Modern economic theory is the voice of fools trying to create absolute certainty in a world where uncertainty is inherent and inescapable.
The Marxists try to create absolute certainty of income to every worthy citizen.
They fail.
More recently, the Greenspans pronounce they have perfected economic theory, and that we will never experience a major recession again.
It sounds ominously like the makers of the Titanic, who purportedly quipped that even God Himself couldn't sink it.
God didn't bother. It only took an iceberg.
Even as Greenspan utters his senseless rhetoric, a great gaping hole has been ripped in the side of the ship of the U.S. Economy.
So much for certainty.
Some things are inherently uncertain.
Minimise the uncertainty, sure. But you're an idiot if you think you can eliminate it.
Life is uncertain. Always has been. Always will be.
Those who thrive will be those who learn how to live with inherent uncertainty.
My own wife was desperately impatient to find out if she's pregnant or not.
Waiting until five days before the first missed period to use the pregnancy test was just too painfully long.
Others, for thousands of years, amazingly managed to wait for days after the missed period, and even then not be totally sure.
And amazingly, the human race survived.
What's wrong with not knowing for a while?
What's wrong with finding out a little down the track?
Science can tell us more things sooner, but we're less patient than ever, even for the things that we can find out quicker than ever before!
The real problem is that patience requires trust. Trust that things will work out OK.
The more you trust, the less a bit of wild uncertainty will bother you.
But what's to trust?
For Greenspan and Marx, not much. Human incisiveness. That's about all.
If I can't trust that somehow, things will work out OK, then I have to force things to work out OK. Without trust, fear compels us to convince ourselves that we've worked God out of the picture, and that our clever policies or special programmes will guarantee the end result.
At such times, God doesn't need to lift a finger. Nature itself comes and devastates our plans. Or God rewards us with the fruit of our own ideas. We got what our programmes guaranteed us. Only it wasn't what we thought.
Amidst the wash of competing ideas, there is one idea that holds true. It doesn't guarantee fiscal success to every applicator. But it does guarantee general success, societal success, success over time to the vast majority of average adherents. And even for what few don't "succeed", it does provide a place. And not a place of exploitation. A system where all can prosper, and if any don't, they still are cared for.
The idea is embodied in the Biblical principles of economics. Ideas as old as the world itself, but as relevant as the sun.
Give. Create. Produce. Invest.
Avoid debt like the plague.
Treat others in all transactions as you would want them to treat you.
There is enough to go around. And Biblical principles would go a long way to ensuring all are fed.
In fact, they'd guarantee it. If only we all followed them. But of course we won't.
God's idea of certainty is "do it My way, and I'll see to it that your needs are met as I see fit".
But we don't like that.
"If it doesn't involve a fixed salary, a certain quality of goods on my table, and a night at the theater at least twice a month, I'm not interested."
We want our T.V.
But more than that, we want to see the mechanisms by which our livelihood will be preserved indefinitely into the future.
If we can't see it, we don't trust that God can figure it out.
So we resort back to our halls of folly, fiddling with numbers, debating ideas, creating "perfect" systems that fail catastrophically, time and again.
Uncertainty is inherent. God promises to provide - if we follow His ways - and that provision does not necessarily mean we'll get exactly what we want, and it especially means we will not always be able to see where tomorrow's food will come from!
So we have a choice :
- do it God's way? Inherent uncertainty but the certainty of overall progress and God's provision at least for our most elementary needs - not necessarily enough to keep us in the manner to which we've become accustomed! But an environment in which goodwill, companionship and universal charity prevail.
- or follow yet another scheme, supposedly destined to give us certainty at the level of comfort we set for ourselves, without reliance on an external God. Nice idea. Never works in practice. Death and misery are the common results.
So what are these "God's ways" of economics that supposedly lead us to a higher plane if applied universally and consistently?
I thought you'd never ask.
They're principles that I apply in my business and family life. And so do thousands of others.
They don't work overnight miracles. But they do work lifetime cures, and intergenerational and societal transformation.
It involves looking at how God designed things, and - shock-of-shocks - actually fitting in to the overall design, instead of fighting against it!
* God never designed man to be in debt. Avoid it. (In stark contrast, every modern monetary system is predicated on debt.)
