Why I Believe In Universal Salvation

What is Universal Salvation?

Also referred to as Universal Reconciliation or (Christian) Universalism, Universal Salvation is the theological doctrine that ‘all sinful and alienated human souls - because of divine love and mercy - will ultimately be reconciled to God’ (source). In other words, it’s the belief that everybody goes to heaven. Everybody. It competes with the more typical Christian belief that only Christians who have repented and believe wholly in Jesus Christ’s status as Lord and God will go to heaven when their time comes, and I have personally wrestled with both concepts, seeing both the Scriptural and moral reasoning behind the two.

Why do I believe in Universal Salvation?
I believe this for two reasons; morally and through the promises of Scripture. Firstly, Scripture.

Why wouldn’t everyone go to heaven? Well, in Isaiah 59:2, we learn that our sins have ‘hidden His (God’s) face’ from us. This implies that should we sin, God will turn from us and therefore nobody at all would go to heaven, as we all sin (see Romans 3:23). However, John 1:29 counters this idea in favour of heaven’s accessibility. ‘John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”’. If Jesus takes away the sin of the whole world, then the whole world has no reason to be separated from God.

The next logical question is what does ‘heaven' mean? Descriptions and signs of heaven are prevalent throughout the entire Bible, so I’ve picked out a select few that I feel sum it up. Isaiah 54:8 says that ‘“in a surge of anger I (God) hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you”, says the Lord your Redeemer’. To me, this verse promises kindness both in this life and the next, as God and eternity are everlasting. The idea of eternity is echoed later, in the New Testament (John’s Gospel, chapter 17, verse 2 to be exact). This verse is a little tough to comprehend without context, so I’ve replaced the ‘You’s and ‘He’s with whom they are referring to. ‘For God granted Jesus authority over all people so that Jesus might give eternal life to all those God has given to Him’. If God has committed all things to Christ and Christ can give eternal life to all that God has given Him, then surely it makes sense for all things to have eternal life (in heaven). Revelations 21:4-5 are two of my favourite verses, as they provide such a vivid picture of heaven; ‘He (God) will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away’.

Then, we get to the tougher part: but is salvation for everybody? I think that Scripture says yes. ‘The Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples… destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations… swallow up death forever… wipe away the tears from al faces… remove His people’s disgrace from all the Earth’ (Isaiah 25:6-8). For all people. All people. He will eliminate death and remove the stain of all people’s sin. This notion of ‘all’ is repeated in John 12:32 (‘“And I (Jesus), when I am lifted up from the Earth, will draw all people to myself”’) and 1 Timothy 2:5-6 (‘the man Jesus Christ, who gave himself as a ransom for all people’). If God wants all men to be saved, can His wants be thwarted? One final comment on the ‘all’ is the Parable of the Wandering Sheep in Matthew 18, telling us that like the man who owns 100 sheep and is unwilling to lose even one, God is not willing to lose one single person.

As a final point on Scripture and to sum up the entire belief of Universal Salvation, Romans 3:3-4 (‘What if some were unfaithful (to God)? Will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness? Not at all!’).


Phew. Thanks for sticking around. Here’s the much shorter but just as important reason for my belief in Universal Salvation; morals.
Not morals as in ‘I want everyone to be happy, so I want them to all be happy in heaven’, although that is true of me honestly. If that was my only reason, that wouldn’t make either haven or Universal Salvation real, that would just make me compassionate. I mean morals as in I know God’s heart, I know He is loving and forgiving, compassionate and kind, and I know He wants the best for every single person, because He created them. He is your protector and sustainer who does not want to see you go without. He is infinite and eternal, with you in your past and present and future whether you feel like you know Him or not. He is wise and just and faithful, He will strengthen you and help you if you only ask. But most of all, God is Love.

If you know love, you know God. And believe me, He knows you.


For a more comprehensive list of the Scripture that supports the doctrine of Universal Salvation, visit this link.

Religious Shaming

As a person of faith, all too often in church I hear the words 'you should be ashamed'. More often, it is implied rather than directly said, but the message is still the same.

You should be ashamed because you're gay.
You should be ashamed because you're not a virgin.
You should be ashamed because of who your parents are.

