Jonny_NZ

I don't know about most Christians... Unless you're talking about in the USA (as opposed to England, for instance), but then I'd suspect that the attitudes of Christians towards various different methods of creation would vary even then, including between regions such as northern and southern USA. I would have to disagree. I have been associated with Christians from all parts of this country, as well as Japan and South Korea and I don’t think too many of them would go along with all of what is put forth in the book. The Language of God. While I personally haven't read the book, I can't find much in the Amazon reviews to provide support for that statement. http://www.amazon.com/Language-God-Scienti...e/dp/0743286391 Doesn't seem to be much there that would turn off a lot of British Christians, for instance... Apart from that, I agree with you regarding Genesis and 24-hour days...

I don't know about most Christians... Unless you're talking about in the USA (as opposed to England, for instance), but then I'd suspect that the attitudes of Christians towards various different methods of creation would vary even then, including between regions such as northern and southern USA.

I once heard a music director tell his musicians that their primary job - after saying "Well that's part of it" to their suggestions of leading worship, etc - is to "create atmosphere" so people can feel close to God. It worried me a little. Lots of people of all sorts of religions can have 'spiritual' experiences through chanting mantras, creating atmosphere, etc. It seems a worry when we're definitively equating such atmospheric stimuli with genuinely worshiping God.

China is a growing hotbed of Christianity, even in richer cities. I've even seen some Christian intellectuals prediciting that in a while the general flow of missionaries in the world will be from Asia to an increasingly secular West...

I have heard quite a few advanced theologians - who do a lot of work in the lexicons of the eras - who regard this as the most accurate / faithful to original meaning of the translations we have currently.

Many, in many different genres. Johnny Cash's version of "Just as I am", from the album "Songs from my Mother's Hymnbook" Vaughan Williams instrumental piece, "The Lark Ascending" - if you haven't sat down undistracted and listened to this piece all the way through with all the lights turned off, your life is not yet complete. Ummm...this piece of music along with the video led me to praise God for the way he made humans.

I agree! Also, I love the music of that hymn...it really rocks, in my humble opinion. Very strong music.

Yeah...my contention is that we should be reclaiming ground through the creation of the highest standard of music, regardless of the particular instrumental genre.

Yes, I agree. I've never seen the need for people to maintain stringently that if you don't accept the creation of the universe as being carried out in earth length days, then you don't accept the Bible. When we consider how long a galactic day is (the time it takes a galaxy to make one revolution) - and how tiny a vast galaxy is compared to the size of the universe - we're looking at some pretty incredible numbers. We also often don't seem to consider how God inspired the creation account to be passed down then written down by humans. For instance, even if God gave a vision of the creation account to the author (or someone generations before the author) then we still end up with a fallible human doing the transcribing. It's pretty obvious that the author of Genesis was neither a physicist nor a biologist by profession.

We do our best.

Here maybe?

We're not saved by good works, we're saved for good works. But that doesn't absolve us of the need to perform that for which we have been saved.

If you want to watch a supernatural themed TV show you could always try Psyche - it's merely pretending to have supernatural content anyway I do watch TV - I really enjoy shows like Kitchen Nightmares, documentaries, and sports - but I try to watch less because I gain more benefit from reading books and articles.

I would tend towards the earth being quite old, myself. I don't see the need for the days of the creation story - as passed down then recorded, likely by Moses - necessarily being earth days.

