Tag Archives: psychology

Science and Christianity Showcase

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Allthings2all is hosting the Science and Christianity Showcase. It’s a clearinghouse for

posts by Christians addressing the general theme of scientific reason as it relates to Christian faith. I

submitted Jerry Nora’s

primer on stem cells. The posts are diverse and many topics are covered. There is one topic, however,

which was forbidden: creationism vs. evolution. I was glad to hear of the topic’s exclusion since I see it as

a red herring and an albatross to the Body of Christ.

Since we’re on the topic of science and Christianity, here are some relevant articles.

Scientist With “Religious

Vision” Wins Templeton Prize

NEW YORK, MARCH 13, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Charles Townes, whose inventions include the maser and laser, and who

has spent decades as an advocate for the convergence of science and religion, has won the 2005 Templeton

Prize.

A life where science and faith

coexist
By Robert Tuttle | Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor

NEW YORK ? When Nobel Prize-winning physicist Charles Hard Townes was a professor at Columbia University

during the 1950s, a colleague, Willis Lamb, asked him if God ever helps him in the lab. Dr. Townes gave the

question some thought. “Well,” he recalls telling Lamb. “I think so.”

Faith and Reason Aid Each Other, Says John

Paul II

VATICAN CITY, JAN. 13, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Faith and reason are necessary and complementary in the quest for

wisdom, John Paul II explained when receiving a delegation from a Polish university.

Psychology That Is True to Science, True to

God
Gladys Sweeney on What Therapy Can Do for Troubled Believers

WASHINGTON, D.C., JAN. 13, 2005 (Zenit.org).- A psychology rooted in the Catholic understanding of the human

person is not only true to science, but true to God.

Religion or Science?

The two laws at work under which we are limited and from which we seek answers to life’s questions are religion and science. Our conscience introduces us to the first, formal education introduces the second. Albert Einstein loved science, yet expressed humility upon finding himself buried beneath seas of data pointing to the existence of a mind behind the numbers. If he didn’t deny God, why should we?

Salvation and Damnation = Incentives for Good Behavior?

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Powerball asks an interesting question. Before I get to it, though. Here's a snippet of the article that made him ask it. It was discussed on The Marty Minto Show today.

"Stacy Payne says both of her sons are smart, athletic and well-liked by their friends. But after hearing horror stories of teenage keg parties and drug abuse, she doesn't plan on 'playing stupid.'"

"So she and her husband are offering their 15-year-old and 12-year-old sons the mother of all bribes: $1,000 each at their high school graduation, as long as they don't touch cigarettes, alcohol or drugs before then. "

"Each son has signed a contract agreeing to their parents' condition. And as a reminder of their pact, each wears a leather bracelet inscribed with the word 'BRIBED.'"

ASHLEY ROWLAND
For The Birmingham News

So here's what Powerball asks:

"Does God 'bribe' us with the promise of salvation? We talked about it on the show. I want to know what you think. If you were not rewarded with eternal life would you still be a Christian? (Assuming you are) Let me know what you think."

I asked a very similar question in an email I wrote to Marty.

"Isn't the beatific vision in Heaven incentive from God to do as He asks? Answer this honestly: would you follow the teachings of Christ if there was no resurrection of the dead? As Paul says, if there is no resurrection, we are to be pitied for believing and behaving as we do."

"We are God's children. Is Heaven bribery from God? No, but it is incentive. There's nothing wrong with giving children incentive to behave properly. On the other hand, incentives don't work without punishment for improper behavior. "

The punishment I alluded to, in this case, would be eternal damnation in Hell for some and finite pain for others in purgatory.

Perspective on Blogging

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I think we all gotta watch out for the addiction that blogging
can be. The people who pay the biggest price for our extra hour or two a day of
blogging are our families. If other people keep reading while we step aside awhile
I think that is great. – from 21st Century Reformation’s Warnie acceptance speech

Amen. I need to spend less time blogging and more time with my wife. I’m working on ways I can reduce the time I spend each day blogging. I’m probably going to take a “weekly wrap-up” approach to frivolous stuff and news that isn’t “breaking”. I’m also going to try to focus on just one or two essay-length posts each day.

Some people appear on the blogging scene and, like Athena popping out of Zeus’ head fully formed and armed, seem to have their style and goals thoroughly worked out and sharpened. Others, such as myself, develop their styles and reevaluate their goals slowly. Take a trip through my archives (you’ll find the link in the side bar) and you’ll see that this blog has changed a lot from what it started out as. I’m still refining it and probably will continue to do so for as long as I keep it going.

Anyhow, please bear with me as I rearrange my priorities. Hopefully, by Lent I’ll be in a groove.

Bonus article:

For Some, The Blogging Never Stops
By KATIE HAFNER; TIM GNATEK CONTRIBUTED REPORTING FOR THIS ARTICLE.

TO celebrate four years of marriage, Richard Wiggins and his wife, Judy Matthews, recently spent a week in Key West, Fla. Early on the morning of their anniversary, Ms. Matthews heard her husband get up and go into the bathroom. He stayed there for a long time. ‘”I didn’t hear any water running, so I wondered what was going on”,’ Ms. Matthews said. When she knocked on the door, she found him seated with his laptop balanced on his knees, typing into his Web log, a collection of observations about the technical world, over a wireless link.

“Urge to Kill Rising…”

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I’m thinking of adding some books to my reading list.

God Help Me! These People Are Driving Me Nuts by Gregory Popcak
Coping with Difficult People by Robert M. Bramson
Since Strangling Isn’t an Option…: Dealing With Difficult People by Sandra A. Crowe
201 Ways to Deal With Difficult People by Alan Axelrod and James Holtje
Don’t Let Jerks Get The Best Of You: Advice For Dealing With Difficult People by Paul Meier
Who’s Pushing Your Buttons?: Handling the Difficult People in Your Life by John Townsend
Thank You for Being Such a Pain : Spiritual Guidance for Dealing with Difficult People by Mark Rosen

Soul Searching

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“Are the new frontiers of neuroscience and artificial intelligence
doing away with notions of the soul?”

“Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the Pope’s
vicar for Rome and president of the Italian episcopal conference, responded to the
question in an interview with the ‘2004 Philosophy Yearbook,’ published
by Mondadori. Here are some of the cardinal’s answers. ”