This humiliation and formation of some moral hierarchy really, really grinds my gears, particularly when it happens in the name of a higher power. Jesus didn't die so that I/you/anyone could be shamed for being themselves, He died so that we didn't have to feel ashamed. I know quite a lot of people who have rejected faith because they felt pressured and defamed by it, and who were actually made to feel inferior due to this integrated 'shame culture'.

Many pastors/church leaders seem to try and disguise this shaming with making people humble. Humility is not hiding who you are because you feel embarrassed. Humility is having a modest and rightful view of your own importance (which in the grand religious scheme of things is either not very important, as God is so much greater than us, or pretty important, as He did decide that the world needed one of you), which is very different indeed to shame.

Another way this religious 'shaming' is masked is as repentance. As a Christian, repentance is very important; confessing what you've done wrong to God and accepting His forgiveness. Repentance is, once again, not shaming. As a 21st-century human being, you do not need to repent for what is called 'original sin'; Adam and Eve's mistake of eating the apple. Original sin is a very difficult concept for me to understand, and I don't think that it is an issue that we should be dealing with nowadays, even as 'good' Christians (also wtf is a 'good' Christian? Any Christian is a 'good' Christian). If I have done something which I see as sinful, I will repent and ask for God's forgiveness. I told neither Adam nor Eve to eat the apple, so (assuming that the story is literal) why on earth should I be punished for it?

Jesus was (and is) all about forgiveness, all about compassion, all about love. Heck, He is love (see 1 John 4:8). I don't think it's very compassionate to force someone into feeling ashamed for something that they can't control, e.g. original sin or being gay, therefore it isn't very Christ-like to do so either. And we all know that the number 1 goal for Christians is to be Christ-like (see Matthew 11:29, 1 Corinthians 11:1, Ephesians 5:1-2, 1 Peter 2:21, 1 John 2:6, and the entire rest of the New Testament).

So I will not be ashamed for something I should not be ashamed for. I will boast in Christ, I will tell of His gifts and His love for me and for you, and I will not be silent because you have told me I should be.

So yes, the Bible does say that we're all sinners (Job 15:14). But also yes, the Bible tells us to 'Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed' - 2 Timothy 2:15. If your church/pastor/family is shaming you (especially in a religious context), feel free to come at them with any of this scripture. Or if all else fails, just tell them to stop being judgey. You know who's the only judge here? God.

A Christian Woman Should Be

Hi guys, so today's post is a quite serious topic for me. Recently, I've seen way too many videos entitled 'Christian Women Should(n't) ..........'. The blank has been filled with various things, from Christian women shouldn't be seductive, to should always wear skirts, not trousers. I think it's about time someone put things straight, and told everyone what a Christian woman really should be.

A Christian woman can be young or old, black or white or Asian or Hispanic or any other race, straight or gay or bi or pan or asexual, tall or short or in between, blonde or brunette or redheaded or bald or have any colour hair she wants to.

Let's first tackle the issue of appearances, since that's what most people seem to be concerned with. As a teenage girl, I wear dresses and skirts a lot, because that's what I like to wear and feel comfortable in. Therefore, as a Christian teenage girl woman, I wear dresses and skirts to church a lot, too. Sure, the old people sometimes give me funny looks when my skirt is 'too short' or my top 'too low-cut', but those things by no means stop me from worshipping my God, which is what we're all at church to do. I'll be totally honest with y'all; Jesus does not care what you wear to church. He has a whole load of bigger things on His mind, trust me. Also, I'm 17 years old, so if you're a 60 year old man looking at my legs/chest/other body parts as sexual objects, I dare say you're the issue, not my clothing. Also, I feel a lot more confident wearing makeup (even to church), which seems to be looked down upon by a multitude of the more traditional Christians that I know. Again, Jesus doesn't care if I wear makeup or not! So why on earth should you?

Secondly, many people will tell you that a Christian woman must be 'beautiful but not seductive'. Pardon my French but what bollocks! If I want to be seductive, I damn well will (try to) be. If I don't want to be seductive, I damn well won't be! If I feel like I'm right with God, then unfortunately you have absolutely no say in what I do or what I wear, Mr. Judgey. If I feel unsure of whether what I'm doing is what God wants me to be doing, I'll pray about it and take it up with Him myself. And, if He has an issue with what I'm doing, I'm certain that He'll take it up with me, too. That's all parties that have a say in what I wear covered, so if you're not on the list of a) me and b) God, sorry but you should be worrying about your own walk with God and not mine.
(Check out Matthew 7:3-5 for more on being a hypocrite xxxxxxx)

I was going to dedicate a paragraph in retaliation to 'a Christian woman should never wear trousers, only skirts', but surely you see how ridiculous that sounds. I'm not even gonna bother stooping to that level crikey.

