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Tolstoy.
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Aug 29, 2015 12:17
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Samuel Clemens posted:It's a shame that Chinese documentary just talks about someone's pet conspiracy theory because the actual history of Christianity in China is pretty interesting. Wasn't there some dude that declared himself Jesus' brother and started one of the most brutal beefs in human history? Like there were battles with a million+ troops on the field just going at it with spears.
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Aug 29, 2015 15:03
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Vitamin P posted:Wasn't there some dude that declared himself Jesus' brother and started one of the most brutal beefs in human history? Like there were battles with a million+ troops on the field just going at it with spears. The Taiping Rebellion: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiping_Rebellion
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Aug 29, 2015 20:38
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Yeah, the Taiping Rebellion is one of the biggest wars in hsitory and it's barely talked about.
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Aug 30, 2015 00:08
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Blatantly Christian authors? Hmm, that's a hard one. It was obviously pretty common in Western literature to put very obvious Christian morals into the text of a novel, at least before...1960? Which brings me to Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited. Waugh was queer (Wikipedia identifies him as bi), but he converted to Catholicism in the 30s and became pretty conservative, to the extent that he was very upset by the reforms of Vatican II. As a consequence, Brideshead Revisited is about a middle-class atheist guy who starts hanging around a very flamboyant old-money gay guy, and is incredibly taken by the guy's huge country house and traditional family, which he fetishises. However, the gay guy's mother is this really overbearing Catholic who disapproves of everything her children do, and pressures her ex husband to see a priest on his deathbed, even though the ex husband is very lapsed religiously and expresses a strong lack of desire for last rites. Ignoring all this evidence of religion potentially making people narrow minded and judgmental, Middle Class Atheist suddenly converts to catholicism at the end of the book, because...yay? Needless to say, a lot of people greatly enjoy the first half of the book, which is about Charles Ryder hanging around with Sebastian Flyte and being his sort-of-boyfriend; and like to pretend that the second half of the book never happened. I'm in agreement. To me, the latter half of the book seems like the desperate justification of a newly religious guy trying to go back into the closet. The "will he see a priest" subplot is particularly bad. It goes on for about 5 chapters. In case you're wondering - yes, the poor guy eventually *does* see a priest because Lady Marchmain just won't leave him alone about it already. Samovar posted:G.K. Chesterton wasn't horrible, but his Father Brown character was even more insufferable than Sherlock Holmes and that's really saying something. Oh god, Father Brown. I've seen the TV series. It's one of the worst genteel Sunday Night Agatha Christie styled crime tv shows there is, although Father Brown's always encountering hilariously stupid crimes, like...ones involving a group of fake Ancient Egyptian cultists, so you can almost watch it just to laugh at how bad the plots are.
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Aug 30, 2015 01:10
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MonsieurChoc posted:Yeah, the Taiping Rebellion is one of the biggest wars in hsitory and it's barely talked about. There is currently a 30+ effort post synopsis of the entire war going on in the Military thread in Ask/Tell if anyone is interested.
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Aug 30, 2015 07:08
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Infamous Sphere posted:Oh god, Father Brown. I've seen the TV series. It's one of the worst genteel Sunday Night Agatha Christie styled crime tv shows there is, although Father Brown's always encountering hilariously stupid crimes, like...ones involving a group of fake Ancient Egyptian cultists, so you can almost watch it just to laugh at how bad the plots are. I prefer the story where a person's head has been cut off and yet is still so close to the body that people don't actually realise it until they try to move the body. This means it was the work of the French.
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Aug 30, 2015 11:23
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Infamous Sphere posted:
In the last episode I saw of this there was a plot about the illuminati. Wrestlepig fucked around with this message at 13:10 on Aug 30, 2015 |
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Aug 30, 2015 12:35
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Shimrra Jamaane posted:There is currently a 30+ effort post synopsis of the entire war going on in the Military thread in Ask/Tell if anyone is interested. Also if you like books I recommend God's Chinese Son for an in-depth look at the conflict. It's a little hazy at first because it's trying to lay out Hong Xiuquan's interpretation of Christianity, but it gets good.
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Aug 30, 2015 13:03
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Samovar posted:I prefer the story where a person's head has been cut off and yet is still so close to the body that people don't actually realise it until they try to move the body. This means it was the work of the French.
