tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post1317741435818618307..comments2024-03-26T03:31:06.199-04:00Comments on Ask a Korean!: Confucianism and Korea - Part IV: Confucianism in Modern KoreaT.K. (Ask a Korean!)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07663422474464557214noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-48821369660608248132016-10-07T14:39:38.213-04:002016-10-07T14:39:38.213-04:00Nice interpretation about Confucianism in modern d...Nice interpretation about Confucianism in modern day life. Our local middle school has Confucianism Classroom for Chinese language class as second language. Your blog should be help the kids understand Confucianism better.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13548997644198145709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-37000838516960735082016-04-24T12:20:54.637-04:002016-04-24T12:20:54.637-04:00Christ's resurrection
Within Christianity, th...Christ's resurrection<br /><br />Within Christianity, the resurrection is vitally important. Without the resurrection our faith is useless (1 Cor. 15:14). It was Jesus' resurrection that changed the lives of the disciples. After Jesus was crucified, the disciples ran and hid. But when they saw the risen Lord, they knew that all that Jesus had said and done proved that He was indeed God in flesh, the Savior.<br /><br />No other religious leader has died in full view of trained executioners, had a guarded tomb, and then risen three days later to appear to many many people. This resurrection is proof of who Jesus is and that He did accomplish what He set out to do: provide the only means of redemption for mankind.<br /><br />Buddha did not rise from the dead. Muhammad did not rise from the dead. Confucius did not rise from the dead. Krishna did not rise from the dead, etc. Only Jesus has physically risen from the dead, walked on water, claimed to be God, and raised others from the dead. He has conquered death. Why trust anyone else? Why trust anyone who can be held by physical death when we have a Messiah who is greater than death itself?<br /><br />Conclusion<br /><br />Why should anyone trust in Christianity over Islam, Buddhism, Mormonism, or anything else? It is because there are absolute truths--because only in Christianity is there accurate fulfilled prophecies of a coming Messiah. Only in Christianity do we have the extremely accurate transmission of the eyewitness' documents (gospels), so we can trust what was originally written. Only in Christianity do we have the person of Christ who claimed to be God, performed many miracles to prove His claim of divinity, who died and rose from the dead, and who said that He alone was the way the truth and the life (John 14:6). All this adds to the legitimacy and credibility of Christianity above all other religions--all based on the person of Jesus. If follows that if it is all true about what Jesus said and did, then all other religions are false because Jesus said that He alone was the way, the truth, and the life and that no one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). It could not be that Jesus is the only way and truth and other religions also be the truth.<br /><br />Either Jesus is true and all other religions are false, or other religions are true and Jesus is false. There are no other options. I choose to follow the risen Lord Jesus.<br />allenjeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02522397149626570207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-23245540940773006542016-04-24T12:20:47.269-04:002016-04-24T12:20:47.269-04:00The Claims and Deeds of Christ
Christianity claim...The Claims and Deeds of Christ<br /><br />Christianity claims to be authored by God. Of course, merely making such a claim does not make it true. Anyone can make claims; but, backing up those claims is entirely different. Jesus used the Divine Name for Himself (John 8:58)--the same Divine Name used by God when Moses asked God what His name was in (Exodus 3:14). Jesus said that He could do whatever He saw God the Father do (John 5:19), and He claimed to be one with the God the Father (John 10:30; 10:38). Likewise, the disciples also called Him God (John 1:1, 14; John 10:27; Col. 2:9). By default, if Jesus is God in flesh, then whatever He said and did would be true. Since Jesus said that He alone was the way, the truth, and the life and that no one can find God without Him (John 14:6), His words become incredibly important.<br /><br />Again, making a claim is one thing. Backing it up is another. Did Jesus also back up His fantastic words with miraculous deeds? Yes, He did.<br /><br />• Jesus changed water into wine (John 2:6-10).<br />• Jesus cast out demons (Matt. 8:28-32; 15:22-28).<br />• Jesus healed lepers (Matt. 8:3; Luke 17:14).<br />• Jesus healed diseases (Matt. 4:23, 24; Luke 6:17-19)<br />• Jesus healed the paralytic (Mark 2:3-12).<br />• Jesus raised the dead (Matt. 9:25; John 11:43-44).