U.S. Army, PFC. Thomas Tucker(AP/U.S. Army)
|
YOU ARE NOT MAD WITH ME HAVE YOU?(Translation: You Are Not Mad With Me, Are You?)
YOU ARE NOT MAD WITH ME HAVE YOU? A buddy use to say this nonsensical statement to me all the time.
This is what I often feel like when I read the news because it is all so nonsensical. We read so many news articles and magazines which often do not "jive" with reality.
What can we believe? Look at news magazines like the U. S. News and World Report. My seminary professor use to say this about U.S. News and World Report: "It is conservative, but I like my news conservative." I don't know, I personally like my news objective.
Army, PFC. Kristian Menchaca(AP Photo/family)
| But, anyway, the magazine is a good example of the confusion which often must exist among Americans who care. On one page, called The "National Interest", there is this amazing article about "how good things are going" in the world: the economy is growing, wars are down, the world is less deadly with statistics to prove each of these statements.
So, what do we believe, because we can read another magazine with a different viewpoint on the same subjects with different statistics skewed to validate that viewpoint.
I always look at articles like this as like someone saying, there are 11 million people in Greater New York; so, if you look at the 3000 weekly muggings, then it's not so bad. Or, my brother telling me that the deaths of Americans in Iraq are nothing compared to other wars like WW II, Korea, or Vietnam. I gave up pointing out long ago that "If you are one of those mugged or killed in Iraq or the family of one, then the statistics don't matter; the devastation is 100%.
Thomas and Menchaca(AP /Army/family)
| It is like saying that the kidnapping and killing in Iraq of the two young soldiers, U.S. Army, PFC. Thomas Tucker and Army PFC. Kristian Menchaca, is bad; but, when you look at the overall good we're doing like how many soldiers that day didn't get killed or captured or brutally murdered, it's not so bad.
If you think the prior statement is true, try telling it to the loved ones of the two brave young soldiers just found dead. KT
| |
(AP)
|
CHIC POPE BENEDICT:
PRADA SHOES AND DESIGNER SUNGLASSES
Is there anything else to say about the movie or the book, the DaVinci code? No!
However, a friend sent me the photograph to the left which forces a comment.
The movie and book really bashes the Catholics; and in a way, this is totally understandable. What most people never get is that the Catholic Church is based on canon law and Church traditions have developed this vast body of "stuff" that is not supported by anything, surely not the canonized Bible as we know it.
For example, take a look at the amazing costumes the Pope and the Cardinals wear. I have often wondered how the Catholic church elite interpret the Scripture in which Jesus castigates the Pharisees for going around dressed in various outlandish garb and taking the prime seats in the synagogue; and, in this case wearing " Prada shoes."
[My friend sent me this caption(tongue and cheek)along with the photograph above: The man on the left (wearing a fabulous vintage chiffon-lined
Dior gold lamé gown over a silk Vera Wang empire waist tulle
cocktail dress, accessorized with a 3-foot beaded peaked House
of Whoville hat, and the ruby slippers Judy Garland wore in the
Wizard of Oz) is worried that "The Da Vinci Code" might make
the Roman Catholic Church look foolish.]
FUNDAMENTALIST VIEWS
(AP)
|
In the movie and book, the society Opus Dei was a major part of the plot. The society is cloaked in secrecy and in the unbelievable fundamentalist Catholic beliefs .
What is remarkable in today's world is how aligned the Protestant fundamentalists and Catholic have become, i. e., in abortion, stem cell research, gay marriage, etc.
| |
| WHY ALL THE FUSS ABOUT THE DA VINCI CODE?
|
When I read the Da Vinci Code a year or so ago, I thought to myself, this is ridiculous and hardly all that good a read. As an avid reader, I know what I like. I don't like "wordy" books and Dan Brown's book was bigtime "wordy." But, everybody was reading it.
I was on a plane and the flight attendant said, "I just read that. Isn't it great?" I should have been tipped off, the next time I heard someone say, "Isn't it great?"
People said the same thing about A Million Little Pieces and we know what happened with A Million Little Pieces.
I liked A Million Little Pieces more than The DaVinci Code. Both books were fiction, but A Million Little Pieces was more entertaining and got quickly to the point.
As a person of faith, I don't see any real problem with watching or getting excited about the book and movie's claims; the book and movie are just telling a story of fiction. Remember the story is not one of fact. It is fiction. Plain and simple!
There is no evidence at all, at least in the Bible, that Jesus had any sort of relationship with Mary other than she was a devoted follower. Brown's premises are strictly speculation if they are to be taken seriously at all.
(AFP/PIG-HO) |
And, to be perfectly honest about it, all the protests against the movie and the demand for disclaimers, just add to the hype which leads to more sells of movie tickets and books. It is a media campaign made in heaven, pardon the pun.
The good news is that most of the "Christian" community is handling debate over the movie and book well, even though some Christian groups are calling for a boycott. But at least most mainstream Christians are somewhat amused, tongue in cheek, buying those movie tickets. Think about it:
If this movie and book were about Muslims and this was a Muslim country, we would more likely than not have Muslims rioting in the streets.
I think the interest in the movie is good because more people will be thinking about their faith and speculating about the life and times of Jesus; however, I doubt seriously if many movie goers will come anywhere close to deep religious thought just because they saw this movie.
I would imagine that God is laughing right now at all the controversy over this movie and its plot and theories. My theology (belief system) tells me that the DaVinci Code deals with very temporal (earthy) things of which God would not be involved. God is spiritual; He/She is God. Jesus having sexually involvement with Mary could not happen; because, in the Christian view (orthodox view as Trinitarians), God, the Father; Jesus, the Son; and the Holy Spirit are one; so, God is not involved in such a temporal (of this world) issue as sex.
Think about all of this as faith. The FAITH, if one believes in the Bible, teaches us the story of Jesus. You either believe or you don't.
kt
|
|
|
Now Available: Newly revised paperback General Lee:Father of the Airborne.