Discovering God’s Holy Plan

In terms of topics that are often hotly debated (with respect to religious views), abortion is almost always at the top of the list. So many people seem to be divided on abortion, and even those who may be against abortion may support certain cases of abortion. I thought I would offer my perspective on a few of these hot topics.

Is Abortion Okay If the Mother Could Die? Is it a Form of Self Defence?

First, some say abortion is okay in self defense (when it could threaten the mother’s life to have a child). People that believe this are suggesting that aborting in the case of harm to the mother is the same as self defense. Right there I somewhat disagree, simply because no doctor can say (in most cases) that a mother’s life will for sure be taken if she has the child.

There are many cases where a mother has the child even though there are risks, and everything turns out fine-that is the miracle of life. Sometimes people die during birth, sometimes they don’t. But doctors don’t always accurately predict the proper outcome. You also have to keep in mind that in the old days (bible times) there was no way of ever knowing the woman may die during birth. So again, I don’t necessarily agree with aborting on the premise that it “could” kill the mother. I think it technically “could” kill anyone, so does that mean everyone should abort since there is always at least a small risk that any mother could potentially die? No, of course not.

Self defense is someone trying to intentionally kill (murder) you. I don’t think a baby would have the intent to kill its mother. So it is kind of different in my opinion.

The second point I want to make is that my sister’s husband’s relative (a girl in her young 20’s) recently became pregnant, and she decided to abort. She traveled to another state to do this in secrecy, and tragically, she bled to death from the procedure and died from it, and her family found out (very tragically) that she died only because she had the abortion done. That is a true story, and it happens more often then people might think. So abortion can kill the mother just as easily as birth. That is a point so many people forget. So since abortion can kill the mother just as easily as having a child can kill, I don’t think it is appropriate to do so. Also, with the constant increases in technology in medicine, hopefully they will never be forced to make such a hard decision.

Is Abortion Okay if the Woman Was Raped?

No doubt, it is very difficult when a woman is raped. Many do not want to ever re-live that horrific event, and it is very traumatic to those that experience this type of sexual violence. Women do not always become pregnant in these situation. However, if a woman does become pregnant after a rape, should she still have an abortion?

I know that even though the situation in which the child was conceived was terrible, however, that child became alive at the moment the egg and sperm met. A soul was created at that very moment. The blueprints for life were locked in stone, and the human life existed at that very moment. There are many brave women that decide to carry the baby and have a normal birth. This is (of course) a very hard decision. But just because the baby was created in an act of hate or sin, it doesn’t mean that the child cannot be a loving and happy child. That child may turn out to be the next president of the United States. It could find the cure for cancer. It could invent something that would save lives. Or it may just be a good citizen. But it is worth keeping alive, and giving an equal chance at life. Even though it was a traumatic event, it could be a blessing in the end. That child may bring so much joy to the mother.

In cases where the mother just doesn’t feel right about the whole situation, and would prefer to abort the child, I would say to please consider giving the child up for adoption. Adoption is a far better alternative, and the world is filled with loving people that would love to be parents to a new child, regardless of how the child was conceived. If you feel that you cannot take care of the child, this is an option that may be best for you.

Is Abortion Okay in the Case of Incest?

Incest is the situation where close family members have sexual relations. This can be harmful because it greatly increases the likelihood that the child can have some form of genetic deformation or retardation. Even if the child is going to have problems, I do not think that warrants the grounds for an abortion. There are many children that have deformities and retardation that were conceived by 2 non-related parents, and in love. Yet they did not abort the child. So why abort a child just because it was conceived in a incestuous way? There is no reason to do this. Again, if the parents feel that they cannot raise the child, there are many parents and organizations that would gladly take the child and raise it in a loving environment.

Conclusion: Is Abortion Acceptable to God?

There are many cases where a child can be conceived in a way which is traumatic, sinful, or even harmful. Yet, God loves us all. God is the creator of life, and we should strive to protect life. Once a sperm meets an egg, a miracle happens. We should respect and welcome that miracle, even in the most difficult of circumstances.

