World Without Christianity

When I was watching the Joan of Arc film, I noticed the immense power that the Catholic Church had over the lives of the people back then, and the state. If you stop to consider how immensely influential the Catholic Church had over the history of that time period, and by extension, Christianity, it's almost immeasurable.

There is a certain genre of fiction that I am particularly fond of: Alternate History. Basically, it's as its name implies, a narrative involving the history of the world if something in history had happened differently. For an example, take the lack of Christianity. Whoa. Needless to say, that change would be immense. I've been thinking about the incredible potential of such a change. 

While not going into how, the differences of such a world would be enoromous. For one thing, one could argue that the Roman Empire would not have been so weak against German invaders because of Christianity's weakening of traditional Roman military values with a focus of a kingdom in heaven. However, it could be said that Christianity, being a more advanced religion than most pagan ones, fulfills a certain internal need, so Roman religion might eventually evolve to involve these things. I would imagine that it evolve into something like the Greco-Roman Mystery Religions, especially the ones involving Dionysus and the Egytian Osiris.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mystery_Religion

I would imagine that without any Christianity, there may not have been the Dark Ages for Europe, as the Roman Empire would have remained intact to an extent, and intellectual development could have continued as they had for the pas thousand years. That could have made the modern world extremely advanced. The defining feature, I think, though, of this Modern Roman society would be its morals. It would not have any concept of the Christian idea of 'love one another' or a 'kingdom in heaven'. It would have been extremely unequal and hedonistic (pleasure loving). All in all, it would be fascinating to see, I think.

Even more fascinating though, would be how the Germanic (and by extension, Norse) races would have developed without Christianity. I can think that a society that developed that already valued glory in battle and violence (remember Beowulf?) would have that same need to have a more advanced religion as the Romans. This could lead to some interesting scenarios. I think that perhaps the Germanic tribes would have eventually been unified into a Nazi-like state worship, emphasizing above all the the glory of dying for the nation (I could see a leader claiming to be Odin incarnate or something). Maybe instead it would be less organized and would resemble extremist Islam with the concept of Jihad. The morals of this society would be drastically different than it is in our society.

I am not sayin that my ideas definitively would happen. These are just my ideas. What do you think? What do you think would happen if there were no Christianity in the world? To the Romans? To the Germans? To the Middle Easterns? Feel free to speculate.

Freedom?

In my recent explosion of personal reductionist thought, I am beginning to analyze my political opinions and their causes. I  came to the conclusion that I want as much freedom as possible in a society (before I go any further, I will define freedom here as the leeway to do what you want in various ways). If I would take away any freedoms, I would take away freedoms for the few to preserve the freedoms of the many (for me, an example is economics). While expecting some to disagree with me on the last part, I assumed that the general consensus would be that the more freedom there is, the better. Analyzing prevalent opinions in the area proved otherwise.

What do you think? Is more freedom always a good thing? Why or why not?

Ultimately, I'd like for us to be able to reduce differences in our opinions down to the most basic opinions in belief. When you answer the above questions, really think about what you believe. 

Evil: What is it?

After an interesting discussion through the comments on a post of Jack Loveland's on his blog, it brought me to an interesting question: how does one define evil? The closest one can definitively say about that is that evil is the opposite of good. 

Can one define evil? Some would say that good and evil is relative and depends on circumstances and the individuals concerned. Others would say that good and evil do not exist at all, being merely a flawed construct of our collective minds. Some of the more interesting ones I've heard include the utilitarian idea that evil is what does the most harm to the most people (as opposed to the most good to the most people), and, one that I've come up with, the idea that evil is what takes away one's free will. 

None of these definitions seem to 'hit the spot', for me to define what evil really is. What do you think?

