Kami Earle's Archive

Frankl, The Fall, and Redemption

1 Commentby   |  12.02.13  |  Student Posts

I have always had a sort of fascination with the Holocaust – as strange as that may sound. It astounds me to think that people could have been so absolutely monstrous to other human beings. But in the destruction and tragedy of the Holocaust, there was also hope. Viktor Frankl saw this too. He found that when prisoners (in the concentration camps) found meaning in their lives despite the awful circumstances, those prisoners continued to live. Frankl taught that no matter what kind of situation you are in, you can make it better or worse depending on your attitude and actions. This is why I associate Frankl with both the Fall and Redemption. Although the world was falling apart around him, Viktor Frankl rose above it and inspired others to do so as well. Despite the fact that his wife, mother, and brother were all killed in concentration camps and he himself was stuck in one for three years, he found little rays of hope all around him. Frankl even found suffering to be meaningful. He is quoted as having said, “Suffering ceases to be suffering the moment it finds a meaning.” He also stated, “He who has a *why* to live can bear with almost any *how.*”

Darwin and Creation

6 Commentsby   |  10.19.13  |  Student Posts

Most people associate Darwinism negatively with Creation – that is, they believe Darwinism contradicts Creation completely. I do not believe this to be true. While I do not think that humans evolved from another species entirely, such as fish, apes, etc., I do recognize that humans have in fact evolved over time. For example, our ancestors may have been more short and small because they needed to be compact in order to fit into wherever they could find shelter – usually (presumed to be) in caves. People nowadays, although ranging in shape and size, tend to be larger than our cavemen counterparts. So, did we come from apes or fish or some other non-human-like creature? I highly doubt it. Have we evolved in order to better suit our environments? Absolutely. God created us to evolve, but He created us as our own race from the beginning.

Gutenberg and The Renaissance

4 Commentsby   |  09.20.13  |  Student Posts

Johannes Gutenberg, due to his invention of the movable type printing press, was very influential during the Renaissance. Thanks to his printing press and his *Gutenberg Bible*, people were no longer forced to rely on the church to spoon feed them the scriptures. There was then questioning of the Catholic church as to why the sermons were still being delivered in Latin, rather than in a text than everyone understood. The invention of the printing press also spurred the religious Reformation that took place because the people now had access to information that they could not previously obtain or understand. Most people were illiterate due to the fact that literature was not common or widespread prior to the printing press, but Gutenberg’s invention encouraged literacy as well. With newfound literacy and more readily available printed information, the people did not have to rely so heavily upon the word of the Catholic church.

Plato, Creation, and The Fall

5 Commentsby   |  09.06.13  |  Student Posts

Plato believed that there was a world of being and a world of becoming; I relate this to Creation. When God created the world, it was in a state of being. Each thing that was created: water, earth, sky, light, etc. was in existence, but had yet to be experienced or to be touched by humans or animals. Once God created the beasts of the land, the birds of the air, and creatures of the deep, followed by mankind, the world changed to a state of “becoming.” Ever since living creatures have been placed on this planet, we have affected it in positive and negative ways, no matter what causing some sort of change, making it so that it is always in a state of “becoming,” rather than just “being.” Plato also believed in the reminiscent theory, which basically states that what we perceive as the “good life,” is what we have already experienced, but have forgotten and have to relearn. This theory can be related to The Fall because it implies that we, as beings, were once more knowledgeable, all-knowing even, and that when we came into existence in this world, we forgot our knowledge and we now must relearn it. This theory also seems to say that we were once worthy of such knowledge and now we are not – that we’ve fallen from grace in a manner of speaking.

Kami Earle's Comment Archive

  1. Kami Earle on Viktor Frankl
    10:30 am, 12.04.13

    I think it’s interesting how you related Frankl with redemption rather than the fall. It’s awesome to see how he found redemption and hope, even in the bleakest circumstances. Rather than focusing on the fact that his world was crumbling around him, he pushed on and found deeper meaning where most would only find despair.

  2. Kami Earle on Viktor Frankl
    10:27 am, 12.04.13

    I agree with you about how important it is to find meaning in life even when it is crashing down around us. I also think it is important to find the blessings even in the everyday mundane. If people cease to grow simply because of their surroundings, there can be no progress where progress needs to occur the most.

  3. Kami Earle on Maslow and Redemption
    10:22 am, 12.04.13

    I really like how you related human “wholeness” to the redemption that God has given us. I think it is insightful, and I might not have caught that otherwise. Great post, Hillary!

  4. Kami Earle on Pragamatism as a Redemptive idea
    12:00 am, 11.05.13

    Matt, Princess Bride for the win!
    But in all seriousness, this is an awesome way to view pragmatism – as hope. I can honestly say I don’t think I’ve ever considered it that way before, and I’m glad you brought that idea to my attention!

  5. Kami Earle on Freud In All Categories
    11:57 pm, 11.04.13

    Caroline, I think it’s awesome that you explored how Freud’s theories and ideas can fit into all categories, since they do seem difficult to place into just one category sometimes. You made great points for all of the different aspects. Great post!

  6. Kami Earle on William James- emotions
    11:49 pm, 11.04.13

    I think it’s kind of crazy to consider where we’d be today if we were constantly ruled solely by our emotions. And I also believe that if we controlled our every action just by our emotions, we could potentially have another ‘fall.’ Obviously not like the one before, but still momentously damaging, nonetheless.

  7. Kami Earle on The Beauty of Change: Darwin and Creation
    11:59 pm, 10.21.13

    Hey, similar-minded roommate! I love your post. Partially because we talked about the same thing, yes. But also because you expounded upon the idea that Darwin’s theories of evolution, while typically used by people in an attempt to discredit Creation, can also be turned around and used to support it. Keep up the good work!

  8. Kami Earle on The curious case of Phineas Gage
    11:56 pm, 10.21.13

    I really like that you mentioned Phineas Gage! I find the whole case and concept to be really fascinating. The fact that personality can be altered by a physical change still astounds me. And this also relates to the Fall really well. Great post!

  9. Kami Earle on Darwinism - Creation
    11:52 pm, 10.21.13

    DJ, I really like how you expanded on Charles Darwin’s studies and went into specifics about his research. I think sometimes we, as Christians, are quick to disregard the theory of evolution and Darwin’s ideas as all bad, when they are not. It’s important for us to recognize that some research, while not directly supporting Creation necessarily, does not particularly contradict it either.

  10. Kami Earle on Free Will
    12:00 am, 09.24.13

    Nice post, Sydney! I always kind of struggle with the whole idea of free will, myself. It’s hard to think of our loving Father as someone who would allow people to make choices that would lead to them going to hell. But at the same time, I cannot imagine an almighty God that would force His children to love Him. So I suppose you have to take the bad with the good.