Served!

Somewhere there are kids in church reading slang words into the Bible while snickering during the sermon. Satan just got served! (Or was it the cardinals getting served?)

(via FailBlog)

After a little digging on the interwebs I located the original artist, Cosmo Sarson, and work here. Apparently this was inspired by a  Polish youth group which breakdanced for Pope John Paul II.

El Papa approved! As long as it's not pole dancing for Jesus.

So What?

I know this piece of news is a bit outdated but I just had to share. RNS posted an article over a week ago about how 4 out of 10 Americans just don't care for anything spiritual. Check out the link to read up on all the numbers but to me I still think numbers are well, numbers. But what catches my attention is the question behind the survey. Why are people drifting away from religion and things spiritual? I believe that Barry Kosmin, co-author of the ARIS and director of the Institute for the Study of Secularism at Trinity College hit the nail on the head.

“But a lot of these people are concerned more with the tangible, the real stuff like mortgages or their favorite football team or the everyday world,” Kosmin said.

People are more concerned with the here and now than what may or may not happen in the afterlife or concerned with seeking for the meaning of life. I know to many people religion is their number one priority and there is nothing wrong with that. I'm not saying just because your neighbor has different priorities that you should change yours, but it wouldn't hurt to get to know the why behind your neighbor's priorities. For example, there was an overly cheery, elderly gentleman who joined my family in the hospital elevator down to the ground floor. We were on our way back home from a visit with my wife's grandfather who is still recovering from major surgery when we ran into this elderly gentleman in the elevator. He was smiling from ear to ear and making small talk and joking with another passenger in the elevator when he made an interesting comment.

"I've not much time left in this world, we're all going to a better place."

 Now in the South you run into someone just about everyday who enjoys witnessing and sharing their faith, and at first this comment appeared as another public witnessing. It wasn't until on the ride home that it hit me: the comment was a cry for help. The poor man was probably visiting someone, his wife perhaps, who doesn't have much time left. He is comforted by the fact that his loved one will soon be going to a better place and that the pain will soon be gone. If I had realized his suffering sooner I might have at the very least given him an it's gonna be okay smile than just a hello smile. Believe me there's a difference. I would have gone as far as having a quick 3 minute prayer session with the gentleman in the hospital corridor even though I don't believe in the power of prayer. Why? Because my spirituality is based on my relationship with my fellow man. Our shared suffering and our shared joy is what brings us and binds us to one another. So when Americans in this survey are saying so what to traditional religion and God I don't think for a second they are saying so what to their fellow man. I believe they are redefining the boundaries of their community and identity. I believe they are moving from just loving their neighbor who sits next them in church to also loving their non-Christian neighbor who they pass by in the supermarket.

Does it really matter if more Americans consider themselves as a part of the Nones category or even as far as this subset of So What? I believe our morality flows from our humanity and our interconnectedness with one another than from any outside divine source. In the original article by Cathy Lynn Grossman, Scott McConnell, director of LifeWay Research, fears that this apathetic mentality and the goodness vs. godliness mindset is a disaster for Christians, "If you're not worried about heaven, you won't notice or care if Jesus is essential your salvation. You're not thinking about any consequences," McConnell says. I believe this fear is more based on the fear of identity erosion than about consequences. Just because you don't believe that Christ is your savior means that all morality gets thrown out with the window. Anyone who has lived in a dormitory understands that even if the dean or the RA is not around doesn't mean you can light firecrackers in the hallway or fail to pay attention where you're "aiming" while using the restroom. We all still live under one global roof and being apathetic to religion and spirituality does not mean we will forget about consequences.

Jesusween Vs. Halloween

Hands down Jesusween is scarier. Why? Because in the minds of those celebrating Halloween the holiday is a night of fun and entertainment all based in a world of fiction. The kids (and sometimes parents, myself included) go out dressed as superheroes, princesses, and ghouls, but at the end of the night they all return back to reality. As for Christians attempting to Christianize Halloween (i.e. Jesusween, Trunk-or-Treat, Hell House) the horrors of Hell and the Devil remain a reality in their minds the following morning. Don't get me wrong I'm not attempting to bash the theology of Hell ( Liberal theologians within Christianity already do that), believe in Hell if you want to but examine how your beliefs affect your relationship with your fellow man.



Via Onkneesforjesus

Do you really believe that broken, grief stricken people who turn to suicide and drugs actually belong in Hell, or is it the people who failed to reach out a helping hand to those in need? Why is it more popular for Christians to be so against homosexuality while at the same time so casual about poverty? Is not the greatest commandment within Christianity to love God and Man, not God or Man? If we, as human beings, are truly seeking to love our neighbor as we love ourselves we must learn to wrestle with the demons within us.

