Therefore, i’m just going to start putting how I feel on here so I can look back on it as sort of a journal.  I asked my pastor about journaling and he said it would be a great idea.  Considering no one reads this thing regularly, it should be okay to get a few random views of my thoughts every now and then.

My thoughts.  Why is living as a Christian so hard?  Why do I struggle so much?  Why has my life felt more depressing since I became a Christian?  Why is God so powerless?  Why do I struggle feeling now?  Why don’t You answer these questions?  Why am I impatient?  Why am I discontent?  Why do I want to die already?  Why do I not want this anymore, but at the same time, I do?

Why can’t You just show me love so that I can see it?

***While reading, keep in mind that I am a major procrastinator and the first four assignments were written within an hour or two before class (five was done about a week before and six was the night before, both due to required research).  Therefore, there will be plenty of things that don’t make sense, seem over-emphasized, or just don’t pertain to the paper at all.  Also keep in mind that these papers had certain requirements and word limits, therefore, the papers may seem a bit odd in terms of structure or “bluntness.”***

I also apologize to those of you who have been visiting my blog regularly (according to my stat board) and only find these assignments although I stated this would be a research blog.  After school finishes (this Friday), I should be able to start recording my research more in-depth.  Thanks again!

Ryne Vories

ENGL 101

Professor Lefler

April 19, 2010

Compare and Contrast

Christianity vs. Atheism:  Which is morally better for the world?

The infamous John Lennon states in his hit song Imagine, “Imagine there’s no Heaven, it’s easy if you try, no Hell below us, above us only skies.”  When thought about deeply, is it truly possible to imagine such a thing?  If so, what would the imagination bring?  Would such a place have consequence, would it be more peaceful, or would this world be inclined towards destruction?   Simply put, is a world with a God morally better, or is the Atheistic worldview (no God) better in terms of morals?  Given the apologetic rant, one would assume that Christianity, or any worldview with a God, Heaven, and Hell, would be a shoe-in for providing the best moral views for humanity, but some of the top Atheistic minds of today have shown otherwise.  Incidentally, as with any debate against God, the perfection of the Bible defends itself greatly against such accusations, showing that Christianity is indeed morally better for the world.

First and foremost, morality should be described.  Although many may argue specifics about whether or not to accept this action or this action as moral, an overall definition of morality can be accepted.  To paraphrase former Atheist, C.S. Lewis, morality can be divided into three parts: relations between humans, the inner sanctions of a person, and the purpose of human life as a whole.  The first of the three is what is looked at most as the definition of morality while the other two are seemingly deemed absent.  It relates to what is universally considered “right,” “kind,” or “fair-play.”  This relates to the thought “if it doesn’t hurt or bother someone else, then it is okay.”  This is obviously a matter of opinion, but it is widely accepted that some things are wrong, while others are right.  For example, when a person kills someone, it is murder and deemed wrong.  The second involves the person in their self.  What good is a person who knows what is morally right or kind, but is unable to practice it?  What is the good in creating rules of behavior if it is known that greed, cowardice, anger, and self-conceit are going to prevent humanity from keeping them?  Finally, the third involves the purpose of life itself.  What is the purpose in being moral in this life?  To put it simple, in relation to the previous two points; a life without purpose needs no morality.  If somebody else made humans for their own purpose, then humanity has more duties than if they simply belonged to themselves.  Therefore, they have more purpose and a reason for morality itself (Lewis).  It seems, then, that if someone were to discuss morality itself (first part), they must look at morality as a whole.

With morality defined, what are the arguments for and against Christianity and Atheism in regards what is morally better?  Number five on foreign policy’s top 100 intellectuals of our time list, regular contributor to Vanity Fair, and one of the “Four Horseman” of the Atheistic faith, Christopher Hitchens presents three sole arguments against Christianity as being good, or moral, for the world in the book “Is Christianity Good for the World?” (Hitchens 21).

The starting topic that Hitchens mentions is that there is no evidence that precepts such as “love they neighbor,” or the many other moral laws for that matter, derive from Christianity (Hitchens 21).  While this is true, this argument should be disregarded as the logical fallacy argumentum ad ignorantiam, or “appeal to ignorance.”  This logical fallacy states that, because a point cannot be proven, it must be true (or vice-versa).  These types of arguments are not plausible, for the Christian opposing could state that there is no proof that those precepts derive from anywhere else but God.  Unfortunately, it seems as if wordplay has always been popular on both sides in attempts to make a valid argument.

The second argument that Hitchens presents is that against the concept of vicarious redemption.  He makes the statement that he can “pay your debt or even take your place in prison, but [he] cannot absolve you of what you actually did.”  Christopher continues on to say, “This exorbitant fantasy of ‘forgiveness’ is unfortunately unmatched by an equally extreme admonition – which is that the refusal to accept such a sublime offer may be punishable by eternal damnation” (Hitchens 22).  Although Hitchens states this in a repugnant way, he is seemingly correct (Rom 5:9; 2 Pet 3:9; & more), but his main point, stated later, is that “repentance makes all permissible.”  This, on the other hand, is incorrect.  Although the Bible does teach that repentance atones for a person’s sins, it does not mean that Christians can sin however much they want, repent afterwards, then be “okay.”  The Bible teaches that God knows the hearts (Psalms 17:3; 44:21; 139:1-4 & more).  If God knows a person’s heart, then He will be able to acknowledge the sincerity in that person.  If a person continues to consciously sin, God will put a stop to it and “hand them over” into their own devious will (Romans 1-5).  To conclude, repentance does allow forgiveness and atonement for sins, but does not allow a limitless amount of sinning.

