by Ian Denness | Oct 18, 2022 | Bible, Jesus, Justice, Secular
Possible causes of suffering… 1. We don’t know everything.2. A higher purpose – a wake-up call from God, to get our attention. God’s megaphone to a deaf world, being allowed by God to bring us to our own end and to repent for our higher eternal...
by Ian Denness | Oct 2, 2022 | Forgiveness, Hope, Identity, Life, Meaning in life, Secular
God has given us so much! Many couldn’t think of anything… A few said, “Not much!” What about sunsets, sunrises, flowers, life itself, love and friendships, as well as hope! Certainly our own human weaknesses can destroy much happiness. There...
by Ian Denness | Sep 24, 2022 | Bible, Forgiveness, Hope in life, Secular
“Sorry” is not so easy to say… Probably because it hurts our pride! Some said that saying “sorry” would go against their personal self-image, and that would hurt their self-confidence and self-respect. So, they wouldn’t say it. Most...
by Ian Denness | Sep 17, 2022 | Bible, Choice, Reasoning, Secular
The “depends” won the day! It depends on whether the issue in question is trivial or big, some people thought. I don’t want to have full knowledge about all the dark doings on the streets of the centre of our city at night, like the police would...
by Ian Denness | Sep 10, 2022 | Agnosticism, Bible, Christianity, Forgiveness, God, Secular
“Yes” and “No”! How does that work? Surely one or the other, or the most popular choice, “No God”! Well, it depends on whether we try to get forgiveness for our wrongs from the ‘system’ God himself has put in place, or...
by Ian Denness | Aug 21, 2022 | Bible, Forgiveness, Karma, Morality, Secular, Selfism
“Yes” was the answer! That is, we will be kind and compassionate to each other. Great! We are all made in the image of God, so all of us have the capacity to be kind and compassionate. No one group has the sole copyright or monopoly on this ability....
by Ian Denness | Aug 15, 2022 | Bible, Big Bang, Dinosaurs, Evolution, Secular
“The Origin of Species…”? With the mention of nature and the universe, most people would think of Evolution and the Big Bang Theory. Not surprising, since we have had those 2 hypotheses ‘rammed down our throats’ since primary school....
by Ian Denness | Aug 8, 2022 | Bible, Forgiveness, Hope in life, Secular
God? Other people? Yourself? They were the 3 choices! Which would you choose? On the day, the last was by far the most popular! I chose the first. It is to do with the most important person I strongly believe I have most offended. Offending God is far worse for me...
by Ian Denness | Aug 1, 2022 | Bible, Buddhism, Eternal, Life after Death, Secular
It was a surprise to me that in a secular stronghold, most people voted for “No”, “this life is not all there is”… It was easy to explain why that happened. Most people in that area are either Atheists, or Western Buddhists/Pantheists....
by Ian Denness | Jul 25, 2022 | Bible, Christianity, God, Jesus, Secular, Wokism
Most people looked like they had lots of thoughts as to why they didn’t like Christianity. However, they were reluctant to write them down! Some said they didn’t like the authority and control. Others that they didn’t like any religion. Nobody...
by Ian Denness | Jul 11, 2022 | Bible, Justice, Moral Relativism, Secular
Jesus said we would be judged by our words… However, more people at the market said that maybe he never existed at all! That is another question for another day. In the Bible, Matthew unequivocally quotes Jesus as saying: “But I tell you that everyone will...
by Ian Denness | Jun 25, 2022 | Bible, Jesus, Secular, Secular Atheism
Themselves, their cat, bacteria and fungi were given as some of the answers. Others gave the expected big names of tech, finance, and power. However, the question comes from a direct quote of Jesus, included 3 times in the Bible on different occasions. He said that...
by Ian Denness | Jun 20, 2022 | Agnosticism, Bible, Christianity, Creation, Existentialism, Relativism, Secular
“Made in the image of God.” That’s the most standout quality for me, as to what makes us human. So what do you think to be “made in the image of God” would mean? Here’s the statement from the beginning of the Bible. Then God said,...