* God never designed man to be lazy. Get up and invent something. Or help someone else. There is unlimited potential wealth if we would all just rally to a good cause - whether the menial cause of growing vegies for ourselves and our neighbours, or the mammoth cause of fighting the exploitation of women. If you don't know where to start, just start somewhere! Take initiative, and support others in their initiatives.
* Consume moderately.
* Produce more than you consume, and give and sell and save the balance. Savings are not selfish - they increase your ability to help others around you - whether by direct gifts at times when their own resources are insufficient, or by investment in production infrastructure which results in greater production output which results in more to give.
* Respect the land. Grow some of your own vegies. Plant some fruit trees. Support natural and organic farming methods. God designed us to live off well-balanced land. Treat land in the way God designed!
* Give. You never have too little to share.
* Follow God's principles of morality. Murder and other crimes bring natural and supernatural retribution. You might not believe it, but history shows it. Innocent blood defiles land. Kill innocents -> nation ruined. Cambodia. Russia - with all of Stalin's purges. Nazi Germany and Germany's current economic misery. Oh - don't get me wrong. There are myriad factors involved. But morality is certainly one of them. And God's morality was designed for optimal human health and happiness.
* Whatever you want people to do to you, treat them the same way.
And there are many more, or at least, the preceding could be broken down into many sub-points.
If we live as God intended, we can embrace life's inherent uncertainty with the certainty that in the end, everything will work out OK. Fight that, and your "certain" castles will sink in the sand.
Monday, 11 August 2008
Saturday, 26 July 2008
Faith On Film Festival
So me an' my newly wed got ourselves over to the Faith On Film festival to watch The Disposable Ones and Trade.
Trade. Watch it.
Or don't.
The Disposable Ones. Don't watch it.
But Trade...
... watch it.
Or don't.
See, it's rated R18+. And it does contain some short snippets of nudity. And it does portray ("without showing anything") an act of rape.
So in fact, it's not all rosy.
But then again, neither are the facts on which the movie is based.
50,000 to 100,000 young women are kidnapped and smuggled into the USA every year, as sex slaves.
Never to see their family again.
Never to have a family of their own.
Never to work the jobs they want, or visit the places they want.
Never to choose whom they'll have sex with, or when.
Never to see the light of day, except when their captors want.
50,000 to 100,000 of them.
Every year.
"Trade" is not for everyone.
But it may be for you.
Watch it.
Or don't.
http://www.movieschangepeople.com/
Trade. Watch it.
Or don't.
The Disposable Ones. Don't watch it.
But Trade...
... watch it.
Or don't.
See, it's rated R18+. And it does contain some short snippets of nudity. And it does portray ("without showing anything") an act of rape.
So in fact, it's not all rosy.
But then again, neither are the facts on which the movie is based.
50,000 to 100,000 young women are kidnapped and smuggled into the USA every year, as sex slaves.
Never to see their family again.
Never to have a family of their own.
Never to work the jobs they want, or visit the places they want.
Never to choose whom they'll have sex with, or when.
Never to see the light of day, except when their captors want.
50,000 to 100,000 of them.
Every year.
"Trade" is not for everyone.
But it may be for you.
Watch it.
Or don't.
http://www.movieschangepeople.com/
Saturday, 9 February 2008
Why betrothal?
Short answer : Because this is the relationship between Christ and His bride, and because human marriages are explicitly intended by God to reflect Christ's marriage.
Christ has made an irrevocable commitment to His bride, and His bride is irrevocably promised to Him in marriage. The wedding feast has not yet taken place. The marriage is not yet consummated. Christ waits patiently and eagerly for the day He comes to claim His bride.
Right now, Christ is in Heaven, preparing a place for His bride.
He can return at any time.
He will return.
This is the explicit Scriptural teaching of the relationship between Christ and His bride (the Church). It also exactly fits the Scriptural clues as to the definition of betrothal.
Caveat : Does this mean that any Christian who chooses engagement instead of betrothal is sinning? No. But does it mean that Christians who wish to honour the Lord in this way can do so by way of an irrevocable engagement, also known as a betrothal? Yes.
Christ has made an irrevocable commitment to His bride, and His bride is irrevocably promised to Him in marriage. The wedding feast has not yet taken place. The marriage is not yet consummated. Christ waits patiently and eagerly for the day He comes to claim His bride.
Right now, Christ is in Heaven, preparing a place for His bride.