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Aug 30, 2015 13:18
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Audacity is out for free on Youtube and holy poo poo this is bad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbPu2rtmDbY
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Aug 30, 2015 18:03
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New christian movie did extremely well in box office #s (Only in 1,135 theaters and made 11 million) From the people who brought you Fireproof and Courageous War Room  quote:From the award-winning creators of Fireproof and Courageous comes WAR ROOM, a compelling drama with humor and heart that explores the power that prayer can have on marriages, parenting, careers, friendships, and every other area of our lives. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIl-XY9t_Lw Here is what Kirk Cameron said quote:"This is the Kendrick Brothers' most-inspiring movie yet. WAR ROOM made me laugh, cry, and shout, 'Amen, Sister!,' 'Kill it, Brother!,' and 'Thank you, Father!!' It makes me want to build a prayer room in my house and battle daily for those I love." And of course like every christian movie by these directors, they whore out a long list of resources created specifically for the movie http://warroommovieresources.com/
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Aug 30, 2015 19:07
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Mr Ice Cream Glove posted:New christian movie did extremely well in box office #s (Only in 1,135 theaters and made 11 million) 
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Aug 30, 2015 19:10
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I think they should be just called "Christian suburban bourgeois" movies.
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Aug 30, 2015 19:14
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BravestOfTheLamps posted:I think they should be just called "Christian suburban bourgeois" movies. Like most melodramatic fantasies, the Christian independent film tends to also be aspirational. The bourgeois here doesn't represent only the suburban middle class, but the projections of the working class Christian per the cultural values presented by late capitalism. If you watch Moms' Night Out, you note that the primary narrative and stylistic influences are basically John Hughes, Judd Apatow, Paul Feig. The Christian suburban fairy tale is exactly like the contemporary comedic fairy tale. It's just more obvious that capitalism is God: "Imagine how much we could accomplish if we just trusted in 'the invisible hand.'"
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Aug 30, 2015 19:29
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Not shocking that the Christian Right continues to use military imagery/terminology in these things
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Aug 30, 2015 22:25
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I know C.S. Lewis was an ultra-Christian rear end in a top hat but I personal give him a bit of a pass due to the whole trench warfare PTSD stuff. I'd find religion after that too. Here's a great TV show everyone can watch, it's called Born Again Virgin http://tvone.tv/17349/born-again-virgin-watch-the-pilot-episode/ I'm sure everyone will love it.
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Aug 31, 2015 20:15
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sbaldrick posted:I know C.S. Lewis was an ultra-Christian rear end in a top hat but I personal give him a bit of a pass due to the whole trench warfare PTSD stuff. I'd find religion after that too.
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Aug 31, 2015 20:24
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sbaldrick posted:I know C.S. Lewis was an ultra-Christian rear end in a top hat but I personal give him a bit of a pass due to the whole trench warfare PTSD stuff. I'd find religion after that too. He said that if you believe in witches, then it is moral to burn the people you believe are witches.
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Aug 31, 2015 22:24
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Jack Gladney posted:He said that if you believe in witches, then it is moral to burn the people you believe are witches. I can't find a full phone quotable version and Lewis was a fucker but you're reallly grossly misrepresenting what he was talking about in the passage in question which was about how people outgrow old ideas when they find new evidence. Basically if there actually are people going around making pacts with Satan and destroying crops with black magick then yeah that's criminal. We don't burn witches though, because we know there aren't witches.
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Aug 31, 2015 23:45
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I apologize if I took him out of context. I get a little reckless sometimes.
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Sep 1, 2015 00:02
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Jack Gladney posted:I apologize if I took him out of context. I get a little reckless sometimes. quote:Three hundred years ago people in England were putting witches to death. Was that what you call the 'Rule of Human Nature or Right Conduct?’ But surely the reason we do not execute witches is that we do not believe there are such things. If we did—if we really thought that there were people going about who had sold themselves to the devil and received supernatural powers from him in return and were using these powers to kill their neighbours or drive them mad or bring bad weather—surely we would all agree that if anyone deserved the death penalty, then these filthy quislings did? There is no difference of moral principle here: the difference is simply about matter of fact. It may be a great advance in knowledge not to believe in witches: there is no moral advance in not executing them when you do not think they are there. You would not call a man humane for ceasing to set mousetraps if he did so because he believed there were no mice in the house.”
