Change

"The is year 2067,and the United States of America no longer exists.

In Washington D.C., the Constitution has been discarded, and the president has declared herself Queen. She begins persecuting her opponents-mainly Christians-who oppose abortion rights, secular education, homosexual marriage, and government control of religion.  The queen establishes the worship of "JesAllaYahBuddKrish" (JAYBuk for short) as the official religion of what is now called "Red America" with centers of worship at the National Cathedral in Washington and at St. John the Divine in New York City. It is widely rumored that the queen is insane and that she runs around the White House frothing at the mouth in an eighteenth century sleeping gown.

Not all Americans-if we can still call them that- go along with these changes. Some have banded together in northern Idaho, working out plans to restore the Constitution, decentralize power, and get things back to the ancient, happy, sane days of 2012. Some groups in Idaho begin stockpiling weapons to launch an assault on Washington. Other former Americans have fled to the South Sea Islands. Several thousand climb up into the Rockies around Colorado Springs. They think of themselves as the "true America", and begin to plan for the future, knowing that they can never go back to the old America.

If this happened, where would you be? Would you be among the people wanting to go back to the old ways? Would you go along with the Red America? Would you be in the Rockies planning for a new America? Suppose your group took over the U.S. How would you act then? Would you attack and destroy all the other Americans? Would you try to win them over to your side? How?

You may have to make decisions like this. But you are faced with changing circumstances all the time, and you have to decide how to react to them. We need to gain wisdom from Scripture about how respond to such changes. Do we accept all changes? Do we try to 'Turn Back The Clock'? Do we try to take advantage of these changes that take place? How are we to do this? "

~ Omnibus I: First and Second Samuel (67)



Read First and Second Samuel.  

Speaking In Tongues...

IS it evil?
If so, Why?
If not, why?

Give me biblical backup.

First five to answer get 5 points =]

Not Been On In A While

So I've been thinking. Writing every tablet from the Epic of Gilgamesh out for you guys to read...really isn't nessesary. If you haven't read the book I might just do this one by myself...however...there will be many other books I go through on this book and if you have read I would LOVE love LOVE for you to participate. To find out if you have read the books I will put up a poll for every book we go over a month ahead of time. Look to the side bar for this months poll.

Anyway, we can still go over all the cultural analysis and bible "Look Up's" that are listed in each chapter whether you've gone through the book or not...Here is the cultural analysis for this week:

1. What does a Christian hero look like? What biblical figures most model for us biblical heroism?

2. Think of at least three heroic figures from books that you have recently read or movies you have recently seen. Is the heroism of these men a Christian heroism or a pagan heroism?

3. Are there any attributes in pagan heroes that Christians can admire? Is there anything dangerous in admiring pagan heroes?

Application:

It is important that we don't use two different standards of morality when we move from doing our homework to and going out to a movie with friends. Understanding what we are being taught in a story and maintaining a christian understanding of how to interpret the story is essential. The Babylonians were being taught about how to think about the world when they were being entertained with the story of Gilgamesh. What are you being taught by your entertainment? Do you believe it? Are you thinking like a Christian when you read books, watch movies, listen to music etc.?

I Know You're Not Two...but....

I figured this might help with all those people who don't wish to read the entire story...It won't help you answer the questions, but it will help with understanding the story a bit better. Enjoy :]

Session II: Discussion/ Cultural Analysis

A question to consider:

What does it mean to be a friend?

Considering the fact that most of you probably didn't read the first 5 tablets from The Epic of Gilgamesh that I posted, I'm hoping that the questions that will be posted these next few weeks, will spur you on to do so. 

Text Analysis:

1. What do we learn about friendship from the Epic of Gilgamesh? What was Gilgamesh like in the beginning of the story?

2. What was Enkidu like when we first met him?

3. What changes Enkidu?

4. What changes Gilgamesh? 

Cultural Analysis:

1. What does our culture believe about friendship? Where do we see friendship in our culture today?

2. How have perversions like homosexuality destroyed friendship in our culture? 

Tablets 1-5

Tablet 5:

Column 1

Gilgamesh and Enkidu froze and stared into the woods'
great depth and height. When they spied
Humbaba's path, they found the opening toward
straight passage. Then they were able to find and see
the home of the gods, the paradise of Ishtar's other self,
called Imini-most-attra'ctive.
All beauty true is ever there
where gods do dwell, where there is
cool shade and harmony and
10. sweet-odored food to match their mood.
Column 2

