Eric's Beijing Diary

At the English corner this evening, a lady asked me if people who read the Bible are more creative than people who don't. She was obviously referring to an idea currently gaining popularity in China which basically postulates that the enlightenment and prosperity of the West is somehow related to Christianity. Her question reminded me of something Horace Greeley once said, tement, "It is impossible to mentally or socially enslave a Bible reading people." I told her that I definitely saw a connection between consistent Bible reading and creativity. Bible readers tend to be free thinkers. But I told her that many people in the West do not actually read the Bible, even though they are familiar with it. She had just seen the old movie, "Ten Commandments," starring Charlton Heston, and wanted me to explain it to her. I told her that the first two books of the Old Testament are pretty easy to read, because they are mainly stories, but the third book (Leviticus) is kinda boring, because it is a law book. I also told her that she might have an easier time understanding the Old Testament if she read from the New Testament at the same time.

Another guy joined our conversation. He asked me if I actually believed in God. I told him that I did. He said, "In China, we believe that science and technology answer these questions." I said, "That isn't Chinese thinking. It is modern thinking. Modern America, modern Britain, modern China. There is nothing uniquely Chinese about that way of thinking." He agreed, but still pressed me on my beliefs. I told him that when I am working with computer systems, whether it is dealing with a high-end system like Oracle, or playing a computer chess board, I do not tend to be impressed with the computer, or even the software. Rather, I am impressed with the creativity of the engineer who designed it. And when I walk outside and look at the night sky, find the big dipper, and follow the line established by the two end stars until I see the north star, I am not moved to bow down to those stars and worship them. Rather, I want to meet the engineer who put it all together, because whatever it is, it cannot be an accident. He started to respond, but couldn't quite find the words. He just could not bring himself to contend that something like a computer or a cell phone is an object of design, but the entire night sky is just a freak accident.