Christian Fish.

Large numbers of cars have some sort of bumper sticker variation of the "Christian Fish", or the Ichthys. But what does the Ichthys mean?
Ichthys comes from the Greek word for fish. ΙΧΘΥΣ (Ichthys) is an acronym for Iēsous Christos, Theou Yios, Sōtēr -- which means "Jesus Christ, God's Son; Savior".
Historians believe the fish shape is an adaptation based on an Early Christian symbol resembling a cross for the eye. Other historians believe the fish symbol in Christianity came from a strong Roman influence in which fish were often incorporated in depictions of Roman gods.
Ironically, the shape didn't become popular in recent history until the early 1970s, when the Vietnam War caused reason for rebellion among younger generations. Since its use during the peaceful rebellions of the 70s, the Ichthys can be seen nearly everywhere... though most commonly stamped on the bumpers of cars.
The fish represents many themes and motifs in the Bible -- most notably the 12 Apostles (many of whom were fishermen). Perhaps the most famous "fish" story told in the Bible tells of a boy bringing baskets of five small loaves of bread and two fish. According to the story, this shortage of food was meant to feed five thousand. Jesus multiplied the food, and fed all the people. However, my favorite interpretation has been told time and again: Jesus and his disciples are known as "fishers of men" -- rescuing even the most downtrodden souls and giving them new life through the discovery of God.

Religion Common to the Household

  One recurring theme I find interesting in college life: those not in the practice of religion seem to be more informed than those raised in a highly religious setting. In fact, I am one of the students who remains ignorant of their own faith.
  I wanted to do more research on Lutheranism since most of my family is Lutheran. Lutheranism began around 1517 by a German man named Martin Luther. He famously opposed the Catholic church, and believed salvation came solely from the grace of God and faith in Him alone. He found Catholic rituals unnecessary and "stumbling blocks" in the path of eternal salvation. Martin Luther seems like a classic tale of martyrdom. He was consistently threatened and excommunicated, but he continued to spread his teachings to the remainder of German and Scandanavia.
This brief synopsis summarizes the main points and traditions of the Lutheran Church:
http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/denominations/lutheranism.htm

Another Political Science Lecture

  Ironically enough, religion was a point of discussion in lecture today. Professor Greenberg reviewed public opinion, and the role of public opinion in comparison with political parties became a point of discussion.
  Today's political scene looks more divided than ever -- deeply divided based on religion and partisanship. According to my professor, religion dictates most conservatism. Mormons and Evangelicals lead the pack with republican/conservative viewpoints.
Just another interesting fact to think about...

I'm on a roll tonight!

  Before this information leaves my memory, I wanted to blog a quick post about my American Politics class in relation to Christianity. In American Politics, we have been discussing the demographic of the American population, and recent discussion involved the composition of American religion. Our country is overwhelmingly Christian and really, this post is solely to make people think.
  Interesting fact: America is the only highly-developed country that maintains a very religious culture. Every other developed nation has little to no religious connectivity. Chew on that for a while. 

Focus on the Family

Another prevalent Evangelical presence in Colorado Springs comes from a family-oriented foundation, known as Focus on the Family.
Focus on the Family acts as a ministry, accepting and working solely based on donation. They manufacture videos, CD's, and books to spread their core values. They work all over the country, but they're headquartered in a largely religious region of Northern Colorado Springs. They target all walks of life, but their characters within their videos and tapes reflect a tendency toward children.
Focus on the Family website:
http://www.focusonthefamily.com/

Los Angeles Times posted a story in 2009 regarding James Dobson, the Conservative Evangelical leader who founded Focus on the Family. He and his wife resigned from their roles, leaving a trail of suspicion behind. He is famous for his political viewpoints despite his claim to keep his political opinions separate from his nonprofit organization.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2009/02/james-dobson.html

Veggie Tales

  Today I decided to throwback to my childhood, beginning with Veggie Tales. Veggie Tales is incorporated with Big Idea Productions, which strives to include life lessons to reach out to young children. Veggie Tales started in 1993 -- 20 years ago. Today I'm not sure if Veggie Tales still creates episodes since a big lawsuit against Big Idea Productions a while ago. Even still, Veggie Tales has a special place in my heart, and regardless of whether or not I agree with all of its values, I find singing vegetables teaching life lessons to kids admirable.
  Growing up, Veggie Tales was a staple of my weekend activities. We would rent a VHS (so old, I know), and watch an episode of Veggie Tales to absorb "God's lesson" for the day. For those who haven't seen Veggie Tales before, I attached a clip of one Veggie Tales video. The show features a cucumber named Larry, and a tomato named Bob. They teach valuable lessons through Christian teachings, and they sing! Separate of the Christian values and stories, fun random clips are also included.
Here ya go:

Greek Orthodoxy

Hey all! Last night I attended a Greek Orthodoxy church, and I wanted to make a quick post about what I learned and found most interesting:
Greek Orthodox churches are visually appealing -- most of their ornaments placed about the church were large, colorful images of every major martyr, saint, apostle, etc. I actually enjoyed them. The ordained official who spoke to us revealed that the images were often criticized as false idols, but he described them as pictures of your family you can enjoy when you cannot see them face-to-face. Church members express gratitude and love towards these ornate images by giving them a soft kiss.
Bishops are not required to take vows of celibacy, as customary in the Catholic Church. Though the most highly acclaimed officiant, who ordains every other officiant, must remain celibate. I think it's great that officiants in Greek Orthodoxy have the ability to marry and have children!
Another interesting finding -- members of the Greek Orthodox church cross their chest on the right side first, as opposed to Catholics, which cross left first. Additionally, the pointer and middle finger come together with the thumb before crossing the chest to represent the union of Christ the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
I enjoyed getting a taste of a different Christian culture... It's not often I visit churches with entirely different rituals from what I am accustomed to. 

