tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50709315693016822592024-03-04T20:20:41.592-08:00GodSpamReligion & absurdity in pop culture & the mediaGwynne Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527086176017464122noreply@blogger.comBlogger114125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070931569301682259.post-87420925135410950492014-05-24T12:30:00.000-07:002014-05-24T12:30:10.097-07:00Godinterest vs. Regular PinterestI finally succumbed to temptation last week and joined Pinterest, which means I am now extremely well-informed on how to make furniture from old books, how to garnish drinks in mason jars, and how to spend two straight hours hitting "pin" on gluten-free recipes. Coincidentally, I also received a press release last week for a new site called Godinterest, which calls itself "The Christian version of Pinterest." (Why do you think they didn't call it Goderest? Maybe because it sounds like an order to go to sleep. Or like God has been arrested.) How does this "bespoke Christian media platform" measure up the original? Let's do some basic keyword searches and compare the top results, shall we?<br />
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Search for: <b>Food</b><br />
Pinterest:<br />
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<a href="http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/85/2d/60/852d6081a07cb6308eb9ceb658a928e4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/85/2d/60/852d6081a07cb6308eb9ceb658a928e4.jpg" height="200" width="134" /></a></div>
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Godinterest:<br />
<img src="http://d2vtpdx8ha1r7s.cloudfront.net/uploads/5795/870775.thumb.jpg" height="124" width="200" /><br />
As far as this search goes, Pinterest's "Oreo Pudding Pops" trumps Godinterest's "Kitty praying for food." In fact, I'm a little disturbed that this kitten has to pray for food in the first place. If she's not getting paid enough for a decent meal, kitty needs to find a new modeling agent.<br />
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Search for: <b>Books</b><br />
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Pinterest:<br />
<img src="http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/a8/4c/24/a84c2409e0071141e3db1f240c17709c.jpg" height="200" width="150" /><br />
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Godinterest:<br />
<img src="http://d2vtpdx8ha1r7s.cloudfront.net/uploads/5795/921186.jpg" height="200" width="133" /><br />
Somebody rewrote the Gospel of Mark as a thriller? I was not aware of this, and now I want to know more. Whereas Pinterest, rather than recommending a book, gave me... a description of the experience of reading. I don't know about this "That Moment" meme. Why would you spend your time pinning a description of the act of reading a book instead of actually reading a book? Point to Godinterest.<br />
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Search for: <b>Crafts</b><br />
Pinterest:<br />
<img src="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/3a/ff/e5/3affe5092a79204af82e756a6c7aa9e9.jpg" height="320" width="104" /><br />
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Godinterest:<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="169" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/aIeA_5yYgB4" width="300"></iframe><br />
Winner: Oh, come on, Godinterest, that is not a craft. That is a Mormon music video. "DIY Spoon Mirror," now<i> that </i>is a craft. I mean, I'll spend three minutes and fifty-four seconds listening to that song if you really want, but then what do I do with all these plastic spoons?<br />
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Search for: <b>Jesus</b><br />
Pinterest:<br />
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Godinterest:<br />
<img src="http://d2vtpdx8ha1r7s.cloudfront.net/uploads/5795/923996.jpg" height="143" width="200" />
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Here we have two different illustrations: one of Jesus' empty tomb, and one of the second coming. However, it is important to know that the first image somehow got mismatched with the text from a different post. So while the Godinterest picture has the caption "Illustration of the Coming of Jesus," the Pinterest one is called "Powder Room Reveal." It gets even better when you read the description:<br />
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<span style="background-color: #f0f0f0; color: #777777; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, 'ヒラギノ角ゴ Pro W3', 'Hiragino Kaku Gothic Pro', メイリオ, Meiryo, 'MS Pゴシック', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">I am so relieved to have this room done! I mentioned awhile back that I had no idea when I started this remodel, that the smallest room in the house would be the most challenging. I shared my intentions to makeover my powder room about eight weeks ago...</span><br />
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Obviously I'm now imagining this crafty Pinterest poster re-making her powder room to resemble the empty tomb of Jesus. She could probably make the stone slab out of wood pallets, and the cave mouth from those little bags of rocks they sell at craft stores, and maybe she could paint the sheet with a chevron pattern for a contemporary makeover...<br />
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Bottom line, this is a completely unfair contest, because Godinterest doesn't have much content yet, while Pinterest, like God itself, is infinite. If you're looking for religious platitudes and Sunday School inspiration, you're still going to do better on Pinterest. And if you want a praying kitten photo, Pinterest actually has <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=praying%20kitten" target="_blank">more of those</a>, too.<br />
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<br />Gwynne Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527086176017464122noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070931569301682259.post-15989368879077468752014-05-07T07:18:00.001-07:002014-05-07T07:18:04.977-07:00The 10 Plagues of FX's "Fargo"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5-kK_fGSu2K__KPvuyYaRC6UZMhmb8s7ckp00mRQrqwzKFpzJr43O00_qAS6zQr37fwn2qk4koUiwQgUGlGBoL_E9vWheqvDUU0M4mhAcgXJ9YPHAYShS3IKAE9S7LJXJDwZ4ecwzpcM/s1600/fish+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5-kK_fGSu2K__KPvuyYaRC6UZMhmb8s7ckp00mRQrqwzKFpzJr43O00_qAS6zQr37fwn2qk4koUiwQgUGlGBoL_E9vWheqvDUU0M4mhAcgXJ9YPHAYShS3IKAE9S7LJXJDwZ4ecwzpcM/s320/fish+poster.jpg" /></a></div>
Are you watching <em>Fargo</em> on FX? The mini-series, inspired by the Coen Brothers film, is shaping up to be one of the year's best shows. And on Tuesday, things got downright Biblical.<br />
<img src="http://37.media.tumblr.com/92abfb4acf760f264e22d1e6b1c8d262/tumblr_n55t233FRN1so84gyo1_250.gif" />
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I don't want to get too in-depth with the spoilers, and I'm not sure how the rest of the series will play out yet. But here are some things to think about going into future episodes:<br />
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* The connection to the original film, which was slyly revealed this week, hinges on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirty_pieces_of_silver" target="_Blank">blood money</a><br />
* Fish are a recurring visual motif, most notably in the poster on Lester's wall. They frequently appear in the background of shots (see clip below).
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/KzBA2G3aYic" width="560"></iframe><br />
* Moral relativity is a major theme of the series. The character who seems to possess the least morality also seems the most certain about his relationship with God. <br />
* Another character's personal theology hinges entirely on signs and miracles, which is not working out so well at the moment.<br />
* The ten plagues of Egypt are: Blood into water, frogs, lice, flies, diseased livestock, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and death of the firstborn. We've definitely seen two of these, and a case could be made that we've seen three. If the pattern continues, I can think of a certain character who may need to watch his back. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/iBWJQSmh-nY" width="560"></iframe><br />
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That's all for now. You should watch the show.Gwynne Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527086176017464122noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070931569301682259.post-36091962245698823822014-02-18T09:02:00.001-08:002014-02-18T09:02:36.533-08:00The Passion of Pete Seeger<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfwOXhvdMRahOhYtKmrYxeS0dZEU8GiSKizlMklygU92Owue2siVOBHsNl3hYUvEK3bmD2M2vUdjkX02PQ_gNJV8Mzmv_-BxdMZPju55iXsHmfjCCm_o5tIpQFKZu7FYAJe3XPlknOc9U/s1600/Pete+Seeger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfwOXhvdMRahOhYtKmrYxeS0dZEU8GiSKizlMklygU92Owue2siVOBHsNl3hYUvEK3bmD2M2vUdjkX02PQ_gNJV8Mzmv_-BxdMZPju55iXsHmfjCCm_o5tIpQFKZu7FYAJe3XPlknOc9U/s1600/Pete+Seeger.jpg" /></a></div>
What Pete Seeger's views about organized religion can teach believers, today on <a href="http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/culture/7598/pete_seeger_was_no_saint/" target="_blank">Religion Dispatches</a>. I notice GodSpam has received quite a few visitors in the recent weeks, so first of all, hi there. Second, I have some exciting news to share very shortly, which will hopefully reward some of you for your patience with this neglected site. And third, I'm going back to GodSpam being one word. Try to use it in a sentence today! Gwynne Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527086176017464122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070931569301682259.post-7840773772857165762013-06-28T16:02:00.000-07:002013-06-28T16:03:49.958-07:00Casting Stones at Paula DeenDid you guys see that <i>Today Show</i> interview with Paula Deen? The one where she <a href="http://youtu.be/9PL02LMD8Gw?t=12m" target="_blank">looks directly into the camera and urges us to throw a big stone at her head and kill her</a>? Yeah. I think we need to talk about that. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvMV1sIN1n8ZjNq6xc0Sb5Ush1CX3hTdFgHAFSUmmc8lcRCrNRYxvoZMgPT7IU529XoxcWvgqyI5dujh2MpAvTca3DSsmV2u7pbDq2ul_ggqPYL89ZIPH8-8rehKbjmXpjhxlWImqYh18/s600/paula-deen-biscuit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvMV1sIN1n8ZjNq6xc0Sb5Ush1CX3hTdFgHAFSUmmc8lcRCrNRYxvoZMgPT7IU529XoxcWvgqyI5dujh2MpAvTca3DSsmV2u7pbDq2ul_ggqPYL89ZIPH8-8rehKbjmXpjhxlWImqYh18/s600/paula-deen-biscuit.jpg" height="210" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Let he who is without butter cast the first biscuit. (<a href="http://scrapetv.com/News/News%20Pages/Entertainment/pages-11/Paula-Deen-ready-to-eat-lawsuit-as-soon-as-it-gets-near-her-mouth-Scrape-TV-The-World-on-your-side-2012-03-07.html#.Uc4TkT7rnoA" target="_blank">Photo credit</a>)</i></td></tr>
