My Favorite Words :)

Just for fun, I have created a short list of several of my favorite words :). If you manage to use these intelligently in conversation, you will sound super smart! :D

1) Transubstantiation - This is an old Roman Catholic doctrine. Basically, it taught that when the priest prayed over the bread and wine of Communion, it was substantially translated into the actual body and blood of Christ. This made it holy. If there was leftover bread and wine afterward, the bread could be saved, but the priest would have to drink the rest of the wine! Since it was holy, it could NOT go to waste!

2) Consubstantiation - This is a Protestant doctrine championed by Luther in response to transubstantiation. Basically, it taught that the bread and wine of Communion are not transformed into the actual body and blood of Christ. However, God is still physically present when the Eucharist is taken, making this sacrament a holy, important blessing given to Christians by God.

3) Nonsubstantiation - This is another Protestant doctrine championed by Ulrich Zwingli. He taught that God was spiritually present during the Eucharist, but he believed it was nothing more than a remembrance ceremony of Christ's sacrifice on the cross. He disagreed with Luther and claimed that the Lord's Supper was not a life-changing gift from God. Luther and Zwingli argued vehemently over this issue! They could not agree to accept one or the other: consubstantiation or nonsubstantiation!

4) Interpositionalism - In the Bible, it is made clear that kings are given their authority of God. As such, they are required to be Christ-like in their conduct. A king's purpose is to be a servant to his people and guard them from tyranny. This is interpositionalism - standing between the people and tyranny. This is a good word because it is big, it makes you sound smart, and it represents an excellent concept!

And now, last but not least, my personal favorite!

5) Defenestration - just a fancy word for being thrown out of a window :)

People are People

I'm not going to mince words here. Human nature just hit me in the face.

I just finished watching the movie Gladiator for the first time. I don't have the stomach for blood and gore so I always look away during the fight scenes, but I heard a part where the Emperor Commodus laughed as one of the gladiators was slaughtered. I remember thinking, What kind of a person would laugh at something like this?! How could anyone find that entertaining?! And then, as the protagonist killed one of the bad guys, my companion laughed. I confronted him, and he shrugged it off, justifying it by saying that it was just special effects and wasn't real.

As moderns, we think we are somehow better than the people of the past. We scoff and condemn them, thinking they were much more brutal and graphic than we are now. But what is the difference here? Why are the Romans so much more terrible and gruesome than us? What is the difference between watching someone actually be killed and watching a very realistic recreation of someone being killed? The principle is the same! In both scenarios, people are being entertained at the horrible expense of someone else. Why is this even entertaining in the first place? Why do people enjoy watching others being slaughtered and tortured? What is it people find appealing in this?

I don't think I will ever understand it. But this just goes to say that there is nothing new under the sun. People are people, no matter what time period they live in. No matter how hard we try to justify ourselves, we are still no better than the people of long ago. We have different means than they did, but we are still just as flawed and sinful as they were.