Resolve

Resolve is a word I certainly abused while writing my paper, but I cannot find any resolve for resolve. Throughout my research process, I read of these great minds, with whom I could never hope to compare, and each of them has come to some sort of resolve. Even after writing my paper that seemingly comes to a conclusion or reconciliation between two different thinkers, I still cannot find my own resolve for my topic, or many other topics running through my brain from this semester and semesters previous. While we study these great minds, we essentially model ourselves after them and develop our own thoughts, opinions, and beliefs. We search the Scriptures without end for peace and hope's sake, we take to biology or psychology to further our point with empirical evidence or otherwise...maybe this is just me. Nevertheless, I long to be like these people we read about, and yet I have no resolve. Are their own beliefs as unresolved as mine? Did they face the grace with the same questions they told us they answered? Of course we all have questions that will go unanswered in life, but I simply want a resolve, a deeper peace that what I have found thus far.

COMMENTED ON KATELYN'S

P.S. Sorry for my lateness.

Out of Good Blog Titles...

So this is late, but at least I’m getting it... :)

Since Thanksgiving Break I have felt extremely swamped, like I haven’t had enough time for everything, just as most of you probably do. With that being said, I have still found a chance to read Hopkins.

I think my favorite poem was God’s Grandeur, mainly because I actually understood it. I like the idea where Hopkins writes about all the influence that the generations of men have had on the earth, but then he writes,”...for all this, nature is never spent...”

This makes me think of how God provides for all His creation, just like Matthew 6:26 says, “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” I believe we forget that a lot of times and don’t think about turning to God to provide for us.

P.S. I posted on “Aaaaaaaah!” by Ben.

Jefus is the Reafon for the Seafon!

Soooo, hey guys!
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good morning!
(yes, I do know those are not the words, but it's like, almost one thirty)

I hope everyone had a magical thanksgiving, and the turkey didn't gobble away. :)
REMEMBER! THE real reason for Christmas is.... *drumroll please*
Jesus! :D
I had a little girl at work the other day sing me the ten commandments song after telling me "Jefus is the reafon for the seafon" She may have had a lisp....? Still super cute.

Anyway, I like(d) reading Dostoevsky, and thanks you the Honors Final Drama I can properly pronounce his name. I think. Also, I love you all.
I now bid you all, adieu.

What would happen if I wrote a blog all about nothing?

First of all, if you got the reference kudos to you on your music selection.

Moreover, Nietzsche apparently knew Communism and Nazism was coming.

Secondarily, When I read about the New Idol, I immediately thought of the people giving up their rights to the state in order to obtain a pseudo-happiness.

Sixthly, and lastly, This is what happened during the Russian Revolution

Thirdly, Look where it got the Russians

and to conclude, I commented on Callie's "For some reason Kierkegaard is on my mind"

Aaaaaaaah!

I emerged from the practice rooms about ten minutes ago and I just now remembered that I had a blog to post! As my life has been consumed with memorization of piano pieces, voice pieces, a scene from "the last night of ballyhoo", the honors drama and writing a research paper, I haven't had time to read Hopkins. I've been scouring Dostoevsky and Descartes for tidbits of wonderful information, though. Something that I've found really interesting (and actually decided to base my paper around..) is a quote from one of my sources for my paper. The source is an article by Kerry McSweeney exploring the dreams of a few great literary works (Crime and Punishment, Wuthering Hights, War and Peace). The main quote I'm using from her article is this.

"What madmen represent to themselves while awake is also represented in the dreams of the sane while they are asleep."

As I have more paper yet to write, I'm just going to leave this quote suspended in cyberspace.

So what did we learn this week? Nothing? Good. That's exactly what I thought.

Until Next Time,
Benjamin

P.S. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

P.P.S. I commented on Blahrgoty1131's blog "Uplifted"

Can't Wait For Spring

Christmas is like nothing else. It brings joy and cheer, for
different reasons in everyone. For most of us here, it is the beautiful
reminder of Christ’s coming down to be with us for a little while before
sending the Holy Spirit to live with us. But it is so cold. So, when I looked
at Hopkins's poems, I went automatically to Spring.

