How Act 1
How to Save the World
And the Relationship Between Biology and Computer Programming
Act / Chapter One
At The Mall
(Narrator stands at podium stage right and reads introduction.)
It was April in Alberta, Canada, west of the Saskatchewan border. In the area along the North Saskatchewan river, the winter snow had melted quickly, leaving the prairie and aspen parkland dry and barren. The trees, except for the evergreens, were all sticks. As a recompense for the starkness, there was the surprise of quiet yet audible new music at dawn; it was the spring songs of birds newly arrived and so alive. At this time of year, the land appeared to be just waiting and waiting, through the eternal now, for the spring rains. Potentially all green and flourishing as before, but not yet.
Upstream along the course of the river, about four hundred kilometers west of the Saskatchewan border, the office towers of the City of Edmonton stood tall, shining in the sun. And the people there too, busy with their families, education, industry and commerce, looked out on the dry brown boulevards, play fields and leafless trees with anticipation - anxious for the dullness outside to be changed into the beauty of spring; hoping for the spring rains to soon accomplish the task at hand.
Go another four hundred kilometers west of Edmonton and you will arrive at Jasper and the majestic Rocky Mountains. The Rocky Mountains are only one hundred kilometers west of the other large city in Alberta; Calgary. Some say Calgary has an advantage over Edmonton because Calgary has closer proximity to mountain recreation opportunities. Ha!
What really counts today is the same as what counted in the days of Anne of Green Gables. It’s what we bring to the world that counts and not what we can get out of it. For the new millennium, and beyond, Edmonton has the same potential for greatness as any other place in the world. And that is the potential for the people there to respond to the universe with a love that is patient and kind, a love that does not envy or boast and is not proud. A love that is not rude or self seeking or easily angered. A love that keeps no record of wrongs but rejoices with the truth. A love that always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. A love that never fails.
It was April 1st, a Saturday in Edmonton and the sun was shining. Looking south from the corner of 51st avenue and 111 street you can see on the left the impressive arched entrance way of the newly renovated Southgate mall. Mary Stewart and her Mom were in the mall shopping, a not unusual activity.
(Play begins stage left. Enter Mary and her mother Mrs. Stewart, carrying parcels, with mall bench in foreground.)
“Slow down Mary”, said Mrs. Stewart. “Lets sit down here and have a rest. I must be getting older, my backs’ getting sore already and I can’t keep up with you. Besides, I need you to tell me what you think about the renovations to the mall. The company I work for has spent huge dollars renovating the mall and they want us find out what people think. So lets sit down here and have a chat. Mary looked at her Mom pretending surprise and astonishment and then said “OK Mom, I suppose if we kept on going that would be starting our third time around the mall, and when you think of it, twice around should be good enough”. Mary and her mom both sat down on the bench with a flourish. After a moment to catch their breath, Mary said “Well, what do I think of the hugely expensive renovations?”; as she stood up and continued “ “...you know the skylights, with the verse of poetry written on the inside so that to read it, you stand in the middle of the skylight and spin slowly around (like this), until you come to the end of the verse and then of course the beginning again. And you know how on the second time around the mall I stopped to write down the verses... well I think the whole idea is just fabulous, I love the way your voice echoes under the dome of the skylight, and the verses are just beautiful, I never knew Shakespeare was such a poet. Anyway, I think the renovations to the mall are just great, and that touch of poetry in the skylights very classy. Although I do miss the old fountain, nevertheless the renovations to the mall are beautiful; your company did a great job.”
“Why thank you Mary, I’m sure my bosses will be very glad to hear that. “
“Ah here it is, said Mary, as she was browsing her notebook. Let me read to you again the verse of Shakespeare from the skylight on the other side: “ and she spun around to read,
“Hath the brightest day a cloud; and after summer ever more succeeds barren winter, with his wrathful nipping cold: so cares and joys abound, as seasons fleet.”
I always thought Shakespeare was just old English and hard to understand stories about kings and queens, but this is very pretty.”
“Well the old English is hard to understand sometimes Mary but there are so may gems among the rough that Shakespeare is still worth reading today, it just takes a bit of digging.”
“Mom, do you think that somehow, beautiful words from Shakespeare could help the people in the poorer countries of the world where there is hunger and terrible living conditions or is Shakespeare just entertainment?”
“Oh I don’t know Mary, I suppose sharing an appreciation for the beautiful is important, but whether Shakespeare can help the people of Africa, I don’t know... why do you ask? “
“Well on TV they have these programs about helping the starving children in Africa so I just wonder Mom, what do you think should be the plan of action to solve that problem? “
“Oh I don’t know Mary, you might as well ask me “How to Save the World”, I suppose giving a donation can help but I know what you mean, what do we do after that. I know most days after a day of work It’s all I can do to get supper on the table and clean up and the day’s over. And I think it is the same for most people in Canada, they are very busy with their work and just trying to get by and there is not a lot of time left to help people in other countries. “
“Well Mom, because the people in the government are full time maybe we should expect the government to solve the problem.”
“Oh I don’t know about that Mary, somehow I think that the less the government's involved in the better. As far as I can tell Mary what really works is a system, our system, where the properties of success are improved customer service and a quality cost competitive product. I mean everyone wants to be successful and if you have a system where success results from improved customer service and providing quality cost competitive products then that's what you get. The trouble with government services is there is really no alternative; there really is no way for the people to reward good government over bad government on a daily basis, like there is in the marketplace. So I think you really need to keep the government as small as possible and try to solve the problems whenever possible through a market economy.
For example Mary, there was an incentive for the mall managers to come up with a renovating plan that would make the mall beautiful and attract customers and so we got Shakespeare in the skylights; with the government there would not be such an incentive and that’s what makes all the difference. “
“But Mom, how can a market economy help people in poorer countries?”
“That’s a good question Mary. You want to be a reporter someday right?”
“You mean a feminist reporter?”
“Yes a feminist reporter.
And so when you are a reporter you ask different groups that question and see if you can’t come up with a plan of action. But just remember that all groups have some good ideas so be sure to listen to every group. All groups have some good ideas.”
“OK Mom.”
“Mom, do you think feminism can save the world?” asked Mary.
Mrs. Stewart answered with a smile “Sometimes I wonder if any “ism” can save the world. They all probably have some good ideas and then they may have some vindictive ideas too. “ Mary said “Well the world will probably be better when us women are more in charge, right Mom.” “Now you’ve got something there Mary!” answered Mrs. Stewart. “But, you know Mary I think it is just as valuable for a woman to stay home with the children as it is for her to be out working, either way, it is never easy.”
“What do you think Dad thinks of feminism Mom?” asked Mary. “Oh, sometimes I think he’s a better feminist than I am.” said Mrs. Stewart. “Which reminds me Mary, you know that April fools joke we were going to play on your father, well its almost 12:00 and I had better use the cell to phone Mike in mall security to set it up. (And she started to dial)” “Oh yes!” said Mary with obvious glee, “This should be good!”
“Hi Mike, Marjory Stewart here, how’s it going? OK remember the April fools joke I was talking to you about this morning?.... Could you meet me over here by the entrance to the Library, it’s almost time for George to be coming up from the library to get us, OK thanks see you in a minute”
Mary asked “Is he coming mom?”. Mrs. Stewart nodded and asked “What do you think Mary, should I go back and get that sweater I was trying on?” “Oh I don’t know” said Mary, “It will probably go on sale.”
(Enter stage left, Mike the security guard, in full uniform, cap and all.) “Hi Mrs. Stewart”, said Mike. “Hi Mike, George should be coming any minute now just over there up from the Library, if you could keep your cell phone on speaker phone, we’ll listen in and jump in after you have got him.” “OK Mrs. Stewart”, said Mike.
(Mike proceeds to stage right and sure enough, George, happy as a mud lark, appears stage right carrying a bunch of books from the Library.)
“Excuse me Sir, is your vehicle a Blue Ford F150 Extended Cab plate #VVH 222?
George
Why yes it is.
Mike
Well sorry to inform you Sir, but your vehicle has just been demolished by a cement truck. (George looks in shock)
Mike held out his cell phone with speaker phone on and Mary’s voice came over loud and clear “April fools dad!” (Mike pointed over to his two accomplices stage left and said smiling “Sorry Mr. Stewart, they put me up to it.” (Mike put out his hand and after Mr. Stewart awkwardly shifted some books around, he and Mr. Stewart shook hands.) “No problem said George, “Those two rascals eh?, Bye” (George walked over to join Margorie and Mary at the Mall bench.)
“Hey dad, we got you good eh?” said Mary. “You sure did, you two rascals ” said George.
Mary said, “Hey dad, what do you think of Shakespeare in the skylights?” as she jumped up and walked towards the skylight in front of them and pointed to the words. “Let me read this one to you” and she turned slowly looking up to read “Here’s flowers for you, hot lavender, mints, savory, marjoram, the marigold that goes to bed wi’ the sun and with him rises weeping: these are flowers of middle summer.”
“Yes very nice Mary, it’s not every Saturday I have a bouquet of flowers given to me.” George walked over to Mary and looking up noticed “But some of them are fake skylights right? This one doesn't really go through the roof with a window at the top letting in sunlight?” Mary thought about this for a moment as they both walked back to the bench and sat down. And then she answered, “Ah yes dear Dad, but a beautiful skylight nonetheless, what we have here is an attribute of success; a “skylight” providing the customer service of beauty, on a cost effective basis. “ Her dad of course looked perplexed as usual and Mary laughed.
“Mom, have you read any Shakespeare, can you remember any favorite parts?” Well let me think, there is one short passage from Anthony and Cleopatra that I think I can quote and I’m still waiting for your dad to set me up like Cleopatra on the Nile or at least take me for a canoe trip someday. It goes something like this:
“The barge she sat in was like a burnished throne, burn’d on the water, its deck was beaten gold; Purple the sails, and so perfumed that the winds were love sick with them; the oars were silver, which to the tune of flutes kept stroke, and made the water which they beat to follow faster, As amorous of their strokes, for her own person, queen Cleopatra.”
“Woo hoo, that sounds alright, how about you Dad, can you remember any Shakespeare?”
“Well there is a passage from Shakespeare that I had fun with a few years ago when you were only about seven or eight. It was a fun way I could ask your Mom if it was OK if I could go golfing. It was a variation of Prospero’s final soliloquy in “The Tempest”. ” Oh yes George, I remember that, it was so pretty”, said Mrs. Stewart, “It may have gotten your father out golfing a few more times than he should have. OK George, lets here it. “
OK here goes:
“And now my fortune is all overthrown, and what strength I have is mine own; which is most faint now, tis true. Gentle breath of yours must fill my sails or else my project fails, which is to please. My hope is in your prayers which pierces as they assault mercy, to heal my faults. I must be here confined by you, or sent to the golf course. Let me not, since I have my new golf clubs and golf balls got, dwell, in this warm house, by your spell. Rather you to your good crafts will happy be, and so I ask, by your indulgence, to be set free.”
“Way to go dad, that’s very touching.” said Mary. George replied, “ And so does that mean can I go golfing?” Mrs. Stewart jumped in “Oh you don’t want to go golfing today George, it’s all dry and brown out there. You’ll come back a dust ball!” “OK” said George somewhat dejectedly, “I guess your right, it’s just that its been a long winter.”
Mrs. Stewart jumped in “You know Mary, the mall is having a Karaoke contest at noon and Mike, our friendly security guard, is doubling as the moderator, I can see him setting up now. (Stage center with guitar and amp, microphones, table, computer etc.) Mike will be giving away prized to anyone who sings a song, and I know we can’t keep a prize because I’m mall staff, but I promised Mike we would come by and if everyone’s too shy to sing a song we would start.”
“Aw Mom, your kidding” said Mary. “No,” said Mrs. Stewart, “You know the song we can sing” she said to Mary as she started leading them over to the Karaoke stage. “What song said Mary, “Oh no, not that song” she said as she was trailing behind her Mom heading for the Karaoke stage.
Mrs. Stewart spoke to Mike, and then took the guitar, waving for Mary to join her on stage. When Mary arrived she said into the microphone to the audience. “Hi, we would like to sing for you the famous poem “If” by Rudyard Kipling, sung to the tune, the chords, of the even more famous Pachelbel’s Cannon. OK, here goes:
Verse 1
C
If you can keep your head when all about you
G
Are loosing theirs and blaming it on you
Am
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
Em
And make allowance for their doubting too
F
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting
C
Or being lied about; don’t deal in lies
F
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating
G
And yet don’t look too good or talk too wise
Chorus
C C G
And then you’ll be
Am Am Em
And then you’ll be
FF FF
CC CC
FF FF
G
GG C
A man my son
Verse 2
C
If you can dream and not make dreams your master
G
If you can think and not make thoughts your aim
Am
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
Em
And treat those two imposters just the same
F
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
C
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools
F
or watch the things you gave you life to broken
G
And stoop and build them up with worn out tools
Repeat Chorus
Verse 3
C
If you can make a heap of all your winnings
G
And risk it on one turn of pitch and toss
Am
And loose and start again at your beginnings
Em
And never breath a word about your loss
F
If you can force your heart and berve and sinew
C
To serve your turn long after they are gone
F
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
G
Except the will which says to them “Hold on!”
Repeat Chorus
Verse 4
C
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue
G
Or walk with Kings nor loose the common touch
Am
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you
Em
If all men count with you but none too much
F
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
C
With sixty seconds worth of distance run
F
Yours is the earth and everything that’s in it
G
And which is more, you’ll be a Man, my son!
Repeat Chorus, End
“Thank you very much” said Mrs. Stewart, through the microphone to the audience and then off mike she turned and said happily “OK Mary, let’s go”.
(Mary, Margorie and George, waving bye to Mike, exit stage right, curtain.)
Thursday, 1 September 2011
How Act 2
How Act 2
How to Save the World
Act 2, Scene 1
The Time: Five Years Later.
The Setting: On the campus of the University of Alberta, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Inside the Students Union Building, where, set up on stage, are two information tables. At front stage left, there is a table with a sign, “Feminist CampusAssociation” with the president, Susan and her assistant Katherine, staffing the information table. At centre stage is the information table with the sign “Campus Christian Association” staffed by Paul and Linda (our history experts) and Thomas (our science guy) and Jenny (our lady medical student). The audience can hear the staffers of only one table speaking at a time. As the staffers from one table speak the lines of the play, the staffers of the other table pretend to talk and carry out their usual business.
Narrator reads stage right, front.
Green and gold are the colours of the University of Alberta sports teams. They are also the colours of autumn, throu
ghout Edmonton and area. In the fall, a splendor of green and gold trees and grasslands, paints the river valleys, parks and farmlands. All under an autumn dark blue sky of white clouds, streaked with grey. With all the colours mixing and changing impercetively to the lightest blue, as you look towards the horizon.
Here on the campus of the University of Alberta, looking north from the corner of 114 street and 84 avenue, you can see, on the left, the “Butterdome”. The Butterdome is a large rectangular building that contains an indoor track and field centre and tennis courts. The Butterdome gets its name because It is covered completely around, from the ground to the roof, with big, windowless, glossy, yellow panels! .... You can’t miss it... Just north of the Butterdome is the Students Union building that houses some great coffee shops, cafeterias and the main university book store.
It’s fall semester registration week at the University of Alberta. And a number of
the campus clubs have information tables set up in the Students Union building, to pass out brochures, to new and returning students.
It’s five years later. Our play continues as our heroine, Mary Stewart, has graduated from the mall, and is now returning, for her second year, at University.
Exit narrator.
Katherine
Susan, who else have you got comming to staff our information table this afternoon?
Susan
Well Mary Stewart should be here any time now. I was talking to her on the phone last night.
Katherine
Is Mary the one who always says “ASWS, As Shakespeare Would Say” and always has a funny quote from Shakespeare?
Susan
Ya. That’s the one. I wish she had more quotes from femminist writers but she doesn’t seem to study all this too seriously.
Katherine
And do you remember last year? Mary was always working on her “How to save the World” essay and she was always interviewing people on how to relieve world poverty.
Susan
Yes, I remember. And somehow she would get everybody to buy her a cup of coffee. I don’t think that girl ever bought her own coffee all year. Oh! Here she comes now.
Mary (Entering stage front left, taking off her backback to stand behind the information table.)
Hi Susan, Hi Katherine, how goes the battle?
Susan
O.K. ... We have a new information brochure to hand out. Why don’t you go over it while you are here.
Mary
ASWS, As Shakespeare Would Say, to parapharase, “More important than my dukedom are my books and learning”. So I will read this brochure with pleasure.
Susan
Where’s that from?
Mary
I think its from Prospero in “The Tempest”.
Katherine
Hey, Mary. Remember last year you used to do a funny quote from Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew”? I remember the speaker was my namesake, Katherine. How does it go again?
Mary
Oh ya, that one...it’s funny... OK, it goes like this: at the end of the play, Katherine says to the other wives:
Fie, fie! unknit that threatening unkind brow,
And dart not scornful glances from those eyes,
To wound thy [husband], thy lord, thy king
It blocks thy beauty as frosts do bite the meads
Confounds thy fame as whirlwinds shake fair buds...
For thy husband cares for thee
and for thy maintenance commits his body To painful labour both by sea and land
To watch the night in storms, the day in cold
Whilst thou liest warm at home, secure and safe;
And so ladies, be not forward, peevish, sullen, sour
And not obedient to his honest will...
I am ashamed that [women] are so simple To offer war where they should kneel for peace
Or seek for rule, supremacy or sway
When they are bound to serve, love and obey
Why are our bodies soft, and weak and smooth
Unapt to toil and trouble in the world
But that our soft conditions and our hearts
Should well agree with our external parts!
[Susan and Katherine laugh at the caricature of the obedient wife]
Mary
Ya, it’s funny... but it was meant to be. Shakespeare wasn’t advocating the subservience of women. He was just holding the mirror up to nature so to speak, showing that women have never been subservient! In fact in his play Merchant of Venice, he gave the best part to Portia; she is really the lady with all the brains that saves the day. And of course, in Shakespeare’s plays, a lot of men are really bad, just like in real life.
ASWS, As Shakespeare would say, “The purpose of playing, whose end, both at the first and now, was and is, to hold, as ‘twere, the mirror up to nature”. (Hamlet, act 3, Sc. 1)
ASWS, As Shakespeare would say, “The play’s the thing, Wherein, I’ll catch the conscience of the king.” (Hamlet, act 3, Sc. 1)
[Mary, sits down with a tired expression]
Katherine, could you get me a cup of coffee and could I pay you for it later. Until I get to the bank machine, I’m right out of cash.
Susan
Here, Katherine, [giving her a five dollar bill], I’ll buy the coffee’s for all of us. May as well get Mary’s year off to a good start.
Katherine
Sure. Two strongs, with one cream and one sugar?
Susan
Right.
