Well Paige, if you were running for class president and lost would that mean you never ran? Would it mean it never happened because you didn’t win? Of course not. Every historical account is going to have some sort of bias because it is from a certain person’s point of view. Everyone has their own opinions and ways of seeing things. For example, if you were to tell a guy to walk into the bathroom and come out and ask him to tell you the first five things that come to his mind that he saw, he would probably tell you a toilet, a sink, a garbage can, a towel and toilet paper. Now if you were to ask a girl to do the same thing she would probably tell you a sink, the shower, soap, lotion, and kleenex. If you were to bring in a third party to look at their objects they could probably figure out that both had been in the bathroom. Now just because the girl didn’t say the toilet and the boy didn’t say the shower doesn’t mean those objects weren’t there. Similarly, if you were to combine the boy’s and girl’s list you now have a more specific idea of what was in the bathroom and the fact that they have some things in common only further shows that they both looked in a bathroom.
In this way, the Bible has different eye witness stories of Jesus. Though some may have extra or less detail, both share the main idea. Having slightly different accounts also makes the Bible more credible as it shows that the witnesses didn’t collaborate before sharing their stories. If there were four people who told you a story word for word wouldn’t you question if they had discussed with each other before coming to you? It is simply that the disciples had different points of view and possibly different word choice. For example if someone said Christ Jesus while someone else said Jesus Christ and then another Lord Jesus wouldn’t you be able to tell they were all talking about the same person? Someone’s use of words or viewpoints does not make their account more or less true than another.
Secondly, history is not always written by winners, look at September 11 2001. That was no win for the United States of America but if you were to look in the Middle Eastern books it probably is. September 11th is no glory for the US, it is a tragedy but it has shaped the country into what it is today and thus is a part of our history. Because of this event, security is tighter, and stronger weapons and defense systems have been built. Technology has developed and communication is far greater than it ever was before. Without this event, The US wouldn’t be as strong and prepared as we are today. Therefore Paige, I challenge you to look at the history you’re studying and see if your city/ your state/your country would be where it is today if it had not been for certain events, tragedies, discoveries or people. We must have a history in order to have a present and future.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
Economics #2
Though socialism’s idea of people sharing everything equally and the state just owning it all sounds very nice and easy, it would never work. It gives way too much power to one group and how are they to be held accountable? If the state owns everything they can easily decide to take it all away as well. A single group with that much power is a dangerous game; it will inevitably lead to corruption.
Another problem with this socialist idea is the concept of motivation and desire. If everything is equal then what will motivate a student to become a surgeon and save hundreds of lives if he knows he can have the same benefits and earnings as a garbage man? There is a reason why people want to work hard and study for a specific career. They know that if they work hard and get a high job they will be able to provide for their future family and have certain luxuries. They also earn a sense of satisfaction and self worth. If you were to take that away then there would never be anything to inspire a person to work for something. We would all become slobs and never do anything with our lives. Why do you personally need to do anything spectacular if you can let someone else do it all for you? The fact of the matter is we are sinful creatures. We love money and want to work for it. There is nothing wrong with wanting possessions for our enjoyment (though there is an extent). 1 Timothy 6:17 says that God richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. He gave us these luxuries. He was the one who created the earth and blessed us and said we were to rule over the earth and all its creatures (Genesis 1:28).
In an ideal, perfect society, socialism would be great. However, because we are fallen human beings there can never be a way for socialism to really be beneficial. Do you really think that if the government handed everything out equally it would stop people from wanting more? We are so selfish that we want everything for ourselves, always looking at our neighbor and trying to be better so we can feel superior. To Mark and Sarah I say, it’s a nice dream.
Another problem with this socialist idea is the concept of motivation and desire. If everything is equal then what will motivate a student to become a surgeon and save hundreds of lives if he knows he can have the same benefits and earnings as a garbage man? There is a reason why people want to work hard and study for a specific career. They know that if they work hard and get a high job they will be able to provide for their future family and have certain luxuries. They also earn a sense of satisfaction and self worth. If you were to take that away then there would never be anything to inspire a person to work for something. We would all become slobs and never do anything with our lives. Why do you personally need to do anything spectacular if you can let someone else do it all for you? The fact of the matter is we are sinful creatures. We love money and want to work for it. There is nothing wrong with wanting possessions for our enjoyment (though there is an extent). 1 Timothy 6:17 says that God richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. He gave us these luxuries. He was the one who created the earth and blessed us and said we were to rule over the earth and all its creatures (Genesis 1:28).
