Inthedark

Innocence, sinner, husband, father, searcher, searching....

We saw it last night and liked it as well. But, I have particularly fond feelings for Yemen and Yemenis. At least one scene was definitely filmed in Yemen (the initial visit in the village) and a number of others could well have been (the dam scenes).

 

However, I am not sure what constitutes a PC movie. Happy ending? Uplifting message? Great scenery? Great music?

 

George

I think if a movie speaks to you personally in PC terms George, then it qualifies for you, whatever the movie.

Regards

Paul

Muse away. More babies = more child indocterination into your faith at an early age, which in turn will mean more adults in your church. I think it might be as basic as that. Breeding a bigger church with no need to convince free thinking adults of your way because they were brought up in it.

Regards

Paul

Another classic you can't go passed is of course Mel Brooks' History of The World Part 1. Very funny indeed....not sure about serious message, but funny...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TAtRCJIqnk&feature=fvwrel

Regards

Paul

Surely the Monty Python movies deserve a mention. A few years ahead of their time and extremely controversial in their day was The Life of Brian, and my personal favourite was the Quest for the Holy Grail. I believe they had a poke at organised religion once or twice in the Meaning of Life as well. Humour is good at getting people to think about serious issues isn't it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVHhg67RVd4&feature=player_embedded

Regards

Paul

Regardless of your belief, you have to admire the goal of mysticism. For me personally, it rings true and tries to offer us a key to finding out who we really are by trying to put into words that which cannot be put into words. Tricky indeed.

Paul

Does Christianity have any real meaning?

Yes and no, depending on who you ask and in what context. For me it has been a process, working out what works for me. Currently I see Jesus Christ as the face of the Divine, the One consciousness, the comprehensible face of God and the conduit to God who is otherwise unknowable. Of course my Jesus has some attributes that I have and as such is relevant to me, because he is MY Jesus "When you look into the deep well for Jesus, you see yourself". In this way Christianity has meaning for me allegorically. Before, it was just a bunch of stories which if I am honest, never resonated with me as the truth. Now, it makes sense to me as I know I have a spark of the divine in me and through Christ I can eventually be at peace, in that One consciousness. Am I talking in riddles to myself again?

I think if Jesus was really a man that lived and dies on a cross, whose story we at least have some glimpse of through NT writings, you may be right. While I embrace the metaphorical message of transformation, the new creature, new being, I also consider that on and of itself resulted in his having felt so strongly and purely about what He believed was right, so as to stand up for it against his peers and the practices and common attitudes of his day, as to die for it, may have been the outward manifestation of that in how he lived out his life, after it had taken place for him. Although the accounts tell little of his life before he walked onto the scene where John was baptizing that day, I think he must have been a seeker, moving toward that moment, in which He experienced a powerful initiation stage, an awakening, toward the serious work of transformation, into the new being, the new creature. From his baptism, he proceeded to go alone into the wilderness, we are told, for 40 days and nights...throughout many different cultures, there is recognized some powerful transforming moment or experience in the lives of the occasional person, followed by a retreat into solitude, from which they emerge dramatically changed, as people recognized as 'different', in ways of spirituality, wisdom, principle, courage, and often healing powers. From the mystics of many cultures and religious traditions, to the shamans and medicine men and women in the legends and tradtions of many primitive peoples, this is something that emerges with a stricking similarity between them. It has been noted, studied, written about, by even the most secular observers, and those within some branches of the field of psychology. Some of the most influential thinkers, artists, musicians, poets, and writers, not to mention those that articulated what would become the sacred stories and texts within religious tradtions of entire cultures, have experienced such a dramatic life changing event, and did their greatest work, often their only work of note that would survive as important long after their deaths, after that event.

 

Jenell

Very well expressed Jenell. Thanks for that.

I feel that Jesus the man did not die for our sins. He died for his beliefs, having lived by his own standards in a time that such behaviour was not tolerated by authorities. Jesus Christ the supernatural divine being came sometime after, as part history/part myth, designed to tie in a number of differing world views at the time of writing. Along with that written history/myth came all the confusing stuff, which cannot be explained to anyones satisfaction without it simply being put to one side and parked as "God stuff we don't get".

It is far more an inspiring story when the real Jesus dies on the cross for his beliefs, having preached some remarkably un church like sermons throughout his short ministry. There is sacrifice when a real human gives his life for change. There is no sacrifice when a divine being performs a play, pretends to die, knowing he is divine and will live forever in any case.

I like Jesus, not so much Jesus Christ.

There are ethics at play here and the problem to me seems to be the stance taken by the Catholic Church is one using the perception of God's authority by association when it suits them to do so. How can the church argue this archaic stance, which on the face of it appears to about numbers, and claim it is purely about interfering with God's will? It raises many issues:

1. It makes a mockery of God and renders him powerless.

2. It interferes with our ability to medically look after ourselves - HIV in Africa, STD's, low income families expanding beyond their means causing pressures on families which have consequences?

3. On what authority does the church say sex is purely for reproduction not pleasure? God gave women a clitoris, an organ designed purely for pleasure didn't he? What healthy couples in loving relationships do to maintain their love and intimacy, reinforce their bonds. That is bad how?

4. Based on the factors considered by the church on this topic, how can we visit doctors for medical care? Use a hearing aid? Wear clothes?

The whole thing seems a little bit silly to me in this day and age.

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Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to a better understanding of ourselves.

Carl Jung