Some interesting thoughts from Stephen Hawking:
Archive for the ‘Irreverant’ Category
“Something Rather Than Nothing”
Tuesday, July 6th, 2010 by JELAnimating Jesus
Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010 by JELAmong the 28 projects Comedy Central is considering to develop into programs for the coming season is an animated series about Jesus. The network’s blurb sums up the show thusly:
“A half-hour animated show about JC (Jesus Christ) wanting to escape his father’s enormous shadow and to live life in NYC as a regular guy. A lot has changed in 2000 years and he is the ultimate fish out of water. Meanwhile his all-powerful yet apathetic father would rather be playing video games than listening to JC recount his life in the city. JC is a playful take on religion and society with a sprinkle of dumb.”
A coalition led by Citizens Against Religious Bigotry (CARB) has yet to see the non-existent show, but has already come out against it. The coalition also includes the Media Research Center, the Family Research Council, the Catholic League, the Parents Television Council and the American Alliance of Jews and Christians. In urging advertisers to boycott any such project, the group said:
“After we reveal the vile and offensive nature of Comedy Central’s previous characterizations of Jesus Christ and God the Father, we expect these advertisers to agree wholeheartedly to end their advertising on Comedy Central and discontinue their support for unabashed, anti-Christian discrimination.” – Brent Bozell, president of the MRC.
The Comeback Plan
Wednesday, April 7th, 2010 by JELChristianity has been having a tough time of late. Child sex abuse scandals in the Catholic Church (deemed “petty gossip” by a Vatican spokesman), Hutaree militias plotting to kill police officers, the list goes on. The Guardian’s Hadley Freeman has devised a decidedly tongue-in-cheek strategy to restore Christianity’s image:
- Ally itself with Apple.
- Check into a sex-addiction clinic.
- Embark on a tour of the national media to tell everyone that Christianity is now going into hiding.
- Hold press conferences at major group events to prove one’s humility, thereby ensuring that all attention is taken away from the other, competing religions.
- Marry Jennifer Aniston or Cheryl Cole.
Please note the “Irreverant” categorization of this post. We all need a little satire once in a while. Read the whole thing here.
Black Smoke in the Middle?
Tuesday, March 30th, 2010 by JELI compare this final season of LOST with reading the last Harry Potter novel. After six thick volumes filled with three times as many questions as answers, the last book dished answers out of a firehose. Particularly in the last half of the book when Rowling realized she needed to really stomp on the gas pedal to even keep it under 800 pages.
This last season of LOST has been delicious. Last week’s episode certainly had more than its usual share of religious undertones as more tidbits were revealed about Jacob and The Man in Black. Are they God and the Devil?
This article has some interesting commentary from Chris Seay, author of The Gospel According to Lost. I realize the above image could easily be described as sacrilegious, but isn’t it fascinating to see who is sitting in Jesus’ spot? The Black Smoke Monster, himself (in Locke’s shell). Tonight should be really interesting…
The Vatican as Rock Critic
Friday, February 19th, 2010 by JELThe Vatican’s official newspaper, L’ Osservatore Romano, recently published it’s “semiserious guide” to the top 10 rock albums of all time. The Beatles’ “Revolver,” Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” and Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” are all safe picks. Others are more interesting/curious. Oasis’ “(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?” made the list, as did one of my all-time faves, Donald Fagen’s fairly obscure “The Nightfly.” The two biggest head-scratchers for me are David Crosby’s “If I Could Only Remember My Name” and Santana’s “Supernatural.”
You’ll notice no Bob Dylan or Rolling Stones among the Vatican’s picks. In the latter’s case, “Sympathy for the Devil” probably did them in.
The Bible and Agatha Christie
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010 by JELI was perusing some best-seller lists for the past few years and became curious about the top-selling books of all time. Here’s what Wikipedia has for the top 14:
- The Bible
- Quotations from Chairman Mao (Little Red Book)
- The Koran
- Xinhua Dictionary
- Chairman Mao’s Poems
- Selected Articles of Mao Zedong
- A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens)
- Scouting for Boys: A Handbook for Instruction in Good Citizenship
- The Lord of the Rings (J.R.R. Tolkien)
- Book of Mormon
- The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life (Jehovah’s Witnesses)
- On the Three Representations
- And Then There Were None (Agatha Christie)
- The Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien)
Quite the interesting list. I think Chairman Mao’s three entries greatly benefited from compulsory reading/ownership of over 1 billion people. Five are religious books; six if you throw in the Scouting book and its link to Christianity. And Agatha Christie?
The New Voice of Jesus
Tuesday, January 5th, 2010 by JELIf you were the casting director of a new TV show or movie and needed to find that perfect someone to provide the voice of Jesus, whom would you choose? Remember that Jesus’ age is around 30 in the Four Gospels so your pick can neither be too young nor too old. Perhaps some up-and-coming indie actor with a heathly mix of charisman and gravitas?
Nah. Lil Wayne!
Cable channel Adult Swim is creating a new animated series called “Freakniks” about the “Black Spring Break” in Atlanta in the late 90s. And yes, Lil Wayne has been tapped to voice Jesus. I wonder if any of His lines will match those found in What He Said…
Faces of Jesus
Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009 by JELMaybe it’s the spirit of the Christmas season, but people around the globe are seeing the face of Jesus in strange places. A woman in Methuen, MA saw the image of Christ on the bottom of her iron, while Lisa Swinton in Australia discovered His image on a banana peel. They had differing reactions: the iron is being kept in a safe place, but the banana was eaten and the peel thrown away.
Wherever you encounter Jesus, we hope you remember His message of peace and goodwill to all. The world could use a heaping helping of both these days.
Bumper Stickers
Tuesday, December 15th, 2009 by JELWith holiday shopping in full swing, I’m sure a lot of us have been staring at bumpers lately. Stuck in traffic, looking for a parking space at the mall, the red lights that never seem to go green. I saw some mildly amusing ones over the weekend which got me to thinking about my all-time favorite:
“Jesus Saves, Espo Scores on the Rebound”
Those of you not around or hockey-conscious during the Bruins’ heydays of the early 70s can catch up here.
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