<br />• Jesus restored sight to the blind (Matt. 9:27-30; John 9:1-7).<br />• Jesus restored cured deafness (Mark 7:32-35).<br />• Jesus fed the multitude (Matt. 14:15-21; Matt. 15:32-38).<br />• Jesus walked on water (Matt. 14:25-27).<br />• Jesus calmed a storm with a command (Matt. 8:22-27; Mark 4:39).<br />• Jesus rose from the dead (Luke 24:39; John 20:27).<br />• Jesus appeared to disciples after resurrection (John 20:19).<br /><br />The eyewitnesses recorded the miracles of Jesus, and the gospels have been reliably transmitted to us. Therefore, we can believe what Jesus said about Himself for two reasons: One, because what He said and did agrees with the Old Testament; and two, because Jesus performed many convincing miracles in front of people who testified and wrote about what they saw Him do.<br />allenjeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02522397149626570207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-23920232454904889492016-04-24T12:20:07.682-04:002016-04-24T12:20:07.682-04:00Fulfilled Prophecy concerning Jesus
Though there ...Fulfilled Prophecy concerning Jesus<br /><br />Though there are other religions that have prophecies in them, none are 100% accurate as is the Bible; and none of them point to someone like Jesus who made incredible claims and performed incredible deeds. The Old Testament was written hundreds of years before Jesus was born. Yet, the Old Testament prophesied many things about Jesus. This is undoubtedly evidence of divine influence upon the Bible.<br /><br />Please consider some of the many prophecies of Jesus in the following chart.<br /><br />Prophecy Old Testament Prophecy New Testament Fulfillment<br />Born of a virgin Isaiah 7:14<br />Matt. 1:18, 25<br /><br />Born at Bethlehem Micah 5:2<br />Matt. 2:1<br /><br />He would be preceded by a Messenger Isaiah 40:3<br />Matt. 3:1-2<br /><br />Rejected by His own people Isaiah 53:3<br />John 7:5; 7:48<br /><br />Betrayed by a close friend Isaiah 41:9<br />John 13:26-30<br /><br />His side pierced Zech. 12:10<br />John 19:34<br /><br />Crucifixion Psalm 22:1<br />Psalm 22:11-18<br />Luke 23:33;<br />John 19:23-24<br /><br />Resurrection of Christ Psalm 16:10<br />Acts 13:34-37<br /><br />Fulfillment of prophecy can have different explanations. Some state that the NT was written and altered to make it look like Jesus fulfilled OT prophecy (but there is no evidence of that). Others state that the prophecies are so vague that they don't count (but many of the prophecies are not vague at all). Of course, it is possible that God inspired the writers and Jesus, who is God in flesh, fulfilled these prophecies as a further demonstration of the validity of Christianity.<br />allenjeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02522397149626570207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-62593523953384955362016-04-24T12:19:47.286-04:002016-04-24T12:19:47.286-04:00Why believe in Christianity over all other religio...Why believe in Christianity over all other religions?<br /><br />Critics often ask why Christianity is any better than any other religion in the world. After all, of all the religions that exist, how can it be that only Christianity is true? If God exists, why can't God use different religions? Don't all paths lead to God? Skeptics ask these kinds of questions all the time; and, unfortunately, few Christians have the answers. Therefore, in an attempt to demonstrate why Christianity is true and all other religious systems are false, I've prepared the follow list of reasons for Christianity's superiority.<br /><br />There are such things as absolute truths<br /><br />If truth is relative, then the statement that truth is relative is an absolute truth and would be a self-defeating statement by proving that truth is not relative. But, if truth is absolute, then the statement "truth is absolute" is true and not self-defeating. It is true that truth exists. It is true that truth will not contradict itself as we have just seen. In fact, it is absolutely true that you are reading this paper.<br /><br />If we can see that there is such a thing as truth in the world, then we could also see that there can be spiritual truth as well. It is not absurd to believe in spiritual absolutes anymore than physical or logical absolutes. Even the statement that all religions lead to God is a statement held to be a spiritual absolute by many people. This simply demonstrates that people do believe in spiritual truth. Why? Because truth exists. However, not all that is believed to be true actually is true. Furthermore, all belief systems cannot be true since they often contradict each other in profound ways--and truth is not self-contradictory.<br /><br />Religions contradict each other; therefore, they cannot all be true.