Christian couple charged with murder after baby dies of starvation

[PoliticalChic]

When I was 12 years old (about 66 years ago), I had a 7-volume set of books called Secret of the Ages by Robert Collier. One of the things that Collier proposed is that when the Bible claimed men were made in the image of God, the word “image” did not mean a mirror image or likeness. He proposed instead that the word “image” actually meant imagination or mind. He concluded that mankind was created not merely in God's mind but out of the substance which was God's mind.

And here is where math comes in: Since the mind of God is infinite, any part of that mind is also infinite. Every mathematician knows that infinity divided by any number is still infinity, so if man was created out of the substance which is God's mind, than each man is truly omniscient. I have read many books which suggest that man's infinite knowledge explains such things as mental telepathy, NDEs, and other psychic phenomena. The theory is that each of us has complete knowledge of everything - past, present and future - however this knowledge is blocked by our continuous conscious awareness of our immediate environment and personal needs.

I am not saying that I fully agree with Collier's interpretation of the divinity of man. I am merely presenting another opinion on the subject. However, I believe that what Collier said requires at least some consideration since science seems to support his theory. The scientific consensus is that neither matter nor energy can be created or destroyed , although the two are interchangeable (first law of thermodynamics). For simplicity I will say that “things” can neither be created nor destroyed. Since things do exist but could not have been created, the logical conclusion is that everything which now exists has always existed, albeit in another form. Naturally, this reasoning applies to all things: every pound, every atom; everything which can be weighed or measured; anything which can be acted upon or which can act upon itself or anything else. This would include God.

From a purely scientific perspective, God could create nothing since everything has always been and always will be. However, God could transform that which always was and will be. The only question is whether there was anything outside of God for Him to act upon, or whether God simply transformed Himself. As mind boggling as it sounds, creation could be explained by the self-transformation of an eternal God. Actually, the self-transformation of God is the only explanation which harmonizes the scientific concept that things cannot be created from nothing and the Christian concept of God the creator of all.

One of the most difficult things to accept is creation. There are only two possibilities in all the world: (1) That which exists has always existed, although not necessarily in the same form, and (2) something can be created out of nothing. Both concepts are somehow intellectually unacceptable, but logic dictates that one must be true. The former hypothesis at least has some scientific support.

Some people see a conflict between science and religion, but I believe it all depends on how one defines the two terms Personally, I don't see I conflict and I will do my best to explain why.

I've always thought that science was the study of nature and nature was the way God does things; therefore, science is simply the study of the way God does things.

I think it is insanity to assume that God would create the universe and then leave it to chance to determine how His creation would function. When things were created, the creation was complete. Each thing had its specific and unchanging characteristics, purpose and destiny. The metallic chemical element we call lead always behaves as it was designed. Among other qualities, pure solid lead will always sink in pure liquid water. I prefer to refer to the inherent qualities of things as their nature. This nature is constant and predictable for the world could not function otherwise. In essence, nature is the way God does things and science is the study of nature; therefore, science is nothing more than the study of the way God does things. Man has identified and even sent rockets past planets that were unknown a mere two hundred years ago. Using stem cells he has regrown a severed human finger complete with a perfectly formed nail; using recombinant DNA he has created life forms which had never before existed. But every scientific principle exploited by humankind has always existed just waiting to be discovered. There is no conflict between science and religion; they are merely different words used to describe the same thing: how God does things.


The Bible affirms that the Creator is known and understood by the results of His creative powers. The following versus are from the KJV (verse numbers eliminated for easier reading):

“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard (Psalms 19:1-3).

“For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).

Do I believe in a type of existence beyond physical death? Yes, but it is based upon scientific principles which are consistent with my idea of God.

For the record, my idea of God is not an anthropomorphic being. I am amused by those who think that God is an old bearded white man sitting on a throne somewhere in outer space. I am convinced that if God wanted to assume masculine human form He would be a tall, muscle-toned, bronze-skinned man with wavy hair and six-pack abs. He would also have one hell of a schlong. Although I will not go into great detail at this time (maybe later), my basic conception of God is an eternal, creative and sustaining force, a power which acts with absolute certainty and infallibility.

OK, I'm done here.

As always, interesting and informative.