Ray Comfort's Blog, page 68

The "Hate" Speech of Biblical Christianity

Many nowadays think that any talk of the exclusivity of Jesus Christ is intolerant and unloving and could even be considered by the politically correct as "hate speech." The thought that He is the only way to find everlasting life, is seen by them as nothing but religious extremism.

As we know, on August the 5th, 2010, part of the San José copper-gold mine in the Atacama Desert near Copiapó, Chile, collapsed, leaving 33 men trapped 2,300 feet under ground. However, all 33 miners were safely rescued and brought to the surface on 13 October 2010 (69 days later) through a narrow hole that had been drilled down to reach them.

It was estimated more than a billion people watched the rescue on live television around the world. Each of the men had to be winched in a rescue capsule, reaching the surface in 16 minutes. The total cost of the rescue operation was estimated at 20 million U.S. dollars.

Can you imagine being one of those men, hopelessly trapped deeper than 2,300 feet under the ground? They could move around, and they had limited food and water, but it was just a matter of time until they died in the darkness, in a mass grave.

But hope came from above. Compassionate rescuers spent millions of dollars and went to great effort to drill one narrow way down to them, so that they could be brought back from the very brink of a sure death. When the offer of rescue came, all 33 of them gladly climbed into that narrow capsule, and did exactly as they were instructed to by their rescuers.

Not one of them said, "I am offended that there is only one way out of here. I don't like this hateful narrow way, and anyone who offers it is narrow minded. Instead, I am going to dig my own way out, thank you!" Anyone who would say something like that would have to be insane!

Yet such is the way of those who are offended by what God did to rescue hopeless sinners from a sure death. Until God gives us light through the gospel, we sit helplessly in the black shadow of death. We can move around and we have food and drink, but we are trapped, waiting to die. It's just a matter of time. That's reality.

Yet rescue came from above. God Himself is rich in mercy and didn't leave us alone in our darkness. He made a way for us to be rescued, and it didn't cost a mere 20 million dollars. It cost the precious blood of His Son, who suffered agony on the cross of Calvary. God said through the prophets that He would rescue us from the grave, and that there would be only one way of salvation. He then became a Man and in the person of Jesus of Nazareth and bore the punishment for the sin of the world, so that we could come out of the darkness into the glorious light, out of sure death, into everlasting life. So there is only one way to be saved, and it's straight and it's narrow. Obey the gospel and be rescued from the power of the grave.

Please, oh please, don't insist that you try and dig your way out of this mess. Repent of your sins, and trust alone in the Savior: "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12, NKJV)For Evangelism Resources, please visit LivingWaters.com.

The Greatest of Company

I find it interesting that the news media are not accused of bad taste or making money when they report tragedies. Recently, they reported that a young man, who was filming his football team, tragically fell to his death. He was so concerned about gusts of wind as he sat with his camera on a high tower, he sent a text, joking that he was about to die. Then, terrified, he texted again, this time blaspheming. Seconds later he fell to his death.

This is what the news media reported, and they were paid to do so. They also received money for advertising for their program. It could be said that they made money off his death. Yet, I would be surprised if anyone took the time to complain about that. This is because it's legitimate to report news, whether it's good or bad.

However, if I dare to use the tragedy to remind us that death can come to any of us when we least expect it, I am the scum of the earth. I'm said to be using someone's tragedy for my own evil agenda. Yet, I'm in the greatest of company when I do so.

In Luke chapter 13, some religious folks spoke of two contemporary tragedies. Occupying military had carried out some ethnic cleansing, and an unstable structure had collapsed and killed 18 people. It seems that those who brought up this news item contended that those who died did so, because God was punishing them for their sins, and Jesus used the tragedy to make a very powerful point...For Evangelism Resources, please visit LivingWaters.com.

Am I Wrong About This?

"Hey Ray...Credit where credit is due; the premise for the box is quite cool. Where did you get the idea? And, if anyone wants to actually get a concept of how and why magnets work go to YouTube and type in 'Richard Feynman magnets.' Richard was one of the most beloved physicists ever since he was good at explaining complex ideas to stupid idiots like me." Froggie

I have many crazy ideas. Some work, and some don't. If you missed it, watch this short clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1OLC6UZgJ0

I have always been attracted to magnets, because the repulsive force really fascinates me. Of course a small number of atheists won't know what I am talking about, because magnetic repulsion is invisible. You can't see it, touch it, taste it, hear it, or smell it, therefore it doesn't exist.

But not so with my faithful friend Froggie. He believes in the invisible, and when he said that this physicist actually explained why magnets work, I was very exited. But after watching the clip, I came to the conclusion that I must be more of an idiot than Froggie.

All I saw was a very uncomfortable man dance around in circles, until he finally admitted that he didn't have a clue as to why magnets do what they do. He just didn't know. He reminded me of how the typical believer in evolution reacts when he's pushed into a corner, and asked for an evidential explanation of the theory.

All I really learned from this likeable physicist was that he had a problem with heartburn. Watch it for yourself, and tell me if I'm wrong (I don't mean about the heartburn): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMFPe-DwULM

Richard Feynman died in 1988.For Evangelism Resources, please visit LivingWaters.com.

The Atheist's Church

"And it came to pass on the second Sabbath after the first, that he went through the corn fields; and his disciples plucked the ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands. And certain of the Pharisees said unto them, Why do you that which is not lawful to do on the Sabbath days? And Jesus answering them said, Have you not read so much as this, what David did, when himself was hungry and they which were with him; How he went into the house of God, and did take and eat the showbread, and gave also to them that were with him; which it is not lawful to eat but for the priests alone? And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath" (Luke 6:1-5)

"Legalism" is a cold prison for condemned criminals. It is the foundation for those who are religious and trust in their religious works to save them. That error comes from a lack of knowledge. The Pharisees were the epitome of religious legalists. They believed that eternal life came as a result of their works commending them to God, and they certainly worked at it. They had massive lists of do's and don'ts, and if you didn't do the do's and don'ts, as far as they were concerned, you were damned.

