rational - I am also passionate and a lot of other things. You however are the strictly rational one. So what are you up to today?

Atheist:   I am throwing you a curved ball today, and I cannot wait to see you being caught out on first base.

Dialogue with an atheist - Part 4 - by P.K.Odendaal - Determinism and Agnosticism - December 2012

Dialogue with an atheist - Part 4 - Determinism and Agnosticism -by P.K.Odendaal - December 2012

Our Protagonist's acronym GLC stands for God Loving Creature. 

What is an atheist really

GLC:        Hi Atheist, interested in another session with me, about things material and immaterial? Or shall I say physical and meta-physical? Or what about this one ... carnal and spiritual?

Atheist:   You have this funny effect on me - I detest you, but still I cannot help but listening to you - the same effect as people like Dawkins and hitchens have on Christians.

GLC:        I do not mean it to be a sort of punishment, but rather an excursion into realms and domains where you would feel ill at ease, but still domains which exist. I know you are a materialist, and that you only believe in physical things, but leading a life of bondage in only one domain must cramp your lifestyle immensely.

Atheist:   Ok, go ahead, what do you have in store today?

Dialogue with an Atheist - Part 3 - Gravity of the situation

Dialogue with and atheist - Part 1 - by P.K.Odendaal - October 2012

Our Protagonist's acronym GLC stands for God Loving Creature.

Gravity of the situation.

GLC:        Hi Atheist, I did not know that you would come back for another session of our dialogue. You looked very perplexed last time.

Atheist:   You left you too much to think about, although I cannot get myself to think where you got it wrong - but wrong you surely got it. So I might redeem myself today with some fresh new arguments.

GLC:        And speaking of redemption. Why would you want to redeem yourself. Where did you get lost or lost your faith or your self-composure. I thought that only Christians looked for redemption.