Lastly, Christopher Hitchens makes the claim that “morality does not require supernatural sanction” (Hitchens 23-5).  Unfortunately, as pastor Douglas Wilson shows in debate, he gives no evidence for such a claim and such evidence has yet to be given by any other opposition either.  To give evidence for a statement of this standing, one would have to give evidence for their moral derivation.  Incidentally, moral derivation is the final point to be discussed.  It is obvious that Christians claim to get their morals from God and the Bible, but where do Atheists get theirs?  Atheism has no account for this.  Hitchens, along with many other Atheists, argue for innate human solidarity, but still give no account for such fellowship.  Thankfully, Christopher Hitchens also gives resolution to this argument, while speaking in Washington, DC, by explaining that, “the [atheistic] argument for morality is unresolved.”  To put it simple, Atheists believe that there is no God and shit happens because the Universe simply does not care (Doane).  Therefore, Christianity is the only side of the two that holds an account for morality itself.

In conclusion, because Atheism fails to give an account for morality itself, Christianity is morally better, in comparison, for the world.  As C.S. Lewis’s third part of morality states, without a reason for life, what is the point of being moral?  Without consequence, why not do what the sinful flesh says to do?  As an Atheist, it is believed that there is no heaven and hell, or no reward or punishment for this life.  Therefore, all is permissible with the Atheistic view of no consequence.

Works Cited

Doane, Darren.  Collision. Perf.  Christopher Hitchens & Douglas Wilson.  Crux Pictures, 2009.  Video.

Hitchens, Christopher & Wilson, Douglas. Is Christianity Good for the World? Moscow, ID:  Canon  Press, 2009.  Print.

Lewis, C.S.  Mere Christianity. New York, NY:  HarperCollins Publishers, 1952.  pgs 69-75.  Print.

(NIV) New International Bible.  Ed.  Unknown.  Grand Rapids, MI:  Zondervan, 2006.  Print

Ryne Vories

ENGL 101

Professor Lefler

April 6, 2010

Argumentative Research Essay

The Fact Delusion

Imagine an incomprehensible supernatural being creating the universe, all of the matter in it, and life on that matter just by thinking and speaking it.  That sounds crazy, right?  Now, imagine nothing: no space, universe, or time.  Then, all of the sudden matter forms from nothing and compresses into a sphere smaller than an atom.  Then, the matter expands at such a rapid rate that space and everything in space comes out.  Finally, billions of years later on one of those particles, a small pile of “goo,” that current scientists refer to as protoplasm, forms by itself, also from nothing, and eventually evolves into plants, animals, and the male and female humans who’s bodies fit perfectly together.  Some believe that sounds just as crazy as the first explanation of life.   The debate between evolution and creation dates back to Aristotle’s time, but really took light in the science field when Charles Darwin presented the Theory of Evolution in his book On the Origin of Species in 1859 (Darwin).  Since then, with new technology, science has disproved many of Darwin’s theories, but has used many of Darwin’s theories to make way into a better understanding of the universe and life within.  Unfortunately, these new findings “debunking” most of Darwin’s theories have given way into many disagreements in the scientific world, leading to arguments over the origins of the universe, disagreements on how life developed since the origins, and causing many issues surrounding the particular topic of creation versus evolution.

A major topic to begin with is that of the origins of the universe.  There are two major views to be discussed in this:  Creation and Cosmic Evolution.  A big argument today is that you cannot combine Creation and science, but in research, one will find that most Creationists use science to make their points (The God Delusion). Those Creationists who use science are also referred to as Intelligent Design theorists.  Also, there are Creationist organizations based solely on science and controlled by scientists, such as Creation Ministries International and Institute for Creation Research, but it seems as if there are the few Creationists who base their views strictly off of what their sacred literature, Genesis being one origin, says without scientific evidence.  As for the other side of the argument, Cosmic Evolution refers to those who point to evolution of matter in space to explain our origins.  As one can find almost anywhere, including NASA, the most widely accepted theory for this is the Big Bang Theory.  The Big Bang Theory can be briefly explained as the theory that the universe started out as nothing at all, then made it’s way into an extremely small existence twelve to fourteen billion years ago, and finally expanded into the universe that we see today (Universe 101).  The main argument on origins is between the creation by God and the development of matter alone.