In an ideal, perfect society, socialism would be great. However, because we are fallen human beings there can never be a way for socialism to really be beneficial. Do you really think that if the government handed everything out equally it would stop people from wanting more? We are so selfish that we want everything for ourselves, always looking at our neighbor and trying to be better so we can feel superior. To Mark and Sarah I say, it’s a nice dream.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Economics: All religions the Same?
Mr. Moore: “Socialism is Christianity, and Judaism, and Islam, and Buddhism, because all the great religions say essentially the same thing”
The problem with this statement is that though religions may share certain characteristics in the topic of socialism they DO NOT say the same thing. For instance look at Christianity and Islam. “The Bible as a whole supports an economic system that respects private property and the work ethic” (Noebel 354). There is no right or wrong answer in whether you side with socialism or communism. “Christians who believe socialism is a more desirable system than capitalism do so trusting that centralized control or command economy will create a more just means of sharing scarce resources. Those who call for a socialist economic system do so on the basis of Acts 2:44-45 that describes Christians in the early church sharing all things in common” (Noebel 354).
When it comes to Islam, they have the same characteristic in socialism as Christians, in that people need to show stewardship and hospitality. However, quite contradictory to Christianity, Islam REJECTS BOTH socialism and capitalism. “Islamic economics rejects socialism’s negation of private property, but also rejects capitalism’s alleged absolute view of private property” (Noebel 364). How then can Christianity and Islam essentially be the same? How can two religions, one rejecting and one accepting both ideas be both the same?
If you were to take it one step further and look at a third religion- Secular Humanism you would see a different view from both Islam and Christianity. Although Secular Humanist’s favor some degree of government in the distribution of wealth, they ultimately favor socialism over capitalism. “Humanists believe socialism is more ethical than other economic systems because it allows greater freedom and it is more concerned with the common good” (Noebel, 371). Furthermore, “Secular Humanists choose socialism because of the evils they see inherent in capitalism” (Noebel371). Therefore if we look at Christianity, Islam and Secular Humanism we see that they all favor a different form of government though they may all agree that kindness and justice should play a major role among the people. Ultimately, Christianity favors both socialism and capitalism as long as there is a biblical means to back it up; Islam rejects both socialism and capitalism because of negation and alleged private property and Secular Humanist’s favor socialism over capitalism because it allows for greater freedom. Thus we see with just three different religions, three different outputs which proves that all “great” religions are not essentially the same.
The problem with this statement is that though religions may share certain characteristics in the topic of socialism they DO NOT say the same thing. For instance look at Christianity and Islam. “The Bible as a whole supports an economic system that respects private property and the work ethic” (Noebel 354). There is no right or wrong answer in whether you side with socialism or communism. “Christians who believe socialism is a more desirable system than capitalism do so trusting that centralized control or command economy will create a more just means of sharing scarce resources. Those who call for a socialist economic system do so on the basis of Acts 2:44-45 that describes Christians in the early church sharing all things in common” (Noebel 354).
When it comes to Islam, they have the same characteristic in socialism as Christians, in that people need to show stewardship and hospitality. However, quite contradictory to Christianity, Islam REJECTS BOTH socialism and capitalism. “Islamic economics rejects socialism’s negation of private property, but also rejects capitalism’s alleged absolute view of private property” (Noebel 364). How then can Christianity and Islam essentially be the same? How can two religions, one rejecting and one accepting both ideas be both the same?