So instead of using Halloween to pass out Bibles and proselytize to young children how about saving your Bibles and Chick tracts for another day. Let's face it they're at your door for the candy and if you slip a Chick tract into their bag they'll just toss it out as another lame gift.

Thou Shalt Not Mock

Back in 2008 I took a Religion in Popular Media class at MTSU taught by the rascally Rabbi Rami. In that class I learned how to recognize and interpret religious and spiritual symbolism in popular media. Before taking this class I never really paid much attention whenever religion and spirituality intersected with popular media, and when I did I found myself seriously offended when my religious beliefs were "mocked". That was back in the good ole' fundie days. I never sat down to think and analyze why I found something offensive, I just did. Now I can't get enough of it, not because I enjoy mocking faith or religion but I find that the intersection of faith, spirituality, and religion with popular media does say a lot about the human condition. Take for example this latest episode of Mr. Deity (El) and Jesse (Jesus) meeting Allah in the dark matter showroom. Listen closely for the pop culture references. (Just to make things clearer, the explosion they reference towards the end is the Big Bang.)



So is this offensive? And if so which part? Is it the in the casual use of vulgarity and violence? Or could the offensiveness be found in the portrayal, lack of portrayal, or even in the passing remark that Allah and El could be twins? Maybe the offense is found in the blending of the sacred and the secular? I love Mr. Deity because the show blends the darker issues and topics in religion seamlessly with a comedic tone, topics which most people are afraid to even mention. I believe the real reason someone would find this offensive is because they're more afraid of dealing with the "skeletons in the closet" introduced in the clip than the vulgarity or even the "skewed" imagery of the divine. What do you think?

Religious Venn Diagram (According to Google)

Google, what would we do without you.
Praise be Google. Google Almighty knows best!

(HT Blame It On the Voices)

I guess Christians and Muslims have more in common than they thought.

The Sacredness of Ground Zero

There has been a passionate yet polite discussion on the Spiritual But Not Religious Facebook page on the building of a mosque near Ground Zero. The discussion seems split down the middle between those for and against the building of the mosque. The main argument against it seems to be that the decision to build the mosque should be left to the people of NYC and the survivors, while the main argument for building is that allowing it would encourage Americans to dialogue and learn more of this commonly misunderstood faith. A few thoughts struck me as I read through the discussion.

First, it seems as if the land at Ground Zero bears a since of sacredness from the aftermath of the attack. This I do not argue with but we must be careful that honor and respect for those who died upon that now sanctified ground does not turn into idolatry, and idolatry into tribalistic hatred for Muslims. I'm just urging caution. Second, not all residents of NYC are Christian (or other), many of them are Muslim, several hundred thousands of them, and since they're also NYC residents their voice should not be dismissed simply because they are a minority group. If a church were to be built there instead I doubt this would have made the papers and caused non-Christians to protest.

My final thought on the matter is on the huge amount of misinformation floating around the internet on how this mosque will be used for terrorists to infiltrate the U.S. There is a great Q&A with the Lead Developer of the Park 51 Project, Sharif el-Gamal which sheds some light onto the detail of the planned project. Aziz Poonawalla over at City of Brass conducted the interview, click here to read the entire article.

So what do you think?

Ganesh is Fresh!

I was able to catch an interesting program on To the Best of Our Knowledge from Wisconsin Public Radio today on my way home from church focusing on the intersection between Eastern spiritual tradition, religion, and culture with 21st century modernity.

[Ganesh is Fresh t-shirt is inspired by MC Yogi's new album Elephant Power.]

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For more info you can visit the To the Best of Our Knowledge website, or you can click here to listen and download the one hour program entitled New East, Old Wisdom.

Although I missed the first segment on William Dalrymple's new book, Nine lives, on the search of the sacred in India and a report on China's influence and shaping of lives in Tibet, I did catch the segments on MC Yogi and Stephen Batchelor's book, Confessions of a Buddhist Atheist. Although Batchelor's book on rethinking the life of the Buddha is intriguing (and is now on my ever expanding booklist) I found the segment on MC Yogi phenomenal! MC Yogi blends elements of hip hop with Hindu mythology. I don't listen to much hip hop myself and I know the blending of religious imagery with modern music has been done before but I find Hindu hip hop invigorating, or should I say fresh?

A Couple Random Thoughts

First I have to say that I finally got around to watching the Lost series finale last night and absolutely loved it. It all clicked for me when Ben refused to go inside the church near the end, I immediately thought of The Last Battle of the Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis. If you're confused by the ending reread the last chapter of the Last Battle or read these articles which explain it much better than I ever could. I'm slowly going through my Google Reader and reading finale explanations by other bloggers. I'll post links to my favorites here soon I'm waiting for a few more bloggers and vloggers to post their thoughts (including Andrew Hackman's thoughts over at Hackman's Musings).

