Inferno

So, recently I have begun reading the Divine Comedy by Dante for a school project. What I had originally thought of as an interesting concept has turned into a painful, painful, experience. For those who do not know, the Divine Comedy follows the author through a literal journey into hell, purgatory, and paradise. The theology in this book is extremely painful, and will thus influence the next few posts, and possibly more in the future. (warning: there will be some spoilers.)

First of all, let's talk about Dante's concept of the nine circles of hell. He basically assigns each sin it's own torment to suffer for eternity. The lower you go, the worse the sin and therefore the worse the punishment. However, while this might sound interesting at first, it is poorly handled. Many of the punishments are not exactly all that bad...at all. Seriously, some of them are minor annoyances. And whats even worse, some of the upper sufferings are greater than the lower sufferings. Take for instance, a level where you are torn and flayed limb from limb if you dare to rise above boiling pitch, against the level beneath it: wearing a really heavy cloak for eternity. Adultery for instance, is only the second circle. Justified in this spot as being the sin “closest to love”. The punishment for breaking the seventh commandment? To be blown about in a harsh windstorm for all eternity. How exactly is that suffering? How does the soul feel the wrath of God in such a manner? Wherein lies the pain and the wailing and the anger and sorrow? Adultery is not a minor thing. It is not a sin that God feels little anger towards. Hell is a terrible, horrible place. The suffering endured there is beyond any mortal comprehension. It is not a place for such a minor inconvenience. Even worse, is the level above it, or Limbo.

Here, the light of human reason shines. This is supposedly where people who are unbaptized, alive before the time of Christ, or a... “virtuous” pagan.... will reside. Their punishment is that, as their only crime was not accepting salvation, they must live forever with the longing to be near God. Now firstly, baptism is neither a necessity nor a guarantee of acceptance to heaven. The death of the Lamb covers all sins. Baptism is a symbol of rebirth in Christ, but it does not make you righteous or holy or cleansed, only the blood of Christ can do that. The same principle goes for those alive before Christ's death on the cross. Some people look forward to the cross, and some people look back, but all those chosen are saved. There is nothing very special about someone who is baptized compared to someone who is not. The symbol is important yes, but it does not make you a better or more righteous Christian. ...Lastly... the third denizens of Limbo are offensive to the Christian beliefs. If someone is pagan. If they do not believe in God. If they do not believe in death and resurrection, then they have sinned grievously. This is not a minor thing, it is one of the worst sins that can be committed. Their presence is justified here as, thanks to human reason, they sought truth and goodness but simply lacked the means or knowledge to find God. They are depicted as shining with a great light of said human reason, though not as great a light as that of God. However, human reason does not have a light. It is clouded in sin and darkness. It is wrong. It is evil. It is not going to get you close to heaven. These men will suffer for all eternity. They are not going to be put up on a pedestal to glorify the might of human reason. Human reason is what leads man astray. It takes him away from the light of God into hell. It lies and rejects God and seeks to glorify itself. It can not seek goodness in the absence of God, all it can find is sin and death.

We can not even imagine the torments of hell, but we do know one thing, the sinners there are tormented. They suffer, they cry, they scream, they hate God with all their heart and curse his name. There is no longing to be with him. There is no repentance. There is no reprieve or end. There is no place of honor for a pagan who denounces God and blasphemes against him. In this case, our poet friend has grievously misrepresented the fires of hell.

-BlackFox

(772)

No One

No one was beside me,

No one cared to see.

Not one listened to me,

Not one let me be.

No one bid me wait for them,

No one called me friend.

No one stood beside me,

in that cold and lonely end.

Not one gave me pity.

Not one lent out a hand.

Not one choose to cheer me,

when once I tried to stand.

No one there would aid me.

Not one would set me free.

No one else but you Lord,

You were enough for me.

-BlackFox (with another short filler post because she is really lazy.)

(100)

Concerning Little Ones

Many people consider a child to be a sort of perfect innocent creature. They feel like, because the child has not really known the difference between right and wrong yet, they are not guilty of sin. But unfortunately, this is not so. Man is born in sin, and is predestined by God for heaven or hell. It does not matter how old he or she is. Children are naturally just as evil as the rest of us. They only think about their own needs and wants, and do not care about how they get them.