For those that feel that they can not properly care for the child, or that it would be too difficult to raise a child after rape or incest, please consider carrying the child and then giving it up for adoption. There are plenty of agencies and parents that would be so happy to have the privilege of raising a child as their own.

Also, remember that abortion can be as deadly for the mother as it can for the child. Not only that, it can be just as traumatic as a rape, and some women have post traumatic stress and nightmares from the abortion event. So please remember these things if you ever consider having an abortion.

What is a soul anyways? Do we really have souls? Why? There are lots of great questions that can be asked about the nature of the human soul. The soul is an interesting subject, and the eternal nature of our souls is equally as fascinating.

I recently seen several questions about a soul, and I thought it would be worthwhile to take a stab at answering them. Some of these thing are just my opinion, but here are some popular questions regarding the soul of a human:

1. What exactly is the soul’s function? What does it do? Why do you think we have one?

A soul doesn’t have a function, but rather is the sum of our collective consciousness and our physical being. It doesn’t "do" anything any more than our "names" do anything. It just represents our entire element of existence. We have one because we exist, and have a conscious element to our existence.

2. What does a soul look like and where in the body is it placed?

A soul is made up of the spirit (intangible) and body (tangible). It is the fabric that represents us. It does not have a location in the body, but is the entire body plus our spiritual elements. Man became a living soul when God created us in His image.

3. Why is it that people who get their brain severely damaged change their entire personalities and become complete vegetables, if the soul, not the brain, is the essence of who we are as human beings?

The brain is our powerhouse for function, critical thinking, memories, and more. When the brain is damaged, we cannot properly function, just like when our arm is cut off, we cannot use our arm anymore. However, this does not mean we do not have souls, or that our souls are limited by our brain or physical existence.

God does not judge us or resurrect us based on our brains, for our brains quickly decay and decompose after death. God resurrects us from his memory. For example, I have a website and the database gets corrupted. However, I made a backup, and I can restore it to its original function. God is the major database for all life. He restores us from his backup, not ours.

4. If we have a soul, when exactly do we get it, and how exactly is it transferred? (When the semen meets the egg? After 12 weeks of pregnancy? After half a year of pregnancy? When the baby is born?)

We have a soul at the moment of conception. At the moment of sperm and egg joining, the complete "code" becomes set in stone, and your entire blueprint is created. All that happens after that is your cells carrying out the work to make your physical body. You are spiritually created at the moment the code is generated for you. Just like an architect can make the blueprints, and the building exists, and the only thing left is the actual construction process.

5. What would a human being be like if it had no soul? What would be the differences?

A human without a soul can never exist, since by definition (biblically speaking of course), all humans have souls. That question is like asking what would a circle be like without the roundess, or what would a square be like  without corners. It is an illogical question.

6. If I traded souls with say, my sister, but we kept our brains, what would that lead to? Would there be a difference? (Hypothetically speaking, of course..)

Hypothetically, that really doesn’t make sense. Souls can’t be traded. A soul is your entire essence.

7. If you acknowledge evolution: How and why exactly would evolution favor such a concept as a soul, do you think? (It obviously wouldn’t mean anything for our survival in THIS world, now, would it?) And if you believe that God just put it into us, at what stage did that supposedly happen? Did our ape ancestors get souls, for instance? Did homo erectus get souls? Why or why not?

I agree with parts of some of the evolution theory. I disagree with the parts where it seems to indicate this all happened without the influence of a creator. I believe God created all of it in 7 days. Did he use a code (gentics), and some accelerated form of evolution at the beginning for each design for each individual species, maybe. Is 7 days relative in nature, and could mean millions of years, maybe. I don’t know the details of how God did it, or the details of creation, but I believe in God. I do believe species can adapt and change. But God is the code writer. I believe man was created initially, without evolving from other forms. The first man had a soul, and all other humans do as well. Again, we get it at conception.

8. Do other animals have souls? Like cats, dogs and cows, for instance. Or ants and lice for that matter. Where is the limit, and how exactly is it determined?

