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the singularity of being and nothingness
A Brief Introduction to The Absolute Necessity of Speaking of Sin as "Privation"
Mar 14th
Think about the word "sin." What do you think of? A stain? Some black, ethereal substance? A "negative" field of energy? Throughout history, humans have struggled with defining this difficult concept to align with and elucidate religious and social notions of right and wrong, good and evil, morality and ethics.
In Christian theology, sin occupies a primal and primary importance. The Scriptures speak of sin as that which has given rise to the "fall" of humanity, it is that which brings death, and it is that which is responsible for severing the divine/human relationship.
But what, exactly, is sin? I propose that it is, in fact, "nothing." Let me explain.
Christians believe that the creative act of God is exhaustively characterized as "good." That is, there is nothing that exists which was not created out of the good pleasure and will of God. (Now philosophers can, of course, argue about whether this designation of "goodness" can be applied to that which is created, but that is another post). However, Christians also believe that God's will is opposed to that which is sinful: in fact, one could describe sin as that which is antithetical to the will (and, necessarily, to the being) More >
Hugh Ross, Universal Statistics, and the Hegemony of Design
Jan 31st
On the heels of reading Greenes Fabric of the Comos, I decided to turn my attentions to a more theistically-oriented discussion of cosmology. Per my habit, I spent the last weeks worth of lunch hours sitting in Barnes & Noble, reading on a new book (for free, of course!).
For my selection, I decided upon Hugh Ross Creator and the Cosmos. Written many years ago, Ross released a third revised edition in 2001. However, as is typical with scientific literature, even content written within the last 5 years shows its dating with a vengeance.
Yawn…okay, enough with the uninteresting introduction. In a nutshell, Ross seeks to provide an apology for the standard model, big bang cosmology. As an aside, this is thoroughly fascinating, for hints within the same work indicate that he is concomitantly and vehemently opposed to standard views of evolutionary biology. Back to the discussion: Ross purpose in donning the apologists hat for the big bang, interestingly enough, is to prove that the picture of the universes origins provided by big bang cosmology lays out an inescapable conclusion of theism. However, Ross goes even farther, and tries to suggest that big bang cosmology requires the identification of the More >
Very Cool Song
Jan 10th
Here is a pretty great song by Dead Poetic entitled "Vanus Empty." Check out these lyrics:
It's a deep, red wound. Enough to stare. It's a beautiful rose and everyone's aware You squeeze it tight enough to bleed. But suicide is something we'd rather not mention here. In our beautiful world of saving face. So Vanity's got this new gun that she wants to try on you. And as we stand here waiting for the sound.. Get me out of this hell before I'm sucked in. But you're the beautiful one. And everyone is painted on, singing scripted songs. And your seizure-like finger is dead on the trigger. And then, it's all blown away. With you or us all. And they had you in their targets. They're smiling with you in their targets. So Vanity's got this new gun that she wants to try on you. And as we stand here waiting for the sound.. So Vanity's got this new gun that she wants to try on you. And no one says a word from there on out. But I knew she was beautiful, you're the ones with the flaws. Oh I knew she was beautiful she should of had More >
On Materialist Conceptions of Origins, With Considerations of Human Language
Dec 15th
About 2 weeks ago, while checking out the portfolio of a random web design firm, I ran across the website of an organization that was offering a free DVD which they claimed provided proof that evolution is wrong and that creationism is right. Unable to resist, I quickly surrendered my email and mailing address, and within 2 weeks (wow, what service!) I received my free DVD. Brimming over with excitement, I quickly abandoned my evening with family and popped it in the DVD player. I cranked the speakers to 11, grabbed a stiff glass of Diet Coke (on the rocks), and curled into my oversized leather couch, my eyes and ears prepared for outstanding revelations.
It turned out, to my immediate dismay, that this DVD was of a lecture series delivered by Kent Hovind, better known as Dr. Dino. For those who are familiar with Hovinds arguments, I need say little more. For those who are unfamiliar, imagine arguing with someone whose main line of debate is mischaracterizations, over-generalizations, and deflection through cheesy jokes, insults, and terrible clip-art-ridden power-point shows. Enough said.
As I watched and listened to the 129 minutes of Mr. Hovinds lecture, some things became immediately clear: More >
On Materialist Conceptions of Origins, with Considerations of Human Language
Dec 3rd
About 2 weeks ago, while checking out the portfolio of a random web design firm, I ran across the website of an organization that was offering a free DVD which they claimed provided â??proofâ?? that evolution is wrong and that creationism is right. Unable to resist, I quickly surrendered my email and mailing address, and within 2 weeks (wow, what service!) I received my free DVD. Brimming over with excitement, I quickly abandoned my evening with family and popped it in the DVD player. I cranked the speakers to 11, grabbed a stiff glass of Diet Coke (on the rocks), and curled into my oversized leather couch, my eyes and ears prepared for outstanding revelations.
It turned out, to my immediate dismay, that this DVD was of a lecture series delivered by Kent Hovind, better known as â??Dr. Dino.â?? For those who are familiar with Hovindâ??s â??arguments,â?? I need say little more. For those who are unfamiliar, imagine arguing with someone whose main line of debate is mischaracterizations, over-generalizations, and deflection through cheesy jokes, insults, and terrible clip-art-ridden power-point shows. Enough said.
