"All things were made through Him..."
The creation story. Here, John is clearly looking at Christ as the beginning of everything that we see and know. Not only was He in the beginning, His is also the beginning of all things. Consider this again. What we know about reality. Planets, creatures, animals, plants, the environment, molecules, atoms, physics, color, smells, sounds, movement, change, reason, logic, chaos even. Christ was the author of all these. Which means He must be incredibly smart. He is the one in whom resides perfect knowledge as those in the sciences envy. He is the one in whom resides perfect expression as those in the arts envy. He is the one in whom resides perfect thought as those in philosophy and religion seek after. Everything is found in Him because everything that exists owes itself to Him, even time.
And the culmination of this creative force is life. In Him was life. Even now, we find it hard to define what life really is. Reproduction? Awareness? Growth? Automation? These are but facets for we can always find exceptions to the rules we might devise. But here is the source of all life. If we were to take this point, then John could be telling us, here is what life is. He is. And we who live, do so because He does. And if so, there are implications that follow, such as emulation of His perfect life. Seeking after His life force.
How can we choose otherwise? Because that would be to deny life. And in the end, that would mean we are extinguishing ourselves. To not flow with His life is contradiction, and the most meaningless thing of all.
"...the light of men...in the darkness..."
Now we cross the line. From just the idea of perfect existence, life, we cross into the physical, light. This juxtaposing of life and light vs darkness. John was probably thinking about the world as we know it as darkness. The ignorance, the denial, the rebellion. And this is likened to not having light. Darkness. Not being able to see. Not having light. Not having life. So then, apart from Christ, we are in fact not alive. Recall that God said in Genesis "Let there be light", again. He started creation with light. There is therefore significance here that John speaks of Christ's life as the light of men. For in His life, in His ultimate work, He created light in us, while we were in darkness, uncreated, unformed.
"...the darkness did not comprehend it."
The ultimate failing of the human race. We did not recognize Him. Even though we belong to Him, and He made us. We have fallen so far that we cannot see the truth as it is presented in our very faces. Consider this. How have we, how has the world, not comprehended its Maker?
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Cognitive Training
Two main findings emerge with research into the efficacy of cognitive training.
1. Training helps. Training improves behavioral performance in the task that people are trained in. This is evidenced in the Seattle Longitudinal Study and the Berlin Aging Study as studied by Baltes, Willis, Schaie, Lindenberger from the 70s to 90s, and even current day. Mostly, these studies train people in tasks involving spatial orientation and inductive reasoning. And they show that training in these specific domains leads to improvements post-test in that domain. This might explain why expertise exists. That is, why there are people around who are very good at what they do because they have so much experience doing it.
2. Training does not spill over to other domains as much. To be fair, there are some general transfers of learning, mostly within other tests that probe that trained domain. But across different domains, there seems to be not much transfer. Many have tried to investigate if training serves to improve general intelligence, and thus would logically lead to more transfer, since it is general. However, this has proven elusive. Most of the problem is because general intelligence itself is elusive, and is really still very much a modular thing. That is, there may not be a general intelligence at all, but specialties in cognitive abilities like spatial orientation, inductive reasoning, perceptual speed etc.
3. Perceptual speed does not improve with training. This is the general finding. However, not finding improvement with training does not mean that it is not possible. Perhaps there is a method of improving perceptual speed, but we have not found it yet.
4. These improvements with training are found even in aging!
1. Training helps. Training improves behavioral performance in the task that people are trained in. This is evidenced in the Seattle Longitudinal Study and the Berlin Aging Study as studied by Baltes, Willis, Schaie, Lindenberger from the 70s to 90s, and even current day. Mostly, these studies train people in tasks involving spatial orientation and inductive reasoning. And they show that training in these specific domains leads to improvements post-test in that domain. This might explain why expertise exists. That is, why there are people around who are very good at what they do because they have so much experience doing it.
2. Training does not spill over to other domains as much. To be fair, there are some general transfers of learning, mostly within other tests that probe that trained domain. But across different domains, there seems to be not much transfer. Many have tried to investigate if training serves to improve general intelligence, and thus would logically lead to more transfer, since it is general. However, this has proven elusive. Most of the problem is because general intelligence itself is elusive, and is really still very much a modular thing. That is, there may not be a general intelligence at all, but specialties in cognitive abilities like spatial orientation, inductive reasoning, perceptual speed etc.