Mary
Perfect
[Mary and Susan continue to talk (inaudibly) as the scene switches to the information table of the Campus Christian Association, stage center right.]
Thomas
So Paul, did you get anyone else to help with the information table this afternoon?
Paul
Ya, I was talking to Richard last night and he should be here any time now.
Jenny
Is Richard the guy who is always wearing a cowboy hat and is taking agriculture?
Linda
Ya that’s Richard. I remember he has a lot of funny expressions. Every time he has to go somewhere, he always says “boots and saddles everyone, let’s go”. And he’s pretty good on the guitar. He knows a lot of praise and worship songs, which is great for meetings, but he is really shy.
Paul
Here comes Richard now.
Richard [wearing cowboy hat]
Hi everybody.
Paul
Hi Richard. Thanks for helping out at the information table. Well did you finish going through the bookstore line for all your textbooks yet?
Richard
Ya, what a lineup! And those textbooks. Expensive or what? I felt like saying to the lady at the till “How about I trade you for one of my favorite cows back home for these here texts” but I did’nt think she would go for it.
Linda
So, Richard, can you come out for pizza with us latter on?
Richard
Sure, that sounds great. [Richard is looking around and stops when he sees Mary and the ladies at the Feminist Campus Association information table.] I see we are not alone in evangelism today. Has anyone talked yet to the pretty ladies at the Feminist Campus Association table?
[Paul and Linda and Thomas and Jenny, shake their heads no, in unison.]
[The scene changes to the Feminist Campus Association table, as Katherine brings the coffee to Mary and Susan.]
Mary [Receiving coffee.]
Thanks so much Katherine.
Katherine
Your welcome and here’s your change Susan.
Susan
Thanks.
Katherine
So Mary, who are you going to interview this year for your “How to Save the World” essay?
Mary
Well, let me see... That guy in the cowboy hat over there looks like a likely candidate.
Katherine
Oh ya, he’s kinda cute.
Susan
Oh Mary, you don’t want to interview him. He’s with the Campus Christian Association.
Mary
Well Susan, my mom always told me that “All groups have some good ideas”.
Susan
Not the Christians Mary. They don’t have any good ideas.
Katherine
Isn't the problem with all religions that they don’t trust science but instead they want to believe in miracles and myths. And the fundamentalists are nine-eleven scary and are always fighting like in Northern Ireland and the Middle East.
Mary
But then, haven't you noticed that even the great band U2, that does so much for peace in Northern Ireland and African relief, has some Christian elements in their songs. And if the world had more medical missionaries like Mother Terresa, who never ever hurt anyone, the world would be a better place. But I know what you mean Katherine. How do Christians explain things like “the Spanish Inquisition and the persecution of Galileo”?
Katherine
Well, it is true that medical missionaries like Mother Teressa have done a lot of good. It’s just hard to reconcile the fighting with the good causes. It’s hard to understand, what’s going on.
Mary
Well that’s what great reporters do. They ask questions. All groups have some good ideas and so I just want to hear them. And then put them together to formulate in my own mind, and for my own conscience, a plan to help the starving and the desperate.
Katherine
Mary, you’re really serious about this “How to save the World” essay, aren't you?
Mary
Yes
Susan
Mary, don’t you know that Christians are still in the dark ages. They still believe that God made the world only six thousand years ago and then popped Eve out of Adam’s rid.
Mary
Well Susan, I think amongst Christians there is quite a range of views.
Susan
Ya I know, going from weird to weirdest!
Mary
Oh Susan its not that bad. I bet you if I interviewed that cowboy over there he would have some good ideas. And besides, Katherine’s right, he is cute.
Susan
Mary, you’re hopeless.
Katherine
Hey Susan, you may get your chance after all. Look, he’s coming over here!
Richard
Howdy ladies. My names Richard. In the interests of mutual edification, we would like to exchange information brochures with you. And invite you to any of our Christian Campus Association meetings. Besides we often go out for pizza and its a lot of fun.
Mary
Well, Richard, my name is Mary, [taking Richard’s brochure and giving him one of the feminist brochures] and with an offer like that, how can I refuse. And Richard, could I interview you in about an hour? Say meet you in CAB Cafeteria for coffee. I want to ask you about your views, as a Christian, on how to relieve world poverty. I really want to hear Christian views on “How to Save the World” type questions.
Richard
Well sure Mary! Boots and saddles, I’ll meet you there at 4:00 o’clock. This is great. Actually, my friends didn't think I would get a very good reception. See you.
Mary
Ya, see you later.
[The scene follows Richard back to the information table of the Campus Christian Association, while Mary and her friends keep talking silently.]
Richard
Hey guys, boots and saddles, she wants to interview me in an hour. And get this, she wants to ask me about a Christian’s views on “How to Save the World” type questions... Hey I can’t do this! Ninety percent of my theology is from Bible verses in kids songs. And I don’t want to let her down. And so I am really going to need everyone to help me... And I’ve got it. Hey Thomas, remember that secret walkie talkie magic trick set you had, with the salt shaker mics and the ear phones. You know, the ones you used for a joke at a party last year?
Thomas
Ya, I’ve got them in my room on residence.
Richard
OK. Here’s the plan. Bring the walkie talkies to CAB cafeteria for quarter to four and we will all meet you there. I’ll set up alone at one table and we will get you and the others set up at a table far enough away so she can’t here you guys giving me the answers to her questions.
Paul
Richard, do you really think this is a good idea?
Richard
Oh sure. It’s just some old fashioned fun. And besides, I’ll invite her out for pizza with you guys later. And if she really wants to discuss issues from a Christian perspective, she will want to meet you guys and gals anyway. I feel better already.
Curtain
How to Save the World
Act 2, Scene 2
The Setting
Two big round cafeteria tables are set up. Richard (with an earphone in his ear) is sitting at the table stage right, with a tall salt shaker (mic) in the middle. Paul, Linda, Jenny and Thomas (with an earphone in his ear) are set up at the other table stage left (with a salt shaker (mic) in the middle).
[Enter Mary front stage right and seeing Richard, comes over to his table,
slowly, seeing what appears to be strange behavior.]
Richard
[to the salt shaker]
Testing one two three four...
Thomas [Audibly to the audience, but not to Mary]
Yes we can hear you.
Jenny [Audibly to the audience, but not to Mary]
What did he say?
Thomas
He said “Testing one two three, four...”
Richard
Good, you can hear me.
Mary [Setting down her backpack on the table]
Hello Richard, Yes, I can hear you, but I haven't said anything yet?
Richard [With a big good natured smile]
Oh Mary! Hi. You surprised me... Can I get you a coffee?
Mary
Sure. Thanks. ... a strong with one cream and one sugar please.
Richard
OK, be right back.
Mary [To the audience]
Maybe this guy is a little weird.
Richard [Returning with two coffees]
Hi Mary, have a coffee.
Mary
Thanks Richard. Thanks for the interview. Well, let me get out my notebook here and ask you a few questions about Christianity and world poverty, that sort of thing.
But you know Richard, I’m sort of curious... as a Christian, does God talk to you?
Richard
[To the salt shaker] I think I can handle this one.
[To Mary], Well no Mary. God doesn’t talk to me directly. But he did write me a letter.
Mary [Looking surprised and taken aback]
Richard
All I mean Mary, is that the Bible is a letter written by God to everyone.
Mary
Well how do you know the Bible is true?
Richard
[To the salt shaker] [as if repeating the question to himself.] How do I know the Bible is true?
Thomas [Repeats question loudly for the rest of the table..]
How do I know that the Bible is true?
Paul
[Leaning towards the salt shaker (mic) in the middle of his table...]
Because history corroborates the Bible as true.]
Richard
Because history corroborates the Bible as true.
Mary
Well OK, perhaps I could ask you more about that another time. Do Christians count on help from miracles all the time?
Richard
[Smiling and moving away from Mary to the other side of the salt shaker, ... Mary could you say that
a little bit louder?
Mary
[looking perplexed] [louder] Do Christians count on help from miracles all the time?
Richard
[Holding his ear to hear the ear-headphone better. There is some activity and silent talking into the salt shaker (mic) of the other table.]
Richard [as if repeating slowly]
Well no, God’s direct interventions in history are rare and our most obvious help on earth comes from the good things we are taught in the Bible.]
Mary
What do Christians propose to relieve world poverty and over population?
[There is more activity at the other table and finally Richard repeats slowly...]
Richard
It turns out that the spike in world population was the result of improved hygiene and medical care resulting in a few more overlapping generations than usual. World population is now leveling off and in some countries the population is declining precipitously because of a birth dearth and the forced abortion in China, resulting in a terrible imbalance of boys outnumbering girls. Surely, even from a Feminist perspective, you must agree that the elective abortion of girls is wrong?
Mary
Oh Richard, this is terrible, I've never thought of that! I'll research that some more. But what do you think can be done to reduce world poverty?
Richard
On a comparative economic basis world wide, it is family values and independence, and not family size and government ownership, that has produced prosperity.
Mary
I don’t get it. What does that mean?
Richard
I don’t know... er I mean let me explain... [Holding his earphone more tightly.] The populations of many countries in the world are declining. The efforts to control the world’s population growth are moot and a blind alley. Better to support family values, independence, the family farm and freedom.
Mary
OK what do you think of home schooling, I heard some countries have made it illegal?
Richard
The Minister of Education should not be expected to be responsible for the education of all the students in his jurisdiction; rather the Minister of Education should expect that parents will choose the best education they can for their children and that in the long run, this decentralized decision making, will produce the best results. Besides, some children have special needs that can best be met at home. Besides, freedom of the church within the state means parents have the right and responsibility to choose the education for their children, with the public system being one option among many.
Mary [Writing down some notes.]
OK. On another subject... Do Christians really believe that nothing is older than 6,000 years?
Richard [Pretending to be pausing to think...]
Many people have become Christians after an intense study of history and finding that history corroborates the Bible as true. Even secular historians concede that written records on planet earth go back no more than 10,000 years. And so it is agreed that people like us, who write songs and poetry and leave written records, have only been on earth, no more than 10,000 years.
Mary
Well what about all the other hundreds and hundreds of thousands of years?
Richard, pretending to think, answers
Good question?
Richard, after listening to Thomas the science guy's animated account over the microphone, adds...
For most Christians, more important than the timeline is the evidence for intelligent design, especially now with new evidence relating biology and computer programming, it is clear, that the most rational observation is, that the coordinated complexity of life, is probably the result of an intelligent design.
Intelligent design theory is based on quantifying the level of coordinated complexity of any system to determine markers for design as well as the explosion in our understanding in the last few years of the genetic code as a vast program, similar in construction to a style of computer programming we use ourselves, object oriented programming, where the key feature is that a gene in biology is similar in function to a code object in computer programming. As with any good scientific theory, the theory has great predictive value. It predicts that a gene should be able to be used over and over again, no only in the same cell but in different types of cells as well, just like a code object is designed to be used over an over again not only in the same app but in different types of apps as well. And this prediction does turn out to be true. You can take the gene that codes for insulin out of human pancreatic cells and insert it into bacteria and the bacteria will produce insulin. The theory also predicts successfully and explains that the genome between species should be very similar just like there is a great similarity of program code between computer apps because the apps contain many of the same code objects to handle the routine tasks of any program. And the theory also predicts that random chance mutation or genetic copying errors will be harmful to any species just like copying errors in a computer program will cause a malfunction in the program. And we see this is true where a genetic disease destroys the optimum function of the cells involved. And this is where intelligent design theory differs from Darwin, who thaught at least a small percent of random chance mutations would be beneficial. Well Darwin was wrong, because every random chance mutation is deleterious, although some deleterious mutations can be beneficial For example, the mutation that caused cycle cell anemia causes the hemoglobin in the red blood cells to congeal somewhat reducing the ability of the cell to carry oxygen, hence the anemia. However, this deleterious mutation is also beneficial because it protects people with it from malaria: the malaria can no longer reproduce inside red blood cells with congealed hemoglobin. Similarly, when a deleterious mutation weakens the cell wall of a bacteria a particular antibiotic may no longer be able to attach to the adjusted shape of the bacteria cell wall; being another example of a deleterious mutation causing some benefit. And this confuses evolutionists no end because they think they have found an example of evolution, or at least a beneficial mutation, when they haven't.
Mary
Wow Richard, for someone in Agriculture, you sure are passionate about the relationship between biology and computer programming.
Richard
Ya, just a little side interest I have.
Mary
Well I was going to take some notes but you spoke so quickly. Maybe I'll just wright this down (Mary repeats slowly as she writes...]
"The most rational observation is, that the coordinated complexity of life, is probably the result of an intelligent design." ... Et cetera!
[Mary sits back and thinks a bit and then asks seriously...] Are Christians against a woman’s right to choose when it comes to the issue of abortion?
[Richard looks sad and sort of has a groaning expression, as if he doesn't even want to think about the issue. There is a pause as everybody at the other table is thinking and then Jenny (the medical student) leans toward the salt shaker (mic) and says slowly (audibly to the audience but not to Mary)...]
Jenny
Christians want to promote pro-life as the happiest way of life.
Richard [repeats]
Christians want to promote pro-life as the happiest way of life. Christians would like the government to match funding to Crises Pregnancy Centers to help women in distress. In 1833, the Government of England, led by William Wilberforce, paid the sum of 22,000,000 Pounds Sterling to buy the freedom of the slaves. Will the Canadian government be willing to spend the equivalent of 22,000,000 Pounds Sterling to buy our freedom from the temptation of elective abortion?
Mary [smiles and nods as if she likes the answer] [Reaching over to grab the salt shaker]
OK. Hey, why don’t I move this salt shaker to another table?
Richard
Oh no!, ... er I like salt shakers..., could I have it back?
[Mary (shrugging and smiling and giving Richard back the salt shaker) Richard (laughing) holds the salt shaker and looks at it and puts it away inside his back pack on the floor.] OK, I’ve had enough fun now... Mary, I have a confession to make. Most of my theology comes from the Bible verses from kid’s songs. And I really have no idea how to answer “How to Save the World” type questions. But I know your questions are serious and that’s why I really wanted to get you the best answers I could. And I really wanted you to meet my friends at the Christian Campus Association, who are from all different faculties. Mary, no one group has all the answers. But I know with the help of the good things we are taught in the Bible, together we can work out a consensus. And so, in the spirit of some good natured fun, I got my friends at the Christian Campus Association to help me out with your questions. You see there was a microphone in the salt shaker and my friends are over there giving me the answers in this ear plug. And I’m really hoping you will come out for pizza with us now so you can meet them and just talk some more?
Mary
Oh there was a microphone in the salt shaker and your friends are just over there.... oh that’s funny Richard and I get it, actually it’s quite a relief... I thought you were just acting weird ... sure I’ll go out for pizza with you... why don’t you invite your friends over here now so I can meet them?
Richard [very happy, stands up and yells to the other table]
Hey everybody, come over here. [Paul, Linda, Thomas and Jenny pack up there things and come over to meet Mary.] It’s OK, I told Mary all about the salt shaker and she says she will come out for pizza with us now.
Linda (shaking hands with Mary)
Hi Mary, nice to meet you, I’m Linda and this is my fiancé Paul.
Jenny
Hi Mary, I’m Jenny and this is Thomas, our science guy.
Richard [putting on his cowboy hat]
Well, boots and saddles everyone, let’s go out for pizza.
Curtain.
How to Save the World
Act 2, Scene 1
The Time: Five Years Later.
The Setting: On the campus of the University of Alberta, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Inside the Students Union Building, where, set up on stage, are two information tables. At front stage left, there is a table with a sign, “Feminist CampusAssociation” with the president, Susan and her assistant Katherine, staffing the information table. At centre stage is the information table with the sign “Campus Christian Association” staffed by Paul and Linda (our history experts) and Thomas (our science guy) and Jenny (our lady medical student). The audience can hear the staffers of only one table speaking at a time. As the staffers from one table speak the lines of the play, the staffers of the other table pretend to talk and carry out their usual business.
Narrator reads stage right, front.
Green and gold are the colours of the University of Alberta sports teams. They are also the colours of autumn, throu
ghout Edmonton and area. In the fall, a splendor of green and gold trees and grasslands, paints the river valleys, parks and farmlands. All under an autumn dark blue sky of white clouds, streaked with grey. With all the colours mixing and changing impercetively to the lightest blue, as you look towards the horizon.
Here on the campus of the University of Alberta, looking north from the corner of 114 street and 84 avenue, you can see, on the left, the “Butterdome”. The Butterdome is a large rectangular building that contains an indoor track and field centre and tennis courts. The Butterdome gets its name because It is covered completely around, from the ground to the roof, with big, windowless, glossy, yellow panels! .... You can’t miss it... Just north of the Butterdome is the Students Union building that houses some great coffee shops, cafeterias and the main university book store.
It’s fall semester registration week at the University of Alberta. And a number of
the campus clubs have information tables set up in the Students Union building, to pass out brochures, to new and returning students.
It’s five years later. Our play continues as our heroine, Mary Stewart, has graduated from the mall, and is now returning, for her second year, at University.
Exit narrator.
Katherine
Susan, who else have you got comming to staff our information table this afternoon?
Susan
Well Mary Stewart should be here any time now. I was talking to her on the phone last night.
Katherine
Is Mary the one who always says “ASWS, As Shakespeare Would Say” and always has a funny quote from Shakespeare?
Susan
Ya. That’s the one. I wish she had more quotes from femminist writers but she doesn’t seem to study all this too seriously.
Katherine
And do you remember last year? Mary was always working on her “How to save the World” essay and she was always interviewing people on how to relieve world poverty.
Susan
Yes, I remember. And somehow she would get everybody to buy her a cup of coffee. I don’t think that girl ever bought her own coffee all year. Oh! Here she comes now.
Mary (Entering stage front left, taking off her backback to stand behind the information table.)
Hi Susan, Hi Katherine, how goes the battle?
Susan
O.K. ... We have a new information brochure to hand out. Why don’t you go over it while you are here.
Mary
ASWS, As Shakespeare Would Say, to parapharase, “More important than my dukedom are my books and learning”. So I will read this brochure with pleasure.
Susan
Where’s that from?
Mary
I think its from Prospero in “The Tempest”.
Katherine
Hey, Mary. Remember last year you used to do a funny quote from Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew”? I remember the speaker was my namesake, Katherine. How does it go again?
Mary
Oh ya, that one...it’s funny... OK, it goes like this: at the end of the play, Katherine says to the other wives:
Fie, fie! unknit that threatening unkind brow,
And dart not scornful glances from those eyes,
To wound thy [husband], thy lord, thy king
It blocks thy beauty as frosts do bite the meads
Confounds thy fame as whirlwinds shake fair buds...
For thy husband cares for thee
and for thy maintenance commits his body To painful labour both by sea and land
To watch the night in storms, the day in cold
Whilst thou liest warm at home, secure and safe;
And so ladies, be not forward, peevish, sullen, sour
And not obedient to his honest will...
