Right now I am reading a book on the Arthurian legend which deals extensively with the clash between Christianity and the pagan religions. It is a fictional book and so much of what happens isn't necessarily historical, but it got me thinking about religion a little more than I normally do.
Today I read a blog post on religion written by an atheist. About once a month I come across a post like this. They revolve around the everlasting debate on whether or not there is a god or gods. If you read enough of them you start to notice a pattern.
First, and most obvious, is the realization that most people are so firmly set in their beliefs that posts such as these set off some sort of explosion in their minds which forces them to quickly set about blasting each other not logically, but in a way which reminds me of elementary playground arguments. "You're dumb!"
"Nuh uh, you are! And you smell!"
Typically, these genius arguments come not from the original poster but from the follow up commenters, of which there are often hundreds. The amusing part is that they are usually trying to prove that their beliefs are more logical and intelligent without using actual logic or intelligence.
Second, as in this most recent post, they try to prove that the other side of the debate is more arrogant, which apparently, in their minds, translates into "wrong". It is here that you start to realize that the reason for these "debates" seems to have less to do with whether or not there is a god and more to do with winning. Most of these people don't seem to understand that you can't win, ultimately, without some kind of proof. The amusing part about this is that neither side has said "proof" and yet both sides constantly point it out is if they can win without it but the other side can't.
Third, the only group that seems to remain cool and rational through the whole debate is that of the Agnostics. Throughout the gnashing of teeth and throwing of rocks they simply affirm that both sides may be right and yet they may also be wrong. This seems to upset both sides more than true opposition and so the temporarily set their differences aside to achieve the total destruction of the fence sitters. Once the agnostics, eyes wide with amazement and incredulity, back out of the brawl the other sides return to their old alliances and continue to try to blast holes in each others' defenses.
Fourth, the tenacity and vehemence with which each side tries to prove the other wrong often causes the fighters to lose sight of the foundation upon with they stand. For the faithful, it is the use of Jesus as a weapon. The other side, knowing the Jesus is supposed to be a loving and forgiving character, is quick to point out the flaw in statements like "Me and Jesus are going to punch you in the face and burn your house down!" This is a dramatization on my part, but it seems that this is the gist of many statements thrown out in the heat of battle.
On the side of the Atheist, although many of them do not claim that label, it is the collapse of their foundation which is supposedly built on logic. They begin to fail quickly, even as their faithful counterparts do, when theory and logic are replaced by insults and anger. Come on guys, that's no way to win a debate. I was never in debate in high school, but I'd be willing to bet that you've lost as soon as emotion begins to play the leading role in your arguments.
This brings me to my fifth and final point. Both sides of the debate quickly become so entrenched in their opposing holes that they lose sight of this one ultimate truth. Neither side is willing or able to give the other what they are ultimately looking for. The faithful demand a leap of faith while their opponents demand proof. The faithful have no proof, and the other side refuses the leap of faith. This seems to have always been true, both sides seem to know it, and yet they continue to beat their heads against it.
Maybe in the end it just comes down to a difference in the way we are wired. By which I mean, do different peoples' brains simply operate in fundamentally different ways? Science has shown that they do, from person to person, which in most other aspects of life we find to be rewarding. Some people like to sit in cubicles crunching numbers all day while others feel the need to paint, to build, or myriad other paths in life. We accept and often reward these differences in our personal abilities and yet when it comes to our differences in theological belief we act as if there is only one answer, that there can be only one truth, one path.
The truth is that none of us have the answer, we are just hoping to find it or we're hoping that the answer we've already found is the right one. It's hard for people to admit that something they've invested their life in, much less their heart and soul, may not be the correct path. It's perfectly rational to want to prove that something you've spent so much of yourself on is not wrong. Is it not also rational, or at least hopeful, to believe that maybe there isn't just one answer. Maybe there are many paths to the truth.
On a side note but at least a little related, any of you who were hoping for more vampire books from Ann Rice can stop waiting around. Apparently, after many decades of being an Atheist, she has found god and has devoted her writing to the Christian faith. I'm betting that the rest of the vampire fiction genre was overjoyed to hear this.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Life
It's been cold the past few days. Luckily I got Bruce to fix the heater in my car a few weeks ago so scraping ice and staying warm haven't been as much of an issue as they were for the first half of winter. It's been kind of a strange winter though. It seams like it's been unseasonably warm for the majority of the past month or two. I'm not complaining though, it helps to keep the gas bill down when the heater doesn't have to work too hard.