3. Perceptual speed does not improve with training. This is the general finding. However, not finding improvement with training does not mean that it is not possible. Perhaps there is a method of improving perceptual speed, but we have not found it yet.
4. These improvements with training are found even in aging!
Monday, October 16, 2006
The Freiahdim: Chapter 1.1
Kira maxed out the acceleration of the pod. He had to finish collecting all the ore by the second rotation or it would be another night of eating tapioca. Ore collection was an elaborate process in the asteroid belt. The unpredictable trajectory of the rocks required a pilot who was able to read movement and react instantaneously, and a lot of luck. The ore was basic iron, and would be purified in reactors down on the mother planet. The refineries paid good money and ore collectors needed plenty of it.
Another dive, and a swerve to the left. That was close! Kira looked back. The dragnet was just about full. One more. He arched his back and yanked at the helm. His pod pitched up in response and swung over a looming space rock. There! A glint of light. A fancy roll and a burst of speed. Kira held the pod steady and targeted the light. He fired two shots and circular blade cutters flew out of the pod's battery towards their target, spinning with jagged edges. They hit and spliced the ore loose from the base rock. Kira banked to one side, and scooped up the ore with the dragnet. That's done it. Now. Home.
Another dive, and a swerve to the left. That was close! Kira looked back. The dragnet was just about full. One more. He arched his back and yanked at the helm. His pod pitched up in response and swung over a looming space rock. There! A glint of light. A fancy roll and a burst of speed. Kira held the pod steady and targeted the light. He fired two shots and circular blade cutters flew out of the pod's battery towards their target, spinning with jagged edges. They hit and spliced the ore loose from the base rock. Kira banked to one side, and scooped up the ore with the dragnet. That's done it. Now. Home.
The Freiahdim: Prologue
"All men must die". This was the carved inscription on the ground at the foot of the Rock of Delmonutha, a mountain of pure diamond. A giant, solitary monolith on the surface of the infamous desert asteroid Durathane. Travellers came from all the corners of the known Universe to witness this spectacular sight. Every rotation cycle, the rays of the setting Durathanian sun cut into the enormous gem and splayed out in a multi-colored fanfare. It is said that the eyes that beheld this reflected glory will from then on look upon the universe with supernatural clarity. Some devout pilgrims have left this place enlightened, and used their newfound wisdom to save many from folly. Other eager visitors, while no less passionate, were not so favored and the intensity of the revelation, the starkness of the reality, simply drove them to utter madness.
No one knows who carved the words there into the diamond rock. Even less understood is the purpose of the words. The mountain structure itself had been studied for millennia. Using magic and science, scientists and mystics tried to probe its inner contents. But the mountain of diamond remained impregnable. "All men must die", it said. They always have.
Though technically an asteroid, Durathane was large enough to contain a basic atmosphere. However, it was not spherical like the other planets, and it belonged to the asteroid belt that orbited its mother planet, Sardis. Legend has it that the asteroid belt used to be a whole planet even larger than Sardis. But a terrible war amongst the inhabitants on the planet eventually ended with its total destruction.
No one knows who carved the words there into the diamond rock. Even less understood is the purpose of the words. The mountain structure itself had been studied for millennia. Using magic and science, scientists and mystics tried to probe its inner contents. But the mountain of diamond remained impregnable. "All men must die", it said. They always have.
Though technically an asteroid, Durathane was large enough to contain a basic atmosphere. However, it was not spherical like the other planets, and it belonged to the asteroid belt that orbited its mother planet, Sardis. Legend has it that the asteroid belt used to be a whole planet even larger than Sardis. But a terrible war amongst the inhabitants on the planet eventually ended with its total destruction.
Identity Phones
Mobile phones that use fingerprint and retina scan to verify our identity. They can therefore contain our credit card info, our bank account info...even the "cash" we have withdrawn from our bank into our phones...and info for all the various cards we carry...train passes, office passes, discount vouchers, etc.
So all we have to do is scan the info into our phones, and if we need to make a purchase or use the info which is secure, just place our fingerprint and retina scan for access and then the money or info is accessed accordingly by the relevant external devices...
