Cornelius Van Til

I have been tearing apart another book for my upcoming senior thesis: namely, "Christian Apologetics" by Cornelius Van Til. I think what impresses me most is how close he gets to the line of rude without actually going over it. He is truly unapologetic for his methodology of apologetics and its source in Reformed Theology. I think that he has displayed a different kind of honesty in practice (but not in principle) than Antony Flew. His honesty leads him to the very heart of the matter on every real point of contention between men: that is, their presuppositions. Van Til refers to this at one point as the colored glasses that a man sees the world through. If you change the glasses, you will change the way in which he sees everything he encounters.

I like his exposition on presuppositions. I have always sought after knowledge. I have always wanted to know things. At some point, however, you cannot keep going back in the chain of knowing. At some point the buck has to stop. Presuppositions are those things we hold first. Dr. Van Til does an admirable job explaining this. I cannot say a thing bad about this book yet. I will let you know if anything comes to mind though.

Another One Down

I finished Antony Flew's new book ("There Is A God...") last week. It was a very interesting case to examine. Dr. Flew had been perhaps the worlds most distinguished Atheist philosopher up until 2004 when he publicly mentioned that he now believed in a divine intelligence (of sorts, a god, if you will). This book which he just published last year (which has a longer subtitle in case you were wondering about the "...") describes how he came to believe that there is a god. I was most intrigued by his critical comments on other atheists. They were not all what one is used to (as critiques usually come from ardent theists, not reluctantly converted atheists). He says of his own journey to a belief in a god, that he merely followed the evidence wherever it went. I was delighted by his honesty and level-headedness. And seriously, some of the critical comments he has received from former fellow atheists has been shamefull- Dawkins has made some particularly unprofessional comments about Flew's age. The book was a very interesting read.

My First District Convention

I went to my first district convention this past weekend. It was wonderful. There was discussion and debate. There was voting and eating. It lasted more than six hours (or was it eight... I lost track of time). Wonderful chili. And I felt like I was into something. Really it was a great experience. I learned a lot and I even got to speak to my neighbors. I highly recommend it to anyone, really. Just try it out once, you may get hooked.

The Irrational Atheist

I finished Vox Day's book "The Irrational Atheist" about a week ago and I feel obligated to tell everyone that never before has anyone used footnotes like that. Truly something else. Bravo I say.

On Choosing Your Words

Cornelius Van Til once said, "There can be no intelligable reasoning unless those who reason together understand what they mean by their words." ("Christian Apologetics" P&R Publishing. Phillipsburg, 2003 p98) I cannot think of a better way to say that. Some people become exasperated when you choose your words carefully- and they sometimes become even more frustrated when you take their own words seriously. The thing is, if you want to actually have some sort of exchange with another person- you have to know what they are saying- and they need to know what you are saying. It just does not do to be fast and loose with any language. At some point, you will really have to be patient if you actually desire to communicate with someone. As an aside, I might remind you that after you take the time to be careful with particular words in a particular exchange, you are free to return to using particular words however you wish, but anyways...

In western analytic philosophy discussions are often begun by defining terms. This is important for philosophers because without it confusion may arise that prevents meaningful discourse. No one wants to be accused of equivocation- least of all a good western analytic philosopher. Equivocation, however, is hard to avoid if you are not careful with your words. English is especially vulnerable to this type of confusion as many of our words have multiple meanings. What bothers me is the attitude I encounter about discussions of all kinds. Being careful with your words is not something that is only important for philosophers. Let them teach you something for goodness sakes. Take a lesson from all their hard work- even if that is all you take (not that I am advocating that of course).

It seems that people want to be heard, but don't want to think before they speak. It seems that people want you to understand them, but they do not want to take the time to understand you. People write book reviews without having finished a book. People spend their time in conversation thinking about what they are going to say next rather than listening to what you are saying now. People are honestly offended when you point out something inconsistent that they have said- all too often they do not even stop to consider your motivation for pointing it out- and act as if they are more concerned with being seen as right than actually being right. You may even find your friends getting upset if you try and coax a little care in language out of them- somehow they can forget that you love them, care about them, and can generally be trusted.

I have known for a long time that love is more important than knowledge. The thing is (and this particularly for Americans), that is a proposition that is either true or false. If you come down one way or another on that proposition, you will act one way or another in life. To say then, that you think love is more important- this does not at all mean that knowledge and reasoning are unimportant. The very idea that helping your brother is more important than understanding something is a piece of understanding!

So please, everyone, remember who you are talking to and ask yourself if you really want to communicate with them. If you do, you will likely have to choose your words. It won't hurt too bad once you get used to it.

Still haven't forgotten

To my commenter from Sydney: I will respond very soon.

Charters of Some Importance

I have just posted a new link under "other resources" on the right side of this page. The new link will take you to the National Archives web page where you can view the Constitution, The Amendments to the Constitution (including the Bill of Rights, of course), the Declaration of Independence, and such. It is a good page with both text and pictures of the original documents. No one should be without it- how else will you know when your elected officials are breaking an oath they swore? I labeled the link "The Constitution of the United States of America"- does anyone think I should just label it "National Archives"? Let me know.

Tomorrow's Presidential Preference Pole.

Tomorrow is the day here in town. It's ok to vote, really it is. I promise I won't tell. You can go ahead and vote, really you can.