<br /><br />Mormonism teaches that there are many gods in existence and that you can become a god. Christianity teaches that there is only one God and that you cannot become a god. Islam teaches that Jesus is not God in flesh where Christianity does. Jesus cannot be both God and not God at the same time. Some religions teach that we reincarnate while others do not. Some teach there is a hell, and others do not. They cannot all be true. If they cannot all be true, it cannot be true that all religions lead to God. Furthermore, it means that some religions are, at the very least, false in their claims to reveal the true God (or gods). Remember, truth does not contradict itself. If God exists, He will not institute mutually exclusive and contradictory belief systems in an attempt to get people to believe in Him. God is not the author of confusion (1 Cor. 14:33). Therefore, it is reasonable to believe that there can be an absolute spiritual truth and that not all systems can be true regardless of whether or not they claim to be true. There must be more than a mere claim.<br /><br />allenjeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02522397149626570207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-33575714516687358872016-02-27T14:30:37.546-05:002016-02-27T14:30:37.546-05:00So true. Thanks from me. A 74 year old Aussie (ye...So true. Thanks from me. A 74 year old Aussie (yes, Sydney Australia) who has been teaching ESL to Korean families for almost 20 years.<br />Luv ya work!melsergeanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02036320125027865113noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-6824120341536305262016-02-25T14:14:52.022-05:002016-02-25T14:14:52.022-05:003. There are many strong historical reasons to bel...3. There are many strong historical reasons to believe that Jesus was raised from the dead.<br /> a. The disciples’ experiences<br /> b. The transformation of the disciples into bold witnesses<br /> c. The empty tomb<br /> d. The resurrection of Jesus was the very center of the apostolic message.<br /> e. The Jewish leaders could not disprove their message.<br /> f. The very existence and growth of the church.<br /> g. In this resurrected physical body Jesus appeared to more than five hundred of his disciples on twelve different occasions over a forty-day period and conversed with them (see Luke 24:13-49, 1 Corinthians 15:5-7, Acts 1:4-8, Matthew 28:1-10, John 20:24-31).<br />This was the greatest of all miracles since the creation itself, and could have been accomplished only if Jesus indeed is God, as He had claimed to be.<br /><br />D. Predictive Prophecies<br /><br />Consider the following predictions made centuries in advanced that Jesus would be:<br />1. born of a woman (Genesis 3:15; cf. Galatians 4:4);<br />2. born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14; cf. Matthew 1:21);<br /><br />3. “cut off” (die) 483 years after the declaration to reconstruct the city of Jerusalem in 444 B.C. (Daniel 9:24);<br /><br />4. of the seed of Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3 and 22:18; cf. Mathew 1:1);<br /><br />5. of the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10, cf. Luke 3:23);<br /><br />6. of the house of David (2 Samuel 7:12; cf. Matthew 1:1);<br /><br />7. born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; cf. Matthew 2:1);<br /><br />8. anointed by the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:2; cf. Mattthew 3:16-17);<br /><br />9. that Jesus would performed miracles (Isaiah 35:5-6; cf. Matthew 9:35);<br /><br />10. would cleanse the temple (Malachi 3:1; cf. Matthew 21:12);<br /><br />11. would be rejected by Jews (Psalms 118:22; cf. 1 Peter 2:7);<br /><br />12. die a humiliating death (Psalms 22; cf. Matthew 9:35);<br /><br />13. that he would rise from the dead (Psalm 2:7 and 16:10; cf. Acts 2:31)<br /><br />14. ascended into heaven (Psalm 68:8; cf. Acts 1:9);<br /><br />15. and sit at the right hand of God (Psalm 110:1; cf. Hebrew 1:3).<br /><br />It is important to understand that these prophecies were written hundreds of years before Christ was born. No one could have been reading the trends of the times or just making intelligent guesses, like the “prophecies” we see in the checkout line at the supermarket.<br />allenjeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02522397149626570207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-76938607369237207232016-02-25T14:14:32.357-05:002016-02-25T14:14:32.357-05:00d. Jesus’ central teaching of the Kingdom of God a...d. Jesus’ central teaching of the Kingdom of God and its entrance requirements of faith in his person and teachings in found in all four Gospels (c.f. Mark 1:14-15; Matthew 18:3-6; Luke 18:28-30; John 1:10-13) and in Paul’s epistles (c.f. Romans 6:23; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4).<br /> f. Paul was known as the apostle to the Gentiles (see Acts 9:15;16; 22:21; Romans 11:13-14). Not only did Jesus command his disciples to take the gospel to the Gentiles (see Matthew 28:19-20; Luke 24:47; John 10:16; Acts 1:8), but this was actually a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, not a new doctrine (see Genesis 12:3; Isaiah 19:18-25 for two examples).