Category Archives: Atheist

Dont let a crisis go to waste.

Let difficulty transform you. And it will. In my experience, we just need help in learning how not to run away. Pema Chodron

I was strolling through a Michael's art supply store a few weeks ago with my daughter. I hadn't been feeling all that great and had noticed a fluttering sensation on the left side of my chest earlier in the day. "Probably nothing," I thought, though I really should have stayed home that evening.

Strangely, I began to feel increasingly lightheaded as we milled about the Oak Tag paper, non-hardening modeling clay, and various other artistic knickknacks. "This is getting bad; I really need to get into the bathroom before I pass out and my daughter completely freaks."

Instead I told her that I was "a bit dizzy" and that we needed to leave.

As I (stupidly) drove home, I texted my wife to have an ambulance at the house for when we arrived. I learned later that I was experiencing something called "presyncope," which is a fancy way of saying that you're close to losing consciousness (or at least feeling that way). The EMTs checked my vitals and told me that, considering all that was going on, it would be a good idea to go to the ER.

I have never been in an ambulance before and can report that it's a very weird experience (those lights and sirens are supposed to be for other people, not me). As I watched my house, with my distressed family, recede in the distance, I entertained the thought that perhaps I'm having a cardiac episode and this is the last time I will see them.

This was one of my most sobering moments to date. It was all very unpleasant, and though the doctors couldn't find anything wrong and chalked it up to dehydration, I learned a few new things about the (potential) benefits of this kind of challenge.

In moments of duress, there is a sharp mental bifurcation between what is essential and what is not. Who thinks about good fried chicken or an amusing film they recently saw when faced with a serious health crisis? One quickly realizes (or rather remembers) that there are only very few things that matter to us and that most of what we obsess over daily is just noise.

Keeping this in mind in our ordinary, non-crisis lives is one of humanity's greatest challenges and thus pays the most significant dividends to those who succeed. It seems to me that most serious challenges we endure are the proverbial "wake-up call." They're an opportunity to shake things up, break through the emotional calcification and recalibrate the trajectory of our lives.

Most spiritual traditions are aware that there is a correlation between the reduction of the attention we give the body and a heightened sense of the transcendent. The ultimate goal of fasting, meditation, and even things like sensory deprivation tanks is to temporarily diminish the strength and influence of our physical selves, allowing our inner selves (which some call a soul) to expand.

I noticed that there is no desire for physicality of any sort in a crisis state. I had no appetite, no desire to go for a stroll, get a massage, or enjoy some good coffeenothing. The mind is squarely and exclusively fixed on processing what's occurring and the effect that it could have on "the things that actually matter."

It's famously said that there are no atheists in a foxhole. I dont believe this. I do believe, however, that there are relatively few of them in there. I am not an atheist, but even as a theist, in this situation, it seemed much more natural, easy, and obvious to reach out beyond the doctors and the equipment to an Ultimate Source for help.

There's a point at which one realizes that the nature of physical reality is incomplete - it has no inherent power to help. As skillful and well-intended as they are, the doctors only make educated guesses and are fallible. The tests and procedures they use are generally effective but not foolproof.

In these moments, we can be squeezed into the understanding that our confidence in corporeal things is misplaced and that there is a wisdom and an energy at work that quietly guides all that transpires. This wisdom is the address for our pleadings and the only true hope for our deliverance from the crisis.

The net effect of this whole process is, if we allow it, to become more spiritual. And though it's very uncomfortable, in this sense, it's a blessing.

Read this article:

The Spiritual Benefits of a Medical Scare - aish.com - Aish.com

YORK COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) Still no after-school Satan club at least, not unless a court eventually overturns that decision but The Satanic Temple can hold a one-time back-to-school event in Northern High Schools auditorium.

Nice achievement, from the organizations point of view?

Oh, no. Were going to litigate against them for not allowing the after-school Satan club, said Lucien Graves, co-founder of The Satanic Temple. And were going to win.

The them Greaves is suing is the Northern York County School District, whose board voted 8-1 in April to reject the ongoing after-school club which The Satanic Temple wanted to offer at Northern Elementary School but approved a one-time use (the night of Sept. 24) of the high school auditorium, provided the temple pays $1,260, which the district said covers the cost of renting, cleaning and securing the facility and using its technology.

At the April meeting, parents and students spoke overwhelmingly against the club; many held anti-Satan club signs.

Why allow the upcoming event despite rejecting the club?

As a public school district, the use of our school facilities by outside organizations must be permitted without discrimination, the district said in a statement. The moment we allowed the first organization to use our facilities, we opened the door for every organization to do so provided they satisfy the conditions and application requirements as set forth in policy. We cannot and do not arbitrarily pick and choose which organizations may or may not use our facilities.

Considering what might seem like a partial victory, why does Greaves seem to remain so entirely dissatisfied?

The back-to-school night was supposed to celebrate the opening of our club originally, but now we dont have the club, he said. It just kind of underscores the absolute incoherence of the school board when it comes to policies of equal access and nondiscrimination, showing that they dont actually understand how or when its appropriate to apply them. So while you might think we would be celebrating that we have this equal access, its actually something thats not theirs to take away from us.

But first: What exactly is an after-school Satan club?

Start with what its not: something that has well anything to do with devil worship, Greaves said.

Our after-school club was going to focus on critical thinking, science and that kind of thing, said Greaves, who describes himself as an atheist who views all religions as superstitions. We always get that pushback where people say, Well, why Satan?'

Well, then: Why Satan?

We view Satan metaphorically, Greaves said. Its not up to the school board to say theyre going to allow a Christian club and not allow a Hindu club or the after-school Satan club.

Greaves says Northern York facilitates a Christian club where parents voluntarily allow their children to be bused during the school day, and equal treatment based on his interpretation of a 2001 U.S. Supreme Court ruling would require allowing the after-school Satan club.

Following its initial statement to abc27 news that it felt compelled by law to allow the back-to-school night despite rejecting the after-school club, the district didnt respond to a question asking to clarify the difference between the two. But the disagreement between Greaves and the district seems to revolve around how similar the Christian club during the school day but off site is to a hypothetical after-school religious club on school grounds, which the district doesnt have.

