Return to 2nd Quarter 2024 articles.
from Does God Exist? 2nd Quarter 2024
STAY UP-TO-DATE ON NEWS AND NOTES. The stories in News and Notes are condensed from articles previously published on our website DOES GOD EXIST? TODAY. You can use the links within each of these articles to see the original posts (on the Does God Exist? Today website) for more details. (Some of the articles below have links to outside sources, which may not be available after we have published this page.) There are also many other interesting and informative articles on the Does God Exist? Today website each day. We encourage you to follow us daily on “Does God Exist? Today.” On that website you can also subscribe to our free weekly e-mail update. We call it “The Best of the Week from DOES GOD EXIST?” It contains links to the most popular of our posts on DOES GOD EXIST? TODAY and our facebook page (Facebook.com/evidence4god).
OPPORTUNITY TO STUDY WITH JOHN CLAYTON: Because of the COVID pandemic and age, we have suspended our lectureship schedule. In place of that, we are providing an opportunity for congregations to have a lectureship electronically. We want to give the readers of this publication the same opportunity to study with John Clayton.
We will mail you a DVD of the first four lectures in our video series. You or your group can watch the four programs writing down questions and challenges to the material. Please send us your questions via e-mail or postal mail, and John Clayton will respond to them. If you are satisfied with that material, return the DVD, and we mail you the next one. Your only cost is the return postage for the DVD.
If you are interested in this opportunity, please send us your name and address, and we will send you the first DVD. Watching the Does God Exist? presentations in the comfort of your home is an excellent way to receive the information without risk from COVID or the inconvenience of driving to a lectureship site. E-mail your request to John Clayton at jncdge@aol.com.
CLAYTON APOLOGETICS READING ROOM: A recent ceremony at York University in York, Nebraska, dedicated a new facility for students of Christian apologetics. John Clayton accumulated a library of books and materials published by Christians and skeptics over the past fifty years. He was concerned about what to do with his apologetics library and wanted the books, magazines, and pamphlets to be available for reference and study by future students. John donated his entire library to York University, where it is now in the Clayton Apologetics Reading Room.
At the ceremony, York vice-president Jared Stark introduced John and revealed that he became a Christian due to one of John's lectures. John Clayton has been speaking to people in public assemblies for over fifty years, showing evidence for God's existence. During that time, many lives have been changed as a result of John's message.
The new Clayton Apologetics Reading Room is adjacent to the Clayton Museum of Ancient History at York University. They are open to the public by appointment. You can watch a video of the dedication statements by Jared Stark and John Clayton on our website, DoesGodExist.tv, or use this QR code. Then scroll down to see that video and others with John Clayton and John Cooper.
BLAMING GOD FOR HUMAN MISMANAGEMENT: Wildfires have increased in number and ferocity, destroying massive numbers of trees, causing a shortage of wood and wood products, destroying homes and businesses, and even entire towns. The Nature Conservancy reported that the average wildfire size today is 23,000 acres. In the 1980s, the average wildfire size was 7,000 acres. A wildfire in Texas destroyed more than one million acres.
In the natural world, lightning and spontaneous combustion produce small fires. When you allow leaves and dead wood to accumulate for decades, a lightning strike can cause a massive fire with lots of fuel for combustion. Even the amount of smoke these huge fires generate threatens people living thousands of miles away.
God has used fires in surprising ways. There are some trees whose seeds do not germinate unless they have been exposed to fire. Some animals depend on naturally burned-over areas to produce food such as berries and nuts. A major cause of today's catastrophic fires is human prevention of naturally occurring small fires. We need to recognize that the intelligence of design has kept woodlands healthy and stable in the past. We must work with that design intelligently to avoid the tragic pictures we see on the news.
Reference: The Nature Conservancy newsletter first issue for 2024 (page 13) and NBC News .
INCREASE IN ALCOHOL DEATHS IN THE U.S.: The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that from 2016 to 2021, deaths from alcohol use in the United States increased 29.3% from 137,927 to 178,307. Deaths among males increased 26.8%, and among females, the increase was 34.7%. The CDC makes a point that their data is only for deaths that are 100% attributable to alcohol use.
