Find Religion

“It’s all Christianity, people. The little, stupid differences are nothing next to the big, stupid similarities.” –Bart Simpson

This week, one of my favorite sites, Beliefnet, has a feature posted about religion found in The Simpsons over the years. The author lists his top ten favorite Simpson religious moments, as well as includes quotes from favorite episodes. Religion is an important part of the show, especially with the introduction of Apu, the Hindu mini mart cashier, and Ned Flanders, the Evangelic neighbor who can do no wrong. Even Crusty the Clown was given a religion (Jewish).

Here are a few of my own favorite religious moments from the show!

tv, the Simpsons, Homer Simpson, religion

Do you have a case of “the Mondays?” (inset your favorite Office Space joke here)

I hope I can help! Every Monday, I’m going to give you a list of fabulous freebies, all religiously inspired. These are give-a-ways or contests…nothing you have to “complete sponsor offers” to get (and if you find one of those that slipped through, please comment immediately to notify me!)

Check out what this week has to offer. Happy religion-finding!

HopeNet is giving away free copies of Secrets of Peace. You can read the chapters online one at a time or download the whole book for free. Currently, they are sold out of the print version, but check back often to see when new orders come in!

Christianity Freebies is giving away glow-in-the-dark crosses. Sorry, U.S. residents only! However, international and U.S. readers alike can get their free beaded bracelet.

We Kids will send children free stickers and a copy of their newsletter. (Christian theme)

Speaking of kids, your children may also enjoy the free coloring pages found at Torah Tots.

Project Moses is giving away free Ten Commandment Pins and Moses prayer cards.

If you have some time to spend on a short survey, you can get a free angel teddy bear at My Insider Deals.

You can get a free magnet by sending feedback to Jewish Outreach Institute about their website. Sorry, U.S. and Canada only!

Webmasters, feel free to contact me with your site’s give-a-ways!

free stuff, freebies, religion, religious freebies

PostSecret is a site that helps the soul, no matter what your religion. Check it out, and don’t be afraid to send in your own secret.

Postsecret, Post Secret, postcards, secrets, postcard secrets

There’s no excuse now…you don’t even have to READ this Bible to enjoy the message!

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., July 10 /PRNewswire/ — The most ambitious, critically-acclaimed presentation of the Bible ever produced, Inspired By … The Bible Experience, has confirmed more than 200 cast members for the Old Testament prequel to its bestselling New Testament edition. Highlighting the cast is 2007 Academy Award-winning actor Forest Whitaker as the voice of Moses, along with Angela Bassett (Esther), Cuba Gooding Jr. (Jonah), Denzel and Pauletta Washington (Song of Songs), LL Cool J (Samson), Nick Cannon (Adam), Eartha Kitt (Serpent), Bishop T.D. Jakes (Abraham), Bishop Eddie L. Long (Joel), Della Reese, Bernice and the late Yolanda King, daughters of Martin Luther King Jr., and introducing Paul Adefarasin, pastor of House on the Rock church in Lagos, Nigeria (voice of God).

Inspired By … The Bible Experience (Old Testament) is slated for a fall 2007 release with a cast featuring three Oscar winners, five Golden Globe winners and seven Emmy winners. Just like its predecessor, it is based on Zondervan’s contemporary Today’s New International Version (TNIV) translation and includes dramatic performances set to an original musical underscore by the Prague Symphony Orchestra and Hollywood-style sound design created at Technicolor Studios. In addition to the Old Testament edition, the Complete Bible will also be available in stores nationwide this fall.

“We are thrilled with the cast assembled for the Old Testament portion of The Bible Experience. The fact that celebrities, artists and clergy have enthusiastically requested to be a part of this affirms that The Bible Experience is truly a one-of-a-kind, groundbreaking project,” said Ron Belk, president and CEO, Inspired By Media Group. “Each one of these voices bring something special to their role, and it’s the culmination of their talents that makes this an audio Bible in a category all its own.”

Inspired By … The Bible Experience (New Testament) is now available in stores nationwide. It is available in CD and MP3 formats as well as audio download. A behind-the-scenes “making of” video, audio samples, a listing of the voices, news and reviews can be found at www.zondervan.com/BibleExperience.

