(no subject)
School was fun today.
In hallway:
"Hillary!"
"Yo?"
"Hey, we were totally in need of a philosopher. C'mere!"
"What's up?"
"We were just discussing the meaning of life. What do you think it is?"
"Something which either is or consists of cell(s)."
"... umm...no, what happens when you die? When a human dies?"
"Life ceases -- cellular respiration and metabolism no longer occur and your body begins to decay, providing fuel for new life."
"...damn existentialists. So, you don't believe in an afterlife?"
"I didn't say that. I defined death as the point at which life ceases, and defined life ceasing as the end of metabolism."
"...but what about the afterlife?"
"If it occurs, it does so during or after one's death and cannot, therefore, be known to us in life, because in life we cannot know what lies beyond life."
"What about near death experiences?"
"They're easily explained by the existence of the pineal gland."
"What's that?"
"A small gland in your brain that releases a chemical called dimethyltriptomene on around the 49th day of gestation and moments before brain death. It's a very powerful hallucenogen."
"Okay...but what about God? Do you believe in God?"
"I do."
"Which God?"
"Reason."
"No, which God."
"I believe in the God of The Bible."
"What?!? Wait. I thought you were an athiest?"
"Secular humanist, but close enough."
"Then how can you believe in the Christian God?"
"I don't."
"But you said you believe in the God of the Bible?"
"I did, and I do."
"Explain."
"According to the Bible, God made man in his own image, right?"
"Yeah."
"And it is stated that, 'in the beginning there was the word and the word was with God and the word was God...', right?"
"Yeah..."
"Okay. In the Greek, it's 'En arche en o logos...' The word, 'word' is 'logos', which is also logic and reason. Therefore, God is reason, and humans were created with reason as God is with reason. And because sin is missing the mark and therefore falling short of God's perfection, one who strives to reach the greatest degree of logic and reason and dedicates one's time to study strives to reach God's mark and therefore not only believes in but thus devotes his or her life to the God of the Bible. Therefore, the scientist or philosopher who aims toward knowledge rather than blind worship is more faithful than a blind follower."
"But..."
"But 'the devil can cite scripture for his own purpose'?"
"Yeah...is that from the Bible, too?"
"No. Shakespeare. Close enough, though, really."
"So, wait..."
"It's cool, man. I'm just arguing for the sake of argument."
I really hope that if there is a god he/she/it has a sense of humor...otherwise I'm piling up coals at an unprecedented rate...
In hallway:
"Hillary!"
"Yo?"
"Hey, we were totally in need of a philosopher. C'mere!"
"What's up?"
"We were just discussing the meaning of life. What do you think it is?"
"Something which either is or consists of cell(s)."
"... umm...no, what happens when you die? When a human dies?"
"Life ceases -- cellular respiration and metabolism no longer occur and your body begins to decay, providing fuel for new life."
"...damn existentialists. So, you don't believe in an afterlife?"
"I didn't say that. I defined death as the point at which life ceases, and defined life ceasing as the end of metabolism."
"...but what about the afterlife?"
"If it occurs, it does so during or after one's death and cannot, therefore, be known to us in life, because in life we cannot know what lies beyond life."
"What about near death experiences?"
"They're easily explained by the existence of the pineal gland."
"What's that?"
"A small gland in your brain that releases a chemical called dimethyltriptomene on around the 49th day of gestation and moments before brain death. It's a very powerful hallucenogen."
"Okay...but what about God? Do you believe in God?"
"I do."
"Which God?"
"Reason."
"No, which God."
"I believe in the God of The Bible."
"What?!? Wait. I thought you were an athiest?"
"Secular humanist, but close enough."
"Then how can you believe in the Christian God?"
"I don't."
"But you said you believe in the God of the Bible?"
"I did, and I do."
"Explain."
"According to the Bible, God made man in his own image, right?"
"Yeah."
"And it is stated that, 'in the beginning there was the word and the word was with God and the word was God...', right?"
"Yeah..."
"Okay. In the Greek, it's 'En arche en o logos...' The word, 'word' is 'logos', which is also logic and reason. Therefore, God is reason, and humans were created with reason as God is with reason. And because sin is missing the mark and therefore falling short of God's perfection, one who strives to reach the greatest degree of logic and reason and dedicates one's time to study strives to reach God's mark and therefore not only believes in but thus devotes his or her life to the God of the Bible. Therefore, the scientist or philosopher who aims toward knowledge rather than blind worship is more faithful than a blind follower."
"But..."
"But 'the devil can cite scripture for his own purpose'?"
"Yeah...is that from the Bible, too?"
"No. Shakespeare. Close enough, though, really."
"So, wait..."
"It's cool, man. I'm just arguing for the sake of argument."
I really hope that if there is a god he/she/it has a sense of humor...otherwise I'm piling up coals at an unprecedented rate...