The End of Religion

What is religion? Let us look at the etymology, from Wikepedia:

Religion is derived from the Latin religiō, the ultimate origins of which are obscure. One possibility is derivation from a reduplicated *le-ligare, an interpretation traced to Cicero connecting lego “read”, i.e. re (again) +lego in the sense of “choose”, “go over again” or “consider carefully”. Modern scholars such as Tom Harpur and Joseph Campbell favor the derivation from ligare “bind, connect”, probably from a prefixed re-ligare, i.e.re (again) + ligare or “to reconnect,” which was made prominent by St. Augustine, following the interpretation of Lactantius. However, the French scholar Daniel Dubuisson notes that relying on this etymology “tends to minimize or cancel out the role of history”; he notes that Augustine gave a lengthy definition of religio that sets it quite apart from the modern word “religion”.

Christianity is not a religion, based on the definition above, which defines religion as the “reconnection between God and humans”. Why reconnect? Because the connection was broken by sin (disobeying God). Christianity is the end of religion, since this reconnection has already been implemented, by the finished work of Jesus the Christ on the cross. It is written:

Joh 19:30  When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said, It is finished: and He bowed His head, and gave up the ghost.

It is finished.

The Project (Salvation) has been completed, the Requirements (Law) have been met, and the Customer (God) is delighted. We are now enjoying the Benefits (Eternal Life). It is all God’s work, and all we are doing is responding to what has already been done for us. If you have not believed in God’s Project, which is the Good News of Jesus the Christ, then you are clueless. Wake up, if you can, as time is running out.  Beg for mercy from God, if you can, as only He can help you.

Some of us are very religious, and the idea of the end of religion may fill you with horror and disgust. The religious establishment was not supportive of God’s Project either. The religious thought that killing Jesus the Christ would save religion, but the result was unforeseen: the death of Jesus the Christ reconciled God and humans, making religion obsolete.

Gal 6:15  For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.

Do you want to be reconciled to God? Here is the Good News of Jesus Christ:

God bless,

George

Jesus the Christ is the Truth

John 14:5-7 “Thomas saith unto Him, Lord, we know not whither Thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me. If ye had known Me, ye should have known My Father also: and from henceforth ye know Him, and have seen Him.”

John 18:37-38 “Pilate therefore said unto Him, Art Thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth My voice. Pilate saith unto Him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in Him no fault at all.”

What is truth? When Jesus the Christ said that He is the Truth, what could that mean? We often think of the Truth as something determined through reason and logic. However we are warned by God in His Word that these tools are deceptive:

Col 2:8 “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”

In the light of this, it should not be surprising that most secular knowledge does not agree with the Word of God. The reason for this is not that the Bible is not scientific, but that secular knowledge is based on a lie, which is, that truth can be obtained through human effort. Truth can only be found through Jesus Christ.

Who defines reality? God, or people? The Creator, or the creature? Christianity is not a religion, it is reality.

There is something seriously wrong with science!

The Bible says that the universe was created by God approximately 6000 years ago (4004 BC). It also says that the universe was created in 6 days. Science says that the universe was created billions of years ago when nothing exploded (Big Bang theory). Both cannot be right, say the atheists and agnostics. Therefore there is something seriously wrong with science.

There are a couple of resources I want to share with you that can be starting points on your journey to discover the truth, especially since modern science dominates the worldview of most people. It can be very confusing to Christians who believe the Bible and have to explain why modern science contradicts a lot of what the Bible says.

One good resource is Kent Hovind’s series of seminars on Creation Science. Kent Hovind was a high school teacher before starting his Creation Science ministry. He is currently in jail for tax evasion. He may not have the complete explanation that reconciles modern science and the Bible, but his approach is sound, and his theories interesting. I compiled a playlist his seminars and you can view this at http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=D62707163A0BE3CB .

Another good resource for those of you who are more mathematically minded and with some background in modern physics is the Association for Biblical Astronomy. Their website (www.geocentricity.com) has a lot of information on Geocentricity. You might be shocked to hear that the Bible says that the earth is not moving, and is actually the center of the universe.

Finally, there are the theistic scientists who work at the Discovery Institute. Their papers can be found at their website (www.discovery.org).

One thing we know for certain: it is Jesus Christ who created the universe and He holds it together. It is written:

1 Cor 9-17 “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son: In whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist.”

I think that will do for now. See www.youtube.com/georgeamarcelo if you want more.

God bless,
George

First time singing on YouTube!

