Brave New World

 In the final chapters of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, at the climax of the story, the Savage finally meets the Controller and has a philosophical and theological discussion that brings out the implications of engineering and conditioning humans to create a perfect society. While the brave new world is free of pain, suffering, violence, and need, those who inhabit it have been dehumanized and turned into slaves for the elite. Much of the debate between the two characters echoes much of what we are currently facing in our world today. Do we want a world free of suffering and pain, maintained by totalitarian control and various forms of drugs and entertainment, or do we want freedom and full expression of humanity along with all the messiness that it entails? 

In the brave new world old books and ideas are forbidden because they disrupt the well-ordered society that has been engineered by the elites. Tragedies require social instability. Without social instability there are no tragedies, so most old literature would not be understandable to those who have been engineered and conditioned to obey the new world order and who live in a society where everything that can create discomfort has been eliminated. 

While beauty is attractive, the elite don’t want people to be attracted by old things; they want them to like the new ones, even though the new things are stupid and horrible. The Controller states: “You can't make tragedies without social instability. The world's stable now. People are happy; they get what they want, and they never want what they can't get. They're well off; they're safe; they're never ill; they're not afraid of death; they're blissfully ignorant of passion and old age; they're plagued with no mothers or fathers; they've got no wives, or children, or lovers to feel strongly about; they're so conditioned that they practically can't help behaving as they ought to behave. And if anything should go wrong, there's soma. Which you go and chuck out of the window in the name of liberty, Mr. Savage.”

However, by eliminating all that causes pain and displeasure, the brave new world has eliminated all that makes us human. In the new world order there is no Truth, no Beauty, no Love, no Passion, no Freedom, no Choice, no Hope. By engineering out all negative thoughts and feelings, the elites have created a world that is inhuman. They have been genetically engineered and psychologically conditioned, that "they practically can't help behaving as they ought to behave.”

By eradicating all misery and conflict, mankind has been relegated to a bland existence. The Controller states: “Actual happiness always looks pretty squalid in comparison with the over-compensations for misery. And, of course, stability isn't nearly so spectacular as instability. And being contented has none of the glamour of a good fight against misfortune, none of the picturesqueness of a struggle with temptation, or a fatal overthrow by passion or doubt. Happiness is never grand.”

It requires a delicate balance to engineer and condition each level of society in order to achieve maximum productivity while maintaining social stability. For example, only so many humans are allowed to be Alpha pluses, otherwise there would be civil war or the elites would get their throats cut.

Instead of executing dissenters, they are sent to remote islands to pursue their own desires and exercise their will. Since they are secluded from civilization, they have no impact on society. Even science has to be controlled, so that only authorized studies and findings are allowed, otherwise war would eventually break out. 

Religion also had to be totally eradicated from society since it depends on pain, misfortune, and lack to thrive, so it also creates instability. In the brave new world there is no lack or loss to be compensated, so there is no need of religion. And when there is some displeasure, there is soma, the drug that keeps all the citizens happy. Since the elites think that people were conditioned to believe in God, they can now be conditioned to not believe in God. In the brave new world, the happy, hard-working, goods-consuming citizen in perfect and has no need of God. 

Since industrial civilization is possible only when there is no self-denial, self-indulgence is encouraged or demanded in order to keep the wheels of prosperity turning. And since there are no wars or misery, there is no need for anyone to be noble or heroic. In fact, in the brave new world, soma, the happy drug, is Christianity without tears or sacrifice. Instead of virtue obtain through self-denial, the civilized man indulges in vice and eradicates all pain and discomfort through conditioning and drugs.

To demand Truth, Beauty, Love, Freedom is to demand danger, pain, suffering, and unhappiness. The climax ends with the exchange between the Savage and the ControllerController:

"But I like the inconveniences."

"We don't," said the Controller. "We prefer to do things comfortably."

"But I don't want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin."

"In fact," said Mustapha Mond, "you're claiming the right to be unhappy."

"All right then," said the Savage defiantly, "I'm claiming the right to be unhappy."

"Not to mention the right to grow old and ugly and impotent; the right to have syphilis and cancer; the right to have too little to eat; the right to be lousy; the right to live in constant apprehension of what may happen to-morrow; the right to catch typhoid; the right to be tortured by unspeakable pains of every kind." There was a long silence.

"I claim them all," said the Savage at last.

Mustapha Mond shrugged his shoulders. "You're welcome," he said.

While modern society is dehumanizing in many ways already, and it has been pushing God and Truth out in order to free men to pursue their passions unfettered, the events of the last two years show that the endgame has always been a worldwide totalitarian society where all aspects of life are carefully regulated by the elite. Much of what is happening today was warned about in Brave New World and other books, such as 1984 and Fahrenheit 451. We have to decide whether we want to be "happy" or fully human.

Without pain and suffering, we become shallow, selfish, self-centered, egotistical jerks. Without opposition, self-denial, and struggle, we become weak and slaves to vice. Only those who have suffered can truly love and care for others. Only those who have struggled can truly be virtuous. God created and redeemed us to become fully human, overcoming sin and self through Christ and the indwelling Spirit. Every time Man has tried to create a Utopia, he has ended up creating a Dystopia. Man is incapable of creating a perfect society because those trying to create the perfect society are fallen and sinful. Even the most righteous humans can only create a sinful, broken society. Only Christ can create the true Utopia, and it will be populated with those who have been transformed by him and empowered to live righteously and lovingly. Apart from Christ, there is no Utopia. Any promise made by Man to create a perfect society is a lie and will ultimately lead to a dystopian nightmare. We are on the verge of that happening globally, and every human being will be forced to make a choice between Christ's way or Man's way. History tells us that Man's way is doomed to fail. Choose wisely.

How Do We Change the Culture?

How Do We Change the Culture?

Here is an interesting summary of a part of a chapter in Andy Crouch’s Culture Making:

“The only way to change culture is to create more of it.”

Because culture is the accumulation of tangible things, not something vague or ethereal, it can be changed only by creating some new tangible things that gain a wide enough acceptance by the public to reshape their world. Since cultures are always “full,” one has to create something new that will convince enough people to set aside some current cultural good and exchange it for the new cultural good. However, Christians often choose other less effective strategies for changing the culture. Condemning the culture usually doesn’t work since people will continue to consume the cultural goods even if we disapprove of them. Critiquing the culture doesn’t work either, merely producing more sophisticated analyses that have no effect on people’s choices of cultural goods. Copying culture doesn’t work either since it merely creates a sub-culture that consumes its goods while the larger culture ignores them. Consuming culture is also a poor strategy for change since individual consumers have a negligible effect on a global, or even national, culture. Instead, the best way to change the culture is to create new cultural goods that are better or more attractive so that the public will consume them, and thus change the culture.

How Did Life Begin?

How Did Life Begin?

Introduction
1. Purpose of apologetics
2. The biggest problem facing evolutionists is molecular biology and the rise of life out of non-living matter.

I. Prescientific Theories of Spontaneous Generation
A. Aristotle
1. Aristotle even believed that under the proper conditions putatively “simple” animals such as worms, fleas, mice, and dogs could spring to life spontaneously from moist ”Mother Earth."
2. Others believed that life had existed on earth for ever. This view is not supported by scientific observation today.

B. Middle Ages
1. Such "spontaneous generation" appeared to occur primarily in decaying matter. For example, a seventeenth century recipe for the spontaneous production of mice required placing sweaty underwear and husks of wheat in an open-mouthed jar, then waiting for about 21 days, during which time it was alleged that the sweat from the underwear would penetrate the husks of wheat, changing them into mice. Although such a concept may seem laughable today, it is consistent with the other widely held cultural and religious beliefs of the time.
2. Maggots were thought to spontaneously generate from rotting meat

C. The death of spontaneous generation
1. Francesco Redi (1668) proved that maggots came from eggs laid by flies on the meat. The invention of the microscope only served to enhance this belief. Microscopy revealed a whole new world of organisms that appeared to arise spontaneously.
2. Lazzaro Spallanzani (1745) replicated experiements which were thought to prove spontaneous generation, but sealed the flask, not allowing outside microorganisms in.
3. The young French chemist, Louis Pasteur (1859) boiled meat broth in a flask, heated the neck of the flask in a flame until it became pliable, and bent it into the shape of an S. Air could enter the flask, but airborne microorganisms could not - they would settle by gravity in the neck. As Pasteur had expected, no microorganisms grew. When Pasteur tilted the flask so that the broth reached the lowest point in the neck, where any airborne particles would have settled, the broth rapidly became cloudy with life. Pasteur had both refuted the theory of spontaneous generation and convincingly demonstrated that microorganisms are everywhere - even in the air.


II. Abiogenesis
A. What is abiogenesis?
1.
1 Certain simple molecules underwent spontaneous, random chemical reactions until after about half-a-billion years complex organic molecules were produced. .
2 Molecules that could replicate eventually were formed (the most common guess is nucleic acid molecules), along with enzymes and nutrient molecules that were surrounded by membraned cells. .
3 Cells eventually somehow “learned” how to reproduce by copying a DNA molecule (which contains a complete set of instructions for building a next generation of cells). During the reproduction process, the mutations changed the DNA code and produced cells that differed from the originals. .
4 The variety of cells generated by this process eventually developed the machinery required to do all that was necessary to survive, reproduce, and create the next generation of cells in their likeness. Those cells that were better able to survive became more numerous in the population (adapted from Wynn and Wiggins, 1997, p. 172).
2. The major links in the molecules-to-man theory that must be bridged include
(a) evolution of simple molecules into complex molecules,
(b) evolution of complex molecules into simple organic molecules,
(c) evolution of simple organic molecules into complex organic molecules,
(d) eventual evolution of complex organic molecules into DNA or similar information storage molecules, and
(e) eventually evolution into the first cells. This process requires multimillions of links, all which either are missing or controversial.