One of their many rules was that you didn't do any work on the Sabbath. On what is believed to be the first Sabbath after the Day of Pentecost, the disciples plucked the ears of corn as they walked through the corn fields, and "rubbed" them in their hands. They, as far as the Pharisees were concerned, their rubbing of the hands left them guilty of doing work on the Sabbath.

The Pharisees had added their own list of things to do, to the Law of God, and those rules overshadowed its function. The purpose of the Law is to act as a mirror, and the function of any mirror is to reflect the truth. No man uses a mirror to wash himself, but that's what the Pharisees tried to do. By failing to look into the mirror of the Law they failed to see themselves as guilty criminals and therefore fell into the trap of self-righteousness. They proclaimed themselves clean and became "holier-than-thou." Jesus brought back the spirit of the Law, by pointing out how David and his men violated its precepts, but were proclaimed guiltless in the eyes of God.

When you and I look into the mirror of the Law and see ourselves in truth, we can understand that there is no way that our righteousness can please God. We are guilty criminals who have violated its holy precepts a multitude of times. However, through repentance and faith in Jesus we can be made righteous (by the free grace of God), and be guiltless in the eyes of our morally perfect Creator.For Evangelism Resources, please visit LivingWaters.com.

Chickenhead...

For Evangelism Resources, please visit LivingWaters.com.

What Does a Trillion Dollars Look Like?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBxWdD9YKdYFor Evangelism Resources, please visit LivingWaters.com.

Wasted Energy?

Ray, I know that this has been re-visited at your blog over and over and over and over, and I know that I'm wasting energy by typing this because I already know the answer, but I have questions for you: 1. What qualifies you to state that evolution is not science? 2. Do you have an advanced degree of any kind, particularly in biology, physics, or genetics? 3. You state that evolution is "a theory for the believing simple masses..." Are you able to provide empirical, testable, scientific evidence to substantiate this claim? 4. Are you able to tell me, without referring to any website or book, what a theory is?

Any of us are qualified and able to give our opinion on any subject, whether we are experts in that field or not (that's unless we live in a dictatorship). And that's all I have--an opinion. It's my belief (opinion) that the theory of evolution is completely bogus, and that those who believe it are basing their beliefs on something that has not and cannot be scientifically tested.

Remember, a "theory" in the scientific world is an idea that hasn't yet been demonstrated, even though it is the "best accepted explanation of observed facts or phenomena."

Evolution doesn't qualify because the facts don't point to it. The point away from it--and scream of special creation (that's my opinion, and you no doubt have yours). Opinions comes from knowledge, which gives perspective. If you continually read atheist and evolutionary material that mocks the Bible and twists Scripture, then your perspective will shape your opinion, especially when the pleasures of your sinful lifestyle are threatened.

I have spent more than 30 years looking at both sides, and it's my opinion that the observable facts for Darwinian evolution are weaker than the weather-torn web of an old and anorexic spider. There is no empirical, testable, scientific evidence to substantiate the claim of species-to species evolution.

Notice I said "species-to-species" evolution--the theory put forward by Charles Darwin. The best that any believer can come up with is extremely nebulous and pathetic talk about bacteria and mutations. There is no indisputable evidence to show that any kind of animal changed (over a long period of time) into another kind of animal.

Every Christian is qualified to (and should) speak on this subject, because those who embrace this sham then go on to reject the salvation of God. They reject Genesis--the account of creation and the Fall of humankind. The Scriptures explain the Initial Cause, why we have male and female, why we suffer and die, and tell us clearly how we can live forever.

Evolution explains nothing, and leaves the believer with no beginning, no purpose for existence, and promises eternal justice when he dies. It is groundless, ridiculous, and hopeless at best.For Evangelism Resources, please visit LivingWaters.com.

For the Piranha Bowl...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1OLC6UZgJ0For Evangelism Resources, please visit LivingWaters.com.

I'm Too Late...

In reference to my recent thoughts about putting my chickens to work, typing out the Complete Works of Shakespeare, to illustrate the principle of random chance, my friend "Sooty" wrote:

Ray, you've got a quality sense of humor! Too late though. Your experiment has already been done. Plymouth University in England put six monkeys in a room with a computer. After that time, there was 5 pages of text. But do you know how many words they managed? Zero. That's right. zero words. (Remembering that the word 'a' and 'I' need to have a space before and after the letter)

"Then there's the continuing cost of the laptops and their replacements." Ray Comfort. You got that right. In Plymouth's experiment, the "lead male got a stone and started bashing... [the computer]". Also "another thing they [the monkey's] were interested in was in defecating and urinating all over the keyboard."

I guess there is no other way to finish off this comment except for this highly thoughtful quote: "It is the plain truth that we are cousins of chimpanzees, somewhat more distant cousins of monkeys..." Professor Richard DawkinsFor Evangelism Resources, please visit LivingWaters.com.

Good News

Thanks to new spam detection and formatting by Blogger, I was able to get rid of all the spam with the click of a button. Despite this, a quick (and private) apology from Rufus and I will gladly allow him back. Those of you that love the Lord, please keep him in prayer. He's pretty upset. Thanks.For Evangelism Resources, please visit LivingWaters.com.