Visit my Math for Economists class!

Here is a short video from tonight's Math for Economists class. Here the professor is working an example of an optimization problem with multi-variables and multiple constraints using Lagrange Multipliers. Most of the class is usually theoretical and derivations of theorems, with a few numerical examples. This is one of those cases.



Last week, I mentioned my professor's statement that many mathematicians believe in God or some higher power. Well, tonight as he scrolled up the chalkboard, we found writing from the prior class. This time several Old Testament books of the Bible were recorded: I Kings, Judges, etc. He then told us about a law in Tennessee where they have legislated that pi be equal to 3 (and not 3.14159..) because the Bible states in I Kings that it should be 3. Actually, I Kings 7:23 says the following: "Now he made the sea of cast metal ten cubits from brim to brim, circular in form, and its height was five cubits, and thirty cubits in circumference." So based on this verse it seems the circumference divided by the diameter is 30 / 10 = 3. The professor also referred to a law in Indiana where there was a law setting pi to be 22/7 based on their belief in the Bible. Out of curiosity, I did some searching on the web. This is what I found about the law:

It appears the Tennessee pi law is an urban legend which began as an April Fool's joke in 1998. As for the Indiana law he mentioned, a Pi Bill was proposed in 1897 but never passed. However, it does not appear to be religiously based at all. I couldn't find any evidence of it, anyway. It seems the law proposed either using 3.2 or 4 for pi, not 22/7.

One website I found defended the Bible in I Kings. It says that because pi is 3.14159 that since the circumference was really 30 cubits then the diameter mentioned in I Kings should have been 30/3.14159 = 9.54, not 10. That website claims that the circle's circumference was measured on the inside of the circle but its diameter was measured from the outside of the circle. It says that if the circle had a width of 0.23, the inner diameter would have been 9.54 but the outer diameter would have included the width on both sides, adding 0.46. This would result in an accurate measuremment in the outer diamenter of 10. "Evidence" for this is found in I Kings 7:26 - "It was a handbreadth thick." I'm not sure I buy this explanation though. My guess is that during that time measurements were not so exact plus they probably weren't trying for an exact figure but one that is rounded. Anyway, "pi laws", as far as I know, have never been passed in America. Stories stating so are just urban legends.

Math & Religion

Tonight I had my Math for Economists course. It begins at 6:20pm each Wednesday evening. A sociology class meets in the classroom before we meet. Tonight, after the professor had filled up one board with mathematical formulas, the professor pulled down the sliding chalkboard to use the one underneath it. That board mentioned Jehovah, God, Elohim, priests, etc. Our professor said (paraphrased) "well maybe this does have something to do with economics.....actually, you know, a lot of mathematicians love math because it is so pure, so exact, and it is so beautiful....many mathematicians do believe in a higher power or God simply because math exists and it is so perfect." This quote was paraphrased but was very close to what he said. Despite being at a liberal northeastern university, I guess there are still teachers who break from the liberal mindset. I do not know for sure how my professor feels about religion, but I can tell that he is more conservative. From his discussions about economics, I do think he is more a follower of the Chicago school of thought rather than holding a purely Keynesian view. As far as what he said about God, I couldn't agree more. Mathematics is a truly amazing discipline, and I agree that it in itself proves the existence and reveals the glory of God.

All Saints Day

Hope you have a happy All Saints Day! (November 1).

At the Tabernacle

Yesterday, my grandparents, parents, and I attended church at the Brooklyn Tabernacle.



We were able to worship God with about 2,000 others. The church was a blend of many races -- A black family sat to our right, a Korean family sat in front of us, and an Hispanic man sat behind us. During the service, a missionary from Haiti spoke as well as a group from Western Michigan's Teen Challenge. One of the speakers was from western Kentucky. Here is one of the songs they sang.



Here is the chorus: Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty! Worthy is the Lamb who was slain! Highest praises, honor and glory... be unto your name! Be unto your name!

Democrats love the Lord!

Democrat Congressman & Senate hopeful Harold Ford speaks about religion. Watch the following clip where he implies that Democrats "love the Lord" while Republicans do not...



What role should religion play in politics? What role should politics play in religion? At the end of the clip, Mr. Ford says, "you're supposed to act it out" -- meaning that you should act on your faith and love for God. I think he is referring to the general perception of the public that Democratic leaning charities focus more on helping the homeless and ending poverty, while Republican leaning ones typically focus more on abortion. Republicans and Christian conservatives should, I think, be more observant of the need and compassionate toward the poor, especially those belonging to minority groups. Poverty is an issue, and if we as conservatives really care and love our neighbors, we should be trying to devise solutions to help rather than ignoring the problem. However, Mr. Ford crossed the line with his speech. There are many Republicans who have a genuine love for God, and most evangelical Christians have voted for the Republican candidate in the past few presidential elections. Mr. Ford was wrong to compare -- only God knows what is in our hearts. Despite my disagreement with Ford, I do realize that all of us, including myself, sometimes do stick our feet in our mouths.