B. Primordial Soup
1. Four and a half billion years ago the young planet Earth... was almost completely engulfed by the shallow primordial seas. Powerful winds gathered random molecules from the atmosphere. Some were deposited in the seas. Tides and currents swept the molecules together. And somewhere in this ancient ocean the miracle of life began... The first organized form of primitive life was a tiny protozoan [a one-celled animal]. Millions of protozoa populated the ancient seas. These early organisms were completely self-sufficient in their sea-water world. They moved about their aquatic environment feeding on bacteria and other organisms... From these one- celled organisms evolved all life on earth (from the Emmy award winning PBS NOVA film The Miracle of Life

2. History of the theory
a. Russian scientist A.I. Oparin in the 1920s. The theory held that life evolved when organic molecules rained into the primitive oceans from an atmospheric soup of chemicals interacting with solar energy.
b. Later Haldane (1928), Bernal (1947) and Urey (1952) published their research to try to support this model, all with little success.
c. Then came what some felt was a breakthrough by Harold Urey and his graduate student Stanley Miller in the early 1950s. The most famous origin of life experiment was completed in 1953 by Stanley Miller at the University of Chicago.
The Miller/Urey experiments involved filling a sealed glass apparatus with methane, ammonia, hydrogen gases (representing what they thought composed the early atmosphere) and water vapor (to simulate the ocean). Next, they used a spark-discharge device to strike the gases in the flask with simulated lightning while a heating coil kept the water boiling. Within a few days, the water and gas mix produced a reddish stain on the sides of the flask. After analyzing the substances that had been formed, they found several types of amino acids. Eventually Miller and other scientists were able to produce 10 of the 20 amino acids required for life by techniques similar to the original Miller/ Urey experiments.
For example, equal quantities of both right- and left-handed organic molecules always were produced by the Urey/Miller procedure. In real life, nearly all amino acids found in proteins are left handed, almost all polymers of carbohydrates are right handed, and the opposite type can be toxic to the cell.
The reasons why creating life in a test tube turned out to be far more difficult than Miller or anyone else expected are numerous and include the fact that scientists now know that the complexity of life is far greater than Miller or anyone else in pre-DNA revolution 1953 ever imagined. Actually life is far more complex and contains far more information than anyone in the 1980s believed possible.
3. Problems:
a. Assumes that the atmosphere of the early earth was different from our present atmosphere. Very little scientific evidence exists for this assumption; it is postulated simply because it is necessary for the theory to work.
b. It is a theory that is based upon assumption, not observation. Life is assumed to have arisen from non-living matter, so a mechanism is sought to validate that assumption.
c. No geological evidence exists to support this theory.
d. No experiment has been conducted that has even been able to produce the building blocks of living matter, such as proteins. All experiments so far have fallen way short.
e. Even if an experiment could produce protein molecules, it would not prove that it actually happened. In fact, it would prove that intelligence is needed to produce protein molecules.
f. It is not enough to show that the building blocks of life can be created in a scientific experiment. Life is more than random molecules just as a house is more than a pile of bricks. There must be information, an intelligence that arranges those molecules and animates them. Then these entities need to be able to grow and reproduce. This is an incredible feat that could not happen by mere chance.


3. Before the explosive growth of our knowledge of the cell during the last 30 years, it was known that “the simplest bacteria are extremely complex, and the chances of their arising directly from inorganic materials, with no steps in between, are too remote to consider seriously.” (Newman, 1967, p. 662). Most major discoveries about cell biology and molecular biology have been made since then.
4. Cytologists now realize that a living cell contains hundreds of thousands of different complex parts such as various motor proteins that are assembled to produce the most complex “machine” in the Universe—a machine far more complex than the most complex Cray super computer. We now also realize after a century of research that the eukaryote protozoa thought to be as simple as a bowl of gelatin in Darwin’s day actually are enormously more complex than the prokaryote cell. Furthermore, molecular biology has demonstrated that the basic design of the cell is essentially the same in all living systems on earth from bacteria to mammals... In terms of their basic biochemical design... no living system can be thought of as being primitive or ancestral with respect to any other system, nor is there the slightest empirical hint of an evolutionary sequence among all the incredibly diverse cells on earth (Denton, 1986, p. 250).
5. We now realize that the Urey/Miller experiments did not produce evidence for abiogenesis because, although amino acids are the building blocks of life, the key to life is information because, although amino acids are the building blocks of life, the key to life is information (Pigliucci, 1999; Dembski, 1998). Natural objects in forms resembling the English alphabet (circles, straight lines and similar) abound in nature, but this does not help us to understand the origin of information (such as that in Shakespear’s plays) because this task requires intelligence both to create the information (the play) and then to translate that information into symbols. What must be explained is the source of the information in the text (the words and ideas), not the existence of circles and straight lines.
6. Yet another difficulty is, even if the source of the amino acids and the many other compounds needed for life could be explained, it still must be explained as to how these many diverse elements became aggregated in the same area and then properly assembled themselves. This problem is a major stumbling block to any theory of abiogenesis: ...no one has ever satisfactorily explained how the widely distributed ingredients linked up into proteins. Presumed conditions of primordial Earth would have driven the amino acids toward lonely isolation.
7. The warm pond and hot vent theories also have been seriously disputed by experimental research that has found the half-lives of many critically important compounds needed for life to be far “too short to allow for the adequate accumulation of these compounds” (Levy and Miller, 1998, p. 7933). Furthermore, research has documented that “unless the origin of life took place extremely rapidly (in less than 100 years), we conclude that a high temperature origin of life... cannot involve adenine, uracil, guanine or cytosine” because these compounds break down far too fast in a warm environment. In a hydrothermal environment, most of these compounds could neither form in environment. In a hydrothermal environment, most of these compounds could neither form in the first place, nor exist for a significant amount of time (Levy and Miller, p. 7933). III. Did Life Come from Another Planet?

C. The probability of life arising by chance
1. A major issue then, in abiogenesis is “what is the minimum number of possible parts that allows something to live?” The number of parts needed is large, but how large is difficult to determine. In order to be considered “alive,” an organism must possess the ability to metabolize and assimilate food, to respirate, to grow, to reproduce and to respond to stimuli (a trait known as irritability).
2. As Coppedge (1973) notes, even 1) postulating a primordial sea with every single component necessary for life, 2) speeding up the bonding rate so as to form different chemical combinations a trillion times more rapidly than hypothesized to have occurred, 3) allowing for a 4.6 billion—a trillion times more rapidly than hypothesized to have occurred, 3) allowing for a 4.6 billion- year-old earth and 4) using all atoms on the earth still leaves the probability of a single protein molecule being arranged by chance is 1 in 10,261. Using the lowest estimate made before the discoveries of the past two decades raised the number several fold. Coppedge estimates the probability of 1 in 10119,879 is necessary to obtain the minimum set of the required estimate of 239 protein molecules for the smallest theoretical life form. At this rate he estimates it would require 10119,831 years on the average to obtain a set of these proteins by naturalistic evolution (1973, pp. 110, 114). The number he obtained is 10119,831 greater than the current estimate for the age of the earth (4.6 billion years). In other words, this event is outside the range of probability. Natural selection cannot occur until an organism exists and is able to reproduce which requires that the first complex life form first exist as a functioning
3. It appears that the field of molecular biology will falsify Darwinism. An estimated 100,000 different proteins are used to construct humans alone. Furthermore, one million species are known, and as many as 10 million may exist. Although many proteins are used in most life forms, as many as 100 million or more protein variations may exist in all plant and animal life.
Even using an unrealistically low estimate of 1,000 steps required to “evolve” the average protein (if this were possible) implies that many trillions of links were needed to evolve the proteins that once existed or that exist today. And not one clear transitional protein that is morphologically and chemically in between the ancient and modern form of the protein has been convincingly demonstrated. The same problem exists with fats, nucleic acids, carbohydrates and the other compounds that are produced by, and necessary for, life.
4. Abiogenesis is only one area of research which illustrates that the naturalistic origin of life hypothesis has become less and less probable as molecular biology has progressed, and is now at the point that its plausibility appears outside the realm of probability. Numerous origin-of-life researchers, have lamented the fact that molecular biology during the past half-a-century has not been very kind to any naturalistic origin-of-life theory.

III. Did life come from outer space?
A. Popular ideas
1. Mission to Mars, War of the Worlds, UFOs
2. Asteroids, meteorites and space dust

B. Problems with this view
1. It merely pushes the problem further back in time, but it doesn’t solve it
2. If life can’t spontaneously arise here, it can’t anywhere else


Conclusion
1. How life arose from non-living matter is the greatest problem faced by evolutionists today. Very few talk about how life began because they know that they have no answers. This is the weakest point in the argument of naturalism and I feel that it is insurmountable. It takes more faith to believe that life was generated from non-living matter than to believe that God created life.
2. Life is a gift from God. God breathed into man and he became a living being. The spark of life is the result of God’s touch. All life bears the special mark of God.
3. You are alive because God gave you life. Your life is totally in his hands. You are dependent upon him for your very existence. Every breath you take is a gift from God. Don’t take life lightly but realize how precious it is and live it for the glory of God.

How Did the Universe Begin?

How Did the Universe Begin?

Introduction
1. Cosmological Questions
1) Is the universe finite or infinite in content and extent?
2) Is the universe eternal or does it have a beginning?
3) Was the universe created?
4) If it wasn’t created, how did it get here?
5) If it was created, how was this creation accomplished, and what can we learn about the agent and the events of creation?
6) Who or what governs the laws and constants of physics?
7) Are such laws the product of chance or have they been designed?
8) How do these laws relate to the support and development of life?
9) Is there any noble existence beyond the known dimensions of the universe?
10) Is the universe running down irreversibly or will it bounce back?
2. Cosmological Argument: “The effect of the universe must have a suitable cause.”
1) Everything that begins to exist must have a cause.
2) The universe began to exist.
3) Therefore there must have been a cause for the universe.


I. Five Models of the Universe (Chart)
A. Eternal Universe
1. Steady State
2. Quantum Mechanical Model (Stephen Hawking)

B. Universe had a Beginning
1. Creation from something
2. Order out of chaos
3. Creation from Nothing (Genesis 1)


II. Evidence for the Big Bang
A. Why scientists resisted the Big Band
1. Arthur Eddington
“Philosophically, the notion of a beginning of the present order of nature is repugnant to me. I should like to find a definite loophole. We must allow evolution an infinite amount of time to get started.”
2. Albert Einstein
He was threatened by the implications of his theory of relativity because it carries a threat of an encounter with God. Through the equations of General Relativity we can trace the development of the universe backward to its origin. He introduced the concept of the Cosmological Constant to avoid this implication by yielding a Static Model of the universe. He dreamed of a universe that was infinitely old. Later, Einstein considered this to be the greatest blunder of his career. He ultimately gave grudging acceptance to the necessity of a beginning and the presence of a superior reasoning power, though he never accepted the existence of a personal God.

