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May. 23rd, 2005 02:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
annissamazingI saw Star Wars this weekend. I enjoyed the movie. I enjoyed the Batman Begins trailer with the gorgeous Cillian Murphy even more.
Yesterday I was reading an opinion article on the link between Star Wars and the current political climate in the U.S. Basically the author claims that Darth Vader is supposed to be George Bush. He said that George Lucas did this to suck up to the “liberal media” and to make up for his non-politically correct characters in the first five films. He claimed that Americans won’t stand for this republican-bashing and because of lines like, “You’re either with me or you’re my enemy,” Episode III will not make as much money at the box office as planned. Of course that theory was completely obliterated when the weekend’s box office figures came in.
On the next page of the newspaper a local woman wrote an editorial about how science is pushing “truth” out of public schools. What truth is she talking about? Why, creationism of course! According to the author of this editorial, there is no scientific evidence to back up evolution. We need to start teaching our children biblical truth to save our nation. My first reaction was horror. My second reaction was a fantasy in which I demand that the Book of Mormon be taught in public schools using the same argument that fundamentalists are using to get the Bible taught in schools. But then I realized that I could teach my own children evolution and give them a better chance at high-paying jobs while the poor slobs who only know creationism are dealing with the fallout of not knowing one of the most basic and accepted theories on the creation of the universe. I work with people who honestly believe that women have an extra rib because of the one God took from Adam to make Eve.
But it’s this talk of Biblical “Truth” that got me thinking... When I was young, my family was devoutly LDS. Every week I would sit in church. On the first Sunday of the month I would go up to the front of the congregation and give what I like to call the “Child’s Testimony.” It’s always the same with children. “I’d like to bear my testimony…I know this church is true…I love my mom and dad [and my brothers and sisters]…I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.” As I got older, my family began going to church less often. Eventually, my dad renounced his faith, declared he’d fallen out of love with my mom, and began his life of hedonism. Around that time I had a deeply spiritual experience. I won’t go into details because the problem with spiritual experiences is they can’t be described. But it confirmed my belief in God and let me know that my beliefs were a good way to eventually get to Him. My crisis of faith began a few years ago when I suddenly realized that my child’s testimony was no longer true. I didn’t “know” the church was true. I didn’t “know” there was a God. I believed there was, but that belief was not strong enough for me not to acknowledge that I could be very, very wrong.
I think Douglas Adams said it best when he wrote, “’I refuse to prove I exist,’ says God, ‘because proof denies faith, and without faith I am nothing.’” If you can know that 2 + 2 = 4 you don’t need to believe it. To “know” God exists is to not have faith that he exists.
I do not know that God exists and I do not know the bible is true. Furthermore, I don’t need to know. I believe in God and my experiences have led me to believe that my belief is well-founded. I don’t need belief taught as though it were fact in public schools to confirm my faith in God and I’m not comfortable with those who feel they do need it and want to force it others. But it is nice to know that my crisis of faith was really a crisis of semantics.
Yesterday I was reading an opinion article on the link between Star Wars and the current political climate in the U.S. Basically the author claims that Darth Vader is supposed to be George Bush. He said that George Lucas did this to suck up to the “liberal media” and to make up for his non-politically correct characters in the first five films. He claimed that Americans won’t stand for this republican-bashing and because of lines like, “You’re either with me or you’re my enemy,” Episode III will not make as much money at the box office as planned. Of course that theory was completely obliterated when the weekend’s box office figures came in.
On the next page of the newspaper a local woman wrote an editorial about how science is pushing “truth” out of public schools. What truth is she talking about? Why, creationism of course! According to the author of this editorial, there is no scientific evidence to back up evolution. We need to start teaching our children biblical truth to save our nation. My first reaction was horror. My second reaction was a fantasy in which I demand that the Book of Mormon be taught in public schools using the same argument that fundamentalists are using to get the Bible taught in schools. But then I realized that I could teach my own children evolution and give them a better chance at high-paying jobs while the poor slobs who only know creationism are dealing with the fallout of not knowing one of the most basic and accepted theories on the creation of the universe. I work with people who honestly believe that women have an extra rib because of the one God took from Adam to make Eve.
But it’s this talk of Biblical “Truth” that got me thinking... When I was young, my family was devoutly LDS. Every week I would sit in church. On the first Sunday of the month I would go up to the front of the congregation and give what I like to call the “Child’s Testimony.” It’s always the same with children. “I’d like to bear my testimony…I know this church is true…I love my mom and dad [and my brothers and sisters]…I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.” As I got older, my family began going to church less often. Eventually, my dad renounced his faith, declared he’d fallen out of love with my mom, and began his life of hedonism. Around that time I had a deeply spiritual experience. I won’t go into details because the problem with spiritual experiences is they can’t be described. But it confirmed my belief in God and let me know that my beliefs were a good way to eventually get to Him. My crisis of faith began a few years ago when I suddenly realized that my child’s testimony was no longer true. I didn’t “know” the church was true. I didn’t “know” there was a God. I believed there was, but that belief was not strong enough for me not to acknowledge that I could be very, very wrong.