I am ashamed that [women] are so simple To offer war where they should kneel for peace
Or seek for rule, supremacy or sway
When they are bound to serve, love and obey
Why are our bodies soft, and weak and smooth
Unapt to toil and trouble in the world
But that our soft conditions and our hearts
Should well agree with our external parts!
[Susan and Katherine laugh at the caricature of the obedient wife]
Mary
Ya, it’s funny... but it was meant to be. Shakespeare wasn’t advocating the subservience of women. He was just holding the mirror up to nature so to speak, showing that women have never been subservient! In fact in his play Merchant of Venice, he gave the best part to Portia; she is really the lady with all the brains that saves the day. And of course, in Shakespeare’s plays, a lot of men are really bad, just like in real life.
ASWS, As Shakespeare would say, “The purpose of playing, whose end, both at the first and now, was and is, to hold, as ‘twere, the mirror up to nature”. (Hamlet, act 3, Sc. 1)
ASWS, As Shakespeare would say, “The play’s the thing, Wherein, I’ll catch the conscience of the king.” (Hamlet, act 3, Sc. 1)
[Mary, sits down with a tired expression]
Katherine, could you get me a cup of coffee and could I pay you for it later. Until I get to the bank machine, I’m right out of cash.
Susan
Here, Katherine, [giving her a five dollar bill], I’ll buy the coffee’s for all of us. May as well get Mary’s year off to a good start.
Katherine
Sure. Two strongs, with one cream and one sugar?
Susan
Right.
Mary
Perfect
[Mary and Susan continue to talk (inaudibly) as the scene switches to the information table of the Campus Christian Association, stage center right.]
Thomas
So Paul, did you get anyone else to help with the information table this afternoon?
Paul
Ya, I was talking to Richard last night and he should be here any time now.
Jenny
Is Richard the guy who is always wearing a cowboy hat and is taking agriculture?
Linda
Ya that’s Richard. I remember he has a lot of funny expressions. Every time he has to go somewhere, he always says “boots and saddles everyone, let’s go”. And he’s pretty good on the guitar. He knows a lot of praise and worship songs, which is great for meetings, but he is really shy.
Paul
Here comes Richard now.
Richard [wearing cowboy hat]
Hi everybody.
Paul
Hi Richard. Thanks for helping out at the information table. Well did you finish going through the bookstore line for all your textbooks yet?
Richard
Ya, what a lineup! And those textbooks. Expensive or what? I felt like saying to the lady at the till “How about I trade you for one of my favorite cows back home for these here texts” but I did’nt think she would go for it.
Linda
So, Richard, can you come out for pizza with us latter on?
Richard
Sure, that sounds great. [Richard is looking around and stops when he sees Mary and the ladies at the Feminist Campus Association information table.] I see we are not alone in evangelism today. Has anyone talked yet to the pretty ladies at the Feminist Campus Association table?
[Paul and Linda and Thomas and Jenny, shake their heads no, in unison.]
[The scene changes to the Feminist Campus Association table, as Katherine brings the coffee to Mary and Susan.]
Mary [Receiving coffee.]
Thanks so much Katherine.
Katherine
Your welcome and here’s your change Susan.
Susan
Thanks.
Katherine
So Mary, who are you going to interview this year for your “How to Save the World” essay?
Mary
Well, let me see... That guy in the cowboy hat over there looks like a likely candidate.
Katherine
Oh ya, he’s kinda cute.
Susan
Oh Mary, you don’t want to interview him. He’s with the Campus Christian Association.
Mary
Well Susan, my mom always told me that “All groups have some good ideas”.
Susan
Not the Christians Mary. They don’t have any good ideas.
Katherine
Isn't the problem with all religions that they don’t trust science but instead they want to believe in miracles and myths. And the fundamentalists are nine-eleven scary and are always fighting like in Northern Ireland and the Middle East.
Mary
But then, haven't you noticed that even the great band U2, that does so much for peace in Northern Ireland and African relief, has some Christian elements in their songs. And if the world had more medical missionaries like Mother Terresa, who never ever hurt anyone, the world would be a better place. But I know what you mean Katherine. How do Christians explain things like “the Spanish Inquisition and the persecution of Galileo”?
Katherine
Well, it is true that medical missionaries like Mother Teressa have done a lot of good. It’s just hard to reconcile the fighting with the good causes. It’s hard to understand, what’s going on.
Mary
Well that’s what great reporters do. They ask questions. All groups have some good ideas and so I just want to hear them. And then put them together to formulate in my own mind, and for my own conscience, a plan to help the starving and the desperate.
Katherine
Mary, you’re really serious about this “How to save the World” essay, aren't you?
Mary
Yes
Susan
Mary, don’t you know that Christians are still in the dark ages. They still believe that God made the world only six thousand years ago and then popped Eve out of Adam’s rid.
Mary
Well Susan, I think amongst Christians there is quite a range of views.
Susan
Ya I know, going from weird to weirdest!
Mary
Oh Susan its not that bad. I bet you if I interviewed that cowboy over there he would have some good ideas. And besides, Katherine’s right, he is cute.
Susan
Mary, you’re hopeless.
Katherine
Hey Susan, you may get your chance after all. Look, he’s coming over here!
Richard
Howdy ladies. My names Richard. In the interests of mutual edification, we would like to exchange information brochures with you. And invite you to any of our Christian Campus Association meetings. Besides we often go out for pizza and its a lot of fun.
Mary
Well, Richard, my name is Mary, [taking Richard’s brochure and giving him one of the feminist brochures] and with an offer like that, how can I refuse. And Richard, could I interview you in about an hour? Say meet you in CAB Cafeteria for coffee. I want to ask you about your views, as a Christian, on how to relieve world poverty. I really want to hear Christian views on “How to Save the World” type questions.
Richard
Well sure Mary! Boots and saddles, I’ll meet you there at 4:00 o’clock. This is great. Actually, my friends didn't think I would get a very good reception. See you.
Mary
Ya, see you later.
[The scene follows Richard back to the information table of the Campus Christian Association, while Mary and her friends keep talking silently.]
Richard
Hey guys, boots and saddles, she wants to interview me in an hour. And get this, she wants to ask me about a Christian’s views on “How to Save the World” type questions... Hey I can’t do this! Ninety percent of my theology is from Bible verses in kids songs. And I don’t want to let her down. And so I am really going to need everyone to help me... And I’ve got it. Hey Thomas, remember that secret walkie talkie magic trick set you had, with the salt shaker mics and the ear phones. You know, the ones you used for a joke at a party last year?
Thomas
Ya, I’ve got them in my room on residence.
Richard
OK. Here’s the plan. Bring the walkie talkies to CAB cafeteria for quarter to four and we will all meet you there. I’ll set up alone at one table and we will get you and the others set up at a table far enough away so she can’t here you guys giving me the answers to her questions.
Paul
Richard, do you really think this is a good idea?
Richard
Oh sure. It’s just some old fashioned fun. And besides, I’ll invite her out for pizza with you guys later. And if she really wants to discuss issues from a Christian perspective, she will want to meet you guys and gals anyway. I feel better already.
Curtain
How to Save the World
Act 2, Scene 2
The Setting
Two big round cafeteria tables are set up. Richard (with an earphone in his ear) is sitting at the table stage right, with a tall salt shaker (mic) in the middle. Paul, Linda, Jenny and Thomas (with an earphone in his ear) are set up at the other table stage left (with a salt shaker (mic) in the middle).
[Enter Mary front stage right and seeing Richard, comes over to his table,
slowly, seeing what appears to be strange behavior.]
Richard
[to the salt shaker]
Testing one two three four...
Thomas [Audibly to the audience, but not to Mary]
Yes we can hear you.
Jenny [Audibly to the audience, but not to Mary]
What did he say?
Thomas
He said “Testing one two three, four...”
Richard
Good, you can hear me.
Mary [Setting down her backpack on the table]
Hello Richard, Yes, I can hear you, but I haven't said anything yet?
Richard [With a big good natured smile]
Oh Mary! Hi. You surprised me... Can I get you a coffee?
Mary
Sure. Thanks. ... a strong with one cream and one sugar please.
Richard
OK, be right back.
Mary [To the audience]
Maybe this guy is a little weird.
Richard [Returning with two coffees]
Hi Mary, have a coffee.
Mary
Thanks Richard. Thanks for the interview. Well, let me get out my notebook here and ask you a few questions about Christianity and world poverty, that sort of thing.
But you know Richard, I’m sort of curious... as a Christian, does God talk to you?
Richard
[To the salt shaker] I think I can handle this one.
[To Mary], Well no Mary. God doesn’t talk to me directly. But he did write me a letter.
Mary [Looking surprised and taken aback]
Richard
All I mean Mary, is that the Bible is a letter written by God to everyone.
Mary
Well how do you know the Bible is true?
Richard
[To the salt shaker] [as if repeating the question to himself.] How do I know the Bible is true?
Thomas [Repeats question loudly for the rest of the table..]
How do I know that the Bible is true?
Paul
[Leaning towards the salt shaker (mic) in the middle of his table...]
Because history corroborates the Bible as true.]
Richard
Because history corroborates the Bible as true.
Mary
Well OK, perhaps I could ask you more about that another time. Do Christians count on help from miracles all the time?
Richard
[Smiling and moving away from Mary to the other side of the salt shaker, ... Mary could you say that
a little bit louder?
Mary
[looking perplexed] [louder] Do Christians count on help from miracles all the time?
Richard
[Holding his ear to hear the ear-headphone better. There is some activity and silent talking into the salt shaker (mic) of the other table.]
Richard [as if repeating slowly]
Well no, God’s direct interventions in history are rare and our most obvious help on earth comes from the good things we are taught in the Bible.]
Mary
What do Christians propose to relieve world poverty and over population?
[There is more activity at the other table and finally Richard repeats slowly...]
Richard
It turns out that the spike in world population was the result of improved hygiene and medical care resulting in a few more overlapping generations than usual. World population is now leveling off and in some countries the population is declining precipitously because of a birth dearth and the forced abortion in China, resulting in a terrible imbalance of boys outnumbering girls. Surely, even from a Feminist perspective, you must agree that the elective abortion of girls is wrong?
Mary
Oh Richard, this is terrible, I've never thought of that! I'll research that some more. But what do you think can be done to reduce world poverty?
Richard
On a comparative economic basis world wide, it is family values and independence, and not family size and government ownership, that has produced prosperity.
Mary
I don’t get it. What does that mean?
Richard
I don’t know... er I mean let me explain... [Holding his earphone more tightly.] The populations of many countries in the world are declining. The efforts to control the world’s population growth are moot and a blind alley. Better to support family values, independence, the family farm and freedom.
Mary
OK what do you think of home schooling, I heard some countries have made it illegal?
Richard
The Minister of Education should not be expected to be responsible for the education of all the students in his jurisdiction; rather the Minister of Education should expect that parents will choose the best education they can for their children and that in the long run, this decentralized decision making, will produce the best results. Besides, some children have special needs that can best be met at home. Besides, freedom of the church within the state means parents have the right and responsibility to choose the education for their children, with the public system being one option among many.
Mary [Writing down some notes.]
OK. On another subject... Do Christians really believe that nothing is older than 6,000 years?
Richard [Pretending to be pausing to think...]
Many people have become Christians after an intense study of history and finding that history corroborates the Bible as true. Even secular historians concede that written records on planet earth go back no more than 10,000 years. And so it is agreed that people like us, who write songs and poetry and leave written records, have only been on earth, no more than 10,000 years.
Mary
Well what about all the other hundreds and hundreds of thousands of years?
Richard, pretending to think, answers
Good question?
Richard, after listening to Thomas the science guy's animated account over the microphone, adds...
For most Christians, more important than the timeline is the evidence for intelligent design, especially now with new evidence relating biology and computer programming, it is clear, that the most rational observation is, that the coordinated complexity of life, is probably the result of an intelligent design.
Intelligent design theory is based on quantifying the level of coordinated complexity of any system to determine markers for design as well as the explosion in our understanding in the last few years of the genetic code as a vast program, similar in construction to a style of computer programming we use ourselves, object oriented programming, where the key feature is that a gene in biology is similar in function to a code object in computer programming. As with any good scientific theory, the theory has great predictive value. It predicts that a gene should be able to be used over and over again, no only in the same cell but in different types of cells as well, just like a code object is designed to be used over an over again not only in the same app but in different types of apps as well. And this prediction does turn out to be true. You can take the gene that codes for insulin out of human pancreatic cells and insert it into bacteria and the bacteria will produce insulin. The theory also predicts successfully and explains that the genome between species should be very similar just like there is a great similarity of program code between computer apps because the apps contain many of the same code objects to handle the routine tasks of any program. And the theory also predicts that random chance mutation or genetic copying errors will be harmful to any species just like copying errors in a computer program will cause a malfunction in the program. And we see this is true where a genetic disease destroys the optimum function of the cells involved. And this is where intelligent design theory differs from Darwin, who thaught at least a small percent of random chance mutations would be beneficial. Well Darwin was wrong, because every random chance mutation is deleterious, although some deleterious mutations can be beneficial For example, the mutation that caused cycle cell anemia causes the hemoglobin in the red blood cells to congeal somewhat reducing the ability of the cell to carry oxygen, hence the anemia. However, this deleterious mutation is also beneficial because it protects people with it from malaria: the malaria can no longer reproduce inside red blood cells with congealed hemoglobin. Similarly, when a deleterious mutation weakens the cell wall of a bacteria a particular antibiotic may no longer be able to attach to the adjusted shape of the bacteria cell wall; being another example of a deleterious mutation causing some benefit. And this confuses evolutionists no end because they think they have found an example of evolution, or at least a beneficial mutation, when they haven't.
Mary
Wow Richard, for someone in Agriculture, you sure are passionate about the relationship between biology and computer programming.
Richard
Ya, just a little side interest I have.
Mary
Well I was going to take some notes but you spoke so quickly. Maybe I'll just wright this down (Mary repeats slowly as she writes...]
"The most rational observation is, that the coordinated complexity of life, is probably the result of an intelligent design." ... Et cetera!
[Mary sits back and thinks a bit and then asks seriously...] Are Christians against a woman’s right to choose when it comes to the issue of abortion?
[Richard looks sad and sort of has a groaning expression, as if he doesn't even want to think about the issue. There is a pause as everybody at the other table is thinking and then Jenny (the medical student) leans toward the salt shaker (mic) and says slowly (audibly to the audience but not to Mary)...]
Jenny
Christians want to promote pro-life as the happiest way of life.
Richard [repeats]
Christians want to promote pro-life as the happiest way of life. Christians would like the government to match funding to Crises Pregnancy Centers to help women in distress. In 1833, the Government of England, led by William Wilberforce, paid the sum of 22,000,000 Pounds Sterling to buy the freedom of the slaves. Will the Canadian government be willing to spend the equivalent of 22,000,000 Pounds Sterling to buy our freedom from the temptation of elective abortion?
Mary [smiles and nods as if she likes the answer] [Reaching over to grab the salt shaker]
OK. Hey, why don’t I move this salt shaker to another table?
Richard
Oh no!, ... er I like salt shakers..., could I have it back?
[Mary (shrugging and smiling and giving Richard back the salt shaker) Richard (laughing) holds the salt shaker and looks at it and puts it away inside his back pack on the floor.] OK, I’ve had enough fun now... Mary, I have a confession to make. Most of my theology comes from the Bible verses from kid’s songs. And I really have no idea how to answer “How to Save the World” type questions. But I know your questions are serious and that’s why I really wanted to get you the best answers I could. And I really wanted you to meet my friends at the Christian Campus Association, who are from all different faculties. Mary, no one group has all the answers. But I know with the help of the good things we are taught in the Bible, together we can work out a consensus. And so, in the spirit of some good natured fun, I got my friends at the Christian Campus Association to help me out with your questions. You see there was a microphone in the salt shaker and my friends are over there giving me the answers in this ear plug. And I’m really hoping you will come out for pizza with us now so you can meet them and just talk some more?
Mary
Oh there was a microphone in the salt shaker and your friends are just over there.... oh that’s funny Richard and I get it, actually it’s quite a relief... I thought you were just acting weird ... sure I’ll go out for pizza with you... why don’t you invite your friends over here now so I can meet them?
Richard [very happy, stands up and yells to the other table]
Hey everybody, come over here. [Paul, Linda, Thomas and Jenny pack up there things and come over to meet Mary.] It’s OK, I told Mary all about the salt shaker and she says she will come out for pizza with us now.
Linda (shaking hands with Mary)
Hi Mary, nice to meet you, I’m Linda and this is my fiancé Paul.
Jenny
Hi Mary, I’m Jenny and this is Thomas, our science guy.
Richard [putting on his cowboy hat]
Well, boots and saddles everyone, let’s go out for pizza.
Curtain.
How Act 3
How Act 3
How to Save the World
The Interviews
Mary and her friend Susan (president of the Feminist Campus Association) are outside on the university campus, sitting at a picnic table.
Susan
Hey Mary, how did your interview go with the cowboy Christian yesterday?
Mary
Actually it was quite funny. Really, he is very funny in a nice sort of way and that was a pleasant surprise. He actually ended up introducing me to some of his friends at the CCA, Christian Campus Association. He told me that the thought of trying to answer “How to save the World” type questions was a bit too much for him. He said his deepest theology comes from the Bible verses he knows from Sunday school songs. So he wanted to introduce me to his resident experts, since his friends from the CCA were from all different faculties.
Susan
So what faculty is he in?
Mary
Agriculture.
Susan
It figures. He sounds like a real winner.
Mary
Oh come on Susan, it’s not that bad, they were all very nice. It’s just that their views are a bit different that’s all.
Susan
A bit different! I wouldn’t call oppressive, superstitious and weird a bit different.
Mary
Susan, really its not that bad. Besides, all groups have some good ideas.
Susan
Oh, not that again!
Mary
Yes that again. Anyway - I’m going to interview some of Richards friends today to find out more. Here comes the first two now, they are engaged, Paul and his fiancé Linda. Paul and Linda are both history majors and Paul is specializing in B.C., Old Testament History and Linda is specializing in A.D. new Testament history. And so I’m really curious to hear how they will answer questions on oppressive Christian history, like the Spanish Inquisition and the persecution of Galileo etc. But first I’m going to ask them - Hey Paul and Linda, what’s new in history? --- get it --- what’s new in history - nothing much!
Susan
No Mary I don’t get it. Goodbye! (Susan leaves before Paul and Linda arrive)
Paul and Linda
Hi
Mary.
Mary
Hey Paul and Linda, what’s new in history?
Paul
Huh, how about “understanding”.
Mary
Hey, that’s a good one. Thanks for the interview you two. Well Linda, as the resident historian on AD history, you get to answer for all the bad things in Christian history like the Spanish Inquisition and the persecution of Galileo etc. - aren’t you lucky.