"Nothing is so beautiful as Spring"

I love the reference to Spring being like the garden Eden. Unfortunately, our sin soured that and those happy times, like Spring, sour as well. Which brings me back to Christmas. Because of it, we could have an even more joyful "holiday", Easter! (Which is in the Spring). This poem just reminds me of how we will have Spring, Christmas, Eden, Easter, and God all wrapped up in one once we finally reach Heaven. There's nothing better to work for than worshipping our Lord and Father which I think this poem is a good reminder of.

For some reason Kierkegaard is on my mind....

It interests me that so many authors that we have read have written concerning the universal law, and stepping over it. Kierkegaard speaks of the man of faith who can overstep the universal law at the command from his God; Dostoevsky presents Raskolnikov who tries to step over these bounds like Napoleon, but whose action results in epic failure; and Nietzsche who presents the idea of the superman who he believes should not be ashamed to express his uniqueness and cross over the lines of the "supposed universal law." The main question comes up of the importance of the ethical, and when/ whether or not these bounds should be crossed? Or, for Nietzche the question even arises of the validity of such a universal law, or if such a law even exists at all.

It is interesting that Kierkegaard and Dostoevsky seem to come to different conclusions about the ability of a person to overcome the universal law, despite the fact that both are christian men. For, Raskolnikov, in his attempt to trespass the universal law, fails and in the end accepts it. Whereas Kierkegaard presents Abraham as a wonderful example of how one can enter into the mystery of faith and nobly transcend above the universal law. Perhaps a closer look at the circumstances surrounding Abraham and Raskolnikov would provide a better understanding as to why the authors came to such different conclusions. Maybe they were focusing on different aspects of the same topic....

I commented on Jamie's God and Science

Uplifted

Hopkins' poems are so bright and cheerful when compared to the heavy reading of late. Some of the poems have a darker tone, but for the most part they are cheerful. My favorite of the poems was "Hurrahing in Harvest." The imagery in the poem creates a very picturesque scene for the reader. Being someone who loves horses, I connected most when Hopkins compares the hills to a stallion in lines nine and ten. He says "And the azurous hung hills are his world-wielding shoulder / Majestic - as a stallion stalwart, very-violet sweet! -- " I think the form is a fourteen line sonnet, however I'm not sure what the meter is. The best part of the poem is the end when Hopkins talks about the beholder seeing a beautiful nature scene and how it uplifts the beholder's heart. It almost makes the reader have that same excited feeling when reading it.

First blog in weeks. feels weird.

I would like to take this moment to share that I hate writing papers… simply because I don’t feel like my brain naturally focuses on things in the “A to B to C” sort of way. It’s more like B to F to Z back to B and then on to A. It’s a very difficult task to try and be organized when I’m jumping between paragraphs trying to sort things out. That being said I guess I’ll talk about Nietzsche. Nietzsche has this quote where he says: “I should only believe in a God who understands how to dance.” And though this is not the point of my blog I feel if Step-Up had a Biblical basis that would be the major quote of the movie. I had no real issue with Nietzsche up until he started talking about women. Up until that point I was just boppin along thinking that though he was completely weird he was at least interesting… and then the chapter. He refers to women as a “dangerous plaything” that, essentially, is only good for getting pregnant and popping out kids. So when I read that it was confirmed in my mind that I don’t really like him. I guess it just made me think of his as just a male ego who thinks he’s more important than he actually is. I do admit that I was still intrigued by his stories… because they’re just super weird. The man carried around a corpse for goodness sake.

a sinful image.