'Christian women shouldn't have a manly job'. There's no such thing as a 'manly' job. There are jobs whose staff are dominated by men, yes, but they are not at all therefore defined as 'manly' jobs. If a woman wants to be a housewife (Christian or not) she should be! If she wants to be a midwife or a seamstress or a cleaner or any other 'female' job, she should be! Equally, if she wants to be a lawyer or an engineer or a plumber or any other job formerly known as a 'manly' job, (guess what) she should be! Once again, this not only goes for Christian women, but all women. You should do whatever profession gives you the most enjoyment, and provides for you.

I've been told many, many times by people I know irl who aren't Christians that I'm 'not allowed' to do x or y or z because I'm a Christian, and that really angers me. Being a Christian does not limit me or what I can do, but what I want to do. I want to honour God, I want to make Him proud. And by all means, I can do whatever I darn well please. Please stop telling me how 'oppressed' I am, because I'm really not. I'm lucky enough to know a God who wants the best for me (and you, and everyone you or I or anybody else knows), and gives me an eternity of life, so does not aim to oppress me in the slightest.

In conclusion, a Christian woman should be right with God. That's it. That's all. Other than that, she should be whoever and whatever she pleases. And if you have an issue with that, take it up with God, not her.

Christmas Explained

Happy Wednesday! Hope everyone's settling back into routine after Spring/Easter break! Today will round off April's series of Explained with the most recognised holiday: Christmas! Also, why not check out the rest of the series?

When?
Every year Christmas is celebrated on December 25th, with Christmas Eve on December 24th and Boxing Day on December 26th.

What? 
Christmas is definitely the most well-known Christian holiday, both in the sense of the number of people having heard of it and celebrating it, and of how many people who know what it represents religiously. Christmas is a time for Christians to celebrate the birth of Jesus, as told in the 'nativity' story. (You can find this in Matthew chapters 1-2 and Luke chapters 1-2.) Christians celebrate on this day with presents and cards and Christmas trees like many non-Christians, and traditionally with carol singing and midnight mass, which is a service with communion at midnight between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Pentecost Explained

Hiya! Today I'll be explaining Pentecost and it's significance to the Christian church. Also, if you don't already know, Pretty Little Liars final season aired yesterday, and is on UK Netflix from today! I'm so excited to watch it!

When?
This year, Pentecost is celebrated on June 4th. It's normally different in the East to the West, but this year it's the same!

What? 
Pentecost, sometimes called Whitsun, is a Christian festival celebrating the God-given gift of the Holy Spirit. Originally, it stems from Shavuot, a Jewish harvest festival. In the Bible, the apostles were celebrating this festival when they received the Holy Spirit. They began to speak in tongues, which is when somebody suddenly speaks in a foreign language as a gift from God. Pentecost represents this event, as well as the birthday of the church, and the beginning of the Christian mission. It is celebrated by wearing red and singing Holy Spirit-inspired hymns, and is symbolised by fire, wind, and doves.

10 Bible Verses That Apply To Non-Christian Life

Happy Easter everyone! This is my first ever Easter as a Christian, so I'm very excited to see what today has in store for me. For you, it has this post! Here's 10 verses from the New Testament which I have carefully and dutifully hand-selected that can easily be applied to life as an atheist, agnostic, or any religion, including (of course) Christianity.

1. Freely give -Matthew 10:8
Giving gifts to friends and strangers is also a gift to ourselves; when we give, we feel better, more righteous.

2. Love your neighbour as yourself -Matthew 22:39
Love everybody! Always! Here, your 'neighbour' is not solely the people you live next to, it's those we cohabit with on Earth: everyone!

3. Love your enemies -Luke 6:27
Again, love everybody - even your enemies! Ever heard of killing them with kindness?

4. Do to others as you would have them do to you -Luke 6:31
Basically, if you're kind to people, they'll be kind to you. If you're unkind to people, they'll be unkind to you. Plus, why wouldn't you want to make people happy?

