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JLukeW
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Name: Luke
Birthday: 12/8/1986
Gender: Male
Interests: Computers, Photography, Juggling, Music, Books...
Expertise: Photoshop =)
Occupation: Stock Photography & Touchups
Message: message me
MSN: lewk73
Member Since:
8/21/2006
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| [Continued from the 28th]
Okay, so I was overreacting. I was just frustrated with the constant flow of difficult questions I was faced with answering, plus the onset of school, more work and other responsibilities. I'm lazy by nature and get anxious and stressed out very quickly.
A bit about me maybe? I'm 19, I've taken one year of computer science at Grant MacEwan in Edmonton, going into a third semester of that knowing full well I won't finish the program. I'm considering a switch into Design Studies, but that would be a 180° turn in the type of studies and work I'd end up doing. I'm torn between pursuing math and art -- a dichotomic decision if there ever was one. I work as a photoshopper for a company called DesignPics, a stock photo company with a focus on Christian material and values. It's a wonderful job, but with a full two-hour bus ride both there and back it can be quite stressful.
I'm a Christian -- I think I have the 'believe with your heart' bit more-or-less under control, but the 'confess with your mouth' stuff is a little more difficult. I'm an introvert, I struggle with communication especially (well, not so much online. I'm reasonably sharp, just shy and self-conscious in person). Does anyone else find themselves constantly challenged to witness, but shrugging it off due to embarrassment? I didn't just shrug it off today for a change, actually asked someone during a conversation about their beliefs. Didn't turn into much, but it was certainly a weight off my shoulders to have done so...
Enough rambling for today.
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| Feeling pretty down today, hasn't been a very good week for me. Some of my old friends are making some very very stupid choices, and it feels like my hands are tied behind my back. Also, there's the matter of this Anupam guy...
This is actually starting to challenge my faith! It's not fun anymore, not by a long shot. The verse I'm struggling with right now is in Matthew 19:17, Mark 10:18, and Luke 18:19. (From Mark): "And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God." (KJV). In the NIV: "'Why do you call me good?' Jesus answered. 'No one is good—except God alone.'"
So Jesus claims not to be God? This is troubling. It's strong evidence against the Trinity, and any 'creative' interpretations which explain the problem away are unlikely to be readily accepted by those who believe Jesus was a prophet. Here's one more verse, John 14:28: "My father is greater than I". Hmmm...
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| Okay, so...Xanga
Well here I am, a little blib in cyberspace. Unanchored, disconnected from community, impossible to find. Hopefully Aaron can fix that when he gets back online.
I talked to a Vaishnavite on the bus a couple days ago. He believes some interesting things. First the rundown: Monotheistic: but the one God is in all living things. Vegetarianism: no meat eating, except in an emergency (your own death vs. an animal). Reincarnation: you're reincarnated as an animal/plant/human/other-planetary-being based on what would help you perfect your love for God.
They claim Jesus was a vegetarian except in emergency situations. They also claim Jesus preached reincarnation. These teachings aren't in the Bible of course, they're from other books. I'm waiting for sources on all of that.
There is only one God in Vaishnavism, but everything is treated as being holy, for all things have a part of God in them. Some parts of God broke off and formed living things -- grass, trees, animals, people (but not necessarily in that hierarchical order) -- and if a living thing loves God (Vishnu) enough, he (she, it) can be reunited with God (aka 'go to heaven').
In this religion, it is a sin to eat anything alive, but if the food is offered first to Vishnu, the sin of eating something is forgiven. It is forbidden to eat animals except in an emergency.
They believe Jesus is the son of God! But 'go figure', because they believe everyone is a son of God. (Vaishnavism even teaches out of the Sermon on the Mount, something I'll get to later).
All of this makes things very difficult, because their network of beliefs creates an almost impenitrable wall for believing Jesus Christ is the way/truth/life, and not just a good teacher. He says he is the son of God, he says he is the son of Man, but not that he is God. (I haven't pulled out the "before Abraham was born, I am" verse yet).
This brings me to a question: Does Jesus claim to be God? If so, where?
I think that's enough for now. I'll probably leave this site for a while, wait for my cousin Aaron to get back and be shocked by my presence in Xanga.
[Post Scriptum: I often don't capitalize "He" in relation to God, simply because I find it distracting when I'm trying to read a sentence, and I'm not sure it's necessary.]
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