<br /> g. Since Jesus literally rose from the dead, any verification of the truthfulness of his teachings would even extend to Paul’s message and writings, since they are in agreement with the Gospels at these points.<br />10. Jesus was not an international traveler during his “silent years” or after his death.<br /> a. There is no viable historical evidence for such international ventures.<br /> b. The swoon theory fails and is rejected by critical scholars.<br /> c. These endeavors almost always involved a long trail of illogic and incredibly mysterious connections.<br /><br />C. Miracle-claims<br /><br />1. Although many would place miracle-claims completely in the realm of faith, such is to ignore their possibly objective theistic and historical nature.<br /> a. If it is taught that miraculous events have occurred in history, as in the case with New Testament miracle-claims, then at least the objective, historical side of such a claim can be investigated. In other words, if it actually happened, at least the portion of the event that touched the space-time world can potentially be examined.<br /> b. In the New Testament, the resurrection of Jesus is not only the central tenet Christianity, but it is asserted that if Jesus did not rise from the dead, then faith in actually in vain (1 Corinthians 15:1-20). Paul even supports his point that Jesus was raised by citing eyewitnesses, historical testimony to this fact (vv. 5-8). Under these circumstances, one could hardly claim that objective, factual interests in the resurrection are foreign to the New Testament.<br /> c. This objection also commits errors that are associated with the “leap of faith.” If carried to its logical conclusion, it provides no objective basis for faith, including any reasons why faith should be exercised at all. As such, it is difficult to distinguish between belief and credulity.<br />2. Alternative theories that have been proposed to account for Jesus’ resurrection on naturalistic grounds have failed to account for the known historical facts.<br />allenjeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02522397149626570207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-62233556965361549002016-02-25T14:14:13.945-05:002016-02-25T14:14:13.945-05:007. Jesus died on the cross, as indicated by severa...7. Jesus died on the cross, as indicated by several facts.<br /> a. The nature of crucifixion, including the discovery of Yohanan’s skeleton, reveals both the nature and assurance of death by this method.<br /> b. The explanation of Jesus’ heart wound indicates that it would have killed him even if he had been alive.<br /> c. The death of Jesus is the most recorded event in ancient, non-Christian history.<br /> d. The trustworthy Gospels give accurate accounts of Jesus’ death.<br />8. After his death, Jesus was raised bodily and appeared to his followers.<br /> a. Naturalistic hypothesis that have sought to explain in normal terms the supernatural element of Jesus’ resurrection have failed to do so, chiefly because they are refuted by the known historical data. Several other reasons also indicate this failure.<br /> b. There are numerous positive evidences for the resurrection that indicate that Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to many of those who followed him.<br /> c. A case for the resurrection can be built by using only those minimal facts that are clearly established by the historical method. On a smaller scale, these facts can refute the alternative hypotheses and provide the best evidences for the resurrection. <br /> d. The Shroud of Turin may supply some additional scientific evidence of Jesus’ resurrection.<br />9. Jesus’ message was not changed by Paul or by other followers.<br /> a. In both the synoptics, as well as in John, Jesus claimed to be deity. Often this was done by his words, such as his claims to be Son of God and Son of Man (c.f. Mark 2:10-11; 10:45; 13:32; 14:36). At other times he showed his deity by his actions, such as forgiven sin, fulfilling Old Testament messianic prophecy and by claiming authority much greater than that of the Jewish leaders (see Mark 2:1-12; Matthew 5;20-48; cf. Isaiah 9:6-7).<br /> b. Numerous pre-Pauline creeds such as Philippians 2:6-11, Romans 1:3-4, 1 Corinthians 11:23, and many from the book of Acts designate Jesus by the loftiest titles, thereby indicating the early teaching of his deity. These show further that this doctrine definitely did not originate with Paul.<br /> c. Neither Jesus nor Paul taught that Christianity was a new religion. Both held that Christianity was a fulfillment of Judaism (see Matt. 5:18; Luke 16:16-17; Romans 10:4:9-11; Colossians 2:16-17).<br />allenjeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02522397149626570207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-16827123984695745412016-02-25T14:13:42.878-05:002016-02-25T14:13:42.878-05:007. The Gospel and Acts were recognized as inspired...7. The Gospel and Acts were recognized as inspired books almost immediately after being written (see J.B. Lightfoot, The Apostolic Fathers).