My thoughts on religion, books, music, politics and other subjects super awesome!
Sunday, December 03, 2006
Chili Cookoff Champion!!
We had the Wartburg Chili Cookoff tonight before Lessons and Carols.
My Chili won best traditional chili! It was pretty fun and exciting to win.
It was the same Chili I entered (ok not the exact same, just same recipe) into the Iowa State University Chili Cookoff last year and we did not win. There they were going for presentation as well as taste and we were not so great with the presentation. Whatever, this time I won!
k, Lesson and Carols was really fun as well, it works off of O come, O come Emmanuel. Starting with stanza 2 you go through each individually and have a lesson reading and a carol.
yep,
laters
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Funny Quote
- Kurt Vonnegut
I just like this quote.
e
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport Taxi's
The solution that the MSP transportation committee came up with was a two light feature that distinguished whether a driver was willing to transport alcohol. This, in the eyes of this opinion http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewCommentary.asp?Page=/Commentary/archive/200610/COM20061011a.html , this would be a issue of Islam forcing itself on law. " Namely, the two-light plan intrudes the Shari'a, or Islamic law, with state sanction, into a mundane commercial transaction in Minnesota." (A side, I notice that he uses the term intrusion, yet never mentions separation of church and state.)
The author brings up the issue that if this goes through (it was later repealed) where will it stop. Will it be used to keep people off buses? Will it be extended to women showing skin and hair? He then goes on to say that the MSP commission went to a Islamic bod y, the Minnesota chapter of the Muslim American Society, for consultation. From there he starts to state that this society has plans to make the US into a Islamic state.
He uses this as his reasoning for not wanting the two light system. That he views it as a vehicle for Islamic thought and law to be brought into the realm of politics and law. That this is a "stepping stone" (my phrase) to other areas or a "domino effect". hmmm, why does that sound familiar? The term domino effect was used in response to the beginning of the spread of communism. That attitude started us on a path of seeing trouble and trying to "fix" it in countries and regions where we were not supposed to be.
The same attitude is now being compared with how we are seeing trouble in the "axis of terrer (to put it like bush pronounces the word)." We saw that issues started in the world then became internal issues, then spread to the world again. The soviet union is created and a cold war develops between us and them. This turns to internal fear of Communism the "Better dead than Red" phase. The US then started to try and counter communism from developing in countries, getting us into wars We have the situation starting again. And if authors and people with similar thinking become the norm, we could be heading down a road that is worse off than the one we are on now.
I agree with the author's main point that the new system is wrong. But our reasoning is completely different. His argument is that it would give Muslims an "in" to the law system. And that the worst thing that can happen in this world is for us to be understanding and respectful to others beliefs (my own sarcasm). My reasoning counter to his argument is that a separation of any means is the wrong route for this country to go. Counter to his "in", I see it as an "in" for another group. A group that would use this as the opposite, not to go along with one groups beliefs, but to separate that group out and distinguish it. Putting a light on the top of a car may seem like a good idea, but what happens if we have someone disturbed coming through and they now have all their "targets" lit up for them.
Soon we could be marking everything that has to do with every religion, people would have to wear their religious symbol on their shoulder so that everyone knows what things they can do and what they can't do. We would have crosses, crescents,
and even little gold six pointed Stars of David.
Saturday, September 16, 2006
CHANGES!!!!!!!
Had to change the format, I may spend some time later changing it around a bit.
let me know how you like it.
other news, Iowa State - Iowa Game is tomorrow ... oh today, man I need to get to bed. Go Cyclones!!!
Laters
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Minjung theology
I have a prologue week class this week. It is called Theology in Context. It has been a interesting class, if a bit overwhelming, just because they have covered a subject a bit and then the next day covered something else. While they are connected to each other, it is just a bare minimum of information about the subject and a whole semester probably could be used for each.
