People often ask me why I want to major in political science. They know I love to write, and so usually assume I am going to be an English major. I do love to write; it’s a part of me that will never fade, but there is another desire that is close to my heart, and this is a desire for justice. I see injustice all over the world, but nothing frustrates me more than seeing injustice and corruption in America.
America is the home of the brave, but also of honor, liberty, truth and justice. I believe that all five of those intrinsically American ideals are in danger, and I feel strongly called to take action personally. I am an ardent patriot and I think it is the duty of Americans not only to take what America can give, but to uphold her values with our own lives. It is a crime to murder, steal and cheat. I believe it is also a crime not to confront those offenses. However, the biggest crime of all is to allow an innocent person to be convicted or repressed, whether by a fellow citizen or even the government.
Acquiring a degree in political science would prepare me not only to fight injustice, but to quell the corruption I see developing in our government. America is a strong, beautiful nation founded on strong, beautiful principles. However, every day I see more of those founding principles violated or ignored. Government officials find ways to circumvent the system of checks and balances; they take more unapproved power every day. I believe this is not only an unjust use of power, but a demonstration of a lack of integrity.
America is headed in a direction that is not brave, honorable, free, true or just. The question I ask myself is “What can I do?” I go back to the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, looking at the founding principles of America. So many virtues that were once upheld strongly have fallen. I believe it is the duty of the people to look at their God-given rights, at the principles the country was founded on, and take action. America can only do so much without the help of her citizens. Action must be taken to restore integrity to our country, and to save her people from the injustices that mount daily. That is why I chose to major in political science.
~Kendra Logan
Showing posts with label history. Show all posts
Showing posts with label history. Show all posts
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Saturday, September 11, 2010
I Remember.
I was seven. I was in my kitchen with Lizzy and Matt, my little siblings. We were doing homeschool. We were doing handwriting.
The phone rang. My mom answered. Her expression turned startled and frightened. That got our attention.
"Who is it, Momma?"
"Momma, what's wrong?"
She didn't answer us. She went into the living room.
We were seven and five years old. Our attention spans were short. She left the room, we forgot about it.
Then we heard the TV go on in the living room.
Hey, no fair. If Mom gets to watch TV during school time, so do we.
We almost leapt up and went into the living room, but my mom came out seconds later and went to my dad's study. What was up?
She returned with my dad seconds later. They went back into the living room. I heard my mom saying something about "My mom called...she told me..."
More muffled voices. Matt and Lizzy and I exchanged glances. What was up?
My mom poked her head in the doorway. "Hey, guys? We want you to see this."
TV DURING SCHOOL? Oh yes. We ran into the living room.
It was news on TV. News? News was boring. But why was this such a big deal?
Towers. We saw towers. Towering building, towering smoke. Plans. Fire. Crumbling.
"Some people flew planes into the Twin Towers," my mom explained. I'd never seen her look like that before. Like she was trying hard to be calm. Like she was holding in a great sadness. "Lots of people work there. Lots of people have died."
Matt, Lizzy and I watched.
"Why?" I asked.
I don't remember what she said.
"Go get some blank paper and draw a picture," she suggested to us. "Draw what you see."
I drew a building with debris flying. I remember being very detailed about it. I could feel this was important. I remember being careful to draw on cords on the blinds of the windows.
Lizzy drew the building too. She drew fire and stick people.
Matt drew the building. He drew debris he drew...raindrops?
Momma: "Matt, what are those?"
Matt: "Those are God's tears."
~Kendra
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
School
Whether your thoughts are on summer being so close you can taste it, or exams beating you over the head with a 2x4, school is most likely on your mind this time of year.
I'm one of those people who hates school, but loves learning. Every once in a while I can step back and agree that school is really important and it gives you a great foundation for the rest of life.
But some people just plain hate school. They don't see the point. You know what? I don't think that's their fault. I think it's the school's fault.
Schools these days aren't giving you knowledge, they're teaching to test. They're teaching you exactly what you need to know to pass. They don't expect you to understand. They don't expect you to know how to think. They don't expect you to be able to apply what you learn. In my opinion, that's robbing you of half your education.
