The Prelude to Serious Study
Chris and a buddy were here right after school for an evening of serious study. They’re supposed to figure out “Romeo and Juliet” — no small task for a couple 15-year-old boys.
Diane walked into the kitchen and they were eating pizza with SportsCenter on. She said, “I thought you two were supposed to be studying.” Chris replied, “This is the most important part of our studying. We need to rest our brains so we do quality work.”
Who can disagree with that?
Pizza and SportsCenter. To rest the brain. And prepare for quality work.
What is it for you? You have 15 minutes to decompress before you start grading papers or balancing the checkbook. What rests your brain?
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I’m reminded in this little clip called “Foreskin’s Lament” (that I heard about from Chris Seay) of how important our view of God is. As the author says, “I believe in God. It’s been a real problem for me.”
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Tomorrow my 300 students will be taking their final exam. I’ll be getting plenty of sleep tonight. I hope they’ll be losing a little bit.
And there’s our answer: Goats!
Whether Christians, atheists, or doubters, let’s buy goats for families who need them and make the world a better place! http://www.heifer.org/site/c.edJRKQNiFiG/b.2529663/
I guess I am going back to the original post by Mike. I use Sudoku as a means of relaxation. I am a numbers guy
As a strange coincidence, my parents asked for a Heifer goat for Christmas. This is our third year donating to Heifer instead of buying presents (between myself and my parents). I sure would highly recommend it.
I am curious now whether Sarah meant a pet or a donation animal!
SG, you would have never guessed the original post from these comments! This blog is definitely a great way to decompress and get a laugh. Or a cry, whatever the case may be.
Martin and Doubting: I’m going to go with Mike’s son Chris here and recommend some pizza and some SportsCenter before you undertake any serious study of the Bible. If you still find its ambition to be a book of facts rather than faith, come on back and tell us why. If you can only believe facts but not stories others tell and accounts written by eyewitnesses, come on back and explain why to us.
Most of us, I think will be willing to read your comments with an open mind. Yup, we’ll probably CHOOSE (as Jerry emphasizes) to believe anyway.
Point is, you don’t read a novel or a cookbook or a book of poetry expecting to find nothing but statements of fact. Why would you do that with a book of faith?
My nephew is one of those freshmen…and he loves your class…he didn’t even ask me to make comment here.
Keith Brenton,
The pizza and SportsCenter were very relaxing, thanks for the advice. I love stories and the Bible is full of them, which is probably why it is such an endearing collection of texts. But there are lots of stories in the world, lots of ANCIENT stories. All ancient stories deal with supernatural events. Using reason, practically all Christians dismiss all of those supernatural occurances (even though the stories are great, think Homer, Gilgamesh, etc.) in all ancient texts, except for the Bible. Why? Most likely you believe as fact in the resurrection of Jesus, a dead person. That belief is completely unreasonable. Why don’t you also believe that Utnapishtim has eternal life as stated in the “Enuma Elish”? Keith, stories are great, but the Biblical stories are no better than any other.
And of course you are “going to believe anyway.” I am a fool if I think I can replace years of indoctrination with my simple arguments.
It’s that “unreasonableness” that illuminates the power and glory of God!
C., really, why do you want to be reasonable about everything EXCEPT religion? Maybe it is b/c you have been told to be unreasonable all your life by those you respect? Maybe, C., they are wrong.
How far does the mysterious have to go before it is just ludicrous?
Actually, “unreasonable” is your word. I find it reasonable. Why? Because what IS ludicrous is believing there was a big bang, or whatever you believe the beginning might have been, and from that came a solar system with a big ball of fire that planets cicle in an unchanging orbit. One of those planets just happens to be the perfect distance to promote living organisms. Organisms that have evolved into numerous species of insects, birds, animals, and of course, humans. Humans that live on an earth that has changing seasons, atmosphere, land (where you can plant a seed and grow food), water(some fresh, some salt). Humans that live in an unbelievably intricate and complex body. A body with a central nervous system, lungs to breate, a heart, etc, all protected by a muscular and skeletal shell that just happens to be covered by the amazing organism called skin.
These are just some highlights, with much, much more incredible things that surround us that scream “CREATOR”. Anyone that can create such beauty and complexity can certainly perform what you call “unreasonable”.
Martin, few if any of those epic stories try to represent themselves as anything beyond legend and myth and entertainment. I don’t know of an entire clan of people who insist on them as the word of God or the gods today.
I’m not aware of any from the same eras that reveal a love for mankind by the deity which created everything, a guide for mankind’s behavior that reflects that love, nor an offer and means of extending immortality to those among mankind who will accept it.
Certainly none that involve the fully human, fully divine son of that deity serving as a sacrifice. Do you see what I’m getting at? You’re comparing apples and oranges – histories and legends with a book of faith. It’d be like comparing a high school social studies book with the Koran. Whatever you believe or don’t believe, you surely can see that we’re talking about two different literary genres.
You don’t find phrases in The Odyssey that say, “I write this so that you may believe,” but you do in 1 John 5:13 of the Bible – and similar expressions in many other places within it.
I don’t have to accept everything in the Bible as literal expression of fact as long in order to believe in the truth behind it. You can’t explain particle physics to a child, and you couldn’t possibly do justice to the story of creation (for example) to a civilization that was just getting familiar with things like writing and law.
Maybe God created with a big bang.
He might have, lol:) Whatever the method, I just know God created.
Call of Duty 4 – the only way to prepare for serious study!