The subject today was Theology, and also Lutheran Theology. In our second session of class today one professor Paul Chung talked about Lutheran Theology and Lutheran Theology in Context. The part that really interested me was the Theology in Context, Professor Chung talked about different contexts that Lutheran Theology has fit into. One area was in Japan dealing with the regards to the "Social reality of post-Hiroshima Japan." and the work of Kazoh Kitamori, a Japanese Lutheran Theologian. Kitamori used the term turasa to define the relationship between God and Jesus and also between God and the people that suffered and died because of the bomb. Turasa is a Japanese term that refers to the Father's pain over the death of the son, not just pain but extreme agony.
Chung then turned to Ahn Byung Mu, the father of Asian minjung theology. and it relationship with turasa. Minjung deals with Jesus's connection and solidarity with ochlos a Greek word meaning crowd, usually a poor crowd, (vs Loas meaning the people or regular normal individuals of society). It challenges turasa by asking "Who was there in Hiroshima?" Chung then talked about minjung meaning "the poor mass" and "Han" (outcry of victim) and how the relationship with God is based on God hearing the "Han" or the outcry of the victims.
The problem now arises that we did not delve into this any further, Chung stated that he talks about it more is his book Martin Luther and Buddhism. I look forward to learning more about this subject and how I can use it.
My first reaction was the thought that "Can it be modified to the change that has happened in the US with regards to 9/11?" It is a subject that would be interesting to ask Professor Chung during the class.
well, that should give you something to chew on for a while,
laters
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Why 24 hour news stations are not news but entertainment.
laters,
Erik
Monday, August 28, 2006
Pics from apartment
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Finally updating, greek and baseball
Well, I am now in Dubuque, IA. I have been here since mid July. Started Greek at Wartburg on the 20th and have three days left now. Well two and a half, we have class on Monday and Tuesday and then get our test after class on Tues. We have to turn it in by wed at noon. Greek has been fun, but intense. The course is a full years worth in 4 weeks. we have three hours a day in the morning and a test every week. I did decent on the first test and really good on the last 4 which is what I expected. The first week I spent most of my time working on vocab and the alphabet and not much on sentences, once I had the new alphabet down I could look at sentences more and get more practice.
Well, I was watching the Twins last night, it was a really good game but the cable I have does not get Fox Sports North or another channel that carries the Twins broadcast team, so I had to deal with the White Sox team, and to be polite, THEY SUCK!!, they are not terribly bad at play by play and color commentary, besides focusing on the White Sox and having no stuff to say about the twins, but really makes them bad is the continuous catch phrases they use.
After every homerun by the Sox "YOU CAN PUT IT ON THE BOARD ... YES!!!"
After every strikeout or big out "HE GONE!!"
and when saying the scores between innings before going to break "bad guys 8 sox 7"
And the fact that his nickname is "Hawk" seriously get a better one.
well the game went well, it was annoying when the twins kept on letting them back into it.
ok, laters
Monday, May 22, 2006
2 things
They are good and bad,
The Good: I just got a note from Wartburg Seminary saying that I received the Campus Ministry Leadership Award Scholarship. This is awesome!!! I might be able to afford it now (ok, I could have anyways, but this certainly helps keep loans down) So I am pretty excited about that.
The Bad: I just heard that my good friend Alice's Grandmother was diagnosed with lung cancer just this last week, she did not find out about it until Thursday because her mother did not want her to ruin her birthday which was on wed.
So definitely keep Alice and her Grandmother in your prayer's.
laters,
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Leo Kottke
I found the song, Twice, on an episode from Jan 8th 2005. It is incredibly done and despite what it says on his first album cover, he actually has a very nice voice. His first album states that his voice sounds like geese farting.
umm yeah
Here is the link to the show, the segment with Twice is number 5.
http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/programs/2005/01/08/
If you listen to the whole show, the Croatian singers are very good and interesting as well.
Laters,
Monday, April 24, 2006
View from the back parking lot
Through a break for a view of the clocktower
Inscription on the wall
"Gottes Wort und Luthers Lehr' Vergehet nun und nimmermehr"
"God's word and Luther's teaching will never pass away."
