Remember

Psalm 77:7-12

"Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time? Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?" Then I thought, "To this I will appeal: the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand. I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds."

This psalm of Asaph is an important practical way to counter valleys in one's life. Asaph calls us to remember the times in which God moved in our lives. The former days in which His spirit sparked our hearts anew. When I am in a valley I generally do not appeal to my intellect. Apologetics do have a place in the Christian life; however, in our darkest moments we do not want to hear a three step syllogism on why God is good in difficult circumstances. We want a voice to tell us that everything is okay. In particular we want one voice, God's voice to speak into our lives again. So, like Asaph, we appeal to these moments because that feeling is true, and we know it to be true. Many people think that remembering is a passive thing; however, I would argue that it is very active. It is choice. We can choose to be angry that God is not letting us experience him at this moment, or we can choose to remember that he is good in every circumstance. Valleys are opportunities to reflect, to remember again. They are also opportunities to be thankful for those mountain top experiences because they are gifts. We do not deserve them, so we are not entitled to them. Remember. Remember that God desires good for his people. Remember that He will never forsake us. More than anything, remember the cross, and the joy with which Christ carried it because our joy is found in our crosses. Do not refuse them. Welcome them with open eyes and let the world see that Christ is Lord of all.

Ben Pearce: Outside Reading 5 Blog 15

Charity in Mere Christianity

In Mere Christianity, Lewis gives a multi-faceted definition of charity in relation to love. Lewis says that charity is not just giving alms; it is not just an emotional response; it is not just liking someone enough to help them out. Charity is love in the most Christian sense. It is about deeply caring for someone’s condition and well-being. He goes on to say that simply liking someone makes charity easier, but it is more than that. In fact, we don’t have to like someone for charity to be in effect. It is all about the simple action of love that is demonstrated in word and deed. Lewis takes the fake it till you make it approach here. He says we should act as if we love someone even if we cannot find it in our hearts to actually love them. This will lead possibly to some sort of emotional conditioning which will associate that charity with that masked love. This may lead to interesting results however, so the best course of action is to actually love someone. The difference between a Christian and worldly person is that a worldly person treats someone kindly because they like them, while a Christian treats someone kindly and ends up liking them. Lewis notes that this is the best way to grow in our love for God as well. By loving others, we demonstrate that we have a genuine love for God who instructed us to care for others. “If you love me, you will do my commandments”.

Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind

   I watched Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind during one of the philosophy movie nights. I have seen this movie a few times, and every time I find something new. The ever occurring theme however is the idea of humans playing god, or if a human was as powerful as god. In the movie, Joel falls in love with Clementine, however a third of the way through the movie we discover that this is not the first time, and that Joel has chosen to erase her from his memories, as has she of him. I am a firm believer that our past teaches us lessons and that everything happens for a reason. I think that god has put our lives on a certain path so that we may learn from it and grow as a person as a result of these experiences; they shape us.
    However in the movie, Clementine, Joel and a few others shown, have their memories erased. If it was truly as simple as just erasing the idea or memories of a person, I do not find as much problem of erasing a person, as I do with erasing all the things you have learned and associated with that person. In the movie there is the scene where Joel sings Oh My Darling, but later on, after he erases the memories of her, the song is gone too. If we all had the power to delete people, what would be left of us? We would be fragmented humans with so many gaps in knowledge. If a parent had a tragic death and we deleted them, so too would be all the things they taught us. I think many people like to think the role of god would be fun to play, yet this movie shows a side not many have fully thought out, and that is why I appreciate this movie.

Space Trilogy - Perspective

    Something that really stuck out to me when I first read Out of the Silent Planet one thing that really stuck out to me was the idea that all three species have their own role on Malacandra. The Hross, Sorns, and Pfifltriggi are each known for their talents, and they almost never compete with each other. This really stuck out to me because I was equating the creatures with races, or cultures, that we have. In our modern day every person has to rush to be the best, and constantly work against each other, rarely together. 
    The main difference the Hross point out about Malacandra compared to earth, or Thulcandara, is that we are bent. The truth and Right thing to do is often cloudy and we are bent by too many emotions, societal pressures and who leads us. On malacandra their mythical leader was highly respected and obeyed. Who is our leader on earth? Do we follow our respective presidents who can be corrupted, or our more immediate authority figures such as mom, dad, or boss? This makes me think about God's originally plan, or what we would be like if we were less emotional and more rational beings. Would we stick to pursuing things for the greater good, and letting each culture contribute in the way they can? The current world we live in fosters the idea that competition and being 'bent' is the only way. 

Space Trilogy - Utilitarian

In Out of The Silent Planet there is a theme of sacrifice in the beginning that I found quite interesting. When Ransom and Devine finally Weston of their plan of kidnapping him and taking him to this planet in space for the sake of sacrifice, Weston was appalled at first. Ransom said "you cannot be so small-minded as to think that the rights or life of an individual or of a milltion individuals are of the slightest importance in comparison". Yet when later asked why he is doing this, he does not even know, "it was no idea of ours. We are only obeying orders." This is amazing. Ransom and Devine have not met the leaders of this new planet, yet they are told about a possible sacrifice and their earthly moral code says its okay for one or millions because the trade off is so much better. Yet they are not aware of the trade off. When there are times that call for people to make hard choices, some which require great sacrifice, and here we see that Ransom has no objections, I find this interesting because so many people want change, but are never fully willing to do what is required.

Space Trilogy

Something I really enjoyed when reading the first two books of the space trilogy was Lewis's word choice. When he describes space and the planets, he paints a world totally opposite of our preconceptions. The use of Ransom's dialogue and thoughts are a good perspective because he is our perspective. He paints space not as a void but as the womb of infinite potential. He doesn't say that there are stars and planets around him, but rather hand picked gems, "celestial sapphires, rubies, emeralds, and pin pricks of burning gold". It really is a nice start to the series, by turning your preconceptions on its head and opening your mind to the new scenery you'll be exposed to. Lewis in his science fiction books does this a lot and I think that is one reason why they are so successful.

Ben Pearce: Outside Reading 4 Blog 14

The Screwtape Letters and Politics

“We, in Hell, would welcome the disappearance of democracy in the strict sense of that word, the political arrangement so called. Like all forms of government, it often works to our advantage, but on the whole less often than other forms. And what we must realize is that “democracy” in the diabolical sense (I’m as good as you, Being Like Folks, Togetherness) is the fittest instrument we could possibly have for extirpating political democracies from the face of the earth.”

            In this passage, Uncle Screwtape discusses what the result of democracy is on a democracy. He is clear that democracies are good things in and of themselves. They are moral things which allow a person choice in deciding who represents them, but there is often a problem with that. I am relating this quote to our modern political climate. This election, we were given the option for president of choosing either a demagogue or a traitor. This is the end result of democracy Uncle Screwtape was referring to. While a person may pretend to want a free democracy, they still desire something else. Therefore, that democracy is used to destroy itself.