School should be directly related to life. I'm not saying that it is, I'm saying that it should be. Teach us how to think, not how to spit information back at you. Teach us to read, understand, and be able to communicate ideas. Teach us history so this next generation won't make the mistakes we've repeated for centuries.
You know what I think? I think school is not supposed to be about fitting yourself into an academic box and making good grades. I think school is supposed to be about empowering ourselves with knowledge. Giving ourselves a solid foundation of numbers, logic, history, English, biology, physics, art, music, current events, and public speaking. We go to school to get a foundation that we will use for the rest of our lives!
Every subject we learn is integrated! Our Creator did not just make a bunch of independent subjects to be studied! He made everything fit together in beautiful and delightful ways! He left behind all this knowledge, just waiting for us to soak it in and see how it all works together. When we don't embrace our education, we're cutting off part of what makes us in God's image.
School should not be where our parents shove us because that's just what you do. School should not be about becoming popular because a full social calendar is what it's all about. School should not be where our curiosity and creativity are squashed to promote class efficiency. School should not be a place where we are brainwashed because that's how we're supposed to think.
School should be where we go to soak in the knowledge that God has created for us to learn! School should be about making strong friends who will help you become who you're supposed to be. School should be where we're encouraged to ask questions and be our own person. School should be a place where we're not told what to think, but given the tools to draw our own conclusions.
School should not be about facts or about grades. School should be about gaining life skills in specific areas and learning to think. Because when it comes down to it, understanding HOW to think is a lot more useful than being told WHAT to think.
~Kendra Logan
I'm one of those people who hates school, but loves learning. Every once in a while I can step back and agree that school is really important and it gives you a great foundation for the rest of life.
But some people just plain hate school. They don't see the point. You know what? I don't think that's their fault. I think it's the school's fault.
Schools these days aren't giving you knowledge, they're teaching to test. They're teaching you exactly what you need to know to pass. They don't expect you to understand. They don't expect you to know how to think. They don't expect you to be able to apply what you learn. In my opinion, that's robbing you of half your education.
School should be directly related to life. I'm not saying that it is, I'm saying that it should be. Teach us how to think, not how to spit information back at you. Teach us to read, understand, and be able to communicate ideas. Teach us history so this next generation won't make the mistakes we've repeated for centuries.
You know what I think? I think school is not supposed to be about fitting yourself into an academic box and making good grades. I think school is supposed to be about empowering ourselves with knowledge. Giving ourselves a solid foundation of numbers, logic, history, English, biology, physics, art, music, current events, and public speaking. We go to school to get a foundation that we will use for the rest of our lives!
Every subject we learn is integrated! Our Creator did not just make a bunch of independent subjects to be studied! He made everything fit together in beautiful and delightful ways! He left behind all this knowledge, just waiting for us to soak it in and see how it all works together. When we don't embrace our education, we're cutting off part of what makes us in God's image.
School should not be where our parents shove us because that's just what you do. School should not be about becoming popular because a full social calendar is what it's all about. School should not be where our curiosity and creativity are squashed to promote class efficiency. School should not be a place where we are brainwashed because that's how we're supposed to think.
School should be where we go to soak in the knowledge that God has created for us to learn! School should be about making strong friends who will help you become who you're supposed to be. School should be where we're encouraged to ask questions and be our own person. School should be a place where we're not told what to think, but given the tools to draw our own conclusions.
School should not be about facts or about grades. School should be about gaining life skills in specific areas and learning to think. Because when it comes down to it, understanding HOW to think is a lot more useful than being told WHAT to think.
~Kendra Logan
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Introduction: Charles Darwin
The following was taken directly from Exploring Creation With Biology by Dr. Jay Wile and Marilyn Durnell.
Word Count: 1,693
Estimated minutes to read: 5-10
Because he is such an important figure in the field of biology, it is necessary to look at the life of Charles Darwin in some detail. This will help us gain insight to how he developed his theory, and, hopefully, you might learn a lesson or two from his story.
