King is sailing, they say » Pop Culture

USA Today says “Americans get an F in religion”

heissailing — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 18:59:31 +0000

Most of your fellow churchgoers are Biblically illiterate. I have heard pastors harp on that point for nearly my whole life, so I am not surprised by this USA Today article – hot off the presses:

It is basically a book plug for Stephen Prothero, chairman of the religion department at Boston University. But the main point is that most Americans don’t know Jesus from Adam. Prothero has a point. I do think it is important for all people, not just Americans, to know at least the basics of the major beliefs of the world. We are an increasingly global society, and unless we understand, and accept, basic beliefs of our neighbors, we will end up fearing them. With free information at most Americans’ fingertips, there is little excuse these days for not knowing.

I also have another theory regarding the Christians’ ignorance of their own scripture. I am a product of Calvary Chapel, where verse-by-verse Bible Study was emphasized. Nearly every other church I have been to, Protestant and Catholic, emphasizes anything BUT the Bible. At most, there are a few select verses from the New Testament followed by a sermon or homily of varying length. But the Bible is inserted, almost as a fifth wheel. There is no need to even reference the Bible in most of these sermons, yet the pastor will admit the Biblical ignorance of his congregation.

My theory is that most pastors secretly do not want their congregations to know the Bible, not very well anyway. Lately, as I began critically looking at the claims of the Bible, I was warned by my pastor not to make the Bible a god. Huh? Does he mean not to use knowledge of the Bible to draw me away from God? If not, then I have no idea what he was talking about. I have always admired Calvary Chapel’s exegetical approach to Bible Study. But I have personally seen Calvary Chapel pastors skirt around issues like the Rapture, the patriarchs each living in excess of 900 years, a 6 day creation of the universe, and the biggie, HELL. Many attempts were made to soften these topics, or to take them as allegory, probably belief in such things taught in our Bible are embarrassing as hell. The most embarrassing to me was the Rapture. The idea that when the fullness of the Gentiles come in, that the dead will be physically raised to meet our Lord in the air, join him in Heaven for the marriage supper of the Lamb, etc etc.. gag. I just could not admit believing that stuff to my friends, even though it is clearly taught in Scripture.

If Christians really knew what was in their Bible, I think there would be fewer Christians. That is an old saying, but I am beginning to believe it is true. What do you think?

How did Anna Nicole Smith get on this website?

heissailing — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 04:08:00 +0000

I don’t follow current pop culture, and I don’t intend to anytime soon. If a movie or song came out after 1985 or so, it is generally off my radar screen. Having said that, Anna Nicole Smith died just the other day. I know nothing about this woman, except she cannot sing, act, dance… in fact I am not sure why she was famous. OK, actually I do know why she is famous. She lived a scandalous life, and I guess law abiding citizens enjoy living vicariously through such notoriety. Same goes for her younger sister, Paris Hilton. Stop me if I am wrong. I know only what I have read on the Tabloid headlines while in the supermarket checkout line, and I think her life goes something like this:She was raised dirt poor in rural Texas, married young and had a child. But he was very abusive, and she had the looks, so she ran away to the big city to be famous. She quickly wound up on Playboy’s cover and centerfold, and continued to promote herself as a stripper in some seedy dive. Somehow she wound up in a Leslie Neilson ‘Naked Gun’ movie (OJ SImpson’s last hurrah). At this point in her career, she was famous for only one thing. OK, actually better make that two things. A sleezy, octogenarian gazillionaire with a respirator and a huge bankroll in his pocket would visit her at the strip joint often, and buy her lavish jewelry. Soon after, they married – she for the promise of that huge bankroll, he to spend his last days with her famous assets. Then he died, and Anna’s life had been a legal nightmare ever since. It was all about the old man’s money. She wanted it, his surviving family wanted it, the lawyers on all sides wanted it, the tabloids wanted it, the enquiring minds wanted it.. money money money money. Well, a few years later she married her sleazy lawyer, who was clearly interested in her most famous assets and her newly acquired bankroll! He was present when her 20 year old son died under suspicious circumstances. He was NOT present when Anna gave birth to a baby (boy? girl? I don’t know), nor apparently was he present during the baby’s conception since the father has never been determined. Soon after that, Anna died, under suspicious circumstances, and with her sleazy husband present. She left behind an estranged family in rural Texas, a young baby, a legal mess concerning the still unclaimed giant bankroll, and probably, just a hunch here, but sadly no friends to speak of.What does this have to do with Christianity, you may ask? C’mon folks, spirituality can be found in nearly any story. It’s just how you look at it. Of all the news headlines memorializing her passing, none seems more fitting than to quote a few lines out of one of my favorite OT books – Ecclesiastes. If you want to know what has meaning in life, I advise giving this short book a read. Traditionally ascribed to King Solomon (which personally I doubt), it takes the point of view of a wealthy ruler, with much power. He sets out to find meaning in his life and bares no expense. He begins the book with the nihilistic line, “Meaningless! Meaningless! … Everything is meaningless!” Anna Nicole Smith was a woman who tasted all of life’s pleasures searching for fulfillment (which I assume we are all looking for).