The Big Bang remains a theory because of its lack of explanation for all the data gathered.  Geological and civil engineer, Dr. John Morris, explains that, with current technology, we are only observing points of light, some with different characteristics, in which are not changing, with the exception of the occasional explosion of a star.  Therefore, only certain aspects of the Big Bang’s mathematical formula are testable and many scientists are working on that today (Morris 136-7).  One of those scientists is Industrial Research Magazine’s “IRS-100 Award” winner and contributor to the ion-fusion target theory, Dr. Russell Humphrey.  Dr. Humphrey feels that he presented a more mathematical and evidence based model on a younger universe in 1994 that is not fitting to Creationists or Big Bang Evolutionists theories.  It was and still is being argued by scientists around the globe, and has yet to be considered more righteous in comparison to the current Big Bang theory.  It seems to be a vast misunderstanding that the Big Bang is a fact.  Also, there are no valid arguments for Creation, as something supernatural cannot be explained and proven naturally, but there are plenty of arguments out there against our current understanding of the universe’s origins to give way to Creationist point of view.  Although we as humans can not completely prove the existence of God, the fact that scientists are working on better theories shows that the current Big Bang model is fallible and, as we currently know in accordance with science, unworthy of using as an official explanation of the universe’s origins as a fact itself.

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a major advancement in particle science, has led some to believe that God could be proven wrong by science.   Unfortunately, that is a misunderstanding.  The LHC’s main purpose is to recreate what it may have been like after the Big Bang and not to recreate the Big Bang itself.  Scientists hope to study the created particles to better understand the current Laws of Nature presented by the current model of particle physics.  In agreement with beliefs about the Big Bang, the creators of the LHC recognize that the current models to understand the Laws of Nature don’t “tell the whole story” (CERN).

The second major topic is the development of life after it came into existence.  There are those whose knowledge derives from the Darwinian teaching in Charles Darwin’s book, “On the Origin of Species,” also known as evolutionists.  There are also those who believe in the creation of man by God.  Darwinian Evolutionists say that all life forms derived from a single common ancestor by means of natural selection, or randomness (The God Delusion).  On the other hand, Creationists say humans were created by God (Genesis 1).  There are the few who believe that God created and guided evolution, but the Bible disproves that theory in many of its books.  Atheist scientist and best selling author, Dr. Richard Dawkins, and Creationist author, theologian, and mathematician, Dr. John Lennox, both agree that you can not combine the two (The God Delusion), therefore, that will be excluded from this discussion.

Although there are many arguments in development, one major one will be discussed: microevolution versus macroevolution.  Microevolution is where species adapt and change in various small ways, such as color, size, and shape, and are sometimes classified as new species.  On the other hand, macroevolution is where species evolve gradually into a completely new species on a large scale (Creation or Evolution?).  To put it simply, microevolution says that, over time, one bird could evolve into another bird.  Incidentally, macroevolution will tell you, given enough time, a banana can evolve into a human.  As one can find from study, evolutionists from all spectrums will agree that microevolution has been observed, but macroevolution has not.  Acknowledging this, Stephen J. Gould, a Harvard graduate, evolutionary biologist, paleontologist, and winner of many outstanding awards, including the Darwin-Wallace medal for major advances in evolutionary biology, stated, “it is the chief frustration of the fossil record that we do not have empirical evidence for sustained trends in the evolution of most complex morphological adaptations” and also states “We fancy ourselves as the only true students of life’s history, yet to preserve our favored account of evolution by natural selection we view our data as so bad that we never see the very process we profess to study” (Gould).  From researching, it seems as if a lot of the more liberal Darwinists, also referred to as “neo-Darwinists,” are trying so hard to expand Darwin’s Theory of Evolution and come to a final conclusion already that they claim science has proven many points that it has not.

On the other hand, a global flood, such as the one described in Genesis of the bible, explains most archeological findings today, including the rapid fossilization of the “Cambrian explosion.”  The Cambrian explosion is a term used to describe the sudden point in time where there was a rapid appearance of major groups of complex animals and organisms.  It is estimated that about ninety-five percent of fossils found today were to have come from this Cambrian explosion (Dr Baumgardner).  As one can find by a simple search, many of these were found fossilized while in some sort of action, such as eating another fish or fighting.  This explosion seems to be a great argument for the Creationist side, but gives vast confusion to the other.

The last main point to be discussed is the problems of today involving the debate of evolution and creation.  One major problem is the academic unfairness of the arguments.  In 2008, Ben Stein presented a documentary on the lack of consideration given to the Creationist argument.  In this documentary, Ben Stein presented many big college professors and journalists who have lost jobs or funding because they wanted or tried to study Intelligent Design, or creation, as a possibility.  Ben notes this problem by saying, “We are losing our freedom in one of the most important sectors of society: science. I have always assumed that scientists were free to ask any question, to pursue any line of inquiry, without fear of reprisal. But recently I’ve been alarmed to discover that this is not the case” (Frankowski).

Another issue is that of ignorance.  With the rise in arguments, one can look on any political, scientific, or religious forum and see that there are plenty of people out there who are trying to argue topics that they know little about.  People are seemingly repeating what they hear from their biased side.  Author Gina Welch went “undercover” for two years in a Christian mega-church, making Christian friends and eventually growing to enjoy the sermons and environment to write a book on the experience.  In an interview with TIME, the first statement from Gina was a reply to the question “Were you surprised how you came to be part of the evangelical world?”  In her reply, Gina said, “It’s very easy to roll your eyes at the culture when you don’t have any stake with anyone participating in it” (Oloffson).  As with many other major arguments, it can be assumed that both sides have the majority that are biased and without experience of the side they are arguing against.