The Bible distinguishes between “wine” and “strong drink.” We find wine mentioned 141 times in the Old Testament and 32 times in the New Testament — always referring to the juice from grapes. The difference between “old wine” and “new wine” was the aging and fermentation of the juice. The juice was mixed with water because the water was not fit to drink without it, so the alcohol content was at a maximum between 10 and 15%. The term “strong drink” is mentioned 23 times in the Old Testament and one time in the New Testament (Luke 1:15). Scholars tell us that this refers to any drink derived from sources other than grapes, and the alcohol content could be as high as 20%.
The wine at the wedding feast at Cana (John 2:1-11) was better than all other wines available, but it was not “strong drink.” Modern distillation did not happen until 1500 A.D., and that is when alcohol became a “recreational drug.” Death due to alcohol consumption was virtually unknown until several years later, but it is epidemic today.
Reference: https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/facts-stats/?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/features/excessive-alcohol-deaths.html
ANT ANTIBIOTIC TREATMENT: Researchers at the University of Wurzburg in Germany have discovered that a species of African ants make antibiotics and treat the infections of their wounded comrades. The species studied is Matabele ants (Megaponera analis)in sub-Saharan Africa. Their diet consists of termites. The ants raid termite nests to get their food, but the termite soldiers fight back with their powerful mandibles. Many ants are wounded, and some wounds become infected and require antibiotic treatment.
Healthy ants pick up their wounded comrades and carry them back to the nest to treat their infected wounds. The ants create an antibiotic substance in a gland on the side of their thorax. Researchers found that the wound treatment reduced mortality rate by 90%. Can humans learn from this ant antibiotic treatment? Researchers say that the primary pathogen in the ant's wounds is a leading cause of human infections, so this study may lead to improved antibiotics. Every form of life has secrets to teach us. Learning what God has built into life is essential to answer major questions of medical science.
Reference: https://phys.org/news/2024-01-matabele-ants-infected-wounds-antibiotics.html#google_vignette
STUDYING FISH SOUNDS: Science News magazine reported that virtually all fish produce sounds that can be received and interpreted by other fish of their species. While researchers have cataloged over 1,000 fish sounds, the largest group of bony fish contains more than 34,000 species, so much more work is needed.
Fish generate sounds differently from humans. They can click bony structures together, contract specific muscles to drum a gas-filled swim bladder, vibrate stretched tendons in fins like a guitar, or even expel gas from their rear ends.
Fish hear through tiny stones in their heads that move in response to sound vibrations, triggering signals to the brain. They also have special cells running down their bodies that detect motion and sound waves in the water. Fish use sound to attract mates, indicate distress, warn other fish of danger, or scare a predator away.
Knowing how fish use sounds is essential to understanding how they are affected by human sounds in the water. This knowledge also helps us study fish migrations and determine fish populations.
Perhaps Jesus used fish sounds when he summoned fish for Peter to catch in John 21:5-6. Jesus created all things, including fish (see John 1:1-2, 14.) There were several instances in the life of Jesus when fish responded to his bidding, even for the payment of taxes (Matthew 17:27).
Reference: “What Does the Fish Say?” in the March 9, 2024, issue of Science News, page 18 (you will have to visit a library and look at a print edition).
MINISTERING TO THE NEEDY AND HOMELESS: Across the United States, church officials are threatened with prison time for helping homeless people. Churches in Bryan, Ohio; Denver, Colorado; Tempe, Arizona; Houston, Texas; Santa Ana, California; Brookings, Oregon; and Pottstown, Pennsylvania, have been threatened with legal action by city authorities for ministering to the needy and homeless.
The problem in these cities is that zoning laws and codes prohibit churches from serving food or providing shelter for people who are in need. When churches violate those rules, the police are required to shut down the services. In the cases cited, the cities offer no alternatives for churches ministering to the needy and homeless.
