I just read this heart-warming story at MSNBC. It tells of a girl abandoned twice before she was 2 weeks old, and of the family who finally adopted her. Her birth mother was an IV drug user, and the first adoptive family declined her after learning of her severe heart defect. I find the Monroe’s unconditional love a wonderful example of Christian love. I just wanted to share, as the story really touched me.
DNA and Tradition, Guide for the Perplexed
Ok, the title of my post actually comes from two different books. The first is called “DNA and Tradition: The Genetic Link to the Ancient Hebrews“, by Rabbi Yaakov Kleiman. The rabbi looks into DNA evidence concerning the tribe of Levi, as well as the other lost tribes of Israel.
In the introduction to the book, there are several interesting quotes, and he quotes from a book written by Rabbi Moses Maimonides (1135 – 1204 ) called Guide for the Perplexed, which examines the issues of being a religious scientist.
Does Tablet Predict Christ’s Death and Resurrection?
I came across an article in the NY Times about a tablet dating from before the time of Christ, that “may speak of a messiah who will rise from the dead after three days.” This would be a major shift in understanding of Jewish thought at the time of Jesus. The discovery is being called “a Dead Sea Scroll on stone.”
Here are some of the more interesting quotes from the article:
“Some Christians will find it shocking — a challenge to the uniqueness of their theology — while others will be comforted by the idea of it being a traditional part of Judaism,” Mr. Boyarin said.
Science and Religion: Are they always opposing?
We all know that science and religion can often be at odds with each other. Some examples include Evolution vs creation, DNA and the Book of Mormon; the list could be endless. In a recent comment, Book1830 makes the claim that Science and Religion (he refers to them as Scholarship and Apologetics) are at odds with each other. His summarized comments are below:
How Should We Define Scripture?
I posted previously on the topics of Gnosticism, Marcionism, and Montanism in my previous three posts. While discussing Marcionism, there was a debate about the apostasy. The topic got sidetracked into a discussion of the definition of scripture, so I thought I’d post a new topic regarding that topic.
Falcon makes the case that Joseph is a fraud because of his polygamy, and by extension, the Book of Mormon should not be considered scripture. So, I decided to issue a challenge. Here’s the reader’s digest version of the challenge, but you can see the entire set of instructions here.
Montanists, Mormons, and Early Christian Doctrines
This is part 3 of Heresy and Orthodoxy. I’ve been listening to class 5 from the Covenant Theological Seminary on Ancient and Medieval Church History. They have talked about Gnosticism and Marcionism. I’d like to talk about a little known movement in early church history called Montanism and compare this to Mormonism.
How does Marcionism relate to the Apostasy?
As I mentioned in my previous post, I’ve been listening to the Covenant Theological Seminary class called “Ancient and Medieval Church History.” Class 5 deals with Heresy and Orthodoxy, and they discuss 3 of the largest early heresies: Gnosticism, Marcionsim, and Montanism. I’d like to discuss Marcionism a bit.
Marcion lived 110 – 160 AD in Sinope, Turkey. He is probably the first person who tried to establish a Christian canon. His New Testament was much smaller than ours today. It included an edited version of the Gospel of Luke, and 10 of Paul’s letters. He was the son of a bishop, and originally embraced by the orthdox church, but due to his embracing of Gnostic doctrines, he was excommunicated. However, his movement became so large that it rivaled the orthodox church in size for about a century.
Early Christian Heresies: Gnosticism
I found a really cool website that offers free downloads from a seminary. It’s found at Covenant Theological Seminary. I believe it is a Presbyterian Seminary, and I’ve learned a ton about the Bible, and Jewish and Christian History. Currently, I’m listening to the course called Ancient and Medieval Church History. Class 5 deals with Orthodoxy, and Heresy. It talks about 3 specific heresies: Gnosticism, Marcionism, and Montanism.
The first thing I learned was that the term “heresy” originally meant “opinion.” It had no negative connotation. However, with these 3 movements, the term took on a much more derisive connotation. Othrodoxy literally means “straight thinking”, just as an orthodontist “straightens teeth.” These other movements are “heterodoxy”, meaning “other thinking.”
Interesting Day at Church
I want to give a shout-out to my friend April. She has a blog called Normal Mormons. April is a relatively recent convert living in Idaho, and I have enjoyed hearing her observations about mormons, our sometimes strange culturalisms, and her efforts to become more Christ-like.
I comment on her blog occasionally, and have often commented that nothing really strange happens in my ward. Well, today we had an unusual event.
Shaken Faith Syndrome
Ok, this is an email I received, and I thought it sounded quite interesting. Zelph, I couldn’t help but think of you when I read this. I think it sounds interesting to read myself, and I think others may find it interesting.
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The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research (FAIR) would like to announce the publication of Shaken Faith Syndrome (www.ShakenFaithSyndrome.com) by Michael R. Ash.
Mormon Heretic 