The last issue that this “war” has brought up is the misunderstanding of science itself.  Science changes and that is a fact.  Any science that is learned changes over time by new theories or new findings.  For example, a couple of hundred years ago many humans believed the world to be flat!  Nobel Prize winner Richard Feynman once said, “We are at the beginning of time for the human race.  It is not unreasonable that we grapple with problems.  Our responsibility is to do what we can, learn what we can, improve the solutions, and pass them on.”   No matter what side the scientist is on, it should be acknowledged that what they know will be different in a matter of centuries or even decades.

In conclusion, it should be emphasized that proof or disproof of the biblical God is impossible.  A common argument one might hear from an Atheist is that God cannot be proven.  This is absolutely true, but it should be recognized that God cann ot be disproven either.  Although there can be a lot of evidence for both sides, it is common sense that it is impossible to explain something supernatural by naturalistic ways.  Unfortunately, that seems to be the motivation of many scientists today to lie, provide false evidence to the ignorant, or to even create ridiculous theories that are only meant to deny a God.  The father of modern chemistry, Robert Boyle, once said, “From a knowledge of God’s work, we shall know him.”  Despite the arguing and slander, it seems as if scientists, some in ignorance, are only learning more about what God created and not what created itself. 

Works Cited

Baumgardner, John.  Globalflood.org. Web.  12 Apr 2010. <http://www.globalflood.org>

CERN.  The Large Hadron Collider. European Organization for Nuclear Research, 2008.  Web.  8 Apr 2010.  <http://public.web.cern.ch/public/en/LHC/LHC-en.html>

Creation or Evolution? drydeadfish.co.uk, n.d.  Web.  8 Apr 2010.

<http://www.drydeadfish.co.uk/junk/creation_or_evolution_creation_flood_theory/index.php>

Darwin, Charles.  The Origin of Species.  New York, NY:  Gramercy, 1979.  Print.

Frankowski, Nathan.  Expelled.  Perf. Stein, Ben.  Premise Media, 2008.  Video.

Gould, Stephen.  Species Selection:  It’s Range and Power. Nature Vol. 334.  Issue 6177 (1988): pg 19.  Print.

Morris, John.  Is the Big Bang Biblical? And 99 Other Questions. Green Forest, AR:  Master Books, 2003.  Print.

Oloffson, Kristi.  Going Undercover Among Evangelicals. TIME, 5 Apr 2010.  Web.  8 Apr 2010.

The God Delusion Debate:  Dawkins vs. Lennox. Fixed Point Foundation, 2007.  Video

Universe 101: Big Bang Theory. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, n.d.  Web.  8 Apr 2010. < http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/universe/bb_theory.html>

My professor asked us to underline our thesis, hence the underlined next.

Ryne Vories

ENGL 101

Professor Lefler

March 1, 2010

Analysis of KY Advertisement

Sex Matters

It’s a few months before your wedding, your fiancé and yourself are lying together watching a movie and the sexual tension is rising.  Both of you decided at a young age that you would wait until marriage to “become one,” but you are getting married soon and most people do it before marriage anyway, so why not?  Despite that, where did you get these sexual desires?  Some would say it is built into us, which I agree.  Others say that it is because of sex media, in which I strongly agree.  Take the company of KY for example; KY sells personal lubricants for enhancing the sex life.  They use media to accomplish this by advertising in a way that tries to convince a person that, when using their product, sex is much more enjoyable.  For example, a magazine article that has a mid-twenties couple with accomplished and pleased facial expressions and radiation or light coming from that couple right after a night of sex.  By advertising a sexual lubricant in a contemporary setting, with a visual of sexual “accomplishment,” KY displays the honest role of sex in America and exposes the general inadequacy that all humans affix to life itself.

“In America, sex is an obsession; in other parts of the world, it is a fact” – Marla Dietrich.  KY clearly shows us the negative association that American has given sex.  The eye-catching text, “The better the ‘during,’ the more the after glows,” makes it seem as if the better the sex is, the better off in life you are and/or the happier you will be.  The surroundings of the couple in the ad are a symmetrical, modern style room with a big soft rug that shows a good amount of wealth for such a young couple.  Everything, including books, seems to be organized symmetrically around the bed and focusing on the pleased couple.  I feel that this shows us how much of a main focus sex is in everyone’s life.

The pleased facial expressions also show us typical stereotypes that are given to men and women involving sex.  The pajama-attired male has an accomplished look on his face, expressing the stereotypical dominance that males possess.  “I just made her scream, therefore, I’m in control” is a thought assumed to be in the mind of a male after pleasing his mate.  As for the female, she has a somewhat seductive smile on her face.  I feel that this is a great picture of the sexual power that woman hold over men.  Any attractive woman automatically catches the sexual eye of a guy.  Even the bible, referring to sexual thoughts as immorality, recognizes this.  1 Corinthians 7:2 says, “Since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each wife her own husband” and later continues to say, “Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.”  God recognizes and shows us that we all have our sexual desires, but unfortunately, it is inflated immorally by media, who makes it accessible to kids.

I also feel that this product alone shows us, as average humans, that we constantly want more and more out of life.  Life is inadequate in the eye of an American.  The pleasure of sex feels amazing, but media makes us feel like we still need to improve it with expensive lubricants.  To me, it seems that by making sex inadequate, the importance of sex is seemingly drifting away.  Sex is no longer “love making,” it is merely “f***ing.”

