Science vs. religion

"Let me explain the problem science has with religion." The
atheist professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks
one of his new students to stand.

'You're a Christian, aren't you, son?'

'Yes sir,' the student says.

So you believe in God?'

'Absolutely. '
'Is God good?'

'Sure! God's good.'

Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?'

'Yes'

Are you good or evil?'

'The Bible says I'm evil.'
The professor grins knowingly. 'Aha! The
Bible!' He considers for a moment. 'Here's one for you. Let's
say there's a sick person over here and you can cure him. You can
do it. Would you help him? Would you try?'

'Yes sir, I would.'

'So you're good!'

'I wouldn't say that'

'But why not say that? You'd help a sick and
maimed person if you could. Most of us would if we could. But God
doesn't.'

The student does not answer, so the professor
continues. 'He doesn't, does he? My brother was a Christian who
died of cancer, even though he prayed to Jesus to heal him. How is
this Jesus good? Can you answer that one?'

The student remains silent. 'No, you can't, can
you?' the professor says. He takes a sip of water from a glass on
his desk to give the student time to relax. 'Let's start again,
young fella. Is God good?'

'Er.. yes,' the student says.

Is Satan good?'

The student doesn't hesitate on this one. 'No.'

'Then where does Satan come from?'

The student falters. 'From God'

'That's right. God made Satan, didn't he? Tell
me, son. Is there evil in this world?'

'Yes, sir..'

'Evil's everywhere, isn't it? And God did make
everything, correct?'

'Yes'

'So who created evil?' The professor continued,
'If God created everything, then God created evil, since evil
exists, and according to the principle that our works define who
we are, then God is evil.'

Again, the student has no answer. 'Is there
sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible
things, do they exist in this world?'

The student squirms on his feet. 'Yes.'

'So who created them?'

The student does not answer again, so the
professor repeats his question. 'Who created them?' There is
still no answer. Suddenly the lecturer breaks away to pace in
front of the classroom. The class is mesmerized. 'Tell me,' he
continues onto another student. 'Do you believe in Jesus Christ,
son?'
The student's voice betrays him and cracks.
'Yes, professor, I do.'

The old man stops pacing. 'Science says you
have five senses you use to identify and observe the world around
you. Have you ever seen Jesus?'

'No sir. I've never seen Him.'

'Then tell us if you've ever heard your Jesus?'

'No, sir, I have not..'

'Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your
Jesus or smelt your Jesus? Have you ever had any sensory
perception of Jesus Christ, or God for that matter?'

'No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't.'

'Yet you still believe in him?'

'Yes'

'According to the rules of empirical, testable,
demonstrable protocol, science says your God doesn't exist.

What do you say to that, son?'

'Nothing,' the student replies.. 'I only have my
faith.'

'Yes, faith,' the professor repeats. 'And that
is the problem science has with God. There is no evidence, only
faith.'

The student*** stands quietly for a moment,
before asking a question of His own. 'Professor, is there such
thing as heat? '

Yes.

'And is there such a thing as cold?'

'Yes, son, there's cold too.'

'No sir, there isn't.'

The professor turns to face the student,
obviously interested. The room suddenly becomes very quiet.

The student begins to explain. ' You can have
lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, unlimited
heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don't have
anything called 'cold'. We can go down to 458 degrees below zero,
which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There
is no such thing as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder
than the lowest -458 degrees. Every body or object is susceptible
to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a
body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-458 F) is
the total absence of heat.. You see, sir, cold is only a word we
use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold.
Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold
is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.'

Silence across the room. A pen drops somewhere
in the classroom, sounding like a hammer.

'What about darkness, professor. Is there such
a thing as darkness?'

'Yes,' the professor replies without
hesitation. 'What is night if it isn't darkness?'

'You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not
something; it is the absence of something. You can have low
light, normal light, bright light, flashing light, but if you have
no light constantly you have nothing and its called darkness,
isn't it? That's the meaning we use to define the word. In
reality, darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make
darkness darker, wouldn't you?'

The professor begins to smile at the student in
front of him. This will be a good semester. 'So what point are
you making, young man?'

My point, professor, is that your philosophical
premise is flawed to start with, and so your conclusion must also
be flawed.'
The professor's face cannot hide his surprise
this time. 'Flawed? Can you explain how?'

