Spiritual Lessons from Biology

i recently heard about an experiment done on addiction.  Rats were placed alone in a cage with two water bottles.  One water bottle contained normal water. The other was laced with an addictive drug.  All of the rats in the study became obsessed with the laced water, and 9 out of 10 rats eventually killed themselves by overdosing.    Another scientist by the name of Bruce K. Alexander repeated this experiment in a social setting instead of solitary confinement.  Rats are highly social creatures, and Alexander hypothesized that their behavior would be different if they lived in a group setting instead of in isolation.  Alexander and his team got to work building the huge plywood complex.  Alexander writes in his essay: “[We filled it] with things that rats like, such as platforms for climbing, tin cans for hiding in, wood chips for strewing around, and running wheels for exercise. Naturally we included lots of rats of both sexes, and naturally the place soon was teeming with babies.

Behold, how good and pleasant it is When brothers dwell in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, Running down on the beard, On the beard of Aaron, Running down on the collar of his robes! It is like the dew of Hermon, Which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the LORD has commanded the blessing, Life Forevermore. —Psalm 133 Three days ago hiked up Deer Creek Trail.  It’s a peaceful valley, situated just behind the hogbacks.  The morning sun bathed everything in light, and the grasslands were like a swirling sea of gold.  Most birds have gone for the winter, but a few sang their cheery greeting.  As i surveyed the scene, i observed some beautifully shaped rocks at the summit of the hogback.  i assessed the thick willows and acorn bushes barricading the crest of the hill.  Figuring i could bushwhack my way up, i started my ascent. The November morning was warm and calm.  Time melted away in the methodical zig zagging through underbrush.  Only the sound

i’ve been memorizing the Sermon On the Mount with a group of friends.  In Matthew 5 Jesus says something rather confusing: “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away.  It’s better to lose one of your members than for your entire body to go into Hell.  If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away.  It’s better to lose one of your members than for your entire body to be thrown into Hell.”   Is He really telling us to gouge our eyes out and chop off various body parts when we sin?  If so, i should have lost my tongue the moment i learned to speak, and my eyes the moment i learned to see.  i believe Jesus is not telling us to literally remove our body parts (if you are skoptsy, stop it!).  He is using hyperbole to emphasize a greater teaching: the hatred of sin. i heard a story once about a woman with a pet snake.  This wasn’t just any pet snake; it was a boa constrictor.  She’d had the snake for decades, and the creature was very dear to h

While i was living in Oxford, i travelled to Ireland to learn more about my family’s history.  As i was back-packing through the country, guided by old maps my grandfather drew, i was struck by the sheer greenness of that place.  i kept thinking, "How on earth is it so green ?"  Ireland gets up to 80 inches of rainfall per year, and that certainly helps.  My home-state Colorado averages only 17 inches of rainfall per year.  i love Colorado because of the sunshine, “300 days of sunshine” as we say.  But the sun does not make a land turn green. One of my favorite songs is “I Have Made Mistakes” by the Oh Hello’s.  The refrain says:  “The sun does not cause us to grow. It is the rain that will strengthen your soul.” Count it all joy, writes James, when you meet trials.  The testing of your faith produces steadfastness.  Steadfastness will have its full effect, completing you into what you are meant to be...Perfect and lacking nothing. Aside from being an apologist, i’