Betty Friedman once said, “Instead of fulfilling the promise of infinite orgasmic bliss, sex in America is becoming a strangely joyless national compulsion, if not a contemptuous mockery.”  She is completely right.  Obviously, as with all stereotypes, one can’t put all humans (or even Americans) under this category, but it is easily assumed whenever you turn on the television, walk through any public school, or skim through the magazine aisle at your local Wal-Mart.  Sex is becoming less important over the ages and, I fear, will continue to decline to the point of public sex if not taken action upon.  “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature:  sexual immorality, impurity, lust…” (Col 3:5).  By giving into lust and impurity, we are only hurting ourselves by taking the importance and “magic” out of what God made so great.

I also realize that some things I say in those aren’t facts (bible and other religions reference for example), but when I wrote this, my goal was just to get the paper done asap so I didn’t get an incomplete.  Therefore, many mistakes and blunt assumptions were made.

Ryne Vories

ENGL 101

Professor Lefler

February 12, 2010

Exemplification

Mere Christianity

“If it were not for the Christians, I would be one!” said Mohandas Gandhi.  There are  many stereotypes and criticisms that surround all religions and minorities.  Many would look at Christianity and say that it is not a minority, but to true Christians it is.  The assumed definition of a Christian by someone of ignorance would be “anyone who believes in God.”  That is wrong.  Christians believe in the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit and that each of those are one in the same.  “True” Christians also try to stay true to God’s word (the Bible) and try their hardest to build their personal relationships with God by trying to live their lives as Jesus did – without sin.  Unfortunately, most of the negative stereotyping comes from the outside judgments of those who think they are Christians, but are not educated in what a Christian really is and how he or she should live.  The three most typical stereotypes of Christians would be that they are overly strict or “goody-two-shoes,” hypocrites, and that they are ignorant in their beliefs.

The first and most common criticism of Christians is that they are too strict in their ways.  Christianity, as well as every other religion has a set of standards or rules to follow.  In the case for Christianity, the standards are the Ten Commandments and the New Testament teachings of Jesus.  Like other religions, true Christians follow their rules, or “Law,” how it suppose to be.  If they didn’t, then what would be the point in having the Law?  Too many people who say they are Christians are ignorant of most of these rules because they assume if they don’t break any of the Ten Commandments, then they are perfectly fine and will be saved.  For example, my pastor had a conversation with his elderly neighbor who claimed to be a Christian about her faith.  She said that she felt like she was okay in her life because she hadn’t murdered, stolen, cheated, or anything big that the Ten Commandments mentions.  That is completely incorrect, for the New Testament shows us that we should “put to death, therefore, what belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry” (Col 3:5-6).  Any true Christian would consider any act that is breaking God’s Law a sin, so acting against what is in the bible is a sin because “prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21).  That simply means that, although man wrote the bible, God still ordained it and put in them the words to write out.  Therefore, Christians aren’t strict, but more-so people see the Law itself as being strict.  If most people were not lazy, selfish, controlling, and ungrateful, then they would be willing to open up to living their lives through God’s control as they should be.  Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”  Therefore, despite what it may seem like, Christians are merely honoring our God by honoring His word.

The second common prejudice of Christians is that they are hypocrites.  I disagree.  A hypocrite, according to Merriam Webster’s Dictionary, is a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion or a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings.  A false appearance of virtue or religion would refer to a person lying about their religion or appearance, therefore, such people under that category aren’t truly Christians (they are just posing).   A person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings is a more accurate understanding and view of Christians.  Many Christians will criticize others not to sin, but will sin in their own actions.  For example, a Christian hears a friend cursing and confronts them about it and the friend points out that the Christian had cursed a few weeks prior.  First, I would like to state that Christians are called not to judge those outside of the church (1 Cor 5:12), but should try and spread the Word in hopes of saving others (Mat 28:19).  Christians are commanded to help others and the common way to solve any issue is by identifying the problem.  In the case for a pagan (non-Christian), it is typically the want and desire for sinful things and the Christian will point that out. The biggest issue with this is pride.  If someone tells another person that they have a problem, it is an automatic reaction to get defensive in some form.  In most cases, it is a common assumption that the defense would be an attack on the issues of the first accuser (the Christian in this case).  True Christians know that they are sinful and not perfect because, “All have sinned and fall short under the glory of God” (Rom 3:23).  The Bible states, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not within us” (1 John 1:8).  When a Christian verbally states that they have no sin, then they are liars and should ask for forgiveness to atone for such a sin (1 Jn 1:9).  As I have shown, although Christians will point out others’ sins, they are only trying to help and are knowledgeable that they are not perfect, but their ultimate goal is to walk as Jesus did and be more like Him (Eph 5:2).

