Weblog
Thursday, 05 November 2009
-
Currently
The Fake Sound of Progress
By Lostprophets
see relatedThe World is Too Small (To Ever Get Away)
I started writing about something else but then something happened and this weighed heavier on my mind. I'm "home" again for work. Church is starting up a college/career Bible study. I am going to go to the first meeting this Sunday. Ashley Woodard sent out a mass facebook message invitation. Among the recipients was Annika, the pastor's daughter. We weren't friends on facebook so I clicked on her profile to add her. Under our mutual friends list I saw Grant Welsh. What a small world. Weirder things have been happening however.
My parents just told me that my aunt and uncle are moving from Georgetown to Seneca. They are building a house on Lake Keowee and want us to help in its construction. My parents are very excited. I am very befuddled. There is the possibility that I might stay with them if I go to Clemson next year. God what is going on? Please tell me.
Lastly, I am going to flashback to a week ago. Halloween was good. Alfie and Chelsea were here and then Caroline came the next day. Caroline and I had a fake relationship on facebook for a few days. Honestly I still have no clue what the whole point of that was. It seemed funny at the time. We are going to hang out next week. I hope that I'm not leading her on. She intrigued me when we talked online and I thought that she was very pretty but then when we hung out in person I didn't feel too many sparks. I also don't want to date someone whose divorce hasn't gone through yet. Not that it's her fault or anything. I feel bad for her but the more I thought about it the more I felt really weird and as if I wasn't being respectful to God and the concept of marriage. I must be getting old, talking about dating women who've been married before. Wow. She's a great girl and I really think that she deserves someone to treat her right but I don't think that person will be Ben Hemingway.
Wednesday, 04 November 2009
-
Religion or Not People Will Always Fight
Someone said today that "If there was no Bible, we'd all probably be a lot less condescending because there'd be no written law of ethics and rules for how we should live." I have to disagree. This statement makes two incorrect hypothesis. The first hypothesis is without the Bible there would be no written law of ethics and rules for how we should live. The second hypothesis is without written laws of ethics and rules for how we should live we'd all be a lot less condescending. If hypothesis A is incorrect then hypothesis B must be incorrect since it assumes hypothesis A to be true.
Rebuttal to Hypothesis A
There are many written laws of ethics and rules for how we should live outside of the Bible. There is the Koran in Islam, the Diamond Sutra which is the Budhist scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib of the Sikhs, the Kitab-i-Aqdas of the Bahai, the Ancient Egyptian Book of the Heavenly Cow... I could go on.
Rebuttal to Hypothesis B
See Rebuttal to Hypothesis A.
Now, I am going to assume that Hypothesis B was not based on Hypothesis A because she could have just said "If there was no Bible, we'd all probably be a lot less condescending." People will hate other people and do them harm for many reasons other than religion. Wars have been waged over territory, money, and even women (yes!). Gangs fight over economic (drug) territories, race differences, and even just for the sake of violence. Even something as nonviolent as when you apply for a job. If you get hired more than likely someone else didn't get hired. It benefited the company to hire you, or at least they thought that it did, and it benefited you as well although it was at the expense of someone else. In places were the Bible was banned there has been extreme persecution. Official Atheist states have included the USSR, Pol Pot's Cambodia, and North Korea. There was no Bible and all of those places have been very violent and condescending to others.
All of this makes me ask: If you believed that there was no afterlife or reincarnation why would you try to convince everyone else?
Tuesday, 03 November 2009
-
Currently
Tik Tok
By Ke$ha
see relatedJudge Me
This morning I was told that I shouldn't judge someone for doing hardcore drugs, among other things. My judgment call was "I think that's a bad thing." Lately I have heard many people say "don't judge me."
The dictionary defines judge (verb) to mean to form a judgment or opinion of; decide upon critically... to make a careful guess about; estimate... or to pass legal judgment on; pass sentence on (a person). I think that the first two definitions sound like good things. I want to form critical, carefully calculated (how bout that alliteration?) decisions about things. The last definition could be good or bad depending upon if the judgment was based on good evidence or not.