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Here's what Deen, who is hemorrhaging money in the face of revelations that she's kind of a big racist, actually said. <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;">If there's anyone out there that have never said something that they wish they could take back. If you're out there please pick up that stone and throw it so hard at my head that it kills me. Please, I want to meet you. I is what I is, and I'm not changing.<span style="font-size: small;">"</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">The celebrity chef is a Baptist, and she's<span style="font-size: small;"> quoting (<span style="font-size: small;">sort of<span style="font-size: small;">) <span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%208:7&version=NRSV" target="_blank">John 8:7</a>. </span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">This is the story<span style="font-size: small;"> in which Jesus<span style="font-size: small;"> tells a<span style="font-size: small;">n angry mob t</span>o stop stoning a <span style="font-size: small;">woman t<span style="font-size: small;">o death for <span style="font-size: small;">committing adultery. Except he doesn't tell them to stop. What he <span style="font-size: small;">says is, "Let a<span style="font-size: small;">nyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." And one by one, they walk away.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">There are quite a few interesting thi<span style="font-size: small;">ngs going on with this passage. First of all, it should be note<span style="font-size: small;">d that many scholars don't believe it was <span style="font-size: small;">part o<span style="font-size: small;">f <span style="font-size: small;">John's</span> original text. There's <a href="https://bible.org/seriespage/exegetical-commentary-john-8" target="_blank">decent evidenc</a><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://bible.org/seriespage/exegetical-commentary-john-8" target="_blank">e</a> on both side<span style="font-size: small;">s. It's possible, though, that <span style="font-size: small;">this story <span style="font-size: small;">was apocr<span style="font-size: small;">yphal, taken<span style="font-size: small;"> from an<span style="font-size: small;">other source and applied to Je<span style="font-size: small;">sus. <span style="font-size: small;">It's a p<span style="font-size: small;">retty tidy anecdote<span style="font-size: small;"> with a good punchline. </span></span>You can al<span style="font-size: small;">m<span style="font-size: small;">ost</span> picture<span style="font-size: small;"> it</span> popping up </span>on the ancient <span style="font-size: small;">Middle Eastern version of <a href="http://snopes.com/" target="_blank">Snopes</a>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">N<span style="font-size: small;">e<span style="font-size: small;">ve<span style="font-size: small;">rt</span>heless, it's <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span>one<span style="font-size: small;"> of the most-quoted things Jesus ever said<span style="font-size: small;">. <span style="font-size: small;">The <span style="font-size: small;">ph<span style="font-size: small;">rase "<span style="font-size: small;">cast<span style="font-size: small;"> the first stone<span style="font-size: small;">" is still <span style="font-size: small;">in co<span style="font-size: small;">mmon usage, </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>alongside <span style="font-size: small;">w<span style="font-size: small;">ith its secular descendent<span style="font-size: small;">, "people who live in glass houses shouldn't th<span style="font-size: small;">row stones." </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">I say it's one of the most-quoted things Jesus ever said. I should cla<span style="font-size: small;">rify: we a<span style="font-size: small;">ctually<i> don't know </i>everything <span style="font-size: small;">that Jesus</span> said<span style="font-size: small;"> in John 8.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Before and after he says the thing about stones, <span style="font-size: small;">Jesus <span style="font-size: small;">is writing on the ground. In <span style="font-size: small;">fact, that's his immediate reaction to the situation: he <span style="font-size: small;">bends</span> down and starts writing with his finger in the sand. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>The men<span style="font-size: small;"> then start "questi<span style="font-size: small;">oning" him, <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%208&version=NRSV" target="_blank">acco</a><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%208&version=NRSV" target="_blank">rding to Joh</a><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%208&version=NRSV" target="_blank">n</a>. </span></span></span></span>Eventually, J<span style="font-size: small;">esus stands -- or just loo<span style="font-size: small;">ks up</span>, depending on your translation -- and questio<span style="font-size: small;">ns <span style="font-size: small;">whether they should be throwing stones. Then <i>he goes back to writing</i><span style="font-size: small;">, and the dudes decide to <span style="font-size: small;">leave the poor woman alone.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">What was Jesus writing? <span style="font-size: small;">Nobody knows! This is the only time in the <span style="font-size: small;">Bible we see it happen<span style="font-size: small;">. Some scholars believe <span style="font-size: small;">he<span style="font-size: small;"> is <span style="font-size: small;">drawing, not writing, since a pe<span style="font-size: small;">asant from Na<span style="font-size: small;">zareth would probably<span style="font-size: small;"> not have known how to read. (Depends how much time you believe he spent in the temple, I guess.) <span style="font-size: small;">Often it's suggested that it's the<i> act </i>of<span style="font-size: small;"> writing that's import<span style="font-size: small;">ant, not <span style="font-size: small;">the content; it denotes <span style="font-size: small;">divine authority, much like God inscribing the Ten Commandments. Another popular theory<span style="font-size: small;">: he was <span style="font-size: small;">re-writing the<span style="font-size: small;"> words of</span> a prophecy, specifically <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+17%3A13%2CJohn+8%3A1-11&version=NIV" target="_blank">Jeremiah 17:3</a>. The ob<span style="font-size: small;">vious t<span style="font-size: small;">heory, <span style="font-size: small;">perhaps, is that he was writing down the <span style="font-size: small;">sin<span style="font-size: small;">s of the men with the <span style="font-size: small;">stones. Or the sin<span style="font-size: small;">s of the woman, <span style="font-size: small;">in order to f<span style="font-size: small;">or<span style="font-size: small;">give her</span></span></span>. Or both. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">(Another important bit of c<span style="font-size: small;">ontext: we're told that this situation Jesus finds <span style="font-size: small;">himself in, is a "test" from the Pharisees <span style="font-size: small;">who are seeking an excuse to lock him up. It was a <span style="font-size: small;">Catch<span style="font-size: small;">-22: if he said that the woman should be kil<span style="font-size: small;">led, he would be und<span style="font-size: small;">ermining the authority of <span style="font-size: small;">the Roman government, because Je<span style="font-size: small;">ws did<span style="font-size: small;">n't have the right to enforce this<span style="font-size: small;"> penalty. If he objected, he'd be in violation of the He<span style="font-size: small;">brew law -- the law of Moses --<span style="font-size: small;"> which <a href="http://www.studylight.org/desk/?q=de+22:23&t=en_nas&sr=1" target="_blank">ordered adulterers to be stoned</a>. But Jesus<span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: small;">did somethin<span style="font-size: small;">g they couldn't have pr<span style="font-size: small;">edicted: </span>n</span>eith<span style="font-size: small;">er.)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">With her plea to the <i>Today Show</i> audience, Paula Deen is casting herself in the role of the woman. (Forgot to mention that this woman i<span style="font-size: small;">s ofte<span style="font-size: small;">n interpreted as being <span style="font-size: small;">the prostitute Mary Magdalene. There's no con<span style="font-size: small;">crete textual evidence for that, though. <span style="font-size: small;">Back to you, Matt Lauer!) Deen is saying, "I made a mistake. I said something I shouldn'<span style="font-size: small;">t have. If you've never done it, you can cast the first stone." <span style="font-size: small;">She is begging for mercy. And yet she concludes her statement<span style="font-size: small;"> by saying, "I is what I is and I'm not changing."</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">What<span style="font-size: small;"> makes <span style="font-size: small;">me uncomfortable<span style="font-size: small;"> is how <span style="font-size: small;">heavily Deen is playing <span style="font-size: small;">the victim card. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>In our modern eyes, Jesus <span style="font-size: small;">st<span style="font-size: small;">opped the stone<span style="font-size: small;">-throwers from d<span style="font-size: small;">elivering an out<span style="font-size: small;">sized punish<span style="font-size: small;">ment<span style="font-size: small;">, and a judgement that only God could pass down.<span style="font-size: small;"> Paula Deen l<span style="font-size: small;">os<span style="font-size: small;">t a s<span style="font-size: small;">ausage endorsement<span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: small;">after years of <span style="font-size: small;">racist behavior. <span style="font-size: small;">Doesn't seem like the most over-the-top <span style="font-size: small;">punishment to me. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Also, she didn't seem at all apologe<span style="font-size: small;">tic about using the N-word until she started losing money over it. She still doesn't seem espe<span style="font-size: small;">cially<span style="font-size: small;"> so<span style="font-size: small;">rry for her actions, or aware of why people were hurt by them. There's no forgive<span style="font-size: small;">ness without repentance. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>Maybe that's why her apologies all ring hollow.<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">In<span style="font-size: small;"> another sense, <span style="font-size: small;">though, the moral of John<span style="font-size: small;"> 8 applies. Jesus is saying that people have no right to judge what only God can judge. <span style="font-size: small;">As a culture, we are so quick to condemn celebrities who are ac<span style="font-size: small;">cused of wrongdoing, and <span style="font-size: small;">for the most part, we do not f<span style="font-size: small;">orgive<span style="font-size: small;">. I'm sure Paula Deen is experiencing <span style="font-size: small;">a fan <span style="font-size: small;">backlash t<span style="font-size: small;">hat's wildly disproportionate to t<span style="font-size: small;">he crime, because that's the norm these days. "I'll nev<span style="font-size: small;">er buy a Paula Deen cookbook<span style="font-size: small;"> again" is a <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">r</span>eason<span style="font-size: small;">able fan response. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>Tweeting "Paula Deen needs to die" is not. No wonder she's feeling persecuted.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">So <span style="font-size: small;">WW<span style="font-size: small;">JD about <span style="font-size: small;">P<span style="font-size: small;">aula <span style="font-size: small;">Deen<span style="font-size: small;">? In the story, he tells the adulteress that he doesn<span style="font-size: small;">'t <span style="font-size: small;">condemn her, <span style="font-size: small;">saying, "go, and sin no more." <span style="font-size: small;">If I w<span style="font-size: small;">ere</span> Paula Deen's shoes, I'd take that as a cu<span style="font-size: small;">e t<span style="font-size: small;">o <span style="font-size: small;">cut my los<span style="font-size: small;">ses (g<span style="font-size: small;">o) and rethink <span style="font-size: small;">the way I treat other people (sin <span style="font-size: small;">no more<span style="font-size: small;">). But I'm not <span style="font-size: small;">a diabetic Southern <span style="font-size: small;">chef</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>, and that's why I<span style="font-size: small;"> don't plan on pic<span style="font-size: small;">king up any stones. </span></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></span>Gwynne Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527086176017464122noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070931569301682259.post-79869621255405677522013-03-26T13:22:00.005-07:002013-03-26T13:22:41.142-07:00How to Explain Crucifixion to Your Kids (And How Not To)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBN6Yi9XEkQstgz16iYT7GyCJ9IWTjZF2dm0klIUfS1gnM3w0UmMUKbXsXGGLEOnWF06V2CRA1QC_RaiECq7FbSZEwji798ItaA7zTZnmuBluKv1IGTDBFMscDLpdYMm5oq8XOmwO4acE/s1600/weird+easter+pic.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBN6Yi9XEkQstgz16iYT7GyCJ9IWTjZF2dm0klIUfS1gnM3w0UmMUKbXsXGGLEOnWF06V2CRA1QC_RaiECq7FbSZEwji798ItaA7zTZnmuBluKv1IGTDBFMscDLpdYMm5oq8XOmwO4acE/s1600/weird+easter+pic.gif" height="320" width="280" /></a></div>