<br /> a. 1 Timothy 5:18 quotes Luke 10:7 and refers to it as “Scripture.”<br /> b. Clement of Rome (about AD 95) speaks of the “Gospel” and quotes portions found in all three synoptic Gospels, referring to them as the words of Jesus (Corinthians 13,46).<br /> c. Ignatius (Smyrnaeans 3) and Polycarp (Philippians 2, 7), both writing about AD 115, refer to verses in the synoptic Gospels as the words of Christ. <br />8. Paul’s epistles were also recognized as inspired Scripture almost immediately after being written.<br /> a. 2 Peter 3:15-16 calls Paul’s epistles “Scripture.”<br /> b. Clement of Roman (Corinthians 47), Ignatius (Ephesians 10; to Polycarp 5), and Polycarp (Philippians 1,3-4, 6) all refer to Paul’s writings as inspired.<br /><br />B. The Historicity of Jesus<br /><br />1. The trustworthy Gospels (A above) exhibit much interest in the historical Jesus and give accurate accounts of his life, death, and resurrection.<br />2. Numerous pre- and extrabiblical sources record much ancient testimony concerning Jesus within 125 years after his death.<br /> a. Early Christian creeds that pre-date the New Testament, as well as the historical facts that virtually all critical scholars admit, provide an extremely strong case for the death and resurrection of Jesus.<br /> b. Archaeology contributes a few finds that illuminate and provide background for Jesus’ career, such as the crucifixion victims investigated by archaeologist Vasilius Tzaferis, “Jewish Tombs At and Near Giv’at ha- Mivtar,” Israel Exploration Journal 20 (1970), pp. 38-59.<br /><br /> Also the Shroud of Turin (Historically proclaimed to be the actual burial garment of Jesus). See Ian Wilson, The Shroud of Turin (New York: Doubleday, 1978, also see John Heller, Report on the Shroud of Turin (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1983), especially chapters 12-14.<br /><br />d. Secular historians (e.g. Cornelius Tacitus, Gaius Suetonius Tranquillas), government officials (e.g. Piny the Younger, Emperor Trajan), religious works (e.g. The Talmud, Toledoth Jesu, and other sources report many details about Jesus from non-Christian viewpoints.<br />e. Ancient Christian sources preserve a number of historical statements about Jesus (e.g. Clement of Rome, Ignatius, Justin Martyr).<br />4. To reject Jesus’ miracles a priori is to ignore correct inductive procedure where all the facts are investigated before a decision is made.<br />5. To reject Jesus’ doctrinal teachings a priori as valid for today is to pick and choose portions of the Gospels. Further, If Jesus was raised from the dead, there is, at a minimum, some implied significance for Jesus’ teachings, as well.<br />6. Without a significant historical basis in the life of Jesus, Christianity would have had no impetus for its origins.<br />allenjeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02522397149626570207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-84195187933513538032016-01-26T14:54:07.609-05:002016-01-26T14:54:07.609-05:00Ralph Muncaster, (former atheist) in his book: Ex...Ralph Muncaster, (former atheist) in his book: Examine the Evidence, presents extensive evidence to validate the truth-claims of Christianity. He provides compelling arguments from science, biblical prophecy, history, and archaeology. This former skeptic points out that of all religions and philosophies on earth, only one, Christianity is verifiable and testable.<br /><br />1,456 hours of Sunday school and church turned Ralph Muncaster into a hard-core atheist. Then he was challenged to honestly investigate the Bible and the facts of modern science. He was stunned. Fact after fact, from biology, history, archaeology, physics, lined up with the Bible’s account!<br /><br />The Bible Itself Argues Against the Possibility of Its Corruption<br /><br />The charge that the Bible has been corrupted, contradicts what the Bible itself teaches. After all, in Isaiah 40:8 we read, “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands for ever.” In the New Testament Jesus says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Matthew 24:35).<br /><br />The Almighty God who had the power and sovereign control to inspire the Scriptures in the first place is surely going to continue to exercise His power and sovereign control in the preservation of Scripture.<br /><br /><br />allenjeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02522397149626570207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-90301720130382043822016-01-26T14:53:41.724-05:002016-01-26T14:53:41.724-05:00• People did not have to return to their ancestral...