I'm a sad pedant

John Gribbin says so. In his book about the founding of the Royal Society of London in the 17th century, he acknowledges that the people he is writing about would have regarded themselves as natural philosophers,

But as the old saying goes, if it looks like a duck, flies like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it is a duck. In modern terminology, the people who are the subjects of this book were scientists, and what they did was science; only the saddest pedant would object to my use of the word science in this context.

J. Gribbin, The Fellowship: The Story of a Revolution, Penguin Books, London, 2006, p. xiii.

Classic title, by the way. Very dramatic.

When submission is good

I've been thinking a lot about marriage lately (no points for guessing why that is!) and particularly about submission and headship. I'm not sure exactly where I stand on these issues, and perhaps I'll write in a bit more detail about those things when I'm not so busy, but in the meantime, I've figured out an example of when submission is unequivocally a good thing.

Submission of the thesis!!

Oh, how I'm longing for that day!

Charity or intolerance?

What the New Atheists Don’t See, by Theodore Dalrymple

Let us compare Hall’s meditation “Upon the Sight of a Harlot Carted” with Harris’s statement that some people ought perhaps to be killed for their beliefs:

With what noise, and tumult, and zeal of solemn justice, is this sin punished! The streets are not more full of beholders, than clamours. Every one strives to express his detestation of the fact, by some token of revenge: one casts mire, another water, another rotten eggs, upon the miserable offender. Neither, indeed, is she worthy of less: but, in the mean time, no man looks home to himself. It is no uncharity to say, that too many insult in this just punishment, who have deserved more. . . . Public sins have more shame; private may have more guilt. If the world cannot charge me of those, it is enough, that I can charge my soul of worse. Let others rejoice, in these public executions: let me pity the sins of others, and be humbled under the sense of my own.

Who sounds more charitable, more generous, more just, more profound, more honest, more humane: Sam Harris or Joseph Hall, D.D., late lord bishop of Exeter and of Norwich?

No doubt it helps that Hall lived at a time of sonorous prose, prose that merely because of its sonority resonates in our souls; prose of the kind that none of us, because of the time in which we live, could ever equal. But the style applies to the thought as well as the prose; and I prefer Hall’s charity to Harris’s intolerance.

Is "sustainer" a real word?

Why isn't "sustainer" recognised by spell checkers? I first noticed this while writing my honours thesis about Rene Descartes. He viewed God as the creator and sustainer of the universe. Dictionary.com recognises it, so it must be a real word.

As a side note, while writing my honours thesis, I constantly had a song in my head - "Great High Priest", written by the super-talented Tim MacBride especially for a series on Hebrews we had a church a number of years ago. Great song - don't know why we don't sing it anymore! The reason I had it in my head is that it began with "Creator and sustainer, heir of everything..."

Ecclesial heretics

My wonderful dad was editing a chapter draft for me the other day, and objected to the use of the word "ecclesial" instead of "ecclesiastical" in a quotation about natural theology. Since it was a quotation, I'm not going to change it, but I thought I'd better double check that it is a real word. Dictionary.com always comes in handy for things like this. So, I look up "ecclesial" and along with the definition I find two sponsered links:

Religion is for the weak.
Its for the brain washed and vulnerable. Agree or disagree?
www.friction.tv

Heretics in Christianity
Who is a heretic in the Bible?
www.bjnewlife.org

And just in case you are wondering about the difference between "ecclesial" and "ecclesiastical":

Ecclesial - pertaining to a church or its functions, teachings, or organization

Ecclesiastical - pertaining to the church or the clergy; churchly; clerical; not secular

Big difference there.

A black hole ate my thesis...

I am convinced that there is a black hole somewhere in the vicinity of either my desk at uni or my desk at home that is eating important articles. There are several articles that I haven't been able to find lately - articles I know I have read and have made notes on, which should be carefully filed away in the folders above my desk, but which have inexplicably vanished. At the moment, I need to find one particular article - an excellent paper by Margaret J. Osler called "Mixing Metaphors: Science and Religion or Natural Philosophy and Theology in Early Modern Europe". I need it for the section of chapter 3 I'm working on right now - and I'm determined to finish chapter 3 today. I could go to the library and copy it again, but that would require effort. Where is it?!


Oh, you know what? I just found it...

Happy Reformation Day!!

I like this description of how Dan Phillips of Pyromaniacs marks Reformation Day with his family (h/t Craig).

Last year I gave Tim (one of our pastors and my bible study leader) some nails to nail his thesis to the church door.

Hmm. Why didn't I know that this hymn was written by Martin Luther? And it appeared in Gilmore Girls!

