GREEN

Calvin Freatman

            Ahhhhhh, nothing like a good earth day. While I’m sure Nathan and Sarah know how to celebrate better, I doubt they know the real importance at hand.

            It is extremely important to treat nature with respect. In no way would God endorse some of the wasteful, unnecessary lifestyles that a few individuals have. However, there is a fine line between being wasteful and ruling over the land which God specifically created for humans to inhabit. The bible is VERY clear that humans are to use God’s creation for their own means of survival. I really cannot see how anyone would be opposed to eating meat when Jesus himself ate it, as well as thousands of lambs and cows were slaughtered as offerings in the Old Testament.

John 1:3 says “through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” Eating meat and using the resources that God gave humans is a testimony to how much God loves mankind. Without him, no animal or tree would ever be created. In my opinion it is necessary to respect his creation, but it is a great injustice to the creator that he is to not enjoy the fruits of his labor (meat, fish, etc).

Our responsibility Is not to “Mother Earth,” but to God. This green movement doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me as our obligation must not to be warning the planet of alternate energy sources, but to warn them of man’s inherent sinfulness. I would choose leading a man to Christ over leading a man to recycle any day of the week.

Econ 1

Before I get going on the arguments that Moore makes, I would first like to say that the only reason his movies have found success in the US is because of the capitalistic system we live in. He even says it himself in that his documentaries are successful and seen in “shopping malls” and “multiplexes.” Well, these places only exist because of the consumer-driven society we are in.

Michael Moore makes a huge mistake in that he believes societies have values. WRONG. Individuals have values and it is reflected in the society that we live in. These values will, in turn reflect the lifestyle of that individual. A socialist government will try and force values upon the people…. But wait, isn’t socialism supposed to be by the people and for the people?  To its faults and glory, capitalism puts the power into the people’s hands. Their economic decisions and values can be upheld in this system, whereas in socialism they cannot.

Moore’s thoughts on religion really go nowhere. Every religion that Moore mentioned has come about before socialism ever existed. His argument that all these religions basically say what Marx believed is completely mute when considering that Marx came thousands of years after. “All these religions are saying the same thing” is also one of the inaccurate and false statements I have ever heard. Jesus is not Muhammad, and anyone can make that distinction.

Lastly Moore says that Socialism is democracy. He just left it at that, which makes no sense because they cannot both exist together. All in all, socialism is not what Moore attempted to convey.

Abortion

1.

You are correct. It is absolutely necessary for a woman to have control over her body. In fact, I believe it incredibly vital for life itself to endorse one’s freedom. HOWEVER, when that freedom imposes on one another’s will to live, extreme consequences result, such as a loss of LIFE.

Let me reiterate what I just said in a hypothetical situation. Debbie is as 25 year-old law student who becomes pregnant by her professor. To continue with her classes and not deal with the hassles of parenthood, she decides to abort. Now, she is expressing her freedom to do as she pleases, but is hindering another’s freedom, one who is much more helpless. Both sides cannot both be obliged in the situation such as abortion. So, if both sides cannot get their wish, would society/ the law side upon the convenience of the mother, or the life of a human being?

If abortion were not killing I would have no problem with it. In fact, I believe very strongly against teenage pregnancy and for Planned Parenthood. However, abortion is murder and cannot be justified under any circumstances. I honestly used to believe that abortion was acceptable in the situation of rape cases. Now though, I see the folly in such an idea of “2 wrongs making a right.” Nothing can be said or done to validate murder.

People doubt how alive fetus’ are. In reality though, there are only four differences between a human baby and a fetus. Those differences are size, location, level of dependency, and level of development. If one can recognize the life of the fetus than the argument for choice becomes irrelevant, it is murder.

It is not only an obligation that we as Christians have to protect the lives of babies, but also a duty of our government. We must save our own.   

Global GOV

            Having read all about such an idea in the Left Behind series, I believe a secular global government would be extremely flawed and impossible to maintain. Furthermore, it would completely undermine and distort the meaning of being on earth as individuals brought together in God. In this hypothetical scenario, the government would assume the role of the higher power. They would be totalitarian in their approach, and would greatly hinder life as a result. In fact, it is quite possible that such an absolute system as this could result in complete and utter chaos.

As is evident all throughout history, the leader of one country can completely and utterly provoke his own people to killing and atrocious acts of violence.(Hitler). And while this may be true, other countries have rallied behind the opposition to such actions and won. There would be no such system(country/countries) to stop the leader/leaders of this government.  There would be no such God to answer to, nor anything besides the leaders of this government. World War 3 could never happen, there would be no one to resist from a crazed ruler’s destruction.

The infusion of such a system would destroy cultures. The Guaraní  (along with many other indigenous tribes) would be forced into a culture that they would clearly have no interest in being a part of. The beauty of individuality and patriotism would be extremely diminished. Too many conflicts of interest between cultures would occur. Just imagine a southern boy who likes to hunt and work on Ford Trucks having the same set of values as a Chinese woman interested in Origami.