No need to walk around with big fat wallets!
So all we have to do is scan the info into our phones, and if we need to make a purchase or use the info which is secure, just place our fingerprint and retina scan for access and then the money or info is accessed accordingly by the relevant external devices...
No need to walk around with big fat wallets!
iTable
Picture this, a table with the desk surface as a touch screen monitor so you can write on it with a stylus, or use your hands and fingers to "move" paper. Moreover, have the desk hot-wired so that the CPU is integrated into the drawers. Have the port built into the table too. You can have a USB port on the table, a phone or ethernet port for physical network connectivity, a built in wireless. Have all the cables fabricated into one cable, so that the user just needs to plug-in one cable for power and/or for networking.
Cool looking.
Cool looking.
Visor Monitor
Instead of using monitors, we can use visors and monitors. This would increase the field of view with the screen being the whole visor. You can make it into a 3D interface so active windows or documents and applications are ordered in terms of depth layers. You can also detect the user's head position and move the screen in a 3D world accordingly. You can even include earphones connected to the visor. Just connect an LCD visor with a DVI or VGA cable to the CPU, with the approriate driver and softwares of course!
Sonic Boom Horn
Sometimes, people can't react in time to oncoming traffic, or they just don't notice. By the time they know how to react, it might be too late. So why not let the honk of an oncoming vehicle do more than warn? Why not enable it to actually push people away?
The sonic boom horn is a device which blasts a wave of sound that both warns people as well as pushes them away. This is because the sonic energy blast is creates a pocket of air pressure that is strong enough to displace bodies that might be in its path.
BOOM!!
The sonic boom horn is a device which blasts a wave of sound that both warns people as well as pushes them away. This is because the sonic energy blast is creates a pocket of air pressure that is strong enough to displace bodies that might be in its path.
BOOM!!
Domed City
Dome an entire city in glass or plexiglass.
This would offer the advantage of climate control and protection. Imagine, having cool air when the external air is too hot or vice versa. You could also protect against typhoons and storms and UV light exposure.
The dome structure itself can be used as scaffolding for buildings, train tracks. In other words, your city could go up instead of sideways.
I'd live in that city!
This would offer the advantage of climate control and protection. Imagine, having cool air when the external air is too hot or vice versa. You could also protect against typhoons and storms and UV light exposure.
The dome structure itself can be used as scaffolding for buildings, train tracks. In other words, your city could go up instead of sideways.
I'd live in that city!
Kua Si Mi Part 1
Aiyah. Talk too much also not good lah. Sometime, a man gotta do what a man gotta do lor, right? But then, what about women? So women no need to do lah? Also cannot like that say right?
Sometimes hor, this whole sex equality thing also very irritating lah. All the men want to have women who are nice nice...gentle gentle like that. Want to have wife that cook lah, clean lah, look after chewren lah. Then have already, feel bored, dowan to go home, not exciting...always go out dunno do what...then come back sian, watch tv, dun help out. Like that how can!?!? Then the women also lah. Want to be equal with men, dowan stereotype like must be housewife like that. But then, when got heavy thing to carry, always tell the men to do it.
Not say I say what lah. But biology is biology is biology hor. Men got more muscle lah. Women got more curves lah. You all got to use what you got to do the best thing, right? Don't fight anymore lah! Fight for what? Got so much time to fight, go sell char kway teow lah! At least make more money that way.
Aiyah, gong kah tao tiah lah. Go lim kopi!
Sometimes hor, this whole sex equality thing also very irritating lah. All the men want to have women who are nice nice...gentle gentle like that. Want to have wife that cook lah, clean lah, look after chewren lah. Then have already, feel bored, dowan to go home, not exciting...always go out dunno do what...then come back sian, watch tv, dun help out. Like that how can!?!? Then the women also lah. Want to be equal with men, dowan stereotype like must be housewife like that. But then, when got heavy thing to carry, always tell the men to do it.
Not say I say what lah. But biology is biology is biology hor. Men got more muscle lah. Women got more curves lah. You all got to use what you got to do the best thing, right? Don't fight anymore lah! Fight for what? Got so much time to fight, go sell char kway teow lah! At least make more money that way.
Aiyah, gong kah tao tiah lah. Go lim kopi!