Somehow to them, this is a distinction that makes all the difference, but for us it doesnt make a bit of difference, Greaves said. If you have any after-school clubs at all, those principles of neutrality and free expression take hold and the school district doesnt have a say as to whether somebody has access to that or not.

Greaves claims the after-school Satan club never mind its name isnt just about trying to make a point.

We realized that some parents who were not inclined to have their children proselytized to, nonetheless felt a need to send their kids sometimes to these proselytizing religious after-school clubs because they didnt have another means to provide them daycare, Greaves said. If youre going to have a religious club that proselytizes towards children, to take one point of view, we will offer an alternative.

But if this isnt really about Satan at least, not the Satan most people think of, which drew countless protestors to the school board meeting why use such a controversial term? Couldnt they just call it, say, the after-school nothing club?

Yeah, but it would be that much less meaningful to us, as it would be to everybody else as well, Greaves said, although he acknowledged theres always that balance between making a point and overplaying ones hand.

Paul Tucker, a local atheist and co-founder of a group called the Dillsburg Area Free Thinkers, agrees with The Satanic Temples philosophy so much that the Free Thinkers will attend the temples Sept. 24 event some of the members of our group are very into fossils, and they want to present something on archeology and science at the meeting, Tucker said.

But as for the organizations way of communicating its message?

Tucker said he couldnt speak for his whole group after all, he deadpanned, how can you speak for a group of free thinkers? but some of us in the group are not particularly fond of some of the tactics.

He said the Free Thinkers support the schools science programs.

Im not sure whats going on right now at Northern is a good thing for [The Satanic Temple] to be doing, Tucker said. Were not trying to just rile people up and get people upset. Were more interested in having a conversation, a dialog.

Greaves is confident hell win the legal battle.

The school board gave themselves no possibility of justifying their previous actions, he said. They were openly, baldly discriminatory. They took upon themselves authority they dont have, and they fully deserve to lose in court over this.

As for the public opinion battle?

I think ultimately youre going to see a lot more of our clubs in years to come, and its going to stop being shocking to people because as our clubs take place, people they just dont have problems, Greaves said. After something goes on long enough with no problems, people tend to calm down.

See the rest here:

Despite event approval, Satanic Temple still suing Northern York, and were going to win - ABC27

Roger Williams agreed with the Puritan overlords of Massachusetts Bay on most points of doctrine, but when his thinking diverged from accepted orthodoxy, he said so. Plainly and without apology.

In The Bloudy Tenent of Persecution, Peace and Truth are portrayed as unrequited lovers who have long been separated by religious intolerance. There can be no peace without truth, Williams says, and truth never will flourish unless men and women are allowed to live in peace. Williams found the place where truth and peace embraced, and there he made his stand.

Most precious Truth, Peace exclaims, you know we are both pursued and laid for. Mine heart is full of sighs, mine eyes of tears. Where can I vent my full, oppressed bosom than into yours, whose faithful lips may for these few hours revive my drooping, wondering spirits, and here begin to wipe tears from mine eyes, and the eyes of my dearest children?

Peace and Truth never could consummate their love, Williams believed, until a stake was driven between the practical affairs of civil society and confessional religion. All should be free to believe, or disbelieve, he said, according to the dictates of conscience. The work of civil society should be placed in the hands of the most gifted persons available without regard to religious confession. In such a world, Williams was convinced, men and women could pursue God without hindrance.

Clarity was a rare commodity in Williams day and is rarer still in ours. Politicians aspiring to maximize their vote count speak with polished imprecision. Frank speech is considered a rookie error. You arent supposed to say the quiet parts out loud.

Politicians aspiring to maximize their vote count speak with polished imprecision.

Congregations that span the ideological spectrum rarely hear sermons on culture war issues like immigration policy, reproductive health and gay marriage. Speak clearly on these matters, young pastors are told, and you will anger half your congregation. Much better to preach on the secrets of personal happiness.

Of course, not all preachers and politicians must appeal to a diverse audience. When your constituency is in broad agreement on the pressing issues of the day, preachers and politicians are allowed to speak clearly, so long, that is, as the audience dictates the message.

I used to enjoy listening to Jimmy Swaggart work his audience. When Jimmy introduced a tirade with some of you arent going to like this, you knew a standing ovation was waiting in the wings. Similarly, Donald Trump is free to trade in unfounded allegations and conspiracy theories because he understands the fears and prejudices of his chosen audience.

The clarity practiced by Roger Williams rarely found a favorable reception. The Church of England and the divines of Massachusetts Bay disagreed on many points, but all parties insisted that politics and religion be joined at the hip. Every religious pronouncement had political implications. Inevitably, politics bled into religion. To Williams, this was a recipe for cowardice and hypocrisy.

Those who insist on ideological purity must dream of absolute victory. Roger Williams didnt have that luxury. His desire to separate church and state was, at best, a fringe sentiment, and he knew it.

In The Bloudy Tenent, he confessed that this discourse against the doctrine of persecution for cause of conscience would gain much traction, even among the sheep of Christ themselves. Still, he persevered. Having bought truth dear, he cautioned, we must not sell it cheap, not the least grain of it for the whole world; no, not for the saving of souls.

Having bought truth dear, we must not sell it cheap, not the least grain of it for the whole world; no, not for the saving of souls.

Persecution was necessary, the religious establishment insisted, because eternal salvation was at stake. The lords of New England could tolerate disagreement on inconsequential matters; but when erroneous ideas had foolish people teetering on the lip of hell, they clamped down.

Only the power of love can draw us to the truth, Williams answered. The only species of salvation worth troubling about must flow from the love of truth, from the love of the Father of lights from whence it comes, from the love of the Son of God, who is the way and the truth.

Williams could speak clearly because he wasnt trying to win. He couldnt erect a wall between church and state in England or in Plymouth or Massachusetts Bay. He couldnt make the wider world safe for Catholics, Quakers, Baptists and atheists. But he could carve out a little patch of freedom in the New World, and that became his lifes work.

