1) Don’t come to lab meetings
2) Don’t come to talks your boss asks you to go to
3) Arrive at work later than planned
4) Make mistakes
5) Don’t discover "anything new" after two part-time semesters and three months of full-time research
How do I know? Guess.
This entry was originally published at Interconnectedness by Mikhail (Misha) Lomize
Due to discussing love in context to the Greatest Commandment as well as marriage and other relationship, here’s the best explanation of agape, eros, storge and philia I’ve ever found. It’s from The New Testament Words by William Barclay. This is probably some of the most worthwhile four pages you’ll ever read!
Note: Part 1 (cut off) "The noun eros and the verb eran are mainly used for love between the sexes. They can be used for such things as the passion of ambition and the intensity of patriotism; but characteristically they are the words for physical love. … Christianity could hardly have annexed these words [eros and eran] for its own uses; and they do not appear in the NT at all."
This entry was originally published at Interconnectedness by Mikhail (Misha) Lomize
For the people who came to my talk, after giving the talk, I realized I missed and wasn’t clear about some points. For people who missed the talk, here’s a synopsis.
Yesterday night I gave a 48 minute talk about ‘Nonviolence: the Gospel and the State.’ I was only supposed to talk for 30 minutes but I got carried away. It was my first time giving a talk in front of people. Some key thoughts:
1) the greatest commandment is the purpose for our lives,
2) we should obey the government but not become part of the government or else we’ll become violent (assuming the government has a military),
3) early century Christians were nonviolent, but when Christianity become the State religion in the 4th century, violence became part of Christian teaching,
4) during the reformation, both protestants and catholics persecuted another reformation, The Radical Reformation (Anabaptists), that was going on at the same time where nonviolent Christians were trying to separate from the State,
5) the puritans from the Puritan reformation, which happened after the Protestant reformation, came along with Catholics to America slaughtering Indians, enslaving Africans and further persecuting nonviolent Anabaptists in America because the Anabaptists wanted to be peaceful,
6) still to this day, the theology of violence and non-separation of Church and State, which come together, are prevalent, but are in contradiction to the Greatest Commandment.
7) Furthermore, I argued against objections to nonviolence, such as the end times wars being ‘descriptive, not prescriptive’ and Jesus establishing a new covenant with all people, not only Israel, meaning that God wouldn’t authorize wars like in the Old Testament because God loves everyone equally, both the righteous and unrighteous.
8) We can’t love and kill enemies at the same time.
9) It’s OK to discipline children to reform them, but if you kill the child, you can no longer reform him/her.
10) By being nonviolent like Jesus, Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi you respect everyone, even the government (praying for the government as we pray for our enemies; obey our enemies), because you allow everyone to have their voice by not killing, imprisoning or kidnapping your opposition.
11) Our enemies have needs and if we obey, not ignore or rebel against, their needs while still obeying the Greatest Commandment, we will be the brightest light of God’s love.
12) God calls us to nonviolence, because it respects human dignity, humbles us and is the truest expression of love to everyone, just as God perfectly loves us.
P.S. I answer objections to Christian Biblical nonviolence in the comments at http://www.interconnectedness.net/2006/12/05/biblical-ethics/
This entry was originally published at Interconnectedness
I’ll be speaking at Cru this week on Tuesday, July 25th. Cru starts to 9:00pm in Michigan Union Anderson D. I’ll be speaking about Nonviolence: The Gospel and the State. I’ve been thinking about this topic for the last 6 months. If I’ve talked with you about this or you’ve read my entries about this, this talk will include many things I’ve never shared. Also, in the past I’ve said some wrong things. The entire Bible is true without contradictions. Praise God!!! I hope to see everyone there. I’ll try to make it entertaining (art), educational (history) and edifying (Biblical), but more Biblical than anything else!
This entry was originally published at Interconnectedness by Mikhail (Misha) Lomize
Many Christians who oppose homosexuality aren’t homophobic, but rather against unrepentant sin. However, there’s a double standard with that view, because masturbation, not forgiving, getting drunk and even overeating are also unrepentant sins, but they don’t seem to get people in trouble as often.
The issue of whether homosexuality is a sin isn’t Biblically very debatable: "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God." 1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Many Christians who support homosexuality either regard Scripture as errant, have interesting alternative explanations of Scripture (http://www.religioustolerance.org/hom_bibc1.htm) or try not to judge because they believe some people are created homosexual for a reason.
