Month: August 2025

Science and the Bible, or science in the Bible? – OpentheWord.org

Science and the Bible, or science in the Bible? – OpentheWord.org

Published by Sam Flores

The Milky WayCredit: Phuc Nguyen-unsplash I have a hobby, and sometimes it surprises me. I am writing as a Christian, and I like to read the Bible, one chapter a day. There are 1,189 chapters in that book, and a few are quite large and I have to break them up, and a few are very small, so it takes me almost three and a half years to read the entire book.  I have added one wrinkle to the process; I like languages, so I read in other languages. Never mind which ones, I recommend my hobby to anyone who wants to know the Bible, and to do more than argue about their own religious ideas. Some things are bigger than us.  This is also a good way to learn or to reinforce knowledge of other languages, for free. Did you know that a Bible APP for a phone or computer is free, and language versions are almost unlimited? Ok, I will admit something. A Brazilian Portuguese version of the Bible is available, for free, …

The Time Machine (1960): The History of the Eloi and the Morlocks

The Time Machine (1960): The History of the Eloi and the Morlocks

Published by Jenni Sidey

Last Saturday, we saw that the time traveler had found the hapless Eloi and learned about the dreaded Morlocks. His new friend Weena has decided to show him something that will give him a better idea about the history of these two groups. She takes him to a cave that looks like the remains of a museum. Here, she shows him some rings and says the rings can talk. She shows him how the rings work. She picks one up and spins it. Then a voice begins to explain pieces of what happened in the time before the Eloi and the Morlocks. It turns out there was a long war, a 326-year-long war  in fact. The rings say only that this was a war between the East and the West. During this war, the earth’s environment was destroyed. There are so many germs in the air that the atmosphere is impossible to breathe. The future people had built oxygen factories, but those too were destroyed, and, according to one ring, even the food was destroyed. …

Why the Mind Matters: No Free Will = No Guilt — Thus No Innocence

Why the Mind Matters: No Free Will = No Guilt — Thus No Innocence

Published by Jenni Sidey

Neurosurgeon Michael Egnor, author with Denyse O’Leary of The Immortal Mind: (Worthy, June 3, 2025), was interviewed at The Stream recently by John Zmirak: Here’s an excerpt from the first of a three-part series: ≻───── ⋆☆⋆ ─────≺ JZ: Materialists in our classrooms and TV science programs dismiss traditional claims for an immortal spirit or soul as wishful thinking or cultural leftovers from a past, pre-scientific worldview. What are the logical implications of that ideology for morality, human relationships, law, and other critical topics? ME: If we do not have spiritual souls — if we are machines made of meat — we have no free will and thus cannot act in accordance with moral law. Free will presupposes that capacity for abstract thought, the capacity to form concepts, to reason and to make genuine choices based on moral reasoning. None of those are powers of material substances like brains. The denial of the soul has profound implications for human relationships. If we are mere animals, devoid of genuine capacity for reason and free will, then our relationships …

Rabbi Says That Moses’ Challenge Was His Prophetic Personality, Not His Stammering Tongue – OpentheWord.org

Rabbi Says That Moses’ Challenge Was His Prophetic Personality, Not His Stammering Tongue – OpentheWord.org

Published by Sam Flores

Moses confronting the Egyptian Pharaoh.Credit: by James Tissot Moses circa 1896-1902/Wikipedia/Public Domain “[Moses] understood that turning the Hebrews around, transforming them from embittered and small-minded slaves into an inspired nation committed to becoming a holy people and a kingship of priest/teachers would require nurturing, small talk, listening to paltry concerns and petty complaints until—step by step—he would succeed in convincing them, elevating them until they became a ‘God enthused’ nation.” By Teresa Neumann    (Israel)—Shlomo Riskin, chief rabbi of Efrat and founder and chancellor Ohr Torah Stone Colleges and Graduate Programs, has published a commentary in The Jerusalem Post addressing the issue of Moses’ speech “impediment” and why he was not allowed to enter the Land of Israel before he died. Quoting Deuteronomy 3:26, “But the land was angry with me because of you and would not hearken to me…” Riskin asks, “Why does Moses blame the Israelites, saying ‘”because of you’?’ Was it not because Moses struck the rock rather than speaking to it? (Numbers 20:12).” “I believe,” says Riskin, “that a deeper insight …

Comparing Luke’s and Josephus’ description of Herod Agrippa’s death – OpentheWord.org

Comparing Luke’s and Josephus’ description of Herod Agrippa’s death – OpentheWord.org

Published by Sam Flores

Etching of Angel striking down King Herod Agrippa as he addresses the crowd in Caesarea. Credit: Rijksmuseum, Wikipedia, Public Domain Luke starts off Acts 12 starts off with ominous news that Herod Agrippa I (10 BC–44AD) had just executed James the brother of the Apostle John and as well arrested Peter. The early church still in its infancy was under siege. Appointed by the Roman Emperor Claudius, Herod Agrippa’s primary responsibility was to keep the peace. From Agrippa’s perspective this meant appeasing the Jews. Luke high highlights this in the first three verses of chapter 12. After executing James the brother of the Apostle John, Herod ordered the arrest of Peter because, “he saw that it pleased the Jews,” (Acts 12:3).  This desire to keep the Jews happy was Agrippa’s primary motivation for arresting Peter. But in response to this persecution, we see an increase in angelic activity. This included a rather vivid description of an angel breaking Peter out of prison. This actually resulted in Herod executing the guards in charge guarding Peter. But perhaps …