Linda
Yes. But I get to praise the good things in Christian history too. But you know Mary, to really get an understanding, you have to try to understand all of world history. And as hard as that may be, Paul and I have tried to work out together a summary. Perhaps we could go through it with you. It takes about 25 minutes.
Mary
OK Linda, sounds like fun, you have 25 minutes.
Paul
O.K. Mary, great, but first, have you ever heard of the response to high ideals approach to history?
Mary
Well, I can’t say that I have.
Paul
Well, just like its name implies, the response to high ideals approach to history evaluates all periods of history based on how the people responded to our highest ideals; namely the ideals found, interestingly enough, in the Bible.
Mary
Oh yea, like what high ideals in the Bible do you mean.
Paul
Well Mary, you know.
Mary
Well, assume I don’t know, you tell me.
Paul
OK. Well..., to begin with, I’ve always thought of the ten commandments as high ideals. I mean, what kid hasn’t argued with his parents from time to time, but the ideal is “children, honour your father and mother”. Honour life..., marriage..., property..., and honour the truth... And honour your own God given ability to succeed without coveting the things of others... Even the ideal of not working on Sundays, was meant for the good of servants, so that they too would have some rest. And all this is timeless; for example, do not let your “pop” or “rap” “idols”, be your excuses for bad behaviour..., rather love God.
You know for the last part there, I like the Sunday School song our cowboy friend Richard always sings. And I promise, I won’t sing it for you, but the words go like this:
And this is love for God
That you do his commands
And His commands are not burdensome
In fact the Lord,
Teaches you what is best for you
Shows you the way you should go
Teaches us what is best for us
Shows us the way we should go
Look in the Bible and see
1 John 5 vs. 3
Isiah 48, verse 17
Mary
OK, well any other ideals in the Bible?
Paul
Well, sure. For example, there is a great passage where it is taught that, although God gave his Word to the world through Israel, God is for everyone. In 2 Chronicles 6:32 and 33, Solomon prays to God something like...and as for the foreigner, who does not belong to your people Israel, but has come from a distant land, because of your great name... then hear [the foreigner’s] prayer and do whatever the foreigner asks of you so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name.
And like for example Isaiah 58, 6-14, to paraphrase
Is this not the kind of fasting God has chosen:
To loose the chains of injustice; to set the oppressed free. Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter,... and not to turn away from your neighbours?...Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear,... then you will call and the Lord will answer....And if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed... then you will find your joy in the Lord...
And there is Micah 6:8... the Lord has shown you what is good; to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God
And from the last book in the Old Testament, Malachi 3:7 to 4:6... to paraphrase, ... remember to keep the law of the Lord given to Moses at Horeb,... and then the Lord will... turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers.
Hey Linda, what are some high ideals from the New Testament that stand out for you?
Linda
Well sure, of course in the New Testament there is so much, for example, Matthew Chapter 5 to 7, the Beatitudes to the Golden Rule,..., blessed are the merciful..., the pure in heart..., the peacemakers..., be the light of the world,... let your light shine before men so they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven,... keep God’s law given to Moses at Horeb,... keep faith with your spouse, ...be a friend to the needy, care for the good of both friends and foes,... and pray,... that your spirit will always respond to God, and that your spirit will not be taken by the evil one,... and seek the Kingdom of God as it has real lasting value,... and in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
And then in the Gospel of John, there is the greatest ideal ever,... in John chapter 13 and 14, Jesus said... He no longer calls us servants, instead He calls us friends, and this is His command; that we should love one another
And in the rest of the New Testament there is so much too, all the way from the Acts of the Apostles to the letters of Paul to the churches.
Like in Acts Ch. 20, 33-35, Paul says you know I have not coveted anyone’s money...; with my own hands I have always supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work, we must help the weak...
And in Romans 12, 9:21, Paul writes,... Honour one another above yourselves. Be joyful in hope..., patient in affliction..., faithful in prayer... Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. if it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. ... Do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good.
And in I Corinthians Ch. 13, 4-8... Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
And in Galatians 5:22...for the work of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.
And in Ephesians Ch. 4-5,... Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you... Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her...and wives respect your husbands... Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right, honour your father and mother... and fathers do not exasperate your children; instead bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
And in Philippians 2-4... Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become... children of God... and whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things.
And in Colossians 3, 12-17,... as people dearly loved by God, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another, forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
And in Thessalonians...
Mary
OK, OK Linda!... I get the picture... there’s lots of ideals in the Bible.! You can stop now. ... But I guess, somehow over history, people didn’t always follow the ideals in the Bible, like during the Spanish Inquisition and the persecution of Galileo.
Linda
Yea, like, No kidding.
Mary
So, what happened?
Paul
Well Mary, let us go through our summary of history and we’ll tell you.
But first, let’s note the distinction between history and pre-history. History is the period covered by a written record left by man, and anything before that; before a written record, is pre-history. And so it’s important to note that the written record only goes back about 10,000 years- and so Mary, I’ve got a question for you?...
Mary
OK, shoot...
Paul
Why do you think generations of men and women went through HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS of pre-history, without hardly any advance in art, science or literature and then there was a change, such that almost everything we know today happened within the last 3,000 years?
Mary
Well, I guess we were very slow learners for a long, long time and then there was a change and then we became very quick learners.
Paul
OK, but what accounted for the change?
Mary
Well, if I understand Jared Diamond right, something happened to improve human speech ability about 50,000 years ago, and if I understand Jacob Bronowski right, about 10,000 years ago, after the last ice age, a new strain of wheat appeared that made an agricultural based civilization more feasible.
Paul
OK, that’s good,.. but all I’m saying is that it’s an interesting line of research that perhaps men and women as we know them today, were not on planet earth HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS ago, because if we can learn to go to the moon in three thousand years, surely we can learn to sing songs and write down events in 10,000 years or so. So in a way Mary, we appear to have hundreds of thousands of years of missing cultural history that just isn’t there. I mean Mary, if we were really on earth HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS ago, instead of 60 years of recorded popular love songs to listen to, wouldn’t you expect to have by now at least a few thousand years of pop love songs to listen to ...- a not altogether exiting prospect... I know. ... The point is ART and Culture is fun; it’s part of who we are, and it doesn’t grow exponentially like scientific knowledge does. So all I’m saying Mary is that, if the written records for art and culture aren’t there for HUNDREDS
OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS ago, maybe its because we weren’t there either.
Mary
Wow, a thousand years of recorded pop love songs; just a grooving all day long... OK something happened only about 10,000 years ago.
Paul
All I am saying Mary is that science needs to tell us about pre-history, but it needs to be unbiased science,... science that’s open to the evidence for intelligent design and God, and not just an Epicurean science that relegates everything to natural causes and admits nothing but natural causes, even though we know for a fact that everything is not the result of natural causes. For example, the act of programming a computer program is an act of intelligent design and the resulting computer program is not the result of a natural cause.
Mary
That's a hood example Linda, a computer program is an example of something that is not the result of a natural cause, and I think we still call it computer science, don't we? Ok, I was going to ask Thomas, your science guy, more about the evidence for intelligent design vs. evolution, in my next interview, so go on and finish up your summary of history for me.
Paul
But Mary, we haven’t started yet.
Mary
OK Paul, you have 25 minutes... go
Paul
OK, Let’s start with the greatest, most awesome event ever. It doesn’t eclipse the birth of Christ, but it’s like it; its the birth of the Bible. And history, if you study it, is a great witness, because history corroborates the Bible as true.
Mary (looking perplexed)
What?
Paul
I mean you don’t even have to dig and you can still see the pyramids of Egypt today and get the idea of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and Joseph and Moses and the people of Israel.
It happened about 1,300 BC, give or take a generation or two. They say it is hard to know which Ramses was Pharaoh of Egypt at the time. But they think it was Ramses II because he had a large building program going on.
It’s the Exodus of the people of Israel, who had been slaves in Egypt for about two hundred years, out of Egypt and into the promised land. And the Pharaoh didn’t want to let them go because he wanted them to continue to be his slaves and to continue to build his pyramids.
But God got them out, for the purpose of giving to the world through Israel, the ten commandments or ten ideals. And then God led Moses to write the first five books of the Old Testament; Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy; and the Bible, was born.
Now there is an intent here that is important. You know how they say music is the universal language. Well similarly, the search for truth and beauty is the universal quest. And the intent here is that all the people of the world, in their search for truth and beauty, would be able to see the light of the high ideals of the Bible, shining as a city on a hill, and learn from it, and benefit by it.
And of course this light, wasn’t really turned on as a beacon, until the time of Christ and the New Testament. And Christ’s declaration to us the we should always let our good works so shine before men that they will praise our father in heaven. And His declaration to us that the Old Testament is true, being a continuity unbroken from the furthest past to the furthest future. And even then, the Dark Ages fought the light at every turn, but I’ll let Linda tell you more about that in a minute.
Mary
(smiling, putting up her hand to ask a question)
I thought people in the past were more often looking for loot and booty than truth and beauty?
Paul (laughing)
Well, your right Mary. I guess history is a great pageant where people reveal their character. And those who would trample on the God given rights of others to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, are the bad guys. But loot and booty empires always collapse, usually under the weight of their own corruption. And in the collapse, the people know there has to be a better way and so the quest for truth and beauty is on again.
Mary
You know Paul, I remember asking my mom if the beautiful poetry of Shakespeare could help the people of Africa.
Paul
Oh yea, what did she say?
Mary
Well, she said that I might as well have asked her “How to save the world?”. And that if I wanted to be a reporter, I should practice by interviewing different people, and that all groups have some good ideas. But maybe that’s it; the beauty of Shakespeare’s poetry is like a sign pointing to the quest for truth and beauty, a quest that can help us all, including the people of Africa. But
OK Paul, you can go on now. After all, you still have most of recorded human history yet to cover, and well, we're pressed for time.
Paul
OK, let’s move ahead about 300 hundred years to about 1,000 BC and the time of King David and the Psalms and King Solomon and the Proverbs. Now both King David and King Solomon did much good, but they also did wrong. The Bible is very clear and honest here. There is no false flattery of kings that you read so much of in the writings of other civilizations. In fact King Solomon, notwithstanding the great wisdom God gave him at the beginning of his reign, towards the end of his days, “just lost it”, and invited into the country a kind of Idol worship that sold young girls into shrine prostitution and broke up families and hurt children. In fact some of the worst type of Idol worship of some civilizations is even recorded to have involved child sacrifice. This type of Idol worship or the occult or voodoo, might be a manifestation of what the Bible calls the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. And this might be the same type of entrapment, over a 1,000 years later, the Aztecs and Incas and Maya’s on this side of the Atlantic were hurt by.
Anyway, back to our chronology and the time of King Solomon. We come to our first great lesson from history here and it’s this; that no earthly king or great leader is constantly good or constantly bad; the only constant is the high ideals in the Bible.
After the death of Solomon, the corruption in the land led to the division of the Kingdom of Israel into two parts. In the North, there were the 10 tribes of Israel with their King and capital at Samaria. And in the south, there were the two tribes of Judah, with their King and capital at Jerusalem.
And as we know from the Bible, “a house divided against itself, cannot stand”. So let’s move ahead 250 years to about 750 BC, and to the time of Isaiah the prophet, to see what happens. Now God has given Isaiah a difficult job and Isaiah is trying very hard to convince the people that the road to peace and prosperity is to return to the ideals of the Bible and seek God’s wisdom for the country; but they are just not listening. But God does give to the world through Isaiah some of His plan for the future.
We read in Isaiah that the Assyrian empire, with their capital at Nineveh, will sweep away to exile the 10 tribes of Israel in the north, and that happens in about 722 BC.
I’ll come back to Isaiah in a minute, but first let’s look at an event about 100 years later in the time of King Josiah of Judah about 635 BC.
I’m quoting from parts of 2 Kings Chapter 22. This chapter is titled “The Book of the Law Found”. That means the scroll of the first five books of the Bible, was found. Apparently, for about the three hundred years since the death of Solomon, no one in Israel was even reading the Bible; it had somehow been “lost” inside the Temple somewhere, and then we read ...
Josiah was eight years old when he became king. In the eighteenth year of his reign ... Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the Temple of the Lord”. He gave it to Shaphan who read it. Then Shaphan... went to the King and reported to him...”Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king. When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law... [he said] “Go and inquire of the Lord for me and for the people and for all Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the Lord’s anger that burns against us because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book...”
The idea is that even when people have the Bible available to them, they don’t always follow it or even read it. And this, as we shall see, is an important recurring theme throughout history.
It’s like we have this inate human characteristic that we do not want to bother with the instruction manual, considering it irrelevant, because we are of course naturally adept at everything. It’s like we say “when all else fails, read the instruction manual”, but until all else fails, just wing it. And this is OK I guess, if you are assembling furniture from Ikea. But when the instruction manual is the high ideals in the Bible, meant to be in the best interests of the common people, then things don’t go so well if you don’t even read it.
OK, back to Isaiah, where it is written down, somehow, well before it happens, that after the Assyrians have swept away to exile the ten tribes of Israel in the north then the Babylonians, with their capital in Babylon, (which is modern day Bagdad) will rise and defeat the Assyrians and then sweep away to exile the two tribes of Judah, ...and that happens in about 612 BC. This is the time of “Daniel and the lions den” and Daniel rose to be a counsellor to the emperors of Babylon, just like Joseph rose to be a counselor to the pharaoh of Egypt. Just an aside Mary, re: Daniel and the Lions den; I’ve read how the Assyrian and Babylonian clay tablets that have been found (and they number in the thousands of clay tablets) record how the kings of Assyria and Babylon used to import Lions from Africa to hunt them as sport, just like the Kings of England would go out and hunt for deer.
And then we read in Isaiah how the Persian empire, (which was in modern day Iran), under Cyrus the Great, would rise and how the Persians would defeat the Babylonian empire, and surprisingly, help the people of Judah return to Jerusalem.
This is some of what it says from Isaiah chapter 44 and 45 about the Persian emperor, Cyrus the Great. And remarkably, God is naming Cyrus here, about a hundred years before Cyrus was even born.
Isaiah writes, “Who says of Cyrus, He is my shepherd and he shall perform all My pleasure. Saying to Jerusalem, “You shall be built”, and to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid”... thus says the Lord to His anointed, to Cyrus, ...I will give you ... treasures ... that you may know that I the Lord, who call you by name, I Am the God of Israel, ...and there is no God besides me.”
Isaiah ch. 44:28, 45:1-7.
And that’s exactly what happened, in about 559 BC. After defeating the Babylonians, the Persian emperor, Cyrus the Great, helped the people of Judah return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. And so in a way I wish the people of the Middle East today, would look back on their own history, and see how the Persian Emperor Cyrus the Great helped the people of Israel peacefully resettle.
And of course, God tells us in many places in Isaiah, his plan to send His Son, the Christ, Emanuel, God with Us. For example, here is a wonderful quote from among many in Isaiah, telling of the coming of God the Son, seven hundred years later: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah Chapter 9 verse 6.
OK, Let’s move along and look at the world from 500 B.C. to 0 B.C. And I want to focus on the heroic.
Let’s start with... China. 500 B.C. is the time of the great Chinese scholar and teacher Confucius. What Confucius taught was great. Similar to Christ 500 years later, Confucius taught that we should not do to others what we would not want others to do to us. And similar to the way the Romans persecuted the early Christians, unfortunately, 200 years after Confucius, a bad emperor of China, persecuted the followers of Confucius. In about 300 B.C. this emperor stole all the land of the followers of Confucius and it was they who were forced into slavery to build to the death the “great” wall of China.
Because some of what Confucius taught was so good, like his version of the golden rule, I often wonder if the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, was the God of Confucius too; or did Confucius, with all his wisdom, like King Solomon before him, turn away from God during some of his days; I don’t know. Any way, for the good that Confucius taught, he was a great hero of history.
Also, generally, its interesting to wonder how God has made Himself known to people during periods of history when the Bible wasn’t available. And its interesting, how some of the evidence for this is found in the characters of the ancient Chinese language itself. Mary, did you know that the ancient Chinese character for greedy is a picture of a woman standing under a tree, and this goes back to hundreds of years before God led Moses to write Genesis.
Mary: (jokingly)
Hey, I didn't know patriarchal stereotyping went back that far?
Paul:
Oh yea, I know, girls are sugar and spice and everything nice.
Mary:
OK, now you’ve got it. Let’s go on.
Paul
OK, 500 B.C. is also about the time of the early Romans, who began heroically as free and independent farmers. These farmers distinguished themselves by asking nothing of the government, but rather their emphasis was to pass laws to limit government by dividing authorities. And also in their writings, the early Romans taught heroic traditions such as seriousness of purpose, duty, and great respect for independent family units. But unfortunately, this free and independent way of life all fell apart by 0 B.C., and we’ll look at the reasons why Rome fell, in a minute.
But first, let’s look at one more hero. 500 B.C. is approximately the time of the great Greek writer Homer, who wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey. Homer is a real hero because his love story in the Odyssey of devotion between Ulysses and his wife Penelope, is so heroic. And the Odyssey’s reunion between Ulysses and Penelope and their son, after Ulysses’ long absence and many dangerous adventures, is one of the greatest, most heroic scenes, in all literature.
And so, all this brings us to our second great lesson from history; that
there are heroes in every land and every period of history; and even if they don’t have the Bible available, they have what is good written on their hearts and they do it.
And everyone can be a hero, if they want to be. And sure it helps if they have good teaching from the beginning. And we all know the great potential of the world for good; the question is can this potential for good be saved?
Of course we can’t consider that everything that Confucius did, or the early Romans did, or the character Ulysses did, was heroic. But we can look at our examples from history to help us define heroism. A hero is someone who believes Christ’s golden rule that we should always treat others the way we would like to be treated ourselves; a hero is someone who brings to the world a sincere desire to protect the God given rights of others to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; and a hero is someone who is for the truth, no matter what, even if it happens to be that the same wisdom responsible for the intelligent design of life on earth is also responsible for giving to us the high ideals in the Bible.
Let’s continue with our chronology now. In about 300 B.C., the Greek army of Alexander the Great conquered Egypt and then moved east and defeated the Persian empire handed down by Cyrus the Great. Alexander died on his way to trying to conquer India and then his generals divided up the empire amongst themselves. Also, about 300 B.C. is the time of the famous Greek scholars Plato and Aristotle, and they are known best for asking great questions like “What is Justice?” and “What is happiness?”.
OK, back to Rome. As we already mentioned, things started out well for the early Romans in about 500 B.C. But what happened is that the Roman army became too successful at the old “loot and booty” game. The Roman army began to bring so much grain, produce and slaves, back to Rome that the Roman farmers began to find there was no market for their own crops. And furthermore this quote unquote “free” bread” handed out to all Roman citizens, was too much to resist. So you can get the picture that the Roman generals would make a name for themselves by bringing loot and booty or “Tribute” back to Rome to handout to the citizens. This continued for a few hundred years while Rome conquered northern Africa or Carthage, Europe, Greece, Asia Minor and the Middle East. So that by 0 B.C., most of the common people of Rome had given up their own farms and were now dependent on government handouts.