Bible, Angela Bassett, Cuba Gooding Jr., Denzel Washington, LL Cool J, Nick Cannon, Eartha Kitt

I’m Christian, and so every weekend I’d like to given anyone who is willing to take it a “homework” assignment. They’ll be Christian in nature sometimes, but you can use these as a starting point to reflect you own religious beliefs. Stop back every Friday for your homework!

This weekend’s homework: Share your favorite religious passage.

Devotional: Helping one another find religion means sharing the things that are important to us. So, I’d like to know–what is your favorite religious passage? It can be a poem, Bible verse, prayer or religious quotation (or anything else you’d like, really!).

More importantly, why is this your favorite? When did it become your favorite? What does that say about you? I want your story as a comment on this post. Don’t be shy–I have lots of people who read this blog, but many never leave a comment. That’s why this is your weekend homework: Only by discussing religion with one another can we each learn and evolve as a person.

Check back on Monday and read all of the comments left by readers. Comment again with your reactions if you feel inspired.

And if you don’t have a favorite? This weekend is a great time to read the Bible or do a bit of research!

I’ll start: My favorite is the serenity poem.

God,
Grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage
to change the things I can,
and the wisdom
to know the difference.

No, I’m not a member of AA! I like this prayer/poem because it represents the struggle inside of me all the time, and has helped me learn to stop stressin’ about things I can’t control.

Another favorite:

“God doesn’t require us to succeed; he only requires that you try.” - Mother Theresa

To me, this sums up the meaning of life–to try your best, always, to be happy and to create a happy place for those around you while you’re here on this earth.

YOUR TURN!

True or False: The Bible should be required reading for students, either in high school or in college.

My take: True. If you don’t agree with something, you should understand what it is that you don’t believe. The opposite is also true. I’ve read the Ramayana, parts of the Koran, etc, simply to learn. Reading something doesn’t make you agree–it makes your think. In any case, I strongly believe that the Bible can also be a valuable literary lesson as well.

Now it’s your turn. True or False?

The Bible, reading the Bible

Many people have done versions of the Lord’s Prayer in many different ways, but I think one of my favorite is the Lord’s Prayer in song version.

It’s a beautiful song.

The Lord’s Prayer is great in any form–it’s a wonderful little prayer that you can use to remember to thank God as well as ask for the Divine’s guidance and help. Here are some other takes on the prayer:

In Old English:

In Aramaic:

The New Life Inspirational Gospel Choir:

I’ve touched on this topic in the past, but I wanted to reopen the subject: How much has religion affected your college search (or your kids’ college search)?

My sister is currently visiting, and yesterday I took her to visit Marywood College. They’re a Catholic school, and while they don’t require you to attend mass, they do require students to take two theology classes–one about the major world religions and one of your choice as long as it falls into the religious category.

How many of you went to a religiously-affiliated college? Were your experiences good or bad?

Have you finished your Harry Potter book yet?

If not, don’t worry–there are no spoilers below. Don’t stone me, but I’ve only ever read the first Harry Potter book, and it didn’t hook me like it seems to have done with so many others. It was ok. But I digress.

What I really want to talk about today is an interesting post I read at Pop Buzz UK. In this post, Harry Potter is compared to Star Wars, and I not only agree, but I’ll venture to say that most of the books and movies we read/see today can fit into this traditional good-versus-evil category.

And the Bible’s no different. In fact, a comparison of the Bible and Harry Potter would be quite interesting, I think. It’s the Divine being versus Satan, with help along the way. It’s morals and values and doing good in the world. It’s an exploration of death and how death affects life. It’s Harry Potter, and it’s religion.

You don’t have to be interested in organized religion to be interested in good overcoming evil, and that’s what Harry Potter is all about (which is ironic, seeing as so many religious zealots protest the series!). Remember that in your daily life–your spirituality doesn’t have to be about strict rules and church and organizations. It can be a personal struggle to overcome the Lord Voldomort (someone spell that…I’m not HP expert!) within and allow the Harry Potter to shine through.

Harry Potter, JK Rowling, Bible, good versus evil, religion, books, spirituality

I’m a freelance writer, and I regularly visit Deb Ng’s blog to check out job links and read discussions. This past week, Deb asked a very interesting question: What won’t you write about? At first, my response was “nothing!” However, after thinking about it for a few minutes and reading the responses already posted on the site, I realized that yes, there are certain things I won’t write about.