Our little house is still coming along nicely. It's gotten to the point where it finally does feel like our place, by which I mean that we've cluttered up almost every nook and cranny with stuff. I don't think that Mandi and I will ever be known as minimalists. The bathroom remodel is almost done. The tile is finished and I'm pretty sure there aren't any leaks, fingers crossed, so all that's left is a little paint and maybe cabinet or shelf. I remember now why I gave up on the tile installation career while I was still in high school. The next remodel project we are thinking about, just thinking mind you, is the possibility of turning the garage into a second living area as is common in our neighborhood. I'm thinking that it might do more for our property value as a living room than it does as a single car garage. We'll see. I'm going to have to acquire a lot more tools for that project to be a possibility. I'm also going to need some planning help. Building codes and whatnot are not my strongest area. Luckily I know a few people who deal with that kind of thing a lot. We have also found out in the last week that the reason all of our drains have been slow since we moved in is that the drain pipe from the house to the sewer is collapsing. This is a common thing, we are told, in houses from the era ours was built in, and we were starting to think that this might be the case, but it doesn't make the news any less painful. The plumbers are starting to really love us. This will be their fifth or sixth trip out to our house. The good news is that they assure us the new pipe will outlast either the house or us or both. Woo hoo!
So I'm looking for woodworking tools, preferably used but in good condition, if anyone has any or knows someone who does and is willing to sell. A chop saw would be great, a drill press, a circular saw, things of this nature.
Also, I've been thinking for the past three of four years of picking up an instrument and learning to play. I'm thinking this would be a good time to do is as I have more free time than I am ever likely to have again, and I could probably scrounge up enough money to get a decent used instrument. I've been leaning towards mandolin, dulcimer, violin, fiddle, or something similar. If anyone sees or hears of anything that sounds like a good deal let me know.
Work is going pretty well right now. It seems like the slow part of the year for us is coming to an end as I've had at least 10 new jobs come to my desk in the past few days. I'll be very busy for the immediate future. It's nice to see the work coming in as so many companies and industries are struggling right now. It is probably too early for the downturn to really hit us, but it hasn't hit yet and I am very grateful for that.
I think that's all the high points for what's been going on lately. As this post is based on reality, the next will probably be more fiction. Exciting!
Our little house is still coming along nicely. It's gotten to the point where it finally does feel like our place, by which I mean that we've cluttered up almost every nook and cranny with stuff. I don't think that Mandi and I will ever be known as minimalists. The bathroom remodel is almost done. The tile is finished and I'm pretty sure there aren't any leaks, fingers crossed, so all that's left is a little paint and maybe cabinet or shelf. I remember now why I gave up on the tile installation career while I was still in high school. The next remodel project we are thinking about, just thinking mind you, is the possibility of turning the garage into a second living area as is common in our neighborhood. I'm thinking that it might do more for our property value as a living room than it does as a single car garage. We'll see. I'm going to have to acquire a lot more tools for that project to be a possibility. I'm also going to need some planning help. Building codes and whatnot are not my strongest area. Luckily I know a few people who deal with that kind of thing a lot. We have also found out in the last week that the reason all of our drains have been slow since we moved in is that the drain pipe from the house to the sewer is collapsing. This is a common thing, we are told, in houses from the era ours was built in, and we were starting to think that this might be the case, but it doesn't make the news any less painful. The plumbers are starting to really love us. This will be their fifth or sixth trip out to our house. The good news is that they assure us the new pipe will outlast either the house or us or both. Woo hoo!
So I'm looking for woodworking tools, preferably used but in good condition, if anyone has any or knows someone who does and is willing to sell. A chop saw would be great, a drill press, a circular saw, things of this nature.
Also, I've been thinking for the past three of four years of picking up an instrument and learning to play. I'm thinking this would be a good time to do is as I have more free time than I am ever likely to have again, and I could probably scrounge up enough money to get a decent used instrument. I've been leaning towards mandolin, dulcimer, violin, fiddle, or something similar. If anyone sees or hears of anything that sounds like a good deal let me know.
Work is going pretty well right now. It seems like the slow part of the year for us is coming to an end as I've had at least 10 new jobs come to my desk in the past few days. I'll be very busy for the immediate future. It's nice to see the work coming in as so many companies and industries are struggling right now. It is probably too early for the downturn to really hit us, but it hasn't hit yet and I am very grateful for that.
I think that's all the high points for what's been going on lately. As this post is based on reality, the next will probably be more fiction. Exciting!
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Rain Queen
She steps into my path as if from nowhere at all.
I've walked this trail a thousand times, never a soul did I see. There's always a presence. The valley itself is a presence. It presses in on my mind as a constant reminder that I am, and can only ever be, a visitor to this place. That is enough.
The foliage sways, leaves dancing in the wind, rising and falling, never the same movement twice, and always a beautiful show. The colors in the canopy and across the forest floor are the colors of sunsets and fire, death and decay. The breeze goes still, the rustling quiets, and each tree drops a few more leaves to the forest floor. That is when I first see her. She is walking towards me on the same path that I travel. I think that maybe she's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.
