Find Religion

Inspired by my post from Monday and the upcoming Valentine’s Day holiday, I decided to see what else the Bible has to say about love, other than the first Corinthians passage. Here’s what I found!

“May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else.”
1 Thessalonians 3:12

“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine.”
Song of Solomon 1:2

“…Love comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”
1 Timothy 1:5

“Above all else, guard thy heart for it is the wellspring of life.”
Proverbs 4:23

“Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God.”
Philippians 1:3

“Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it.”
Song Of Solomon 8:7

“Let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth.”
1 John 3:18

It is my hope, dear readers, that you each have a special person in your life to love, as I do…and if not, that you spread your love throughout the world anyway, but loving friends and family members.

Valentine’s Day, holiday, Bible, Song of Solomon, Proverbs, love

Do you read my site every day and think “I could do that?”

Well, now you can.

The parent company to this site, 451 Press is now accepting applications for new writers! You can blog about celebrities, television, hobbies, sports, technology, or just about anything else you may be interested in. Every writer at 451 Press gets complete creative freedom and a hearty chunk of the ad revenues at the end of the month–not to mention a byline and links back to your personal site.

Basically, it’s a pretty sweet deal. Everything is set up for you in regards to ads, your account, the site layout, etc…so all you have to do is what you love–write!

If you want to apply, simply sign up at here and put me, Allison Boyer, as the answer for “How did you hear about 451 Press?”

Good luck to everyone who applies!

It’s celebrity Tuesday, and this week, I thought I’d share with you a great celebrity quotes (and my two cents)!

“But I would never steal anyone’s boyfriend. It’s bad karma, and I’m a big believer in karma—hence the fact that I’ve studied kabbalah. I’m very true to the “Treat people the way you want to be treated” sort of thing.” - Lindsay Lohan, Elle, September 2006

So I guess you’d like to be disrespected, because according to recent reports, your fellow AA members are pissed that you’re bringing camera crews and photographers to the secret meetings. Just what does AA stand for, Lindsay? Hmmm….

celebrity quotes, karma, Lindsay Lohan

Yesterday at church, one of our readings was from first Corinthians. I’m sure that you all know it, especially if you’d been to a wedding: “Love it patient, love is kind…”

It got me thinking, why do so many people use this text at their weddings? Of course, it is beutiful, but aren’t there many equally beautiful readings from the Bible? Aren’t there many equally beautiful readings in general?

What readings did you have at your wedding, readers?

Bible, wedding

According to studies, this is the most depressing week of the year, with Monday having been the most depressing day. Why? It’s far from the holidays, New Years resolutions have failed. holiday bills are coming in, the weather, sucks, it gets dark fairly early…

If you’re feeling depressed, you aren’t alone. God can help you through these rough times. Prayer and reading the Bible can be quite comforting, but I’ve found that when depressed the best way God can help is through friends. A friend to talk with may not “cure” you of your depression, but it can help.

And if you have no friends to talk to, you can talk to me.

Love and peace, dear readers.

depression

The virgin dragon finally had her babies! You might remember around Christmas that a female komodo dragon had miraculously become pregnant even though she had never in her life come into contact with a male lizard. Five babies hatched, starting last week and finishing with the fifth yesterday.

Whatever you believe (or do not believe), it’s a fantastic story for God and for Science.

You can read the full report here.

I’ve just finished reading the Poisonwood Bible, which had a much better beginning than ending, but was still amazaing. The next book on my list? You guessed it–I’m reading the Chronicles of Narnia, which I got for Christmas.

How did a avid reader like me miss these when I was younger? Who knows. I’m gulping them down down, and already finished The Magician’s Nephew.

If you know anythign about Narnia, than you know that there are some deep religious themes in the book. One of my professors at Elizabethtown, Dr. David Downing, actually just published a book about C.S. Lewis, Narnia, and Christianity, so after I finish these, I want to get my hands on a copy and read through that.

Happy reading, everyone!

Last week, I featured football playes in prayer, because of the playoff season. The pictures were quite touching, and honestly, I think that seeing celebrities pray brings them back down on the “human” level–they are not gods and godesses, they are just talented folks who are human like you and me. I want to continue on with that spirit, so here are some more great shots of celebrities praying.

Pink and her band, before concert, 2002

Josh Gracin and Lisa Bascom, along with the rest of the attendees at a Nascar race, 2006

Orlando Hudson before a 2006 game

J Boog, B2K, before a concert, 2003

The President and first lady, honoring the victims of 9/11

A fun fact of the day for you all:

According to Genesis 1:20-22, the chicken came before the egg.

Hm. Go open your Bible and look it up. I did, but I won’t tell you what it says. Perhaps if you do not own a Bible this will inspire you to get one!

