09AR14-47
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Apologia Report 14:47 (1,005)
December 16, 2009
Subject: Scientology troubles Down Under
In this issue:
APOLOGETICS - "New evidence" for the Christian afterlife, and
apologetics as a "janitorial" enterprise
ISLAM - Booklist's #1 pick for 2009's "Top 10 Books in Religion"
JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES - Another compelling reason to focus on countercult apologetics
SCIENTOLOGY - Accusations of torture and forced abortions in Australia
SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISM - Be careful where you look for spiritual nourishment
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PLEASE NOTE: This is our final issue of Apologia Report for 2009. Look for the first issue in 2010 during the week of January 10th.
Next week we plan to send you an invitation to register for
immediate free access to our new Apologia Report back-issue database. The invitation will come in the form of a Google Sites e-mail message with the subject line: "Apologia Report Back-Issue Database Invitation."
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APOLOGETICS
"String Theory and Heaven" -- Mark Galli (senior managing editor of Christianity Today) interviews Dinesh D'Souza, who reports: "There's a lot of powerful evidence, and new evidence, that shows that not only the afterlife but also the Christian conception of the afterlife can be affirmed by modern science." Much of the dialog involves D'Souza's latest book, Life After Death [1] (featured in the previous issue of AR).
In response to Galli's question "What to you is the strongest argument against life after death?," D'Souza names two. First, that it may be mere wish-fulfillment, a'la Sigmund Freud; and second, "The argument that insists that science has searched for the soul, some ghostly immaterial part of us, and has found nothing." D'Souza's brief refutation of both is included.
Then Galli steers the discussion to the "new evidence for life
after death" noted by D'Souza, who explains that "if the Christian
view of the afterlife is viable, there must be other matter and other
realms." Thus, the "revolutionary discoveries in the past 25 years
suggest that there is dark matter and dark energy that make up 95 percent of all the matter in the universe. All materialist
generalizations about matter are immediately rendered partial, because how can you claim to know something if you've seen only 5 percent of it? ...
"Scientists now posit through string theory the presence of
multiple realms, multiple dimensions. ...
"So the Christian concept of eternity, which is God outside of
space and time, is rendered completely intelligible."
Wrapping up, Galli asks: "What is the role of this kind of apologetics in convincing someone to become Christian?" D'Souza responds: "Apologetics is a very powerful tool, but it's ultimately janitorial. ...
"Apologetics can come in and help to make important distinctions and clarify some of the difficulties. You are doing no more than clearing away debris that blocks the door to faith, and ultimately it is God's love that has to work its way into a heart. Conversion ultimately comes from that; apologetics only clears the driveway." Christianity Today, Dec '09, pp38-39. [5]
In his latest book, The Lost Symbol [2], Dan Brown takes the same context we've been learning about from D'Souza and, after once again playing fast and loose with the facts, ends up suggesting that a New Age-friendly worldview is on the right track, as opposed to, you guessed it, Christianity.
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ISLAM
The Booklist "Top 10 Books in Religion" listing for 2009 (Nov 15 '09, p16) includes only one real surprise - their pick for the #1 spot: After the Prophet: The Epic Story of the Shia-Sunni Split in Islam, by Lesley Hazleton [3]. The brief citation reads: "Basing her account on the great texts of early Islam, Hazleton thrillingly and intelligently distills one of the most consequential trains of events in all history." [4]
For a fine review, see "Fateful Schism" by Eric Ormsby, in Wall
Street Journal, Sep 11 '09 pW12 <www.tinyurl.com/ybbh8yy>
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JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES
"Milestone in publishing and translation: 500 languages" -- the press release is dated November 16, 2009, and reads: "New York - In the midst of a civil war in Rwanda, a small group of translators flee their homes, leaving behind their possessions, but they do manage to take their laptop computers along. Why? They translate Bible publications into the Kinyarwanda language, and they want that translation to continue.
"This real-life account is one of many that show the dedication of
translators who appreciate the value of the Bible and of the educational publications used in teaching people who want to learn about the Bible. This year a milestone is being reached in that much information is being published in 500 languages, more than 75 percent of which are also available online [at www.tinyurl.com/yxpsms].
