Scholar Claims Dead Sea Scrolls 'Authors' Never Existed

From Time Magazine, "Scholar Claims Dead Sea Scrolls 'Authors' Never Existed."

Elior, who teaches Jewish mysticism at Jerusalem's Hebrew University, claims that the Essenes were a fabrication by the 1st century A.D. Jewish-Roman historian Flavius Josephus and that his faulty reporting was passed on as fact throughout the centuries. As Elior explains, the Essenes make no mention of themselves in the 900 scrolls found by a Bedouin shepherd in 1947 in the caves of Qumran, near the Dead Sea. "Sixty years of research have been wasted trying to find the Essenes in the scrolls," Elior tells TIME. "But they didn't exist. This is legend on a legend." (See pictures of 60 years of Israel.)

Elior contends that Josephus, a former Jewish priest who wrote his history while being held captive in Rome, "wanted to explain to the Romans that the Jews weren't all losers and traitors, that there were many exceptional Jews of religious devotion and heroism. You might say it was the first rebuttal to anti-Semitic literature." She adds, "He was probably inspired by the Spartans. For the Romans, the Spartans were the highest ideal of human behavior, and Josephus wanted to portray Jews who were like the Spartans in their ideals and high virtue."

The New Calvinism?

Time Magazine has a new article on the resurgence of Calvinism, "The New Calvinism - 10 Ideas Changing the World Right Now."

In my humble opinion, the pendulum is simply swinging back. In their attempt to combat liberalism and modernism with traditionalism, some have replaced Biblical illiteracy with misguided philosophy, and in so doing, removed all incentives for morality, repentance and worship.

The Pharisees were guilty in part for shutting the gates of heaven from some. True Calvinists in all cases have either shut up heaven or hell, depending upon the individual. To make matters worse, no one knows which door was shut to him and Calvinism offers no incentive to change your behavior. Calvinists do not offer an objective test for determining whether a person is saved, or at least one that can give assurance to an individual Christian.

The Biology of Belief

From Time Magazine:"The Biology of Belief":

Here's what's surprising: a growing body of scientific evidence suggests that faith may indeed bring us health. People who attend religious services do have a lower risk of dying in any one year than people who don't attend. People who believe in a loving God fare better after a diagnosis of illness than people who believe in a punitive God. No less a killer than AIDS will back off at least a bit when it's hit with a double-barreled blast of belief. "Even accounting for medications," says Dr. Gail Ironson, a professor of psychiatry and psychology at the University of Miami who studies HIV and religious belief, "spirituality predicts for better disease control."

America's Unfaithful Faith

From Time Magazine: "America's Unfaithful Faith":

"Americans are some of the most religious people in the world — but a huge survey noted that the religion in question changes with astonishing frequency. A 35,000-person poll by the Pew Forum for Religion & Public Life found that 28% of U.S. adults have left their cradle faith for another one — 44% if you're talking about denominations rather than faiths. The poll suggests great national piety coupled with remarkable disdain for the multi-generational doctrinal and ethnic ties that used to define American religion.

Why Catholic Indulgences Are Making a Comeback - TIME

This article, Why Catholic Indulgences Are Making a Comeback, from Time Magazine discusses renewed efforts by the Vatican to promote charitable works.

It's no longer enough to repeat a prescribed number of prayers; you also have to do good, such as volunteer at a soup kitchen, help resettle refugees or donate to a worthy cause. Much like how many high schoolers have to fulfill a community-service requirement, Catholics are being urged to become do-gooders. "The church's teaching has evolved," Walsh says. "Part of indulgences is not just saying special prayers, but also doing good works."

Time.com: Christians and Atheists Battle in London Bus Wars

Time Magazine is reporting that Christian groups and atheists are engaged in a war of competing advertisements on London's double-decker buses.

Time.com - Rural Churches Grapple with a Pastor Exodus

Below is a link to an interesting article I found at Time.com,"Rural Churches Grapple with a Pastor Exodus." The article points that particularly in the U.S. Midwest, churches are becoming financially unable to support local preachers.   Here's the link:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1874843,00.html?xid=rss-topstories-cnnpartner?iid=perma_share

Time Magazine debate between Atheist & Theistic Evolutionist

On November 5, 2006, Time Magazine published a great article entitled God vs. Science, featuring a debate on the existence of God.

The debate is between atheist Richard Dawkins, who has "the Charles Simonyi professorship for the public understanding of science at Oxford University", and Francis Collins, "Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute since 1993, [who heads] a multinational 2,400-scientist team that co-mapped the 3 billion biochemical letters of our genetic blueprint, a milestone that then President Bill Clinton honored in a 2000 White House ceremony."

Collins is a theistic evolutionist.

Richard Dawkins is also the author of a recent New York Times best seller, The God Delusion (Houghton Mifflin).

The debate is a great resource for anyone who wants to educate church members on the arguments for and against evolution, and the inconsistencies presented by a theistic evolutionist viewpoint.

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