mtmom

How big is your God? My God is big enough not to be afraid of people's unbelief. My God is big enough to love them and still give them the choice to reject or accept Him? My God is big enough to not be deterred by seekers questions. I don't know how many unbeleivers you have talked to, but I can only give you my personal experience of talking to many. Quoting scripture to a person who doesn't beleive in the Holy Word doesn't work well. They will quote science or myticisim or new age or something and proport something like my book is as much truth as yours. We beleive that scripture is the authored Word of God - truth. Not all non-believers believe that. Also if faith is active, if the relationship with Christ is breathing and living, if the Holy Spirit is preparing the way in someone's life and if I am listening to His leading - the answers will be in the form the seeker needs. It is not me answering - it is the Spirit of God in me answering the prepared spirit of the seeker. The person who asked this question of me was past believer but was unwilling to accept the Biblical explanation. They wanted to know if there was other supporting knowledge and so we looked for it. And lo and behold there was other supporting knowledge. I find this a good thing, a preparation given by God for the next seeker He may send my way and an answer to my friend. Yes all the answers are in the Bible, but not everyone believes in the Bible. And God in His gracious wisdom as given us the ability to find the support of His plan and His truth in other places. Why would that surprise anyone? The truth of God runs through every molecule of the world and is told of in the Bible. If someone won't take the word of the Bible then find God's truth as it permeates the world. God's truth doesn't stop at the book - it shows up through all of life and the world.

But "I've got mine" isn't enough for me. I want to be ready in season and out to give an answer for that faith. I am not afraid of the questions, which does not mean I know all the answers. It does mean that I know God is truth and we will finally catch up and prove the truth that believers know through Him or He will come back. But in the meantime there will be seekers, scoffers and those with weaker faith (like the whole eating meat to idols thing Paul talks about) - for them I seek an answer with all that God has given me, with all the Holy Spirit brings at the time the answer is needed. I don't just want mine - I want to take some people with me on this wonderful relationship with Christ journey. I want them to live = to have faith.

I do not "question" it because I am a believer. I take it on faith, but faith is believing in things not seen. I await the day when we will get enough wisdom or advance in intelligence enough to find the facts to see it.

Ok I am definitely done and the more I look for facts the more I find theories and statistics. They use linear regression with really low power based on current species to fit models of upright or ape like, or they use joint ratios of current species (ones that didn't evolve?), evidence of evolutionary reversals by date of fossil and hypothesis of origin of A.afarensis, cranial capacities to indicate brain function (how tight is that correlation? people with big heads are smarter?), theory that larger cranial capacity leads to upright mobility pattern seems to have been disproven by AL288-1 (Lucy), new theory upright mobility came first then higher brain function. After looking at all they know and hypothesize I am satisfied with the conclusion that we just plain don't have solid or even statistically significant evidence. Additionally, even if AL288-1 walked upright I couldn't find anything that linked us to it - maybe genetics and DNR markers would lend insight here. So evolution or creation both remain theories to be researched (though people will choose) and until we get smarter we can't "prove" or disprove either. Anyway for those who want references and citations on some of AL288-1 (Lucy) here you go: Evolutionary reversal from AL288-1 (upright) to Stw431 (ape like)? 2005 Dobson AL288-1 dated older but more upright than Stw431 . These researchers used randomization models from chips and humans and found that

The original intent of the question was to see if anyone had previously done some of that research - don't like to recreate a wheel just cause I can't find it. The post by Nebula with references was great. I am still trying to track down the current state of the findings on Lucy. In his original work Johanson, of course, did not include other scientists insights. That was the only piece I had read before posting - figured I'd start with the beginning and continue to track it down through the years as other scientists contributed. Hopefully with the help of any who had travelled this road before. Thank you to all who took the time to answer - wasn't my intent to cause dissention just looking for facts.

How did you find out these disparent facts about "Lucy"? They aren't published in the original work I have, obviously since they were "discovered" later. Who published them? Why aren't they well known? Where is the report by the more educated scientists that discovered that it was actually the skeleton of a pigmy chimpanzee, with a human knee bone. And where/what/who wrote the report about the knee bone? Secondly his faith confusion came from that "Lucy" was upright before the age of the Garden of Eden and that her existence added facts to the theory of evolution from ape design to upright. After researching "Lucy" in scientific literature I found that there was no indication of an opposable thumb and no evidence of intelligence, such as use of tools brain cavity size etc. (IE the traits that even evolutionists use to defend evolution) Which is evidence to the categorization of "her/it" as an ape not human. Actually I don't suppose the gender matters to the current discussion other than they got it wrong. However the knee cap 1.6 miles away does damage to the fact that it may have walked upright. So maybe a small 3'6" 65 pound ape type that walked less with the arms but not much beyond that? The Bible says we need to be ready in season and out to give an answer for the hope that is in us (paraphrased from IPeter3:15). I do not feel the need to judge the strength or level of my friend's faith, I do however feel the need to be ready to give an answer for the hope that is within me. I do not fear science or evolutionary theory because it is wrong and therefore wisdom will prove it wrong either now or when we eventually get enough of God's wisdom to figure it out. I also know that science hides facts that do not support its theories - I am a statistician I have been there. And so I asked the question to prepare a better answer for the hope within me and in the hope that someone in the community of faith had prepared before me and would share. Thank you to those who did.

