Richard Morgan: Mormon turned Hindu turned atheist becomes Christian
Richard Morgan, active member of RichardDawkins.net and self-professed “Dawkensian atheist” converted to Christianity in 2008 after a long search for social acceptance and truth. Will he stop there?
He felt like Richard Dawkins ‘saved’ him from his many tries at finding meaning in faith. His story is interesting. He converted to Mormonism at age 16, but as a Mormon missionary, he lost his faith. He then tried many religions, including positive thinking, numerology, and Hinduism.
Check out the interview at Premier Christian Radio.
This hour long interview covers Morgan’s Journey, as well as the
journey of Ed Turner, an atheist who was also converted to atheism by
Dawkins et al., and remains atheist.
What Michael Jackson’s life really teaches us
Greg Stier over at the Christian Post has a nice article entitled Michael Jackson's Real Legacy. Here's the shortened list, modified by me:
- He taught us all how to dance
- He taught us all that money and creative success don't make you happy
- He taught us that cultish and outward religion doesn't make us happy (Jehovah's Witness)
- He taught us that cosmetic surgery can go really bad
- He taught us that abusive parenting can mess you up for a lifetime
But probably, if you know and live with Biblical values, you don't have to end up like MJ, who in my estimation, though an influential and creative genius, was not really successful by spiritual measure. King Solomon explored the many possible routes to happiness even more than MJ, and like a good scientist, recorded it all in the book of Ecclesiastes. His conclusion?
Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink,
and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the
few days of life God has given him—for this is his lot. (Ecclesiastes 5:18)Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. (Ecclesiastes 15:13-14)
Former Atheists: A. N. Wilson
Andrew Norman Wilson (b1950), is an English teacher and award winning writer. His biography of Tolstoy won the Whitbread Award (now the Costa Book Awards) for best biography in 1988.
Wilson entered Oxford on the path of ordination in the Anglican Church, but quit after the first year, and in the 1980′s came out as an atheist. In 1991 he published a pamphlet entitled Against Religion, and wrote other historical and fiction books critical of religion, including God’s Funeral: The Decline of Faith in Western Civilization (2000), his 2004 Jesus: A Life, which is critical of the historicity of the gospels, and his fictional piece My Name is Legion, a satire attacking both the British Press and the Anglican Church. But it seems that all those opinions may now be his FORMER positions on such matters.
Christian Intellectual — Jaroslav Pelikan Dead at 82
From Albert Mohler’s Blog – I have never heard of this guy, but I will have to look into him. He has published prolifically, including such titles as Interpreting the Bible and the Constitution, The Idea of the University : A Reexamination, The Reformation of the Bible/The Bible of the Reformation, Whose Bible Is It? A History of the Scriptures Through the Ages, plus a couple of series, including Sacred Writings (which he edited, covering all the major faiths), and The Christian Tradition (looks like 5 volumes). Anyway, I love his quote below about tradition:
Jaroslav Pelikan, one of the Christian tradition’s greatest historians of doctrine, died Saturday, May 13, 2006, of lung cancer. Pelikan had served for many years as Sterling Professor of History at Yale University — holding the university’s most prestigious professorial title. He was also a prolific author, writing more than thirty books, ranging from classical studies to considerations of Bach and Faust….
[In] his great work The Christian Tradition, he warned that tradition must be distinguished from traditionalism: "Tradition is the living faith of the dead; traditionalism is the dead faith of the living."
Ken Taylor, Translator of The Living Bible, Dies at 88
Next to the NKJV/NRSV translations, the Living Bible is one of my favorite paraphrase translations (it leaves botch jobs like The Message in the dust – in the translator’s defense, however, you can read an interview at CT). The Living Bible is easy to read and faithful to the intended meaning of the texts, a great companion for study.
I particularly like the early 70′s illustrated version (cover shown) that includes lots of pics from the Jesus Movemement, probably one of the last big revival movements in the U.S.
Anyway, the original translator has died, leaving quite a legacy. He started Tyndale Publishing because no one would print his paraphrase. Read more at CT:
- Ken Taylor, Translator of The Living Bible, Dies at 88
Founder of Tyndale House Publishers, Christian Booksellers Association, was driven by passion for Bible. - Ken Taylor: God’s Voice in the Vernacular
Although his work has made him famous, he remained a retiring and modest figure. - The Living Bible’s Modern Hero
Ken Taylor’s autobiography shows a man who makes nothing of an extraordinary life. - The Living Bible Reborn
From the Living Bible to the New Living Translation.
