Sunspots 997

 

Joel Duff has posted a thorough examination of the use of "design" by Christians, and argues, successfully, I believe, that there is a fundamental flaw in the Intelligent Design movement.

Duff has also posted a refutation of the frequent claim by young-earth creationists that evolution is not real science, because we can't observe it in action. He points out that baraminology can't be real science, either, if observing it unfold is necessary.

Neuroscience News reports on research showing that ability to sense and produce music is part of the nature of animals and humans.

Gizmodo reports that the use of artificial intelligence is adding to work loads, rather than cutting them.

Gizmodo also reports that Vice-President Vance believes that UFOs are demons.

NPR reports that some types of roaches form pair bonds. (These are not typical household roaches. There are many kinds of roach.)

"There are no accidents." How I found Tolkien and C. S. Lewis

 Over six decades ago, I was a student worker in the library of Wisconsin State University at Superior. Student workers had access to the bookshelves (aka stacks), although other students generally did not. I was putting a shelf to order, or some such, when I saw Tolkien’s The Fellowship ot the Ring. I checked it out, and read it. I became so deeply involved with it that I took the book home to Birchwood, WI, for the weekend, and read the chapter on Gandalf’s battle with the Balrog to some or all of my three younger brothers. I eventually read the other two books of the trilogy. I don’t know what my brothers thought of this, or if all three of them heard it.

A few years later, while I was a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, I was exploring the children’s fantasy section of the library – they were less restrictive on access to the collection than Superior had been – I found The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis. I don’t remember the details of finding Lewis’s other works, including the other Narnia volumes, but I eventually read nearly all of his published books, both fiction and religion.

As a character from Lewis’s The Silver Chair put it, “There are no accidents.”

I thank God for the two encounters described above, and for the experiences that followed them. I learned something of honor, wisdom, self-sacrifice, worship, faith, loyalty and other virtues from Tolkien and Lewis.

Sunspots 996

 

Gizmodo reports on betting on Christ's return.

NPR points out two simple tests to tell us if food is ultra-processed,

The Naturalis Historia blog has a solid post on how Ken Ham and Answers in Genesis have dismissed the strong Christian faith of the founders of the science of geology.

NPR on why we say "um" so much.

Also from NPR, a report that the Food and Drug Administration has acted to make genetic therapy on patients with rare diseases more treatable.

Thanks for looking!

Sunspots 995

 

Things I have spotted that may be of interest to others.

Discover Wildlife reports on a fish with a hole in its head, and what that hole probably does. Photos included.

National Public Radio reports that a Texas A&M professor has been told to not consider Plato in his philosophy class.

Gizmodo reports that rich people, world-wide, are responsible for a large portion of greenhouse gasses emitted.

A BigThink writer discusses the question "Why does something exist instead of nothing?" (The writer says that there is no possible scientific answer to this question.)

BisThink also discusses the state of particle physics, with discussion and diagrams.

ZDNet tested six chatbots, and found that all of them made a serious error on at least one of the tasks posed by the author.

Thanks for reading.

What did New Testament Christians pray for?

 I've been blogging for quite a while, perhaps too long.

This link leads to my most important post, which considers prayer in the New Testament church. It's a little long, but most of it is quoted scripture. To summarize, "each other" is the answer to the question of the title of this post.

Forgive me, Lord, for not being a better example of this kind of prayer. Thanks for reading!

The Magi disobeyed the government

The Bible indicates that we should generally respect and obey governmental authority: 

Romans 13:1 Let every soul be in subjection to the higher authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those who exist are ordained by God. 2 Therefore he who resists the authority withstands the ordinance of God; and those who withstand will receive to themselves judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to the good work, but to the evil. Do you desire to have no fear of the authority? Do that which is good, and you will have praise from the authority, 4 for he is a servant of God to you for good. But if you do that which is evil, be afraid, for he doesn’t bear the sword in vain; for he is a servant of God, an avenger for wrath to him who does evil. 5 Therefore you need to be in subjection, not only because of the wrath, but also for conscience’ sake. 6 For this reason you also pay taxes, for they are servants of God’s service, continually doing this very thing. 7 Therefore give everyone what you owe: if you owe taxes, pay taxes; if customs, then customs; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. (World English Bible, public domain) 

The Magi, however, disobeyed: 

Matthew 2:7 Then Herod secretly called the wise men, and learned from them exactly what time the star appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem, and said, “Go and search diligently for the young child. When you have found him, bring me word, so that I also may come and worship him.”

9 They, having heard the king, went their way; and behold, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them until it came and stood over where the young child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 They came into the house and saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Opening their treasures, they offered to him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 Being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their own country another way. 

An exception to obedience to government.

Thanks for reading!

Added January 15, 2026: Colossians 2:9-10 points out that God is above all human governments:

Colossians 2:9 For in him all the fullness of the Deity dwells bodily, 10 and in him you are made full, who is the head of all principality and power. (World English Bible)

Sunspots 994

 

The BBC reports that there were some significant gains in environmental and endangered species protection in 2025.

Duke law school has posted a listing of creations of many types that become public domain -- you or I can edit them or copy them without violating copyright -- on January 1, 2026.

Gizmodo reports that many US dams are in danger of failing, with, of course, catastrophic results.

National Public Radio reports that scientists have found 20 or more animal species, in several groups, that are new to science.

