Mulling Over

I get the privilege of reading hundreds the of notecard responses that are submitted in Gen 300. Sometimes I am blown away by the things you have to say.

A few class periods ago Leif and Fessler had a debate on political approches and politically relevant issues. The Pro-life concept was related to war, death penalty and even birth control. I find the sum of these topics to be very important, complex and fascinating to consider. One student wrote this in response:

"Justice does not include killing but rather should be an attempt to restore society to peace. And using violence to bring about peace is like having sex in hopes of restoring virginity."

What a thought provoking analogy.

Also, I have a semi-related question that I have been turning over for a while now. Birth control, especially the use of "the pill", has become very widely used (a surprising amount of my female peers and friends, most unmarried, use it). Sometimes it's to deal with hormone levels, sometimes it is really to prevent pregnancy. Is this okay? Is sex without the possibility of pro-creating okay--married or unmarried? What about population control? Is there a risk that eventually the wide use of "the pill" will build up those chemicals in the environment and cause a sterility epidemic (I think of the movie Children of Men)? I'd like to hear more thoughts and opinions on the issue.

Community, Identity, Stability

So today in class we broached the topic of conformity.  In the Brave New World conformity reigns supreme.  Education consists of children being fed mantras and simple slogans.

So here is my question:  How does this apply to Dordt College?  Any takers?

Brave New World

In class we just started to sratch the surface of the significance of this book... In what ways does our culture reflect the world of Brave New World? How about Dordt College?

Whether you agree disagree or are relatively indifferent... your thoughts are welcome.

Apolitical Blues...

So... Lief and Fessler squared off.  Talked politics and the responsibility of Christians to engage.  Thoughts?

Here we go!

Hello everyone and welcome to the very first Dordt College GEN 300 blog!

We hope this is a useful discussion medium as you mull over the ideas and issues from class. Be encouraged to share your thoughts, questions, comments, frustrations and expand ideas as far and in the direction you see fit.

Feel free to invite others from outside the class to join in the discussion or just read along.

Happy blogging!

Your TA,
Laura