Value in Human Life? Part I

Over the last week or so I have encountered several things that got me thinking about this topic.

Does life have value?

This past week I heard the quote, "Human life has no intrinsic value." I don't agree with it, but it got me thinking...does life have value, simply for being life, or does it only have value based on what it accomplishes?

I have been reading The Hunger Games, and am almost done with the last book. I, personally, really like the story, but at the same time, it is extremely disturbing. What makes it so disturbing is the total disregard for the value of human life exhibited by many of the characters, and the entertainment value that so many derive from watching people, kids, slaughter each other. In the books (just in case you know nothing about them) 24 teenagers are forced to fight in the "Hunger Games," which are a nationally televised fight to the death that serve as a way for the government (The Capitol) to control the people, but also as a huge source of entertainment for the citizens of The Capitol.

For lots of people in our world today, the concept of watching people kill each other for amusement and entertainment seems horrid, at least initially, but sadly. I don't think that people, in general, are nearly as horrified at the concept as they portray.

Lost in the Depths of True Life

I was listening to "Lost" by Red on my way to work this morning, and it just struck me so I thought I'd write about it. It reminded me of, what has become, one of my favorite verses:

 

"Deep calls to deep in the roar of Your waterfalls;
all Your breakers and Your billows have swept over me." -- Psalms 42:7

 

God is so immensely deep and incredible. There is no way that anyone could ever know the depths of who He is, of His love, His righteousness, His wrath, His justice, His wisdom, etc... We can truly spend our lives lost in Him, and not just our lives, but all eternity, every moment finding something new, and it is amazing!

Slowness to Speak in a World of Instant Communication

So, I started to touch on this point ever so briefly in my last post about dumb things that politicians say, but I'm going to dive into it more here in a much more practical manner.

The Bible says, "My dearly loved brothers, understand this: Everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for man’s anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness."

This is quite a challenge, especially in today's society. We are saturated with all forms of instant communication. Your cellphone is now basically another appendage that never leaves your side. There was a recent study that found that over half of teens "couldn't live without their phone for a week." We have the capability, through Facebook, Twitter, smartphones, etc... to know, within a matter of minutes or seconds even, what is happening anywhere in the world, from huge world events, to the fact that your acquaintance living halfway across the globe is tired today. Not only do we have access to this information, but we are expected to participate in the conversation in the same rapid speed. I remember when I was a kid, if my mom and I went out to the store we may be gone 30 minutes or 4 hours, and we didn't have cell phones to call and check in, and that was ok. Today, if you send someone a text or give them a call, and they don't respond within about a minute you start to worry or wonder what is wrong or if you offended them in some way. And, I am just as guilty as anyone else of all of this.

Akin & Obama: Dumb Quotes by Politicians

A few days ago Rep. Todd Akin (R) made a few statements regarding abortion in rape cases that caused widespread upset. Here is what they were.

“First of all, from what I understand from doctors [pregnancy from rape] is really rare. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.”

“Let’s assume that maybe that didn’t work, or something. I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be on the rapist and not attacking the child.”

There has been a huge backlash against his statements, with people saying that he is just ridiculously stupid and making things up or that he is inferring that if a rape victim does get pregnant then it wasn't really rape.

It's Time To Fight

As Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 3, there is a time for everything, "a time for war," and I think that we are entering into a time to fight.

Let me explain what I mean...

In today's society, everyone is incredibly concerned with peace, with not offending anyone, with being "politically correct," whether on a personal, public, business, or international level. It seems like that is all anyone cares about, and it is a big concern. Now don't get me wrong. I'm not a huge war advocate, despite what this post is gonna sound like, and I want there to be peace as much as anyone else. Afterall, God tells us in Romans 12:18 "If possible, on your part, live at peace with everyone." However, I think there is something incredibly dangerous in pursuing peace above all else, especially the way so many in the world define peace.

As I said before, people in the world today are so incredibly easily offended that in order for us to "live at peace with everyone" we have to tiptoe around, keep all of our beliefs, convictions, opinions, thoughts, etc... to ourselves, and apologize profusely anytime something you say or do happens to upset someone else because they don't agree with it. We are living in an age of relativity where everything is right and valid except for the belief that not everything is right and valid. If you happen to disagree that every belief is correct then your belief is not only incorrect (which fundamentally makes no sense), but you are labeled as an ignorant bigot full of hate and detrimental to society and progress. This is a dangerous world to be living in, but what is even more dangerous is that so many people buy into it hook, line and sinker, and so many people who should be fighting it, are allowing themselves to be conformed to the patterns pf the world we live in.

A Fairytale Life

Fairytales, in some fashion, have been around in virtually every culture since the beginning of time. We are fascinated with them, with the fanciful elements, the larger than life events, the extra evil villains, the super passionate romances, basically all the stuff that makes a fairytale and fairytale. Often, fairytales end with a "Happily Ever After," but not always.

For some reason (which I am going to guess at here), people are obsessed with fairytales. We love (or hate) them, but so much of what we do is based on them. They are the subject of countless movies, books, television shows, songs, etc... Disney has built a massive worldwide company, and it is largely around fairytales of some form.

While fairytales can be fun, fanciful stories, inspiring the imagination, and, especially today, leaving us feeling all warm and fuzzy, there are a lot of people who have a negative outlook on fairytales because they portray an unrealistic view of life, of love. I have heard the argument that fairytales (and that concept of idealized life, idealized relationships) are detrimental because they instill unrealistic expectations within people that leave them depressed or constantly searching because life isn't actually the way it is in the fairytale. No man is a Prince in Shining Armor. No woman is the perfect Princess. Good and Evil are not always so clear cut. Best of Intentions do not always work out. There is rarely a "Happily Ever After."

Crazy Christians

Christians really are pretty crazy. The stuff they believe, and the stuff they do (if they truly live their beliefs) is really crazy. So let's start by defining "crazy."

"senseless; impractical; totally unsound"
"intensely enthusiastic; passionately excited"
"very enamored or infatuated"

I was thinking about it recently, and many aspects and truths of Christianity are seemingly crazy. I can understand why there are so many people who genuinely don't get it, and genuinely think that Christians are nuts. I mean, seriously, while Christianity is sound, and can be proven logically, a lot of the truths seem illogical and insane until they are experienced.

Chick-fil-A "Do you serve gay people?" "Ummm...no...we serve chicken."

If you have not heard about all the hoopla recently surrounding Chick-fil-A, where have you been? JK, but not really. It's a bit insane. There are huge protests and Chick-fil-A Appreciation events going on, and it's all over a single issue. Gay marriage. Now, regardless of where you stand on this issue, this whole thing is a bit insane if you ask me! Here is the quote that started it all:

“we’re inviting God’s judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at him and say we know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage. And I pray God’s mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude that thinks we have the audacity to redefine what marriage is all about.”

"We are very much supportive of the family — the biblical definition of the family unit,"

Cathay was making comments regarding his and his companies beliefs and foundations. They operate based on Biblical principles. He was also speaking his personal beliefs and convictions, and in fact nothing that he said was discriminatory. The man was answering questions, and his conviction and belief and honest answer is that he supports traditional, Biblical marriage. What's the problem with that?