Our fear of failure causes us to speak in garbled platitudes. Preachers and politicians (in these latter days it is difficult to tell them apart) are afraid to challenge established opinion because, as Dylan put it, they just want to be on the side thats winning.

We speak as much truth as the market will bear.

We say what we are expected to say. We speak as much truth as the market will bear. We lie about our history. We lie about sex and gender. We lie about guns and empire. We fling a curtain of denial over genocide, rape and plunder. We shave off shards of pleasantness, then lapse into silence.

Like Williams, we inhabit an age of political and religious upheaval. We dont want to compromise our principles in the slightest particular. Liberal purists call their ideological opposites toxic; purists on the right regard their enemies as literal demons. Christian denominations are fracturing along ideological lines. In the political arena, liberals and conservatives wage uncivil war. Our opponents arent just wrong; they are devils.

Williams never shrank from controversy. Like all Puritans, he was a despiser of Papists. He expressed his disapproval of Quakers in a screed marked by extravagant vitriol: George Fox Digged out of his Burrowes. Yet all were welcomed to the haven he had planted in Providence. He insisted on the freedom to follow the truth wherever it led and extended that freedom to everyone else. In the unlikely event that an atheist, a Hindu or a Muslim wandered into his community, Williams said they should be welcomed as equals. The strident clarity of Williamss religious opinions didnt stop him from cooperating with everyone and anyone. He understood that genuine cooperation requires mutual clarity.

Of one thing Williams was certain: Those with the power to dictate truth rarely possessed it. So had it ever been. The unknowing zeal of Constantine and other emperors did more hurt to Christ Jesus crown and kingdom, he declared, than the raging fury of the most bloody Neros.

Truth had been defended by a bloody sword for so long it was all but impossible to find. By this means Christianity was eclipsed, and the professors of it fell asleep, he lamented. Babel, or confusion, was ushered in, and by degrees the gardens of the churches of saints were turned into the wilderness.

Here too, Williams was right. Before we can speak clearly, we must acknowledge our confusion. The world is too much for us. We are adrift on a sea of bewilderment. But Williams was convinced that, just as God has spoken in Jesus Christ, God would speak again. It was that confidence that fired the spirit of prophecy, in his day and in ours.

Alan Beanis executive director of Friends of Justice, an alliance of community members that advocates for criminal justice reform. He lives in Arlington, Texas.

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Roger Williams and the courage to speak clearly - Baptist News Global

Over the course of this series, we have been exploring the Biblical case for the divinity of Jesus. I believe that this matters because, to put it simply, if Jesus made claims to be God should take them seriously. Even more so, if Jesus claims to be God happen to be true, then we owe Him the same honor, and worship that Yahweh is afforded.

The claim that Jesus merely thought of himself as a moral teacher, a revolutionary, or even just a prophet is quite common today. Among some progressive christian , Islamic, and even some Atheist Circles, the idea of Jesus claiming to be nothing more than a mere man is about as common as seeing a tourist in New Orleans wearing Mardi Gras Beads in July (Sorry yall. I had to go there). Yet, a case can in fact be made for Jesus self-thought divinity.

So far we have dove into the HANDS acronym*. We have looked at moments where Jesus accepted honor and praise as if he were God, moments where he shared in the attributes of God, and moments where Jesus has shared in the names of God.

As a quick summary:

Together, all of these moments form a cumulative case for Jesus self-afforded divinity.

The next letter in our HANDS acronym represents the idea that Jesus shared in the deeds of God. We are going to look at three specific instances where Jesus does this. Three of the biggest things Jesus could do in His Jewish context would be: forgive sins, heal others (bonus points if on the Sabbath), and control the weather. So lets dive in.

The question of Jesus healing people seems like an obvious one. If Jesus were God, he should be able to heal people who are deaf, unable to hear, and/or are blind. In the Gospel accounts, not only do we see this happen, but we see Jesus raising people from the dead. Check this out:

As Jesus was saying this, the leader of a synagogue came and knelt before him. My daughter has just died, he said, but you can bring her back to life again if you just come and lay your hand on her.

So Jesus and his disciples got up and went with him. Just then a woman who had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding came up behind him. She touched the fringe of his robe, for she thought, If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.

Jesus turned around, and when he saw her he said, Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well. And the woman was healed at that moment.

When Jesus arrived at the officials home, he saw the noisy crowd and heard the funeral music. 24 Get out! he told them. The girl isnt dead; shes only asleep. But the crowd laughed at him. 25 After the crowd was put outside, however, Jesus went in and took the girl by the hand, and she stood up! 26 The report of this miracle swept through the entire countryside.

Matthew 9: 19-26

Jesus was in the middle teaching while a local synagogue leader came and knelt before him. Notice the honor being given to Jesus here. Its almost worship-like. The synagogue leader tells Jesus that his daughter had just died and that Jesus is able to bring her back to life. As He was on His way, a man who had constantly bled for 12 years touches his robe and she is instantly healed and then He continues to raise the dead girl from the dead.

If Jesus were but a mere man, then this obviously would not have happened. Yet I think this passage also fits what a lot of historians call the criteria of embarrassment. If the writer was making a story up, he or she would make sure that the account was clean and polished to make the hero as grandeur as ever.

Not so with this account. Jesus is touched by a woman who is bleeding (which would make him ceremonially unclean). And Jesus is mocked when telling the crowd that the dead girl is only asleep. It seems to me that the likelihood of the events in this passage are more probable to have happened the way they did than not.

Jesus showing of His ability to heal the sick and raise the dead is 1 piece to the puzzle of a long line of circumstantial evidence of His divinity. And this is only one time in which He shares in the deeds of God.

So, weve seen Jesus heal the constantly bleeding woman and raise a girl from the dead, but did Jesus show that he could control the weather? If he were God, it seems to me that he should be able to do this at least once. Well, it turns out, He has:

One day Jesus said to his disciples, Lets cross to the other side of the lake. So they got into a boat and started out. As they sailed across, Jesus settled down for a nap. But soon a fierce storm came down on the lake. The boat was filling with water, and they were in real danger. The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, Master, Master, were going to drown! When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and the raging waves. Suddenly the storm stopped, and all was calm. Then he asked them, Where is your faith? The disciples were terrified and amazed. Who is this man? they asked each other. When he gives a command, even the wind and waves obey him!