Riches? Yep, got that covered:

Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. As goods increase so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them?

-Ecc 5:10-11 (NIV)

Pleasure? Been there, done that:

I thoght in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless. “Laughter,” I said, “is foolish. And what does pleasure accomplish?” I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly … I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work … yet everything was meaningless.

-Ecc 2:1-11 (NIV)

The ancient wisdom in this book is timeless. As it says repeatedly – “There is nothing new under the sun”. Whether this book is inspired by God or not, these ancient philosophers were certainly no dummies.

What wisdom could have helped Anna Nicole Smith? How very tragic to herself, her family and her baby.

Ultimately, Ecclesiastes advises to fear God and keep his commandments to find fulfillment and meaning. This is the point where I start to have problems. I am not so sure about this ultimate conclusion anymore. I find tremendous meaning lately in my family, caring for my wife, and trying in my own small way to make the world around me a better place. So, is God necessary for life to have meaning? That is what this who website is about – asking tough questions about God – for those of us with “enquiring minds”.

OK, comment back. What gives you fulfillment in life? Does it include God? Can you find fulfillment and meaning in your life outside of him?

Christian Cliches that drive me batty.

heissailing — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 04:38:23 +0000

Hello all. I wanted to finish my top 10 book reviews for 2006, but I am feeling a bit snarky this evening, so I present instead the Top 10 Christian cliches that to me are like fingernails on a chalkboard. Some I have been hearing for too many years. Some are fine but have lost all meaning. Some are plain wrong. Some just grate me for no good reason other than that I am occasionally grumpy.

And just for the record, yes I do use some of these cliches on occassion. I dig them too!

Intelligent Design – Seeker friendly creationism

Evangelical Christian – I swear I hear this all the time, and I have no idea what it even means.

Jesus is my homeboy – I saw this on a T-Shirt once. No comment.

Evolution violates the 2nd law of thermodynamics - This is not really a cliche, but I hear it in nearly every pro-Creationist argument. And it is just flat out FALSE

Real men love Jesus - I just cannot think of an appropriate comment, but this just kinda makes me queeeezy. See “personal relationship…”

Peace be with you - at some point during a Catholic mass I shake about 10 hands of people who mumble these words while they look urgently for the next hand to shake. Followed closely by ”so sorry for your loss” while attending a funeral.

I’m not perfect, just forgiven - I’m not perfect, I just have an excuse!

Personal relationship with Jesus - What shall we do today, Jesus? gag

What would Jesus do? – Nobody has ever actually asked me this. But I have seen some keen bracelets with this friendly ethical reminder.

Praise the Lord – The only cliche here that is actually found in the Bible (it is all over the Psalms). When introducing yourself to others, never use this phrase. You name will do nicely.

in Jesus name, amen - Roger Wilco, God. Signing off, over and out.