I'd also like to mention for those interested I've added a neat little button off to the right a couple months ago which I find amusing to use. The random post generator, the orange button with the two arrows, generates a random post from my archives. I encourage you to try it out and see if you find something interesting to read until my next post.

Highway Billboard Wisdom

If any of you are familiar with the strip of I-24 from Chattanooga to Nashville you probably recognize this billboard or at least have driven by a similar one.

"Life is short. Eternity isn't." -God

My initial thought whenever I pass by is what would the people of Godspeaks.com think if I put up another billboard stating "Everything returns to Me, the compassionate, the merciful." -Allah.
There's nothing wrong with ad wars, right? I mean if Verizon and AT&T can do it why not religions, they're businesses too. My following thought is that the Godspeaks billboard is so entrenched and accepted as the norm that ANY OTHER public message which carries a contrasting religious tone is considered a threat to the majority faith. How Christians handle the mental gymnastics of "equality" within a highly diverse country while proclaiming any other voices as a threat to themselves, our country, and freedom itself is far beyond me. (Someone please explain to me how this is done. Should I reread 1984 and grasp the mechanics of doublethink first?)

(Note: When I looked up Godspeaks.com and checked out their billboard section all they had was a link to their 2009 Nascar campaign. Hmm. God can put up a billboard but has trouble managing His website on the internets. Fortunately, I was able to find this photo on an Atheist site.)

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For those at home keeping score, churches across our Christian nation are increasingly finding themselves with rows upon rows of empty pews and stacks of dusty collection plates. At first this was blamed on the recession: sadly, like grampa at the nursing home, nobody wants to waste gas driving to visit God every Sunday (anyway, there's a game on tv).



But when the PEW survey came out last spring showing that there is a small but growing shift from organized faith to personal spiritual searching outside the control of the clergy, the religions ramped up their ad campaigns. These campaigns have been around for decades but it seems that they've been growing in the last few years. Scientologists, Atheists, and Muslims (oh, my!) have also jumped on the advertising bandwagon. The billboard on I-24 in particular got me thinking in a manner opposite of its original intent. It was meant to deliver, as Sean Prophet at Black Sun Journal describes as "a thinly-veiled threat of eternal torture and damnation". Thin enough to cause you to think about life after death as you careen down Mount Eagle at 80mph (again if you're familiar with this area you've probably also had a near-death experience coming down the mountain). The quote itself can be read in the spirit of Kohelet, the narrator of Ecclesiastes, and many non-religious folks in the South: everyone dies, there's no life after death, so invite a few friends over and have a party. The Universe was fine before we were born and it will continue after we're gone. It may seem eternal from our perspective, and it may be, but all we have are our 80+ years (if we're lucky) so let's enjoy our little blip and not worry about an afterlife which may not even exist. This is where the religious folk confuse the wisdom of Kohelet with hedonism. Ecclesiastes (along with many of us considering ourselves postmodern, progressive, realists, etc.) does NOT say that we should indulge and give in to our every urge, but to just sit back and simply be. All we want to do is sit out on our porch and just breathe. I'm not threatened by eternity, I stand in awe of it. Shouldn't we be that much more grateful for our microscopic existence and not attempt to annihilate one another over God, politics, and resources?

"Life is short. Breathe it in." -God

God's Identity Crisis?

I got a chance to catch up on Mr. Deity season 3 episodes today. My favorite one, and probably most theologically amusing thus far, is Mr. Deity and the Identity Crisis. For those unfamiliar with Mr. Deity he's a brief rundown. Mr. Deity is a series of short 2-7 minute comedy films by Brian Keith Dalton about the behind the scenes workings of the universe surveyed by Mr. Deity (God) and his assistant Larry (the Holy Spirit). in this clip Mr. Deity and Jesse (Jesus) are attempting to figure out the theological paradox that is the Trinity. Enjoy, and see if you can keep up.

The Empty Pot at the End of the Rainbow

I just stumbled across this video and just had to share this with everyone. I believe this video sums up the eternal chase we experience in life. Life isn't about the end but about the experiences throughout our journey.

The War on Christmas is Bullsh*t.

And the use of language is very necessary. Why? Because this faux war on Christmas is a defense of the definition of Christmas and the underlying beliefs and traditions. Those who cry that Christmas is under attack by secularist (and liberals) are not only ignorant of the history of secularization and pagan influence on Christmas but they condemn their "attackers" for expressing the very spirit of Christmas the "true defenders" claim they are defending. Although I'm wary of quoting from the Washington Times, I found this recent article very revealing on the true nature of the War on Christmas.