B. Definition of the Big Bang Theory
1. George Gamow: “The Big Bang theory holds that the primeval fireball was an intense concentration of pure energy. It was the source of all matter that now exists in the entire universe. The Big Bang theory predicts that all the galaxies in the universe should be rushing away from each other at high speeds as a result of that initial Big Bang.”

C. Background Microwave Radiation and Big Bang Ripples
1. Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson at Bell Telephone Labs in 1965:
Observation of the background microwave radiation of the universe convinced most scientist of the validity of the Big Bang theory. Further observations of Big Bang Ripples in 1992 have made acceptance of the Big Bang theory nearly unanimous. The data points to a beginning of the universe about 14 billion years ago.
Arno Penzias in NY Times interview: “The best data we have concerning the big bang are exactly what I would have predicted if I only had the five books of Moses, the Psalms and the Bible to go on.”
Why are some Cosmologists predisposed to an old universe? “Some people are uncomfortable with purpose. In order to come up with things that contradict purpose, they tend to speculate about things they haven’t seen.”
2. NY Times April, 1992: Big Bang Ripples discovered by COBE Satellite
“Most important discovery of the century.” Stephen Hawking
“It’s like looking at God.” Headline
“These findings make the hypothesis that God created the universe more respectable today than anytime within the last 100 years.” George Smoot, head of COBE team
3. Red Shift
Hubble and others realized that the most obvious explanation for the "red shift" was that the galaxies were receding from Earth and each other, and the farther the galaxy, the faster the recession.

All galaxies are accelerating away from each other, and the farther a galaxy is away from us, the faster it is accelerating away from us. This can only be explained if the universe began as a small point and exploded outwards.
III. Explanation of the Big Bang
A. Hugh Ross:
“By definition, time is that dimension in which cause and effect phenomenon take place. If there is no time, there is no cause and effect. If time’s beginning is concurrent with the beginning of the universe, as the space-time theorem suggests, then the cause of the universe must be some entity operating in a time dimension completely independent of and preexistent to the time dimension of the cosmos. This conclusion is important in our understanding of who God is, and who or what God is not. It tells us that the Creator is transcendent, operating beyond the dimensional limits of the universe. It tells us that God is not the universe itself, nor is God contained within the universe.”

B. Leon Lederman, The God Particle
“In the very beginning there was a void, a very curious vacuum, a nothingness containing no space, no time, no matter, no light, no sound. Yet the laws of nature were in place and this curious vacuum held potential. A story logically begins at the beginning, but this story is about the beginning of the universe and unfortunately there are no data for that beginning; none, zero. We don’t know anything about the universe until it reaches a billionth of a trillionth of a second, a very short time after the creation in the Big Bang. When you read or hear anything about the birth of the universe someone is making it up; we are in the realm of philosophy. Only God knows what happened at the very beginning.”

C. Stephen Hawking, A Brief History of Time
“The actual point of creation lies outside the scope of the presently known laws of physics.”

“It is difficult to discuss the beginning of the universe without introducing the concept of God. My work on the origin of the universe is on the borderline between science and religion, but I try to stay on the scientific side of the border. It is quite possible that God acts in ways that cannot be described by scientific laws.”

Are science and Christianity competing philosophies? “Of course not. If that were true, then Isaac Newton would not have discovered the law of gravity.”

“Even if there is only one possible unified theory, it is just a set of rules and equations. What is it that breathes fire into the equations and makes the universe to describe them?”

“The idea that God might want to change his mind is an example of a fallacy, pointed out by Saint Augustine, of imagining God as a being existing in time. Time is a property only of the universe that God created; presumably he knew what he intended when he set it up.”

John 17:24; Eph. 1:4; 1 Pet. 1:20; Rev. 13:8

IV. Stephen Hawking and the Quantum Mechanical Model
A. Explained
He takes a very simplified model of the universe that uses imaginary time. In his model, the universe does not have a sharp point of beginning but a rounded point, so that there is no single point of beginning.

B. Refuted
Imaginary time is useful for solving mathematical equations, but it cannot be used to describe the real world. It is not valuable scientifically because it has no empirical basis, makes no scientific predictions that are not made by simpler models, and it has no research agenda. It simply seeks to evade the cosmological argument, cause and effect, the fact that if there is a beginning of the universe there must be a creator.

“When we go back to the real time in which we live we will encounter singularities.”


V. Science and Christianity: Scientists speak out
A. Alan Sandage
“The nature of God is not to be found within any part of the findings of science; for that one must turn to the Bible.”
Can a person be a scientist and also a Christian? “Yes. I am a Christian. The world is too complex in all its parts and inner connections to be due to chance alone. I am convinced that the existence of life, with all of its order in each of its organisms, is simply too well put together. I am staggered by the high information content of even the simplest biological self-replicating biochemical system.”

B. Donald Paige:
“The mathematical simplicity of the universe is possibly a reflection of the personal simplicity of the gospel message, that God sent His Son Jesus Christ to bridge the gap between Himself and each of us who have rejected God or what He wants for each of us by rebelling against His will and disobeying Him. This is a message simple enough to be understood even by children, quantum cosmologists and the rest.”

C. Chris Eischam:
“The God of Christianity is not only the ground of being, He is also incarnate. Essential therein is the vision of the resurrection of Jesus Christ as the new creation out of the old order and the profound notion of the redemption of time, through the life and death of Jesus Christ. I think it will be a very long time before particle physics has anything to add to that. What I have found in Jesus Christ is infinitely more profound than anything I have found in particle physics, or expect to find.”


Conclusion
1. The universe began at a point in time in the Big Bang. This was an immensely powerful, yet a very carefully controlled and planned release of matter, space, energy and time. It was very carefully fine-tuned and operated within the laws and constraints that govern the physical universe. The power and care of this explosion exceeds human ability and potential by multiple orders of magnitude.
2. A creator must exist. The Big Bang ripples, Red Shift, and Background Radiation point to a creation ex nihilo. The big Bang is consistent with the creation event described in the first few chapters of the book of Genesis.
3. This creator must have awesome power and wisdom. The quantity of material and energy within the universe are truly immense, and the information and intricacy manifested in any part of the universe, and especially in a living organism, is beyond our ability to comprehend. And what we do see is only what God has shown us within the four dimensions of space-time that we inhabit.
4. If the universe has been created, then there is a creator. If there is a creator, then we are his creatures, owned by him and subject to him. Therefore, the purpose of life is to know and love our creator and glorify him by living in conformity with his nature and will.

Privileged Planet

Intelligent Design in the Cosmos

1. Privileged Planet: Optimized for Life
A. The Denial of Privileged Status
• The Copernican Principle: “The earth occupies no preferred place in the universe”
• The Principle of Mediocrity: “Our position and status in the universe are mediocre, they are unexceptional.”
• Hubble Telescope: The magnificence of the Universe
• SETI: Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence
• Astrobiology: Are habitable planets rare or common in the universe?
• But does life on earth really exist for no reason or purpose?
• The number of stars vs. the number of factors necessary for life…

B. Factors Necessary for Life
1) Liquid Water
2) A planet’s distance from its star: the circumstellar habitable zone
3) Orbiting main sequence G2 dwarf star
4) Protected by gas giant planets
5) Within galactic habitable zone
6) Nearly circular orbit
7) Oxygen-rich atmosphere
8) Correct mass
9) Orbited by large moon
10) Magnetic field generated by a liquid iron core
11) Plate tectonics
12) Ratio of liquid water and continents
13) Terrestrial planet
14) Moderate rate of rotation

All these factors have to be met at one place and time in the galaxy

N x fsg x fghz x fcr x fsp x fchz x np x fj x fc x fo x fm x fcp x fmn x fw x ft x fl x fi x fr x flc x flt

1011 1/10 x 1/10 x 1/10 x 1/10 x 1/10 x 1/10 x 1/10 x 1/10 x 1/10 x 1/10 x 1/10 x 1/10 x 1/10 x 1/10 = 10-15

1
1,000,000,000,000,000

Why did this happen? Is chance a reasonable explanation?




2. Privileged Planet: Optimized for Observation

• The factors that make observation possible coincide with the factors that make complex life possible
• “The same narrow circumstances that allow us to exist also provide us with the best overall setting for making scientific discoveries.”

1) The relative size and distances of the sun and moon to the earth make life possible and also allow us to discover
2) The atmosphere of the earth supports life and allows us to see into space
3) The visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum essential for life also is most informative for discovery is abundantly produced by the sun and allowed to reach the surface of the earth by the atmosphere
4) The center of the galaxy is too hostile to life while the edge of the galaxy would not provide enough heavy elements necessary for life. Likewise, observation would be impossible at the center or edge of the galaxy.

“The most incomprehensible thing about the universe is that it is comprehensible.” Albert Einstein

The laws and forces of the universe must be precisely balanced for complex life to exist:

1) Electron mass
2) Atomic mass
3) Proton mass
4) Strong nuclear force
5) Weak nuclear force
6) Electromagnetic force
7) Speed of light
8) Cosmological constant
9) Gravity
10) Mass of the universe
11) Panck’s constant
12) Boltzmann’s constant

The universe is the product of an intelligent mind

Science vs. Faith 2

Science versus Faith

Introduction
1. “Science has disproved the Bible. Anyone who believes in the Bible is an idiot.”
2. How do you handle such claims? How do you stand firm when all your teachers, leaders and friends think you have lost your mind?

I. Science grew out of Christianity
A. Non-Christian cultures did not develop a scientific mindset
1. Superstitious cultures viewed the world as chaotic and controlled by capricious forces
2. Since events were capricious and uncertain, it is impossible to determine how and why they occur
3. Magic, the occult and fortunetelling kept science from emerging as a way of understanding the world

B. Christians developed science based on a theistic world view
1. If God created the world, then it is orderly and follows fixed laws set up by God
2. The more I know about the world, the more I know about God
3. History is moving in a logical direction, directed by God, towards an end or goal

II. Some misguided Christians have made crazy statements
A. Some have misread the Bible and made dogmatic statements
1. Bishop Ussher dated the Bible and said the world was created in 4004 BC
2. Some Catholics refused to believe the earth revolved around the sun

B. Some have tied theology and Biblical interpretation to scientific theories

III. Some misguided Scientists have made crazy statements
A. You must distinguish between facts and interpretation; laws and theories
1. There are many ways to interpret scientific data; everyone is biased, especially scientists
2. Theories are working hypotheses while laws have been verified by repeatable experiments
3. Carl Sagan in U.S. News & World Report interview:
“The cosmos is all that is or ever was or ever will be. Whatever significance we humans have is that which we make ourselves. If we must worship a power greater than ourselves, does it not make sense to worship the sun and the stars?”

