2013-10-31

Evolution vs Creation

Some years ago, I debated with a brother who believed in Evolution.  Below was the discussion content, which I posted for personal notes and future reference.
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I'll never accept evolution as anything but a lie.

Let me start with a parable. If I lay down some sand, steel, quartz, jewels in the ground, given a sufficiently long time (billions of years), is it reasonable to expect these materials to evolve into a nice watch, with beautiful jewel decoration and the word "Rolex" nicely crafted atop? In the same token, given nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen, etc on Earth, and given a long enough time, can I expect them to evolve into amino acid, then amoeba, then, wow, all varieties of living things including you and me?

If the watch that you're wearing calls for a designer, how much more does nature itself testify there is a grand creator, i.e. God? So it's written in the Bible, "Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?" (Rom 9:20).

Discussion on the Second Law of Thermodynamics:
Q (me): Have you heard of the law of entropy? The whole universe is in a constant state of decay - the direct opposite of evolution! This theory alone declare the death of the evolution theory.

A: Of course it can decay as well as refine itself (as in evolution); these are two opposites of the same thing (first it has to decay in order to transform/refine itself(evolution) , and there are two factors which determines or hinders true development; And that is the different parts of the universe´s ability to live/exist in congruity with God´s Will or not.
No, the 2nd law of thermodynamics on entropy only suggest that the universe is on a single path of of becoming more and more disordered. There's no return of order, refinement, or evolution. Of course, this is on the physical realm. I just want to point out that as a pure science, the theory of evolution cannot stand.

Discussion on whether Earth is 6000 years old:
Q (me): Do you believe the universe is 6000 years old? Or do you believe that it have billions of years? I've viewed a book "It's a young world after all" which account for this topic.
For the 6000 years theory, I'm only a new comer and this book was the only thing I've heard. Basically, it said that our dating method today is based on a linear decay curve of the elements, mainly carbon. This suggest that our earth / universe are billions years old. But further research showed that the decay curve itself is directly proportional to the speed of light. The key finding is that scientists have discovered that the speed of light is slowing down constantly! By extrapolation, one Australian scientist (being a Christian) found out that the speed of light tends to infinity at about 6000 years ago. That being the case, the whole universe instantly become only 6000 years old. Hence, God could indeed have created the whole universe, solar system, earth, and all living things in 6 days, literally.

From 6000-year old Earth to Einstein's Theory of Relativity:
I do not believe the universe has only 6000 years of history, from earth point of view.  Time is being used throughout the Bible in a different way that we can relate to it. This can be related to by the works of Einstein, in his relativity theory; easily explained as time is subject to variations in length ( that is the individual experience of it (both in physics as well as the mental conception of it)) accordingly to what speed the object (earth, humans as well) is traveling with. This gives also the possibility of humans looking considerably younger than others of the same age, and thus it is not only a cause of living a healthy physical life, but indeed is determined by their happiness (mental concept), or i.e. how close they are to God/living accordingly to His Will.
Yes, according to Einstein, if we can travel in the speed of light, we can reach the whole universe in no time, while at the same time, others who can't travel that fast have grown old and to them, thousands and millions of years would have passed. But, for all of us living on Earth, we're traveling in the universe at the same speed. Einstein's theory, sadly, has no practical value for us to achieve different (a slower) speed of aging. Consider this, we need to be constantly traveling at a speed of one full circle around the globe per second, only to delay our aging speed by a mere 13% (light travels 7.5 times around the Earth in 1 second, 13% = 1/7.5)! As for different speed of aging due to the mental condition, this is out of Einstein's theory and out of my understanding.

2013-05-27

最大的誡命:愛神

舊約中,誡命這個字經常出現(共97次),而這誡命就是十誡,在 出20章 及 申5章 都有詳細列出。頭四個誡命的對象是神,後六個誡命的對象是人(對待他人/鄰舍)。

新約中,耶穌被問到最大的誡命是甚麼時,他說:『第一要緊的就是:你要盡心、盡性、盡意、盡力愛主─你的神。其次就是:要愛人如己。』(可12:29-31)

耶穌用了這兩句話去總結十誡。有趣的是,有關愛神的誡命有四條,而耶穌也用了四個形容詞去解釋怎樣去愛神。我們也知道這四點都是按重要性排序的。

那麼,就樣讓我們對照一下這新、舊約之中,最重要的誡命,看看有沒有一些得着。(以下經文節錄自 出埃及記 第二十章)