Luke 8:22-25

When the disciples were crossing the lake, a great storm began to swirl he winds and waves. Rain pelted the boat and fierce lightning struck the heavens. The disciples were terrified and called to Jesus for help. Jesus immediately stood out of His nap, ridiculed them for their lack of faith, and calmed the storm. This is another moment where the criterion of embarrassment comes into play.

If Luke were making this account up, then he simply would have left the part about the disciples being terrified of the storm out of the equation. No ridicule would have needed to have happened. After all, the disciples in this boat end up being heroes later on in the story and questioning the authority of Jesus and wondering who this guy is would be confusing to add if this account were simply made up.

Jesus calming of the wind and waves serves as an example of Him showing his ability to control the weather, something only God can do.

One of the biggest things that Jesus could do in order to claim the title of God would be to forgive the sins of humans. Weve seen Jesus heal the sick and raise the dead, but in order to forgive sins, Jesus would need to think of Himself as to have such as large of an authority as God Himself. Of course, WE DO see Jesus forgiving sins and claiming this authority unto Himself. Check this out:

Jesus climbed into a boat and went back across the lake to his own town. Some people brought to him a paralyzed man on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, Be encouraged, my child! Your sins are forgiven.

But some of the teachers of religious law said to themselves, Thats blasphemy! Does he think hes God?

Matthew 9: 1-3

Jesus is brought a paralyzed man. Instead of healing the man, Jesus decides that it is more important to forgive His sins, something that people with a mind for missions should take note of. And notice the response of Pharisees.

They call this blasphemy. Why?

The entire sacrificial system is built around God forgiving the sins of His people. Grain offerings, animal offerings, and the like were all given to atone for sin and to restore the relationship between the Hebrews and the Lord. People may be able to forgive each other personally, but the forgiving of sins, rebellion against Yahweh, was for Yahweh to do only. And for Jesus to forgive a mans sins well is nearly as if He is claiming to be Yahweh Himself. In fact, thats exactly what He is doing.

Jesus, unless He is God, has no authority to forgive sins. As a rabbi, He would know this. As a Jew, He would know this. Yet, He has the authority to do so. At least He claims to.

This is blasphemy. But only if He is incorrect in doing so. Which, based on the other evidence for His divinity, Im thinking He has the authority to do so.

Also, after this event, Jesus did heal the paralyzed the man. The people freaked out over it.

Through this series, we have seen many examples of Jesus making an astounding claim: He is divine. This is done implicitly through this actions and teachings and explicitly through showing the authority to forgive sins and in His association with the name Jehovah. Jesus divinity is shown in his actions, his words, and his teachings. And whats more is that there is one more strand of evidence that Jesus at least saw Himself as being deserving of the title Lord. We will take a look at Jesus claiming The Seat or Throne of God. We will wrap up our exploration of the divinity of Jesus with this topic in our next article.

* For more information about the HANDS acronym and for more of an in-depth look, check out the bookPutting Jesus in his Place: The Case for the Deity of Christ by Robert M. Bowman Jr. and J. Ed Komoszewski*

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WDJD: Jesus Shared in the Deeds of God - Patheos

Editors Note: In the run-up to the seventh Congress of Leaders of the World and Traditional Religions to be held on Sept.14-15 in Nur-Sultan, The Astana Times has started a series of articles on the diversity of spiritual life in Kazakhstan. The first one focused on Islam. This week we profile the second-largest religious group in Kazakhstan Orthodox Christians.

NUR-SULTAN Orthodox Christians, one of the largest religious communities in the world, have existed in Kazakhstan for several hundred years over the periods of Islamic dominance, Tsarist Russia, the Soviet period, and the independence that followed. They continue to live in harmony with other religious communities in Kazakhstan that respect the principle of equality of all nations and religions. In the interview with The Astana Times, Archpriest Dmitriy Baidek, ecclesiarch at the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God, spoke about the history and holy sites of the Christian Community, and the importance of the upcoming Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions.

Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God in Nur-Sultan. Photo credit: mitropolia.kz

Christians in independent Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is home to some 3,834 religious associations deriving from 18 religions and confessions. Among them, Orthodox Christians are the second-largest religious group in Kazakhstan after Muslims with 345 registered organizations which constitute around nine percent, according to the Committee on Religious Affairs of the Kazakh Ministry of Information and Social Development.

Being secular country, Kazakhstan nevertheless celebrates Orthodox Christmas along with Muslim Kurban Ait (Eid al-Adha) as official days off for all citizens.

Baidek explained that the church has always been open to people. It is supranational as Baidek puts it.

Indeed, in the letter of Paul the Apostle to the Colossians he says here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, or free, but Christ is all and is in all, emphasizing the unity and equality of all believers in Christ.

Describing the community of Christians in Kazakhstan, Baidek said thatthe vector is shifting away from the exclusively Slavic population to a more diverse population of Christians that includes more ethnicities.

History of Orthodox Church in Kazakhstan

The rise of Christian communities in the midst of a predominantly Muslim population is associated with the settlement of Russian Cossacks on the southern lands of Kazakhstan that were annexed to the Russian Empire around the 17th century.

On the territory of modern Kazakhstan, Russian Cossacks founded the first fortresses and built the first Orthodox churches along with them.

Archbishop Sophoniya Sokolsky, the first bishop of the Turkestan diocese. Photo credit: pravoslavie.ru

Last year Orthodox Christians in Kazakhstan celebrated the 150th anniversary of the establishment of the Turkestan diocese, the first in the region. In 1871, an imperial decree approved the decision to open the Turkestan diocese and in the same year Archbishop Sophoniya Sokolsky, known for his active temper and enthusiasm, was appointed the first bishop of the Turkestan diocese.

In his biography there are words that say he was like a young man running around the diocese preaching, doing works of mercy, opening new churches, even though he was already well into his seventies, said Baidek. His energy, his temperament was that of a young man. Those were such unique people, and since then Christianity, namely Orthodox Christianity, has been strengthened in those parts of Kazakhstan.

