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Question 600

Pater, respect, but you must‘ve been asked about this many times before. I have a huge problem, always have had, but did God create the Universe? Listening to prof. Cox, science overtakes religion in every aspect, and life on earth did not begin with Adam and Eve, and our planet will burn up when the sun implodes. Is this what God created for us? What does the church say? Or, is the church and religion just become a money making industry for the not so strong?          

 

Answer to Question 600

I do not know who professor Cox is and have no idea about his science, but I can only assume that he embraces the Big Bang Theory. The “Big bang” theory will has us believing that a great explosion caused particles to form which then came together and formed the galaxies and Planets. On earth the sea was a cocktail of chemicals and together with the energies from the sun these developed into organic molecules. Then from these all living creatures evolved –the fish, the birds, land animals and eventually the species which Darwin and many others after him have identified as modern man’s ancestors – Homo erectus, Homo habilis, Neanderthal, Homo sapiens, etc with modern man at the top of the chain. 

 

The scientific view of creation is only a theory yet to be proved and begins with a big bang. It doesn't tell us who or what caused the big bang: there must have been something there before the big bang to cause it to happen, because something out of nothing equals nothing. For the Bible this something is God who in the beginning created heaven and earth. This could have happened with a big bang, a little bang or a balloon pop, but for matters of faith this is of little importance. But even without the element of God to cause the very beginning of creation, Genesis has a striking agreement with science and gives us at least 11 great events enumerated in the same order as claimed by modern science: 1. The earth was "waste without form and void"; 2. "Darkness was upon the face of the deep"; 3. Light appears; 4. A clearing expanse, or firmament; 5. The elevation of the land and the formation of the seas; 6. the appearance of Grass, herbs and fruit trees; 7. The sun, moon and stars appear; 8. Marine animals were created; 9. "Winged fowls" were created; 10. Land animals were created; 11. Man was created. The chance of guessing the exact order of these 11 great events is ascertained by the law of permutations--the product of the numbers from 1 to 11, which is apparently 39,916,800. Therefore, Moses, who is the author of Genesis, had one chance out of 39,916,800 to guess the correct order of these 11 great events, as revealed both by science and revelation. If Moses did not have the order revealed to him, he never could have guessed it. It is therefore logical to say that he was inspired by God and was told the order. As for the future again the Christian faith is in complete agreement with the scientific outlook of the universe. We believe that when Christ will come again he will destroy the earth as it is today and create a new earth.

 

Another member

I really don't know about your personal religious views, but as to the last part of your post, do you think that Pater Christopher has been making any money out of appearing here nearly every week for a whole day at a time? Certainly some people of religion and the church have treated it as a money making industry, as they are humans like all of us and sometimes do succumb to temptation, but to put all the church into the same set, is I believe a gross injustice to the countless people who have strived through their lives for the good of us all.

 

First member

no way do I accuse Pater Christofer of money making. He‘s been such a comfort for all who believe and ask him to improve in their believes, and every day life. But, look around you at how many manipulate and sell religion for money.

 

Reply

It is true that there are people that sell religion and try to milk people into giving them their money, but that doesn't mean that everyone who preaches Christ is guilty or that the church is a money making industry. Of course the church needs money to operate especially when she has a philanthropic outreach and this money can only come from the people. Many people accuse the church that she is wealthy and covered in gold, and there are churches that fall into this category, but again we shouldn't judge every church by this standard. The Orthodox church is not the Vatican and does not have a central bank. Each church is run independently and there are many that give everything that is collected to helping those in need.

 

First member

It is a money making industry. If it wasn‘t, Cyprus would not have gone bankrupt if the church had helped.  They kept it, and are still cashing in.  Sorry Pater, but it gets to me when I think how greedy and powerful this institution is. True or false... It is still a matter of life and death, and people agree and vote for it.

 

Reply

Cyprus went bankrupt because everywhere you looked people in high places were milking the country for personal wealth. The church cannot be blamed for people's greed. The church on the other hand reached out to help the people who were affected by the crisis that followed. You do not know the details, you just assume that the church had millions and should have given it to those who stole the money in the first place. If you are really interested in knowing what the church had and did for the country, you can inquire at the church offices and I'm sure they will show you that because of the great help they gave, the church has no more coins in the coffers. Don't be so deluded, in thinking that the church is a great and wealthy institution. The church belongs to the people and any money the church has usually returns to the people.

 

First member

Pater, you‘re a priest, doing a good job, keeping Cypriots informed of their religious duties, etc.. etc..many other things, I‘m sure, but I was a Swiss banker for 35 years, and I know otherwise.

 

Another member

A church in London is not given land rent free. Neither does it receive free water free electricity free gas or free anything else. Staff need to be paid and indeed most carry out their duties for free. The buildings often pre date victorian era and require alot of maintenance. Our Church roof had a hole in it and our church had to fundraise 20k to find the cash to fix it. In the meantime we all froze. We also had to fundraise to afford a small minibus so it can go round the community to pick up elderly and disabled people who might not otherwise be able to get to church. And it's used to send round food. So what that u were a Swiss banker? What's that got to do with the price of bread. Stop assuming. Our church is a poor church.. But I prefer it that way. The church asks nothing of me when I've got a fiver to give i do. The church can't be run on nothing can it