TO: NotBill
I hope this post helps you understand some of these concepts. You actually bring up points that I did cover in my post but you must have missed them. That's OK.if for the moment I grant your point that it takes an external intelligence to form something complex it leaves unanswered the question "What created that intelligence?"...This is the sort of embarrassing question that all healthy small children point out--and there is obviously no satisfactory logical answer.
I dealt with that question when I pointed out that time is a created thing. Multidimensional physics is a difficult thing for most people to conceptualize, but it is Biblical.
God created time. The terms you use—such as "Before"—is a term that denotes thinking—or in your case—asking a question within the realm of time. God not only created this universe and it's multidimensional structure, He created time itself.
I know that it's difficult to get your mind wrapped around the idea of time being a created thing, but give it a try. The best scientists now understand this concept, and that is a good thing.
And frankly Scientists do no better than Theologians...saying there was no time before the "big Bang" also feels rather unsatisfactory, to many people I imagine.
The best and only way to discover deep truth is to get yourself out of the way. How we "feel" about truth is completely irrelevant and is a clear indication that you have not discovered this fact (the importance of getting yourself out of the way) as of yet.
Truth is not about how we feel. That is incidental.
Deep experiential spirituality maybe manifested for example as the ability to immolate oneself as the Buddhist monks did during the Vietnam war, and would not seem to be dependent upon intellectual arguments as to the truth or falsity of Darwinian Evolutionary Theory.
But this depth is very rare of course. I just have to learn to accept myself as I am. If I can't do that, how can I escape judging "others"?
Escaping judging others is not the end-all goal of truth. Furthermore, the states reached by monks deal with and are related to emotion. In fact, every religion in the world subjectively "reveals" truth using the emotions as a guide to some extent. However, the Bible says not to find truth this way.
If God wanted to reach His creation, He would make symbols ever present that denote His existence and purposes, and not surprisingly, the world is full of them. Of course, if you don't care—i.e. you don't study—you will not find them. God even modeled this emotional pattern (dislike of apathy) to help those spiritually young to understand His own attributes. Those spiritually (intellectually) mature do not rely on emotions to discern truth but God makes it easy for us in the beginning (by placing an emotional model in place).
Remember, I'm not talking about religion here. You have to remember that. Religion is a man-made thing. I'm talking about truth—What is truth.
If God is real, than it is true that God is real regardless of any man's religion. Does that make sense. I hope that makes this conversation a little more clear. Religion is essentially entertainment, and that has come to fruition in today's "Churches". God is about a personal relationship that changes your life literally forever. I experience this relationship. It is part of my life. Those who don't are really missing out, but more on that another time.
Unfortunately, because most people assume that others are like themselves, they assume that discussions like this are coming from an emotional place. This is not true with me. I understood a long time ago that a search for truth is not to be guided by my own personal desires or emotions. It is external to me (and you).
...It seems you believe that there is a conspiracy or conspiracies afoot to keep folks hoodwinked. This seems far-fetched when you consider for a moment one example which is typical: That large corporations that pollute also harm the bosses and their families. Of course in many ways the very rich are rather insulated. It is a true that they can buy "Justice" and keep their kids out of the army, but this is a Truism not a Hidden Conspiracy.
Well, there are a few things that I know a thing or two about, and that is conspiracies. They are not for guessing, or for deciphering by your emotions (as you stated in the next paragraph where you said
"it would seem to me").
Conspiracies are clear and open to study. They are easy to find. A global conspiracy, in fact, is very hard to cover up.
The best place to start research is in law to understand how those who conspire use law to tie you up into UCC contracts (ever see an American flag with a yellow fringe around it?). Again, it's very important to remember that this idea about global conspiracies is not my idea. It's what I learned through research. I wish it were not true but there no guesswork about it.
The only reason you don't believe in or understand global conspiracies is because you have never studied them. If you did, you would come to the same conclusions that I have and that millions of others have and millions more are beginning to.
Let me tell you... You have no idea how far it has gone, and interestingly, the Bible prophesied thousands of years ago that this global conspiracy would happen. It even gives interesting insights about it. Forget Nostradamus, the Bible has predicted the future with amazing accuracy and only those who:
- have not studied it, or
- hate God for other reasons, (and yes, there are those who hate God)
will miss this amazing truth.
But of course human vanity wants an external Devil aka a "Conspiracy" - it makes us important, and gives us someone to blame.
Again, you are judging the world based on your own belief of yourself. (Remember when I said
know thyself?)
You're so wrong and I would urge you to begin studying these things for your own benefit. Whether you begin with the Bible or global conspiracies, you had better get busy.
And why do I make this plead for you to get busy?
The Bible predicted that one day you would be required to have a "mark" placed on your right hand or forehead in order to "buy or sell". If you accept this mark, there is no chance for eternal salvation for your soul. This mark is the final symbol of the apathy (lack of any caring) of the masses (they refused to listen; they refused to study) and will cause an eternal separation from God. Of course the governments will tell you that it's for your own "protection".
This is the prophecy that was given thousands of years ago. Don't wait for the moment of truth to clobber you over the head before you take action. Don't wait to "see" the mark before you decide to study. Start now.
"And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six."—Revelation 13:16-18
The Bible's Prediction About End-Time Pharmaceuticals 