Blogging with widgets
Sodesne, genius lah! Now can post things straight from the computer desktop. Liao chor manz! Not say I say what, but sometime hor, I scared that we too smart for our own good lah. Anyway, this thing very the cool. So for more good years!
John 1:1,2
"In the beginning..."
This echoes the words of Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth". Why is this important for John? Realize this, when the apostles, when John set his eyes on Jesus, he was looking at someone, some Thing, that has existed before time. To say, "In the beginning" is to packet Time within something else. Which is also to say Time is not everything, it is part of something. This is where we will find it hard to grasp. For we live in a temporal world. Things exist and happen according to some temporal order. Something leads to something else. But when presented with the idea that something just is, or is not, we are left hanging with an uncomfortable feeling of HOW? Because this is not about something that existed before Time as we know it, because that would imply some other kinds of Time that this thing existed. No. Rather, this is about something that exists as it is. Timeless, Time is irrelevant. Is.
Yet, John starts with this idea. Prior to eternity, the Word was. The Word precedes it. Let us consider this for a while. Our words are expressions of our thoughts. Our words have power to change other people's thoughts. Our words also have the power, through influencing people, to change the physical world. Our words exist within the physical world in that they are either written on materials, or spoken as sound waves. Our words also exists in allegorical and metaphorical forms, like communicating via pictures, or music. In sum, our words are a result of our being. We exist in a relation to other beings, in relation to the physical world. And as soon as we exist, we have words, even as babies.
The Word then, is a result of God being. God in His infinity relates to the finite which He made. Which He made by the power of His Word. As it is written in Genesis He said "Let there be light, and there was light". Is it hard to see how when God speaks, it is like when we speak, only God speaks perfectly, and we speak but mere reflections and shadows? When He speaks, the Word acts. The Word does His Will. The Word is His Will. Jesus, the very outward expression of God in relation to us, and to all reality. For in Jesus, everything is fulfilled of which God intends. Both in the past and in the future. In Jesus, God is revealed. Just as when we speak, people know us. By our words, we are known, and judged. By God's Word, He is known, and found to be the just judge of all.
We should therefore be mindful of Who it is we speak to, and Who it is we speak of. For this is Someone who is since before time. This is Someone who is the very essence of power, life, existence, as it is revealed here in this statement made by John. This is Someone who's words never return void but accomplish what He says(Isa 55:11).
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
And then John shifts. "He was in the beginning with God". We started with an entity, an unnamed thing and finally move to "He". A person. Jesus. So the Word of God, is not like our words that are just lifeless forms. The Word of God has life in himself, and is a person. With His own character, personality, existence, thoughts, perceptions. "He". Jesus. This person who walks in Israel when He was walking there, has been with God right from the beginning. Ponder the existence of such a person. Of such a being.
This echoes the words of Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth". Why is this important for John? Realize this, when the apostles, when John set his eyes on Jesus, he was looking at someone, some Thing, that has existed before time. To say, "In the beginning" is to packet Time within something else. Which is also to say Time is not everything, it is part of something. This is where we will find it hard to grasp. For we live in a temporal world. Things exist and happen according to some temporal order. Something leads to something else. But when presented with the idea that something just is, or is not, we are left hanging with an uncomfortable feeling of HOW? Because this is not about something that existed before Time as we know it, because that would imply some other kinds of Time that this thing existed. No. Rather, this is about something that exists as it is. Timeless, Time is irrelevant. Is.
Yet, John starts with this idea. Prior to eternity, the Word was. The Word precedes it. Let us consider this for a while. Our words are expressions of our thoughts. Our words have power to change other people's thoughts. Our words also have the power, through influencing people, to change the physical world. Our words exist within the physical world in that they are either written on materials, or spoken as sound waves. Our words also exists in allegorical and metaphorical forms, like communicating via pictures, or music. In sum, our words are a result of our being. We exist in a relation to other beings, in relation to the physical world. And as soon as we exist, we have words, even as babies.