Focus on the Family's annual Stand for Christmas project invites shoppers to rate retailers based on their "Christmas-friendliness" which is measured by how much each retailer promotes Christmas via displays, background Christmas music, and if the sales associates wish the customers a "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays".

"The idea is to encourage retailers to keep the Christ in Christmas and counter the recent drift toward the secularization of the holiday", said Focus on the Family's Carrie Gordon Earll. [Quote from above article]

Yet, retailers aren't concerned over the preservation, or even removal, of the traditional definition of Christmas, their main concern is profit! Although I only have 4 years experience in retail and a meager understanding of marketing from my college education it's pretty obvious that a retail store markets their store image to pull in the greatest amount of customers. Once the customers are in the store they use various methods to keep them shopping (end cap displays, impulse items, signs for easy navigation, etc.). ALL retailers use the holidays as a marketing tactic especially during the Christmas season. The switch by some retailers from the use of Merry Christmas to include Happy Holidays is because the retailers are AWARE that society is diverse and if they marketed universally to include other holidays they would be welcoming more customers. Isn't a universal message of love and acceptance for your fellow man a part or even the core of the Christmas spirit? Or should we only love those within our tribe, who share our beliefs, traditions, and values? In the mind of the defenders, The War on Christmas is really a war on Christianity, specifically the exclusivity of Christianity. Again retailers aren't warring against Christmas nor are they attempting to remove Christ from Christmas since this would only alienate a huge market. If the true spirit of Christmas is to only love and embrace only those who are like minded I want no part in Christmas. However, I believe this is bullsh*t, as well as the War on Christmas.

The Fountain Revisited- Part 1: Paradise Lost

The Fountain is by far my favorite film of all time (and it's the only movie I allow myself to cry in front of my wife). I even wrote a paper on the religious and spiritual themes of the film for my Religion in Popular Media class. When it was released in 2006 it got a few bad reviews mainly because of the vague and confusing ending which is why I recommend watching it twice. I thought it was a beautiful film the first time through but the second round just blew my mind. The film is vague in it's meaning and ending leaving the audience to come up with their own conclusions. This series will take a second look into my revised thoughts on the film's spiritual and religious themes.

[Promotional poster for The Fountain, Copyright Warner Bros. 2006.]

Warning: Spoilers there be!

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This film can get quite complicated and highly confusing to a first-time viewer, especially the ending. Yet, it is in this confusion that each viewer can carve out his or her own interpretation and meaning from the film. The film revolves around the core theme of life from death. Each of the characters wrestle with the fear of death in hopes of escaping the inevitable yet it is only when they accept death as an intricate part of the human experience are they freed from their mortal cages and earn true immortality. Most Westerners envision immortality as a prolonged existence in this life wherein we decide our moment of death. We struggle all our lives in avoiding that specific experience as we overlook the joys of the present.

You can read my synopsis here but to quickly summarize our main characters, Tommy and Izzi Creo, battle with death in all three ages: the 16th, 21st, and 26th centuries. The film is set in the 21st century where Tommy, a research oncologist, races against time to cure his wife's brain tumor. Meanwhile, Izzi is writing a book set in 16th century Spain where the two main characters, Tomas and Queen Elizabeth, race to find the Tree of Life in the new world. The film flashes back and forth between these two centuries and one set in the distant future. In the 26th century Tom, the space traveling monk, is headed towards a distant dying nebula traveling with an aging tree in an ecospheric spaceship. He is traveling with a Tree of Life, which is carrying Izzi's essence (or soul), to Xibalba, the dying nebula representing the Mayan underworld. Although the main plot of the film is set in the 21st century, the story is told through the eyes of the space traveling Tom recalling the events which set him on this journey.

Unfortunately, although 21st century Tom discovers a cure it is too late and the viewer learns that it is Izzi's tragic death which causes Tom to travel to Xibalba, the Mayan underworld where souls go to be reborn.



Hours before her death Izzi shares a story with Tom about Moses Morales, Izzi's Mayan guide on a trip she took to research her book, and the death of his father. Moses said that if they dug his body up he would be gone. They had planted a seed over his grave and that his father became part of the tree. "He grew into the wood, into the bloom. And when a sparrow ate the tree's fruit, his father flew with the birds. He said, death was his father road to awe." At the end of the film you see Tommy planting a seed over Izzi's grave then look up into the sky at Xibalba. The tree in the ship is the same which Tommy planted 500 years prior. This was my original interpretation and understanding of the film: Tommy loses Izzi and then travels through space to be reborn together in Xibalba. I had interpreted the film with a "literal lens" and lost the meaning the film was desperately trying to present.

