I found this on YouTube... Figured I'd answer. And I'm trying to keep my answers simple and short.
10 Questions that every intelligent Christians must ask themselves
1. Why doesn't God heal amputees?
God does not ever promise that life will be easy for his followers. The miracles Jesus performed in the Bible weren't just to heal people but to show His power and authority so that others could believe in Him and in the grace and salvation He offered. Today, God doesn't need to regrow someone's arm to get them to believe in Him. I am not God and can only guess as to why He doesn't perform a miracle and regrow someone's leg. Personally, I don't think He needs to. Christianity is big enough now that He doesn't need have to rely on miracles like that to gain supporters as He did when only 12 people where His disciples. Though, He still does heal with His miracles; we just don't have a 2000 year old book to read about modern-day healings. Ask a few Christians about the miracles they witnessed. God doesn't need to regrown an arm these days (my opinion).
2. Why are there so many starving people in our world?
Again, God does not promise that life will be easy for this followers. Additionally, He uses tragedies to bring about goodness in the world. Christians are called to respond to these tragedies. Without these evils, there would be no need for acts of kindness. If there were no suffering, we would not know how good we have it. And, when we have it good, we're called to help those that don't.
3. Why does God demand the death of so many innocent people in the Bible?
The video sites Bible verses like Exodus 35:2, Deuteronomy 21:18-21, Leviticus 20:8, and Deuteronomy 22:13-21, but doesn't take into account what the world was like back then. Brutal and Barbaric. And, what God is asking is not for people to be put to death, but for his people to rise above the barbaric nature of the time and live better lives. The verses are not about killing people who sin, but God telling people that willfully sinning is spiritual death.
4. Why does the Bible contain so much anti-scientific nonsense?
Simply put, God does not follow our science. He is capable of things that we do not currently have the capacity to understand. God does not fit into our rules and regulations. We cannot force Him to conform to our ideals. In fact, it's supposed to work the opposite way. We are called to follow His rules. Yes, we have to just accept on faith that God is above science. It's called Faith.
The video talks about the world being created in 6 days and Adam being created from dust and calls it nonsense. What the producer doesn't realize here is that those stories are allegory. Yeah, there's Christians who believe that, but they, too, are misguided.
5. Why is God such a big proponent of slavery in the Bible?
God is not a politician running on a platform. He is not a proponent of slavery and we cannot place humanistic labels on him. By calling people "slaves," He is not condoning the act of slavery.
The video calls out verses like 1 Peter 2:18 "Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh." But doesn't say anything about the entire text here, which explain it all. Read all of 1 Peter 2:13-25 and you'll see that the passage isn't about slavery. Verse 19 says, "For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God." God favors those who are persevere through hard times with their faith. Heck, He allowed the Jews to be enslaved for them to learn that lesson. As with history, we can learn from the Bible's past and strengthen our own faith.
6. Why do bad things happen to good people?
I'll make this as simple as possible. God never said that our lives on earth will be smooth sailing if we follow Him. Bad things will happen in our lives and it is through our faith in God that we learn how to handle those situations best.
7. Why didn't Jesus' miracles in the Bible leave behind any evidence?
Depends on what evidence you're looking for. Physical, tangible, I can touch it evidence? Um... Alot happens in 2000 years. I hope you're not expecting DNA samples and hairs from Christ's head today. If you want other evidence, read Acts and ask yourself would you be willing to die for your beliefs. Stephen, a disciple of Christ, was stoned to death for believing that Christ rose from the dead. He died for his belief in that miracle. Why would he not admit that Christ didn't rise from the dead? He would have lived if he did. But, he would be lying and denying God if he did, a fate worse than death. Imagine living in a time when people stoned you to death. It's a slow, painful and torturous end. What would you die in such a way for? Stephen, and many other early Christians, died because they not only believe Christ rose from the dead, but some of them where witnesses to his death and ascension. They were willing to die for that belief. How is that different from a suicide bomber dying for 70 virgins? The suicide bomber is murdering people as he dies. The martyr isn't.
8. How do we explain the fact that Jesus has never appeared to you?
Well, you know, when I called to him to help me and when I accepted him, he did appear to me. No, I didn't see a body in front of me. But, he did reveal himself to me. And, I have seen examples of his presence (Check out my October 2005 archives and this one from November 2005 for examples).