To be fair, I should also mention the consistency of Mr. Corker's Iraq policy. Prior to the Republican primary, he said the US should "stay the course" in Iraq. Now in the general election, he is backing off that position -- even claiming he has never used that phrase. In my opinion, Corker did not intend to lie but probably forgot saying the phrase previously. I think his position on Iraq is not one of deep interest to him and he does not have a clear policy in his mind. Thus, I believe, it is easy for him, now that it is October, to forget what he said in July. Regardless, he did use the phrase which President Bush has now stopped using in reference to Iraq policy.

Muslims not responsible for 9/11 attacks?

Over the past month, I've been very busy with doing homework and studying for midterms. But I have found time to attend a few events on campus - the College Republicans, the Diwali dinner put on by the Hindu Student Council, etc. Tonight I dropped in on a meeting after my class finished. A female student was reading poetry and sharing her opinions about her faith as a Muslim in a large room full of students, most of whom were also Muslim. During her speech, she mentioned, "I do not believe that Muslims were responsible for the 9/11/2001 attacks on the World Trade Center." Wait, what? My first reaction was to look around the room to measure the response and outrage at her comments. There was none. I was a little outraged. I consider it a well proven fact that the hijackers on the planes were Muslims. I stayed for a few more minutes to listen as she read a poem about her emotions and feelings about September 11th.

I needed to catch one of the last B trains so I left after her poem. To be fair, I have no idea how her speech concluded. Anyway, as I was riding home, I reflected on what she had said. I think many non-Muslim Americans might have been offended by the student's claim. However, I tried to put myself into her shoes. What if Christians had been blamed for the terrorist attacks? Or what about abortion clinic bombers who have all claimed to be Christian. What about the Holocaust? Hitler claimed to be a Christian. But many Christians today would claim that Hitler was not really a Christian - that he just claimed to be for political purposes and the version he practiced was really a Nazi-manipulation. And I'm sure that is how this girl at NYU feels. She takes great pride in her faith because, according to her, of its love and peace, and perhaps she feels that the 9/11 hijackers were not true Muslims in their faith and actions -- only using the affiliation for al quaeda's own purposes. I had never considered this possibility before. Perhaps this is the truth, or perhaps this girl is completely wrong. Regardless, I now have a deeper understanding of how American Muslims might feel about 9/11. This is one good reason to try to walk a mile in someone else's shoes before criticizing them. It helps you better understand where they are coming from. (The other reason is that if they are angry after you criticize them, at least they will be 1 mile away and barefoot!)

Freedom of Religion with Chinese characteristics

"Giving away Bibles for free is a crime in China, according to a verdict recently handed down in the case of a House Church leader. Pastor Wang Zaiqing, a prominent Chinese House Church leader in Anhui Province was sentenced on Oct. 9 to two years in prison on the charge of 'Illegal Business Practices,' and fined 100,000 Yuan ($12,500.00). In addition, all the books in his home, and the funds used to print them, were confiscated. Pastor Wang was crippled at the age of 5. He became a Christian in 1993, and later became very well-known House Church for preaching and starting House Churches in several provinces around Anhui Province."

Wang Zaiqing's story brings up interesting ethical dilemmas, especially for a Christian. Should one always obey the commands of the government? China does allow for freedom of religion, but it is limited in that one may only publicly exercise this right in a government sanctioned houses of worship. Privately, one may carry on his/her religious beliefs inside the home. So the question arises, why does Wang see the need to disobey Chinese government officials? Why not just worship God in one of the government sanctioned churches? I know that most (if not all) of the leaders in the Chinese church are really followers of Christ. I met one while living in China. She was educated at a seminary in America, and her faith was real. So why not follow the rules?

On the other hand, the Chinese government does restrict religious practices. One cannot worship freely. You cannot start your own church without a permit. Most sanctioned churches only allow the use of a piano, but most do not allow the use of other musical instruments. Churches sing songs from a sanctioned hymn book, so pastors or music directors cannot introduce new songs each week. Some churches appear to be limited in the number of songs they can sing. Is this truly freedom of religion? No, it is not. Perhaps the Chinese government believes it is, but at best you can only call it Freedom of Religion "with Chinese characteristics".

When should people follow the laws of their government? The Bible commands us to respect political leaders. However, is there ever a time when civil disobedience is justified? Yes, just look at Bonhoeffer and others in the German resistance movement during the time of the Holocaust and the Hitler regime in Germany. I think most would agree that was an appropriate time. And obviously, Chairman Mao Zedong believed civil disobedience was appropriate in the 1940's. George Washington believed in it during the 1770's. And, it appears, Pastor Wang believes today is also an appropriate time. What do you think?

