Legacy

Wake Up Before the Clock Stops

By Karl C. Priest
September 25, 2013

The clock is ticking for everyone. Gazette editor James Haught made that clear in his article “Clock is Ticking” (http://www.wvgazette.com/Opinion/OpEdCommentaries/201309200131) last Sunday. The good news is that anyone can wake up before the clock stops. There is an alarm set. Reading this article will set it off for many people, but everyone will eventually hear the alarm and choose to wake up or continue in dreamland.

Mr. Haught admitted he has made choices. He has chosen to reject Jesus Christ. Those who reject Jesus Christ do it for one (or a combination of) people, persecution, pain, peccancy, or pride reasons.

The pressures of peers push one away from humbling himself before God. The fear of being persecuted keeps one from confessing his need of salvation. Anger or hurt over suffering of oneself or others is always found in anger-filled articles by atheists. Peccancy (it’s simpler to say “sin”) plagues us all. Pride is always there. It is worship of oneself. Egotism is excessive in atheism.

Mr. Haught seeks “wisdom in our long-running Unitarian philosophy-and-science circle.” The Bible has many references to “wisdom.” Enter the word in the search box at http://quod.lib.umich.edu/k/kjv/simple.html . One that is pertinent is “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.” (I Cor. 1:19) His Unitarian Church has its own theological position and bills itself as “Your Liberal Religious Home.” (http://www.uucharlestonwv.org/) Mr. Haught (email to me 9-25-13) says that his church is “too churchy”—whatever that means. I attended a major meeting of that church during the Evolution Resolution debate and reported it at http://www.insectman.us/testimony/resolution.htm.

Regarding his “ philosophy-and-science circle,” everyone, even an avowed atheist, has supernatural beliefs. It is a statement of faith to say, “There is no God.” Or, “It is impossible to know if God exists.” Amusingly, Mr. Haught claims that his personality was created by his brain. Evolution is an excellent example of what Mr. Haught attributes to biblical faith as “fairytale stuff.” True believers in evolutionism believe that nothing created everything! They worship Mother Nature and Darwin is a saint in their religion. Ultimately, they tacitly admit there is a Creator. I have extensive examples of this in an article at http://www.insectman.us/articles/karls/evos-admit-creation.htm.

“It takes courage to look death in the eye…” wrote Mr. Haught. That is true to an extent. Our combat troops are an example. But, for suicide bombers it is faith in their religious tenets. His faith is what brings Mr. Haught to his conclusion about what happens when his clock runs out. We all have faith. Christianity is not blind faith. It rests upon evidence which abounds. Life cries out, “There is a Creator!” The logical choice is to investigate who the Creator is.

Mr. Haught listed and quoted from people he admires. Some of them fit the biblical definition of fools. I admire Moses, David, Peter and Paul. All of them sinful, yet all wise enough to choose to accept the Creator.

I too wrote about the reality of actuarial tables (http://www.insectman.us/misc/face-the-facts.htm). Everyone should look at one and follow the biblical guide to ask God to “teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (Psalms 90:12) because “it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).

Christians are “in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better.” (Phil. 1:23) The Christian view of death is “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” (I Cor. 15:55)

The “ Carpe diem. Make hay while the sun shines” philosophy of Mr. Haught is short-sighted when compared to the eternity he must face. Christians comprehend that “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (I Cor. 4:18)

TICK, TICk, TIck, Tick, tick, tic, ti, t…

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BETTER LATE THAN NEVER: The Gazette ran a slightly edited version of this as a letter on 10-20-13. The title was “Christianity is Not Blind Faith”.

See the Haught article and a response to my article at "The Agony of Atheists".

Also see "Face the Facts" and "Counting to the Appointment".

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