"Internationally, among Jehovah's Witnesses there are presently
over 2,500 translators who volunteer their time, their knowledge, and their skill to be sure that a message of hope and peace can reach as many people as possible. Commenting on an aspect of the approach that prohibits commercial publishing enterprises from doing the same, Rudi Hartl spoke from the Watchtower Educational Center in Patterson, New York, where many of the translation details are organized. He said: "In some cases the languages into which Jehovah's Witnesses undertake translation of Bible publications have only a few thousand readers, a factor promptly extinguishing any suggestion that the motivation is
financial." He adds, "For us, we go to this extent in publishing and
translating because we care about people and we want as many as possible to benefit from the treasures discovered only in a study of the Bible."
"Among the most recognized items translated is the Watchtower
magazine, which is now simultaneously published in 176 languages. <www.jw-media.org/gbl/20091116.htm>"
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SCIENTOLOGY
"Church of Scientology accused of torture and forced abortions" (no byline) -- begins: "The Church of Scientology faces the prospect of a police investigation in Australia after being accused of torture and embezzlement and of forcing employees to have abortions.
"Nick Xenophon, an independent senator, presented letters to the Australian Parliament from seven former Scientologists which he said showed that the secretive church was a front for physical violence, intimidation and blackmail." In conclusion, "He called for a Senate inquiry. ...
"Kevin Rudd, the Prime Minister, said that many Australians had
'real concerns' about Scientology. 'I share some of those concerns,' he added. ...
"'Scientology is not a religious organization -- it is a criminal
organization that hides behind its so-called religious beliefs,' Mr
Xenophon said. 'The letters received by me contain extensive
allegations of crimes and abuses that are truly shocking.
"'These victims of Scientology claim it is an abusive,
manipulative, violent and criminal organization, and that criminality
is condoned at the highest levels.' ...
"Last month the Church of Scientology in France was fined €600,000 (£545,000) after being found guilty of cheating vulnerable members out of their life savings."
A concluding summary of Scientology beliefs includes these two items:
* "Full knowledge of Scientology's holy books is reserved for those who have completed a series of courses, at a cost estimated by anti-Scientology campaigners to be £190,000. There is no official confirmation to outsiders of what Scientologists believe
* "According to popular culture, Scientology teaches that 75 million years ago the intergalactic tyrant Xenu brought millions of aliens to Earth. These aliens, called Thetans, cling to human bodies. Scientologists try to re-create the Thetans' painful experiences in order to free themselves"
Times (London), Nov 19 '09, <www.tinyurl.com/yfzqdq9>.
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SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISM
Looking for a new study Bible? Buyer beware. We certainly agree that Thomas Nelson Publishers goes "way beyond" the staple of evangelical Bible selections for which they're typically known with this recent venture. The promotional copy reads: "The Remnant Study Bible. Welcome to the last study Bible you'll ever need!
"Yes, the new Remnant Study Bible (NKJV) has all the study aids serious Bible students have come to expect from their study Bibles — but it goes way beyond that. Way beyond.
"For the first time ever, the masterful commentary of [Adventist
prophetess and plagiarist, Ellen] G. White is now included alongside the Bible text! You'll also find a complete array of other unique Bible study aids, such as a complete set of Chain Reference Bible Studies and detailed sections on prophetic symbols, the prophecies of Daniel, and the awe-inspiring sanctuary services. ...
"For a richer, more in-depth Bible study experience, and for a more effective, soul-winning resource, you can't do any better than the new Remnant Study Bible. Order today!" <www.theremnantstudybible.com>
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Sources, Monographs:
1 - Life After Death: The Evidence, by Dinesh D'Souza (Regnery, 2009, hardcover, 256 pages) <www.tinyurl.com/yhg7lr3>
2 - The Lost Symbol, by Dan Brown (Doubleday, 2009, hardcover, 528 pages) <www.tinyurl.com/ycjrjy3>
3 - After the Prophet: The Epic Story of the Shia-Sunni Split in
Islam, by Lesley Hazleton (Doubleday, 2009, hardcover, 256 pages) <www.tinyurl.com/yg6egev>
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