He can return at any time.
He will return.
This is the explicit Scriptural teaching of the relationship between Christ and His bride (the Church). It also exactly fits the Scriptural clues as to the definition of betrothal.
Caveat : Does this mean that any Christian who chooses engagement instead of betrothal is sinning? No. But does it mean that Christians who wish to honour the Lord in this way can do so by way of an irrevocable engagement, also known as a betrothal? Yes.
Friday, 14 December 2007
So what is betrothal?
Today is the day of the grand celebration of the betrothal of Jonathan Field & Katie Gunn!
Understandably, more and more people are asking me "So what exactly is betrothal?"
My previous attempt to help the serious students answer the question for themselves, failed miserably. One eager student (you know who you are - and I love you all the same :o) ) obviously jumped on Google and looked up other people's definitions of betrothal - which is fascinating stuff - but which completely missed the point that the Bible itself sufficiently defines betrothal.
There is no need to learn about Jewish culture in bygone millenia.
There is no need to worry about cups of wine or grape juice.
There is no need to resort to Google, nor to an encyclopedia - although of course you can find out interesting ancillary information on the topic that way.
But my biggest concern is that if you turn to the ancillary information, you might miss the heart of it - the essential ingredients defined clearly in the Bible, and which are all you need to know.
Katie & I are betrothed. I didn't follow any of the old Jewish customs. There was no cup of wine. Go ahead and do it that way if you want, but understand that Scriptural Betrothal is far simpler than it can seem if you start considering the myriad cultural elements. Much like a wedding. A wedding before God really is a simple thing. The white dress, the bridal party, the flowers - all are fabulous things - and I recommend you have them - but they really don't matter. The essential ingredients of a marriage are few and simple. Likewise with betrothal. And Katie & I had a very simple betrothal.
So what are the essential defining characteristics of betrothal?
Well - time is very short.
So forgive me for making an ultra uber summary.
You really were supposed to look up those verses I gave in the last blog post and ask intelligent questions and figure it out for yourself.
e.g. why on earth does Gabriel when speaking to Joseph, refer to Mary as Joseph's wife, before they were married?
But, back to the rushed summary. Oh - and I expect you to be shocked and horrified by this summary. If you'd gone to the Scriptures and figured it out yourself, you could have directed your shock and horror some other direction. But since I don't have time to graciously reveal the extensive topic to you, and since I want to answer the question, I'm left with having to risk reprisals. Se la vive.
Essential characteristic #1 : Betrothal is AS BINDING AS MARRIAGE. Joseph would have required a divorce to break up with Mary, even though they weren't yet married!
Essential characteristic #2 : Betrothal is AS PROTECTED AS MARRIAGE. Note in the Deuteronomy passage that if a betrothed woman has sex with some other guy, that is deemed adultery, punishable by death.
Essential characteristic #3 : Betrothal is a committed relationship where a guy & a girl are definitely going to marry (DV) but have not yet actually married. Traditionally the fella uses this time to prepare financially to begin their new life living together. And that is a wise (but non-essential) tradition.
Essential characteristic #4 : Betrothal becomes marriage at the point that the relationship is consumated. (Re-read the Deuteronomy passage, and note what is conspicuously absent.)
In short then, we can define betrothal as "an unconsummated marriage" or as "an engagement that is as binding as marriage itself". (The latter is slightly technically inaccurate, but doesn't use the big long word "consummated" that might trip some people up.)
So the first question some of you young impatient hormone-pumping lacking-self-control-which-is-a-fruit-of-the-Spirit people are going to ask me is "if betrothal becomes marriage at the point you have sex, then why don't you just rush out and have sex? After all, you're saying it's morally legit for you to do so." Aha. You got the morally legit point correctly. But you obviously have no comprehension of times and seasons. Read Ecclesiastes. There is a time and a season for everything. And betrothal is a time and a season of enjoying getting to know each other even better, before there is a full physical union.
So Katie & I, in timeless betrothal style, are waiting whilst I "prepare a house", and our marriage will be joyously consummated in due time. We are waiting and will wait for our official wedding day.
So boys and girls, there endeth Betrothal 101. We hope you enjoyed the lesson. :o)
P.S. The verses once again : Matthew 1:18-20 and Deuteronomy 22:22-29.