I knew that Tomas and Elizabeth were fictional characters in a book, yet I interpreted the trip through space as literal when it is a symbolic representation of Tom's inner journey from pain and suffering towards peace and acceptance. And it is through this acceptance that we begin to see, hear, and experience life more fully. The fear of death governs our lives, and as it inches closer we wrestle, claw, and fight tooth and nail with the mortal and immortal powers which have kept us alive thus far. We demand for more time calling God unjust for creating us mortal. Why can't we just live forever? Maybe we can although not in the literal sense. All we can do is try to enjoy the eternal moments we have NOW instead of worrying about the lost moments we won't have later. If we truly enjoyed the NOW then the it won't matter if we lived 20 years or 70, what is important is that we lived, loved, and connected with one another.

Great Value Caskets?

I didn't know whether to laugh, cry, or be horrified when I first heard this latest news. Yet, when I heard on NPR that Wal-Mart had started selling caskets online I knew then that the company I once dedicated 4 years of my life stocking its shelves and unloading its trucks will continue to influence every stage of my life. From infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, my sunset years, and eventual death, Wally World will always be here to provide us with our every need at everyday low prices.

Let us stop and give thanks to the Great Provider and his messenger, Sam Walton.

Our Provider, who art in Bentonville,
hallowed be thy shelves,
thy people come to browse and buy,
the pious stay to serve you nigh.
Thy will be done from west to east
on Earth as it is Bentonville.

Give us this day our Great Value Bread,
and forgive us for shopping at Target,
help us save money, so that we may live better
for thine is the market, the profit, and the shares
forever and ever, Amen.

Now I can rest in peace with the knowledge that my death won't be a serious financial burden.

Good Times Being Slain in the Spirit

In Novemeber of 2007, the news broke that Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa was spearheading an investigation to probe 6 prominent televangelist to see if they're misusing tax-exempt donations to live lavish lifestyles. A few of these televangelist preach what has been called the Prosperity Gospel, which is the notion that God showers material prosperity on those whom he favors. God wants you to be successful but if you don't follow his Will, God will punish you with poverty. Of course these televangelist must be doing something right to live in luxurious homes, fly in private planes, and own marble-top $23,000 toilets, right?

Benny Hinn sat down recently with Dan Harris on ABC Nightline for a rare interview. Check it out.



A part of me hopes they nail this guy for misusing tax exempt donations, but what happens then to the millions of people who draw hope from Hinn's ministry? Yes they'll be enlightened to his greed but at a great personal cost: the donations they've sent in, the prayers they prayed, the hope they put into the healing power of Benny Hinn's words would have all been in vain. Some will be angry, some might fall back into depression, while others might be thankful for having their eyes opened to the truth. Where will those millions of people go? Wherever they might find solace for the pain they endure in this world. Even though some may find religion as poisonous and primitive it does bring hope, comfort, and peace to millions. So if we're not personally willing to go and comfort those in need, they will find it themselves even if it costs them every penny.

I personally can't take Benny Hinn very seriously. A man who claims to be a man of God while sitting on that much wealth, and thinks he needs it all to survive, is depressing when you think about how much good he could do with it. And the fact that his name reminds me of Benny Hill doesn't help much either. Priceless!

Hell House

"A part of Salvation is being afraid of going to Hell." Youth Pastor Tim Ferguson

In 2001, director George Ratcliff came out with his documentary entitled Hell House, on Christian haunted house attractions bearing the same name.

"Hell Houses are a distinctly American phenomenon which began in 1990 just outside of Dallas, at the Trinity Assembly of God Church. The original Hell House was conceived as a modern-day fire-and-brimstone sermon. Today, this religious ceremony of sorts is replete with actors, extensive lighting equipment and full audio-visual tech crews." (Hell House Site)

But the vampires, ghosts, and demons of a traditional haunted house have been replaced by scenes of family violence, suicide, abortion, drug and alcohol use. Instead of scaring kids with Freddy Krueger their using real life situations and the fear of eternal damnation to spook them into salvation. Is Christianity really about being afraid of Hell? Is their any room for fear in a message of Love? What do we do with this message of Fear?

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Back in 2006, a coworker invited me to attend a Christian haunted house and I gladly accepted. At the time I had recently begun immersing myself into studying all kinds of religious beliefs so I thought it would be interesting to see how Christians would pull off doing a "Haunted House".