So I want you to judge me. If I do something harmful to myself or others I want you to tell me. If I do something good then encourage me so that I keep it up. That's what friends do. We keep each other accountable. Be open minded in the sense that you consider all the evidence - before making a judgment.
Monday, 02 November 2009
-
Currently
The Ever Passing Moment
By MxPx
see relatedMy Weakness is that I Care Too Much
This one particular girl drives me up the wall, and it hurts even worse because I care a lot about her. I don't even know where to begin. I have enough to stress over with school, getting into grad school, and work. Every time I talk to her it's some new stressful topic. A few months ago she told me that she was willing to kill herself to show me how much she loved me. She told me that it's best if I'm out of her life and that I should never to talk to her again unless I missed her romantically. So I go on my own way, taking my time, not talking to her, and then a few days later she texts me and wants to start talking again. After that I had to convince her over the phone to leave a party where people were snorting coke only to find out that she ended up trying it some other time.
In the past she would get depressed and tell me that she believed that God was punishing her and putting her down and making her life miserable. I had to spend a lot of time trying to tell her that God would never be the cause of evil. It was very emotionally tiring. She eventually got past that but then became depressed more recently. Two days ago she told me that she was suicidal because she now believed that there was no God and that because there was no God life must be meaningless. She also told me that she had become engaged with someone she had just met - because of me (?) - and that she wanted someone else to kill her because she didn't "have the guts". I spent a good amount of time on the phone with her even though Alfie and Chelsea were visiting. Tonight she was telling me about how she hates church and especially worship because she feels like it's self glorifying. I agree with her somewhat. Worship Songs don't always get me focussed on God - but you know what? We are all different. I like to dance and shout at Church but at the same time I find that I generally focus on God more when I sing hymns than when I sing "worship music." That seems like it should be contradictory, but it's how best focus on God. Some people thought that music alltogether was self glorifying so they started the primitive church movement. As long as the belief system of the Church is Biblical and their focus is on God I see nothing wrong with people wanting to play a certain type of music or not have music at all. I would also like to mention that all of us humans are messed up and naturally selfish. Therefore anything involving humans - ie the church - isn't going to be perfect.
This girl is ridiculously talented, smart, and very mature when it comes to things like finances, working hard, etc. so I have no clue how she can be so smart and talented and yet go from one crazy thing to the next. She's texting me now wondering why I'm not responding to her comments on how sermon Bible verses are taken out of context. I can't deal with it. I have to take the GRE test tomorrow morning at 8:30. I was feeling great earlier but now I'm ridiculously stressed out.
Wednesday, 28 October 2009
-
Currently
90125
By Yes
Owner of a Lonely Heart
see relatedThankful
You know I ran across an old box of letters
While I was bagging up some clothes for Goodwill
But you Know I had to laugh at the same old struggles
That plagued me then are plaguing me still
I know the road is long from the ground to glory
But a boy can hope he's getting some placeSo I am thankful that I'm incapable
Of doing any good on my own'Cause by grace I have been saved
Through faith that's not my own
It is a gift of God and not by works
Lest anyone should boastI have a date this weekend! Well... sort of. Three days ago Alfie introduced me to this girl named Caroline. Yesterday we talked online for over 4 hours, including 2 where I had her blushing over webcam. I invited her to the Black Hearts' Ball on Halloween and she accepted. Jet is going to be playing a concert there. Caroline is a very classy girl and I get the feeling that if anything happens between us it is going to go slow and will involve building up trust and a strong friendship - but that's exactly what I want.
With that in mind, I still think that timing is very important. If you reveal too much about yourself and wait to show interest or ask them out they will move on to someone else. If you reveal too much about yourself and make the first contact every time they will grow bored of you. The fact of the matter is that people value what they have to work for much more than what they get for free. Flirt a bit, but don't overcommit, and they will come back for more.
So what am I thankful for? I am thankful to God that there are still good girls out there who are viable options. I am not talking about girls on the other side of the United States, in other countries, or underage girls. I am talking about girls that I could possibly date. Even if this doesn't work out I see it as a good sign.
Owner of a lonely heart, much better than the owner of a broken heart. -Ben
True
Chatboard (5)