by Ian Denness | Jun 13, 2022 | Agnosticism, Christianity, Existentialism, Moral Relativism, Satan, Secular
What would you like to be controlled by? Most would say, “Myself!” It usually doesn’t work out that way in real life… The answers opposite show just some of those that were offered that day. My thoughts were: I am controlled by my desire to...
by Ian Denness | Jun 6, 2022 | Atheism, Bible, Big Bang, Creation, God, Intelligent Design, Wokism
Challenge yourself… “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them....
by Ian Denness | May 9, 2022 | Bible, Existentialism, Hope in life, Judgement, Life, Spirituality, Uncategorized
Who is happy with God listening in to all their thoughts? Those who voted ‘No God’ made it easy for themselves. However, there were an equal number of votes for ‘Yes’, God can know our thoughts! Some of those were Christians (Followers of...
by Ian Denness | Apr 24, 2022 | Identity, Jesus, Moral Relativism, Progressive, Secular, Uncategorized, Wokism
Depends on what YOU mean by woke… It really did on the day! Those who thought that being woke was simply to be someone who rose up against racism and abuses of power in society usually voted “Yes!”. Jesus was certainly against racism, saying that he...
by Ian Denness | Apr 11, 2022 | Bible, Choice, Identity, Individualism, Pleasure, Progressive, Secular, Selfism
Self-absorption or self-sacrifice? Another way of putting it – serving self only, versus serving others? If we are self-absorbed, do we recognize it? Self-absorption is only concerned with self, and the importance of self. If we are self-sacrificing, do we...
by Ian Denness | Apr 5, 2022 | Buddhism, Christianity, Individualism, Karma, Pleasure, Spirituality
Buddha’s main thesis? “We can eliminate suffering when we cease to desire.” From my reading over the years, that seems to encapsulate it. Certainly there are other major themes for all Buddhists, be they eastern or western/eclectic Buddhists....
by Ian Denness | Apr 5, 2022 | Bible, Creation, Secular, Sexual identity, Sexuality, Truth
How has this question arisen? Apple released a new emoji earlier this year for a pregnant man. As well, the leader of the opposition in Australia stated that he wasn’t ‘woke’, and that men couldn’t be pregnant, even though the official and...
by Ian Denness | Mar 13, 2022 | Climate change, Secular, Sexual identity, Uncategorized, Wokism
Freedom of public discussion? Some said on the day that we can talk about everything! What’s the problem? Others said we can’t, and that there are many things we can’t talk about. I decided that the former must be people who agree with the...
by Ian Denness | Mar 7, 2022 | Agnosticism, Bible, Choice, Hell, Karma, Life after Death, Secular
Mention of Hell…? That word can confront! We know that some think they are already living in it. Strangely enough, such people seem to live in the comfortable West, from my observation. What if Hell would be just in this life? What we do has consequences, so...
by Ian Denness | Jan 18, 2022 | Agnosticism, Bible, Dying, Jesus, Meaning in life, Secular
“Idols” in the survey was taken to only mean “celebrity idols” That was a surprise to me! What about “idols” that we make in our lives as being of the greatest importance to us personally, and as a society? Things like money and...
by Ian Denness | Dec 21, 2021 | Bible, Christianity, Faith, Forgiveness, Jesus, Secular
Right up front I will say that for me Christmas starts and finishes with Jesus. He was the reason 2,000 years ago for it to start in the first place, wasn’t he? That’s why it is called Christ-mas. The last 3 letters meaning to celebrate. How long will it...
by Ian Denness | Dec 14, 2021 | Bible, Christianity, God, Hope, Jesus, Life after Death, Secular
“It just feels nice” That’s what someone wrote for this topic in the market. Another person put up, “The joy of giving people something they need.” Consumerism That summarized a comment – “A holiday started by corporations to...