Charles Robert Dawrin was born in the village of Strewsbury, England on February 12, 1809. Charles Darwin On that same day, far away, Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky. Darwin was born into a relatively wealthy family where education and artistic enrichment were stressed. In 1825, he enrolled at the University of Edinburgh, where all the men in his family had been educated. His father wanted him to study medicine, but he was sickened at the first sight of surgery being performed without anesthesia. He also showed little aptitude for the subject, so after two years, he abandoned the study of medicine.
When he left the study of medicine, he transferred to Christ's College in Cambridge, England, to study theology. Contrary to what you might have heard about Darwin, he seemed to be a deeply committed Christian at this point in his life. During this part of his life, he said that he did not “…in the least doubt the strict and literal truth of every word of the Bible” (Julian Huxley and H.B.D. Kettlewell, Charles Darwin And His World, [New York,NY: Viking Press, 1965], 15). Since he considered himself a devout Christian, the study of theology came quite naturally to him, and he graduated with a B.A. in theology, Euclid, and the classics.
Although his degree was in theology, Euclid, and the classics, Darwin developed a keen interest in geology while at Cambridge. Thus, when he had the opportunity to accompany a Cambridge professor, Adam Sedgewick, on a geology field trip in the summer of 1831, he jumped at the chance. While on that field trip, he was offered the position of naturalist on the HMS Beagle, a ship that planned to circumnavigate the globe. Although you might think it unusual for a ship to employ a naturalist, nearly every ship had such a position available. Darwin eagerly accepted the assignment, and that voyage changed both Darwin's life and the face of science forever.
Before that voyage, Darwin had read a book written by Thomas Malthus entitled An Essay on the Principles of Population. In this book, Malthus said that all individuals within a population struggle against other individuals to obtain what is necessary (food, shelter, a mate, etc.) in order to survive and reproduce. While on board the HMS Beagle, Darwin also read some of the works of a controversial geologist named Sir Charles Lyell. Lyell was one of the first scientists who rejected the history of the world as told in the Old Testament and tried to show that the same processes we see at work today could, given eons and eons of time, produce all of the geological features in the world. Geologists often summarize Lyell's idea with the catch phrase “The present is the key to the past.”
Darwin voyaged on the HMS Beagle for five years; during that time, he made many observations. Each time the ship dropped anchor, Darwin collected samples and made observations of the species native to whatever island or land mass he was on. These observations, some of which we will detail later, combined with the ideas of Malthus and Lyell, led Darwin to formulate his theory, which he called “natural selection.” Although his theory was completely formulated by the time he left the HMS Beagle, he did not publish his book for another 23 years. Part of the delay was due to Darwin trying to perfect his work, but most of it was due to his wife, who recognized the devastating effect that his work could have on the church. She pleaded with him not to publish, and he respected her wishes for some time, but in the end, he felt that he had to communicate his ideas to the scientific world. He therefore published The Origin of Species in 1859.
It is important to note that Darwin was a careful, meticulous scientist. He was not the anti-religion crusader that many have made him out to be. If you actually read his work, you will find that it is quite evenhanded. Indeed, Darwin devoted more space to discussing the reasons a scientist might not want to accept his main hypothesis than he did to the discussion of why a scientist should accept it! You will not find that kind of evenhandedness in the majority of scientific writing that occurs today. Indeed, modern scientists (especially evolutionary crusaders) could learn a lot from Darwin's style. Darwin's only real mistake was to allow his faith to erode as a result of the science he pursued on the HMS Beagle.
The best illustration of how Darwin's faith eroded while on the HMS Beagle and the years after can be found by comparing two statements he made. During the earliest part of his voyage, he wrote in his diary that he often bore the brunt of a good deal of laughter “…from several of the officers for quoting the Bible as final authority on some moral point” (Bern Dibner, Darwin of the Beagle, [Cambridge, MA: Burndy Library, 1964], 82). Only a few years after his voyage, however, he stated "...that the Old Testament from its manifest false history of the world, with the Tower of Babel, the rainbow as a sign, etc., etc., and from its attributing to God the feelings of a revengeful tyrant, was no more to be trusted than the sacred books of the Hindoos [sic], or the beliefs of any barbarian” (Dibner, pp. 82-83). Clearly these are the statements of a man whose faith at first seemed strong but then eroded over time to nothing!