Although the Orthodox eparchy was established in the 19th century, communities preaching the Holy Trinity have lived in the territory of Kazakhstan for many centuries back.

There are monuments that indicate that there were settlements that professed Christianity back in the ninth and in the 13th centuries. For the most part, they were communities worshiping Nestorianism, which was rejected by the Orthodox church. Nevertheless, they were the people who revered the Trinity, the Christ, and the Holy Spirit, said Archpriest Baidek.

The Soviet period was a period of hardship for representatives of all religions in Kazakhstan, said Baidek and the Orthodox Christians were no exception. Many in the Christian world felt humiliated by a colonial system that undermined their beliefs and religion. Bolsheviks certainly used our land rather barbarically. In the 20s and 30s, the Bolsheviks destroyed many churches, he said.

Alexander Nevsky athedral. It was built in 1891 in the central part of the current Nur-Sultan city between Abay and Bigeldinov streets. In 1930 the cathedral was closed and shortly after the building was pulled down. Photo credit: kazislam.kz

Kazakhstan has also been a place of exile for many people. Karlag, one of the largest labor camps in the Karagandy Region, was full of people who have been at the forefront of some of the great struggles for liberty.

Yet even amid the hardships, there were people who had not lost their faith in a better future. One of them was Sebastian, the elder of Karagandy, who had spent six years in Karlag camp. After he was released in 1939, he decided to stay and selflessly preach Christianity in the region which largely contributed to the formation of a religious community.

Despite the atheist agenda of the Soviet era, many Christians were able to preserve their religious traditions. Upon becoming an independent state, Kazakhstan gave an opportunity for many people to express their religion freely.

Independence caused the rising interest in religion, intellectual interest. People began to read, think, and pay attention to matters of spirituality. They wanted to answer the questions of why and for what. This kind of rise at least in Christianity was during the 1990s and in the early 2000s, including among the young population, said Baidek.

Orthodox Christian sacred sites in Kazakhstan

What makes one place holy? According to Baidek, people make a place holy in honor and remembrance of the saints whose blood was shed there.

When, in 1995, Patriarch Alexy II visited the Karagandy Region, he called the land of Kazakhstan the antimins (a piece of silk or linen cloth for liturgy rite) stretched out under the open sky referring to the holiness of the whole Kazakh land, where many pastors, monks, and laity have been exiled from all parts of the Soviet Union. Many of them ended their lives in Kazakhstan.

Aksai Seraphim-Feognost skit. Photo credit: mitropolia.kz

There are many holy sites in East Kazakhstan, Karagandy, and around the Zhetisu Regions. Of particular interest is the Aksai Seraphim-Feognost skit, which is located on the territory of Ile-Alatau national park near Almaty at an altitude of 1,850 meters above sea level.

More than 100 years ago the place was occupied by monks-priests Seraphim Bogoslovsky and Feognost Pivovarov, who renounced a comfortable life to serve God in solitude among the mountains.

But the two saints could not enjoy their peaceful solitude for long, for in 1921, the Red army soldiers came. The monks received them with gratitude, fed them, and gave them tea, however, the soldiers then brutally murdered the monks the next morning.

In 2000, Seraphim and Feognost were consecrated to the list of saints for general church veneration. Many people visit the skit every year to honor the martyrs.

The importance of the seventh Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions

As an Orthodox Church representative, Archpriest Baidek said that Kazakhstan sets a good example for the region by declaring its peacekeeping mission through the seventh Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions that it will host on Sept. 14-15.

The uniqueness of this congress is that it has been raised to a level where spiritual leaders and leaders of traditional religions are brought together directly by the state, and therefore the dialogue is conducted on a high level. And any dialogue always serves the good, said Baidek.

The human mind is built so that we are afraid of what we do not know, what we do not understand. Our fears, our fantasies, are born of ignorance. When we get to know a person better, they cease to be scary to us. They may be interesting, they may not be interesting, but they are not scary, he added, highlighting the importance of bringing together the representatives of diverse religions.

Go here to see the original:

Orthodox Christian Community in Kazakhstan Emerges Strong in the Midst of Islam and Soviet Period Atheism - Astana Times

Former gay atheist Becket Cook is revealing new details about his remarkable testimony, showing how God can use anyone, anywhere to plant a seed that can lead others into the Kingdom of God.

'Surprising Encounter'

In a recent episode of "The Becket Cook Show", Becket introduces Joy Durham-Schafer, a Christian model, who was instrumental in his conversion to Christianity.

"On the set of a shoot in 2004, I heard that the model was a Christian. I thought it was gross," Becket explained. "Years later, after I came to faith in Christ, she and I had an incredibly surprising encounter."

Quick Start Podcast: Biden's Controversial Move to Transfer Student Debt

In his book, A Change of Affection: A Gay Man's Incredible Story of Redemption , he shares how he moved from Dallas, Texas to Hollywood and launched a successful career in show business.

"At this point in my life, I was very successful in my career as a set designer, production designer. I mean, I was doing covers for Vogue and for Harper's Bazaar. I worked with a lot of pop stars like Katy Perry and Paris Hilton and Oprah. Like, everyone you can imagine I worked with them. And I also started my own men's fashion line that was successful. Our clothes were in, you know, L.A., New York, Paris," he told CBN.

Despite all of his success, Becket said he still felt a deep emptiness.

"I went to all the shows. I went to all the after-parties. I was at this one after-party in Paris, and I remember, just everyone was there from the fashion world. I think Kanye was there that year, and I was kind of looking out over the crowd, it just struck me so profoundly. I was like, is that all there is to life? Just going to parties for the rest of my life, is this what it's all about? And I really started to panic that night. I was overwhelmed with a sense of emptiness."

During that time, Becket met Joy, a brand-new believer. On his show, he says her story of breaking off an engagement with a non-believer became a "seed" that would help turn him from a practical atheist to a believer.

"It was literally the first time I had met a Christian in Los Angeles," Becket recounts. "That was kind of a turning point for me because I remember you and Frankie started dating and then you got to a point where you were like 'he's not a believer, this can't go anywhere else'. And you made a really tough decision to break up with him."

