The Standard

Note: This is actually something I wrote for a graduate class. The essay is addressing the question of why schools have standards for curriculum, but in doing so I addressed the idea of standards in the world at large- including the moral standard, which points out to us our need for God because we know there is a standard of right and wrong in the world- and we don't naturally do what's right. We are sinners who need a Saviour- and God has provided the world the only One Who can save us-The Lord Jesus Christ. For further reading, see also
Romans 7:7-25, Romans 1-3 (and particularly verse 2:4), Ecclesiastes 3:11 and Galatians 3 in The Holy Bible.
............................................................................................................................................     


          As human beings, we are born into a world of standards that govern our lives and that we must adhere to in order to succeed. We are created to recognize the natural order of laws as well as the moral order. Though people disagree on some moral imperatives there are basic ones that most everyone in the world ascribes to and aspires to achieving. Drawn from these, each country has its own sets of civil laws that govern the citizens. In a world that now tends to sway toward chaos, we as a people generally desire some sense of order in order to not only make sense of the world but also since it helps draw us back to restoration of injustices. As teachers and librarians, we also desire to add to this process through education and thus we develop standards that will help all students reach their highest potential and equip them to help bring the change we want to see in the world.
         To this end, appointed bodies like the AASL, ISTE and Common Core creators have worked to establish the bottom line of learning for all students. Through careful observation and study, these entities have determined skills and knowledge deemed necessary for survival in the world and for contributing to society in a positive manner. Through ages of collected knowledge and observation, we as human beings know that the world is ordered in a certain way to ensure survival. We know that careless acts of litter of waste materials will bring damage to the world and ultimately to ourselves. Thus, encouraged and sobered by such findings, we share with students the scientific findings that have been made and help them learn how to discover still more. This is but one example of skills that help human beings develop into meaningful contributers to improvements in society. There is also social studies and history to be considered so that we may learn from the past and improve the present and help secure a better future. Mathematics are necessary to understand how to measure and order things, which also helps with medicine, which helps preserve human life. And English language arts contribute to our moral and spiritual components as we seek to know the human condition and share with each other our enlightenment and understanding of life and even reach transcendence of the temporal as well.
           Standards themselves are still different from objectives. Whereas the standard for driving on the highway may be to maintain a speed of no less than 45 mph and no greater than 70, individual drivers set their own objectives. The objective might be to reach a certain destination in optimal time and thus this is carried out by driving the maximum speed limit. Other drivers may prefer a leisurely drive for pleasure as they cruise and listen to music. These drivers may hover closer to the minimum speed limit. In either case, the standard is still met. It is much the same for educators. Objectives are developed differently by individual teachers to communicate certain aspects of the standard for the day, but these are distinct from the overarching standard itself. "When those standards are written in terms that are too broad, teachers have to unpack those standards and dissect them until they reach specific statements of the knowledge and skills that should be taught. From those statements, teachers can then develop their lesson objectives." (Tate 44) In presenting these objectives, teachers who start with the end in mind can more easily decipher how best to assess the knowledge of the skills in question as informed by the standards. The standards inform teachers as to the overall general knowledge that must be known in the end and the teacher develops the objectives to get to the nitty-gritty details that teach measurable skills that demonstrate not only knowledge but understanding of it as well. Thus, a teacher tasked with a general standard to teach the nuances of figurative language might make a goal of having students learn a specific example in the form of metaphors and be able to formulate their own to demonstrate knowledge so that the school might spawn its own.
          In our search for meaning and structure in life, the standards of nature, morality and civility are what shape us. They speak to to all of us on every level even if we only may recognize some on particular levels. They drive us to establish mandates that will aid us in aspiring to those standards and thus drive our individual objectives for how best to do this. We utilize the standards to decide how best to determine if we are meeting them and we allow the results to drive us further in this search. And in all these pursuits, we are ever restless as we continuously and tirelessly stretch for the infinite, which may seem so very far away yet it is not far from any one of us.

Work Cited

Tate, Marcia L. Formative Assessment in a Brain-Compatible Classroom. West Palm Beach, FL, Learning Sciences, 2016.

