The Hand Jive: That's how you do it.

"Fascinating."

You Can't Legislate Morality

In my College Writing class earlier this week, we were discussing some articles about marriage as opposed to cohabitation, and the pros and cons that are involved. I was struck by some of the things that were brought up. For example, people are supposedly given incentive to stay married because of the fact that having to go through the legal process of divorce is more of a hassle than simply being able to pick up and leave your current cohabiting lover. On the other hand, cohabitation requires no joint finances, no long-term commitment, and can be abandoned at any time. Yet, it is socially acceptable to bring a child into the world within the context of such a relationship. How is this logical? If you are not ready to make the "final commitment" of marriage, as one of my classmates put it, then how are you ready to be a parent? By the same token, I am of the opinion that as a general rule of thumb, if you don't think you're quite ready to be a parent, you shouldn't get married.

But as I was sitting there, listening to what everyone in my class had to say, I realised that if marriage is removed from its status as a divinely ordained covenantal relationship, it is more or less meaningless. Apart from the covenant and Christ's model of what marriage should be, what is marriage? It becomes nothing more than social contract, no different from cohabitation, "life-partner"-ship, or whatever sort of ambiguous title you'd care to tack onto it. Divorce rates are embarrassingly high, so high in fact, that the government has tried to put programs in place to get married couples to stay married. The institution of marriage as we know it is most definitely in danger, and is attacked from all sides by post-modern ideas and blatant immorality.

As Christians attempt to combat things like same-sex marriage and rampant divorce, I wonder if there's actually anything left to defend. Marriage in the United States, at least, the way statistics portray it, is not the same institution that God created in the Garden at the beginning of time. Is such a shallow reflection of God's covenant worth defending? Well, perhaps not. But the question we must ask is this: do things really have to be this way? The answer is a resounding no. It is the responsibility of Christians, now more than ever, to preserve marriage, not necessarily through Constitutional amendments or senate legislation, but instead though the living out of Christ's example. True cultural change cannot be achieved through revolution, rebellion, or activism. You cannot legislate morality. Rather, true transformation is brought about through Christ's Church. That is how marriage is going to be redeemed.

Campus Photos

Here's a few HDR images I captured around campus earlier this week. (Just click on the photos to see them in a larger size.)

From SU Campus

From SU Campus

From SU Campus

I pity the fool who uses Ad Hominem arguments!

All right, here is a message for anyone online who discusses politics. If you employ obscenities and blatantly slander people in the course of your political discussion, I will disregard what you have to say, regardless of how correct or intelligent you are. Discussion on a civilised and intellectual level should be conducted in a manner which reflects that. Saying things like, "Bush is an idiot" will not get you my attention. Apparently, that is an acceptable way to speak about politics, especially for young people, students who are my age. America's youth has become accustomed to the Stewart-Colbert brand of political discussion. While I find Stephen Colbert to be quite hilarious, he is in no way a serious political commentator. What types of programs do they play on Comedy Central? Just take a stab at it. The News Hour with Jim Lehrer? NO! COMEDY! Analysis has become equated with derision and slander, and debate has been made synonymous with crass bickering. The internet is a haven for misuse and oftentimes complete ignorance of rhetorical standards. If you want me to listen to you, speak to me like an adult.

Here's a good example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZEWdo-I61M

I stopped the video within the first few seconds. (If bad language offends you, just don't click the link.) This video is also a good example of someone trying to make a point, but never showing me any proof. This gentleman makes several statements concerning the content of speeches made by Republicans, but never shows me any examples. There are videos like this all over YouTube. I'd really love it if I could pound the concept of "ad hominem" into the brains of internet users. It's a fallacy! It's not a legitimate point!

The Internet Strikes Again

Amazing. Misinformation and Photoshopped pictures of Sarah Palin have already permeated the internet's opinion of her. It's completely unexpected, really. The internet is really one of the worst things to happen to political discussion and public perceptions in recent history. Really.