• People did not have to return to their ancestral home (as indicated in Luke 2:3). <br /> What Ramsay Discovered: People did have to return to their home city, verified by an ancient Egyptian papyrus giving directions for conducting a census. <br /><br /><br />• The existence of the treasurer of the city of Corinth, Erastus (Romans 16:23), was incorrect. <br /> What Ramsay Discovered: A city pavement in Corinth bearing the inscription “Erastus, curator of public buildings, laid this pavement at his own expense.”<br /><br />• Luke’s reference to Gallio as proconsul of Achaia was wrong (Acts 18:12). <br /> What Ramsay Discovered: The Delphi inscription that reads, “As Lucius Junius Gallio, my friend and proconsul of Achaia.”<br /><br /><br /><br />Time and time again Ramsay’s search to find evidence that Luke’s writing was in error turned up evidence that it was, in fact, accurate. As a result, Sir William Ramsay eventually converted to Christianity proclaimed Luke as “one of the greatest historians” of all time. <br /><br /><br />Simon Greenleaf (1783-1853) Greenleaf, (former Atheist), one of the principle founders of the Harvard Law School, and a world-renowned expert on evidence, originally set out to disprove the biblical testimony concerning the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He was certain that a careful examination of the internal witness of the Gospels would dispel all the myths at the heart of Christianity. But this legal scholar came to the conclusion that the witnesses were reliable, and that the resurrection did in fact happen. Being a man of conviction and reason, and in accordance with his conclusions, Greenleaf converted from Agnosticism to Christianity. <br />allenjeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02522397149626570207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-45416808504516033462016-01-26T14:53:20.711-05:002016-01-26T14:53:20.711-05:00FASCINATING FACTS CONCERNING THE BIBLE
William Al...FASCINATING FACTS CONCERNING THE BIBLE<br /><br />William Albright (1891 – 1971). Once a director of the School of Oriental Research at Johns Hopkins University, William Albright wrote more than 800 books and articles, mostly on the validity of biblical manuscripts. He is best known for his work in confirming the authenticity of the Old Testament, and especially the authentication of the Dead Sea scrolls.<br /><br />Albright also researched and confirmed the dating of the writings of the New Testament. His conclusion was that there was “no longer any solid basis for dating any book of the New Testament after about A.D. 80.” Early in his professional life, Albright had some doubts about the validity of biblical claims about Jesus. These, however, were answered conclusively in favor of the authenticity of the Bible as he conducted his research.<br /><br />Sir William Ramsay (1852-1916). Sir William Ramsay was, arguably the greatest archaeologist of his day. He had rejected much of the written New Testament account and was determined to prove it false based on other writings of the day that contradicted the Bible. Ramsay believed that the books of Luke and Acts were actually written in about A.D. 150 and therefore did not bear the authenticity that first-century document would. His archaeological journeys took him to 32 countries, 44 cities, and 9 islands. Throughout some 15 years of intensive study, he concluded that “Luke is a historian of the first rank, this author should be placed along with the very greatest of historians.”<br /><br />What Critics Thought <br />• There was no Roman census (as indicated in Luke 2:1). <br /><br /> What Ramsay Discovered: There was a Roman census every 14 years, beginning with Emperor Augustus.<br /><br />• Quirinius was not governor of Syria at the time of Jesus’ birth (as indicated in Luke 2:2). <br /> What Ramsay Discovered: Quirinius was governor of Syria in about 7 B.C.<br />allenjeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02522397149626570207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-45404992308282063472015-12-28T16:02:42.863-05:002015-12-28T16:02:42.863-05:00What makes you think Christianity is the only way ...What makes you think Christianity is the only way to God?<br />The truth of Christianity rests completely in the person of Jesus. The Gospels are the written accounts by eyewitnesses of Jesus' life and deeds. Jesus said that He alone was the way to the Father (John 14:6) and that He alone revealed the Father (Matt. 11:27, Luke 10:22). Jesus claimed to be God (John 8:58, Exodus 3:14), who forgave sins (Mark 2:5, Luke 5:20, 7:48) and who rose from the dead (Luke 24:24-29, John 2:19-21). Jesus said that He was the only way. Jesus is unique. He was either telling the truth, He was crazy, or He was a liar. But since everyone agrees that Jesus was a good man, how then could He be both good and crazy or good and a liar? He had to be telling the truth in order to be good. He is the only way.<br />Furthermore, Christianity is not just a religion. It is a relationship with God. It is trusting in Jesus and what He did on the cross (1 Cor. 15:1-4) and not on what you can do for yourself (Eph. 2:8-9). It is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies and dependence upon the One who died and rose from the dead (John 2:19-21).