This might not pertain so much to a direct reading, but throughout all of them, I have been constantly noticing and thinking about one thing: How a human, that is created in the image of God, can be naturally sinful. I've gone in circles around this one thought for a few weeks now. I recorded my thought process with sticky notes, and every time I thought of something new in the process, I would write it down on a sticky note and stick it up on my wall. I definitely looked crazy by the time it was over, but I think I might have a conclusion, it is probably not the right conclusion, but it's one. So here's my thought process:
Even though we are created in the image of God, there is no way that we can be good on our own doing. (there is no one who does good. Romans 3:12) Well, first, what does this say of the hope of someone who doesn't have the Anchor that a Christian would have.
Humans are an intertwining of good and bad, of God and flesh. Jesus is pruning the vine of all bad things until judgement day. Therefore, we can't be fully glorified in this fleshly, earthly life, even though we are presently created in the image of God.
God created us in His image, but at the same time, we're sinful. So did God create us sinful? or did He create sin? Or, is sin simply the opposite of good? However, if it was an exact opposite, it would have the same measure of the good, meaning it was created. So did Satan have enough power to reject God and create the opposite of good, which is sin? But isn't God the only Creator? Is Satan a creator or deceiver?
Adam and Eve were the first created humans on the earth, but God hovered over the spirits, (Gen. 1:2). So are these spirits Satan and a third of the angels that were cast out of heaven? If so, we can then conclude that God has created His perfect, in His image humans on the devil's kingdom. For those who are not of God, are of the devil. And whoever is of God knows that this earth is not their home because this earth is corrupt. But why is it corrupt? Before the fall, was the garden supposed to be their home? They were never to ascend to His Kingdom?
Anyways, Adam and Eve disobeyed and chose the option of sin. So even though they chose something for themselves, we can conclude that there is no real choice with God. He gives us the freedom to choose, but any other choice besides Him condemns to hell. (The ability to choose, and freedom are "images" of Him that we have.)
So, we are created in the image of God, but obviously not the full image because we aren't fully glorified. (1 Cor. 13:12).
Back to Satan, he couldn't have created sin because God is the only Creator. Humans have no ability to create anything completely new, or think of anything completely new without using something already given to them. Satan must have then taken the goodness of God and lessened it, and thus sin. So sin is the lessening of the good. Which now makes sense in the contrast to us being created in the image of God, because we aren't the full image but a lesser image.

"His ways are above mine, His thoughts higher."


commented on Lane's

Yep, My Mind Is On Fire...

... Literally and figuratively. My paper was on Schleiermacher and Emerson and their differing approaches to the theology of communication. I've never written a paper that related to my life as much as this one did! God spoke to me so much through it, about how He has put certain people in my life and given me the gift of friendships so that I always have someone to talk with about my struggles and discoveries. And, also so that I can return the favor by listening to theirs and learning from them. He also showed me, as I was writing about absolute dependence, that my dependence wasn't completely lying with God like I thought it was. There are definitely certain things in my life that I have failed to surrender to Him. Although this paper drained me (ok, technically that's the fault of tons of coffee and no sleep as a result of paper writing) I actually enjoyed my discoveries. I plenty of AHA! moments that inspired squeals and happy dances!

Here's a few Augustine quotes that I included in my paper and wanted to share with you guys:

1. "By faithfulness we are collected and wound up into unity within ourselves, whereas we had been scattered abroad in multiplicity."

2. "Pray as though everything depended on God, work as though everything depended on you."

3. " Seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand."

 Side-note to everyone: Can I just say that I feel beyond blessed to go to a college where I can openly writes about my faith and grow spiritually from a research paper!!

Commented on Lane's God Complex

Side-note to Dr. Mitchell and Dr. Olsen: 1. Thank you so much Dr. Mitchell for the Emerson: Mind on Fire book! You will see quite a bit from it in my paper! 2. The connection of Schleiermacher to the Sufists was all me. Just wanted to make that clear because I was pretty proud of it. Lol

  

The Last Great King

"There are things that we never want to let go of, people we never want to leave behind. But keep in mind that letting go isn't the end of the world, it's the beginning of a new life."
-Unknown

So, we've reached the end of Realism, and who better to close us out than John Hopkins, who wasn't just a Christian poet but a revolutionary one at that. He came up with his own form of writing. He had his own system of syllables and rhyming, and managed to fuse pure Christian thought with a Romantic sensibility that is really to be admired. Hopkins' poems are proof you don't have to be an up in outer space Romantic to write a beautiful poem about God. In God's Grandeur, he talks of God very matter of factly, describing his omnipotence in a way that is almost inarguable. In other poems, he speaks of God with immense command and control over his subject matter, and it is refreshing to see that Hopkins does not merely speak of God as some great, interstellar romanitic experience but as real being that he knows and is familiar with.

