Censorship in christianity

The other day in class we were talking about how they had a painting in the MCA of Jesus and how complained because you could see his genitals so they took it down. My problem with that why would that be the first thing you spot in a painting of Jesus the first think you should see is our lord and savior giving up his life for our sins. the picture alone has so much more to it than just his genitals. When you look at a picture like that I was always taught be grateful that such and awesome person would give his life away. It makes me wonder that Jesus sacrificed his life for a bunch of people but we cant even hang a painting up because Christians basically put up a censorship. Which in my opinion I think is crazy because we as Christians should glorify a picture of Christ no matter the situation or what the picture looks like unless it disrespect him.

The Breakfast Club

    The other day I finally watched the breakfast club and I can say it was a really good movie. First I'm going to fill you guys in in case you have not seen it. Basically its a movie where high school kids with totally different personalities get detention for some reason but with their different personalities you would expect them not to talk but they did the exact opposite they all came together as one at the end.

    The ironic part of this movie is that this friendship occurs in detention because in todays world because in todays society you cant even look at someone without getting cursed out which is very sad. But the producer made a really good movie because it shows the viewers that a group of people can become friends no matter their personality it just takes them to try and get to know each other.

    I feel like the moral of the story is that you never know what will happen unless you step out of your comfort zone and actually get to know people and what their background are so you know what their story is.

College Life

I know we are suppose to blog about media but as I'm on my way to Milwaukee for a tournament I came up with the idea to blog about being a freshman in the college atmosphere. I can honestly say that the college life has been a big change for me because I'm use to being able to call my mom for everything. They weren't lying when they said that college makes you grow up and become your own individual. College has also pushed me to try a bunch of things and break me out my shell. I'm so proud I chose to come to Huntington University over Indiana Tech because not only are the people at Huntington University are great but the university has brought me closer to god in a way that I cant explain. The college life is also very demanding because at home you have your parents over your back telling you what to do but at college you have to step up to the plate and do what you think is right. Its very difficult juggling being and athlete and school but that's where making the right choices come from because sometimes I put my sport before school but I'm getting a lot better by being able to balance both.

Tales at the Tabletop

The four adventurers wander through the corridor, mist floating lazily about their feet. Feeling of dread sank into them, testing their resolve. They finally turn the corner at the end, opening into a large cavern inhabited by enraged orcs. The fighter swears in elvish before deftly drawing his dual blades....

Table top roleplaying has been around for quite long time (Fifty years, give or take) and has frankly gotten a terrible rap. The partakers of this hobby, or art, are immediately judged upon announcement of inclusion. Originally, some completely misunderstood the hobby and cried satanic worship or that it made people into murderers and bred violence. Luckily, those days have (mostly) past but yet another stigma remains. Players of tabletop (Shortened to Players from here forward) are marked with a stigma of being, nerds and geeks. Assumed to be anti social and unskilled in human interaction. 

Which is quite frankly wrong. (Again, in most cases)

These games are often engaging and interactive, requiring large amounts of creativity. Each game takes place in fantasy worlds and craft unique tales using nothing but some dice, some paper and some friends. Friends, you say? But aren't these players ungroomed, anti social nerds with no sense of tact or proper hygiene? Nay! These games require co operation and communication to function. Game masters must properly convey the game, players must subtle inform the Game master of what type of game they want, players work together to overcome hurdles. All of these things take good communication skills and patience for your friends who seemingly sometimes lack the brains to fully understand your plan to slay the dragon.

Now, I'm going to cut my rant, er blog, off here as I am well over the 200 word suggestion but my point hopefully got across to some extent: Tabletop gaming is wonderfully creative process that helps sharpen a lot of different crucial skills and have a great time while doing it.

Quote of the Day

"The difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas as in escaping from old ones."
                                                                                             -John Maynard Keynes

For all of us freshman this is a new time in our lives.  This is no longer high school so we have had to adapt in our time here at Huntington University.  Hopefully five weeks in you have now found that understanding for your new self identity since you have made the progression since high school.  For some it is easy to let go of the things from your high school or hometown but for others it is difficult. I just think it is really important to expand and broaden yourself in these next four years at HU.  Develop new hobbies and meet new people.  This world is becoming more and more diverse so don't be afraid to try something out of the ordinary, take a class that you we have never imagined taking.  This time in our lives is the best time to venture out and try new things and let go of some of your past.  You will only be able to live through this college experience once!!!

