Thomas Jefferson, the author of the American Declaration of Independence, claimed to be a follower of the teachings of Jesus Christ. The problem was, he didn’t always like what he read in those teachings. He also “didn’t always agree with how the Bible was interpreted by Biblical sources, including the writers of the four Gospels, […]
About 80 years ago, intense research was initiated on the effects of music on human behavior. The initial findings surprised most medical and behavioral scientists. Research demonstrated that the sensation of music is perceived directly through the hypothalamus (the center of our emotions), bypassing conscious thought.1 Through nerve connections, the hypothalamus can then affect our […]
Two vehicles approached an intersection at speed one bleak afternoon in rural Canada. The one, a bus, was carrying the Humboldt Broncos junior ice hockey team to a playoff game. The other, a tractor-trailer carrying 900 bales of peat moss, was driven by an Indian immigrant, Jaskirat Sidhu. It was his first month of solo […]
It seems to me that a very dangerous theological trend has developed among Christians of late. It is the idea that we are to just love and accept everybody as they are and incorporate them into church fellowship without helping them feel guilt for their open sin and a desire to change. I believe that […]
In the reign of wicked King Ahab of Israel, good King Jehoshaphat of Judah visited him. Ahab treated Jehoshaphat and his retinue with great pomp and ceremony and then extracted a promise from Jehoshaphat to bring the army of Judah to help Israel fight against the Syrians. Jehoshaphat seems to have agreed impulsively without first […]
If you die, what difference would it make to you if you went straight to heaven upon death, or were unconscious until the resurrection and then went to heaven? Either way, your next conscious experience would be going to heaven, wouldn’t it? But if you’ve lost beloved family members, which would you prefer: to believe […]
Confusion about what happens to a soul at the time of death has led many sincere Christians to believe they can assist their departed loved ones towards a happier and holier state in the next life through prayer, almsgiving, and mass. Some religions teach that most people don’t finish getting ready for heaven in this […]
“I figured I was just one number away from getting rich,” said Jay, a salesman. His gambling career started with Lotto and Win 4. His bets were only about $10 a week at first. Then, one week he hit on five of six Lotto numbers and won $2,000. His spending on lottery tickets spiked to $10 a day. Before long, […]
I love watching video footage taken by a drone! At first, the camera gives me a close-up of someone on the ground. Then suddenly it lifts off, and the person rapidly shrinks in an expanding picture. As the drone gains height, the figure becomes a dot in a huge panorama. Yet I’ve seen this person […]
My maternal grandmother came from a wealthy family. Her Hungarian ancestors moved from Slovakia to Transylvania and worked hard to establish themselves. Soon the family owned a huge orchard, vineyards, land, and a beautiful house. The orchard was especially productive. One year the family business won an award in a produce exhibition with apples the […]