Blessings, Miracles & Supernatural Experiences: A Biblical Perspective a Christian's Story

By Christopher H. K. Persaud

Many people today are reluctant to believe in blessings ensuing from a supernatural source, and they are hesitant to lend credence to the possibility of miracles and supernatural experiences as well. Numerous Christians too, although they profess allegiance to the God of the Holy Bible, tread delicately on a path that would otherwise bridge a chasm between the temporal or tangible and the miraculous or preternatural. The result is a departure from Biblical Christianity and the embracing of a kind of pseudo-religiosity far removed from the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
In Blessings, Miracles & Supernatural Experiences: A Biblical Perspective A Christians Story, the author presents an explicative discussion about blessings, miracles and supernatural experiences from a Biblical standpoint. He purposes to explain the supernaturalness of God, while acknowledging present-day humankinds falling away from Biblical Christianity and its pronouncements about an omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent Creator and Designer of life and of the universe.
The author devotes three full-length chapters to the recollection of blessings, miracles and supernatural experiences in his life, the lives of family members including his siblings and their families, and his parents. There are stories about healings, miracles, supernatural experiences and even demon possession and exorcism, all of which actually took place.
The penultimate and final chapters of Blessings, Miracles & Supernatural Experiences: A Biblical Perspective A Christians Story examine the greatest miracle in history the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and analyze what religious scholars refer to as End-time events and the ushering in of eternity, a period of everlastingness in either of two locations heaven or hell!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Mar 6, 2015
• ISBN: 9781503529250

Christopher H. K. Persaud

WINDOWS OF MY MIND: SIXTY POETIC EXPRESSIONS is Christopher Hugh Kawal Persaud’s first full length book of poetry. The selections contained in WINDOWS OF MY MIND: SIXTY POETIC EXPRESSIONS represent the poet’s work over many years, with some of them dating back to the nineteen seventies when he lived in Guyana (formerly British Guiana) on the coastline of the South American continent. Persaud’s poems encompass a myriad of topics and covers writings about joy, loneliness, tragedy, success, failure, death, life, philosophy, religion, family and eternity, among other themes. Persaud, in addition to being a poet, is a Christian Apologetics writer and has published seven (7) full length books to date. Four of Christopher’s books have won a total of nine international awards. Among the award-winning books are (a) Evolution: Beyond the Realm of Real Science (Xulon Press, USA, 2008, revised 2013); (b) The Da Vinci Code Revisited: A Conclusive Refutation of the Widespread, Sinister Lie (Xlibris Corporation, USA, 2010, revised 2013); Contending for the Faith: Twenty-Two Methodical Arguments for Biblical Truth (Xlibris Corporation, USA, 2014) and Blessings, Miracles & Supernatural Experiences: A Biblical Perspective, A Christian’s Story (Xlibris Corporation, USA, 2015). Vocationally, Christopher is an accounting and financial services professional. He has been engaged in the forgoing fields for over forty years. Christopher lives New Jersey, USA. He is married and with his wife Pamela, has three sons.

Book preview

Copyright © 2015 by Christopher H.K. Persaud.

Cover Picture used with Permission from Standard Bible Story Readers Book One by Lillie A. Faris

Illustrated by O. A. Stemler and Bess Bruce Cleaveland

Published by The Standard Publishing Company, 1925

Library of Congress Control Number:   2014922564

ISBN:   Hardcover   978-1-5035-2926-7

Softcover   978-1-5035-2927-4

eBook   978-1-5035-2925-0

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,

without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. [Biblica]

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Website

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®). Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 03/12/2015

Xlibris

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

538615

CONTENTS

Introduction

A Synopsis Of Blessings, Miracles, & Supernatural Experiences – A Biblical Perspective; A Christian’s Story

Chapter One: Modern Day Apostasy – Disbelief In A Supernatural God

Chapter Two: God & The Supernatural – A Biblical Perspective

Chapter Three: The Reality Of Miracles – A Biblical Perspective

Chapter Four: The Power Of Faith & Prayer – A Biblical Perspective

Chapter Five: Small Miracles, Big Miracles – A Christian’s Story

Chapter Six: Supernatural Experiences – A Christian’s Story

Chapter Seven: A Myriad Of Blessings – A Christian’s Story

Chapter Eight: History’s Greatest Miracle – The Resurrection Of Jesus Christ

Chapter Nine: The Best Is Yet To Come

Remembering John Wesley Bhaktanand Persaud

John W. B. Persaud

About the Author

Selected Bibliography

This book is dedicated to our three sons Duane, Jason, and Justin. We pray that they grow only closer to Jesus as time goes on, and that they trust him as their Lord and Savior.

