The Avengers and Deity (spoiler alert)

A quick thought for you:  Remember that scene near the end of the movie where Loki demands that the Hulk stop and bow down to him because he is a god? Then the hulk proceeds to beat the living daylights out of Loki and utters something like “puny god”. 

There’s a great lesson for us here. I am personally quite tired of hearing about the deifying of ourselves … or of any human.  Some talk about it in terms of us “evolving” into gods, some in terms of meditation where we find our “inner” god, still others talk about being one with nature or the universe and thus fulfilling their godhead.   I think sometimes we need a “hulk” like beat down for our own humility.

Humans are not gods. You are not a god.  As Captain America says in the movie ( and what I believe as well) “There is only one God ma’am and I doubt he dresses like that (referring to Thor)”.  That’s cute – I like it.  But it is a serious truth.  God is sovereign, supreme and supernatural. He is far above us and the Bible teaches us that we are not worthy of Him. HOWEVER – God somehow finds in us, as His rebellious creation,  an intrinsic value and incomprehensible worth – worth dying for. And He did that by entering into full humanity - all the while retaining His full deity - in the person of Jesus Christ. 

 So it may be sad that “we are unworthy but full of worth”. It is only by understanding this background of rebelliousness we all share (you know – human nature), that we can truly understand the deep love God has for us and the great plans He has for us and to better us. 

And, admittedly , I need to work on understanding God’s  thoughts of worth towards me.

I’ll leave you with a few Bible verses:

"Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools.... They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen."

Romans 1:22,25

Not to mention Ezekiel 28....

Eze 28:1 The word of the LORD came to me again, saying,
Eze 28:2 "Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Because your heart is lifted up, And you say, 'I am a god, I sit in the seat of gods, In the midst of the seas,' Yet you are a man, and not a god, Though you set your heart as the heart of a god 
Eze 28:3 (Behold, you are wiser than Daniel! There is no secret that can be hidden from you!
Eze 28:4 With your wisdom and your understanding You have gained riches for yourself, And gathered gold and silver into your treasuries;
Eze 28:5 By your great wisdom in trade you have increased your riches, And your heart is lifted up because of your riches),"
Eze 28:6 'Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Because you have set your heart as the heart of a god,
Eze 28:7 Behold, therefore, I will bring strangers against you, The most terrible of the nations; And they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom, And defile your splendor.
Eze 28:8 They shall throw you down into the Pit, And you shall die the death of the slain In the midst of the seas.
Eze 28:9 "Will you still say before him who slays you, 'I am a god'? But you shall be a man, and not a god, In the hand of him who slays you.

Sherlock Holmes : Theist? (What a Lovely Thing a Rose Is)

I’ve finally been able to watch a bit of the BBC’s acclaimed series “Sherlock” and from what I’ve seen it seems to be as brilliant as the critics say. There is one thing that I find puzzling though. From what I have seen it is apparent that the writers of the show have presumed that if one transported the fictional character of Sherlock Holmes into the 21st century he would, without question, be an atheist. 

And I wonder why they presume this. Is it because of the character’s perceived emotionally bankrupt personality? If that is so then it is an insult to atheists. Is it because of Sherlock’s mastery of logic and precise scientific method? If that is true then it is an insult to theists ( who happen to make up some of the brightest minds in the world today).

It certainly cannot be an idea arrived upon by reading the original books. I’ve read nearly all of them and it is clear that the original Sherlock Holmes was a theist. Perhaps it may be argued that he was only a theist in the original works because of the time and place in which Conan Doyle wrote these ground-breaking books. However I highly doubt that as well as Conan Doyle uses that very mastery of logic in his protagonist to venerate the Creator. The best example of this may be found in The Naval Treaty in which Dr. Watson narrates:


"...the authorities are excellent on amassing facts, though they do not always use them to advantage. What a lovely thing a rose is!"  

He walked past the couch to the open window, and held up the drooping stalk of a moss rose, looking down at the dainty blend of crimson and green. It was a new phase of his character to me, for I have never before seen him show any keen interest in natural objects.

"There is nothing in which deduction is so necessary as in religion," said he, leaning with his back against the shutters.  "It can be built up as an exact science by the reasoner. Our highest assurance of the goodness of Providence seems to me to rest in flowers . 

All other things, our own powers our desires, our food, are really necessary for our existence in the first instance. But this rose is an extra. Its smell and its colour are an embellishment of life , not a condition of it. It is only goodness which gives extras, and so I say again that we have much to hope from the flowers." 

from The Naval Treaty by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle