John Scott's Fifteen Blogs (I saved in a word doc and copied them all at once)

1/13/10

Our First Class

Last night, we had our first class. We talked about the land of Faerie and how we must all travel through this Faerie world on the way to Nona’s where we will be having the rest of our classes. Last semester I took a class on J.R.R. Tolkien and had already read “On Fairy Stories.” It was cool to see knowledge from another class become useful in another class. I really like the idea of sub-creation. It makes me feel as though I am apart of something much more grand and awesome.
We also talked about ontology tonight. I like the idea that we give something its existence and value. Science is only one part of the ontological discussion. Philosophy contributes its part, Art its and every other form of knowledge or expression contributes to the ontology of an object. My only fear is where to draw the line. As a culture that celebrates the ideas of science, it is easy to give to much power to the ontological view of science. My fear in recognizing that is I would become so intent on counter-balancing that effect that I would not listen to the views of science at all and would become…irrelevant. I guess my question would be where to find a healthy balance between all the worldviews and ideas that can affect the way we see the world. It is challenging to separate oneself from the culture while not divorcing it completely. I would like to keep my integrity to my culture’s way of thinking while expanding my mind and accepting new ideas and philosophies.
It is cool to think about how the soup of Faerie that Tolkien talks about in “On Fairy Stories” accepts all types of thinking and ways of life. Fairy Stories are some of the most accepting things because they are fluid and not concrete, they can be interpreted. Science cannot be interpreted, neither can logic and debate. But Sleeping Beauty can be and so can Van Gogh and all story and art. I guess that is why Faerie is important for showing ontology. Any person can interpret it and its ontology is completely moldable, which shows us that us humans are not that different.

1/21/10

Myth

Surely one might pay for extraordinary joy in ordinary morals. Oscar Wilde said that sunsets were not valued because we could not pay for sunsets. But Oscar Wilde was wrong; we can pay for sunsets. We can pay for sunsets by not being Oscar Wilde.
-G.K. Chesterton

For this week’s class I had to read Chesterton’s article “Ethics of Elfland.” This was a cool article and a few quotes changed the way I view a lot of different things. The quote that I pasted at the top of the article I thought was really neat. Chesterton talks about the ordinary things in life. Sometimes we neglect the things in this life that are so beautiful because it is so ordinary. Chesterton tries to re-imagine our scientific thoughts of monotony by saying that these things should not be taken for granted. He believes that humanity has a choice, to either appreciate that which seems monotonous or by having a blasé view of the entire world. He brings in the Creator God in the story by saying, “But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, “ Do it again” to the sun; and every evening, “ Do it again” to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never tired of making them.”

By re-imagining the world in this fresh way, Chesterton changed the way I view the world. As opposed to a watchmaker view of God and the world I see the hand of God in every moment, step, breath and growth. I love the idea that we can see beauty by simply not being ignorant to its presence and understanding the intention behind it. These two quotes have changed the way I see people and growing things. Everything has purpose, Everything is Spiritual.

1/23/10

National Geographic

Today I was watching a special on National Geographic about an indigenous group of Natives who recently survived a large storm on their island. They were explaining the phenomenon about the waves rising as good spirits closer to the mountain and bad spirits in the waves and water. My mind quickly thought how simple this native group was. They did not understand that waves were a result of high winds caused by a cataclysmic storm! I quickly remembered a conversation in class though about myth and science and where they relate. We talked about how myth is an expression of truth. Just how Prof. Redick’s daughter knew that the troll would eat her, these people knew that the bad spirits were causing the seas to rise. Was there an actual troll sitting underneath the bridge? Were there actual spirits causing the waters to rise and attack the people? YES! On both accounts what these words represent were far more powerful then the science behind them. On both accounts these words meant “DANGER, do not go there” and that is what is important. The people understood the truth of the matter. What does it matter if a man knows that the high winds cause the seas to rise if he is unwilling to run from it! Realizing this changes the definition of truth to encompass more than just “reality” but also that language is deceiving. Just how differing languages cause different translations so do different words and phrases for different contexts.

1/30/10

Narnia

I started reading the Chronicles of Narnia this week and we talked about it a briefly in class. I was really struck by the idea that Lewis did not intend Narnia to be an allegory. He intended it to be a completely different world from our world and not just a parallel to ours. This is a definite distinction that I thought intriguing. Where is the line between allegory and original story? I would have to agree with Lewis in that it was never his intention to write an allegory. While this may have not have been his intention he essentially did write one. His book to many of his readers was not a world of magic but a world of parallels. When Lewis was writing I don’t know what his intentions were but I do know that I thought of Jesus when I saw Aslan. I also had a similar view towards Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings.

