I'm liking some stuff from Descartes' Meditations

"I will say, in general, that all which atheists commonly allege in favor of the non-existence of God, arises continually from one or other of these two things, namely, either the ascription of human affections to Deity, or the undue attribution to our minds of so much vigor and wisdom that we may essay to determine and comprehend both what God can and ought do; hence all that is alleged by them will occasion us no difficulty, provided only we keep in remembrance that our minds must be considered finite, while Deity is incomprehensible and infinite."

 -Descartes' Meditations

Another sample of cool stuff ya get to read in college. This is copied and pasted from Descartes' Meditations which I am reading for philosophy class. It's an online course, but I'm guessing my instructor is a Christian.

And thus I very clearly see that the certitude and truth of all science depends on the knowledge alone of the true God, insomuch that, before I knew him, I could have no perfect knowledge of any other thing. And now that I know him, I possess the means of acquiring a perfect knowledge respecting innumerable matters, as well relative to God himself and other intellectual objects as to corporeal nature, in so far as it is the object of pure mathematics [which do not consider whether it exists or not].

Reasons for depression

I was just reading my textbook, "Understanding Abnormal Behavior", the eighth edition by Sue, Sue, and Sue, and decided to share part of a paragraph from page 370.

   "... depression in Western countries has dramatically increased over the last several decades. The rapid increase in depression occurred over too short a time to be explained by a genetic theory, and no biological or biochemical changes among human beings have been observed over this time period. They argue that changes in the rate of depression were affected by two major cultural shifts during the 1960s and 1970s. The first shift was a movement to acheive higher levels of personal self-satisfaction and individual freedom (e.g., the "me" generation). The second was a movement away from an allegiance to causes greater than the self (e.g., principles, parenthood, community, nation, and God). As the self became more important, failure to enhance self, achieve, or succeed was devastating. Furthermore, meaning in life was difficult to find because many people no linger believed in larger causes or spirituality. The consequence is that individuals have difficulty percieving meaning in their existence and consequently become more prone to depression" (Sue, Sue, Sue, 2006)

So, there you have it, right out of a college psychology textbook. When you stop believing in God, you are more likely to become depressed. Didn't Jesus say that when we try to find our life (me/ self satisfaction) , we will lose it? Too many of us must not believe it, because I've seen a lot of people losing it. Too bad Jesus never listed the empirical data he derived his hypothesis from. He could've been cited as a leading psychologist of his time. Thank goodness for Hippocrates...

Lost in the shuffle

     I have erred. I have transgressed again. I have been delinquent in updating for months. I apologize. Perhaps I may even be sorry. But I have repented, therefore I update.

     My summer was not planned by me. It was planned, however, and it was planned very well. If anyone struggles with planning abilities, I'd suggest delegating the task to a Divine Agent.

     I was in Oregon for most of the summer, caring for an elderly gentleman in the final months of his life. The arrangement allowed me to collect wages while doing online classes in preparation for entrance in an RN program. While the official reason I went was to do in-home care, I believe that God had His own plan. I grew to love and appreciate the Krabill families, especially the family that brought me food and whose girls rode their ponies in the back yard, and whose little boys came to hang out with me. I enjoyed the church I got to attend and really came to love the people there. Urie and Delilah were a part of my summer in a way I never dared to dream of, as well as many other friends. Through all of this God was busy in my life, working through past events and memories and blending them with new events and relationships. It is amazing how He can redeem anything and make it useful.

   One of the biggest blessings I have comes through a small electronic device. My cellphone was a virtual feeding tube, pumping me full of life-enriching interaction with a worldwide support network. It seemed that the Divine Agent that did the planning for this summer had thrown in a scheduling bonus and arranged for different people to call me daily, but never all at the same time. This was further enhanced by connecting my cellphone to my laptop for internet access which in addition to facilitating studying, connected me to friends in China, Thailand, Haiti, and Africa. I've begun to develop a world clock in my head, computing time zones for all the different places I communicate with.

   Currently, I am back in Pa, unemployed, studying, trying to budget my time among a half dozen social networks, and clueless as to what may be the "next big thing". I have a ticket to return to Oregon for two weeks to take advantage of the dental insurance that came along with working under the Dept. of Senior Services and Disabilities. I'm eager to see my left-coast friends again and hope to waste a day snowboarding Mt. Hood with an almost cool guy that pretends to be my friend. After that, my Asian brothers want me to meet them at an airport in NY and spend a weekend with them in Juniata County, Pa. I'm not sure how I have time for a job, and pretty sure that I'll be wishing for cash if I don't get one. Oh yeah, some people think it's time for me to marry. Don't have time for that either. Poor me...

Approval