Video Games and Religion

Australian video game web magazine "The Escapist" does religion and video games here. (Note: look for issue 205)

While the articles are not particularly insightful, I am quite impressed that the topic was broached at all. And some of the stuff (particularly, the one about digital missionaries) are noteworthy. But what I liked about it the most was this awesome image:

Marcus Fenix: Inquisitor 2026

Some Things Get Worse With Progress

AKA "British Ruled by the Stupids" file no. 40596059

These are knights, circa 1350.


These are knights, circa 2009:

"Sir" Elton John

"Sir" Alan Cumming

You decide which embodies a title meaning "gentleman soldier" more.

Personally, I'll go with the guys who look like they can lift a sword without breaking their wrists.

Social Media: Enhancing the Human Experience

June 6 was D-day

In the haze of a beach vacation, I totally forgot! Bad history junkie! Bad!

As a matter of late commemoration, here is Gen. Eisenhower's letter to his men on the day of the landings.

Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force!

You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have
striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The 
hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. 
In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on
other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war
machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of
Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.

Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well
equipped and battle hardened. He will fight savagely.

But this is the year 1944! Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of
1940-41. The United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeats,
in open battle, man-to-man. Our air offensive has seriously reduced their
strength in the air and their capacity to wage war on the ground. Our Home
Fronts have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions
of war, and placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men.
The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to
Victory!

I have full confidence in your courage and devotion to duty and skill in
battle. We will accept nothing less than full Victory! 

Good luck! And let us beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great
and noble undertaking.


                                            SIGNED: Dwight D. Eisenhower

I, for one, appreciate the fact that what happened on that day was something remarkable.

Mainly, because I do not think anybody can achieve what had been done on that day today.

Here's an idea of what a modern-day Eisenhower would have to go through:

The Western Media's Messiah

"I mean in a way Obama’s standing above the country, above – above the world, he’s sort of God."    - Evan Thomas, Newsweek editor

You know, the "media worships Obama" thing was all merely an effective metaphor and source of parody for me before. But now, these media morons have moved beyond parody.

Have fun with Chocolate Jesus, you idiots. Just take care that he doesn't melt under the wilting gaze of reality. 

The Problem with Material Reductionist Jargon

The problem with material reductionist jargon, a problem rooted within the principles of the philosophy itself, is that it comes across as extremely tone deaf.

Here is a transhumanist, Singularity-worshiping, self-described materialist rationalist trying to make a case for a reductionist story of how human love and friendship came about. Mind you, this guy is supposed to be one of the less mindless ones, and not the fools you'll see boasting of their cool atheism in usenet groups.

Now, try to read what he wrote and tell me if anything he says about the nature of love and friendship strike you as human in any way.

Reducing human friendships to "iterated prisoner's dilemmas" and love to "adaptation-reflex" is a sure way to convince the world that you're a robot talking about human beings you've never even encountered.

The problem is surely at the heart of the materialist project. But at least, you'd think they'd come up with better jargon.

A Curious Argument

I was sifting through a post on the metaphysics of a "multiverse" by sci-fi writer John C. Wright when I came across a curious argument I have never heard before:

On the other hand, the supernatural is not and cannot be another physical place with other laws of nature.

This distinction avoids much confusion in these arguments. I have heard, for example, theists argue that, given any number of possible worlds, there must therefore be one world occupied by a being of such immense power that he could create universes at his command. This argument is merely a confusion of words. You can call world-making creatures gods if you like, but they would be natural creatures bound by the laws of nature.

It tickled my funny bone to think that, somewhere out there, there are some Christians trying to "Christianize" string theory. I have never heard this "god of the multiverse" argument before, and it looks to be extremely half-baked (a world-making creature subject to the laws of string theory cannot be a god...it probably won't even be a scientist...), but I do applaud them for trying.

But then again, Christianizing string theory is like Christianizing rap. Ugh and why bother?