She is almost as tall as me, though not quite. Her hair is the color of honey and sunlight, her dress seems to fade through all the colors around us but I never see it happen. It seems to change just slightly every time I look away. Despite the cold that sends chills down my spine, I find that she walks barefoot as if it were a summer day. She smiles at me and I find it hard to breathe. She can tell, and it makes her laugh, and the sound of her voice fills my heart to bursting. As she nears where I am standing, for I cannot move, a light rain begins to fall.
She takes my hand and asks me to follow her. We walk down the path I was on but soon we take a turn that I've never seen before. We walk for hours, talking of times to come and times long past. She tells me that we have met before, when I was a younger man, and I find it hard to believe though I know she speaks the truth. In her presence I feel young again. I remember things long forgotten, though I don't remember her. She says that she knows this, that it is to be expected for it is intrinsic to her nature, but that we have walked this path before. She hopes that it won't be the last time.
The world is changing, she says. There will be a clash of wills and it will change the world. She says that forces are rising, that a handful of players will be the impetus for the movement of many. She has had a hand in this. She is not the only one, there are others like her, and some of them are her allies. She says that there is a role for me to play in this. Events are coming to a head. I tell her I live a life of solitude, that I have had enough games of power for one lifetime, and that I wish no part in it. She doesn't try to change my mind, but says that I will come around of my own accord. We shall see.
We have come to a high meadow in the mountains and I find that I can see nothing that I recognize. I've spent half my life in these mountains, a good 25 years, and I could have sworn that I knew them all. She says that we have come a long way. I am growing tired and I tell her that I need a nap. She says she knows and that she will wake me when it is time. I ask her what that means but she doesn't respond. Soon I am asleep.
When I wake up, I don't know how much later, she is no longer with me. I am no longer in an unrecognizable mountain meadow, but in my own cabin many miles from where I met her. There is a fire burning cheerily in the hearth that I don't remember lighting. I decide I need to eat better before bed, or maybe drink less. There is an empty wine bottle on my table that I don't remember opening. I can see from where I'm sitting that there's something under it. It is a note with two lines of text in someone's flowing script.
"Good wine. Get the door.
Appreciatively, The Rain Queen"
Confused, I look up at my front door.
A moment later there's a knock.
I've walked this trail a thousand times, never a soul did I see. There's always a presence. The valley itself is a presence. It presses in on my mind as a constant reminder that I am, and can only ever be, a visitor to this place. That is enough.
The foliage sways, leaves dancing in the wind, rising and falling, never the same movement twice, and always a beautiful show. The colors in the canopy and across the forest floor are the colors of sunsets and fire, death and decay. The breeze goes still, the rustling quiets, and each tree drops a few more leaves to the forest floor. That is when I first see her. She is walking towards me on the same path that I travel. I think that maybe she's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.
She is almost as tall as me, though not quite. Her hair is the color of honey and sunlight, her dress seems to fade through all the colors around us but I never see it happen. It seems to change just slightly every time I look away. Despite the cold that sends chills down my spine, I find that she walks barefoot as if it were a summer day. She smiles at me and I find it hard to breathe. She can tell, and it makes her laugh, and the sound of her voice fills my heart to bursting. As she nears where I am standing, for I cannot move, a light rain begins to fall.
She takes my hand and asks me to follow her. We walk down the path I was on but soon we take a turn that I've never seen before. We walk for hours, talking of times to come and times long past. She tells me that we have met before, when I was a younger man, and I find it hard to believe though I know she speaks the truth. In her presence I feel young again. I remember things long forgotten, though I don't remember her. She says that she knows this, that it is to be expected for it is intrinsic to her nature, but that we have walked this path before. She hopes that it won't be the last time.
The world is changing, she says. There will be a clash of wills and it will change the world. She says that forces are rising, that a handful of players will be the impetus for the movement of many. She has had a hand in this. She is not the only one, there are others like her, and some of them are her allies. She says that there is a role for me to play in this. Events are coming to a head. I tell her I live a life of solitude, that I have had enough games of power for one lifetime, and that I wish no part in it. She doesn't try to change my mind, but says that I will come around of my own accord. We shall see.
We have come to a high meadow in the mountains and I find that I can see nothing that I recognize. I've spent half my life in these mountains, a good 25 years, and I could have sworn that I knew them all. She says that we have come a long way. I am growing tired and I tell her that I need a nap. She says she knows and that she will wake me when it is time. I ask her what that means but she doesn't respond. Soon I am asleep.
When I wake up, I don't know how much later, she is no longer with me. I am no longer in an unrecognizable mountain meadow, but in my own cabin many miles from where I met her. There is a fire burning cheerily in the hearth that I don't remember lighting. I decide I need to eat better before bed, or maybe drink less. There is an empty wine bottle on my table that I don't remember opening. I can see from where I'm sitting that there's something under it. It is a note with two lines of text in someone's flowing script.
"Good wine. Get the door.
Appreciatively, The Rain Queen"
Confused, I look up at my front door.
A moment later there's a knock.
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