But isn't it also interesting, in retrospect, how much Hopkins is like King Josiah from 2nd Kings and 2nd Chronicles. For those unfamiliar, Josiah, in an era of idolatry and disobdience to the Lord, reformed Judah and brought the nation back to God and cleared out the city of its foreign corruptors. He cleased Judah and reestablished the lost law of Moses, and was the last righteous king of Judah before it fell to Babylon. Next semester we will be entering a godless era of literature where, as Nietzsche predicted, God is indeed dead, and I wonder if there will ever be a man like Hopkins to find a place for our faith. He just may be the last righteous writer before the Modernist era. Do not fear the darkness, though, for we will find truth, we will not lose our faith, we must leave behind the loved ones of the past and move on, no matter how dark it may seem. Do not be afraid.

Thank you for reading my blogs, feel free to comment, have a merry Christmas and God bless you all! BTW, I commented on Jamie Kilpatrick's post, God and Science.

Is that movie you're watching Expelled? If so, I really love Ben Stein and that movie. If not, I absolutely agree with what you're saying. We claim to want to seek truth, but only if it fits our needs. If we don't like what we see, we want to rationalize it away. We as Christians will use that to attack evolutionists and athiests, and they'll use the same thing against us. It's very confusing indeed.

Hopkins

"The Starlight Night" -Everything in this poem seemed to remind me of Christmas, which reminded me of how much I want to be home!

"Look at the stars! look, look up at the skies!"

When I see stars at this time of year it reminds me of Christmas lights. This is the first Christmas that I was not able to help put up lights and the tree.

"Down in the dim woods the diamond delves! the elves ears!"

Elves reminded me of Santa. Then I thought of how long it has been since I have put cookies out for him. I'm thinking that I'll put some out this year."Christ home, Christ and his mother and all his hallows."

The reason for the season is Jesus. Sometimes I feel that He is forgotten in the whirl of Santa, presents, and decorating.

ps i commented on Amanda, Stars

Small World

I am increasingly interested in all of the different parallels that are apparent within the different characters of the works we have studied. We talked about a lot of them in a really cool discussion in which I was able to give you guys a few pointers in Greek. Since then however I have thought about a few more such as:

dare I say it? Raskolnikov and Abraham (in the since that certain men can be go against the universal ethic)

I also found them in good ole Nitz and Raskolnikov... and ultimately these two lead to thoughts of the ideals of such as the likes as Hitler.

These comparisons can bring a lot of uncomfortable feelings. Father Abraham compared to someone who is compared to someone who is compared to Hitler?

Small world. Think about it.

commented on Danniel's

God is Dead

One of the groups in class gave the idea that the quote "God is dead" in Thus Spoke Zarathustra could mean that if people do not act like Christians, God is basically dead to them. If you think about it, the whole reason they became Christians was because of the fact that God is alive. To go about one's life as if He is nonexistent when one claims to be in the light would be pointless. So many people do this because it Christianity is popular or acceptable here, but they still want to be able to live their own life. Oftentimes I think that if we were in a country where Christians were persecuted, we would quickly see who truly loves God and lives as if He is alive today.

This probably won't make sense

Ok so more than anything, this particular blog is more so for me to try and make some sense out of what i'm writing my paper on. In a nutshell, i'm writing about the differences in God consciousness in Poe's Ms. Found in a Bottle and Schleiermacher and the implications of those consciousnesses. My problem though, is that the character in Poe never actually states his beliefs about God one way or another. I think more of what i'm writing about is actually going to be the potential reaction of that character to the God consciousness found in Schleiermacher. Because the character in Poe undergoes a terrible hardship, i am going to attempt to explore the potential extremes of introducing a higher power into the situation under the context of forms of submission. Like i said, this probably didn't make any sense at all, but it was super helpful for me. That is all. Everyone have a wonderful and blessed Christmas!

So with all of the stresses of exams and finals and papers and all that piles up the end of the semester, i decided to blog about what I am writing my paper on. I really enjoyed reading "The Pit and the Pendulum" by Edgar Allan Poe. And i loved the comparison we made of both Poe and Emerson on our midterm exam. We talked about how Poe could be considered a nightmare version of Emerson. I can definitely see how Poe was like the alter ego of Emerson. Poe was dark and wrote on the evil things of man's mind, while Emerson was more optimistic in his writing. In the Pit and the Pendulum, Poe wrote in a way that shows the fear that thrives on one's mind in an experience like that of the Pit and Pendulum is nothing else. It seems to be almost a satisfying feeling to be in that state with no hope that something will change for the better. Emerson, on the other hand, was more hopeful of the things of nature and man's mind. I loved reading both Emerson and Poe!

