Is There Really a Point?

Last class to me kind of got out of hand with the whole evolution thing. At my church back home we have a science and Christian conference every year that gives evidence that the Bible gives clues about how the world and everything is connected. I'm not going to bother arguing with anyone about this because I don't really think there is a point. Basically I thought it took us of coarse a little to long. The scientists wrote books that you can check out if you're really interested. Basically what I'm saying in this blog is was there a point in arguing about evolution? Or was it just something that God decided to put into the lecture without us knowing it and he wanted to point something out?

Voicing Your Thoughts...

In last class session, I couldn't help but to crack a smile at it. It was in the least, very interesting to see a student and Mr. Leeper go at it about the theory of evolution and religion. I'm sure a couple of people have said this in their own blogs but I just want to get my own opinion on this out there. To be honest, I was actually interested in both sides of the argument they were going at. Yeah, I might side on either Mr, Leeper's or go with the students to be quite honest it doesn't really matter. That will be my opinion and my opinion alone. But I also like to get both sides of the story before I just go sauntering over to one side of the argument. Its just the way I think that I will get the best answer out of it.

But all in all, I really enjoyed seeing those two going at it,. It kind of made me realize that if you don't say your opinion out to the public then you'll never get your voice out there. And even if you do and someone thinks otherwise just talk to them about it. Yeah, it might take awhile but its worth in the end because you'll have more information to back up your own opinion, whether its good or bad. Not to mention you might not change the other persons view about the subject but you did make them think about it at least. So put on a brave face and try to voice your thoughts sometimes, but just know when to quit before you make someone blow up. (hopefully not literally)

And here's some gifs just for kicks and giggles:

      

True Detective

Just recently I finished watching the first season of the HBO show True Detective. The thing that stuck out to me most about the first season was the acting and how great the characters developed through just 8 episodes. In the show, Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson play the two main detectives that are solving a serial killer case that spans 17 years in Louisiana. While the plot was good and enjoyable, it wasn't so much the story line that caught my attention as much as it was the acting.

The best part of the show for me was the interaction between the two main characters and how unique each of their personalities were. While the show did have some action and suspense to keep you engaged, it was the emotion the actors displayed that made it so great. After the first episode you already had a feel for what each of the characters was about and what motivated them to be detectives. I felt like I could connect with the characters because of their phenomenal acting and the passion they each put into their roles. The most incredible part about all of this is that the first season was only 8 episodes and yet it felt like it was its own series. Many other shows take multiple seasons to get this same effect and even then its not as good. It just goes to show that there is no substitute for good acting. 

I love being privy to people's positions on issues; in just a few sentences of dispute, you can understand who people truly are and what they believe. And if I'm lucky, people who disagree will break out into an argument, which is what happened in September 18th's class. I just sat in my seat and enjoyed my imaginary bag of popcorn. In my opinion, opinionated people are the best form of entertainment. As well, listening to both sides of an argument is probably the best education I could receive. Hearing the details from from both sides lets me develop my own position and feelings towards the issue. 

I've gone to church my entire life, and now that I'm a bit older, I realize that I've only been exposed to the creation story of God. Hearing that Leeper believes in theological evolution inspired me. I was intrigued by the science that supports that belief, and I would be open to hearing more. I don't know why someone would be opposed or offended by that. It really limits their experience at university if they are defensive every time they hear something new. 

I also know that Leeper has lived longer than I have, therefore he has a lot more life experience than me. He too has pondered and wrestled through different issues and come to his own conclusions, just like I am at this stage of my life. Watching him at the front of the class, sharing what he knows, makes me love and appreciate the human experience. As well, I am proud of Josh for standing up for what he believes, being able to confidently support it with evidence from scripture.

 What a joy to grow up, and know that I don't have it all figured out. What a blessing to have the opportunity to coincide with other christians in Intro to DMA class and hear what they have to say. And how great is it that no matter if someone believes in theological evolution or creation, at the end of the day, we are all saved by Christ.

Let the Art Make You

As always Leeper is speaking a different language to me in class, but I kind of got a feel of what he was talking about. Once again he states, "let the art make you" and don't stay in a specific genre if you're not completely good at it. It's pretty self-explanatory. Get outside your box. Don't focus on making the perfect film/art. Let it craft you let you grow. "If something is worth doing, it's worth doing wrong." And I apply this to my self more as I do a project, or anything film related, because I feel it needs to be perfect and I won't be excepted if my work isn't flawless. Long story short don't be afraid of your failures and learn from your mistakes. 