I think Douglas Adams said it best when he wrote, “’I refuse to prove I exist,’ says God, ‘because proof denies faith, and without faith I am nothing.’” If you can know that 2 + 2 = 4 you don’t need to believe it. To “know” God exists is to not have faith that he exists.
I do not know that God exists and I do not know the bible is true. Furthermore, I don’t need to know. I believe in God and my experiences have led me to believe that my belief is well-founded. I don’t need belief taught as though it were fact in public schools to confirm my faith in God and I’m not comfortable with those who feel they do need it and want to force it others. But it is nice to know that my crisis of faith was really a crisis of semantics.
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no subject
Date: 2005-05-24 02:11 am (UTC)O ryou could question the fact that they are so insecure in their faith that they fell the need to buttress their shaky faith by screaming at everybody else and getting everybody else frightened enough to say, "yes sir, yup, it's all true," because the noise helps convince them all.
It's nice to know that God and the church are quite different things, though some churches would certainly like you to remain confused about that.
I've been wondering for some time what LDS folks thought was going to happen to them and their entire way of life up there in Salt Lake when the really radical nutbars in Bush's camp got what they want.
Given Neocon dreams come true, it'll all change very fast, preayers in school etc., no ability to buy bith control medicines o any kind for any reason, no abortions for any reason, no women's or disabled persons' health care to speak of (just because they put the needs of the poor, powerless, and disenfranchised last on their list of priorities) and it will all get voted on in lockstep, with a certain narrow version of Christianity as the state religion, like some nightmare Stalinist vision of unity.
I mean, the leading Neocon preachers deferred to by Bush and Frist and de Lay are radicals who believe in an extremely recent vision of Christianity which includes pushing God's hand toward giving them the Rapture by setting off a nuclear bomb in Israel once the red cows have showed up.
Ranchers have set up over there to work on delivering the cows, as a matter of fact.
They think *Baptists and Episcopalians* are sloppy hedonistic heretics worthy of burning in hell unless they repent and jon the right-thinking folk.
I realize that the extremists have dragged along a lot of other people who really haven't a clue what they're buying into, but I can't see the more politically shrewd Elders of LDS buying into it and keeping their mouths shut.
It's bizarre that conservative Jewish and Catholics haven't clued in on it either. I can see them going along with things that they also want, only so long as they get what they want (half a cake is better than nothing) but why do they think they can wrest so much power away from these guys to stop them from attacking new victims once they've got enough to sweep away so many American traditions as it will require to do what they want?
In other words, why is everybody else keeping their mouths shut?
no subject
Date: 2005-05-24 12:25 pm (UTC)I understand that this story is not in the bible, but I remember hearing it in Primary. That when God was deciding who would go to Earth to redeem mankind, two people spoke up. The first was Lucifer who said he would make the people come to God and the second was Jesus who would let the people make their own decisions. I see Bush as the one who would make people do God's will (at least, his version of God's will). Now, I'm not calling Bush Satan, but I see a parallel with the man who's trying to remove our civil rights and free will.
I see installing Christianity in schools as an afront not only to the desires of our founding fathers, but as an afront to free will. It will disenfranchise the Muslims, Hindus, Jews and various other religions who do not believe in Christ. And I wonder... The majority of Christian religions do not believe The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is a Christian religion. When they've gotten rid of the others, will they come for the saints next? And why don't the other LDS see this slippery slope?
no subject
Date: 2005-05-24 04:58 am (UTC)Klo
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Date: 2005-05-24 12:30 pm (UTC)Just to digress a little, my company has put a person in charge who expects the worst out of humanity at all times. On a regular basis, she accuses us of lying and stealing. I'm an honest person and wouldn't think of lying or stealing, but the constant accusations are making me wonder if it's worth it to remain honest. It would be so much easier (and lucrative!) just to do what I want. She's going to accuse me of being dishonest anyway, so why not reap the benefits of being dishonest.
no subject
Date: 2005-05-27 11:49 am (UTC)I really enjoyed (what I saw) of Star Wars III. We took all our kids, so I ended up spending a lot of the movie outside the door peeking in through the window, holding the baby. (She does much better for animated movies.) But the other kidlets loved it.
I'm not sure who Cillian Murphy is, but boy that cutie Nathan Bale sure has grown up nice since "Newsies". ;D