P.s I commented on Lane's post       

For the sake of brevity I will write about Nietzsche. The man may be insane but he makes some points that we can learn from, though he often takes them to a place that we should not go. For example, he takes the idea of how life is not about a moment but about growth and changes that we undergo, but he takes this to mean that each moment can be without meaning because it will only reoccur. In reality this is not the case, time is not made up of eternal recurrences. Time is made up of many millions of moments in which we decide, make mistakes and learn valuable lessons. Like learning not to leave a paper to the last minute. A mistake but one that can be learned from if I am but willing to make the effort.

commented on Danielle's

God and Science

This week in Dr. Nobel's bio class we have been watching a documentary that explores the lack of academic freedom among scientists as it is related to Intelligent Design. (not Christianity, not even Creationism... just the simple possibility that life could have been designed by some type of intelligent creator.) The information in this documentary has, of course, been disturbing from a Christian point of view, but it has also made me uneasy from a scientific point of view. Isn't the ultimate job of a scientist to find the answers? The true answers, whether we like them or not? Because of this, the line "God is Dead" from Nietzsche makes quite a bit more since. As believers, we know that God is alive. However, among those who do not believe, especially to the point that unbelief has become some type of religion in itself, the simple idea of a creator is ridiculous.

Commented on Lane's "The God Complex"

*Stars*

Here's a lighthearted look at life, because I know stress levels are high with this paper and finals :)
We're almost done with this first semester! It feels like it has gone by so fast, but I have learned so much!
I've had my fair share of stress over the course of this semester, but life moved on and somehow everything got done in time. So for those of you stressing out right now, you should sit back and take a deep breath. If it's dark outside you should go out and look at the stars, because that's what my blog post is about today :)
The poetry Hopkins wrote is beautiful, and I loved the imagery in "The Starlight Night":
"Look at the stars! look, look up at the skies!
O look at all the fire-folk sitting in the air!
The bright boroughs, the circle citadels there!...
This piece-bright paling shuts the spouse
Christ home, Christ and his mother and all his hallows."
This reminded me of "O holy night, the stars are brightly shining. It is the night of our dear Savior's birth."
I could picture Jesus in a manger on that starry night.
One more star reference:
"When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?" (Psalm 8:3-4)
It just blows my mind that God would do this for us...
Those are my thoughts :)
So go look at some stars!

commented on Danielle's

A Bridge of Ethical Discussion

This blog is less relevant to Thus Spoke Zarathustra and more of an extension of my paper I guess. I'm writing my paper on the teleological suspension of the ethical and while reading Kierkegaard and his arguments, I keep thinking why? What is ethics? What determines whether something is right or wrong? Is it Religion? Laws? self-infused morals and instict? Is ethics what is socially acceptable in our society? Furthermore, is what is ethical a universal? Or is there gray area of what is right and wrong? Is what is ethical for me be unethical for someone else and vice versa? Can there be any one thing of which we say "Yes. this act is right in all situations!" or "No, this act is wrong in all situations." I venture to say that there is no act of which is so pure of which it cannot be considered unethical or any act that is so corrupt that cannot be justified in some way.

The God Complex

In the beginning of the book does Nietzsche not come off the mountain proclaiming that God is dead? That would mean that at least in some perspective that he did in fact believe in some sort of god or another. It doesn't necessarily have to be the Christian one but some higher power would have to exist to back up that statement. How then can you go from proclaiming God is dead to there is no god? It's almost as if overnight Nietzsche went from an agnostic point of view to an atheistic one. He also claims to be a prophet as well doesn't he? Wouldn't that require him to receive his power from somewhere? But there is no god or gods at all. Maybe while he was up on that mountain he fell and bumped his head on a rock and that's where he received his power. Or better yet he was breathing gases released from a crack in the rocks like the Oracle at Delphi. That would explain why he had to return to the mountain.

