this gives "a new heavens and a new earth" a whole new meaning

I know what you're thinking. This has to be a joke, right? Can one even remotely begin to describe the absolutely insane assertions made in this video? A SUN at the center of the earth that provides a "tropical climate" for the "inner earth"? Wouldn't the earth IMPLODE on itself if this were the case? Why am I getting so worked up over this? I need some sleep.

alma heights bible: a review

Abby Shapiro has just motivated me to do this by posting a similar note regarding the religious teaching at SI. Here's a review of my four years of Bible class at Alma Heights.

Freshman Year - Hours of copious note taking (but still not enough to get an "A", because SOME PEOPLE *cough cough*Rachelle*cough cough* are ridiculously insane note takers who ruin it for the rest of us) during Mrs. Fernbach's lectures on the Pentateuch, as well as Bruce Wilkinson (yes, the guy who published the borderline-heretical "Prayer of Jabez") video tapes for every book of the Bible we studied. Also, chapel notes counted for extra credit! What did we learn? Take good notes or you fail, even if they don't really help you, and never, ever spend a year on the Pentateuch.

Sophomore Year - Jesus videos of every size, shape, and color (actually scratch that, Jesus was pretty much always "white"). Random skipping around in the New Testament, the NIV STUDY BIBLE that some people STILL didn't have by year's end, no tests or homework (except reading) of any sort, other than journal entries that everyone pretty much did either in class or before class started. What did we learn? I honestly can't remember.

Junior Year - Cheesy, uppity quotes and illustrations, 10 minute "quiet" time, too many worksheets to keep track of, mandatory chapel notes, TMI (that's TOO MUCH INFORMATION) about Satan and everything having to do with Satan, including his life span, personality profile, minions, his strategy of attack (often recorded in play-by-play action), his favorite kind of steak and where to get it, his sleeping habits (as well as what our sleeping habits SHOULD be), his love life, and his horoscope. What did we learn? Did you know that the word LORD comes from the Latin word for "LOAF KEEPER"?? Isn't that cool??

Senior Year - Hebrew, and our inability to even remotely come close to the standard set by last year's intellectual prodigy of a class, and Mr. Boyd's failed attempts to make us laugh with humorous commentary that soars miles above our heads. What we've learned? Psalm 121 in Hebrew, lots of stuff about Egypt, and Mr. Boyd's endless amount of stories, and stories within stories.

Seniors, anything I'm forgetting about that I can add on? Let me know in the comments!

the golden compass, and why i support it

Due to the recent controversy that has arisen over Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" and in particular "The Golden Compass" (coming out in theaters on December 7--only four more days!!! woot!), I find it necessary to clarify my views on the matter, because Philip Pullman is a fantastic author and "His Dark Materials" is one of my favorite works of all time.

I would challenge Christians who are opposed to this movie to sit down and give the book a read. It's not as bad as you might think! Pullman doesn't really introduce the more controversial aspects of his beliefs until the very end of The Golden Compass, and gradually in growing prominence throughout The Subtle Knife (the second book in the series). I am ashamed to say that I haven't entirely finished reading The Amber Spyglass (the conclusion to the trilogy), but I plan to finish it over Christmas break, when I have more reading time on my hands.

It's worthwhile to point out that Pullman's books do, in many ways, advocate the same moral values as those found in Judeo-Christian religions--loyalty, courage, love, treating others with respect, kindness, friendship, the fundamental nature of good and evil, even the existence and importance of the human soul. In this aspect, Christians can find familiar ground on which to stand when reading His Dark Materials.

Quite honestly, I couldn't put the books down when I read them. The characters in these stories are so simple in many ways, but well-developed and sophisticated and profoundly complex in their roles. You won't find very much clichéd teen drama, as can be found especially in the latter portion of the Harry Potter series (arguably due to the massive teen appeal these books garnered leading up to the release of the fourth book). And Pullman doesn't try to play ambiguous when it comes to a character's loyalties--sure, there are deceitful characters and traitors, but you can at least identify who they are and cheer for the good guys (and this is something the producer of Heroes could take a lesson from). My favorite character is Iorek Byrnison, the noble, majestic, awe-inspiring armored bear who aids Lyra in her travels intermittently throughout the series. Seriously guys, Iorek RULES.

"But John Mark," some of you may ask, "didn't Pullman himself state clearly that his books are about killing God?" Well, yes. In the series, Pullman's god (and I write that with a lowercase "g", because his depiction of the Judeo-Christian Godhead is fictional and meant to be so) is a cruel tyrant who seeks to dominate all life through the Magisterium, which is essentially Pullman's fictional portrayal of the Church. Therefore, purely in principle, Lyra's quest (a quest that she isn't allowed to know she's on, according to the prophecy) is essentially to free the world of tyranny by overthrowing the greedy, power-hungry tyrant who rules the heavens. Obviously, Pullman intends to make a not-so-subtle jab at organized religion as a whole, but seriously guys, taking such serious offense by this kind of criticism is the intellectual equivalent of crying to mommy when little Billy says "Girls have cooOOOooties!"

It is undeniable that these books do contain numerous ideas that are quite hostile to organized religion, and I thoroughly disagree with many of the more subtle points that Pullman is making--however, Pullman's capacity for storytelling, and well as the compelling nature of his arguments (despite my skepticism and the skepticism of others) are enough for me to enjoy his books as extraordinarily crafted works from an extraordinarily talented author.

For more information on what Pullman himself hopes to accomplish through his books, check out some of these quick interview clips on Youtube. Contrary to popular belief, you'll find that he's not trying to convert the children of the world to atheism in order to build an army, take over the world, and rid it entirely of religion. Far from it!

Golden Compass Author Gives Advice to Parents
Golden Compass Author Talks About His Agenda
Golden Compass Author on Religion and Theology

And for those of you who HAVE read the books, you may find this one interesting (no spoilers here, but if you haven't read the books, you won't know what they're talking about):
Golden Compass Author on the Nature and Meaning of Dust