Let It Go (Sans Disney)

We've discussed a lot about what makes good stories and we've touched on what makes a good storyteller. The reading for last class was about the Christian's place in the media and we got off on other side topics that have stimulated many feelings. I think though that the intended lesson has, to some extent, been missed. The lesson being what is our role in life via what is the Christian's role in the media. I say this because I do not assume us all to be Christians nor do I think our purpose in life is so shallow that it only extends to what we do in the media.

At Signs & Wonders, we saw "Departures" and it really got me thinking about death and life and the meaning of it all. Then as I went over the blogs I had this thought, what is it that we will be remembered for in death. The stone Daigo finds in his father's "stone cold" hands (pardon the pun) is the symbol of the connection the two still shared and the lessons and traditions Daigo had learned that made him who he was. In essence, the stone was everything he needed to be connected to his long gone father. Got the idea? Good. Now, what stones are we leaving?

Christians are called, and not just by Rookmaaker, to change the status quo from what is wrong to what is righteous. And above all else, we are to uphold all attempts to take away the right to personal choice. We are to protect life, liberty, and freedom of every human being, even those whose beliefs we do not agree with. Is this best done through legislation clearly defining what is legally "good"? No, because what is legal is not by default also good. We shouldn't carve out laws of right and wrong. Who do we think the lawmakers are, God?

 

  Sorry, bit of a wild hare there. Back to my original point, what do we leave behind? Cause that is our purpose, to change things so they are better for the ones we leave. The rebels fought the British to have this land not for themselves but for their families and comrades. We gobble up what and whoever it takes to achieve our agendas and leave behind what we want to who we like. We look after our own and care not for (let alone love) our mortal enemies, our bitter opponents, our childish rivals. Bottom line is this needs to stop.

How this relates back to media majors again? We storytellers need to craft our tales based on what is in our souls so that the stories that come out are not cut and dry copies of Tolkien, Lewis, or Lucas; but also being careful not to let our agendas poison our work. Granted every tale told is a copy of the grand old monomyth, but still let's just tell stories. Is everyone okay with that?

"All you do is tell stories and doodle all day." "IT'S MY JOB!"

Sexuality and Christianity

There was a bit of talk about LGBT people, and how the suicide rate for them goes up when raised in a Christian home. It’s not surprising considering how many Christians have treated them like less than human. We have all heard Christians speak in terrible ways about people who do not hold the belief that sexuality means man and a women, and we have all heard people say unkind things about Christian people who do not hold their belief of freedom of sexual choice. This isn’t about what I think about sexuality, but how a Christian is supposed to treat people they disagree with. Whether you hold the belief that it is right or wrong God calls us to love people, and not just those who love us, for even non-believers do that much. How can it be so easy for the Christian to avoid people who have a different ideas of sexuality than themselves, and then say “let’s go out to those who need the word of God?” shouldn’t the people you disagree with be the people you seek out to talk to them to love them, and to tell them what you think the truth might be. Many Christians worry thinking that gay people might be trying to turn everyone into their way of thinking… whether that is true or not, isn’t that what Christians do, try to demonstrate logically an idea of how one should live? The persecution of gay people by Christians needs to stop, and tolerance is not how to do it, love and cordially disagree.

 

 

1. 2. 3. ACTION!

Tuesday in class we discussed very briefly the topic of action films. I payed attention to those two minutes of class very intently, because I love action movies. Mainly my fathers fault, my family constantly watches action films. I was very intrigued when Leeper said that the most important thing in an action film is the character development. He was absolutely correct. I went through my mind recalling every action movie I actually liked, and every good action movie has great character development.

My two favorite action movies are Die Hard and Lethal Weapon. Both of which have great main characters.

But, Die Hard and Lethal Weapon both became movie franchises that continued to spit out movie after movie forgetting about the character we loved. The movies began to focus on what new and crazy adventure their characters could go on and forgot about who John Mclain and Martin Riggs actually were. Thus making the later movies almost impossible to watch.

Going back and looking at what original action films were, and then what they became after the writers stopped focusing on the characters; gave me a new respect for the task of building solid characters. I will be paying so much more attention to my characters in my films now that I have noticed what made me hate the later films in these franchises.



Do you have any favorite movie characters that became boring after he/she were in more movies?
Comment them.

Lost All Our Humanity?

The debate, discussion, argument, whatever you call it in class yesterday along with some of the things I've seen in the blogs is really getting under my skin. It seems I can't walk past a mirror without noticing a snarl or grimace on my face because I'm just so infuriated.