If you haven't accepted Christ, you will not get an answer that is satisfactory to you. If you are expecting to see a bright light, an angels' chorus and clouds all around you, you definitely have the idea of Jesus "appearing to you" wrong. Jesus doesn't come to us on our terms. We go to Him on His.
9. Why would Jesus want you to eat his body and drink his blood?
Because we're all supposed to be cannibals... Ok, seriously. The body and blood of Christ is representative of his sacrifice for us. Eating his body and drinking his blood is not talking about physical food and nutrition, but about spiritual food and drink to keep our faith strong. Following Christ's teachings keeps our faith strong. That's the quick nutshell answer. There are better people who can explain this to you than I can...
10. Why do Christians get divorced at the same rate as non-Christians?
That's easy. As the video says, "If God put to people together, that should seal the deal, right?" It should, but we're sinners and we don't always to what God wants us to or what is right.
The video goes on after the questions, "In order to believe in God, you had to create all sorts of strange rationalizations and excuses. If you are an intelligent, college-educated person, all of these rationalizations and excuses make you uncomfortable." Well, actually, what you call "rationalizations" don't make me uncomfortable at all because my faith is strong. Being a video editor, I can tell you alot of work went into producing this video. Unfortunately, the producer is horribly misinformed about Christianity. Generally, when someone puts out that much effort to slam something, it's because deep down they are lost and are seeking that which they slam.
I will assert that none of my answers will make since to you on your terms. You have to be willing to accept God's terms to understand the answers. The video says, "When you use your brain, and when you think logically about your religious faith, you can reach only one possible conclusion, the 'god' you have heard about since you were an infant is imaginary." Well, there's the problem. You cannot think about God in terms of human logic. God defies our logic... because He's God. Faith in God is not dictated by logic. Sorry to be cliche, but that's why it's called Faith.
It continues, "You have to willfully accept bizarre rationalizations to believe in your 'god.'"
Finally, something we can agree on.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Monday, May 14, 2007
Pink Chiffon!
The difficult thing about blogging about a show I'm in is talking about it without giving it all away. There's some very funny stuff going on during "The Creation of Man" song. Here's a hint - my line is "But, Percy, I simply cannot hop about wearing pink chiffon." Now, picture me wearing an outfit from high society England circa 1792... Now picture me wearing that same outfit made out of pink chiffon... You know you want to see that. If you can't picture it, fork out some dough and come see the show! Of course, it's possibl we'll have to change the line to another color depending on what the costumer comes up with - the director mentioned lemon. Still, no matter what, I'll be in some sort of pastel because, to steal a line from the leader of the League the Scarlet Pimpernel, Perccy, "it do shimmer so." Burly men acting like girly men. That's my part.
I was having a tough time finding some of my character's nuisances. Then again, it's early in the rehearsal process. We just started running the show after learning music, dancing and blocking. I'm not 100% comfortable not having my script in my hand, but I'm not looking at it too much.
Anyway, like I said, I'm trying to find Ozzy's (my character) inner girly-man. I think I found a part of it last night. During "The Creation of Man," there's part where Percy is speaking directly to Ozzy, showing and telling him, and the rest, how to act foppish. Last night was probably the first time all of the characters were there to go over the song. Scheduling conflicts and what not. But, as Percy is singing his lines, I was able to react to them. One ad-libbed gesture inparticular gave me some insight into my character - I'll just say, "Roar." But, the reaction I got from it gave me a little insight into who "Ozzy" is.
I realized the other day that the show might be about the French Revolution, but it takes places about 15 years after American fought for and won indepenece from England. So, I'm thinking in some way, shape or form, my character was affected by that. Not sure how, not sure what the American Revelotion would have do to this character. But, I figure he'd would have been 15-20 years old at the time. Surely, Sir Osbert knew about the Brits sending troops across the sea. Maybe he even wanted to sign up. I don't know. Just something for me to think about to help develop the character, find his motives, etc.
The show is probably a bit further ahead of schedule, I'd say, considering all the scheduling conflicts. Sure, there's LOTS to work on and get together, but we've got three weeks until opening night. Plenty of time to get everything tweaked just right for high entertainment value. The trick to this show will be performing what is ususally large cast show on a small stage. I mean small stage, tiny and with no wing space. The cast is about 25 people. The stage gets pretty crowded when you add sets, furniture, etc. It'll be interesting...