Today, I have a post up on <a href="http://mom.me/blog/6577-how-teach-kids-about-easter-without-terrifying-them/">Mom.me</a> about the challenges of explaining the Easter story to kids. While I was researching ideas for teaching the Passion, the Crucifixion, and all that fun, I came across a couple truly<i> terrible</i> suggestions from Christian parenting bloggers and teaching sites. Here are some of the most memorable (with links omitted to protect the innocent):<br />
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1. Parading around the backyard with your family, reciting prayers while taking turns carrying a giant wooden cross. Not included in the post: suggestions for where to buy a giant wooden cross.<br />
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2. Have the parents pretend to be Jesus and Pilate, respectively, while the kids yell "Crucify him!" No mention of the 39 lashes, thank goodness.<br />
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3. Make a "Stations of the Cross" coloring book. Okay fine, <a href="http://familyfeastandferia.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/9-stations-of-the-cross-coloring-pages.pdf" target="_blank">I'll link to this one</a>.<br />
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For God Spam-approved talking points, go to <a href="http://mom.me/blog/6577-how-teach-kids-about-easter-without-terrifying-them/" target="_blank">Mom.me</a>. Happy Resurrection!Gwynne Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527086176017464122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070931569301682259.post-42738421927743211172013-03-13T13:10:00.002-07:002013-03-13T13:10:32.507-07:00How Popes Get Elected (In Movies & TV)In honor of the election of Pope Francis I, I've written a post for <a href="http://www.vulture.com/2013/03/new-pope-picked-pop-culture-popes-frances.html" target="_blank">Vulture</a> about conclave conspiracy theories in pop culture. <a href="http://www.vulture.com/2013/03/new-pope-picked-pop-culture-popes-frances.html" target="_blank">Check it out here. </a>Gwynne Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527086176017464122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070931569301682259.post-61343167944770432332013-02-26T13:20:00.000-08:002013-02-26T13:20:25.036-08:00Is That Funny Christian Video Real? Here's How to Tell"Rappin' for Jesus" is a hoax, everybody. Yes, I know it's hi<i>lar</i>ious to watch middle-aged white Republicans use hip-hop slang. But the rapping pastor dropping n-bombs in Dubuque is not a real person, even if approximately 1.4 million viewers say otherwise. (Watch the video below, but be warned, it's offensive.) <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Kppx4bzfAaE" width="420"></iframe>
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It's a very well-executed hoax, complete with a phony out-of-date <a href="http://westdubuque2ndchurchofchrist.org/" target="_Blank">church website</a>. Here are the four dead giveaways that it's fake: <br />
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1. There's no internet record of an Iowa pastor by the name of James Colerick, outside of this video. That's an immediate red flag.<br />
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2. An actual Dubuque pastor has confirmed the nonexistence of the church to <a href="http://www.christianpost.com/news/iowa-churchs-youtube-hit-rappin-for-jesus-video-a-hoax-90460/" target="_Blank"><i>The Christian Post</i></a>.<br />
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3. That supposedly defunct-since-2004 site was <a href="http://whois.domaintools.com/westdubuque2ndchurchofchrist.org" target="_Blank">updated in January</a>. (The YouTube video was uploaded in February.)<br />
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4. As <a href="http://www.dailydot.com/entertainment/rappin-for-jesus-video-fake/" target="_Blank"><i>The Daily Dot</i></a> smartly observes, the word "swag" wasn't in common use in hip-hop until after 2010. Do your parents even know how to use it in a sentence? What are the odds that this guy, were he a real person, would have said it before 2004? <br />
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Those are the facts. But for me, the biggest tip-off is that it has no real message. This is the most reliable test of a Christian viral hoax: would an actual Christian have a good reason to make this? Does it tell people how to get saved? Does it reference the Bible? Or does it just make Christians look like idiots for no apparent purpose?<br />
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For comparison, here's a legit Christian rap from the Georgia megachurch <a href="http://12stone.com/" target="_Blank">12Stone</a>. It's about tithing. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/PwfMMN71xUw" width="560"></iframe><br />
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Here's another one, uploaded in 2008 by a guy named Matthew Fisher. It tells the parable of the Good Samaritan, and there are self-mocking elements, I'll stake my reputation on this one being the real deal. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/TXK7rvGpM0I" width="420"></iframe>
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You'll notice that the fake video got a lot more views than either of the real ones. Not surprising: people (seemingly) making idiots of themselves attract more attention than people trying to do something from the heart. If you associate Christianity with the kind of clueless, culturally tone-deaf ignorance displayed in "Rappin' for Jesus," then you probably didn't question its authenticity. That's what makes it an effective parody -- it strikes a chord, and one that should make mainline Christians very uncomfortable.<br />
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Incidentally, if you want to see what the more over-the-top Evangelicals were <i>actually</i> teaching their youth groups 2005, the documentary<i> <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0486358/" target="_blank">Jesus Camp</a></i> is worth a look.<br />
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<i> </i>Gwynne Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527086176017464122noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070931569301682259.post-39707801226193509972012-09-05T10:19:00.001-07:002012-09-05T10:29:33.809-07:00Why Is Chuck Norris Predicting A Thousand Years of Darkness?Now there's a headline I never thought I'd write.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge4D0oJ04MnJdUUEcHic1Tg8b2V40BBEUlQr-SAi2aSFKcxgz6eMdwWr27YCUC1HHfP-SXPwifK_Ak6IKYS5cwdsjTQkFzcc-nW2iLZTJeSRuhj30x8jBrwFnzUdAPjynBvrCowNecwP8/s1600/chuck+norris+rob+greatwhatsit.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge4D0oJ04MnJdUUEcHic1Tg8b2V40BBEUlQr-SAi2aSFKcxgz6eMdwWr27YCUC1HHfP-SXPwifK_Ak6IKYS5cwdsjTQkFzcc-nW2iLZTJeSRuhj30x8jBrwFnzUdAPjynBvrCowNecwP8/s320/chuck+norris+rob+greatwhatsit.jpg" width="226" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Image source:<a href="http://greatwhatsit.com/">greatwhatsit.com</a></i></td></tr>
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As you no doubt know, 72-year-old former action star Chuck Norris has filmed his own unique endorsement for Mitt Romney, in which he and his wife urge Conservative Evangelical Christians to vote against the coming Obamapocalypse. If Christians do nothing, warns Norris, this great nation is facing "a thousand years of darkness." Watch it below, or <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/copyranter/chuck-norriss-doomsday-election-video" target="_blank">look at the transcript here</a>. <br />
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/7ud3pK5Wa90?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><BR>
Man, that "thousand years of darkness" sure sounds bad. Also, very specific. Where in the Bible, you might wonder, is it prophesied that free health care will switch off the lights for a full millennium?<br />
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Here's the funny thing: <i>nowhere in the Bible</i> is there a reference to "a thousand years of darkness." It sounds just like something from the Book of Revelation. But it's not.<br />
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So if Chuck Norris isn't spouting Biblical prophecy, what the hell is he talking about?<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJqrweAKgjuNDpLGYKEOoOD2OLyojA4vvL8k7jSMf446NEZJASle0T2y_W3lQ19vBHNPP-Xqsgwx0uKplkFUavd4JEjXaBJiuvlZcENvObJorcQ9lthnim26__H_4-JAAsfDW1r7shEDM/s1600/chuck+norris+shirtless.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJqrweAKgjuNDpLGYKEOoOD2OLyojA4vvL8k7jSMf446NEZJASle0T2y_W3lQ19vBHNPP-Xqsgwx0uKplkFUavd4JEjXaBJiuvlZcENvObJorcQ9lthnim26__H_4-JAAsfDW1r7shEDM/s320/chuck+norris+shirtless.jpg" width="252" /></a><br />
First, it's important to note that Chuck and his wife aren't using their own words in this part of the ad; they're actually <a href="http://www.salon.com/2012/08/28/reagans_radical_rhetoric/" target="_blank">quoting Ronald Reagan</a>. Reagan's "thousand years of darkness" rhetoric originates with a speech he gave at the Republican Convention in 1964, before he was President, before he was even Governor of California. Here's the full quote:<br />
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<i>You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We will preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on earth, or we will sentence them to take the first step into a thousand years of darkness. If we fail, at least let our children and our children’s children say of us we justified our brief moment here. We did all that could be done.</i><br />
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What's Reagan talking about here? He's talking about Barry Goldwater defeating Lyndon B. Johnson, for one. To some extent, he's warning against government programs like Medicaid, which Johnson would sign into law the following year. What he's mostly referring to, though, is Communism. This speech was delivered at the height of the Cold War, when those atheist, Socialist Russians seemed to pose a serious threat to American values.<i> If </i>one believes that Obama is ushering in a new age of Socialism, as Norris apparently does, then the parallel makes sense. ("Makes sense" being a relative term these days.)<br />
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But that still doesn't explain where Reagan got his thousand-years calculation. We know it's not from the Bible. Why does it sound so<i> familiar</i>?<br />
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Here's the irony. The phrase "a thousand years of darkness" was <a href="http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/whic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Reference&disableHighlighting=false&prodId=WHIC&action=e&windowstate=normal&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CBT2354500021&mode=view&userGroupName=san66643&jsid=0d525dfad19542f3013a4c954f82eaf7" target="_blank">originally used in the 14th century</a> to describe the European Middle Ages, a period when science and learning were in decline, war and famine were rampant, but the church was thriving. It wasn't Christianity's finest hour -- the church was divided, corrupt, and with the exception of some noteworthy individuals, generally a mess -- but it still managed to exercise a tremendous amount of power over people's minds, hearts and wallets. Sounds like Chuck Norris's personal Disneyland to me.<br />