Now, I don't care if you're a theological evolutionist or if you believe creation is how we got here. What upsets me more than anything else is a blog I saw--I believe it belongs to Logan--that argued against a point Leeper made in class. Leeper said that God and Christians have bigger fish to fry than evolution and class prayer. But Logan said, "No, you're wrong. These are huge important issues. We don't have bigger fish to fry." And for those of you who think like this... honestly, what the ever-lovin' heck is wrong with you?

So, you mean to tell me that you think the teaching of evolution is a bigger problem than teen suicide in the LGBT community? Than children dying of malnutrition and starvation in Africa? Than homeless people freezing on the city streets? You mean to tell me that you're so bent out of shape about evolution being taught in public schools that you've forgotten about the things that actually need fixing RIGHT NOW? If you think any of these things, which involve the endangerment of other human lives, are less important that what your child learns in public school, stay far, far away from me at all times. I don't want to be in your disgusting presence ever again.

With the amount of food we throw away, between the US, UK, and Canada, we could feed literally every single child in Africa, so why aren't we? Why are we getting our panties in a bunch about issues that don't even matter that much instead of actually doing what God would want us to do?

There was also a thing about how the Christian vote is the minority vote, and that's not true at all. A quick Google search shows me that 73% of the US identifies as Christian, and while that's a 4% decrease from what it was four years ago, it's still the majority. Maybe Christians are just starting to realize that what people think of as the "Christian vote" is unethical and unconstitutional. Maybe Christians are just starting to get a better grasp on their priorities and realizing, "Hey, you know what? Discrimination sounds like it sucks, and we kind of DO have freedom of religion here, so... maybe it's not right to impose Christian prayers in school or tell school boards that they CAN'T teach evolution."

If you're so worried about what your kid is learning, why don't you take responsibility and make sure that you teach your kid how to be a decent person and how to love their neighbor? Why don't you actually do your job as a parent and teach your kid to respect other's opinions even though evolution is probably wrong according to your beliefs? I think that if parents did that, the world would be a way better place. If your first priority ISN'T teaching your child how to love and respect and be kind to others, you don't deserve to be a parent. Never reproduce. I'm serious. They need to have a parenting license test, and one of the questions should be, "Now you won't get your panties in a bunch if your kid hears about evolution in school, right?" And if you answer, "Actually, yes, I will," BAM NO PARENTING LICENSE FOR YOU ANY KIDS YOU HAVE WILL BE TAKEN AND GIVEN TO PARENTS WHO CAN ACTUALLY RAISE THEM TO CARE ABOUT OTHER HUMAN BEINGS MWAHAHAHA

Furthermore, on the topic of evolution in schools, I don't know what public schools you guys went to, but I went to a public school for six years, and in those six years, I did have teachers who talked about religion. We learned about it mostly in History class and we talked about all kinds of different religions including Christianity, so hey! Look at that! Christianity actually does get taught in public schools, so stoooop with this ridiculous notion that Christianity and public schools can't coexist.

Now, I need an image for this blog, so I'm going to use an image of myself because
1) I look really good today #conceited
2) You all need to know who to avoid if you're going to continue to be horrible people and undermine the value of human lives.

I wrote too much again. I'm sorry, Leeper. Stop talking about things I'm passionate about.

Let's Do This Thing!

Just like in Saving Private Ryan, when the odds are against
us, victory is still possible.

I was really disappointed that we did not get to addressing Question 7 on our “Christians in a Changing World” reading guide. It honestly clears up so many questions brought up in class. It talks about how God has called us to bear witness at a critical point in history. Yes, our nation is not a Christian nation, but rather than sit around complaining about it, we need to actually do something. We need to make art, spread the Gospel, and love people! I don’t know about anyone else, but when I read from the article, “It is not only an exciting and interesting to be a Christian right now, it is a great responsibility and privilege,” I was filled with encouragement.

As Christians we are going on a grand adventure with ups and downs, persecution and acceptance. So lets embrace that idea. No war would ever be won or lost if the soldiers sat in their tents complaining that the battlefield didn’t have the right conditions for war. We are called, no matter what, to give it all up for Jesus. Let’s employ our humanity like Rookmakker says in order to reach out to other humans. We can fulfill this together!   

Self Entitled

I’m going to get in so much trouble for this post…Oh well. Reasons I post late at night.