5. Go in peace -Luke 7:50
Simple, yet essential.

6. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done -John 13:15
Even if you don't believe that Jesus was (is) the son of God, you have to admit that he was a pretty decent guy. Follow his example in this way.

7. Glory, honour, and peace for everyone who does good -Romans 2:10
Do good, and you'll have good done to you! People are a lot more likely to want to help someone who's already helped them.

8. Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience -Colossians 3:12
It's not just Christians who can be compassionate, kind, humble, gentle, and patient! All wonderful qualities.

9. Weakness was turned to strength -Hebrews 11:34
Don't be discouraged by your weaknesses. Not only will they not bring you down, but they'll raise you up instead!

10. Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry -James 1:19
I can't stress this one enough. Listen to one another so you don't misunderstand, be hesitant when judging with your words, and see all sides of an argument before destroying yourself in anger.

Easter Explained

Man I've lit had this written for so long and I still manage to post it late... Sorry!

Happy Wednesday! Today we'll be learning about Easter in Christianity.

When?
Easter mainly consists of Good Friday (April 14th), Easter Sunday (April 16th), and Easter Monday (April 17th).  It's dates change every year, but these are correct for 2017.

What? 
Easter is arguably the most important Christian holiday, because it pays tribute to the resurrection of Jesus, which is obviously very important in Christianity. Jesus was crucified on the cross on Good Friday, then rose from the dead three days later on Easter Sunday, when his grave was found empty. He was seen again by his disciples on that same day, and this resurrection gives Christians a hope of their own resurrection and a certainty of what they believe.

FAQ Of Me

Good morning! Today's post will hopefully be kinda fun. I asked friends and strangers to ask me questions, and I also wrote down the questions that I'm most commonly asked.

Veganism

When did you become vegan?
June 2015 - almost 2 years ago! I started off only having one or two vegan meals a day, but I’ve been completely vegan for a long time now. :)

Why?
Well, the short-term cause was that I saw a video on how animals in factories are treated, and it disgusted me so much that I stopped eating meat straight away.
Long-term though, I explain a lot of the positive effects of veganism in this post.

What do you actually eat?
CARBS. So many carbs. Basically, I eat what you eat, but without the stuff I don’t eat, and with substitutes instead. (Linda McCartney is the BEST for meat subs, btw.)

Do you miss any foods?
Not really. At the start I did miss foods, especially cheese, but now I’m so accustomed to not eating them and I'm so much more aware of the negative effects of eating animal products. 

Is it difficult?
Again, at the beginning yes, but not anymore. Sometimes I wish I wasn’t vegan so that it was easier to eat at restaurants etc, but I so don’t regret my choice.


Christianity
When did you become a Christian?
Summer 2016. The changes inside me were happening from a lot earlier than that, but Summer was when I really kind of accepted those changes, and allowed myself to label myself.

Why?
Well, that’s a very long story, but if you’re close enough to me and we have enough time I’ll gladly tell it to you. The gist is that I wasn't a very nice person pre-‘conversion’, and I realised that if I was someone else, I wouldn’t want to be friends with me. Therefore, I started to change my attitude and my actions, and as a result my inner feelings and spirituality started to change too. Months passed until I finally realised ‘hey, I believe in a God…??’ and that was the start of the new me (must be said v sarcastically).

What does that mean for your daily life?
Well, on Sunday mornings I go to church, on Wednesday evenings I practice Worship at church (Worship is essentially praising God through singing and playing instruments), on Thursdays I go to Youth Group, I pray everyday, I read some of the Bible everyday, and my outlook has changed.

What denomination are you?
I don’t actually label myself as any denomination, because I haven’t yet found one that defines me correctly. If I do find one eventually, that’d be great; but for now I’m fine with solely being a Christian.

Aren’t all Christians homophobic?
Nope. As probability and population suggest, there are a whole bunch of gay Christians, who obviously won’t be homophobic. Some Christians are, but there are a lot who may not necessarily be pro-gay but they certainly aren't homophobic.

Aren’t all Christians anti-abortion?
Again, nope. I am pro-life (although every case must be treated subjectively) because of my beliefs but there are a lot of Christians who (especially in certain circumstances) will condone abortion.

