Love for the Testaments

Something that I have noticed becoming a sort of trend amongst peers that I have talked to and been around is this misconception between the Old and New Testament. This misconception deals with people that focus primarily on the New Testament, and just disregard the Old Testament as something that no longer applies to them. This worries me greatly since American Christians already deal with a serious issue of being biblically illiterate, but throwing out half, probably closer to two-thirds, of the Bible just because it doesn't appear to apply to you is just going to worsen this problem.

The reason people think the Old Testament isn't as important as the New Testament is because they believe if they just focus on the Gospels and Paul's Letters, then they'll be fine when it comes to biblical knowledge. The problem with this train of thought is that if you read what Jesus said or what Paul put in his letters, you see references to the Old Testament all over the place. Jesus quoted Deuteronomy more than any other book while he walked the Earth. Paul in several places references events from the book of Numbers and talks about ancestors like Elijah or Isaiah. I think what tends to happen is that people see the sections with the names "old" or "new" and subconsciously think the new section must be more prevalent than the old section, otherwise a new section would not be needed. I did have a teacher at my college point out how some Jews find it offensive for the Torah and the other books that make up the Old Testament to have this name for similar reasons.

The reason why both sections have to be taken into account is because the Old Testament verifies the New Testament. When Paul, Peter, and John are saying to turn away from the ways of your ancestors, or to learn from those who have come before you, they are referencing the Old Testament. If you have no knowledge of the Old Testament, then it's difficult to see why Jesus was so radical with what he did and with what he was saying. Many people like to say that the Old Testament is nothing but laws and boring genealogies. Now while it does have both of those things, it has so much more to offer. There is a reason why the Pentateuch has survived for centuries amongst both Jews and Christians. The stories in those five books have applications that can be found even in today's world. The laws talked about in those books can be seen today, an example is why most of us never consider eating lizards.

Now the two things that worry me about this misconception is that if one only focuses on one section, then you will end up doing what the old saying states in that "those who fail to learn from their past are the ones who end up repeating it." Also, if a person is not very knowledgeable in parts of the Bible, this can very easily be exploited by Satan to lead people, both Christian and non, astray. So all I am saying is that the entire Bible needs to be read, studied, and analyzed, not only a particular section.

And remember, Don't Panic, and never forget your towel.

A Heated Rant

I know I had a poll to determine the next topic that I would discuss, but there is something I want to bring to the table while it is still relevant since it deals with the NBA finals. I hate hearing all this love for the Miami Heat. I know they got Lebron James and they made it to the finals like a lot of people predicted, but that is no reason to just bow and worship them and act like they are unstoppable.

The reason I bring this up is because the Heat won game 1 and so many people came out saying the series is over and the Heat are amazing. This was especially evident on ESPN, which is disgusting to me. The broadcasters on that network have had to stick their foot in their mouth many times in the past, you would think they would get tired of it and stop making such bold and ridiculous predictions, but not these people. These are the same people that said the Longhorns led by Vince Young could never beat USC lead by Reggie Bush and Matt Leinert. They also said the New York Giants could never beat the then undefeated Patriots in the superbowl or that Kurt Warner would never take the Arizona Cardinals to the superbowl. Of course as ESPN was proven wrong, they would back peddle and begin saying how they were really on the winning side the whole time, or just nit pick the losing team to make it seem like they weren't as unstoppable as they appeared.

Though of course now that the Mavericks have won game 2 in Miami, I'm sure there will be one of 2 reactions. People will just say this was just a small slip-up, but the series is still wrapped up, or they will jump on the Mavs bandwagon and be just as bad as they were for the Heat. I know this has been mostly a rant, but it is something that needs to be addressed because nothing in sports is certain, NOTHING. I get tired of people, especially sportscasters, that think they know something as unpredictable as sports. It's like trying to predict the weather a week or two out, odds are you will be wrong.

The biggest thing I just want people to take from this is to just watch and enjoy the series, no matter how it goes. Please, just stop trying to think that after one game you can predict an entire series, because honestly, if you were that good at predictions, you should go make some bets in Vegas and get rich while you can. Enjoy sports, especially the games/series that determine who the new champion will be of that particular sport, for the entertainment value they provide.

And remember, Don't Panic, and never forget your towel.