Maybe this is a flaw in my reading of fantasy. I want everything I read to be real in my world. I don’t like this idea of having something so spectacular just be spectacular. Part of me must believe that Gandalf and Aslan are real, and so I try to apply them to my world as opposed to being who they are and who Tolkien and Lewis wanted them to be.


2/2/10

More Myth

The words about myth have not left me from G.K. Chesterton. I can’t get rid of the image of the Gospel as myth and what that means. I have been thinking about how the beauty of the story has returned since reading these chapters and thinking about life in a completely new way. Life is so much more than the science and straight lines that I have reduced it to. Life is dynamic and organic, and so why can’t God be similar. It makes me wonder about how I have put God in a box. The quote from Mr. Beaver about God not being tame but good has moved to the forefront of my mind and I think I might be getting to understand what that means. God is good. WOW! To me that is an incredible, relaxing freedom. I have been so stressed lately with academics, my social life, my emotional capacity and then on top of that making sure I am right with God. Reading Lewis has given me an understanding of God and people that I have not seen before. From God speaks in narrative, not doctrine and argumentation to God is myth and art and beyond the pages of the Bible, my mind understands God in a less complete way that is, at the same time, more accurate to the way I now believe God operates. In my very same sentence I limit who God is in my mind because I am now defining a character to Him that cannot be totally true. I am starting to see God the way Lewis saw God as good and all-powerful. It is not up to me, and that makes me want to give my whole life because now I CAN give it.

2/15/10

Lost the Myth

This week I met someone who lost the myth. He lost what it means to love, live and have freedom. It was really sad to see someone that low and I had never seen someone that sad, broken and angry at God, me and people before. What makes us lose the myth of life? What makes us so uncomfortable with ambiguity? I want to cry when I think about the brokenness of our world. I want redemption. I want Aslan to be real and show his goodness. I wish the world could see the goodness of God that I have seen. I want to help people find the myth that has been lost in our society. Where is the imagination and art that we so desperately need?

I feel that God wants us to connect with him and I think the imagination and art brings that to us. Art is not paintings, songs, or even literature. Art to me has become an attitude and a way of seeing the world. We live in the Art of God and we must simply enjoy the beauty. The Art of God is around us and through us and in us. It is his presence, it is his seeming absence. It is hurt, it is fulfillment. The brushstrokes of God fill in our empty hearts with nature, math, science, doctrine and all that is called the arts. Ultimately, His Art is his masterful piece of creation. There are parts of this Art that are dark. There are parts of this Art that are ugly. There are parts of this Art that are hurt, pain and suffering. But all of these parts show us the beauty that is in the middle. It is the love and redemption story of Jesus Christ. Without the other parts the work is incomplete and the beauty is less beautiful. The middle is where God redeems, God restores, and God renews. I want to be in the middle of this Art, taking it in, breathing it in, worship in it. I want to take this middle Art of God and I want to show the middle to people living on the edges.

2/18/10

The Horse and His Boy

So we have really started to get into the Narnia stories this week. I am reminded of the Narnia story I have to write myself and I am really worried about it. I don’t have to read it next week fortunately but I will have to write it and more of concern to me, read it aloud to the class. Oh well. Everybody has got to do it.

Anyway, I am getting sidetracked. I re-read The Horse and His Boy. I think that is my favorite Narnia book. I don’t know why I like it so much but it really is a personal story. Something about a lost boy losing his way and finding that his deepest desires have come true really resonates. I guess for me I want my deepest desires to come true. In a lot of ways, I am Shasta right now. I want to one day be Prince Cor of Archenland and have my dreams fulfilled too. I relate to Shasta for I am still the boy at the beach, looking for a way to escape. Maybe one day a talking horse will come up to me and ask me if we look like to escape together. That would be pretty phenomenal. Haha. I am simply just thinking about my hopes and dreams wondering if they will ever materialize like they did for Shasta. Shasta wasn’t sure if he would be Cor but he still believed and it came true.

It is pretty cliché to just believe and all your wildest dreams will come true but maybe it isn’t. Maybe I can experience that feeling with Shasta as he becomes Cor. Reading fantasy allows me to know what it feels like to become Cor. I may never have my wildest dreams come true, but if I let myself become Shasta I can undergo that core transformation (pun definitely intended) and experience what it would feel like for my wildest dreams to come true if they would have. Maybe that is not the most healthy behavior but I think it is better than becoming bitter.

