Interesting Conversation

I haven't posted anything for quite awhile. I thought this inspirational which I received today is worth sharing. Read on...

An Atheist Professor of Philosophy speaks to his Class on the Problem Science has with GOD, the ALMIGHTY. He asks one of his New Christian Students to stand and . . .
Professor : You are a Christian, aren't you, son ?
Student : Yes, sir.
Professor : So you Believe in GOD ?
Student : Absolutely, sir.
Professor : Is GOD good ?
Student : Sure.
Professor : Is GOD ALL - POWERFUL ?
Student : Yes.
Professor : My Brother died of cancer even though he prayed to GOD to heal him.
Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill.
But GOD didn't. How is this GOD good then? Hmm?
( Student is silent )

Professor : You can't answer, can you ?
Let's start again, Young Fella. Is GOD good?
Student : Yes.
Professor : Is Satan good ?
Student : No.
Professor : Where does Satan come from ?
Student : From . . . GOD . . .
Professor : That's right.
Tell me son, is there evil in this world?
Student : Yes.
Professor : Evil is everywhere, isn't it ?
And GOD did make everything. Correct?
Student : Yes.
Professor : So who created evil ?
(Student does not answer)

Professor : Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness?
All these terrible things exist in the world, don't they?
Student : Yes, sir.
Professor : So, who created them ?
( Student has no answer )

Professor : Science says you have 5 senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Tell me, son . . . Have you ever seen GOD?
Student : No, sir.
Professor : Tell us if you have ever heard your GOD?
Student : No , sir.
Professor : Have you ever felt your GOD, tasted your GOD, smelt your GOD?
Have you ever had any sensory perception of GOD for that matter?
Student : No, sir. I'm afraid I haven't.
Professor : Yet you still believe in HIM?
Student : Yes.
Professor : According to empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol,
science says your GOD doesn't exist.
What do you say to that, son?
Student : Nothing. I only have my Faith.
Professor : Yes, Faith. And that is the problem science has.

Student : Professor, is there such a thing as heat?
Professor : Yes.
Student : And is there such a thing as cold?
Professor : Yes.
Student : No sir. There isn't.
( The Lecture Theatre becomes very quiet with this turn of events )
Student : Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don't have anything called cold. We can hit 458 Degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.
( There is pin - drop silence in the lecture theatre )

Student : What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness?
Professor : Yes. What is night if there isn't darkness?
Student : You're wrong again, sir. Darkness 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 it's called darkness, isn't it? In reality, darkness isn't. If it is, were you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?
Professor : So what is the point you are making, young Man ?
Student : Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.
Professor : Flawed ? Can you explain how?
Student : Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue there is life and then there is 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?
Professor : If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do.
Student : Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?
( The Professor shakes his head with a Smile, beginning to realize where the Argument is going )
Student : 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 not a scientist but a preacher?
( The Class is in Uproar )
Student : Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the professor's brain?
( The Class breaks out into Laughter )
Student : Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor's brain, felt it, touched or smelt it? . . ... 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, sir. With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir?
(The Room is Silent. The Professor stares at the Student, his face unfathomable)
Professor : I guess you'll have to take them on faith, son.
Student : That is it sir . . . The link between Man & GOD is FAITH. That is all that keeps things moving & alive.

It turned out later that the student is Albert Einstein.


Pope Benedict XVI in Yad Vashem

In my prayer yesterday, images of Pope Benedict XVI’s visit at Yad Vashem (Temple of Memorial to the Victims of the Holacaust) came back to me. And I asked myself, “what is the significance of all this?” At one level, I felt full of admiration for the Pope, for his courage and humility, to rise up to the challenge of the moment and accept this painful part of history and the role played by his country of origin.
On another plane, I felt that the visit was a moment of reconciliation, this time not just because the Pope is German, but exactly because he is the Pope, the head of the Christian catholic community, presumed to be the historic perpetrator of anti-semitism which culminated in the holocaust. I stayed with the thought and took it in as a “heavily-loaded moment” – a moment of “doxa” – a moment of glory!
I could only hope in my heart of hearts that this visit could really pave the way to deeper pardon and lasting peace.

When I say I'm a Christian...

Pope Benedict XVI appeals to the whole Catholic community to pray for him during his coming pilgrimage to the Holy Land and nearby territories from May 8-15. He says, "I go as a pilgrim of peace. As you are well aware, for more than sixty years, this region - the land of our Lord's birth, death and Resurrection; a sacred place for the world's three great monotheistic religions - has been plagued by violence and injustice. This has led to a general atmosphere of mistrust, uncertainty and fear - often pitting neighbour against neighbour, brother against brother. As I prepare for this significant journey, I ask in a special way that you join me in prayer for all the peoples of the Holy Land and the region. May they receive the gifts of reconciliation, hope and peace."

As I reflect on his words, connecting it to the beginnings of our faith being narrated in the daily liturgy of this Easter season, I noticed how little has really changed from that time until now. Even between the early followers of Jesus in Galilee and Jerusalem and the succeeding generations of Jesus’ disciples in Syrian Antioch, where the name “Christian” was first used (see Acts 11:26), there was already a lot of tension. Interestingly, according to one commentary, the word “Christian” was first applied to the members of the non-Jewish or Gentile community at Antioch because the Gentile members of the community enable it to stand out clearly from Judaism. In other words, “Christian” is already an initial label to distinguish Jews and non-Jews, even if both are considered Jesus’ disciples.
This is just to say that even in the beginning, the Jewish followers of Jesus were not convinced that non-Jews should be part of their movement. Ethnicity is so strong… stronger than the marvelous work of God in Jesus Christ!

But no one could stop the Spirit of the Lord: sooner or later, s/he attracts open-minded persons to launch to new territories and bring the movement to a new dynamic growth. The commentary continues, “the Jewish Christian antipathy to the mixed community was reflected by the early missionaries generally. The few among them who entertained a different view succeeded in introducing Gentiles into the community at Antioch (in Syria). When the disconcerted Jerusalem community sent Barnabas to investigate, he was so favorably impressed by what he observed that he persuaded his friend Saul (Paul) to participate in the Antioch mission.” Thanks to these two “liberal-minded” missionaries, “Christians” reached every part of the world.

Now the challenge is how to continue “getting out” of the “Christian” prejudices where we have consciously or unconsciously fallen into from one generation to the next.
Let me share here a message that I got yesterday by email which helped me make an examen of consciousness regarding my being a “Christian”:

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin'."
I'm whispering "I was lost,
Now I'm found and forgiven."

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble
and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak
And need His strength to carry on.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
And need God to clean my mess.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible
But, God believes I am worth it.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I still feel the sting of pain.
I have my share of heartaches
So I call upon His name.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner
Who received God's good grace,
somehow!