'You are working on the premise of duality,' the
student explains. 'You argue that there is life and then there's
death; a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of
God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science
can't even explain a thought.' 'It uses electricity and
magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either
one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of
the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is
not the opposite of life, just the absence of it. Now tell me,
professor... Do you teach your students that they evolved from a
monkey?'

'If you are referring to the natural
evolutionary process, young man, yes, of course I do'

'Have you ever observed evolution with your own
eyes, sir?'

The professor begins to shake his head, still
smiling, as he realizes where the argument is going. A very good
semester, indeed.

'Since no one has ever observed the process of
evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an
on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are
you now not a scientist, but a preacher?'

The class is in uproar. The student remains
silent until the commotion has subsided. 'To continue the point
you were making earlier to the other student, let me give you an
example of what I mean.' The student looks around the room. 'Is
there anyone in the class who has ever seen the professor's
brain?' The class breaks out into laughter. 'Is there anyone
here who has ever heard the professor's brain, felt the
professor's brain, touched or smelt the professor's brain? No one
appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of
empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you
have no brain, with all due respect, sir.' 'So if science says you
have no brain, how can we trust your lectures, sir?'
Now the room is silent. The professor just stares at the
student, his face unreadable. Finally, after what seems an
eternity, the old man answers. 'I Guess you'll have to take them
on faith.'

'Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in
fact, faith exists with life,' the student continues. 'Now, sir,
is there such a thing as evil?' Now uncertain, the professor
responds, 'Of course, there is. We see it everyday. It is in the
daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude
of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These
manifestations are nothing else but evil.'

To this the student replied, 'Evil does not
exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is
simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a
word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did
not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does
not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that
comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there
is no light.'

The professor sat down.

If you read it all the way through and had a
smile on your face when you finished, mail to your friends and
family with the title 'God vs. Science'

PS: ***The student was Albert Einstein who wrote
a book titled God vs. Science in 1921.

Rugaciunea de Miercuri

Doamne Atotputernice si Atotindurate! Imi aduc aminte ca Te-ai nascut Om din Sfanta Fecioara in pestera si ai fost vandut cu treizeci de arginti de ucenicul cel viclean, ca sa ne rascumperi pe noi, pacatosii, de sub puterea diavolului. Pentru aceasta, Te rog, indura-Te de mine, pacatosul!

Primeste, Doamne, aceasta mica a mea rugaciune, si umilita a mea vointa, ca ma intristez pentru ca Te-am intristat, si ma amarasc pentru ca Te-am suparat fara de numar. La Tine, Prea Bunule Mantuitor, am toata speranta, si cred ca Tu, care din iubire de oameni ai primit sa fii vandut pentru noi, Te vei indura si de mine acum, ca sa ma mantuiesti de chinurile cele de veci, si sa ma invrednicesti Imparatiei Tale.

Nu Te departa de la mine Doamne, si ajuta-mi, ca in toate sa fac voia Ta, si sa nu Te mai rastignesc in toate zilele cu faptele mele cele pacatoase, nici sa Te batjocoresc cu cugetele mele cele rele, precum faceau iudeii cei necredinciosi in timpul Sfintelor Tale Patimi, ci ca femeia cea pacatoasa sa-Ti spal picioarele, cu lacrimile ochilor mei, pentru ca sa ma invrednicesc a auzi si eu din Gura Ta cea dulce: Iertate sa-ti fie pacatele... Amin.

Rugaciune inaintea inceperii unei lucrari

Rugaciune inaintea inceperii unei lucrari
Doamne Iisuse Cristoase, Fiul lui Dumnezeu, care ai spus prin gura profetului David: "Omul merge la munca si trudeste pana se insereaza". Prin gura binecuvantatului apostol Pavel ai spus: "Cel ce nu munceste, nu va manca." Si cu gura Ta prea curata ai spus: "Fara mine nu poti face nimic."
Am ascultat cuvintele Tale sfinte, cu tot sufletul si inima mea, Doamne, si ma indrept spre bunatatea Ta cu smerenie.
Ai mila de mine si ajuta-ma pe mine, un pacatos, ca sa termin lucrarea pe care acum o incep, in numele Tatalui, al Fiului si al Sfantului Duh.
Amin.