Consider this: how often does a parent have to teach a child to be selfish? How often do they have to teach a child to be violent or bad or mean? The answer of course is never. The purpose of a parent is to bring up their child in faith, and also to teach them right from wrong. The child already knows how to sin. He already knows how to hurt and be mean. What he does not know is that he can not simply do whatever he wants. He does not know that his desires are not the standard by which he judges actions. You have to teach him to put others first. You have to teach him not to hit and not to insult. You have to teach generosity and kindness and selflessness. Imagine a child without any parents. If left to his own devices, the child will simply disregard any sense of morality towards others. He will care only about himself. He wont decide to share on his own, suffer for the sake of another, or put the needs of those around him ahead of his own. He will grow up naturally a selfish person who only cares about himself. Of course, some might claim he would at least get some semblance of experience from interacting with other people, so lets go a step further. Imagine an adult male, incredibly large and strong, with the mind of a small child. This image is very intimidating, but we often fail to consider exactly why that is. The reason of course is because he would be dangerous. He would use his power and strength to get what he wanted, because that is all he would know. He would have no reason to put anyone first, why would he? What would he gain from suffering or limited happiness? Someone for instance might tell him that he can not take something desirable from a store without paying. Maybe they even try to take it from him, or lead him away. He then reacts badly and throws a temper tantrum, lashes out and hits them like a child, injuring and possibly killing the person. A child is only not dangerous because he is weak. He can not overpower an adult. Children are not saintly creatures. They are not a perfect light of innocence in the world. They need guidance and support and teaching and discipline. This is why parents, or at a least a parent figure, are so important to a child.

-BlackFox

(517)

By Any Other Name

I have previously stated on this blog that I am a Calvinist. But, I do realize that many people might not know exactly what a Calvinist is beyond being a christian. Luckily, there exist the five points of Calvinism (or T.U.L.I.P.) to help me explain my beliefs to you.

Total Depravity: This refers to the total depravity of man. In short, all men, (yes even children) are slaves to sin from birth. Man is born fundamentally in sin and is born fundamentally evil. Because of this, man cannot turn to God with his own power. He is unable to come to God and be saved without divine intervention. He hates God and turns away from him, he can do nothing else but reject salvation. God then, must assist man through His grace and call him to faith. In other words, man is unable to accept the gift of eternal life in the absence of God.

Unconditional Election: This refers to God's unconditional election of man for salvation. It is based entirely on God's plan and own standards. It has absolutely nothing to do with the actions or supposed righteousness of man. He saves man out of mercy and love, not based on how well they behaved on earth. Man is flawed and sinful, hence he cannot do good in God's absence. Therefore, salvation must come from unconditional mercy. Predestination is also a large part of this, meaning that from the beginning, God choose whom he would save (the elect) and who would face justice in the lake of fire.

Limited Atonement: This refers to the death of Christ on the cross, and that his death was intended only for the elect. In other words, Christ died for some but not all. Christ died for the sins of those who were intended to be saved. However, not all will receive salvation and not everyone is going to go to heaven. Not everyone is going to come to faith, and will persist in their hatred and defiance towards God. And these people will face the righteous justice of God. Predestination is also a large part of this doctrine.

Irresistible Grace: This refers to the overwhelming power of the grace of God. If God wishes to save someone, they will be saved. It is literally impossible for Him to fail to reach someone. Nothing is beyond the power of God, therefore no one can resist his hand. The power of grace is completely irresistible and overpowers the sin nature of man to defy God. It illustrates God's faithfulness in delivering man from sin, since without intervention salvation is impossible.

Perseverance of the Saints: This refers to the permanence of salvation. Once you are saved, you are always saved. God is not going to change his mind and cast you out. You will not lose your way and be lost after having come to faith. Those who God chooses to save will be saved, and will not be lost to him. There is nothing that can sever this bond between man and God.