Sully

Sully

This movie was so good. Especially because they casted Tom Hanks at the role. He was a perfect match because he has done so many movies like, Captain Philips, where the character is super intense. He has also done the movies that are about real life, and it makes him a better actor in upcoming films because of him. This movie brought so much emotion from the beginning. It shows flash backs progressing over time. it shows every moment you are with them step by step, did he miss something, did he over think things? Was he in the wrong to land where he did? You find out that maybe he was wrong, and that he could have made it with all that hassle. People don’t take in human interaction and human error, and with this he would have killed the people on the plane and people in a building. As you see the relief of doing the right thing and not screwing up something so big, it is like a weight lifted off as you watch the movie through. This was such a touching story because you know it effected more people than just those on the plane, since 9/11 there has been a lot of sorrow. This happy ending with planes changed the atmosphere in the biggest way possible when it was all said and done and this is what made the movie so great, was focusing on the happy ending.

Jesus' Genitals: Christianity and Censorship

Today in class we discussed the fact that, in the art gallery in the MCA, a painting of the crucifixion was removed from display because you could see Jesus' genitalia in the painting. When I looked at it at first, I didn't even realize it. The painting was so astonishing, so gory, that his crotch was not my main focus. However, it apparently was for somebody, and it was removed from the gallery because of it. (I can't find the painting, otherwise I would post it on here to refresh our memories).

This is not accurate, for a variety of reasons. 

This is not accurate. 

This blows my mind. The fact that Christian censorship has become so strict as to require the censorship of the Christ's death is wild to me. When Jesus was crucified, he wasn't awarded the privilege of being clothed. In a very intentional way, Jesus' murder was fabricated to be a public shaming. He was made to physically bare it all so that one more little chink could be cut out of his self-respect. I think that Christians want to ignore Jesus' nakedness because we still want to shelter ourselves from pornographic images. However, if we think that these are pornographic images, there is definitely something wrong here.

Fantasy World

Today in class we briefly talked about a house that looks like it would only exist in a fantasy world, and I made the comment that it would be kind of neat to live in a house like that. When I said that, I was quickly met with the comment that no it wouldn’t. This kind felt like a slap in the face, because for me I think it would be neat to live in a house like that and that is my opinion. For some of us it is easier to imagine the world as nothing but gumdrops and ice cream than it is to accept the real world. For me, I live in the real world but have my escapes. That is why I think it would be neat to live in a house like that, it would by my own little way to get away from the horrors of the world. I am sure other people live this way as well, most people probably never admit or even see it in other people, but we have something in our lives that helps us bare the horrors of the real world and allows us to function normally in our day to day lives.

 

Footloose

The other day my girlfriend and I watched the 1984 film of Footloose. As it was our first time ever watching the movie, I was awe stricken at how a small town’s church could literally run the entire town. Even just the fact that the church viewed dancing and rock and roll music as a form of sin was dumbfounding. I couldn’t even begin to imagine a town in which you couldn’t dance, without getting in legal trouble.

Now, looking at the situation a little closer I see how the church got control of the town. However, to me that does not justify making it illegal for kids to go out dance at a school function. The fact that these kids have to go across county lines to have a party where they can just be themselves and let loose, and forget about everything for one night is just unbelievable. People should be able to go out and have fun and just be themselves. The idea of trying to conform an entire town to the beliefs on a few, by force, just enrages me. I mean what happened to the whole belief that every person is their own individual self? If we aren’t free to be ourselves then we are being shaped by the laws that were made to protect us.

