science and religion

I thought this week's discussions on how science and religion seem to always try to contend with each other and figure out which is right and wrong when in reality there is no way of actually proving either. Yes science may claim to have proof on the way many physical things work in this world but even then it's man who made up science and man since man is not perfect, science cannot be perfect either. The same goes with religion, even though many believe religion is not made up by man and therefore is the perfect way to explain life, it's been so long since many religions were developed and since they've been passed on generation to generation by man I believe no religion is perfect either. Also, the thing about most religions, is that they're not trying to prove they're right. My religion is not about proof, it's about a way of life and understanding life. That's why when people try to prove whether religion is true or science, I think they're focusing on the wrong aspects of each. Well maybe not with science, but definitely with religion. I don't believe in my religion soley on whether everything I know about it is absolutely correct, it's about the way it teaches me to live and treat others. I think both religion and science play very important roles in the way our world works and they shouldn't be contending with each other.

money is the root of all evil :)

So this week i'm gonna talk a little about how money is one of the biggest motivations for evil doing that has ever been invented. Almost every conqueror who's killed and pillaged has done so for the sole purpose of power, and with power of course comes many riches. Money or fortune has driven people into doing horrendous things and has stopped people from living normal lives. Without money, someone is considered to be a low life or less than people who have money. I think if we got rid of anything that was considered valuable and tradeable we would all live much happier and in peace with each other. It would be like living in a world where everyone shared everything and what is yours is everyones. Obviously that can never happen because some people are greedy and want everything for themselves, but if it were possible, there would be no need for money. Money not only corrupts politics and governments, but even as simple as a family. Most failed marriages are due to money problems and not dealing with them properly. I'm not going to say I don't like having extra cash in my pocket but that's in a way because in this world we live in now, you basically have to have money just to maintain a simple life.

So today we were talking a little about etymology and it seems like nature kind of balances itself out in different ways. Professor Devitto talked about how there is this type of hornet that lays its eggs inside of a caterpillar and once the eggs hatch continue to devour the rest of the caterpillar thus killing the bug and helping the baby hornets survive. Then there's this other type of hornet that actually lays its eggs in the same type of caterpillar that has the other hornets eggs and they actually eat the other eggs thus saving the caterpillar and helping the maggots grow and survive. This really helps put things in perspective towards the animal kingdom and nature in general. Often at times it seems like nature can be hectic and unforgiving and its true sometimes. But this story about the hornets and caterpillar helps remind us that their is sort of this "circle of life", lion king cliche, that goes on in the world. Even though some animals are killed and eaten for food that helps the animals that kill eat and then they too get eaten or killed by something else for survival. It may seem pointless at times but I think it all comes hand in hand and actually goes around in a "circle".

little bit about law

I just wanted to say a little something more about what we were talking about in class today about adam and eve and all that bible stuff. Once eve sinned and after adam did, the world was forever changed in the fact that it was turned upside from perfection. For awhile adam and eve began to populate the earth after they sinned and the first murder occured between cain and able. Then it just seemed according to the scripture, that the world went into chaos with the tower of babel and finally when everything seemed lost. God thought of a solution. Since there was no longer any sense in the world and no order or law. Pretty much everyone besides seven i think people had failed hopelessly from becoming good people again so the Lord sent down rain after rain and saved the only people who stood a chance of being saved. After that i forget how long there was the actual Law sent from God in the form of the ten commandments. This is i believe how law was restablished in the world. Just my opinion.

predestination

Predestination is a fascinating theory on the way in which our past, present, and future come about. It basically means that, from a religious point of view, God, being all knowing, already knows our future and every choice we'll make from here on out. Some say this means we have no free will since He already knows what we'll do, but I don't really understand how that changes the way in which we're free to make our own decisions. Just because He knows what they're going to be doesn't mean we aren't allowed to make them. We can still decide whether or not we want to buy a ferrari or use that money to donate to an orphanage. Even though God knows what decision we'll make on the matter, doesn't change our freedom to make it. I do believe in predestination in the fact that there is a higher power who knows what our "destinations" will be, but I still think that we are the ones who decide what that "destination" will be.

self identity

I think self identity does have a lot if not everything to do with the environments that we grow up in. I mean if i were to have grown up in another country like Korea or something I would probably see myself in an entirely different way. Since we use our surroundings and the people we know to sort of compare ourselves to, to identify, it would only make sense that if I did grow up in China I would see myself differently. Even down to my fundamental beliefs, I feel like they do depend on my experiences and the way I see myself in comparison to others. I agree with Descartes on his opinion of the matter on this subject. Self Identity is more than likely discovered by the world around us.

