Let's Educate Some Christians

When I was growing up, there was an expression circulated among Christian circles that says something like this:

"If you were to move Earth 10 feet closer to the Sun or 10 feet further away we would all die. God has placed us perfectly where we ought to be."

Recently I have seen someone post this, and then receive much rebuttal from people of the pseudo-scientific community. The problem really lies in that people don't actually apply critical thinking or analytic thinking, they merely see it for face value and demean people over this. It usually turns into the traditional "christian bashing" and someone usually starts talking about the Big Bang/Creation and what they believe to be the fallacy of the bible. Those topics are really for other blog posts. I have yet to attack the legitimacy of the bible, but I have a blog regarding the Big Bang/Creation titled "Jesus Believed in Evolution" if you want a long but actually somewhat thoughtful read.

Let me clear up this expression so we can put to rest the scientific community for demeaning Christians, and empower Christians to not make complete fools of themselves for not knowing what they are talking about:

First, let's get some of the basics out of the way with the facts:
1) The earth moves in an egg shaped ellipse around the sun.
2) Our distance from the sun changes by several million miles (3,106,855.95 miles to be exact) each year.
3) The earth is just under 8,000 miles thick on average
4) In science, the distance from the earth to the sun (92,956,000 miles) is referred to as 1 Astronomical Unit or 1 AU
5) In order for life to exist a planet must reside permanently within the Goldilocks Zone for it's respective star. This is the distance that will allow life to not burn or freeze to death. It varies for each star.
6) The Goldilocks Zone (clever name) for our sun is between .99AU and 1.7AU (http://io9.com/5980232/new-definition-of-the-goldilocks-zone-puts-earth-right-on-the-edge-of-habitability)

Okay, so now that we have the facts let's do some critical thinking. Using Facts 4 and 6 we can determine that the earth (which is at 1AU during it's closest time to the sun) has a margin of .01 to move from that point before we all burn to death. This is much more than 10 feet. To be exact, this is 92,956 miles.

Science Lovers: "Silly Christians. They really think that's true?! No wonder we have problems."

Hold on a second. That's not the end of the thought. Let's move to next-level thinking and not just the face value of the 10 feet. Clearly just the movement of 10 feet wouldn't immediately kill everyone. I've gone on roller coasters and not incinerated, but what happens AFTER the earth has moved this 10 feet?

Well, scientifically speaking, if you push an item closer to the sun it is subjected to a higher level of gravity, which ultimately will change the entire trajectory of the planet. If you figure the math out using Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kepler%27s_laws_of_planetary_motion) this would actually happen to push us much closer over time than the 92,956 miles because the ellipse changes from an egg shape to more of a "0" shape where the long sides are significantly closer (we burn) and the short sides are drastically further away (we freeze). Conversely, the opposite happens if you push the earth out 10 feet. The gravitation is less and as a result the ellipse is still the same shape, but the bottom wide half of this "egg" shaped ellipse is MUCH closer than we are now. In either case, our planet burns and freezes.

TO SCIENCE LOVERS
If you really like science, stop trying to make Science fight God. Science will never disprove God. Science is not in the nature of disproving ANYTHING, rather Scientific thinking is used to discover new things and prove things to help us better understand the universe. When you posit God against Science you are already limiting your scientific thinking, not to mention that mathematically you can never disprove anything because until we know the entire infinite universe there is always the possibility that what you are trying to disprove exists beyond your reach. Aliens could very well exist beyond our reach, and so could people just like us.

CHRISTIANS
Science isn't the devil. Science is something we were given to help better understand our world and the Creator. As Einstein said, "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind."

If we as Christians are fearful of Science, it's much less of your contempt for Science and much more your fear that they may disprove something you believe. Here's a thought: If God created Science, do you really think that Science will ever be able to prove that He doesn't exist? Do you think that we would be able to prove in the universe things that He didn't intend?

God made the universe. Science is us coming to conclusions based on observation. If we believe both of those statements, then we should 100% support Science because it will 100% of the time verify the very hand of God and make him more tangible to mankind on a very basic level.

JUST FOR FUN:
The reality is that we wouldn't even need to move 93,000 miles closer because the earth is 8,000 feet wide. What this means is that really our planet only needs to move about 86,000 miles closer because even if only one side were too close, the earth rotates on its axis, and as a result we all die in a rotisserie-style apocalypse.

Outside of this, our gravity is what makes certain gasses like hydrogen and liquids like water able to exist on our planet. If we moved that much closer, the strong force constant (gravity) is disrupted to a point that hydrogen can no longer exist at the closest point in our ellipse to the sun, and as a result our atmosphere breaks down and we all die.

How To Properly Debate Via Social Media and Public Forums

Many people debate topics and I am a person who really enjoys a good one. I like the idea of challenging my own thoughts with new information and reforming the way I see the world based on the overwhelming amount of information available. I know not all people share my zeal for this, but nonetheless, here I am.

I have noticed when I am on Facebook that often times people make arguments with the facade of being intelligent about the subject matter and/or having the ability to debate. This in turn leads me into the position of setting up and defending my position, naturally. As expected in any debate format, there are refutes to be given to any one point and subject that comes up, so naturally I roll with the punches, sometimes adjusting my beliefs when I concede they are correct and other times arguing my own side.

Here are some quick tips on debating (How to WIN debates) :

***Disclaimer*** Using these tips may cause people to not like you and/or think you are a jerk. C'est La Vie.

1) When you argue a point, always have some sort of verified evidence to back yourself. Studies done at colleges or by reputable and public sources are widely available on most topics. If using popular media sources, try to use sources from either side of the slant, as many are slanted toward one political affiliation. If you cannot, try to use something independent.