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In continuing with the "irony" theme, agnostic astrophysicist Carl Sagan adapted the phrase for his 1980 miniseries <i>Cosmos</i>. For Sagan, "a thousand years of darkness" described the period following the destruction of the Library of Alexandria, the ancient world's great archive of knowledge. He was using this as <i>an example of the dangers of fundamentalism</i>, or in his words, "submission to national, religious<i> </i>or ethnic identifications." <br />
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Back to Walker, Texas Ranger.<br />
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It's a safe bet that Chuck Norris didn't spend a whole morning Googling "thousand years of darkness" (ahem) in order to put Reagan's words in context. He chose to use the speech; it resonated with him. And it resonated because it really, honestly sounds like something from the Book of Revelation. Norris is talking about the End Times here.<br />
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And that said, most of what Christians believe about the Apocalypse doesn't actually appear in the Bible at all. There are a thousand different <a href="http://www.rapturechrist.com/timeline.htm" target="_blank">"timelines"</a> of the events of Revelation (a decidedly non-linear piece of writing) that one could pick and choose from. Most agree that Christ will reign for a thousand years of harmony prior to the Final Judgement. Perhaps there are some who believe that the anti-Christ will also reign for a thousand years? For symmetry?<br />
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Anyhow, if Lyndon B. Johnson <i>did</i> usher in a thousand years of darkness when he was elected, then we are currently in Year 48. Only 952 to go!Gwynne Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527086176017464122noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070931569301682259.post-53628854165598601432012-08-06T09:15:00.001-07:002012-08-06T09:15:47.173-07:00The Last Supper, This Time With More GrenadesWelcome back everyone! It's been a while since we've God Spam'd together, and there's so very much to catch up on. Chick-Fil-A. Hollywood Bible movies. The first Mormon Presidential candidate<i> and</i> the first Mormon-themed Broadway musical! It's all a little much to jump into at once, so let's start with something simple.<br />
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This movie poster. (<a href="http://collider.com/wp-content/uploads/The-Expendables-2-Last-Supper-poster.jpg" target="_blank">Larger version here.</a>)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju_wr5USaWdCfJbKK9PjlKxtmHQPRGswPOwlyHP2QOgnzXJY6eYlW9h0oFLQLcbrbb0ozYFJHRB8J0VGSGOa1UqO4Qik-jTOq5bTwM7ncStyDec7irsJcbaTUvI2SLZHo9yoGkG047Wts/s1600/The-Expendables-2-Last-Supper-poster.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju_wr5USaWdCfJbKK9PjlKxtmHQPRGswPOwlyHP2QOgnzXJY6eYlW9h0oFLQLcbrbb0ozYFJHRB8J0VGSGOa1UqO4Qik-jTOq5bTwM7ncStyDec7irsJcbaTUvI2SLZHo9yoGkG047Wts/s400/The-Expendables-2-Last-Supper-poster.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This is the new promo image for <i>The Expendables 2</i>, modeled after Leonardo Da Vinci's <i><a href="http://0.tqn.com/d/arthistory/1/0/0/e/ldvpg_15.jpg" target="_blank">The Last Supper</a></i>. Interesting choice, seeing as there's no food at this table; just semi-automatic weapons, bottles of booze, and artfully arranged platters of grenades. On the other hand, there are twelve action stars flanking Sylvester Stallone, just as twelve Disciples surrounded Jesus in the original artwork. (It's far too early in the morning to address the Sly-Stallone-as-Jesus issue.) Which makes the arrangement seem kind of inevitable. You can just imagine the art department at Lionsgate scratching their heads, going, <i>How do we fit 13 stars equally into one eye-catching image?</i> And really, no one has come up with a better composition than Leo did 500 years ago.<br />
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The weapons thing is disturbing, though. Maybe I'm just extra-squeamish after the <i>Dark Knight</i> shooting, but adding Uzis and machetes into the Last Supper (a moment in which Jesus chose self-sacrifice over violent retaliation) feels so very wrong. Then again, it also demonstrates how far removed that Da Vinci image has become from the Biblical context. <i>Last Supper </i>homages have become so common that they're more like parodies of one another than references to the original work. A few of the better ones:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0nXaBgiuqc_cyMyOTM87QSe3RzmYP1ie4hr2lP2zXw4FIiDYVkhytrp40HT3OjOCisVFmkMKFiLKeU3NPASJWw7u7fmhE1saLi0QpcaLqoUjuCKT614da7679ULLJK8C6zqqWONnDs3c/s1600/The_Last_Supper-Sopranos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0nXaBgiuqc_cyMyOTM87QSe3RzmYP1ie4hr2lP2zXw4FIiDYVkhytrp40HT3OjOCisVFmkMKFiLKeU3NPASJWw7u7fmhE1saLi0QpcaLqoUjuCKT614da7679ULLJK8C6zqqWONnDs3c/s400/The_Last_Supper-Sopranos.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Sopranos, Vanity Fair</i> photo shoot</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyaWbsGxtJTp0FnjGzdlTaTMa8nDrQRCHTtDAXzKYkOeAWJ7NPe9zg2asF2paQermPxvQn46OZYz03mYtqi_yJNhyphenhyphenJvQsS5Ne3OUvNMiwMZ3dg2RqxcNbv90bPQjR9aqjX1z6H5uOl5Hk/s1600/Battlestar-Last-Supper-Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyaWbsGxtJTp0FnjGzdlTaTMa8nDrQRCHTtDAXzKYkOeAWJ7NPe9zg2asF2paQermPxvQn46OZYz03mYtqi_yJNhyphenhyphenJvQsS5Ne3OUvNMiwMZ3dg2RqxcNbv90bPQjR9aqjX1z6H5uOl5Hk/s400/Battlestar-Last-Supper-Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Battlestar Galactica, </i>promo art</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZpH_6lYWQX6vBTWPf1LlDCO-K4rOFRhOPC9f3sncLdSQIlLaXx9QtWuM14lgoYYa3sJNdecerXzrZDH0UPS9RFQCa9tBLxyK4UN9j9EDmWStdNuCiypRpQeKhhiGhNG8wjAZAHkmkF7s/s1600/simpsons+last+supper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZpH_6lYWQX6vBTWPf1LlDCO-K4rOFRhOPC9f3sncLdSQIlLaXx9QtWuM14lgoYYa3sJNdecerXzrZDH0UPS9RFQCa9tBLxyK4UN9j9EDmWStdNuCiypRpQeKhhiGhNG8wjAZAHkmkF7s/s400/simpsons+last+supper.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Simpsons</i>, screengrab<br />
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In contrast, here's the very first <i>Last Supper</i> parody in pop culture history (as far as I know), from Luis Bunuel's 1961 film <i>Viridiana</i>. The film, a satire of Catholic hypocrisy, was banned outright in Spain, with this scene being the most controversial. It's clear that Bunuel chose this particular scene for a reason -- not just because he had thirteen actors who needed to be aesthetically arranged.<br />
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<br />Gwynne Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527086176017464122noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070931569301682259.post-23932402626682083772011-05-04T20:23:00.000-07:002011-05-04T20:23:36.420-07:00"How Many More Gay People Does God Have to Create..."A beautifully simple argument against the Minnesota gay marriage ban by Representative Steve Simon, now a viral video hero. Sadly, it wasn't enough: the amendment <a href="http://minnesotaindependent.com/80995/house-committee-passes-anti-gay-marriage-amendment">passed the House</a> earlier this week.<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hXpOA3jPC04?rel=0" width="480"></iframe> <br />
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During his speech, Simon mentions a "member of the clergy" who testified that "sexual orientation is a gift from God." I dug around the Internet (including the Minnesota State Legislature archives) for a while, but was unable to figure out the identity of the pro-gay clergy member. There<i> is</i> a "Being Gay is a Gift from God" campaign going on at <a href="http://centraltoledo.org/blog/get-involved/being-gay-is-a-gift-of-god-campaign/">a Methodist church in Ohio</a>, but I assume that whoever testified is somebody local. Perhaps it's the super-awesomely-named <a href="http://thecolu.mn/2913/st-paul-park-gets-gay-pastor">Obadiah Ballinger</a>, a Minnesota pastor who's <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPWKjG71cXo">married to a fellow Minnesota pastor</a>? (Okay, really no evidence that it's him -- I just wanted to share his adorable YouTube video, which I have now dubbed <i>When Harry Met Gay Sally at Yale Divinity</i>.) Whoever you are, mystery pastor -- God Spam salutes you.Gwynne Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527086176017464122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070931569301682259.post-90072260045530092092011-04-18T13:33:00.000-07:002011-04-18T13:34:19.861-07:00Evil Priests, Blasphemous Preachers & Dolph Lundgren's Crucifix Dagger<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQtlaP4hnwZ34U76NyYYwT7uh9ilOoVAJVjLARW3ZFXUJ4fpOrpxa-iOiMJVbTsquGoXdBxG7QBCD1z6uKdqCr3fMSr58rb2USA3C77A2au3dgvivORN2qwbQKol4ELwziSDY9osUe_yo/s1600/dolphlundgrenpreacher.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQtlaP4hnwZ34U76NyYYwT7uh9ilOoVAJVjLARW3ZFXUJ4fpOrpxa-iOiMJVbTsquGoXdBxG7QBCD1z6uKdqCr3fMSr58rb2USA3C77A2au3dgvivORN2qwbQKol4ELwziSDY9osUe_yo/s320/dolphlundgrenpreacher.JPG" width="309" /></a></div><br />
Here's <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2011/03/heretical_preists.html#">a list of the Nine Most Heretical Onscreen Priests</a> that I wrote for <i>New York Magazine</i>'s <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2011/03/heretical_preists.html#">Vulture website</a>. To narrow it down from a long, long list of film and TV's corrupt holy men, I limited it to those who explicitly quote the Bible -- and was amazed at how few actually do.<br />
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To wit, here's a partial list of the bad bishops and perverse preachers who didn't make the list because they never say a word of Scripture onscreen:<br />
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Jonathan Pryce's evil priests in both <i>Stigmata</i> and <i>The Affair of the Necklace </i><br />
Pope George Carlin in <i>Dogma</i><br />
F Murray Abraham in<i> In the Name of the Rose</i><br />
Ewan McGregor in <i>Angels and Demons</i><br />
Bishop in <i>Caddyshack </i><br />
The Bishop of Aquila in <i>Ladyhawke</i><br />
The Bishop of Bath and Wells in<i> Black Adder</i><br />
Reverend Brian Darling in <i>Dirty Sexy Money</i> <br />
Father Phil Intintola in <i>The Sopranos</i><br />
Bishop Anthony in <i>V for Vendetta</i><br />
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Then again, maybe I wasn't watching closely enough. Did I miss any passing Bible quotes in these films? Who are your favorite un-holy men?<i> </i>Gwynne Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527086176017464122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070931569301682259.post-74865174229188156192011-04-17T07:28:00.000-07:002011-04-17T07:28:35.266-07:00Lady Gaga and the Fake Religious ControversyIf I'd been more on top of things, I would have set up a Religious Controversy Countdown clock the second Lady Gaga announced that her new single was called "Judas." Of course, we wouldn't have been counting down to a <i>real</i> religious controversy, the kind where people are thrown into crises of faith and forced to look at their own beliefs. No, the countdown clock would be ticking down the hours until some media outlet made up a story about how Lady Gaga was making religious groups angry. And by "religious groups," I mean Bill Donahue, the guy who calls himself The Catholic League.<br />