...By the way, I can waltz. I didn't know that before, but I can can-can, too.
I was having a tough time finding some of my character's nuisances. Then again, it's early in the rehearsal process. We just started running the show after learning music, dancing and blocking. I'm not 100% comfortable not having my script in my hand, but I'm not looking at it too much.
Anyway, like I said, I'm trying to find Ozzy's (my character) inner girly-man. I think I found a part of it last night. During "The Creation of Man," there's part where Percy is speaking directly to Ozzy, showing and telling him, and the rest, how to act foppish. Last night was probably the first time all of the characters were there to go over the song. Scheduling conflicts and what not. But, as Percy is singing his lines, I was able to react to them. One ad-libbed gesture inparticular gave me some insight into my character - I'll just say, "Roar." But, the reaction I got from it gave me a little insight into who "Ozzy" is.
I realized the other day that the show might be about the French Revolution, but it takes places about 15 years after American fought for and won indepenece from England. So, I'm thinking in some way, shape or form, my character was affected by that. Not sure how, not sure what the American Revelotion would have do to this character. But, I figure he'd would have been 15-20 years old at the time. Surely, Sir Osbert knew about the Brits sending troops across the sea. Maybe he even wanted to sign up. I don't know. Just something for me to think about to help develop the character, find his motives, etc.
The show is probably a bit further ahead of schedule, I'd say, considering all the scheduling conflicts. Sure, there's LOTS to work on and get together, but we've got three weeks until opening night. Plenty of time to get everything tweaked just right for high entertainment value. The trick to this show will be performing what is ususally large cast show on a small stage. I mean small stage, tiny and with no wing space. The cast is about 25 people. The stage gets pretty crowded when you add sets, furniture, etc. It'll be interesting...
...By the way, I can waltz. I didn't know that before, but I can can-can, too.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Vivez la Jack
Pimpernel rehearsals are going well. The cast is very talented and, after 2 music rehearsals, already sounds great. I don't mean, "I need to sell the show, we already sound great." No, there's still some problems like we need to put our books down for one. But, for a second rehearsal, we sound very good and cannot wait to hear what we sound like on opening night (June 1st at The Belfry).
Blocking and choreography rehearsals are going smoothly. I learned how to waltz the other day and I can't wait to get it up to speed. I'm very satisfied with how my big body moves when dancing. I think I gots some moves for being a white boy and 60+ pounds overweight. The highlight of the show (chorus-wise) might just end up being "The Creation of Man." It's the song where the men learn how to act foppish to appear as if they are complete nincompoops. One of my lines is, "But Percy, I simply can NOT hop about in pink chiffon!" Me, in pink chiffon. Worth the price of admission, no? Hopefully, costume-wise that will be able to happen.
Jack needed surgery last week on his toe. Basically, he had to have one toe declawed. Don't know exactly what happened. We went to get one night and the next morning he was limping. Upon examining his front left paw, it looked like his claw was missing. This happened on a Friday and we're able to get him a vet appointment until last Tuesday. We figure he got his claw caught on something and he started freaking out and ripped it. Poor guy. I took him in because the wife doesn't want him associating the pet carrier/cage and vet trip with her. I don't mind.
So, last Tuesday, he had surgery and came home Wednesday. He had to wear a neck collar to keep him from biting and scratching at his wound and bandages as it healed. But, Jack's a smart cat. He couldn't bite the bandage, but he was using the collar to slowly wedge it off. On the ride home from the vet, he succeeded in getting the bandage off. When, I took him out of the carrier, the neck collar has reddish brown stains all over it. I thought it looked like iodine, like the vet used iodine to sanitize his wound, but then I realized they would have sanitized his foot not his neck. No, that was blood. In his attempts to free his paw from it's bandage, he popped a stitch. So, back we go to the vet. She cleans him up and basically puts him in a kitty cast so he can't get the bandage off. But, he doesn't have to wear the collar... Mission Accomplished for Jack. That's all he wanted and he knew how to get it.
