The wisdom of fools

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He That Has Ears To Hear, Let Him Hear (Matthew 11:15-30)
Challenging both secular wisdom and religious doctrines. - Will our descendants know moral virtue?

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Last Updated Saturday November 22, 2008 04:40 PM -0500

The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.
They are corrupt, they have done abominable works,
there is none that does good. Psalms 14:1

Are all religions paths to the same God? Jehovah Witness or Islam?
Only one "prophet" claimed He was God. Only one "prophet" rose from the dead.

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Acts 4:12

Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law does he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the LORD knows the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish. Psalms 1

Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seems to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He takes the wise in their own craftiness. 1 Corinthians 3:18-19

Thus says the LORD, your redeemer, and he that formed you from the womb, I am the LORD that makes all things; that stretches forth the heavens alone; that spreads abroad the earth by myself; That frustrates the tokens of the liars, and makes diviners mad; that turns wise men backward, and makes their knowledge foolish; Isaiah 44:24-25

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows his handy work. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night shows knowledge. Psalms 19:1-2

The fool has said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that does good. Psalms 53:1

O LORD, how great are your works! and your thoughts are very deep. A brutish man does not know; neither does a fool understand this. Psalms 92:5-6

Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted. Psalms 107:17

For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. Proverbs 1:32

The wise in heart will receive commandments: but a fool who idly chatters shall fall. Proverbs 10:8

He that hides hatred with lying lips, and he that utters a slander, is a fool. Proverbs 10:18

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkens unto counsel is wise. Proverbs 12:15

In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride: but the lips of the wise shall preserve them. Proverbs 14:3

The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way: but the folly of fools is deceit. Proverbs 14:8

Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favor. Proverbs 14:9

A wise man fears, and departs from evil: but the fool rages, and is confident. Proverbs 14:16

A reproof enters more into a wise man than an hundred stripes into a fool. Proverbs 17:10

The foolishness of man perverts his way: and his heart frets against the LORD. Proverbs 19:3

Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of your words. Proverbs 23:9

The thought of foolishness is sin: and the scorner is an abomination to men. Proverbs 24:9

As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, so honor is not seemly for a fool. Proverbs 26:1

Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you also be like unto him. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit. Proverbs 26:4-5

As a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool returns to his folly. Proverbs 26:11

He that trusts in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walks wisely, he shall be delivered. Proverbs 28:26

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith; as it is written. The just shall live by faith. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God has shown it to them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse; Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves; Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections; for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature; And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers. Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents. Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful; Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. Romans 1:16-32

For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For you see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, has God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to naught things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glories, let him glory in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 1:17-31

But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Corinthians 2:14

Does Atheism Require More Faith? Article by David Limbaugh

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The Religions Next Door by Marvin Olasky

What the media won't tell you about non-Christian religions.

Aren't all religions fundamentally the same? Don't they teach the same basic ethical principles, and worship the same God? To the media, the answer is an obvious "yes" -- but the real answer is an emphatic "no." Now, in The Religions Next Door: What We Need to Know about Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam -- and What Reporters Are Missing, Marvin Olasky tells the truth about about non-Christian religions -- and the danger of believing that all religions hold different variations of the same tenets.

Olasky, a journalism professor at the University of Texas, and editor-in-chief of World magazine, also challenges the way religion is reported in the media, revealing that not only do the media invest little in religion reporting generally, but the reporters they do hire tend to reflect the secular, anti-Christian ideologies of the newsrooms which they serve.

But the heart of Olasky's book is his straightforward treatment of the four major non-Christian religions -- for each of which he provides a concise yet thorough account of its history, beliefs, rituals, and key figures, plus a glossary of terms. "It is neither wise nor compassionate to remain uninformed . . . when one culture may be threatening another, to settle for the most superficial coverage of that culture's belief, or to assume that both cultures have essentially the same understanding of who God is," Olasky warns.

A tiny sampling of Marvin Olasky's insights:

How many reporters and editors at leading publications attend religious services weekly? Five in ten? Four in ten? Three? (Keep going, you'll get there)
How syncretism -- the attempt to merge religions under the assumption that they are all basically the same -- creates an illusion of similarity that can be dangerous, especially when it applies to reporting on religions with militant aspects
How the favorable treatment Islam has gotten from the press and in schools has fostered its growth in America
The profound differences between God and "Allah," and between the "paradise" of Islam and the Heaven of Christianity
The theology of Islamic jihad and "self-martyrdom"
Why Islam has no concept of "inalienable rights," but accords a subservient status to Jews and Christians, known as dhimmis
How Hindu belief underlies India's caste system -- and why the subservient status of 240 million "untouchables" may lead to the greatest civil-rights conflict of the 21st century
How Hindu scripture and theology contributes to the epidemic of "sex-selection" abortions of females in India
Why Buddhism is a religion of doubt -- not only in the existence of God, but of reality itself
Why Buddhism is especially appealing to those who have lived as hedonists -- such as 60's rebels and Hollywood stars
The Hebrew Scriptures: how archaeological research is vindicating the accuracy of the Old Testament
How Judaism changed after the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D.
How Hitler's anti-Semitism arose not from Christianity but from racial theories stemming from the Enlightenment and Darwinism
Why journalists never write about the way Christianity has survived and thrived
Why the lack of religious belief among most journalists does not leave them neutral toward religion, as the like to think

Order your copy of The Religions Next Door

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