2) If you are joining a "debate" and have nothing to offer besides how you feel, you should simply state that using a simple phrase such as, "I feel like...."  (You cannot debate a feeling)

3) When evaluating the position of an opposing opinion or information, review it in the context of their own usage and your own. While they may not be applying it to YOUR opinion, they likely have systems of beliefs or points that are stemmed from this one, and you should be well equipped to move in that direction.

4) If you don't have anything to refute their argument, just concede. It's far less embarrassing to concede that you may be wrong than to be proven wrong. It also saves you a remote amount of power and dignity.

5) Avoid using derogatory language or belittling statements. It cheapens/weakens your argument, but will probably get a lot of likes on FB.

6) Don't fight questions with questions. If you don't have a good argument, then you don't have a good argument. There isn't any shame in not being able to back a point. It's simply bad form to reply to a question with another question. It doesn't solve anything and moves a productive debate into a hypothetical setting.

7) Redirecting a topic is acceptable once you have acknowledged and refuted a previous topic. You cannot simply ignore the previous argument and presume to be correct. This in effect actually projects a mutually agreed concession.

Now that I have equipped you to be a jerk, use with caution.

Growing Old (Copied from my Facebook Notes)

I hate change. I hate the inevitable feeling where you know for certain you are leaving something good behind you to go on to something else. I hate change.

When I was a child I was a dreamer. I always dreamed that one day I would leave my home and live in a home where I could look over golden fields and enjoy life. I dreamed that I would be doing something I love for a living and that my wife and kids would be completely in tune with what I wanted vice versa so that we all live in harmony. I had a dream that I would leave the small town I grew up in and go somewhere big, do big things, make big impressions, and live a big life. 

When I was a teen I was a drifter. I drifted from place to place looking for someone who could accept me with all of my inadequacies. I drifted from belief to belief wishing that somehow I would come to the right answer. I drifted further from the family that I once knew and drifted even further away from the people who tried to replace them. I let my morals drift from the narrow prism that once held my mind. I drifted from the innocence of childhood into the exploration of youth and adulthood. I drifted from the purity of being naive to the filthiness of knowing the truth.

When I was in my early 20's I was an explorer. I explored the boundaries of the world and the freedoms it had to offer. I explored deeper relationship with my then girlfriend/now wife. I explored my beliefs and dove deep into the core of what they really meant. I explored the pitfalls of disobedience and the tyranny of submission. 

Now I am a man with regrets. I regret not taking advantage of life as a child. I regret spending so much time dreaming rather than living a life that I now know is only possible during that age. I regret wanting to do big things and make big impressions but not taking the immediate steps to do so. I regret my inadequacies and the drifting I did from one belief to another. I regret distancing myself from everyone around me and kedging myself into an open ocean without a true ally. I regret giving up naivety for knowledge. I regret exploring freedom further than what I should have. I regret exploring disobedience rather than training myself up to be strong. 

When I was a dreamer I was protected by the imperfect love of the people that surrounded me, and it felt perfect. When I was a drifter the waves were calmed by the people who paved the paths for me to drift upon. When I was an explorer those who drew near to me were a safety net catching me each and every time I fell, which has already been regrettably quite frequently.

I hate change. I hate when you know you can no longer hold onto a piece of yourself that you have long held on to hoping to have it back. I hate when the flicker of hope that once shined in a far off star no longer shines and you keep peering deeper hoping to find the same light you've known so long. I hate change.

I Don't Love Jesus Enough

I was riding in the car this morning and listening to some worship music when I got to thinking a little bit about the nature of Jesus. I haven't recently been as invested in Him as maybe I would like to be and the reflections of that became evident in my thought. I've been less helpful at home. I've been lazy and slow. I've been less than enthused to help with even the simplest things.

While thinking about all of the things that I do that cause me to fall short every day I was reminded that He loves us anyway. It's something that we all take for granted every single day. It didn't seem "profound" to me this morning either. It just seemed like a matter-of-fact. I mess up. Jesus still loves me. There it is.

When I progressed to the next level of thought I did garner some new inspiration though. I thought about how He loves me in spite of my faults and mistakes, and how that is true love. It reminded me that love is not a feeling that I feel toward someone; it is an action that I exhibit toward the people that matter to me. Instant conviction.

I claim to love Jesus and to follow Him, but daily I misrepresent him when I have a bad attitude or when I a allow my anger to get the best of me. Daily I spit him in the face. How much a friend am I? I don't listen when He calls and often times put other things in front of Him. How can I do those things and still claim to love Him?

Having those thoughts race through my mind I then think about the crucifixion. Jesus said "Father forgive them. They know not what they do." Jesus wasn't just speaking about the hands that crucified him; we do that every day with our "mistakes" that are another pound against the nails. Jesus was speaking to the totality of Christians who fail to comprehend the consequences of their actions and to all of humanity. In that one statement, he asked forgiveness for all of mankind who follows Him.

The Bible says, "Greater love has no man that he lay down his life for his friends," and then, "while we were sinners, Christ died for us." He took it to the next level, beyond what we as people are capable of. He died for people who were not His friends, but He loved us anyway.

If love is an action, then I need to be doing more to act in a way that exemplifies love to the people around me. We aren't called to preach values to other people. I spit on Jesus enough in one day to deserve hell several times over. Who am I to then go to a brother and tell them about their faults? The first step is to reach out to others in love and to show the love that He had for us. That is the great commission. Failing to further his cause is an abuse of His name and leaves us unworthy of it, even though He will perpetually extend His grace.

So what did this all mean to me?
It's simple. If we aren't doing the things that tell people about Jesus with our actions then we aren't acting with love toward Jesus. It's simply a lie to say you love Jesus and do nothing.