I Have Decided

Recently at the grocery store I saw a lady wearing a tee shirt bearing the following slogan in large bold letters: “I HAVE DECIDED.”

I immediately knew what she was saying but knew that many people would not.  I thought to myself that this was a wonderful evangelistic tool. The shirt was a conversation starter. People might ask her what she had decided and then she would be able to tell them. A wonderful way to unobtrusively fulfill the biblical injunction presented in 1 Peter 3:15. "... but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;"

The quoted phrase is, of course, from the Christian hymn, I Have Decided to Follow Jesus. The hymn was originated in India by the Christian missionary Sadhu Sundar Singh (born 1889, India), a convert from Sikhism. The lyrics are the last words of an Assamese convert to Christianity who was martyred along with his wife for refusing to deny his Christian conversion. His martyrdom led to the conversion of many in his village including the village leader who ordered his execution.

http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=WDWPYWNX

(The lyrics used in this video are slightly different from those shown below.)

"I have decided to follow Jesus,

I have decided to follow Jesus,

I have decided to follow Jesus,

No turning back, no turning back.

The world behind me, the cross before me,

The world behind me, the cross before me,

The world behind me, the cross before me,

No turning back, no turning back.

Though none go with me, I still will follow,

Though none go with me, I still will follow,

Though none go with me, I still will follow,

No turning back, no turning back.

Will you decide now to follow Jesus?

Will you decide now to follow Jesus?

Will you decide now to follow Jesus?

No turning back, no turning back."

"Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible®,
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973,
1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)

Religious Place Names

Zell am See, Austria: Zell mean "monastic cell" in German, so this id "Cell on the sea."

Mughar an-nasara, Jordan: This is an archeological site near the ancient Nabataean stone carved city of Petra. "Nasara" (a reference to "Nazarene") means "Christians" in Arabic, so this is the "Caves of the Christians."

el-Kab, Egypt: Nekhbet was the ancient Egyptian vulture goddess and the town named for her wss Nekheb. The name survives as el-Kab.

Gaya, Bihar State, India: Gayasura is the Sanskrit name of a Hindu demon.

Vestavia Hills, Alabama State, United States of America: Vesta is the Latin name of the Roman goddess of the hearth.

Place Names with Religious Origins

Mokapu Beach, Maui, Hawaii (USA): The Hawaiian word “kapu” means “forbidden” or “sacred,” the same meaning as the Polynesian word "tabu" or "taboo."  Mokapu beach was forbidden because it was for held for used only by the Hawaiian kings and their servants.

Damanhur, Egypt: The ancient Egyptian name of this city was Timenhor (in ancient Egyptian: Dmi-n-Hr, the “city of Horus”), derived from the name of the Egyptian deity, Horus. The Greeks called the city Hermopolis Mikra or Hermopolis Parva (from the Roman god Hermes.)

Izamal, Mexico: Itzamma was the supreme god the ancient Mayans. Most of the buildings in modern Izamal are painted yellow and it is popularly known as the Yellow City.  Settlement of the site predates the 15th century.

Ani, Turkey: The name of the ancient Persian goddess, Anahid or Anahit, survives in the name of the ruins of this medieval Armenian city. Anahit was the mother protector of the Armenian people.  She was the goddess of fertility, healing, wisdom, and water. 

The city is first mentioned in 5th century documents and flourished between 961 and 1045 as the “City of 1001 Churches.” It was sacked by the Mongols in 1236 and further damaged by an earthquake in 1319.

Omkareshwar, India: “Om” is the Sanskrit word which represents the “holy sound” used in Hindu  meditation practices. Omkareshwar is a  temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. The temple is on an island in the Narmada River in Madhya Pradesh State.

The Purpose of Christianity

Dr, Atul Gawande is an internationally known surgeon and author working in Boston, Massachusetts. He writes books and articles about performance and the human quest to do and be “better.”