There is also one last point, that is sometimes added with the others. Forming TULIPS or STULIP (listed first because of the importance of the doctrine.)

(S)overeignty of Grace: This is extremely important. The doctrine states that God is sovereign. His authority and judgment and power are absolute. He is not flawed, or mortal, or within the bounds of time like man is. He is our creator, and we have no right to question his choices. For those of you who may feel this to be a bit unfair, consider this. God does not have to save anyone. If he were actually just and fair, he would send every soul to hell because of sin. God is also not a grandfather. He displays righteous anger as well as mercy and love. His will and word are sovereign and righteous, and that is an objective truth.

I know many of you will not agree with my beliefs, and may possibly be offended by them. I merely created this post to outline exactly what an average Calvinist, and I myself, believes in. I am very convicted in my beliefs. However, if you do wish to challenge or pose a question, I ask only that you be respectful.

-BlackFox

(715)

Goats and Sheep

A popular view of God is that he just wants everyone to be basically good. That your views and beliefs do not really matter. Some even go so far as to say that everyone is forgiven and saved, and that none will face the pit of fire.

But not everyone is called. Not everyone is going to heaven when they die. There is a reason that God talked about separating the goats from the sheep. There is a reason He will say “Depart from me, I never knew you.” If you do not believe in God, and fundamental aspects of scripture, then you will not be saved. It does matter what you believe. It does matter what you do and think and what path you follow. God does not want you to be basically good. He wants you to be perfect and righteous. You may not be as bad as a serial killer, but that does not make you holy by any means. It certainly does not pay your passage to heaven. You will not be saved from the lake of fire just by being basically good. No one is basically good. Everyone is, in fact, basically evil in the absence of God.

Christ died for those He intends to save. He died for his children. He created a path because we could not hope to make one on our own. Those He calls will always come to Him, and will never be lost. But, He has not called everyone to Him. This is not unfair, or wrong, or unjust. If God were to be just then all of us would burn in hell for eternity. He does not have to endure our sin and wretchedness. He chooses to for our sake. He did not have to save anyone. He did not have to die and suffer and bear our burden. His will is greater than ours. It knows that which we do not know. It sees that which we do not see. And it is as righteous and clear as ours is clouded with sin. We may not understand God's plan, but we must trust in it. And we must beware of counting on our own deeds.

-BlackFox

(355)

A Literal Truth.

One thing often stated about the Bible is that it is taken too literally. That much of what is said is in hubris or emphasis or some other writing style on behalf of the writer. Because of this, they often take the Bible to be open to interpretation. That God does not literally mean condemnation for specific acts or groups, or that the world was created in seven days. Even miracles are put into doubt.

But the Bible is not open to every single interpretation under the sun. Quite frankly, many of the present ones are very wrong. The Bible is not being facetious when it says the world was created with a word, or that Jesus rose from the dead. It is taken literally because the events described are literal. They display the glory and power of God through the story of creation and the miracles that follow. The plagues on Egypt were not of fancy. The impossible victories were, in fact, won. Yes man can not reproduce these things, yes he can not explain them in a lab. God is not a man. God has the power and splendor to perform these feats. It only serves to further illustrate the difference between creator and creation, as well as the glory of the creator. Perhaps most important, the message of the Bible comes from taking certain things literally.

God is not exaggerating about hell and sin. He is not exaggerating when he says that man is hopeless and evil and that there are things we must not do. Those rules are real and definitive. They are not simply colored by the morals of that time. By taking away the literal message of God's word, you also take away the impact and importance of the Message therein. There is power in the act of the Son of Man's death on the cross. There is power in his sacrifice and suffering, and his resurrection from the dead. It was not figurative suffering. It was not an ideal, or a concept for Christians. Christ literally died. He literally bore our punishment and sins. He was literally cut off from God. And he certainly rose from death in victory. Scripture states a fundamental message about the glory and righteousness of God, the depravity of man, and the Messiah. It states explicitly many things that would have no meaning if they were merely a story. There are things that are not to be discounted in this world. Things that are constant and objective and absolute. You can not change that by denying them.

