This weekend is the release date for the last Harry Plotter novel. Everyone over the world is crazy over the hype. People lining up in front of book store to get the book like it is given out for free. Many not so crazy but still enthusiastic Harry’s fans pre-order the book, so they will receive it on the first day of release. I also ordered the book, but foolishly I use the company address as the mail address. Since the company is close on Saturday, I have to wait until Monday to get my copy of Harry Plotter. Well, even if I got it on the first day, I may not want to read it right away. Reading a book is not a race, you don’t have to finish it faster than others. I rather relax and take my time to finish the book.
基督教思想史第一部-第二章﹕早期教會與諾斯底主義
早期教會對外要扺抗希臘哲學和羅馬帝國的挑戰﹐對內則要應付諾斯底主義影響分化教會的威脅。諾斯底主義並不只是基督教分支﹐而是在古代一個橫跨宗教的思想運動。諾斯底主義強調宗教性的神秘主義﹐認為只有通過神秘知識才能得到救贖。諾斯底主義完全不接受舊約﹐只保留新約中與諾斯底思想吻合的部份。他們主張世俗二分﹐認為被造的世界充滿邪惡﹐只有捨棄世界心靈才得到釋放。耶穌在諾斯底主義亦充當救世者的角色﹐祂化身為善神來到世界﹐對抗舊約中的邪神耶和華。
早期教會透過反諾斯底運動﹐確立了天主教大公教會的雛形﹐其中Irenaeus﹐ Tertullian和Hippolytus是三位最有名的反諾斯底主義神學家。諾斯底主義對教會最大的挑戰﹐是宣稱他們擁有耶穌的秘密訓示﹐並以另一套方法去詮譯解讀神的話語。於是教會組織和建立正統的權力系統﹐肯定聖經正典的書目﹐藉著宗徒傳下來的傳統﹐讓主教團擁有解讀聖經的權柄。
由於諾斯底主義宣稱擁有聖靈的力量﹐並可以透過聖靈接收新的啟示﹐藉此挑戰教會的正統教導﹐所以制度化的教會織組容不下聖靈。結果教會宣稱新約時代不會再有新的啟示﹐也容不下藉聖靈之名挑戰教會傳統的先知﹐未世思想從世界終結演化為個人的死亡。歷史上不斷出現以聖靈之名反對教會的人﹐諷刺的是當那些人脫離原教會建立的新教會壯大後﹐他們也步上原教會制度化的後塵。教會是重視傳統的制度化組織﹐與直接受聖靈指引﹐要顛覆傳統的先知﹐在本質上永不可能相容。
早期教會沒有解決聖子和聖靈角色的問題﹐在諾斯底主義的影響下﹐基督教有演變成多神主義的危險。在諾斯底主義的世界觀中﹐存在著善神與邪神的正邪之爭。救贖世人的善神﹐帶領世人對抗創造世界的邪神。教會以三位一體的神作為回應﹐創造神就是救贖神。神創造世界本來是美好的﹐罪惡是源於人類的墮落。舊約的記載與新約的耶穌﹐正好貫穿起來成為教會的救恩史觀。兩大反諾斯底神學家對救贖觀所持的重點不同﹐Tertullian著重律法而Irenaeus則著重恩典﹐這兩者組成後來天主教的救贖觀﹐與基督教源於保羅神學因信稱義的救贖觀不同。
自早期教會一直到現代﹐領洗對基督徒十分重要。早期教會認為領洗的水有神秘力量﹐讓人洗去罪惡和接受聖靈。因為嬰兒還沒有決志信主的思考能力﹐這份神秘的救恩力量就成為嬰兒領洗的神學根據。嬰兒領洗在早期教會有過爭論﹐後來基督教成為羅馬國教﹐命信奉異教的外族全國歸化領洗﹐不可能只洗成人不洗小孩﹐更加肯定領洗水的神秘力量。
田立克最後在文中指出﹐在公元三百年左右的早期教會﹐對後來羅馬天主教影響深遠。很多基督教在宗教改革時﹐宣稱他們不過是撥亂反正﹐回到早期教會原本的教導。可是從神學的角度去看﹐早期教會很多為因反諾斯底而建立的教義﹐與基督教的基本教義不相乎﹐反而天主教的核心教義更接近早期教會的教導。
Banquet reservation tips
I just start my banquet shopping, trying to find a right restaurant for my wedding banquet. Making banquet reservation is not a simple task, there are lots of details I have to pay attention to. My cousin who married gave me lots of useful tips. Thanks Lu! I would like share it with everyone who is planning a wedding.
