In our studies of atheism we talked about dialectical atheism. The basic idea is that God was once alive, but He decided to come into His creation and see what life was like. Unfortunately, He became mortal on this venture and, after being killed on the cross, was done for. So now there is no God, and the universe will eventually destroy itself and that will be that. Brian and I had moved his La-z-boy into the classroom, so I leaned forward and said, "This sounds so wrong, but if that were true, it'd be so funny." Reminds me of that Family Guy episode where Peter is in Heaven and he wants to return to earth to save his family from the apocolypse; God says, "Yeah, right! I sent my Son down there and He's never been the same!" God pointed to the corner of the screen, and our view pans to reveal Jesus with a downcast face slowly spinning himself in a swing.

I have a tendency to make divisions--"This person is post-modern, this person is modern"--but I've been realizing that it is VERY rare to find someone who is purely modern or purely post-modern. The truth is, there are still some people with very pre-modern characteristics that are walking around our streets! So in class today I made a mental list of my characteristics which fall into the various culture-phases:

I am partly pre-modern because I have a slightly fatalistic outlook on life.
I am partly modern because I have great respect for science.
I am partly modern because I want to understand everything and have "all the answers."
I am partly modern because I base more knowledge on scripture or logic rather than experience.
I am partly modern because I understand Christianity as a metanarrative.
I am partly modern because I believe that absolute truth can be discovered (though in a Person, not a set of scientific facts)
I am partly post-modern because I often put more trust in emotions and feelings rather than pure logic.
I am partly post-modern because I realize humanity's limits.
I am partly post-modern because, while I have great respect for science, I understand that it does not hold the answers to all my questions nor will it grant me happiness.
I am partly post-modern because I easily and happily acknowledge mystery.
I am partly post-modern because much of my emphasis in life is on community.

Cassie is stranded about twenty minutes away and needs picked up at 11:00. Brian and I are going to take a drive later tonight before picking her up. It should be a fun, relaxing time with good conversation. Peace to you all!

P.S. Tonight I am again missing 3rd Place. I just don't have the energy (nor the time with this class) to be a part tonight. It's unfortunate: we recently studied doubt in Philosophy of Religion and I may have been able to contribute somehow. Oh well.