God's Character News

The Golden Rule is Booed

Admin — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 07:20:56 -0800

The Golden Rule, "Do to others what you would have them do to you" (Luke 6:31) was soundly booed as a way of governing a country at last night's debate.

It's interesting to consider the history of the Golden Rule even outside of Christianity. Five hundred years before Christ, Confucious said, "Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself." Buddha said, "Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful." The Greek philosopher Thales said, "Avoid doing what you would blame others for doing." The Golden Rule is found in Hinduism, "One should never do that to another which one regards as injurious to one's own self." Muhammad said, "None of you [truly] believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself." This rule for living goes all the way back to ancient Israel, "You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against your neighbor. Love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD." (Leviticus 19:18)

Gandhi is famous for saying, "Be the change you want to see in the world." On one occasion a woman came to Gandhi to ask if he would tell her son not to eat so much sugar. Gandhi told her to come back in a week. She was confused but they made the long journey home and then returned a week later. On the return trip, Gandhi told the boy not to eat so much sugar. His mother asked, "Why couldn't you have told him that a week ago?" to which Gandhi replied, "because I was eating too much sugar myself at that time."

What would it be like if the world operated according the Golden Rule? Does the Golden Rule only apply to individuals?

The growing menace of domestic drones

Admin — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 09:30:43 -0800

The growing menace of domestic drones is an important story that describes the increasing use of drones for surveillance over the United States. A small excerpt:

"For those dismissing concerns about drones by claiming (falsely) that they are the equivalent of police helicopters, won’t those same people dismiss concerns over weaponized drones by arguing: there’s no difference between allowing the police to Taser you or shoot you themselves and allowing them to do that by drone? This is always how creeping police state powers are entrenched: one step at a time. For those who are perfectly content with having stealth, hovering drones over U.S. soil for sustained surveillance purposes — based on the reasoning that the police can already engage in surveillance so why not let them do it more efficiently? — what possible objections will there be to having the police use weaponized drones? After all, the police can already Taser, pepper spray and shoot people: why not let them do it with drones?

The fact is that drones vest vast new powers that police helicopters and existing weapons do not vest: and that’s true not just for weaponization but for surveillance. Drones enable a Surveillance State unlike anything we’ve seen. Because small drones are so much cheaper than police helicopters, many more of them can be deployed at once, ensuring far greater surveillance over a much larger area. Their small size and stealth capability means they can hover without any detection, and they can remain in the air for far longer than police helicopters. Their hovering capability also means they can surveil a single spot for much longer than military satellites, which move with the earth’s rotation."

Americans: Undecided About God?

Admin — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 05:59:01 -0800

Americans: Undecided About God? is a thought provoking article by Eric Weiner that came out recently in the New York Times. Here are a few relevant quotes:

"Apparently, a growing number of Americans are running from organized religion, but by no means running from God. On average 93 percent of those surveyed say they believe in God or a higher power; this holds true for most Nones — just 7 percent of whom describe themselves as atheists, according to a survey by Trinity College.

Nones are the undecided of the religious world. We drift spiritually and dabble in everything from Sufism to Kabbalah to, yes, Catholicism and Judaism.

Why the rise of the Nones? David Campbell and Robert Putnam, of the University of Notre Dame and the Harvard Kennedy School, respectively, think politics is to blame. Their idea is that we’ve mixed politics and religion so completely that many simply opt out of both; apparently they are reluctant to claim a religious affiliation because they don’t want the political one that comes along with it.

We are more religiously polarized than ever. In my secular, urban and urbane world, God is rarely spoken of, except in mocking, derisive tones. It is acceptable to cite the latest academic study on, say, happiness or, even better, whip out a brain scan, but God? He is for suckers, and Republicans...We Nones may not believe in God, but we hope to one day. We have a dog in this hunt.

Nones don’t get hung up on whether a religion is “true” or not, and instead subscribe to William James’s maxim that “truth is what works.” If a certain spiritual practice makes us better people — more loving, less angry — then it is necessarily good, and by extension “true.” (We believe that G. K. Chesterton got it right when he said: “It is the test of a good religion whether you can joke about it.”)

By that measure, there is very little “good religion” out there. Put bluntly: God is not a lot of fun these days. Many of us don’t view religion so generously. All we see is an angry God. He is constantly judging and smiting, and so are his followers. No wonder so many Americans are enamored of the Dalai Lama. He laughs, often and well...