The church was packed! It was a 45 minute wait until I got to go through this Christianized haunted house attraction. They moved us in groups of 15 from room to room (with Demon guards yelling to keep moving) as we watched the events surrounding a troubled family: suicide, abortion, drug use, you name it. Demons and angels argue and battle over the family throughout the attraction representing the struggle within the character, with short monologues by the forces of good and evil explaining the plot. As the events climaxed half the family had died in sin, the other half repented. The Hell House I went through did not comfort nor support the sinners. Yet those who repented even on the verge of death were granted eternal life. After walking through the Hell scene with sinners trapped under plexiglass clawing, begging for escape we entered into through the gates of Heaven to be welcomed by Jesus, angels and the saved. The production was phenomenal, the acting was great, but the plot along with all of its assumption was downright frightening.

At the end of this judgmental house of horrors we were invited to sit and talk about what we experienced. Out of a group of 15 only 6 of us stayed for the do-you-know-where-you're-going-after-you-die speech. After a 5 minute crash course on salvation found through the blood of Christ the speaker gave us two options. 1) Those who know their saved are welcomed to leave and 2) those who are unsure about their salvation are encouraged to stay. In retrospect, I'm now curious to know what was said to those who stayed. Yet, I did not want to get into an argument, so I smiled, got up, and left. There would be no benefit in pointing out the lack of compassion, and contradictory message of love and fear that they were sending out. The most I would have received would be a prayer for my salvation, and if things got heated, an escort off the premises.

The Hell House I went through is almost exactly like the one seen in Ratcliff's documentary. Here is the trailer to George Ratcliff's 2001 candid documentary, Hell House.




No earthly redemption is found for the drug addict, the pregnant teen, nor the abusive father. The crowd receives the message that those who suffer in this life will also suffer in the next. My heart went out to those in Hell because they were condemned for losing hope. They lacked the strength to bear the errors they made in this life, so they are punished for not reaching out to the divine. The suicide who lost the will to live, the teen trapped in the world of drugs, the pregnant teen who aborted her child, and the father who found little solace at the bottom of the bottle. All these people are condemned without a loving embrace or a hand of encouragement. They are portrayed as unrepentant sinners in the hands of an angry God. But why exactly are the hopeless damned? Is it for theological reasons? Is it because they made the wrong choices? Is it because they are sinners and as sinners they MUST seek out Christ? The church would respond with an emphatic YES! But are these not the very same people that the gospel claims Jesus came to comfort, rescue, and love? Are these not the disenfranchised, the outcast, the sinners, the hopeless, and the unloved? Are we not responsible for reaching out to the downcast not by striking them with the Fear of God but reaching out with the Love of God? There is no love found in fear, and setting up an attraction of fear to encourage a message of love may bring in the curious but will push away the seekers.

If you haven't seen Hell House I highly recommend it. If you have a Netflix account they are now streaming it over their site. Or if you're feeling adventurous go and visit a local Hell House and experience it for yourself.

Know Yourself. Know Life.

Know Yourself. Know Life. The new slogan for Scientology which recently aired on three new beautiful commercials entitled, You; The Search; and Life. I know as much about Scientology as I do on the Greek Orthodox Church, zilch. But these commercials took my breath away! I've seen other religions market on the tele, most notably the LDS, but nothing like what Scientology pulled off in 60 seconds of pure inspiration.

[Scientology's official logo]

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You can watch all three of them here. I saw the one entitled Life earlier in June and at first I thought it was another car commercial until they put up their slogan: Scientology. Know Yourself. Know Life. How can you not love that slogan! I'm sure there is a Buddhist group somewhere kicking themselves for not grabbing that slogan first. In fact, I'm not even aware of any other religious groups that have slogans. All three videos share one main theme: by fully understanding who we really are we can enjoy life to the fullest, and Scientology has the answers.

The really interesting thing about these commercials is it's BROAD message. So broad in fact that you can insert the name of just about any religious group and the commercial would still have the same impact. I'm sure many scoff at the end when they see Scientology flash up on the screen, but nevertheless, there is always somebody out there that will take the opportunity to look. And can you blame them? With most religious groups in the U.S. losing members now is the time to do some heavy marketing. Even Atheists are jumping on the advertising bandwagon. And why not? If you can spare the change to advertise your faith, then go for it. In fact it might even help to dispel misconceptions about certain beliefs. Last November the Muslim communities of South Florida launched a bus campaign inviting people to call real live Muslims with questions about Islam. I think it would be a great idea if every religion had some sort of hotline where anyone can call and speak to someone about their faith. Of course there is the issue of funding and hundreds, if not thousands, of crank calls or callers expressing their hatred against a particular faith.

Are any of these methods of advertising effective in anyway? I think it at least gives those who've been curious an avenue to explore other faiths. Sure we have Google, but there's always the risk of landing on a site that completely demonizes the faith you were attempting to research. But without Google we wouldn't be able to find little gems like this one.

