Saturday, June 12, 2010

Lecture Series: Introduction to Philosophy of Education
Two Models

A brief history lesson is in order. One cannot separate developments in western education from the Church. For the longest time in our history, especially in America, we have functioned with a framework of education richly rooted in the Medieval Catholic idea of education. It came to be known as the "university." The vast majority of the great European universities started as cathedral schools, which grew from there into places dedicated to liberal studies.

University literally means “unity in diversity,” and what the Medieval Catholics had in mind was that Theology provided interpretive guidance to the various arts and sciences, so that in thinking about the world we are literally discovering God’s mind, His purposes and our place in His world.
In this form of education, Theology is not “brought into” or “integrated into” or "added to" the educational enterprise, like some awkward appendage. Instead, Theology brings all subjects into relationship to one another in meaningful ways. It is not integrated clumsily into the subject matter, but is the tool of integration itself. God has, in this sense, already determined the meaning and value of science. When we encounter science, therefore, we are only seeking what God has already proclaimed in this area. All truth is God’s intellectual property. Think of Theology as a conductor that, as C.S. Lewis states it, “sets all the regular arts and sciences to their proper tasks.”

To “bring Bible into a subject” is to make God small enough to fit into a human interpretive paradigm or worldview, which is the very essence of secularism. Christian education loudly insists that God is the light by which all of the human arts and sciences are understood. Perhaps we cannot see Him, but we cannot see anything except by Him. We proclaim God’s sovereign rule over every area of human investigation. C.S. Lewis warns that God is not an ally; He is either a master or a judge, and this is formidably true in education.

Because the Christian God is a God of Logos (reason), He has embedded the universe with a rational order and created beings with a rational capacity that corresponds to that order. Education, therefore, becomes supremely meaningful as an odyssey of discovery. In this sense, education itself is a Christian idea exclusively. One cannot find a meaningful philosophical foundation for education in other worldviews.

All of the arts and sciences are given meaning by their relationship to God, and in each domain some aspect of God’s nature and character, and indeed His purposes, is revealed.

Practically, education becomes an exhilarating affair of figuring out how God put the world together. For men like Newton, Kepler, Galileo, Watts and Paley, doing science was nothing short of an act of worship.

Both analysis and synthesis are necessary counterparts in education. If one is missing, in theory (because neither one can be missing in reality), then education becomes impossible.

Only the Christian worldview can make sense of analysis and synthesis because only Christianity gives us a philosophy robust enough to support meaningful unity and diversity. In order to make this point clear, I have decided to use Randy Martin's helpful R.I.P.E. acronym to illustrate the crucial differences between the major worldviews. 

R.I.P.E. Analysis of Atheism: 

R. The atheistic view of reality reduces to what I will call "Essential Particularization." Think of the beginning of the universe according to a purely materialistic conception. The universe began for no particular reason through a massive explosion. Natural laws were established at random, and events that take place within the "borders" of natural laws are without purpose or plan. They just happen. The speck of universal dust that is the earth came to be for no reason. Any perceived "unity" in the universe is subjective and desperately fragile. According to Bertrand Russell, the universe will one day be nothing but a scattered junkyard of dead matter floating about in a vacuous black ocean. 

I. The atheistic view of identity reduces to Sarte's notion of "Thrown-Inness." Who or what am I? Don't look to the universe for an answer. The universe just "threw" you into existence for no particular reason. You were not planned and you will have no lasting existence. Thus we are to accept the randomness of our existence and live for the day and live for ourselves. We are to create meaning for ourselves in a universe that doesn't particularly care that we exist or don't exist. 

P. What is the atheistic view of purpose? Of course, one can manufacture purpose subjectively, but objectively there is only one purpose for humanity, and that is to pass from any perceived state of "unity" to a state of particularity. And note that I am constrained to this. I have no choice in the matter. In other words, we are trying to unify things in thought. We are trying to understand the world, ourselves, etc. But the natural state of the universe is randomness, and so any subjective "unity in thought" will ultimately succumb to the natural state of the universe, which is random particularization. My brain, which was produced by accident and exists for a breath of time, will ultimately break down. Worms will one day crawl through my corpse, digesting my brain for food and then crawl away to randomly scatter the waste in the earth. Indeed the whole universe will be nothing but aimless, purposeless debris one day.