School’s bid to cut capacity to keep out non-Catholics blocked

School’s bid to cut capacity to keep out non-Catholics blocked

Published by Sam Flores

A faith school’s effort to reduce its capacity in order to admit fewer children from non-Catholic backgrounds has been blocked by the adjudicator. English Martyrs Catholic School and Sixth Form College in Hartlepool said maintaining “the Catholic character of the school” was behind its proposal to reduce its published admissions number (PAN) from 250 to 210. According to the school, just 56% of the current student population come from Catholic backgrounds. As a voluntary aided school converted to an academy, English Martyrs is entitled to discriminate in 100% of its admissions on the basis of religion if oversubscribed. Despite upholding the objection, the Office of the School’s Adjudicator (OSA) did not comment on the school’s given reason of maintaining the Catholic character. The school also cited “predicted falling numbers” of total applications as a reason for the reduction. Hartlepool Borough Council objected to the proposal, arguing it would prove “drastic” and result in insufficient secondary school places in Hartlepool. The OSA agreed with the council, finding the reduced PAN would have impacted the council’s statutory …

Declining Literacy Rates and What Happens Next

Declining Literacy Rates and What Happens Next

Published by Jenni Sidey

In 1975, Newsweek ran a front-page feature article called “Why Johnny Can’t Write.” It’s a 4,000-word essay about television, education, and children’s declining literacy rates. That was fifty years ago, and many people today might dismiss the piece as needlessly alarmist. Even back then, critics noticed the incoming tide of screens and debated over how watching images on a screen might change the way we think, communicate with each other, and, yes, read. Were the worries legitimate? And what might those people think about our current social moment when screens are not limited to homes but exist in our pockets? A new video podcast, hosted by UnHerd, features philosopher Jared Henderson and Times critic James Marriott and centers on the question of whether we’re heading toward a “post-literate society.” Both men cite alarming decline in literacy rates, connecting the trend to technological shifts and the educational COVID slump, which young people across the country are still struggling to get over. They also expressed doubts over social media’s ability to sustain healthy social discourse. Literacy, they …

Prayer the Way the Apostles Taught It – OpentheWord.org

Prayer the Way the Apostles Taught It – OpentheWord.org

Published by Sam Flores

Credit: Ben White, unsplash.com By Dr. Steve Phifer The Apostolic Power of Private Prayer We marvel at their transformations:  Peter, James and John from simple fishermen to leaders of men; Paul from a hard-minded religionist to a tender-hearted pastor; and James from unbelieving brother of the Lord Jesus to pastor of the Jerusalem church.  We long for such transformation in our on lives: for pride to cease its relentless assaults; for fear to finally slink away from our dreams; for shame to shrivel in our souls and be replaced by a fire-y call; for lust to relax its grip; or to be immune, one day, from the seduction of power.  We are only human beings, but like the Apostles, we have heard the voice of Jesus calling us to serve Him as our life’s vocation. Is there a daily discipline that will affect the needed transformations, to change us from proud to humble, from fearful to bold, from shameful to settled, from lustful to loving, and from power-hungry to responsible? According the Apostles, that discipline …

El Poder de las Palabras – OpentheWord.org

El Poder de las Palabras – OpentheWord.org

Published by Sam Flores

Aunque sucedió hace décadas, todavía recuerdo la expresión de su rostro, después de que pronuncié esas horrendas palabras. Estaba asistiendo a la escuela bíblica en ese momento y vivía en el dormitorio de chicos o tal vez en el dormitorio de hombres. No puedo recordar. A lo largo del año escolar, nos conocimos bastante bien. Había un compañero que estaba luchando espiritualmente. Era un tipo atlético, de cuerpo musculoso, tan ancho como alto. Casi de inmediato, nos dimos cuenta de que estaba luchando espiritualmente. Pero muchos oraron y ministraron a él, y al final del año escolar, era evidente que el Espíritu Santo estaba obrando en su vida. Se estaba suavizando y cosas buenas estaban sucediendo. Con el año escolar prácticamente terminado, bunch de nosotros estábamos luchando y jugando en el dormitorio, como los chicos tienden a hacer. Él terminó arrojándome al suelo. No me lesioné, pero dolió. Aunque fue accidental, estaba enojado y desaté una tormenta de palabras contra él. Aunque no puedo recordar lo que dije, aún puedo ver la mirada de sorpresa …

End collective worship laws, NSS tells Holyrood committee

End collective worship laws, NSS tells Holyrood committee

Published by Sam Flores

A Scottish Government bill should be amended to end collective worship in schools, the National Secular Society has told a Holyrood committee. The bill would make it more difficult for parents to withdraw their children from religious education (RE) and collective worship, also known as religious observance (RO). The Education (Scotland) Act 1980 provides the statutory basis for RO/RE and allows parents to withdraw their children. However, there is no independent right to withdrawal for children, even when they are over 16. Responding to the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee’s call for evidence, the NSS said the bill should be amended to repeal mandatory RO. The NSS also recommended an independent right of withdrawal for pupils from RE (also known as religious and moral education in non-denominational schools) should be introduced until the subject is taught in an objective, pluralist manner. The bill was introduced following the incorporation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) into Scots Law last summer. Article 14 of the convention enshrines a child’s independent …