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Friday night bowling

Usually I play board games in Meriden on Fridays. This past Friday was different in that the men’s ministry at the church had a bowling night. It’s been a while since I’ve bowled, and I was looking forward to it. I bowled 170 the first game, 155 the second game, and 114 the third game. There were two other scores amongst the 16 guys who bowled 3 or 4 games that night: 175 (I think perhaps Jay got that) and Nelson’s crushing 188! The other bowlers kept on speaking about the fluid style I bowled with, occasionally saying it was very “zen” and “smooth”.

I didn’t really tank on the third game. They turned the lights off and the black lights on, and had these runway lights along the bowling lanes. So you pretty much couldn’t see the lane, but the pins were lit up in normal yellow light. With that, I decided to “unzenify” myself and just toss the ball down the lane.

Normally when I bowl, I see and feel the pins and myself in relation to them. I feel the ball. I adjust my placement until it just “feels right”, and then I slowly walk towards the throwing line. I release the ball and send it, not fast, down the lane. I am able to be fairly accurate this way: even to the point of targeting single pins leftover for the second shot.

After bowling, we gave Nelson a trophy for getting the high score and then 7 of us went out to 99 for some after-bowling food and drink. Nelson and I were the only ones to have beer; the rest of the guys abstained. I think this was partly the “work lunch” effect: when you go out to work during the day with your co-workers, and people start getting sodas, until someone orders a beer and then everybody wants beers. I’m that “somebody orders a beer” guy. A Sam Adam’s Cherry Wheat guy.

Nelson and I sat together and conversed with this guy Kevin, whom I got to know a little better.

Saturday hiking

I’m not sure what it was supposed to be like on Saturday, but it was beautiful and so I had to go hiking. I’d made plans with John to get together with the normal crew on Saturday around 2ish, so I had until 2. This was kind of an ad-hoc hike, so I called a nearby hiker, and invited Paul (declined!) and John & kids (declined!). I got a callback from Kallima while I was on the phone with Paul (discussing Navia Dratp, iirc), and called her back. We made plans to meet at Black Pond at 11am.

I got there a little early and so I stocked up my Mountainsmith lumbar pack with some extra protein bars and ample water, and went and took some pictures of the local flora. Before too long Kallima appeared and we started hiking.

It had rained earlier in the day (like 6am-ish) and the sky was clear with the occasional cloud as we started. We took the ridgeline path both up and down from the summit that overlooks the pond. We rested a couple of times going up to the summit, and Kallima told me of her “mid-life crisis”: not being fulfilled at work.

We got to the summit and rested for a while, looking over Meriden and taking in the sun.

We took the path farther than I’ve ever taken it before, past the top of the defunct ski mountain (a couple of good views up there; we saw a quartet of older women meandering around). Apparently on the other side of the mountain is a popular trail running destination – we saw two trail runners, one with a dog. It’s a nice area, and I’d like to hike it to it’s terminus some day. I was told by the guy with the dog that it was another couple of miles until we hit route 68.

On the way back I told Kallima of my apologies on Soapboxxer, contesting for the faith, a supernatural world view, and objective reality. Amongst those were my arguments against abortion, and so we got into a discussion about that. On the course of making my argument that man does not have the moral authority to murder, regardless of what has happened to him or how he has suffered, I told the story of Tyrion’s release from prison. If you’re reading A Song of Ice and Fire, and have not finished book 3, skip over this next section. Much is revealed.

The story of Tyrion, Tysha, Tywin, and Jamie

Tyrion Lannister is an ugly midget in a land where dwarves are the subject to mockery and distain. Fortunately, Tyrion comes from one of the great noble houses on the continent: house Lannister, renowned for it’s great wealth through gold. Tyrion’s sister is the queen-regent, and Tyrion himself was acting Hand (a role kind of like vice-principal in a high school). Tyrion’s nephew is the boy-king Joffrey. King Robert, Tyrion’s sister’s husband, died in a boar hunting accident, and his heir Joffrey took his place as king. Joffrey, in reality, is not Robert’s get: he is a bastard born of incest between Cersei and her twin brother, Jamie.

When Joffrey is poisoned, Cersei has Tyrion imprisoned (for a threat he’d made) for his murder. Tyrion didn’t do it, but he can’t quite prove that and things look pretty grim and Cersei lines up false witnesses against her much maligned and hated waddling Imp of a brother.

Now Tyrion, through he has lived a life of privilege, has gotten the short end of the stick in many respects. He’s a dwarf with mismatched eyes, a brutish brow, and an ugly visage. His whole life people have been mean to him because of this, and his father hates him (Tyrion’s mother died birthing Tyrion) and blames him for his mother’s death. Cersei despises him. The only person on earth that Tyrion feels really loves him is his older brother Jamie, Cersei’s twin.