Return of the Duke and the Classics

Hail to the King baby; June 14th (10th internationally) marks when Duke Nukem returns to video games. For some people this is a big deal since it is the first Duke Nukem game in over 12 years, especially since this game was suppose to come out in 2002 before going through a maze of complications pushing it back further and further until the set date now. For others, this seems like any other game since due to the large gap between this game and the last Duke Nukem game, the younger audience most likely knows very little about him. I speak somewhat for myself since the series is about the same age as myself and I was a child when Duke Nukem 3D came out, so I obviously had zero chance of playing it then. Part of what kept Duke alive was soundboards created of him and one-liners that get used on a consistent basis that originated in this series. Examples include "I've got balls of steel" "Come get some" and everyone's favorite "I'm gonna kick ass and chew bubble gum...and I'm all out of gum". As put by the CEO of Gearbox, Duke Nukem really has become the video game Chuck Norris in the sense that if it is possible, Duke can do it. His "accomplishments" include going to the moon, scaling Everest, catching Jaws, winning the world series of poker, becoming a UFC champion, and winning two oscars.

The reason I bring up Duke Nukem is that I've noticed that in the last few years, classic games have been making a comeback. Classic may not put it correctly...the better term may be how iconic games/characters that have been returning or going back to their roots of when their games were at their peak of popularity. It started back in 2008/2009 with Street Fighter 4. This was the first street fighter game that wasn't some kind of collector's edition or anniversary edition game since number 3 was made back in 1999. The game took the world by storm and in my opinion, reminded everyone who the king of fighting games was and still is. 2011 comes along and Marvel vs Capcom 3 comes out, which is the long awaited sequel that took quite a few years to finally come out with, and also Mortal Kombat (number 9 in the series). Marvel vs Capcom stuck to the system that made it so famous over the years while Mortal Kombat went back to the fighting style of their 2D versions. This has been met with great reviews by critics and regular gamers alike, myself included. Even games that have stayed popular like Zelda are going back in time, pun intended, with the release of the Ocarina of Time for the Nintendo 3DS. So as I said, the return of the Duke has just been another ripple in what has been a classic/iconic game revival going on. I for one am very happy about this since the variety is even better since it has new games to try and old ones to fall back on in case nothing seems appealing at the time.

Now I of course have no way of knowing if Duke Nukem Forever will be any good. Of all the reboots that I have mentioned already, this could be the one to fall flat on it's face. I certainly hope this isn't the case since I have been looking forward to this game for some time, but there have been some games that looked great and ended up disappointing (Force Unleashed 2 anyone?). So here's hoping that Duke returns to his spot in the main stream gaming community.

And remember, Don't Panic, and never forget your towel.

Predictions and Consequences

Unless you somehow avoided the internet, television, and depending on where you lived, billboards, then you knew about how the world was suppose to end on May 21st. A pastor out in California claimed that he  mathematically proved the Rapture would take place on this date. Of course as we can all say now that this did not occur and that life shall continue as it did beforehand. The one thing that I believe hasn't been brought to the attention of most Christians is that due to this man being as bold as he was with this and in doing so creating a following, it has now made the job of witnessing harder for the rest of us.

The popular argument people like to use against Christians is how we contradict ourselves with how we live our lives, but now thanks to this pastor, many of these people will most likely think we're insane as well. Thanks to this, there are most likely people that will now be shut off towards Christians that will come up to them. What I fear more though is the effect this ordeal could have on believers whose faith may have been shaken.

It does say in Matthew that many false prophets will arise that will sway people both that are lost and those who are now very grounded in their faith. I believe this pastor fits as a false prophet due to the following he obtained as May 21st got closer. Stories have been told of people who maxed out credit cards, spending their entire retirement funds, and quitting their jobs thinking this pastor was correct. These are the people I worry for since it makes me wonder how they're view on God has changed.

And to put icing on the cake, this pastor, instead of just admitted he was wrong and trying to salvage what he could, now says he was off by five months and it will now take place on October 21st. He blatantly ignores what people have told him where the Bible is very clear saying that nobody, including Jesus himself, knows when the end will come, but only the Father. My mentality with this knowledge has always been simple, if Jesus doesn't know, how on earth could we as human beings have any shot at knowing when the date?

Now it would seem from what I've already said that there has been nothing but bad consequences from this latest "end of the world" prediction, but there is one good thing that can be brought out from this. The world is looking for answers as made evident by the hundreds and thousands of followers of the May 21st theory. Sadly, many times they will end up trying to find answers from people that warp the Bible to fit what they want to say instead of listening to Christians trying to relate to them. If anything, this should be a great reminder that as Christians, we have to remember that people are watching us and seeing what we do and how we act. Our actions could easily determine whether or not that person will see a true reflection of Jesus Christ, or a warped version doing things like trying to predict the end of the world.

And remember, Don't Panic, and never forget your towel.

Reasons to Watch Captain America

With Captain America coming out in a movie finally, there are several reasons to go watch it, but there are two reasons that especially say why.

