In English, we really only have one word for perfection. It's "perfection."
Basically, it means "complete, without flaw or missing piece." But it can also mean "total in all goodness, unbeatable, invincible, unstoppable." And as you might imagine, the two are usually confused. A lot of the time, people use the word without really thinking about which definition they mean.
When someone says "That paint is perfect," they mean "That paint correctly fits the vision I had in mind. It has no flaw in that role. It works well."
But when someone says "perfect soldier" they don't mean "A soldier who is currently healthy and fulfills his role adequately." That's just a typical soldier. They're thinking, "An unbeatable soldier. A soldier who will make opponents cry just to look at." That sort of thing.
There's a little confusion about what God's "perfection," means. Additionally, there's some confusion about our "perfection." Won't we be perfect in Heaven? But isn't God the only one who is perfect?
You can probably see where I'm going with this.
For the sake of completion, basically God is the only "perfect" being, in the sense that he is "total in all goodness, unbeatable, invincible, unstoppable." It's ridiculous to try to fight God or beat him in a game of wits. He has all good things at his disposal, and that means he has all strength and intelligence.
A short version of the attributes of God I like to remember is: Omnipotence (all-power), Omnipresence (being everywhere all the time), Omniscience (all-knowing), and Omnibenevolence (all-loving). God can't be beaten. He can't be gotten away from. He knows everything, and he's always morally good and loving. If your mental image of God doesn't have these things, we're not thinking of the same thing.
But each one of us will be "perfect" in Heaven, in the sense that we will be "complete, without flaw or missing piece." In a word, "Shalom." We might not have everything, but we won't be lesser for it. It's related to Tim Keller's idea of cosmic surgery vs cosmic car-wash, it you want to know more.
At least, that's my imperfect understanding.
Friday, July 17, 2020
Simulation Theory
For starters, I don't believe in Simulation Theory.
Do you know about this? It's the scientific/philosophical theory that our entire universe- everything- is just a simulation of reality, like the Matrix. Yes, people actually believe this. Some think our universe is just a hologram of itself. Some people think super-intelligent aliens are simulating this reality. It's a little more scientific than that, I think, but from my understanding, that's basically what some people, including scientists, believe.
I haven't really done enough research into the science of it to refute that. I basically object to Simulation Theory on one philosophical ground: in order for something to be a simulation, it has to be a simulation of something.
Imagine for example that you use a computer to simulate a chair. What's different about the computer chair from a real one? Well, the computer chair is a bunch of electrons making a screen light up in a way that corresponds with mathematical points calculated by the computer. Also, you can't sit in it. So far so good?
Now imagine you wanted to simulate a chair with wood. What do you do? You make a chair. Once you simulate something closely enough, you aren't simulating it anymore. You're creating it.
So the simple question is: if our universe is a simulation, what is it simulating?
And one possible simple answer goes "a universe with our specific laws of physics." The theory goes (I think) that the "real" universe outside the simulation doesn't correspond to the laws inside here. Or maybe the history is different. Or something.
But the point remains: if all it's simulating is itself, at what point does the simulation stop being a simulation and start just being reality?
However, there is something deeper I want to point out here. Where does the idea of Simulation Theory come from? Why is it such a fascinating idea? Like most world views, I think there is a hint of truth in it.
This world is a simulation. But not of itself.
This universe is a simulation of Heaven.
Earth is an old video game. It's a low resolution Atari game compared to reality- that is- compared to Heaven.
Earth is a massively multiplayer sandbox game where souls from Heaven and Hell can meet, interact, and talk with each other for one brief moment in Eternity. Just like how here on Earth, our massively multiplayer online games allow two different people from other sides of the world- from different backgrounds and countries- to connect in ways they never could otherwise. That's part of why its so important to stay here while we can. Don't worry, Heaven isn't going anywhere.
We are in a simulation, and one day we are going to wake up. See you out there.
Do you know about this? It's the scientific/philosophical theory that our entire universe- everything- is just a simulation of reality, like the Matrix. Yes, people actually believe this. Some think our universe is just a hologram of itself. Some people think super-intelligent aliens are simulating this reality. It's a little more scientific than that, I think, but from my understanding, that's basically what some people, including scientists, believe.
I haven't really done enough research into the science of it to refute that. I basically object to Simulation Theory on one philosophical ground: in order for something to be a simulation, it has to be a simulation of something.
Imagine for example that you use a computer to simulate a chair. What's different about the computer chair from a real one? Well, the computer chair is a bunch of electrons making a screen light up in a way that corresponds with mathematical points calculated by the computer. Also, you can't sit in it. So far so good?
Now imagine you wanted to simulate a chair with wood. What do you do? You make a chair. Once you simulate something closely enough, you aren't simulating it anymore. You're creating it.
So the simple question is: if our universe is a simulation, what is it simulating?
And one possible simple answer goes "a universe with our specific laws of physics." The theory goes (I think) that the "real" universe outside the simulation doesn't correspond to the laws inside here. Or maybe the history is different. Or something.
But the point remains: if all it's simulating is itself, at what point does the simulation stop being a simulation and start just being reality?