by Ian Denness | Dec 5, 2021 | Bible, Hope in life, Judgement, Life after Death, Secular, Suicide
We have all seen the results of suicide in those left behind When someone loses hope, the consequences for them and their friends and family can be disastrous. How could they have found hope? Who could have reached out to them? Why didn’t I do enough? In...
by Ian Denness | Dec 5, 2021 | Bible, God, Judgement, Life after Death, Secular
It is so common… How many times a day would you hear it? Why do people in the West only use God, Jesus, Christ, Hell, Blood (derivative words) for surprise, emphasis or swearing? We never hear “O Mohammad” or “O Buddha”. As well, in countries...
by Ian Denness | Nov 16, 2021 | Hope in life, Individualism, Meaning in life, Secular, Selfism
There are some things we really want – like tattoos! Then we research them, chase and nail them. It’s all a bit of fun. However, to get a tattoo takes time, a certain amount of pain, and money. It is also fairly permanent! Those who choose tattoos, have...
by Ian Denness | Nov 7, 2021 | Agnosticism, Atheism, Bible, Climate change, Creation, Evolution
We should ask this… Where do you stand with the big issue of Climate Change? We all have an opinion about this! As well, we would all base our individual strong opinion on what we would claim to be strong scientific evidence and reasoning. To be really honest, we...
by Ian Denness | Oct 5, 2021 | Atheism, Bible, Moral Relativism, Morality, Sexuality
Depends on how you define “love” That word has about as broad a use in society as the word “Christian”! The scope goes from the cheap “made with love” label of a mechanically manufactured biscuit, to the sublime relationship between...
by Ian Denness | Oct 4, 2021 | Bible, Buddhism, Karma, Life after Death, Morality, Spirituality
Negative consequences follow from our negative actions? They usually do, but not always. For instance, sickness doesn’t necessarily follow, unless we have been adopting an unhealthy lifestyle. It is to do with the law of cause and effect. You could even say...
by Ian Denness | Oct 4, 2021 | Bible, Moral Relativism, Morality, Secular Atheism, Truth
Should everyone find their own truth? Or are there some givens in all societies that are constant, and even part of our conscience? Should everyone just do what is right in their own eyes, like moral relativism? Ethical standards in each of us are real, even if we...
by Ian Denness | Oct 4, 2021 | Agnosticism, Atheism, Bible, Moral Relativism, Nones, Secular
We decide such challenges by our beliefs and worldview It involves something like, “Not just where you get to, but how you get there.” Also, “Not just what you get, but how you get it.” It includes ethics and morality. Can there be morally...
by Ian Denness | Oct 4, 2021 | Atheism, Bible, Identity, Religion, Sexuality
Our culture has elevated sex Sex is great, and such a gift to us! In its rightful place… We all know that it also can devastate in the wrong circumstances. Coercion, trafficking, rape for a start… What about sexual faithfulness? Is that higher or lower in...
by Ian Denness | Oct 2, 2021 | Atheism, Bible, Choice, Sexual identity, Sexuality
Surely there is more to my life and identity than just my sexuality? We can do better than that, can’t we? What if I didn’t live in such an affluent country? Food, drinks, freedom, individualism, and employment as given ‘entitlements’? What...
by Ian Denness | Sep 28, 2021 | Atheism, Climate change, Covid, Selfism, Wokism
There are many contenders for this ignominious category! Things like Marxism, Climate change, trafficking, Covid, alarmism. The list could go on. Something even more wrong than trafficking I am thinking about something even more foundationally wrong than trafficking....
by Ian Denness | Sep 26, 2021 | Atheism, Bible, Forgiveness, God, Judgement, Rebellion
If you don’t believe that God exists, or if you don’t believe the Bible is true, then you wouldn’t be bothered by this challenging question. However, if you do believe both, then what does the Bible say about this? The Bible says… “It is...
by Ian Denness | Sep 26, 2021 | Bible, God, Judgement, Life after Death, Spirituality
Many would scoff at such a thought Most wouldn’t see a ‘Day of Judgement’ even as a threat. However, Jesus often talked about such an event as real and coming. He didn’t mince his words about it either. He gives the result for those who are on...