P.P.S. Note that engagement and betrothal are mutually exclusive. By definition, an engagement can be broken without notice, without warning, and without penalty. In contrast, by definition, a betrothal is as binding as marriage. Thus, whilst Katie & I loosely refer to ourselves at times as "engaged", we are actually technically not engaged, but betrothed, and only betrothed.
P.P.P.S. Consequently, if an engaged couple decide "Oh well - we're engaged - we can have sex any time we want anyway", they actually Scripturally fall not under the liberties of a betrothed couple, but under the penalties of two single people who engage in sexual intercourse outside of wedlock. I cannot state it strongly enough - do not use anything I have said here as an excuse for your impatience or lack of self-control before marriage! You are sinning if you, as an engaged couple, engage in sexual intercourse before the wedding. And let me state it one more time - as a betrothed couple, the moral equation is different, but wisdom still demands respect for timing. God has designed that there is a process - a sequence - that a couple will generally have a period of permanent commitment yet unconsummated. This is a good and glorious thing. Learn to enjoy God's timing, instead of spoiling the picture the Master Artist has designed.
Understandably, more and more people are asking me "So what exactly is betrothal?"
My previous attempt to help the serious students answer the question for themselves, failed miserably. One eager student (you know who you are - and I love you all the same :o) ) obviously jumped on Google and looked up other people's definitions of betrothal - which is fascinating stuff - but which completely missed the point that the Bible itself sufficiently defines betrothal.
There is no need to learn about Jewish culture in bygone millenia.
There is no need to worry about cups of wine or grape juice.
There is no need to resort to Google, nor to an encyclopedia - although of course you can find out interesting ancillary information on the topic that way.
But my biggest concern is that if you turn to the ancillary information, you might miss the heart of it - the essential ingredients defined clearly in the Bible, and which are all you need to know.
Katie & I are betrothed. I didn't follow any of the old Jewish customs. There was no cup of wine. Go ahead and do it that way if you want, but understand that Scriptural Betrothal is far simpler than it can seem if you start considering the myriad cultural elements. Much like a wedding. A wedding before God really is a simple thing. The white dress, the bridal party, the flowers - all are fabulous things - and I recommend you have them - but they really don't matter. The essential ingredients of a marriage are few and simple. Likewise with betrothal. And Katie & I had a very simple betrothal.
So what are the essential defining characteristics of betrothal?
Well - time is very short.
So forgive me for making an ultra uber summary.
You really were supposed to look up those verses I gave in the last blog post and ask intelligent questions and figure it out for yourself.
e.g. why on earth does Gabriel when speaking to Joseph, refer to Mary as Joseph's wife, before they were married?
But, back to the rushed summary. Oh - and I expect you to be shocked and horrified by this summary. If you'd gone to the Scriptures and figured it out yourself, you could have directed your shock and horror some other direction. But since I don't have time to graciously reveal the extensive topic to you, and since I want to answer the question, I'm left with having to risk reprisals. Se la vive.
Essential characteristic #1 : Betrothal is AS BINDING AS MARRIAGE. Joseph would have required a divorce to break up with Mary, even though they weren't yet married!
Essential characteristic #2 : Betrothal is AS PROTECTED AS MARRIAGE. Note in the Deuteronomy passage that if a betrothed woman has sex with some other guy, that is deemed adultery, punishable by death.
Essential characteristic #3 : Betrothal is a committed relationship where a guy & a girl are definitely going to marry (DV) but have not yet actually married. Traditionally the fella uses this time to prepare financially to begin their new life living together. And that is a wise (but non-essential) tradition.
Essential characteristic #4 : Betrothal becomes marriage at the point that the relationship is consumated. (Re-read the Deuteronomy passage, and note what is conspicuously absent.)
In short then, we can define betrothal as "an unconsummated marriage" or as "an engagement that is as binding as marriage itself". (The latter is slightly technically inaccurate, but doesn't use the big long word "consummated" that might trip some people up.)
So the first question some of you young impatient hormone-pumping lacking-self-control-which-is-a-fruit-of-the-Spirit people are going to ask me is "if betrothal becomes marriage at the point you have sex, then why don't you just rush out and have sex? After all, you're saying it's morally legit for you to do so." Aha. You got the morally legit point correctly. But you obviously have no comprehension of times and seasons. Read Ecclesiastes. There is a time and a season for everything. And betrothal is a time and a season of enjoying getting to know each other even better, before there is a full physical union.