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God's own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill: God's truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.

On Marriage

Robert Boyle (1627-1691) advised the woman who wanted to be a good wife "to deliberate much upon a choice she can probably make but once, and not needlessly venture to embark herself on a sea so infamous for frequent shipwrecks, only because she is offered a fine ship to make the long voyage with."

How to talk about books you haven't read

At the risk of sounding like the fusty old crank everyone does impressions of in the faculty lounge, I still believe in the private ecstasy of reading. It’s one thing to jockey for social position by saying that Dostoyevsky introduced psychology into the novel, or that Chaucer had a fuller grasp of humanity than Shakespeare. It’s another thing to experience, with your full attention, Raskolnikov wandering feverishly around St. Petersburg, or the young scholar farting in the face of his romantic rival in “The Miller’s Tale.” Real reading is not just hoarding fodder for cocktail chatter, it’s crawling, phrase by phrase, through a text and finding yourself surprised or disappointed or ruined or bored with every other line. This direct connection—the voice that enters your brain and mingles with your own internal voice—is the only way books really matter, and experiencing it requires a kind of deep surprise at the words in front of you. If anything, we’re already too good at talking about books we haven’t read. The challenge now is to preserve our ignorance.

Click here.

Awww...

Should I delete my Facebook?

Click here.

Will you respect me less...

... because I like Delta Goodrem? (I bought her new album yesterday on iTunes. I like it, but it's not as good as the previous one...)



And Kylie Minogue?



Plus I like two songs by the Rogue Traders?



And I'm not totally averse to Fergie?



But at least I don't like Justin Timberlake (although I'm happy to remain friends with people who do!)

Never let your mother do the wedding invites when she doesn't like your partner...

Pink Ribbon Day

Today is national Pink Ribbon Day, a campaign to raise breast cancer awareness and help fund research.

Check out the pink SMH and this article by Janette Howard.

It is expected that in Australia more than 13,000 women and 100 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, according to figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. About 2700 Australians die from breast cancer each year.

But more people are surviving it: 113,801 women and 730 men who were diagnosed with breast cancer in the past 20 years are still alive.

Early diagnosis is the key to survival. Your contribution today will help that cause.

From the Cancer Council:

Our goal is to defeat breast cancer. By supporting Pink Ribbon Day, you can help us toward reaching that goal. By raising funds - either through selling merchandise, purchasing a ribbon or pin from one of our retail partners, or making a donation, you can change the lives of women affected by breast cancer.

Your donation will help The Cancer Council Australia to:

• Fund breast cancer research.
• Help those affected by breast cancer right now, by offering support services to help them and their family through their cancer diagnosis and treatment.
• Educate women to be 'breast aware'.

Importantly, funds are spent where they are raised, directly supporting the efforts and needs of your community.

Some famous people who have suffered from breast cancer:

• Kylie Minogue
• Dusty Springfield (who died from the disease two days before my 18th birthday)
• Belinda Emmett (first diagnosed at age 24, suffered a relapse at age 28, and died last year at age 32)

As mentioned above, early diagnosis is the key to survival. Click here every day to help fund free mammograms for women in need.

I hosted a Girls Night In on Friday night. 17 girls having a great time with tasty food, girly chat, pink maison, Suddenly 30 and SingStar. We raised $400 for research into women's cancers. Well done girls!

Hurrah!

I'm going to have a massage this afternoon! Very exciting. My muscles are so tight! Darn stressful PhD...

Emergence

Matt, Lynley and I participated in "building our own being" on 25 August, 2007. Apparently our being, Bob, is in trouble. I received the email below:

Dear parent or well-wisher,

Your creation is dying! Due to negligent recent interaction and lax parental care from some of you, your being is in grave danger. If things do not improve, the Department of Bio-logical Sciences will be unfortunately obligated to step in and terminate your creation under the current legislation (G231).

If you have not had a chance to directly communicate with your being... NOW may be the time to begin. In the world of parenting, after all, it is better late than never.

Please find below an easy direct link to your (still) loving being. You may also find ALL the completed beings for the 2007 experiments in the Emergence lab under the "sort beings" section.

Yours Sincerely
The Head of the Department of Bio-logical Sciences
"Creating People for the People by the People"

P.S. If you do not wish to be kept informed of your being's developments or other news from the Emergence lab, please simply reply to this email with the subject header: "I quit. Put my being up for adoption."