E. How should we then live if atheism is true? Why not allow one's behavior to align with the purest state of nature? Why not allow one's mind to align with the purest state of nature? Surely to do so is to destroy any reason to be moral or to be thoughtful. If the universe is not thinking of me and did not create me through any form of deliberation, why on earth should I deliberate concerning it? If atheism is true, there is simply no meaning to the concept of unity and diversity, and thus no meaning in analysis or synthesis. 

R.I.P.E. Analysis of Pantheism:

R. The pantheistic view of reality reduces to "Essential Oneness." Pantheistic religions affirm that the natural state of reality is singular and indivisible. There is a single consciousness that transcends individual consciousness. Some pantheists today speak in terms of energy. Everything in the universe is fundamentally energy. The various states of energy fluctuate, but in the end we all participate in this energy and are one with this energy. 

I. In a strictly pantheistic understanding of reality, individual identity would be illusory. More than that, our perception that we end here and other things begin there keeps us imprisoned in our own egos. The universe will churn me through reincarnation until I reach the equilibrium of unity or oneness with all things. In the meantime, there are certain practices I can do to hasten the process. 

P. The purpose of life here is the opposite of the purpose of life for the atheist. Again, one can subjectively believe just about anything about purpose, but the objective purpose to which I am constrained in a pantheistic world is to pass from a state of individuation in thought to a state of unification. The universe will break me down and assimilate me. That is my fate!

E. How should we then live if pantheism is true? Surely you can see that if this worldview is true, then education (more specifically analysis and synthesis) are again left without any meaningful foundation. Why try to enlarge the domain of my individual mind, further defining it and establishing its borders, when my individual mind is an illusion. Why feed the illusion that "I" can know something? Why believe there is an dynamic interaction between things and minds when there is only one thing? 

Only Christianity, with its dynamic Triune creator can establish definitively a philosophy that accounts for unity and diversity and therefore for analysis and synthesis, even for western rationalism and eastern mysticism.

But, alas, the "university" was the old way of understanding education. Today it has been supplanted by the "multiversity."

The “multiversity” is a constellation of disassociated colleges, each dedicated to the study of a particular area of investigation, a “little t” truth, with no possibility of integration by a comprehensive meta-narrative (overarching, comprehensive and unfolding story).

The various arts and sciences are reduced to avenues in which varying human perspectives may be explored. Discovery of truth is replaced with “joining the conversation.” The pursuit of certainty is seen as an adolescent intellectual preoccupation, replaced in due time by a mature respect for ambiguity. The intense, confident objectivist has been replaced by the laid back, sandle wearing, soy latte sipping subjectivist. Logic, even mathematics, can be viewed as a human attempt to make sense of a senseless world.

We are locked within our perceptions of the world and can’t get to true objective meaning—indeed there can be no objectivity. This concept is known as skepticism.

If we cannot know anything for sure, then all opinions are equally valid. This concept is known as relativism.

If all opinions are equally valid, because none can be falsified, then no opinions really matter, since no conversation will lead us to a correct opinion. This concept is known as nihilism.

If nothing really matters, then even this sentence doesn’t matter. How is a person to live with this? The answer is hedonism (the philosophy of pleasure)!

Practically education becomes a matter of self-interest alone, what we educators should probably call "bad specialization.” Students are not going to school to understand the world; they are going to school to lay claim to a notion of the “good life” they have learned from their hedonistic culture, which involves pursuing personal interests and making money.

This also controls how they study and learn. If studying is too difficult, then there is no point in pressing through to understanding. One can just find another area of specialization that is “easier,” thus minimizing pain and maximizing pay off. And what if the college graduate never finds work in his area of specialization? Will his education have been wasted? Surely he will think so if he is a product of the multiversity.

Also note that practically this means that science people don’t talk to language people and language people don’t talk to math people, etc. Why would one look to others for help in gaining a comprehensive explanation of the world when one stopped believing in, or perhaps caring about, “comprehensive explanations” long ago?

43 comments:

Anonymous said...

