Logic VS Faith

In case you haven't noticed yet, I'm a Christian. I have a very personal relationship with Jesus. It isn't a Sunday morning thing where I get a biscuit and a cup of tea, or a Christmas thing, or an Easter thing. It's a day-to-day walking with my best friend.

Obviously, this takes considerable faith. I am most definitely a person with faith. I have faith in my friend, my saviour, that he will always be there for me. I have faith he exists. I have faith he knows what's best for me and that he wants that too.

But, for a person filled with so much faith, you'd be surprised how much I base my life on logic.

If you have ever thought about it, you will realise people think in different ways - another way in which people are unique. Everyone thinks slightly differently, probably a mixture of nature and nurture, but a very famous personality questionnaire called the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator gives you one very good idea of how it works.

Basically, there are sixteen personality types, and each of them has been given a different name. You can be an INTJ, or an ESFP, or anything in between (not that there's an inbetween exactly). For more information, I'd suggest googling it, or perhaps even taking the test (type 'myers-briggs test jung' for a free, reliable scoring), as I'm supposed to be making a point here.

My point, however, is that I took this test. I'm actually slightly between two different personalities - the INTP and the INTJ. Long story. But these two personalities are known to be very logical, analytical personalities. INTJ's are called 'The Scientists' and INTP's are called 'The Thinkers'.

I base most of my decisions on science, when that fails me, logic, and when that fails me, rational thought. There is a difference. I will go into why science isn't always logical another time.

But to finally reach my original point - there is no versus. Or, at least, there doesn't have to be. You don't have to choose. I live a life with faith and logic, and I have to say I think I've turned out pretty well. I'm not perfect, but I know how to think for myself, I know how to hope, I know how to trust, and I have a God whom I love.

Logic is not faith's enemy. Science is not faith's enemy (read my blog on 'Creationism Is Not A Science' where I show why I disagree with that viewpoint). Faith is believing in something. Logic is based on a world around me. I can rationally decide to put my hope in something, because logic itself does not cancel out a God. But that is another argument for another time.

Comment if you agree, disagree, or are just plain confused...

Book of Eli

Just watched the our family's Saturday night movie, and it was amazing! We get good movies, we get bad movies, but occasionally, we hit upon a movie with a plot that lasts you a lifetime, mixed with realistic characters, fight scenes and just the right amount of heroism. That is what we consider a great movie. Here goes - the Book of Eli.

I'm sure we've all started having enough of those post-apocalyptic stories. There was Children of Men, although that's kinda old now, and probably not considered part of the rise, unfortunately, considering it's worth more than every Twilight copy in the world put together. No, we really started off with the admirable I Am Legend. That was really worth the watch. But then we all wanted more, so of course, Hollywood spewed them out. We've had the Plague, the Road, and, of course, 2012 (which is arguably just an apocalyptic movie, but still). There are more, there will be more, and we're getting tired of these movies which usually end with either 1. the world ending, or 2. all the main characters dying (or both). Or they just end, and you're left wondering what happened.

So when my sister said we should get the Book of Eli, it took me a while before I was convinced. Trusting my sister, I settled down happily in our sitting room, and began to watch.

30 years ago, the world was ruined. Now, a man is travelling across North America, walking and walking. He holds in his possession a book, the last of it's kind. And somebody else wants it. But Eli is a man on a mission, and nothing will hold him back.

It's a movie with guts. It dares to mention the Bible, and God, in a very real way. One of the first (possible) Christian movies I've watched that wasn't cheesy. It's plotline was intricately designed, not rivalling Harry Potter's, but only because Harry Potter is a series seven books long, while the Book of Eli is a movie.

The characters are both bad and good, but the evil guy doesn't stroke cats or have the classic 'evil laugh'. He is a learned man who wants to restore the world - or at least, so he says. The main good guy leaves people to be raped and kills, in defense of a single book. Very much 3rd dimension. And although the ending isn't the type where the world explodes (hint hint, the Knowing is a terrible movie), it doesn't end in smiles... or tears.

Now go watch it. It is worth every minute.