1. We all like the underdog and good guy winning.
    Everyone likes to cheer for the underdog to win. While Captain America certainly doesn't seem like an underdog, he certainly starts off as one before becoming a super soldier. Think Peter Parker before he became Spiderman. We also like seeing the good guys win. While heroes like Wolverine are cool and well liked, they tend not to be very morally upright, which is why they're rightly called anti-heroes. So whenever a hero comes along that is cool and is also very morally upright, it kinda encompasses everything we want to see.

2. We all like watching an American beat up on a Nazi/Communist
     This should go without saying. We always like watching America triumph time and time again when the movie is set in WW2. This is easily seen in video games as well. The Call of Duty series has always dealt with Nazis or Communists where other games that try to be a more realistic, like Medal of Honor, which deals with the Middle East and terrorists don't sell as well. Since Captain America is created in the WW2 setting, that means we will see plenty of action against Nazi's, specifically in Captain America's enemy, Red Skull.

And also a side benefit of this movie is in the fact that Captain America's entire outfit is the American flag. Where there has been a lot of anti-American feelings in the last few years, this movie could help reestablish some positive feelings. Of course this is assuming the movie does great and isn't a flop like other attempts at making super hero films have gone. But then again, this is post is just merely to rep this movie and tell people why they should see this movie like I know I will. I, like most of you, will have my fingers crossed that this movie will be as great as we expect it to be.

And remember, Don't Panic, and never forget your towel.

Anger and Self Control

Self control is something all of us work on, or at least I hope everyone does. Biblically, self control is one of the hardest things to do, but something that is stressed for us to do. All too often, people will say that self  control is important unless...(fill in excuse here). These excuses range from anger, to a specific insult, person, or anything else a person can make up. Examples of this happening are everywhere, whether it is in sports, arguments, or video games.

The reason I mention the excuses is because once the person makes the excuse, they think they can go ahead and act like an immature and selfish child. When confronted later about this, they merely shrug it off by saying, "Yeah self control is good, but when you get angry/upset, you just can't help it." Or my personal  favorite line, "In the heat of things, stuff just happens."

These excuses may seem harmless, but the results in the long run can be disastrous. If you do not see the issue that comes with losing control of your emotions, usually anger, it will lead to habits and subtle things that will change in your behavior. The Bible is very clear when it says how we should never give Satan a foot in the door. Even if you argue this, it has been proven that those who anger you control you, so not practicing self control is just begging for people to manipulate you.

Also, a person's mental health is greatly improved through self control. I won't go into detail about this since things like this we have been told of time and time again growing up. I merely want to bring it back up since simple things we are told as children we tend to overlook and forget as we grow older. I also bring it up cause as Paul commands us, we are to grow up, mature, and throw off childish things and take on things of an adult. And acting like a child or throwing a tantrum just because emotions begin to run high is very much of a child.

And remember, Don't Panic, and never forget your towel.

WWJD

This is a phrase that I have heard countless times over my life. Just four simple words; What Would Jesus Do? I've seen it on t-shirts, bracelets, anklets, stickers, and various other things, but have we ever thought about this phrase?

I say this because for a long time I hated that phrase because to me, it isn't a question over what Jesus would do, it was more along the lines of what he did and the fact we should follow that example. As human beings, we are filled with sinful desires so to think what Jesus would do would be impossible since our thoughts would be tainted with sin.

Though through discussions I've had with various people over the years, I have come to a new realization of this phrase, most likely one that not too many people consider, perhaps saying what would Jesus do is more of setting him as a standard than trying fool ourselves into thinking that we are just like him.

This came to a head during my philosophy class when we discussed virtues as defined by Aristotle. Aristotle said that virtues are things, like bravery, generosity, wit, etc., that we practice so much that it eventually becomes second nature to us so we're able to do those things without even thinking about it. When asked how Aristotle would think of WWJD, my teacher responded that he would love the concept of this as a great beginning point since it placed Jesus as the virtuous standard for us to live by. Where he would be upset is that the church and Christians don't pursue it after that. We don't think of living so much by the standard of Jesus that his virtues and teachings become second nature to us. This would lead to the end of WWJD since we would know what should already be done in an instinctive manner.

As I thought this over, it made perfect sense. We are called to be like God and Paul even says that we should flat out stop sinning. This could only be accomplished by living by the standards of Jesus to such an extent that his virtues would become our own. I love how this works together since many people believe philosophers cannot be Christians or have ideas that can be very biblical. Now whether or not Aristotle knew God cannot be known until we go up and see for ourselves, but what I like is that his ideas can easily work hand in hand with what we have been commanded to do by Jesus.

So from now on when I see WWJD, I won't think it's some poor attempt at people trying to think like God. It's people having Jesus as their moral and virtuous standard.

And remember, Don't Panic, and never forget your towel.