Myers-Briggs Personality Types

Today in class, the topic of the true self was brought up, and it reminded me of something I had read about: the Myers-Briggs Personality Types. Basically, there are 16 archetypal personalities based on 4 variable factors: Introversion/Extraversion, iNtuition/Sensing, Thinking/Feeling and Perceiving/Judging. Your type is the first letter of one of each pair. I, by my latest test, am an INFP:  an Introverted, iNtuitive, Feeling and Perceiving person. INFPs, according to Wikipedia, "focus much of their energy on an inner world dominated by intense feeling and deeply held ethics. They seek an external life that is in keeping with these values. Loyal to the people and causes important to them, INFPs can quickly spot opportunities to implement their ideals. They are curious to understand those around them, and so are accepting and flexible except when their values are threatened."

There are actually a good number of people at Maeser I know the types of based on a Facebook quiz, but I won't reveal it here.

Here's a link to a quiz page:

http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp

And here's a humorous interpretation of all 16 types

http://www.wanderings.net/notebook/Main/REALMyers-BriggsPersonalityTypes

Now, keep in mind also that by clicking on these links, you are leaving this blog and any expectations that may be on it concerning content. You have been warned.

History of Evil

This is a video I was reminded of in class today when I was talking about class conflict, feudalism and capitalism. It's basically a satirical interpretation of evil in western civilization that's supposed to make you question what evil really is.

Oh, and the God-is-dead quote is just quoting Neitzsche. Look him up.

The Future

So, I've been thinking. Regardless of your opinion on what's happening in the stock market, it can generally be argued that this is worthy of the history books. That makes me think another thought. If it does turn into a depression, what next? What would the long-term effects of something like that be? Would people be fed up with capitalism, making way for a socialist revolution? Would it take another World War to end it? 

Basically, what I'm asking you to do is hypothesize about the future, and how this century will turn out.  When people talk about the future, at least for me, the image of the Jetsons and perhaps a hoverboard comes to mind. I know for a  fact that it will be more than just that. Take this oppurtunity to hypothesize madly about the future, the more unique they are the better. Imagine it not just politically, but technologically and culturally, if you feel the urge.

Alan Watts

After realizing my comment on Jack's post was quite Dharmic in nature, I decided to share with you one of my favorite modern thinkers.

Alan Watts is mainly thought of as a presenter of Eastern Religion sto a Western Audience (Buddhism, Taoism, etc). As a member of the LDS Faith, often I am (wrongfully, I admit) paranoid to pro-atheist media (videos, articles, etc). Stumbling on one a video of a talk of his, I originally thought that that's what it was. But as I listened, I began to realize that, even though it defied traditional Western thought in a revisionist manner, it was religious. Not Christian, mind you, but extremely enlightening. Listening to this man's talks has brought a new type of thought to my mind and thinking (or at least given a name and reality to something already there.)

Also, Alan Watts died of alcohol poisoning, and had used hallucinogenic drugs in his lifetime, leading to a first impression of an 'unrighteous', 'immoral' person (perhaps one that had gone astray). But as I thought about it, I began to realize that this man has done much more good, at least for me, than most of the general authorities of the LDS Church (that may just be my relative lack of obsession over the Church compared to this). It really changed my opinion over what 'good' and 'doing good' is.

This is a (rather long) video of Watts talking about the nature of time. One of the main themes in everything he presents is that our perception of the world as made up of separate 'things' is flawed and that everything is just part of a whole. Don't be daunted by the video length (I would be). You can skip around if you want to.

Crisis

What do you think of the current economic crisis? Will it develop into another depression? Your thoughts.

American Empire

After a long hiatus on my blog-posting, I thought I'd share with you one of my favorite YouTube videos. Don't take offense, if anything, consider it thought provoking.

Ideals

To make any potential ambiguity clear, I will briefly state my political ideals:

I believe that everyone should be treated equally and should not be able to take that equality away from others by means of manipulation. People should have an equal say in everything that happens, and shouldn't have those choices made by other people. Needless to say, I am very anti-capitalism (I know I use capitalistic services, but, hey, what are you going to do?).

A political system that would sum up my ideals quite nicely is called parecon (participatory economics). Look it up.

Ratio

I'm sorry about my rude comments on your posts. I'm hoping that this post will help you understand my situation.

