Give me liberty, or give me death

Tonight’s soliloquy should not be too astonishing, as everyone has been providing his input ad nauseam. However overplayed, I as a “writer” felt obliged to contribute my two cents. Forgive any redundancies in this account, for as a Christian I feel that some of my points should have been approached already. I shall keep my primer brief, for the crux of the matter is what is vital.

Though standing twenty years young, I can confidently say that I have only been “in love” once in my lifetime, if even once. My experience in the matter is unsurprisingly innocent and a measure naïve. And so when approaching the topic of love, I as a student in the scientific field must approach it as such. There are two stages to love, the initial “falling,” and the later progressed intimacy. Falling in love is triggered by three neurotransmitters: norepinephrine, dopamine, and phenylethylamine. For simplicity’s sake I shall dub these “hormones,” and when combined, these hormones trigger the euphoria and other feelings of “love.” A firmly established love then introduces two more neurochemicals: oxytocin and serotonin. Suffice it to say, love truly is chemical and just as complex as depicted. As scientists, we can scruple the process of it all, but we never will truly be able to fathom its contexts. Never will we be able to quantify love’s ups and downs, its hurts and elations, or its freeing of the soul as well as its captivity.

If you’ve been living under a rock I will go ahead and fill you in: the Supreme Court has overruled the ban on gay marriage, and now Dick is no longer limited to just Jane. In my young life, never have I seen the country more divided. Some declare this the end of days, while others proclaim it’s the beginning of the golden days. So where shall we as Christians stand on this matter? There is no simple answer. I shall omit any superfluous “I believe” statements because, being my blog, I have the floor. The Supreme Court made the right decision. As a body, our government’s responsibility is just that, to govern. Their duty is not to mold we the people into their “ideal citizen,” instead they’re role is to ensure that we have the life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness for what Thomas Jefferson and the rest of the revolutionaries fought and died. If America truly is the land of the free and home of the brave, why should we be denied the paramount pursuit for which we all strive? As a body of believers and disciples of Christ however, we are called to live apart from this world. Homosexuality is wrong, God decreed it, but I remain the one with a plank in my eye. In the sixth chapter of Luke, Jesus proclaims, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.” These red letters dictate exactly what is expected of Christians today. Our responsibility is not to hate the gay community nor condemn them to Hell, but as a friend said, our job is to “love, love, love… endlessly.” We combat the ways of the world with the five most powerful aforementioned neurochemicals. We are to love our neighbor as ourselves. The only way to expect Christ’s kingdom to come crashing into this worldly empire is through the power of love. To the gay community I say I love you. I’ve seen your strife, and I apologize for the treatment my brothers and sisters have placed upon you. To my brothers in Christ I say love and never cease loving. Love until the earth falls into the sea. Lord come quickly.

These words are sour on my lips, for I am just as guilty as you, but all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. But we are promised no condemnation through our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus. Thank you my dear readers for your support of an impassioned soul. As the world changes around you, and you long for God’s eternal kingdom, take heart in the fact that 1) the tomb is empty and 2) God is faithful.

Shall we take things at face value? I doubt it

            This marks my fourth entry of my literary endeavor to avoid the ennui of life. With each consecutive tirade I cannot help but feel some disconnected closeness to you my anonymous readers, and I thank you. Your devotion (a word certainly overestimating your interest) to my reflections means a great deal to me. Now for the matter at hand: in this I journey to the boundaries of conventional thought to introduce a possibly uncomfortable notion.

            God’s word is law. This declaration is one standard to we who mentally check the disciple of Christ box in our yearly tax forms. The Bible is His inspired word. Again, another statement less than revolutionary to our faith. But God created mankind, a creation claiming possession of His image, and in so are granted freedom from several constrictions: one being from predestination (apologies to the Presbyterians in the room). In this gift of free will we are no longer constricted to simple existence on this rock, but we are capable of philosophical imaginings that can seemingly reach the heavens. Humans are endowed with the ability to think not only freely, but with the highest of intellect, producing blossoming thoughts, which make feats such as the iPhone and the International Space Station possible. Higher thought breeds brilliant minds such as Svante Arrhenius, Emil Fischer, and Linus Pauling (appropriately all chemists). But is it logical to believe these sophisticated men produced their work without first some measure of skepticism? Critical thinking is just that: critical. So, is it unhealthy to have some measure of doubt in your faith? I say no. God gave us minds to think, and to accept anything without some portion of analysis is a poor use of God-given talents. Jesus did not blatantly dictate his answers as basic principle, but he responded with parables. These parables prompted thought on behalf of his audience, so they could fully grasp for themselves the teachings of Christ. Now would be the time where from the trite pulpit, the story of Peter springs to the forefront, but for the sake of critical thinking I shall omit this slightly overused anecdote. I take solace in the fact that the Bible asks more questions than it gives answers, because in this questioning we can produce for ourselves a true, tested faith. Profound philosopher Rene Descartes states, “If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things.” So when you find yourself doubting any aspect of your faith, do not shrivel into a corner feeling discouraged as a “doubting Thomas,” but instead persevere through doubt knowing that through the testing of your faith, true knowledge will surface.

            I, fittingly, have barely offered a rubric for issues of doubt, but am reassuring those who do. Do not fear when doubt arises. Steel yourself when it comes. I thank you once again for your repeated audience and pray you return asking more from me. I leave you with the simple, undoubtable truths that 1) the tomb is empty and 2) God is faithful.