I believe the church has become narcissistic but at the same time has become a minority but in the two totally different types of the church to where the church as a whole as humans and the buildings has become narcissistic but are the true followers of Christ/God the same way? I say no because the reason people say we are is because we have become a loud generation of the church and "condemn" others for being sinners but because the church points out others mistakes people get offended because this generation of human beings in general has become a self-serving, self-victimizing, and wussified that they feel like they are being attacked when in reality true followers do the same to each other and ourselves and acknowledged the fact that we are all sinners. And that group has become the minority because the church has become an accommodating place instead of telling the truth. So in summary the church as a whole has become a narcissistic system but the true followers of God have become the minority.

 

The Present

The short film "The Present" begins with a young boy sitting on the couch playing video games and hardly taking the time to look up when his mother enters the room. She sets a box on the table in front of him and informs him that she got him a present. When the boy opens the box he sees a small puppy and is instantly excited. However, he soon sees that the dog only has three legs and throws it on the ground--thus the making of the villain. As the story progresses, the dog begins to play and the boy grows increasingly irritated and seems to keep pushing the dog away only to have it keep coming back. His anger grows as he keeps trying to ignore the small, adorable gift.
Suddenly, the boy becomes interested in the dog and begins to kick the ball around and wait for the dog to bring it back. The boy stands and begins to go outside when we see that he too, is missing one of his legs. This short, I think, so accurately describes the ordinary villain. Oftentimes the villain of the story sees something of himself in the opposite character. Either something they once had and hope to have again, or something that they never possessed and hope to gain. This young boy is seen as the villain of the story until we understand his frustration is out of his own anger at the mirroring of himself and the dog. But like the puppy, the boy stands, and continues in search of joy.

Resonance

Why does art resonate so much with humans? There are a lot of reasons why the different arts make these impacts. The meta-narrative, the challenging of thought of an interesting piece, the excitement of the stories. The one that we haven't covered as much is how stories relate to other humans.

This does tie into the metanarrative. How we relate to good stories because they fit into the one story that we can understand. But something that stories have always done is reminded that we are not alone. Tragedies show us that others have experienced the same losses and troubles, comedy and romance shows us the hope and joy in life.

These stories help us connect with other humans, to placate the fears that we are alone in the world and that there others like us.

The Secret of Kells--A Medieval Example of Christian Art

In my Faith, Film and Culture class, we recently watched the film The Secret of Kells, a 2010 Irish-made movie based on the true story of the creation of the Book of Kells. The story revolves around a young Celtic boy, Brendan, who lives with his uncle, a no-nonsense abbot, in the walled city of Kells. Brendan desperately longs for purpose and adventure outside of the city walls, but is restricted by his uncle, who demands that he stay inside the safety of Kells. However, once a famed illuminator named Aidan of Iona comes into the city claiming that Viking hoards are hot on his tail, Brendan is secretly enlisted in helping Aidan construct the Book of Kells, a book that was said to "bring light to the darkness." This book (pictured here) is a real seventh-century book, comprised of the four Gospels of the New Testament with illuminated pages.

The Secret of Kells is easily the most visually stunning film I have ever seen. Created and designed to look like an illuminated text, this film shows how literary text and visual film can be combined. Several characters of the movie were given strange features and proportions so that they would look like illustrations of people from texts. Also, the planes that the characters were placed in in the frames often had borders, making the frame appear as if it were a page from an illuminated text. I found this to be an absolutely astounding expression of art in the film.

Ultimately, this film is a strong recreation of the evil that faced the early Christians. The people of Kells are attacked--and ultimately slaughtered--by hoards of malicious Vikings that burn down everything in their path. While the people of Kells are illustrated in either bright or neutral colors, the Vikings are illustrated in colors that are dark, mysterious, and harsh. Illustrating these characters in such a way really allows the viewer to empathize with the terror that the Celtics felt when the Vikings were invading. It truly was horrifying.

Overall, The Secret of Kells is probably the best movie I've seen in a very long time. It made me chuckle, it made me think, and it also made tears stream down my face. If a movie can do all of those, I'd say that it's a success. 

