Jesus! vs Darwin!

Jesus! vs Darwin!
Originally uploaded by The Searcher

This is hilarious (click the picture to read the caption). And also rather representative of the sensationalism that characterizes both sides of the "science vs. religion debate." Like most sensitive topics, the whole debate has become over-polarized and has grown to be as much about finger-pointing as the issue at hand. I find it sad.

mmm, veggies.

I have this sticker on my Bible, and I find it hilarious and wonderful.

Yes, I am a vegetarian.*

No, I am not anemic, militant, or a supporter of PETA.

Why do I choose to abstain from meat? Well, there are a number of reasons, but mostly it is because I believe that as a Christian, I am called to live a lifestyle that strives for justice. Now, I hate the thought of baby chickens, cows and pigs being slaughtered just as much as anyone else, but the justice that I'm talking about is more a question of human and environmental rights.

I highly recommend this video if you want to know more. It is a lecture given by a professor at Pepperdine that I came across on iTunes U. The first time I watched it, I was practically jumping up and down, because it pretty much describes my thoughts to a T (and much more eloquently than I tend to when people ask me why I'm veggie).

*For the record, I am not a full vegetarian, I am a pescetarian. Which means I do eat fish/seafood. Maybe I will get there eventually. But for now, it gives me a bit of flexibility when someone else is cooking for me, and is a convenient extra option for protein and omega-3s. (And, sadly, sushi is just so good... :)

this is how i want to live.

I want to learn to love my neighbor as myself.

The Gazette - Granite Bay High School - Ice skating incident lends idioms insight

The Gazette - Granite Bay High School - Ice skating incident lends idioms insight

the symposium: part un.

My favorite quote in The Symposium comes from Aristophanes, who gives a mythological account of human origin to explain the innate longing that humans have for love. He concludes: " 'love' is the name for the desire and pursuit of wholeness."

To give you a bit of background, here's Aristophanes' myth animated for your viewing pleasure. Admittedly it's a bit different than the version I pictured in my head, and you have to read the subtitles unless you speak French, but it's thoroughly entertaining nonetheless...

the study of love.

My seminar class just finished reading Plato's The Symposium. If you are unfamiliar with it, don't worry, it's somewhat obscure for a reason. It is a short, 60 page work that takes place at a drinking party in Ancient Greece. Those present are among the most famous and well-educated of the day - from doctors to philosophers, politicians to poets - including the ubiquitous Socrates. Their conversation centers around the task of eulogizing the god of Love, and each present takes his turn in giving a speech.

On a whole, I found several of the ideas expressed about love to be a bit off, and more than a few times I found myself lost in a tangle of esoteric philosophy, but the study did bring up several interesting themes. These include: the difference between lust and love, the idea of a soul mate, the role of love in our day-to-day lives, and the all-inclusive question... *cue sideways head-bobbing and '80s synthesizers* "What is love?"

It fits rather perfectly in this overall theme of God's love, and I'll hopefully delve into each of those topics a bit more very sooooon...

jesus invented grammar, he knows how to use it.

I keep returning to the verse in Matthew 22. Largely because, well, it's important. But also because this is all part of one journal entry I wrote, and I'm breaking it into snippets (...such a fun word).

I want to focus today on the order of the verse, or rather - permit me to go a bit English-nerd for a moment - the syntax. Jesus divides the law in two: 1. love God, THEN 2. love others. Don't miss it, friends; the order is paramount.

Only when we humble ourselves and being to grasp how high, how deep, how wide is God's love for us, and how little we deserve it, do we enable ourselves to pour that love out on others. We have no right to it to begin with, so why would we hoard God's love so jealously for ourselves?

Also, we must tap into the love of Christ before we can love others, because without it we exhaust ourselves. God's love is so contrary to human nature that it's impossible to sustain on our own. If we try to love others unconditionally, they are bound to disappoint us, fail us, not return our love, which leaves us giving love without receiving love. God's love must be our delight and our strength to resist anger or bitterness when faced with the innate inadequacies of humanity.

Hence, the importance of syntax. :)