Dr. Gawande has said that, despite the best efforts of his parents, he is not a very good Hindu. He did, however, find the Hindu rituals meaningful when his father died and the family gathered in India to scatter his father’s ashes into the Ganges River which is sacred to Hindus.   The rituals gave Dr. Gawande a sense of solidarity with his family and a feeling of continuity with his history; a sense of belonging to something bigger than himself.

I think that many Christians also see this as the purpose of religion. That, and also the civilizing effect that religion can have on their children. They totally miss the point!

Here is a list of some of the things which Christianity is NOT about: Making us feel good about ourselves. Connecting us with our families. Socializing our children. Making us into nice people. Creating social justice. Fighting abortion or sex slavery. Fighting poverty. Continuity with our traditions. And many more.

Christianity is about bringing glory to the Lord God. All the other good things, important as they are, come about because we wish to obey and glorify God. 

"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows his handiwork." Psalm 19:1

At the Time When David Became King of israel

At the time when David became king of his unified Kingdom of Israel (ca 1000 BC/BCE), this is what was happening in other regions of the world.

The Chavin Culture established a trade network in Peru.

Japan was inhabited by a hunter-gatherer culture.

Agricultural farming began in Kenya.

The Phoenicians invented their alphabet.

Latins began to arrive in Italy.

The Hittite city of Troy (Troy Layer VII at Hisarlik, Turkey) was destroyed.

The Tamil language appeared in India.

China prospered under King Kang (ruled 1020-999BC/BCE) of the Zhou Dynasty.

Religious Place Names

Ibadan, Nigeria: From the Arabic word “ibada,” meaning “divine service.”

Menehune Ditch, Hawaii, USA: The menehune are little fairy-like supernatural people from Hawaiian mythology.

Islamabad, Pakistan: Islam is the Arabic word for “submission (to God).”

Saint-Isidore, Quebec, Canada: From “Isis,” the Greek form of the name of the ancient Egyptian goddess (probably “Aset” in ancient Egyptian), plus the Greek word “doron,” meaning “gift.”

Guwahati, India:  This city has had several names over its history, including Durjaya (Sanskrit = “impregnable”), and Pragyostishpur, from “pragyotish,” the Sanskrit word for “astrology.” The modern name of Guwahati is more mundane.  It comes from two Assamese words; “guwa” (“azeca nut”) and “haat” (“marketplace”).

Christians

At some time during their lives, the following people have publicly identified themselves as Christian.   Inclusion in this list does not indicate approval or disapproval of the person, of their orthodoxy or lack of it, or of their actions.  Some of those listed may surprise you.  Readers are encouraged to suggest persons who should be included on this list.  This is a recurring segment in this blog.

Dinesh D’Souza: (b. 1961, India) American author and public speaker, political commentator.  Roman Catholic.

Abundias: (b. Spain - d. 854) Martyr. Roman Catholic parish priest in the village of Ananelos, Spain, near Cordoba.  He was beheaded and his body was thrown to hungry dogs.

Nicola Gruevski: (b. 1970, Macedonia) Banker, elected Prime Minister of Macedonia in 2006. Macedonian Orthodox.

Hassan Sharif Lubenga (b. ca 1958, Uganda) Former Muslim extremist who converted to Christianity after having dreams and visions of Jesus.  He fled to Kenya for his personal safety. He was a sheikh of Buk Haram, a violent group similar to the Nigerian Boko Haram (Hausa = “western education is sinful”).

Isidora Barankis (d. ca. 369, Egypt) One of the first “holy fools.”  A nun at the convent in Tabenissi (on the upper Nile River) in Egypt.  She lived a life of absolute humility and pretended to be insane.  Eventually she left the convent to live in the desert. Eastern Orthodox.

Religious Place Names

Andaman Islands:  This name is believed to have been derived from the name of the monkey god, Handuman.

Amritsar, India: From the Sanskrit words “amrita saras,” meaning “lake of immortality.”

Munster, Germany:  From the Old High German word “munistri.”  This word was ultimately derived from the Latin word, “monasterium” (“monastery.”)

