Some Philosophical Thoughts...

I'm taking a required philosophy class this summer (gotta love a liberal arts education!), called "Belief, Morality, and the Modern Mind." It's an intense four-week course, in which we are covering hard topics, such as creation vs. evolution, the problem of evil, determinism vs. universalism, miracles, etc. So, here are some interesting thoughts:

Theistic Evolution
That's right, I've finally taken a stance on the evolution debate, and I believe that I am a theistic evolutionist. Huh? In a nut shell: Theistic evolution is the proposition that God is in charge of the biological process called evolution. God directs and guides the unfolding of life forms over millions of years. Theistic evolution contends that there is no conflict between science and the Biblical book of Genesis.


Dualism vs. Physicalism
Dualism is the belief that human beings have immaterial souls, while physicalists don't believe in an immaterial soul. One thing that I have learned and I am really mulling over is the fact that the belief that humans have a soul that immediatley goes to heaven upon death is not Biblical. Biblical teachings align with the belief that once we die, our souls rest in an intermediary state, where we wait until the Final Judgement. Once Christ returns, we experience a bodily resurrection (hence why some churches were/are against cremation), in which we go to heaven to spend eternity. Until then, we are in a "sleeplike state" (hence the saying "rest in peace"). Many scholars believe that this intermediary state could be like sleeping, but as God transcends time, so does this state; i.e., we may not necessarily be conscious of the amount of time we "sleeping" until Christ returns. Paul hints at this state in 2 Cor. 5, and the majority of Jewish theologians and first century believers held fast to this belief, as well. Our present belief that our soul rise to heaven upon death taken from Greek philosophy - mainly Plato - and it is also just assumed. And yes, professing Christians can be physicalists :)

The Resurrection
We discussed the Resurrection briefly one day in class, and my friend Erica brought up the point that many well-known theologians - N.T. Wright, for example - believe that it's possible to be a Christian and not believe in the Resurrection. It's not a popular belief among evangelical churches, but is becoming more popular among some main line churches. I don't buy into it, since I believe that God is alive, and I don't see how God could be alive if God died and didn't overcome death. I am going to look into it some more, though. Erica said to google "the Jesus Seminar" and that I should come up with some more writings on it. Anyone else hear of this belief?

We're beginning to discuss the problem of evil this week. Tomorrow we are watching Hotel Rwanda in class, and discussing it some at the end. I've been wanting to see this movie, and look forward to some good discussion.

On another note, I'm onto another book from my summer reading list! I'm now reading Anne Lamott's Traveling Mercies, and I love it so far. It's short, so I should be done with it by this weekend, I hope.

Ahh, summertime

We're all moved into our apartment for the summer. Moving weekend was a week ago, and it was insane. Sara and I were up until 4:30am packing, took a nap for an hour and a half, got up at 6:00, and finished packing and cleaning. We then checked out of our house at 9:30am, chilled until 3:00pm, and moved everything into our apartment across campus. We're all still sore from the venture, and I think I've finally caught up on sleep from then.

My summer reading has commenced! I'm 150 pages into Middlesex at the moment, and have also added Barbara Kingsolver's Prodigal Summer and Anne Lammot's Traveling Mercies to the reading list. My best friend, Kim, called yesterday to tell me that she has a box of books to send me. Yay! I keep plugging along, enjoying every minute I have of reading for pleasure.

I must blog about my room. I know, it sounds kind of silly, but I am really loving having my own space. It's been too long! Emi and Sonya are sharing a room for the summer, so I get the other bedroom and have an open bunk for if friends come over to stay. We went to IKEA Saturday and I bought two desks lamps, as my room is pretty dark with the one dim light in the ceiling. My window looks out onto tree branches and the house next door, but the view of the house is blocked by the trees in such a way that I don't feel like anyone can see into my space. I guess it's a very peaceful room, and I love spending time in it. I especially love that I can stay up as late as I want, or go to bed as early as I wish, and I don't bother anyone. That's one of the best parts, I think. :)

2005 Summer Reading List

I haven't had a summer reading list since the summer of 2001, and, since I am not at camp this summer, I am looking forward to devouring as many literary wonders as possible. Drum roll, please.....

Super Val's Summer of 2005 Reading List*:

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, J.K. Rowling
My Antonia, Willa Cather
Freedom of Simplicity, Richard J. Foster
Jesus and the Nonviolent Revolution, Andre Trocme
Light in August, William Faulkner
Peace Like a River, Leif Enger
Wish You Well, David Baldacci
Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith, Jon Krakauer
The Pact: A Love Story, Jodi Picoult
Keeping Faith, Jodi Picoult
Harvesting the Heart, Jodi Picoult
Middlesex: A Novel, Jeffery Eugenides * won the Pulitzer Prize for literature last year
Every Earthly Blessing: Rediscovering the Celtic Tradition, Esther de Waal
Listening for the Heartbeat of God: A Celtic Spirituality, J. Phillip Newell
Great Souls: Six Who Changed a Century, David Aikman
A Simple Path, Mother Teresa

*books are listed in no particular order, although HP will be read ASAP after its release date of July 16. Reading list is subject to change, including the addition of more literary wonders :)