Missing.
Column 3

Then Gilgamesh envisioned yet again
another dream
high up in the hills where boulders crashed.
Again Enkidu said to his brother,
as he unraveled this dreary story for his king:
"Brother, your song is a fine omen.
This dream will make you well.
Brother, that vision you saw is rich
20. for on that mountain top
we can capture Humbaba and
hurl his earthly form from
towering cliffs through sky to
earth, making his shape
as flat and wide as it is round and high."
"Mountain, mountain in the sky,
Break the god and make him die."
Column 4

Mountain-on-high then sent the myth into Enkidu's sleep,
and a chill from the high winds forced him to rest,
30. since he was blown around as grain is on open field.
Curled up in a ball, Gilgamesh rested
in blessed sleep, the best of friends at the worst of times.
But by the moon's half way course, he rose
and then began to speak:
"Brother, if you made no noise, what sound woke me?
If you didn't jostle me, what shook my body?
There was no god nearby, so why am I so stunned?
Brother, I've had a third vision in sleep
and I am deeply frightened to recall it all.
40. Sky screamed. And Mother Earth moaned.
Sun went out of light and blackest night
enveloped the heavens.
Then came flashes of lightning, source of fire.
Storm clouds raced nearby and swept all life away
from out of the sky above our heads.
Brightness dissolved, light evaporated;
cinders turned to ash.
When we leave the mountain, this is what we will remember."
When Enkidu learned this myth as told,
50. he replied to Gilgamesh:
"Shamash, your god, creates a great attraction
for both of us. Shamash now approves
of this attack upon Humbaba. Take the sign
as some divine dream to urge us on."
Shamash himself said such words to Gilgamesh
as if in prayer:
"Do not balk now, favored one.
Brace yourself for battle and proceed."
Heavenly winds blasted down from out of the sky
60. about and all around Humbaba. From east and
west, with sand and grain, they blew him
back and forth. His giant self became
fatigued. His awesome strength dwindled.
Not even his great right foot could step away in flight.
So in this way, by Shamash's intervention,
Humbaba-the-awful beast was brought so low.
Column 5

Missing.
Column 6

The dying beast called out for mercy once
and part of what he said could still be heard over the howling winds:
"Please, Gilgamesh! Have mercy on me, wounded.
70. I shall freely give you all the lumber of my mighty realm
and work for you both day and night."
It was Enkidu then who shouted louder
than the beast and with his words he
urged a swift conclusion:
"Kill the beast now, Gilgamesh. Show
no weak or silly mercy toward so sly a foe."
Taking his companion’s mean advice, Gilgamesh
seiftly cut the beast, splattering blood upon
his cloak and sandals then. Soiled by this
80. violent conflict, the friends began their
journey back to Uruk’s towering walls
expecting now to be received as heroes who
had fought and won a legendary battle.

Tablets 1-5

Tablet 4:

Column 1 and 2

Ten miles into the march, they stopped to cat,
After thirty miles, they rested,
then finished another twenty miles that day.
Within three days they covered
what would take others a month and a half to travel.
They dug for water where
there appeared to be none
in the dry desert on their way
to challenge Humbaba.
Column 3 and 4

10. Onward ventured Gilgamesh and Enkidu
And they both knew where danger lurked
at their first destination.
As up they climbed upon the final hill,
they saw a guard put out by Humbaba
as fierce as any watchdog.
Gilgamesh pursued first.
Column 5

Gilgamesh heard shouts from
Enkidu who said to his companion:
"Remember promises we made
20. in the city where we live. Recall
the courage and the force
we vowed to bring upon this mission."
These words dispelled the fear felt
in his heart and Gilgamesh in
return then shouted back:
"Quick. Grab the guard
and don't let go.
Race fearlessly and don't let go.
Our enemy, Humbaba, has set out seven uniforms
30. but has only dressed in one
so far. So six layers of strength
are yet unused by him."
As one mad brute he is enraged,
bellowing loudly while the foresters warn each other
what he's like.
Column 6

Wounded in combat with the guard they killed,
Enkidu uses words to say:
"I lost my strength in this crushed hand when the gate
slammed shut.
What shall I do?"
40. Then Gilgamesh spoke: "Brother,
as a man in tears would, you transcend all the rest who've gathered,
for you can cry and kill
with equal force.
Hold my hand in yours,
and we will not fear what hands like ours can do
Scream in unison, we will ascend
to death or love, to say in song what we shall do.
Our cry will shoot afar so
50. this new weakness, awful doubt,
will pass through you.
Stay, brother, let us ascend as one."