Statue of Luther in middle courtyard
View from down hill near living area's
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Gospel of Judas
Well some might already know but National Geographic revealed the other week the Gospel of Judas, a Coptic Gospel, about the relationship between Jesus and Judas regarding the betrayal, it is sort of interesting, but hard to know what to think about it. There are many such books, and most are held to not be important or at least suspect in terms of their content.
Here is a link about the release from National Geographic
The release and gospel itself has gotten enough press that the Onion did a piece about it in their " In your Opinion" section. http://www.theonion.com/content/node/47451
Laters,
Monday, April 10, 2006
New Book I'm starting
It is a signed copy of the book "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin It deals with Mortenson, who was a mountain climber, decision to start building schools all around the Himalaya region particularly the northern section of Pakistan.
Should be very interesting, he is the grandson of a member at my parents church and was there for a adult bible school session and signed some copies.
I will try to post updates to what I think about the book.
laters
Sunday, April 09, 2006
Great blog entry by Andrew Sullivan
He talks about coining a new term for people who use Christ's teachings as political tools. He is defending his use of these words in he entry here.
http://time.blogs.com/daily_dish/2006/04/christianism_a_.html
look him up, very insightful,
laters
Monday, April 03, 2006
Lenten Disciplines
I think it is a good discipline, but I am thinking that many times people give something up for Lent as a Lenten challenge and not a Lenten Discipline, there is a difference to me at least. A challenge is a individual thing while a discipline is personal but not individual, you can learn from it and change how you live. If I just don't watch TV and instead spend all that time just playing video games or reading comic books, it becomes a challenge, can I make it one more day? but if I take some of that time and think about what it means to be giving something up it becomes a discipline, you can share what you are experiencing with others and they can share with you, more than just wow I didn't watch TV today, I rule!!!.
My pastor, Fritz, mentioned in one of his sermons the other week that our relationship with God and Jesus should be a personal one, but not individual and private, that God is indeed important to and with you, but not to the exclusion of others, that God is with all of us at the same time.
Well, there are some thoughts to ponder,
laters
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Not sure what to think about this
Here is another link - this time from Aljazeera
This guy converts from Islam to Christianity and therefore must die.
He converted while in Germany, and works as a humanitarian aid worker.
I really don't know what to think about Islam this time.
They preach that the extreme reactionaries are a minority, then something like this occurs and I start to think that maybe that's not true.
There is a difference here between this and terrorism, but at some point they will have to realize that they are part of the larger world and they will have to accept our rules and morals as well as us having to accept theirs.
They can't get angry with people for having freedom of speech and say that it's religious persecution and then persecute religiously themselves.
laters,
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Tsunami: Wave of Disaster
It was spring break last week at Iowa State and some people from Lutheran Campus Ministry (still weird to say that instead of ULC ((Fritz thinks that LCM feels more inclusive))) had gone down to New Orleans to help. They mainly helped out with deconstruction, removing trash, refrigerators and such. I have been on such trips before, to the Appalachian area of the eastern US primarily to southern Ohio and the western tip of Virginia. It was a very rewarding experience, but some of the trouble we have had on such trips is the feeling that we are dong this for us, while it is for the people that we are helping. But we are also getting something out of is as well, we are gaining knowledge, emotions and experiences.
Laters,
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Horrible Song lyrics
ok, I will say this song does have a good beat and gets in your head, but if you listen to the lyrics they are some of the worst I have found. Not for what they say, just the unoriginality of them. I want to see what the person writing this was thinking ...
ok, first well have
my humps
my humps umm
my humps
my humps
my humps
my lovely lady lumps
(just repeat this about 80 times)
- writer name
k,
Erik
Thursday, March 09, 2006
End of an Era
Erik's Super Awesome Website is officially offline. Iowa State has removed it and it will no longer load. I don't know if I will be getting it up on another server at some point soon. But if so, info will be given here
later,
Erik
Monday, March 06, 2006
Kirby Puckett
ESPN Main Story
ESPN Jim Caple
CNN
SportsIllustrated
Minnesota Twins fans will miss him.