And here's a list of all the beings created in Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne, along with their current status:

Canberra beings:
Hermione: 2nd August, 1pm - currently wrestling with her creativity
Sophia: 2nd August, 6pm - currently toying with the notion that ignorance is bliss
Maximus: 2nd August, 8.30pm - currently wishing he'd been given a childhood
Kate: 3rd August, 6pm - currently struggling with the sadness instilled in her
Hal: 3rd August, 8.30pm - currently questioning all in his fighting nature
Skye: 4th August, 7.30pm - currently in serious danger of losing her way

Sydney beings:
Astral: 21st August, 8.15pm - currently still hiding in the caves, afraid to appear.
Cottoya: 22nd August, 8.15pm - currently trying to integrate with strangers
Bob: 23rd August, 8.15pm- currently trying to enter politics
Robin: 24th August, 7.30pm - currently released from jail after stealing grapes
Aphrodite: 24th August, 9.30pm - currently self-healing her broken hand and experimenting with pain
Bob: 25th August, 7.30pm - currently recovering from a great fall. perhaps in love? (unconfirmed)
Sergei: 25th August, 9.30pm - (created as a mutant). Currently coming to terms with not ever having any parents - desperately needs caring!
Grace: 26th August, 5pm - currently trying to keep alive her pet animals, given to her as presents...and herself

Melbourne beings:
Dexter: 18th September, 8pm - currently overdosed on speed
Zay: 19th September, 8pm - currently lost in the outskirts of Melbourne
Jessica: 20th September, 8pm - currently trying to unravel all the contradictions of her creation
Adriana: 21st September, 8pm - currently trying to get to New York but feeling angry and confused
Joshua: 22nd September, 8pm - currently enjoying his new x-ray vision!
Halo: 23rd September, 2pm - - currently paranoid that we are trying to track her down [strongly denied by the DBS]

Christian pick-up lines

I like this one:

I used to believe in natural theology, but since I met you I've converted to divine revelation.

I wonder if I could work that into my thesis somehow...

Offensive or amusing?

On their way to get married, a young Catholic couple were involved in a fatal car accident. The couple found themselves sitting outside the Pearly Gates waiting for St. Peter to process them into Heaven. While waiting they began to wonder. Could they possibly get married in Heaven?

When St. Peter arrived they asked him if they could get married in heaven. St. Peter said, "I don't know. This is the first time anyone has asked. Let me go find out," and he left.

The couple sat and waited for an answer... for a couple of months.

While they waited, they discussed the pros and cons. If they were allowed to get married in Heaven, should they get married, what with the eternal aspect of it all? What if it didn't work? Would they be stuck in Heaven together forever?"

Another month passed. St. Peter finally returned, looking somewhat bedraggled.

"Yes," he informed the couple. "You can get married in Heaven."

"Great!" said the couple. "But we were just wondering; what if things don't work out? Could we also get a divorce in Heaven?"

St. Peter, red-faced with anger, slammed his clipboard on the ground.

"What's wrong?" asked the frightened couple.

"OH, COME ON!!!" St. Peter shouted. "It took me 3 months to find a priest up here! Do you have ANY idea how long it'll take to find a lawyer???"

Tim Challies on coffee and writing

Click here.

Some classic comments too:

You wrote: I am convinced that it [coffee] is a vile, evil concoction and one that has cruelly enslaved much of the human race. I despise the stuff, even in what I am assured is its finest form. I can barely stand even the smallest taste of it. It curdles my tongue, makes my eyes water, and leaves me gagging. I find it utterly revolting.

Could you be a little bit more clear on that. I am not sure I really understand what you are saying.

When I think of Reformed, I think of coffee drinkers for some reason, but I know God in His grace allows non-coffee drinkers/lovers into the kingdom as well ;)

Tim, you know you were asking for all this grief when you decided to post about your dislike of coffee. And to add to the grief, I want you to know that from the depths of my heart, I will be praying for you that God, in His great mercy, will see fit to give you a new set of tastes and desires for this wonderful gift of His common grace to mankind.

Amen!

(H/t Craig)

Perhaps this is why teaching Science and Religion is like banging my head against a brick wall...

For some Men, that have but superficial, though conspicuous, Wits, are not fitted to penetrate such Truths, as require a lasting and attentive Speculation; and diverse, hat want not Abilities, are so taken up by their Secular Affairs, and their Sensual Pleasure, that they neither have Disposition, nor will have Leisure, to discover those Truths, that require both an Attentive and Penetrating Mind. And more than of either of these sorts of Men there are, whom their Prejudices do so forestall, or their Interest bias, or their Appetites blind, or their Passions discompose, too much, to allow them a clear Discernment, and right Judgment, of Divine Things.

- Robert Boyle, The Christian Virtuoso, 1690