Season for the Reason: Good and God- and Perfection

Note: This is another entry in my series of apologetics-based reflections, based on questions and conversations that have come up in real life. It is in response to an article discussing the possibility of being good and where God plays into that. Can you be good without God? While I think there may be some remnant left in us that still recognizes good and evil (as Romans 2 talks about, along with Ecclesiastes 3:11- we all have some form of a conscience testifying to us about God's Law); however, The Bible clearly teaches that we are all born in sin and are sinners by nature. (Psalms 51:5, Romans 7:5-6- basically just read the whole book.) I think a better question to ask is this- can you be perfect without God? Because perfection is God's standard for entry into Heaven and only One person has ever met it- Jesus Christ.


I'm curious about this key passage in the article:

"But so what? What’s the practical significance of rejecting belief in a deity? Why should humanists band together in local or national groups, publish magazines, hold conferences, and so forth? It can’t be simply to show that we are right and others are wrong about the existence of God.
Humanists do share a number of beliefs, of course, and not just their belief that there are no gods. So humanists form a natural affinity group of sorts. But although being a member of a like-minded group with similar interests has its attractions, the level of commitment of most of those who are members of the Center for Inquiry or the American Humanist Association or other humanist groups indicates that we think humanism is much more important than being a member of an astronomy club, sewing circle, or softball team. There has to be more to joining and supporting humanist groups than the opportunity to hang out with people with similar worldviews.""
Does the Center for Inquiry or the American Humanist Association have elected officials? Is there any kind of organization to these groups?
(Apparently the answer is yes; the AHA has a board of directors page here- http://americanhumanist.org/AHA/Board_of_Directors and the CFI has a message from the president and CEO here- http://www.centerforinquiry.net/support/secularism_and_science_need_an_advocate/)
I ask this mainly because it seems incongruent with a statement highlighted in another passage in the article, wherein the author states that humanists have no authorities. This would appear to not be the case. Do these boards of directors think and reason together to come up with the guiding moral principles for their organizations, and by extension, the world at large that all people should apply? If humanists all reason together to find common moral principles that promote a common human good, it seems all human beings in existence (at any time) should be included in the consultations in order to have the maximum amount of brain power and human reasoning involved. [I realize that this would be a rather impossible endeavor, but surely the history of mankind and moral principles of all cultures are included in the study and quest for finding moral standards appropriate for human society? It seems like the research and reading of much books would be in order, along with efforts to poll all interested parties. Unless of course, these said principles would only be in effect for humanists.]
This gets to my larger point. How do humanists determine what is good and what is not? What are the measuring standards and how are they determined?
I can't speak for all religions of course, but I don't appreciate that the author insinuates that religion does not seek to justify its moral standards by the fact that they improve the human condition. I would say a relationship with Jesus Christ does just that ad infinitum. (Of course, the worldview framework of Christianity says that all human beings at all times, since the sin of Adam and Eve, have been born in sin and wrongdoing and all of us are evil and in need of God to save us from our sin. This is why Jesus came and lived the only perfect life ever lived and died and rose for us- to pay the penalty we deserved because of our failure to keep God's moral standards of perfection.) [As Jesus stated in Matthew 5:20, if we're trying to get to Heaven by our own merit, unless our righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, we will never enter the kingdom of Heaven. And those guys worked to keep all the Law to the nth. degree and still didn't really match up by a long shot, as Jesus made clear in Matthew 21:31 and all of Matthew 23. Note that in the context of the verses in Matthew 5:17-20, Jesus is stating that He has come to fulfill all of The Law and the Prophets and that's just what He did. If we falter at even the least command anywhere during our lifetime, we're already done. (James 2:10) God's standard is absolute perfection- Matthew 5:48 says it plainly. We all fail to meet it, as Romans 3:23 tells us.] Jesus says that He comes to give us life and life more abundant. (see John 10:10) The Bible also makes clear that life in Christ improves our lives immeasurably in the here and now as well as in eternity. Those who are in Christ have a new nature that desires to do good, rather than to do evil as the old nature would have us do. (This is not to say that Christians are perfect in doing good, by any means, but we are in the process of becoming more like Christ, Who is perfect- and we have the promise that one day that process will be complete and we will be perfected upon our entry into Heaven. [see Philippians 1:6])
Thus, following Christ makes people more loving, more caring for all those in need, more generous, more truthful, more helping, more self-sacrificing, more patient, more peaceful, more kind, more gentle, more faithful, and makes them have more self-control. In short, they are more good. (These and other traits are some of the identifying marks of a Christ-follower because Galatians 5:22-23 says that these are some of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. That is God's work in people's lives.) I would say that is a huge improvement to the human condition. (Which we've already established is evil at its core, from a Christian framework, in any case.)