Charles Darwin died in 1882 as the result of a long illness. He died a celebrated naturalist whose views were said to usher in a new age of science. He was buried in Westminster Abbey along with such scientific greats as Sir Isaac Newton and Sir William Thomson Kelvin. There is a myth going around the Christian community that Darwin recanted his theory on his deathbed. This is a lie, and historians think that it was started by the widow of Sir James Hope, fleet admiral for the Royal Navy. She claims to have visited Darwin shortly before his death and to have heard him recant his theory and ask to be told how he might be saved. Darwin's own daughter Henrietta, however, said, “…[the admiral's widow] was not present during his last illness, or any illness. I believe he never even saw her....” In addition, she states that “He never recanted any of his scientific views, either then or earlier…The whole story has no foundation whatever” (Paul F. Boller and John George, They Never Said It: A Book of Fake Quotes, Misquotes, & Misleading Attributions, [Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1989], 19-20). Although the story of a deathbed recantation by Darwin is appealing to Christians, it is almost certainly a lie and therefore such a story does not, in any way, honor God.
Although this biography was rather long and involved, it was necessary for four reasons. First, it is important that the phony story of Darwin's deathbed recantation not be spread any further. Second, it is important for you to realize that although Darwin's theory has had devastating effects on the faith of many people, Darwin himself was not an antireligion crusader like many evolutionists are today. Darwin was a careful, dedicated scientist who started his career speaking like a Bible-believing Christian. There is not a shred of evidence that he had any intentions of harming the church. He was merely communicating what he thought were the obvious conclusions of science. Third, it shows that even careful use of the scientific method can result in the wrong conclusion. Despite the fact that Darwin did everything right in terms of the science that he did, we can show that although a portion of his theory is valid, the major conclusion is not. Thus, proper use of the scientific method does not guarantee a correct answer!
Finally, a look at Darwin's life can show you how horrible the results are when you put your faith in science. As we stated in Module #1, science is limited and is constantly changing. What we thought were scientific laws less than a century ago are now known to be wrong. Indeed, as you will see in the rest of this module, we now know that most of Darwin's ideas were very wrong. You simply cannot put your faith in something as limited and subject to change as science. Had Darwin realized that, he would not have allowed his faith in the Bible to be eroded, and he might never have championed this errant theory that has had such a devastating effect on the faith of others!
This is the introduction to a ten part series on viewing Evolution through good science.
Because of "issues" in the past, I would like to set some parameters for commenting:
1. No insulting. At all. NONE. Comments doing so will be deleted completely. Watch it.
A. No degrading examples (Einar), and no patronizing tone barely hidden within every sentence (Alex).
B. No attacking people's intelligence or lack of open-mindedness. This debate is not about how ignorant you think your opponent is, it's about the cold hard facts of science.
C. Being insulted by someone's belief does not count as an insult as long as the belief is expressed with civility.
2. If you are going to counter anything being said, please back up your argument with evidence. Posting links is not necessary, but do cite your source, please.
3. If you are asked to give further information, please do so when asked the first time, just out of courtesy.
4. If you think I am being a bossy, controlling, overbearing snot, that is perfectly fine. It will not be the first time someone has thought that. However, the rules still apply ;)
5. Go for it.
Word Count: 1,693
Estimated minutes to read: 5-10
Because he is such an important figure in the field of biology, it is necessary to look at the life of Charles Darwin in some detail. This will help us gain insight to how he developed his theory, and, hopefully, you might learn a lesson or two from his story.
Charles Robert Dawrin was born in the village of Strewsbury, England on February 12, 1809. Charles Darwin On that same day, far away, Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky. Darwin was born into a relatively wealthy family where education and artistic enrichment were stressed. In 1825, he enrolled at the University of Edinburgh, where all the men in his family had been educated. His father wanted him to study medicine, but he was sickened at the first sight of surgery being performed without anesthesia. He also showed little aptitude for the subject, so after two years, he abandoned the study of medicine.