And this trend was exasperated by a relatively small handful of Roman aristocrats buying up all the abandoned farm land very cheap and farming it by slaves. In fact historians report that by 0 B.C., over 90% of the available farm land in Italy was owned by less than 2,000 aristocrats. And, interestingly enough, this situation of unfairly concentrated land ownership is probably similar to the situation today, in a lot of Latin and South American countries, where a relatively few aristocrats still own huge tracks of land, while the local people are suffering.
So, why did Rome fall? By 0 B.C., from the perspective of the lost freedom and independence of the common people, Rome had already fallen; fallen under the weight of its own corruption. Although Rome itself wasn’t finally sacked and looted by the quote unquote “barbarians” from the north, until about 400 AD.
So we come to 0 B.C; our turning point in history; the time from which, forevermore, the light of the high ideals of the cross, would shine out as a beacon; the time of Christ. And we can readily see why the early Christians were persecuted; they taught that living off what was stolen from others was wrong; that Rome was wrong. But more importantly, Christ gave to the world the best answers ever to Plato’s and Aristotle’s great questions, “What is justice?”, “What is happiness?”. Justice is to treat others the way you would like to be treated yourself, and happiness is the joy of the Lord. And more importantly, Christ could give us these answers because he was the Son of God and so He could teach as one who has authority. And so, like it says in the Old Testament, “In God, whose word we praise, in God we trust” And in our search for truth and beauty, the Bible; the Old and New Testament together as one, does stand out as a light for us all.
OK Mary, I’m going to turn over the summary of history to Linda now. I don’t know how long I’ve been so far, but at least we are half way home.
Linda
Mary, one way to explain from the Bible, “Why the cross of Christ?” is like this. Even heroes know that they are not heroic, every day. But the Law doesn’t have a bad day. In Galatians 3:24 we read “So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.” And we can see this by looking at the analogy of the cross. The vertical aspect of the cross represents our relationship to God. The horizontal aspect represents our obligations to each other to love and protect. We all fail in our obligations to each other to love and protect and this is a real problem. Christ, by bearing our sins on the cross, solved the problem. And Christ has made His church the place of the solved problem. So that with repentance, with Christ, there is forgiveness and redemption. And with Christ, we see a Father and his family going to the ends of the universe to redeem His children. And somehow then, with Christ, all the potential for the world for good, is saved.
After the cross, God made Jesus alive so he could appear to the disciples and Christ taught them for another month. There was one disciple, doubting Thomas, who said to the other disciples John and Peter, that unless I see Jesus for myself, I'm not going to believe he is alive. And so the Son of God shows up a week later and says to Doubting Thomas, OK now that you have seen me you believe. But blessed are others who trust the accounts of these other guys. And he might have added the because what they taught was hood and kind, and in attesting to what happened, even under persecution, they feared nothing, not even death. You know Mary, all the apostles died a martyrs death, and they did not condemn God for not rescuing them, rather they prayed for their persecutors, that they would realize what they were doing was wrong, and that they would be forgiven and become friends. For the apostles knew they were going home to God.
Mary
I know I and other people have railed at God for not rescuing the starving people and children in Africa during a famine crises.
Linda
Sometimes we loose the very good fight to save a life, and we learn that God's intervention often comes later, even for God's saints and martyrs in the New Testament, even for the people and children of Africa, and even for our own family and friends, and our heartbreak remains for now.
Paul
But Mary, when it comes to intervention, we might as well give God the last word, because He will probably have it anyway. And the Bible teaches that we should always help others safely through as happy and healthy and as normal a life as possible. And if we stand up for the good things we are taught in the Bible, that's exactly what we will be doing.
Linda
Mary, here is something encouraging, for our friends who are like doubting Thomas, and just want to see God for themselves, I think Christ still shows up today. He appears in dreams and visions to thousands of people in Iran and you can read Joel Rosenberg's books to learn more about that. And there is a YouTube channel called One For Israel where many people give testimony to this. And even the great scientist Dr. James Tour gives his testimony there.
Getting back to our history. After His resurrection, Christ gave the apostles the commission to teach others so that everyone could learn and benefit from God’s ways. But he warned them that not everyone would be heroes and protect the God given rights of others to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. In fact, history was still where everyone was free to reveal their character before God and some would do evil. But in their the battle to overcome evil with good, the disciples would not be alone; the Holy Spirit would come.
The disciples were just ordinary people, some fishermen, a tax collector etc., but they were given an extraordinary opportunity; they were taught by God in person. And just like the prophets of the Old Testament, God led the fishermen Mark and John to write an account of what happened and what Jesus taught. Similarly for the tax collector Matthew. And later the doctor Luke, who conducted many interviews, was led by God to write an account of Jesus’ life on earth, and also the Acts of the Apostles. And then the great Hebrew scholar Paul, after Christ appeared to him in person, became a Christian. And much of the last half of the New Testament is composed of Paul’s letters to the churches; Romans, Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Galatians.
OK, moving ahead 300 years, there is good news and bad news for the Christians. The good news is that in 310 AD the new Roman Emperor Constantine becomes a Christian and the persecution of the Christians suddenly stops. The Christians are no longer fed to the lions or sold as slaves because the Emperor Constantine declares that henceforth the Christians are to be tolerated; just like everyone else is tolerated.
The bad news is that succession in the Roman Empire is still the demeaning, desolate and destructive matter of who assassinates who first. And Constantine, just like Solomon before him, towards the end of his reign “just lost it”. And its held that in 336 AD, Constantine ordered the death of his son Crispus and his second wife Faustus over a succession plot. And so we are reminded here of our first great lesson in history; that no earthly king of great leader will be constantly good or constantly bad; the only constant is the high ideals in the Bible.
The other bad news is that, although Constantine stopped the persecution of the church from without, he set things up so that for hundreds of years, in one form or another, there was a program of “lay investiture” where the church could be persecuted from within.
“Lay investiture” is where the King or Emperor appoints many of the church officials and supports them with government taxes. It would be like the Government of Canada appointing the pastor of Ellerslie Road Baptist Church; it just wouldn’t be right. And so with the government control of the churches, the congregations could no longer respond to the high ideals in the Bible by “voting” so to speak, with their feet; and move to a different church. A church they believed to be following the ideals in the Bible more closely. And so, after Constantine, with government control of the churches, the great principles of congregational or denominational freedom and voluntary self support, available to the early church, were lost to the church, for over 1,000 years. And similarly today the Chinese Communist Party is trying to manipulate the church in China by demanding it be allowed to appoint the Pastors and Bishops.
And now, our recurring theme in history, not surprisingly, recurs again. Although the Kings and Churches of the middle ages had the Bible available to them, just like the Hebrew Kings in the Old Testament, they didn’t always follow it and maybe they didn’t even read it. We still know this theme today. “Don’t bother me with the instruction manual, we’re busy doing it our way.” When all else fails, read the instruction manual.” Well, “all else failed” for over 1,000 years. And it wasn’t until about 1400 AD that some very humble and good Catholic priests read the Bible and knew it was right to make the Bible available to every family that wanted a copy, in the language of the common people. One of these heroes of the faith was John Wycliffe in England. In about 1380, Wycliffe, who is called the “morning star of the Reformation”, translated the Bible into English. And with the help of many good scholars at Oxford of like mind, made many copies of the Bible available to the common people. So that by the time of Queen Elizabeth 1st of England and her successor James 1st, who brought out the authorized King James Version of the Bible in English, in 1611, the common people of Great Britton had the great benefit of unrestricted access to the high ideals of the Bible.
And so we can see from history that the great mistake of the medieval church, that was influenced and controlled to a large degree by a secular aristocracy, was that they did not promote general literacy and did not actively support making the Bible available in the language of the common people. In fact in 1229 AD, the Church (or more likely the state captured church) made it illegal for anyone to make the Bible available in the language of the common people. This was the case even up till 1456 and the invention of the printing press. And the first book ever printed in Germany or anywhere; the Gutenberg Bible, had to be printed in Latin, because at the time, it would have been illegal to print it in any other language.
The period between the fall of Rome in about 412 AD to about 1400 Ad has been called the “Dark Ages”. And we call it the “Dark Ages” because during this period, the light of the high ideals of the Bible was not generally available, in the language of the common people.
And so Mary, we’ve finally come to your questions: “What about the Spanish Inquisition?” and “What about the persecution of Galileo?” Both were wrong.
The Inquisition was about persecuting anyone who somehow had a copy of the Bible in the language of the common people and supported the great principles of denominational freedom and voluntary self support so that government control of the church, or lay investiture of the church, would no longer take place. But you know Mary, I think God helped defeat the Spanish Inquisition. It happened in 1588. Phillip II was King of Spain and he had also inherited from his father the title of Holy Roman Emperor. By the way, this is the same Phillip the Philippines was named after. Phillip supported the Inquisition and wanted to enforce the laws against the Bible being available in the language of the common people - against Queen Elizabeth and England. This is of course after Elizabeth refused to marry him and enforce those laws herself. Phillip spent years and a huge fortune preparing the Armada to launch an attack against protestant Elizabeth and England. An interesting sidebar of history is that this was the time of Miguel de Cervantes, who was the the author of the novel “Don Quixote”. And for years Cervantes “day job” was as a government clerk administering the stockpile of supplies for the Armada. The Spanish Armada set sail in June of 1588 and the history books usually emphasize how Sir. Francis Drake, and his fleet of smaller, faster ships, was able to harry the huge and sluggish Armada. However it’s interesting to note that a great storm smashed most of the Armada against the rocky coast of the north Atlantic, as the wind forced the ships north. All before even one Spanish soldier could set foot on England. And the official celebratory slogan of England, after the defeat of the Armada, was “And God blew with his wind, and they were scattered”. And what was really defeated that day in 1588, was the idea that it was ever wrong, to make the Bible available, in the language of the common people.
Mary
Hey Linda, before you go on, I just want to mention something about Shakespeare, who I have studied a lot over the last few years. In 1588, the time of the Spanish Armada, Shakespeare would have been about 24 years old. And I’ve always wished Shakespeare would have written more about his own life and times to help explain them more. I don’t know for sure if Shakespeare ever read or even had access to the whole Bible in English. But I know from his plays that Shakespeare understood some of the Christian witness. For example, he gives Portia, in the Merchant of Venice, the great soliloquy that goes:
The quality of mercy is not strain’d
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest;
it blesses him that gives and him that takes:
‘Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it
becomes The throned monarch better than his crown;
His scepter shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptered sway;
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings;
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power then doth show
likest God’s
When mercy seasons justice.
Linda
Mary, I love it. And your right. Maybe Shakespeare did not have a chance to read the Bible for himself. Shakespeare died in 1616 and the Authorized King James translation of the Bible into English come out only a few years before in 1611.
Mary
Yea, I don’t get it. Paul writes letters to the churches and you can’t translate them into the language of the common people. I guess that’s just the Dark Ages for you. But sorry to interrupt Linda. Go on, I really want to hear the rest now.
Linda
Ok, let’s look at your next question Mary; the persecution of the great scientist Galileo in the same year that Shakespeare died, in 1616. The persecution of Galileo, was not an example of Christian antagonism towards science. Mary, many of the world’s greatest scientists have also been devoted Christian scholars who have studied intently how history corroborates the Bible as true. Isaac Newton, one of the greatest scientists of all time, wrote as many commentaries on the accuracy of the Bible as he did papers on calculus, the laws of motion and gravity. Other great scientists who were also devoted to Christ in their outlook towards life, include, Michael Faraday, Lord Kelvin, James Joule, Charles Babbage, Blaise Pascal and many, many others. So Mary, there is no antagonism between Christianity and science. In fact, discovering God’s mechanisms or thoughts after Him, using the greatest modern science, has always been a joy for Christians.
The persecution of Galileo was another example of the church at the time not following the high ideals of the Bible, in relating to people with different viewpoints. This appears to be inherent in all state churches; churches that depend for their revenue on government tax dollars. And this applies as much to Protestant state churches as it does to Catholic state churches. The Protestant state churches in England and Europe, persecuted for a time, the non-conformists, like the Quakers, the Baptists, the Methodists, etc., who were regularly put in jail for not having a “license ” to teach from the Bible.
And really, it wasn’t until the founding of the new world; of America and Canada, based on the common agenda, (that I’ll explain later), including the principles of denominational freedom and voluntary self support, that the church, could be again for a time, what it was always intended to be; the place of the solved problem, and not the problem.
And this brings us to our third great lesson from history, which is like the first. No church or denomination is constantly good or constantly bad; the only constant, are the high ideals in the Bible.
Obviously Mary, today, the Roman Catholic Church is not at all like it was 500 years ago. Today, Christians of all denominations consider Pope John Paul II a great hero of the faith. Pope John Paul II emerged from out of the the intellectual oppression of Communist controlled Poland, to show the light of the high ideals of the Bible, to all the world. And I trust and believe, that Pole John Paul II loves and appreciates great Protestant heroes of the faith like John Wycliffe, who helped give the Bible to the world, in the language of the common people.
OK, Mary, we’ve finally come to the time of what we call the “Common Agenda”, which was a period of great progress in history. The common agenda is all about Biblically informed and literate congregations, of all different denominations, working together for the common good, together with their secular friends an neighbours, respecting each other. The common agenda begins with the congregational model of democracy and ends with Biblical principles of economics, scientific endeavor and government, that the Western world still benefits from today.
The congregational model of democracy is when the congregation elects elders. The elders then make recommendations to the congregation about what should be done based on the constitution; which is the ideals in the Bible like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. The congregation then votes on the recommendations.
The common agenda includes principles of economics such as “homesteading”, where a family has title to ownership of their land, by virtue of their hard work in farming it. And the common agenda also tried to recognize the idea of a family wage and a fair price for the cost of manufactured goods. The family wage recognized that a father or mother, caring for a family, could be paid more for the same job, than a teenager, with no family to support. And the idea that there was a fair price for a manufactured product based on the family wage, got the western world away from the old constant bartering over the price.
In science, the common agenda focused on disseminating new scientific discoveries freely for the good of all mankind. And new institutions, such as the Royal Institution in England, that was founded and managed by great Christian gentlemen like Isaac Newton and Michael Faraday, did much for the advancement of science worldwide.
The common agenda includes of course support for the great principles of denominational freedom and voluntary self support. As this “separation of church and state” implies, the government should make only laws that are equal for all and for the common good. And laws that in no way interfere with the free exercise of religion. And it was in this context that we were given the great principles of freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of association and an independent judiciary, so that denominations could share and explain their views freely. With these great principles in place, then people of every faith, including no faith, could express their views, without fear of persecution or interference. However, “separation of church and state” was never meant to imply that the government was not to consider the high ideals of the Bible when making decisions. On the contrary, it was the high ideals of the Bible, that gave us our freedom.
OK, Mary, before we go on and reach our conclusion, I want to look at one more side bar of history, because it shows that “what is best to be done” is never easy to know for sure, even with the help of Biblical principles. This is from the famous biography the “Life of Samuel Johnson” by James Boswell. Samuel Johnson was against slavery and he was also against the declaration of independence of the United States in 1776. Samuel Johnson knew that the way could be made for representation of the colonies in the British parliament. And he also knew of the strenuous efforts of Christian gentlemen, to pass an act in the British parliament, to abolish slavery. Efforts soon to be taken up by the eloquent Christian William Wilberforce. And it turned out later in 1833, Wilberforce led England in spending 22,000,000 Pounds Sterling to buy the slaves, throughout the British Empire, from their owners, and set them free. It's really one if the greats achievements of Christian civilization. And if the US colonies had remained with England, with better representation of course, then the slaves of the US South, would have been purchased by Christian England, and set free in 1833. And then perhaps the great tragedy and loss of life of the US civil war of 1860, could have been avoided. Mary, perhaps Samuel Johnson was right?
Even with the help of God’s word in the Bible, what is best to be done for peace is not always easy to know. However, after the US Civil war, the world was soon to experience a great crises of faith, and if the goodness of the common agenda was to prevail; it would take all of God’s people working together for the common good.
Moving on..., of course, the congregational model of democracy and the common agenda was not at all favored by the aristocracy of Europe. And World War I, in 1914, was really the last gasp of the Prussian aristocracy against the congregational model of democracy.
And of course the congregational model of democracy and the common agenda, was not at all favored by the communist theorists like Karl Marx and communist practitioners like Lenin. And the Russian communists, in 1917, through their fanatical atheism, proceeded to steal the land, in the name of the state, not only from the wealthy, but also from the small hard working “and many were Christian” independent farmers, who represented the heart and soul of Russia. One of the high ideals in the Bible is, “do not steal”, and so it is no wonder that the communists banned the Bible from Russia.
After World War I, Germany went through a period of democracy called the Weimar republic, and this democracy tragically failed. The lesson from history is that democracies that are not informed by the high ideals of the Bible can and have failed; democracies like the Weimar republic in Germany in 1933. And democracies like the French Revolution in 1789.
After the Weimar Republic failed, Germany fell into the hands of the Nazi thugs. The Nazis, through their fanatical atheism and World War II and the holocaust, proceeded to show all human history, the potential of the depths of evil in the human soul. And of note, the only hope for Germany, in those dark days, was the Christian witness of those like the family of Corrie ten Boom, who tried to save their Jewish friends, and Christians like Konrad Adenauer and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who were jailed by the Nazis, and some like Bonhoeffer who were killed, and some like Adenauer who lived, and helped pick up the pieces of a shattered Germany and lead the Christian Democratic Party of Germany, in 1945, to form a responsible government.
Mary (Putting up her hand to ask a question.)
What about all the other religions in the world; Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism etc.?
Linda (Whispers softly as if thinking to himself and says)
Can friendship of Christ cross international boundaries?
Mary
What?
Linda (louder)
Can friendship cross international boundaries?
Mary
Oh. You mean the friendship of Christ. Well I guess so.
OK. What about today?
Linda
Well, today, our recurring theme is recurring again. “Don’t bother us with the instruction manual, we’re busy doing it our way.” For example, the fighting in Northern Ireland has been fighting between Catholics who are not reading the Bible and protestants who are not reading the Bible, and the only cause for the healing that is going on in Northern Ireland or anywhere else, are the ideals from the Bible. And this recurring theme of “don’t bother us with the instruction manual” is found not only in the secular world but in the liberal wings of both Catholic and Protestant churches. “When all else fails, read the instruction manual.” Well, we are seeing all else failing all around us in many ways. As our society moves farther away from the common agenda of striving for the high ideals in the Bible, such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control, we see systemic corruption and greed in our financial services industry as seen in the collapse of the big mortgage and brokerage houses in the U.S. And we are seeing more and more sexual exploitation and pornography in our radio, TV and culture.
