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Thursday, May 19, 2005

"Discernment"

"Let no one deceive you" (Ephesians 5:6).

"Space Sounds" is an interesting website that has various sounds from deep in space. Presumably these are actual recordings. They are sure presented that way. The same site also has links to several other "sounds" sites. You can listen to whale sounds and storm sounds. It's really neat. I know the technology is there to record these sounds and I recall visiting aquariums in New England and seeing displays with these whale sounds. In the case of storms I have heard several of them myself!

There is also a link to "dinosaur sounds." It's amazing that they have sound recordings going all the way back to the Ladinian age, 227 million years ago. Now unless I am mistaken the ability to record is fairly recent in history, something like 100 years. But these sounds are placed on the site with no indication they are anything but factual recordings as are the space, storm and whale sounds.

I still recall as a child visiting a museum in Lincoln, Nebraska that had the skeleton of a large dinosaur in front of it and being terrified. There is nothing in my worldview that prevents my belief in dinosaurs or other extinct creatures. I don't know what it sounded like when the dinosaurs roamed the earth or how long ago that was but I do know there are not any recordings from 227 million years ago! If someone want to make a recording and clearly say this is what it might have sounded like that's credible.

But this website demonstrates something in the manner in which the naturalistic, atheistic worldview dogmatically presents their outlook (established fact regarding the precise dating of 227 million years ago along, with what is presented as actual dinosaur sounds). It is so typical of so many museums and science centers that I have visited. This worldview is presented as fact and anyone who does not accept it just doesn't get it or is viewed as simple-minded or ignorant.

Now I don't disparage people's right to believe this. For many it's just where their naturalistic, atheistic belief system will lead them. But please, just call it belief, as I do in my worldview.

I happen to unapologetically believe the straightforward account of creation as presented in Genesis 1 and the remainder of the Scriptures. I join the writer of the Book of Hebrews in proclaiming, "By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible" (Hebrews 11:3). I stress the words in this text, "By faith."

There are many ways the deceiver is active and as God's people we need to constantly practice discernment. A mark of the end times is that, "Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist" (1 John 1:7). We need to be discerning and vigilant!

Be encouraged today,

Stephen C. Weber

Here's the website referred to in today's encouragement with the various sounds. It really is an interesting site. Just use discernment! http://www.spacesounds.com/

When studying issues like this I sure appreciate the perspective on these websites:

http://www.answersingenesis.org/

http://www.probe.org/menus/wp-scien.html#origins

http://www.icr.org/index.html

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Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission; and the King James Version.

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