I've noticed that self-entitlement is a huge issue in the Christian community (or, at least the part that I've been exposed to in my lifetime.) We tend to have this thought that because we are following the one true God our moral ideas are THE moral ideals and should be held to the highest of esteem… but you’re not the only one who thinks they are following the one true path. What about the devout Buddhist, Hindu, Wiccan, or Muslim? They all think they are following the best moral path, yet we balk at some of the standards of their religion: wearing hijabs, following a strict vegan lifestyle, or celebrating the Sabbats to name a few.

Let’s take an example. Many Christians I know think that being gay is a sin. Alright, that’s your thought and what you were taught; I don’t want to change your view in this post. Here’s the thing though… One moral teaching does not a law make. As soon as the teachings of a religious group interferes with those who do not practice the religion, we have a problem. That’s the basic idea. I could go into the exceptions of basic rights like education and women’s rights but I don’t have space for that.

Have you ever played a game with a child that’s losing? They will do their best to change the rules in their favor. They’ll claim that you’re cheating, or that you weren't being fair. And what do they do if they lose? They cry. Self-entitled Christians are a lot like that.

To push that analogy, the screaming child that tries to change the rules is one to be avoided. They place the blame on other people, causing others to resent them. Why are people so resistant to Christianity? Because they've had bad experiences with self-entitled Christians trying to throw in their entire bank account when only asked for their two cents.

TL:DR; Your religion shouldn't dictate societal laws. They should dictate the way you live your life, not your neighbor’s.

Don’t be a dick is what I’m going for here.

If you made it through this entire post, congratulations. Kittens for you.

Sometimes debates get in my head

Today there was a debate that I have experience with. My mom was a reporter, so I would often go with her to school board meetings. I remember when the prayer in schools issue came up, many people in the community were upset because they felt that their children were being forced to learn about evolution, because they felt it was a lie. I remember clearly one teacher purposely skimmed over the chapter on Evolution because he didn't really agree with it, and he was aware students didn't like it. Although the state required him to teach it, he felt that it was not important enough to spend more than a couple days on. Personally, I love evolution. I found it really interesting. I'm always been a big science person, and at one point I was even a biology major.

I don't like getting involved in discussions in large groups, especially when there are opposing viewpoints. I have anxiety, and in my head I feel like if I don't agree with something someone might say, that they'll hate me. Yelling also doesn't help. It just reinforces the feeling that people hate me, even if I have nothing to do with the argument. Much of my mental issues stem off of loneliness. This means I'm also scared to be myself  because I'm afraid that people will think of me differently. I'm aware that it probably won't, but it gets in my head and is hard to shake.

Today in Class...

Today sparked into a bit of a heated debate. I can't say much on it as I didn't care to, I zoned out. 

I'm not sure what the argument of evolution was, all I know is I personally believe that, while we didn't evolve from monkeys, evolution is an actual thing that happens within species and that's my say on that. I'm not sure where I stand on it being taught in schools. There are limits for both things, and if Christian belief of the world were taught in schools what's to say other religions wont complain and want their beliefs to be taught, or that atheists and other religions don't want their kids hearing that message.

As to why I zoned out, conflict is never something I've enjoyed, in fact it's rather emotionally jarring to me. I don't mind if people have a discussion and listen to what each other has to say, but it bothers me when people insist that the other should believe their side, rather than accept the other side isn't going to and move on. Arguments for me hold some intense emotions that it's become something I subconsciously react badly to. 

They do this because my parents often argued, they never struck one another, but they were often intense arguments nonetheless with what they said and how they said it, sometimes my mom would cry, and other times she'd just sit there and take it, and it always made me very angry because I felt she was in the right, but my dad refused to listen to her points and would insist it was her fault and whatever he was saying was the way things were. All these fights have caused a rather heavy scar on me that I get worked up during certain arguments, and I get worked up when people don't listen to me. For this reason I zoned out during the argument, it was a little too much for me.