Rating: A+

Middletown

Last week I went a saw HU's rendition of the play Middletown. The set was very minimalist but worked in favor with the writing. The Dialogue was phenomenally and many of the characters made you laugh and others made you cry. What I found truly fascinating was that it the story is one of balance. Where there is joy in life for one, another can be found depressed. Where there is love there also hate. Where there is life...you get the idea. The play takes place in small town USA where not much really happens, much like my hometown. People move in and people move out that never changed. What was interesting about these individuals were that they all had something deep down that was driving them. I believe that it was hope. Just as the woman who has just moved into town has hope that her baby will have a great life. So does the man who repairs her sink. He hopes that life has something more for him to hold onto than just doing odd jobs. Both are driven to find something to fulfill that need for more, the desire to live life to its fullest.  At the end of the play I was left with the question "Am I living life to the fullest?". Middletown has impacted me to make the most of each day and not waste any opportunity. 

Childlike Lens

Today I was sitting in the Science hall waiting on my psychology class to begin. Today was also the Walk into my Future event with the local elementary schools. One class came into the science hall to use the restroom. As they slowly trickled out of the restroom they became fascinated with the fountain at the base of the elevator. The sound of their laughter was full of pure joy as they played with the water, despite their teacher's efforts to keep them dry. As an artist, I believe that we see the world much differently than others. We keep ahold of a part of that childlike lens. That perspective that we peer through and see the world is what makes our art great. Finding the joy in the simple man made little fountain as a child would. should be our goal. I don’t know how many times I have sat in the science hall and viewed the fountain as just a decoration. I was unable to see how the water danced, how it moved gracefully and naturally. Our duty as artists is to bring to light the simple pleasures of life. To bring back a childlike worldview. 

Do Christians Need Art

Do Christians need art? This question arises in the reading by Donald Hudson. The reading begins with the story of Narcissus. He does not need art because he is so obsessed with the way that he looks that eventually it ends up drowning him. Hudson claims that we make art that reflects what we think of ourselves. He also says that the church becomes like Narcissus and does not need art. It is important as Christians that we learn to appreciate the simple beauty that surrounds us. Art gives us a glimpse of the world we do not live in. In other words, it is a window to Heaven. In class we discussed the three main things that art does. First, art transcends us. It reminds us that there is something greater than ourselves. Secondly, art questions us. How do we respond to art? Lastly, art resembles heaven and shows us how unique the creator of the universe is. Hudson points out that Psalm 19 says that God reveals himself to us through his artistry and his word. As Christians, we need to learn to appreciate the beauty that is around us. This beauty can be found in a sunset, waterfall, or something as simple as a flower.

Do Christians Need Art

"...the Christian who ignores art agrees with a secular view of art--the art has no ultimate meaning for life nor does it reveal the God who is there...In an area where the church believes itself to be more holy by ignoring music, film, poetry, literature, and the plastic arts, it actually looks more like modernist than it does Christian."
I really like what Hudson has to say in his reading Do Christians Need Art.  I think there is a lot of meaning behind his message.  I think in todays world there aren't as many people informed on the music, poetry, literature, and plastic arts in Christianity.

Art definitely has a meaning for life.  Art is very powerful.  Art displays so much meaning without words, you just have to be able to depict the meaning by studying the image.  The image of God can be revealed in every work of art.  The problem is in todays world is that no one takes the time to look into the meanings of what art displays.  Most of the times people are just content with looking at an image and seeing the creativity and color it has to offer.  It all takes time though and most people don't want to find the meaning of life in an image. Until they are willing to do that art won't be as important as it should be in the lives of Christians.

Middletown

Before I begin, I just want to mention that this blog will contain SPOILERS for Middletown, so for everyone reading this please go and see it. Middletown was a wonderful show and the cast was spot on with how they portrayed their characters. I'm not really going to focus on each of the character aspects that were portrayed well, but rather what it added to the story. From the top of the show we are placed in this fictional town in the middle of nowhere and is even described as a place between places that have been forgotten. We then meet this crazy cast of characters who all are trying to find their own way in life. There was a particularly profound moment toward the end of the show where a member of the audience steps on to the stage between John, a character who had just passed away, and Mrs. Swanson who just had given birth. This was the scene that set the theme for the show for me. Each of the characters in the show all struggle with where they are in life and what it all really means, but maybe that is the whole point. All of us in some point in our life are lost on the long winding road of life. That audience member standing between life and death was physically showing us where we stand in the great voyage of life, in the middle. There are other great themes within the show such as trying to find your place and self realization, but I found that the most important moral is realizing that we all are just in the middle between life and death. In that, I hope we can all find our humanity.

