If It All Made Sense

If a student is awake until 5 a.m. reading a book, it's usually for one of two reasons: the assignment is due tomorrow, or the student loves to read. For me this morning, it was both. I wrote a paper about Making Sense of It All for my Christian Theology class, and I actually enjoyed the book. It was written based on the notes of great scientist, mathematician, and philosopher Blaise Pascal. I'll read about a genius's opinions any day, but if it's about the existence of God and the meaning of life, I'll listen closer.

Why does God claim to be transcendent yet "God with us" when He is sometimes so difficult to find? Why doesn't He just write us a message in the sky, clearly proclaiming His existence and intentions? 

Pascal says, "God wishes to move the will rather than the mind. Perfect clarity would help the mind and harm the will." We cannot prove God exists, and we cannot prove that He does not exist. Time is not slowing down, and each person has to choose a side. Is He real? If so, what are we going to do about it? All of us will soon die, and indecision is a decision.

The author compares our choice regarding the reality or fable of God with gambling. What are the risks involved with each "wager?" What are the benefits of each? 

Atheists don't have to answer to anyone; they can live with whatever morals they want or no morals at all. However, they have no Authority to illuminate their paths, either. Christianity involves answering to God, living by a set of standards, and loving all people, even when it seems impossible. If an atheist dies and finds that he is correct, he will not ever realize this since a godless universe implies a lack of an afterlife. If a Christian dies and finds that he was correct in believing God is real, he will enjoy eternal fellowship with God. 

Let's consider the darker side of the equation. What if they are wrong? If the Christian dies and is wrong in his belief that there is a God, he loses nothing, and he'll never realize he was wrong. If an atheist dies and finds that he was wrong, and there IS a God, he will suffer for all of eternity.

Obviously I believe in God. Without going into all the reasons I believe this is true, I think it's pretty obvious which "wager" is the logical choice. Atheists have much more to lose than Christians do if they are wrong. Pascal says that the "rational gambler will bet on God."

Because we must choose an option without absolute proof either way, it makes sense that it's not all about reason and intellect; it's about the heart. We must have faith in God, for without faith, it's impossible to please Him. Faith isn't an end; it's a journey. Not everything is going to make sense, but we have to keep moving forward anyway. 

So, I ask you: will you consider the possibility that there is a God? Will you think about the implications of this fact? The salvation of your soul depends on it.

Hello, October

In case you haven't noticed, it's October. That means one of my favorite seasons is coming up. Okay, to be honest, I like all of the seasons except for winter. And even winter is okay because it includes Christmas and snow. Anyway, I haven't posted for a while, so I thought I'd provide a bit of an update about my life.

1. I'm a senior in college now, so I'm busy planning for the future. I'd like to go to grad school, so I have to apply, obtain transcripts, get recommendations, write essays, and take the GRE. Oh yeah, and it might be a good idea to figure out where exactly I should apply.

2. I'm working on making money. I am the executive editor for my University's yearbook, copy editor for the newspaper, and a writing tutor in the Center for Academic Excellence. Plus I am editing a book for a friend of mine. It's about surviving the financial recession, and it's actually really interesting. When it's available online, I'll provide a link. It's inspired me to sell the fifty books in my room to Amazon. No, really. I have fifty books just sitting in my room. Aside from that, my first book editing gig has encouraged me to build my online presence. I've named my editing business The Landon Edit, and you can check it out at http://www.facebook.com/EditingProofreadingServices.

3. This semester I'm taking two major writing classes at the same time, and I usually write a lot anyway. One weekend I wrote 40 pages just to turn in for one class. It was for three different assignments, but still. The book I've been working on since January is still sitting in my computer waiting for the addition of the exciting conclusion. I just want to give it an ending it deserves, and then of course I have to write the other two books in the premeditated trilogy. But first, I'm going to look into publishing book one.

4. I miss my friends from England that I met when I was working at the Olympics, and I also miss my friends from camp in New York, especially since it was two summers ago. I haven't seen most of them since December. My family is all spread out again. Mom and dad are both living up north still teaching at my old high school and other shenanigans. It's nice that my sister is still teaching in the same town as my University, but I wonder sometimes how long I will live here. However, I am thoroughly enjoying hanging out with college friends, both new and old. I have a lot of the same friends that I had freshman year, but I've continued to meet new awesome people, even trying to meet all of the freshmen and transfer students this year.

5. My theme for this school year is balance. In the past, I've been known to sleep very little, obsess over school, and abide by a schedule that would send most people running from the room screaming. This year I have actually had time to read the text books for my classes and enjoy what I'm studying, which is nice. I sleep about six hours per night instead of four, and I even eat more healthy food. I've tried to pray more and read my Bible regularly, and I've made an effort to do a lot of writing outside of what is required for class. I want my life to be balanced. Life isn't just work, just fun and games, or just stress.

6. This semester has been a strange one, but it's also been a lot of fun. I live on a really awesome hall, and my roommate is a lot of fun, too. I've gotten to play soccer, write, play ping pong, edit, teach people, scooter, and hang out with some of my favorite people. I can't wait to see what else God has in store for this year.

7. As a sidenote, I've had this blog for a year and a half now. Cool.