Sunday, February 29, 2004
The Passion
If there's one thing I hate more than pop culture, it's Christian pop culture. And if there's one thing I hate more than overblown drama and violence, it's drama and violence used to manipulate and produce emotions, especially emotions of a religious inclination. Even though most of the Christian community would buy stock in Gibson's new film if they could, I thought I discerned the faint smell of gory Christian pop culture and I didn't really want anything to do with it. Nevertheless, I somehow ended up in the theater Saturday morning and was definitely surprised. One thing the world needs little is another "The Passion of the Christ" movie review, so I'll try to keep it condensed. In a nutshell I was thoroughly enriched by the film, both on an artistic and spiritual level. Of course the film has its flaws, but overall I left with an (unexpected) heightened appreciation for the story of the Passion narrative. Details I've long overlooked, parallels I've never noticed, even (dare I use the word?) emotions I've lost - somehow the film, in its mature, responsible, and thoughtful telling of an old tired story, gave me a new appreciation for what I often approach frivolously and thoughtlessly. That is definitely a good thing.
Quote of the Day 2/29/04
In honor of the Academy awards, today's quote comes from one of my favorite actors.
"When people tell you how young you look, they are also telling you how old you are." Cary Grant
"When people tell you how young you look, they are also telling you how old you are." Cary Grant
Banshee Blog Best Picture
The results are in, and Banshee Blog readers overwhelmingly chose Lord of the Rings: Return of the King for Best Picture. In about six hours, the Academy will announce their choice. We'll see if the Academy has as good of taste as Banshee readers. Although I preferred Master and Commander, I will not be a bit surprised if the Academy chooses Lord of the Rings.
Thursday, February 26, 2004
On the Road Again ....
I'm heading out for a road trip, so it's possible that my blogging will be a little light over the next couple of days. I want to apologize ahead of time to those of you who depend on this blog as your main source of joy in life.
Wednesday, February 25, 2004
Quote of the Day 2/25/04
"If you can’t say anything good about someone, sit right here by me." Alice Roosevelt Longworth
Online Quizzes
You just never know what topic might pop up next here at Banshee Blog. We cover all the days' important events, ranging from reality TV to baseball to gay marriage. Next up: Online quizzes.
I know that we have a variety of age groups that read this blog. So, the world of online quizzes may be novel to some of you and old hat to others. As I mentioned over the weekend, for those of us who attended college during the ethernet era (a phrase I coined and hope catches on), online quizzing was as intregal a part of our higher education as such other staples as Chem 101 or soft-serve ice cream in the cafeteria.
So, what's the basic idea? Well, someone with access to a computer writes a series of hypothetical questions and corresponding answers. For example:
Which article of clothing best decribes you?
a. faded jeans
b. warm and fuzzy jammies
c. smelly gym socks
Each of these answers is scored through some system. Then when you have answered all the questions, the quiz devines such things as "What Character from Greek Mythology Are You?" or "What Is Your Inner Rock Star?" Priceless info that no one between the ages of 15 and 25 can do without.
One of the most detailed quiz sites is Emode. Another quiz warehouse for more amateur quizzes is Quizilla. Wild Banshee has even entered the world of online quizzing. The What's Your Temperature? quiz was actually born in MAP South in 2001, but it made it's online debut last night. 70 random strangers actually took this quiz within the first 15 hours of posting. This quiz is just another testament to: If you post it, they will come.
I know that we have a variety of age groups that read this blog. So, the world of online quizzes may be novel to some of you and old hat to others. As I mentioned over the weekend, for those of us who attended college during the ethernet era (a phrase I coined and hope catches on), online quizzing was as intregal a part of our higher education as such other staples as Chem 101 or soft-serve ice cream in the cafeteria.
So, what's the basic idea? Well, someone with access to a computer writes a series of hypothetical questions and corresponding answers. For example:
Which article of clothing best decribes you?
a. faded jeans
b. warm and fuzzy jammies
c. smelly gym socks
Each of these answers is scored through some system. Then when you have answered all the questions, the quiz devines such things as "What Character from Greek Mythology Are You?" or "What Is Your Inner Rock Star?" Priceless info that no one between the ages of 15 and 25 can do without.
One of the most detailed quiz sites is Emode. Another quiz warehouse for more amateur quizzes is Quizilla. Wild Banshee has even entered the world of online quizzing. The What's Your Temperature? quiz was actually born in MAP South in 2001, but it made it's online debut last night. 70 random strangers actually took this quiz within the first 15 hours of posting. This quiz is just another testament to: If you post it, they will come.
