These faith based programs work with you to help you learn how to function as a Christian-faithed social services worker. Most of the professors will instruct from their experiences, since most will have worked in the field before taking a teaching role. You will take several core courses which will be taught from a faith-based point of view and find you place in the world.

Like secular programs, faith-based curriculum courses are more than theory; they apply public service work knowledge and skills in real life situations.

During your education you will be able to visit different agencies and the local communities, assist various service organizations, perform research, and volunteer work. You’ll also have the opportunity to take several electives that focus on more specialized areas like mental health, disabilities, or the elderly.

Internships are conducted during the last semester of your last year. This will allow you to practice what you have learned. Under the supervision of both your professor and an agency professional, you will work several days each week. Seminars are given weekly so that you can have the chance to discuss your experiences and to further the idea of what it means to be a public servant of faith.

When you are deciding between different Christian programs, consider some beneficial features such as small class size, and personal attention from professors and faculty. There are also organizations you can join for support such as the Student Social Work Association (SSWA), a student ran group that builds relationships among social work students. Once you have completed your degree you can also join the North American Association of Christian Social Workers (NACSW), which is supports the ethics and values of Christians in social work.

“How, can they call on the One they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” Romans 10:14 [NIV]

Books have changed. E-books have arrived. Audio books are here, and so are Audio Bibles. The good news – we’re killing fewer trees. The bad news, traditional bookstores now make more $ in their coffee shops than they do in the Books section! Why is that? Well, you can download most of the Medical Reference Books section of the library onto your phone – use your Galaxy Tab, Kindle or iPad, and you can get through the letter ‘R’ in the Library of Congress!

Leather Bound MP3 Audio Bible

Books have gone high-tech.

Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers – the oldest publishing firm in the US, and the largest Christian Publisher makes the convincing case that paper books will not be going away, however, in the same article he also discusses the new eBook division of their company. Books aren’t going away; they’re actually coming closer than ever before. The Audio book library is here; you’ll find Audio Bibles under ‘A’.

The Bible has reached the 21st Century, and far faster than it took to reach the 12th Century! The Word of God has been around since waaay.. BC.

Trouble was, it was so darn difficult to fit those stone tablets into the pocket of your robe! The Out loud Bible has arrived.

Why Audio Bible?

Convenience – 3 oz. of plastic versus 2 pounds of paper
Size – CDs fit into a pocket and once recorded there’s nothing to carry.
Life Compatible – iPod, iPad, iPlay… anytime, anywhere
Inexpensive – Audio Bibles under $ 20.
Excellence -
Distinguished -
Accurate -
Versatile -
Enduring

We have thousands of different Bibles, and Matthew 28:20 is the resurrected Jesus saying, “…teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” [NIV]

What if you could take God with you? What if you could arrive at work and say, “I was listening to God this morning…” and really mean it?

Audio Bible of the Future

Great men and women of God have read it, preached it, translated it, and literally given their lives for it to be printed and made available to the ‘common man’. But none of them, even in their wildest imaginations, could have ever conceived of the Audio Bible. Now, in less time than it takes me to burn toast my computer can download an entire Audio Bible CD onto my phone! I can listen to Moses on my way to the office in the morning and hear Peter on the afternoon commute home.

I have learned that the Bible does not need to conform to any particular standard or definitive format. As it turns out, God isn’t really into any one Bible, or any one delivery method. Jesus didn’t write any of the Bible Himself, and He never spoke English, or any other contemporary language. Actually none of the New Testament languages are spoken anymore. God is perfectly happy with The Holy Bible on my phone, my laptop, or the pages of the Bible I hold in my hands.

As a matter of fact, my own personal research has revealed a little known detail overlooked by many scholars and Bible translators – it’s true! Turns out, when Jesus preached the famous ‘Sermon on the Mount’ [Matthew 5:1-16] there was a small section in the original Greek – which is hard to translate – that was omitted from verse 16, where Jesus said,

“…in the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven… and there’s an app for that.“

Give the Bible a listen. Try an Audio Bible.

Speaking About the Unspeakable

A lot of people will wonder why I would dare write about religion, after all it is one of the two unspeakable subjects, the other being politics. I have never cared much for political correctness, and the subjects of religion and politics are the two subjects I most like to talk about. I am sure one of the reasons is because I am a non-conformist; I don’t act in a particular manner because society says I should. If society decides something is taboo, chances are that is the exact thing I will talk and write about. I also have a lens that is of a political nature, so if speaking about the unspeakable is something that is damaging to your delicate senses, then you should pass on anything I may write because those are going to be the subjects.

The general purpose of this is to serve as a guideline or a tool for atheists who encounter people of faith, but also for people of faith who are not afraid to look at other views without feeling threatened or offended. You should never be unwilling to look at other points of view, no matter how much you believe you already know the “truth”.