But you know, not to despair, our society has not completely forgotten the high ideals in the Biblical text. Many people in the west, both secular and religious are still working together for the common good. We still have free speech and even Hollywood comes out with a good movie now and then, with character and heart, that stands far above all the other trashy stuff. So good things can be said.
And although the persecution in history between Catholics and Protestants was a real problem, today, the church is what it was intended to be; the place of the solved problem. Today, Catholic families and Protestant families are great friends. And we are united, not by some organizational structure, but by the great witness of history corroborating the Bible as true. And we all marvel together at the advances in science every day, showing the awesome intelligent design in nature as evidenced by the coordinated complexity of life. By all of this, and by the protection of the cross, we are united, as Christ would want, as one.
And today, God’s intent still stands; that all the people of the world, in their search for truth and beauty, could look to the cross, and overcome the evil within us; could look to Christ, and be healed.
And today, the Middle East is a geopolitical hot spot, just like the Bible predicted. And the people of Israel are, as ever, an example for us all, sometimes for good like today, and sometimes for bad like the days after Solomon and the divided kingdom and the dispersion.
Just like all the other nations of the world, they are never constantly good or constantly bad. But always they are constantly loved by God. And as it says in the Bible, someday “The knowledge of God will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.” We think that this means that someday, God will make Himself again, especially know to the people of Israel, and then to all the people of the world.
Mary
Anything else?
Paul
Well, I think we are out of time, and we’ve probably gone over. But you can’t get all this over night Mary; it takes time. Perhaps a fourth lesson from history is that a good place to start, is to go outside on a beautiful day, and look at our beautiful world, and say... thankyou.
Mary
OK. Here comes Thomas the science guy now.
Thomas
Hi Mary, Hi Paul, Linda. What have you been talking about?
Mary
Oh... the weather, ... you know ... a beautiful day and all.
(Mary and Paul and Linda, just smile at each other.)
Paul
Ok Mary, gotta go, se ya.
Mary
Ya, see ya Paul. Thanks Linda. That was great.
Thomas the science guy, howya doing?
Thomas
Fine thanks.
Mary
Let’s see (Mary looks through her notebook). I’ve got you down here to tell me all about intelligent design. But first let me say I thought that there was a trial somewhere in Dover, Pennsylvania where the judge ruled that intelligent design theory wasn't science?
Thomas
Yea. The Epicureans won another one.
Mary
What do you mean, the "Epicureans " won another one!
Thomas
Well, great that you asked, because now it gives me a chance to explain.
(Smiling, Mary looks on and waves as if to imply go ahead)
The teachings of Lucretius and the Epicureans was all the rage at the time of Julius Cesar about 50 B.C. That's 50 years before the birth of Christ, and so of course there was no Christianity at that time. (By the way, just as an aside, our month of July is named after Julius Caesar and our month of August is named after Augustus Caesar.) All there was was the Old Testament, held in trust by the people of Israel. And the state of Israel was in such disarray at that time that there was not much, on the surface at least, to commend "their" book, to someone like say the great Roman Senator and orator, Cicero. (So just as an aside Mary, it is one of the great irony's of history, that one of the greatest orators who ever lived; Cicero, missed reading some of the greatest text ever written; the Old Testament.)
So the people of Rome and Greece really did not know much about the Old Testament, so what did the rest of the world think, at least the western world?
Well there were two schools of thought at the time fighting it out in Rome and Athens. One was the Epicureans who taught that everything is the result of natural causes. And they even had the idea of smaller animals evolving by natural causes over time to more complex animals. The Epicureans really taught way back then the theory of evolution, and the only thing that Darwin added was the mechanism of random chance mutation and natural selection. And so to be fair, and give proper credit to the Epicureans, who were really the originators of the idea of evolution and that everything is the result of natural causes, we really should call it Darwin's Epicurean Theory of Evolution.
On the other side of the debate was Cicero and the Stoics, and they taught intelligent design. Cicero would say, look at a sundial; it's designed to tell time, and we know that there are much more complex things in nature than this, hence the coordinated complexity of life is scientific evidence that an intelligent entity has deigned nature.
And so the debate between the Epicureans and the Stoics really mirrors the debate today between evolution and intelligent design.
And so who is right? Well we know that everything is not the result of natural causes (for example a computer program) and so to limit the definition of science to only the study of natural causes is like locking up science into an Epicurean straight-jacket.
Mary
Ya, trying to lock up science into an Epicurean straight - jacket. That can't be good. Ya, and last time I heard, they called it computer science. So, if you think the decision in the Dover trial is a mistake, what do you propose to do about it?
Thomas
Well you know Mary, I like the petition idea because it is very inexpensive, and it helps share these new ideas about intelligent design in a kind way with people, so people can consider them for themselves. And after consideration, if people want to show their support for these ideas by signing a petition, well, we live in a free country and that's great.
Mary
A Petition? What do you mean?
Well, I happen to have an extra copy of one I drafted right here.
Mary
Well, O.K. let's hear it.
Thomas
Petition
We request that the new Provincial Museum of Alberta include an Intelligent Design exhibit showing the logic and science of the relationship between biology and computer programming. This new intelligent design paradigm, that is challenging the theory of evolution, is derived from observing that a gene in biology is similar in function to an object in computer programming and that both are enabled for repetitive use, in different species in biology, and different programs in computer programming. And thus both genes and code objects result in a great similarity of code respectively, between species in biology and 'apps' in computer programming. Therefore the similarity of the genome between species is probably not evidence for evolution or common descent, as has often been taught, but rather it is probably evidence for a style of programming we use ourselves; object oriented programming, and that's evidence for intelligent design.
It is true that we believe that intelligent design theory is scientific evidence for God and that this prompts us, with all due respect and within reasonable limits, to defend it as so; making the reasonable case as shown, of intelligent design's true secular merits and scientific credentials.
In conclusion, we know that everything is not the result of natural causes. And we humbly submit that science that examines more than natural causes such as the constructions of the mind and the will and the similarities between the genetic code and computer programming, (an act of intelligent design), is true science.
Name Address Occupation Signature
(Space for 10 signatures.)
Mary
Well that's really good, I think I would sign that.
Mary
What is this at the bottom of the petition, it says:
A Few Additional Notes And Examples
Thomas
Yea, I added that to help explain some of these ideas as they may be new to people.
Mary
OK I'll just read it out loud to see if I get it.
A Few Additional Notes And Examples
In biology, the genetic instructions that tells the cell how to prepare a particular part is called a gene. In computer programming the code instructions that tells a computer how to perform a specific task is often called an Object. And we have a style of programming that we use today called Object Oriented Programming.
In biology, a gene is meant to be used over and over again, not only in the same cell, but in different types of cells as well. For example, you can take the gene that codes for insulin out of human pancreatic cells and insert it into bacteria, and the bacteria will produce insulin. In fact, this is how the world today gets it's supply of insulin to treat diabetes.
In computer programming, code objects are meant to be used over and over again not only in the same program, but in different types of programs as well. For example, the publishers of the operating system for iPhones will sell to "app" developers a programming package that contains lots and lots of code objects to handle the routine tasks of any program. So for example the Done button on different iPhone apps will often look exactly the same because it is coded for by the same Done button code object. If you compare the program code of any two different iPhone apps they will probably be over 90% exactly the same because they contain many of the same code objects to handle the routine tasks of any program.
The surprising conclusion of this is that the similarity of the genome between species is probably not evidence for evolution or common descent, as has often been taught, but rather it is probably evidence for a style of programming we use ourselves; object oriented programming, and that's evidence for intelligent design.
OK Thomas, I get it and I'll sign this petition.
Thomas, is there anything else you would like to add?
Thomas
Yes Mary, there are two things I want you to never forget.
One is the billions of dollars worth of biology textbooks that will have to be revised because of the medical errors caused by presuming, based on the theory of evolution, that some organs were just vestigial (left over by the random chance of evolution) such as the tonsils, and medical practice in my parents generation, rushed in to take out the tonsils when they were infected, until they subsequently discovered that the tonsils had an important function, and that they should be saved, if possible. Mary, the best medical science in the future should assume an intelligent design of organs and the genetic code and these people; our families, our friends and neighbours deserve the best medical science that science can give them.
And second, I want you to never forget Mary, as Dr. David Menton would say, we can be encouraged that the designer of hearing, can hear, and that the designer of sight can see, and that the author, of our highest ideals, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control; the author of our highest ideals of true love: loves us, truly.
Mary
OK Thomas, thanks. See you.
CURTAIN
How to Save the World
The Interviews
Mary and her friend Susan (president of the Feminist Campus Association) are outside on the university campus, sitting at a picnic table.
Susan
Hey Mary, how did your interview go with the cowboy Christian yesterday?
Mary
Actually it was quite funny. Really, he is very funny in a nice sort of way and that was a pleasant surprise. He actually ended up introducing me to some of his friends at the CCA, Christian Campus Association. He told me that the thought of trying to answer “How to save the World” type questions was a bit too much for him. He said his deepest theology comes from the Bible verses he knows from Sunday school songs. So he wanted to introduce me to his resident experts, since his friends from the CCA were from all different faculties.
Susan
So what faculty is he in?
Mary
Agriculture.
Susan
It figures. He sounds like a real winner.
Mary
Oh come on Susan, it’s not that bad, they were all very nice. It’s just that their views are a bit different that’s all.
Susan
A bit different! I wouldn’t call oppressive, superstitious and weird a bit different.
Mary
Susan, really its not that bad. Besides, all groups have some good ideas.
Susan
Oh, not that again!
Mary
Yes that again. Anyway - I’m going to interview some of Richards friends today to find out more. Here comes the first two now, they are engaged, Paul and his fiancé Linda. Paul and Linda are both history majors and Paul is specializing in B.C., Old Testament History and Linda is specializing in A.D. new Testament history. And so I’m really curious to hear how they will answer questions on oppressive Christian history, like the Spanish Inquisition and the persecution of Galileo etc. But first I’m going to ask them - Hey Paul and Linda, what’s new in history? --- get it --- what’s new in history - nothing much!
Susan
No Mary I don’t get it. Goodbye! (Susan leaves before Paul and Linda arrive)
Paul and Linda
Hi
Mary.
Mary
Hey Paul and Linda, what’s new in history?
Paul
Huh, how about “understanding”.
Mary
Hey, that’s a good one. Thanks for the interview you two. Well Linda, as the resident historian on AD history, you get to answer for all the bad things in Christian history like the Spanish Inquisition and the persecution of Galileo etc. - aren’t you lucky.
Linda
Yes. But I get to praise the good things in Christian history too. But you know Mary, to really get an understanding, you have to try to understand all of world history. And as hard as that may be, Paul and I have tried to work out together a summary. Perhaps we could go through it with you. It takes about 25 minutes.
Mary
OK Linda, sounds like fun, you have 25 minutes.
Paul
O.K. Mary, great, but first, have you ever heard of the response to high ideals approach to history?
Mary
Well, I can’t say that I have.
Paul
Well, just like its name implies, the response to high ideals approach to history evaluates all periods of history based on how the people responded to our highest ideals; namely the ideals found, interestingly enough, in the Bible.
Mary
Oh yea, like what high ideals in the Bible do you mean.
Paul
Well Mary, you know.
Mary
Well, assume I don’t know, you tell me.
Paul
OK. Well..., to begin with, I’ve always thought of the ten commandments as high ideals. I mean, what kid hasn’t argued with his parents from time to time, but the ideal is “children, honour your father and mother”. Honour life..., marriage..., property..., and honour the truth... And honour your own God given ability to succeed without coveting the things of others... Even the ideal of not working on Sundays, was meant for the good of servants, so that they too would have some rest. And all this is timeless; for example, do not let your “pop” or “rap” “idols”, be your excuses for bad behaviour..., rather love God.
You know for the last part there, I like the Sunday School song our cowboy friend Richard always sings. And I promise, I won’t sing it for you, but the words go like this:
And this is love for God
That you do his commands
And His commands are not burdensome
In fact the Lord,
Teaches you what is best for you
Shows you the way you should go
Teaches us what is best for us
Shows us the way we should go
Look in the Bible and see
1 John 5 vs. 3
Isiah 48, verse 17
Mary
OK, well any other ideals in the Bible?
Paul
Well, sure. For example, there is a great passage where it is taught that, although God gave his Word to the world through Israel, God is for everyone. In 2 Chronicles 6:32 and 33, Solomon prays to God something like...and as for the foreigner, who does not belong to your people Israel, but has come from a distant land, because of your great name... then hear [the foreigner’s] prayer and do whatever the foreigner asks of you so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name.
And like for example Isaiah 58, 6-14, to paraphrase
Is this not the kind of fasting God has chosen:
To loose the chains of injustice; to set the oppressed free. Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter,... and not to turn away from your neighbours?...Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear,... then you will call and the Lord will answer....And if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed... then you will find your joy in the Lord...
And there is Micah 6:8... the Lord has shown you what is good; to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God
And from the last book in the Old Testament, Malachi 3:7 to 4:6... to paraphrase, ... remember to keep the law of the Lord given to Moses at Horeb,... and then the Lord will... turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers.
Hey Linda, what are some high ideals from the New Testament that stand out for you?
Linda
Well sure, of course in the New Testament there is so much, for example, Matthew Chapter 5 to 7, the Beatitudes to the Golden Rule,..., blessed are the merciful..., the pure in heart..., the peacemakers..., be the light of the world,... let your light shine before men so they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven,... keep God’s law given to Moses at Horeb,... keep faith with your spouse, ...be a friend to the needy, care for the good of both friends and foes,... and pray,... that your spirit will always respond to God, and that your spirit will not be taken by the evil one,... and seek the Kingdom of God as it has real lasting value,... and in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
And then in the Gospel of John, there is the greatest ideal ever,... in John chapter 13 and 14, Jesus said... He no longer calls us servants, instead He calls us friends, and this is His command; that we should love one another
And in the rest of the New Testament there is so much too, all the way from the Acts of the Apostles to the letters of Paul to the churches.
Like in Acts Ch. 20, 33-35, Paul says you know I have not coveted anyone’s money...; with my own hands I have always supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work, we must help the weak...
And in Romans 12, 9:21, Paul writes,... Honour one another above yourselves. Be joyful in hope..., patient in affliction..., faithful in prayer... Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. if it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. ... Do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good.
And in I Corinthians Ch. 13, 4-8... Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
And in Galatians 5:22...for the work of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.
And in Ephesians Ch. 4-5,... Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you... Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her...and wives respect your husbands... Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right, honour your father and mother... and fathers do not exasperate your children; instead bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
And in Philippians 2-4... Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become... children of God... and whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things.
And in Colossians 3, 12-17,... as people dearly loved by God, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another, forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
And in Thessalonians...
Mary
OK, OK Linda!... I get the picture... there’s lots of ideals in the Bible.! You can stop now. ... But I guess, somehow over history, people didn’t always follow the ideals in the Bible, like during the Spanish Inquisition and the persecution of Galileo.
Linda
Yea, like, No kidding.
Mary
So, what happened?
Paul
Well Mary, let us go through our summary of history and we’ll tell you.
But first, let’s note the distinction between history and pre-history. History is the period covered by a written record left by man, and anything before that; before a written record, is pre-history. And so it’s important to note that the written record only goes back about 10,000 years- and so Mary, I’ve got a question for you?...
Mary
OK, shoot...
Paul
Why do you think generations of men and women went through HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS of pre-history, without hardly any advance in art, science or literature and then there was a change, such that almost everything we know today happened within the last 3,000 years?
Mary
Well, I guess we were very slow learners for a long, long time and then there was a change and then we became very quick learners.
Paul
OK, but what accounted for the change?
Mary
Well, if I understand Jared Diamond right, something happened to improve human speech ability about 50,000 years ago, and if I understand Jacob Bronowski right, about 10,000 years ago, after the last ice age, a new strain of wheat appeared that made an agricultural based civilization more feasible.
Paul
OK, that’s good,.. but all I’m saying is that it’s an interesting line of research that perhaps men and women as we know them today, were not on planet earth HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS ago, because if we can learn to go to the moon in three thousand years, surely we can learn to sing songs and write down events in 10,000 years or so. So in a way Mary, we appear to have hundreds of thousands of years of missing cultural history that just isn’t there. I mean Mary, if we were really on earth HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS ago, instead of 60 years of recorded popular love songs to listen to, wouldn’t you expect to have by now at least a few thousand years of pop love songs to listen to ...- a not altogether exiting prospect... I know. ... The point is ART and Culture is fun; it’s part of who we are, and it doesn’t grow exponentially like scientific knowledge does. So all I’m saying Mary is that, if the written records for art and culture aren’t there for HUNDREDS
OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS ago, maybe its because we weren’t there either.
Mary
Wow, a thousand years of recorded pop love songs; just a grooving all day long... OK something happened only about 10,000 years ago.
Paul
All I am saying Mary is that science needs to tell us about pre-history, but it needs to be unbiased science,... science that’s open to the evidence for intelligent design and God, and not just an Epicurean science that relegates everything to natural causes and admits nothing but natural causes, even though we know for a fact that everything is not the result of natural causes. For example, the act of programming a computer program is an act of intelligent design and the resulting computer program is not the result of a natural cause.
Mary
That's a hood example Linda, a computer program is an example of something that is not the result of a natural cause, and I think we still call it computer science, don't we? Ok, I was going to ask Thomas, your science guy, more about the evidence for intelligent design vs. evolution, in my next interview, so go on and finish up your summary of history for me.
Paul
But Mary, we haven’t started yet.
Mary
OK Paul, you have 25 minutes... go
Paul
OK, Let’s start with the greatest, most awesome event ever. It doesn’t eclipse the birth of Christ, but it’s like it; its the birth of the Bible. And history, if you study it, is a great witness, because history corroborates the Bible as true.
Mary (looking perplexed)
What?
Paul
I mean you don’t even have to dig and you can still see the pyramids of Egypt today and get the idea of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and Joseph and Moses and the people of Israel.
It happened about 1,300 BC, give or take a generation or two. They say it is hard to know which Ramses was Pharaoh of Egypt at the time. But they think it was Ramses II because he had a large building program going on.
It’s the Exodus of the people of Israel, who had been slaves in Egypt for about two hundred years, out of Egypt and into the promised land. And the Pharaoh didn’t want to let them go because he wanted them to continue to be his slaves and to continue to build his pyramids.
But God got them out, for the purpose of giving to the world through Israel, the ten commandments or ten ideals. And then God led Moses to write the first five books of the Old Testament; Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy; and the Bible, was born.
Now there is an intent here that is important. You know how they say music is the universal language. Well similarly, the search for truth and beauty is the universal quest. And the intent here is that all the people of the world, in their search for truth and beauty, would be able to see the light of the high ideals of the Bible, shining as a city on a hill, and learn from it, and benefit by it.
