NaClhv

Theology, philosophy, math, science, and random other things
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
2014-06-30
Importance: 

The universe is an MMO, and God is the game designer.

God has been compared to many things. The Bible itself calls him an Author. He has also been called the Great Bridge Builder, and the Great Architect of the Universe. In an effort to express God's supreme artistry and power as the Creator, we humans have always compared him to the maker of whatever was […]
2014-06-16
Importance: 

Time spent on video games: worthwhile or wasteful?

Like many of you, I've been playing video games since my childhood. I grew up hearing that they were only a waste of time, but I always knew that was wrong. There are many games that I'm glad to have played - ones that taught me new things, gave me new experiences, and enriched my life. But on the other hand, video game addiction is clearly a real phenomena that many of us have observed or even experienced firsthand. Even without going to that extreme, I think we can all admit that we've wasted some time playing video games.

The Gospel according to Disney's "Tangled"

Somehow, I subconsciously understood this whole chain of reasoning in the brilliant flash of that single moment, while my conscious mind was caught completely by surprise and left simply reeling. I only remember being slammed by a magnificent sense of epiphany, overwhelmed by an ineffable feeling of significance. I could never recapture that moment fully; that is as it should be. By the time that my brain had caught up to my subconscious realizations [...], I was saying to myself, "This may be my favorite movie of all time".
2014-05-19
Importance: 

The Gospel according to Disney's "Frozen"

"Frozen" is the story of perfect love casting out fear. [...] It's true that its makers didn't sit down and say "hey, let's tell the story of the Christian Gospel". They merely told the truth that underlies the whole universe, like all art is supposed to do. But in doing so - in expressing this truth well - they managed to tell the one and only story in the whole universe. So "Frozen" is in fact a Christian movie - in the sense that all good movies are. After all, there is only one story in the universe.
2014-02-03
Importance: 

Elsa's facial expressions during "Let It Go", in Disney's "Frozen"

My obsession with "Frozen" and "Let It Go" continues. Elsa has fascinating facial expressions during "Let It Go", and this post will explore the meaning of those expressions. Some of her expressions are difficult to catch because they're complicated and they change so quickly, but I believe I have a good, insightful collection of her expressions below. I hope you see many things that you didn't notice before.
2014-01-30
Importance: 

Why are there so few Christians among scientists? (part 2)

My task in this post is to explain the shape of this graph. I have already ruled out a fundamental incompatibility between Christianity and science as the reason. The above distribution looks qualitatively different from the distribution of scientifically incorrect beliefs, and we also have the very words of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and Galileo Galilei stating that Christianity and science are compatible. Well then, if it's not incompatibility, why are there so few Christians among scientists?
2014-01-27
Importance: 

Why are there so few Christians among scientists? (part 1)

In the United States, among the general population, 83% believe in God. Among scientists, 33% believe in God. Among "greater" scientists (members of the National Academy of Sciences), the number is about 7%. How could this be, if science and Christianity are compatible, as I have claimed? Doesn't this clearly show that science disproves Christianity? That they are incompatible? No. The fewer number of Christians in the higher level of sciences are due to sociological factors rather than due to fundamental incompatibilities between the two worldviews. In the rest of this post I will address the issue of incompatibility, and in my next post I will address the sociological factors.
2014-01-02
Importance: 

An analysis of "Let It Go" in Disney's "Frozen"

But while all this is true as far as that goes, stopping the analysis there misses the great depth and subtlety of the song. Yes, the song is about empowerment, but there is also tragedy, anger, bitterness, and self-deception in it, in even greater measure. It doesn't mark Elsa's claiming of her identity or her apotheosis - instead, by the end of the song, she is in severe danger of losing herself.
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