The last common criticism of Christians to be discussed is that they are ignorant in their beliefs.  There are many other groups that will argue the Christian way of view: Evolutionists, Atheists, other religions, etc.  Unfortunately, an argument against evolution or Atheism would be a book long and not fitting, so I will concentrate on other religions.  The core example that makes Christians seem ignorant is their belief in the resurrection of Jesus.  All religions (except for the Mormons who have their own book) are based out of the Bible; therefore, let’s refer to the Bible.   Acts 1:3 says, “After his (Jesus) suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.”  There are many verses after his resurrection that show how he talked to others after his crucifixion (Mt 28:1-7, Mk 16:1-8, Lk 24:1-12, Jn 20:1-2, etc…).  Therefore, Jesus was indeed resurrected.  The biggest issue with religion is the fact that many choose to only use part of the Bible or change it to better suit their wants.  Some examples would be that the Jewish and many middle-eastern religions only use the Old Testament, the Mormons used some of the Bible and created what is called the Mormon Bible, and Catholics have the full Bible, but with extra books in addition to the Old Testament.  Christianity is the only religion that uses the Bible how God intended it to be.  Therefore, the Christian doctrine is the most trustworthy one.

There are many who pose as Christians or think that they are living a Christian life, but unfortunately, are not knowledgeable of truth.  Criticism of Christianity could easily be lightened by proper education to those who do not know what Christianity really is.  As for the true Christians who are still belittled by those of different beliefs, they will have to continue taking a beating for their beliefs.  2 Timothy 3:12 says, “In fact, everyone who wants to live a Godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”  Christianity, the only religion that lives a Godly life through Christ and not indirectly, has been ridiculed for centuries and will be until our time is up.

Ryne Vories

ENGL 101

Professor Lefler

February 5, 2010

Narrative

Gaudy Incarceration to Godly Inclination

“It’s only after we’ve lost everything, that we are free to do anything” (Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club) is a declaration with strong meaning to those who have experienced it or at least came close.  As for those who have yet to come close to such an experience; they need to.  Many of us, some unknowingly and some not, are controlled by a lifestyle of control itself: control over anything and everything around us.  We are controlled by fear.  I feel that deep down we love this control, but also want the escape from it that most of us cannot find.  The result of never finding such an escape is a long walk downhill to bewilderment.  Well, I sledded down that hill towards bewilderment on the fastest sled I could have found, but before I hit bottom, I was able to find my clear path back to the top.

For about half a year, my control tools were alcohol and marijuana: alcohol for depression and marijuana for escape from reality.  Smoking marijuana was something I did multiple times daily.  The feeling to be able to seemingly escape from the grasps of any genre of stress was prodigious and could not be replaced at the time.

One late Friday evening in early March of 2009, a friend and I were on our way to Evansville to get some unnecessary items.  As any smoker would agree, any type of road trip gives way to another reason to get high.  My original plans were to wait until the drive back from Evansville to smoke, but my impatient friend, Eddy, disagreed.  The lack of capacity to argue was my flaw.  As we lit up my colorful glass pipe, letting off the skunk-ish smelling aromas, our minds slowly started to daze into the nighttime highway sky.  After only a few inhales, a six-wheeled diesel truck slowed down at such an extreme rate that caused me to swerve into the next lane.  This kind of a maneuver was dare-devilish on a traffic covered Friday evening highway.

After a few minutes, maybe seconds (given my state), blue and red lights filled my three dark mirrors.  In panic, my friend hid everything under his seat as I rolled down the windows to let the smoke out.  After pulling me over, the young state-cop let me know that I was pulled over for reckless driving and almost colliding with another vehicle.  The officer then returned to his car for what seemed like hours at the time.  After returning to my vehicle, he proceeded this long wait by asking me to step out of my car.  My heart would have been racing if it were not for me being high.  About three more law enforcement vehicles came: one more state, one sheriff, and an SUV that I had never seen.  They searched, found, and confiscated two bottles of alcohol, marijuana, and marijuana paraphernalia.  After sitting in the back of one of the warm, overly comforting vehicles for a while, we were let go.  My heart was ecstatic and confused.  I was just put through the maddening experience of being a minor caught by a state trooper with illegal drugs and alcohol, but was then let go with only a ticket saying that my court date would come in the mail.  The illicit substance still gave us peace, so we continued to Evansville and finished our night as planned.  The next few weeks were arduously spent researching law to find out what may happen to me.  The letter from the courthouse never came, so I assumed that the cop didn’t turn in the ticket considering that had happened with a previous traffic ticket.  From fear and a wake up to the reality of a wasted life, I started my path to quitting my substance abuse.  I was free.

A month or two after the disquieting experience, I became closer to a Christian friend: a girl.  This tan beauty is physically fitted with thin golden hair, near perfect lips, a realization and application of what style is, and kaleidoscope eyes.  Karesse and I had been friends for a few years prior, but really grew close over the summer of 2009.  Although fearful, her graceful presence and forgiving personality was not one that I could easily look past.  Over a short summer time, we gradually grew a more intimate relationship.  Anytime we were within sensible range of each other, temperatures rose and heartbeats could be heard a mile away.  We fell for each other.  We developed a relationship that could easily be compared to in any typical romantic feature film with too much detail to explain.  Unfortunately, there were two main problems: she was leaving for a Bible College almost eight hours away only a month after we had declared our feelings for each other and I was not a Christian.  Distance did not bother me and could be argued, but becoming a Christian was another ballpark.  My prior faith consisted of not caring enough to study everything to really understand it.  Therefore, I had no religion and my faith was in myself.  She became my motivation and I eventually found much more to faith and religion than just believing in a God.  I was baptized a few months later.  Although she had said no to a relationship, we helplessly started one anyway.