And yes, that is certainly God's will for people to know Christ and develop these traits and live lives like Christ.
God is definitely focused on the good of humanity. Jeremiah 29:11 assures us that He has thoughts of good for us and not evil. (I realize this verse is aimed specifically at Israel, but the principle certainly applies to all people, as evidenced in other Bible verses. See Ezekiel 18:23 as well.) He wants everyone to live- both the full measure of life that He desires for humans in the here and now and the eternal life He wants all to have in Heaven with Him through faith in Christ. (see Ezekiel 33:11 and 2 Peter 3:8-9)
My other point of contention is the implication that religion (and again, I'll specifically speak for the point of view of Christianity) has no rationale behind it. I have to disagree with this notion. God gave people brains for a reason; I believe He expects us to use our brains and truly contemplate things before making any decision for Him. In fact, God invites us to come reason together with Him in Isaiah 1:18- herein, He entreats us to consider the truth of this statement: "Though your sins be like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool." God offers to wash away our sins and make us clean and pure. But I don't think God ever expects anyone to make a choice to follow Christ without using reason, evidence and intellect. Christ Himself cautions us to count the cost of following Him before we make any rash decisions. (Note that He gives strict warnings that if we do not hate our family and even our own life, we cannot be His disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after Christ cannot be His disciple. [To clarify, in the language used in the passage I'm referencing- Luke 14:25-35- it has the meaning of loving Jesus and following Him above all so much that the love we have for our family looks like hate in comparison. Jesus often used stark hyperbole to emphasize points- I just wanted to clarify that He is not advocating hating people here.]
Jesus also speaks to this point in Luke 9:23-27, where He tells us again that we must take our cross, deny ourselves, and follow Him in order to come after Him. Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Christ's sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits his soul? In Matthew 10:16-42, Jesus warns His followers that persecution will come upon as part of following Him. Even some of a man's own household will be among his enemies because he follows Christ. In John 15:18-27, Jesus tells His disciples that the world will hate them because they follow Jesus and claim His Name. (Of course, they hated Jesus first anyway.)
It is also worth noting that Jesus even turned people away from following Him because they weren't committed enough to Him and hadn't fully counted the cost yet. (See Matthew 8:18-22 and Luke 9:57-62) In Mark 10:17-31, Jesus encounters a rich young ruler who asks Him how to inherit eternal life. After Jesus reminds him that he should know the commandments in The Law ("Do not murder", "Do not commit adultery", "Do not steal", "Do not bear false witness", "Do not defraud", "Honor your father and mother"), the man claims he has kept all these from his youth. Jesus tells him that he still lacks one thing- "Go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven; and come, follow Me." The guy is disheartened by this saying (because he had great wealth) and went away sadly. (This is where Jesus gives us His famous statement that it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Heaven. However, take heart- when the disciples asked Him who then could be saved, Jesus reminded them that with man this is impossible, but nothing is impossible with God.)
In naming these examples, I wanted to demonstrate that Jesus clearly not only invites but demands people use reason and much consideration of the evidence and the cost before deciding to follow Him. In Matthew 11:1-19, Jesus is visited by friends of John the Baptist, who is imprisoned for speaking out against Herod's sexual immorality [he had taken his brother's wife]- and John has sent these messengers to ask about the deeds of Christ that he has heard about. The messengers ask Jesus if He is indeed the One who was to come or if they should look for another. Jesus tells them to examine the evidence and and go back and tell John what they see and hear- the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by Jesus.
(Jesus also goes on to exhort the people listening to Him to consider what the Scriptures prophesied about John the Baptist [referencing Malachi 4:5-6, which likens the one who prepares the way for Christ [i.e. John the Baptist's role] to Elijah.] and compare what they've seen to the Scriptures.)
So, at least for Christianity, God does call people to use reason, evidence and intellect in making up their minds about Him and He does seek for people to put faith in Him through Christ and follow Him and His moral standards (the latter part of which can only be achieved after doing the former part) in order to improve the human condition to an infinite degree.
I think maybe a better question to ask would be, "Can you be perfect without God?" Because perfection is God's standard for morality [Leviticus 11:45 states as a command from God and Matthew 5:48 reiterates- "Be perfect as I am perfect."] - a standard that all of us miss. (Romans 3:23) And that is precisely why Jesus came to live out the standard of moral perfection for us- and He took our punishment as well- and thereby through His death and Resurrection, provided the means for us to have our moral failings forgiven and for us to have Christ's righteousness imputed to us. In myself, there is nothing good. The only good in me is Jesus. And as I noted earlier, Philippians 1:6 promises followers of Christ the end result of reaching perfection in Christ- which is what He made us to be all along. (And certainly, the goal of Christianity is to be like Christ, Who is perfection Himself because He's God.)