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Sep 1, 2015 01:26
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As for Lewis, The Screwtape Letters seems to be the most well-liked by non-Christians out of the books meant for adults. It's a touch lighter in tone. Other non-terrible authors: Kahlil Gibran. He's a bit out of mainstream Christianity, and usually classified as a 'mystic'. He was originally from Lebanon and his theology is heavily influenced by Islam. But he has some incredibly inspirational works, and some interesting short stories. The Prophet is his most well-known and probably his best. Madeleine L'Engle. She's not agressive in presenting Christianity, and her characters are not paragons, but her books clearly deal with Christian themes. Most of her work is considered YA, but it's still pretty good writing. Anne Lamott. Unabashedly progressive Christian. Most of her writing is on the inspirational and painfully honest autobiographical side. And probably not on the same level as those, but I'm curious to know if anyone's read anything by Ted Dekker. He's known for writing Christian 'thrillers' and fantasy novels. He certainly seems popular, but I haven't seen his name really discussed outside of Christian contexts.
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Sep 1, 2015 01:48
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What about Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? Was that ever popular in the nutter evangelical circles?
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Sep 1, 2015 18:51
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I don't think anyone that desperate for evangelical ammunition ever saw it, much less took away a christian message from it. Most people just compare it to the odyssey.
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Sep 1, 2015 19:35
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Mr Ice Cream Glove posted:New christian movie did extremely well in box office #s (Only in 1,135 theaters and made 11 million) I imagine by "power of prayer" they mean made up bullshit that can't possibly happen and "coincidences"
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Sep 2, 2015 08:04
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SocketWrench posted:I imagine by "power of prayer" they mean made up bullshit that can't possibly happen and "coincidences" No, they mean the power you can get from all the books they're offering you. That's not a resource list; it's a shopping list.
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Sep 2, 2015 15:01
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SocketWrench posted:I imagine by "power of prayer" they mean made up bullshit that can't possibly happen and "coincidences" The power of prayer is real, though. Prayer gives you the power to feel like you are doing something important while not actually doing anything at all.
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Sep 2, 2015 22:09
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Ah, so CS Lewis said that burning witches is moral in the same way that Andrea Dworkin said that all sex is rape. That is, as a thought exercise or rhetorical argument that people looking for ammunition against them present without context to make it look like a direct and uncritical statement.
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Sep 3, 2015 01:46
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Samovar posted:I prefer the story where a person's head has been cut off and yet is still so close to the body that people don't actually realise it until they try to move the body. This means it was the work of the French. That's probably less bizarre than the solution of the short story that was probably based on, "The Secret Garden."
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Sep 3, 2015 02:02
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Forgall posted:Wait, so they aren't fighting demons or anything, just a failing marriage? so much sepia Samovar posted:What about Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? Was that ever popular in the nutter evangelical circles? coyo7e fucked around with this message at 03:28 on Sep 3, 2015 |
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Sep 3, 2015 03:24
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Sleeveless posted:Ah, so CS Lewis said that burning witches is moral in the same way that Andrea Dworkin said that all sex is rape. That is, as a thought exercise or rhetorical argument that people looking for ammunition against them present without context to make it look like a direct and uncritical statement. That's an astute comparison, though people tend to trot out Dworkins more than Lewis. Lewis is pretty fondly viewed even among liberal Christians. This is obviously because of Narnia and, to a lesser degree the Screwyape Letters, which is still a fun read. It's hard to tag on it for being ham handed about religiosity, and it's inspired a lot of poo poo imitators amongst people who aren't as good writers, but I think it's probably the origin of depictions of a less sinister, more bureaucratic Hell. It was probably quite a thing when it was shiny and new and I can't think of any other books of Christian rhetoric that are as good a read even for an atheist. But I haven't ever finished Chesterton's Everlasting Man. Man Who Was Thursday is dope though b
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Sep 3, 2015 07:14
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Robotnik Nudes posted:That's an astute comparison, though people tend to trot out Dworkins more than Lewis. Lewis is pretty fondly viewed even among liberal Christians. This is obviously because of Narnia and, to a lesser degree the Screwyape Letters, which is still a fun read. It's hard to tag on it for being ham handed about religiosity, and it's inspired a lot of poo poo imitators amongst people who aren't as good writers, but I think it's probably the origin of depictions of a less sinister, more bureaucratic Hell. It was probably quite a thing when it was shiny and new and I can't think of any other books of Christian rhetoric that are as good a read even for an atheist. The Man Who Was Thursday is weird and wonderful. Chesterton doesn't stick the landing, but few do -- see also the excellent movie They Might Be Giants, which is similarly based on its own puzzle-logic, and completely falls apart in the last ten minutes. Yes, the band is named after the movie.
