1) News-Media
2) Straight Talk on Devotional Life
3) Alexisonfire's Anti-Christian Album
4) A Controversial News Article About War
1) News-Media
There were a few interesting articles in the Atlantic, October 2009 edition, especially revolving around media. The two articles that I would like to highlight are "The Story Behind the Story" by Mark Bowden and "Cheap Laughs" by Christopher Hitchens.
First, I thought that Christopher Hitchens made an interesting point in his article, "Cheap Laughs". The subtitle to the article reads: "the smug satire of liberal humorists debase our comedy - and our national conversation." Very interesting. Though I enjoy watching Jon Stewart from time to time and although I quite enjoy the Colbert Show and despite the fact that I enjoyed Al Franken's The Truth (With Jokes) I must say that I agree with Hitchens in his critique of how people have allowed these comedians to become major news analysts. Although satire can be very helpful in small doses (especially if it is done well - and a big part of the article is that it is not being done well). But if satire becomes the main source of news, it will help to sour its viewers even more, and this will take away from any possible national unity. Whereas the prophet is traditionally supposed to point out the evil in a nation, he should also give some hope, and he should be concerned about national unity. My basic argument is that when a nation's or generation's diet is solely or mostly or even substantially satirical, that generation or nation will turn on the government that provides a fairly good life. Though Hitchens doesn't seem to make the same argument that I am making, it certainly lies in his premise that the national conversation is debased by satire.
Secondly, Mark Bowden's "The Story Behind the Story" is an article that points to the fact that a lot of news coverage is nothing but the opinions of ideologists who drag up dirt and info, with little true, objective research in order to get their view across.
To make his case, Bowden takes the case of the resent Sotomayor nomination to the Supreme Court. Do you remember that, during Sotomayor's nomination, the news coverage was against her? The supposed evidence that Sotomayor was a racist, law-making judge were based on words that were directly from her mouth... though - Bowden proves - the statements were greatly taken out of context. But where did this pieces of evidence come from? who drug them up from Sotomayor's history?
It turns out that Morgen Richmond, a right-wing Christian (Sotomayor is a Democratic judge), randomly came across what he saw to be evidence against Sotomayor's judicial integrity and therefore legitimacy. Richmond posted a speech clip on his friend's site and on YouTube and left it at that. He was surprised to see it all over the news during Sotomayor's nomination.
The point that Bowden makes (and he uses only the case of Sotomayor's nomination, I believe) is that the news companies did little of their own research into Sotomayor, but relied on some media clips to stir up some controversial news that was more interesting and less work for them. These clips came from an under-researched, ideologically-driven source. (Granted, everyone is ideologically slanted, but there is a difference between basing your preference on researched truth than simply searching to back up your preference with under-researched 'truth'.)
Considering the power of news-media, it is extremely important that reporters and journalists do due diligence. We expect no less of any other job.
The classic (Platonic-Aristotelian) view of the soul is that the intellect comes first, then the will. The important thing to notice is that it is the intellect that moves the will. The intellect must properly see or perceive what is right and then move the will to do it. Bowden is getting at this same idea when he says, "Journalism, done right, is enormously powerful precisely because it does not seek power. It seeks truth" (p. 54).
2) Straight Talk on Devotional Life
A friend recently asked me what I do to try and keep my faith vibrant. I gave several answers that I believe to be important: Read the Bible consistently, pray consistently, write letters to God, read good authors, and be involved in a small group.
I said that it is up to us to to exert effort and to try and encourage a positive attitude in ourselves. Often, when we are down and not really feeling God moving, we tend to feel bad, and to blame God. Both of these reactions are counterproductive.
If we are feeling bad because of sin, we should remember the words of John Wesley: "And when the sense of our sin most abounds, the sense of his love should much more abound." It is true that we should feel bad about our sins and to do something about them, but to dwell on sin leads us into despair. We must know that, though our sin is great, God's mercy is all the greater and he loves us.
Sometimes when our spiritual lives are down we blame God. We blame God for not being tangible to us, for not being understandable to us, for not making us happy, etc. The truth is though, that God's goodness is the same all the time, so we really have reason to rejoice at all times. Rather than blaming God, it is important for us to continue or start developing our spiritual lives. We are the inconstant ones. We are the sinful ones. We are the ones that tend to pride and laziness. Read 2 Peter 1.3-11 to see what Peter recommends. He says that God has given us everything necessary for a god-ward life of virtue and unity with God, but that we must exercise and build upon our spiritual lives. We must use what God has already provided for us. And the ability to live such a life is given to people who have been cleansed of past sins.
3) Alexisonfire's Anti-Christian Album
Probably few readers of this blog are fans of the edgy band, Alexisonfire (Alexis on fire). However, to those readers who enjoy Alexisonfire, it is might be interesting to note how anti-Christian their new album, Old Crows/Young Cardinals is.
Here is my view on three of the songs on the album. I previously sent this in an email to a friend. There are a few changes here.
1) Born and Raised seems to be a raising of the question: "Is there a Creator who has made everything and therefore a hope of things beyond or is everything here through chance?" Perhaps they are settling with some sort of agnosticism. Fair enough. Perhaps we all feel a pull between wanting something better and yet seeing the indifference in nature. But the ideas of truth, justice, etc. seem to confront us with a universe that is very concerned with goodness.
2) The Northern seems to be a stinging critique (as it should be) of a type of Christianity that seems to be vindictive against people who disagree with it. I disagree with that view as well. It says in the case that it is based on an old hymn. The song reminds me that they are reacting against what Christians might call a "heresy" if we were living before 1700 or so. But now it is just one view among a few. A more proper view is strangely expressed by J.P. Sartre in his play No Exit where people are in hell due to their own vices and choosing. Also, without the punishment of wrongs after death, it is hard to argue that fairness or justice during life are anything but arbitrarily enforced.
3) Accept Crime surprised me as kind of a stupid argument after the at least semi-intellectual songs before it. They seem to be basing their argument for using their bodies as they please (especially in regards to the physical pleasure of sex) on the fact that no outside authority can tell them how to act. True enough. They don't have to listen. I would say that the authority
must be internal to be consistent. In fact, I think their authority argument can go against them. It seems that many people use something external to retard sex: i.e. birth control. Also, it often seems to be our culture (an external authority/pressure of sorts) that leads us to consider that using our bodies as we please is the best thing to do. Many fail to consider that, perhaps, there is a greater pleasure (different than physical pleasure of course, which is palpable to even children) that can be grasped through self-control or temperance.4) A Controversial News Article About War
Here is a link to a controversial article that might help us to reconsider the value of force and the necessity of injustice in war: Civil Fights: Goldstone's recipe for never-ending conflict by Evelyn Gordon.
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