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Here's <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1599327204">the headline from </a><i><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/lady-gagas-judas-upsets-religious-179188">The Hollywood Reporter</a>, </i>posted one day after the release of Gaga's single:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggxlzYbaGxDEpV1h2zusz1rb8_yZx0aHN-PcY42obdpNx9Lc5d8eT7-EPcf-af2By3RqzRFLbKgrk9nc_1K85whfhaMbXY5vlicG8DyRgFG24J3jjF3Q_WuylDYCQS84mLR0NurQA0vzY/s1600/judas+controversy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggxlzYbaGxDEpV1h2zusz1rb8_yZx0aHN-PcY42obdpNx9Lc5d8eT7-EPcf-af2By3RqzRFLbKgrk9nc_1K85whfhaMbXY5vlicG8DyRgFG24J3jjF3Q_WuylDYCQS84mLR0NurQA0vzY/s320/judas+controversy.jpg" width="320" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Rather than waiting for an actual controversy to brew, <i>HR </i>took advantage of a statement Bill Donahue <a href="http://www.hollywoodlife.com/2011/04/08/lady-gaga-judas-mary-magdalene-catholic-talentless-offended-bill-donohue/">conveniently released to the media </a>one week before the single dropped. Does that mean Donahue was reacting to a song he hadn't even heard yet? Yes. Yes it does. <br />
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So here's Donahue's statement, made on behalf of his official-sounding one-man crusade, The Catholic League: <i>I find Gaga to be increasingly irrelevant. She thinks she is going to be groundbreaking. She is trying to ripoff Christian idolatry to shore up her talentless, mundane and boring performances. Another ex-Catholic whose head is turned around. This is a stunt. People have real talent, and then there is Lady Gaga. Is this the only way to jet up her performance? This isn’t random, we are getting closer to Holy Week and Easter.</i><br />
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He's right about one thing: the release of "Judas" right before Holy Week is no accident. It <i>is</i> a stunt, and it's a good one, because Lady Gaga excels at getting attention. I'm going to keep saying it: religion is the new sex. If a pop star wants to make headlines right now, talking about Jesus is the fastest route.<br />
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The thing that separates Lady Gaga, though, is that she's actually interested in religion. Her use of Christian imagery in "Judas" is very deliberate, and while it doesn't always make sense, it feeds into her message of cultural change through art -- which, of late, has included a lot of talk about reforming religion. The way she's going, it's entirely possible that Lady Gaga could spark some genuine religious controversy. But we'll never know, unless the media learns to tune out Bill Donahue's ranting and actually pay attention.Gwynne Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527086176017464122noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070931569301682259.post-70417075565129406382011-03-07T11:05:00.000-08:002011-03-07T11:05:54.633-08:00Video: The Devil Weighs In On The Westboro Baptist Church<object height="288" width="512"><param name="movie" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/7KUBfM3WfEB2QZ_IAuHHHg"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/7KUBfM3WfEB2QZ_IAuHHHg" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="512" height="288" allowFullScreen="true"></embed></object><br />
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And who better, really? From the weekend's Miley Cyrus episode of <i>Saturday Night Live. </i>Gwynne Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527086176017464122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070931569301682259.post-86795159309460333912011-02-23T18:02:00.000-08:002011-02-23T18:02:21.777-08:00Will The New Yorker's Scientology Article Win Converts?<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixj9CNSvFKF9-vEYNJd9pbX-TsV7AlTDsWbuU6GM0ibXdwqyUmK4ANoxEoKjHWnuXoqjpe5lNz1s9UxhjIHIblkX36dUg1iaIYhI-muFuwKg-aFbl5V_opWeDuDtjnsPrj2HjIAy4cB9k/s1600/famous+scientologists.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixj9CNSvFKF9-vEYNJd9pbX-TsV7AlTDsWbuU6GM0ibXdwqyUmK4ANoxEoKjHWnuXoqjpe5lNz1s9UxhjIHIblkX36dUg1iaIYhI-muFuwKg-aFbl5V_opWeDuDtjnsPrj2HjIAy4cB9k/s320/famous+scientologists.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div>The New Yorker's <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/02/14/110214fa_fact_wright?currentPage=all">recent essay on Scientology</a> by Lawrence Wright is getting a lot of attention, and with good reason: it's well-researched, uses solid insider sources, and has some bombshell revelations. (Although if you've been following Scientology reporting for any length of time, it's the same sort of shocking stuff you already know.) But J.C. Hallman, who has also written extensively about Scientology, has an eye-opening criticism of the piece on <a href="http://killingthebuddha.com/mag/exegesis/killing-the-thetan/">Killing the Buddha</a>. Specifically, he believes that Wright's journalistic objectivity gets in the way of portraying Scientology for the truly scary thing it is. Here's the kicker:<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"><i>The funny thing is, "The Apostate" is exactly the kind of article that might get someone </i>interested<i> in Scientology. There’s just enough doubt thrown in, just enough caveats and deniability and dropped threads, and just enough intrigue to make it all seem like a grand adventure. If you’re frail and needy, and if you’re a seeker, then you’re not going to listen for what Wright is suggesting between the lines of this piece, when he appears to be writing not for readers but for a judge and jury. Instead, you’ll listen to the quiet evangelism that Scientology knows creeps through all accounts like this, and is the only reason they’re willing to sit down with </i>The New Yorker.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Read the whole argument <a href="http://killingthebuddha.com/mag/exegesis/killing-the-thetan/">here</a>. And for extra credit, read <a href="http://www.clambake.org/archive/books/bfm/bfmconte.htm">The Bare-Faced Messiah: The True Story of L. Ron Hubbard</a> -- the biography that the Scientologists <a href="http://www.clambake.org/archive/books/bfm/suppress.htm">pretty successfully suppressed</a> until some nice person decided to put the entire text online. </div>Gwynne Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527086176017464122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070931569301682259.post-50481967242426006832011-01-28T13:21:00.000-08:002011-01-28T13:21:57.692-08:00This Is My Body, Spiced With Cool Ranch Seasonings for YouSo Doritos has decided not to air this Super Bowl ad, in which a desperate priest revives his congregation by adding trans fats and artificial coloring to Holy Communion. Here's the commercial:<br />
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I doubt that Doritos ever seriously intended to air this (it's among a number of potential ads they placed on their website and rejected, including 2 gay-themed ones), but it's still a piece of work. First off, notice the ways in which the filmmakers took care to cover their asses: they never say the priest's denomination. They never say they're serving Holy Communion, despite the recognizable aspects of the ritual. They know that most audiences will assume that the troubled church is Catholic, and that they're swapping out the wafers and wine during the service. <br />
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And part of me admires the sheer gall of that. But obviously, this commercial is incredibly problematic for anybody who respects religion. Let's look at a couple of the not-so-funny things that are being mocked here:<br />
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- <b>Lack of church attendance.</b> This is a major issue in many Christian churches throughout the country, especially when we're talking about mainstream Catholics and Protestants. (The mega-churches are doing just fine.) In terms of the Catholic church, the problem of shuttering churches is directly tied to a drop in faith and funds after the molestation scandal. Ha...ha?<br />
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- <b>Holy Communion = Dullsville.</b> See, here the thing -- Holy Communion is a <i>ritual</i>. It's not supposed to be exciting, it's supposed to be contemplative. The whole reason that Catholics use those wafers in the first place is to emphasize that Holy Communion is not about food, but about something greater. It's also a sacrament, based directly on Jesus's last act before he was tortured to death for humanity's sins. Go on, laugh.<br />
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The group that created this ad doesn't think they're making fun of churchgoers, but they are. I'm all for finding humor in religion, but not for mocking a two thousand year old ritual that harms no one, has given great comfort to many, and encourages deep spiritual contemplation. American culture, as a rule, does not encourage spiritual contemplation. That is part of the reason that more people don't go to church, and part of the reason why more people should. (Side note: for a contemporary look at Holy Communion, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Take-This-Bread-Radical-Conversion/dp/0345486927"><i>Take This Bread: A Radical Conversion</i></a> by Sara Miles is an incredible meditation on the subject by an atheist-turned-Christian.)<br />
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Incidentally, here's another rejected Christianity-themed ad, this by a guy named Richard Belfry who sells shirts that say "Jesus Hates Obama." Yep, that's his whole business: selling shirts that say "Jesus Hates Obama." Why does Jesus hate Obama? His website doesn't say. In fact, Belfry has been making the <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2011/01/22/2011-01-22_fox_rejects_jesus_hates_obama_super_bowl_ad_according_to_site_creator_richard_be.html?r=news/national">press rounds</a>, saying that of course Jesus doesn't <i>really </i>hate Obama. Lighten up, people! It's a joke! It's funny because Jesus obviously has the same political beliefs as you! And if Jesus was here today, he wouldn't be healing the sick and lame -- he'd be protesting Obamacare!<br />
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Sigh. I just want to be the funny blogger, guys. Why are you making this so hard?Gwynne Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527086176017464122noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070931569301682259.post-12778108527641513982010-12-22T12:09:00.000-08:002011-01-07T17:07:05.753-08:00The Birth of Jesus, Told 4 WaysThis Christmas, God Spam is taking a Rashomon-like approach to the Nativity story (but without the rape and murder and creepy fortune teller). Here are four different videos describing the birth of Jesus, as told by...<br />
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...Social networking: <br />
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...Sincerely adorable New Zealand children:<br />
<object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kWq60oyrHVQ?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kWq60oyrHVQ?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object><br />
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...Lovably inaccurate American kids:<br />
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... And tongue-in-cheek Christian cartoonists: <br />
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The Christmas story comes out of years of church tradition and theological controversy, but you can get a nice run-down of what the Bible actually says <a href="http://catholic-resources.org/Bible/Jesus-Birth.htm">here</a>. In the words of <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=LDPQRuxM-MgC&dq=phyllis+tickle+%22has+to+be+true%22&source=gbs_navlinks_s">writer Phyllis Tickle</a>: "The Virgin Birth is so beautiful that it has to be true, whether it happened or not."<br />
