You're told you have freedom of religious beliefs. But then you're also told the government will make sure there's harmony between all the religions and with the government. Oops. You're also told there's self-governance. Really? And that no conflicts are allowed. How can that be?
When something positive happens, some Christians have a tendency to respond with “God is good”. I got some of these replies after texting about the results of my first blood test after radiation treatment for cancer. I don’t mean to knock the thought. But I often wonder, what would the reply be if the news was negative?
I had my first nightmare about cancer in the three and a half years since I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. And it was the day before getting radiation treatment results. At least, it seems like it should be called a nightmare. I mean, it was about cancer. And yet, like this entire time, it wasn’t scary.
Some people ask, “How do we know the Bible is true?” Some Christians will say, “Of course it is”. But hey – that’s not really an acceptable answer for someone who’s asking, “Is the Bible true?”, is it? My first thought after hearing that is, “Do you want to believe the Bible is true?”
How do Chinese religious affairs regulations general provisions compare with America? The track is different, but the goal of both is to redefine Christianity.
What is religious freedom supposed to mean in China and America? We have to start off with what freedom is “supposed” to mean. But even “supposed to” is in the eye of the beholder and the mouth of the speaker. It’s like a twist on an old joke, but the reality is this: How can you tell when a government is lying? It passes a law that claims to benefit everyone.
Things sounded rather well for Screwtape and Wormwood at the end of the first letter. But no letter that has “I note with grave displeasure” can be good. Add to that the comment that “your patient has become a Christian”, and we know right away, Screwtape Letter #2 is not going to be a happy one for Wormwood.
Sometimes we need to take a break. And if we really need one and don’t take it, God might tell us to lie down in green pastures. I’ve been there. Done that. And apparently, needed to do it again. And that got me to a day of rest. Actually, a time of rest. Which leads to: Was it seven days of creation? Or seven creation days? Ever since the beginning, the two things are tied together. That begs the question, how does rest influence the seven days of creation?
There’s a song that says God’s love can turn mourning into dancing. Is that really true? In fact, the song even says, “again”? Is that for real? Where does that idea come from?
Who gets to define religion? In our case, specifically, who gets to define the new Christianity? China passed new religious regulations almost six tears ago. I started to write about them a couple of times. It was never quite right though. I felt like the U.S., in some way, was going to copy what China did. As it turns out, we’re doing just that.
God and me - this life and the next 