At the end of November, a week before my baptism, the local county sheriff showed up at my house asking for me.  Thankfully, I was safe in God’s church at the time.  I had no idea what it could have been for considering the court date never came in the mail for my drug charge.  My dad made a call to a local law enforcement friend to find out what it was because the sheriffs department wouldn’t give any information until the next day.  The friend said he would call back after he knew more.  Karesse was visiting from school that week and we spent time together at a friend’s house that night.  I received a call from dad informing me that I had a warrant out for my arrest for missing court.  In panic, I left the cozy home and drove off into the dark country to pray.  I then called Karesse in tears and explained to her the situation.  I returned and continued the night in stress.  She was leaving the next morning and had planned to meet me before she got onto the highway home.  Therefore, my plan was to turn myself in the day after she had left.  Despite the offer from a friend to stay at his house, I returned home late that night and fell asleep talking to Karesse on the phone.  I was rudely awoken by a knocking on the door.  Outside my window I saw the sheriffs vehicle.  I texted Karesse that they were there and that was the last of our contact for the morning.

I was taken to jail in my pajamas, put in a single concrete cell for about an hour, was later changed, and then moved into the actual jail with at least forty or fifty other inmates.  Surprisingly, it wasn’t bad at all.  The other inmates were fairly nice and looked up the fact that I was arrested on a warrant for multiple possession offenses and was to be moved to Gibson County Jail where it is supposedly much worse.  Unfortunately, lack of time and space in this paper won’t allow me to give more detail of the jail experience itself.  Although I was only there for a few hours, I had a lot of time to think about my faith and was able to grow closer to God through that experience.  I was later transported to Gibson county jail and bonded out by my father before being put in a cell.  I received my court date, had my trial, and was charged with only one out of the three charges: paraphernalia.  This charge gave me a year of probation instead of the year of jail that I was originally suppose to get before they dropped two charges.  I am thankful for the probation because it just makes my Christian walk easier by keeping me away from sinful things.

Everything that had happened was a result of my control.  I had nothing to control my life for me; therefore, I took control into my own hands through drugs and suffered the consequences.  I am complacent in this because if it were not for such an experience, I would not be where I am now in life.  I have a relationship with God now and I am thankful that I can take all of that control off of my own shoulders and give it to the only One who can actually handle it.  In everything that had happened, I experienced fear and panic in which I felt I could not handle.  “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).  God shows me that my fears are pointless as long as I am seeking him and trusting in him and I am thankful for that.

Ryne Vories

ENGL 101

Professor Lefler

January 19, 2010

Autobiography “Story” Writing Assignment

Out of the Wild

“The core of mans’ spirit comes from new experiences” was written by Christopher McCandless in his journal during the last and probably best two years of his life.  As you are probably wondering, Christopher McCandless was a young man who had already graduated from college with the grades and financial stability for Harvard Law, but instead of continuing his education, he gave it all away to travel the nation with the idea of living in Alaska’s wilderness to find his true identity as his goal.  Christopher’s story has also been one of the top motivators in changing my life around in the past year.  After seeing the movie “Into the Wild,” based on the last couple of years of Christopher’s life, I was motivated to go camping a night or two alone in hopes of figuring out my own identity a little more.  Unfortunately, that goal was not accomplished, but I did get a life changing experience and a great story out of it.

It all started, as all great stories start, with change; something in a person’s life changing or, in my case, the need or want for change.  After seeing “Into the Wild” I decided that I wanted change in my life.  I saw that over the five or six months prior to me seeing the movie, my life had started to rapidly go downhill and was continuing to plunge.  Over those five or six months, I started drinking heavily and using drugs daily.  As a result, I started skipping all my classes and ended up attending a whole year of school, but only earning one credit.  Therefore, I felt that I needed to figure out what I was going to really do with my life and why.  Just as Christopher McCandless saw in his life, I saw that I needed a purpose.  My destination was then a place called Hindostan Falls; about an hour away from Vincennes.  Hindostan Falls is a small campground with an area of low falling waterfalls similar to rapids that locals typically would go to for relaxation or to eat at one of the many picnic tables bordering one side of the water.  Surrounding the campground are many miles of woods with random cabins or farmhouses places throughout.  I would be camping in the miles of lumber.  This massive wooded area is made up of tall hills that are seemingly painted in extravagant autumn colors by a wide selection of Midwest trees.  Fortunately for any grateful viewer, the road there cuts through a significant amount of open plains for great viewing of the navy blue nighttime sky a stars overlooking the mountain-like hills.  I feel that only those living-in or descending-from farmlands can truly appreciate such beauty.

