The Temple

I laughed, but this has a sarcasm about it that makes a powerful human point.

from www.youtube.com posted with vodpod

Here is a great article on whether or not we take in enough information: Go on a High Information Diet.

Author Dustin Wax summarizes his article this way:

My advice is the opposite: you don’t need less information, you need more information. What you need less of is input — all the crap that flows at you masquerading as information.

It is really worth the time to read, with this one addition for Christians. Not all sources of Biblical or theological information are trustworthy and worthy of your time. There are more preachers on the radio, more Christians blogging and otherwise, and more and more disinformation is available and consumed.  I hear more amazingly inane and bizarre ideas from sermons on the radio. Beware what you eat.

Today was Document Freedom Day.

I heard David Levy on the radio a few weeks ago, nobody better than Stephen Colbert to highlight the problems with humor and sarcasm. The philosophical underpinnings are more disturbing than the moral challenges with this sort of industry. Philosophically, people will not have a problem with this and it probably will embrace it openly. As you listen to the guy you will notice that he sees no problem whatsoever with sex with a robot. The reason for this is that he is a materialist, as are many people in the world (at least when it suits them). Since he believes that all that exists is the physical/material, he correctly concludes that there is no problem with sex with a robot, or any other kind of sex for that matter. The moral component is difficult to supply if you are a materialist, because all we are dealing with is what the “material” needs or wants.

Christianity does not support materialism, rather we would philosophically be considered dualists (at least of a sort, a longer discussion for another post). Since Christianity assumes more to life than a physical component, we attribute a spiritual quality to sex. It is more than simple physical procreation. This philosophical underpinning gives foundation to monogamy, fidelity and purity in the sexual experience. Sex is not made up of simply the physical activity but includes the underlying spiritual component. Christianity will have a problem with this not simply because of the moral component, rather we are most uncomfortable with the materialist underpinnings that leads to moral .

Unbelievers and believers who are not adept at critical thinking and have not evaluated their mindset and personal philosophy will fall into the trap of being materialists at one level, and moral at another. For instance, when it suits people they argue that if it happens in the privacy of a bedroom, it is private and is nothing more than “sex”, like an itch that needs to be scratched. It didn’t include the spiritual component. So we try to divorce the biological act from the spiritual act, as if there was no inherent connection. If we are only material beings, with no spiritual component, we are simply talking about a physical activity. It is simply biological function without the procreation element, or the STD element. But the Scripture doesn’t know about this dichotomy. Christianity is about correspondence between thinking and acting.

from stevebag.vodpod.com

Technorati Tags: Colbert, David Levy, Sex with Robots, Materialism, Dualism

Check out this free online program called MindMeister, similar to another one of my fun finds called Bubbl.us. Both are free brainstorming tools for the visual thinkers out there. I use it to outline sermons and diagramming sentences for Bible study. Sorry the resolution is bad when resized to fit here, but this is the page I used to plan my sabbatical.

Technorati Tags: Mind Map, Bubbl.us, Mindmeister, Brainstorming

I have heard it said many times in Christian contexts that God is not concerned about our happiness, that joy is what we shoot for and that happiness is superficial and circumstantial. Joy on the other hand is substantive and lasting. In many sermons I have heard the two ideas juxtaposed, treated as if they were mutually exclusive. I am convinced that many Christians believe that God wants us to be unhappy. This idea is similar to the thinking that says if medicine is going to work it has to taste bad. Both ideas are incorrect.

God wants you to be happy.

God also wants true happiness for you, and that is a happiness that has as its source the truth which leads to the fruit of joy. Now joy is the source of happiness. Happiness is the outward expression of joy. To divide or juxtapose happiness and joy is to miss the point. Our character needs to find expression in our action. To claim joy but not express happiness is not godly; it is a forced misery, an unholy suppression. We all want happiness – we are drawn to it, motivated by it, addicted to it. Everyone seeks happiness, and so we should. It could possibly be the highest expression of praise with regards to living and the God who gave us life. The Hebrews understood this connection. That is why when I watched the Chabad fund raiser on television the Hasidic Jews (very conservative law keepers) were dancing in their black suits and hats. Baptists on the other hand would never dance with joy before the Lord – it would be considered ….well, happy.

God wants you to be happy.

Listen to these verses:

• Psalm 16:11: You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever. When Peter quotes this verse in the New Testament it goes this way: Acts 2:28 ‘YOU HAVE MADE KNOWN TO ME THE WAYS OF LIFE; YOU WILL MAKE ME FULL OF GLADNESS WITH YOUR PRESENCE.’

• Nehemiah 8:10: Then he said to them, “Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

Did you notice that in Nehemiah the command is to eat and drink as a response to the joy of the Lord? Happiness as expressed in mundane, day to day activities flows out of a heart that is right with God and understands the will and purpose of God. A heart that is joyful (substantively happy) because of the knowledge that God has redeemed me from sin and bought me with a price, forgiven me, called me his son, and promised me life eternal, abundant and free. That kind of joyful heart eats and drinks in celebration of what already is. The heart without the joy of the Lord eats and drinks to attain happiness because there is no joy – a massive difference.

A person without the foundation of joy still seeks for happiness. The problem is that the substance of their happiness is found in temporary things, with a limited life span and a limited ability to satisfy. That is why we always need more and better things. That is why ultimately without God who is our strength (substance), happiness is fleeting. With an eternal source of joy, happiness is recharged all the time; rather happiness can be recharged all the time. We often choose to not be happy. True happiness is an expression of true joy. True happiness is natural growth from existing internal and real joy. Fleeting and surface happiness goes after the expressions of happiness (“eating and drinking”) as the substance versus the expression. It is like buying fruit from a stand when you can own a grove of trees.

Jesus talked about this in Matthew 6:25-34. He said to “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.” All these things are the things which make people happy: food, clothing, length of life, and the things of this life. They will only make us happy when we find our joy in the kingdom of God.

Here are some quotes about happiness:

“Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”

Abraham Lincoln

Two interesting observations in light of our conversation: true happiness comes from true joy; we have all we need if God is our source – so be happy.

God wants you to be happy.

Technorati Tags: Happiness, Joy

Blogging is an off-on thing for me…so after an extended break, here goes a new beginning and a new look to go with it…don’t know if I am settled on the look, so it may change again.

The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.

-Mahatma Gandhi

Technorati Tags: Gandhi, Forgiveness

Ben Franklin regularly followed a plan to develop his character. Based on Philippians 4, Ben used the chart below as a tool to improve himself.

Check out the site Flamebright for a brief explanation and DIY Planner for templates you can print out.

His “Plan” was made up of 13 virtues, each with short descriptions:

1. Temperance: Eat not to dullness and drink not to elevation.

2. Silence: Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself. Avoid trifling conversation.

3. Order: Let all your things have their places. Let each part of your business have its time.

4. Resolution: Resolve to perform what you ought. Perform without fail what you resolve.

5. Frugality: Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself: i.e. Waste nothing.

6. Industry: Lose no time. Be always employed in something useful. Cut off all unnecessary actions.

7. Sincerity: Use no hurtful deceit. Think innocently and justly; and, if you speak, speak accordingly.

8. Justice: Wrong none, by doing injuries or omitting the benefits that are your duty.

9. Moderation: Avoid extremes. Forebear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.

10. Cleanliness: Tolerate no uncleanness in body, clothes or habitation.

11. Chastity: Rarely use venery but for health or offspring; Never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another’s peace or reputation.

12. Tranquility: Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.

13. Humility: Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

Technorati Tags: Ben Franklin, Virtue, Resolutions