I was asked the question how I reconciled my faith with the discovery of "Lucy" in Africa. First I had to find out what/who "Lucy" was. I now have a book about her discovery and dating of the skeleton (there is also information on the internet). Has anybody tried to answer this? The question came from a believer who is now struggling with faith - if that helps frame the question any better.

You have a difficult road - not something you don't know. I was married to an unsaved spouse for ~25 years. I prayed for ~25 years. To get through we made deals about how I could go to church and he would get to do something he wanted. I could take the children to Sunday school until age 12 then they would decide. I was not allowed to "badger" him about accepting Christ and he was not allowed to use the Lord's name in vain. I could only read the Bible out of his sight and he wasn't allowed to belittle it. But every decision we veiwed from different directions. As I am sure you know being a Christian gives you an entirely different set of values and morals then most of the unbelieving world. I would not divorce him because I believed it was contrary to God's law. I prayed for the Holy Spirit to soften his heart toward Christ - to prepare him to hear the good news and I prayed that God would help me to love him. The marriage survived through alcohol and AA, physical abuse, affairs, post traumatic stress disorder from Vietnam and his anger. I saw first hand what being unforgiven and unforgiving does to a person - my heart bled for him but he would not accept the cure. Your love will bring you more pain than those who are equally yoked - but in a way the pain makes the joyful moments even better. I do not know the "right" answer I have only travelled the journey. Lean heavily on the Lord - He will never let you fall. Praise Him in all circumstances (not for them but in them). Your worship will be deeper, your praise higher, but your path bumpier.

A very wise counselor once told me "No one can MAKE you feel anything" - it may not sound like much of a change and I still ahve to say it to myself often - but it gave me back control over that part of my life - so I could give it to Christ. It sounds like right now your hate for your mother is on the throne of your life. It controls you, causes you to do things like cut yourself to try and release the hate and pain. Christ is not about hate - He didn't say hate your neighbor as yourself, He didn't applaud the cutting off of the guard's ear, and many other for instances in the Word. If hate is your driving force then it has taken control of your life. Hate is on the throne. It doesn't have to be that way! You are strong enough to take control away from hate and give it back to Christ. It is not an easy process and you might want some Christian counseling or a fellowship group to help you. My experience (and the Bible) says that when you clean out a room in your spiritual house (like de-throning hate) there will be a time when more anti-Chrisitian experiences try to take over. It is important to de-throne hate and then fill the throne with Christ and consciously seek the fellowship to keep Him there. Do not leave the throne of your relationship with your mother empty - let Christ have it. I know it sounds all "sunny and roses" (even to me as I read what I type) - but I have lived it and it is not. Typed words can not convey the break in my voice, or the look on my face as I write this. I have travelled a similar road. At times the journey was difficult and felt really long, but there were also moments of victory and joy when hate was slowly falling off the throne. I will pray for your journey :prayer

I was amazed at how many other Christians have gone through the same thing! The broken leg and tylenol for a headache have eased my guilt about trying the medication route. Maybe I can take it just enough to try and get the depression under control and then try to ease off. I don't remember ever being excited to find a new day, but when I reflect there were times when it was at least acceptable. Depression seemed like more of a spiritual malady to me, but because of the postings I have checked out some medical articles on line and found it can be a chemical imbalance thing. Because of the duration of my depression, that seems like a plausable answer. The strength of Christ in me and my will have propelled me through life. I can not believe that Christ has weakend or can't be victorous over anything, but I do know that my human strength has grown weary. I kept thinking if I could just lean more on Him, I wouldn't need to keep up my human strength part of the bargin. But my human form is fallen and weak even if He is strong. I kept claiming the verse that in my weakness His strength would be shown, but it is very possible that my physical form does not have the chemicals to even continue there. I appreciate the honest responses and sharing to my post. Christ is working through each of you to help me see more clearly the human battle we face and for that I am grateful to all of you.

It is difficult to know where to start. I have been a Christian for many years - people say that but it doesn't convey the depth to which I must rely on Christ daily. He is my only reason for being able to live through a day. Each morning I read the Bible and pray, at lunch I offer up "praylets", and at night again. I know all the verses - God will never give you more than you can handle, I will never leave you or forsake you, your sin is removed as far as the east is from the west, the sins of the father will be visited on following generations and I also know God can do anything, heal anything but sometimes chooses not to as in the case of Paul's thorn. But all that heart and head knowledge doesn't mean I don't pray each night to not have to wake up in the morning. I am battle weary, battered, injured and ready to go home. But I can not hasten that homecoming or I wouldn't get home. And so I am stuck daily putting one foot in front of the other hoping it is the last. I do not know what Paul's thorn was, but I hope it was not the 20 years I have had of this. So tomorrow I will probably wake up again and walk through my day smiling, being helpful and encouraging others - while I whither away inside. God chooses not to heal me of this - now that the battle seems lost - man offers the help of drugs. But if I take them I am saying God is not able to get me through as He has in the past - so I cry alot, pray alot and unfortunately wake up tomorrow.