Suggested Thinking

The church I pass by driving in and out of my neighborhood has a new sign this week.

"Live today as though you will face God tomorrow."

That message pretty much sums up the Christian faith for me...Fear.  You better behave yourself before you end up in front of the ultimate parent figure that will dispense his judgment on you.  On the one hand, eternal life in heaven, on the other, eternal damnation in hell.  It's pretty black and white.  (I'll skip the bits about purgatory and the "age of reason" that excludes children, as those rules seem to vary.)

It always seemed odd to me that a God would create us knowing that the large majority would ultimately end up suffering for all eternity.  He created you with all your flaws, left you in an imperfect world to fend for yourself.  He left you a book that has been translated dozens of times, to be interpreted by these same flawed humans, resulting in thousands of religions with their rituals and rules.

You're on your own to figure out exactly which one might be right (hint...they're all wrong) and what he wants you to do.  If you guess wrong, he will banish you to hell to suffer until the end of time.

But he loves you....the ultimate contradiction.

Christians speak of morals provided by God, but the morals they follow are out of fear.  The retribution of God is harsh, so we better obey.  I see no value in morality from fear.  Why be good to gain a reward?  Seems like a selfish reason.  Why not be good for the value of being good?  Why do I need a God to threaten me into acting well?

I don't.

I bought a blu-ray player a few months ago and since then I've mainly been watching regular DVD's.  But this month I finally upgraded my Netflix account to blu-ray and many of the movies I received were on blu-ray.  The first thing I noticed was the sound....the DTS-HD Master Audio is freakin' amazing.  Yes, the picture was good and certainly better than DVD, but the sound was leaps and bounds above what DVD offered.  So no turning back, blu-ray is the deal.

But blu-ray and better sound does not a great movie make...as seen in my reviews of this months movies which include:

• Sherlock Holmes
• Liberty! - The American Revolution
• The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus
• Brothers
• Avatar
• Daybreakers

Philip Pullman, author of the popular trilogy, His Dark Materials, has a new book out called The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ.  Now, it's well known that Pullman is no fan of religion and His Dark Materials books have been labeled as atheist propaganda, so it's no surprise that this new book is getting some people up in arms.

It's a retelling of the life of Jesus from conception to death.  In this version, Jesus has a twin brother called Christ.  Jesus is the outspoken prophet while Christ is content to stay in the shadows recording the events and words of his brother and in some cases making small changes to help clarify the meanings.  Jesus believes the kingdom of God is imminent while Christ is more forward thinking concerned about building a structure for the future of the ministry that could last for centuries to come.

I listened to the audio-book which is a short 3 and a half hours, read by Pullman himself.  He does an excellent job of telling his own story and it moves along briskly.  The end is somewhat predictable but enjoyable none the less when it arrives.  I especially liked the chapter when Jesus is about to be arrested.  He's gone off to a clearing by himself to express he feelings to God about what is coming and his own revelation...there is some great writing in there.

This book probably won't appeal to anyone who is overtly religious, but if you take it as I did, as just a story and enjoy it for its literary merit, you may just find it worth the read.

I heard about this book because of a video that made it's way around the net.  It's of Pullman responding to someone complaining about the title of his book being potentially and purposefully offensive.  Here's his response, which in my view is one of the better defenses of free speech I've heard in a while.

The Baptist church I pass by going in and out of my neighborhood has a new sign up this week.  It says:

"To get to Heaven:  It's whom you know that counts."

As you can probably guess, I've got a problem with this.  They are referring to the passage in the Bible about Jesus being the only way to heaven.  John 14:6

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life:  no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

There's nothing in the book that says you'll go to heaven if you honor the 10 commandments.  In fact, there's very little in the Bible about getting to heaven, so I can understand the religious grasping at this bit of information.

But what this statement implies is that someone who leads the worst possible life can get into heaven with a deathbed conversion...just like the thief on the cross next to Jesus, he's dying and suddenly decides he needs to save his soul (Luke 23:40-43) and sure enough, Jesus accepts him into Heaven.