For example, I won’t write a favorable review for a product that is useless. If I’m paid to write a review, I insist on being honest, and I prefer to have a note alerting readers that I was paid for the review.

I won’t write about any morally cloudy topics in a favorable light. One time, I was approached by a client to write a book called “How to cheat on your wife.” I respectfully declined.

I also would have a problem writing anything anti-god. Although I believe atheism is a valid life choice, it is not one with which I agree. (We can debate that matter for hours, but that’s for another day).

Religion definitely affects my work. I don’t think that’s a bad thing, because I do know where to draw the line. I don’t preach in my writing or attack every job with a clearly Christian world view. If I did that, I’d be out of a job fairly quickly. However, I do let my Christian morals be my guide. If I don’t feel good about a project, I’ll pass it on and wait for another one. After all, there is always another project.

You can read more about writing over at Jaime’s blog.

Writers, does religion affect how you work? What about non-writers…does religion affect your job? Leave a comment!

I came across this on the web. Hope it inspires you today! You can read more stories like this at this website.

During the War, a US marine was separated from his unit. The fighting had been intense, and in the smoke and the crossfire he had lost touch with his comrades.

Alone in the hills, he could hear enemy soldiers coming in his direction. Scrambling for cover, he found his way up a high ridge to several small caves in the rock. Quickly he crawled inside one of the caves. Although safe for the moment, he realized that once the enemy soldiers looking for him swept up the ridge, they would quickly search all the caves and he would be killed.

As he waited, he prayed, “Lord, if it be your will, please protect me. Whatever your will though, I love you and trust you. Amen.”

After praying, he lay quietly listening to the enemy begin to draw close. He thought, “Well, I guess the Lord isn’t going to help me out of this one..” Then he saw a spider begin to build a web over the front of his cave.

As he watched, listening to the enemy searching for him all the while, the spider layered strand after strand of web across the opening of the cave.

“Ha, he thought. “What I need is a brick wall and what the Lord has sent me is a spider web.
God does have a sense of humor.”

As the enemy drew closer he watched from the darkness of his hideout and could see them searching one cave after another. As they came to his, he got ready to make his last stand. To his amazement, however, after glancing in the direction of his cave, they moved on. Suddenly, he realized that with the spider web over the entrance, his cave looked as if no one had entered for quite a while. “Lord, forgive me,” prayed the young man. “I had forgotten that in you a spider’s web is stronger than a brick wall.”

We all face times of great trouble. When we do, it is so easy to forget the victories that God would work in our lives, sometimes in the most surprising ways. As the great leader, Nehemiah, reminded the people of Israel when they faced the task of rebuilding Jerusalem,

“In God we will have success!” [Nehemiah 2:20]

Not everyone goes to church.

When I moved here in late December, I made it my goal for a few weeks to find a new church to attend. I failed. I felt awkward visiting churches where I didn’t know anyone, to the point where I dreaded going (and you should never dread attending church). So, I don’t go to church often. It’s a personal choice–I choose to instead worship daily in my own way.

However, when I’m visiting my parents in my hometown, I do still go to church. I enjoy attending for a number of reasons! Although many Christians will say that church is about what God wants, not enjoying yourself, I beg to differ. I believe that if there is a Divine being, this being wants his creation (us) to be happy and do good in the world. I believe that God wants us to WANT to go to church. Here’s why I enjoy going to my church:

1. It’s a quite time for prayer. Sometimes, the TV, vacuuming, and pets get in the way of prayer and meditation at home. Plus, my mind starts to wander. Did I remember to turn off the over? Do I have any assignments due for work? Should I call Steve (the bf) to see if he wants to do anything tonight? At church, I can focus.

2. There’s a strong sense of community. I know, by name, almost every member of the church where I belong. Some of them have been members their entire lives, and their children, grandchildren, and great grand children are now members as well. We work together when someone has a problem and celebrate together when someone succeeds. My church also has quite a number of social events to continue to build this community.

3. We “share the peace.” There’s a line in our service that invites everyone in the congregation to “share the peace,” which essentially means to shake hands and say hello to everyone else worshiping that Sunday. It’s nice to wish someone well, especially when I’ve been away for a few months. I like to see these old friends.