I Believe In The Creator Of Heaven And Earth

My dear Christian brothers and sisters in Christ…  On this day, the 18th of September, I found myself perplexed and distraught by what took place in today’s class.  (I recall all of these events for the sake of readers who do not understand the context in which these events took place)  Professor Leeper was making the point that the Christian community at large has a false sense of entitlement when it comes to the moral values that America as a country upholds.  I agree with this.  Many Christians nowadays have a very warped sense of reality that is a direct result of Biblical illiteracy and bad doctrine.  Professor Leeper then went on to explain how Christians have a false ideology that proclaims “If we could just get a Christian into power then he would uphold our values and make everyone follow the right rules.”  (Which of course is ludicrous because humans are born dead in their trespasses and sins and are imperfect in every way shape and form)  This I also agree with!  Continuing on this thought, Professor Leeper then said that all we would accomplish would be shoving our morality down the throats of others.  (Which is partially true)  In my zeal, I then interjected that it would be just like how evolution (among other things) has been forcibly crammed down our collective throats in today’s society.  I had no idea that this specific comment would spark a nuclear firestorm.  But it did.  No sooner had the words left my lips, that Professor Leeper began to verbally lambast me for my remark.  It would have been one thing to simply disagree with my point of view.  However, Professor Leeper than began to discredit everyone who had the audacity to believe that God created the world in six literal days while at the same time not using evolution to do it.  For somebody who claims that certainty is a show of arrogance he sure does seem to be pretty certain that evolution is how things were created…  On top of that, saying that “Certainty is a form of arrogance” is a statement that requires some form of certainty to even say in the first place.  During our mostly one-sided discourse I made the remark that “It takes more faith to believe in evolution than it does to believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.”  I truly believe this.  Of course, I also believe that evolution and Christianity really have nothing to do with one another and are two deftly opposed ideas that cannot coexist within the same universe.  Some of you may be wondering where I get these seemingly outrageous ideas from.  The answer is scripture.  

 
In Matthew 19 Jesus Christ, the only Son of the living God, was asked by the pharisees “Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?” He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female,”  Clearly from this statement it is seen that Jesus knows that Adam and Eve were created by God as Genesis recounts.  Still don’t believe me?  

Jesus continues by quoting Genesis directly. ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” (Matt 19:4-6)  Jesus is God and God cannot lie.  Therefore, this passage is verifiably and certainly true.  Meaning that Adam and Eve were real historical people!  Genesis never once describes God forming the creatures of the earth over millennia and using the process of evolution to change one creature into another.  In fact, Jesus was so certain that Adam and Eve were real people that he even validates yet more details about Genesis in Matthew 23:34-35.

Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.

 Once again, Jesus is upholding the validity of scripture by recounting the name of Abel (the murdered son of Adam and Eve) from Genesis.  It would be absurd for Jesus to hold anybody accountable for the blood of somebody who was merely a myth.  Paul, in his letter to the Romans also verified the historicity of Adam’s existence in Romans 5:14.

“Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.”

It seems pretty clear from scripture that Jesus Christ our Lord believed in the Genesis account and so did the apostle Paul.  It clearly teaches in 2 Timothy 3:16 that… “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

It would be foolish of me to have a different opinion of scripture than the Apostle Paul.  It would be even more foolish of me to reject Jesus’ view of Genesis because he claimed to be God in human flesh and proved it by raising himself from the grave.

By the way, on the subject of Media Arts...  I will leave you with a wonderful song from the “Emergent Post-Modern Philharmonic Orchestra” with their rendition of "Also Sprach Zarathustra!"  They are a fantastic group that has freed themselves from the bonds of modernism and all those pesky rules about notes, timing, and are free to let the spirit guide them in their artistic expression.  Enjoy!

Back to Reality

Society today is really pretty messed up. There's so much war and evil and hatred. It's so hard to be a Christian in this world. Heck, it's hard to be human.

I think that that is one of the reasons people hold onto fairytales so much. It's an escape. It's a chance to run away and find your true love. A chance to tell a fish that all you wanna be is the ruler of the universe. A chance to explore the farthest corners of the world and still return home. A chance to be a hero in a world where sometimes it's hard to find one.

For us Christians, we can live in a fairytale, if we choose to. God is our hero. It's our job to be the world's hero. To direct people to him, to be the storytellers. We can be the knight in shining armor.

The thing about today is that the world is totally broken. That people are broken. But Christians get a chance to find healing, even though we live in this broken world, too. We can help people find their way through the darkness and fight their dragons. Even when they don't want to believe in God Himself, we can speak the words that they will listen to. Something that Rookmakker said that struck me was this: (in my own, quick note-jotting words here):

“it is not for us to condemn, for God is the judge, but to pray and work for them meeting them openly and without reproach, accepting their ways and customs…. This means we will have to study their problems, their ideas, know their language…. In order to be able to communicate."

Dudes. Everybody loves some kind of fairytale. Everyone has their escape. We as Christians have to help people find religion and peace in reality. And we can do that. Through stories. Through words. Through love, right? Judgement and argument gets no one anywhere. We are all humans, we gotta find common ground if we are ever going to make it. And Christians have a special place and a special task. If we have this chance, we might as well take it. Make life an adventure that we've always wanted. Just maybe not in the way we'd initially think. 

(Cause there aren't any like talking animals or big song and dance numbers every few scenes) :)