Jesus made it clear in Matthew 25:31-40 that his followers should provide people in need with food, water, clothing, and support for those in prison. This situation is only going to get worse as migrants are bused into cities and left to fend for themselves. The secular world is not going to help them, and, as is always the case, it will be up to churches to find a way to address their needs.
Reference: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/could-helping-the-homeless-get-you-criminal-charges-more-churches-getting-in-trouble/ar-BB1htGhL
EARTHQUAKE CATASTROPHE RISK: The United States Geological Survey published a map showing the earthquake catastrophe risk in different parts of the country. This data comes from seismic records of 130,000 earthquakes of a magnitude on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale of six or higher, which is severe enough to frighten people, move furniture, and cause other damage, like falling plaster. Most of us know about some geologically unstable regions of the country, but other areas may be surprising.
The highest earthquake catastrophe risk within the next 100 years is essentially the whole western edge of California, the southern part of Alaska from Juneau through the Aleutians, and the eastern islands of Hawaii. Areas with a 75% to 95% chance of a damaging earthquake include virtually all of California, the Yellowstone National Park area, and the intersection of Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Kentucky. The study says that 230 million people live in areas with a 95% chance of a damaging earthquake.
The point of this data is that there will be a massive earthquake sometime in the next 100 years, causing death and structural damage, and many people will blame it on God. The fact is that earthquakes are a natural product of the uplift of the land, and without that force, erosion would have brought all land masses to sea level. Despite the data, humans continue to build massive structures in high-risk areas. You can add this to a long list of situations where humans set themselves up for a catastrophe.
References: https://www.usgs.gov/news/national-news-release/new-usgs-fema-study-highlights-economic-earthquake-risk-united-states and https://www.usgs.gov/news/national-news-release/new-usgs-map-shows-where-damaging-earthquakes-are-most-likely-occur-us
SOCIAL ISOLATION AFFECTS THE HEART: The church has a role in fighting loneliness, including anxiety, depression, dementia, and thoughts of suicide. Now, heart specialists and the United States Surgeon General, Vivek Murthy, have expanded the negative role of loneliness. Murthy says that “feeling disconnected from friends and family has the same impact as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.” According to the Cleveland Clinic, the physical effects of loneliness include a 29% higher risk of heart disease, a 32% higher risk of stroke, a 50% increased risk of developing dementia, and a 60% increase in premature death. The bottom line is that social isolation affects the heart.
The importance of being actively involved with people, such as in a church congregation, cannot be over-emphasized. “Going to church” for an hour once a week does not help much in dealing with this issue. The church described in Acts 2:41-47 was a group of believers who met together daily. Not only were they together sharing meals and times of worship, but they addressed each other's needs.
Reference: https://www.heart-advisor.com/subscriber-only/loneliness-and-social-isolation-are-hidden-threats-to-the-heart/
FAITH IN GOD BRINGS HEALING: The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released data showing that nearly 50,000 people died by suicide in the U.S. in 2022. That is a 3% increase over 2021 and the highest recorded number. In a CNN Opinion article, Carrie Sheffield reported that, along with other data, “scientific evidence suggests faith in God brings healing.”
For example, the Harvard University School of Public Health released data showing that 68% of women and 33% of men attending weekly religious services are less likely to die “deaths of despair,” which would include suicide, drug overdose, or alcohol poisoning. Also, the National Bureau of Economic Research found that states with decreased religious participation had increased deaths of despair.
Furthermore, the Psychiatric Times reported that two-thirds of 93 observational studies showed lower rates of depressive disorder symptoms in religious people. Boston University researcher Brian Grim reported that 84% of scientific studies show faith is a positive factor in addiction prevention or recovery. You cannot discount the fact that faith in God brings healing in overcoming dysfunctional family experiences. A biblical connection to God and understanding the teachings of Christ will help people cope with life and the collateral damage of their past.
Reference: https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/12/opinions/mental-health-faith-science-motorhome-prophecies-sheffield/index.html
Answers to the CROSSWORD: ACROSS: 5-Bible; 7-gravitational; 8-something; 9-God; 10-Jesus: DOWN: 1-Webb; 2-supernovas; 3-atheists; 4-Bennu; 6-cloud
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