As I was driving through the tidal waves of wooded hills that led to my pre-chosen campsite, I couldn’t help but to be nervous and fearful.  The knowledge that I, a small eighteen year old boy whose only cares at the times were sex, drugs, alcohol, and music was about to put myself alone into the wilderness over-night overflowed my head with nervous excitement.  While arriving at the spot that I would park my vehicle, I noticed the sky slowly graying in the way that only means rain.  I parked my car, put my pack on, and made my way towards the woods.  The spot that I chose to camp at was chosen because of the significantly beautiful area surrounding it in comparison to the already glorious country land I was in.  To get to my campsite, I had to first walk through about fifty yards of a grassy meadow that has a bear sized rock placed conveniently in the center of the meadow.  After getting to my campsite, not far into the woods after the meadow, I looked down through the trees over a low valley similar to a canyon and became very grateful I chose to camp at the top of the highest hill I could find in Hindostan.  I then packed my tent and the lonely night started.

Due to lack of planning, I wasn’t quite sure what to do the whole night so I pulled “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky and began to read.  This action was rare for me considering the fact that in the past eight to ten years I had probably finished less than five books total.  Most of the night was spent reading with the exception of the fairly short phone conversation I had with a friend of mine.  After the phone call, I laid back and realized that I wasn’t getting anywhere near my goal of finding my purpose in life by reading fiction and talking to a friend, therefore, my goal of finding a purpose in life was not being accomplished.  I began to think and came to various conclusions on what the “purpose of life” was, but it all ultimately led to the yearning for happiness.  Religion, money, relationships, sex, etc…  Every goal in a person’s life feeds some sort of a hole to get us closer to happiness, but for what?  We spend our whole lives accomplishing things only to die in a matter of a few decades, but we still choose to continue on.  We think that if we live our lives through success and wealth, then we will be happy.  That was my conclusion at the time.  Suddenly, fatigue overtook my body and mind and all I wanted to do was sleep.  I made the attempt to sleep, but was abruptly interrupted by a sudden storm.  My Coleman tent was thrown back and forth like a balloon tacked to the ground in front of a barn fan with my body, combined with the four plastic stakes, as the the thumbtack.  This was nothing compared to the troubles that the morning would bring.  I somehow passed out a couple hours later during the storm.

The first thing that I can remember after waking up is the sudden overflow of thoughts from the previous night that drowned my tired head.  That Sunday, under the late morning sunlight, I became suicidal.  I had no belief in afterlife so the idea of selfishly living my life in such a way to reach an unattainable happiness just to die in the end seemed absurd.  I knew that I probably just needed help, therefore, I called the friend I had talked to the night before and there was no answer.  In panic, I called my old youth pastor.  In high school, I attended his youth group for social means, although I had no belief in a God.  Fearfully, I explained to him the situation and he did no more than calm me down by occupying my time.  We then planned to meet up a couple of hours later.  After the phone call, I laid back to view the bright morning sky through the stargazing screens on my tent, somehow with a completely clear mind.  In that instant, the sky and sun were much more beautiful than I had ever remembered seeing them before.  For some reason, I didn’t care about anything at all other than the world around me; I had never been so happy and carefree in my life since childhood.

After looking at the sky for a while, I packed up and headed to my car.  Before reaching my car, an older man down the road yelled for me to go over to his driveway where he was standing.  In my basketball shorts, cotton v-neck, zip-up sweater, and moccasins, I kept my pack on and headed his way.  The man was talking to me from a distance in which I could a barely hear him, but with an expression that showed frustration.  As I drew closer to this mid-sixties man covered in wrinkles and khaki clothing, I camp to understand that my seemingly perfect campsite was on this man’s property.  After arriving, the man went on about how stupid and uneducated I must be for trespassing, then added that he knew I must have been “doping” in his woods.  The man then told me to wait so he could go inside and call the sheriff, then came back outside to complain some more.  In his complaining, he pulled a gun out of his pocket and told me that he carries it with him to take care of kids like me who trespass and “dope.”  After explaining the purpose of his snub-nosed pistol, the older man demanded that I pull my hands out of my pockets because I “probably had a gun,” also.  Next, this wrinkled man tried to convince me that he was surprised I came out of my tent in one piece because he supposedly unloaded on the rock in the meadow and all around my campsite with a semi-automatic gun.  He proceeded to tell me that he also debated shooting my tires out.

The sheriff arrived and listened to the old man’s complaints.  The sheriff then asked the man to leave so that he could talk to me in private.  Without grace, the angry man submitted and went inside to get his coveralls so that he could check his woods for dope.  In questioning, I explained to the officer that I was only camping, showed him my site, and explained everything that the man had told me.  Humorously, the sheriff shook his head and told me that the man was a “dumbass” and not to worry about him.  He proceeded by telling me that everything was okay considering I had no way of knowing that property was the elderly man’s.  Then the officer took my information and I was on my way.

After leaving, I met with the pastor and had a big talk about life and my thoughts.  Although he didn’t help much, he opened a new door to how I would later live my life.  That was through God.  Over the few months following my camping trip, I gradually quit drinking and doing drugs and grew closer to the friend that I had been on the phone with who happens to be a Christian.  She and I grew closer, started our relationship, and through that, I started my relationship with God and was eventually baptized a few months later.  Somehow, in all of what had happened that morning, I remained completely carefree the whole time.  From looking at the sky after suicidal thoughts, to getting chastised and threatened by a man with a gun, to being questioned by the country sheriff, I was more happy and carefree than I had ever been.  God gave me peace that morning and eventually helped me realize that there is no purpose worthy of filling our life’s emptiness other than through the Lord himself.