INTRODUCTION

People today are lamentably skeptical, especially when the issue at hand revolves around philosophical and religious contemplation. Advances in science and technology made over recent decades impel many people to adopt, unjustifiably, an attitude that demands palpable or concrete substantiation of the existence or truthfulness of every precept or idea that does not lend itself to automatic scientific confirmation. Such insistence in itself is not inadvisable. It is the uncompromising reluctance by many to consider the possibility of the presence of preternatural or otherworldly forces and their involvement in the affairs of the temporal realm that is disconcerting.

Over the past many decades, widely questionable and largely unproven scientific precepts relative to the origin and development of life and the formation of the universe have infiltrated the precinct of traditional, demonstrable scientific thought and practice and have assumed entrenched scholarship in the fields of biology, physics, geology, paleontology and even mathematics. Such deliberate enmeshing of scientific fallacy with confirmable scientific truth serves to confuse and inveigle otherwise gullible and ignorant folks and dissuade them from recognizing that real or comprehensible science is indeed compatible with the precepts and practices of Judeo-Christian philosophy and its appurtenances about the supernatural.

Changes in behavioral leanings over the years or, as some scholars are wont to intimate, a gradual erosion of morals, conceivably have also contributed to people’s inclination to distance themselves from traditional Judeo/Christian and other time-honored religious and philosophical ethics and ideals. People’s obsession with hedonism and sexual intemperance, and the ceaseless pursuit of material plenty as well, in no small way influence their decision to trivialize and jettison what formerly were staunch religious and spiritual preoccupations. It seems fashionable nowadays to doubt the existence of God and to cast aspersion on the presumption he can guide and protect his children and perform wonders in their lives.

Notwithstanding the growing culture of disbelief, countless Christians cling steadfastly to the conviction that God is alive and is in control of their lives, and is the ultimate architect of the course of history. These believers attribute their faith to the auspices of the Holy Spirit, one of the manifestations of the Triune God comprised of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Indeed, it is the absence of the Holy Spirit from the lives of nonbelievers that engenders the proclivity to doubt the existence of God and to deny and disparage his divine Gospel of salvation for the members of his creation.

Every aspect of a Christian’s life falls under the jurisdiction of a holy and merciful God. God is at the helm of the life of the believer, even in times of hardship and distress and, He (God) is faithful; He will not let (the believer) be tempted beyond what (he or she) can bear. But when (the believer) is tempted, He will also provide a way out so that (he or she) can endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13, NIV)

Atheists and agnostics habitually belittle and mock Christians who claim they experience miracles and other blessings in their lives. In fact, most unbelievers scoff at the possibility of anything miraculous or supernatural taking place. Those who sneer at established religion, especially the Christian faith and its doctrines, ascribe events and circumstances referred to as miracles either to humankind’s design or to fortuity. While the Christian sees God at work in even the mundane and marginal incidents that transpire in his or her life, the non-believer perceives everything that takes place as coincidental or as orchestrated by mortal humankind.

The Christian’s perspective, however, revolves around a firm belief in the existence of a supreme planner, designer, and creator of the universe and of life. The Christian’s acknowledgment of God’s presence and his infinite capacity to accomplish any task or undertaking helps facilitate the simultaneous recognition of God’s predisposition and willingness to engineer his marvelous works in the believer’s life. Belief in an omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent God necessitates the acknowledgement of the possibility of miracles, great and small! The atheist or agnostic, because he or she feels no compulsion to address the issue of God’s existence and/or his sovereignty over all of creation, is unable to comprehend how an unseen, extraordinary entity or force could be involved in any way in the affairs of the temporal world, including the lives of human beings.