So Katie & I, in timeless betrothal style, are waiting whilst I "prepare a house", and our marriage will be joyously consummated in due time. We are waiting and will wait for our official wedding day.
So boys and girls, there endeth Betrothal 101. We hope you enjoyed the lesson. :o)
P.S. The verses once again : Matthew 1:18-20 and Deuteronomy 22:22-29.
P.P.S. Note that engagement and betrothal are mutually exclusive. By definition, an engagement can be broken without notice, without warning, and without penalty. In contrast, by definition, a betrothal is as binding as marriage. Thus, whilst Katie & I loosely refer to ourselves at times as "engaged", we are actually technically not engaged, but betrothed, and only betrothed.
P.P.P.S. Consequently, if an engaged couple decide "Oh well - we're engaged - we can have sex any time we want anyway", they actually Scripturally fall not under the liberties of a betrothed couple, but under the penalties of two single people who engage in sexual intercourse outside of wedlock. I cannot state it strongly enough - do not use anything I have said here as an excuse for your impatience or lack of self-control before marriage! You are sinning if you, as an engaged couple, engage in sexual intercourse before the wedding. And let me state it one more time - as a betrothed couple, the moral equation is different, but wisdom still demands respect for timing. God has designed that there is a process - a sequence - that a couple will generally have a period of permanent commitment yet unconsummated. This is a good and glorious thing. Learn to enjoy God's timing, instead of spoiling the picture the Master Artist has designed.
Tuesday, 27 November 2007
What is betrothal?
Read Matthew 1:18-20 and Deuteronomy 22:22-29. See anything strange? And anything missing? The diligent student, meditating on these passages, will understand what Biblical betrothal is. I would explain it to you - and likely yet will - but it's a question being asked of me very often these days, now that I am a betrothed man, and I do not have the time to spoon-feed you the answer right now. So if you really care to know, I've given you all the help you need. Read those two passages at least seven times each, and ask the obvious questions, and let the obvious (albeit counter-cultural) answers reshape your thinking.
In Christ,
Jonathan Field
In Christ,
Jonathan Field
Tuesday, 30 October 2007
Principles for us to found our marriage on
More general :
1) The ultimate model of marriage is Jesus Christ and His bride, the Church.
2) The Bible is the ultimate guidebook to marriage and all human affairs. It gives general guidelines applicable in all circumstances, and within those guidelines, God's Spirit helps us use our God-given brain to determine the best course of action for the specific situations we face. Thus, for example, the Bible is not a sex manual, but it provides many principles for interpersonal relationships that guide our thinking and help us make decisions in that and every other aspect of marriage and life.
3) Marriage is designed to be good and fulfilling, spiritually, mentally, emotionally, physically, and sexually. The intended perfection is no longer fully attainable in this disrupted world, but is largely attainable. Striving for maximal attainance of God's design for marriage is worthwhile as it advertises God's love and beauty and it minimises disruption within the marriage relationship.
4) The many pleasures of married life - as with pleasures generally - are best enjoyed in a purposeful and focussed pursuit of God's pleasure. Human pleasure, when made the end-goal of human endeavour, tends to evaporate. Thus, a human's experience of pleasure is highest when encountered during a higher pursuit. Personal pleasure as one's principal goal is a recipe for frustration and dissatisfaction.
5) Growth and learning are of greater value than comfort.
6) God designed marriage to be the ideal environment in which to create eternal souls. We joyfully embrace His design, gladly accepting from His hand the children He will give. This does not mean that we will never use contraceptive measures, but it does mean that we will not use modern culture as a benchmark for making decisions about family size.
7) We embrace God's design for authority and responsibility within marriage. We recognise that God's design of a "help meet" does not create "his jobs vs her jobs" but rather "his jobs and his helper". His helper is particularly well suited to certain jobs, and in general ("as nature teaches") this represents a good and natural division of labour. But we reject the notion that it is always inherently sinful for a woman to undertake certain tasks within the family or for the maintenance of the home, and likewise with the man.
---
More specific :
1) We are not afraid of human disapproval.
2) We actively and continuously solicit the input of older and wiser couples, older and wiser individuals, and wise men and women whose teaching and training is captured in books, videos, or other media.