When he left the study of medicine, he transferred to Christ's College in Cambridge, England, to study theology. Contrary to what you might have heard about Darwin, he seemed to be a deeply committed Christian at this point in his life. During this part of his life, he said that he did not “…in the least doubt the strict and literal truth of every word of the Bible” (Julian Huxley and H.B.D. Kettlewell, Charles Darwin And His World, [New York,NY: Viking Press, 1965], 15). Since he considered himself a devout Christian, the study of theology came quite naturally to him, and he graduated with a B.A. in theology, Euclid, and the classics.
Although his degree was in theology, Euclid, and the classics, Darwin developed a keen interest in geology while at Cambridge. Thus, when he had the opportunity to accompany a Cambridge professor, Adam Sedgewick, on a geology field trip in the summer of 1831, he jumped at the chance. While on that field trip, he was offered the position of naturalist on the HMS Beagle, a ship that planned to circumnavigate the globe. Although you might think it unusual for a ship to employ a naturalist, nearly every ship had such a position available. Darwin eagerly accepted the assignment, and that voyage changed both Darwin's life and the face of science forever.
Before that voyage, Darwin had read a book written by Thomas Malthus entitled An Essay on the Principles of Population. In this book, Malthus said that all individuals within a population struggle against other individuals to obtain what is necessary (food, shelter, a mate, etc.) in order to survive and reproduce. While on board the HMS Beagle, Darwin also read some of the works of a controversial geologist named Sir Charles Lyell. Lyell was one of the first scientists who rejected the history of the world as told in the Old Testament and tried to show that the same processes we see at work today could, given eons and eons of time, produce all of the geological features in the world. Geologists often summarize Lyell's idea with the catch phrase “The present is the key to the past.”
Darwin voyaged on the HMS Beagle for five years; during that time, he made many observations. Each time the ship dropped anchor, Darwin collected samples and made observations of the species native to whatever island or land mass he was on. These observations, some of which we will detail later, combined with the ideas of Malthus and Lyell, led Darwin to formulate his theory, which he called “natural selection.” Although his theory was completely formulated by the time he left the HMS Beagle, he did not publish his book for another 23 years. Part of the delay was due to Darwin trying to perfect his work, but most of it was due to his wife, who recognized the devastating effect that his work could have on the church. She pleaded with him not to publish, and he respected her wishes for some time, but in the end, he felt that he had to communicate his ideas to the scientific world. He therefore published The Origin of Species in 1859.
It is important to note that Darwin was a careful, meticulous scientist. He was not the anti-religion crusader that many have made him out to be. If you actually read his work, you will find that it is quite evenhanded. Indeed, Darwin devoted more space to discussing the reasons a scientist might not want to accept his main hypothesis than he did to the discussion of why a scientist should accept it! You will not find that kind of evenhandedness in the majority of scientific writing that occurs today. Indeed, modern scientists (especially evolutionary crusaders) could learn a lot from Darwin's style. Darwin's only real mistake was to allow his faith to erode as a result of the science he pursued on the HMS Beagle.
The best illustration of how Darwin's faith eroded while on the HMS Beagle and the years after can be found by comparing two statements he made. During the earliest part of his voyage, he wrote in his diary that he often bore the brunt of a good deal of laughter “…from several of the officers for quoting the Bible as final authority on some moral point” (Bern Dibner, Darwin of the Beagle, [Cambridge, MA: Burndy Library, 1964], 82). Only a few years after his voyage, however, he stated "...that the Old Testament from its manifest false history of the world, with the Tower of Babel, the rainbow as a sign, etc., etc., and from its attributing to God the feelings of a revengeful tyrant, was no more to be trusted than the sacred books of the Hindoos [sic], or the beliefs of any barbarian” (Dibner, pp. 82-83). Clearly these are the statements of a man whose faith at first seemed strong but then eroded over time to nothing!
