New Temptations?

Living in the world but not of the world is a difficult task. The world's morals shift as easily as a leaf in a stream, pulled by the current of popular belief. However, God's standards haven't changed and He expects ours to remain in place as well, especially on per-marital abstinence. While many Christians believe this to be true, CNN reports that 80% of Christian Young Single Adults have participated in per-marital sex. CNN also reports that the average marital age has increased significantly over the years. In biblical times it was in the early teens, now it's in the late twenties. Society has added adolescence between childhood and adulthood, giving time for our bodies to finish growing and developing before expecting responsibility of us. Yet this is a time of confusion and change for us, as well as a time of temptation. With the current average age of marriage, we have added 15 years before abstinence can end appropriately. 15 years of raging hormones, low responsibility and increased temptation. For many, these 15 years of constant hounding form the media and friends turns out to be too much, but a few are able to respect themselves and wait.

(current event 3)

Learning With Portals

Papers, pencils, protractors and calculators were the implements for teaching physics a few years ago. But now video games are making their way into the classroom. A popular puzzle game, Portal, is available for free as a new initiative to teach children physics in a new and entertaining manner. This game teaches problem solving as well as concepts in physics, such as the preservation of motion, but in a format that people would pay to use in their free time. Schools are adapting and utilizing new technology in teaching, yet this is almost trickery: teachers disguising learning in an entertaining format! Kids aren't going to hate school anymore; they may actually learn to like it. Learning won't be for the sake of getting a good job, but for its own merit. What could be next, people actually liking their jobs?


(current event 2)

The Last Days

The recent hurricane and evacuation of New York continues the trend of more frequent and worse natural disaster. D&C 45, more specifically verses 33 and 38, tells that this trend is precursory to the second coming. The decline of honesty, as discussed in the most recent BYU forum, is like the love of men waxing cold. Mankind doesn't respect itself and does whatever it can to make a profit. The last days are hear and the second coming is soon at hand, but what is soon. The Lord never uses soon as man does and so there could be many days left, years or even decades. But as time passes more of these signs will be fulfilled. Is the recent Football game between BYU and the U of U one of them?

(current event #1)

Technology: a double edged blade

The article by Postman, "Five things we need to Know About Technological Change", brings up an interesting perspective about technology: the good and bad it does for society. I had never really looked at technology in the terms of good and bad, yes I have know that they can be used for good and ill, but I never went looking for their impacts on society. The points Postman uses make sense, however I have always lived by the view Elder Oaks presents in "Focus and Priorities", that there always will be bad people around that try to use a new technology for evil, but if used carefully and wisely, modern innovations can be a great asset in life. Everyone must decide for themselves where the boundary between using wisely and carelessly lies, but by discovering it and staying well into the wisely side, technology will be a great blessing, rather than the cause of ignorance.

Test

This is a test to make sure I have everything working.

cs404