Benjamin > Recent Status Updates

It gets fairly technical with science and equations but mostly to demonstrate how naturalistic explanations can't explain how the universe came to be, and theories that try to either just push the can down the road a bit (such as panspermia), or are so speculative as to be unsupportive. He also gets a little into the philosophy behind it.

Talks about how the rival theories to the Big Bang fell apart and the last issue with the big bang was resolved, but then when scientists looked more into it, it leaned more and more in the direction of a creator of some sort. It wasn't definitive proof, but it made more sense than energy and matter creating themselves.

Talks about the origins of the Big Bang theory, starting with Einstein's theory of relativity ands how space and time are connected, and how that effects light and hoe speed and distance seem to the related. The Catholic scientist that proposed what would become the big bang, but Einstein originally dismissed, said was based on Christian creation view, but started seeing evidence for.

Goes into the theories and observations about light, in being able to tell how far away stars and galaxies are (ie Red shift) and if the universe was finite or infinite. Says Poe beat astronomers to the idea of a spatially finite universe. Hubble then plays a big part in the debate.

Scientific materialism, and he includes, Darwin, Freud and Marx in this as their theories were based on the assumption. The lead to the idea that science and faith were incompatible.

Kant particularly opposed the Kalam argument as he disputed the universe had a beginning. While Newton believed in God, he also believed the universe was infinite, and that stars kept equilibrium against each other, but secularists picked up on this. Design argument attacked by Hume as he said organisms differed from machines, they could reproduce. Paley defended design.

Scientists started rejecting the idea of God during the enlightenment. IN particular the author blames such Hume, Kant , and Comte. They may not have rejected Goe entirely, but accepted a more deistic God, but rejected God as a cause and continued interaction in the world. Talks about the Kalam argument originated from Muslims.

Section focuses on Newton and how he argued that there must be an immaterial force to explain how Gravity could work, not a purely mechanical one. He even clarified this with his interactions with Liebniz. Something must have set everything on its course and keeps the universe orderly, and Newton along with other contemporaries used this to infer God, in contrast to many scientists today who try to explain away God.

Talks about three views of nature. One is like a book which is how early Christians saw it. Another is like a clock, as proposed by Robrt Boyle, that God was the one to wind up the clock of nature. Third the one he gets most into is as laws. He said early civilizations didn't see it this way and treated nature as necessary axiom, until monotheistic view that a single law giver could explain, led to modern science

Says when scientists stated using Christianity, they realize that we could reason things but also that human reason was fallible. Talks about Ockham's Razor a little bit (parsimony) and how he was critical of using Aristotelian methods which relied on defining the nature of something by its effect.

Claimed that "Natural Philosophy" (what we today call science) only really took off when they got past the Greek ideas of first principles, and looked at things more systematically, and deduced there must be a creator.

Points to how many ancient civilizations such as the Greeks or Chines had the material necessity for science, yet a systematic study of science really didn't get going until about the 16th century in Europe, due to Christian presuppositions. (I want to see if he will mention the earlier Arabic scientific revolution).

The revisionist history of those who claim science killed religion.

In prologue talks about a debate he had against Laurence Krause where he had a major migraine and as he wasn't able to delve deep into scientific proofs for God, decided to write this book. Gives some background of scientists that have been convinced based on science of the evidence for a creator.

Considered the father of History, he does interview people and look at archeological evidence, but he also fills in the gaps with mythology and his own assumptions. One interesting claim is that Greek gods are based on Egyptian gods and he seems to have an affinity for Egyptians. He explores alternative theories on things but has his own strong opinions.

Pieper interprets Walther. Says that modern theologians make a distinction between theology and the work of Salvation, but Walther says the two things are inspirable. Walther also then gets convoluted and seemingly contradictory "subjectively of concretely". Piper does get out of this that Watlher is criticizing those who would try to interpret theology by human reason and not by scripture itself.

learned why Farenheit is measured the way it is, because it was used by freezing brine, I did know -40 C and -40 F were the same. Easy as pie has nothing to do with how easy pie is to make. Amber alert named for Amber Hagerman. Best man had to ward off rivals and such as swordsman. Outlaw meant anyone could do whatever to them without consequence. A lot of facts related to ships flags, true colors, flying colors.

Each page has a different idiom and its origin, In some cases I was skeptical so looked them up and generally they were true and if they were legend, the book would generally mention that, but I still think cold shoulder has a pretty straight forward meaning. There is also "Did you know" section every 10 pages, focusing not as much on idioms, or instance there I learned the origin of "Checkmate".

The drawings of action can be messy and hard to follow. After the story, Aonuma talks with the story writers, about horses, then about creating the games and how they each inspired each other for ideas and incorporating the ideas in their respective media. There is also a screenshot of the new game that was unnamed at the time but seems to be Twilight Princess.

There is a new character not in the game, the bandit girl.

A familiar formula. Someone comes to king, but ends up betraying him and looking for power of Triforce.

He talks about how some of the techniques are overlooked because they are mundane or seem demeaning and repetitive. However he comes off as seeming a bit full of himself, like he has discover some secret knowledge.

There is a passage that is redacted and it is almost certainly the events of "In the Pale Moonlight" based on the context and reaction of it. The story ends by getting another layer of meta, being attributed to Benny Russell writing the whole thing.

Short chapters that basically give a summary of important characters and his personal interactions with them. Another interruption to the Prophets although he still seems to live inn linear time.

Basically summarizes many of the key characters and the first couple seasons. Going back, Sisko in this book was claimed to have been trained by Vulcan to control emotions but he is known to have emotional outbursts.

Much that was mentioned is seen but there are still characters shoehorned in (like Data really has no place).

Getting into things that are more established, although his promotion is a bit forced.

Seems to be quite a bit of current technology. Anything not mentioned in previous media seems to just be stuff we have today. Reasoning for not leaving Jennifer is inconsistent with reasons he left previous girlfriends as he would be even less likely than the others to be in same place with her. Another jump at the end of the chapter to the timelessness of prophet memories, with different font and perspective.