1. Book early. Good days are popular. In order to secure the day of your choice, better start 1 year earlier.
2. Fix the menu and lock the price. Restaurants tend to increase their price every year, fix the menu earlier can save you a few bucks. You can always upgrade the packaged menu. People tends to pick something between the two most expensive package. Regardless of which package, the default desert usually sucks. Sometimes you can change it for something better without extra charge.
3. Watch out for hidden charge. Some restaurants may charge extra fee for AV equipment rental, cake cutting, opening wine, sauces, chair cover etc. Usually you can bargain hard to waive all those fee. One good option to have is bottomless soft drink﹐ It will only cost you a few bucks per table. Regular price for the soft drink is $1 a glass, your guest can drink you broke.
4. Write everything down in the contract. If you don’t have enough table to reserve the whole restaurant, write down which corner you will get in the contact. So you wedding banquet won’t suddenly placed next to the toilet. If you order fish, write down it is one big fish in the contact, so you won’t end up with two small fishes. Write down the when will banquet start, when will it end, how much time you have for clean up in the contract, so you won’t charge over time. If you want your banquet be more classy, you can ask the waiters to serve individual dish to each guest. If not specified in contact, the waiter may just put the dish in middle of the table and let everyone fight for the food. It is less work for the waiters.
5. Pay wisely. When you make the reservation, usually you have to put down $1000 deposit. If something changes, (touch wood) and you have to cancel the wedding, the deposit is non refundable. The bill is usually paid in 3 installments. 1-2 weeks before the wedding, 3 days before the wedding and on the wedding day. Always pay in cash, so you can save on tax. You also have to pay 12-15% tips. Pay part of the tips to each waiter or waitress in red pocket before the banquet start, so they are more willing to give you a better service.
Telus DSL modem
Telus is making cold call to attract new customers. They have a promotion deal , 3 months free trail on internet service and TV. I always want to compare the download speed of DSL vs cable, so I figure that it is no harm to give it a try. The telephone guy came over to my place and hook up the wire, since I don’t have a phone line install. He then drop off a DSL modem and let me to setup it up myself. Somehow the line is not activated, no signal at all, obviously the internet won’t be working. I am too lazy to call Telus to setup my account, thus the modem is just sitting there. Today I receive a call from Telus, saying they have technical difficulty to hook up the TV in my apartment building. I have the option to just cancel the service order. That should me all the troubles on calling their customer service. Now I am still using my occasionally very slow cable modem, but I end up with an extra brand new DSL modem. I tried to sell the DSL modem on ebay, but turns out that it virtually worth not even a dime. The question is what should I do with the extra DSL modem?
