Cooling Twilight

Tag: truth

  • Abraham, Isaac and the Search for Truth

    Abraham, Isaac and the Search for Truth

    Abrahams Opfer, Adi Holzer
    Abrahams Opfer, Adi Holzer, 1997

    The story of the binding of Isaac in Genesis 22 offers fertile ground for theological reflection. It is a tale that is simultaneously reassuring and disconcerting, straightforward and complex, pragmatic and melodramatic. These divergent challenges are a crucial part of its enduring relevance to Christians, Jews and Muslims. It’s a story that defies reductive interpretation — attempts to distill simple life-lessons risk losing the nuances that have resonated so deeply with so many for so long.

    I certainly don’t have a definitive interpretation of the tale, but I do think the story itself offers some guidance for how to approach it. That is, at least part of its message is that we should be cautious about being overly certain of our understanding of that message — or indeed of any message. (more…)

  • Are you planting trees or just cutting them down?

    Are you planting trees or just cutting them down?

    Oak tree

    Are you planting trees or just cutting them down? 

    Are you making coffee or just drinking it?

    Are you the main character or part of the supporting cast?

    Are you reading sentences but missing the story?

    Are you talking about Jesus instead of showing who Jesus is?

    Are you teaching the “truth” instead of living love?

    Are you looking to the future and ignoring the present?

    Are you waiting for heaven after death and missing heaven during life?

    Are you trying to save people from going to hell when they die instead of trying to save them from the hell they’re experiencing now?

    Are you praying for what you want instead acting how God wants?

  • How should we deal with our differences?

    How should we deal with our differences?

    Merging

    I’ve been thinking a lot lately about differing opinions on important matters — primarily in terms of religious and theological issues, though there are similar discussions to be had when it comes to matters of politics or philosophy or virtually any area of inquiry. By differing opinions, I simply mean that reasonably intelligent people, when presented with the same general information, can still come to drastically different and mutually incompatible understandings of important issues.
    (more…)

  • I See An Elephant

    I See An Elephant

    Here’s a picture of the world:

    interferance (more…)

  • Ode On An Objectively Beautiful Grecian Urn

    Ode On An Objectively Beautiful Grecian Urn

    One of the standard arguments for the existence of God is the Moral Argument. It can be formulated like this:

    1. If God does not exist, objective moral values do not exist.
    2. Objective moral values do exist.
    3. Therefore, God exists.

    There’s a similar argument for God that can be made in terms of objective beauty, or objective aesthetic values. Such an argument runs thusly:

    1. If God does not exist, objective aesthetic values do not exist.
    2. Objective aesthetic values do exist.
    3. Therefore, God exists. (more…)