Marbaniang, Domenic

A placebo is a non-therapeutic substance administered under the camouflage of medication to deceive patients into believing that they are receiving medications; this done solely for psychological and not for physiological effects. Placebo may usually be used to compare its effects with the effects of other drugs in drug research. Let's take the case of an experiment that tries to establish whether a particular drug, say to treat weariness, is genuine or merely has the effects of a placebo. Suppose 20 candidates are chosen for this experiment. 10 are given the drug and the rest are put on a placebo while they are told that the placebo is a genuine medication. They need to make sure that the deception is well carried on for the success of the experiment. If both the groups make similar improvements after taking the treatments, the new drug seems to only function as a placebo in effect. The basic hypothesis of the placebo raises the question of mind over matter. Of course, this pushes...

JOHN 8:1-12 Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them. And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the mids...

SEAT CONDITIONING: Individuals with this condition prefer a particular seat at various places. They can't enjoy food unless they sit on their favorite chair at the table, can't worship well unless they are at their "own" seat at church, can't feel comfortable unless they are sitting in the particular seat in bus, car, train, or flight. : D

Often times, we are given the choice: To be humanly honored or to divinely love, To be socially accepted or to deny all, To have silver and gold or have joy everlasting, To be renowned in earth or be remembered in heaven, To be treated as kings or hated as refuse, To please men or to please Christ . Blessed are those who choose to follow Christ!

Modern (or post-postmodern) ethic inclines more towards a secular humanism that is aversive to hard justice. The form of secular humanism is sympathetic towards rapists, murderers, and looters and in some cases, would even dare to eulogize criminals as heroes. Thus, they will eulogize a rapist-murderer as hero who has been sentenced to death by hanging, just because they hate capital punishment. They turn sympathetic towards mass murderers not because they do not hate murder, but because they do not wish for justice to be so brutal after all, so exacting. Movies and novels try to highlight the humane part of a villain and arouse sympathy towards his weaknesses. Thus, real heroes who want to put an end to evil become villains in their eyes and villains become heroes. Media plays a villainous role in warping public opinion. Also, historical amnesia is becoming a characteristic of modern world. In the past, histories were preserved in family tales and social narratives. In the modern per...

How would your emotions be like if you found, on the same page of a newspaper, both a heart-breaking news and also a joyful news? The modern world of information explosion, with various mutually disconnected threads and streams of information, force humans to have several disconnected and split responses at the same time. One thread of news reports a violent train or airplane accident in which hundreds were killed (Experiencer A). Another thread of news reports jubilant celebration of a political victory or a sports trophy won by a favorite team (Experiencer B). Can both of these be reconciled? Do they need to be reconciled? The diversified information forces ambivalent responses. We are forced to both share in the joy and also share in the sorrow at the same time. The ambivalence gets severe when there is a mutual disconnection between the two experiencers (A and B), but only the respondent (C) is aware of both the news at the same time. When the experiences are both deep, the ambival...

Since the Early Period of Christian history, the world has presented an almost inescapable allurement of dry logic or fake glory to divine faith. The world challenges faith to fight with it on its worldly ground, the ground of space-time reason (which apologists, sadly, find very compelling). On the one hand are the contextualists who try to localize revelation in terms of contexts, which attempts, most of which, have certainly been quite helpful, though some idolatrously inclusive. But, nothing has been more devastating to the cause of theological education than the allurement of the secular "university" system in modern times. In 1520, Martin Luther talked about the Babylonian Captivity of the Church. The Protestant Church soon forgot the lesson as it continued to be enamored with the gods of the surrounding nations, the gods of Enlightenment, Scientism, and Modernism. The chief warriors who fell to this honey-trap were theological professors who wished to appear as intelle...

"The first to present his case seems right, till another comes forward and questions him." (Prov.18:17) The Opposition is a vital part of modern democracy. It ensures that the government elected by the people is working on behalf of the people and fulfilling the goals it set before them. It also ensures that the ruling party practices transparency and accountability. The Opposition has the right to question the actions of the government and demand an account or rationale for its actions. It may be wrong in its assumptions, but it has the right to voice its questions, without which democracy will be annihilated. To try to silence the voice of the Opposition by any means whatsoever is to kill the soul of the nation which is liberty, unity, fraternity, and justice; for where the right to freedom is exterminated, democracy is dead. A government that labels the Opposition as traitor for questioning its actions is against the people. The Opposition provides an opportunity for the ...

"Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again." (Ecc 11:1) One should not fear taking risks. All work of production calculates risks. Risk-taking is key to farming, business, banking. In the Parable of Talents, the boss commended the two workers who went and took risks to do business with the money they received, doubling it by the time their boss returned. However, he was very unhappy with the worker who went and hid the capital depriving the boss of even the interest from the use of it. He rebuked him saying that he should have given the money to bankers if he was afraid of taking risks, for bankers (risk-takers themselves) assure of a set interest amount. Risk-taking must be accompanied by good counsel, calculation, wisdom, and diligent hard-work that explores various avenues of investment. Risk-taking investments forgo the present disuse or use of something for sake of future returns. For instance, the farmer sows the grain instead of eating...

And the children of Israel said to them, "Oh, that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger."(Exo 16:3) People in general detest to go through the pain of transition though they immensely desire the Promised Land--they give in to intense complaining, wishing to go back to their previous state of misery, instead of walking through the ordeal of the uncomfortable journey. They, then, begin to despise authority and speak evil of dignitaries (2Pet.2:10), when they are called to cooperate with them, knowing the fear of the Lord (Rom.13:1; Tit.3:1). To citizens of various respective countries, if your government stands in rebellion against the express Moral Law of Heaven, resist it (Acts 4:19; 5:29); but, if it is on the side of righteousness and good governance with a vision to lead the nation to well-being , b...

Everything in the world, including feelings and thoughts, are caused, except divine love. Love is uncaused and causeless, so it is not possible to causally or pragmatically explain the love of God. It is wrong to ask why God loves us. Therefore, when we speak of divine love, we also know that God is Love. And, this love among us is a sign that we are His disciples. A man can be slave to his passions, but is liberated by love (is not slave nor causally determined in his acts anymore). Therefore, there is a difference between those who seek to fulfill the law and those who are led by the Spirit of God. The latter are sons of God, free from the corruption that is in the world, and will be manifest at His Coming. All godly decisions and actions in the world are the acts of love.

'When Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, "Why do you look at one another?.... Indeed I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down to that place and buy for us there..." (Gen.42:1,2) Oftentimes, God uses circumstances to guide us. But, He always guides to only the good, never into evil. In this incident, Jacob is being constrained towards the only logical and practical option left. But, this constraint was what God actually used to get them to Egypt according to His plan. When we trust in divine sovereignty, we can give thanks to God in everything. If we feel confused about some decision, we can ask, "What is the good, practical and God-pleasing final option or solution to this issue?" We don't need to just stand looking for some answer or for someone to do something. Just take a decision.

Joseph applied the principle of proper saving when he advised the Pharaoh to save before they spent. Saving for the bad times is not a bad idea. One must save or reserve something for the future from the surplus one has today. The Foolish Virgins were foolish because they didn't take extra oil with them. But, the Wise were really wise because they not only took the extra oil, but they also did not surrender their wisdom to the folly of the foolish. When the foolish asked for help, they refused. Refusing somebody is not callous when the request itself is foolish. Compassion is not irrational. Compassion doesn't encourage irresponsibility. Compassion calculates value. Jesus said that before a man constructs anything, he must first calculate the cost. Calculating and Planning are not unspiritual. The Spiritual don't just jump into the water by blind faith; the spiritual calculate the cost and know what they are doing and risking.