Aren’t all Christians creationists?Nooooo. There are so many different interpretations of Genesis (where the Adam and Eve story is) and many of them align with evolution and the Big Bang and everything else scientific. I personally don’t know where I stand on the literality/symbolism debate of Adam and Eve, but again I’m not stressing too much over finding an answer quickly. I know I’ll find my answer soon enough, be it correct or not.

Do you just sing hymns all the time?
Seriously, no. Listen to Hillsong/Bethel/Jesus Culture. They are some of the best Worship bands of all time.


Education
You do dossy subjects - aren’t you smart, though?
I do do dossy subjects (Drama and Film), and I am sort of smart. I chose to do subjects I enjoy at college, and those aren’t Maths or Science based. Sorry?

Your GCSE results were amazing - why are you worrying about A Levels?
(For context, I achieved 7A*s and 5As at GCSE.) Because they are SO MUCH HARDER! Seriously, I’m getting Cs and Bs, having never got anything lower than an A pre-college.

What do you want to do at university?
I want to study Theology and Religious Studies. Basically, I want to learn more about different religions and what they believe and their histories, and maybe learn a Biblical language alongside it.

So you want to become a vicar? A nun?
No. That’s the first thing my mum asked me when I told her I wanted to do Theology. Honestly, it’d be a blast to be a nun, but that’s not my calling.

What do you want to be?
Ultimately, an actress. And yes, I know that no one makes it, and I know it’s all down to who you know, and I know it probably won’t happen. But, I’m gonna give it a go anyway.

Are you pressured by your family?
This is the most interesting question I was asked. I’d say that I am, but by the pressure I put on myself to live up to their expectations, not by something they actually do themselves. I want to live up to the examples set by my brothers, and I want to make my parents proud. That’s pressure enough, I guess.


Lifestyle
What’s your favourite… Book?
13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher. It’s actually recently been made into a Netflix TV show! (Which is really well-done, btw.)

Film?
Zero Day (2003) dir. Ben Coccio. I’ve already talked about how much I adore this movie and it’s characters, and I’ll link the post here.

Musician?
Oh I have no idea… I always love Green Day and the Smashing Pumpkins, but at the moment I’m getting back into Van Halen and Aerosmith. 

Author?
I hate to be all stereotypical-white-girl-tumblr but John Green is an absolute mastermind.

TV Show?
I’ve almost finished the first season of American Horror Story and I’m LOVING it. Also, the Pretty Little Liars final season is airing soon, and I am so so so excited!!

Actor?
Martin Freeman is so talented, and so is Andrew Scott. A very Sherlockian theme to this question but the cast of BBC Sherlock is just too fantastic to not be mentioned!

Musical?
Les Miserables… Closely followed by Miss Saigon. Yep, I’m into the sad ones.

Song?
My all-time favourite has to be Carry On Wayward Son by Kansas but at the moment I’m really loving How Far I’ll Go by Auli’i Cravalho from Moana and Misconceptions 3 by Lecrae feat John Gives, Jgivens, and Jackie Hill Perry.

What song got you into singing?
This is such a tough question! I guess I’ve always loved singing and performing, but my passion really began when I heard On My Own from Les Mis for the first time. What a song.

What Hogwarts house are you?
SLYTHERIN PRIDE. Always have been, always will be. Although, if I could choose a hybrid house it'd be Slytherdor. I used to be kinda Ravenclaw-esque but now I'm a whole lot braver, plus I am very short-tempered.

Do you have any pets?
Aw this was such a cute question. Yep! At the moment I have one cat called Indy, as well as a bunch of pond critters. I used to have another two cats (Ozzie and Freddie), a rabbit (Lady), and three guinea-pigs (Stripe, Chip, and Scruffy) but sadly they are no  longer with us. 

Lent Explained

Hi guys! :)
Today is the first Wednesday of April, meaning it's the first day of April's series! This month's series is called Explained, in which I'll be briefly explaining what different holidays mean to Christians, starting with Lent (which we are currently in the middle of).

When?
Lent this year began on March 1st, and will end on April 13th.