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Merry Christmas from all one of us at God Spam!Gwynne Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527086176017464122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070931569301682259.post-69664808730324552712010-11-28T19:18:00.000-08:002010-11-28T19:18:48.727-08:00Gotta Have Faith: Lewis Black<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga9nWnHenxMDGmj0ftv75sxlZDqK1nrRnJDnrULHr-SVsVz9kLh6LSKuNtYDsukUJqJBkUpVZfnNoZpMGwlhYoWH6K8HVMXL1SBddr68IHSrtOUjzdQ0078LPDQkuU-glKPXtl8sN_2tM/s1600/lewis+black+christmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga9nWnHenxMDGmj0ftv75sxlZDqK1nrRnJDnrULHr-SVsVz9kLh6LSKuNtYDsukUJqJBkUpVZfnNoZpMGwlhYoWH6K8HVMXL1SBddr68IHSrtOUjzdQ0078LPDQkuU-glKPXtl8sN_2tM/s320/lewis+black+christmas.jpg" width="203" /></a></div><br />
"Gays didn't need to ask if they were gay. God told them. And if God told them, that's all you need to know, 'cause He's God and He wouldn't have made people gay unless He thought it was right. How do I know this? Because He's God and He's smarter than you. And if you don't like what I just said, tough. That's the God I believe in and that's the way He thinks. Maybe your God will have some thoughts someday." <br />
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— From<i> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1594487758/">I'm Dreaming of a Black Christmas</a>,</i> in which comedian Lewis Black expresses a message of divine love and acceptance in the most ornery way possible. Crankiness notwithstanding, the book actually has a lot to say about the ways in which our culture celebrates and interprets the Christmas season. (And if you're interested, here's<a href="http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/11/comedic_curmudgeon_lewis_black.html"> an interview</a> I did with Lewis Black when the book hit shelves in November.) <i><br />
</i>Gwynne Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527086176017464122noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070931569301682259.post-32062755057021044972010-11-10T09:06:00.000-08:002010-11-10T09:08:23.225-08:00The New Christianity Meets the Liberal MediaJay Bakker, whose name I shall follow with the obligatory "son of Jim and Tammy Faye," gets <a href="http://nymag.com/news/features/69368/">an excellent profile</a> in this week's <i>New York Magazine</i>. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO-fB9pO2FDnNjhHVN0P42M5LHF1YoJkFpZjF4qcwMTBUSQ-yDo_tYjIbac-o8mWi1n2xtNZZU97DiujiJGlUWWNbZci7MLwT6Hrs_NW7CrRRv19KoB0wWjjLTDui57GpNSOE5cd4DT0Y/s1600/jay_bakker+ad.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO-fB9pO2FDnNjhHVN0P42M5LHF1YoJkFpZjF4qcwMTBUSQ-yDo_tYjIbac-o8mWi1n2xtNZZU97DiujiJGlUWWNbZci7MLwT6Hrs_NW7CrRRv19KoB0wWjjLTDui57GpNSOE5cd4DT0Y/s320/jay_bakker+ad.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Image: Kenneth Cole via <a href="http://killingthebuddha.com/mag/witness/happy-hour-gospel/">Killing the Buddha</a></i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table> I've mentioned Jay before on God Spam -- he's the founder and New York City pastor of <a href="http://www.revolutionnyc.com/about/">Revolution</a>, a church that seeks to embrace individuals (mainly the young, liberal, counter-cultural variety) who feel rejected by traditional Christianity. Here's how writer Alex Morris sums up Bakker's unexpected ministry: <br />
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<i>But as I’m sitting there, close to the back and beer in hand</i> [note: <a href="http://www.revolutionnyc.com/service/">Revolution NYC meets at a bar</a>]<i>, it occurs to me that maybe the opposite of faith isn’t doubt. Maybe the opposite of faith is certainty, a comforting belief in your own rightness. To a greater degree than most Evangelicals may care to admit, Jay Bakker’s open-armed ministry is an extension of what his parents created. Jim and Tammy Faye were much more tolerant than other televangelists; in 1986, Tammy Faye famously interviewed a gay minister who had been diagnosed with AIDS. But theirs was a theology of aspiration—believing is easy, and believing leads to success—and it didn’t encourage its followers to doubt their faith or themselves. This, it seems to me, is what Jay is offering: a Christianity that allows for, and is even sustained by, failure.</i><br />
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I'm going to repeat that last line, because I love it: "A Christianity that allows for, and is even sustained by, failure."<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXbbq27lpgpWLsJKmWTU6pp4gbglDlJsx6Wz0TPfpo05fp8jbJ8ly6yTphXbFGtYBIV0qK0Spjkc3LTJVipbbSJzLxWFdgAFoOtQGHGrEeW6DtktT7BZpU7XrTgWFzr7rAkkTT2whi4c4/s1600/revolution+nyc+apology.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXbbq27lpgpWLsJKmWTU6pp4gbglDlJsx6Wz0TPfpo05fp8jbJ8ly6yTphXbFGtYBIV0qK0Spjkc3LTJVipbbSJzLxWFdgAFoOtQGHGrEeW6DtktT7BZpU7XrTgWFzr7rAkkTT2whi4c4/s320/revolution+nyc+apology.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Promotional image from Revolution NYC</i></span></td></tr>
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An interesting detail: Morris refers to Bakker as part of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerging_church">Emergent movement</a>. I'm not surprised that he says Bakker won't use the term himself; among Evangelicals (of whom Jay, however liberal, is one), "emergent" is considered a sort of half-boast, half-pejorative, like "hipster."* Be that as it may, this is the first time I've seen the emerging church given attention in a major New York City-based publication. I've been wondering when the Emergent movement would start making its way over to the East Coast, and this could be the first harbinger. <br />
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*<i> I don't know why this is, exactly, although there's a certain teen-like brattiness that can come with the rejection of the mainstream church. For example, Emergent Church icon Tony Jones once told me in so many words that <a href="http://www.fpcbrooklyn.org/main.php">my lovely Brooklyn church</a> is doomed, because we follow the Presbyterian bylaws and meet in a historic church building. </i><br />
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<i>** And yes, if were wondering, "liberal media" in the headline is indeed supposed to be tongue-in-cheek; I have <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/11/comedic_curmudgeon_lewis_black.html">two</a> (non-religion-related) <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/11/best_movie_boulders.html">articles</a> in the same issue of the magazine. </i>Gwynne Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527086176017464122noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070931569301682259.post-71680276127229217922010-09-30T14:38:00.000-07:002010-09-30T14:38:07.144-07:00This Week, On the Happy Fundamentalist Mormon Polygamy Hour...<embed base="http://admin.brightcove.com" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashvars="videoId=620212399001&playerId=271530267&viewerSecureGatewayURL=https://console.brightcove.com/services/amfgateway&servicesURL=http://services.brightcove.com/services&cdnURL=http://admin.brightcove.com&domain=embed&autoStart=false&" height="412" name="flashObj" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash" seamlesstabbing="false" src="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f8/271530267" swliveconnect="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="486"></embed><br />
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Husband Kody's first three wives think his fourth wife is a ho because she kissed him before they were married. God, I love Mormons.Gwynne Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527086176017464122noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070931569301682259.post-57172395389884773802010-09-26T17:59:00.000-07:002010-09-26T17:59:57.053-07:00Christine O'Donnell and Eddie Izzard Argue About God<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/KTYtu4lSqfU?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/KTYtu4lSqfU?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br />
Vintage "Politically Incorrect" clip in which the Senate candidate explains that, if she were hiding Jews in her attic during WWII, God would save her from having to lie to Hitler. And then Eddie Izzard and Bill Maher make fun of her.Gwynne Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527086176017464122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070931569301682259.post-69464863935982557832010-09-19T11:52:00.000-07:002010-09-19T11:52:51.713-07:00God Spam in The Village VoiceThe Village Voice's news blog featured<a href="http://godspam.blogspot.com/"> God Spam</a> this weekend in a piece about Jacob Isom, of <a href="http://godspam.blogspot.com/2010/09/dude-you-have-no-quran-t-shirt.html">"Dude, you have no Quran"</a> fame. The article, by Leslie Minora, specifically focuses on the <a href="http://www.cafepress.com/godspam">merchandise</a> I whipped up in honor of Mr. Isom. <a href="http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/archives/2010/09/t-shirts_and_me.php">You can read the story here.</a> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhosR1VJMefT9xpv6hjO1pwpcJbi9gYMVkbW_bR4UPmZWTRNq5VCt1hTi1XGG5HIQRZt24DOV1d6JtJUWsTW4xo3P2m_oL4lBJ8poKMb0Wr7y-LM2-9WNMrN2BtXjZRYtjhax968V4mbL4/s1600/dude+you+have+no+quaran.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhosR1VJMefT9xpv6hjO1pwpcJbi9gYMVkbW_bR4UPmZWTRNq5VCt1hTi1XGG5HIQRZt24DOV1d6JtJUWsTW4xo3P2m_oL4lBJ8poKMb0Wr7y-LM2-9WNMrN2BtXjZRYtjhax968V4mbL4/s320/dude+you+have+no+quaran.jpg" /></a></div>From the interview: <i>Watkins, a freelance writer and the daughter of a minister, says she started her quirky religious blog because she's "always been really fascinated by the intersection of pop culture and religion...[this type of blog] didn't exist, and I wanted to read it." Isom seems the personification of the very intersection Watkins explores.</i><br />
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I wouldn't say he's <i>exactly</i> at the intersection that this blog explores. If David Isom had grabbed the Quran while singing a verse from the lost Gospel of Thomas to the tune of "Bad Romance," <i>then</i> we'd be talking. <br />
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However, The Voice is absolutely correct that David Isom's story has a special appeal for me. Ironically, I had deliberately avoided covering the Amarillo Quran-burning story at first, for the same reason that I won't write about the Westboro Baptist Church: both stories center around a small group of bigots whose message distorts the Christian faith, and who are ultimately powerless except in their ability to get media attention. I do not want to feed that particular beast.<br />
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But I am not the mainstream media. By the time the book-burning was actually scheduled to take place, the nation's entire freedom of religion apparently hung in the balance of one deluded pastor and a park grill. The Unitarian Universalists, God bless 'em, mobilized<i> en masse</i> to stop this event from taking place. And then one shirtless stoner thwarted the entire event by doing the most practical thing imaginable: taking the holy book away. And since apparently no one had a back-up Quran (which I do, in fact, find hilarious), everybody just went home.<br />
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With one spontaneous act, David Isom brought this clash of faiths down from the ideological clouds to a very human level. And that's the element that's so often missing from press coverage of religion stories: the fact that the participants are individuals, and even if they all believe basically the same thing, they no doubt have very different reasons. No one was hurt that day in Amarillo; no individual freedoms were lost. In the end, there was just a man who looked down and realized he had no book to burn.<br />
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<i>Footnote: I am 99% certain that God Spam is the point of reference for <a href="http://amarillo.com/news/local-news/2010-09-14/dude-you-have-no-quranhttp://amarillo.com/news/local-news/2010-09-14/dude-you-have-no-quran">this article from the Amarillo Globe-News</a>, as no one else to my knowledge is selling "Dude, You Have no Quran" hats. That article's reference to hats and T-shirts was also featured in </i><i>The Week. And as a result of all this publicity, I have sold... 3 shirts! And no teddy bears. Come on, guys, Thanksgiving is coming. That's the traditional holiday of meme-themed plush toys. </i><i><br />