<br />Buddha didn't rise from the dead nor did Confucius or Zoroaster. Muhammad didn't fulfill detailed prophecy or rise from the dead either, and though there is far less reliable information written, people believe in them.<br />The Scripture is right when it says in 1 Pet. 2:7-8, "This precious value, then, is for you who believe. But for those who disbelieve, 'The stone which the builders rejected, this became the very corner stone,' and, 'A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense'; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed," (NASB).<br />It is Jesus to whom we look for the validity of Christianity. If Jesus is false, then Christianity is false. If Jesus is who He claimed to be, then Christianity is the only correct religion.<br />The Mathematical Odds of Jesus Fulfilling Prophecy<br />"The following probabilities are taken from Peter Stoner1 to show that coincidence is ruled out by the science of probability. Stoner says that by using the modern science of probability in reference to eight prophecies, ‘we find that the chance that any man might have lived down to the present time and fulfilled all eight prophecies is 1 in 1017." That would be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. In order to help us comprehend this staggering probability, Stoner illustrates it by supposing that "we take 1017 silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They will cover all of the state two feet deep. Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the state. Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up one silver dollar and say that this is the right one. What chance would he have of getting the right one? Just the same chance that the prophets would have had of writing these eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man."<br />Stoner considers 48 prophecies and says, "we find the chance that any one man fulfilled all 48 prophecies to be 1 in 10157, or 1 in 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,<br />000,000,000,000,000,000,000."2<br /><br />The estimated number of electrons in the universe is around 1079. It should be quite evident that Jesus did not fulfill the prophecies by accident. He was who He said He was: the only way (John 14:6).<br />• 1.Science Speaks, Moody Press, 1963.<br />• 2.McDowell, Josh, Evidence that Demands a Verdict.<br />allenjeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02522397149626570207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-56954516668728039022014-09-25T12:34:24.308-04:002014-09-25T12:34:24.308-04:00Excellent post, I m a mainland Chinese and most of...Excellent post, I m a mainland Chinese and most of people in china have not interpreted the concept of the mandate of haven as a motivation for democratic campaign like your guys did in Korea . It is quite intriguing to see Confucism can be adjusted into a modern value like thatAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04474199015268181305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-71149105572808253152012-10-31T14:01:58.360-04:002012-10-31T14:01:58.360-04:00You know, I'd usually look at a post like this...You know, I'd usually look at a post like this and be like TL;DR, but I read it and this is really interesting. You explained things very well. It reminds me of my Theory of Knowledge class that I loved so much. It makes me want to study more and learn to stretch my mind, not for just the sake of being part of some social elite, but for myself to be more human-like.tbghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15755563005147089992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-33061645794949634862011-11-12T18:59:51.324-05:002011-11-12T18:59:51.324-05:00I have to say though that the European way of thin...I have to say though that the European way of thinking and European philosophy do encourage self development, expanding your intellectual horizon, constantly improving yourself as a person.It's extremely typical of it. So much so that there are EU programs and funds dedicated especially to that. <br />Also, he is not a philosopher but an extremely influential person: Lenin who said: Learn, learn and once again learn. It might not seem like much but when it is repeated to you every day of your life (like it was in my country in communist times) it certainly influences your development.