B. Scientists cannot make credible statements outside their expertise
1. A biologist has no special credibility when making statements about geology
2. A scientist has no special credibility when making statements about theology or philosophy
3. Science cannot make value judgments
4. Explaining how something works is not the same as explaining why it works, nor does it mean we are capable of making it work

C. Science does not make faith irrelevant
1. Not all truth can be discovered by the scientific method
2. You cannot do experiments to discover truth about history, love, logic, existence of truth
3. All scientists have faith
a. The universe is orderly and understandable
b. Truth exists and is knowable
c. The senses are a reliable source of information about the external world
d. Laboratory experiments are repeatable and verifiable
4. William Paley and the watchmaker; everyone would assume a watch was made
5. Richard Dawkins:
“We are survival machines—robot vehicles blindly programmed to preserve the selfish molecules (of DNA which survived) known as genes.” In his book, The Blind Watchmaker, he says of natural selection, “It has no mind and no mind’s eye. It does not plan for the future. It has no vision, no foresight, no sight at all. If it can be said to play the role of watchmaker in nature, It is the blind watchmaker.”

IV. Science and Faith should be able to exist side by side
A. All truth is God’s truth
1. Ultimately scientific truth and biblical truth will not conflict
2. We need both to develop a full understanding of the world and how to live in a way that is pleasing to God and ultimately fulfilling to us
3. Conflicts are the result of incomplete information on both sides

B. Humility and patience must be exercised by both sides
1. Christians must realize that we don’t have all the answers
2. When faith and science appear to conflict, be patient and wait for more evidence from science and better interpretation from Christians
In 1861 the French Academy of Science published a book stating 51 scientific facts that prove the Bible is wrong. Today, there isn’t a single scientist who believes any one of those 51 “scientific facts”.
3. Science is a developing field that only can produce probabilities, not absolute certainties and much is superceded or revised by later findings
Newton’s laws of gravity, Einstein’s theory of relativity, quantum mechanics

Conclusion
1. Jesus is the truth, speaks the truth and reveals the truth (John)
2. Rejecting God means turning your back on truth (Romans)
3. Those who truly desire to know the truth will find Jesus and believe in him
4. Don’t let anyone shake your faith in Jesus by saying science refutes faith; it doesn’t
5. Learn how to discern truth from error, fact from interpretation, laws from theories, opinions from truth
6. Faith is essential to life; the question is not, “Do you have faith?” but “What have you placed your faith in?”
7. Be humble and patient; wait until all the facts are in before making a final decision
8. Don’t be afraid of the truth; seek after it, love it, study it, commit to it. Jesus is Truth

Science vs. Faith

Science vs. Faith

1. A Brief History of Science

1600-1750 1750-1940 1940-1960 [WWII] 1960-Present
Discovery Control Use Consumption
“Think God’s thoughts” Manipulate and control Massive production Enjoy life-enhancing technologies
Worship Convenience Productivity
Efficiency Choice

Science is founded on the Christian worldview
Almost all scientists for the first 200 years were Christians
Christians began to abdicate their place and allowed non-Christians to take over
Modern World: Choice + Efficiency —> Convenience [no place for God]


2. Science vs. Scientism
Science: discovery based on careful observation and analysis
Scientism: philosophical and religious claims about science
Science Fiction: reconstructions and hypotheses that have no evidence

There are limits to scientific knowledge, things it cannot know
Scientific knowledge is probabilistic and not absolute
Be skeptical about “scientific” claims that are outside the realm of science

3. Don’t Fall for the False Dichotomy of Science vs. Faith
Truth is Truth no matter who finds it
Christians should never fear Truth no matter where it comes from
Differences between Science and Faith must be handled with care:
• Scientific data may be incomplete
• Interpretation of the Bible may be inaccurate
• Scientific theories may conflict with Biblical interpretation
The “War” between Faith and Science is a fabrication
Fight bad science with better science not with appeals to faith


4. We Need More Excellent Christian Scientists
Science is a calling just as important as a pastor or missionary
A Christian scientist can have more influence than a pastor or missionary
You need to have a Christian mindset if you are to be effective:
• A passion to know God and discover his creation
• A commitment to Truth even when it is not accepted
• The boldness to speak the Truth even opposed

Conformed to His Image

CONFORMED TO HIS IMAGE
Biblical and Practical Approaches to Spiritual Formation
KENNETH BOA

ANNOTATED CONTENTS
Preface
Introduction: A Gem with Many Facets

FACET 1
Relational Spirituality: Loving God Completely, Ourselves Correctly, and Others Compassionately
As a communion of three persons, God is a relational being. He originates a personal rela¬tionship with us, and our high and holy calling is to respond to his loving initiatives. By lov¬ing God completely, we discover who and whose we are as we come to see ourselves as God sees us. In this way, we become secure enough to become others-centered rather than self¬-centered, and this enables us to become givers rather than grabbers.

FACET 2
Paradigm Spirituality: Cultivating an Eternal versus a Temporal Perspective
This section contrasts the temporal and eternal value systems and emphasizes the need for a paradigm shift from a cultural to a biblical way of seeing life. The experience of our mortality can help us transfer our hope from the seen to the unseen and realize the preciousness of present opportunities. Our presuppositions shape our perspective, our perspective shapes our priorities, and our priorities shape our practice.

FACET 3
Disciplined Spirituality: Engaging in the Historical Disciplines
There has been a resurgence of interest in the classical disciplines of the spiritual life, and this section looks at the reasons for this trend and the benefits of the various disciplines. It also focuses on the needed balance between radical dependence on God and personal discipline and discusses the dynamics of obedience and application.

FACET 4
Exchanged Life Spirituality: Grasping Our True Identity in Christ
The nineteenth and twentieth centuries saw the growth of an experiential approach to the spiritual life that is based on the believer's new identity in Christ. Identification with Christ in his crucifixion and resurrection (Romans 6; Galatians 2:20) means that our old life has been exchanged for the life of Christ. This approach to spirituality moves from a works to a grace orientation and from legalism to liberty because it centers on our acknowledgment that Christ's life is our life.

FACET 5
Motivated Spirituality: A Set of Biblical Incentives
People are motivated to satisfy their needs for security, significance, and fulfillment, but they turn to the wrong places to have their needs met. This section presents the option of looking to Christ rather than the world to meet our needs. A study of Scripture reveals a number of biblical motivators: these include fear, love and gratitude, rewards, identity, purpose and hope, and longing for God. Our task is to be more motivated by the things God declares to be impor¬tant than by the things the world says are important.

FACET 6
Devotional Spirituality: Falling in Love with God
What are the keys to loving God, and how can we cultivate a growing intimacy with him? This section explores what it means to enjoy God and to trust in him. Henry Scougal observed that "the worth and excellency of a soul is to be measured by the object of its love." We are most satisfied when we seek God's pleasure above our own, and we gradually become conformed to what we most love and admire.

FACET 7
Holistic Spirituality: Every Component of Life under the Lordship of Christ
There is a general tendency to treat Christianity as a component of life along with other com¬ponents such as family, work, and finances. This compartmentalization fosters a dichotomy between the secular and the spiritual. The biblical alternative is to understand the implica¬tions of Christ's lordship over every aspect of life in such a way that even the most mundane components of life can become expressions of the life of Christ in us.

FACET 8
Process Spirituality: Process versus Product, Being versus Doing
In our culture, we increasingly tend to be human doings rather than human beings. The world tells us that what we achieve and accomplish determines who we are, but the Scriptures teach that who we are in Christ should be the basis for what we do. The dynamics of growth are inside out rather than outside in. This section talks about becoming faithful to the process of life rather than living from one product to the next. It also focuses on what it means to abide in Christ and to practice his presence.

FACET 9
Spirit-Filled Spirituality: Walking in the Power of the Spirit
Although there are divergent views of spiritual gifts, Spirit-centered believers and Word¬-centered believers agree that until recently, the role of the Holy Spirit has been somewhat neg¬lected as a central dynamic of the spiritual life. This section considers how to appropriate the love, wisdom, and power of the Spirit and stresses the biblical implications of the Holy Spirit as a personal presence rather than a mere force.

FACET 10
Warfare Spirituality: The World, the Flesh, and the Devil
Spiritual warfare is not optional for believers in Christ. Scripture teaches and illustrates the dynamics of this warfare on the three fronts of the world, the flesh, and the devil. The worldly and demonic systems are external to the believer, but they entice and provide opportunities for the flesh, which is the capacity for sin within the believer. This section outlines a biblical strategy for dealing with each of these barriers to spiritual growth.

FACET 11
Nurturing Spirituality: A Lifestyle of Evangelism and Discipleship
The believer's highest call in ministry is to reproduce the life of Christ in others. Reproduction takes the form of evangelism for those who do not know Christ and edification for those who do. This section develops a philosophy of discipleship and evangelism and looks at edifica¬tion and evangelism as a way of life; lifestyle discipleship and evangelism are the most effec¬tive and realistic approaches to unbelievers and believers within our sphere of influence.

FACET 12
Corporate Spirituality: Encouragement, Accountability, and Worship
We come to faith as individuals, but we grow in community. This section discusses the need for community, challenges and creators of community, the nature and purpose of the church, soul care, servant leadership, accountability, and renewal.

CONCLUSION
Continuing on the Journey
What does it take to stay in the race? This concluding chapter considers a variety of issues related to finishing well, including intimacy with Christ, fidelity in the spiritual disciplines, a biblical perspective on the circumstances of life, teachability, personal purpose, healthy rela¬tionships, and ongoing ministry.


APPENDIX A:
The Need for Diversity
This appendix portrays the current hunger for spirituality and the reasons for this hunger. There are a variety of approaches to the spiritual life, but these are facets of a larger gem that is greater than the sum of its parts. Conformed to His Image takes a broader, more synthetic approach by looking at all of these facets and seeing how each can contribute to the whole. Some people are attracted to different facets, and this relates in part to our personality profile (the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is a valuable tool for this purpose). Readers are asked to identify the ones they are most and least attracted to and are encour¬aged to stretch themselves by trying one they would normally not pursue.

