Timtown's philosophy corner

For those who know me, I have some pretty strong opinions about some things. A lot of it is based on Christian principes, but I've found that some of these principles might provoke thought (or other things, if I'm not as lucky :) ) in non- Christians as well.

I am the type of person who likes knowing things for sure. More precisely, I don't believe what I hear with any amount of certainty unless there is a good reason for believing this (yes, I guess you could call me a skeptic!). That doesn't mean I'm stubbrnly fixed on one point of view--it just means that it'll take more effort to change my mind :) .

I consider myself an intelligent individual. Not trying to be condescending here, but then it wouldn't be unless you considered yourself unintelligent, right? Also, I discuss these things b/c I want to. If you have thoughts on them, by all means email me. I like having discussions of this nature--it makes me re-evaluate my own values sometimes (and other times, they re-affirm them).

FYI, I am a Christian, believe in God, and believe the Bible to be the Word of God. These are the primary basis for my belief system. As such, some of the topics might be of a religious nature.

I expect to update this page much more frequently than my home page, simply because I have more to say here :) Come back once every couple of weeks to read some thought-provoking opinions. Of course, if you don't wish to be "provoked", then stay away! J/k. Anyways, here are some topics up for grabs:

Perfection:

One of my takes on life is that an individual should strive for perfection. One of my friends tells me that this is too lofty a goal, one that never can be reached, and hence it is pointless to make that a goal. I agree that it cannot be reached, but I consider perfection to be a long term goal--each short term goal should come closer to perfection. Think of it as the mathematical function, y=1+1/x. As x increases, the line gets closer and closer to y=1. It will never reach 1, but it looks like it always gets closer.

Fear of Death

Are Christians afraid of death? For many of the Christians I know, it seems that the answer is "yes". What about Heaven? Doesn't that more than make up for death? Here's my attempt at psychology:

What makes people (in general) want to cling on to their lives? They think they'll miss out on the things that they love in life. Socializing with friends. The suspense and variety in movies. Video games. Shopping. But what in life are Christians supposed to love the most? God. And that's one thing Christians won't miss in Heaven. Jesus calls the place paradise. That's how I picture it--I don't worry about missing the things on earth because I don't place that much value in them. Perhaps that sounds a little too insensitive, but I figure, if I don't care as much, I won't miss it as much. This is my logical side speaking...I'm really not trying to sound cynical!

What's Heaven like?

I find it slightly amusing to sometimes hear people say that they hope their <insert material item here> makes it to heaven with them, so that they can enjoy it there. It's amusing, b/c whatever we experience here may very well be nothing compared to what we'll enjoy in Heaven.
More to come!