Couldn't Help Noticing

Conditions apply*

I can't help noticing how often advertisements—whether newspaper, radio or TV—either have several lines of fine print or end with the phrase “conditions apply”?

I saw an ad recently (in a Christian business directory) which made me laugh. It offered “free” financial advice. This offer was followed by the obligatory asterisk. Down the bottom of the page it said “Fees, terms and conditions may apply.”

Fortunately, God's free offer of forgiveness doesn't come with an asterisk.

When science takes a little faith

I like this article from the New Scientist, ‘13 things that do not make sense’.

It can be a good reminder for me (of a non-scientific background), that in the ongoing fight for clarity in what many think of as the “war between faith and science”, that there are some things that science just takes by ‘faith’. For example, “Astronomical observations suggest that dark matter must make up about 90 per cent of the mass in the universe, yet we are astonishingly ignorant what that 90 per cent is.”

40 days of real purpose

For those who have seen reference to a program being run in the Anglican Diocese of Sydney called “40 days with the risen Lord”—there is now a web site that can explain what the whole thing is about. The program has begun to ‘leak’ out to other congregations and even overseas, so it's well worth checking out at:

http://40dayswiththerisenlord.org/

As the site says, the program is “a church resource for all ages designed to help people to bring prayer and proclamation of the Gospel together”. That's got to be a good thing, right?

High-tech images cause moral confusion

Sent in by a Briefing reader:

In an article about the pros and cons of high-tech 3D images of fetuses in the Weekend Australian (21/2/05), I was astounded at the medical-speak on this issue. After talking about the delight that most parents experience at seeing their babies in the womb in such a clear picture, the article then goes on to say:

But a paper in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaeocology (2005; 192:31-3) says even in a doctor's surgery, 3D imaging “risks preventable moral confusion” for expectant mothers and could hinder or even prevent them from making decisions about what to do if abnormalities were subsequently discovered.

Sounds like a risky procedure indeed if it might lead to people deciding not to abort their unborn babies.

When false idols become falser

One of my favourite Old Testament passages is Isaiah 44:9-20, which artfully describes the utter foolishness of idolatry. A man spends his time and work fashioning an idol, then spends the rest of his time bowing before the very thing that he has created: “No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, ‘Half of it I burned in the fire ... And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?’”

Next in the line of the evolution of idolatry, comes PocketChapel: “a software altar for your Computer.” Through the software, you can create and decorate your own private little worship spot right on your desktop. Some of the advantages that are listed: “See it as a sign of god on your Computer, which remembers you, that we all are a part of a bigger thing”, “A lot of people work more than 8 hours a day on their computers. Know that computertime is lifetime. Give PocketChapel a chance to balance your life or helping you to stand your dark hours.”

Perhaps we might now rework Isaiah 44:16 to something like: “He takes his computer and creates a PowerPoint document, when his boss is not looking, he loads it up and plays Quake. Also he clicks his mouse and says, ‘Aha! I have been efficient!’. And the rest of his desktop he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it.”

I can't understand whether it's good or bad when computer graphics take the place of wooden idols: how confused is modern life when even your false idols aren't real?