<br />Maybe America is different.Catalinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01982362244986609478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-9248651183205069632011-06-26T01:06:11.061-04:002011-06-26T01:06:11.061-04:00really interesting article, although a minor comme...really interesting article, although a minor comment is that Christianity isn't individualistic. The idea of individuality actually is connected with the Enlightenment, which is scientific and not religious...Rose Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10788269671752711646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-69105604917919227492011-04-18T21:22:12.241-04:002011-04-18T21:22:12.241-04:00Thank you!Thank you!JWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01057751527419614924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-6226126166016301622011-04-16T13:33:45.407-04:002011-04-16T13:33:45.407-04:00I thought this series was fantastic. I always lear...I thought this series was fantastic. I always learn so much more than I anticipate when reading your articles. You always go beyond the obvious to teach us a little bit about ourselves.LuccaQhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00042523312185195137noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-42019640289316907162011-04-15T15:20:50.223-04:002011-04-15T15:20:50.223-04:00@cornflakes You know how little boys copy everythi...@cornflakes <b>You know how little boys copy everything their dad or big brother does? Well, its kinda like that!</b><br /><br />This comparison is... not a very good one, lol. <br /><br />One nation being influenced by the culture of another has very, very little in common with the dynamics involved between fathers and sons or between brothers. It's almost an entirely different set of motivations and expectations we're talking about. The relationship between fathers and sons, older brothers and younger brothers is mostly about love and acceptance working with a certain level of trust. One nation emulating another is mostly about competition and survival working with a certain level of suspicion. I mean, this is pretty basic, World Affairs 101 kinda stuff.JacLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06881260567703817773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-85967463566572695702011-04-15T15:18:49.339-04:002011-04-15T15:18:49.339-04:00"Hmm now that I think about it, Korean cultur..."Hmm now that I think about it, Korean culture sometimes feel like a massive copy-paste job from China...."<br /><br />This is my original statement. It is a one-sentence summary of that long ass post I just wrote. The same damn thing. It is nationalist-minded Koreans overreacted (again).<br /><br />But since you seem to make a subtle threat of ban, I guess I should play the more humble role and withdraw from this topic....sir.cornflakeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03198470863458949453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-79494839698139906192011-04-15T13:31:04.237-04:002011-04-15T13:31:04.237-04:00I'd like to note another (self-imposed) old na...I'd like to note another (self-imposed) old name for Korea is "little China" or "sohwa" (小華, 소화).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-81071516528881053972011-04-15T11:48:57.392-04:002011-04-15T11:48:57.392-04:00Great post. When you talked about how political le...Great post. When you talked about how political leaders and educators are held up to a high moral standard, I think this would also include celebrities. For example, I recently watched the Korean film "여배우들" ("The Actresses"), a kind of fiction-meets-reality quasi-docudrama in which six actresses appear as themselves and basically talk about their lives; in particular Go Hyun-Jung and Yoon Yeo-Jung talk about how their divorces negatively affected their careers.<br /><br />The "법대로" reference is pretty funny as well.<br /><br />On a side note, several of my Korean students and friends have actually referenced Confucianism when explaining aspects of Korean culture. But I agree that it does seem to be a mostly subconscious thing.Marc Hogihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10778867844683941083noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-37847380837927996922011-04-15T11:19:03.597-04:002011-04-15T11:19:03.597-04:00cornflakes,
You would surely agree that while &qu...<b>cornflakes</b>,<br /><br />You would surely agree that while "copy/paste" does not match up completely with "plagiarize" (with a negative connotation,) a fair-minded reader could easily get that impression. <br /><br />Now, you seem to be making an uncontroversial point that Korea was heavily influenced by China and the two cultures bear significant similarities. Then why not just say that? In fact, in your first comment, everything but the last portion was making that exact observation. Why was the last portion necessary then?<br /><br />There seems to be two possible reasons:<br />(1) It was a part that you could have given more thought.<br />(2) You are trying to get a rise out of people.<br /><br />(1) happens to everyone all the time, so the Korean has no grief with that. But if you are doing (2), well, that's considered trolling which is not appreciated on this blog.T.K. (Ask a Korean!)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07663422474464557214noreply@blogger.com