More Religious Stuff, and a Rant After about DnD

Hello all! How has everyone been? I have been doing good, though a bit sick today. Before I do my weekly religious discussion thingy, I want to talk about some stuff I have been doing. Japanese 101 is a class I have thoroughly been enjoying, and Chem 106 is surprisingly enjoyable. Also my time has been full of video games, homework, and Dungeons and Dragons (a new hobby of mine). Just recently I have picked up my first set of dice (black and orange wispy design). Dungeons and Dragons is a very fun past time, and having finished my campaign, I look to be part of 3 soon (one I am in, one I will be in, and a later Call of Cthulhu). In my current campaign, I am a great Walrus-man with absolute awesomeness, a bad Russian accent, a fatherly attitude to many, and a adoptive daughter that is a pink puffball (another player) that barfs up ponies at will. Fine times. As you can see, DnD is a chaotic experience for all. But nonetheless, I find it a great way to interconnect with people, even if I am massively socially awkward and have problems maintaining a conversation past "how are you? I am good". For those debating whether to try DnD, if you can find a friend group who plays, its a wonderful experience of adventure, and a lot of misadventure.

Time for religious stuff. Today I would like to talk about something discussed in my New Testament class that I felt was intriguing. The chapter in question is Acts 10, and really its the whole chapter. Before when I read it, I didn't feel anything particularly interesting about the chapter, but I was quickly proven wrong in the class discussion we had. My professor started by talking about how things were going for Peter before everything happened. It can basically be summed up with Peter and the church believing that they needed to teach the Jews, and how God wanted them to teach the Gentiles, and also for them to realize that the law of Moses was fulfilled. So in chapter ten, God does this in a peculiar way. He first sends an angel to Cornelius, a Roman, and tells him the equivalent of "Hey, you should send some people to Peter, I am going to tell him to do stuff and he needs to start with you" and Cornelius being okay with that and sending some people. Peter then is sent a vision of foods he should eat (which are not kosher by the way). Peter acts repulsed and receives the vision two more times, prays a bit, then houses the men sent by Cornelius (it also at the time isn't kosher to welcome in, eat with, and lodge Gentiles). Whats I overlooked about this story that is so important is the nature by which God managed to change Peter's actions. Before this story Peter would not have housed those men because it wasn't kosher and he felt his work was with the Jews. But God, knowing this, sent a vision to Peter to try and tell him that the law of Moses was null, and that it didn't matter to him whether his believers were Jewish or not, but also that he needed his apostles to teach the Gentiles as much as he needed them for the Jews. Thrice God sent Peter the same vision, where in Peter's eyes being offered foods such as shellfish (which the Jews had not eaten for 1500 years about) was appalling on a cultural level. Yet God was patient and waited for Peter to understand and realize what God was saying, that God  wanted Peter to not focus on the Law of Moses or the Jews, but on those who would be otherwise alienated by the Law of Moses. That's what I find most amazing about this, that God has such unparalleled patience.

The Act of Forgiveness and who knows what.

Hello all! Another spiritual post today, as I am still getting used to all of this. For those who wonder why I have posts like this where I previously had posts on video games and stories and such, it is because I have a class that asks for me to regularly bear my testimony. These types of posts will only become more common, so bear with me. I will have some more regular news about myself and such, later.

This week, I was studying Acts 7-12, and very quickly came across something that stuck out to me. Specifically, it was Stephen's faith. Stephen, in Acts 7, bears his testimony to Israel saying basically that they were apostate, and for this he is stoned to death. A "fun" and "happy" story. But what really strikes me about that is Acts 7:60, the very last verse, where Stephen, right before he is about to die, cries to God to forgive those who kill him. This is exactly what Jesus did when he died on the cross. I was impressed by the shear faith it takes for someone to be literally dying by large stones falling from the sky (I like to imagine they were lobbed) and then say "God, these people don't know how stupid they are being from this. You should forgive them so they don't get screwed over too much later." That essentially what happened, for both Jesus and Stephen. For Stephen to have so much faith that he is able to do the same thing Jesus does is absolutely incredibly.
What really sticks with me is how Christ-like Stephen became even until his last moments. Often (as many Mormons and I would believe Christians know) people are told to "act like Jesus" or would say "what would Jesus do" when giving advise. And often, doing that helps us make good decisions... sometimes. But it does help. What is so spiritually invigorating about Acts 7:60 to me is that Stephen literally did the exact same thing that Jesus did. He didn't hesitate, he didn't wish any ill will on his killers, he didn't resent them in any way. But instead, he used his very last breath to pray for them, so that if they never came to repent he hoped that at least his prayer would help them in the last days. He showed love for them, just as Jesus did during his life. I feel that this is what it means to be Christ-like. Not to ask "what did Jesus do," but to love others no matter what they are, and even if they are literally killing you, you turn the other cheek and ask God to spare them, that they may potentially be happier in eternity. That is what I want to be able to do. I don't think I can now, but I want to be like Stephen, so able and willing to care for others that you are willing to do anything, even give up your last breath. And I challenge anyone who reads this to try to do the same.

Anyway, as for general news on my life, I am thoroughly enjoying Chemistry classes right now, and am considering switching majors (you know, the normal Freshman thing in college) to a Biochemistry one. Other than that, I am doing quite swell. Maybe I will have a normal post one day.... maybe, probably not. I don't know. Well, may the walruses be in your favor. Tally forth and onward! To Victory!

Luke and the Acts, as well as Various Other News.

Its been a while, but I have returned, with new classes for my semester! So to start off, I wanted to talk about something interesting I learned in one of my New Testament classes. This is something I never knew about Ancient Jerusalem and I find it interesting. The verse I am referencing is Acts 1:1, the very first verse in the New Testament not in any of the four gospels. The scripture is similar in addressing as Luke 1:4, and I find it interesting because it is used to be able to identify the author of Acts as Luke. Before my class where I learned this, I did not know that Luke was the author of Acts, but I also learned more about him. First, I learned that he is the most neutral author of Christ, displaying more of Christ's human side as well as a more complete entry compared to any of the other gospels. Furthermore, Luke was a physician, which was at the time a servant's job (opposite of what it is now for the U.S.A). All of this I found interesting, but what really struck me was that, as I have said, Luke strove to show the human side of Christ while trying to keep a full entry. Unlike the other apostles, Luke tried to make Christ human and relate-able, which in a sense makes him feel more capable to fulfill the atonement because he was half mortal. Luke gave a full representation of both events and sermons, including those such as the Garden of Gethsemane. Ultimately, I felt that Luke being the author of the Acts only makes them more credible in my eyes. Overall, I feel that it better prepares me for my study of the New Testament, which I will be doing this next semester.

Anyway, other than two New Testament classes, I also have another Chemistry class (woo), Physics, and Japanese (wooooooo!). So far I am really like Chem and Japanese, and am even debating a switch from a Molecular Biology major to a Biochemistry major. Japanese is hard, but a lot less confusing than Italian to me. I will hopefully have more blog posts soon. But for now, Sayoonara!