Montruex, Switzerland:  This name is also from from the Latin word, “monasterium” (“monastery.”)

Kilmanjaro, Tanzania:  The name of this volcano derives from the Swahili words “kilima” = “mountain” plus “njaro” = “god of cold.”

Christians

At some time during their lives, the following people have publicly identified themselves as Christian.   Inclusion in this list does not indicate approval or disapproval of the person, of their orthodoxy or lack of it, or of their actions.  Readers are encouraged to suggest persons who should be included on this list.  This is a recurring segment in this blog.

Alexander Britton Hume: (b. 1943, Washington, D.C. (USA); aka: Brit Hume) Television journalist, political commentator. Episcopalian.

Nagesh: (b. 1933, India – d. 2009;aka: Nageswaran  C. Krishna Gundu Rao), a Tamil film actor and comedian who appeared in over 1000 films.  He was called “the Jerry Lewis of India.”  He was shunned by his family for his conversion.

Regina Rao: Wife of “Nagesh” (Nageswaran  C. Krishna Gundu Rao), a Tamil film actor and comedian who appeared in over 1000 films

Samuel Fosu-Mensah: Muslim convert to Christianity. University professor, Christian missionary. He prepared a verse by verse Christian commentary on the Quran.

Pocahontas: (b. ca 1595, Virginia (USA) – d. 1617, England; aka: Matoaka, Matoika, Matoax, Amonute, Rebecca Rolfe)  “Pocahontas” (“little wanton” in the Powhatan language) was the childhood nickname of Matoaka, the daughter of Wahunsunacawh (ca 1545- ca 1618), a Powhatan chief.  The Pocahontas legend is that at the age of ten she saved the life of John Smith who was about to be executed by her father.  As an adult, Pocahontas took the name of Rebecca and married John Rolfe.  Her descendents include Edith Wilson (wife of US President Woodrow Wilson), Admiral Richard Byrd, State of Virginia Governor Harry Byrd, First Lady Nancy Reagan, actor Glenn Strane, and the Randolph family of Virginia.  

The God Particle

On 4 July 2012 (today),  scientists from the CERN Hadron Collider  announced that they had produced a measurable particle consistent with the Higgs-Boson particle , also known as the “God Particle.”  As could be expected this has created a storm of discussion.  What does it all mean?

First, this discussion is not essentially religious in nature (except for those who already believe), even though the particle is commonly called the “God Particle.”  The particle was first predicted over fifty years ago (1964) by the atheist English physicist, Peter Higgs (b. 1929, England) to explain the behavior of sub-atomic particles.  The particle would fall into the category of particles known as bosons; named for the Indian physicist Satyendra Nath Bose 1894-1974.  Bosons are sub-atomic particles which are “force-carriers,”  ie: photons (particles of light), which carry the electromagnetic force; mesons, which carry nuclear forces, ;  gravitons, carriers of the gravitational force,; etc.  The Higgs Boson particle is associated with mass, which is similar to, but not exactly the same as, weight.  Mass is actually defined as “resistance to acceleration.”  The entire discussion is based largely on high level mathematics.

The “God Particle” name came from the book, The God Particle: If the Universe is the Answer, What Is the Question?, by Leon Lederman.  Lederman said he named the particle because it is “so central to the state of physics today, so crucial to our understanding of the structure of matter, yet so elusive.  … the publisher wouldn’t let us call it the Goddamn Particle though that might be a more appropriate title, given its villainous nature and the expense it is causing.”

Practical applications which theoretically could result from manipulation of the Higgs Boson particle and related particles include:

1.     Super-dense, super-hard, and super-light weighted materials.

2.     Super-heavy materials.

3.     Particle beam weapons and excavation equipment.

4.     Anti-gravity devices.

Some persons will see the religious implications of a particle which imparts physicality to a purely energy based reality just as some see the possible religious implications of laminin , a cross-shaped molecule which is involved in the connective tissue holding together all human tissue.

Religious Place Names

Many place names have religious origins.  Here are a few of them.