If you were to take it one step further and look at a third religion- Secular Humanism you would see a different view from both Islam and Christianity. Although Secular Humanist’s favor some degree of government in the distribution of wealth, they ultimately favor socialism over capitalism. “Humanists believe socialism is more ethical than other economic systems because it allows greater freedom and it is more concerned with the common good” (Noebel, 371). Furthermore, “Secular Humanists choose socialism because of the evils they see inherent in capitalism” (Noebel371). Therefore if we look at Christianity, Islam and Secular Humanism we see that they all favor a different form of government though they may all agree that kindness and justice should play a major role among the people. Ultimately, Christianity favors both socialism and capitalism as long as there is a biblical means to back it up; Islam rejects both socialism and capitalism because of negation and alleged private property and Secular Humanist’s favor socialism over capitalism because it allows for greater freedom. Thus we see with just three different religions, three different outputs which proves that all “great” religions are not essentially the same.
Friday, March 25, 2011
The Affect of Global Secular Government
According to Secular Humanist’s, “systems of national government are destined to fail; thus world government is an inevitable step forward in the evolutionary process” (Noebel, 333). They believe that humanity is perfectible and therefore a peaceful, one world government should exist and evolve. As wonderful as it would be to have a global government with one language, one currency and no paperwork for traveling, it can never happen. Yes, as Christians we should try to perfect ourselves. After all, we are called to be like Christ. However, we are also sinful creatures (Romans 3:23) and therefore can never be perfect. Because of the fall we feel hate and evil, and don’t get along with others. In this reasoning, we can never have a world government because everyone has different views and cultures. For example, Islam will do anything it takes to convert people to Islam even if it requires force and violence. Marxists will behave similarly only doing whatever it takes to further communism. However, religions such as Christianity and Cosmic Humanism are peaceful and emphasize hope and love. Because these worldviews are so contradictory, you can never expect them to be able to get along. You can’t convince a culture to change their ways and act according to another when that’s all they’ve ever known. It all goes back to the Tower of Babylon when God scattered the people of the earth and they all spoke in different tongues (languages) so no one could understand each other. Because of the fall in Genesis there can never be order and unity until Christ comes again. This is the price of sin.
Therefore, if we had a global secular government, it would result in utter chaos and destruction as different cultures, standards and rules clashed.
Therefore, if we had a global secular government, it would result in utter chaos and destruction as different cultures, standards and rules clashed.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Teenage Pregnancy
I believe the majority of pregnant teenagers are more likely to drop out of school, have inadequate prenatal care, rely on public assistance, develop health problems or end up divorced BUT there are cases where these things do not happen. There are always some who are able to rise above the usual results but for now we will just focus on the overwhelming majority. The Family Connection of St. Joseph Country, Inc states “Each year, nearly one million teenagers in the U.S.-approximately 10 percent of all 15- to 19-year-old females-become pregnant. About one third of these teens abort their pregnancies, 14% miscarry, and 52% bear children, 72% of them out of wedlock. More than 9 in 10 teens who give birth keep their babies; few place their babies for adoption.”
I believe that teenage mother’s do have a grimmer future than those who decide to wait to have sex or a baby. First off, they’re time is consumed with taking care of their child and according to the above statistic most of the women are single and don’t have a husband to help them so they must do all the work on their own. The father, is more likely to leave his girlfriend when she tells him she’s pregnant or when she has the baby becomes he is either scared of having a child and isn’t ready or want one; or he got what he wanted from his girlfriend (sex) and now he is done with her and doesn’t care about the baby at all. If the father does try to take up some responsibility and marry his pregnant girlfriend it is likely it will end in divorce as they were not ready to take on the full commitment and strain that comes with marriage. Having a baby at such a young age creates its own stress but also trying to mature and deal out the problems that are inevitable in marriage when you’re still a “child” in the world only makes things worse and the couple Is likely just to give up.
On top of the stress of dealing with the relationship, the stress and frustration of being a single mother could cause some serious health problems. First off she could find herself in a state of depression as she is not able to spend as much time with her friends or keep up her grades. The things she once got to do-go to parties, stay out late ect, she cannot do anymore. She may take her hurt or frustration out on her child by always seeming annoyed, yelling at it, not proving comfort or love which could result in the child’s own hostility as he/she grows up. However, there are a lot of parents who are willing to help their pregnant teens. When they help, the teen is more likely to feel relieved and not as burdened. They are able to rely on the help of their parents and even go out with their friends every once in a while. There are other cases though where the parents of the teen disown them and what nothing to do with them. They only burden the teen with more guilt and shame. The teenage mother will then have to rely on public assistance because it is virtually impossible for a teenager to raise their child on their own, with no hope on top of trying to go to school. There are some schools today that have so many single mothers that they now have a daycare so that the girls can continue their high school career. Overall the effects of teenage pregnancy are staggering, it is no surprise that those who wait to have sex or children will have a brighter future as they can focus on college and their career rather than trying to make enough to feed another mouth.