Weekend Fisher has posted a thorough discussion on the question of how ancient Jewish scholars viewed scripture passages on the Messiah.

Thanks for looking!

Sunspots 993

 

Gizmodo discusses the history of the domestication (sort of) of cats.

NPR (and other outlets) discuss the evolution of kissing.

Gizmodo reports that astronomers may have found an exomoon. (A satellite of a star which is not in our solar system.)

Heart, Mind, Soul and Strength tells us how to stay happily married.

Ken Schenck on how the New Testament doesn't always interpret the Old Testament in context.

Sunspots 992

 

Gizmodo reports on a woman who married an artificially intelligent entity that she created in cyberspace. Really.

Gizmodo also reports that moss plants survived conditions in space, such as temperatures from -196 to 55 degrees Celsius.

Gizmodo warns against giving AI - enabled toys for Christmas (or at any other time).

Gizmodo also reports that many pro-MAGA X accounts are actually not based in North America. 

Reuters News reports on how the Trump administration has treated over 200 people or entities perceived as being enemies of that administration, or of  Trump.

Sunspots 991

 

Ken Schenck has been writing an up-to-date version of C. S. Lewis's Screwtape Letters. Here is the 23rd chapter.

A Conversation writer discusses maps created for her stories by Ursula  K. Le Guin, arguably the most importaant writer of fantastic literature in the past several decades.

The New Republic reports that obese people may not be allowed to get a US Visa.

Grumbling about food is about as bad as idolatry

1 Corinthians 10:1 Now I would not have you ignorant, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2 and were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 and all ate the same spiritual food; 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of a spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. 5 However with most of them, God was not well pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. 7 Don’t be idolaters, as some of them were. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” 8 Let’s not commit sexual immorality, as some of them committed, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell. 9 Let’s not test Christ, as some of them tested, and perished by the serpents.

The above is a list of three sinful attitudes exhibited by the Israelites while they were traveling from Egypt to the Promised Land. So what's the next item on that list? Murder, theft, slander? No. Here it is:

10 Don’t grumble ...

That's right. Don't grumble. Why so important? Perhaps because, if I grumble, I'm not acknowledging God's goodness toward me.

What were the Israelites grumbling about? 

Exodus 16 tells us about the first episode of grumbling by the Israelites. They complained about the food -- they didn't see where they were going to get any, and when they did get it, it wasn't like the food they had in Egypt.

How many times have I complained about the amount and variety of the food I have to eat, or about how it was prepared, or about how much work I had to obtain it, or how much there was of it?

I recommend a previous post in this blog, which tells us that the Biblical attitude is forgiveness of anyone who has harmed us.

Thanks for reading.

Sunspots 990

 

Things I have spotted that may be of interest to others. Graphic from NASA.

Bible Scholar Ken Schenck on the different interpretations of early Genesis.

Schenck also has posted an analysis of what the Bible says about God's omniscience. It's not as straightforward as I thought..

Sojourners has an article on ministering to Christians with dementia (usually in their home). Sojourners allows you to read two articles a month, free.

Gizmodo has a chilling report on the firing of the Centers for Disease Control head, less than a month after she was confirmed, by Rober F. Kennedy, Jr., and how he is not using real science in his decision-making.  

Gizmodo also reports that a significant number of people say that they are in some sort of relationship with a chatbot.

Erika Kirk: forgiveness in the New Testament

Charlie Kirk was assassinated. At his funeral, his widow, Erika, the mother of their two small children, said that she forgave the assassin. A remarkable statement, and one I'm not sure I could have made, under similar circumstances. President Trump, who also spoke at the funeral, made clear that he believes in retribution, and not in forgiveness. (He ran partly on promising retribution.)

See here and here on the events above.

The Bible teaches forgiveness. Here are some scriptures that show that:

From the Lord's Prayer: Matthew 6:12b Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors....14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you don’t forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (all scripture from the World English Bible) This section is the only part of the Lord's Prayer that Jesus expounded on, apparently.)

Acts 7:59 They stoned Stephen as he called out, saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 60 He kneeled down and cried with a loud voice, “Lord, don’t hold this sin against them!” When he had said this, he fell asleep.

Luke 23:33 When they came to the place that is called “The Skull”, they crucified him there with the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”

Matthew 5:43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you, 45a that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. 

Romans 12:19 Don’t seek revenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to God’s wrath. For it is written, “Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord.”

Thanis for reading.

Sunspots 989

 

Things that I have spotted that may be of interest to others:

Gizmodo reports that spending too much time reading or scrolling while defecating increases your likelihood of getting hemorrhoids. 

Gizmodo also reports that some ant queens are capable of producing offspring of a different species.

Politico reports that Artificial Intelligence war games have a disturbing tendency to escalate into global war.

Biologos points out that several of the most important Christian thinkers of the past did not believe that the Genesis 1-2 were to be taken as describing literal 24 hour days, in sequence.   These thinkers included Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, and B..B. Warlield.

Ken Schenck discusses the concept of creation out of nothing, and concludes that our current understanding of that idea has not existed (!) until recently.

Politico says that Apple is making a forthcoming artificial intelligence ability so that it's more likely to please Donald Trump.

Nature reports that scientists are discussing the possibility of producing "mirror life," organisms made from  molecules that are mirror images of those naturally occurring in living things.

Today is "square root day" -  9 + 16 = 25.

Thanks for reading!