(1) 盡心愛神 vs 第一誡
  1. 除了我以外,你不可有別的神。
(2) 盡性愛神 vs 第二誡
  1. 不可為自己雕刻偶像,也不可做什麼形像彷彿上天、下地,和地底下、水中的百物。
  2. 不可跪拜那些像,也不可事奉他,因為我耶和華─你的神是忌邪的神。恨我的,我必追討他的罪,自父及子,直到三四代;
  3. 愛我、守我誡命的,我必向他們發慈愛,直到千代。
(3) 盡意愛神 vs 第三誡
  1. 不可妄稱耶和華─你神的名;因為妄稱耶和華名的,耶和華必不以他為無罪。
(4) 盡力愛神 vs 第四誡
  1. 當記念安息日,守為聖日。
  2. 六日要勞碌做你一切的工,
  3. 但第七日是向耶和華─你神當守的安息日。這一日你和你的兒女、僕婢、牲畜,並你城裡寄居的客旅,無論何工都不可做;
  4. 因為六日之內,耶和華造天、地、海,和其中的萬物,第七日便安息,所以耶和華賜福與安息日,定為聖日。 

誡命的英文是 Commandment, 亦即是命令(約13:34)。其實把『命令』叫做『誡命』是很貼切的,因為誡命的一邊,是禁誡,是 don'ts;另一邊是命令,是 do's。一方面我們要被動地控制自己不去犯罪惹怒神,另一方面我們要主動去愛神。兩者其實是錢幣的兩面,相輔相成。最後,就讓我們逐點推敲一下神的心意吧!(上兩篇的重點是怎樣去愛神,這篇的重點是我們要避免那些行為才能愛神)

(1) 盡心 (heart) 愛神 & 第一誡 (不可有別的神)

盡心愛神即全心,全人,all heart, all spirit 地去愛祂,是不可能有別的神存在心中的,否則就是屬靈上的姦淫。

(2) 盡性 (soul) 愛神 & 第二誡 (不可為自己雕刻偶像,不可跪拜/事奉他)

盡性愛神是盡自己的思想(mind),意志 (will),情感 (emotion) 去愛神。當一樣東西令人日思夜想,不能自拔,廢寢忘餐地去追求,小心!它已經成為那人的偶像!不一定是很明顯的東西,如財富、物質、榮譽、地位等,也可能是世人覺得正常不過的事,好像愛情、兒女、興趣、娛樂等。這些我們都可以擁有,但我們也要常常撫心自問,我們愛神比這些更多嗎?

(3) 盡意 (mind) 愛神 & 第三誡 (不可妄稱耶和華─你神的名)

盡意 (mind) 愛神,顧名思義就是要明白 (understand) 聖經,是需要下苦功,更要克服人云亦云,未經思考/似是而非的道理。最好的例子就是『庇哩亞人』,他們『天天考查聖經,要曉得這道是與不是』(Berean Test, 徒17:11)。那另一個極端是甚麼呢?我相信就是做個〈也也烏〉的基督徒,停留在基督道理的開端,只懂吃奶,不能熟練仁義的道理,without understanding, having no discernment (來5:12-14). 更不幸的是,當這種基督徒去傳福音/作見證時,既沒有說服力,更容易曲解聖經。我不禁想到,當我們為神作工時,有否(無意間)曲解了神的話?甚至妄稱神的名字呢?

(4) 盡力 (strength) 愛神 & 第四誡 (當記念安息日,守為聖日)

盡力 (strength) 愛神,不一定要奉獻金錢才幹/短宣/在教會有甚麼職務。可能基督徒會覺得很奇怪,但神指明要我們做的,就是守安息日。原來守安息日是要很用力的 (六日要辛勤工作,第七日要放下所有世俗的思慮,單單想念神自己) ,是很具體地表達我們對神的愛。守安息日 (並神的其他節期,利未記22章) 讓我們紀念神的創造,並祂永恆的計劃 (主的救贖及再來);也讓我們知道,人算甚麼?你竟這樣愛他,並發現原來不是我們主動去愛神,而是神先愛我們了。