Monday, November 20, 2006

Wow. I have a blog.

OK, then. What to blog about? I just returned home from seeing the movie "Jesus Camp" with Dan at the Riverview Theater in South Minneapolis. Disturbing film. All of the Evangelical adults in the movie pretty much admit that they're focusing their messages on children because the kids believe everything that they tell them. A few of the scenes showed parents encouraging their kids to approach random people to ask them if they've "been saved" or "found Jesus." I keep thinking about what I would say if one of those poor, misguided innocents came up to me to "save" me. What approach could I use to plant a seed in their minds that might get them to start questioning their faith and to develop rational thinking skills? So far, all I've come up with is responding with "Yikes! That's what they told me when I was your age, too! Did they tell you the truth about Santa Claus yet? Here, I'll fill you in..." Or maybe I'd try to reason with them by employing some of the contradictions in the Bible. I wonder if either of those approaches would have any effect?

The timing of our seeing "Jesus Camp" might give some indication of the strength (waning?) of the Evangelical movement in the U.S., too. Pastor Ted Haggard appears in the film in all of his glory at his Colorado Spring church. He talks with a young man named Levi who enjoys preaching and Ted shows himself to be quite an ass by asking Levi if he thinks that people listen to his preaching because he has good content or because he's a kid?! (Poor Levi looked like he'd been kicked in the stomach. What a jerk!) Of course, just a few weeks ago, we learned that Pastor Haggard's just another hypocritical religious figure who preaches one thing and does another (explored homosexual relationships & bought meth). And the recent mid-term election results suggest that moderate thinkers still run things in this country. WHEW!

However, in the words of one of my favorite Air America Radio personalities, Kent Jones -- "VIGILANCE!"

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