Will everyone who reads this that supports Obama more than McCain please comment and say so? Thanks. Then, maybe we can see the ratio. I feel it would be ideal to have it be 50-50. That's just me.

Relevant?

I thought I'd share with you a seemingly relevant picture that I found today:


Oh, and that's Old English, by the way.

Free Will: Allowed?

In a brief amount of time, I would like to state my opinion on a certain 'hot topic' of conversation (or maybe not, I dunno). The question is: should morality be enforced? The argument for that might be that there are certain things that are good for all people, and those things (or lack of) should be enforced on everyone. For example, most drugs are not allowed in the United States because it can cause bad health. Cigarette smoking is discouraged (but not illegal, mind you) because of the same reason. Also, gay marriage is still not legal in most of the 50 states. Why is this? Perhaps it is because that homosexuality is an abomination of sorts, against nature and all that. Perhaps it is because children need a parent of both genders, or what have you.

I personally don't agree with those sentiments. I believe that any drug that does not cause you to harm other people (like Marijuana for example), should be legal. Similarly, I oppose efforts to ban the smoking of cigarettes entirely (I support the banning of it in some public places, again so it doesn't harm other people unwillingly). Also, and the most controversial of all, I believe people should be able to do whatever they want with their own body: pierce it, tattoo it, mutilate it or have intercourse with whoever or whatever (as long as it's willingly) in as ridiculous and disgusting ways as they want to. I also believe that two, responsible, sensitive people, no matter what their gender, should be able to marry and adopt a child (there are different studies saying that either homosexual or homosexual parents are more suited for parenting) and raise it as they see fit.

Now, this does not mean I would do these things myself, no, I would not bring my body to that kind of low. I simply believe that people's free will (central to several religions I know of) should be enforced, as long as it does not interfere with others'.

Now, I know that the above is controversial. I delight in controversy, so please comment.

American Mythology

I've been at KGM for a week, and, as is expected of one with observational skills above that of, say, a hamster, I have noticed that we do not say the pledge of allegiance or sing the national anthem regularly. I'm not saying that that's a BAD thing, no, quite the opposite. I made an interesting 'connection' recently, reading the section in the textbook on the rise of Rome and Christianity. It talked about how Christians refused to offer sacrifices to the gods in an act of treason. I also remember Mr. Matt (SS 11 Teacher) teaching our class that Greco-Roman gods weren't necessarily believed in as omnipotent beings, but more of personification of certain ideals, like the personification of a city, perhaps. So, in this sense, worshipping the gods was more of a kind of patriotism than of what is now considered religion. So, the Christians were refusing to be patriotic, and therefore, they were considered a threat to the integrity of their country.

That made me think. What is patriotism today but a form of worship? We (public schools more often than most) routinely chant incantations, or even prayers, toward an inanimate idol: the American Flag. We are told to respect the flag, not to drop the flag and are classified as terrorists (by some) if we burn the flag. All that for an inanimate object? Some would argue that the flag is a symbol of our country, and that disrespecting the flag is also disrespecting your country. This reminds me more than anything of the Greco-Roman belief system, only, instead of a 'person' symbolizing a nation or a city, it is an object, an idol. Patriotism, if anything, is the American religion. It surprises me that it is usually the most conservative Christians who support the idea of extreme patriotism. It is very ironic.

Speaking of an American religion, specifically an American mythology, there isn't only the pledge of allgience to speak of. The national anthem is nothing more than a ritual song to show our loyalty. Something I personally think is very profound is the idea of an American pantheon. Mr. K once said that America does have gods, in the sense of historical beings that embody the very spirit of a country and have been elevated to godlike satus. I am talking about the founding fathers. Yes, Washington, Jefferson, Franklin and even Lincoln (who wasn't technically a founding father but is held in the same light) are our gods. We have our own parables and myths surrounding these characters (the chopping down of a certain cherry tree, for example), and they are constantly being adapted into our art. They are on our money (that perhaps being more of a property of a ruler rather than a diety), and even our cities are named after them.