We need a Steve Jobs of religion. Someone (or ones) who can invent not a new religion but, rather, a new way of being religious. Like Mr. Jobs’s creations, this new way would be straightforward and unencumbered and absolutely intuitive. Most important, it would be highly interactive. I imagine a religious space that celebrates doubt, encourages experimentation and allows one to utter the word God without embarrassment. A religious operating system for the Nones among us. And for all of us."

Inside Job

Admin — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 14:51:47 -0800

The documentary, Inside Job, is a remarkable true story of greed, predation and exploitation. This movie reveals the polar opposite of what God's kingdom looks like and exposes the distrubing corruption at the heart of America's economic system.

12-year-old Changes Haiti

Admin — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 04:47:16 -0800

This is really an amazing story that shows the difference one person can make in the world. In this case, a 12-year-old girl who has raised over $250,000 and built 27 homes for the people of Haita

America: With God on our Side

Admin — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 22:30:46 -0700

This excellent Los Angeles Times article is about "American Exceptionalism" and the current presidential debate. It opens with the following:

"Presidential candidates feel no shame in asserting divine purpose in U.S. policies and actions. In this ubiquitous view of American exceptionalism, the nation is not bound by rules to which others must submit.

Read the entire article here

Cosmic Conflict Class Resumes

Admin — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 16:01:34 -0700

Several people have asked when Sigve Tonstad's class, "Revelation and Human Reality" would resume. October 8 is the date! This message from Dr. Tonstad:

Dear friends,

We'll start the cosmic conflict class again October 8, A-level amphitheater, at 10:30 AM. Our theme is still, broadly speaking, The Cosmic Conflict and the Future (of America). I wish to resume the topic, Re-Acceptance of Unaccountable Authority, then to continue to Re-Acceptance of the Mother.

Blessings,

Sigve T.

Bible Studies: One Page Access

brad — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 19:35:36 -0700

Several people have asked for a one page condensed list with access to all of the Bible studies. Here it is! In addition, the audio program has been updated to provide for an easier method of downloading. As more Bible studies are added through the year, I will continue to update this page.

Bible Study Introduction:

Bible Study in the 21st Century?

Old Testament:

Introduction:
- Scary God or Scary People Audio (an introduction to the Old Testament); Video
- How to (and how not to) Read the Old Testament

Genesis Chapters:
- 1-2: Tohu Wabohu; 3: What is Sin?; 3-4: Enmity; 5-11: The Flood; 12-22: Strange Times; 18-19: Sodom and Gomorrah; 20-50: The Low Road

Exodus Chapters:
- 1-4: Down is the Way Up; 5-20: Egypt to Sinai; 20: Rules for the Unruly; 20-33: Punishing to the 3rd and 4th Generations; 32: God Comes to Kill

Leviticus:
- The Spiritual Temple; "Your Mission, should you choose to accept..."

Numbers Chapters:
- 1-14: Little Faith, Lots of Miracles; 14: Forgiveness in Numbers?; 11-21: Desert Mutiny; 12: Face to Face with God; 20-25: Stricken Rock and Donkey

Deuteronomy:
- Inspiration for the Uninspired; God Meets People Where They Are

Joshua:
- God of War?

Judges Chapters:
- 1-11: Warning - Graphic Violence and Cruelty; 12-22: "Still, I stuck with him..."

1st Samuel:
- Introduction 1: Roger Ebert and the Unknowable God; Introduction 2: "The LORD sent and evil spirit..."; Chapters 6-8: "Give them a king"; Chapters 8-12: Flag 1 Cross 0; Chapters 10-26: "Saul kept a jealous eye on David..."

2nd Samuel:
- David: A Man After God's Heart?

1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles:
- Splitting of the Kingdom; 1 Kings Chapters 17-19: Mount Horeb to the Mount of Transfiguration; 1 Kings Chapters 13-22: Micaiah, lying spirits and false prophets ; 2 Kings Chapters 1-13: Elisha's Greatest Miracle

Ezra and Nehemiah
- Ezra, Nehemiah and "Bruce Almighty"

Job
- Part 1: Evidence for Conviction; Part 2: God's Non-use of Power

Psalms
- Angry Psalms: "May they be like snails that dissolve into slime"

Proverbs
- What is Wisdom?

Ecclesiastes
- "An old foolish king"?

Song of Songs
- Human or Divine Love Story?

Isaiah
- God's Refining Fire; Chapter 14: "You killed your own people"; Chapter 52: "Shocked into silence"; The Gospel Prophet

Jeremiah and Lamentations
- A Story About God; A Glimpse of God's Wrath in Action; Chapter 22: Knowing God is to Love Others; Hinnom Valley and Hell; Human Suffering

Ezekiel
- Ezekiel's Vision of Wheels, Creatures, and God; Chapter 27&28: The King of Tyre; Chapter 20: God's "bad rules"

Daniel Chapters:
- Daniel's Conversion of King Nebuchadnezzar; "Truth was thrown to the ground" (8:12) ; Daniel 7: The Heavenly Court in Judgment

Hosea
- Love Me Or Else?