The Word then, is a result of God being. God in His infinity relates to the finite which He made. Which He made by the power of His Word. As it is written in Genesis He said "Let there be light, and there was light". Is it hard to see how when God speaks, it is like when we speak, only God speaks perfectly, and we speak but mere reflections and shadows? When He speaks, the Word acts. The Word does His Will. The Word is His Will. Jesus, the very outward expression of God in relation to us, and to all reality. For in Jesus, everything is fulfilled of which God intends. Both in the past and in the future. In Jesus, God is revealed. Just as when we speak, people know us. By our words, we are known, and judged. By God's Word, He is known, and found to be the just judge of all.
We should therefore be mindful of Who it is we speak to, and Who it is we speak of. For this is Someone who is since before time. This is Someone who is the very essence of power, life, existence, as it is revealed here in this statement made by John. This is Someone who's words never return void but accomplish what He says(Isa 55:11).
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
And then John shifts. "He was in the beginning with God". We started with an entity, an unnamed thing and finally move to "He". A person. Jesus. So the Word of God, is not like our words that are just lifeless forms. The Word of God has life in himself, and is a person. With His own character, personality, existence, thoughts, perceptions. "He". Jesus. This person who walks in Israel when He was walking there, has been with God right from the beginning. Ponder the existence of such a person. Of such a being.
Theory about frequency and perception
All that we can see and feel requires frequency.
Our eyes see light and color reflected of objects because our retinal cells process light energy of varying frequencies. The complex integration of these frequencies of energy give rise to the phenomena of seeing.
Our hearing comes from the physical vibration of sound energy of varying frequencies that gives rise to the phenomena of hearing.
Even smell, taste, and touch, come as an phenomena that is represented as the spiking activity of neurons when an event occurs versus when that specific stimulus is not present. Frequency, on/off.
What if everything froze. For example, light. What if all the existing energy waves were stopped in whatever phase they are in. We would no longer see, because technically, there would be no frequency to which our eye cells can respond.
That is, if time stopped, there would be nothing. Because that thing ceases since it is no longer defined with respect to a phenomenon.
Our eyes see light and color reflected of objects because our retinal cells process light energy of varying frequencies. The complex integration of these frequencies of energy give rise to the phenomena of seeing.
Our hearing comes from the physical vibration of sound energy of varying frequencies that gives rise to the phenomena of hearing.
Even smell, taste, and touch, come as an phenomena that is represented as the spiking activity of neurons when an event occurs versus when that specific stimulus is not present. Frequency, on/off.
What if everything froze. For example, light. What if all the existing energy waves were stopped in whatever phase they are in. We would no longer see, because technically, there would be no frequency to which our eye cells can respond.
That is, if time stopped, there would be nothing. Because that thing ceases since it is no longer defined with respect to a phenomenon.
What is the mind?
What is the mind? How do we see, hear, taste, smell, and feel? How does thought occur? What is it? How do we remember things? How do we know anything at all? It seems that at least a large part of the answer to these big questions, lies in understanding how the brain works.
While in the past, many have tried to unlock the mysteries of this organ, they were limited in their ability to verify their ideas. In fact, the Egyptians, for all their architectural genius, did not think much of the brain. During the famous mummification process, they preserved much of the body but sucked out the brain tissue through the nose and discarded it. Centuries later, people realized that the brain was in fact a rather important organ and somehow, it carried out the phenomena known as thought. However, they were still in the dark as to how it worked. Even Rene Descartes was slightly misguided when he reasoned that the pineal gland was the center of human thought by virtue of its position deep in the brain.
Today, we are able to view the brain without having to harm even a single hair on anyone's head. Technology, such as magnetic resonance imaging and electroencephalograms, allows us to measure brain activity while a person is actually thinking. Of course, we cannot read peoples' minds as if we were gazing into some crystal ball. But we can at least verify if our theories of how the brain works are generally in the right track. Hopefully, with time, as we discover more about this complex organic machinery, we will know enough to more effectively improve human life and, more importantly, fix the machinery when it breaks down.
This blog is a meek attempt at collating and synthesizing what we currently know about brain function. While some parts of it may get technical, I will endaevor to make this knowledge as accessible as possible to the average reader.
John - Introduction
The gospel of John records Jesus' life from a very different perspective compared to the other three gospels. There are personal conversations that elaborate Jesus' thinking and teaching. There are many instances where Jesus makes claims and statements about Himself, and this is usually accompanied by signs and acts that support these claims. In fact, there are 7 signs recorded in the book. The number of perfection.