This blog was very interesting and mind boggling for me. It opened my eyes to a new outlook on the purpose of education. As Christians, we must know how to handle the truth and not just avoid it when it gets tough. We must search to learn the truth and real meaning of education. Many students go to school not even caring and barely getting by. Students should strive to know what the Lord has to offer in education. Don't take the Lord for granted. We should want to dig deeply into what He has to offer. If Christians focus on Him everyday we should start appreciating education and become humbled by the grace he has given to us.

Janessa Vanden Berge, Period 1

Anonymous said...

I've never looked at education from this point of view. The point of view that God is the true reason to strive in educating myself to learn more about his world, and him has never crossed my mind. I guess I can blame this on the culture I and my fellow students live in. In this blog it has also reminded me, and given me more reason to believe in God the one true creator of the universe. Without him we have nothing.
-Grant Bouma
Period 1

Anonymous said...

After reading this, I have come to a realization about my education and my worldview. I have to admit, i had taken some hard classes this year, not for the satisfaction of learning something new and understanding this world, but merely to say that I took the class to a college. The key to education is "striving to know more", not "striving to get a good grade". So often I witness students who are just worried about the grade rather than the actual knowledge that they could obtain from the class if they actually contributed themselves in the class, learning all they can from the material. I am guilty of this myself, but I plan to change that. Without a good education, what good is it to an individual if he can not make sense of this world? Their life becomes, in a sense, meaningless because without understanding this creation, how can they have a purpose in life?
-Zachary Banducci
Period 3

Anonymous said...

I recently did a Bible study over the summer on the book of James. One of the most outstanding things I learned throughout the study is that everything is willed by God. This blog has further proven this fact for me because God has given us education to discover the truth to His creation. I liked the parts of the blog that pointed out that seeing the world "through God's eyes," so to speak, is the only way to rationally put all pieces of the puzzle together. Whether in a school setting with liberal studies or outside of school, God has given us the tool of education to aid us in completing the puzzle and being able to further understand Him and His will. I have always tried to see everything through God and have used him as the "filter" in a sense to be closer to Him, but this has helped me to see that it is not really what I do that brings me closer to Him. God instead gives us a tool such as education to draw us closer to Him. Also, I had realized that since God has given me education, and since I find joy in Him, I should find joy in education as a means of getting closer to Him and His will. -Claryce Lazerson

Anonymous said...

This blog is very interesting as the education aspect is saying going to these university the commen person is going there to just gain personal benefit like gaining a job when in fact to really is that the person does not care thus why should this person go get a education at all why not "wing it" this blog makes sense
- chase devries

Brandon Vincent said...

I believe that this is exactly the reason why we need more Christian high schools all around the world. God is alive and we can find Him through studying what he did in the past and what he is even still doing in the present. Who cares if someone dislikes Literature or Math? Focus on the idea that God has made that subject and praise Him with respecting the subject and working to the best of your ability. The public schools don't enforce any learning behind why they have to teach it, but most Christian schools do which is exactly why we need more Christian high schools around the world.

Anonymous said...

When reading this blog, it made me realize that the education to us students doesn't mean that much anymore. There's certain people that just do enough so they get through it, so that they don't in trouble by there parents or for eligibility reason, such as playing a sport. We as students need to try our best in whatever we do, even if it includes doing things that we dislike to do. God made us as human beings to try our hardest in whatever we do.

-Cody Mashburn
Per. 2

Anonymous said...

I found this to be a very interesting way to think about education. I never thought about how we are actually studying God in every subject. He is the one who gives us the answers to understand everything during our education and about life. As Christians we grow deeper in our education because we have God in our lives. We have a reason and a purpose to learn. And that reason and purpose is given to us by the God of the universe, we are to serve him and fulfill that purpose. By Anna Haupt

Anonymous said...

I think this article is interesting. I believe that education is a very imortant thing. Many people take education for granted and just dont really care. This article changed my outlook on some things and made me want to try to chnge my thinking on education.

Anonymous said...

I found this article very interesting because it addresses that if the universe is just an accident then attempting to understand it is ultimately pointless. Even if its for good of mankind, in the end mankind will die out. So if that is true, then your life is measured by the amound of pleasure you achieved. The multiversity brings about division between the fields, but if they could agree on one outlook then that would bring about union. I believe that monotheism is the most positive and plaudible outlook of the universe.