Former atheist sings “Trust and Obey”

I do not think I will get any invitations to American Idol, but it was fun singing on stickcam anyway. I had a lot of trouble with my computer. It was always hanging. I definitely must get a Mac. I dont know if this will be effective for evangelism. Please pray that it leads some non-Christians accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour.

There was so much noise, with construction work nearby, plus I had to reduce the resolution of the video so that the computer would stop hanging,  but I just built in the defects into the message. 

God bless,

George

My testimony: Atheist/Agnostic to Christian

I am making this testimony to explain to people how I became a Christian. I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour in Apr 2002. I have been sharing my faith on YouTube since Oct 2007. I have been asked by non-Christians, mostly atheists, on how I know the Bible is true. I hope this testimony will help atheists and agnostics understand my experience better. This testimony will focus on historical facts in my life, and as much as possible will not be emotional.

I lived my childhood years in the Philippines. In Grade School I was very interested in Science. I have a memory of me and my babysitter when I was still in Grade 1. I told my babysitter that I did not think that there was a God, because I could not see God. We were learning about God in school, which was a Catholic school. As I grew older, I went through the motions of being a Catholic. There were times when I became agnostic, as I had a sense that there was a God. By the time I reached High School though, my opinion was that this sense may be a mental illusion needed for the survival of intelligent life, but not something real.

My home life deteriorated during my childhood. My Dad left my Mom when I was in Grade 1, and they started fighting in court. My sister eventually ran away from home to our grandfather, who sent her to boarding school in the UK. I ran away from home when I was 12, and spent the night on the roof of a shopping mall, but returned a day later. The following year, my grandfather arranged to have me sent to boarding school in the UK. I omitted the reasons I left home from my testimony. However, I can testify that I hated my parents, and considered boarding school a convenient escape.

I hated boarding school. I was bullied a lot, and I found comfort and peace in my studies. I was a very shy person and was a loner during this time, but I had some friends with whom I studied with. I was a very angry person too, and difficult to approach. I decided to become a doctor. I studied hard, got excellent grades, and was able to enter Kings College Hospital Medical School, which is part of the University of London. In the UK, medicine is a 5 year undergraduate course.

At Kings, my first year went well, and although I was a difficult person to relate to, as I was very quiet, I had a small group of friends, which included some Christians. These were the first Christians I knew. One of them, George Malcolm, clearly presented the Gospel of Jesus Christ to me. He told me that because of sin, we will go to hell, but Jesus Christ, by dying on the cross, paid the price for our sins, so we could go to heaven. We discussed the Bible a lot. I explained that I did not believe in God, but if for the sake of argument there was a God, I did not think that God would do this. It sounded “like too good a deal”. I remember using those exact words. There ought to be something we would need to do too, because nothing is free. I also did not think that God would use a book to communicate, but would do so directly.

In my second year at medical school, the workload was higher. I could not study anymore, and I think that I was finally burning out after studying extremely hard for nearly 10 years, and since the only pleasure I had from life was my studies, I tried to kill myself. I was found and hospitalized. I was allowed a year off from medical school to undergo psychotherapy and social skills training full time at a therapeutic community. During this time, I learned social skills, such as how to make friends and talk to people, domestic skills, such as cooking and cleaning, and stress management. I had a lot of free time, and I read a lot. Naturally, I read the books of Sigmund Freud, who developed Psychoanalysis. As a result of this study, I decided that the physical model of the universe was insufficient to account for all phenomena, in particular, the conscious and unconscious mind. My worldview therefore changed from atheist to agnostic. I thought that a newer model of the universe, that included mental phenomena, might allow the existence of God within the mental space. During this time I also became familiar with Marxist Political Theory, and Philosophy.

I re-entered medical school, and completed my medical science training. In my first year at clinical training, I became suicidal again, but was able to get help from my local doctor, and after a few months of counseling, I decided to switch to Computer Studies, which was a much easier course, and so I transferred to Bristol Polytechnic. I was also politically active during this time, first as a member, and then later a speaker, of the Socialist Party of Great Britain, which is a small political party, which still exists today. I wanted to improve the world, and since I could no longer become a doctor, I turned to politics. Membership is given only if you pass a test. I remember that they asked me what my religious beliefs were, because you could not join if you believed in God. I told them that I was agnostic, and after some discussion, as they preferred that I be an atheist, they allowed me to join, and I was active in evangelizing the “socialist utopia”. I completed my studies after 2 years, and returned to the Philippines to find work.