Hangin' Out with the J Man.

Ohhhh snap! I forgot I was gonna hang out with J.C. today, let's call him up and see what he's up to.

Sup J.C., where you at?

Over at St Philip Neri Catholic church? The one in Uckfield, East Sussex, right?

You saw who? Munoz? Will why didn't your main man Benedict come himself, was he busy? Ohhhhh, OK.

You want me to bring what? Sure I can bring my Nintendo Wii, you up for a little Mario Kart?

OK, see you in a few J.C.

[Photo: Images International]

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I love the Daily Show and the Colbert Report. Even though it is infotainment I get more news from these two show then I do from any other "news network". Click here and here for the background story to this bronze statue. Click here if you can't see the video. Check this out.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
ThreatDown - Charity, Casual Jesus & Robot Teachers
colbertnation.com
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Offended? Intrigued? Confused? How does Casual Jesus make you feel about your image of the Lord and Savior to billions? I think it is an incredible repackaging, but not reshaping, of what Jesus means to people. He is a transcendent figure that is just as relevant today as he was 2000 years ago. Mark Twain was right when he said that "clothing makes the man", your image can help or hinder your status in society. I believe that Jesus, as a symbol, transcends our fickle social rules even though WE put limits as to how Jesus is portrayed. And I'm sure to some Jesus in Jeans is very offensive. It is taboo to change the traditional image of Jesus in any way, because for some changing the image equates with changing the message.

But why? If Jesus were to appear among us in the 21st century he would stand out like a sore thumb if he DIDN'T wear clothing from this century. Jesus did not strive to stand out in 1st century Palestine and I doubt he would try 2000 years later. In all of the various Christianities (plural) Jesus always carried the appearance of a commoner regardless of his nature (fully Human, fully Divine, or both). It is through his common appearance (one of us!) that we relate to his spirit speaking to us from within. Truth carried and shared in ANY vessel can still be recognized as Truth. It doesn't matter if Jesus wears jeans, a dress, or is completely naked.

Any change to the traditional image of Jesus still rattles too many cages. Back at GCA during Sabbath School we were shown a short video on the life of Jesus and I had mentioned how he looked like a hippie in the film. As soon as the words came out I knew that it was a bad idea to share my thoughts and that I had worded them improperly. I was given a mini-lecture on hippies and their wild drug induced, "free love" adventures and how I should avoid equating Jesus with those sinners. I was 16 at the time and my knowledge of the outside world, let alone the 60s, was very limited. I knew about the drugs and free love but what I was trying to point out was that Jesus wore sandals, loose clothing, and long hair; the outside appearance reminded me of hippies and not the inward appearance of the character. I tried to argue my point but was quickly shot down. The statement alone can be offensive around certain people and it didn't help that my friends were suspected of participating in a recent school drug scandal; to them I was guilty by association. The moral of the story kids is if you attend a private Christian boarding school you should not associate with questionable characters nor speak your own thoughts if they run against the school's official teachings.

Does Jesus in Jeans offend or inspire? Sculptor Marcus Cornish said

"The clothing is loosely contemporary in order to connect Christ to his people now as much as to his past. I hope this sculpture will inspire and communicate in very human terms, reaching out and being relevant to both the congregation and local community."

It's not that it's necessary for us to change the image of Christ so that we can relate to him in the 21st century but as time progresses so do the languages and symbols that define the Truth contained within the Logos. Humanity needs symbols to grasp, understand, and experience the divine and because of the difficulty to internalize God do we need "a finger pointing to the moon" to show us the way. The finger, let alone its appearance, is of little importance compared to what it points towards.

The Noah We Don't Knowa

Darren Aronofsky has filmed and written several challenging stories like a genius mathematician in pursuit of a number that will predict stock market picks and one man's 1500 year quest to save the woman he loves. Most of his films haven't been as financially successful as major studio films but he makes up for it as a great storyteller. Now, Darren wants to tackle a story of biblical proportions.

[The Drunkenness of Noah, Sistine Chapel ceiling (fresco), 1509, Michelangelo Buonarroti]

The story of Noah has been done before, of course who can forget the 2007 film Evan Almighty, which took the Noah story in a more comedic direction. It was the most expensive comedy film produced at the time, but you do have to spend money to make money. Darren wants to film the Noah that history has forgotten, a dark and tormented Noah, a side of Noah that most people wouldn't imagine a Bible character having.

Darren Aronofsky told the Guardian in April of 2007:

"Noah was the first person to plant vineyards and drink wine and get drunk," he says admiringly. "It's there in the Bible - it was one of the first things he did when he reached land. There was some real survivor's guilt going on there. He's a dark, complicated character."

