Posted on 02/25/2002 4:19:14 AM PST by George Frm Br00klyn Park
WorldNetDaily / Commentary
Satan, science and the supernatural {Christianity?}
VOX DAY
Posted: February 25, 2002
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2002 WorldNetDaily.com
One of the main reasons for modern skepticism toward the supernatural world is it cannot be detected by the trusted methodology of science. There is no question that science has not, to the best of my knowledge, ever been able to perform reliably replicable experiments capable of proving the existence of the supernatural. But does this necessarily mean that the spiritual world does not exist? As the apostle Paul would say, by no means!
Many religious worldviews postulate the existence of intelligent, supernatural beings whose actions affect the physical world. The Christian view, in particular, puts forth the notion that our world is ruled by an evil supernatural being, one who long ago usurped humanity's God-given sovereignty. This being, Satan, is not only self-aware, but has been intelligent enough to fool the mind of man from the very start, beginning with the first temptation in the Garden of Eden.
There can be no doubt that Satan, if he exists, is a powerful being. When Satan showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and offered them to him, Jesus did not question that this was a meaningful offer, nor did he dispute that the world was Satan's to give. After all, if this had not been the case, it wouldn't have been much of a temptation. Jesus also indicated that Satan was skilled in the arts of deception and specifically referred to Satan as the Deceiver on several occasions. Significantly, the apostle Paul mentions how the "god of this age" has exerted himself to blind the minds of unbelievers.
So put yourself in the hypothetical position of this evil being ruling over all the earth. Is it in your interest to reveal yourself to humanity? Or is it better to lay in wait, hidden in the shadows, as the mortal world convinces itself that neither you nor your plane of existence are real? Given the disastrous results of this past century, as the world has increasingly turned away from belief in the God of the Bible and his truth in favor of Man and his scientific proofs, the evidence would seem to suggest that unbelief in the supernatural serves the interests of this evil being.
And if it can be argued that this is the case, the next question naturally follows: Does this Deceiver possess the power to hide the spiritual world from us? The logical answer, given his apparent power, would appear to be yes, but the Bible contradicts this conclusion to some degree. What it teaches is that although the Deceiver rules over the earth as the god of this age, he does not have the authority to prevent God from manifesting power on earth through the person of Jesus Christ. It is here, then, to Jesus and those who worship him as Lord and Savior, that science will have to turn if it is to glimpse behind the veil of the supernatural.
Following this logic, it becomes clear that scientists will find nothing if they continue to seek for evidence of the supernatural by examining occult phenomena such as ESP, telepathy, fortune-telling and witchcraft. Satan is the lord and master of such things, and he does not deign to be unmasked, at least, not yet.
What I find fascinating is that some scientists have actually found apparent evidence of the supernatural in an area which could bear fruit. In 1983, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded that prayers by born-again Christians appeared to quantifiably aid the healing process of strangers. And it was not long ago that NBC's Dateline reported on research indicating that people who attend church regularly live longer lives. In fact, the report stated that attending church was as beneficial to good health as not smoking. Thus it seems possible that continued research in this area could finally provide scientists with the conclusive evidence they require in order to confirm the existence of a world beyond the natural.
But, unfortunately, no amount of scientific fact will ever convince those who are determined not to believe. Science, for all of its tremendous accomplishments, is still merely the epitome of Man's knowledge, and is by itself incapable of seeing through the Deceiver or understanding the mind of God. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it, nor will it understand until the Son of Man comes again, in power and great glory.
THIS Article at WND
I think Satan might settle down in some popular location, say, Hollywood, then buy the souls of a (former) president (x-42) and his wife, and work his evil thru them. Just a theory...
I think we may have a way here to prove the validity of Christianity. Why not also conduct a study where Hindus pray for the healing of strangers? If there is no benefit, then we have a winner!
I think that part of the reason why so many do not believe that the Bible describes actual events is that the stories contained in it, particularly those of the Old Testament, seem too fantastic to believe without proof, or at least substantial amounts of evidence. This is no more than a healthy skepticism born out of a world filled with con-artists and charlatans of all sorts. Certainly, if God were to send Elijah down once again to command the world to stop aborting it's children or something like that, methinks there'd be an awful lot of immediate converts. The Bible insists that God regularly sent prophets to Israel to warn of coming judgments if wickedness was not abandoned. The fact that he no longer does this is suspicious to many, of course. If ever we needed a real prophet with divine authority, it is now.
And how will you know if "prophet" is real or not?
Will you just take his word for it?
26 Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."
Science is constantly expanding humanity’s understanding of reality and the world around us; For example: string theory, adult stems cells.
I believe that the only reason the human soul has not been proven is not from a lack of ability to do so, but because no one yet to really want to do it.
People like you say that it is impossible for science to prove that the human soul exists and in the same breath you say the human soul does exist.
Go preach your ignorance somewhere else.
Go preach your ignorance somewhere else.
Are you preaching what you practice?
You're obviously not familiar with the accounts of the Old Testament prophets. Being able to call down fire from the sky on demand would be one clue that the prophet was genuine. As I said, if God would send people like this to the world, we would have no abortion, no terrorism, no rape, no Rosie O'Donnell television programs, etc. Unfortunately, he does not. Therefore, I am forced to reluctantly conclude that the accounts of such prophets are mythical. I regret that very much.
Probably subtlety is God's tool of choice now a days.
But that is just a guess.
Your ignorance of the Scientific Method is only exceeded by your lack of knowledge of our Western Judeo/Christian Heritage and Civilization that gave rise to the Scientific Method.
It didn't work then, it wouldn't work now. Too many people are just like Pharoah when confronted by Moses with God's miracles.
I tried... No logic to follow anywhere in the article.
Well, but God, for whatever reason, chose to harden Pharoah, thus making him less likely to yield. I think that if true judgments were threatened at the Earth, and they were clearly understood to be divine judgments because a supernaturally empowered prophet proclaimed them to be, this world would be a much nicer place.
And let's not forget that Jonah succeeded at Nineveh.
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