-Laurens Gibson

Anonymous said...

i feel like people need to be well rounded and not just be good at one thing. Being well rounded is good because you have so many ways through which you can see things(perspective). if we have a better perspective, we are able to make logical decisions based on how we see different things in life. I think this applies for school as well, if we are good at math it doesn't mean we don't need to know other things, no, we need to also be strong in science, history and english. As Christians, we need to use the talents and the abilities that God gave us to the best of our abilities.
Ryan Roodzant
Period 3

Anonymous said...

This is a long blog. I tired to think about it and the brief meaning of this blog is the relationship between education and christian. And how christian be connected to an university on history. This blog made a lot of examples to prove that the top universities on this world are started with Medieval Catholic idea of education, and I believe that is ture. The famous scientist like Newton, Kepler, Galileo, Watts and Paley, they doing this not for any other reason, the reason why they doing this is they wonder how the God put the world together, they discover things for this reason and it makes them successful. It's kind like a invisible power to push them figure out how is everything run by God. So we never know what is ture, what is false because of the relativism. It just like everything created by God. God cannot be separated with it.
---Zachary Chen, Period 2

Anonymous said...

I was intrigued when you said that trying to break down the universe through an atheistic point of view was scientifically nihilistic, and I agree completely. If there is no meaning to the universe then why bother trying to discover more about it, when we could be spending more time trying to find ways to make life easier for us and our hedonistic ways? It's truly a selfish way to think and without God then there is no point in caring about anything aside from yourself and what you can gain.

-Hunter Muse
Period 2

Unknown said...

In fact, no contradiction between science and Christian. The goal of science is to seek the truth, and Christian is the truth. People always think that scientists far from the Christian. But in a certain extent, they are very close to the God. Because they Through their own efforts to seek the truth. In the end, scientists will know the truth is all about God. (Jove Hu)

Payton Howard said...

God created education, and therefore it should be given to Him. Without a God, then what would be the point of an education? Christians believe that all the subjects we learn each day can relate back to God. An Athiest would believe that you need an education just to have a good life. But if there is nowhere to go at the end of that life, then what is the point of living?

Anonymous said...

After reading this blog, it really opened up my mind to college. At first college was just going to be an excuse to leave town and prove to my parents that they raised me well enough to live on my own. Now, I need to think of college as a time to glorify God and learn how to think like God does. This discussion taught me that during lessons to think about the reason why God would want my teacher to tell me this. Obviously this has to be important to God or he would not be having my teacher tell me. Also, during college I will not just squeeze by with a C, I will always try my best and do it for the glory of God. This blog brought up some interesting points that I would have never thought of if they were not brought up. Now when being taught I will have a better attitude.

~ Jenna Buoni (Period 6)

Anonymous said...

Genna Edwards- This is super interesting to me. I have really never thought in depth about this before. It has opened my eyes to see that there is a different side of education. It is reassuring that education isn't just about learning what you need to to go to college but that if you look at it in the right way then it is an act of worship as well. Education also helps human beings to become a well rounded person which is actually a part of the act of worship. God created us to be thinkers it is important to honor that and become well educated scholars.
2nd Period

Andrew WIlbur said...

The part of the blog that I found to be the most interesting was the difference between a "university" and a "multiversity." It is very clear that most colleges although claiming to be universities are in fact multiversities. In these multiversities, often times religions are taught that provide no real reason to learn or to try to continue working hard during a difficult section of schooling. In a university, Christianity is not just brought into the lesson being taught, but teaches that God is the almighty one who created this subject. Christianity is the only religion that makes sense of the purpose of learning and should be the reason that we learn.

Amanda Root said...

Getting an education is important. God created all the subjects. By learning and studying we honor God. If you don't care about your education then you don't really care about what God created for you. I believe that if someone only cares about one subject and blows off the rest all there life, then their education is a waste of time. I think this because they only know one thing and could only talk to others about that one thing. God created all the subjects for us to learn. If we don’t care about all subjects then we really don’t care about what God gave for us to learn and grow in wisdom.

Kirsten Watkins said...