APPENDIX B:
The Richness of Our Heritage
This appendix outlines a brief history of spirituality by tracing prominent approaches to the spiritual life through the ancient, medieval, and modern churches. This provides a broader perspective and a sense of continuity with others who have pursued intimacy with God before us. Twelve recurring issues and extremes emerge from this overview, and this appen¬dix concludes with a word about the variety of approaches that can illuminate our journey.

Scientology

The Church of Scientology and Christianity

1. Introduction to Scientology
• Founded by Science Fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard in 1962
• Scientology is the study and handling of the spirit in relationship to itself, others and all of life
• In Scientology no one is asked to accept anything as belief or on faith. That which is true for you is what you have observed to be true. An individual discovers for himself that Scientology works by personally applying its principles and experiencing results

2. The Nature of Man
• Man is an immortal, spiritual being. His experience extends well beyond a single lifetime. His capabilities are unlimited
• Man consists of three parts. The first of these is the spirit, called the thetan, which is the individual himself.
• The second is the mind. The thetan uses his mind as a communication and control system between himself and his environment.
• The third of these parts is the body. The body is not the person
• The thetan has lived through many past lives and will continue to live beyond the death of the body.
• Through the Scientology process of "auditing," people can free themselves of traumatic incidents, ethical transgressions and bad decisions which are said to collectively restrict the person from reaching the state of "Clear" and "Operating Thetan." Each state is said to represent the recovery of native spiritual abilities and to confer mental and physical benefits.
• A person is basically good, but becomes "aberrated" by moments of pain and unconsciousness.
• Psychiatry and psychology are destructive and abusive practices

3. The Dynamics of Existence
• The basic command followed by all life, "Survive!" is subdivided into eight dynamics (dynamic meaning urge, drive or impulse). All activities in one’s varied life can be inspected, understood and harmonized with all others to increase survival.
• 8th Dynamic INFINITY, also commonly called God, the Supreme Being or Creator.
• 7th Dynamic SPIRITUAL dynamic — anything spiritual with or without identity, life source.
• 6th Dynamic PHYSICAL UNIVERSE with its four components of matter, energy, space and time.
• 5th Dynamic LIFE FORMS including all plant and animal life.
• 4th Dynamic MANKIND as a species.
• 3rd Dynamic GROUP SURVIVAL whether friends, a club, company, nation or race.
• 2nd Dynamic FAMILY and children and all other creativity.
• 1st Dynamic SELF — the individual, including his body, mind and immediate possessions.
• Through Scientology, a person realizes that his life and influence extend far beyond himself. By understanding each of these dynamics and their relationship, one to the other, he is able to do so, and thus increase survival on all of these dynamics

4. ARC, KRC and the Tone Scale
• The Scientology symbol contains two triangles which Hubbard called the "ARC triangle" and the "KRC triangle", respectively. The points of the lower triangle are said to represent Affinity (emotional responses), Reality (an agreement on what is real) and Communication. Improving one aspect of the triangle increases the level of the other two. The points of the upper triangle represent Knowledge, Responsibility and Control
• These two environments may not actually agree. Therefore, a therapy which asks man to adapt to the environment rather than adapt the environment to man is a slave philosophy and is unworkable simply because it is not true
• The tone scale places human moods and behaviors a scale from -40 ("Total Failure") to +40 ("Serenity of Being")
• Communication is the solution so a person will climb from the bottom to the top by improving his ability to communicate

5. The Auditing Session and the Bridge to Total Freedom
• Scientology practices are structured in sequential levels because rehabilitation takes place on a "gradient", that is, easier steps are taken first and only then greater complexities are handled
• In auditing, the member discloses specific traumatic incidents, prior ethical transgressions and bad decisions to his assistant
• Members are helped across this bridge by the help of an assistant who asks them many questions and assigns readings
• Most auditing requires an E-meter, a device that measures minute changes in electrical resistance through the body when a person holds electrodes, and a small current is passed through them; Scientology states that it helps locate an area of concern.
• Scientologists follow The Way to Happiness, which defines morals as "a code of good conduct laid down out of the experience of the race to serve as a uniform yardstick for the conduct of individuals and groups"
• An action must contain construction which outweighs the destruction it contains in order to be considered good. "Good is any action which brings the greatest construction to the greatest number of dynamics while bringing the least destruction

6. The States of Existence
• Exteriorization as it is known in Scientology is to "be three feet back of your head"
• In 1952, Hubbard reported he was able to stand as a unit of life independently of the physical body
• One being can attain several different states of existence in just one lifetime. Some savants amongst the Himalayas have worked in this direction, and Buddha spoke of it. Fifteen or twenty years of hard work were said to result in a nebulous conclusion. With Scientology, there are no such uncertainties. These higher states can be attained through Dianetics and Scientology auditing

7. Past Lives and Extraterrestrial Beings
• The cause of "aberrations" in a human mind was an accumulation of pain and unconscious memories of traumatic incidents, some of which predated the life of the human. He extended this view further in Scientology, declaring that "thetans" have existed for tens of trillions of years, during which time, they have been exposed to a vast number of traumatic incidents, and have made a great many decisions that influence their present state.
• Some past traumas may have been deliberately inflicted in the form of "implants" used by extraterrestrial dictatorships such as Helatrobus to brainwash and control the population. Hubbard's lectures and writings include a wide variety of accounts of complex extraterrestrial civilizations and alien interventions in earthly events, collectively described by Hubbard as "space opera."
• Xenu, an alien ruler of the "Galactic Confederacy," 75 million years ago brought billions of people to Earth in spacecraft, stacked them around volcanoes and blew them up with hydrogen bombs. Their souls then clustered together, stuck to the bodies of the living and continue to do this today. These clustered spirits are called" Body Thetans," and advanced-level Scientologists place considerable emphasis on isolating these alien souls and neutralizing their ill effects
• One can move through the levels of existence: Communication, Problems, Relief, Freedom, Ability, Power, Clear, Operating Thetan
• "Operating" in this context means "able to act and handle things" and a "thetan" is the spiritual being that is the basic self. An Operating Thetan then is an individual who could operate totally independently of his body whether or not he had one or didn't have one. He's now himself and is not dependent on the universe around him

8. The Aims of Scientology
• A civilization without insanity, without criminals and without war, where the able can prosper and honest beings can have rights, and where man is free to rise to greater heights

9. Scientology and Christianity



Books by L. Ron Hubbard

Fiction
Buckskin Brigades (1937), ISBN 0-88404-280-4
Final Blackout (1940), ISBN 0-88404-340-1
Fear (1951), ISBN 0-88404-599-4
Typewriter in the Sky (1951), ISBN 0-88404-933-7
Ole Doc Methuselah (1953), ISBN 0-88404-653-2
Battlefield Earth (1982), ISBN 0-312-06978-2
Mission Earth (1985-87), 10 vols.

Scientology and Dianetics
Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, New York 1950, ISBN 0-88404-416-5
Child Dianetics. Dianetic Processing for Children, Wichita, Kansas 1951, ISBN 0-88404-421-1
Scientology 8-8008, Phoenix, Arizona 1952, ISBN 0-88404-428-9
Dianetics 55!, Phoenix, Arizona 1954, ISBN 0-88404-417-3
Dianetics: The Evolution of a Science Phoenix, Arizona 1955, ISBN 1-4031-0538-3
Scientology: The Fundamentals of Thought, Washington, DC 1956, ISBN 0-88404-503-X
The Problems of Work, Washington, DC 1956, ISBN 0-88404-377-0
Have You Lived Before This Life, East Grinstead, Sussex 1960, ISBN 0-88404-447-5
Scientology: A New Slant on Life, East Grinstead, Sussex 1965, ISBN 1-57318-037-8
The Volunteer Minister's Handbook Los Angeles 1976, ISBN 0-88404-039-9
Research and Discovery Series, a chronological series collecting Hubbard's lectures. Vol 1, Copenhagen 1980, ISBN 0-88404-073-9
The Way to Happiness, Los Angeles 1981, ISBN 0-88404-411-4