Please note-

The main purpose of this article is not to cause offense, but that is almost certain to happen. I can understand why this would be, no one likes to have their beliefs called into question because it may make them appear to be foolish or stupid. This would be the main reason for people getting upset and not even wanting to discuss the matter, because deep down inside they also know it does not sound believable. By not talking about it they do not have to try and defend the indefensible. But is it better to hold onto beliefs that you may have not examined in full, or examine them and determine if they are really worth holding onto at all?

This is written from an atheists point of view and examines some aspects of religion including, The Bible, Church, God and Jesus. There is no way to discuss these topics without offending someone.

As a Libertarian I believe people should have the right to believe in anything they want to…no matter how silly others may believe those things to be. With that being said, I would like to point out that having a right to your belief, does not void someone Else’s equal right to have an opinion opposite yours and be vocal about it. You do not have a right to not be offended.

Atheists that will use this, or any other book, must be aware that it’s not very likely they will succeed in “convincing” a person of faith to change his or her opinion on faith, if that is your goal. Do not be disappointed if you fail to “open his or her eyes”. During your discussion, he or she will most likely be equally frustrated that you cannot fathom the greatness of God.

Why I Am An Atheist

I was born an atheist, just as every other person, animal and life form in the universe has been and will forever be. Indeed we are all born without religious indoctrination making us all non-theists from birth. Because we are born atheists (free from all knowledge of Gods) we do not come into this world with preconceived ideas of religious dogma. These ideas are learned later in life and are usually introduced by a parent or religious institution. Without some outside influence in their life, most people would not adopt religion on their own.

Most likely the reason for someone being Catholic, Baptist, Jewish, Muslim or some other religion is because their parents were also of that same faith. It is not like they actually put a lot of thought in deciding what religion to be, in fact they did not pick their religion at all, their religion picked them. They learned of religion the same way their parents did and their parents before them, through repeating the same dogma that was handed down to them from their parents. Of course no matter which religion someone ends up inheriting either at birth or later in life, it is always taught to them to be the “One True Religion”. Just as a person of strong Catholic belief thinks they have found the “One True Religion”, so does the person of strong Muslim faith; they both can’t be right.

I am an atheist for the same reason I am an Azeusist (someone who does not believe in Zeus) because there is no proof for the existence of Gods…not one, not any. Besides, if there be such a thing as a God, he must have known (since it is said that God knows all) I would be an atheist ahead of the time of my birth; and if that be the case, what right do people of faith have to question their Gods judgment anyway?

I have tried to write this in what I feel is as least offensive tone as I could, because it was important to me for atheists and theists alike to be able to read this. But please understand that I am an atheist, and as such it is hard for me to be as non-bias as some of the people reading this would like, just as it would be hard for a theist to write about atheism I am sure. But with that said, I am sure most will agree that for the most part it is non-offensive as is possible.

What Is Your Purpose?

You may or may not agree with what is presented here. I think it’s important to ask yourself what you hope to get out of it? If the goal is to seek knowledge, even if it takes you places that you may find uncomfortable, then by all means continue. But if you are only interested in reading material that furthers your own self-interest of propagating a belief that you have, and there is no amount of knowledge or evidence that could sway your belief or cause you to reconsider, then stop now and save yourself a lot of time. You can continue about your day knowing that your mind has not been subjected to anything that might chip away at the safe little world you have created for yourself.

If there is no amount of evidence that could be presented that would sway your opinion or cause you to reconsider your position, then what possible reason would you have for trying to gain knowledge or further your education about this or any other subject? If you are convinced you know all there is to know already, then you should cease trying to further your education at all on any subject and just tell yourself you have reached the maximum capability and capacity of your mind, and it is closed for any further progress from this point forward.

If your beliefs are so fragile that they cannot stand up to challenge or the slightest scrutiny, would this really be something you would want to continue to believe in anyway? Are your senses so delicate that you are not even willing to listen to someone Else’s point of view, because the mere thought that someone might disagree with you causes an immediate desire to place both hands over your ears, and close your eyes while repeating loud chanting noises as to avoid listening?

However, if knowledge and understanding are what you seek, and you are bold enough to follow this road no matter where it might lead, then read on and ask yourself what makes more sense to you.

I do not profess to have all the answers, nor the truth. I simply will lay the facts out as we know them to be and let you decide for yourself what sounds more rational and logical. I cannot force you to believe anything, nor would I try. I would hope you possess the ability to weigh the evidence and decide for yourself if there is A Case Against God.

But of course that will be up to you to decide…

A Quest For Knowledge

Since man first crawled from the cave he has been on a quest for knowledge. Not having the ability to understand the universe early man invented Gods to explain their world. There were Gods for everything, from water and fire, to Earth and the cosmos. Thunder and lightning meant that the Gods must be angry and if it rained they were sad. This would all seem to make perfect sense for the mind of a caveman since they were not capable of conceptual and rational thought. They simply replaced one unknown for another in their world. Rain = Gods sad, Thunder and lightning = Gods angry. This “caveman logic” explained everything they needed to know and because of their limited logic and reason worked fine for them.