The primary focus of this book is to typify the life of the practicing Christian, in which spiritual and sometimes paranormal experiences play an integral role. A Christian is just saved, not perfect, and his or her life, like anyone else’s, including the life of the non-believer, can be a tapestry of accomplishments and failures or peaks and valleys. A defining difference, however, as intimated earlier, between the life of a child of God and a child of the world is the intervention by God’s Holy Spirit in the believer’s life. Romans 8:28 (KJV) states, And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose.

The Holy Spirit is a divine overseer and it guarantees the Christian, in whom it dwells, the assurance that come what may, the faithful believer will always have a guide and protector by his or her side. God is ever by the Christian’s side.

Although the author recounts numerous blessings and miracles in his life and in the lives of his loved ones in this book, he would like to underscore the importance of acknowledging the fact that the life of a Christian believer is not an existence bereft of trials and tribulations. While they may be recipients of abundant blessings dispensed by a merciful, judicious God, Christians often suffer and experience hardships, sometimes even more so than non-Christians. On the first day of December 2013, the author lost a brother (John) who fought valiantly for three months after he suffered a massive intracerebral stroke. Very many people prayed for John’s healing and recovery and initiated petitions to Almighty God to spare John and let him have a second chance at life. However, as it is sometimes, God’s will did not mirror the pleas or expectations of his children and he chose to take John home to be with him in Paradise. As seemingly impractical and incomprehensible as it was at the time, and as philosophically and emotionally demanding as the acceptance of such a tragedy remains, it behooves the author, his siblings, and the rest of John’s family to acquiesce to the decisions of an all-knowing God who always does what is best for his children.

The forgoing reflection notwithstanding, amidst the trials and tribulations that transpire in the Christian’s life or in relation to his or her sojourn on earth, there is the assurance the believer will eventually reap his or her reward and spend eternity with Almighty God and his redeemer Son Jesus Christ in heaven. Romans 8:35-39 (KJV) read:

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come. Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Almighty God, notwithstanding his power to accomplish anything, will not coerce any of the members of his creation to approach his Throne of Grace and accept his offer of eternal life made available by his Son Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross at Calvary. He made every one of his children a moral agent endowed with the prerogative either to choose to serve him or to reject him. Each individual shoulders the consequences of his or her decision – outcomes that bear upon his or her life in this world, and especially in the world to come. The world to come will last for all eternity!

The first part of this book, i.e. the first four chapters, addresses a Biblical perspective of (a) God as a supernatural entity, (b) the reality of miracles and (c) the power of faith and prayer. The author also looks at a modern day falling away from the Christian Gospel and people’s refusal to acknowledge the existence of a supernatural designer and creator of life and the universe.

The second part of Blessings, Miracles and Supernatural Experiences – A Biblical Perspective; A Christian’s Story, i.e. chapters 5, 6 and 7, focuses on blessings, miracles and supernatural experiences in the lives of the author and the members of his immediate family, his siblings and parents. The author made an exception to accommodate two stories about his maternal grandfather. Time and space did not permit additional stories. This notwithstanding, the anecdotes are numerous and varied and tell about the power and mercy of a providential God.

Chapters 8 and 9 form the third part of the book, and shift attention to the greatest miracle in history, i.e. the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and the implications of the wondrous event – the ending of time as humankind knows it and the ushering in of eternity.

As the final chapter of the book envisions for believers past, present and future…the best is yet to come!

A SYNOPSIS OF BLESSINGS, MIRACLES, & SUPERNATURAL EXPERIENCES – A BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE; A CHRISTIAN’S STORY

Chapter One – Modern Day Apostasy – Disbelief in a Supernatural God

The author analyzes the present trend of skepticism in the world, even among so-called professed Christians. Many Christians are content to be superficial believers and do not exercise enough faith to accommodate the ramifications pertinent to belief in a supernatural creator of life and of the universe.