This is in complete contrast to a person who might have lead a good and selfless life, but doesn't accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.  Even if this person saved thousands of lives, lead a moral life and sacrificed their own, by Christian logic, this person would still go to hell.  Makes perfect sense right?  The Christians obviously have no concept of karma.

But this leaves some open questions...like, what about the millions of people who lived and died before Christ came along?  What happened to all of them?  Did they go to hell since God hadn't yet gotten around to knocking up his virgin?

And considering the communication systems of the time after Christ, it took many hundreds of years for the message of Christ, carried by word of mouth, to propagate around the world.  Seems like a terrible way for an omnipotent being to get such an important message out to the world.  I would think He could find a better way to broadcast it to everyone quickly.  I guess you work with what you have or maybe He just doesn't care that much about us.

Basically, I'm left with another message from the church that I just can't understand.  But everything they say raises questions in my mind.  I can't seem to put it together in a way that makes a coherent story.  But in their minds, they know the truth.  However, they only think they know the truth, that's why it's called faith.

"I've never understood how God could expect his creatures to pick the one true religion by faith -- it strikes me as a sloppy way to run a universe." - Jubal Harshaw in Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein

The month of May saw the end of LOST, the TV show.  I for one thought they did a great job with the series, including the ending.  I was satisfied that not everything was answered, but that the human side of the story was what mattered.

As for films this month, there were 6...3 of which were nearly great and a couple of which were stinkers.  Here they are in no specific order.

• Capitalism:  A Love Story
• The Blind Side
• Fantastic Mr. Fox
• On the Road With Judas
• The Amateurs
• The Road

As always, click through to read my short reviews and see the ratings.

Does this scare the crap out of anybody else??

Just remember, these people hold the power over what you're children will learn in Texas public schools.

The Baptist church I drive by going in and out of my neighborhood has a new sign up this week...it says:

"To enjoy the peace of God; know the God of peace"

My first thought was, what God are they talking about?  It can't be the Christian God.  I mean, do they not read their own sacred book?  From this type of conjecture, I tend to think not.  The easiest reference to a vengeful God is Noah and the ark from the book of Genesis.  God basically killed EVERYONE on the Earth except Noah and his family.  How peaceful.  Well, at least after that incident, he promised not to do it again..whew, I feel better now.

But let's not judge from one minor incident...surely there can't be more things like this in the Bible.  Did I speak too soon? (all references are from the King James Version of the Bible)

God killing children and cattle (maybe he views them as one in the same). Exodus 12: 29-30

"And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharoah that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.  And Pharoah rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead."

God ordering his followers to kill.  Ezekiel 9: 5-7

"And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite:  let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity:  Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women:  but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary.  Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.  And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain:  go ye forth.  And they went forth, and slew the city."

God advocating slavery, raping and pillaging.  Deuteronomy 20: 10-14

"When thou comest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it.  And it shall be, if it make thee answer of peace, and open unto thee, then it shall be, that all the people that is found therein shall be tributaries unto thee, and they shall server thee.  And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it:  And when the LORD your God hath delivered it into thine hands, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword:  But the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all the spoil thereof, shalt thou take unto thyself; and thou shalt eat the spoil of thine enemies, which the LORD your God hath given thee."

You better listen to what God says, even if he asks you to commit murder.  1 Kings 20: 35-36

"And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his neighbor in the word of the LORD, Smite me, I pray thee.  And the man refused to smite him.  Then said he unto him, Because thou hast not obeyed the voice of the LORD, behold, as soon as thou art departed from me, a lion shall slay thee.  And as soon as he was departed from him, a lion found him, and slew him."

God can be angry and self-centered.  Deuteronomy 7: 1-4

"When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou; And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them:  Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; they daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.  For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may server other gods; so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly."

