"If there is no God, nothing matters. If there is a God, nothing else matters"

"If there is no God, nothing matters.
If there is a God, nothing else matters"

~ H.G. Wells

“There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something”

“There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something,” says Thorin Oakenshield in J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved fantasy novel The Hobbit.
“You certainly usually find something, if you look, but it is not always quite the something you were after.”

~ J. R. R. Tolkien
British writer and philologist,
author of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit

Tolkien on the death of his friend C. S. Lewis

After Lewis' death, Tolkien would say, “So far I have felt the normal feelings of a man my age — like an old tree that is losing all its leaves one by one; this feels like an axe-blow near the roots.”

~ J. R. R. Tolkien
British writer and philologist,
author of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit

"Wars tend to cause more problems than they solve."

"Wars tend to cause more problems than they solve."

~ Howard Zinn

What Is Unique About Christianity?

http://www.sermoncentral.com/illustrations/sermon-illustration-martin-dale-stories-love-15299.asp

What Is Unique About Christianity?

The story of Jesus sitting and debating the Law with rabbis reminds me of another debate that took place in a comparative religions conference, the wise and the scholarly were in a spirited debate about what is unique about Christianity. 

Someone suggested what set Christianity apart from other religions was the concept of incarnation, the idea that God became incarnate in human form. But someone quickly said, “Well, actually, other faiths believe that God appears in human form.” 

Another suggestion was offered: what about resurrection? The belief that death is not the final word. That the tomb was found empty. Someone slowly shook his head. Other religions have accounts of people returning from the dead.

Then, as the story is told, C.S. Lewis walked into the room, tweed jacket, pipe, armful of papers, a little early for his presentation. He sat down and took in the conversation, which had by now evolved into a fierce debate. 

Finally during a lull, he spoke saying, “what's all this rumpus about?” Everyone turned in his direction. Trying to explain themselves they said, “We're debating what's unique about Christianity.” 

“Oh, that’s easy,” answered Lewis. “It’s grace.”

The room fell silent.

Lewis continued that Christianity uniquely claims God’s love comes free of charge, no strings attached. No other religion makes that claim.

After a moment someone commented that Lewis had a point. Buddhists, for example, follow an eight-fold path to enlightenment. It’s not a free ride.

Hindus believe in karma, that your actions continually affect the way the world will treat you; that there is nothing that comes to you not set in motion by your actions.

Someone else observed the Jewish code of the law implies God has requirements for people to be acceptable to him and in Islam God is a God of Judgment not a God of love. You live to appease him.

At the end of the discussion everyone concluded Lewis had a point.  Only Christianity dares to proclaim God’s love is unconditional. An unconditional love that we call grace.

"Good relationships keep us happier and healthier."

quotes:

In 2003, the psychiatrist Robert Waldinger accepted a new job at Harvard, where he had long been affiliated, overseeing one of its most prized research projects. . . . Waldinger, the fourth steward of the Harvard study, was moved by the consistency of his own research. . . .

 Much of it added up to one key insight: “The clearest message that we get from this 75-year study is this: Good relationships keep us happier and healthier. Period,” he said in a TED Talk in 2015. Strong, long-term relationships with spouses, family and friends built on deep trust — not achievement, not fortune or fame — were what predicted well-being. Waldinger had worried that his big reveal was so intuitive that he would be laughed off the stage; instead, the talk is one of TED’s most watched to date, with more than 40 million views.

"How Nearly a Century of Happiness Research Led to One Big Finding" By Susan Dominus, May 1, 2025, New York Times,
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/01/magazine/happiness-research-studies-relationships.html

This "key insight" is actually 2,000-year-old wisdom:

Gospel
John 13:34-35 NRSV
Jesus Christ: "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."