“The children of teenage mothers are at greater risk of lower intellectual and academic achievement, health complications, social behavior problems and problems of self-control than are children of older mothers, primarily due to the effects of single parenthood, lower maternal education, and large family size.
Seven in 10 teen mothers complete high school or eventually earn a G.E.D., but they are less likely than women who delay childbearing to go on to college.”
"Teenage Pregnancy." Local Community Organizations Web Pages. Web. 20 Mar. 2011..
I believe that teenage mother’s do have a grimmer future than those who decide to wait to have sex or a baby. First off, they’re time is consumed with taking care of their child and according to the above statistic most of the women are single and don’t have a husband to help them so they must do all the work on their own. The father, is more likely to leave his girlfriend when she tells him she’s pregnant or when she has the baby becomes he is either scared of having a child and isn’t ready or want one; or he got what he wanted from his girlfriend (sex) and now he is done with her and doesn’t care about the baby at all. If the father does try to take up some responsibility and marry his pregnant girlfriend it is likely it will end in divorce as they were not ready to take on the full commitment and strain that comes with marriage. Having a baby at such a young age creates its own stress but also trying to mature and deal out the problems that are inevitable in marriage when you’re still a “child” in the world only makes things worse and the couple Is likely just to give up.
On top of the stress of dealing with the relationship, the stress and frustration of being a single mother could cause some serious health problems. First off she could find herself in a state of depression as she is not able to spend as much time with her friends or keep up her grades. The things she once got to do-go to parties, stay out late ect, she cannot do anymore. She may take her hurt or frustration out on her child by always seeming annoyed, yelling at it, not proving comfort or love which could result in the child’s own hostility as he/she grows up. However, there are a lot of parents who are willing to help their pregnant teens. When they help, the teen is more likely to feel relieved and not as burdened. They are able to rely on the help of their parents and even go out with their friends every once in a while. There are other cases though where the parents of the teen disown them and what nothing to do with them. They only burden the teen with more guilt and shame. The teenage mother will then have to rely on public assistance because it is virtually impossible for a teenager to raise their child on their own, with no hope on top of trying to go to school. There are some schools today that have so many single mothers that they now have a daycare so that the girls can continue their high school career. Overall the effects of teenage pregnancy are staggering, it is no surprise that those who wait to have sex or children will have a brighter future as they can focus on college and their career rather than trying to make enough to feed another mouth.
“The children of teenage mothers are at greater risk of lower intellectual and academic achievement, health complications, social behavior problems and problems of self-control than are children of older mothers, primarily due to the effects of single parenthood, lower maternal education, and large family size.
Seven in 10 teen mothers complete high school or eventually earn a G.E.D., but they are less likely than women who delay childbearing to go on to college.”
"Teenage Pregnancy." Local Community Organizations Web Pages. Web. 20 Mar. 2011.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Christianity and Critical Legal Studies
According to Critical Legal Studies, justice and equality are used loosely. Justice is the form of punishing those who go against the standards of society, and equality is the sense that everyone whether race or gender is the same (including bisexuality). CLS focuses on freeing the oppressed as we should as stated in Jeremiah 22:3. The difference however, is in the fact that Christians are called to bring justice by showing God’s mercy and love to others where as CLS tries to liberate the oppressed by lifting up postmodernism. There are no real ethical boundaries as CLS only seeks to advance its own causes. Equality is bringing benefits to everyone; for abortion it’s allowing anyone at anytime to terminate a pregnancy. For homosexuality, it’s allowing couples to have the same rights as heterosexuals. In other words there is no thought in the deed, and whether it is “just” in the Christian since. It is more of focusing on the individual and allowing them to do whatever they please. CLS wants to turn the face of law around so that it does not follow the law placed by God.