"It really touched me and kind of freaked me out in a way," Becket continued. "[Frankie]told me the story of you breaking up with him and he said you collapsed on the floor and you were weeping. And he went to hug you and he said he could feel like the Holy Spirit on you. He sensed something supernatural was going on."

"It was a frequency and a vibration of the Spirit moving and indwelling in me," Joy explained. "I was so completely transformed. I didn't even know who I was anymore."

"I remember when he told me that story it was, maybe, the first spark of me thinking... 'There must be something real to this kind of Christianity-thing.' ...It definitely planted a seed in me."

But that is not the only "seed" God used that ultimately led Becket to turn his life over to Jesus and leave his gay lifestyle.

'Desperate Prayers of Petition'

Ten years before meeting Joy, his sister-in-law, Kim Cook, felt a burden to pray for his salvation.

"I was doing a Bible study on Revelation and...that all of a sudden became my concern that if the rapture happens, you are not going to go," she recounted. "I just remember being so burdened that you would not be in eternity with me."

Kim says the Lord gave her Acts 16:18 as the scripture to stand on for Becket's salvation.

"'Lord please just save him,'" she had prayed. Appearing in a separate episode of his YouTube show, Kim explained, "I really wasn't worried about you being gay. I just wanted you saved, and then let God deal with that when the time came."

"God wants us to come with those desperate prayers of petition and bear everything to him," she continued. "And then let him go to work...and then I have to trust [His]timing."

"Your battles are won by being on your knees," she added.

Becket gave his life to the Lord at a Hollywood church on September 9, 2005.

"It was like the road to Damascus moment," he told CBN's Faithwire. "God's like 'I'm real. Jesus is my Son. He's real. Heaven's real, hell is real. You are now adopted into my Kingdom. You are my child now.' And I was so blown away I couldn't stop crying for the rest of the time. I was crying because of two things: the joy of meeting God, and my sin. It was my most intense cry since I was an infant."

Grace and Redemption

Cook said at that moment he knew who he was, and being gay was not part of his identity.

Becket asked Kim how she would encourage Christian parents and grandparents believing for the salvation of a loved one who is living an LGBT lifestyle.

"The most important thing that we have to do is love, and we have to have grace," she replied. "You have to have truth, but I think the grace has got to be before the truth and that love."

"Embrace prayer, do not turn your back, and keep loving them," she continued.

Becket believes God is the ultimate writer of his redemption story, but he credits believers, like Joy and Kim, as being instrumental in opening his heart to the Lord.

"God is sovereign over all of it," he shared during his podcast. "If you can rest in God's sovereignty and know that it is his timing. It's his will."

"You can't bludgeon or badger somebody into the kingdom of God," he added. "It's God's work. It's a supernatural act from God."

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'Supernatural': Ex-Gay Hollywood Insider Becket Cook Reveals 2 Women Were Pivotal to His Salvation - CBN.com

Perhaps the strongest antidote for optimism or for misplaced faith in our fellow man is watching the news. Of course, much of the media we consume is voyeuristic, so in a sort of supply-and-demand scenario, bad news makes headlines more than good news. At the same time, this is more than a problem of clickbait filling our newsfeeds. A series of events in recent years suggests that our cultural center cannot hold much longer.

Not decades but just a few days ago, prominent novelist Salman Rushdie was stabbed, not in some shady part of the world, but in public at a lecture in upstate New York. Also, dogs in San Francisco are becoming hooked on meth. Apparently, human excrement is so common in public areas, pets have learned where to go for a quick high from the residue of addicted residents.Radical ideologies continue to dominate headlines, which few outside of ivory towershad heard of until a few years ago. They are now compulsory at some schools. And, those who challenge the new orthodoxy are oftenostracized from what is an increasingly impolite society.Healthcare now involves practices that, until yesterday, wouldve rightly been considered abuse, including children having otherwise healthy organs turned inside out.

Clearly, the state of our world is largely rotten. For some Christians, this indicates that the end is nigh. Particularly in the last century or so, many books and sermons have declared that we are living in the last days, so the best we can hope for is to go down fighting this increasingly fallen world.

Its easy to forget in all these headlines that things have been bad before, in some ways even worse than today. In that time and place, God called His people to keep the faith, commit to the tasks at hand, and steward the time they were given by remaining faithful. Sometimes they won against the forces of darkness and death. Sometimes they lost. Either way, their calling remained the same, and Gods Kingdom marched on.

William Wilberforce was among those followers of Christ who faced down great obstacles. He deserves all of the recognition he receives as an archetype for faithful Christian engagement in the world. Eventually, because of his efforts, he won a long battle over the entrenched power of slavery in the British Empire, what he called one of the great aims that God had set before Him. But none of it happened in a day.

Wilberforce began his fight against human bondage in the late 1780s, but he did not see the fruit of his work for decades. The slave trade wasnt banned until 1807 across the British Empire and was not fully brought to an end until 1833, just days before he died. How often must he have wondered at his impossible task? How often did he consider giving up?

Closer to our own time and less well known is a story out of Russia. Detailed in a new book by Matthew Heise, The Gates of Hell: An Untold Story of Faith and Perseverance in the Early Soviet Union tells of the trials of Lutheran Christians living under the newly founded Communist tyranny. The book is encouraging and heartbreaking at the same time. The constant determination of these Christians to be faithful to their Lord in the midst of some of the 20thcenturys most intense persecution is encouraging. Yet, by all earthly terms, their resistance absolutely failed. They fought to retain their freedom and their faith, but few managed to even retain their lives.

They had no way to know their storys endthat all were wiped out by atheist totalitarianism. Regardless, they were faithful to the end.

Our task is no different. We dont know if ours is a Wilberforce moment, when the enduring faithfulness of Gods people standing athwart the tides of history will push this world back to reality. Or if this is a Russian Lutheran moment: We will lose our lives in our quest to be faithful. What we do know is that Christ has called us to this time and this place. As Gandalf said to Frodo,when he wondered why he should have to live in such times, beingmeantto be here and now is a very encouraging thought.