common sense

Today I would like to blog about some things we've gone over in class this week such as Moore's view on common sense. Moore states very clearly that he perceives everything in his reality due to "common sense" because we all in a way sense the same things together. I agree in the way that we've built civilizations and new technologies so advanced that how can this all be an illusion. I mean how else would we all still be alive today? If we were all skeptical about everything in life that we so call perceive, how can we work together and built nations. I think everyone would just go crazy and not care about the effects it could have on the world. Why would we even want to work together if this is all an illusion and doesn't really even exist. It comes down to what Moore says about common sense, basically the way we survive and thrive. So even though he doesn't really give detailed rebukes to other philosophers' statements, its still pretty clear to me that he's trying to make more sense out of things than most others try. That's all I gotta say about Moore today.

cause and effect circulation

I'm writing today a little bit about my view on Humes skeptical views about cause and effect. He talks about how we learn things by experiencing and then remembering and using them to change the future (by learning from our mistakes). Like when a person burns their hand on a stove and knows from then on out that the stove will burn their hand if they put it on it. I found it interesting when he talked about how contradicting that is because we use our memories from the past and the past futures to learn about our decisions and their effects, but what makes us so sure that the new future will hold the same results. Just because in the past there has been causes and effects that we feel like we learn from, that doesn't mean our causes in the future will produce the same results. It's kind of like circular reasoning he says. I agree with him on that, but at the same time like our professor told us, we wouldn't get hit by a car when we walk into the street, and then not remember that and just do it again like it won't happen. Just some interesting points I got from our recent readings on reality.

some core beliefs

I want to discuss briefly my personal philosophy on the values and different beliefs that I hold true to myself. I'm a member of LLU SDA Church in Loma Linda and my entire life I've grown up in an SDA environment, both at home and school. I am a strong believer in my religion but there are a few beliefs that I have that are different from what most hold. I think that 75% of my involvement in SDAism has to deal with my belief that we are saved by God's grace and that no matter how much works we do we will always fall short of being perfect. I know that no matter how many good things, community outreach, and just hands on religious things I do it won't strengthen my belief in God and what He has done for us. Don't get me wrong, I mean doing those things are wonderful and are necessary in being an active church member, but I do not take them as seriously as my belief in God's grace. God's grace deals with the fact that no matter how short we fall of being perfect we are saved because of our belief in what God and Jesus have done for us and that God has mercy on us and will always forgive us of our sins. If we ask. That doesn't mean I'm going to go around doing evil things and just because I believe in grace I won't feel a thing. I try to be a good person because joy spreads joy and it makes the world that much less harsh. So getting down to my fundamental beliefs it goes something like this. I'm not technical in what I believe in. I just try to make other people happy and feel welcomed and to be honest (to me) thats all that matters. I don't care about peoples religious, sexual, political, or any kind of affiliations, I just want everyone to feel loved because God is love and it's the most powerful thing there is. You could compare my beliefs in a way to Rastafarism, in the fact that love is all that matters and we need a world with more love. I just don't believe like Rastafaris that specific people are messiah's and live forever. But I do agree with them that Jah is all powerful, all knowing, all places, and all love. So even though I don't focus on works like I do on grace. My fundamental beliefs help promote good works naturally.

Dreams: Reality or Illusion?

Today in class we discussed, the issue of dreams briefly and it really got me to thinking. What are dreams exactly? Some say they're your innermost self trying to tell you something. That could be true. Why else would people get recurring dreams every night until something in their lives change. I've also heard some people say that dreams are an account of your day and the things you were thinking about before you fell asleep. Just in a weird way. If that makes sense. Whatever dreams may be and why they happen, it really gets people to thinking. Like today for instance, what if this is all a dream we live in? If so why does our dreams that we know we have seem so different from reality or what we think is reality. In my dreams, I don't get hurt, in "real life" I get hurt almost every day, due to my clumsiness. In nightmares for example, it seems to be the one thing or things that you fear the most sometimes. But when we are "awake" all kinds of scary things happen that are not necessarily our worst fears. Are all the things we experience and all the people we meet in life just thought up by our imaginations? Or are they also in our real reality and we just don't know it? These kinds of questions puzzle me and make me a little unsure about what "reality" really is, but at the same time I'm not losing sleep over it. Because maybe I'm already sleeping anyways? lol