Probably not, but the bible doesn’t indicate for sure. How it is determined is that God specifically created humans uniquely from all other creation. I like to compare this to computer lingo. A simple html page or simple script is far different from a robust software application. An ant would be a simple script, incapable of any real awareness, funcitons, or anything else when compared to us. The same is true for almost any animal. God created us in His image, and created us with superior knowledge. He created us to specifically have a relationship with him, whereas someone could make the argument that everything else was merely created to make life for us possible (the life cycle/food chain). But that is just speculation on my part, and the Bible doesn’t give a real clear answer on this.

People often have so many questions about Jesus. After all, he is a very interesting individual, and perhaps one of the most interesting individuals in the history of the world. There is no doubt that if I could jump in a time machine and go back to any date, it would probably be at the time Jesus was entering his life’s work.

But people often have questions about the nature of Jesus. What was he like? How did he act? I recently came across a question asking if Jesus ever became sick. So let’s take a look at this question.

Did Jesus Ever Get Sick (ill)? Did He Ever Use the Bathroom? Did He Burp or Even Have Gas?

In most cases, yes, Jesus could have become sick. He was human, and just looking at the Bible we can quickly see that he did all of the following: He ate, he drank, he felt hunger, he cried, he died, he prayed, he feared, he bled, he performed miracles, suffered temptation, and more.

In the mix of all of that, he most certainly could have became sick, if it was God’s will for him to get sick. Jesus experienced almost everything that any ordinary human experiences within their lifetime. He would have had moments of happiness, and moments of anger. He would have had moments of sadness, and moments of triumph.

Because of all of these human emotions and experiences, he would also have had to use the bathroom regularly. And yes, perhaps even burp, have an upset stomach, gas, and anything else. Moses, Elijah, Adam, Eve, Noah, Mohammad, and many other leaders and prophets would have been the exact same way.

Just because Jesus was human, does not discount his purpose or fullfillment on this Earth. In fact, it makes his sacrifice even more powerful. For if Jesus could not have “really” been tempted in the first place, what great reward is it that he died? What great reward is it that he lived a sinless life if he was never really tempted anyways? But when you consider that he was tempted in every way we are (just as the Bible states), then that really shows how powerful his sinlessness and sacrifice really was. It shows the true nature and character of Jesus. He felt the same things we felt, but did what was right! He knew he did no wrong, but said, “I will take the blame of all who sinned.”

Cosmetic surgery has become a phenomenon in these past few years. People are spending hundreds and even thousands on procedures from tummy tucks, liposuction, brow lifts, botox injections, nose jobs, hair transplants, and everything else. All of this raises an interesting question:

Does the Bible Say Anything About Plastic or Cosmetic Surgery?

We have to keep in mind that at this point in history, medical knowledge was not very advanced. If someone had surgery, there was an incredibly high risk of infection due to unclean surgical practices.

Also, people were not as concerned with their appearance as they are today. We live in a society where we are judged by our appearance often.  So people in biblical times would not have been so quick to want a cosmetic procedure as they might today.

But the Bible is silent on the issue of cosmetic surgery. We know that people did try to improve their appearance on occasion. The ancient Egyptians painted their eyes, and also wore perfumes and oils to make themselves more appealing looking.

We have a warning in the New Testament about vanity in the book of Timothy:

“In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array…”

This verse warns women of not putting too much focus on physical appearance. This doesn’t necessarily forbid any kind of physical care or makeup, but is more saying to limit it and not put too much focus on it. It seems that this would also apply to excessive plastic surgery procedures as well.

Is It a Sin to Get Plastic (Cosmetic) Surgery Done? What About Corrective Surgery for a Deformity?

In my view, fixing minor or major deformities would not be considered excessive vanity. In fact, many deformities or conditions can severely limit our lives (such as a tumor growth on the lip, etc.). They can interfere with functions such as eating. So I don’t think it would be a sin to get these things corrected.

After all, did Jesus not heal a man’s withered hand on the Sabbath? We can live without a hand can’t we? Or what about Lepers? They can still live with their skin conditions but they were healed as well. This seems to indicate that he healed them not only because of the condition, but also perhaps to restore them to perfect health and also give a better appearance in the process.