And of course this light, wasn’t really turned on as a beacon, until the time of Christ and the New Testament. And Christ’s declaration to us the we should always let our good works so shine before men that they will praise our father in heaven. And His declaration to us that the Old Testament is true, being a continuity unbroken from the furthest past to the furthest future. And even then, the Dark Ages fought the light at every turn, but I’ll let Linda tell you more about that in a minute.
Mary
(smiling, putting up her hand to ask a question)
I thought people in the past were more often looking for loot and booty than truth and beauty?
Paul (laughing)
Well, your right Mary. I guess history is a great pageant where people reveal their character. And those who would trample on the God given rights of others to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, are the bad guys. But loot and booty empires always collapse, usually under the weight of their own corruption. And in the collapse, the people know there has to be a better way and so the quest for truth and beauty is on again.
Mary
You know Paul, I remember asking my mom if the beautiful poetry of Shakespeare could help the people of Africa.
Paul
Oh yea, what did she say?
Mary
Well, she said that I might as well have asked her “How to save the world?”. And that if I wanted to be a reporter, I should practice by interviewing different people, and that all groups have some good ideas. But maybe that’s it; the beauty of Shakespeare’s poetry is like a sign pointing to the quest for truth and beauty, a quest that can help us all, including the people of Africa. But
OK Paul, you can go on now. After all, you still have most of recorded human history yet to cover, and well, we're pressed for time.
Paul
OK, let’s move ahead about 300 hundred years to about 1,000 BC and the time of King David and the Psalms and King Solomon and the Proverbs. Now both King David and King Solomon did much good, but they also did wrong. The Bible is very clear and honest here. There is no false flattery of kings that you read so much of in the writings of other civilizations. In fact King Solomon, notwithstanding the great wisdom God gave him at the beginning of his reign, towards the end of his days, “just lost it”, and invited into the country a kind of Idol worship that sold young girls into shrine prostitution and broke up families and hurt children. In fact some of the worst type of Idol worship of some civilizations is even recorded to have involved child sacrifice. This type of Idol worship or the occult or voodoo, might be a manifestation of what the Bible calls the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. And this might be the same type of entrapment, over a 1,000 years later, the Aztecs and Incas and Maya’s on this side of the Atlantic were hurt by.
Anyway, back to our chronology and the time of King Solomon. We come to our first great lesson from history here and it’s this; that no earthly king or great leader is constantly good or constantly bad; the only constant is the high ideals in the Bible.
After the death of Solomon, the corruption in the land led to the division of the Kingdom of Israel into two parts. In the North, there were the 10 tribes of Israel with their King and capital at Samaria. And in the south, there were the two tribes of Judah, with their King and capital at Jerusalem.
And as we know from the Bible, “a house divided against itself, cannot stand”. So let’s move ahead 250 years to about 750 BC, and to the time of Isaiah the prophet, to see what happens. Now God has given Isaiah a difficult job and Isaiah is trying very hard to convince the people that the road to peace and prosperity is to return to the ideals of the Bible and seek God’s wisdom for the country; but they are just not listening. But God does give to the world through Isaiah some of His plan for the future.
We read in Isaiah that the Assyrian empire, with their capital at Nineveh, will sweep away to exile the 10 tribes of Israel in the north, and that happens in about 722 BC.
I’ll come back to Isaiah in a minute, but first let’s look at an event about 100 years later in the time of King Josiah of Judah about 635 BC.
I’m quoting from parts of 2 Kings Chapter 22. This chapter is titled “The Book of the Law Found”. That means the scroll of the first five books of the Bible, was found. Apparently, for about the three hundred years since the death of Solomon, no one in Israel was even reading the Bible; it had somehow been “lost” inside the Temple somewhere, and then we read ...
Josiah was eight years old when he became king. In the eighteenth year of his reign ... Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the Temple of the Lord”. He gave it to Shaphan who read it. Then Shaphan... went to the King and reported to him...”Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king. When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law... [he said] “Go and inquire of the Lord for me and for the people and for all Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the Lord’s anger that burns against us because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book...”
The idea is that even when people have the Bible available to them, they don’t always follow it or even read it. And this, as we shall see, is an important recurring theme throughout history.
It’s like we have this inate human characteristic that we do not want to bother with the instruction manual, considering it irrelevant, because we are of course naturally adept at everything. It’s like we say “when all else fails, read the instruction manual”, but until all else fails, just wing it. And this is OK I guess, if you are assembling furniture from Ikea. But when the instruction manual is the high ideals in the Bible, meant to be in the best interests of the common people, then things don’t go so well if you don’t even read it.
OK, back to Isaiah, where it is written down, somehow, well before it happens, that after the Assyrians have swept away to exile the ten tribes of Israel in the north then the Babylonians, with their capital in Babylon, (which is modern day Bagdad) will rise and defeat the Assyrians and then sweep away to exile the two tribes of Judah, ...and that happens in about 612 BC. This is the time of “Daniel and the lions den” and Daniel rose to be a counsellor to the emperors of Babylon, just like Joseph rose to be a counselor to the pharaoh of Egypt. Just an aside Mary, re: Daniel and the Lions den; I’ve read how the Assyrian and Babylonian clay tablets that have been found (and they number in the thousands of clay tablets) record how the kings of Assyria and Babylon used to import Lions from Africa to hunt them as sport, just like the Kings of England would go out and hunt for deer.
And then we read in Isaiah how the Persian empire, (which was in modern day Iran), under Cyrus the Great, would rise and how the Persians would defeat the Babylonian empire, and surprisingly, help the people of Judah return to Jerusalem.
This is some of what it says from Isaiah chapter 44 and 45 about the Persian emperor, Cyrus the Great. And remarkably, God is naming Cyrus here, about a hundred years before Cyrus was even born.
Isaiah writes, “Who says of Cyrus, He is my shepherd and he shall perform all My pleasure. Saying to Jerusalem, “You shall be built”, and to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid”... thus says the Lord to His anointed, to Cyrus, ...I will give you ... treasures ... that you may know that I the Lord, who call you by name, I Am the God of Israel, ...and there is no God besides me.”
Isaiah ch. 44:28, 45:1-7.
And that’s exactly what happened, in about 559 BC. After defeating the Babylonians, the Persian emperor, Cyrus the Great, helped the people of Judah return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. And so in a way I wish the people of the Middle East today, would look back on their own history, and see how the Persian Emperor Cyrus the Great helped the people of Israel peacefully resettle.
And of course, God tells us in many places in Isaiah, his plan to send His Son, the Christ, Emanuel, God with Us. For example, here is a wonderful quote from among many in Isaiah, telling of the coming of God the Son, seven hundred years later: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah Chapter 9 verse 6.
OK, Let’s move along and look at the world from 500 B.C. to 0 B.C. And I want to focus on the heroic.
Let’s start with... China. 500 B.C. is the time of the great Chinese scholar and teacher Confucius. What Confucius taught was great. Similar to Christ 500 years later, Confucius taught that we should not do to others what we would not want others to do to us. And similar to the way the Romans persecuted the early Christians, unfortunately, 200 years after Confucius, a bad emperor of China, persecuted the followers of Confucius. In about 300 B.C. this emperor stole all the land of the followers of Confucius and it was they who were forced into slavery to build to the death the “great” wall of China.
Because some of what Confucius taught was so good, like his version of the golden rule, I often wonder if the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, was the God of Confucius too; or did Confucius, with all his wisdom, like King Solomon before him, turn away from God during some of his days; I don’t know. Any way, for the good that Confucius taught, he was a great hero of history.
Also, generally, its interesting to wonder how God has made Himself known to people during periods of history when the Bible wasn’t available. And its interesting, how some of the evidence for this is found in the characters of the ancient Chinese language itself. Mary, did you know that the ancient Chinese character for greedy is a picture of a woman standing under a tree, and this goes back to hundreds of years before God led Moses to write Genesis.
Mary: (jokingly)
Hey, I didn't know patriarchal stereotyping went back that far?
Paul:
Oh yea, I know, girls are sugar and spice and everything nice.
Mary:
OK, now you’ve got it. Let’s go on.
Paul
OK, 500 B.C. is also about the time of the early Romans, who began heroically as free and independent farmers. These farmers distinguished themselves by asking nothing of the government, but rather their emphasis was to pass laws to limit government by dividing authorities. And also in their writings, the early Romans taught heroic traditions such as seriousness of purpose, duty, and great respect for independent family units. But unfortunately, this free and independent way of life all fell apart by 0 B.C., and we’ll look at the reasons why Rome fell, in a minute.
But first, let’s look at one more hero. 500 B.C. is approximately the time of the great Greek writer Homer, who wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey. Homer is a real hero because his love story in the Odyssey of devotion between Ulysses and his wife Penelope, is so heroic. And the Odyssey’s reunion between Ulysses and Penelope and their son, after Ulysses’ long absence and many dangerous adventures, is one of the greatest, most heroic scenes, in all literature.
And so, all this brings us to our second great lesson from history; that
there are heroes in every land and every period of history; and even if they don’t have the Bible available, they have what is good written on their hearts and they do it.
And everyone can be a hero, if they want to be. And sure it helps if they have good teaching from the beginning. And we all know the great potential of the world for good; the question is can this potential for good be saved?
Of course we can’t consider that everything that Confucius did, or the early Romans did, or the character Ulysses did, was heroic. But we can look at our examples from history to help us define heroism. A hero is someone who believes Christ’s golden rule that we should always treat others the way we would like to be treated ourselves; a hero is someone who brings to the world a sincere desire to protect the God given rights of others to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; and a hero is someone who is for the truth, no matter what, even if it happens to be that the same wisdom responsible for the intelligent design of life on earth is also responsible for giving to us the high ideals in the Bible.
Let’s continue with our chronology now. In about 300 B.C., the Greek army of Alexander the Great conquered Egypt and then moved east and defeated the Persian empire handed down by Cyrus the Great. Alexander died on his way to trying to conquer India and then his generals divided up the empire amongst themselves. Also, about 300 B.C. is the time of the famous Greek scholars Plato and Aristotle, and they are known best for asking great questions like “What is Justice?” and “What is happiness?”.
OK, back to Rome. As we already mentioned, things started out well for the early Romans in about 500 B.C. But what happened is that the Roman army became too successful at the old “loot and booty” game. The Roman army began to bring so much grain, produce and slaves, back to Rome that the Roman farmers began to find there was no market for their own crops. And furthermore this quote unquote “free” bread” handed out to all Roman citizens, was too much to resist. So you can get the picture that the Roman generals would make a name for themselves by bringing loot and booty or “Tribute” back to Rome to handout to the citizens. This continued for a few hundred years while Rome conquered northern Africa or Carthage, Europe, Greece, Asia Minor and the Middle East. So that by 0 B.C., most of the common people of Rome had given up their own farms and were now dependent on government handouts.
And this trend was exasperated by a relatively small handful of Roman aristocrats buying up all the abandoned farm land very cheap and farming it by slaves. In fact historians report that by 0 B.C., over 90% of the available farm land in Italy was owned by less than 2,000 aristocrats. And, interestingly enough, this situation of unfairly concentrated land ownership is probably similar to the situation today, in a lot of Latin and South American countries, where a relatively few aristocrats still own huge tracks of land, while the local people are suffering.
So, why did Rome fall? By 0 B.C., from the perspective of the lost freedom and independence of the common people, Rome had already fallen; fallen under the weight of its own corruption. Although Rome itself wasn’t finally sacked and looted by the quote unquote “barbarians” from the north, until about 400 AD.
So we come to 0 B.C; our turning point in history; the time from which, forevermore, the light of the high ideals of the cross, would shine out as a beacon; the time of Christ. And we can readily see why the early Christians were persecuted; they taught that living off what was stolen from others was wrong; that Rome was wrong. But more importantly, Christ gave to the world the best answers ever to Plato’s and Aristotle’s great questions, “What is justice?”, “What is happiness?”. Justice is to treat others the way you would like to be treated yourself, and happiness is the joy of the Lord. And more importantly, Christ could give us these answers because he was the Son of God and so He could teach as one who has authority. And so, like it says in the Old Testament, “In God, whose word we praise, in God we trust” And in our search for truth and beauty, the Bible; the Old and New Testament together as one, does stand out as a light for us all.
OK Mary, I’m going to turn over the summary of history to Linda now. I don’t know how long I’ve been so far, but at least we are half way home.
Linda
Mary, one way to explain from the Bible, “Why the cross of Christ?” is like this. Even heroes know that they are not heroic, every day. But the Law doesn’t have a bad day. In Galatians 3:24 we read “So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.” And we can see this by looking at the analogy of the cross. The vertical aspect of the cross represents our relationship to God. The horizontal aspect represents our obligations to each other to love and protect. We all fail in our obligations to each other to love and protect and this is a real problem. Christ, by bearing our sins on the cross, solved the problem. And Christ has made His church the place of the solved problem. So that with repentance, with Christ, there is forgiveness and redemption. And with Christ, we see a Father and his family going to the ends of the universe to redeem His children. And somehow then, with Christ, all the potential for the world for good, is saved.
After the cross, God made Jesus alive so he could appear to the disciples and Christ taught them for another month. There was one disciple, doubting Thomas, who said to the other disciples John and Peter, that unless I see Jesus for myself, I'm not going to believe he is alive. And so the Son of God shows up a week later and says to Doubting Thomas, OK now that you have seen me you believe. But blessed are others who trust the accounts of these other guys. And he might have added the because what they taught was hood and kind, and in attesting to what happened, even under persecution, they feared nothing, not even death. You know Mary, all the apostles died a martyrs death, and they did not condemn God for not rescuing them, rather they prayed for their persecutors, that they would realize what they were doing was wrong, and that they would be forgiven and become friends. For the apostles knew they were going home to God.
Mary
I know I and other people have railed at God for not rescuing the starving people and children in Africa during a famine crises.
Linda
Sometimes we loose the very good fight to save a life, and we learn that God's intervention often comes later, even for God's saints and martyrs in the New Testament, even for the people and children of Africa, and even for our own family and friends, and our heartbreak remains for now.
Paul
But Mary, when it comes to intervention, we might as well give God the last word, because He will probably have it anyway. And the Bible teaches that we should always help others safely through as happy and healthy and as normal a life as possible. And if we stand up for the good things we are taught in the Bible, that's exactly what we will be doing.
Linda
Mary, here is something encouraging, for our friends who are like doubting Thomas, and just want to see God for themselves, I think Christ still shows up today. He appears in dreams and visions to thousands of people in Iran and you can read Joel Rosenberg's books to learn more about that. And there is a YouTube channel called One For Israel where many people give testimony to this. And even the great scientist Dr. James Tour gives his testimony there.
Getting back to our history. After His resurrection, Christ gave the apostles the commission to teach others so that everyone could learn and benefit from God’s ways. But he warned them that not everyone would be heroes and protect the God given rights of others to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. In fact, history was still where everyone was free to reveal their character before God and some would do evil. But in their the battle to overcome evil with good, the disciples would not be alone; the Holy Spirit would come.
The disciples were just ordinary people, some fishermen, a tax collector etc., but they were given an extraordinary opportunity; they were taught by God in person. And just like the prophets of the Old Testament, God led the fishermen Mark and John to write an account of what happened and what Jesus taught. Similarly for the tax collector Matthew. And later the doctor Luke, who conducted many interviews, was led by God to write an account of Jesus’ life on earth, and also the Acts of the Apostles. And then the great Hebrew scholar Paul, after Christ appeared to him in person, became a Christian. And much of the last half of the New Testament is composed of Paul’s letters to the churches; Romans, Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Galatians.
OK, moving ahead 300 years, there is good news and bad news for the Christians. The good news is that in 310 AD the new Roman Emperor Constantine becomes a Christian and the persecution of the Christians suddenly stops. The Christians are no longer fed to the lions or sold as slaves because the Emperor Constantine declares that henceforth the Christians are to be tolerated; just like everyone else is tolerated.
The bad news is that succession in the Roman Empire is still the demeaning, desolate and destructive matter of who assassinates who first. And Constantine, just like Solomon before him, towards the end of his reign “just lost it”. And its held that in 336 AD, Constantine ordered the death of his son Crispus and his second wife Faustus over a succession plot. And so we are reminded here of our first great lesson in history; that no earthly king of great leader will be constantly good or constantly bad; the only constant is the high ideals in the Bible.
The other bad news is that, although Constantine stopped the persecution of the church from without, he set things up so that for hundreds of years, in one form or another, there was a program of “lay investiture” where the church could be persecuted from within.
“Lay investiture” is where the King or Emperor appoints many of the church officials and supports them with government taxes. It would be like the Government of Canada appointing the pastor of Ellerslie Road Baptist Church; it just wouldn’t be right. And so with the government control of the churches, the congregations could no longer respond to the high ideals in the Bible by “voting” so to speak, with their feet; and move to a different church. A church they believed to be following the ideals in the Bible more closely. And so, after Constantine, with government control of the churches, the great principles of congregational or denominational freedom and voluntary self support, available to the early church, were lost to the church, for over 1,000 years. And similarly today the Chinese Communist Party is trying to manipulate the church in China by demanding it be allowed to appoint the Pastors and Bishops.
And now, our recurring theme in history, not surprisingly, recurs again. Although the Kings and Churches of the middle ages had the Bible available to them, just like the Hebrew Kings in the Old Testament, they didn’t always follow it and maybe they didn’t even read it. We still know this theme today. “Don’t bother me with the instruction manual, we’re busy doing it our way.” When all else fails, read the instruction manual.” Well, “all else failed” for over 1,000 years. And it wasn’t until about 1400 AD that some very humble and good Catholic priests read the Bible and knew it was right to make the Bible available to every family that wanted a copy, in the language of the common people. One of these heroes of the faith was John Wycliffe in England. In about 1380, Wycliffe, who is called the “morning star of the Reformation”, translated the Bible into English. And with the help of many good scholars at Oxford of like mind, made many copies of the Bible available to the common people. So that by the time of Queen Elizabeth 1st of England and her successor James 1st, who brought out the authorized King James Version of the Bible in English, in 1611, the common people of Great Britton had the great benefit of unrestricted access to the high ideals of the Bible.
And so we can see from history that the great mistake of the medieval church, that was influenced and controlled to a large degree by a secular aristocracy, was that they did not promote general literacy and did not actively support making the Bible available in the language of the common people. In fact in 1229 AD, the Church (or more likely the state captured church) made it illegal for anyone to make the Bible available in the language of the common people. This was the case even up till 1456 and the invention of the printing press. And the first book ever printed in Germany or anywhere; the Gutenberg Bible, had to be printed in Latin, because at the time, it would have been illegal to print it in any other language.
The period between the fall of Rome in about 412 AD to about 1400 Ad has been called the “Dark Ages”. And we call it the “Dark Ages” because during this period, the light of the high ideals of the Bible was not generally available, in the language of the common people.
And so Mary, we’ve finally come to your questions: “What about the Spanish Inquisition?” and “What about the persecution of Galileo?” Both were wrong.