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Sep 4, 2015 00:02
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Kangra posted:And probably not on the same level as those, but I'm curious to know if anyone's read anything by Ted Dekker. He's known for writing Christian 'thrillers' and fantasy novels. He certainly seems popular, but I haven't seen his name really discussed outside of Christian contexts. When I was like 11-15 I read a ton of Dekker's stuff cause my mom really enjoyed it and had it laying around the house. I remember being pretty engaged/scared by it, but ya know, I was younger and also a huge weenie. I mostly read his standalone books, but I did read a few that loosely connected to his big fantasy series--I think it was called The Circle? Anyway, much later when I got into The Dark Tower, it seemed super obvious that Dekker had taken a lot of inspiration from King. He even has a gunslinger character who is (visually) exactly like Roland iirc. There are more similarities but it's been too long since I've read them to give exact details. I enjoyed them a lot then, but I don't think they'd hold up to me now that I'm an adult, and not living with my Christian family. I don't remember his work as being very preachy, it could actually get fairly graphic, but now I'm sure the religious bits would seem very in-your-face.
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Sep 4, 2015 01:41
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Robotnik Nudes posted:Lewis is pretty fondly viewed even among liberal Christians. This is obviously because of Narnia and, to a lesser degree the Screwyape Letters, which is still a fun read. Lewis wrote a lot more than that on Christianity, both in fictional allegories and theological writing. Narnia and Screwtape are his best known works, but his body of work is much larger.
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Sep 4, 2015 02:29
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Random Stranger posted:Lewis wrote a lot more than that on Christianity, both in fictional allegories and theological writing. Narnia and Screwtape are his best known works, but his body of work is much larger. Right. I just named the ones msot people actually know/care about. Mere Xianity is a runner up.
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Sep 4, 2015 03:48
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Arsenic Lupin posted:It really does depend on which liberal Christians you ask. Many, many liberal women dislike him, and dislike Mere Christianity in particular; many people trained in logic dislike the shoddy reasoning in MC. (Helloooooo, excluded middle and redefinitions of terms.) In my experience, a lot of the dislike liberal Christians have for Lewis mainly comes with the caveat "For his time, though..." I've heard more than a few laments over the lack of liberal Christian media in general in the past few years in Christian social circles. It's nigh-exclusively fundamentalist or otherwise ultraconservative Christian stuff that keeps making it into the wider media.
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Sep 4, 2015 21:11
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John Quixote posted:No, they mean the power you can get from all the books they're offering you. That's not a resource list; it's a shopping list. Amazing how all this info to save your soul and join the good side always costs money. You would think doing god's will would be free
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Sep 6, 2015 16:45
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I'm not sure that I mentioned it before, but my church's youth group does a monthly movie night. Last Friday, we watched John Q. I always love when we watch films that aren't explicitly Christian, and not just because they're usually better-made. It's not exactly a great movie, and it's surprisingly political in a way unexpected of an evangelical youth group, but the kids got a lot out of it. Next time we'll probably watch Dead Poet's Society, which I regrettably haven't seen. The kids are set on watching Star Wars soon, so we'll also be doing that. Do you all have any suggestions for "secular" movies with Christian themes, or even themes that would lead to good conversation about spirituality? For example, we watched Jurassic Park a few months ago and it was a huge hit. We do watch Christian movies, but good ones are harder to come by and we all know it.
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Sep 7, 2015 05:00
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I watched The Truman Show in junior high religion class, that wasn't too bad.
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Sep 7, 2015 05:12
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