I am sure Jesus didn’t heal them just so they could look better alone, but at the same time, I see nothing wrong with fixing minor problems if they are harming your self esteem dramatically, or causing functional problems (such as tumor growth, enlarged mole, etc.). The thing we have to keep in mind when we start looking at this is the very fine line that exists here. We can get to a point where we become very focused on us, us, us. When instead we need to focus on others.

On the other hand, I think there is a difference between a minor cosmetic fix, and using plastic surgery for vanity. Especially people that tend to have multiple plastic surgeries for things such as liposuction (when people can just diet and workout to lose the weight), or multiple brow lifts to prevent aging. Sometimes, people actually look worse than if they just let themselves age naturally.

Is it right spending thousands and thousands of dollars trying to look perfect when some people could be saved if they got a $2 pill tonight? Not necessarily. Yet at the same time having a procedure to correct a major issue, or even a minor one time fix may not be considered wrong. We have the right to take care of our bodies.

So I don’t think correcting a major or minor deformity is vanity. But at the same time, there is a fine line and we should all take care to think about what we do and how we spend our money. Don’t fall into the cycle of multiple plastic surgeries. It can be a very destructive and risky behavior. Surgeries are serious and many people die on the operating table every year by trying to look better.

Jesus is always a point of fascination among people of all faiths. After all, regardless of what you believe, you cannot deny the impact that Jesus has had (and continues to have) in the world. He did this after only a mere 3 years in the public ministry. Pretty impressive, huh? Anyways, back to the topic. What was Jesus food diet like?

What Did Jesus Eat? Was He A Vegetarian? Did Jesus Eat Meat?

The Bible records Jesus eating and drinking several things throughout his life. The Bible clearly shows that Jesus was not a Vegetarian. He was also not a “Vegan.” Jesus did eat meat, and in fact seems to have enjoyed fish often.

And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence. (Luke 41-43)

This verse clearly shows us that Jesus at a piece of fish. He also ate honey as well, as another verse indicates. On top of that, we know that Jesus ate lots of bread (he broke bread with the disciples). Jesus would have also enjoyed the fruits of the land, such as figs, etc. He would have also naturally ate vegetables (as the disciples were picking corn).

Even though the Bible does not mention other meats Jesus may have eaten, it is likely he ate other meat besides fish, as many Jew of the time would have as long as it was kosher. This could have included meats such as chicken, lamb, red meat, etc.

Did Jesus Really Drink Wine? Was It Fermented Alcohol? Was Jesus A Drunk?

Jesus would have drunk water, fruit juice, and possibly even wine. Jesus is recorded as drinking wine in the New Testament of the Bible. In fact, at one this is addressed in the Bible with the following verse:

“For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and
you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking,
and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax
collectors and “sinners.”‘” (Luke 7:33-34)

Does this mean Jesus drank real fermented (alcoholic) wine? Not necessarily. Wine can mean either fermented or unfermented grape juice. You have to keep in mind, at this point in history there wasn’t a lot of clean drinking water.

There was always a risk of getting “bad” water with diseases in it. So these people would have been much safer drinking the juice of fruits (such as grapes), or even allowing it to ferment so it would kill any bacteria.

So was Jesus drinking alcoholic grape juice or regular grape juice? We don’t know. We can only guess. Some people hold that Jesus was drinking alcohol. Others suggest it was merely grape juice that wasn’t fermented.

The Bible never states that drinking wine is a sin. It strongly warns against drinking excessive alcohol, or being a drunkard in several verses. However, merely drinking wine in reasonable quantities is not a sin at all, and could have been beneficial to provide a source of drink that could be stored safely. So even if Jesus was merely drinking wine, there is nothing sinful about it.

It is most likely that Jesus never became intoxicated or drunk. We never have any indication of that, and given Jesus’ knowledge of scripture he would have avoided ever being a drunkard, as that could be considered a sin (and the Bible says Jesus was without sin).

Conclusion: Jesus Ate A Regular Diet Containing Meat, Fruit, and Veggies

Based on the scriptures in the Bible, it is quite clear that Jesus would have followed a regular diet of fruits, veggies, and meat. He also could have drank fruit juice, and perhaps even alcoholic wine (without getting drunken or intoxicated).