評香港政制發展綠皮書
看香港政府推出的政制發展綠皮書﹐有點回到大學一年級時﹐讀政治科學入門(Political Science 101)的感覺。當年為應付考試只是囫圇吞棗地死讀﹐大部份課堂學到的內容早已還經教授﹐現在有點書到用時方恨少的感覺。有人會批評這本綠皮書選項瑣碎繁複﹐令市民卻步不去自行研究綠皮書的內容。這本薄薄六十頁的綠皮書絕不難讀﹐我用了一個小時左右就看完了。我認為這本綠皮書寫很十分好﹐對所有可能的政改方案均有詳細中肯的描述﹐沒有偏頗任何一方。政府希望市民達成共識後﹐才把方案呈上中央審批。其實只要市民心水清﹐主力爭取重點議題﹐放棄某些不重要支節的爭拗﹐達成共識不是難事。在各細選項的選擇﹐除了讚成或反對外﹐無所謂也可以是一種表態。
在執藥式地選擇政改方案之前﹐要對政治的架構(framework)有基礎的認識﹐不然只會在普選﹐平等﹐自由﹐安定繁榮﹐中央意向等含糊不清的字眼中迷失方向。政治說穿了只是權力的分配﹐政改方案對香港市民最有利的選擇﹐就是爭取中央盡量給與香港最大的權力。權力是一個零和遊戲﹐香港的權力增加﹐中央的權力則必然減少。換一句話倒轉頭來說﹐對香港市民最有利的方案﹐就是中央保留最少權力的方案。我們可以用遊戲理論(game theory)來分析綠皮書中﹐選出對中央最不利的方案作為共識﹐以作為對中央討價還價的是開價。
綠皮書分特首普選模式﹐立法會的普選模式和路線圖及時間表三大項。很多泛民主派甚至報章的評論﹐也把錯誤重點放在2012或2016上。行軍打仗可以用空間換取時間﹐在普選上則應以時間換取權力。何時有普選故然重要﹐但更加重要是我們得到一個怎麼樣的普選。那些政黨和議員很緊張立法會的普選模式﹐因為那是他們爭奪權力的兵家必爭之地。對於一般香港市民﹐取消功組別已是共識﹐問題只是空出來的三十席如何分配。越簡單的立法會選舉方法﹐對市民越有利﹐因為政黨可以操控的空間越少。我主張一人一票產生全部議席﹐不同政黨按得票取得相應的議席數目﹐讓香港全面實行正式的政黨政治。
特首提名後的普選方式其實不太緊要﹐ 用一輪普選也可以解決過半數認受性的問題。選民在選票上可以填投票的次序﹐若第一志願落選的話﹐票源歸入第二志願如此類推﹐直有一候選人取得過半數票源。這個方法聽起來有點複雜﹐其實香港人早己熟識多重選擇的投票方法﹐這投票方法比中一入學派位和大學聯招還簡單。提名方式上﹐候選人四個或八個﹐十個都沒有所謂﹐兩個就太少了。我主張不設最低門檻或最高上限﹐得到最高提名的那幾個就自動成為候選人。我把提名委員會留到最後才說﹐是因為提名委員會的組成和產生方法﹐才是整個政改方案中﹐重新分配香港與中央權力的關鍵所在。市民不要給綠皮書中的那三個建議定下的框框所限﹐不論多於八百人或少於八百人也好﹐只要提名委員會仍在中央影響下產生﹐香港市民說沒有真正的民主普選。基本法規定一定要有提名委員會﹐那麼就把提名委員會擴大為全香港合資格的選民好了。讓香港市民有提名特首的權力﹐才能實現真正的民主普選。
不過就算提名委員會原地踏步﹐用回第三屈特首選舉的產生方法﹐也不是致命的問題﹐至少袋巾也有足夠提名入場。有一件事在綠皮書中不停強調﹐但沒有給與市民選擇的自由﹐就是基本法規定中央要對當選特首任合的要求。政制方案必須要解答這條問題﹐若果中央不任命當選的特首﹐應該如何處置呢﹖要上一屈特首扺得諗做多任﹐把第二高票數的候選人推上去再試﹐還是中央委派名黨幹部來當特首接管香港呢﹖特首要中央任命不是問題﹐在加拿大澳洲等英聯邦國家﹐民選總理當選後也會由英女王實質任命﹐只是英女王有無論如何也不會不任命的不成文規定。中央任命特首的問題不解決﹐談論什麼的普選模式也是枉然。
香港市民不要給綠皮書定下所謂普選斬件方案牽著鼻子走﹐中央任命特首與提名委員會的產生﹐才是真正的政治權力角力的戰場。