I went to SOCAPS last night-- OU's Society of Christian Apologists and Philosophers. I'll be going to this meeting every other Sunday night. On the others, I'll be at RUF's graduate student discussion group. You see, I'm a graduate student now. I'm going for my masters in home economics. ;)
After the meeting last night, we sat around for a while and chatted. The young man who is facilitating discussion argued with me about whether or not fiction has any value or benefit. I said it does, of course, and gave some good reasons, but he didn't understand my arguments and went away saying that fiction was a waste of time. What a shame. I doubt I'll ever be able to convince him, but I'd still like to refine my reasoning on this subject. Of what value is fiction? Here are some of the things I said, in a nutshell:
1. It is enjoyable. (No gnosticism here!)
2. It stretches the mind and makes a person well-rounded.
3. It emphasises relationship, which is the fundamental way the world works.
4. It provides insight into the way other people act and think.
5. It gives fodder for discussion and thought.
6. The Bible is a story. All good stories are the Bible story all over again.
And here are some things I've thought of since then that I should have said:
1. It develops the imagination
2. It shows us how God may work in another person's life.
3. It reveals the truth of myth and legend--stories like St. George and Beowulf, for example. Did they happen, or not? (This last, however, is too big a subject to bring up in passing.)
And that's all I can think of for the moment. That poor boy, he just didn't pay attention to anything I said. I think he only wanted to infuriate me, and didn't care what I thought. Not a very good leader for a philosophy discussion group...
About Me
- Miss Puritan Chickie
- I am a young lady who enjoys reading and writing, and discussing what I read and write. I like good books, good food, good wine, and good conversation. I also enjoy cooking and baking bread. I am a baptised member of the one holy catholic and apostolic church.
2 comments:
On your first #5 - I find it helpful when the whole family knows certain characters well enough that we can talk about them - about their weaknesses and virtues, etc. It's nice to have some way of pointing out how a sinful heart can manifest in behaviour without gossipping about real people.
Also, my personal favorite - when you know lots of stories it can help you know how to deal with things. "What story am I in and what's my role?" kinds of questions can help you understand what it looks like to live out Biblical princples.
Hm. Good points.
Also, I found this quote which I thought applied to this situation and was highly amusing:
Arthur Quiller-Couch said, “Neither in these days nor any other can one afford to disregard Poetry without cutting himself from one of the best rewards of living, at once the cheapest to purchase and the most refined to enjoy. To listen to a man or a woman who ‘has no use’ for Poetry is like listening to a husband or wife who ‘has no use’ for children. They can never be answered, and for the simple and sufficient reason that they know not what they are talking about.”
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