To God, we are under his law and he has placed authority on earth to enforce that law. Justice is meant to bring about equality. Yes, it is true that God doesn’t want to see any of his people oppressed but he also says in Deuteronomy 10:12-19 that we are to obey him and serve him by following his commands. Abortion and homosexuality are not part of God’s commands and are therefore sinful. In this way those who commit these sins should be oppressed as to show that the act is wrong and should not be accepted. God has shown us what is good (Micah 6:8) and we should discourage all behavior unpleasing to Him by upholding His laws and fighting against a polluted world (James 1:27) who tries to twist and bend the laws that have been set.
To God, we are under his law and he has placed authority on earth to enforce that law. Justice is meant to bring about equality. Yes, it is true that God doesn’t want to see any of his people oppressed but he also says in Deuteronomy 10:12-19 that we are to obey him and serve him by following his commands. Abortion and homosexuality are not part of God’s commands and are therefore sinful. In this way those who commit these sins should be oppressed as to show that the act is wrong and should not be accepted. God has shown us what is good (Micah 6:8) and we should discourage all behavior unpleasing to Him by upholding His laws and fighting against a polluted world (James 1:27) who tries to twist and bend the laws that have been set.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Christianity vs Islam Law
While Islam believes in the Shari’ah Law (derived from the Hadith and Qur’an), Christianity believes in a natural law. The natural law gives people “a general concept of right and wrong, while the Bible fleshes out [the] skeletal framework, telling us what God considers moral and lawful” (Noebel 285). Because we are made in the image of God, we are “encrypted” with his characteristics as well. For example, we are called to love one another (John 13:34); we are able to love because God first loved us and we share that emotion as we are made in his image. Furthermore, as God is perfect and we are not, he has created a law within us, a concept of right from wrong. This voice of reason is our conscious, it is what allows us to feel guilt or shame when we do something that is wrong and feel joy and fulfillment when we do something that is right. Are fallen nature is seen by how we obey laws, for example, “we all have a fundamental knowledge of the existence of a transcendent law that we must obey… we consciously fail to obey it” (285). God has placed us under authority here on earth and we are called to obey those that God has given power (the government, parents ect). However, it is God’s law which is the ultimate law. Because man is sinful, we leaders are bound to stray from God’s law, when this happens we are called to not follow the evil ways of the world but to stand up for what is right in God’s sight. This is the only time when we are called not to follow the laws placed my men. We are to be obedient according to our morals and understanding of God’s commands.
Contrary to Christian belief that God portrays both Himself and his will, Islam “holds that God has not revealed Himself and His nature, but just his law” (292). The problem with Islam’s law is that it does not talk about all, or even many of the legal issues, in fact “many of its statements are ambiguous and addressed to specific historical situations” (292). Moreover, Muslims don’t see man as fallen or faulty so they don’t have a problem with man having power. As a result, they can give “religious leaders great political power over government authorities” (294). This defeats God’s purpose for placing authority over us, as man can choose to overrule that power. Furthermore it creates chaos and violence as citizens overthrow their rulers and the law system falls apart as seen in Egypt and Libya today. The biggest issue with Islam law is that the “Muslim community cannot find a similar basis for individual freedom with its religion” (295).
Contrary to Christian belief that God portrays both Himself and his will, Islam “holds that God has not revealed Himself and His nature, but just his law” (292). The problem with Islam’s law is that it does not talk about all, or even many of the legal issues, in fact “many of its statements are ambiguous and addressed to specific historical situations” (292). Moreover, Muslims don’t see man as fallen or faulty so they don’t have a problem with man having power. As a result, they can give “religious leaders great political power over government authorities” (294). This defeats God’s purpose for placing authority over us, as man can choose to overrule that power. Furthermore it creates chaos and violence as citizens overthrow their rulers and the law system falls apart as seen in Egypt and Libya today. The biggest issue with Islam law is that the “Muslim community cannot find a similar basis for individual freedom with its religion” (295).
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