In chapter one the author places heavy emphasis on the deleterious effect of evolutionary teaching upon the sensibilities of a global society that increasingly places blind faith in scientific impossibility rather than logical and historical religious contemplation. There is a review of the traditional compatibility between Biblical thought and pure, established scientific principles and practice, and the subsequent falling away from religious contemplation over the many decades since the introduction of Charles Darwin’s revolutionary conjectures, much of which remains unsubstantiated, unproven meanderings.

Chapter Two – God & the Supernatural – A Biblical Perspective

Chapter two essentially focuses on the omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent God as enunciated in the Holy Bible. Biblical and historical attestations point to a supernatural God and his involvement in the following considerations.

(a)   The creation of life and of the universe

(b)   The revelation of Scripture

(c)   The nation of Israel and the people of Jerusalem and Palestine

(d)   The Bible and prophetic expectations

(e)   The incarnation of Jesus Christ

(f)   The perpetuity of the universal Christian Church

(g)   The confirmed finality of the Holy Bible

In addition, ten of history’s renowned scientists voice their opinions about God and creationism. The chapter also contains short descriptions of the views the numerous belief systems around the world have of Jesus Christ.

Chapter Three – The Reality of Miracles – A Biblical Perspective

This chapter examines the subject of the reality of miracles. The author explores the reasons for present-day skepticism and the sinister role evolutionary theory plays in effecting a mindset of doubt and disbelief. He brings to the fore, the perpetrations by recalcitrant Christian scholars in misrepresenting the Gospel message. The misdeeds of a number of so-called Christian leaders over the years fall into focus, as well as the disrepute brought upon Christendom by such shameless, malfeasant individuals. The chapter ends with a detailed tabulation of Christ’s miracles as recorded in the New Testament, including his miracles of nature and of healing.

Chapter Four – The Power of Faith & Prayer – A Biblical Perspective

The discussion in this chapter encompasses an examination of the remarkable claim by Christians that they worship a God who answers prayers. Emphasis revolves around the importance of faith in God, the willingness to follow Christ’s teachings as articulated in the Holy Bible and the results engendered by such loyalty and devotion. The author gives an account of instances of answered prayer in his own life as evidence of the extraordinary nature and the benefits of divinely orchestrated communication through prayer between Christians and a loving, judicious Creator of the universe and of life.

Faith, belief, and trust come into focus as paramount elements in ensuring effective prayer – the ultimate means of communication with God; with special emphasis placed upon praying according to God’s will and not in concert with contrived, selfish predispositions.

Chapter Five – Small Miracles, Big Miracles – A Christian’s Story

In this chapter, the author describes various events in the lives of his family members and in his own life that strongly suggest divine intervention and/or providence. The incidents span many years and continue to take place as a holy and just God confirms his presence and direction in the lives of the author and his family and loved ones. Among the small and big miracles recounted are the following:

(a) A near-fatal motor vehicle accident involving the author.

(b) The author’s hip replacement operation.

(c) The author’s brother John almost dying on a Liberty Avenue street in Queens, New York, USA.

(d) The author shattering his knee in multiple places and subsequent surgery.

(e) The author’s near drowning in Trinidad, West Indies many years ago.

(f) The author’s emergency appendectomy.

(g) The author’s brother Clement’s hole-in-the-heart illness and a subsequent successful open-heart operation abroad.

(h) Duane’s (the author’s son) near tragic accident as a little boy in Guyana.

Chapter Six – Supernatural Experiences – A Christian’s Story

The author describes a number of secularly unclassifiable events in this chapter. Some such incidents are accounts of personal experiences while others relate to occurrences in the lives of family members, siblings, and the author’s parents. The unusual and extraordinary nature of the happenings and the intimation of divine attachment spur the normally staid intellect or persona to examine the stories from a sincere, yet unconventional, perspective. The author recounts the following personal preternatural experiences.

(a) The visit during the night by a spirit-like woman who tried to push him off the bed on which he lay helplessly in the Georgetown Hospital in Guyana after a terrible motor vehicle accident.

(b) The commotion caused by an evil force or entity seeking to frighten and/or harm him and his accounting colleagues during a stay at a guesthouse in the City of New Amsterdam in Guyana during the audit of the records of a client bank.