"Familiarity breeds contempt," I have heard them often say. It's wise to not be too frequent, It's important for one to have his own space. But, frequency is not the same as familiarity; Familiarity and family go together. True friends see each other's weaknesses, And, they help each other grow strong. These fig leaves that hide false shame Will not remain for very long. The desire for human honor Only tears humans apart. But, He gave us garments Washed in His blood. He came and lives in us, We are the sons of God. The closer I draw to Him, The deeper grows my love. The closer He draws to me, The greater He shows His love.

the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Phi 4:7 NKJ) The peace of God and the faith of God belong together. Peace keeps us constant while the winds and waves of doubts try to assail from without. Peace helps us walk on water though everything looks contrary to it. The Spirit witnesses with the spirit and reveals the things of God. He is the Spirit of wisdom and the fear of the Lord. The Spirit raises a banner of peace when floods come against us. The peace of God is the agreement of the Spirit with our spirit. The flesh disagrees and tries to be violent and aggressive. The carnal mind involves in carnal, godless rationalizations. The spiritual mind agrees with and submits to the Law of God. Discernment is important in all this. The Spirit gives us discernment. The Spirit forbids and our spirits are not peaceful. The Spirit is the spirit of fearlessness, of courage, of love, of power, and of a sound mind. Peacelessness...

"Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain." (Psalm 127:1) We do not go to someone having no training and experience in construction to get a building project done. We hire trained professionals for it. When the time came for the making of the Tabernacle, God chose skilled workmen for the job. Similarly, He expects us to be skilled workmen in the ministry of the Word. But, it is vain to rely just on knowledge, training, and experience. Unless the Lord builds, all labour is in vain. Similarly, a man with a heart problem is expected to go to a cardiologist and not to a dentist. However, unless the Lord heals, the doctors labour but in vain. Paul tells Timothy about the training of a soldier. An untrained soldier is not expected to be sent into battle. Similarly, an untrained athlete is unqualified for any competition. The Bible encourages wisdom, understanding, and skill, but it caps it ...

*He REMINDS , brings to our mind, remembrance, the things we heard or saw. *He helps us REALIZE , helps us come to our senses, brings conviction, gives understanding. *He REVEALS . Romans 8:12-17 . Matthew 16:16ff Being LED by the Spirit means: +To put to death by Him the works of flesh. Deny self. Take up cross. +To pray in the Spirit in accordance to His witness with, and utterance, beyond utterance He gives to our spirits. Follow Christ. Listen to the Son. ......Help in weakness ......Prayer according to will of God ......Strength. Grace ......Listening ......Obeying 2Corinthians 3-4 Openness to Scripture, the veil removed. God spoke face to face with Moses, but he had to keep a veil. The veil is still on the eyes of unrepentant people when they read the Scripture, but is removed when one turns to Jesus. A believer is open faced. So, we with open faces, looking as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit ...

The use of "man", "he" is not necessarily gender-biased or patriarchal. In fact, it is more honorific towards the feminine gender, in that it protects her gender by letting man stand in front. Take, for instance, the following quote: Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. (Gen.6:5) Isn't that better than the following? Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of woman was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of her heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that He had made woman on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. (Gen.6:5) Or Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of humans was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of their heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that He had made humans on...

flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. (Matt.16:17) People usually do have reasons for their beliefs, though not all may be able to instantly enumerate all their reasons when asked for. The believer in Chi power might even demonstrate his grounds of belief. So will the homeopath, the allopath, the evolutionist, the Yogi, the Advaitin, and the astrologer. But, it is also possible that one cannot demonstrate proofs and yet decide to go on with what one is convinced about, in whatever sense whatever. The Jews knew that there were no witnesses to incriminate the Christ; however, when He announced who He was, they decided that His statement was proof enough of blasphemy. But, on what grounds? The work of a preacher is certainly to persuade by means of reasoning. For some it may mean persuasion through exposition of scriptures; to others, through spiritual encounter and signs and wonders; to others, through contextually relevant reasoning (as in the cas...

The butterfly-or-man problem isn't far-fetched. For instance, there is the case of a man who sleeps and has a dream and the events and arguments in the dream are as rational and congruous to him as he has the sense of rationality and congruity during his waking hours. However, on waking up, he is shocked to realize that the dream arguments were inconsistent and incongruous, but wonders that they possessed strong credibility and sense during the dream-state or the semi-waking state. Much similar might be the case of a lunatic. Yet, psychologists observe that humans possess some form of lunacy at given moments. For instance, take the case of an angered man who is convinced that his anger is justified until he comes to his senses. Therefore, the Scriptures advise us not to trust in our own understanding, but trust in the Lord with all our heart.