As I watched and listened to the 129 minutes of Mr. Hovindâ??s lecture, some things became immediately clear:
1.) He offered More >
Human Language and the Divine
Aug 10th
Over the last several monthsand especially within the last few daysI have been involved in numerous conversations about the nature and function of human language in describing God. What follows is not meant to be a fully-developed essay, but is rather intended to be somewhat of a summary of the lines of thinking I have pursued and the very tentative conclusions which I have reached.
Obviously, one of the most prescient issues is to what extent one can affirm that human language is capable of literally expressing and/or encapsulating truth about the nature of God. The initial, and I believe correct, answer is that human language is insufficient to do this. After all, we are speaking about a finite medium (human language) through which we attempt to speak about that which is infinite. To use a material example, such would be like the proverbial two-dimensional Flatlander attempting to shake the hand of the three-dimensional invader of the two-dimensional plane. While the Flatlander may be able to intersect a two-dimensional cross-section of the three-dimensional visitor, the Flatlander will be, by virtue of his difference, incapable of fully engaging or encapsulating the reality of his new higher-dimensional friend. In a similar and More >
God of the Feminine – Reflections on Genesis 1:26-27
Aug 3rd
As I have been studying the numerous connections between the structures and themes within the Hebrew Scriptures and other ancient Near Eastern literature, I have been particularly drawn towards the correlations between the respective creation stories. Although the Genesis text is by far the most popular creation text, there are numerous others that share very similar features that presumably influenced the final form of the Genesis text. One interesting feature of the creation-epic literature of the ancient Near East is the dual role of masculine and feminine divine figures in the act of creation. In numerous stories, gendered gods and goddesses are utilized to describe the unique way in which the creation came to be.
As I have been reflecting upon the significance of the identification of the masculine and feminine in the ANE creation stories, an interesting thought occurred to me: perhaps this male/female connection exists within the biblical text as well. The primary candidate for such a consideration, I believe, is Genesis 1:26-27:
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the More >
More Correlations Between the Hebrew Scriptures and Ancient Near-Eastern Literature
Jul 20th
Continuing in my research concerning the parallels between Hebrew and other ancient Near Eastern writing, I would like to share some additional interesting correlations in some of the texts. In the following, I have quoted, at length, the various texts under considerations. At the end of each section is a concluding discussion about similarities. I would point the reader in the direction of these if they do not wish to read the cited texts at length.
The Birth of Moses and The Sargon Legend:
The Birth of Moses
Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a daughter of Levi. The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was beautiful, she hid him for three months. But when she could hide him no longer, she got him a wicker basket and covered it over with tar and pitch Then she put the child into it and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile. His sister stood at a distance to find out what would happen to him. The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the Nile, with her maidens walking alongside the Nile; and she saw More >
The Influence of Ancient Egyptian Literature upon the Biblical Story of Joseph
Jul 10th
In my continuing study of the similarities between the Hebrew Scriptures and contemporaneous (and, in this case, pre-dating) ancient Near Eastern literature, I came across these two Egyptian tales. They are significant in length. However, take a few minutes to read them, and keep the biblical account of Joseph in mind… The Tale of Sinuhe I was a henchman who followed his lord, a servant of the Royal harim attending on the hereditary princess, the highly-praised Royal Consort of Sesostris in the pyramid-town of Khnem-esut, the Royal Daughter of Amenemmes in the Pyramid-town of Ka-nofru, even Nofru, the revered. In year 30, third month of Inundation, day 7, the god attained his horizon, the King of Upper and Lower Egypt Sehetepebre. He flew to heaven and was united with the sun’s disk; the flesh of the god was merged in him, who made him. Then was the Residence hushed; hearts were filled with mourning; the Great Portals were closed; the courtiers crouched head on lap; the people grieved. Now His Majesty had despatched an army to the land of the Temhi, and his eldest son was the captain thereof, the good god Sesostris. Even now he was returning, having carried More >
Reconstructing Justification by Faith
Jul 6th
In my previous post, I engaged the seminal texts which provide the backbone for the Prostestant conception of justification by faith, deconstructing the false notion that the works of the law to which Paul frequently referred are equivalent with action, unconditionally. Furthermore, I outlined how Pauls discussion of the works of the law is utilized as a polemic against the Judaizers of Pauls day who believed that justification was exclusivistically attained through identification with Jewish cultural and religious identification. Against these assertions, Paul argues that justification is not based upon becoming a Jew, but is rather located in identification with Christ through faith. As I have advocated, Paul does not, in his polemic against works of the law, mean to advocate that what one does (action) is immaterial to justification. Quite to the contrary, we will see that Paul understands act and attitude to be inseparably linked to one another and indelibly necessary to justification.
In Romans 3, Paul has completed his tour de force against the Judaizers, definitively eschewing the belief that justification with God is found through the Jewish system. To illustrate the alternative which he proposes (justification by faith), Paul conjures the example of Abraham:
1 What More >