Charles Darwin died in 1882 as the result of a long illness. He died a celebrated naturalist whose views were said to usher in a new age of science. He was buried in Westminster Abbey along with such scientific greats as Sir Isaac Newton and Sir William Thomson Kelvin. There is a myth going around the Christian community that Darwin recanted his theory on his deathbed. This is a lie, and historians think that it was started by the widow of Sir James Hope, fleet admiral for the Royal Navy. She claims to have visited Darwin shortly before his death and to have heard him recant his theory and ask to be told how he might be saved. Darwin's own daughter Henrietta, however, said, “…[the admiral's widow] was not present during his last illness, or any illness. I believe he never even saw her....” In addition, she states that “He never recanted any of his scientific views, either then or earlier…The whole story has no foundation whatever” (Paul F. Boller and John George, They Never Said It: A Book of Fake Quotes, Misquotes, & Misleading Attributions, [Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1989], 19-20). Although the story of a deathbed recantation by Darwin is appealing to Christians, it is almost certainly a lie and therefore such a story does not, in any way, honor God.
Although this biography was rather long and involved, it was necessary for four reasons. First, it is important that the phony story of Darwin's deathbed recantation not be spread any further. Second, it is important for you to realize that although Darwin's theory has had devastating effects on the faith of many people, Darwin himself was not an antireligion crusader like many evolutionists are today. Darwin was a careful, dedicated scientist who started his career speaking like a Bible-believing Christian. There is not a shred of evidence that he had any intentions of harming the church. He was merely communicating what he thought were the obvious conclusions of science. Third, it shows that even careful use of the scientific method can result in the wrong conclusion. Despite the fact that Darwin did everything right in terms of the science that he did, we can show that although a portion of his theory is valid, the major conclusion is not. Thus, proper use of the scientific method does not guarantee a correct answer!
Finally, a look at Darwin's life can show you how horrible the results are when you put your faith in science. As we stated in Module #1, science is limited and is constantly changing. What we thought were scientific laws less than a century ago are now known to be wrong. Indeed, as you will see in the rest of this module, we now know that most of Darwin's ideas were very wrong. You simply cannot put your faith in something as limited and subject to change as science. Had Darwin realized that, he would not have allowed his faith in the Bible to be eroded, and he might never have championed this errant theory that has had such a devastating effect on the faith of others!
This is the introduction to a ten part series on viewing Evolution through good science.
Because of "issues" in the past, I would like to set some parameters for commenting:
1. No insulting. At all. NONE. Comments doing so will be deleted completely. Watch it.
A. No degrading examples (Einar), and no patronizing tone barely hidden within every sentence (Alex).
B. No attacking people's intelligence or lack of open-mindedness. This debate is not about how ignorant you think your opponent is, it's about the cold hard facts of science.
C. Being insulted by someone's belief does not count as an insult as long as the belief is expressed with civility.
2. If you are going to counter anything being said, please back up your argument with evidence. Posting links is not necessary, but do cite your source, please.
3. If you are asked to give further information, please do so when asked the first time, just out of courtesy.
4. If you think I am being a bossy, controlling, overbearing snot, that is perfectly fine. It will not be the first time someone has thought that. However, the rules still apply ;)
5. Go for it.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Truth
Truth.
Where do I even start? I mean, honestly. That wasn’t said for show, I really don’t know where to begin.
First, let’s define truth. That’s always a safe place to begin. What is truth? I say truth is reality. Truth is what we know to be real, correct, and naturally following from other instances. Logical.
Let’s see what good ol’ Dictionary.com says:
Truth: the true or actual state of a matter; conformity with fact or reality;
Okay, so that’s pretty consistent with the definition I presented.
Now we get to the deep part. If you define truth simply as above, that’s not too difficult. But then we get into the famous logical fallacy:
“Well, that may be true for you, but not for me.”
“I think everyone should find his own truth.”
“Truth is all relative.”
*buzzer sound*
I’m sorry; come again?
Truth is not relative. Truth does not differ from person to person. You cannot find “your own” truth. There is only truth, and it is true for you and everyone else. Truth is one of the black and white things in life. Either something is true—and true for everyone—or it is false—and false for everyone.
Of course, then we get into the matter of finding truth. If there is only one truth for every question, what is it? How do we find it?
Well, let’s take a walk through history.
Originally, of course, truth came from God. People went to God for everything, and he gave them truth.
