Random Wanderings

Our Iceberg Is Melting by John Kotter

I really love the concept of this book. It is a quick read with a lot of powerful information packed in a childs story book form. It is not a childs story book. I am not even sure children would really enjoy it, though they might. It does have lots of pictures of penguins.

It is a fable about a penguin colony that teaches leadership skills about changing and succeeding under any conditions.

It is one that gets you thinking and would be great for a book discussion.

This post is prompted by these words from Jaspenelles post:

http://www.michaelandjaspenelle.com/archive/2007/04/26/workplace-musings-the-million-dollar-question

Personal I do not think even the “gods” know it all. Even Yahweh did not foresee Eve’s curiosity regarding the apple, nor the snake goading her on. He did not see Adam partake in it. Yahweh only realized what they had done upon seeing them clothed, he realized it through the power of reason; which is a phenomenal thing, but not all-powerful. I use to have my own theory about the snake in the garden. What if God was the snake and He wanted Adam and Eve to be more like him (after all they were supposable made in his image, so wouldn’t he want them to reason things out?) Then kicked them out of the garden to learn? Maybe the bible has it wrong and Adam and Eve left because they sought knowledge. Of course if we are going to go down that road, we could start with Satan. It is said that greatest trick Satan ever pulled was convincing us he did not exist, but perhaps his greatest trick was convincing us he was God. Maybe God (who we currently see as Satan) wants us to be individuals, where as Satan (who we currently see as God) wants us to be sheep following him. It makes more sense to me that way. So much for my salvation.

I think the role of Adam and Eve in the garden is misunderstood.  They were given the choice to partake of the fruit(symbolic) of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  They were also told of the consequences. I think God knew exactly what would happen.  God would not be the God of Love that I know had he imposed on us the type of learning that can only come through experience & opposition which means pain. Yet He also knew that the only way we could continue to progress in our knowledge and gain more intelligence was through that same type of learning.  Think of the difference in knowledge and understanding that comes by experience rather than just book learning. It is a whole nother realm.  God could only provide the opportunity for us to make that choice ourself.  I think Eve was specifically chosen to take on the role she did, because God, in his infinite wisdom, knew, with her courage and valiancy that she would make that choice. The choice between the innocent neverending pleasures of a type of paradise but no real opportunity for growth or progress or the opportunity to continue progressing in knowledge and intellegence by experience which could only happen with opposition and opening the door to death and pain.  She opened the door to Satan, to death, & pain, but most importantly she opened the door for us to be able to continue our progress and learning by our own experience to know for ourselves the difference between what is good and what is bad.

Okay, so if God already knew the answers why did he ask the questions?

For our sake!  One of the most effective teaching methods there is - is that of asking questions. So that we will reason it out in our minds and come up with our own answers. So that we can understand for ourselves just what we do know and what we don’t know. So that we will in turn ask questions once we realise what we don’t know and it motivates us to seek learning.

On God and Satan:

The God I believe in, is one that sees us as individuals.  He also loves us enough, that having given us the opportunity to learn in this world by our own experience with the obsticles that opposition places in our paths, he also gives us the continuing guidance we need so that our progress won’t be stopped (or damned) by those same obsticles. Following those guidelines brings us more freedom, more choice, and continued knowledge.

On the other hand Satan wants us all to be in his power. He entices us in those things that will stop our progress and bring us in bondage by making it seem pleasurable. We don’t always recognise those things that will bring us into bondage or damn our progress. For instance, think of an alcoholic. When he took that first drink it was to get some momentary pleasure. He never realised that down the road he would be in bondage to that alcohol and it would toss him around to and fro like a puppet on a string making him do things he never in his right mind would think of doing. That is not freedom.

Those are the kind of things God warns us against and also the type of bondage that only he in his infinite wisdom is capable of leading us out of.

Two books I highly recommend:

Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters by Meg Meeker, M.D.

I esspecially recommend this to fathers with young daughters. If you have any doubt how important a father is in a childs life you really need to read this book.  It is very well written.  The stories she uses as examples are riveting. It is full of very practical suggestions.

For me this book has been a powerful reminder of my own relationship with my father. Even though My Dad was always out working on the farm/ranch while I was growing up and I still would rather have a good long conversation with my Mom, My Dad was ALWAYS there for me when I really needed Him. His moral strength and spirituality gave me security. I always knew that he loved me and because of that I did not want to disapoint him. His influence has had a strong impact on the choices I have made in my life.  My particular challenges and weeknesses could have been a whole lot more devastating to me had it not been for my fathers influence. Although my father isn’t perfect, I am very greatful for the man he is.

The other book-

The Language of God - A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief by Francis S. Collins

For me, I have never had a problem with the supposed conflicts between science and religious belief.  I believe that God works by natural laws and miracles are by higher laws that superseed the common law.  In my mind if there is conflict then it is because science has not yet caught up to the truths I know by faith.  I love to study science and come up with my own theories about how the latest scientific theories fit with the truths I know by faith.

Francis Collins did not grow up in a religious home. He defined himself originally as an agnostic and then as an athiest. It was through science that he found God.  His perspective of science and God matches my perspective closer than most of the books I have read that discuss that subject, both on the religious side and the scientific side.

It would be an excellent debate against a book I read not too long ago on the subject of evolution. It takes almost the same scientific evidence used in that book discounting God and uses it to solidify His belief in God.  Very well written.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.