Joel
- Locusts and "The Divine Destroyer" Audio; Locusts and "The Divine Destroyer" Article

Amos
- "Get ready to face my judgment"; "What I want is justice"

Jonah
- Jonah's Sign vs. Jesus' Sign

Micah
- "This is what the LORD requires..."

Nahum
- "Your wounds cannot be healed"

Habakkuk
- "What are you doing God?

Haggai
- What is God's Glory?

Zechariah
- Chapters 7&8: What is God's Justice?

Malachi
- "Who will be able to survive when he appears?"

New Testament:

Matthew
- God Enters the Womb; Inspiration and the Apparent Contradictions in Matthew; The Kingdom of Heaven

Mark
- Jesus' Treatment of Peter

Luke
- The Rich Man and Lazarus

John
- The Atonement Audio; The Atonement Video; "And now, I give you a new command..."

Acts
- The Church's Brief Shining Moment

Romans
- Character of God Controversy?; Will Gandhi Be Saved?

1st and 2nd Corinthians
- Church in Rebellion

Galatians
- The law, the gospel, and freedom

Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians
- The Real "Mother of all Wars"

Thessalonians, Timothy and Titus
- Paul on the 2nd coming and the immortality of the soul

Hebrews
- Our High Priest: What has he been doing for the last 2,000 years?

James
- "How was out ancestor Abraham put right? It was through his actions."

1st and 2nd Peter
- "Everything that makes up the universe will burn and melt"

1st, 2nd, and 3rd John
- Salvation by Knowledge?

Revelation

Bible Study Schedule 2011-12

brad — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 13:06:00 -0700

Now that students are back on campus, the bible study class by Brad Cole will resume, August 25; the class held by Sigve Tonstad will begin (most likely) on October 2. The class by Brad Cole will be held in the Alumni Hall Amphitheater during most Thursdays of the 2011-2012 school year, from noon to 1 PM.

Students from all schools - Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Public and Allied Health - are all invited to attend and the food is free if you sign up by Tuesday morning. For the first bible study, Delhi palace will bring a great selection of Indian food. Look for sign up sheets in Alumni Hall and in the Centennial Complex. In addition, announcements will be made in class over the next week. Many thanks to the Loma Linda University School of Medicine for graciously funding all of these meals.

Our Bible study this year will begin with an overview of the Old Testament and then pick up where we left off in the book of Jeremiah.

Here is the meeting schedule for the rest of 2011 which will soon be available in the calendar section of the website:

August 25

September 1, 8, 15, 29

October 6, 13, 20

November 3, 10, 17

December 1, 8

Dr. Tonstad's class schedule and directions will be put into the calendar in the upcoming weeks as well.

Sarah Palin and Paul Revere

Admin — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 08:42:44 -0700

A very good article by Kenneth Davis, author of "Don't Know Much About History," on Sarah Palin's comments regarding Paul Revere. Here is one quote from the article:

"The truth of Revere's ride, the long road to American independence and the real people behind that extraordinary moment is a far more compelling narrative of intrigue, courage and a life-and-death battle for power than the "bedtime story" version most of us recall from half-remembered third grade poetry.

But we prefer holding onto a tidy scenario of pride and patriotism that is neither accurate nor memorable, if we remember at all. Instead, we settle for ignorance, as periodic surveys of American knowledge of history routinely prove. Or we cobble together a sketchy narrative combining fact and fiction to comfortably fit our political agendas.

That is sad. And dangerous. It is sad because history is compelling, fascinating and instructive -- if we tell the real story.

But it is also dangerous when people "cherry pick" pieces of the story to suit their purposes, when the foot is cut to fit the shoe. A sanitized but incomplete, or worse, wildly inaccurate, version of history can be cited to support just about any political stand. Like scripture, the words and deeds of the Founders, mixed with bits and pieces of American mythology, are trumpeted to support positions on every issue from individual rights, states' rights, gun rights or gun control, to taxes, immigration, public prayer and, most dangerously, taking the nation to war.

When American history is gutted, innocently, ignorantly or deliberately, the outcome can be deadly. If we are told that there is no separation of church and state in the First Amendment, that the Founders worked tirelessly to end slavery or that the Revolution was all about taxes on tea, we are hearing half-truths or outright fabrications. Our extraordinary history deserves better. The truth shall set you free."