(c) The unofficial attendance at an exorcism ritual at Stewartville on the West Coast of Demerara in rural Guyana, during which people danced uninhibitedly, drank the blood of animals and put red-hot coals into their mouths.

Among other supernatural events recalled are the following:

(d) The exorcism of a demon from a young child by the author’s mother, a teacher at the Leonora Government School in rural Guyana, South America.

(e) The assault on the author’s mother at a hospital by an unidentified, impish creature in the dead of night many years ago just after one of her sons was born.

(f) The run-in the author’s grandfather had with a strange, ghost-like woman late one night many years ago as he was returning home from a Christian prayer meeting held at the home of a fellow believer in pastoral Guyana.

Chapter Seven – A Myriad of Blessings – A Christian’s Story

In this chapter, the author remembers a multitude of blessings heaped upon him, his siblings, and the members of his family during the course of their lives. The author feels such blessings, great and small, are testament to a caring and merciful God’s involvement in the affairs of his children. However, as mentioned before, while abundant and diverse mercies may occasion a Christian’s life, it does not mean he or she may not experience hardships or trials. Further, God remains at the helm of a true believer’s life, and if he does not remove a trial or hardship altogether from his child’s life, he enables the Christian to navigate through the circuitous pathways of an attendant predicament or dilemma and emerge victorious and more spiritually mature.

Among the stories about blessings in the author’s and his loved ones’ lives are the following:

(a) The author’s son Duane surviving two nearly fatal fitful episodes as a baby in one night.

(b) The author’s son Jason seriously damaging his left foot when he was a child. The doctors condemned Jason to a life as a cripple, but he healed well and today is fully normal.

(c) The author and his wife having the mortgage on their residence modified during the recession of 2007 - 2010 when banks and other financing institutions in the USA practically refused to help homeowners save their homes. Many millions of Americans lost their homes during a nationwide mortgage crisis.

(d) The author’s dismissal from a job of fourteen years at an age considered advanced in the job market, and having a visible physical disability, but nevertheless being blessed with a new, higher-paying job requiring a much shorter commute.

Sixteen other instances of God showering his blessings on the author and other familial members appear in brief narratives to close the chapter.

Chapter Eight – History’s Greatest Miracle – The Resurrection of Jesus Christ

The Holy Bible records history’s greatest miracle in its account of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Chapter eight details the importance of Christ’s death and resurrection to the Christian Gospel message. The historicity of Christ’s death and resurrection falls into focus as the author presents the statements of some of the best-known scholars of old who attest to the historical incident. The author imparts a strong case for Christ’s resurrection and refutes the claims of critics who attempt to dispute the statements contained in the Holy Bible.

The argument for Christ’s resurrection falls under the following subheadings.

(a) Christ’s burial by two prominent Jewish followers.

(b) The Roman seal put on Christ’s tomb to prevent the theft of his body.

(c) The large stone removed from the tomb opening.

(d) The empty tomb.

(e) The missing Roman guard/guards.

(f) The linen wrappings in the empty tomb.

(g) Eyewitness accounts of a risen Christ.

(h) The witness of the apostles.

Chapter Nine– The Best is Yet to Come

Chapter nine announces the good news of the culmination of history, as humankind knows it, and the fulfillment of God’s magnanimous plan of everlasting peace and joy for his obedient children. While those who will have accepted Christ’s offer of eternal life through his sacrifice on the cross as atonement for their sins stand to experience unheard of blessings in heaven, those who will have rejected God’s proposition face the disheartening prospect of never-ending suffering and anguish in a location called Hades or hell. The final destruction of the devil and his demons takes place and evil reigns no more.

Eternity then begins…for the saved and for the lost!

CHAPTER ONE

Modern Day Apostasy – Disbelief In A Supernatural God

A premier failing among Christians today is the reluctance to acknowledge in full measure and expectancy, the existence and sovereignty of an omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent God. The prevailing secular mindset, whereby members of modern society capitulate to ostensibly scientific demonstration of every action and omission and/or temporal logic in explaining everything, infiltrates the ranks of otherwise committed believers of the Christian Gospel and influences them to acquiesce to conduct unbecoming of spiritual discernment and complacency.