There is one thing that I do agree with Nietzsche about. That is that Christians have become way to complacent. We don't know have to stand up for what we believe anymore. The most glaring point is that no Christians stopped Zarathustra while he is running around claiming that there is no God and he's dead. The same thing extends into today. We don't do anything to stand up for Christianity. The reason why is most of the time we're taking part in the things to bring it down. The same people in church Sunday morning are the same people who are downtown getting smashed Saturday night. As Christians if we don't stand against something then we are saying that it's ok for it to be done. One of my favorite quotes is, "Not to make a choice is making a choice." That is what we need to think about as Christians. If we don't stand against something that we know is wrong then we are saying that it's ok for anyone to do that. I apologize for the long rant I'm finished now.

P.S. I commented on Danielle's post.

Why does Nietzsche always have to negate everything? I mean, the cynic in me can kind of appreciate the whole negating-free-for-all. There are flaws in every human thought process, but to deride it and deny the existence of it all... I mean, it leaves you with bewilderment as to what Nietzsche actually believed. He didn't believe in systematized beliefs. Not only does this make writing my paper on him frustrating and mind boggling, but it makes me wonder how anyone could live like this. I mean, no wonder he went crazy. I feel like many of these senses are just natural to humans, and to deny them is impossible. (But perhaps I'm just too deeply influenced by the West.) Even more, he seems to contradict himself. Several sources that I have sought after trying to make sense of him say this. Now, I'm not trying to completely bash the man--some of his stuff is interesting. The arrogant tone of Zarathustra doesn't seem to balance out with this disbelief in God. If he is a prophet, where is his authority coming from? Just wondering what made him think he was worthy of giving these answers.

--commented on Jannah's

Power of attorney of power to will

What drives us? What unseen force pushes us forward? Is it a distant power such as fate or destiny? Or is close and personal such as motivation, ambition, dreams, and the will. Either way it doesn't really matter. People will use either answer as their excuse for failure or success depending on their personal preference or religious background. But no matter what the answer is, the topic is still interesting: do I chart my own path? Hollywood has even riden the wave and created movies showing characters fighting for and making their own destinies as in "The adjustment Bureau" and even a character using things to alter his own person so that his destiny in life may be more desireable, "Limitless" (sure it's not mainly about that, but that's what I got from it in relation to this post ;) ). If you look at it, both of those movies show two different viewpoints on the question mentioned earlier. One says that my destiny is not pre-determined as long as I fight for what I want long and hard enough; I make my own destiny. On the other hand the view is as such: My possible fates are A,B,C. If I do this action, A will result. But if I completely change my nature and who I am, I unlock a whole new option not previously available, option D. But, no matter what side of the table you sit on (fate or will-power) you surely must admit there is a grey area, a road where the paths intersect; the point when your own dreams and ambitions merge with your destiny; a moment of recognition where you see yourself in the bigger picture: fate. But before we can ever reach that point you have to somewhat know what you're dealing with.....you. There is no more complicated mess than the human heart, soul, and mind. But it's a beautiful mess, I think. The way emotions, dreams, and logic can all inhabit one person is beyond me. Though they all inhabit the same being they are not always equally dispersed. Sometimes logic dominates and we see a Spoc(k? ch? sorry trekkies I can't spell). Sometimes emotion dominates and we have the crazy lovers throwing all away for someone they feel a connection with. And then we have those dominated by the will............ The will (I believe) is the most powerful force inside the human breast. The will, will stake even it's very existence upon it's fulfillment. We've seen these people throughout history; people that would not stop, people that pursued. The world was too small for Alexander the Great. Napolean has been quoted as saying, "Circumstances? What are circumstances? I make circumstances." A passion inside of us that says no matter how high we climb, we are never satisfied. It's a hunger. It's the "I would sooner fail than not be among the greatest!" mindset. It looks destiny in the face and spits on it. It whispers in the ears of fate and laughs. You see the will, the will to power, trumps all primary purpose. It trumps destiny, until the will becomes one with destiny.

So what do I believe in fate v. affirmative action? To quote Tom Cruise in the Last Samurai, "I belive a man does what he can, until his destiny is revealed." Where does God fit into all this? I couldn't tell you. Does this link up with the pre-destination debate? Probably so. Was I biased in writing this blog? Ofcourse I am, I wrote it. Am I tired? Yes. Can I sleep? No. Am I done? For now.