A Little More Marriage Talk
I don't want to turn this blog into a site dedicated exclusively to the sanctity of marriage, but Edward Veith had a post on the World Mag Blog that caught my eye. Recently, I have been thinking about the relationship between civil and religious marriages. Are they one and the same? Are there different roles for each? Is civil marriage even relevant? Veith addresses this question. Here is an excerpt from Veith's post:
President Bush succinctly summarized the issue in his announcement that he was supporting a constitutional amendment defining marriage as a union of a man and a woman. [Bush said], "Marriage cannot be severed from its cultural, religious and natural roots without weakening the good influence of society."
Marriage is the institution in which religion, nature, and culture all come together. The state does indeed have the obligation to regulate marriage, which Protestant theology affirms as precisely a civil ordinance. But if the state allows a form of marriage that goes against nature and against religion (ignoring nature's design for the procreation of children and religion's concern for the moral ordering of sexuality), the three realms will fly apart.
Mr. Veith may be right, but the statement "the state does indeed have the obligation to regulate marriage" is a bit conclusory. Why does the state have that obligation? And what does Christian theology actually say on the matter of civil marriage? Hopefully, I will have some more developed thoughts on this issue to post in the future.
President Bush succinctly summarized the issue in his announcement that he was supporting a constitutional amendment defining marriage as a union of a man and a woman. [Bush said], "Marriage cannot be severed from its cultural, religious and natural roots without weakening the good influence of society."
Marriage is the institution in which religion, nature, and culture all come together. The state does indeed have the obligation to regulate marriage, which Protestant theology affirms as precisely a civil ordinance. But if the state allows a form of marriage that goes against nature and against religion (ignoring nature's design for the procreation of children and religion's concern for the moral ordering of sexuality), the three realms will fly apart.
Mr. Veith may be right, but the statement "the state does indeed have the obligation to regulate marriage" is a bit conclusory. Why does the state have that obligation? And what does Christian theology actually say on the matter of civil marriage? Hopefully, I will have some more developed thoughts on this issue to post in the future.
Tuesday, February 24, 2004
Quote of the Day 2/24/04
"In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." Thomas Jefferson
A Few More Thoughts on Gay Marriage
In response to statements made by Iowa governor Tom Vilsack, Marvin Olasky at the World Mag Blog recently posed the question about whether Iowans and Michiganders really do care about the gay marriage issue. Here are the comments that I posted at the World Mag Blog:
I am not from Iowa or Michigan, but I do have a comment to make on this issue. Those Democratic governors are probably right. Average Americans probably are not talking about gay marriage with their co-workers at the water cooler. But this does not mean that they are not thinking about gay marriage or that they do not care.
I believe people are not spending more time talking about it because they are embarassed. I believe that most people feel ill-equipped to participate in this debate in public because it requires a discussion of such topics as the Natural Law and the fundamental theories behind crafting a legal system. I think that most people have a gut feeling that this radical change sweeping through America is wrong and immoral. Yet, they feel unable to adequately articulate why they feel it is wrong and why their moral judgements should be codified into law. In addition, people are hesitant to offer their views on such topics because they ivolve such intregal aspects of their worldview that the pain of possible rejection is too scary to bear.
It is imperative that individuals who are blessed with the tools to formulate and articulate a godly position on this topic speak out so that others will be emboldened to follow their lead.
I am not from Iowa or Michigan, but I do have a comment to make on this issue. Those Democratic governors are probably right. Average Americans probably are not talking about gay marriage with their co-workers at the water cooler. But this does not mean that they are not thinking about gay marriage or that they do not care.
I believe people are not spending more time talking about it because they are embarassed. I believe that most people feel ill-equipped to participate in this debate in public because it requires a discussion of such topics as the Natural Law and the fundamental theories behind crafting a legal system. I think that most people have a gut feeling that this radical change sweeping through America is wrong and immoral. Yet, they feel unable to adequately articulate why they feel it is wrong and why their moral judgements should be codified into law. In addition, people are hesitant to offer their views on such topics because they ivolve such intregal aspects of their worldview that the pain of possible rejection is too scary to bear.
It is imperative that individuals who are blessed with the tools to formulate and articulate a godly position on this topic speak out so that others will be emboldened to follow their lead.
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