Madras, India: from Arabic word “madrasa,” an Islamic religious school

Peshkopi, Albania: from the Greek word “episkope,”  “the eat of a bjshop”

Kilimanjaro (volcano), Tanzania: from the Swahili word “njaro,” meaning “god of gold.”

Omkareshwar, India: “om” is the Sanskrit word for the “holy sound.”

Saytan Sofrasi, Turkey:  This rock formation is named for Satan. 

St. Thomas in India

Thomas, the Doubting Disciple, evangelized India before being martyred in Mylapore.  He is believed to have landed (ca. 51-52 AD/CE) near the coastal village of Cranganore (Kodungallur, Kerala State, India) on the southern tip of the Indian land mass.  This settlement is located 29 km northwest  of Kochi and 38 km southwest of Thrissur.

Thomas established churches at Kodungallour, Kollam, Niranam, Nilackal, Kokkamangalam, Kottakkayal, Palayoor, and Thiruvithancode Arapally.  At the Palayoor church, Thomas raised the first cross in India.

Whether From False Motives or True, Christ is Preached

Just the other day, while I was at work, one of the other technologists brought me some religious materials from the Tony Alamo Christian Ministries which someone had placed on the windshield of his car.  The people I work with know that I attended seminary and am knowledgeable about other religions and about cult groups.

I told him what I knew about Tony and Susan Alamo.  Tony was born in Missouri (USA) in 1934 as Bernie Lazar Hoffman, Susan Lipowitz. A Jewish convert to Christianity, was born as Edith Opal Horn.  When they first met, they were both already married to other people.  After they each obtained divorces, they married in 1966 and had their names legally changed.  As Tony and Susan Alamo, they established a Christian evangelistic ministry in 1969 and also sold Tony Alamo brand clothing.

Tony Alamo was convicted of tax evasion in 1994 and served a four year prison term.  In 2008, he was arrested for possession of child pornography. In 2009, Alamo was convicted of ten counts of carrying minor girls across state lines for sexual activity.  He was sentenced to 175 years in prison.

The Tony Alamo Christian Ministries are still active, with churches in the United States, India, and Africa.  Those of the ministry’s materials which I have seen appear to be orthodox.

I have no idea of the sincerity, or lack of it, of Pastor Tony Alamo but I would believe that regardless of who or what he is, his converts are truly Christians.  The power of the Gospel to save is not dependent on the worthiness of the one who delivers it.  Listen to Paul. 


“It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill.   The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel.   The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains.  But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.”  Philippians 1:15-18

The Bible warns against being deceived by false teachers.  This would be those who teach doctrines contrary to what is clearly taught in the Bible. (Galatians 1:8)

Unworthy teachers may teach true doctrine for insincere, selfish,  or malicious purposes.  The Gospel is more powerful than they are and, when truly preached, is effective for salvation. 

The World's Oldest Existing Christian Church Structure

The world's oldest existing Christian church structure is Thiruvithancode Arapally (aka: Thomaiyar Kovil) in the village of Thiruvithancode in Tamil Nadu State in India.

Common Greek

In yesterday's post I mentioned the Koine or "common"Greek in which the New Testament was written.  The Koine dialect was the one commonly in use in the known world during the Hellenistic and Roman historical periods.  The word is a feminine form of the Greek word "koinos (κοινώς)," translated as "common."  It was the language of the common people and the lingua franca, the language used in common by the entire Mediterranean area, the language everyone understood and spoke even if their primary language was something else, similar to the status of Hindi in modern India.


Classical Greek had several dialects.  The dialect spoken in Athens was called Attic.  The Ionic dialect was spoken in the Greek city states across the Aegean Sea from Athens.  Koine Greek developed from the Attic and Ionic dialects.  Because it was the dialect spoken by Alexander the Great, Koine was spread throughout the known world.  Many Christians believe that this was in preparation for God's presentation of the Gospel to the world.

Don't be That Guy!