Things might not be as they first seemed... CLAIMS THAT a promotional police postcard featuring a puppy is offensive to members of the Islamic community have been dismissed by one of Dundee’s leading Muslims. A storm of controversy erupted yesterday after a report in The Courier revealed that some members of the Islamic community have complained about the postcard. Dundee councillor Mohammed Asif claimed the postcard, advertising Tayside Police’s new non-emergency telephone number, could offend some Muslims because it features a black German shepherd dog sitting in a police officer’s hat. It is understood some Muslims have been upset by the image because in Islam dogs are generally considered unclean and cannot be kept as pets— although they can be kept as guard dogs or for hunting. The postcards, which were produced in late spring, have been distributed to homes and businesses across Dundee to raise awareness of the telephone number. Tayside Police has since apologised for failing to run the seemingly innocuous ad by their diversity advisers after Councillor Asif raised the issue at a meeting of the Tayside joint police board. But Mr Asif’s comments have won little support among the public or Dundee’s Islamic community. Last night Mahmud Sarwar, trustee of the Scottish Islamic and Cultural Centre and the Dura Street mosque, appealed for calm. He said he had no problems with the postcard and called on homeowners and local businesses to display them as it is in the public interest. “I’ve not heard anything about that from members of the community,” Mr Sarwar said. “I was round some shops today and at the mosque and nobody has said anything about it.” Mr Sarwar said that religious sensitivities would prevent him from displaying the postcard on a building of religious significance but there was nothing to stop them being displayed in shops. “There is not a dog—it is just a picture,” he said. Mr Sarwar also queried whether the concerns raised by Councillor Asif belonged to him or his constituents. “Maybe that is his own thinking—everyone has the right to say things regarding their own wishes,” he said. The controversy erupted when Councillor Asif said he was concerned the cards would not be welcomed in all communities and had been a waste of police resources. The issue has generated intense interest from people across the region and beyond, many of whom contacted The Courier to express their point of view. One concerned resident said, “The story mentioned that Muslim-owned shops and convenience stores were rejecting the card due to the fact that it had a picture of a puppy on it and that Muslims found this offensive as they deem dogs to be ‘unclean.’ “Surely these cannot be the same Muslim-owned shops which have dog food cans and packets on the shelves and bacon and pork sausages in the chill cabinet with the pictures of happy pups and contented porkers beaming from the packaging?” A resident from Wolseley Street, Dundee, said, “I have always endeavoured to be considerate to others regardless of race, colour, creed, etc. “However I am amazed at the reaction Mohammed Asif expresses. “Many of the shops he mentions—if not all—sell dog food, complete with graphic labels. Should they not wish for whatever reason to support an initiative by our local police, so be it.” Steve Ross, of Fleming Gardens, said, “Tayside Police may be forced to spend valuable funds on changing the postcard they have produced to advertise their new non-emergency phone number because a certain section of the community consider a dog to be dirty—just let’s get on with our lives and preserve British culture. “As a cat owner I don’t care too much for dogs but I do about the spending of what I assume to be public money to pacify a few.” After reading about it on The Courier website, Eileen McInally, from Santa Monica, California, was prompted to write, “This story is absolutely unbelievable—what wrong have the police done? “How can anyone find an image of a dog offensive? Absolutely no apology is necessary. “The complainers should be reminded that Britain is a Christian country, full of people who love dogs.” Cheers, an off-licence on Campfield Square, Broughty Ferry, which is owned and operated by Muslims, has not been given the postcards to display or distribute. Shop assistant Irza Saeed said, however, Cheers would be happy to have the postcards featuring police-dog-in-training Rebel and advertising the new contact number for non-emergency calls to the police. “We have a lot of customers of different cultures and religions but we are owned by Muslims and the workers are Muslim,” Miss Saeed said. “I don’t feel that I’d be especially concerned or upset if we were given the postcards to distribute or that there would be anything wrong with that. However, it is part of Islam that we don’t have dogs around us. “Most of our people are afraid of dogs but we try not to make a big deal of it.” German shepherd Rebel has generally proved a popular recruit for the force, with huge numbers of people reading his online training diary on the Tayside Police website. He is yet to mention the current furore online. A police spokesman said last night, “Rebel only features in this particular campaign. “Rebel has proved extremely popular with the public in Tayside, Scotland, throughout the UK and abroad. “The force will continue to keep the public up to date with his progress through the Puppy Diary on the force website.” When asked if the controversy would affect the way Tayside Police promoted its public image in future the spokesman said, “As we have already stated, it was an oversight on this occasion that the diversity adviser was not consulted. “The postcards and posters are already in circulation and there are no plans to have them withdrawn. “However, we already had alternative designs and are looking at the possibility of making those available for anyone who deems the current design to be unsuitable.” The Courier tried to contact Mr Asif last night but he was unavailable for comment. http://www.thecourier.co.uk/output/2008/07...y11590817t0.asp