So, whatever comes, great victories or the full evaporation of progress, our task is the same: faithfulness, not success.

Continued here:

Faithful in This Time and Place - BreakPoint.org

For more than 50 years, death was a poignant part of Stephen Hawkings remarkable life.

The physicist, who died Wednesday at age 76, wasnt expected to see his 25th birthday, after being diagnosed with the incurable neurodegenerative condition ALS at age 21. Though Hawking beat the odds for more than five decades, the scientist told the Guardian in 2011 that death was never far from his mind.

I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years, Hawking said. Im not afraid of death, but Im in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first.

Here are some of Hawkings most interesting thoughts about death, the afterlife and God.

The scientist took a pragmatic view of what happens to the brain and body after death.

I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail, he told the Guardian. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.

Hawking invoked the name of God in his seminal book A Brief History of Time, writing that if physicists could find a theory of everything that is, a cohesive explanation for how the universe works they would glimpse the mind of God.

But in later interviews and writings, such as 2010s The Grand Design, which he co-wrote with Leonard Mlodinow, Hawking clarified that he wasnt referring to a creator in the traditional sense.

Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist, he wrote in The Grand Design. It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going.

Using language about God, Hawking told TIME after the books release, is more figurative than literal.

God is the name people give to the reason we are here, he said. But I think that reason is the laws of physics rather than someone with whom one can have a personal relationship. An impersonal God.

Hawking spoke more plainly about his thoughts on God in an interview with Spanish publication El Mundo.

Before we understand science, it is natural to believe that God created the universe. But now science offers a more convincing explanation, he said. What I meant by we would know the mind of God is, we would know everything that God would know, if there were a God, which there isnt. Im an atheist.

Though Hawking rejected the conventional notion of God or a creator, he fundamentally believed that the universe and life have meaning, according to the New York Times.

Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see and wonder about what makes the universe exist, Hawking said of the meaning of life. Be curious. And however difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at.

More Must-Read Stories From TIME

Write to Jamie Ducharme at jamie.ducharme@time.com.

Continued here:

Stephen Hawking Was an Atheist: His Words on Death and God - Time

Editors Note: In the run-up to the seventh Congress of Leaders of the World and Traditional Religions to be held on Sept.14-15 in Nur-Sultan, The Astana Times starts a series of articles on the diversity of spiritual life in Kazakhstan. We shall profile different religions and denominations starting with the most practiced one in the country Islam.

NUR-SULTAN For more than 1,000 years, Islam has influenced the history and culture of Kazakhstan far more than one might expect from the first alphabet to the language, customs, and literature. The traditional form of Islam developed along with the national customs molding into a regional form of the religion, adapted to local traditions.

Grand Mosque in Nur-Sultan, the largest mosque in Central Asia that can accommodate up to 30,000 people. Photo credit: tengrinews.kz

Seven plus decades of an atheist legacy under the Soviet Union also left its mark on how Islam is viewed among the Kazakh Muslim population today, which makes the history and evolution of Islam in the region as a worth exploring topic.

Muslim population in Kazakhstan

The Muslim population makes up a large percentage of the Kazakh people. According to the Committee on Religious Affairs of the Ministry of Information and Social Development of Kazakhstan, out of 3,834 religious entities registered in Kazakhstan, 2,695 or 70 percent are Islamic entities, belonging mainly to the Sunni branch.

The 2009 Kazakh census data also showed that 70 percent of the 16 million people in Kazakhstan considered themselves Muslim.

Being the majority in Kazakhstan, Muslims live in harmony with representatives of other religions. The upcoming seventh Congress of Leaders of the World and Traditional Religions that is going to take place on Sept. 14-15 in Nur-Sultan, shows how interreligious dialogue and peace was always a priority for Kazakhstan.

A Brief history of Islam in Kazakhstan

The presence of Islam in the territory of Kazakhstan dates back to the 10th-century Karakhanids, a fiefdom that ruled Central Asia from the 10th to the 13th century. During the Karakhanid dynasty, Islam acquired the status of the state religion.

Before Islam spread to the southern sedentary regions of present-day Kazakhstan, the population followed other religions, including Tengrism and Zoroastrianism, which featured elements of shamanism and ancestor worship.

A great contribution to the spread of Islam among the nomadic population of South Kazakhstan was made by Khoja Akhmet Yassawi, an 11th-century Sufi poet and mystic, who wrote his famous work Diwani Hikmet (Divine Wisdom) as a journey to the light of knowledge, diligence, upholding the truth, honesty, and virtue:

Be gentle and polite wherever you go,

Be a confidant to those in need,

Be close to God on the day of Mahshar (Judgement Day).

I ran away from arrogant people (the authors translation),

Yassawi described the importance of having a virtuous character along with the faith in God.

Khoja Akhmet Yassawi Mausoleum located in Turkestan was included in the UNESCO list of the worlds cultural heritage in 2003.

One of the first codes of law, Zheti Zhargy (Seven Charters), adopted by Tauke Khan in the 18th century was a significant step towards the introduction of Islam into public life and legal practice. The norms of administrative, criminal, and civil law recorded in this document were largely based on the provisions of Islamic Shariah law.

In the 19th-20th century, reading and writing among the Kazakh population was mostly taught by mullahs. The Russian empire also contributed to the increase in literacy by sending Tatar mullahs into the northern parts of Kazakhstan.

Arabic script was the major writing script of many prominent Kazakh writers and poets. The first Kazakh alphabet, which was systematized by Kazakh scholar Akhmet Baitursynuly in 1912, was based on Arabic letters.

Up to this day the Kazakh saying knows alif as a wand is used to refer to an illiterate or uneducated person (alif is the first letter of the Arabic alphabet that looks like a wand).

The Islamic legacy and practice were largely forgotten during the Soviet period when an atheist agenda was spread.

Muslim revival in independent Kazakhstan

Since gaining independence many Muslims in Kazakhstan are gradually reviving the religious practices, the five pillars of Islam, which start with a declaration of faith, followed by daily prayers, charity, fasting, and performing the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca if physically and financially capable.

