The Greatest Single Cause of Atheism…

I recall a DC Talk song (yes, I used to listen to DC Talk) called "What if I Stumble?" The song has an intro that goes like this:
"The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, then walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable."

This quote seems to be based on scripture, since you can find a similar theme in Romans 2:24:
"For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written." (KJV)
"As it is written: 'God's name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.'" (NIV)

I'm not entirely certain that the "greatest single cause" of atheism can be traced to Christian hypocrisy since there are so many other reasons people don't believe in a deity. I, for one, have seen the light and dark side of Christianity and while the prevalence of hypocrites did sour me a bit on religion I can honestly say that it was the paradox of God itself that put the final nail in the coffin.

What Christians need to realize (and what Paul apparently understood nearly 2,000 years ago) is that their definitive, unwavering stance on the existence of God and His claim on morality must absolutely be backed by a compatible lifestyle. You can do so much irreparable damage to your credibility when you don't realize that your religion automatically makes others hold you to a higher standard.

Feel free to use that as your daily devotional.

Samsung Jack

I used my phone plan upgrade to purchase a refurbished Samsung Jack (Windows Mobile 6.5 and an unlimited data plan). I was a bit leery at first to go from a touchscreen phone to a non-touchscreen, but I have to say that the Jack has proven to be a very nice piece of equipment. I haven't been able to unlock it and use cooked ROMs as of yet - it seem it's still too new for the hardcore developers to have cracked it - but I have found some very decent software that makes the phone convenient and fun.

I tried to create a new .NET project in Visual Studio, but I'm not sure which mobile device emulator I'm supposed to use. The WinMo 6 emulators all look like touchscreen phones and I'm not sure if my application will run on the Jack. Plus, I can't get Visual Studio to connect to my Jack instead of using an emulator. Bummer for now, but no big deal. I hate programming anyway.

Mobile Development

I just bought an HTC TyTn II (AT&T Tilt) for $20. Probably the most sound investment I've made in recent history. This phone is awesome! Now that I have access to a Windows Mobile device, I'm starting to delve into the world of mobile development using the .NET Compact Framework. So far it's been really cool. But, like all my new and exciting projects (and like this blog), I'm sure I'll lose interest pretty quickly and forget about it. It is programming, afterall.

Weight Loss

I took a picture yesterday illustrating the difference between my waistline now and my waistline back in August 2007. The pants I'm wearing in this picture (38-inch waist) used to fit snugly and would stay up without the assistance of a belt. Now, if I don't wear a belt, they fall right off of my hips. I've got to say, it feels good!

Why am I telling you this? Because the place I work is having a pizza lunch today and I'm going to have a slice or five. The next picture I take will have me back in my jeans with no belt!