Thats all for now, I may say more later.
Kirby Puckett 1960 - 2006
Friday, February 24, 2006
Star of the Prophet Muhammad
yeah, go people,
Erik
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Oklahoma
Got back from work at 6:45, Finished making dinner at 7:10. I had just sat down to eat, when my friend Addie calls me to see if I wanted to go to Oklahoma the musical.
She had an extra ticket and did not want to waste it. I said that I would and asked when it was starting, "Yeah, It starts at 7:30" so well I ate in about 5 secs and ran out the door in order to get there on time. Parked at Church, and power walked over, got there at 7:29 and had just sat down, not even gotten my jacket completely off when the overture started.
that was fun, not much else to the story, it was good.
yep,
later
Sunday, February 19, 2006
Story from new years
Iowa State's football team was playing in a Bowl game that noon, so we decided that we would get food from a local grocery story and then eat in the room. I had seen what I thought was a microwave in the closet of the room and so we went and got frozen stuff to cook and eat.
We got back, settled down and I went to look at the microwave, I opened the door and thought that's weird, there is carpeting in here. then I looked at it closer and well it was a Safe. I mean when I see something that is white plastic outside with a number pad, numerical display and a door, to me that says microwave.
well, we thought our food was ruined, then I thought I only have mini burritos that are fully cooked (Lisa Wells ((from UNI who was on the trip with us)) had pizza rolls) so all we have to do is heat them up to an edible temp. So I sent a pot of water through the coffee maker and then took a shower cap, wrapped a roll in it and dunked it in the water. that worked so we could actually eat. (Later I just set the shower cap in the ground holder area of the maker (What is the called?) and ran two or three batches through the maker.
so I definitely will never forget that new years,
Later
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Found some interesting links from Andrew Sullivan's "The Daily Dish"
A good quote
The editorial staff for the NY press, a small weekly paper, quit
For more information see CNN and BBC News
For another blog following this story see Daryl Cagle's Cartoon Weblog
This story has gotten big enough that it is being covered by both "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and "The Colbert Report"
Later
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Interesting news story
Well, I’ve been following the Danish cartoon story involving the caricatures of the prophet Muhammad; it's been interesting seeing what the different reactions have been to the conflict.
Many different sources have had comment areas containing people from both sides of the story. Most Muslim contributors state that they feel it is oppressive to the Islamic faith, since it is blasphemous to make images of the prophet Muhammad as this could lead to idolatry.
This has a good meaning behind it, there is the issue of people of other religions and beliefs are they supposed to be accountable for other religions beliefs. There has to be a point where you draw a line between feeling insulted and realizing that they do not follow your faith and should not be persecuted for that.
The three major religions stemming from Israel, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, all hold that you should not take the Lord’s name in vain, yet every day in movies, books, and in many other forms of media you see this done, whether the utterance of God or Jesus in anger or something more severe.
But you do not see Christians or Jews rising up in anger over this issue, why is this issue not addressed. That I don’t know, whether it is because of the areas and cultures of the people who follow those religions, or maybe the age of the religions. Both Judaism and Christianity are around or more than 2000 years old now, while Islam is only 1300 years old, while this seems old, consider that around between the year’s 1000 – 1800 is when such things as the Spanish inquisition and the Crusades occurred.
Back to the current issue, western sources have often stated that they feel that the Islamic community saying that they cannot print the images is a violation of freedom of speech. I feel this is correct as well. This gets us to the unusual situation that both sides are correct from their viewpoint; the question is what should be viewed as more important, freedom of speech or respect of religion.Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Monday, January 23, 2006
Theology on Tap
It is looking very good right know, only have read the first section so far though. it was told from Mary's perspective, looking at the child life of Jesus. We have the birth story, Jesus being left in Jerusalem after the Passover.
The next section is from the view of one of the Disciples.