There is little doubt that this gospel was written by John, the apostle, the one whom Jesus loved. And he probably wrote it after the writing of Mark. Thus, while being able to use some material from Mark, John greatly digresses and gives us more specific records of what Jesus said in other episodes of his ministry. Amongsts these new episodes not available are: Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman at the well, and Lazarus' raising from the dead. Also, from here, we are informed that Jesus made several trips to Jerusalem throughout His ministry, probably in keeping with celebrative traditions of the various Jewish feasts. This is in contrast with the other gospels where only one general trip (the final one) to Jerusalem is mentioned.
This is a very beautiful gospel in that we see Jesus in a different, almost more personal, light compared to what is described in the other gospels. As such, we should expect to learn a more intimate understanding of Jesus' mind and heart.
There is little doubt that this gospel was written by John, the apostle, the one whom Jesus loved. And he probably wrote it after the writing of Mark. Thus, while being able to use some material from Mark, John greatly digresses and gives us more specific records of what Jesus said in other episodes of his ministry. Amongsts these new episodes not available are: Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman at the well, and Lazarus' raising from the dead. Also, from here, we are informed that Jesus made several trips to Jerusalem throughout His ministry, probably in keeping with celebrative traditions of the various Jewish feasts. This is in contrast with the other gospels where only one general trip (the final one) to Jerusalem is mentioned.
This is a very beautiful gospel in that we see Jesus in a different, almost more personal, light compared to what is described in the other gospels. As such, we should expect to learn a more intimate understanding of Jesus' mind and heart.
Monday, August 21, 2006
Luke 1:8-10
Being childless can be quite a depressing thing. Concerns about the future, inheritance, legacy, and the possibility of dying without seeing your family line carry on weigh heavy on those who have no children. Yet despite this, we are called to still serve the Lord, according to the example of righteouse Zecharias who still served God in the order of his division. This practice had been established in the time of Nehemiah, with the rebuilding of the second temple.
He was not the only one serving. The order of the priests still rotated their duties to tend to the business of the temple, the burning of the incense, and the offering of sacrifices. Note that all the Old Testament rituals of cleansing and santification still apply to the priest who is to enter into the holy of holies. Thus, the standard of holiness, the act of offering and worship do not get neglected even if we might have unsettled business in our own lives.
From these three verses, Luke paints a picture of the drudgery of repetition, the emptiness and weariness of waiting for change, for hope, while still obeying the commands of the Lord. How we need to remind ourselves not to be sidetracked or lose hope when there are extended times of silence from the Lord. Most importantly, we live in the age where we are waiting on the return of Jesus Christ. Waiting, and continually living out our lives.
He was not the only one serving. The order of the priests still rotated their duties to tend to the business of the temple, the burning of the incense, and the offering of sacrifices. Note that all the Old Testament rituals of cleansing and santification still apply to the priest who is to enter into the holy of holies. Thus, the standard of holiness, the act of offering and worship do not get neglected even if we might have unsettled business in our own lives.
From these three verses, Luke paints a picture of the drudgery of repetition, the emptiness and weariness of waiting for change, for hope, while still obeying the commands of the Lord. How we need to remind ourselves not to be sidetracked or lose hope when there are extended times of silence from the Lord. Most importantly, we live in the age where we are waiting on the return of Jesus Christ. Waiting, and continually living out our lives.
Luke 1:5-7
Here, we begin with a focus on a specific person, Zacharias, who lived in the days of Herod, king of Judea. Luke provides such useful historical detail, allowing us to appreciate the context and find confidence again that the events that are described truly did happen.
Zacharias was of the order of Abijah, the priest from the post-exilic return (Neh 10, 12). It was established at that time that the priests and Levites would take turns ministering at the temple. This practice has apparently been maintained even till the days described here in Luke. Note that Luke described both Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth as "righteous before God". What an honor to be named as such in the Bible! With the setting, Luke begins with the very first predicate of his gospel of Christ: Elizabeth had no child and was barren, and they were old.
This situation is parallel to Abraham's experience with Sarah and Isaac. This is the idea of heritage and lineage. For without a son, Abraham's line would simply die out. This ultimately led to a futility and meaninglessness of Abraham's life, his struggles, and his labor. Likewise, without continuity, all our personal endaevors are meaningless. It will pass away with death and we will remain barren.