</i>Gwynne Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527086176017464122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070931569301682259.post-32733337798371944732010-09-14T20:28:00.000-07:002010-09-16T15:38:14.435-07:00Dude, You Have No Quran: The T-ShirtEvery once in a while, an everyman utters such a profound statement that we must grant him our culture's highest honor: a slogan T-shirt. Ladies and gentleman, Jacob Isom is such a man. Although there were dozens of protesters making a stand against the scheduled Quran burning in an Amarillo, Texas park, Isom single-handedly thwarted the Christian hate parade by yanking the sacred text off a burning grill. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-DDfAz0huTE?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-DDfAz0huTE?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></div><br />
In his own, now-immortal words: "I snuck up behind him and took his Quran. He said something about burning the Quran, and I said, <b>Dude, you have no Quran</b>."<br />
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Jacob Isom, in honor of your bold stance against religious intolerance (and the fact that you said "dude"), God Spam salutes you with <a href="http://www.cafepress.com/godspam">this custom T-shirt.</a> <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF45xti_xqxyo7hhWo9oo_fkx9ckxSQFWCLFMzRVdrJ2rI7fSzQZoc192XRkRnPfpSdB3xRWbvNm44Jz_zRbRKs46nE21qdEsqlYJEdRRHgnf66lzpIjxS3IQkwOlE01jPD2rh-wpTuT4/s1600/dude+you+have+no+quaran+t-shirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF45xti_xqxyo7hhWo9oo_fkx9ckxSQFWCLFMzRVdrJ2rI7fSzQZoc192XRkRnPfpSdB3xRWbvNm44Jz_zRbRKs46nE21qdEsqlYJEdRRHgnf66lzpIjxS3IQkwOlE01jPD2rh-wpTuT4/s1600/dude+you+have+no+quaran+t-shirt.jpg" /></a></div>The <a href="http://www.cafepress.com/godspam">"Dude, you have no Quran" shirt</a> is now available for purchase, in assorted colors and styles, at the brand-new <a href="http://www.cafepress.com/godspam">God Spam online store</a>. And since Cafe Press, as it turns out, is insane about customization, you can also get your own "Dude, you have no Quran" teddy bear.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhte-k7_tWL46aTpkw7Q4nKjhoUWm3lbcWKL1NggNsTBjh2zBm03reYmolOAubTKzc59suIuf4-elGeg97cw2Oo_sSLBoafvjqCrQuHU4HQC5r6pJ8N4cQD39HbJbFUPO-YhCY2IMUXXJY/s1600/dude+you+have+no+quran+teddy+bear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhte-k7_tWL46aTpkw7Q4nKjhoUWm3lbcWKL1NggNsTBjh2zBm03reYmolOAubTKzc59suIuf4-elGeg97cw2Oo_sSLBoafvjqCrQuHU4HQC5r6pJ8N4cQD39HbJbFUPO-YhCY2IMUXXJY/s320/dude+you+have+no+quran+teddy+bear.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Or perhaps you'd prefer an extremely American-made dog T-shirt?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxmNni6X2qyvfQg-TmFNp7vOCN2oD2rbvdgQVUlOx2_YPH1rCBRdhAURHeHYvz5k3Izphkw_kexWW81JuTSeV4RLLkTXTwU2kTBgKOnK7C88_BfPu87zRpLcRRQ3zK8eab58SWseCvQks/s1600/dude+you+have+quran+dog+shirt" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxmNni6X2qyvfQg-TmFNp7vOCN2oD2rbvdgQVUlOx2_YPH1rCBRdhAURHeHYvz5k3Izphkw_kexWW81JuTSeV4RLLkTXTwU2kTBgKOnK7C88_BfPu87zRpLcRRQ3zK8eab58SWseCvQks/s320/dude+you+have+quran+dog+shirt" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>While you're there, you can also get a <a href="http://www.cafepress.com/godspam">Smoking Nuns T-shirt</a>, inspired by the popular God Spam post, "<a href="http://godspam.blogspot.com/2010/08/is-catholicism-like-smoking.html">Is Catholicism like Smoking?</a>" Here's the design: <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoQOQvcsPV6qAZHSwWXaKYpAFQ5QazRqV7mWgrbn9-oMhb2WVBWtvE002Zjh_wRcltsN9TeLR0WRdxhXBMzUM3bWD5r-ReQxC5TfQDY32ujkqPMHdsG93HQf81aBniH1F7evhddPJt6A4/s1600/catholic+trying+to+quit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoQOQvcsPV6qAZHSwWXaKYpAFQ5QazRqV7mWgrbn9-oMhb2WVBWtvE002Zjh_wRcltsN9TeLR0WRdxhXBMzUM3bWD5r-ReQxC5TfQDY32ujkqPMHdsG93HQf81aBniH1F7evhddPJt6A4/s320/catholic+trying+to+quit.jpg" /></a></div>(I'm not totally sold on this one, so if buy it now before I decide it's too offensive!)<br />
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But Jacob Isom, this post is really about you. God Spam salutes you, your bravery, and your <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7a0k4kcMI8U">weird cooking show pilot </a>that we found on YouTube. All Americans should be proud to wear your words.<br />
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<i>Update: Isom is now promoting <a href="http://mutumbo.tumblr.com/">official "Dude, You Have No Quran" shirts</a> with his face emblazoned on them. <a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110586874022&var=&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT">Go here to buy one.</a> So many options! </i>Gwynne Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527086176017464122noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070931569301682259.post-57676175628159647982010-08-26T09:54:00.000-07:002010-08-31T14:47:08.550-07:00Is Catholicism Like Smoking?Since last week's post prompted <a href="http://www.facebook.com/posted.php?id=66435815451&share_id=150423358317553&comments=1#s150423358317553">some lively discussion</a> on Anne Rice's <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%20%20%20%20http://www.facebook.com/annericefanpage">Facebook page</a>, this seems like a good time to ponder something that Rice has made me think about: the difficulty of quitting Catholicism.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpWVkbDeMR51maejJ1D719JIkoruNPZ6FVfiptoE3aAWq_4UsbtUgdK3-QJ7zrIK6jiOOHGht2yXEASVAtThbRO22w8YbDy64sqz_RC5NAqw3FzgNuH_SiJ7AfTTJkVyrDRhEB7Q1weHg/s1600/smoking+jesus+1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpWVkbDeMR51maejJ1D719JIkoruNPZ6FVfiptoE3aAWq_4UsbtUgdK3-QJ7zrIK6jiOOHGht2yXEASVAtThbRO22w8YbDy64sqz_RC5NAqw3FzgNuH_SiJ7AfTTJkVyrDRhEB7Q1weHg/s320/smoking+jesus+1.gif" /></a></div><br />
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I should clarify, to start, that I'm not a Catholic; rather, I'm a Prod with Italian roots, a nun obsession and a love of early church history. I named my son after Saint Anselm. So rest assured that I'm not trying to be flip about the Catholic Church here. I see a great deal of beauty in Catholicism. When Anne Rice first declared her conversion into the Catholic Church, I thought it made perfect sense. The things that resonate about her books -- the conflicted relationship between passion and morality, the grand drama on a larger-than-human scale, the tantalizing nearness of death -- are all very present in Catholic tradition and ritual.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjq9koZXeCzv5iWt5iejWK_eybLoKC4T_9i5rabNV00EzqR65chV2OOEtG3JetzJ8HWpH09kAJ5ob8x5kMXC3I4cOTbssVDVzlt2qjA9wAL3-9yUDve2sy18yjPXhHzVlYzN7P5NMmwAM/s1600/smoking+nuns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjq9koZXeCzv5iWt5iejWK_eybLoKC4T_9i5rabNV00EzqR65chV2OOEtG3JetzJ8HWpH09kAJ5ob8x5kMXC3I4cOTbssVDVzlt2qjA9wAL3-9yUDve2sy18yjPXhHzVlYzN7P5NMmwAM/s320/smoking+nuns.jpg" /></a></div><br />
And now she is walking away, not from her faith, but from the Church. Here's what I neglected to mention in the previous post: after declaring that she'd "quit being a Christian," Rice received a <a href="http://www.ucc.org/news/ucc-leader-responds-to-anne.html">public invitation</a> to join the socially liberal United Church of Christ (supported, of course, by <a href="http://www.facebook.com/like.the.UCC">an enthusiastic Facebook campaign</a>). When she demurred, the <i><a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2010/aug/07/local/la-me-beliefs-anne-rice-20100807">LA Times</a> </i>asked Rice flat-out, <i>How can you say no to that?</i> Her response was diplomatic and honest: "I respect completely people who want to find a church that's more in accord with what they can morally accept. But for me, walking away is the thing right now. In the name of Christ, in the name of God."<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvbJj3M2BcaetiB7XkJXhF8vDqD2GWItQZP3q08z0yYVWK-Kp2IENoG2CzxEz4-A_wZQUWcaX2DXWVkDPW3PgKSy-0KYaUNMSTpZEO4WN_HTOmnRVTlvIpu3nSr4y2sexMmWDm02hLZn8/s1600/smoking+jesus+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvbJj3M2BcaetiB7XkJXhF8vDqD2GWItQZP3q08z0yYVWK-Kp2IENoG2CzxEz4-A_wZQUWcaX2DXWVkDPW3PgKSy-0KYaUNMSTpZEO4WN_HTOmnRVTlvIpu3nSr4y2sexMmWDm02hLZn8/s320/smoking+jesus+2.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Now, I love <a href="http://www.ucc.org/">the UCC</a>. I love their proud acceptance of different lifestyles and sexualities, I love their willingness to embrace change, and I love that their entire outreach campaign is based on <a href="http://www.getreligion.org/?p=901">a Gracie Allen quote</a>. But the UCC is not the Catholic Church. For everything it offers, it lacks the rituals, the thousands of years of history and culture, the globe-spanning universal language of Catholicism. Now: did Anne Rice leave the church entirely because she thought it would make a stronger political statement than joining a more liberal denomination? Or did she leave because nothing can truly replace Catholicism for her?<br />
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I've watched many friends struggle to quit smoking, and it's always seemed to me that the hardest part of quitting smoking is that nothing can really take its place. There is no alternative activity that incorporates relaxation, socializing and ritual in the same way that cigarettes do. There's nothing you can do with your mouth and hands and breath that can replicate the feeling of having a cigarette. Similarly: there is nothing else in the world like the Catholic Church. Some would argue for the Episcopal Church as an adequate replacement, but for many who have fallen in love or been raised with Catholic tradition, it will never be more than adequate. Remember: selecting a church is a deeply personal thing, and it can be more about a feeling of presence and belonging than about a series of check marks on an "agree/do not agree" list.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihD1G9qK86oPduE0y81vc9Y5TeYHieVfYuKBPEaB_bbXMxBxeH41cJUyOLmnI_mQvzfiQnUUku7_lSwFvBhD_shGmvSx_tkJvw8OCFNYrXMg5N4dmZkyakZC6co0FhlqbOUsuWQthxJhE/s1600/smoking+priest+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihD1G9qK86oPduE0y81vc9Y5TeYHieVfYuKBPEaB_bbXMxBxeH41cJUyOLmnI_mQvzfiQnUUku7_lSwFvBhD_shGmvSx_tkJvw8OCFNYrXMg5N4dmZkyakZC6co0FhlqbOUsuWQthxJhE/s320/smoking+priest+1.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div style="font-family: inherit;">This is hard time for Catholics with an independent moral compass. In June, a representative from the Vatican <a href="http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/jun/10061702.html">argued before the U.N.</a> that condom distribution was actually harmful to AIDS-ravaged Africa. In July, the Vatican declared the ordination of women to be<span style="font-size: small;"> <i>delicta graviora </i></span><span style="font-size: small;">-- a "grave sin" <a href="http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/sexandgender/2954/vatican_equates_women%E2%80%99s_ordination_with_priest_pedophilia/">comparable to sexually abusing a child</a>. <span style="font-family: inherit;">And the abuse scandal -- a travesty only magnified by the church's refusal to take responsibility -- is still a great unhealed wound; just this week, a Vatican lawyer gave an interview to Fox News assuring the public that Pope Ratzinger<a href="http://liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/08/23/vatican-sex-abuse-prosecutor-talks-to-fox/"> actually did show human emotion</a> in reaction to the abuse cases. (When that's supposed to be comforting, we're in deep trouble.) </span></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Anne Rice says that she'll "</span>very much miss" going to Mass and participating in Holy Communion. Her decision sounds heartbreaking. But sometimes, going cold turkey is the only option. </div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8seI11gpGgxz4wbr7lsQZoKbolXvfttv3au-5OELD8ib9w8_3qFTsCDzXJW8juJN6tzCwQjfCcoQuvLZ9_xZKvWV0_zixLTZ64HTALcvQNrGlvPPCpt6JlQo1ZzETq3RtRxWEAGq7x4Q/s1600/smoke+for+the+pope.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8seI11gpGgxz4wbr7lsQZoKbolXvfttv3au-5OELD8ib9w8_3qFTsCDzXJW8juJN6tzCwQjfCcoQuvLZ9_xZKvWV0_zixLTZ64HTALcvQNrGlvPPCpt6JlQo1ZzETq3RtRxWEAGq7x4Q/s320/smoke+for+the+pope.jpg" /></a></div>Gwynne Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527086176017464122noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070931569301682259.post-67797961693731272782010-08-23T11:17:00.000-07:002010-08-31T14:47:31.310-07:00The Reluctant Christian: Katy Perry & Anne RiceAt this particular moment in pop culture, we have two very influential women trying to distance themselves from their former Christian faith. And other than their ability to make headlines, they couldn't be more different. First we have Katy Perry, a 25-year-old pop singer who started out in the Contemporary Christian Music scene before a<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAp9BKosZXs"> song about lip balm</a> made her a superstar. Check out the video below from her CCM days. (Who knew she could sing without writhing? I thought these things were programmed to occur simultaneously.)<br />