Throughout all of this, I have realized that the only way to explain the need of education is that there is a God and there is a purpose to life... Wow I guess I really should stop complaining about having to learn math then. It gives a reason and purpose to everything we learn without these things then life is purposeless and as I was trying to explain to Mr. Smith that not even living just to be happy and to raise your kids right isn't a purpose. As I am thinking about this, I am curious about the fact that education is mandated by the government, based on this it seems as if our government believes in a god other wise what is the purpose of mandating it?

Austin Duffield said...

God created this beautiful world of His for not only His own pleasure but also for us to use as another way to seek His glory. How in any way can a person be able to fully glorify God in life if they only focus on the parts of life that are important to them. Hedonistic views seem to be what our society is mostly about today. Going in the direction of the career that we choose, and in turn choosing to shoo away every other aspect of life God created. Instead of using school for our own benefits, we should use it to glorify God.

Anonymous said...

God created things that would help us in life, and some take it for granted. For example, education is greatly misused in some cases. Some peope just try to work the system, but in reality that wont help anyone acheive anything in the fututre. God knows what is best for us. And yes, people do learn in differnent way, but it all comes down to if you understand it. But i do agree that christian schools do care more about the students education. After reading this, i have a new outlook on school. I need to appreciate where i am and where God has put me and also what God has given me. He has given us so mnay things and we shoulnt question if they are true or not. -Taylor Touchstone 3rd period

connor kingsbury said...

What I find fascinating that under the context of atheism there is no rational way of inductive reasoning. Without inductive reason you have particularization and with particularization you have loss of meaning etc. So within this system of thinking, you have no meaning to actually do education. Yet at the same time it is associations like the ACLU that are crusading against religion in defense of education. The irony is that they have no reason to be defending a reasonless system in the first place. Under the Christian system of education and the university you find a oneness that cannot be found in anything aside from a theology based curriculum. This doesnt mean that we should make awful connections theology in other subjects (for example Moses has 13 sheep and each sheep has four legs, how many legs are there all together?) but meaningful applications of theology to all the subjects. Also, i dont believe that specilization is necesarrilly bad. We need christian engineers, musicians, physicists, and doctors to specilize so they can do there job well for the glory of God.

StormBohacek said...

Most people going through school and getting an education have gone astray from the real point of learning. It’s not to become successful in the eyes of your peers, but instead to become successful in the eyes of the Lord. When getting an education, you should be passionate about all the different subjects God has connected together to make up our world. Don't get interested in one subject because it’s the easiest for you. God wants us to challenge ourselves with new subjects and new thoughts. This blog was very interesting to read, it has really got its point across about education.
- Storm Bohacek

Anonymous said...

i remember taking talking about this last year, and i really enjoyed it. before i heard your lecture on the differences between univeristy and multiveristy i looked at going to school in a completly different way. you go to college not only to learn but to also find the truth. and God is the main subject while everything else just branches off it.
Andie Winter period 7

Anonymous said...

This blog is very insightful on the topic of education. It is kind of disappointing that the major universities such as Harvard doesn't teach it's core classes around theology. But the part that really stood out to me was the atheist's view on that they believe if the earth was made by chance then they have no reason to study the earth.
-Jake Wattenbarger p.4

Jake Hahs said...

Talking about this subject always interests me just as I was interested in it last year and I feel this time a got a bit more of an understanding of the 2 models of educations. It shows how different the 2 really are. The University model has all sources of truth connect to God showing a meaning a purpose for all subjects and how they all connect to God. Where as the Multiversity model gives no reason or truth to connect any of the subjects to. With the Multiversity model there isnt really any motivation to learn or even go to school. The University model is the only model that seems to make any sense to really learn about anything.

Anonymous said...

I like how in this blog you started with God being a God of reason (logos). Then went on to say all the other secular world views. Skepticism, relativism, nihilism, and hedonism are all just examples of why we need God in education.
Darren Vanden Berge

Unknown said...