However, there is something deeper I want to point out here. Where does the idea of Simulation Theory come from? Why is it such a fascinating idea? Like most world views, I think there is a hint of truth in it.
This world is a simulation. But not of itself.
This universe is a simulation of Heaven.
Earth is an old video game. It's a low resolution Atari game compared to reality- that is- compared to Heaven.
Earth is a massively multiplayer sandbox game where souls from Heaven and Hell can meet, interact, and talk with each other for one brief moment in Eternity. Just like how here on Earth, our massively multiplayer online games allow two different people from other sides of the world- from different backgrounds and countries- to connect in ways they never could otherwise. That's part of why its so important to stay here while we can. Don't worry, Heaven isn't going anywhere.
We are in a simulation, and one day we are going to wake up. See you out there.
Love Songs
I used to hate love songs.
They always seemed so insipid. So saccharine. And that was when I was four.
There's an old Disney song. "Love Goes On." In it is this line:
"Life is brief, but when it's gone;
Love goes on and on."
And I used to think, "But it won't. One day, it will die. Either they'll break up, or one of them will die." Yes, I thought about this as a kid. Maybe not in so many words.
You've got to admit, some of the promises people make in these songs are pretty insane.
"All you need is love?" Tell that to my debt.
"I'd walk a thousand miles?" Pretty sure you'd die first.
"I knew I loved you before I met you?" Uh huh.
"Never let you go?" Until you need your hands free.
"Never gonna say goodbye?" That's not totally up to you.
Or how about:
"I will always love you." Sure, until they put the silverware in the wrong spot or forget to tell you something you think is important or say something in a way you take wrong or...
Well, you get the idea.
Not to mention all the songs that just make love sound disgusting.
What compounded this was that I never really felt these things that the songs were saying. I had crushes as a kid, but they were terrible, painful, and terrifying. I always knew the other person didn't like me (I was always right), and I just wanted the feelings to go away. They all ended badly. Where were the songs about that? (The Postal Service, basically.)
Then something changed: I actually started feeling the things that the songs were talking about. But it wasn't about another regular person. It was about God.
I really felt I only needed God's love.
I knew God would walk a thousand miles for me, and I wanted to walk them for him.
I did love God before I met him. (Not that I know that song very well.)
I never want to let God go, and I know he'll never let me go.
We'll never have to say goodbye.
God will always love me.
The Disney songs especially reflect this to me.
"So this is the miracle that I've been dreaming of... So this is love."
"I wonder... if my heart keeps singing, will my song go winging? To someone... who'll find me- and bring back a love song to me."
"One song. I have but one song... My heart keeps singing. Of one love. Only for you."
Plus, as a bonus:
"I'll love you forever. I'll like you for always."
Always.
They always seemed so insipid. So saccharine. And that was when I was four.
There's an old Disney song. "Love Goes On." In it is this line:
"Life is brief, but when it's gone;
Love goes on and on."
And I used to think, "But it won't. One day, it will die. Either they'll break up, or one of them will die." Yes, I thought about this as a kid. Maybe not in so many words.
You've got to admit, some of the promises people make in these songs are pretty insane.
"All you need is love?" Tell that to my debt.
"I'd walk a thousand miles?" Pretty sure you'd die first.
"I knew I loved you before I met you?" Uh huh.
"Never let you go?" Until you need your hands free.
"Never gonna say goodbye?" That's not totally up to you.
Or how about:
"I will always love you." Sure, until they put the silverware in the wrong spot or forget to tell you something you think is important or say something in a way you take wrong or...
Well, you get the idea.
Not to mention all the songs that just make love sound disgusting.
What compounded this was that I never really felt these things that the songs were saying. I had crushes as a kid, but they were terrible, painful, and terrifying. I always knew the other person didn't like me (I was always right), and I just wanted the feelings to go away. They all ended badly. Where were the songs about that? (The Postal Service, basically.)
Then something changed: I actually started feeling the things that the songs were talking about. But it wasn't about another regular person. It was about God.
I really felt I only needed God's love.
I knew God would walk a thousand miles for me, and I wanted to walk them for him.
I did love God before I met him. (Not that I know that song very well.)
I never want to let God go, and I know he'll never let me go.
We'll never have to say goodbye.
God will always love me.
The Disney songs especially reflect this to me.
"So this is the miracle that I've been dreaming of... So this is love."
"I wonder... if my heart keeps singing, will my song go winging? To someone... who'll find me- and bring back a love song to me."
"One song. I have but one song... My heart keeps singing. Of one love. Only for you."
Plus, as a bonus:
"I'll love you forever. I'll like you for always."
Always.
Peaks and Troughs
I want to reiterate that almost none of what I say this way is new. Most of the way I think and what I say comes from CS Lewis, and usually from his book The Screwtape Letters. In it, there's an entire chapter dedicated to showing how human progress, appetites, spiritual fervor, and moods all go up and down in what Screwtape refers to as the "Law of Undulation."
That being said, I want to reiterate some of Mr. Lewis' points and add some application in case it helps anybody someday.
