The Musings Of The Consensus

 This post is about a culinary topic and its relation to the Bible. The Bible mentions cheese several times, though the information on the type is scant: 1 Samuel 17:18 Bring also these ten cuts of cheese to the commander of their thousand, and look into the welfare of your brothers, and bring back news of them. Job 10:10 ‘Did You not pour me out like milk And curdle me like cheese; 1 Samuel 17:17-18 Then Jesse said to David his son, “Take now for your brothers an ephah of this roasted grain and these ten loaves and run to the camp to your brothers. Bring also these ten cuts of cheese to the commander of their thousand, and look into the welfare of your brothers, and bring back news of them. 2 Samuel 17:27-29 Now when David had come to Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the sons of Ammon, Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim, brought beds, basins, pottery, wheat, barley, flour, parched grain, beans, lentils, parched seeds, h...

 As many know, the term "Christian" means to be "Christ-like", but if you ask me, that only scratches the surface. In fact, the game "The Elder Scrolls III Morrowind" has an interesting philosophical point to make about being like a messiah figure that is worth consideration. The premise of the game is that you are a random member of the Empire of Tamriel, released from prison on a nebulous charge by order of Emperor Uriel Septim VII, and sent to the isle Vvardenfell. There, you learn you are considered the reincarnation of a sainted figure named Indoril Nerevar, aka the Nerevarine. The game, however, has fun with the concept and points out that while you do most of the same things the original did, act in the same ways, and for all intents and purposes are assumed to be just like the original, you may NOT actually be their spiritual successor. In fact, evidence in the game indicates you may in fact be someone roleplaying so well you could be such a succes...

 In my last post, I address how a Christian on a personal basis can decide, from a moral standpoint, what media would be considered detrimental to their moral health. However, when you are someone with moral responsibility for others, the rules change somewhat. For starters, parents and legal guardians have both legal and moral authority over minors. They can and should use that power wisely to decide if their child until they reach the lawful age of majority, is fit to consume certain media. In my own life, I was just shy of the age of majority when it came time to play Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. I remember the Walmart I wanted to purchase it from requiring my parents' assent before I was allowed to get it. They assented, thankfully, because they knew I was mature enough to handle the themes. Of course, parents, in this case, have veto power, and they should exercise it accordingly if they do not believe their children are mature enough to handle certain media. The same rule...

 A common canard among atheists is that Christians are uptight, cannot have fun, are terrified of nigh all things that can lead them astray, and live like monks afraid of all outside influence. As a Christian, I can safely say this above canard is hogwash, but to a point they aren't entirely off. I find a lot of Christians have a huge fear that cannot look at certain things or even entertain the thought of looking at them without being led astray. First off, let me just say I admire such willingness to not be led astray. You who are wary of this follow the admonition of 1 Peter 5:8 well: 8  Be  [ a ] sober, be  [ b ] vigilant;  [ c ] because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. That said, let me break something to my more paranoid Christian brethren. The only one who can break your faith in God is YOU. You can be tempted by so many things you see, hear, and experience to take that fateful step, but the only one wh...

 This post is going to be a discussion about the Bible, and since I'm a shameless nerd, I'm going to engage in a little coding/software speak just to give those not explicitly familiar with the Bible and Christianity a handy mental image of my point. Christianity believes in a triune entity known as the Father (God), the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. Standard doctrine is that all three are separate in terms of being their own thing, but are all connected as the same substance and interlinked. With this in mind, some background. In the Old Testament, God said you had to be aware of sin, and when you became aware you sinned, then it counted against you, and it was entirely on you to do the prescribed sacrifice to atone. The New Testament changed this after Jesus died on the cross. When Jesus became the perfect sacrifice for all sin past, present, and future by his death, you still have to acknowledge regret for your sin, but Jesus basically did the sacrifice part for you. Bef...

 I know, this likely would have been better said at the beginning of the month, but I needed to time to organize my thoughts on the subject, so here goes: 1. I want to cover more FOSS (free and open-source gaming) for ChristCenteredGamer. Used to be, Linux was the backfoot in gaming, but in recent years has been fighting hard to remedy that, and some FOSS games have turned out to be just as good if not better than their commercial counterparts. I intend to try covering more and more of these FOSS gems because I'm genuinely pleased with the strides that the community has taken to stand alongside the profit-based games developers. 2. I want to continue to evangelize for Christ If you read this blog, a few years ago, I was quite the heathen. Won't lie, my past still weighs heavily on me, and while I cannot escape it, nor will I shy from admitting it. Sin is my shackle like it is for everyone else on the planet, and while I still struggle against my own chains, I hope to help other...

 Now, I have to admit, prior to writing this post, I had a few ideas for my New Years Post. I knew it was going to be Christian-themed, but I wanted to do something along with it, so, after remembering one good scene in an otherwise cheesy movie, I'm going to do a movie review too. And so, without further ado, I plan to review the movie "Batman and Robin" by Joel Schumacher, and I promise it will tie into my moral theme for the Christians in the audience. If you aren't Christian, I do hope the review is entertaining, and I think the moral theme is good no matter your values, but you be the judge. In 1997, as a follow-up to the decent "Batman Forever", we got "Batman & Robin". Where the previous movie featured Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face and Jim Carrey as The Riddler, Batman & Robin planned to feature Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy. Now, the first mistake this movie made, right off the bat, is the villain team-up. Freeze is an ice-themed villain,...