Invitaţie la pocăinţă – Canonul Sfântul Andrei Criteanul

“Venit-a postul, maica curăţiei, cea care învinovăţeşte păcatul şi este vestitoarea pocăinţei, purtarea îngerilor şi mântuirea oamenilor; să strigăm credincioşii: Dumnezeule, milueşte-ne pe noi!”.

“Dă-mi Hristoase, ploi de lacrimi, în ziua cea plăcută a postului, ca să plâng şi să-mi spăl întinăciunea cea din pofte şi să mă arăt Ţie curăţit, când vei veni din cer Judecător, Doamne, să judeci pe oameni, ca un judecător şi singur drept.”

“Cu înfrânare să ne sârguim toţi a smeri trupul, trecând dumnezeiasca măsură a postului celui fără de prihană. Şi cu rugăciuni şi cu lacrimi să căutăm pe Domnul, Cel ce ne mântuieşte pe noi, şi uitare răutăţii desăvârşit să făcem, strigând: greşit-am Ţie, mântuieşte-ne ca odinioară pe niniviteni, Hristoase Împărate, şi ne fă părtaşi împărăţiei cereşti, mult-Îndurate.”

(Triod – cântări din prima săptămâna a Sfântului şi Marelui Post)

Suntem în săptămâna a 5-a a Postului Mare iar obiceiul este ca în Joia aceste săptămâni să se cânte Canonul Sfântului Andrei Criteanul. Slujba Canonului, asemenea deniilor, se va ţine miercuri seara începând cu orele 16, 17 sau 18 în funcţie de programul fiecărei biserici. Este una dintre cele mai profunde şi mai puternice rugăciuni din tot calendarul liturgic al Bisericii Ortodoxe.

Acest bogat şi frumos canon este, în acelaşi timp, meditaţie biblică şi rugăciune de pocăinţă. Canonul Sfântului Andrei Criteanul este un dialog al omului păcătos cu propria sa conştiinţă, luminată de citirea Sfintei Scripturi. Sufletul care se pocăieşte plânge că nu a urmat pilda luminoasă a drepţilor virtuoşi, ci robia patimilor arătate în mulţi păcătoşi, dintre care unii nu s-au pocăit, iar alţii s-au mântuit tocmai fiindcă s-au pocăit.

Cu inima plină de smerenia vameşului, cu strigătul de iertare al fiului risipitor şi cu gândul la înfricoşătoarea judecată, despre care vorbesc Evangheliile primelor trei duminici ale Triodului, autorul Canonului cel Mare ne arată, deodată durerea şi puterea pocăinţei, leac şi lumină a învierii sufletului din moartea păcatului.

Rugăciunea vameşului “Dumnezeule, milueşte-mă pe mine păcătosul!” devine, în Canonul Sfântului Andrei Criteanul, ritmul şi respiraţia pocăinţei în stăruitorul stih: “Milueşte-mă, Dumnezeule milueşte-mă!”.

Canonul cel Mare se cântă în Biserică în timpul perioadei de pocăinţă a Postului Mare al Sfintelor Paşti, tocmai pentru a se arăta că toţi oamenii au nevoie de pocăinţă şi de iertare a păcatelor pentru a ajunge la mântuire.

(Foame şi sete după Dumnezeu – Daniel, Patriarhul Bisericii Ortodoxe Române)

Sursa: http://stiri.ortodoxe.org/site-uri-personale/ortodoxia-tinerilor/invitatie-la-pocainta-%e2%80%93-canonul-sfantul-andrei-criteanul

Programul dezordonat - o patima camuflata

Omul gaseste timp pentru a face multe, insa foarte rar pentru a le face pe cele ce merita cu adevarat timpul alocat lor. E timp pentru a face lucruri proaste si nefolositoare, insa niciodata nu e timp pentru a face lucrurile cele bune. Aici se descopera inselaciunea diavolului - intotdeauna va gasi omul timp pentru a-si petrece ziua in orice altcceva afara de rugaciune, citire si asezare sufleteasca.

Daca omul primeste o invitatie la distractie, cu siguranta va gasi timpul necesar spre a o satisface, insa "o invitatie" la biserica, la Sfanta Liturghie sau la o alta slujba, de cele mai multe ori vine cand omul are programul prea incarcat sau este deja prea obosit pentru altceva. Deci timp avem, insa nu il folosim in ceea ce merita cu adevarat.

http://www.crestinortodox.ro/sfaturi-duhovnicesti/programul-dezordonat-patima-camuflata-98701.html

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