3) We experiment and try new things and new ways of doing things, and are not afraid of having other humans label us or our efforts as failures.
We expect that not everything we try will "be successful", but we would rather try ten things and find one of great value and the other nine as total failures, than to try nothing at all.
This applies to every aspect of human endeavour, except only where Scriptural guidelines or other evidence make it clear that experimentation is unwise or inappropriate.
4) That said, we undertake risks with advice, and seek to learn from others' experience rather than repeating their mistakes.
We recognise - particularly where life or health are concerned - that many risks are not worth taking.
5) We are lovers of hospitality. Our home is a ministry centre. It is an appropriately-protected haven of rest. But it is also a place into which we frequently invite others to experience the love and fellowship of Christ.
6) We seek a brilliant marriage. We do not naively think we are the first to do so, nor that we will be the first to succeed. Many brilliant marriages have preceded ours - although relatively speaking they are a small fraction of marriages. We seek to identify and learn from other couples with a brilliant marriage.
7) We honour both sets of parents who have gone before us as imperfect humans to whom God has given much grace, and through whom we have learned much of great value.
We forgive them for their many failings and do not use the bad examples they have set before us as an excuse to disdain God's design for marriage, parenting or family life.
We thank them for their responsiveness to God's dealings, and are glad for the many ways and many times they have modelled Christlike love and Christian discipleship.
---
Now the only question left is : who is the other in "us"? Applications, anyone? :o)
On a more serious note than the preceding line, I am interested in your ideas on other principles worth including. I intend this to be the basis of a "founding document" which I and my Mrs (whenever she shows up) can refer to for the rest of our lives.
(P.S. My time is in extremely high demand at present - and has been for a few months now. Consequently - and I wish it were otherwise - some of my blog posts have to be thrown together extremely hurriedly. This is true of at least the last four or so posts. I trust that you still derive great value from them, despite me not having had opportunity to polish them to perfection. Thankyou! :o) )
1) The ultimate model of marriage is Jesus Christ and His bride, the Church.
2) The Bible is the ultimate guidebook to marriage and all human affairs. It gives general guidelines applicable in all circumstances, and within those guidelines, God's Spirit helps us use our God-given brain to determine the best course of action for the specific situations we face. Thus, for example, the Bible is not a sex manual, but it provides many principles for interpersonal relationships that guide our thinking and help us make decisions in that and every other aspect of marriage and life.
3) Marriage is designed to be good and fulfilling, spiritually, mentally, emotionally, physically, and sexually. The intended perfection is no longer fully attainable in this disrupted world, but is largely attainable. Striving for maximal attainance of God's design for marriage is worthwhile as it advertises God's love and beauty and it minimises disruption within the marriage relationship.
4) The many pleasures of married life - as with pleasures generally - are best enjoyed in a purposeful and focussed pursuit of God's pleasure. Human pleasure, when made the end-goal of human endeavour, tends to evaporate. Thus, a human's experience of pleasure is highest when encountered during a higher pursuit. Personal pleasure as one's principal goal is a recipe for frustration and dissatisfaction.
5) Growth and learning are of greater value than comfort.
6) God designed marriage to be the ideal environment in which to create eternal souls. We joyfully embrace His design, gladly accepting from His hand the children He will give. This does not mean that we will never use contraceptive measures, but it does mean that we will not use modern culture as a benchmark for making decisions about family size.
7) We embrace God's design for authority and responsibility within marriage. We recognise that God's design of a "help meet" does not create "his jobs vs her jobs" but rather "his jobs and his helper". His helper is particularly well suited to certain jobs, and in general ("as nature teaches") this represents a good and natural division of labour. But we reject the notion that it is always inherently sinful for a woman to undertake certain tasks within the family or for the maintenance of the home, and likewise with the man.
---
More specific :
1) We are not afraid of human disapproval.
2) We actively and continuously solicit the input of older and wiser couples, older and wiser individuals, and wise men and women whose teaching and training is captured in books, videos, or other media.
3) We experiment and try new things and new ways of doing things, and are not afraid of having other humans label us or our efforts as failures.
We expect that not everything we try will "be successful", but we would rather try ten things and find one of great value and the other nine as total failures, than to try nothing at all.
This applies to every aspect of human endeavour, except only where Scriptural guidelines or other evidence make it clear that experimentation is unwise or inappropriate.