In addition, Christians increasingly opt for an existence in which they supplant belief in the supernatural with secular reason and the perceived incomputable potential of the human intellect. Many people, while they claim allegiance to the tenets of Christendom, attend church regularly, and engage in commendable humanitarian conduct, readily distance themselves from the spiritual and supernatural aspects of the Christian Gospel. Such people labor to be part of a global community that accords unprecedented importance to so-called intellectual and scientific sophistication.

A FALLING AWAY FROM SCRIPTURAL TEACHING

Religion and Science – Historically Compatible

The consensus today is that religion and science are, and always have been, distinctly incompatible fields of endeavor or study. The discipline of science, because it encompasses empirical testing and experimentation, quantitative measurement, logical deduction and demonstration of outcomes, is seen as being patently contradictory to Biblical doctrine, the latter considered unscientific and demanding a significant degree of faith on the part of believers. This perceived conflict kindles the perception that bona fide scientists cannot, or should not, be believers of scriptural contemplation and instruction.

The aforementioned is an attitude bereft of acuity and logic.

It may be a little known fact that up to the time of the Renaissance Period (1450-1600), most people, including the majority of those involved in the sphere of scientific research and analysis, felt there were hardly any major contradictions or incongruities between established scientific knowledge and the plethora of theological pronouncements derived from Biblical inquiry. What people refer to today as the scientific revolution had its origin in the age generally classified as the Protestant Reformation, i.e. early 1500’s to mid 1600’s. Prior to the onset of the Protestant Reformation, scientists were invariably Christian believers who attended institutions of learning closely affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church. Many of the great scientists of past eras, up to around the sixteenth century, were devout Christians and individuals who accorded significant importance to matters of spiritual interest.

It is historically accurate then, to say modern science had its roots in a largely Christian Europe. There existed at the time the predominant assumption that a rational and supernatural architect was responsible for the creation of the universe and of all life. It seemed fallacious, to scientists and laymen alike, to think an orderly universe with its awesome functional mechanics and equilibrium, and life with its astounding, yet purposeful and efficient complexities, could have come about through any other means than through the acts of a scrupulous and focused Creator. A steadfast creationist perspective or belief in a supreme Creator is therefore not necessarily a hindrance to the passage of true science as evolutionists are wont to suggest. Rather, such an outlook runs parallel with the very fundamentals of true scientific scholarship and counters the uninformed claim by secular scientists that an individual who believes in the existence of God, and consequently in the possibility of miracles, cannot logically acknowledge the expediency associated with proper scientific precept and practice.

Religion & Science – Conflict & Division

Although the majority of pre-seventeenth century scientists were staunch Christians, a gradual desertion of the traditional alliance between established scientific scholarship and Biblical attestations to such erudition had begun even before then, and long before the Protestant Reformation. In fact, belief in one kind of evolutionary philosophy or another has been present since time immemorial. In addition, centuries before the modern age, various viewpoints antithetical to Biblical ideology as it related to the origin of life and the origin of the universe had begun to take root.

Rene Descartes (1595-1650), the French mathematician, scientist and philosopher, believed mechanical delineation was applicable to all of physical nature. Geniuses such as Sir Isaac Newton and Galileo Galilei, both of whom felt God was the author of natural laws, and others who studied such laws, gave glory to God, but nevertheless introduced the concept of scientific naturalism. During those eras, although most people held the Holy Scriptures in high esteem and considered them the standard by which to interpret and promote information about the beginnings of life and the universe, revolutionary thinkers introduced a number of replacement ideologies, some of them philosophical rather than scientific. These new precepts slowly gained ground. Worldviews such as deism, humanism, atheism and pantheism emerged as seemingly viable alternatives to traditional Biblical doctrine and many Christian scholars considered them concrete threats to established Christian ideology.

As time wore on, religious skepticism grew significantly. The Western world in particular, influenced by the ethical intemperance and economic superfluity that accompanied the Industrial Revolution that