Dana Yespenbetova, a woman whose grandparents and parents witnessed the Soviet period, says the Soviet Union legacy affected how religion was viewed. It was all mixed up, she said, referring to the fact that there was a disparity between what the ancestors have taught her family and the state agenda.

According to her, now she has a chance to revive what was forgotten and as an adult to reintroduce herself to religion.

Even though I had all the pillars of religion introduced to me as a child, at some point in my life I had to study in depth more about my own religion, so I would say that I converted back to Islam once I learned about it more. It has been a couple of years since I took religion more seriously and tried to practice it because I understand the benefits it brings to my life, she said.

Yespenbetova is part of the younger generation of Kazakhs who are making a conscious decision to be Muslim, and not just because it is part of the Kazakh heritage.

The first Friday prayer at the opening of the Grand Mosque, the largest mosque in Central Asia. Photo credit: muftyat.kz

I struggled to pray consistently, said Yespenbetova talking about the second pillar of Islam. But I am learning Arabic, and that helps me to understand the verses of the Quran that I recite during the prayers. So it is not just about memorizing the verses, but understanding them by heart.

harity, the third pillar of Islam, is one of the most widespread religious practices in Kazakhstan.

Islam distinguishes between obligatory alms, which is called zakat, and other voluntary forms of charity or as locals call it sadaka. Zakat is calculated as a percentage of a persons total net worth.

According to Nazerke Token, a 28-year-old mother of three, who has been practicing Islam for many years, sadaka is the easiest way to get involved with Islam. It is done out of good heart, help each other, be kind to each other. No matter if you make prayers or not, you can always express your kindness through donations, she said.

This year I donated zakat. Previously, I used to give weekly sadaka to low-income families and various charity organizations and funds. I still try to donate weekly even small amounts of my income, she added.

She also highlighted the generosity of the Muslim people around her. I saw a lot of generous people in our country. Aid funds for millions of tenge are collected and closed rather quickly, she said.

Though Islams fourth pillar, fasting, can be exceedingly hard for people, Yespenbetova and her family fast during the month of Ramadan. My father and I have been fasting for over a decade now, she said.

The last pillar pilgrimage or hajj is a once-in-a-lifetime duty for every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it.

There are records of Kazakh Muslims that performed pilgrimages as early as the 19th century traveling on horses and camels. Kunanbay, the father of Abai Kunanbaiuly, one of Kazakhstans greatest poets, is said to have performed a pilgrimage to Mecca, which took him two years, back in the 19th century. He also built a house in Mecca with his own funds.

Abai wrote about his fathers trip in the following verses:

Built a waqf (meant for donation) house in Mecca,

He lit the house with a candle.

To the path of one God,

He spent the cattle ruthlessly, (the authors translation)

This year, some 4,000 Kazakh citizens attended Mecca for the first time after the pandemic to perform the Hajj in July.

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev also performed an umrah (a lesser pilgrimage) in Mecca and was honored to enter the Kaaba (a holy shrine) as part of his official visit to Saudi Arabia in July of 2022.

On July 24, President Tokayev performed umrah (a lesser pilgrimage) in Mecca, the holiest shrine of Islam. He was honored to enter the Kaaba, its doors are opened for distinguished guests on exceptional occasions. Photo credit: Akorda

The imprint of Islam in language and customs can still be seen today. There are many common words, some relate to education, others to culture, for example, kitap (book), ustaz (teacher) and adebiyet (literature).

During early childhood, Kazakh men undergo the tradition of circumcision, which also has Islamic roots. In general, the majority of Kazakh families adhere to Islamic traditions in marriage and burial ceremonies.

Disparity between culture and religion sometimes creates a vision that one can be too religious if they practice pillars of Islam that are not a part of Kazakh culture.

Yespenbetova shared her own experience with that. Some families take it as an extreme concern if any of their kids start praying five times or learning about Islam or girls decide to cover their heads, which is quite confusing to the younger generation and to everyone who wants to practice it the right way. Islam does not accept changes, but somehow our society tends to pick whatever is convenient for them, she said.

Despite that, Yespenbetova carries on with her practices. I guess it is a journey of each person and it is only between the person and God, she concluded.

Kazakhstan is a secular country, where people have the freedom to choose a religion and practice it. According to the Committee on Religious Affairs, there are 2,693 mosques in the country. On Aug. 12, an opening of the Grand Mosque, the largest mosque in Central Asia that can accommodate 30,000 people, took place in Nur-Sultan and was attended by First President Nazarbayev.

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Evolution of Islam in Kazakhstan: How Modern Kazakh Muslims Balance Their Religious Identity, the Soviet Legacy and National Traditions - Astana Times

Many of our politicians, environmentalists, foundations and now "woke" corporations are beholden to the globalist goals of the UN and World Economic Forum. Do we have to add the nefarious activities of the teachers' unions to control our children? Too often the CEOs of hundreds of woke companies live in fear of retaliation and loss of job if they dare come against their atheist globalist one-world government schemes. Even our 4th Estate is reluctant to report facts or conduct an occasional investigation that would expose and document what we already suspect.

We used to sound like conspiracy theorists until this evil enterprise has now grown into arrogant reality. The loss of dams and irrigation water drained to the sea leads to dust bowl conditions and loss of many in the grand profession of farming is tearing us apart. Sadly, they have been successful at all levels, even brainwashing our children as they strive to break down the nuclear family by scaring them with global warming. That is a bald-faced lie! If anything, we are in a long-term cooling cycle as oft-repeated ice core samples from Antarctica prove. A million years worth of repeated heating and cooling cycles. The globalists' entire foundation is based on lies, lies and more lies.

Can you explain to the otherwise uninvolved grocery shopper why the shelves are sparse and the prices out of reach? Are they hungry enough to educate themselves and rise up? Unfortunately, by that time we'll all be in the clutches of the "global elite" who claim to be much smarter and goal-oriented toward the demise of 80 percent of us. After all, they just want to "save the planet" and make it their exclusive playground while survivors serve their needs with ever-failing resources and the loss of ingenuity of a captive people.

The price of liberty is eternal vigilance.

Gerry Todd, Bakersfield

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Letter to the editor: Grow food or starve - The Bakersfield Californian