Audio Recording

I've just begun trying out some stuff on Garageband. It's very easy. I had no idea I was capable of such technological advances. But my voice sounds a little ridiculous.

I think that this project is starting to come together. It still seems a little vague and confusing at times, though. I think that as we go along and get further into the project, it will become a lot more clear. At least, that's what I'm hoping.

I am excited to actually see what everyone comes up with. This seems like a good way to get to know each other's interests and lives.

Ethics and the Environment....and Augustine

I just finished an assignment for my Environmental Ethics class in which we read a series of essays on ecofeminism. Ecofeminism basically advocates and discusses the connections between the human domination and exploitation of earth and the male domination over women.

There was a section about Augustine and I thought it would be a good cross-curriculum thought...Augustine believed that woman was "created in her female nature to be subordinate to the male in the sexual-social roles of wife and child-bearer...femaleness itself represents the inferior bodily nature" (Ecofeminism: The Challenge to Theology, Rosemary Radford Ruether). Augustine is quoted as saying that "woman is "in the image of God" but only when taken together with the male, "who is her head"" (Ecofeminism, Ruether). Augustine believed that Eve's descendants are being punished with forced subjugation to their male counterparts because of Eve's initial disobedience to God.

I thought that these were interesting ideas. Augustine definitely loses a lot of points with me...

Unsure...

I'm not really sure if I follow Augustine's thought process and desires very well. He seems so restless to me; never satisfied with his job, his beliefs, his values. To me, a life like that would be so frustrating - to not know oneself enough to be confident and sure of anything. I don't think that I would be able to live such a life. Perhaps his frustration is expelled through desire....he seems extremely preoccupied with the details and differentiations of desire and sex and marriage.

St. Augustine

I googled St. Augustine out of curiosity. It's always good to have a little background on a topic while studying it. I'm very interested in theology - especially ones I don't know much about. I've always thought that Saints and Saints' days are interesting and Augustine is no exception.

Apparently, he is the patron of sore eyes, brewers, printers, and theologians.
His father was a Pagan (we've been learning about Paganism and the respect that Pagans had for the environment and how the implementation of Christian ideals and values led to a lack of respect for the environment). What's really interesting is that Augustine was really against magic and Paganism - I wonder if there was tension in the fam.
His feast day is August 28th - the day he died.
He came up with the idea of just war. Which to me is definitely an oxymoron, but that is just my opinion.
He also believed that babies who die before baptism go to hell. Which has been revoked by the Catholic Church now...
He greatly influenced the Church on the topic of original sin - the guilt that Adam felt that all humans have inherited.

Back to Blogging

Well, a new year means a new semester, and a new semester means a new series of blogs. I definitely like the looks of the reading list a little more than I did last semester. I'm excited to start off my blog on the right foot.