God destroys entire towns FOREVER.  Deuteronomy 13: 13-18

"Certain men, the children of Belial, are gone out from among you, and have withdrawn the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and server other gods, which ye have not known; Then shalt thou inquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and behold, if it be truth, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought among you; Thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, and all that is therein, and the cattle thereof, with the edge of the sword.  And thou shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street thereof, and shalt burn with fire the city, and all the spoil thereof every whit, for the LORD thy God: and it shall be a heap for ever, it shall not be built again.  And there shall cleave nought of the cursed thing to thine hand: that the LORD may turn from the fierceness of his anger, and shew thee mercy, and multiply thee, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers; When thou shalt hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep all his commandments which I command thee this day, to do that which is right in the eyes of the LORD they God."

There's plenty more where these came from, just open the Bible and begin reading, it won't take long to find a God that is jealous, spiteful, vengeful and just plain full of himself.  If this is the God of peace, I think I'll pass.

Today, May 6th, other than being the first Thursday in May, is also the National Day of Prayer.  This government recognized day gets the pot of the culture wars boiling over.  It's hard to swing a dead cat without hitting someone who has severely strong opinions about the merits or faults of this event.  It doesn't help that it's sponsored by an organization that is overtly Christian with goals that clearly lean toward intertwining that religion with government.

But for me, this day simply reminds me of a verse from the Bible (KJV), Matthew 6:5-6

And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are:  for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men.  Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

But with most things in the Bible, I'm sure you can find another verse that completely contradicts this one if you look hard enough.  So let them go ahead and publicly display their prayer, God will take care of them, Jesus said so.  As for me, I'm still waiting for the government sponsored National Day of Reason.  Yeah, I think I'll be waiting a long time, because those two words, Government and Reason, just don't go together.  But, Government and hypocrisy...sure that fits just right.

This month saw the return to my more normal movie viewing habits.  No more long sessions cramming in multiple episodes of LOST.  I've caught up to the TV episodes and now have to wait the requisite week between viewings.  And with only 4 episodes left in the series, I'm hoping all those hours have been worth it.

So normal for me is 1 to 2 movies a week, or to be more exact, 7 films this month ranging from 2 to 4 star ratings.  And, this month heralds the return of the "Best Line" for each movie.  That is, I pick my favorite line from each film...it might not be the most memorable or a signature line or catch phrase, but is the one that got a reaction out of me at the moment.  Yes, I do watch movies with a pen and paper next to me, just so I can record this information.

Also, I left off one movie last month that my daughter and I saw in the theater, so I'll be adding it this month as well.

Here are the films in no particular order

• The Invention of Lying
• The Thief
• Inkheart
• The Informant!
• Up In The Air
• Cache (Hidden)
• Where the Wild Things Are
• Alice in Wonderland
  

Like everybody, I get lots of credit card offers in the mail.  Typically, I open them up, find the application with my name on it and shred it.  However, I received one recently from American Express that was a bit different.  In addition to the normal information and application, there was a fake credit card attached, but not just some plastic card with a fake name and false numbering...see for yourself.

Note that rectangular area surrounding the numbers "3759"...Look, it folds out!

So what is it?  Well, its a USB connection.  That's right, they seriously expect me to plug this thing into my computer and have it take me to a webpage for their marketing material.  I don't know about you, but I'm not about to take something I received in the mail from an unknown source and stick it in my computer.  Not gonna happen.

Reminds me of the espionage scheme that was actually used to infiltrate some government and corporate computer systems.  The bad guys would locate the office of the agency they wanted to infiltrate, then they would scatter a handful of USB thumb drives in the parking lot.  When the employees came to work, some would find these thumb drives, pick them up and promptly go into their office and plug them into their work computers.  Voila, access granted.  True story.

So I'm not sure what marketing genius at American Express came up with this mailer, but it would be interesting to see what the actual response rate is on these things.  Given the level of computer literacy, it might actually be higher than I would expect.