Jamie was kind to him when everyone else treated Tyrion like trash, and for this Tyrion will let pretty much anything slide with Jamie. Tyrion knows that all of Cersei’s 3 children are Jamie’s kids as well. He’ll always stand up for his brother when he can.

So Tyrion, bereft of all hope, destined to visit the headsman on the next day, is waiting in the dark cells of the dungeon in King’s Landing. Then Jamie appears with The Spider, Varys, in tow. He’s here to free Tyrion, but Tyrion can’t stay in this land anymore: Cersei will certainly hunt him down. He has to flee across the Narrow Sea, to the Free Cities. Jamie knows this will probably be the last time he will see Tyrion, and so he tells him the truth.

You see, when Tyrion was 13, he and Jamie were riding along a street somewhere, and they saw this girl being accosted by some ruffians. Jamie gave chase as the men fled, and Tyrion comforted Tysha and gave her his cloak. They developed an affection for one another, and Tyrion “became a man” that night. Tyrion fell in love with her, and she with him, and he got a little cottage and got a septon to marry them. They lived in peace and love and happiness for two weeks or so. Finally! Someone who really loved Tyrion. A dream come true! Someone who didn’t despise him for what he was on the outside.

Then his father Tywin came and rained on his parade. He told him that the encounter on the road was engineered so that Tyrion could become a man, and that Tysha was a whore. Jamie was in on the plan, as he readily admitted. Nobody expected Tyrion to get married to her. And a Lannister of Casterly Rock doesn’t marry a crofter’s daughter. For her impertinence, Tysha is given over to the Lannister guards to rape. They all gave her a silver coin to pay her for it, for she was a whore. Once the guards were done, his father bade him take the whore himself, one more time. But she’d get a gold coin from Tyrion, for a Lannister is worth more than other men. And Tyrion did as he was bade.

Tyrion went his whole life from whore to whore, because he thought that was the only kind of woman who would welcome him into her bed.

So Jamie frees Tyrion from his cell, because he felt he owed it to him for his lie. And what lie is that, pray tell?

Tysha was no whore. It was a simple chance encounter on the road, and nothing more. Their father Tywin had Jamie play along, and Jamie did as his father commanded.

When Tyrion heard this, he told Jamie that if he ever saw him again, he’d kill him. For spite he also told him that he did, in fact, kill Jamie’s son Joffrey.

And so Varys lead Tyrion through the catacombs under the castle, and to freedom. But before he left, he had some revenge. He went up to his father’s sleeping chambers and killed him upon the chamber pot with a crossbow quarrel.

Tyrion’s only chance for joy or happiness was stolen from him when he was just 13. His father engineered his betrayal. Tywin is a wicked, cold man, and no doubt deserves to die for his betrayal of his son.

But does Tyrion have the moral authority to murder him for it? I don’t think so. Even though he deserves to die, it’s not up to Tyrion to make that decision.

Such a betrayal, and it’s fruit, cut deep. It is a horrible, horrible thing to have happen to you. But it doesn’t give you the right to murder someone.

In the same way, even in the case of rape, the injustice of your own suffering and circumstance does not give you the moral authority to murder the child growing within you.

Now during this story, I could hardly tell it. I get choked up whenever I hear it. I shed tears just recounting it here. So it was a chore to tell it on the trail, choking up as I was.

Argument against abortion

But if a baby outside of the womb is protected against murder because it is ontologically human and possesses the animating life force we call a “soul”, then the same baby, 5 minutes before natural birth, should have the same rights. And if you can’t tell me when this “soul” becomes infused in the flesh, between conception and birth, then at birth the soul could conceivably exist in the flesh. And if you don’t know when the this “soul infusion” happens, then any abortion may murder a living human being. And we do not have the moral authority to murder, regardless of circumstance.

Saturday games

After my hike was done, I went over to John & Melissa’s for our scheduled game get-together. Paul wasn’t there, but when Luz arrived we played a game of Fairy Tale, which Luz won. Paul got there just when our game was finishing, and we played a game of In The Year of the Dragon, which I very much enjoyed and we discussed afterwards. Melissa won this one, just by a little bit over me. I was the front runner, and Luz was working to stop me from gaining points from a book action. She did this to me twice, and it cost me 6 points each time, and Melissa only beat me by 4 points. I cry Kingmaking! Unintentional, I’m sure. More like “bash the leader”.

There’s a discussion on the Geek about the power of privileges in the game. It does seem a mite unbalanced. It’d really require more plays. Both Melissa and I had privileges, me with 2 from the start and her with 3 mid ways through. I wasn’t able to acquire another.

We also played Lifeboats, which John won, and Citadels (I can’t remember who won this one).

The “Romans 9” defense

I’d mentioned to the table how I thought it was absurd that the people I was discussing with would go so far as to deny the existence of their own souls, and objective reality. The soul is self-evident, and objective reality is what scientific inquiry is all about!