3/10/10

My Story

Over Spring Break I wrote my Narnia story. It was really cool to see how it happened. I was sitting in my room and mulling over some ideas one night when all of a sudden it just came to me. When Prof. Redick told us that the story would write itself I did not believe him, but it really did. As I started writing I just thought about the world of Narnia and enveloped myself in it. I really enjoyed writing my own myth. It was strange at first. I felt as if I was defaming the work of Lewis. I felt so ill equipped to add to the story at all, but at the end of it I kind of wanted to read it to Lewis and ask him if this could work in his story or how the real castle of Cair Paravel was built. Maybe he would have a better idea.. hahaha

We also talked about how Lewis hated Disney. I hate Disney too! That would be a good talking point. I like how Lewis viewed movies. I think that he is right in that the visual limits the creative abilities of the person imagining. I know that when I read books and then watch the movies I immediately think of what I have seen from the past in movies. Fortunately, the new Narnia movies have done such a bad idea of describing my original imaginations of Narnia that I can remember my original imagination much better than the image that movies portrays. I am impressed that Lewis would have recognized this as a danger so early in the film industry’s creation. I think his assessment is extremely accurate. I believe that my generation has become impatient and does not want to take the thought in order to imagine and create. I wish that I had the imaginative abilities still, but all to often I find myself entertaining myself with stupid TV or video games.

3/16/10

Space Trilogy

I think I understand better what Lewis was talking about with allegory after reading through some of the Space Trilogy. The idea that Narnia was not an allegory but the same God manifesting himself in a totally different paradigm exposed itself to me. This was really cool to see. It was easier for me to see what Lewis was talking about because space travel is a lot easier to grasp than parallel universe. When Ransom goes to Malacandra it is the same God and the same principles of science and theology still apply. Suddenly, Ransom is revealed that God is bigger and theology is bigger than he ever expected or believed before. Later in Perelandra, life is just beginning and what seems like an allegory of Adam and Eve is really just a reoccurrence of the story that happened on Earth.

This idea by Lewis to create a second occurrence helped me understand Narnia so much better. I understand that it is not a made up world for allegory requires a make up world. Narnia is real, just as real as Earth and just as real as Malacandra or Perelandra. To Lewis, God was creating more and redeeming more and loving more places than just Earth. It all flows beautifully in the Last Battle together when all the lands and planets and worlds that Lewis has created and not created link back to heaven and God. Everyone has a different understanding of God and Jesus but our connection to God was Jesus. In Narnia, it was Aslan. This was really eye opening to me in understanding Lewis’ message.

3/31/10

Rest

This week we discussed rest briefly in class and it got me thinking about my life. I often thought that I was someone who rested too much and needed to be more disciplined in my work. Briefly, someone brought up rest and what it means to truly rest. I didn’t have an answer. I was thinking about my week and the constant cycle of agitation that I have placed myself in. More often then not I am restless and agitated in my rest and in my work. I find myself not finding peace with who I am or what I am doing and I hate it. I have been processing through what it means to have real and true rest and I am unsure. I almost broke down in class because I discovered that I don’t know what it means to take care of myself in such a simple and tangible way. I struggle with that so much. I hope one day I will discover what true rest looks like.

4/5/10

Creation Myths

I am writing my term paper on creation myths and it has been giving me some trouble. I am not sure what question I am going to ask or what answer I am going to give for that question. I am finding the research to be very intriguing though. I have really enjoyed reading about different creation myths, especially the creation myths that Lewis and Tolkien both wrote. They are very similar in that a single deity creates both worlds and both worlds were born, not by words but by song. This has furthered my pursuit of thinking God as an artist. I like the idea that God sang the world into being. It was not something that was designed but instead an expression of God. I think that God did design our world but I think that it is first and foremost an expression of the character of God.
My one problem with all of this philosophy is that I am having trouble marrying with my theology. I believe that theology is very scriptural and sometimes it just doesn’t make sense, but that is the way it is so I get over it. Philosophy for me is what I think God is or why God operates the way he does. Most of the time these ideas are at odds with each other. How does the theology of being right marry with the philosophy of seeming right? I have a hard time trusting God with the difference.