In any case, Happy Monday and I hope everyone has a great week;

All week, I’ve been talking about Children of Men. The group of hope in this movie, The Human Project, is a group devoted to bettering mankind and perpetuating the species.

Well, it turns out that there really is a human project. From what I can see, they advocate that God is not the only answer. I didn’t join the site as a member, but you can here for exclusive news and other fun secretive stuff. If you liked the movie, check out this site.

Oh, and for all my dear readers out there, especially the silenced ones who like to read what I write but feel too intimidated to write a comment about religious things, I am now the proud writer of another 451 Press site — www.RealityonBravo.com. Check it out if you love Top Chef, Project Runawy, Real Housewives of Orange County, My Life on the D-List, and all of the other Bravo shows!

You can read this movie’s synopsis here.

Ok, so…Children of Men is a great movie, and you have to admit that, even if you didn’t particularly like the film. Why? Simply put, it’s causing a stir.
If you don’t like Clive Owen in the lead role, that’s ok. If you don’t like Ashitey, who’s pretty much a newcomer to the movie scene, that’s ok too. Even if you push me and say that you don’t like Michael Kaine…well. I guess everyone has faults, that’s ok. The thing is, this movie is not about liking or not like the actors, camera angles, or even plot. It’s about liking (or not liking) it’s ideas.

A lot of religiously-minded people have been likening this story to a “Nativity” story, saying that it’s Mary and Joseph for the modern age. I disagree. You get the first clue that this is a story about anything BUT God in the title–Children of who? Men, not God.

The story does follow a nativity-like pattern, I’ll give you that. However, frequently religious followers are pushed to the forefront. Unlike the nativity story, these people don’t need a savior for their souls. They have religion. They need a savior for life itself.

It brings to mind the intelligent design debate in the public school system today. This movie is all about God versus monkeys. I’ll even be brave enough to guess that the original intent of the film is to say, in some sense, that EVEN IF we were created according to the Genesis story, we need to dwell on evolution now. Without God, perhaps we could not have been created. Without man, however, we will not survive.

The radical group in this story has the name “the Fishes.” Very biblical–”and I will make you fishers of man.” In my mind, I see a million possible connections and theories I’d like to tell you, but I’ll save you the time and simple voice one question. Why are they called “fishes” and not “fishers”?

If this was a real-life group, I’d say that they made a mistake. I believe the group intends to be thought of as fishers–people who are going to go and and spread the Gospel (or, in this case, spread the truth about the ugly government). However, looking more closely, the author was correct, and the name truly reflects who they are–people who are lost and waiting for a savior.

Again, the savior they seek is not God. Children of Men asks us to look within ourselves for comfort and to look toward the future for hope. The outlook is fairly religiously bleak, but has extreme faith in the power of mankind.

Religious or not, I do like this movie, and I think that you should go out and see it, for it’s amazing camera work if nothing else. Do not look towards this movie to guide you to God, however. This movie voices the opinion that we have outgrown religion, and we need ourselves as much as we need a deity.

Further thoughts on this movie tomorrow…

Children of Men, Clive Owen, God, religion, intelligent design, religion

Children of Men was one of the least publicized movies this winter, but it was getting rave reviews, so I decided to go see it with my boyrfriend and his brothers. Seeing as it was classified a “religious” movie, I was even more excited about seeing it.

It is a great movie. Don’t get me wrong. But–it is not a religious movie. Or at least, not a movie that thinks religion is the answer. I’ve read some reviews that believe this is the ultimate religious movie…I’ll have to disagree.

Here’s what the movie is about…tomorrow, I’ll talk about the religious implications!

*Warning, Spoilers Ahead!

COM follows the story of an ex-activist, played by Clive Owen. He lives around the year 2030, which is very different than today because ever since a flu outbreak (in which his own son died), women have infertile. The movie begins when the youngest person in the world, an 18-year-old boy, is murdered.

Julian (Julianne Moore) contacts Owne’s character, Theo, to ask for some help. She belongs to an activist group known as “the Fishes,” and they need his help getting proper papers to transport a young refugee girl, Kee (Clare-Hope Ashitey) across borders. You see, the world is crumbling without children in it, and Britian now considers any and all foreigners suspect, the “fugees” are rounded up, tortured, and taken to a camp. Julian doesn’t tell Theo why the girl needs to be transported, only that he is the only one she trust to help them do it.