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It's a well-known fact that Perry was raised by devout evangelical parents -- well-known, because for every topless photo shoot the singer gives the press, she offers a new anecdote about her wacky religious upbringing. I have to hand it to her, she gives good quote. In the latest <i>Rolling Stone</i>, she says that speaking in tongues is "as normal to me as 'pass the salt'", and says she couldn't eat Lucky Charms because "lucky" sounds like "Lucifier." But what's even more interesting than the sugary-cereal anecdote (I'm <i>so</i> trying that on my kid), is that she still <a href="http://www.dennyburk.com/the-faith-of-katy-perry/">considers herself a Christian</a>. To wit:<br />
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<i>God is very much still a part of my life...But the way the details are told in the Bible—that’s very fuzzy for me. And I want to throw up when I say that. But that’s the truth. </i><br />
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<i>I still believe that Jesus is the son of God… But I also believe in extraterrestrials, and that there are people who are sent from God to be messengers, and all sorts of crazy stuff… Every time I look up, I know that I’m nothing and there’s something way beyond me. I don’t think it’s as simple as heaven and hell.</i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i> </i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj1vga9Us79oM4DWwoIlCJhh7VApyl9VSQ38r7G1ntoSlqDAg1j0zNdMx27Te1ZxOxVdbLlYUmPDASrhiwJ8oOt0xXHdhwAU0TBY3Hvin-AnmpEzWYiYYuWcs4anBlohHNDVzXlnrqlzw/s1600/katy+perry+rolling+stone+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj1vga9Us79oM4DWwoIlCJhh7VApyl9VSQ38r7G1ntoSlqDAg1j0zNdMx27Te1ZxOxVdbLlYUmPDASrhiwJ8oOt0xXHdhwAU0TBY3Hvin-AnmpEzWYiYYuWcs4anBlohHNDVzXlnrqlzw/s320/katy+perry+rolling+stone+cover.jpg" /></a></div><br />
In the other corner of the blogosphere we have Anne Rice, who made headlines by announcing on Facebook that she had "quit being a Christian." The vampire novelist famously returned to her Catholic roots in 1998, after a long period of atheism. Here's what she told the <a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/herocomplex/2010/08/anne-rice-leaves-christianity-with-a-kind-of-confusion-a-toxic-anger.html"><i>Los Angeles Times</i></a> about her decision to walk away again:<br />
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<i>I've come to the conclusion from my experience with organized religion that I have to leave, that I have to, in the name of Christ, step away from this. It's a matter of rejecting what I've discovered about the persecution of gays, the persecution and oppression of women and the actions of the churches on many different levels. I've also found that I can't find a basis in Scripture for a lot of the positions that churches and denominations take today, and I can't find any basis at all for an anointed, hierarchical priesthood. </i><br />
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<i>So all of this finally created a pressure in me, a kind of confusion, a toxic anger at times, and I felt I had to step aside. And that's what I've done.</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtGZRDWVeEoUd8-I0jn-5NDHGDR7gPLINvSikQuKqLhYOBV9QnSg1QOhY_ymiTR4cM1Z2HApirIc0xlUZL_kdVYXq1Gg-L3m0bPlO81P1sOZD9FAEMO8lqAbg7LEFaABQs-Qd6t90uNsc/s1600/anne+rice+rosary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtGZRDWVeEoUd8-I0jn-5NDHGDR7gPLINvSikQuKqLhYOBV9QnSg1QOhY_ymiTR4cM1Z2HApirIc0xlUZL_kdVYXq1Gg-L3m0bPlO81P1sOZD9FAEMO8lqAbg7LEFaABQs-Qd6t90uNsc/s320/anne+rice+rosary.jpg" /></a></div>What do these two stories have in common? Neither of these ladies have abandoned the core tenet of Christianity, faith in the divinity of Jesus Christ. By that definition, they're still devout Christians. What they've done is left the church, or more specifically, a version of Christianity that they found limiting. For Perry, it was a version that didn't allow her to eat Lucky Charms or hang out with gay people; for Rice, it was a version that insisted that priests were closer to God than laypeople (or women). This makes perfect sense, really. One could argue that Christianity itself is founded on the idea of rebelling from restrictive religious laws and practices. So why is it headline-worthy news when a pop singer and a fiction writer decide that organized religion has a few problems?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitNeyDp8VxETu-HbS65NvX3EZAAHBaRXfFiBdRwHrXhqubMBjhNFcDegDqgsh0MfiTQNgnAwnsXiSjwfu-b2cySGGWr3cgks_0M8ZCu0aBCXju6zoWRuQpv5ofKAfThmrOwOia9MA2lT0/s1600/jesus+che.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitNeyDp8VxETu-HbS65NvX3EZAAHBaRXfFiBdRwHrXhqubMBjhNFcDegDqgsh0MfiTQNgnAwnsXiSjwfu-b2cySGGWr3cgks_0M8ZCu0aBCXju6zoWRuQpv5ofKAfThmrOwOia9MA2lT0/s320/jesus+che.jpg" /></a></div>In terms of Katy Perry, there's an easy answer: the press tosses its spectacles into the air with glee every time it finds a story that actually has the capacity to shock, anger or titillate the jaded reader -- and while religion and sex are only sometimes enough on their own, the intersection of the two is a reliable home run. (Adding "violence" to either topic also works. Nobody tell<i> The Huffington Post</i> that I'm spilling their secrets, okay?) Katy Perry is sex on a plate, and Katy Perry has an unironic Jesus tattoo. Write it up, boys.<br />
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I could make a case for Anne Rice falling into the same category -- after all, she's best known for writing steamy fantasy novels -- but I think there's something more going on here. What strikes me most about Perry and Rice's statements is the inner conflict they express. These women are not just declaring their beliefs; they're divulging an ongoing struggle with the very ideas of faith, the church and salvation. Katy Perry literally feels nauseous when she admits she doesn't believe in the absolute truth of the Bible. Anne Rice, like a woman in mourning, <a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/herocomplex/2010/08/anne-rice-leaves-christianity-with-a-kind-of-confusion-a-toxic-anger.html">lists</a> the Catholic rituals that she'll miss. Neither Rice nor Perry is in a state of resolution about their faith. Each is on a journey, working through "toxic anger" (Rice) and contemplating "the neverendingness of the universe" (Perry).<br />
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This is turf where celebrity journalism fears to tread. We like our Christian stars to be troops-supporting virgins, our atheist stars to be hard-drinking intellectuals. We can allow for agnostics, or those who fit into the new default category of "spiritual but not religious." But celebrities who actively wrestle with faith? They make us uncomfortable. Why can't they just pick a side, like everybody else? Katy Perry must be an idiot. Anne Rice must never have been a <i>real </i>Christian. We can accept the sincerity of a celebrity who marries and divorces six people, but not that of a celebrity who goes back and forth on God. <br />
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If we<i> could </i>make room for celebrities who question religion, could we also make room in the modern church for disbelief? Should our religious institutions be trying harder to embrace doubt, to accept questioning as part of the process of faith? Food for thought.<br />
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For now, it will be interesting to see what replaces religion in Rice's books and Perry's songs. Katy Perry seems to have fled from her strict religious upbringing into a teenage cotton-candy world, where any notion of Hell is superseded by the next sugar fix. Is the much-criticized lack of depth in her songs an attempt to detach herself from her evangelizing past? Rice has referred to her <a href="http://www.annerice.com/Bookshelf-EarlierWorks.html">entire body of work</a>, up until her 2004 decision to "write only for the Lord," as "a movement toward Jesus Christ." Will her work from now on be a movement<i> away</i> from Christianity -- and if so, what will that look like?Gwynne Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527086176017464122noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070931569301682259.post-9873962918341319132010-06-02T19:48:00.000-07:002010-06-02T20:00:50.706-07:00Gotta Have Faith: Lady Gaga<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgje6p-ylk4Os69nJb3me2qOGNuFP4BiL05zLnvaE66msrU4hgUSkfxTsULDEeaghWYxc4PvWGR49B6DlybOQjw25xkSfbIZarKUI8_682nFYVYq3xLG5IzYFPavo4WzIZlKdZVd-Pfwkc/s1600/lady+gaga+christian.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 272px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgje6p-ylk4Os69nJb3me2qOGNuFP4BiL05zLnvaE66msrU4hgUSkfxTsULDEeaghWYxc4PvWGR49B6DlybOQjw25xkSfbIZarKUI8_682nFYVYq3xLG5IzYFPavo4WzIZlKdZVd-Pfwkc/s400/lady+gaga+christian.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478376858515380930" border="0" /></a><br />"I'm very religious, I was raised Catholic, I believe in Jesus, I believe in God, I'm very spiritual, I pray very much. But at the same time, there is no one religion that doesn't hate or speak against or be prejudiced against another racial group or religious group or sexual group, and for that I think religion is also bogus. So I suppose you could say I'm a quite religious woman who's very confused about religion."- Lady Gaga on<a href="http://cnn.com/video/?/video/bestoftv/2010/06/02/lkl.lady.gaga.and.religion.cnn"> <span style="font-style: italic;">Larry King Live</span></a><br /><br /><br /><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" id="ep" height="374" width="416"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><param name="movie" value="http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/apps/cvp/3.0/swf/cnn_416x234_embed.swf?context=embed&videoId=bestoftv/2010/06/02/lkl.lady.gaga.and.religion.cnn"><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000"><embed src="http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/apps/cvp/3.0/swf/cnn_416x234_embed.swf?context=embed&videoId=bestoftv/2010/06/02/lkl.lady.gaga.and.religion.cnn" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" bgcolor="#000000" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" wmode="transparent" height="374" width="416"></embed></object><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Image: Gaga at the Wailing Wall, from the <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1207464/Now-makes-change-Lady-Gaga-goes-modest-covers-Jerusalem.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">Daily Mail</span></a></span>Gwynne Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06527086176017464122noreply@blogger.com0