Famous Scientologists
L. Ron Hubbard - best-selling science fiction author; founder of Scientology
John Travolta - actor
Chick Corea - influential American jazz pianist and composer
Brandy (Norwood) - R&B singer, actress
Tom Cruise - actor, movie star
Nancy Cartwright - voiceover artist best known as voice of "Bart Simpson" on The Simpsons
Jason Beghe - actor
Xavier Deluc - actor
Jason Dohring - actor
Michael Fairman - actor
Geoffrey Lewis - actor
Christopher Masterson - actor
Danny Masterson - actor
Haywood Nelson - actor
Eduardo Palomo - actor
Jeff Pomerantz - actor
Patrick Renna - actor
Giovanni Ribisi - (a.k.a. Vonni Ribisi) actor
Michael D. Roberts - actor
Bodhi Elfman - actor
Jason Lee - actor and professional skateboarder
Kirstie Alley - actress
Mimi Rogers - actress (2nd generation)
Anne Archer - actress
Jennifer Aspen - actress
Catherine Bell - actress
Erika Christensen - actress
Jenna Elfman - actress
Katie Holmes - actress
Kimberley Kates - actress
Juliette Lewis - actress
Priscilla Presley - actress
Leah Remini - actress
Marissa Ribisi - actress
Michelle Stafford - actress
Karen Black - actress
Kelly Preston - actress
Kate Ceberano - actress and musician
Judy Norton-Taylor - actress and musician
Lisa Marie Presley - singer; daughter of Elvis Presley
Billy Sheehan - rock and fusion bass player
David Campbell - musician
Dave Davies - musician
Isaac Hayes - musician
Nicky Hopkins - musician
Mark Isham - musician
David Pomeranz - musician
Rob Thomas - musician
Patrick Warren - musician
Edgar Winter - musician
Beck - singer (a.k.a. Beck Hansen)
Carina Ricco - singer, actress, composer
Gloria Rusch-Novello - singer, writer, composer
Karen Nelson Bell - producer, director and musician
Robert Zoller - author
Floyd Mutrux - screenwriter, director, producer
Terry Jastrow - TV producer and director
Peter Medak - film director
Carl W. Rohrig - (a.k.a. Pablo Roehrig) painter
Franca Cerveni - radio and television announcer
James T. Sorensen - photographer
Keith Code - motorcycle racing instructor
Megan Shields - physician and author of health books, incl. Arthritis: The Doctor's Cure, etc.
Chaka Khan - singer
Sonny Bono - singer ("Sonny and Cher"), U.S. Representative
Mary Bono - widow of Sonny Bono; U.S. Representative
Heber Jentzsch - President of the Church of Scientology
Ernest Lehman - screenwriter of The Sound of Music
Greta Van Susteren - host of On the Record with Greta Van Susteren new show on FOX TV
Werner Erhard - former Scientologist who founded est
David Miscavige - important Church of Scientology religious leader; chairman of the board for Religious Technology Center
Jim Johnson - owner and founder of Mr. Jim's Pizza chain
Lee Purcell - actress, Big Wednesday, etc.
Michael Wiserman - Predator 2, etc.
Gary Imhoff - actor; Thumbelina, etc.
Manu Tupou - actor and acting teacher; Hawaii
Dror Soref - director; The Seventh Coin, etc.
Amanda Ambrose - singer, vocal teacher
Milton Ketselas - one of Hollywood's most successful acting teachers, who heads the Beverly Hills Playhouse
Jim Rogers - celebrity producer, manager (ex-husband of Mimi Rogers)
Linda Blair - actress best known for The Exorcist
Arnaud Boetsch - tennis player
Darius Brubeck - musician, member of "Brubeck Band"
Sharon Case - actress
Glenn Zottola - trumpeter
Andrew Loog Oldham - writer
Dick Zimmerman - celebrity photographer
Jeffrey Tambor - actor
Eddie Deezen - actor
Corin Nemec - actor
Anita Mally - actress, screenwriter
Julia Migenes - opera singer
Lightfield Lewis - actor, director
Charles Lakes - Olympic gymnast
Laura Prepon - actress
Helga Wagner - jewelry designer; dated Prince Charles and Sen. Ted Kennedy
Deborah Rennard - actress
Sofia Milos - actress
Placido Domingo, Jr. - singer
Robert F. Lyons - actor and drama teacher
Carolyn Judd - ad writer and producer
Paul Haggis - screenwriter, story editor, TV producer
Josele Garza - racing car driver from Mexico
Lenny Macaluso - musician, songwriter, producer
Phillipe de Henning - racing driver, fashion designer
Milton Katselas - acting teacher, director
Maxine Nightingale - singer
Mario Feninger - composer and concert pianist
Jeffrey Scott - script writer, grandson of Moe Howard
Pamela Roberts - actress, clothes designer
Elena Roggero - Italian singer, songwriter
Karen Nelson-Bell - producer
Lamia Khashoggi - wife of wealthy and famous Saudi arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi
Noelle North - dancer, voice-over actress
Misha Segal - composer
Andrik Schapers - singer from Netherlands
Cass Warner - writer
Jason Lee - actor ("Chasing Amy")
Michelle Stafford - actress ("The Young and the Restless")
Denice Duff - actress ("The Young and the Restless")
Lynsey Bartilson - actress ("Grounded for Life")
Tom Fair - (a.k.a. Tom Feher) lyrcist for the 60s rock group the Left Banke
Moon Martin - rock star; "Bad Case of Lovin' You"
Clive Clerk - actor, singer
Jim McMullin - actor
Michael Wiseman - child actor ("Predator 2")
Ludwig Fisher - actor and artist
Ryan Paris - singer, musician
Michael Schnitzler - violinist
Peter Winsnes - actor
Eric Sherman - director
Peter Schless - composer, synthetisist and producer
Diana Venegas - beauty queen; Miss Venezuela; lace-gowns boutique in Beverly Hills
Jackson Sousa - Hollywood celebrity trainer
Michael Sellers - concert pianist
Susie Coelho - actress
Hans Gunter Arenz - race car driver
Fermin Sanchez - race car driver
Kit Carson - motorcycle racer
Al DiMeola - jazz musician
Janet Greeson - owner of Diet Centers
Willie B. Wilson - oil billionaire
Tony Morales - drummer with the Rippingtons
Hossam Ramzy - North African percussion ensemble leader, played with Peter Gabriel
Amanda Rice - (formerly "Raven") stripper; previously Kiefer Sutherland's girlfriend


Current Status in Scientology Is Unknown:
Bernadette Peters - actress
Jerry Seinfeld - comedian
Nicole Kidman - actress
Neil Gaiman - science fiction and comic book writer
Shirley MacLaine - actress (may have never been a member)
Harry Kipper - (a.k.a. Martin von Haselberg) performance artist, husband of singer Bette Midler
Amy Heckerling - director
Gottfried Helnwein - graphic artist
Wings Hauser - actor
Melanie - folk singer
Gloria Swanson - actress
Eden Vanning - violinist
Helena Rojo - Mexican singer
Sasha Malinin - Russian pop star
Helaine Lembeck - actress
Kim Yates - softcore "adult film" actress
Tony Jacklin - pro golfer


Past Adherents not Currently in Scientology:
Oliver Stone - film director
J.D. Salinger - popular, acclaimed novelist for his novel The Catcher in the Rye
Brad Pitt - actor
William S. Burroughs - author and Beat Generation icon
Christopher Reeve - actor who played "Superman"
Van Morrison - influential singer, songwriter, musician (lapsed)
Soleil Moon Frye - actress best known as "Punky Brewster"
Sharon Stone - actress
Peggy Lipton - actress
Mikhail Baryshnikov - ballet dancer
Patrick Swayze - actor
Kate Capshaw - actress, Steven Spielberg's wife
Rock Hudson - actor, movie star
Emilio Estevez - actor
John Brodie - football player
Don Simpson - producer, Top Gun, etc.
Candice Bergen - actress, star of TV series Murphy Brown, Boston Public, etc. (may have not actually been a member)
Leonard Cohen - songwriter, poet
Stanley Clarke - jazz bassist
Darby Crash - punk rocker
Ricky Martin - singer
Olivia D'Abo - actress
Cathy Lee Crosby - actress
Gloria Gaynor - singer and "disco queen"
Howard Wilkins - founder of Pizza Hut
Diana Canova - singer, actress
Raven de la Croix - stripper, psychic, actress
Gabor Szabo - jazz guitarist and composer (died 1982)
A.E. van Vogt - science fiction writer
Ingo Swann - writer, psychic, painter
Barbara Carrera - actress
Frank Stallone - actor, singer, songwriter; brother of Sylvester Stallone
Michael Garson - musician who toured with David Bowie
Michael Edwards - male model, former boyfriend of Priscilla Presley
Peter Lupus - actor (Mission Impossible TV series)
Al Jarreau - singer
Wendon Swift - Hollywood author, manager
Bobby Lipton - actor
Dini Petty - talk show host
Demi Moore - actress
Kalle Pohl - comedian
Bert Salzman - producer; won Academy Award in 1975 for a short film and thanked L. Ron Hubbard in speech
Bernhard Paul - clown, manager of "Circus Roncalli"
Harold Puthoff - mathematician, physicist, ESP researcher
The Incredible String Band - musicians, band
Lee Konitz - jazz musician
Stephen Boyd - actor
Joan Prather - actress
Leif Garrett - pop star
Carlos Palomino - athlete
Bruce Penhall - actor
Lou Rawls - soul music, jazz, and blues singer
John Dalmas - science fiction writer
Michael Lembeck - actor, director
Mickey McMeel - Three Dog Knight drummer
Cynthia Sikes - actress
Gordon Lightfoot - singer, composer, lyricist
Dale Haddon - actress, model
Chick Vennera - actor
Joan DiVito Vennera - actor
Flo Allen - major Hollywood agent
Hunter Carson - actor
Penny Perry - casting director
Ed Love -
Steven Boyd -
Lisa Blount - actress
Aldous Huxley - writer
Josh Dohnen - agent
Anne Francis - actress
Eileen Brennan - actress
Horst Buchholtz - actor
Tom Skeritt - actor
Nan Herst Bowers - celebrity, publicist
John Longenecker - Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker
Kathleen Brown - ran for governor of California (not clear if she was official member)
Maude Adams - actress, model
Charles Manson - infamous serial killer

Major Christian Denominations

Christian Denominations


Catholicism
The Roman Catholic Church, with 980 million followers, is the largest Christian church in the world. It claims direct historical descent from the church founded by the apostle Peter. The Pope in Rome is the spiritual leader of all Roman Catholics. He administers church affairs through bishops and priests.

Orthodox Eastern Church
With 250 million followers worldwide, the Orthodox Eastern Church is the second largest Christian community in the world. The followers of the Orthodox Church are in fact members of many different jurisdictions, including the Church of Greece, the Church of Cyprus, and the Russian Orthodox Church. It began its split from the Roman Catholic Church in the fifth century. The break was finalized in 1054 with the Great Schism. The Orthodox agree doctrinally in accepting as ecumenical the first seven Ecumenical councils (Doctrine was established by seven ecumenical councils held between 325 and 787, and amended by other councils in the late Byzantine period.), and in rejecting the jurisdiction of the bishop of Rome (the Pope). Orthodox religion holds biblical Scripture and tradition-guided by the Holy Spirit as expressed in the consciousness of the entire Orthodox community-to be the source of Christian truth. It rejects doctrine developed by the Western churches. The word Orthodox became current at the time of the defeat (753) of iconoclasm in Constantinople. It also involves holding a sacramental doctrine of grace, and of veneration of the Virgin Mary-two points differentiating the Orthodox from Protestants. Relations between the Orthodox churches and Roman Catholicism have improved since the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965).

Anabaptists
Anabaptists are Christians of the Radical Reformation. Various groups at various times have been called Anabaptist, but the term is most commonly used to refer to the Anabaptists of 16th century Europe. Today the descendants of the 16th century European movement (particularly the Amish, Hutterites, Mennonites, Church of the Brethren, Brethren in Christ, and other respective German Baptist variants) are the most common bodies referred to as Anabaptist.

Baptists
Founded by John Smyth in England in 1609, and by Roger Williams in Rhode Island in 1638. The Baptist Church has 32 million members, and no creed; authority stems from the Bible. Most Baptists oppose the use of alcohol and tobacco. Baptism is by total immersion.

Brethren Church
Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination organized in 1708 by eight people in Schwarzenau, Germany. The Brethren movement began as a melding of Pietist and Anabaptist ideas. The first of its churches in America was established in 1723. These churches became commonly known as German Baptist Brethren. The denomination holds the New Testament as its only creed. Historically the church has taken a strong stance for non-resistance or pacifism. Distinctive practices include believers baptism by trine immersion; a threefold Love Feast consisting of feet washing, a fellowship meal, and communion; anointing for healing; and the holy kiss.

