What do you believe?

December 10, 2008
by Rodney Olsen
4 Comments

It seems that more Americans believe in the Devil, Hell and Angels than in Darwin’s Theory of Evolution.

A new Harris Poll tells us that an overwhelming majority of those in the US believe in God and that over 70% believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

The poll was conducted online within the United States between November 10 and 17, 2008 among 2,126 adults, aged 18 and over.

Some of the interesting findings include:

80% of adult Americans believe in God – unchanged since the last time we asked the question in 2005. Large majorities of the public believe in miracles (75%), heaven (73%), angels (71%), that Jesus is God or the Son of God (71%), the resurrection of Jesus (70%), the survival of the soul after death (68%), hell (62%), the Virgin birth (Jesus born of Mary (61%) and the devil (59%).

Slightly more people – but both are minorities – believe in Darwin’s theory of evolution (47%) than in creationism (40%).

Sizeable minorities believe in ghosts (44%), UFOs (36%), witches (31%), astrology (31%), and reincarnation (24%).

While a majority claim a belief in God, most aren’t displaying that belief through church attendance.

A quarter (27%) of adult Americans claim that they attend church once a week or more often, compared with 36% who say they attend less than once a year or never (18% each).

You can read more of the results here.

So while some would like us to believe that faith is a thing of the past, it is clear that millions of people are still convinced that there’s something more to life than what we can physically see.

I wonder where you would have stood on some of the questions asked in the poll.



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What Programmes Our Personalities?

December 10, 2008
by Rodney Olsen
2 Comments

mainboard.jpgHave you got what it takes?

That’s the question being asked in advertising trying to attract Western Australians to train as teachers.

You know something? I don’t have what it takes. I could never be a teacher. That’s not how I’m wired. I’m very happy that some people are wired that way and I have a real respect for those who choose teaching as a profession but it’s not something I could ever do or be.

When I saw the advertisement on television this evening I was reminded of a post I wrote almost three years ago titled How are you wired?

In the post I recounted catching up with an old neighbour. Until I was 16 our family lived in a house in the Perth suburb of Scarborough. The Browns were on one side of us and the Johnsons were on the other. Glenys Johnson heard me on 98.5 Sonshine FM during my regular weekday morning radio programme. She wondered if I was the boy she knew years ago so she rang up and asked if I’d ever lived in Colin Road. From there we chatted about families and old neighbours.

At one point, Glenys said that she knew that one of us Olsens was interested in radio back then. She thought it might have been Erik, one of my brothers. “Erik?” I could never imagine Erik wanting to work in radio.

That got me thinking. How is it that the five Olsen kids, brought up in the same home, could all go on to lead such different lives? Sure, there are lots of similarities between the siblings, but there are also some big differences.

The thought of being a high school maths teacher leaves me cold but my brother Chris has been doing just that for more years than I can remember and he’s great at it. Why would a guy in his late-forties still want to be involved in youth work? I could never do that but Erik does a fantastic job working with young people.

My eldest brother trained as a fitter and turner and is now working in a management job and my sister was a nurse. All such different job choices and not one that I’d choose for myself, despite all growing up with the same parents in the same home.

How is it that we are all wired so differently?

I am constantly amazed at seeing people derive such great job satisfaction from a range of jobs that would send me crazy. We are all so incredibly different.

I love what I’m doing and I’m more than happy that God wired me the way he did to enjoy working in radio. I’m also glad that he wired others to be technical geeks, cleaners, carpenters, builders, doctors, pilots, fence installers, gardeners and so on.

How about you? How differently are you wired to those around you? Are you currently working in the job that you’re wired to do? What are some of the jobs that you see others enjoying but know you could never get excited about?



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Counting the Years

December 10, 2008
by Rodney Olsen
2 Comments

Aili from Not Perfection wrote a post a couple of days ago titled The Cycle.

Her post consisted of just one line.

I’ve noticed recently that my parents’ hands are starting to look like the hands of my grandparents.

The post got me thinking. I commented in reply.

I’ve noticed recently that my hands are looking like my parents’ hands once did.

Have you noticed the signs of aging in yourself? Are there tell tale signs that you’re not quite as young as you used to be? Do you see your parents staring back at you from the mirror?

While there are some days that I feel my age more than others, I find it difficult at times to think of myself as any older than I’ve been for the last twenty years. Then I look at the mirror a little longer and see a middle aged man standing where a young man once did. There are deep lines where there used to be smooth skin. My scalp isn’t quite as populated as it once was and there are a few more signs of grey starting to creep into the picture.

I’m not overly concerned by the changes. Sure, if I had the choice I’d choose young over old, but I’d certainly like to keep the wisdom that the years have helped to develop. I’m generally comfortable in my skin, even if it is in a constant state of change.

How do you feel about the years continuing to accumulate? Do you sometimes wish you could put the brakes on or even go back a few years? Does getting older worry you or are you embracing the person you’re becoming?



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