Zacharias was of the order of Abijah, the priest from the post-exilic return (Neh 10, 12). It was established at that time that the priests and Levites would take turns ministering at the temple. This practice has apparently been maintained even till the days described here in Luke. Note that Luke described both Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth as "righteous before God". What an honor to be named as such in the Bible! With the setting, Luke begins with the very first predicate of his gospel of Christ: Elizabeth had no child and was barren, and they were old.
This situation is parallel to Abraham's experience with Sarah and Isaac. This is the idea of heritage and lineage. For without a son, Abraham's line would simply die out. This ultimately led to a futility and meaninglessness of Abraham's life, his struggles, and his labor. Likewise, without continuity, all our personal endaevors are meaningless. It will pass away with death and we will remain barren.
Luke 1:1-4
This gospel is clearly written by Luke, who was referred to as a doctor in Col 4:14 by Paul. He was also deemed as one of the more faithful companions of Paul, and accomanied him on a few of his missionary journeys. Luke gives an account here of Jesus' life and later continues to write the Acts of the Apostles with the same methodical and clear style, perhaps because of his training as a physician for documenting medical information. (Note, one should look up medical practices during the time of Luke: 0-100 AD. Also note that Hippocrates was alive around 450 BC, ample time for modern medical approaches to have been developed by the time of Jesus and Luke).
Here in 1:1-4, Luke begins with a clear statement of his purpose for writing this gospel account. He was primarily writing to Theophilus, of whom the only description we are given in the entire Bible is that he was most excellent (Lk 1:3). The goal of his writing to Theophilus was to show him the "certainty the things in which (he) was instructed" (1:4b). From here, we know that Theophilus had undergone a fair amount of exposure and learning in the early Christian faith. This consisted, briefly, of believing that Christ was the Son of God who died on the Cross, in fulfillment of Scripture, for the sin of the world, and the salvation of man. Yet, despite having learned all these (and so far we have good reason to assume that Theophilus was a diligent disciple of Christ), Luke felt it necessary to buttress his current knowledge with more certainty. Thus, perhaps in our own faith, we must be careful to recognize the need to be clear of the facts, so that we will have the same amount of certainty, and not just take matters of faith at just face value. Faith does not mean we become ignorant of truth, rather, we endeavor to uncover it.
What better way to be certain of the facts about Christ, than to have a well-organized record, from the many eye-witness accounts and Luke's "perfect understanding". Just as a well written, and objectively researched work is much more valuable than anecdotal accounts, so Luke here seeks to seal the many accounts of Jesus, that must have been going around at that time, into one easy to read narrative of the Savior.
Here in 1:1-4, Luke begins with a clear statement of his purpose for writing this gospel account. He was primarily writing to Theophilus, of whom the only description we are given in the entire Bible is that he was most excellent (Lk 1:3). The goal of his writing to Theophilus was to show him the "certainty the things in which (he) was instructed" (1:4b). From here, we know that Theophilus had undergone a fair amount of exposure and learning in the early Christian faith. This consisted, briefly, of believing that Christ was the Son of God who died on the Cross, in fulfillment of Scripture, for the sin of the world, and the salvation of man. Yet, despite having learned all these (and so far we have good reason to assume that Theophilus was a diligent disciple of Christ), Luke felt it necessary to buttress his current knowledge with more certainty. Thus, perhaps in our own faith, we must be careful to recognize the need to be clear of the facts, so that we will have the same amount of certainty, and not just take matters of faith at just face value. Faith does not mean we become ignorant of truth, rather, we endeavor to uncover it.
What better way to be certain of the facts about Christ, than to have a well-organized record, from the many eye-witness accounts and Luke's "perfect understanding". Just as a well written, and objectively researched work is much more valuable than anecdotal accounts, so Luke here seeks to seal the many accounts of Jesus, that must have been going around at that time, into one easy to read narrative of the Savior.
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Is it really about Ones and Zeros?
After all the arguments, the thinking, the theorizing, it probably only comes down to this: its either a 1 or a 0. The question is no longer whether its a 1 or 0, really. It has to be either one or the other, there is no middle ground. There is no 0.5. Because that would still be a 1. So, the real question, I think, should be: Who decides whether it is a 1 or a 0? Do we decide? Or does something else decides it?