Church of Christ
Organized by Presbyterians in Kentucky in 1804, and in Pennsylvania in 1809. It has 1.3 million members. Members believe in the New Testament, and they follow what is written in the Bible without elaboration. Rites are simple. Baptism is of adults.

Church of England
King Henry VIII of England broke with the Roman Catholic Church with the Act of Supremacy in 1534, which declared the king of England to be the head of the Church of England. The Church of England has 6,000 Anglican Orthodox Church members in the U.S. Supremacy of the Bible is the test of doctrine, but The Episcopal Church grants great latitude in interpretation of doctrine. Although it subscribes to the historic Creeds-the Nicene Creed, and the Apostles' Creed-it considers the Bible to be divinely inspired, and holds the Eucharist or Lord's Supper to be the central act of Christian worship. It tends to stress less the confession of particular beliefs than the use of the Book of Common Prayer in public worship. This book, first published in the sixteenth century, even in its revisions, stands today as a major source of unity for Anglicans around the world. The Church of England is part of the Anglican community, represented in the United States mainly by the Episcopal Church.

Episcopal Church
This U.S. offshoot of the Church of England has 2.7 million members. It installed Samuel Seabury as its first bishop in 1784, and held its first General Convention in 1789. The Church of England broke with the Roman Catholic Church in 1534. Worship is based on the Book of Common Prayer and interpretation of the Bible using a modified version of the Thirty-Nine Articles (originally written for the Church of England in 1563). Services range from spartan to ornate, from liberal to conservative. Baptism is of infants.

Evangelical Free Church
The Swedish Evangelical Free Church and the Norwegian-Danish Evangelical Free Church Association merged in June of 1950 to form the Evangelical Free Church of America. The merger conference took place at the Medicine Lake Conference Grounds near Minneapolis, Minnesota. The two bodies represented 275 local congregations at the time of the merger. The Swedish group formed as the Swedish Evangelical Free Mission in Boone, Iowa in October of 1884. Several churches that had been members of the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Ansgar Synod and the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Mission Synod, along with some independent congregations, were instrumental in organizing this voluntary fellowship. Also in 1884 two Norwegian-Danish groups, in Boston, Massachusetts and Tacoma, Washington, began to fellowship together. By 1912 they had formed Norwegian-Danish Evangelical Free Church Association.

Lutheran Church
The Lutheran Church has 8 million members in the U.S. It is based on the writings of Martin Luther (1483-1586), who broke with the Roman Catholic Church, and led the Protestant Reformation when he nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Church. The first Lutheran congregation in North America was founded in 1638 in Wilmington, Delaware. The first North American regional synod was founded in 1748 by Heinrich Melchior Muhlenberg. Faith is based on the Bible. Salvation comes through faith alone. Services include the Lord's Supper (communion). Lutherans are mostly conservative in religious and social ethics; infants are baptized, the church is organized in synods. The two largest synods in the United States are the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.

Mennonites
The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after Menno Simons (1496–1561), though his teachings were a relatively minor influence on the group. As one of the historic peace churches, Mennonites are committed to nonviolence, nonviolent resistance/reconciliation, and pacifism. There are about 1.5 million Mennonites worldwide as of 2006.[1] Mennonite congregations worldwide embody the full scope of Mennonite practice from old fashioned 'plain' people to those who are indistinguishable in dress and appearance from the general population.

Methodist Church
Methodism has 13.5 million members in the U.S. It was founded by the Reverend John Wesley, who began evangelistic preaching with the Church of England in 1738. A separate Wesleyan Methodist Church was established in 1791. The Methodist Episcopal Church was founded in the United States in 1784. The name derives from the founders' desire to study religion "by rule and method," and follow the Bible interpreted by tradition and reason. Worship varies by denomination within Methodism (the United Methodist Church is the largest congregation). The church is perfectionist in social dealings. Methodists have Communion and they perform baptism of infants and adults.

Pentecostal Churches
The churches grew out of the "holiness movement" that developed among Methodists and Protestants in the first decade of the twentieth century. There are some 3.5 million followers today in the U.S. Pentecostals believe in baptism in the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, faith healing, and the second coming of Jesus. Of the various Pentecostal churches, the Assemblies of God is the largest. A perfectionist attitude toward secular affairs is common. Services feature enthusiastic sermons and hymns, and Pentecostals practice adult baptism and communion.

Presbyterian Church
Presbyterianism in the U.S. grew out of the Calvinist Churches of Switzerland and France. John Knox founded the first Presbyterian Church in Scotland in 1557. The first presbytery in North America was established by Irish missionary, Francis Makemie, in 1706. For 3.2 million members of the Presbyterian Church, faith is in the Bible. Sacraments are infant baptism and communion. The church is organized as a system of courts in which clergy and lay members (presbyters) participate at local, regional, and national levels. Services are simple, with emphasis on the sermon.

Roman Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church

1. A Brief History of the Roman Catholic Church
• As the early church grew, the bishop of Rome gained more and more influence over the other churches, especially after Constantine made Christianity the official language of the empire
• After the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476, the Catholic faith competed with Arian Christianity for the conversion of the barbarian tribes
• The 496 conversion of Clovis I, pagan king of the Franks, marked the beginning of a steady rise of the Catholic faith in the West
• In 530, Saint Benedict wrote his monastic Rule, which became a blueprint for the organization of monasteries throughout Europe
• From 590 Pope Gregory the Great dramatically reformed church practice and administration, launching renewed missionary efforts
• In 800, continuing disagreements with the east culminated when the pope crowned Charlemagne Holy Roman Emperor in the west, who attempted to unify Western Europe through the common bond of Christianity, creating an improved system of education and establishing unified laws
• In 1095, Byzantine emperor Alexius I appealed to Pope Urban II for help in warding off a Turkish invasion, so Urban launched a military campaign known as the First Crusade, believing that it might help to bring about reconciliation with Eastern Christianity
• King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella formed an inquisition in 1480, originally to deal with distrusted ex-Jewish and ex-Muslim converts, and over a 350-year period, this Spanish Inquisition executed between 3,000 and 4,000 people
• In 1517, Martin Luther included his Ninety-Five Theses in a letter to several bishops, protesting key points of Catholic doctrine as well as the sale of indulgences
• At the Council of Trent (1545–1563) the Catholic Church launched a counter-reformation, reaffirming core doctrines as well as instigating some important reforms
• Vatican II (1962-1965) encouraged more active participation of the laity and allowed mass in the vernacular

2. The Bible and Church Authority
• The Roman Catholic Bible consists of 73 books and includes some Apocryphal books: Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, First and Second Maccabees, Additions to Esther and Daniel
• The Authorized Roman Catholic Bible, the Douay-Rheims Bible, is an English translation of the Latin Vulgate
• The Catholic Church believes that it is guided by the Holy Spirit and so protected from falling into doctrinal error
• The Church teaches that the Holy Spirit reveals God's truth through Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition and the Magisterium
• The Catholic Church has been entrusted with the seven sacraments, which are Baptism, Confirmation, the Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders and Holy Matrimony

3. Theology
• The Catholic Church is trinitarian in that it holds that there is one eternal God who exists as a mutual indwelling of three persons: the Father; the Son, Jesus; and the Holy Spirit
• God is the creator of nature and all that exists and he loves his creation and desires to have a relationship with it
• Satan rebelled against God, taking many angels with him, and then deceived Adam so that he and Eve sinned
• Jesus is the Savior of the world who is the only begotten son of God, one in being with the Father, and through whom all things were made
• Jesus was born without sin of the Virgin Mary, who also was conceived without sin (the immaculate conception)
• Jesus died on the cross as the sacrifice for man’s sin
• All men will be resurrected and face a final judgment before God and spend eternity in Heaven, Hell or Purgatory

4. Salvation
• Forgiveness of sin comes when one believes in Jesus, confesses his sins and is baptized
• Subsequent sins require penance, confession to a priest and a penance appropriate to the sin
• The Holy Spirit is one with God the Father and God the Son and is received through the sacrament of Confirmation

5. The Church and Worship
• The Church is the continuing presence of Jesus on earth and has been given his authority by Christ himself
• Church hierarchy consists of the Pope, Cardinals, Bishops and Priests (clergy) and deacons (laity)
• Catholic worship consists of the Eucharist and Mass, the other sacraments, and the Liturgy of the Hours
• The Eucharist is celebrated at every Mass where the elements are transformed into the real body and blood of Jesus
• Prayers are said to God, Jesus, Mary and the Saints, and the three main prayers are are The Lord's Prayer, the Rosary and Stations of the Cross
• There are over 300 Catholic religious orders for both men and women

Jehovah’s Witnesses and Christianity

Jehovah’s Witnesses and Christianity

1. A Brief History of Jehovah’s Witnesses
• 1870’s Russell (1852-1916) studied the doctrines of Second Adventists:
• 1879: Russell began publishing Zion’s Watchtower And Herald of Christ’s Presence (The Watchtower magazine)
• 1881: Main Legal Entity Founded - Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
• 1909: Headquarters Moved to Brooklyn, New York - Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc
• 1917-1942: Second Watchtower President “Judge” Joseph F. Rutherford
• 1931: The name “Jehovah’s Witnesses” adopted.
• 1942-1977: Third Watchtower President Nathan H. Knorr & 1978-1992: Fourth President: Frederick W. Franz
• 1992-2000: Fifth Watchtower President: Milton George Henschel
• 2000: Three Corporations Formed: Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Religious Order of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Kingdom Support Services

2. The New World Translation and the Watchtower
• Translators had insufficient knowledge of biblical manuscripts
• Translation distorts the Deity of Christ at John 1:1; 8:58; Hebrews 1:8 and other passages
• Inserts God Name “Jehovah” into the New Testament without manuscript support

3. Theology
• Jesus is the created Archangel “Michael”
• God’s “holy spirit” is an impersonal force
• Only a special group of 144,000 people interpret Scripture
• All Old Testament believers and Christians who are not in the 144,000 group will live on earth eternally.
• Conditional Mortality, Soul Sleep = Soul does not survive death, Resurrection of only the worthy; No Hell
• Restoration of Paradise Earth by believers after the Tribulation

4. Salvation
• Salvation is found through faith in Jehovah, Jesus and performance in the Watchtower organization

5. Ethics and Practices
• No holiday or birthday celebrations
• No participation in flag salutes, voting, politics or war activities
• No blood transfusions
• Limited higher education
• Limited contact with non-Jehovah’s Witness friends and family
• Shunning of former Jehovah’s Witnesses
• Forbidding critical thinking and disagreement and literature critical of the group
• Forbidding non-Jehovah’s Witness religious broadcasting and church attendance
• Mandatory door-to-door proselytizing

6. False Prophesies
• 1874: Date for Christ’s “invisible presence,” changed to 1914
• 1914: End of the world
• 1915: Replaced 1914 for the end of the world
• 1918: End of the world, the destruction of churches
• 1925: End of the world with the return of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob
• 1929: “Beth Sarim” House of Princes built in San Diego, deeded to king David and other biblical prophets for their “soon” return upon the earth
• 1940’s: End of the World would come with the “soon” battle of Armageddon
• 1975: 6,000-years of human history, the end of the world would come within “months, not years.”
• 1994: 80-year Generation of 1914 should bring the end of the world, 1995 redefined the word “generation” to be symbolic of general readiness for the end.

