July 30, 2026 -B

Marsh Sundown — Ocracoke Island, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Outer Banks, North Carolina

There is That which has always been called God, and there is the God of Theology. They are not the same. That which has always been called God has been experienced, felt, known from the very beginning of life and is present in every age through the ages to here, now. The God of Theology dates back to the Jewish experience of The Chosen People and the Prophets of the Old Testament and the life and times of Jesus of Nazareth and the Christ event of the New Testament.

The story of the Garden of Eden, the Fall, Adam and Eve, eating the Forbidden Fruit, the need for Redemption and Atonement and faith in Jesus who was reported to have been resurrected after his death on a Cross–which is invalidated by three Old Testament texts:

Deuteronomy 24:16, “Parents are not to be put to death for their children’s sin, not children put to death for their parents’ sin–each will die for their own sin.

Ezekiel 18:20 “The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share th guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them.

Jeremiah 31:30 Whoever eats sour grapes their own teeth will be set on edge.

Leaving us with stories about God based on hearsay that has gained validity by being repeated through 2,026 years. And theology is a collection of opinions based on hearsay.

And that leaves us with the indisputable evidence of the world’s human population through 300,000 years of life on earth to substantiate the truth of That Which Has Always Been Called God for us to seek, experience, explore in the time left for living.

Published by jimwdollar

I'm retired, and still finding my way--but now, I don't have to pretend that I know what I'm doing. I retired after 40.5 years as a minister in the Presbyterian Church USA, serving churches in Louisiana, Mississippi and North Carolina. I graduated from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, in Austin, Texas, and Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana. My wife, Judy, and I have three daughters, five granddaughters, one great granddaughter, and a great grandson on the way, within about ten minutes from where we live--and are enjoying our retirement as much as we have ever enjoyed anything.

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