Another possible choice for an American mythology would be none other than superheroes. While they do not have the same historical quality that the founding fathers do, they certainly embody many of our 'American values' and are filled with ethical problems resolved by our shining example of good. What is especially similar to this mythology and the Greeks and Norse is the sheer aamount of story known by (nearly) everyone. Our American mythos, really. Ask anyone who is Supermans girlfriend and they will (hopefullly) say Lois Lane. Where does Batman come from? Gotham, of course. Some of them even fit the typical archetypes of a pantheon. The all powerful main god: Superman. The epitome of patriotism (Athena for the Greeks): Captain America. Batman could even be considered the the god of the underworld if we want to stretch it that far.

Hope you've had some interesting insight into my opinions. Expect to see a lot more of that in the future.

P. S. After some feedback, I've decided to clarify that this is not my attempt to criticize the very concept of patriotism. Rather, it is my attempt to show religious influences in the most secular of societies.

Learning is Good, Especially for Jeopardy

This is my homework assignment tonight: Hope you, whoever you are, find it entertaining.

So, the reasons I should give a ...[darn]... about world history:

• History teaches you patterns to recognise in current events. History DOES repeat itself, after all.
• People constantly reference history in speeches, talks and that kind of stuff. You know, the Iraq War being a crusade and all that.
• Tests. You need to know history to pass tests to get into colleges to lead a successful life. Face it, we live in a class society: the educated vs. the uneducated. People who get, or don't get money, respectively.
• Conversation: Educated people who talk about history in your presence may ask your opinion on, say, the authorship of supposed Shakespeare plays. Responding not knowing what Shakespeare is could lower your social status.
• Trivia TV Shows/Board Games: A problem of money and fun, while the first may not come up often for you, it will be helpful to know history in order to go far (or just watching it at home.) And in less profitable games, like, say, Trivial Pursuit, you will want to know certain historical things.

Now, a lot of the reasons for the following literature, language arts and geography will be similar to the above reasons. I will reference them in a brief manner.

Literature

• Literature often has valuable lessons in philosophy, ethics or just life. Reading them can help you.
• TV and Movies: In these days of Beowulf: The Movie, and Crusoe: The televisions series (on NBC, Fridays this October!), adaptions of novels in forms of media (with sequels...and remakes) overpower original ideas at the box office (I think). It is often good to be familiar with the story so you can mock the makers of the movie when they do something stupid and away from the original plot.
• Literature (or reading of any kind) often increases your vocabulary. A 3D graph of your vocabulary after reading a bunch of novels would seem to be subconically increasing (look it up.)
• Writing: If you have any intention of being a writer, reading literature should be of paramount importance. It will not only give you good examples of good writing, but it will also give you ideas.
  
• Tests
  
• Conversation
• Trivia TV Shows/Board Games

Language Arts

• Learning Language Arts in one language can help you learn more efficiently another one. eg. What a direct object is.
• Understanding People: Often times (hypothetically), you will come across someone (probably with an unfamiliar accent) that you just don't understand. Learning language arts can help you recognise patterns which will help you understand them.
• Cryptograph-thingies: Do you know when you see those puzzles where every letter is replaced by a symbol or a different letter? I don't remember what they're called, but the key to solving them is recognising patterns - exactly what Language Arts can teach you.
• Vocabulary
• Tests

Geography

• It is usually advisable to be competent when it comes to geography just to avoid ridicule. You don't want to be pointing to Australia when being asked to point to Iraq.
• I suppose it could be considered offensive to not be aware of someone's national identity or culture if they come to the United States and talk to you. You would be considered ignorant (go America). It would be even more so if you came to them in their home turf.
• Careers: Many careers require an advanced knowledge of geography, the US Government being a prime example. You could also make a lot of money by making maps, I've heard.
• Tests
• Conversations
• Trivia TV Shows/Board Games
  

SS

Welcome to Christian Swenson's SS Blog! What does the SS stand for? Socratic Seminar of course! (Don't get any other ideas). This is where I will be posting my opinions and stuff for Socratic Seminar. Debating (and arguing) is my specialty, and I really look forward to doing it with all of you.