You're Getting Old (well not you)

Spoilers ahead for the fifteenth season of South Park.

South Park has always been one of those shows that as a kid I realized tended to make adults argue. One mention of South Park in middle or high school would have people angrily calling it out for the extremes it goes to make certain jokes while others would say it’s messages were very serious and done well. Recently season twenty of this infamous show started and I decided to rewatch some episodes.

 “You’re Getting Old” is the episode I’ll be  talking about. It’s very different than other  episodes of South Park in general. The episode  was one when I first watched it when it aired, I  had this overwhelming feeling of “this cartoon  just became too real”. In the episode one of the  main boys, Stan Marsh, has his tenth birthday.  One of the gifts he receives is a CD of a band  that is then taken away by his mother who  claims it’s just crap. Stan, before losing the CD,  has the music downloaded to his computer, but  once he listens to it, all he hears is literal crap  noises. The rest of the episode spends time  showing Stan deal with this change as  everything he once loved and enjoyed is crap. This change for Stan is labeled as just part of growing up, but this change also leads to his parents realizing they no longer love each other and Stan’s mom moves out of the house. The end of the episode shows Stan sees everything as crap. He doesn’t find anything as enjoyable anymore like most people and shows signs of clear depression, but the adults in his life are too caught up in their own problems to notice. He even sees his best friend as a pile of crap and gets alienated from his friends. The episode didn’t end on a happy note, and this was done to show that life doesn’t always happy endings. That sometimes growing up, means seeing people for who they are and deciding whether they can still be a part of your life.

Middletown

My first play at Huntington was much better than I anticipated. I am not huge on theater, especially to one that I have never heard of. The actors were phenomenal as was the story line. Middletown is about Mary, a wife of an absent husband who wants to start a family, John, a frantic and depressed man trying to find happiness, and Craig, the local alcoholic who really wants to make something of himself. The play is very philosophical. It is constantly questioning what you to believe and what to think. It also breaks the fourth wall multiple times by having characters speak to the audience or when the cop comes to the audience. There is a "crowd" within the crowd. Although they are actors, it is meant to force you to wonder how others are understanding this play. Every character has there unique kinks. The cop is, I believe, bipolar. He will lash out and immediately regret it, but he just was doing these bad things to see the result. John questions everything that he says and hears. Not only does he make Mary start to look at situations differently, he begins to question too much causing him to worry. He falls in love with Mary, and as time goes by, he slowly gets more and more depressed until he begins to question what it is like to cause a crisis. Mary is conflicted between her absent husband and a man that would be there for her at any time. You are meant to hate the husband, but you never really find out why he is never there. Craig wants nothing more than to find love and make people proud. His Indian rain dance brings himself to feel beautiful again. It reminds him of something that he once was and he wants to move forward, but feel important enough again. All in all, the play was intriguing and Craig is easily my favorite character in the whole world.

Debate or Debaucle

September 26, 2016

It's a simple Monday like it normally would be any other week, but there is something different added to this day. This day, Donald Trump of the Republican side and Hillary Clinton of the Democratic side, will debate for the presidency.

On any other day, students would walk to and fro from classes without a care in the world, but on this day students talk a little of the conundrum that is the Presidential Elections of 2016. Who will win? Who will lead into a brighter future or a darker destruction?

The debate itself was mostly normal given the way it was imagined to go. Clinton came out with more facts and smirks on her face. Trump was the man we were use to seeing, a ranting businessman who has ideas of where he wants the world to go if we allow it.

To watch the debate was comical. We sat around, snapchatting pictures to make fun of the candidates and "faceswap" to no end. It was more about who could make them look more like fools than how it was actually going.

Who won? Honestly, the people who watched because we got to laugh at the jokes that will arise because of this debate.