Of course, that got old eventually. People began to wander away from God and look for truth in other places. Why believe in some invisible superhero in the sky when you can just look around the world and find truth for yourself?
But, there was still only one truth to be believed, and that started to hurt some peoples’ feelings. The artistic world was evolving into more abstract concepts and artists like Picasso painted “as they really saw the world”. This opened the gateway for some interesting ideas.
People began to try to find “their own truth”. Truth became relative, hippies reigned ;) Drugs became an answer. LSD was the golden truth. People thought that it would help them find the truth inside themselves.
Of course, the golden years of LSD were fairly short lived, and people reverted mostly back to their old ways.
Lately, truth has become a relative term once again. Right and wrong have been blurred. Good and evil barely exist anymore in the minds of today’s citizens.
Maybe you’re nodding vigorously and going, “Yes, YES! Truth IS relative!” or maybe you were like me and your eyes are bugging and you’re going, “Good and evil relative? How is that even a possibility?”
However, now that God has been taken out of the equation, how we define truth? How do we determine right and wrong? How do we decide what is good and what is evil?
People do.
So, people can find the ultimate truth? By themselves?
Oh, no, of course not.
So it’s a good thing that’s not what America is looking for.
People aren’t looking for the ultimate truth anymore, because they’ve decided there’s no such thing.
“Well, that may be true for you, but not for me.”
“I think everyone should find his own truth.”
“Truth is all relative.”
This is great. This is awesome. How easy is this?? I can lie and cheat and steal and it’s all okay because that’s what’s true, what’s right, what’s good for me. We can all have our own truths. They might be totally different from each other, but it’s all chill dude, because there’s no such thing as truth anyway. We’re just making it up as we go along.
Abortion might be wrong for you, but it might be right for me.
Oh, you can believe in Global Warming if you want to. It can be true for you, just not for me.
Maybe you see calling down demons as evil, but I believe it’s my calling.
Right and wrong. *shrug* Whatever you feel is right for you.
Truth and falsehood. *smile* Oh, you just pick and chose! I’ll accept your decision as your own.
Good and evil. *wink* There’s not really a right and wrong answer here. It’s all relative.
…
Let’s go back to the beginning. What is truth?
The true or actual state of a matter.
That doesn’t sound negotiable to me. Truth is what is right and what is not. That’s black and white. Truth is black and white. That’s why it’s called TRUTH. If it’s not black and white, then they have this cool new word called OPINION that you can use.
So if right and wrong, true and false, good and evil are absolutes, who decides what they are?
THE GOVERNMENT!
Haha, just kidding.
Well, who? You? Me? Seriously, the government?
Well, who tells you what truth is? Who tells me what truth is? Who tells the government what truth is?
And then who tells the tellers of you? Of me? Of the government?
And who tells the tellers of the tellers?
And back…
And back…
And back…
WHAT IS TRUTH?
HOW DO WE GET TRUTH?
WHO IS THE FINAL AUTHORITY?
WHERE CAN WE LEARN WHAT’S REAL?
WHERE IS THE UNIVERSAL?
WHERE IS THE UNIVERSAL TRUTH OF ALL THESE PARTICULAR THINGS?
Just like the definition of truth, let’s go back to the beginning.
Yep, you probably called it.
God. God tells us what the universal, the ultimate truth is.
I saw that eye roll and lip curl. I saw that disgusted look away from the computer. I saw that click to another window because you refuse to deal with closed-minded, religious idiots like me.
Well, since I’m not closed minded, let me ask you:
If truth doesn’t come from God, where does it come from?
Where do I even start? I mean, honestly. That wasn’t said for show, I really don’t know where to begin.
First, let’s define truth. That’s always a safe place to begin. What is truth? I say truth is reality. Truth is what we know to be real, correct, and naturally following from other instances. Logical.
Let’s see what good ol’ Dictionary.com says:
Truth: the true or actual state of a matter; conformity with fact or reality;
Okay, so that’s pretty consistent with the definition I presented.
Now we get to the deep part. If you define truth simply as above, that’s not too difficult. But then we get into the famous logical fallacy:
“Well, that may be true for you, but not for me.”