by Ian Denness | Sep 26, 2021 | Bible, Dinosaurs, Evidence, Evolution, Intelligent Design, Noah's Ark
Sighting of Dinosaurs Secular evolution has it that dinosaurs died off 65 million years ago, and that no human has ever seen a living dinosaur. However, if you replace the word dinosaur with dragon, then it becomes a different matter. It was in 1841 that dragons were...
by Ian Denness | Sep 20, 2021 | Bible, Christianity, Hope, Jesus, Life after Death, Truth
When are you supposed to make a bucket list? I guess you can never be too young! To know God better is on my bucket list. That’s the God of the Bible. It is right at the top, followed by less special activities like travel or other priorities. With that goes...
by Ian Denness | Sep 20, 2021 | Christianity, Evidence, God, Jesus, Justice, Reasoning, Truth
Do you think Christianity is deficient? What I call ‘Cultural Christianity’ is definitely deficient, in my opinion. That is what a lot of people think Christianity is, but it is only a name-only version, and a poor one at that. You could call it...
by Ian Denness | Sep 17, 2021 | Choice, Identity, Life, Morality, Reasoning, Secular Atheism, Selfism
‘Pro-Choice or Pro-Life? Does being pro-life mean that society is more civilised, or does being pro-choice mean that? You can see from the blackboard result opposite that the majority of respondents in the market thought the latter. I do find that difficult to...
by Ian Denness | Sep 11, 2021 | Choice, Evil, Karma, Rebellion, Satan
Evil can be thought of as the absence of good. Another way to think of it is as the opposite of good. Some may say “bad karma”. An evolutionary worldview Evil would be fully expected in an evolutionary worldview, based on “survival of the...
by Ian Denness | Sep 7, 2021 | Agnosticism, Atheism, Faith, God, Nones, Secular
Probably, I also don’t believe in that God! Misconceptions and stereotypes can travel in all directions. Is it that God who is really mean, the Richard Dawkin’s one, or the one that hates only LGBT people, or the one that will never forgive someone...
by Ian Denness | Sep 6, 2021 | Chance, Creation, Evolution, Intelligent Design, Origin of life
Origins of life If we don’t know where we’ve come from, won’t it be much harder to know where we are going? We’ve all been wising up to Evolution, and with it the ‘Big Bang’, since our early school years, right through till now....
by Ian Denness | Sep 2, 2021 | Atheism, Christianity, Dying, Humanism, Life, Morality
The WHO statistic is disquieting, isn’t it? Nowadays it’s difficult to know what percentage of pregancies end in spontaneous abortions (miscarriages), and what percentage from induced abortions (terminations of pregnancy). It seems that the spontaneous...
by Ian Denness | Sep 1, 2021 | Atheism, Choice, God, Identity, Sexual identity, Sexuality
What should trump everything else? We all make priorities in our lives. Instinctively, we choose what is most important and what is less, and then seek to live with as little inconsistency as possible. Would life, or love, faithfulness, choice, God, Atheism, or...
by Ian Denness | Aug 31, 2021 | Dying, Heaven, Hell, Judgement, Karma, Life after Death
A great question! Since everyone ends up dying, then it makes sense to ponder the question, don’t you think? Benjamin Franklin apparently said: “… in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Not everyone pays tax,...
by Ian Denness | Aug 31, 2021 | Judgement, Karma, Life, Morality, Selfism, Spirituality
We all make choices about this It probably comes down to “who do I want to please?” Mostly, it will be ourselves. To some extent, that is reasonable, isn’t it? However, who else? It could be our best friend, our partner, our god, or God. It could...
by Ian Denness | Aug 31, 2021 | Hope, Identity, Life, Meaning in life, Purpose of life, Spirituality
We all have that question sometimes Do you keep on remembering those times in your life? They can be milestones, or they can be dark nights of despair. Is there meaning in life? It’s all very well for the guy in the picture – the sunrise is great, the sky...
