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timothius5
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Name: Tim
Interests: Philosophy, literature, theology, dancing (especially of the folkish kind...though, ballroom is fun), hanging out with friends, reading, being lazy, and generally things which are a tad quirky.
Expertise: Reading and talking.
Occupation: Student
Message: message me
Member Since:
6/9/2005
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| It is my pleasure to announce the engagement of my sister that occurred today after church.
It is also my pleasure to announce (for those who may not be aware) the
engagement of my father (he's been engaged a bit longer).
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| The Rules:
1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3.
People who are tagged need to write a post on their own blog (about
their eight things) and post these rules. (if you don’t have a blog,
email me)
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read their blog.
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Here's my facts:
1. I do not take the Metro to work, unlike other people here in D.C. Thus, I still enjoy and (look forward!) to riding the Metro.
2. I have started to enjoy watching the Office.
3. Lord of the Rings is my favorite book of all time.
4. I once got lost in an elevator when I was younger. My mom gave my sister to some (according to her) "strange man," ran up the stairs, and got me on one of the upper floors.
5. I think Adia Rico is simply cool.
6. I think Sonic the Hedgehog and the Super Mario Brothers should duke it out.
7. I recently got a haircut.
8. I'm coming to visit Chattanooga for a couple of days thanksgiving week.
Everyone I know seems to have been tagged, so...they're already it.
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| If anyone's interested, here's the program I'm doing... http://www.capitalfellowsmclean.org/
And yes, I'm here (safely). 
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| I'm in D.C. and working. Who'd have thought? | | |
| So, there's a thought that has occurred to me on occasion. And I was thinking a little bit about it this afternoon. I wondered what some of you out there might think.
We here in the Reformed world buy a lot of stock in the Fall (or--perhaps--sell a lot of it). Regardless of whether we buy or sell it, the point is that we emphasize it...a lot. We are totally (or radically) depraved. This means that we as human beings created in the image of God are marred, mottled, mangled, and mashed. This applies to us individually and to our relationships with one another. It also, however, applies to things we make.
I wonder, however, to the extent that the Fall affects things that we do, in particular, the fictional imagination. I am someone who enjoys stories, and I'd think to think that God does too (after all, the Bible contains stories, if not is itself one). But, there are a couple of things that take me back (both with reference to the Fall):
First, the heart of a story is a plot. And a plot is something conceived with a usual formula in mind: Introduction, Conflict (or problem), Denouement, and Resolution. Focusing particularly on fictional dramatic plots, a good dramatic plot is one that presents an interesting problem (for instance, having to destroy the ring in The Lord of the Rings), deals with that problem in an engaging way (i.e., the whole story from the Shire to the actual destruction of the ring), and brings the story to a satisfying conclusion (the actual destruction of the ring and Bilbo and Frodo sailing from the Grey Havens).
Had there not been a Fall, though, would we have stories as we do in present form? It doesn't seem like there would be any kind of conflict. In fact, the fact that what makes most stories stories is that they have a compelling conflict. It could be person vs. person (i.e., Batman vs. the Joker, Jack Bauer vs. Terrorists, or the Ghostbusters vs. the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man, etc.). It could be person vs. themselves (i.e., Frodo and his temptation to wear the ring, a tale of one's drug addiction, etc.). It could be romantic in nature (i.e., Mr. Darcy vs. Elizabeth Bennett). It could even be event-based (i.e., the war between the Goauld and Stargate Command, the Angels trying to win the Pennet, etc.).
The point is, conflict is a necessary part of stories. Would, however, there be any kind of story worthy conflict before the Fall? Would we even have been aware of that possibility? Undoubtedly, there would be no interpersonal conflicts. Batman and the Joker would have been friends. And the Ghostbusters most definitely would have eaten the stay-puft marshmallow man. There would have been no intrapersonal conflict either. Frodo would not have been tempted to take the ring (aside from a doubt of whether in a pre-Fall story there could even have been a ring). Any romance before the Fall surely would have denuded the foibles of some what makes Jane Austen's stories enjoyable. Finally, it is doubtful there would be many event-based conflicts. There would definitely be no wars (I do concede, however, that there very well might be baseball conflicts...it is hard to see that kind of conflict is rooted in sin).
The first problem then is this: If most conflict seems to be a result of the Fall (and sin), is it not right to say that most stories now are also a result of the Fall? I certainly don't want to believe this (and don't...though I'm thinking that through...I think). But, it does seem like most conflicts are a result of the Fall. Thus, would stories before the Fall have been conflictless? That, to me, doesn't seem to make a very good story. It would seem to prevent epics, tragedies, and other such dramatic literature from being written.
The second problem is related to the first but different. If stories now are in some cut-to-the-heart kind of way related to the Fall, how should we read stories now? If in God's perfect plan, these kinds of stories would never have happened, should these kinds of stories be relegated to an "okay to read but somehow not fully God-glorifying" level? Should I not be excited when I read of the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, or Starships flying in Space blowing each up?
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