-BlackFox

(430)

Tinfoil and Vodka

Hallo reader! How art thou? I have returned from my Thanksgiving break for another term of blogging! Yes, yes, I can hear your adoring screams of horror delight at my return. I missed you all as well! And to celebrate this reunion, I will submit to you a game I created with my father.

Behold: … THE ANCIENT ALIENS DRINKING GAME

Yes folks it’s random post time again, consider it a short reprieve from the usual topic. For those of you that don’t know, Ancient Aliens is a relatively new show on the history channel. That’s right. A show with that title is on the history channel. It basically follows some “Ancient Astronaut Theorists” as they try to prove the existence of aliens via “evidence” from older civilizations. For instance, a sculpture of a bird is interpreted as a spaceship design. Dad and I love to watch these things. They can quickly become so ridiculous that hilarity ensues for the enjoyment of a humble cynic. One night, we started making fun of the many patterns that appear in the show, and eventually developed it into a drinking game. Basically, when any of the following happens, take a shot! (Note to our inevitable underage viewers, substitute pop instead. Trust us; you’ll live longer than anyone actually drinking.)

Take a shot……

Every time they use the phrase “Ancient astronaut theorists’ _____”.

You will not believe how often they use this phrase. You can honestly fill in the blank with anything: believe, argue, theorize, think, etc. Our theory is this is an attempt to gain credibility and make their ideas sound scientific and credible. Either way, when you hear this 30 times within five minutes, it gets pretty silly.

Every time they reference primitive man and/or a technology gap.

The two usually go hand in hand. The show often likes to state that people were so primitive in the past, that they clearly could not accomplish anything that we ourselves cannot do today. They leave absolutely no room for the concept of some innovative idea or method lost to time. Creativity and human ingenuity unknown to us? Psssh! It’s clearly aliens.

Every time they highlight/ superimpose an image over a statue, carving, painting, etc.

This is also a neat little trick. “Hey guys! This statue kind of looks like an alien. It could just be a cultural way of creating faces that doesn’t necessarily match with our own ideals, but I’m, pretty sure it’s an alien. what? You don’t see it? Here, let me superimpose and alien over it! SEE? Alien! I'll even highlight the differences!” This is very similar to paranormal investigation shows. Ever notice how static sounds like static until they caption it to say “Get Out”?

Every time they visually reproduce aliens, spaceships, or anything else with CGI.

Nothing says science like CGI folks! Can’t visualize it even WITH the superimposed alien head? Well here is a 3D model! See? It’s all mysterious and shiny and fits with our theory! I especially love how sometimes it has absolutely nothing to do with anything. They just randomly insert a ship flying through space no matter what they are actually talking about. Feel free to add making physical models of things onto this as well.

Every time they state multiple questions in a row, or use them as arguments.

Honestly this is almost as common as the phrase ancient astronaut theorists. They will state the same same question in five different ways. “could it be that these are depictions of aliens? Could it be that this is proof of alien contact with primitive man? Is it possible that aliens have been in contact for centuries?” all of these can be answered with no. no it is not possible. Better still sometimes they use them as an argument. How could this happen without alien intervention? CLEARY since we don't have an answer, it can't.

Every time they compare unrelated things

This is especially for civilizations. They will often say “look! Civilization A and civilization B have similar artwork! This is obviously proof that the same aliens visited them! I mean sure, they could have just developed similar philosophy, or we could just be misinterpreting what they created, but the most reasonable answer is alien intervention."

Last but not least, DRAMATIC ZOOOOOOM!

Every time they use a dramatic zoom, filter, or other photo shop transition. They do this so much, as if to say “Ooooooh! This is deep and mysterious and shocking! Ooooooh!” these transitions have no real point, and often come one right after another, causing any dramatic effect to be lost in the ridiculous amount of effects. Do we really need a fade, time lapse, filter, and freeze frame right after another?

Remember this is all in fun, you can add or subtract other rules, such as definitive statements, religious references, etc. at your discretion. Please drink responsibly and try not to die of alcohol poisoning.

-BlackFox

(833)