Based on my understanding of Scripture and following Jesus’ teachings in real life, I believe the early Christian orthodox teachings were against homosexuality. Jewish teachings were very strict in sexual relations and there’s no indication Jesus changed our understanding in any way in regards to homosexuality; whereas Jesus did change our understanding in regards to many other teachings about food, the Law, the State, the Greatest Commandment and established a new covenant with all people of the world, not only Israel.
However, the issue of ‘Is homosexuality a sin’ is not the main point. The main point is the purpose for sexuality altogether. Reproduction is the only meaningful purpose I can find for sexuality. Heterosexual sex and reproduction were inseparable in Biblical times, but not anymore. In our culture, sexuality is used for many other purposes, which all boil down to hedonism. Sexual hedonism is least destructive in marriage, because marriage contains love that usually overpowers hedonism. All your actions must be done out of love, not hedonism. If you’re not trying to reproduce, don’t have sexual relations. Be celibate.
These are difficult teachings to accept, especially in our culture, which is heavily influenced by Roman/Greek philosophy more than most realize. Based on these teachings, if I get married, I don’t want to reproduce because I want to adopt as many orphans as possible, hence I don’t plan on ever having sex even if I get married.
This type of ascetic teaching is practically impossible to follow unless your heart is fully behind it, or else you’ll resent the teaching. It’s worth following, because it allows you to love others to the utmost.
Some Christians feel fine pursuing pleasures (i.e. hedonism). They say, "If God didn’t want me to have sex, why would He make it so pleasurable?," which is akin to, "If God didn’t want Adam and Eve to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, why did he make it so tempting?" Or "God created sex for us to enjoy." We should do all things out of love, not enjoyment. They can continue to say, "Sex is holy." However, sex is never inherently holy; love is holy. Sex is a lure for people to have children who would otherwise never have children; hence, sex is a lure to learning about sacrificial love, which helps us understand God better. Notice, sacrificial love from sex does not come from sex, but from raising children.
The logical outcome of this is we shouldn’t have sex for pleasure, period. This has actually been the Christian teachings for the greater part of Christian history. It doesn’t matter whether it’s heterosexual or homosexual. Many people who condemn homosexuals are hypocrites.
We shouldn’t judge others. The Bible says we should only judge believers or those in the Church. However, I feel no church is completely holy in its teachings, hence, I don’t judge anyone.
In conclusion, don’t focus on sexuality. God calls us to celibacy unless we’re reproducing, because this way, we can love others most purely.
This entry was originally published at Interconnectedness by Mikhail (Misha) Lomize
I don’t feel any less worthy in God’s eyes based on HOW I was created. My worth is based on WHY I was created. The Bible tells us the purpose for our lives, whereas science tells us the mechanistic details of life. God loves worms like us for a reason: we are able to reflect the love of God unlike any other creation.
Natural science gives purely mechanistic, not moral, explanations. Some people try to extend physical laws (e.g. opposite charges attract = people with opposite personalities attract) to social ‘laws,’ and even worse, some people use biological variation to support deterministic views (e.g. eugenics). My understanding of evolution doesn’t make humans any more or less worthy of love, but my understanding of evolution helps me to better know how to manipulate nature to show the greatest love possible through medicine and other research. Excellent medicine is based on excellent science, and excellent love is based on excellent faith.
God is Truth, but Truth is not God, because God is greater than physical AND non-physical laws, since God frequently breaks physical laws in the Bible and God is beyond understanding. Would God create a law He can’t break? God seems to be the greatest law breaker of all. Maybe the idea of laws is flawed, but that’s not the point.
We need to do everything out of love, as the greatest commandment (i.e. love God and your neighbor) instructs. God reveals to us how to do this best. Since knowledge allows me to know how to love better, I value knowledge. However, if I value knowledge alone, my knowledge becomes worthless, because I will use my knowledge without love. The Bible allows us to realize the salvation promised in Jesus Christ, which frees us from sin and gives us the freedom to love everyone without end. Knowledge does not need to interfere with this and can be a valuable supplement to loving others. We can believe in all of the Bible and in all of science, because ALL OF IT IS GOD’S CREATION. At certain times, we need to humble ourselves because it may be difficult to understand how God can create contradictory things, but in the end, there are no contradictions in the Bible and in science, only our transient understandings are contradictory.