This lead to a discussion with Paul about abortion and objective reality and the soul, and Christianity. He’d mentioned that you can’t make yourself believe in things, you just do believe in them, and I was like “Well, I’d have to say that Paul is correct in the case of Christianity, but not for the same reasons” and said that since Satan blinds the minds of unbelievers from the gospel (2 Cor 4:4), nobody can believe unless God himself brings them to this belief (John 6:44). It is for this reason that we are called the elect of God, or God’s chosen ones. So Paul was like “So God just picks and chooses who to save? That’s not fair!”. So I simply got a bible and read him what God, through Paul, has to say on that subject:

Rom 9:10-24 ESV And not only so, but also when Rebecca had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, (11) though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of his call— (12) she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” (13) As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” (14) What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! (15) For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” (16) So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. (17) For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” (18) So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. (19) You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” (20) But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” (21) Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honored use and another for dishonorable use? (22) What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, (23) in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— (24) even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?

This seemed to shake Paul, and he said something like “God isn’t good!” or “I wouldn’t want to serve a God like that!” or some such. John “called of the dogs”, as it were, when he saw Paul begin to be truly agitated. I think Paul got scared a little bit. Perhaps such fear will bring him to the Lord.

Most Christians would shrink away from the biblical defense that I used. It may be that the other Christians in the room (John, Melissa, Luz) had never even heard such a theology preached. The “Then God is not good!” reaction is quite common.

But God is good. We know that “Judgment will come because the prince of this world has already been judged.” (John 16:11 NLT); the “prince of this world” refers to Satan. God has already judged Satan, and since God is perfectly just, he’s got to judge us by the same standard of sin and disobedience and rebellion that he judges Satan. For Satan means “Accuser”, and he accuses us before God. “You’re going to cast me into the Lake of Fire for my rebellion against you, but look at Adam! He has also rebelled! He is stained by sin! His place is with me in the Lake of Fire!”. And of course Satan is quite correct. But God sent Christ into the world as a sacrifice for our sins so that he might be both Just and the Justifier. Christ takes the blame for our sins and he sticks up for us before the Father, who will judge the world. He’s like “Yeah, but I took the blame for that, and so their sin has been made as though it never was”. God did this because he loves us:

Joh 3:14-21 ESV And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, (15) that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. (16) “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (17) For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world [ed – for the world already stands condemned], but in order that the world might be saved through him. (18) Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. (19) And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. (20) For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. (21) But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been carried out in God.”

So God is both the Just, and the Justifier:

Rom 3:21-26 ESV But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— (22) the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: (23) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (24) and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, (25) whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. (26) It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

God has a system for the redemption of our souls put in place.

Lev 17:11 ESV For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.

Has has given the blood of Christ for us, as an atonement for all who would believe and accept the sacrifice of Christ.

We are all under condemnation apart for Christ. God is just, and will judge us on the day of judgment. He doesn’t owe us salvation, anymore than the beggar deserves $5 for a cup of coffee. If you choose to give it to him, it’s grace on your part: he hasn’t done anything to deserve the $5. Likewise, God has given us a way to be made right with him.

Sunday church

On Sunday I went to church in the morning at the West Side, where the video connection got killed and Paul started teaching. He’s always prepared to teach if we have feed troubles, and I think he looks forward to it =) Paul showed outstanding style by doing a simple thing: teaching. He wasn’t lecturing or giving a “sermon” like somebody important who has something to say and “You’re going to hear it!”. He wasn’t coupled to some kind of lesson plan. He did have a plan, and guidance, and something to say, but he did it by interacting with the largely passive congregation of the saints. I, ever bold, was more than willing to answer his questions, though I tried not to dominate. Not an easy thing, sometimes!

The food was out of this world, too. I mean, serious spread. 3 different types of cakes, veggies and dip, bagels, quiche…

Nelson invited me to head to The City with him and Barry Johnson (they were bringing Kayla to college), but I declined. I don’t like the city, and I knew I wouldn’t get back for quite some time. It was a good thing too, because…

Sunday nappy time

I totally took a nap when I got home. I got a good sunburn hiking, and so after I put my laundry in and had some snack, I was in bed watching TV and I just konked out for a few hours. I woke up at 6. I’d intended to go back to church for the Sunday night “Core” service (where Paul happened to be teaching, continuing the series on the book of Revelation), but I just stayed in bed and rested. I watched a couple of cool shows on Hulu: Time Tunnel and Outer Limits.

Also, before my nap, I spoke with Audrial. She had tried to call me a couple of times while I was in church (I left my phone in the car), so I called her back. She was scared because she was hiding in her fort in her bedroom and she thought something touched her. She also said that something had scratched up the wall, like a ghost or something, because the wall wasn’t scratched before. She also claims that her house is haunted, and she sees shadows and ghosts. One of them is about 19 years old.