Many Christians think that Peak periods, times when things are going really well in life, are blessings from God and Trough periods, when things are going really poorly, are curses or punishments from God. This is nothing new. Luke 13:1-5 has a short story about a tower in the neighborhood Siloam that fell on people. Jesus asks whether that tower falling on them meant that they were worse people than everyone else. Then he answers his own question (as usual): "By no means." And you can point to other places in the Bible, like Job or John 9:1-3, where hardship is not a punishment for sin. It's just part of living in this free, sandbox world God has created and allowed.
So obviously, life going poorly isn't always or even often a punishment. Most of us know this in our heads, even if it's hard to believe sometimes.
But here's something most people don't think about. Troughs can be a blessing, and Peaks might not be.
Think about what happens in your life when things are going really well. You get comfortable. You start to think "Yeah, this is how things are normally." And even worse: "I did this. This is my work. My hand. I've worked hard to get here. I deserve it. And now I can just sit back, relax, and enjoy it." I mean, that's not just theologically untrue, it's also just setting yourself up for a rude awakening. And, hey, maybe things going well really is normal for you, but regardless, it won't last forever.
Peak periods allow the illusion of control to come flooding back in. It's easy to think that we deserve what we get when things are going well. After all, you have worked hard. I'm not denying it. I know you have. The problem is that working hard only leads to success when a bunch of other factors are also going in your favor. Hard work is no guarantee for success or happiness. Many of the hardest workers I know are also some of the unhappiest people I've met.
It's too easy for hard work to trap us in this thinking of "I deserve this." So every good thing that you get becomes "what I deserve." And every bad thing that happens is an outrageous, unfair indigence. How many leaders or even managers have you heard of that have justified terrible things they've done because "I work so hard the rest of the time."
When God allows things to go too well for us, we start to think it's all about us. That's dangerous and usually leads to some very sad results.
So in the same way, Troughs can be a blessing. When we're sad- when we're upset, alone, scared, and unhappy- it's a lot easier to ask for help. And when we ask God for help, it's like exercise. The more you have to deal with bad times in your life, the easier it will become. It doesn't hurt any less, but it doesn't have to. You will survive. And not because you deserve it or because you've earned it, but because you have had to practice relying on God.
I know this probably isn't going to make you feel better, because it wouldn't have made me feel better. But trust me. If you let him, God can take that pain and foster something incredible inside it. And you will become something... amazing. Something invincible. In the words of Charles Xavier, "If you allow yourself to feel it- embrace it- it will make you more powerful than you ever imagined."
So yeah, that's it.
That being said, I want to reiterate some of Mr. Lewis' points and add some application in case it helps anybody someday.
Many Christians think that Peak periods, times when things are going really well in life, are blessings from God and Trough periods, when things are going really poorly, are curses or punishments from God. This is nothing new. Luke 13:1-5 has a short story about a tower in the neighborhood Siloam that fell on people. Jesus asks whether that tower falling on them meant that they were worse people than everyone else. Then he answers his own question (as usual): "By no means." And you can point to other places in the Bible, like Job or John 9:1-3, where hardship is not a punishment for sin. It's just part of living in this free, sandbox world God has created and allowed.
So obviously, life going poorly isn't always or even often a punishment. Most of us know this in our heads, even if it's hard to believe sometimes.
But here's something most people don't think about. Troughs can be a blessing, and Peaks might not be.
Think about what happens in your life when things are going really well. You get comfortable. You start to think "Yeah, this is how things are normally." And even worse: "I did this. This is my work. My hand. I've worked hard to get here. I deserve it. And now I can just sit back, relax, and enjoy it." I mean, that's not just theologically untrue, it's also just setting yourself up for a rude awakening. And, hey, maybe things going well really is normal for you, but regardless, it won't last forever.
Peak periods allow the illusion of control to come flooding back in. It's easy to think that we deserve what we get when things are going well. After all, you have worked hard. I'm not denying it. I know you have. The problem is that working hard only leads to success when a bunch of other factors are also going in your favor. Hard work is no guarantee for success or happiness. Many of the hardest workers I know are also some of the unhappiest people I've met.
It's too easy for hard work to trap us in this thinking of "I deserve this." So every good thing that you get becomes "what I deserve." And every bad thing that happens is an outrageous, unfair indigence. How many leaders or even managers have you heard of that have justified terrible things they've done because "I work so hard the rest of the time."
When God allows things to go too well for us, we start to think it's all about us. That's dangerous and usually leads to some very sad results.
So in the same way, Troughs can be a blessing. When we're sad- when we're upset, alone, scared, and unhappy- it's a lot easier to ask for help. And when we ask God for help, it's like exercise. The more you have to deal with bad times in your life, the easier it will become. It doesn't hurt any less, but it doesn't have to. You will survive. And not because you deserve it or because you've earned it, but because you have had to practice relying on God.
I know this probably isn't going to make you feel better, because it wouldn't have made me feel better. But trust me. If you let him, God can take that pain and foster something incredible inside it. And you will become something... amazing. Something invincible. In the words of Charles Xavier, "If you allow yourself to feel it- embrace it- it will make you more powerful than you ever imagined."
So yeah, that's it.
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