After all our reasoning, we come to this point. Who is in charge? Us or Something Else? If we are in charge, can we be saved? Do we need to be saved? How can we be sure we don't? Can we ever save ourselves? Or in the end, do we realize that only Something Else can save us? In that case, are we really still in charge? Should we still live as if we are?
After all our reasoning, we come to this point. Who is in charge? Us or Something Else? If we are in charge, can we be saved? Do we need to be saved? How can we be sure we don't? Can we ever save ourselves? Or in the end, do we realize that only Something Else can save us? In that case, are we really still in charge? Should we still live as if we are?
Monday, May 08, 2006
Science and Intelligent Design II
If the thinker exists, then something exists. Which leads to the question of how something, how anything, got here in the first place. We can assume that either things came about from nothing, or that things have always been, or that things came about from something else. Lets look at these three possibilities.
The idea that things come about from nothing is at once contradictory. Because nothing, by definition, leads to more nothingness, and it cannot have something nor can it ever lead to something. A vacuum is the most physical example of nothingness we can perceive, yet that is not really true nothingness....a vacuum still exists in a space. However, it will suffice for an illustration. A vacuum has nothing in it. And no matter if you leave that vacuum for trillions of years, it will never produce anything. The same extends to true nothingness where even space does not exist. Here, we face the well known problem of ex nihilo, something from nothing. Which leads us to the next possibility.
Something has always been. There has never been a time when there was nothing. If we are willing to let go of the idea that there was a point when there was absolutely and totally nothing, then this is a plausible state of affairs. The next question is has the something we know now always been the same. Did it change? Or has it remained substantially the same throughout all time?
From our senses, we perceive that there are things that change and there are things that do not. The position of the planets relative to each other changes. The pattern of activity and behavior in people and animals changes every minute. Even a seemingly stable piece of metal consists of atoms and electrons that are constantly in a state of flux and motion. However, the forces that hold the planets together act in a predictable manner. The objective fact that people performed certained behaviors in the past remains unchanged, and is changed insofar as our subjective understanding is concerned. The fact that if you cool the metal to the point of 0 kelvins, all atomic motion stops, remains unchanged.
We see now that the issue becomes complex. We have both changing and unchanging situations. Let us first consider the easier case, which is ironically the case with change. This leads to the question, if something has been changing, then it must have had an initial state. In fact, everything that is changing now, must have had an initial state. And if there was an initial state, what made it change to the next state? Why did it not remain in the initial state?
More to come...
The idea that things come about from nothing is at once contradictory. Because nothing, by definition, leads to more nothingness, and it cannot have something nor can it ever lead to something. A vacuum is the most physical example of nothingness we can perceive, yet that is not really true nothingness....a vacuum still exists in a space. However, it will suffice for an illustration. A vacuum has nothing in it. And no matter if you leave that vacuum for trillions of years, it will never produce anything. The same extends to true nothingness where even space does not exist. Here, we face the well known problem of ex nihilo, something from nothing. Which leads us to the next possibility.
Something has always been. There has never been a time when there was nothing. If we are willing to let go of the idea that there was a point when there was absolutely and totally nothing, then this is a plausible state of affairs. The next question is has the something we know now always been the same. Did it change? Or has it remained substantially the same throughout all time?
From our senses, we perceive that there are things that change and there are things that do not. The position of the planets relative to each other changes. The pattern of activity and behavior in people and animals changes every minute. Even a seemingly stable piece of metal consists of atoms and electrons that are constantly in a state of flux and motion. However, the forces that hold the planets together act in a predictable manner. The objective fact that people performed certained behaviors in the past remains unchanged, and is changed insofar as our subjective understanding is concerned. The fact that if you cool the metal to the point of 0 kelvins, all atomic motion stops, remains unchanged.
We see now that the issue becomes complex. We have both changing and unchanging situations. Let us first consider the easier case, which is ironically the case with change. This leads to the question, if something has been changing, then it must have had an initial state. In fact, everything that is changing now, must have had an initial state. And if there was an initial state, what made it change to the next state? Why did it not remain in the initial state?
More to come...
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