Spirits and Souls

While language may be an excellent tool for communication among people, I think that it really creates some gaps between cultures. Words carry so much meaning, and the same word may be interpreted completely different in one place and time from another. How should we interpret the words spirit and soul in the Bible? Are we immortal because of our understanding of spirits going to heaven and lasting beyond our bodies? Or are our spirits the life force that God gives us, part of our bodies, dying with our bodies, and not seen again until a bodily resurrection? How does it all fit together? And how do we get past the limitations of our language in order to explain and understand all of this?

Choosing

This week in REL 312 we have been discussing the impact of choices in our society. Jesus stated in his Sermon on the Mount that those who have chosen to compromise their reputation in order to follow him are blessed. Do people still relate to that kind of statement? Are our reputations really in danger as Christians? They are, but not the way we would assume them to be.
We make choices every day, and I would say that most of the time, those choices are governed by societal expectations. But what if we changed things up a bit? What if we challenged the system, trying new ways and ideas to achieve political administration and education and policy? Wouldn't that endanger our reputations as followers of tradition and understood rules? Isn't that exactly what Jesus is asking us to do?
Why to we take our routines for granted? Why can't we find new meanings to human interaction and development? Why can't we choose to work together in creating new traditions that can benefit us all?

Honeybees

So in Rel 312 today, we discussed a few of the detrimental impacts humans are making on the environment. Dr. Borders used his favorite example, the honeybee, to show how much the environment will be changed in a few decades as we lose the pollinators necessary for many of our food crops. The point was that people who know that this is happening are still working to make a change, even if it may not necessarily help in the end.
There are so many problems in this world. A lot of the time, I get overwhelmed when I think about our society and standards that are continuing to lower. Sometimes I wonder if the Church is doing any good when it sings the same old songs and tries for the same tradition it has been experiencing for centuries. But maybe the Church isn't just a one-trick pony. Maybe it is just trying to make a change when change just doesn't seem likely. Maybe Christians are just trying to be beekeepers...working to make a difference when it seems like society just won't be able to get better.

Life Together

I love how some of my religion classes are speaking to each other with the concept of the Church and its role in the community. In Rel 312, we talked about the social act of salvation and how it takes being involved in the Christian community in order to be involved in Christ. This idea is very similar to a book written by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, which I studied in my Rel 400 class. In a world where everything is so subjective, how do we reach the sense of community talked about in these two classes? How do we bridge the gap society has created?
My fiance has been talking in his Psychology classes about the lack of communication found in modern relationships. People are losing the interest and ability to talk to each other, and people all over the globe are suffering for it. Maybe we as Christians should take the example of our Saviour and try to start the conversation again. Get people talking about how they feel and how they believe. Not only will it help mend the brokeness in marriages, friendships, and family bonds all over, but it will also bring people back into the community of Christ as we rebuild our bonds with each other and with Jesus Christ.

Wake Up Call

So on Tuesday, Dr. Borders asked us to think about what makes us get out of bed in the morning. Honestly, I don't really know what gets me out of bed. It certainly isn't school.I suppose that the idea of interacting with people that I love and appreciate makes me feel most willing to wake up in the morning. But as far a real purpose for my being awake and alive in this world, I have not quite gotten things figured out yet. I wonder what made Jesus start his day. Did he think to himself, "My purpose for the day is to receive 4 new people in my following, get a new pair of sandals, and work a few miracles while I am at it" ? Did Jesus know who he was? Did he wake up every morning knowing what he would do for humanity? I think the idea of being betrayed, denied, crucified would probably make me want to roll over and go back to sleep for the day. I don't know who I am, or why I am here, or what my purpose my days are supposed to serve. Did Jesus feel the same way, sometimes? Or was he always aware of his purpose for this world?