Linus Soh

Ross McGinnis graduated high school in 2005.  This Knox, Pennsylvania teenager enlisted in the Army, just before turning 18.  He wanted to serve his country and be sent to an unpopular war.  During his tour in Iraq, he would be involved in an intense firefight just months out of basic training.  Two years later, he would give his lives not for his country but for his friends and fellow soldiers.

The story unfolds on a routine patrol in Baghdad.  Himself along with four other soldiers were in a humvee when a grenade was thrown from a building.  Since Ross was on the rooftop machine gun, he was the only one to see it.

"GRENADE!!", he yelled.  As his fellow soldiers looked frantically for it, Ross got out of the gun turret and jumped down into the humvee.  He pressed his back against where the grenade landed.  His entire body absorbed the blast, saving the rest of his squad.

When Ross woke up that morning, he did not plan to sacrifice his life.  When he joined the Army, he he knew he would get into dangerous battles; but he never imagined himself actually dying.

Ross, like every other person, lived his life day by day, moment by moment.

His choice of self-sacrifice doesn’t make much sense.  Our instincts are to flee or fight danger.  In the animal kingdom, rarely does one see a creature give it’s life for the betterment of another.  What Ross did was make a choice to give his life, to end his life, so that others may live.

Why do stories like these inspire us with hope?  What is it about these stories that humble us?  Do you wonder if you would have made the same choice?  Do you put yourself in the same situation and go over the decision in your head?

The reality is the decision to give your life for something else is not planned nor is it calculated.  It is a split-second decision.  Ross didn’t learn it at basic training nor was he taught that in school.  I suspect that within that iota of a second, he recalled the sacrifice of others in his life.  I like to imagine that he realized that his choice was not about living or dying; it was about saving.  He knew someone was going to die.  He choice that person to be himself.

Why are stories like these rare?  Outside of these stories, the only self-sacrificing we see are in movies.

I would like to think I would have made the choice to sacrifice myself to save others.  I like to think that I could demonstrate what God has done for me and be willing to do it for others.  But the fact is that I should do this now: be willing to risk my life for others.  I don’t mean go into burning buildings.  No, I mean more willing to do something outside myself.  The truth is that I don’t want to.

We’d all like to be like Ross.  The truth is we’re faced with similar choices every day.  What choice do you make?

This is the first post in a new series.  I’ve been smoking cigars now for about two years.  I’ve grown to like certian ones and not like others.  At one point, someone had mentioned to me that it might be a good idea to start writing about my cigar experiences.  I offer these posts as a reflection on the cigars I try out.  A good cigar is like a good wine; they can be judged by aroma, taste, pallet, body, and other charactoristics.  Cigar topic image provided by foll_cedric. Source Image is licensed under Creative Commons.

The image on the left is not the picture of the actual cigar.  I will start taking pictures of the actual cigars in the future.  The cigar I smoked was a maduro and slightly longer.  The cigar had a nice smell.  The wrapper was slightly flaked but the filler was firm.

Upon closer inspection, the filler looked like chopped tobacco.  This is important to note since it had a major effect on the draw as well as taste.  The ash produced was a dark gray, not white.  The smoke was also a dirty white verses a nice white.  This indicates the quality of the tobacco used.

The Montesino had a medium body.  It had a bit of a tang on the drag, but had a tart after-taste.  Initially, it was refreshing; however, by the 3-4th drag, the after-taste lingered a bit too long and affected the taste of the cigar.

Overall, the cigar was not what I had expected to be.  The filler was a disappointment and I would have hoped for a better quality.  The cigar is hand-made in the Dominican Republic and costs about $8.00.  I would not purchase this cigar in the future.

Recently, the Board of Education in Florida voted to allow alternative theories to evolution. Some have argued that these theories are no more than religion dressed up as science. “It opens the door to teaching theories of creationism and intelligent design in public schools. The critics say those theories belong in church and at home.”

Through the debate of creationism, critics have “discovered” a noodly god known only as the “Flying Spaghetti Monster™.” Bobby Henderson, a critic of intelligent design, created a fake religion to show just how foolish he thought creationism is. 

The reality is that he is right.

Most evangelical Christians have argued that the statistical probability for life to evolve is so astronomical, that creation screams of an intelligent maker. 

The reality is that they are right, too.

So where does this leave us? The same place we started.

Below the choppy waters of the debate, beneath the mine-filled battlefield, lies a deeper reality that critics on both sides refuse to address. It’s a reality that must be understood and taken into consideration when debating sciences verses religion. The odd thing is that both sides assume and make misinformed judgments based on their vague understanding of this reality, but few venture there.

That reality comes down to this question: What if they are right? 

Take those that are on the side of intelligent design and creationism. They wholeheartedly debate with fervor that this world, this universe, was created by a being of compassion. It was created for a purpose. That purpose is up for much debate but let’s assume this notion for a moment and continue with this thought experiment.

Now let’s assume that the evolutionists are right. What would happen to their beliefs? Would they doubt? Was Jesus just a man? Does God really exist or is he a product of man? 

Now, move over to the other side. Evolutionists debate that changes over long periods of time contribute to what we see in the world today. Every plant, animal, fungus, virus, and bacteria originated from a single organism. What that organism was is still up for much debate but let’s assume this notion for a moment.

Now assume that the creationists are right. Does God exist? Is there an eternal plan that I am a part of? If God does exist, do I have to know him? 

These questions speak to something very deep in our hearts. All of us, even the scientists, put their faith in a belief. (Evolutionists, stay with me for a minute!) At the end of the day, we don’t know what happened when the universe was formed. We have made very educated guesses. For example, it is pretty much accepted that there was a big bang. What that big bang created or caused it to explode is up for much debate. But at the end, no one knows for an absolute certainty.

Allow me to take this a step further. At the end of the day, does this question of creationism verses evolution really matter? I would submit that it doesn’t. 

One of the things that I’ve come to understand is that the questions we ask are rarely the questions we really want to ask. Confused? Let me explain: The question here is not about creation verses evolution. The question is not about religion verses science. The question is not even about education and the scientific method. The question pierces much deeper that this. The real question is about free will.

Every person struggles with the notion and idea of freedom. We want to be free. Many of us believe we are free. See, if a god doesn’t exist, then it doesn’t matter what we do. There would be no standards, except for the ones we agree to, and we would simply live life until we expire. 

But if a god does exist, all of the sudden, the question of morality, right and wrong, sin, and, more importantly, free will comes into question. Do we really have control over our lives? If so, how much? Are the choices I make really mine or are they influenced?

Can science and religion co-exist? Does it matter? 

All of us must decide what we believe. Can we be a product of accidents of coincidences or could there be a purpose?

So what is my answer? The honest truth is, “I don’t know. I don’t need to know.” I already made the decision that questions like creation and evolution are way beyond my understanding. What I’ve come to know is God. What I believe is that I am sinful. I do bad stuff all the time. Sometimes, I don’t like to talk to my parents because I just want to play video games. Sometimes, I look a little too long at a woman’s cleavage. Sometimes, I want to invest in companies that exploit children just so I can make more money. What I believe is that Jesus Christ, the son of God, came to earth to be like me. He played by his own rules and took the form of a man. Then, out of his own free will, Jesus died on the cross a sinless man to become sin and to free me from the bondage of lust, greed, and selfishness. 

To some Christians, they want to understand creation. I’m not one of them. Just like understanding how my car works wouldn’t help he to drive better, understanding the “science” of creation wouldn’t help me understand God. I hang my hat on what God has done for me in my life. That’s it.

And to me, that’s all that matters.