What? 
So, Lent. Lent occurs once every year and lasts for 40 days (plus Sundays). It comes before Easter and just after Shrove (Pancake) Tuesday. For Christians, Lent is a time of prayer, preparation, and reflection; to think about the time leading up to Easter, and what Easter means to Christians (which you'll find out next week!).
Some people (not just Christians) give up something for Lent; normally something 'bad' like chocolate/alcohol/smoking/etc. This represents when Jesus fasted from food in the wilderness for 40 days.

Evidence for the Existence of God

Hi guys!
Before we start, I'd just like to apologise for how late this post is - I've been ill lately and haven't had the time or the energy to do anything that doesn't involve sleeping. But I'm (nearly) all better now, so on with last Sunday's post!

A while ago, I stumbled across a lecture given by William Lane Craig, an American philosopher and theologian, at Imperial College detailing scientific and historical arguments for the existence of God. He defines the lecture as explaining 'seven features of the world around us that point beyond the world'. The lecture is kind of long, so I've watched it so that you don't have to. Here's my attempt at summarising some (admittedly difficult to get your head around) hypotheses.

Contingency Argument
In A Nutshell: Why does anything at all exist? Why is there something rather than nothing?
Explained: If you found something, it'd be bizarre to think it just randomly existed. Everything that exists has an explanation of it's existence, either in necessity (numbers, abstract objects, sets) or from a cause (people, mountains, planets, galaxies). The universe must have an explanation too, and it must be an external (the cause can't have been within the universe because it created the universe), transcendent (the cause created space and time, so it must be beyond both) cause. The cause must either be abstract like a number or an intelligent mind. The cause can't be abstract because abstract things have no effect on real life things (e.g. the number 7 cannot create or destroy anything, it has no effect on anything). Therefore, the cause of the universe must be an intelligent mind.
My Opinion: I like this argument, I think it's pretty solid. Everything is logical and not based on assumptions, but abstract ideas always confuse me so it isn't the most straightforward argument.


Cosmological Argument
In A Nutshell: Origin of the universe - does it have a beginning? Or does it just go back forever, eternal and uncaused?
Explained: The idea of an infinite past is problematic - the number of past events being infinite gets a little complex. Infinity minus infinity equals any number from zero to infinity, as inverse operations are impossible in infinite terms. The infinite is nowhere to be found in reality, it's role is solely that of an idea. There must be a finite number of past events, so the universe must have an absolute beginning of some sort a finite time ago. (This is confirmed by astronomy and astrophysics). Out of nothing, nothing comes. Whatever begins to exist must have a cause. So the universe must have a cause. This cause must be uncaused (can't have an infinite chain of causes), changeless, timeless (it created time), and immaterial (it created space) being. It must be a 'personal agent endowed with freedom of the will'.
My Opinion: This one got complicated, with infinities and minus-ing and many many causes. However, I still think it makes sense, and it seems more valid because part of it is 100% confirmed by scientists who are not necessarily theists.


Teleological Argument
In A Nutshell: The universe is perfectly fine-tuned for intelligent life.
Explained: Intelligent life depends upon a complex and delicate balance of initial conditions given in the big bang itself, it is balanced on a knife's edge of fineness to an incomprehensible degree. Were any of these qualities to be altered by the smallest possible degree, life wouldn't exist. This gives three possibilities:

1. Physical necessity - it had to be that way, there was no chance of the universe not being life permitting
1. Implausible - qualities of existence are independent of the laws of nature, so life isn't a certainty at all.
2. Chance - it was an accident and entirely due to chance that life exists
1. The odds against life are so incomprehensibly great, that this possibility can't be reasonably faced.
3. Design - rejects both other arguments, intelligent mind designing the universe and life within it
1. Therefore, this is the only other possibility

My Opinion: This is a massively plausible and logical argument form my point of view. Life is so finely balanced, just like gravity and the makeup of air and the way that rainforests/eyes/hearts work.


Moral Argument
In A Nutshell: Can objective moral values exist without God?
Explained: (Objective moral values = values that lie outside the individual's ethics - e.g. the actions of the Nazis would continue to be wrong even if they succeeded in brainwashing everyone, or winning the war. The idea that there is a definitive right and wrong). The death of God is the destruction of value in life, and without God there is no absolute right or wrong. Objective moral values and duties do exist, as some things are inherently good/bad, right/wrong. Therefore logically, God exists.
My Opinion: This makes sense to me, as I'm a firm believer that there are some things which are absolute wrongs, or are never acceptable. Plus, I agree that God is a sort of marker for these objective moral values.