Good luck to any citizens who wish to voice their opinions. It would be impossible to be involved with politics, or even be in a position to create change with so many needs and wished to accommodate. Being able to keep track and monitor all of these civilians would be utterly inconceivable.

Basically, such a system is offensive to even think about.

Ron Artist

            It is nearly impossible to imagine life without art. What a complete and utter terror that would result from no paintings, music, or even poetry. The works of Van Gogh and Bach would have never transcended culture, while E.E. Cummings would have never delivered some of the most influential, thought-invoking work known in the poetry field. Art is culture. Every known society has had some form of Art in their lives. Whether that being decorous Totem poles, the Sistine Chapel, or “Can’t Stop” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers is beside the point; Art is a universal and historical field. Art is furthermore one of the most sacred and powerful aspects of Christianity. All throughout the bible it is very clear that worshipping God through art is a beautiful and powerful way to do such. In fact, God is often said to be an artist. Isaiah 64:8 says “But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.”  Recently though, it has come to my attention that the art of the old has been replaced with languid, situational ideology. Both Roger Scruton and Leyland Ryken attempt to explain and defend their own opinions through their respective works. These works both help to establish the worldviews represented in art.
            Roger Scruton has some very, very good points. However, I believe his opinions are somewhat skewed of the beauty of art. Beauty is oftentimes found in the eyes of the beholder, rather than an entire society’s. To one man, Eric Calpton’s music could speak to the soul, while to another it is merely a strumming of the guitar. Scruton assumes that beauty is merely tangible, and that only older works (he focuses a ridiculous amount of time on old architecture) or those that uphold a good message can be seen as a beautiful piece of art. That, in my opinion was Scruton’s greatest fault. However, he provided great insight into the many faults of modern art. Is a urinal really any sort of artistic achievement? Absolutely not. Scruton tells a tale of art that legitimately changed the mundane aspects of life of earlier years. That magnificent impact is rarely seen nowadays. Many images of post-modern art appeared in his video, providing real-life examples of such worldviews in art. Scruton is brutally honest and estimates the debilitating effect that some of the meaningless “art” is having on society today.  
            Leyland Ryken’s The Creative Arts also has some very, very good points. Ryken focuses upon the “levels of truth” that a work of art contains. Ryken believes one’s art will be a direct representation of their outlook on life. I really understand and agree with what Ryken attempted to convey. Just as a football player leaves every bit of soul and fight he has in him on the field, so do artists in the studio. It is in that state of complete and total focus upon their work that the worldviews are easily identifiable. Ryken emphatically defended that A work of art can stand in the art gallery and be cherished for its own sake." Ryken holds many of the beliefs and philosophies on art that I do.   

Overall, I appreciate and admire the opinions of Ryken and Scruton. Their insights and opinions have enhanced my understanding of the worldviews of art, along with what truly should be considered art. Although I am not very artistic nor very interested in art, nothing inspires more than something beautiful. Having first seen A Starry Night in the third grade, I have always been enamored with such an exquisite work. In an age where Lady Gaga is winning
“artist of the year,” it is important to continue the study of older, more meaningful pieces. As a Christian, I believe it necessary to worship God to the best of one’s ability, whether a gifted musician or not. Art is vital to life and society, one of my greatest hopes is that more Christian artists could emerge, while still upholding biblical values.

Shariah

Shariah Law’s recognition and implication in America would do nothing but greatly infringe upon the rights and traditions of our country that have been in existence for hundreds of years. This goes back to the basic concepts that our founding fathers so greatly advocated for. Two contradicting and equally different laws cannot govern one land.

First of all, it must be noted that in its grassroots this system of laws would be incredibly unappealing for any woman. You might as well sound the trumpets; Feminists are ready to utterly demolish these ideals of the Shariah law. I read an article last year in which a Muslim woman had her head chopped off by her husband, all done so in the name of violating Shariah’s law…… Secondly, the beauty of America lies in its age-old ideology of “lets agree to disagree.” There is never any harm in that, and both opinions and beliefs are upheld. However, in Shariah law there is no such luxury. You either follow Allah, or you don’t and are punished. Furthermore, how could America, a country which embraces homosexuality more than any other, be expected to follow a system of laws that calls for the killing of all homosexuals? It just could not happen. While equality is shot, capitalism would also be affected. It is highly improbable that such systems governing third-world countries could thrive in a first-world setting.

Almost everything that America has stood for would either be contradicted, or completely changed altogether. The very first amendment might as well be completely nullified if such laws govern this land. Shariah law could simply not be implicated into our society, nor should it be.  

The young Calvin and the Sea

Waves are washing him out

He’s trying to swim for something bigger than him

It starts in the heart of the storm

Every common man

Enters Into a bustling existence, wrought with sunken ships

He’s just trying to find some peace, a clear blue sea

                                                            Dead fish in the water

Countless people swimming with great big sharks

Looking for freedom, a lighthouse on the rocks