Communion is both the physical blood and flesh of Christ and bread and wine. In the same way, I believe in the physical six days and a billion-year-old universe. What’s important is God is the creator and does anything He likes irrespective if our fleshy brain can understand it. We need to be faithful and humble to everything, and most importantly love everyone.
"The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing." (John 6:63)
John 6
52Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
53Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. 57Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever." 59He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
Many Disciples Desert Jesus
60On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?"
61Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you? 62What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.
This entry was originally published at Interconnectedness by Mikhail (Misha) Lomize
Blessings are feelings. The same event may be a blessing for one person and a curse for another. For example, Saturday afternoon, I over-extended my left knee when I crashed into Kamil while playing soccer. I’ll be limbing for one to two weeks because of it. This is a blessing for me, especially when it first happened. In the greatest pain, I cried out to God and He comforted me. I’ve been longing to pray more, and this gave me the opportunity.
Prayer is words. We pray best when the Word of God is fresh in our minds. Jesus even gives us perfect words of prayer in the Lord’s prayer.
Worship is actions. Faith without deeds is dead. "I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings" Hosea 6:6. We acknowledge God the greatest when we act with the most love.
This entry was originally published at Interconnectedness by Mikhail (Misha) Lomize
I returned from my Russian Baptist camp in Ashford, Connecticut on Friday night. The one week at the camp was amazing.
I learned to appreciate the Bible, love others, pray and worship more than ever before. I wish I could stay there and not work, but that option doesn’t seem feasible.
My heart for missions has been opened even more. I don’t know what the future holds, but if I feel like God is leading me into the mission field, I’ll have some contacts in the Russian Evengelical Community.
It’s also amazing how close the history of the Russian Baptist church and the Mennonites are. Many Russian Mennonites became Baptist, but still held their views on nonviolence by not serving in the Russian army. Even though I haven’t met any Russian Baptist for nonviolence in the U.S., they may exist in Russia or other ex-soviet states as well as in independent churches in America.
It’s difficult for me to start working again. I don’t know if I’ll be able to ever enjoy work as much as before, because I don’t know if I’m merely mentally exhausted or disinterested in academics. Probably both. It may be difficult for some people to believe I’m disinterested in academics, but since I started valuing relationships more, academics have steadily been lossing ground. It’s difficult for me to imagine how someone can study anything without having an innate curiosity about a subject, but it seems many people are able to do this. Grades used to me my chief motivator, but after my senior year humanities classes, curiosity has been a large motivator too. It’s difficult to lose my curiosity, but I’m afraid I’m losing it in terms of my major.
It’s more fun to wash dishes at camp than do molecular biology back home. When I was washing dishes, I felt like I could do it with love, but I don’t know how to do molecular biology with love. Washing dishes occupied only my hands, allowing my mind to fly free, my heart free to burn with love for those around me and my tongue to spread beautiful words to others. Molecular biology consumes all of me. I have to focus every fiber of my body in order to not fail. Now, finally, I can understand why my parents said they’re misanthropes.
I know I can be a doctor with love, but can I do research with love?
Update, Wednesday, July 12th ~2pm: Yes, I can do research with love, because a researcher, especially a professor, spends a lot of time teaching, going to seminars, conferences, giving talks, etc. Talking is highly encouraged for researchers. Also, researchers have more flexiblity with their time than doctors, for better or worse depending on the person. However, maybe being a psychologist would be a better option for me. I wanted to be a psychologist originally, but decided against it because I wanted a more detailed biological understanding of a person if I were to help treat people. Now, I’m overqualified in biology and underqualified in psychology for a clinical psychologist. It’s not too late yet, I can still be a psychology major if I drop biochemistry. I wanted to be a doctor and psychologist, but psychiatrists focus too much on drugs. I want to be a pastor doctor, like a shamen but with the Gospel of Jesus. Today, society is so specialized that it’s almost impossible to treat both the mind and body. You’re either not serious enough about the body or not serious enough about the mind. I enjoy helping a person in their entirity. That’s what Jesus did. Jesus didn’t need medicine, but medicine is from God and of God if used rightly, right? The most feasible option is to do M.D./Ph.D and become a trained missionary. However, maybe we shouldn’t care so much about our bodies, but care more for our souls?
This entry was originally published at Interconnectedness by Mikhail (Misha) Lomize