4/7/10

Perelandra

C.S. Lewis brought up an interesting point in Perelandra. Ransom is debating the course of action that he feels he needs to make. In a section that is reminiscent of both the Garden of Eden and Gethsemane, Ransom struggles with himself and the deity figure. He does not know if he should intercede on behalf of the new world and continues to ask the question: What if this had happened on our world? Lewis then writes on how it is silly to think about the question what if because there is no way of knowing. I brought this up to the class and they thought that there is then no way to know if what you were doing is right or wrong. I don’t know if it is a good question to ask but I do agree with Lewis that it can be a question that traps you. I know I have asked a lot of times what if I had gone to this college or that college and I think about how different my life would be. What I feel to see is that I have friends that I have here that I would not have at all if I had gone somewhere else. I am here and that is where I am. I could choose to live at UVA or ODU or I could choose to live at CNU and invest in the relationships that I have been given. The question of what if is futile because it does not help you make the decisions that you need for this day, week or month. Lewis is saying we can choose to live in the hypothetical or we can choose to live in the actual. I want to start living in the actual more often.

4/21/10

Last Class of the Year ☹

Tonight was the last class of the year and we spent it at Dr. Redick’s house. I liked it. It was cool to be outside and see the stars and eat some really good food. I think that one day next year I am going to grab a sleeping bag and go sleep on the great lawn outside under the stars. I will just have to check the weather and make sure I get up before any one sees me because I don’t want people to think I am crazy or something.

Redick talked about the incarnation tonight and I thought the illustration he used was really intriguing. The incarnation and the trinity has been a debate that has really divided and confused a lot of people. How can three people be one? It just doesn’t make sense. Redick explained it like this. Imagine that you are the author of a book. Lets say that it is a “fiction” book and you end up writing yourself in the book. Maybe he doesn’t have your same name but he does exactly what you would do and lives our your characteristics, but you have written him into the story. Is this character you? Yes. But is he really you? No. He doesn’t have the big picture of understanding that you as the author has but he does have the same qualities. The same applies to the incarnation. Jesus was God as God had written himself into the book but he was not the author. Jesus is almost the expression of God in human form. I thought this was interesting but Redick was right in saying that this does not fulfill the theological side.

4/23/10

Am I a Slave?

So I have been doing a lot of thinking for better or for worse. Sometimes I think too much, sometimes I think some think too little. The anxiety I have over these things I feel is totally merited and I don’t understand how others do not feel the same? I am constantly thinking about God and life and eternity and that kinda stuff, but I feel like I am not thinking my own thoughts.

Allow me to explain: The other day we were talking in history class on the view of thought movements throughout history. We have become more accepting as a people and more open to change as time has moved forward. As I heard that I am wondering why. I have become tolerant in my own faith. I hear the stories of Christians of old who would die to tell someone about Jesus and I think I would to, but I almost feel that God will be good to them even if I don’t. Has the Christian church lost its fervency in the pursuit of the Gospel? Have I become to accepting as a Christian of other faiths, religions, and practices? What if my theologies are wrong? Will God still accept me into his holy kingdom? I hope that he does. It would suck to go through life, loving God as much as I do, trying to pursue truth as much as I have and get to the end and be sent to hell. And in the end, there is my problem. There are men women and children who pursue their faith with more fervency and dedication than I have in my body, but I believe they are wrong. I wouldn’t want their God to send me to hell because I was born in a Christian family and become indoctrinated with the Gospel. I weep for those people and I don’t see how God is good in that situation. In a lot of ways I am angry with the gods like Orual was. Different reasons but I am having some difficulty sorting it all out. I just hope that God is good to me and good to those who would love him, even if they don’t call out his name.

4/23/10

Orual

I am Tapeinophrosune, the god of right thinking. You have always thought too highly of yourself, and here is a prime example. I have watched from the mountaintop your life and seen the wickedness of your thoughts. You would claim that you are one who is humble and contrite for you have always compared the beauty of Psyche to that of yourself and have found yourself lacking. This is your sin of pride, that you have compared yourself with another and thought less of yourself. To make it worse, in your heart you always believed that you were less and therefore, in your false humility felt better about yourself than you out. Orual, poor, poor soul, do not compare yourself any longer to the people of the world. You stand before the gods and approach their mountaintop without the grace necessary to receive mercy and see how long your “humility” lasts.
The gods are angry that you have treated us so. Was it not us who created you? Did we not know your name before your life came into existence? I Tapeinophrosune, knew you by my wisdom and our work is not messed up. Life is hard but maybe it is supposed to be like that. You have destroyed the marriage of Psyche because you were secretly jealous of your sister and wanted the gods to recognize you for your “humble predisposition.” Surely, I tell you that you will have no part in us if you do not accept that we made you and we made you beautiful. Orual, accept our grace and go in peace without the fear or fright of guilt. But be forewarned never to come before us with such pride and false humility again. Think of us before you think about the “lowly” conditions of your “miserable” life. Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less. Go and do as we have said and all will be well.