And recently elaborated a bit more with Ifilm in September last year:

"Yeah, I would hope so. It’s a really cool project and I think it’s really timely because it’s about environmental apocalypse which is the biggest theme, for me, right now for what’s going on on this planet. So I think it’s got these big, big themes that connect with us. Noah was the first environmentalist. He’s a really interesting character. Hopefully they’ll let me make it. Oh that’s right I forgot I told you that whole religious thing."

And in December he mentioned to Rope of Silicon that they will first be releasing it as a graphic novel.

So what do you think of a dark, environmentalist Noah who suffers from survivor's guilt? It can't be any more controversial than Martin Scorsese's 1988 film, The Last Temptation of Christ (which I own but have yet to see) but if it comes to fruition I expect it to get boycotted like any film that carries views, stories, or beliefs that conflicts with certain forms of Christianity (oh yeah, and don't forget that Noah, or Nuh, is also a prophet in Islam). If it is filmed in the context of a local flood instead of a worldwide flood this will open up a whole other can of worms between Creationist and Evolutionist. But there is one thing that most people forget about films, they're just stories! It doesn't matter if they're factually correct or if they portray certain characters that contradict with tradition and text. What matters is what YOU get out of the story.

How does it move you? What emotions are stirred? How does Noah's personal suffering speak to you about the human experience? We use stories as a means of communicating our deepest emotions that mere statements have difficulty properly reproducing the desired emotion. I can tell you that I feel sad or I can tell you my heart-wrenching story that caused my sadness. Storytelling is what helped Christianity rise to the top and spread throughout the world. Christianity's success has nothing to do with proper belief, ritual, and theology but the heart of Christianity lies in the story of Jesus who, because of his infinite and all encompassing love, suffered for the sins of the world to redeem it and become joined with the Father. It is the story which speaks to the heart, not the minute details of fact. Does it matter if 2000 years from now historians get the details of 9/11/01 wrong (3 instead of 2 planes hit the Twin Towers) or that it was a dark day for humanity as millions of people around the world mourned the tragic event? When has the details of a story become more important that the stories message? More importantly, what is the story telling you?

Losing My Religion

I was sitting in church last weekend and a thought struck me: how are churches surviving through this recession? I have no idea what triggered it since this thought occurred while I was mesmerized by our pastor's fashionable tie. Whatever the churches are doing nationwide to keep afloat they better do something quick to attract more members since a new poll came out stating that more Americans have no religious affiliation. You can read the results of the ARIS survey here. I was going to make a fancy pie chart but decided that seemed like too much trouble. I am sure John King and his Magic Wall will take care of the pie charts on CNN, but until then here are a few of the numbers.

• Catholic population has moved from the Northest to the Southwest with California having a higher proportion of Catholics than New England.
• Northern New England has surpassed the Pacific Northwest as the least religious.
• Vermont has the highest report of those claiming no religion, 34%.
• 15% of those surveyed claimed no religion, up from 14.2% in 2001 and 8.2% in 1990.
• Overall Christians in America has declined to 76%, compared to about 77% in 2001 and about 86.2% in 1990. (1% drop doesn't sound too bad, but it's still a drop.)
• The Muslim population has grown to .6% in 2008 from .5 percent in 2001 and .3% in 1990.
• Only a mere 1.6% of Americans call themselves atheist or agnostic.

Cool interactive graph found here.

Why are organized religions in the U.S. declining? You would think that during this economic crisis that it would be on the rise but something is causing it's slow decline. Atheist have nearly doubled since 2001 from 900,000 to 1.6 million; so it's not that people are losing faith but that more Americans are not claiming a particular religion. It seems to me that more and more people are shifting away from the organized setting and taking a more personal and private course.

I am one of those 15% of Americans that do not claim any religious affiliation, but I feel that my spirituality has grown significantly in the last few years. As I've stated in other posts I do not consider myself a Christian in the traditional sense, but I do follow Christ and his teachings. I still attend church but I do not claim Christianity as my faith. It is not because I have no use for organized religion but that since I draw my spirituality from several religions I can not see myself exclusively following just one. My story is probably completely different from the other 15% of Americans who do not claim a religion, but the important point is that this group has been growing. It might just be that Americans get more out of personal and spiritual growth outside of an organized faith. Or it may just mean that Americans don't have time for or need faith as much anymore. As this group grows how will this impact the socio-political issues facing America? Will the Religious Right, or the Moral Majority, have a distinct secular political bloc to contend with in future elections?

I personally believe that Catholicism will take off during the next decade as the Hispanic population grows. We might even see the first Hispanic Catholic President take office. The point being that the religious waters are stirring even if it's not in the interest of the religious groups, they are still stirring. These times they are a changin'.