Reading this article helped better my view of participating wholeheartedly in all forms of education. Like we talked about in 4th period, God made everything in the world for us so we could strive to experience every detail of it. It is okay for one to have their own interests, but picking one or two subjects and focusing solely on them while completely rejecting something that may not be your favorite is okay. I agree with every statement about the atheistic view of education. This was my favorite quote.
"In the atheistic view of reality, synthesis is, in theory, impossible. If all of nature, including human nature, is nothing but an accidental collision and configuration of matter, then surely the attempt to study the world in order to see how it fits together is utterly futile. "
Christianity is the only logical reason that analysis can exist. This gave me a better outlook on education. :)
Chloe Dzierba, 4th Period

Anonymous said...

I found this blog intersting because it put education in perspective with philosophy and reason. Its sad that many of todays academic systems embrace the somewhat futile multiversity model. When closely examined it provides no structure whatseever for a meaningful experience in education. On the opposite hand the university model illustrates a seamless unifiction between education and philosophy. It makes me realize that BCHS is different in that it chooses to see education and theology as a vital part of a big picture understanding.

Madison Anderholt, Period 6

Anonymous said...

this blog was very interesting me. it pretty much showed me that without god i have nothing and i will get no where in life. i also learend that you should be a well rounded person and not just focus on one thing.god is our true savior and we should try to do our best in glorifying him. i need to keep that in mind.
-- Josh Jackson period 2

Anonymous said...

i really like when you said "To “bring Bible into a subject” is to make God small enough to fit into a human interpretive paradigm or worldview, which is the very essence of secularism. Christian education loudly insists that God is the light by which all of the human arts and sciences are understood." I feel as if many people take the Christian education for granted, we are given the opportunity to come and learn what God wants to teach us in a unique way. God is the one who created the arts, sciences and other subjects for us to learn. i think every class tries to "make God small enough to fit into a human interpretive.." which can at times be helpful to help the students better understand what God is trying to teach us without cracking out the Bible and not understanding what is going on because of the background needed to fully apply the message.
-Cecily Stone. period 4

Emily Meurer said...

I remember referring back to this lecture several times last year during CPI on many topics. The first time I read this blog (this second time is affirmation) my perspective changed in classes where I academically struggled more. From a university standpoint when a class or concept is difficult to us, rather than critiquing our own imperfections for not comprehending, we should recognize our Lord's omniscience. Not understanding something would become an act of humility rather than stupidity; however, it is equally important to that thought to seek answers rather than accepting such naivety. It is important to admire and praise the knowledge of God yet find answers simultaneously to further understand him.

Anonymous said...

It is difficut to fathom a reason or motive for seeking a higher and deeper education without God in the picute. While a Christian cirriculum and enviroment is optimun, it is not a nessecity to prusure a greater education. Even when study in a public school setting, it is important to use the skills and talents God gave you for education to the best of your ability. From the atheisim viewpoint, this would obviously be impossible becase "your skills and talents did not come from God." Is it really even remotely logical to think the that human body, much less the human mind was a mere accident of nature? No, it had to have been created by a superior being. It is truly logical to pursue a deeper and higher education to nourish the mind God has given us.
Melissa Hardy - 1st Period

Anonymous said...

What has the world come to where people have completely strayed away from having respect for ourselves and more importantly having respect for our God. It seems like a short time ago that these issues where not a overwhelming as they seem to be today. People need to get back to their roots and step back from their selfish ways in order to glorify our Lord. Everyone wants to have to qualities of a well-rounded person yet they seem to step away from what can actually help them be that.
Samuel E Berkshire Per. 4

Anonymous said...

i really liked when you said "To “bring Bible into a subject” is to make God small enough to fit into a human interpretive...Christian education loudly insists that God is the light by which all of the human arts and sciences are understood." Going to a Christian school, i think many people take advantage of the opportunity that we as students get; our teachers try to teach us how how God is the center of all of our subjects, He's the one who gave it to us to learn and we often times forget that. when you said "To make God small enough to fit into a human interpretive." it made me think of how our teachers and educators try to unwrap the scripture for the students to better understand how to apply it to our lives and the best way to read it. because we as students do not have as much background on the scripture and sometimes don't know what we are reading the teachers help us out as they do try to "interpretive" what the Bible is trying to teach us.
-Cecily Stone period 4

Unknown said...