The Inquisition was about persecuting anyone who somehow had a copy of the Bible in the language of the common people and supported the great principles of denominational freedom and voluntary self support so that government control of the church, or lay investiture of the church, would no longer take place. But you know Mary, I think God helped defeat the Spanish Inquisition. It happened in 1588. Phillip II was King of Spain and he had also inherited from his father the title of Holy Roman Emperor. By the way, this is the same Phillip the Philippines was named after. Phillip supported the Inquisition and wanted to enforce the laws against the Bible being available in the language of the common people - against Queen Elizabeth and England. This is of course after Elizabeth refused to marry him and enforce those laws herself. Phillip spent years and a huge fortune preparing the Armada to launch an attack against protestant Elizabeth and England. An interesting sidebar of history is that this was the time of Miguel de Cervantes, who was the the author of the novel “Don Quixote”. And for years Cervantes “day job” was as a government clerk administering the stockpile of supplies for the Armada. The Spanish Armada set sail in June of 1588 and the history books usually emphasize how Sir. Francis Drake, and his fleet of smaller, faster ships, was able to harry the huge and sluggish Armada. However it’s interesting to note that a great storm smashed most of the Armada against the rocky coast of the north Atlantic, as the wind forced the ships north. All before even one Spanish soldier could set foot on England. And the official celebratory slogan of England, after the defeat of the Armada, was “And God blew with his wind, and they were scattered”. And what was really defeated that day in 1588, was the idea that it was ever wrong, to make the Bible available, in the language of the common people.
Mary
Hey Linda, before you go on, I just want to mention something about Shakespeare, who I have studied a lot over the last few years. In 1588, the time of the Spanish Armada, Shakespeare would have been about 24 years old. And I’ve always wished Shakespeare would have written more about his own life and times to help explain them more. I don’t know for sure if Shakespeare ever read or even had access to the whole Bible in English. But I know from his plays that Shakespeare understood some of the Christian witness. For example, he gives Portia, in the Merchant of Venice, the great soliloquy that goes:
The quality of mercy is not strain’d
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest;
it blesses him that gives and him that takes:
‘Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it
becomes The throned monarch better than his crown;
His scepter shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptered sway;
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings;
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power then doth show
likest God’s
When mercy seasons justice.
Linda
Mary, I love it. And your right. Maybe Shakespeare did not have a chance to read the Bible for himself. Shakespeare died in 1616 and the Authorized King James translation of the Bible into English come out only a few years before in 1611.
Mary
Yea, I don’t get it. Paul writes letters to the churches and you can’t translate them into the language of the common people. I guess that’s just the Dark Ages for you. But sorry to interrupt Linda. Go on, I really want to hear the rest now.
Linda
Ok, let’s look at your next question Mary; the persecution of the great scientist Galileo in the same year that Shakespeare died, in 1616. The persecution of Galileo, was not an example of Christian antagonism towards science. Mary, many of the world’s greatest scientists have also been devoted Christian scholars who have studied intently how history corroborates the Bible as true. Isaac Newton, one of the greatest scientists of all time, wrote as many commentaries on the accuracy of the Bible as he did papers on calculus, the laws of motion and gravity. Other great scientists who were also devoted to Christ in their outlook towards life, include, Michael Faraday, Lord Kelvin, James Joule, Charles Babbage, Blaise Pascal and many, many others. So Mary, there is no antagonism between Christianity and science. In fact, discovering God’s mechanisms or thoughts after Him, using the greatest modern science, has always been a joy for Christians.
The persecution of Galileo was another example of the church at the time not following the high ideals of the Bible, in relating to people with different viewpoints. This appears to be inherent in all state churches; churches that depend for their revenue on government tax dollars. And this applies as much to Protestant state churches as it does to Catholic state churches. The Protestant state churches in England and Europe, persecuted for a time, the non-conformists, like the Quakers, the Baptists, the Methodists, etc., who were regularly put in jail for not having a “license ” to teach from the Bible.
And really, it wasn’t until the founding of the new world; of America and Canada, based on the common agenda, (that I’ll explain later), including the principles of denominational freedom and voluntary self support, that the church, could be again for a time, what it was always intended to be; the place of the solved problem, and not the problem.
And this brings us to our third great lesson from history, which is like the first. No church or denomination is constantly good or constantly bad; the only constant, are the high ideals in the Bible.
Obviously Mary, today, the Roman Catholic Church is not at all like it was 500 years ago. Today, Christians of all denominations consider Pope John Paul II a great hero of the faith. Pope John Paul II emerged from out of the the intellectual oppression of Communist controlled Poland, to show the light of the high ideals of the Bible, to all the world. And I trust and believe, that Pole John Paul II loves and appreciates great Protestant heroes of the faith like John Wycliffe, who helped give the Bible to the world, in the language of the common people.
OK, Mary, we’ve finally come to the time of what we call the “Common Agenda”, which was a period of great progress in history. The common agenda is all about Biblically informed and literate congregations, of all different denominations, working together for the common good, together with their secular friends an neighbours, respecting each other. The common agenda begins with the congregational model of democracy and ends with Biblical principles of economics, scientific endeavor and government, that the Western world still benefits from today.
The congregational model of democracy is when the congregation elects elders. The elders then make recommendations to the congregation about what should be done based on the constitution; which is the ideals in the Bible like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. The congregation then votes on the recommendations.
The common agenda includes principles of economics such as “homesteading”, where a family has title to ownership of their land, by virtue of their hard work in farming it. And the common agenda also tried to recognize the idea of a family wage and a fair price for the cost of manufactured goods. The family wage recognized that a father or mother, caring for a family, could be paid more for the same job, than a teenager, with no family to support. And the idea that there was a fair price for a manufactured product based on the family wage, got the western world away from the old constant bartering over the price.
In science, the common agenda focused on disseminating new scientific discoveries freely for the good of all mankind. And new institutions, such as the Royal Institution in England, that was founded and managed by great Christian gentlemen like Isaac Newton and Michael Faraday, did much for the advancement of science worldwide.
The common agenda includes of course support for the great principles of denominational freedom and voluntary self support. As this “separation of church and state” implies, the government should make only laws that are equal for all and for the common good. And laws that in no way interfere with the free exercise of religion. And it was in this context that we were given the great principles of freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of association and an independent judiciary, so that denominations could share and explain their views freely. With these great principles in place, then people of every faith, including no faith, could express their views, without fear of persecution or interference. However, “separation of church and state” was never meant to imply that the government was not to consider the high ideals of the Bible when making decisions. On the contrary, it was the high ideals of the Bible, that gave us our freedom.
OK, Mary, before we go on and reach our conclusion, I want to look at one more side bar of history, because it shows that “what is best to be done” is never easy to know for sure, even with the help of Biblical principles. This is from the famous biography the “Life of Samuel Johnson” by James Boswell. Samuel Johnson was against slavery and he was also against the declaration of independence of the United States in 1776. Samuel Johnson knew that the way could be made for representation of the colonies in the British parliament. And he also knew of the strenuous efforts of Christian gentlemen, to pass an act in the British parliament, to abolish slavery. Efforts soon to be taken up by the eloquent Christian William Wilberforce. And it turned out later in 1833, Wilberforce led England in spending 22,000,000 Pounds Sterling to buy the slaves, throughout the British Empire, from their owners, and set them free. It's really one if the greats achievements of Christian civilization. And if the US colonies had remained with England, with better representation of course, then the slaves of the US South, would have been purchased by Christian England, and set free in 1833. And then perhaps the great tragedy and loss of life of the US civil war of 1860, could have been avoided. Mary, perhaps Samuel Johnson was right?
Even with the help of God’s word in the Bible, what is best to be done for peace is not always easy to know. However, after the US Civil war, the world was soon to experience a great crises of faith, and if the goodness of the common agenda was to prevail; it would take all of God’s people working together for the common good.
Moving on..., of course, the congregational model of democracy and the common agenda was not at all favored by the aristocracy of Europe. And World War I, in 1914, was really the last gasp of the Prussian aristocracy against the congregational model of democracy.
And of course the congregational model of democracy and the common agenda, was not at all favored by the communist theorists like Karl Marx and communist practitioners like Lenin. And the Russian communists, in 1917, through their fanatical atheism, proceeded to steal the land, in the name of the state, not only from the wealthy, but also from the small hard working “and many were Christian” independent farmers, who represented the heart and soul of Russia. One of the high ideals in the Bible is, “do not steal”, and so it is no wonder that the communists banned the Bible from Russia.
After World War I, Germany went through a period of democracy called the Weimar republic, and this democracy tragically failed. The lesson from history is that democracies that are not informed by the high ideals of the Bible can and have failed; democracies like the Weimar republic in Germany in 1933. And democracies like the French Revolution in 1789.
After the Weimar Republic failed, Germany fell into the hands of the Nazi thugs. The Nazis, through their fanatical atheism and World War II and the holocaust, proceeded to show all human history, the potential of the depths of evil in the human soul. And of note, the only hope for Germany, in those dark days, was the Christian witness of those like the family of Corrie ten Boom, who tried to save their Jewish friends, and Christians like Konrad Adenauer and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who were jailed by the Nazis, and some like Bonhoeffer who were killed, and some like Adenauer who lived, and helped pick up the pieces of a shattered Germany and lead the Christian Democratic Party of Germany, in 1945, to form a responsible government.
Mary (Putting up her hand to ask a question.)
What about all the other religions in the world; Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism etc.?
Linda (Whispers softly as if thinking to himself and says)
Can friendship of Christ cross international boundaries?
Mary
What?
Linda (louder)
Can friendship cross international boundaries?
Mary
Oh. You mean the friendship of Christ. Well I guess so.
OK. What about today?
Linda
Well, today, our recurring theme is recurring again. “Don’t bother us with the instruction manual, we’re busy doing it our way.” For example, the fighting in Northern Ireland has been fighting between Catholics who are not reading the Bible and protestants who are not reading the Bible, and the only cause for the healing that is going on in Northern Ireland or anywhere else, are the ideals from the Bible. And this recurring theme of “don’t bother us with the instruction manual” is found not only in the secular world but in the liberal wings of both Catholic and Protestant churches. “When all else fails, read the instruction manual.” Well, we are seeing all else failing all around us in many ways. As our society moves farther away from the common agenda of striving for the high ideals in the Bible, such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control, we see systemic corruption and greed in our financial services industry as seen in the collapse of the big mortgage and brokerage houses in the U.S. And we are seeing more and more sexual exploitation and pornography in our radio, TV and culture.
But you know, not to despair, our society has not completely forgotten the high ideals in the Biblical text. Many people in the west, both secular and religious are still working together for the common good. We still have free speech and even Hollywood comes out with a good movie now and then, with character and heart, that stands far above all the other trashy stuff. So good things can be said.
And although the persecution in history between Catholics and Protestants was a real problem, today, the church is what it was intended to be; the place of the solved problem. Today, Catholic families and Protestant families are great friends. And we are united, not by some organizational structure, but by the great witness of history corroborating the Bible as true. And we all marvel together at the advances in science every day, showing the awesome intelligent design in nature as evidenced by the coordinated complexity of life. By all of this, and by the protection of the cross, we are united, as Christ would want, as one.
And today, God’s intent still stands; that all the people of the world, in their search for truth and beauty, could look to the cross, and overcome the evil within us; could look to Christ, and be healed.
And today, the Middle East is a geopolitical hot spot, just like the Bible predicted. And the people of Israel are, as ever, an example for us all, sometimes for good like today, and sometimes for bad like the days after Solomon and the divided kingdom and the dispersion.
Just like all the other nations of the world, they are never constantly good or constantly bad. But always they are constantly loved by God. And as it says in the Bible, someday “The knowledge of God will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.” We think that this means that someday, God will make Himself again, especially know to the people of Israel, and then to all the people of the world.
Mary
Anything else?
Paul
Well, I think we are out of time, and we’ve probably gone over. But you can’t get all this over night Mary; it takes time. Perhaps a fourth lesson from history is that a good place to start, is to go outside on a beautiful day, and look at our beautiful world, and say... thankyou.
Mary
OK. Here comes Thomas the science guy now.
Thomas
Hi Mary, Hi Paul, Linda. What have you been talking about?
Mary
Oh... the weather, ... you know ... a beautiful day and all.
(Mary and Paul and Linda, just smile at each other.)
Paul
Ok Mary, gotta go, se ya.
Mary
Ya, see ya Paul. Thanks Linda. That was great.
Thomas the science guy, howya doing?
Thomas
Fine thanks.
Mary
Let’s see (Mary looks through her notebook). I’ve got you down here to tell me all about intelligent design. But first let me say I thought that there was a trial somewhere in Dover, Pennsylvania where the judge ruled that intelligent design theory wasn't science?
Thomas
Yea. The Epicureans won another one.
Mary
What do you mean, the "Epicureans " won another one!
Thomas
Well, great that you asked, because now it gives me a chance to explain.
(Smiling, Mary looks on and waves as if to imply go ahead)
The teachings of Lucretius and the Epicureans was all the rage at the time of Julius Cesar about 50 B.C. That's 50 years before the birth of Christ, and so of course there was no Christianity at that time. (By the way, just as an aside, our month of July is named after Julius Caesar and our month of August is named after Augustus Caesar.) All there was was the Old Testament, held in trust by the people of Israel. And the state of Israel was in such disarray at that time that there was not much, on the surface at least, to commend "their" book, to someone like say the great Roman Senator and orator, Cicero. (So just as an aside Mary, it is one of the great irony's of history, that one of the greatest orators who ever lived; Cicero, missed reading some of the greatest text ever written; the Old Testament.)
So the people of Rome and Greece really did not know much about the Old Testament, so what did the rest of the world think, at least the western world?
Well there were two schools of thought at the time fighting it out in Rome and Athens. One was the Epicureans who taught that everything is the result of natural causes. And they even had the idea of smaller animals evolving by natural causes over time to more complex animals. The Epicureans really taught way back then the theory of evolution, and the only thing that Darwin added was the mechanism of random chance mutation and natural selection. And so to be fair, and give proper credit to the Epicureans, who were really the originators of the idea of evolution and that everything is the result of natural causes, we really should call it Darwin's Epicurean Theory of Evolution.
On the other side of the debate was Cicero and the Stoics, and they taught intelligent design. Cicero would say, look at a sundial; it's designed to tell time, and we know that there are much more complex things in nature than this, hence the coordinated complexity of life is scientific evidence that an intelligent entity has deigned nature.
And so the debate between the Epicureans and the Stoics really mirrors the debate today between evolution and intelligent design.
And so who is right? Well we know that everything is not the result of natural causes (for example a computer program) and so to limit the definition of science to only the study of natural causes is like locking up science into an Epicurean straight-jacket.
Mary
Ya, trying to lock up science into an Epicurean straight - jacket. That can't be good. Ya, and last time I heard, they called it computer science. So, if you think the decision in the Dover trial is a mistake, what do you propose to do about it?
Thomas
Well you know Mary, I like the petition idea because it is very inexpensive, and it helps share these new ideas about intelligent design in a kind way with people, so people can consider them for themselves. And after consideration, if people want to show their support for these ideas by signing a petition, well, we live in a free country and that's great.
Mary
A Petition? What do you mean?
Well, I happen to have an extra copy of one I drafted right here.
Mary
Well, O.K. let's hear it.
Thomas
Petition
We request that the new Provincial Museum of Alberta include an Intelligent Design exhibit showing the logic and science of the relationship between biology and computer programming. This new intelligent design paradigm, that is challenging the theory of evolution, is derived from observing that a gene in biology is similar in function to an object in computer programming and that both are enabled for repetitive use, in different species in biology, and different programs in computer programming. And thus both genes and code objects result in a great similarity of code respectively, between species in biology and 'apps' in computer programming. Therefore the similarity of the genome between species is probably not evidence for evolution or common descent, as has often been taught, but rather it is probably evidence for a style of programming we use ourselves; object oriented programming, and that's evidence for intelligent design.
It is true that we believe that intelligent design theory is scientific evidence for God and that this prompts us, with all due respect and within reasonable limits, to defend it as so; making the reasonable case as shown, of intelligent design's true secular merits and scientific credentials.
In conclusion, we know that everything is not the result of natural causes. And we humbly submit that science that examines more than natural causes such as the constructions of the mind and the will and the similarities between the genetic code and computer programming, (an act of intelligent design), is true science.
Name Address Occupation Signature
(Space for 10 signatures.)
Mary
Well that's really good, I think I would sign that.
Mary
What is this at the bottom of the petition, it says:
A Few Additional Notes And Examples
Thomas
Yea, I added that to help explain some of these ideas as they may be new to people.
Mary
OK I'll just read it out loud to see if I get it.
A Few Additional Notes And Examples
In biology, the genetic instructions that tells the cell how to prepare a particular part is called a gene. In computer programming the code instructions that tells a computer how to perform a specific task is often called an Object. And we have a style of programming that we use today called Object Oriented Programming.
In biology, a gene is meant to be used over and over again, not only in the same cell, but in different types of cells as well. For example, you can take the gene that codes for insulin out of human pancreatic cells and insert it into bacteria, and the bacteria will produce insulin. In fact, this is how the world today gets it's supply of insulin to treat diabetes.
In computer programming, code objects are meant to be used over and over again not only in the same program, but in different types of programs as well. For example, the publishers of the operating system for iPhones will sell to "app" developers a programming package that contains lots and lots of code objects to handle the routine tasks of any program. So for example the Done button on different iPhone apps will often look exactly the same because it is coded for by the same Done button code object. If you compare the program code of any two different iPhone apps they will probably be over 90% exactly the same because they contain many of the same code objects to handle the routine tasks of any program.
The surprising conclusion of this is that the similarity of the genome between species is probably not evidence for evolution or common descent, as has often been taught, but rather it is probably evidence for a style of programming we use ourselves; object oriented programming, and that's evidence for intelligent design.
OK Thomas, I get it and I'll sign this petition.
Thomas, is there anything else you would like to add?
Thomas
Yes Mary, there are two things I want you to never forget.
One is the billions of dollars worth of biology textbooks that will have to be revised because of the medical errors caused by presuming, based on the theory of evolution, that some organs were just vestigial (left over by the random chance of evolution) such as the tonsils, and medical practice in my parents generation, rushed in to take out the tonsils when they were infected, until they subsequently discovered that the tonsils had an important function, and that they should be saved, if possible. Mary, the best medical science in the future should assume an intelligent design of organs and the genetic code and these people; our families, our friends and neighbours deserve the best medical science that science can give them.
And second, I want you to never forget Mary, as Dr. David Menton would say, we can be encouraged that the designer of hearing, can hear, and that the designer of sight can see, and that the author, of our highest ideals, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control; the author of our highest ideals of true love: loves us, truly.
Mary
OK Thomas, thanks. See you.
CURTAIN
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