“I think everyone should find his own truth.”
“Truth is all relative.”
*buzzer sound*
I’m sorry; come again?
Truth is not relative. Truth does not differ from person to person. You cannot find “your own” truth. There is only truth, and it is true for you and everyone else. Truth is one of the black and white things in life. Either something is true—and true for everyone—or it is false—and false for everyone.
Of course, then we get into the matter of finding truth. If there is only one truth for every question, what is it? How do we find it?
Well, let’s take a walk through history.
Originally, of course, truth came from God. People went to God for everything, and he gave them truth.
Of course, that got old eventually. People began to wander away from God and look for truth in other places. Why believe in some invisible superhero in the sky when you can just look around the world and find truth for yourself?
But, there was still only one truth to be believed, and that started to hurt some peoples’ feelings. The artistic world was evolving into more abstract concepts and artists like Picasso painted “as they really saw the world”. This opened the gateway for some interesting ideas.
People began to try to find “their own truth”. Truth became relative, hippies reigned ;) Drugs became an answer. LSD was the golden truth. People thought that it would help them find the truth inside themselves.
Of course, the golden years of LSD were fairly short lived, and people reverted mostly back to their old ways.
Lately, truth has become a relative term once again. Right and wrong have been blurred. Good and evil barely exist anymore in the minds of today’s citizens.
Maybe you’re nodding vigorously and going, “Yes, YES! Truth IS relative!” or maybe you were like me and your eyes are bugging and you’re going, “Good and evil relative? How is that even a possibility?”
However, now that God has been taken out of the equation, how we define truth? How do we determine right and wrong? How do we decide what is good and what is evil?
People do.
So, people can find the ultimate truth? By themselves?
Oh, no, of course not.
So it’s a good thing that’s not what America is looking for.
People aren’t looking for the ultimate truth anymore, because they’ve decided there’s no such thing.
“Well, that may be true for you, but not for me.”
“I think everyone should find his own truth.”
“Truth is all relative.”
This is great. This is awesome. How easy is this?? I can lie and cheat and steal and it’s all okay because that’s what’s true, what’s right, what’s good for me. We can all have our own truths. They might be totally different from each other, but it’s all chill dude, because there’s no such thing as truth anyway. We’re just making it up as we go along.
Abortion might be wrong for you, but it might be right for me.
Oh, you can believe in Global Warming if you want to. It can be true for you, just not for me.
Maybe you see calling down demons as evil, but I believe it’s my calling.
Right and wrong. *shrug* Whatever you feel is right for you.
Truth and falsehood. *smile* Oh, you just pick and chose! I’ll accept your decision as your own.
Good and evil. *wink* There’s not really a right and wrong answer here. It’s all relative.
…
Let’s go back to the beginning. What is truth?
The true or actual state of a matter.
That doesn’t sound negotiable to me. Truth is what is right and what is not. That’s black and white. Truth is black and white. That’s why it’s called TRUTH. If it’s not black and white, then they have this cool new word called OPINION that you can use.
So if right and wrong, true and false, good and evil are absolutes, who decides what they are?
THE GOVERNMENT!
Haha, just kidding.
Well, who? You? Me? Seriously, the government?
Well, who tells you what truth is? Who tells me what truth is? Who tells the government what truth is?
And then who tells the tellers of you? Of me? Of the government?
And who tells the tellers of the tellers?
And back…
And back…
And back…
WHAT IS TRUTH?
HOW DO WE GET TRUTH?
WHO IS THE FINAL AUTHORITY?
WHERE CAN WE LEARN WHAT’S REAL?
WHERE IS THE UNIVERSAL?
WHERE IS THE UNIVERSAL TRUTH OF ALL THESE PARTICULAR THINGS?
Just like the definition of truth, let’s go back to the beginning.
Yep, you probably called it.
God. God tells us what the universal, the ultimate truth is.
I saw that eye roll and lip curl. I saw that disgusted look away from the computer. I saw that click to another window because you refuse to deal with closed-minded, religious idiots like me.
Well, since I’m not closed minded, let me ask you:
If truth doesn’t come from God, where does it come from?
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