John Lindal’s Blog

Humility

I recently read The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief because it was recommended to me by a retired pastor who is a friend of my wife. Now I recommend it, too. The science is clearly presented, and the arguments for the existence of God are worth considering.

When I went to find the book on Amazon, I discovered that there is a whole cottage industry based on writing books like this. I was a bit surprised, but I really shouldn’t be. People on both sides of the debate never cease to propound their opposing views. Why shouldn’t there be a group who tries to bridge the chasm?

The sad part is that all three groups mostly get it wrong. Regardless of the point of view — be it bible only, bible+science, or science only — they almost always fall into the trap of thinking that they actually know how the universe really works.

The fact is, we don’t.

We cannot prove that God exists. If He does not exist, we are left wondering how the universe came to exist and what our purpose is, if any. If He does exist, we are left wondering how He came to exist and, if you accept the Bible, why He behaves the way He does.

It is quite humbling to admit that we just don’t know what is really going on. It is also scary, however, which is probably why most people cling desperately to one viewpoint or another. (This applies to all religions, not just Christianity.)

However, if people would accept this dose of humility, then I think we would all find it much easier to get along.

Chuck E. Cheese

We just escaped from the ear-splitting, crass, insult that is Chuck E. Cheese. No offense to the parents who scheduled the birthday party there, but the place is intolerable. While I carried my daughter to the car, she listed out everything she doesn’t want for her next birthday party: no loud music, no screaming children, no Chuck E. Cheese. Wise kid. From now on, I’m referring to the place as Yuck E. Cheese.

Time Trap

I just finished Keith Laumer’s Time Trap, published by Baen Books. I found it interesting that Laumer’s time trap worked exactly the same way as in Groundhog Day: It reset every 24 hours, but you remembered everything from the previous cycles. If you were hurt or killed, you woke up whole again at the reset.

New Furniture

My daughter’s new furniture arrived yesterday. She has outgrown her toddler bed, and we found the perfect bedroom collection at easylife. It was discontinued, so we got the floor model at 40% off. Of course, that meant scratches, and after it was delivered, we discovered that the bottom of one of the drawers was broken loose, but nothing that a few nails couldn’t fix!

Since we want her bed to be against the wall, away from the window, one of the two under-the-bed drawer sets wouldn’t make any sense under the bed, so we put it in the closet. It fits so perfectly that I’m tempted to start believing in Intelligent Design