I think it was really interesting the thought of all opinions being valid would make none of the opinions really matter. I thought this was interesting because then we would just say whatever we wanted and no one could say we are wrong so we would find happiness and pleasure knowing that we are always right even though in reality it doesn't matter. I also love hearing (even though it may not be a good aspect on things) that other religions are wrong and contradict themselves. As a Christian and a believer that is one of the hardest things to explain because the fact that i accept all of the Bible as truth and it does in fact contradict itself a few times.

-Chandler Hilken
Period 2

Unknown said...

I agree with most of the post up until the part that deals with atheism and synthesis. You too quickly assume that the formation of the natural world is indeed an act of pure luck; an accident (from a irreligious perspective). I'm inclined to point out that many atheists believe that the collision was natural. It is reasonable that the big bang was indeed part of nature itself. It has been argued that such a collision was inevitable. Consider that time is truly relative (Einsteins' theory) as opposed to Newton's view of time. Now, assuming this, we view the atheists view vs the creationists view of the origin of matter. The atheist would not say that the big bang is an accident. The atheist would conclude that if the matter (unstuck in time if inactive,an event in time if active) would be forced into the big bang as a natural occurring event, only a matter of time before it happened, an inevitable event that took many events to reach. The collision being a random chance isn't the point. Consider further that you light a fuse to a firework, but you can't see how long the fuse is and you cannot see the firework. You know that detonation is imminent, but you cannot conclude when exactly it will happen. The explosion is not random. I can preempt the argument that "the firework still had to be lit." But that is assuming that the matter at the beginning of time was not already active as an event in time. I would enjoy discussing this more tomorrow, as discourse on time's reality will be difficult through comment.

In summary; assuming the big bang happened, it was not truly "random."

Mr. Sutherland if you get any free time: http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/through-the-wormhole-does-time-exist/

Anonymous said...

Throughout all of this blog, it has hit me hard about what education truly is and why we should go to school. It is so much more than just going to school to have a great job, It's about learning about God's creations and trying to comprehend them. It also explains how we should be well rounded and should strive to be the best in every subject, not just the subject we are interested in. By doing this we become "well-rounded" Christians.

Hayden Kuchta Period 1

Anonymous said...

Edcation should not just be about learning for the immediate future. God created everything so that we can conncet it to Him and learn more about him as well as the world we created. If we as students took on this attitude when it came to school everything we think about education would be different.We as individuals would almost be "Universities" in a world of "Multiversities"
-Clifton Guillory
(Period 4)

Anonymous said...

i found it interesting when you said "To “bring Bible into a subject” is to make God small enough to fit into a human interpretive paradigm or worldview, which is the very essence of secularism. Christian education loudly insists that God is the light by which all of the human arts and sciences are understood." i feel like going to a Christian high school we are all too concerned with our peers and impressing people that we do not realize how lucky we are that our educators can bring the Bible into a subject to educate us not only on the subject but on God's view because he is the one who gave us all of the tools and subjects to learn. The teachers do try to help us better understand what God is trying to teach us and why he is trying to teach it to us because we are not as well educated on the subject as they are. they help us to better apply the scripture to our lives.
-Cecily Stone period 4

Unknown said...

I thought the blog was very interesting because of the thought of opinion. If all of one's opinions were correct and valid than no one can be said to be wrong. You could say the most ridiculous statement and still be right. Having thought about that than you said that none of the opinions would matter if they were all validated. The only reason you would throw your opinion out there is to just say words and gain some kind of 'happiness' from stating your opinion. I also thought about the contradiction side of things about the other religions. I (not so gladly) enjoy seeing contradictions in other religions because as a Christian believer I know and have tried to back that up and it is very hard to do when I believe the whole Bible as truth and it does have some contradictions within it. I have also learned that I need to do everything I do for God and without Him life is meaningless no matter how much I am validated by others and myself.

Chandler Hilken
Period 2

Anonymous said...

This article talks about how analysis would be insignificant if Atheism was true. I agree with this statement. Atheists do try to analyze many scientific things. I believe that they try to make sense out of their view, but can't seem to find it. I believe the Atheists do have hope that there is something else than just the physical world, and that is probably why they study issues and educate themselves so much. Just think about it: no one wants to be told that they are only a meaningless speck of dust in the universe that is eventually doomed to non-existence.
~Chloe Davis