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While we're on the subject of assumptive interpretations of Scripture, I've always found it amusing all the things that people consistently extrapolate out of the passage in which Jesus is asked about the lady who had seven husbands and which of those men would be married to her in heaven. Jesus responds that there is no marriage in heaven and that in such a respect we will then be like the angels.

Here then is a partial list of unjustified things that people derive from the passage:

Angels are sexless beings.

Angels cannot have sex.

Angels cannot reproduce.

In heaven, we will not have sex.

In heaven, we will be sexless beings.

In heaven, we will not reproduce.

At the most, here is what we can say about the text (note that none of the above make it into this category):

Angels don't marry.

In heaven, we will not marry.

And really, that's about it. Beyond those two things, there isn't much we can posit with anything remotely approaching dogmatism. We are fully justified in saying something like, "Wouldn't it be interesting if people became sexless in their resurrection bodies?" We are not justified in saying people will be sexless in their resurrection bodies." Note that difference and learn to love it.

Randomocity

Thing One:
Why do feminists have to hate fish so? Why can't they just leave their poor bicycles alone?

Thing Two:
This is the cover for the mixtape CD I'm making for our CD club.

Thing Three:
I love/adore the antics of fringey Bible people. Missler would be proud?

Thing Four:

EVE's mired in the space equivalent of a world war. After the JumpGate story broke, all but a few of the big alliances in the game declared war on BoB, the alliance who benefited from the cheating devs. BoB controls the southwestern corner of the map, and they're defending pushes from the southeast and northwest. They've committed the majority of their forces up north, so their strongest ally in the south, Lotka Volterra, is getting crushed by a RedSwarm attack. I'm just doing my part, zipping around in interceptor-class ships during 200-man fleet engagements and leading small groups behind enemy lines to harass supply lines and the like. It's pretty fun, kinda like raiding in WoW, only you're always moving and the things you do have an impact on the world around you.

—The Escapist

I find this stuff utterly fascinating. I played EVE Online for a week once on a free trial they offered and found it to be a gorgeous game that I'm sure wouldn't have been all that boring if I persevered and become a rad space pirate or something (unfortunately, I didn't continue with the game and only content myself with reading about all the crazy stuff that happens in it).

EVE is fascinating because it's one of the most truly boundary-free games I've ever heard of. It's got PvP play like PvP play should be. It also encourages the building of huge corporate structures by which players can truly make their mark on the game. EVE also exists in a persistent environment, and one that can be affected by its players.

So, currently, in this online space-game involving battlecruisers and mining ships and whatnot, a recent scandal involving the in-game mega corporation, BoB, has caused other megacorporations to declare war on the entity. Now, BoB is just made up of regular joe players like me or you (if we were playing EVE and more than slightly addicted to it). So are the members of the corporations that are declaring war on BoB. And this is the thing, if BoB loses and is crushed by these other groups, their assets - I guess - can be stripped and stolen from them just like in real life. That's what fascinates me. It's kinda like real life - only with 200-man space fleets.

1. Lesson: PvP stands for Player vs. Player and is used especially to describe those online games in which one person has the ability to challenge other live players.

2. Lesson: Persistent environment means that the game never stops running and continues even after you've logged off. If you leave your character off floating in space, he'll be right there when you come back; but he may not be in one piece if some ne'er-do-well came across him while you were out.

Let There Be Wine!

I was reading Isaiah the other day and noticed in 1:22 that one of the great calamities that could befall Judah was the watering down of their wine. Puts Jesus' miracle in Cana in sharp perspective for those who believe that good wine was the watered down stuff, doesn't it?