Ontological Argument
In A Nutshell: Is it possible for God to exist?
Explained: (Possible world = used by philosophers to describe a way the world might have been, a description of reality that might have been true. Actual world = reality, true description). God is maximally great, He is the greatest conceivable being. If you pictured something greater than God, then that would be God. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, and therefore would be existing in every possible world. If a maximally great being exists in any possible world, He exists in all of them (that's what t means to be maximally great), so if God's existence is at all possible, He exists in any possible world, and therefore in the actual world.
My Opinion: Basically what this is saying, is if God's existence is even slightly possible in any conceivable world, then it is a certainty that He exists in the actual real world too.


The Resurrection of Jesus
In A Nutshell: Does the Resurrection of Jesus prove God's existence?
Explained: This is based on the historical facts of the story of Jesus of Nazareth's resurrection.

1. Empty tomb
1. Discovered by Jesus' female followers
2. Historically almost impossible to disprove
2. Jesus' postmortem appearances
1. Historical certainty that Peter and the disciples saw Jesus as the risen Christ
2. He was seen not only by believers, but also by sceptics, unbelievers, and even enemies of the early Christian movement
3. Origin of disciples' belief in Jesus' resurrection
1. They had a sudden and sincere belief in the resurrection of Jesus despite every predisposition to the contrary that they had been taught by the Jewish society 
2. They were willing to die for the truth of that belief

It's very hard to explain the fast rise of Christianity without the resurrection being fact. If God raised Jesus from the dead, then He must exist.

My Opinion: The resurrection is one of my favourite parts of the Gospel that people try to prove or disprove, and I think that it has many solid factual, historical, points that to me, directly prove the existence of a God.


The Immediate Experience of God
In A Nutshell: You can believe in God without arguments.
Explained: This isn't an argument, but an idea. You can personally experience God, knowing that He exists wholly without arguments (this is how people in the Old Testament knew God). God is not an idea adopted by the mind, but an experienced reality. The belief is formed in the context of certain experiences and is a natural formed, grounded belief. Could arguments distract us from knowing God personally?
My Opinion: I love this. I think it's so important that believers in God have faith in it's truest sense (not a blind faith, but a trust within themselves). Although it's imperative to question everything, sometimes you don't need to outright prove everything. Just believe.


If, after all this, you'd like to watch the video yourself to find out more, then just click here.

See you soon!

Top 3... Blogs

(A very late) Welcome to January's Wednesday series! This series is called Top 3..., and each week I will give you a mini review of my top 3 books/films/etc.
To kick off this month, I thought I'd start with something clearly rather important to me: blogs.
I am lucky enough to know the owners of these blogs in person, and I genuinely get excited when any of them upload a new post!

In alphabetical order (to avoid favouritism :P );

My friend Anna's blog, A Fabulous Feminist.
Her posts make me think, they make me laugh, and they inspire me. (Also her poetry is insanely good, you should also check out her poetry/photos instagram; @wildpetals)

My blessed-with-historical-knowledge friend Jemima's blog, Another Ranting Reader.
I see a lot of who I want to be in Jemima (both as a blogger and as a person), especially in her organisational skills, You just have to glance at her blog to see how structured and clear her goals are. I always find it hard to set goals, but I'm taking a leaf out of her metaphorical book and trying to be more organised.

And lastly (but definitely not least-ly), my friend who blogs anonymously at How Can You Believe That?
She posts Christian-related topics, answering age-old questions and debunking arguments against Christianity with reason and grace. I really, really recommend checking out her blog, whether you're an Atheist, Christian, questioning, or of any other religion. (Also I am always here if you have any religion-related questions. I may not be able to answer them all, but drop me a message and I promise I'll try!)

The Versatile Blogger Award

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Today's post is a little out of the ordinary: The Versatile Blogger Award. I was tagged by the lovely Anna (who actually got me into blogging!) so go and check out her version of this post! The idea is to give your readers 7 facts about yourself, so here goes!