"Calling All Humans" (song)

Throughout human history, man has been on a philosophical search for meaning and significance. In all generations, a call has gone out for something greater than ourselves- someone bigger than us to intervene in our affairs. "Call on your god!" the captain exhorted Jonah in Jonah 1:6. Everyone seems to agree that the world is in a sorry state- something has gone horribly wrong from what it's supposed to be and we need help to make things right. Man has looked so long and futilely in so many places for guidance- from his inner self to community to social implementations and reordering to the stars and the creatures of higher intelligence that may dwell there.
"You wrote that the world doesn't need a Savior. But everyday I hear people crying for one."- Superman to Lois Lane in "Superman Returns"
        It's undeniable that people have cried out for a savior over the ages to so many places. And it seems invariably that we have long had a fixation on the cosmos and the possibilities of a U.F.O. and alien beings coming to save us all. It's kinda crazy how we are willing to look to the remote possibility of alien beings coming to save us, but we ignore the great salvation provided to us by the one real God who stepped into our world and became one of us. He worked as a carpenter and fully identified with us in facing all the temptations we do- and yet was without sin. And the day He died to pay for our sins is the day the earth stood still- and suddenly everything was changed forever. With the Resurrection, we knew that we were never alone and that we could have the possibility of new life through our Savior. He has been revealed to us in the person of Jesus Christ. And He's calling all humans to Himself: "The Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come.' And let the one who hears say, 'Come.' And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price." (Revelation 22:17)

"Calling All Humans" (parody of "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft (The Recognized Anthem of World Contact Day)" by Klaatu, as performed by Carpenters; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 4/21/2015)
(Psalms 135, Jonah 1:6, Isaiah 2:22, John 1:1-18, Acts 17:30, Acts 2:38, Acts 10:43, 2 Corinthians 6:2, Romans 10:9-13, John 3:16-21, John 8:12, John 8:31-32, John 15:18-19, John 18:36, John 10:10, John 14:6, John 17:14-19, John 5:39-47, John 5:24, 2 Peter 3:8-9, 2 Timothy 4:1-5, 1 Timothy 6:20-21, John 10:14-18, Hebrews 4:16, Jude 1:8, Jude 1:10, Jude 1:21-25, Philippians 2:9-11, Revelation 1:17-19, Revelation 19:11-16, 1 John 5:13-15, 1 Thessalonians 5:17, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Philippians 3:18-21, Colossians 1:11-29, Revelation 3:20, Revelation 22:16-21)

In The Christ you have the access key to God's throne
To teleport messages to The Lord of Hosts!
Please close your eyes and start to pray
Without ever ceasing
For those in hesitation, hear the doubters' plea:

"Calling occupants of interplanetary craft
Calling occupants of interplanetary, most extraordinary craft
Calling out for help, O interplanetary craft!
Come and offer us your interplanetary pact!
Come and rescue us with interpersonal peace, most extraordinary craft!"

"We've been observing our Earth
And we'd like it saved
By contact with you."

- They need our Friend

Calling all humans- it's in 2nd. Peter 3:9
Calling all humans- in Acts 17:30- all are wanted- God seeks

He's been observing our Earth
And one night became
A human like you
He is our Friend

All in Chapter One
of John- The Word became flesh; we beheld His glory- yeah!

Believe and receive- we beseech you
Showed us His Love- Jesus beaten
Our Lord lay there crucified
Third day come, He's risen!

E.T., Heaven's Gate and the Starman
Oh, the unidentified
Flying object
Where they seek rescue

- They need You!

By design, we have ability to choose
We submit to God, "Thy will be done here on earth too"
Else God says, "Thy will be done" to you
In Heaven or fiery lake?
2nd. Corinthians 6:2 declares, "Today get saved!"

Calling all humans- God's intervened on our behalf
Calling all humans- salvation plan's 10:43 Acts
Calling all humans- to enter Paradise through Christ's complete work on Calvary's cross

Hallelujah!
Hallelujah!
Hallelujah!

Calling all humans
Calling all humans
Calling all humans- Lord Christ's the transporter beam; engage 2 verse 38 [three eight] (in) Acts!

He is our Friend!
.........................................................................