We have make sure he doesn't do much running, jumping or playing for 2 weeks. That will end this weekend. But, we also were told to confine him to one room to keep the other cats from getting him riled up so his could heal. Plus, he has to use a special *ahem* sanitary liter. It's recycled newspaper pellets that absorb wetness. The theory is to use this stuff because regular litter gets dusty and that dust can cause an infection in the wound. You have to completely change the litter everyday, and it's not as bad as I thought it would be. And, all this for one toe. I cannot imagine the 4 weeks of this that cats who get declawed go through.
He wants out so bad. The girls generally are sitting at our bedroom door so they can rush in when we open it. We'll let them in for a few minutes while we can watch them. They cannot use the litter that's in there right now, so we have to kick they out before too long. Here's the analogy for how they are behaving: Jack thinks he's confined in prison (our bedroom) and we let the girls in for conjugal visits. The girls just want to play with Jack, they aren't having anything to do with his sexual advances... which kind of looks like attempted rape, but it's cats and that's how they do it.
Blocking and choreography rehearsals are going smoothly. I learned how to waltz the other day and I can't wait to get it up to speed. I'm very satisfied with how my big body moves when dancing. I think I gots some moves for being a white boy and 60+ pounds overweight. The highlight of the show (chorus-wise) might just end up being "The Creation of Man." It's the song where the men learn how to act foppish to appear as if they are complete nincompoops. One of my lines is, "But Percy, I simply can NOT hop about in pink chiffon!" Me, in pink chiffon. Worth the price of admission, no? Hopefully, costume-wise that will be able to happen.
Jack needed surgery last week on his toe. Basically, he had to have one toe declawed. Don't know exactly what happened. We went to get one night and the next morning he was limping. Upon examining his front left paw, it looked like his claw was missing. This happened on a Friday and we're able to get him a vet appointment until last Tuesday. We figure he got his claw caught on something and he started freaking out and ripped it. Poor guy. I took him in because the wife doesn't want him associating the pet carrier/cage and vet trip with her. I don't mind.
So, last Tuesday, he had surgery and came home Wednesday. He had to wear a neck collar to keep him from biting and scratching at his wound and bandages as it healed. But, Jack's a smart cat. He couldn't bite the bandage, but he was using the collar to slowly wedge it off. On the ride home from the vet, he succeeded in getting the bandage off. When, I took him out of the carrier, the neck collar has reddish brown stains all over it. I thought it looked like iodine, like the vet used iodine to sanitize his wound, but then I realized they would have sanitized his foot not his neck. No, that was blood. In his attempts to free his paw from it's bandage, he popped a stitch. So, back we go to the vet. She cleans him up and basically puts him in a kitty cast so he can't get the bandage off. But, he doesn't have to wear the collar... Mission Accomplished for Jack. That's all he wanted and he knew how to get it.
We have make sure he doesn't do much running, jumping or playing for 2 weeks. That will end this weekend. But, we also were told to confine him to one room to keep the other cats from getting him riled up so his could heal. Plus, he has to use a special *ahem* sanitary liter. It's recycled newspaper pellets that absorb wetness. The theory is to use this stuff because regular litter gets dusty and that dust can cause an infection in the wound. You have to completely change the litter everyday, and it's not as bad as I thought it would be. And, all this for one toe. I cannot imagine the 4 weeks of this that cats who get declawed go through.
He wants out so bad. The girls generally are sitting at our bedroom door so they can rush in when we open it. We'll let them in for a few minutes while we can watch them. They cannot use the litter that's in there right now, so we have to kick they out before too long. Here's the analogy for how they are behaving: Jack thinks he's confined in prison (our bedroom) and we let the girls in for conjugal visits. The girls just want to play with Jack, they aren't having anything to do with his sexual advances... which kind of looks like attempted rape, but it's cats and that's how they do it.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
The Itch is Scratched
Finally, I'm off my theatre hiatus. The Itch has been scratched! I'll be getting back on stage for The Belfry's upcoming production of "The Scarlet Pimpernel." I got the call earlier today and I couldn't be more happy to be working with the people involved in this show. I was cast as "Ozzy," which all I know about that character is that he's in the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel. If you're not familiar with the story, that means I'm a good guy. The production goes up at the very beginning of June. Rehearsals start nearly immediately.
The cast list hasn't been announced, so I can't go into details about who is playing what. But, from the list I have heard so far, the cast is very talented. There's a few people I've seen on stage before, but haven't had the chance to work with. I'm quite looking forward to that. Michael Moyer, who played Rapunzel's Prince when I was in "Into The Woods," is directing and it will be nice to work with him again.