I found work as a computer programmer. I advanced in my career, and I am now an Information Technology Project Manager. I married, and now have 2 children. During the boom years of the ’90s I worked all over South-East Asia, Australia, and the US. I stopped being active politically, as I was disillusioned by the lack of interest by the workers of the world, and I also thought that Marxist theory, being based on a purely materialist philosophy, probably was incomplete. However, I continued to pursue my interests in Science and Philosophy, and my researches eventually led me to examine the Occult.

I once saw my Grade 6 Science teacher play with a deck of Tarot Cards and tell fortunes with it. I did not take it seriously then, as I was an atheist at that time. However, when I became agnostic, I began to wonder if occult knowledge contained information that could provide an integrated model of mental and physical space. I experimented primarily with candle magic and tarot cards, and started researching witchcraft.

Oscar, my brother-in-law, is a Baptist pastor, and was conducting Bible studies at my father-in-laws house, where my family was staying while we saved for a place of our own. I attended when I was based in the Philippines, but was not interested and my mind typically wandered. One day, Oscar did a Bible study on the Ten Commandments. During this study, a thought occurred to me that “if the Bible was true then I should follow the Ten Commandments”. At the end of the Bible study, Oscar asked us if we would like to “go to Church tomorrow”, in obedience to the Fourth Commandment. I said “OK”, and asked my father-in-law to join me for company, as I did not want to go there alone. When I told my wife that I was going with Oscar to his Church tomorrow and asked her if she would like to join me so that I will have some company, she looked at me a bit strangely and asked me “Why”? I do not remember my reply to her. My wife is Catholic and she knew that I did not believe in God, so she was surprised. Afterwards, I began to wonder why too, and then I realized that I knew that the Bible was true, that is, the Word of God. That is the sequence of events that I remember. I also recall being very surprised.

I attended Church the next day, but I do not recall anything from that day, but I started going every Sunday. A few weeks later I decided to study the Bible in more detail, and searched in Amazon for a Study Bible. I found a Bible called the Companion Bible, with study notes from Bullinger. I recalled that this was the Bible used by George Malcolm’s father (he invited me to his house once to stay over the holidays), and after reviewing the reader comments, I decided to purchase this Bible. The Bible arrived via courier, and I wrote the following on the dedication page:

Presented to GEORGE A. MARCELO JR., on 23rd April, 2002, by the HOLY SPIRIT.

On the following page is a lined page, and I wrote the verse John 16:8 “And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment”.

I remember thinking that it would look silly if I wrote Presented to George Marcelo by George Marcelo, although I did buy the Bible for myself. So I decided to credit the Holy Spirit for leading me to this Bible. I started to study the Bible. I eventually decided that I believed in God, as well as the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Therefore, I agreed to be baptized by immersion as a public declaration of my belief.

Shortly before being baptized, I lost my job, as the company I was working for downsized. This gave me a lot of free time, and I used it to start a personal project to read the entire Bible. Eventually my family stopped going to church with me and I was going alone. This was very difficult for me and finally I stopped going to church too. After a few months, I found a job which involved a lot of work in Canada. I started attending a Baptist Church there and also attended Bible studies, but stopped again after a few months. After several years in Canada, I eventually returned to the Philippines. My son was going with my parents-in-law to church, and after a year, in 2006, I joined them. I completed reading the Bible in 2007. I started sharing my faith in Oct 2007.

There have been some changes in my character from 2002 to 2007. I am less angry now, but still occasionally lose my temper. I used to hate my parents so much I could not talk to them, but now I am able to visit them. My wife and daughter still do not go to church with me, but I pray for them instead of despairing. I get nauseous whenever I think about the occult, so God has protected me from that sin, maybe because He knows I cannot handle that temptation. I am definitely still a “work in progress”.

I would like to thank George Malcolm, wherever you are, for sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to me. It took almost 20 years for that sowed seed to come to life! I would like to thank Oscar and other Christians for faithfully sharing the Gospel. I want to thank all Christians who prayed to God for the unsaved. Most importantly, I would like to thank my Heavenly Father for giving me my new spiritual life, born from above, and for His Son, Jesus Christ, Whose death on the cross and resurrection from the dead, paid the penalty of my sins, so that I could be reconciled to God, and welcomed into His family, and for the Holy Spirit, for showing me, who was an enemy of God, the Truth.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, I wish this testimony encourages you to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ to people who hate God.

Rom 1:20a “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.”

This testimony was given on Jan 13, 2008. Thank you for reading.

May God bless you all,

George