Whose idea is it to recap a discussion on theology over beer a week later?  Not a great idea.

But here goes anyway.

These were last week’s topics, and I’ll do my best to give a couple thoughts that were expressed:

1.    What is your favorite part about summer?

2.    How does one move forward after a tragedy?  How do you explain it?

3.    Is history science or art?  (See recent Paul Revere revisionism)

4.    “Children are bad at lying for the same reason that adults are. We are born with a conscience (which is God’s voice in our soul) that says it is wrong for us to bear false witness.”

5.    The Declaration of Independence dogmatically bases all rights on the fact that God created all men equal; and it is right; for if they were not created equal, they were certainly evolved unequal. There is no basis for democracy except in a dogma about the divine origin of man.

6.  “The point of the universe is the hallowing of God’s name.”

Favorite parts about summer: no socks, the beach, SUNSHINE!, garden parties, SUNSHINE! and so on…  in short – we’ve waited a long time for summer, and woohoo!  it’s here!

Topic no.2 was a much more sobering one, given the tragedy with Carly Lewis, a local teenager who was killed in Traverse City.

How do you move forward after something like this?  How do you explain it?

Most said that there is no explaining a tragedy, other than giving the straightforward account of what happened:  so-and-so did this, and so-and-so did that, and X or Y was the result.  It sucks, but that is what happened.  Most felt it was beyond us, or even inappropriate, to try to give any larger philosophical or speculative explanations about the bigger picture.

That said, many felt that what is most important is how one responds to a tragedy.  One can wallow in it, perhaps even remain paralyzed by it.  One can find something deep inside that they didn’t have before.  One can find communal support that he or she wasn’t aware of before.  And one can perhaps be a source of help for others experiencing similar difficult situations.

But much of that is down the road.  The immediate reality is grief, shock, anger – raw emotion.  And no one can tell anyone else how they ought to respond to such things.

Some personal stories were shared around this topic, and I think it was a meaningful and important time to spend together.

Topic no.3:  is history science or art?  Did Paul Revere ring bells while warning the British about American weapons?

Here’s a re-enactment by Stephen Colbert of Paul Revere’s famous midnight ride:

OK, it’s not letting me embed.  Here’s the link:

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/388583/june-06-2011/paul-revere-s-famous-ride

4.  We noted that children are actually quite decent at lying, and adults perhaps even moreso.  But what does lying say about someone?  And have you ever experienced someone blatantly lying to you and you knew it?  What did you do?

5.  Everyone agreed this quote was bunk.

6.  One person responded: “I don’t think that is the point of the universe.”  Then he rephrased, “Or maybe that’s part of it – but it isn’t the whole thing.”  What do you think?