I'm realizing something about myself from these auditions. I guess I knew this already, but it's my vocal audition that gets me parts. It's probably why I haven't done a straight play for a long while. My voice is my crutch. I'm not saying I won't get parts without it. I'm not a bad actor, but I probably need to be at least a better auditioner when it comes to the script read. And the dance... I'm not good at the dance part...
Losing some weight would probably open up a door to better parts. There's not a lot of plum roles that call for an overweight lead... then again, I know my niche is as comedic charactor actor. But, if casting is at least half looks (which it is and I accept that), maybe I should be working on my looks, too. Heck, slimming down is likely to open up whole other world of roles for me.
In the meantime, it'll be "Into The Fire" as I join the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel. Please note that "Into The Fire" is a song in the show where the League is formed. That was supposed to be a joke... Yeah, it wasn't so good.
The cast list hasn't been announced, so I can't go into details about who is playing what. But, from the list I have heard so far, the cast is very talented. There's a few people I've seen on stage before, but haven't had the chance to work with. I'm quite looking forward to that. Michael Moyer, who played Rapunzel's Prince when I was in "Into The Woods," is directing and it will be nice to work with him again.
I'm realizing something about myself from these auditions. I guess I knew this already, but it's my vocal audition that gets me parts. It's probably why I haven't done a straight play for a long while. My voice is my crutch. I'm not saying I won't get parts without it. I'm not a bad actor, but I probably need to be at least a better auditioner when it comes to the script read. And the dance... I'm not good at the dance part...
Losing some weight would probably open up a door to better parts. There's not a lot of plum roles that call for an overweight lead... then again, I know my niche is as comedic charactor actor. But, if casting is at least half looks (which it is and I accept that), maybe I should be working on my looks, too. Heck, slimming down is likely to open up whole other world of roles for me.
In the meantime, it'll be "Into The Fire" as I join the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel. Please note that "Into The Fire" is a song in the show where the League is formed. That was supposed to be a joke... Yeah, it wasn't so good.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
The Love's the Same
There's was a lot of talk in Indiana last year about a prayer being said before a State Congressional Session. The Speak of the House at the time, Brian Bosma (R), was adamant about saying a "Christian" prayer, while others said it was a violation of Church and State. That's the basic story. And, for the record, I do agree it's a violation of Church and State.
But, that whole controversy got me thinking about why people get offended when a Christian prays for them. Or even, why anyone gets offended when a someone prays to their god for them. I don't get it.
Personally, if someone wants to pray to their god for me, go for it. Thank you for loving me enough and respecting me enough to want your god to bless me. That's how I feel about it. And, that's the spirit in which I pray for people. You might not be a believer in my God, but my prayer for you shows how much I love you. You don't have to understand my God to understand that sentiment - I that respect and love you enough to want my God to work in your life.
Then, I wonder how would I feel if, say, a Muslim asked to pray for me. And, I have to say, I wouldn't have a problem with it. It works both ways.
In Matthew 25:40, Jesus says, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'" And in Matthew 25:45, he says, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'" (Take a moment to read the Parable of the Sheep and Goats these quote come from.)
I take that to mean that it doesn't matter what "religion" you are, live your life with love, even if you don't know the love you share is the same that Christ shares... That's the simplistic version anyway.
But, that whole controversy got me thinking about why people get offended when a Christian prays for them. Or even, why anyone gets offended when a someone prays to their god for them. I don't get it.
Personally, if someone wants to pray to their god for me, go for it. Thank you for loving me enough and respecting me enough to want your god to bless me. That's how I feel about it. And, that's the spirit in which I pray for people. You might not be a believer in my God, but my prayer for you shows how much I love you. You don't have to understand my God to understand that sentiment - I that respect and love you enough to want my God to work in your life.
Then, I wonder how would I feel if, say, a Muslim asked to pray for me. And, I have to say, I wouldn't have a problem with it. It works both ways.
In Matthew 25:40, Jesus says, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'" And in Matthew 25:45, he says, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'" (Take a moment to read the Parable of the Sheep and Goats these quote come from.)
I take that to mean that it doesn't matter what "religion" you are, live your life with love, even if you don't know the love you share is the same that Christ shares... That's the simplistic version anyway.
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