4. I believe in the power of collective prayer. I know not everyone believe in it, but I believe that God really does hear our prayers, and it makes me feel good to pray for people in the community, country, and world as a group.

5. I enjoy the take-away messages. In the past, our church has struggled to find a pastor. When I was a youth group member (in high school), we were blessed with a great leader, and I still owe my spirituality and closeness to God with this person. However, he moved to be closer to his wife’s work after they had a baby (she was a pastor as well, be for a congregation about an hour away). For a long while, we didn’t have a pastor. Since last summer, we’ve been blessed once again to find an amazing leader for our church, and I truly enjoy her sermons and the message she shares with us every week.

Why do you enjoy church? What could happen at your church for you to enjoy it more? Don’t be afraid to serve on a church council to have your voice heard!

If you’ve browsed Yahoo! lately, like I do on a regular basis, you may have come across the feature story on the amazing art of Phil Hansen. This young up-and-comer in the art world has created a number of pieces that not only reflect his point of view in the image, but also in the way in which these images were created. He often films himself painting as well and then, using stop motion video, posts videos on the YouTube.

One of the more lighthearted pieces shows Hansen painting Bruce Lee with a series of karate chops.

However, not all pieces are so lighthearted. For example, he did a portrait of Kim Jong II on a canvas covered in adhesive bandages. The paint? His own blood.

Hansen felt that so many people died for Kim Jong II that a little of his own blood was not even a sacrifice to convey the message. Yes it was uncomfortable. Yes, it was worth it.

He also is famous for finding the Virgin Mary in his peanut butter and jelly sandwich:

Tongue in cheek? Well, ok, maybe. But it does say something about religion!

Another interesting piece is Hansen’s anti-war portrait of President Bush:

I could go on and on. He has created an image of the KKK using Bible passages, a portrait of the Green River Killer using tiny portraits of the women he killed, and, in what I believe to be his most impression piece, a self-portrait called “A Moment.” To make this self portrait, Hansen gave out his phone number and email address and invited fans to contact him with a moment that changed their life. He then wrote these words on a spinning canvas to create the final piece. For 136 hours, he also set up a webcam to capture the work being done, and he never left the workspace except for bathroom breaks.

You can read more about Phil Hansen and see more work at www.philinthecircle.com.

I’m always astounded by the websites I come across on the Internet. I’ll admit, there is some real *crap* out there (for lack of a better word), but a number of sites are very useful, informative, and even fun. The Internet truly is a great new resource for your spiritual journey.

In my online wanderings, here are a few sites I’ve come across that you might enjoy!

Ask Andrea, a Christian blog version of Dear Abby

GodWords is a resource for finding information about many of the major world religions.

One of 451’s own blogs, Astrology Explored, has a new writer, so head over to welcome Beth.

Have you found any good religion sites lately?

Today is Friday the 13th…are you feeling lucky? “Luck” is a subject that often comes into our everyday lives, even for those who are religious. However, what is luck? Is it a destiny for us? Is it God’s will? Is it simply the random aligning of aspects in our lives?

And why is Friday the 13th considered to be unlucky?

The best example is probably the 1929 Friday the 13th stock market crash. However, Friday the 13ths have been unlucky in a number of countries and in a number of years:

1889: Friday the 13th was the day of the Johnstown Flood
1945: The largest air battle over Norway occurred on a Friday the 13th
1978: People in a Friday the 13th protest rally were massacred in Iran
1982: The Falklands War began on a Friday the 13th

Legend also has it that Friday the 13th was the day in history when the famous Knights Templer (suspected to be the protectors of the holy grail) were rounded up in France and arrested (and many put to death).

In ancient times, the number 13 was unlucky, as was the 6th day of the week (which would have been Friday by their calenders). So, it has roots in old earth religions as well!

If nothing else, I personally believe that any Friday the 13th is only as unlucky–or lucky–as you make it to be. God doesn’t disappear on Friday the 13th, so don’t let the superstitions of the day interfere with your life!

Friday the 13th, Friday 13th, Friday 13, Knights Templer, Templer, Holy Grail, unlucky days, unlucky, superstitions