In the movie ‘The Gods Must Be Crazy,’ a native in the Kalahari Desert encounters technology for the first time–in the shape of a Coke bottle. I found this to be very amusing, but I also began to see parallels between his thought process, and that of the modern day Theist. Both are using caveman logic to explain their world. The native using caveman logic thinks, “bottle fall from sky, must be gift from the Gods” and the modern day theist thinks, “look at that tree, that proves God”. Both of them simply have replaced one unknown for another, but still have not answered where these things came from.

It is easy to understand how this method of replacing one unknown for another was passed down through the generations as a means by which to describe our world. It is also easy to see how someone of such limited capacity could accept this line of reasoning to define their world.

As mankind evolved, mans logic and reason evolved as well. This “caveman logic” did not seem to work as well as it once did. Science and math had now replaced “caveman logic” and we demanded proof for the things we believed in. Rain = Gods sad, was replaced with science and we learned that rain is caused by: Precipitation that forms when cloud droplets (or ice particles) in clouds grow and combine to become so large that their fall speed exceeds the updraft speed in the cloud, and they then fall out of the cloud. If these large water drops or ice particles do not re-evaporate as they fall farther below the cloud, they reach the ground as precipitation. And we learned that thunder is: Caused by the sudden expansion of the air around a lightning bolt’s path. The deep rumbling and sharp cracks of thunder are produced as the air around the lightning bolt is superheated – up to about 54,000° Fahrenheit (about 33,000° Celsius) – and rapidly expands. This rapid expansion creates an acoustic shock wave that manifests itself as thunder.

Through science and math and by using logic and reason, man had replaced “caveman logic” and was able to explain his world in more rational and sensible ways. Man now relied on the rules of evidence to validate a claim and demanded proof for things he was willing to say he believed in…except in one area.

Where faith was concerned “caveman logic” seemed to still be the method at which to explain our world. God was proven in the mind of a theist simply by pointing to a tree, flower or an insect. This “caveman logic” was more than enough proof in their mind and it did not matter that all they had done was to replace one unknown for another, to them the question had been answered and it was not up for debate or challenge.

It is sad that with all of mankind’s greatest achievements that we have still not crawled that far beyond the cave…and caveman logic.

The quest continues…

http://www.squidoo.com/god-is-just-pretend

The ESV Bible was first published in 2001 as a revision of the Revised Standard Version. The goal of the publishers was to create a literal translation – one which was as closely as possible a word-for-word transcription of the original Biblical text – into the English language. Such a feat has proved difficult over the years of translating due to rather striking limitations of the English language in comparison to the languages from which the Bible is most commonly transcribed. To understand these limitations, let’s take a look at the difficulty of translating ancient language into modern English.

The Bible in HOW MANY Languages?

The original Biblical texts were recorded in Aramaic, Greek, or Hebrew, all of which are essentially ‘dead’ languages (Typically meaning no one speaks them any longer). Without taking the time to learn languages which have no practical use aside from the study of Biblical texts, the manuscripts closest to the original either the Latin or Spanish translations of the Bible. All modern translations of the Bible, including the ESV Bible, are built upon one of these two languages. Interestingly enough, Latin is also a ‘dead’ language; despite being the most commonly used text for Biblical reference, and the building block for most English translations. This makes Spanish the only ‘living’ translation of the Bible which is considered a ‘root’ translation.

When converting between any two languages, the basic number and variety of words is key to how accurate the end translation is. For instance, in Greek, there are twenty-three words for ‘love’, all of which have specific and individual definitions. In Latin, there are 9 different words for ‘love’. In English, we have only one word for love, which means the definition of the word ‘love’ is very broad. This narrowing of the number of available words and the broadening of the definition of the words available make it easy to understand why translation from such a rich language to a more loose and modern one is difficult at best. The ESV Bible has overcome these difficulties rather effectively by pairing words such as ‘love’ with effective modifiers. For example, where the NLT uses ‘love’ as a standalone word in Genesis 13:15 “The people you rescued were led by your love to your holy place”, the ESV Bible reads “You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed; you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode.”  The ESV adds the word ‘steadfast’, which gives greater clarity to the word ‘love’ used in the original Hebrew, which was ‘checed’, meaning ‘faithfulness’. This presentation makes the ESV Bible an excellent study translation because it demonstrates a more ‘literal’ representation of the original text.

Community And Scholarly Recognition

Personal preference should always be the primary consideration in selecting any reference book including a Bible, but it can be encouraging to check out what respected institutions and trusted advisors. They will help with the decision, especially when you are considering a relatively ‘new’ version of the Bible. The ESV Bible has a rather impressive list of endorsements, including an edition of the Scofield Study Bible printed in the ESV, an ESV printing of the MacArthur Study Bible, and the adoption of the ESV as the official text of the Lutheran Church. Each of these organizations is established enough that their use of this rendition has secured the ESV Bible’s status as a significant and decisive translation of the Bible. More information is available at Deeper Shopping Online Bookstore.

The ESV Bible is an excellent selection for individuals seeking a literal translation of the original Biblical text, particularly for study purposes. Many Bible formats and Bible-related resources using this translation are available through this site, and are well worth considering for the historically-minded Bible reader.