1) Bring on fact number 1: I love to write! As in, physically write (pen and paper). For college and to save time, I usually type, however there's something about the glide of a pen forming the curves and harsh lines of letters that really gets me. Because of time constraints and practicality, the only time I actually write write is in my journal, in my Bible, or occasionally when writing poetry. When was the last time you old-school wrote? Is it a regular occurrence for you? I'm going to try and make it one for me.

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2) Mentioning the Bible previously, this leads on nicely to fact number 2: I am a Christian. I've mentioned it before on here but I still haven't done The Big Christian Post :P. The change in belief is something that's happened relatively recently and quickly to me; I felt a change happening for a long time, but I admitted to myself what was actually happening in maybe summer of this year? Was raised in what I'd describe as an atheist family with strong emphasis on science, so choosing what to believe for myself was (and is) a huge deal for me. Honestly, I couldn't be happier that this change has happened inside me. That being said, I still have a long way to go before I'm totally comfortable in my faith. This journey is being helped massively by my family (who are so much less judgemental than I thought they'd be), my friends (ditto), and the other Christians I know (in particular Isaac and Zulobia, who 100% will not be reading this but still). If you ever have any questions about religion, please please please contact me! I'll be more than happy to answer any questions you have (or to pass them on to someone more qualified to answer!), or to pray for you or a loved one.

3) The topic of Christianity sets up this fact: My inspiration in life is Rachel Joy Scott. Again, I haven't done The Big Rachel Post, but I'll try and sum it up here. She was born in 1981 and lived a short life that was filled to the brim with spirituality and compassion. She lived not only for God, but for others. She always put her own needs last, which inspires me to do the same. My aim is to be as full of compassion and righteousness as she was. Her relationship with Jesus was so unique and powerful that 11 months prior to her death, she predicted it. Unfortunately, she was shot and killed in the Columbine High School massacre of 1999, leaving only her memory, journals, and Rachel's Challenge as a legacy.

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4) To get off the topic of religion: I currently have a weird obsession with the piano. I cant play it, never have and probably never will, but there's something about it that I cant get enough of. In fact, right now I'm listening to Beethoven's "Moonlight" by Valentina Lisitsa (who is one of THE MOST talented pianists out there, in my opinion). I have no urge to play the piano myself, but for some unknown reason I am soothed and yet riled up by it's delicate passion. I'm also kind of getting into violin at the moment (again listening, not playing), but the piano is really special to me right now. My favourite pieces are probably Beethoven's "Moonlight", as mentioned before, Karl Jenkins' "Palladio" by Mark Klett, and the incredibly moving "Elegy for the Victims of the Tsunami" by Nobuyuki Tsujii.

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5) Staying on the subject of music: This is the first Christmas in 6 years in which I did not perform at my school's Christmas concert. It feels weird, I don't like it. I went to see this year's concert (which was so fabulous btw, congrats if you're reading this Mr Lawrenson/Veale) and I couldn't help but feel such a sense of longing to be back on stage. Unfortunately, because of the subjects I chose to do at college I am unable to perform at any point in my college years, which is kind of a bummer. Still, the concert was lovely and festive and filled with talent, but I still couldn't help wishing that I was a part of it again!

6) Onto number 6: I LOVE to travel, and my favourite ever place to go is South Africa. I first visited in the Summer of 2012, and I was lucky enough to go back to the beautiful country this Summer. I have a passion for wildlife, so a safari holiday is perfect for me, and there's something so special about seeing wild animals where they're supposed to be, as opposed to in a cage. We had a couple of close encounters with elephants, most prevalently at 3am when I was alone in an unlocked cabin with 3 huge elephants eating from the thatched roof. But still, the thrill and adrenaline made the fear worth it's while. I would relish the chance to go back, should I ever be lucky enough.

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7) And finally, number 7: I adore A Very Potter Musical (and Sequel) by Starkid. Like really, really adore it. Not a day goes by where I don't quote it somehow, be that in song or speech, and I happen to be lucky enough that a few of my friends also love it, so they understand my quotes! The humour, the talent, the Potterness! It honestly warms my heart and never fails to cheer me up. Many a free have I spent at college watching a re-watching both AVPM and AVPS (Joe Walker marry me please), and I can't think of a single more productive way of spending a few dozen frees.

I hope you enjoyed 7 facts about me, and maybe learned something! For the award I tag Minerva (mainly because of the super cool name!). I look forward to reading your post! :)