For Those Who Work Half The Year to Pay Direct and Indirect Taxes, Let Us Think

"The government that governs least is the government that governs best."
-Ron Paul, speaking on the founding fathers

Why is it that so many people think that the government should hold their hands? Why is it that people who say they want lower taxes and do not approve of the national debt act offended when their own personal projects have their government funding threatened? If you want lower taxes, if you want more money in your pocked, if you want the government to be less involved in your life, if you want the congress to have a balanced budget- something just has to give. We have to spend less money; And Let me just say that the government is not going to stop building and maintaining roads and it would be a very bad idea to stop paying the military. The government is not our mamma. And if you want to be left alone, if you want lower taxes, if you want a balanced budget- programs have to go- and some of those programs are very good and helpful. You can't do everything and you cannot have everything. Voice your opinion. Do some thinking. Talk to some people. As Ron Paul has also said more than once, cutting taxes does not cost the government anything- the government itself costs you and I something. Let's not get that backwards.

Super Tuesday And Question To Boot

Super Tuesday is coming up and there are plenty of primaries, caucuses, and presidential preference poles all over the country. I enjoy the political process and so I am excited about participating. I have spoken to a number of individuals, though, who have decided to not vote at all- in the primaries and the actual election. I am wondering if anyone would be willing to comment on why they, or someone they know has given up entirely on the American political process. Oh, and give it up for the peanut gallery.

Party Delegates

It is getting close to the big super tuesday event. Here in town, of course, we not only have Dean's recital and the superbowl (which will be competing for the same time slot), but we also have the presidential preference pole. I am planning on voting for Ron Paul. Afterwords the district has its convention (in my district, some are on another date) where they will choose delegates to travel down to the state convention (for the Republican party) in Anchorage and vote as you are directed (to reflect the popular vote in your local district). If there is a tie, then delegates at some point vote according to conscience in order to resolve the stalemate. The state convention sends delegates to the national convention (of course) to complete the picture. If you are a Republican- or a Ron Paul supporter- go out on the 5th of February and vote for someone.

Letting Go...?

Have you ever had difficulty dealing with some emotional things? Why is it that we want to describe it as letting go? Sometimes you are just grasping for a description of what you are feeling- or what you think someone else is feeling- and all you can say is- "I just can't let it go," or, "he just can't let it go." It is a strange thing. Why is it that that seems to be the only way we can think to sometimes describe how we are wrestling with something? Comments from the peanut gallery welcome.

Pirate Bar Hooker #1 and the Body of Christ

Have you ever felt like maybe your life was not quite what you had expected? Have you ever wondered just where it was that you supposedly fit in? I was watching Rambo IV the other day and when the credits rolled I noticed something... "Pirate Bar Hooker #1". Now May Kung did an excellent job in the role. The film would not have been the same without her... but do you ever wonder just what exactly you are getting on the "credits" so to speak? I think we all have felt like a Pirate Bar Hooker #1 at some time or another. We are all different parts of the body, which part am I?

Because once I loved you
And once I was enthralled
And because you showed me
What it means to love.
Because you were beautiful
and weren't like me
and were kind
to me.
Because we fit and flew on wings
and other things which make me gasp,
I am changed.

-Meriwether
2002

MTV and the Presidential Election

Today in Fairbanks by the Mayflower restaurant at 4pm there will be a bunch of people doing a signwave that MTV is supposed to cover. Come out and support your candidate of choice. I will hopefully be there waving a Ron Paul sign- but we'll see if I can get off of work. Come out and support whichever candidate you desire. Let's have a good showing for the Folks at MTV.

Presidential Preference Pole

On February 5th there will be a republican presidential preference pole in Fairbanks. If you are a registered republican you should go and cast your vote for the candidate of your choice. If you are not a registered republican but you are a Ron Paul supporter, you should go as well- you can change your registration at the door.

To My Readers

Sorry about the absence- it will continue for a little longer. I am ice-climbing and skiing. It is pretty awsome. I should be back in about a week. Hope everyone is having a great new year.

To my melbourne reader

I have been thinking about your comment. A response is forthcoming. Oh, and don't forget to at least make up a name next time.

On Catharsis in brief

I am not going to finish posting all thirty-one poems from my project (and some of you may be relieved- I understand that the quality of some of them is not quite that good). I was finding it very helpful to post them (even the horribly bad ones), but I have recently been led to believe that it may have helped cause some confusion. People who do not write poetry (and now we are making no reference to whether or not your poetry is good or bad) are often surprised by what and when poets write- and they often fail to understand the major cathartic effect that writing (and even showing to others) has. As much as I hate to give up a means to making myself feel better (and I am so selfish sometimes), I will have to put that aside for awhile in the interest of others. I am not interested (in this particular case) in confusing or hurting anyone by writing. Why they would be reading my blog is a whole other question that there is no real need to go into.

I hope this precautionary measure is overkill and needless. I would like to think that nothing I wrote here would really be all that... well, let's just say I am happy stopping the postings knowing that I might not really need to stop the postings (just in case, as it were). So bid Memories of Holden Ln goodbye. I will probably not delete the ones already posted unless there is a direct request, but we'll see how my spirit goes. If anyone actually likes these and wants to read more- let me know and I will e-mail you some more of them. There is a whole world of pain from loss out there. Sometimes it helps to read what others expressed when they went through a loss themselves. Cheers.

(#10)

Sometimes I can't feel things
and I get funny looks from you
And you look hurt and confused
That I'm not just like you
And just because I can't express
And just because it hurts too bad
And just because it's far too soon
You do not understand.

I feel like it was my hurt
That drove you far away
And I can say it bothers me
That that seems fair to me.

But all the damage in the world
Is never quite enough to say
I was never able dear
To do what you thought you needed.