Mukesh Ambani is the second richest man in Asia and the ninth richest man in the world.  He lives in Mumbai, India in a 27-story tower which serves as the personal home of his family (his wife, mother, and three children).  The tower has three helipads.


If you happen to have been blessed by God with wealth, please don't be this man.  Use your wealth for the glory of God, not of yourself. 


"And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him.  And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy.  And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?  And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go;  And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day?  And they could not answer him again to these things.
   And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them,  When thou art bidden of anyman to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him;  And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room.  But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.  For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
  Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.  But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:  And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.
   And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.
   Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many:   And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.    And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.   And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.   And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.   So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.   And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.   And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.   For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper."  Luke 14:7-24.

Religious Place Names

Boaz, Alabama, USA:  Boaz (Ruth 2:1) lived about 1100 BC/BCE. In Hebrew his name means something like “in him is strength.”

Kilkenny, Ireland: The Irish name of this place is Cill Chainnigh, which means “Church of Cainneach.”

Haryana, India: This name is derived from two Sanskrit words, “aryana” (“home”) and “hari” (Vishnu).  Vishnu is the Hindu god

al-Miqdadiyah, Iraq:  aka. Muqdadiyah. This is Arabic for “given by the Magi.”

Arbil, Iraq:  “Ar” is Hurrian word.  The settlement existed as early as the 23^rd Century BC/BCE.  The Akkadians called it “arba u ilu,”  “four gods.”

Devasutha santhathikal (Malayalam Christian Song)

Wiping the Leper's Sores

"When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:  And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth [his] sheep from the goats:  And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.  Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.  Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed [thee]? or thirsty, and gave [thee] drink?  When saw we thee a stranger, and took [thee] in? or naked, and clothed [thee]?  Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?  And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done [it] unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done [it] unto me.  Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:  I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.  Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?  Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did [it] not to one of the least of these, ye did [it] not to me.  And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal."  Matthew 25:31-46

"I see God in every human being.  When I wash the leper's wounds, I feel I am nursing the Lord himself.  Is it not a beautiful experience?" Mother Teresa (1910-1997)

Humor in the Bible

The Bible speaks to every aspect of human life, including humor. Part of our problem in seeing humorous elements in the Bible is because we are reading it in translation. Oftentimes, humor is one of the hardest things to translate.

One of my coworkers, a man from Gujarat State in India, will tell me a joke and burst out giggling before he can deliver the punchline. Often, my response is "Huh?"

All languages, even those from the same language group (ie. Indo-European, Semitic, Uralic, Uto-Aztecan, Muskogean, Slavic, etc.) are structured differently from all others. As similar as English and German are, there are still things which can be easily expressed in one language but which are totally obscure in the other. For languages with entirely different ancestries the phenomenon is amplified.

Koine Greek (the popular "people's Greek" of the New Testament, as opposed to the classical literary Attic Greek, is concerned more with types of action (ongoing, conditional, intended, completed, etc) than with what English speakers understand as tense (past, present, and future).

Ancient Hebrew, a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic family, is based on three-consonant root words (and a few two and four letter ones). The roots are made into nouns, adjectives, and verbs by adding prefixes, suffixes, or infixes. The word, "Hebrew," is derived from "YBR," "to cross over." As one could guess, humor in Hebrew texts would be expressed very differently than in English.

In my ongoing series of posts on religious humor (see the Labels list below and look for the lightbulb jokes) I will begin including humorous scriptural verses stating their literary type and explaining why the verse is considered to be humorous, which does not always mean Young Frankenstein type roll on the floor laughing out loud funny. That's not its purpose.

A sentence on the Jews for Jesus website states it well: "The purpose of the Bible is not to entertain, but to instruct and so its subtle humor serves a purpose - to show people what ought to be in comparison to what exists." http://jewsforjesus.org/publications/issues/17_08/04

The humor in the Bible is expressed in several ways, which include insults, parables, riddles, puns, crude humor, subversive wit, sarcasm, irony, parallels and contrasts, and hyperbole. The humor is never there just for its own sake; it always serves a purpose. It makes you think.