Of course, things go horrible wrong. Julian is killed in transport, and Theo finds out that the murder was ordered from within the Fishes, because Julian and other leaders didn’t see eye to eye on things. Theo learns Kee’s real secret–she is pregnant. They escape, along with a Fishes midwife who is devoted to Kee, and seek refuge with Theo’s friend, Jasper (Michael Kaine). Theo also learns that Julain wanted to tranport Kee to “The Human Project,” an underground group of intellectuals who has escpaed the government rule of Britain and hope the Kee is the “key” to fixing the infertility problem. The Fishes were opposed to these, seeking to use the power of a baby for political gain.

The only way to avoid the Fishes and keep Kee’s condition a secret is to get her to a specific buoy on a specific night where a boat from the Human Project will pick her up. The only way to do that is to get into a refugee prison camp that is near this pick up spot.

After narrowly escaping the Fishes, who kill poor Jasper, the group of three (Theo, Kee, and the midwife) successfully get into thet prison. Along the way, shocking images of torture can be seen from the bus windows, as they are going into the camp. Reminding veiwers of Iraqi prison camps and Nazi concentration camps, the bus stops, and a military leader hand picks certain people to get off the bus for this torturing. Kee’s midwife is one of them.

Once inside the camp, which looks like the slums of a city, Theo finds a room for him and Kee quickly, because she has gone into labor. He delivers the baby–the first in over 18 years in the entire world. The next morning, the Fishes and the government clash head to head with the camp as their battlefield. Kee is caputured by the Fishes, who hole up in a broken down building where a number of refugees are hiding. Theo narrowly escapes death and joins them, recapturing Kee from the Fishes leader, who has been greatly affect simply by holding a child.

The baby is crying and Kee’s secret is out. The refugees all touch her and the baby as she passes by and the military calls for a cease fire to protect the baby. The scene is deeply emotional, as the men see hope in the form of a child, for the first time.

Gunfire re-starts, and Kee and Theo find a boat, rowing away from the doomed city. They get to the buoy but worry they are too late. Kee suddenly freaks out, thinking that she is bleeding, but it is Theo, who has been shot after all and is losing blood quickly. Kee tells him that she is naming the baby Dylan, after the son Theo had lost, and he slips into death. Kee is alone on the water, but suddenly, the Human Project Boat appears through the mist, coming to protect her and her baby.

Overall, the movie was completely touching. So…that’s the recap…we’ll get into the nitty-gritty tomorrow.

Children of Men, Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Kee, Clare-Hope Ashitey, Michael Kaine, Human Project

Welcome to celebrity Tuesday!

Football season is one of the most fun times of year, so in honor of that, I’m going to give you a bunch of pictures from this season and the past of some great football guys who also like to give thanks to God (or whoever).

2007, Pennington and Brady

2006, Detriot and Green Bay after the game

2005, Longhorns quarterback

2004, Josh McCown after a touchdown

2002, the Cornhuskers pray before the Rose Bowl

and for fun, a couple from a few decades ago:

1977, the Redskins, led by their head coach

1973, the locker room before Super Bowl VII

And who do I like for the Super Bowl? Pats! (Although it would be nice for a certain quarterback to FINALLY not choke and lose in the playoffs…even if he has to rely on his kicker to do so…

celebrity, Football season, Super Bowl

In attempts to unify the world, not in religious practice, but at least in peace toward one another, the Bahai faith instituted World Religion Day in the 1950s. Still celebrated today, it is traditionally the third Sunday in January, making this year’s celebration in a little less than a week. I invite you to celebrate World Religion Day with me, no matter what you believe/do not believe with the official prayer of World Religion Day:

In striving to recognize the primacy of Fire and Light. I feel kinship with my Zoroastrian brothers and sisters.

In striving to obey the Ten Commandments, I feel kinship with my Jewish brothers and sisters.

In striving to be kind to neighbor and the needy, I feel kinship with my Christian brothers and sisters.

In striving to be compassionate to creatures great and small, I feel kinship with my Buddhist - Jaina brothers and sisters.

In striving to surrender myself completely to God Almighty, I feel kinship with my Muslim brothers and sisters.

In the recognition that wisdom flows from enlightened masters, I feel kinship with my Sikh brothers and sisters.

In remembering that serving people should be the goal of religion, I feel kinship with my Bahai brothers and sisters.

In my respect and reverence for Nature that sustains us, I feel kinship with my Native American brothers and sisters.

In feeling that these and more are all paths to the same Divinity, I feel kinship with my Hindu brothers and sisters.

In my love and laughter, joy and pain, I feel kinship with all my fellow humans.

In my need for nourishment and instinct to live on, I feel kinship with all beings on the planet.

In my spiritual ecstasy with this wondrous world, I feel kinship with the Cosmic Whole.

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World Religion Day, Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, Jaina, God, Muslim, Sikh, Bahai, Divinity, Hindu, spiritual

The Great Church Hunt has been postponed a week due to illness. Boo. Check back next Sunday!