7. Jehovah’s Witnesses and Christianity

Mormonism and Christianity

1. A Brief History of Mormonism
• Joseph Smith (1805-1844) was the son of a mystic and treasure hunter who also counterfeited currency
• God the Father and the Son appeared to him in 1820 telling him they were upset with the corruption of the church and they wanted him to restore the church to authentic Christianity
• The angel Moroni appeared to him in 1823 revealing where the gold tablets were hidden that later became the basis for the Book of Mormon
• Joseph Smith translated the gold tablets in 1827-29 using special glasses which he published as the Book of Mormon in 1830 and then founded the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
• Joseph Smith and Oliver Crowdery received the Aaronic priesthood from the hand of John the Baptist May 15, 1829 and the Melchizedek priesthood was conferred on them shortly after by Peter, James, and John
• Joseph Smith received 135 more revelations between 1831-44 as he and his followers moved around Ohio and Illinois because of persecution, finally building the town of Nauvoo, Illinois, where Smith was killed while being held for trial for polygamy and treason against the state of Illinois

2. The Book of Mormon
• The Mormons hold 4 books as being divinely inspired: the Bible, the Pearl of Great Price, Doctrine and Covenants, and the Book of Mormon (the last 3 being written by Joseph Smith)
• The Book of Mormon purports to be the history of two ancient civilizations located on the American continent, the first emigrating after the tower of Babel (around 2250 BC), called the Jaredites and the second from Jerusalem (around 600 BC), called the Nephites.
• The Nephites split into two warring camps, with the second being called the Lamanites, who became the native Indians
• The Nephites were annihilated by the Lamanites in 385 AD in a battle near Palmyra, New York
• Problems: No archaeological evidence, Indians are not of Semitic descent, many errors and contradictions, plagarism, and anachronisms

3. Theology
• God once was a man who is now exalted and has a physical body who had to grow and develop, grow and learn
• Jesus was conceived through the physical sexual act of God the Father with Mary
• Jesus is a created being, the older brother of Lucifer, who was once sinful and imperfect but who earned his exaltation to godhood through his virtuous life
• Men are beings created through the sexual relations of the gods who must grow and develop to become gods themselves who will govern their own planets and populate them with celestial babies through sexual relations

4. Salvation
• The goal of life is to achieve exaltation to godhead and rule over one’s own planet
• Salvation is found only in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
• There are two levels of salvation: general salvation is only resurrection, either to damnation or to a lesser existence, while individual salvation is the entrance into the Celestial Kingdom and exaltation to godhood
• While Mormons speak of faith in Jesus, it is a false Jesus and faith is intermingled with works, so that while they use terms like “faith,” “grace,” and “justification” they mean different things than what the Bible teaches
• One is “saved” through personal revelation, physical labor, obedience to leaders, overcoming temptation, intelligence and knowledge, prayer, baptism, laying on of hands, marriage, church membership, tithing, and temple work

5. Ethics
• No gambling, tobacco, alcohol, coffee, tea, drugs, vulgar language

6. Religious Practices
• Baptism for the dead
• Temple Ceremonies
• Undergarment: Having made covenants of righteousness, the members wear the garment under their regular clothing for the rest of their lives, day and night, partially to remind them of the sacred covenants they have made with God.

7. Mormonism and Christianity
The Mormon Articles of Faith

1. We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.
2. We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression.
3. We believe that through the atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
4. We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
5. We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.
6. We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.
7. We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.
8. We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.
9. We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.
10. We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.
11. We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.
12. We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.
13. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

Satanism, Wicca, and Christianity

1. Satanism
• It generally refers to the worship of Satan and/or the practice of magic
• Reverse Christian Satanists worship Satan as he is depicted in the Bible
• The Church of Satan, founded by Anton Szandor La Vey, the author of the Satanic Bible, teaches its followers to reject God and Christ, follow their own passions and desires, to show kindness to friends but to attack one’s enemies

2. Wicca
• Wicca is a pagan, nature-based religion popularized in 1954 by Gerald Gardner, a retired British civil servant, who at the time called it Witchcraft and its adherents “the Wicca”
• It is supposedly a modern survival of an old witchcraft religion which had existed in secret for hundreds of years, originating in the pre-Christian paganism of Europe
• Wicca has distinctive ritual forms, seasonal observances and religious, magical and ethical precepts

3. Wicca Beliefs
• Though the vast majority of Wiccans believe in some form of God, and/or gods, most see Wicca as a duotheistic religion worshipping a God and a Goddess, who are seen as complementary polarities, and embodiments of a life-force manifest in nature
• Most Wiccans believe in reincarnation and an afterlife
• Wiccans believe in magic and use spells and rituals to manipulate the physical and spiritual world

4. Wicca Morality
• Morality is summed up in the phrase, “Do what you will”
• You are free to act on any and all impulses while accepting the consequences of those actions
• According to the “Law of Threefold Return” all of your actions, whether benevolent or malevolent, will return back on you in triple force
• Many seek to cultivate the eight virtues: mirth, reverence, honour, humility, strength, beauty, power and compassion

5. Wicca Rituals
• Magic and spells are performed in a circle, often marked by the four elements: air, fire, water, earth; some add a fifth element: spirit
• The pentagram symbolizes the four elements with the spirit leading at the top
• Often a set of magical tools is used: broom (besom), cauldron, chalice, wand, Book of Shadows, altar cloth, athame, boline, candles, crystals, pentacle and/or incensem which are placed on an altar in the middle of the circle
• Special rituals are held on specific days in each season based on the lunar calendar

6. Satanic Rituals
• Members meet Friday nights and at other times depending on the lunar calendar
• Members dress in black and meet after dark in remote locations near trees and water
• Rituals often include dancing, wild music, feasting, sexual acts, confession and renunciation of good deeds, renunciation of God and Jesus, unholy water (urine), toads, inverted crucifixes, incense, crucibles, sulfur and candles
• Sometimes an animal is sacrificed and the blood is spilled onto a naked girl tied to the altar
• Demons and other spiritual beings are called upon and Tarot cards, Ouija boards and crystals are used for divination

7. Satanism, Wicca, and Christianity
• Many people get involved in witchcraft because it offers them power over other people and things, secret knowledge, supernatural experiences, success, and freedom to indulge their desires
• Often a contractual obligation needs to be entered into with demonic forces, either explicitly or implicitly
• Those who delve into witchcraft and Satanism open themselves up to demonic oppression and possession
• Satanism, more than Wicca, is anti-Christian in that it seeks to pervert and contradict Christian theology and practice
• The Bible repeatedly condemns witchcraft, sorcery, spells, divination, magic and the like
• The powers behind witchcraft and Satanism are not friendly, but are opposed to God and will seek to destroy man
• Satan often transforms himself into an angel of light in order to deceive men into following him
• Much of what passes for witchcraft is fake but there are real forces behind some who claim such powers
Ex. 22:18 “Do not allow a sorceress to live.
Lev. 19:26 “‘Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it. “‘Do not practice divination or sorcery.
Lev. 19:31 “‘Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.
Lev. 20:6 “‘I will set my face against the person who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute himself by following them, and I will cut him off from his people.
Lev. 20:27 “‘A man or woman who is a medium or spiritist among you must be put to death. You are to stone them; their blood will be on their own heads.’”
Deut. 12:31 You must not worship the LORD your God in their way, because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things the LORD hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.
Deut. 18:10 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft,
Deut. 18:11 or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead.
Deut. 18:14 The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so.
1Sam. 15:23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king.”
1Sam. 28:3 Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in his own town of Ramah. Saul had expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land.
1Sam. 28:7 Saul then said to his attendants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, so I may go and inquire of her.” “There is one in Endor,” they said.
2Kings 17:17 They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire. They practiced divination and sorcery and sold themselves to do evil in the eyes of the LORD, provoking him to anger.
2Kings 21:6 He sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced sorcery and divination, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the LORD, provoking him to anger.
2Kings 23:24 Furthermore, Josiah got rid of the mediums and spiritists, the household gods, the idols and all the other detestable things seen in Judah and Jerusalem. This he did to fulfill the requirements of the law written in the book that Hilkiah the priest had discovered in the temple of the LORD.
1Chr. 10:13 Saul died because he was unfaithful to the LORD; he did not keep the word of the LORD and even consulted a medium for guidance,
Is. 8:19 When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?
Is. 19:3 The Egyptians will lose heart, and I will bring their plans to nothing; they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead, the mediums and the spiritists.
Is. 47:12 “Keep on, then, with your magic spells and with your many sorceries, which you have labored at since childhood. Perhaps you will succeed, perhaps you will cause terror.
Is. 47:13 All the counsel you have received has only worn you out! Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month, let them save you from what is coming upon you.
Jer. 27:9 So do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your interpreters of dreams, your mediums or your sorcerers who tell you, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon.’
Jer. 27:10 They prophesy lies to you that will only serve to remove you far from your lands; I will banish you and you will perish.
Dan. 2:2 So the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed. When they came in and stood before the king,
Mal. 3:5 “So I will come near to you for judgment. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice, but do not fear me,” says the LORD Almighty.
Acts 8:9 Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great,
Acts 8:11 They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic.
Acts 13:6 They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-jesus,
Acts 13:8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith.
Acts 16:16 Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling.
Gal. 5:20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions
Gal. 5:21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Rev. 21:8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
Rev. 22:15 Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.