Democracy, Tibet Style

Xinhua news is reporting that Zhang Qingli, a Shandong native who recently worked in Xinjiang, has been "elected" secretary of the "Communist Party of China (CPC) Committee of the Tibet Autonomous Region. Recently Mr. Zhang spoke with the German SPIEGEL Magazine where he claimed that the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize recipient Dalai Lama has "deceived his motherland" and "did many bad things later on that contradict the role of a religious leader." When the magazine metioned that "The Dalai Lama enjoys a great deal of sympathy in America, Europe and in Asia, also because the Chinese Communist Party is not particularly democratic," Zhang did not comment about the issue. Is a man who only speaks "a few words of Tibetan," well qualified for the job?

Controversial new Bible

"A new Bible translation is causing controversy after it cut out difficult parts surrounding economic justice, possessions and money.The new bible version, released by the Western Bible Foundation in the Netherlands, has created a storm by trying to make the Christian gospel more palatable. "

Purpose Driven Theological Questions!

I got to chat online this morning with a friend of mine who has started a weekly study of the Purpose Driven Life. She has only been to church a few times in her life, and I'm glad I was able to help hook her up with the class. Anyway, now she has many questions for me! Here's a sampling of the questions we discussed in our chat this morning...

- I want to ask you a question: I was told that our life is not an accident--it was actually planned by God before we were born but there are babies dying every day because of the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. if God plans those babies to come to this world, then why didn't he stop it from happening?

- then when do you think God will intervene what is happening to us? for example, I heard people in the real world received God's healing power

- God promises that our life is eternal. in this case in order to go to Heaven after death, people would choose to have faith in God when they are dying--they might be really really bad when they are alive. then is it fair for those who believe in God for their lifetime and do good things everyday and pray every day?

She's a very smart & inquisitive girl.

Christian Politics

David Kuo, former second-in-command of President Bush's Office of Faith-Based Initiatives, has released a memoir about how his White House experiences left him disillusioned about the role religion can play in politics. Kuo, who I believe is sincere in his conservatism and his faith, wrote, "George W. Bush, the man, is a person of profound faith and deep compassion for those who suffer. But President George W. Bush is a politician and is ultimately no different from any other politician, content to use religion for electoral gain more than for good works. Millions of Evangelicals may share Bush's faith, but they would protect themselves—and their interests—better if they looked at him through the same coldly political lens with which he views them."

GOP delays Jesus' Plans

According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, a Houston pastor is claiming that Republican foreign policy is delaying Jesus' Return:

Voters should oust congressional Republican leaders because U.S. foreign policy is delaying the second coming of Jesus Christ, according to a evangelical preacher trying to influence closely contested political races.

K.A. Paul railed against the war in Iraq on Sunday before a crowd of 1,000 at the New Spirit Revival Center in Cleveland Heights, his first stop on what he hopes is a 30-city campaign.

The Houston-based preacher said he believes that the Bush administration has delayed the second coming because U.S. foreign policy has blocked Christian missionaries from working in Iraq, Iran and Syria.

I thought Jesus' return was going to be like a thief in the night (I Thess 5:2), not based on US foreign policy. I wonder if this will have an affect on the turnout of evangelical Christians this fall. Paul has a large following but is not well-known in the USA. He did previously counsel Saddam Hussein, and met and prayed with Speaker Hastert following calls for Hastert to step down for mismanaging the Foley-page crisis.

Matzah!

As an evangelical Christian from the South, moving to Brooklyn has given me another opportunity to better understand another religious group. I live in a predominantly orthodox Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn and encounter Jews everyday here. I have no problems with that, as they are friendly. I've encountered different religious groups everywhere I've previously lived - evangelical Protestants in Kentucky (my home state), Catholics in the Midwest, atheists in Silicon Valley, & Buddhists in China. But I don't think I've ever been so shocked before. Not that Jews here do anything shocking -- I'm shocked that I was so uneducated and unaware of their customs. We recently celebrated Yom Kippur here. That's not a big holiday in Kentucky or China, but, in my neighborhood, everything was shut down. When I walked outside to take the subway to class it was like living in a ghost town. The grocery store, the convenience store -- almost all businesses were closed. In Manhattan, the place I usually buy my dinner was open but had no food for sale. Anyway, this week, I searched the Internet and came across the following funny Matzah rap song.



No, I haven't seen anyone rapping in the neighborhood - but I can appreciate and understand some of the things in the song more now after living here. Just so you know, Matzah is unleavened bread eaten during Passover.