4) That said, we undertake risks with advice, and seek to learn from others' experience rather than repeating their mistakes.
We recognise - particularly where life or health are concerned - that many risks are not worth taking.
5) We are lovers of hospitality. Our home is a ministry centre. It is an appropriately-protected haven of rest. But it is also a place into which we frequently invite others to experience the love and fellowship of Christ.
6) We seek a brilliant marriage. We do not naively think we are the first to do so, nor that we will be the first to succeed. Many brilliant marriages have preceded ours - although relatively speaking they are a small fraction of marriages. We seek to identify and learn from other couples with a brilliant marriage.
7) We honour both sets of parents who have gone before us as imperfect humans to whom God has given much grace, and through whom we have learned much of great value.
We forgive them for their many failings and do not use the bad examples they have set before us as an excuse to disdain God's design for marriage, parenting or family life.
We thank them for their responsiveness to God's dealings, and are glad for the many ways and many times they have modelled Christlike love and Christian discipleship.
---
Now the only question left is : who is the other in "us"? Applications, anyone? :o)
On a more serious note than the preceding line, I am interested in your ideas on other principles worth including. I intend this to be the basis of a "founding document" which I and my Mrs (whenever she shows up) can refer to for the rest of our lives.
(P.S. My time is in extremely high demand at present - and has been for a few months now. Consequently - and I wish it were otherwise - some of my blog posts have to be thrown together extremely hurriedly. This is true of at least the last four or so posts. I trust that you still derive great value from them, despite me not having had opportunity to polish them to perfection. Thankyou! :o) )
Monday, 1 October 2007
What Is Reality?
A friend of mine recently asked "What is reality?" I whipped-up the following comments, then thought you might find them interesting too...
According to Buddhism, reality is that nothing is real, except for the ultimate oneness in which there is no consciousness and no distinction.
According to Islam, reality is that which Allah decrees. All that is or ever will be is exactly what Allah has always wanted. Even the infidels are infidels because Allah wanted infidels and so he created them. And thus Allah also wanted their perpetual torture in hell, and created both hell and infidels expressly for that purpose. Thus, reality is an illusion, in which we naively think we are actors in the play, when we are in fact the audience and our bodies run a pre-determined course over which we have no control.
According to Atheism, reality is anything we can consistently measure in a laboratory. But this creates huge problems for them in the realm of philosophy, for logic itself cannot be tested in the lab. And who is to say these same scientists aren't unwittingly in a virtual Matrix-esque world and thus all they are convinced is reality is but a fiction?
According to Marxism, reality is The Dialectic. Oppression, struggle and violence are reality. Life is cruel and cruel is ultimately good.
According to some hyper-zealous Pentecostals (whom I can criticise because I am a Pentecostal), reality is the "spiritual realm", and this physical world is a mere illusion.
According to Jesus, reality is that which exists. This includes that which we measure in the lab, and includes powers that exist outside the dimensions with which we are most familiar, and includes logic and love, joy and suffering, and everything else. Thus, when we are feeling pain, we cannot console ourself in the "knowledge" that life, including pain, is just a bothersome illusion that will disappear soon enough. We must rather acknowledge the reality of the pain and ask the next question : why this reality and what to do about it.
(As a side note, materialistic assumptions about "reality" are really quite hilarious. There is absolutely no way for a materialist to prove that there are not other random universes "out there" which operate on completely different laws and paradigms and have no connection and no capacity to connect to our own universe. Thus, the materialist's dogmatism that "matter and energy are all that is" is meaningless stupidity. Even if - as they clearly hope - there is no God, there can still be vastly more in existence than materialists acknowledge. And so materialism is a matter of chanting a nursery rhyme to yourself over and over until you're sure you believe it, instead of actually being a philosophically or scientifically defensible view. The moment a materialist can prove that this universe is the only universe that can possibly ever exist or have existed, and that there is absolutely no way that paradigms and powers unknown to our universe and impossible in our universe could exist in other universes, then materialism will be valid. But of course, such proof of the non-existence of other universes and other laws and powers in those universes, or even of a super-universe of which our own is just a tiny part, such proof is impossible to create, and thus dogmatic materialists (including most Atheists) are squeezing their eyes tightly shut and reciting a mantra instead of believing anything intelligent.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
