Philosophy Archives - Page 8 of 22

9 Reasons To Express Yourself With WordPress

July 8, 2016 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

WordPress
Makes It Possible
To Speak Up

Everybody has something to say. Not a few, everyone! Not the smart or attractive or advantaged or educated people but every person.

That includes you.

You don’t have to think or talk like an academic to have something to say or to share it clearly. No degrees are necessary. Sometimes study hurts. Degreed individuals aren’t always easy to understand.

What To Say

What you have to say isn’t difficult to come by. It resides within and gurgles up from the inside. It seeps whether you make an intentional effort to share it or not.

The point of this post is you might as well harness it and give it expression. Be intentional. Be deliberate.

One warning though. Initially, you may be tempted to say what’s already been said and repeating it is your way of adding endorsement. That’s OK at the beginning, but eventually you need to add your thoughts. What you think is significant. [Read more…] about 9 Reasons To Express Yourself With WordPress

9 Reasons Calvinism Is Illogical

June 20, 2016 by EnnisP 7 Comments

Of All Moral Choices
Salvation Is The Simplest
And Least Complicated

In the colonial era of American history, religion was very prevalent. The first settlers on American soil were religious dissenters, aka Pilgrims or Puritans. They lived by a very strict rule of life and church was the central point of their lives.

One well known minister from that era, Jonathan Edwards, preached a sermon titled Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God. The topic was Hell and no one could describe it better than Edwards.

In response to that sermon, almost the entire congregation reacted in some way. They wept in their seats, moaned, begged for mercy, cried out, walked around, fell down and more. That service is thought to be the start of the great revival that swept the area.

What people don’t always point out is that the colonies were immersed in the doctrine of Calvinism and those early Christians took the belief to it’s logical end.

Calvinism is the belief that God alone determines which individuals will be saved and which will not, and these eternal choices were made before creation.

In other words, if you or any other person is a Christian now, it is only because God decided in eternity past that He would save you. He saw you before you were conceived and chose or elected you for salvation. God was personally and intimately involved with you even before you were you.

In the colonial years, they believed that salvation was entirely a work of God. The Elect need do nothing, indeed could do nothing.

If any person approached a Christian leader and asked how they could be saved, the answer was simple. Nothing! You can do nothing to make it happen or to avoid it. If God has chosen you, you will be saved.

It is no wonder then that so many people responded so emotionally to Edwards sermon. If the listeners were longing for heaven – a reasonable assumption since they were in church – but were insecure about it, how could they not?

It doesn’t stop there. [Read more…] about 9 Reasons Calvinism Is Illogical

8 Reasons Donald Trump Will Beat Hillary

June 16, 2016 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

Trump’s Neither
Left Nor Right
He’s Trump

Donald Trump is not your average institutional guy. He has never been a politician. He’s worked with many people in his businesses but his history of winning has nothing to do with concessions from peers.

When he announced his candidacy, very few took him seriously. I didn’t. It smelled like another publicity stunt. But Mr. Trump’s actions since have eroded the doubts. He sounds more and more believable all the time.

Even though he’s never held public office, he did run a short lived campaign for the 2000 Presidency. The campaigned stalled because the party he represented – Reform Party – was dysfunctional, according to Mr. Trump.

This isn’t the first time he’s considered the presidency, either. It was a consideration as far back as Ronald Reagan.

That means He’s not a Johnny come lately. He’s primarily a business man but he’s made a habit of speaking out on public affairs many times. The Donald has never been afraid to share his thoughts. People like this.

He has a battle on his hands with Hillary but following are several reasons he might edge her out. [Read more…] about 8 Reasons Donald Trump Will Beat Hillary

Politics, Religion And Half-Loaf Thinking

June 14, 2016 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

You Can’t
Believe In Others
If You Don’t
Believe In Self

There are two things that every person should understand.

One is that Jesus saves. Not by accident, not occasionally and not under protest. He wants to save souls. You could say He loves to save and He isn’t alone in that sentiment. Heaven rejoices when just one soul repents.

A second important truth to understand is that Jesus believes in people. I didn’t say He loves people. He loves them, yes, but one of the ways He shows He loves them is by believing in them. Believing in a person is the strongest way to say I love you.

We use the word “love” all the time and we love many things. Saying you love some person or group of persons is culturally expected and politically correct, but it is neither real nor convincing till your actions say “I believe in you!”

Of these two understandings, the most important is the second, believing in people.

I can’t save anyone. You can’t save anyone. Only Jesus can do that. Neither you nor I can even confirm if a person is genuinely saved or not. I might believe someone is saved or want to believe they are saved but there is no way I can prove it.

Only Jesus can save a soul and only Jesus knows absolutely who is and who is not saved. But, even though I can’t save a soul, I can believe in people. You can too. Any person can do this.

Unfortunately, we don’t do this as well as we should and I will admit that it isn’t easy to do. It’s easy to believe in charming people. Extraordinarily capable people inspire belief. Thinking of these people as can-do requires little faith. Ability, confidence and potential ooze from them.

But the idiots and jerks are another story. Those are the ones we struggle to believe in. In fact, the apparent inability of our peers – the turkeys – is often used as an excuse. We don’t soar because we are surrounded by them. It’s their fault, which means we don’t believe in ourselves either.

Rigid Us/Them Thinking

One situation that demonstrates the problem is in personal differences. When we differ, we drift apart and then we feud. Varying perspectives don’t just fail to align, they become enemy lines. The middle ground becomes a chasm, and the chasm widens: me or you, us or them, acceptable or unacceptable, good or bad, our side or their side.

It’s all very polarizing! [Read more…] about Politics, Religion And Half-Loaf Thinking

The Most Important Person In Your Life

June 1, 2016 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

The Most Important
Person
Is Not
Who You Think

I recently attended the memorial service of an acquaintance whose death was a shock to everyone. She was quite young. She left two school aged children and a husband who loved her. In fact, everyone loved her. The service was packed, standing room only, which says a lot about the impression she made on folks.

While sitting in the service it occurred to me that we don’t know when or how death might come knocking and it would behoove us all to ask and answer the question:

If I were to die tomorrow and knew it today, what would I consider the most important thing in my life in the present?

My first thought was, that’s a great topic for a sermon, but after thinking about it a bit my enthusiasm was flattened. My original idea wasn’t to think up a collection of Most-Important issues from which you could make a selection. Take some, leave some. I was focused on the ABSOLUTELY most important things for every person. The list I wanted to write included only imperatives. No possibles or maybes.

And you’re probably thinking the same question that occurred to me. How can you say that? We’re all different.

But then I thought again and realized there are a few things that are Most-Important for everyone. Let me explain. [Read more…] about The Most Important Person In Your Life