Indiana High School Fights to Ban Gays

Sullivan High School in Indiana is fighting to reinstate a "traditional" prom. I find this unbelievable. Segregation is never okay, and in my opinion, religion should remain separate of education. Besides, public high school has many other problems much more dire than the presence of gay students -- seriously?
What about grinding? Many consider grinding a form of public intimacy. Or drugs? Why is the focus on gay students?
I hope this story reaches millions of people and invokes a feeling of community. Teens struggling with their sexuality should realize that there are so many other people who will support them. This discriminatory school seems to be the outlier. In light of Valentine's Day tomorrow, I hope people learn to move past these barriers. The point is not who you love, but how you love (cheesy, I know).
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/11/diana-medley-gay-student-prom-ban-sullivan-high_n_2661919.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

Most and Least Christian Cities in America

Today, I came upon an interesting article written in the Huffington Post. The article looks into the most and least religious cities in the country, and unsurprisingly, Salt Lake City, Utah tops the list. According to the article and its corresponding album, SLC has about 72,000 citizens who practice Christian religion for every 100,000 citizens.
One interesting observation I made: nearly all of the most religious cities are located in the South -- where Christianity is very prevalent -- or New England -- where most religious influence stemmed from the high concentration of Catholic Irish and Italian immigrants.
Colorado lies somewhere in the middle of the scale. Parts of Southern Colorado are very religious, while Northern Colorado is typically less so.
If you want to check out the slideshow, click the link. Each picture depicts a large church in the area (Denver included!).
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/08/most-and-least-christian-cities_n_1915050.html#slide=1569459

Christianity in Greek Life

  Tonight I attended the sorority orientation meeting. Little did I know the Panhellenic council caters far beyond the typical sororities (i.e. Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Gamma Phi Beta). Instead, girls can opt out of the typical sorority experience and become a sister at a Christian sorority called Alpha Delta Chi.
  Since I had never heard of Alpha Delta Chi before, I decided to do a little research. The sorority was first founded in 1925 at the UCLA campus in an effort to begin a sisterhood dedicated to the word of Christ. All the rules of the sorority follow the basic "code of conduct" for the Evangelical faith.
Here is the link to the "About Us" page on the official Alpha Delta Chi panhellenic website.
http://www.alphadeltachi.org/about-us.html

A Little Pop-Culture Twist

  I have spent a large portion of my blogging time discussing elements of the Mormon faith. For some odd reason, I feel an extreme curiosity to the LDS religion, despite my complete lack of knowledge about the teachings of the Book of Mormon. Until recently, all my information about this faith stemmed from an episode of South Park, a television show on Comedy Central near and dear to the hearts of CU Boulder students. Though much of the episode pokes holes in the teachings of the Mormon religion, one clip from the episode "struck home" with me (I know, it's tacky because the show is inappropriate). However, this clip I took from YouTube accurately describes my feelings about religion -- especially since my Evangelical faith is constantly hammered by criticisms of all kinds.
  My religion consistently comes into question, but the truth of the matter is this: despite a lack of scientific knowledge and evidence of the teachings of the Bible, I believe what I believe because the stories teach valuable lessons and morals that I think I should follow. Not necessarily the controversial topics mentioned, but mostly values like "love your neighbor as yourself", "be kind to others", or "respect and value your family". These lessons are priceless -- and teaching children selfless ways to live in a community setting seems like a bonus to me. 
  "Maybe we do believe in stories that make absolutely no sense... But what the church teaches now is loving your family, being nice and helping people."

LDS Church

In our latest assignment, I proposed to visit The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, located in Northeastern Colorado Springs. Their services, though three hours long, should be interesting and hopefully welcoming to outsiders like me. The church I plan to attend serves most of the local colleges in the area, including the Air Force Academy, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (UCCS), and Pikes Peak Community College (PPCC). Here is another link specifically for the LDS Church of the region, and the mission statement of the President of the LDS Church. To be honest, I had no idea that churches had presidents. That seems 'corporate' to me.
https://studentview.ldschurch.org/home.aspx/60813

Apostle Paul's Journey

Despite years of involvement in a church, I never learned much about the Apostle Paul. Though I heard his name many times in sermon, I never understood the significance of his role in the Bible. It's always exciting to learn more about the Christian religion, and I wanted to post a timeline and map (of sorts) detailing the journeys of Apostle Paul in order to develop a better sense of his influence in the Christian culture. Hopefully the link will also offer another outlet or resource as I finish writing my paper.
Most interestingly, his journeys travel past the far reaches of the Mediterranean, including the Roman and Greek empires. From my understanding, these empires controlled much of the land and struck terror in the hearts of the people. I plan on finding out if Apostle Paul preached to some of the most dangerous areas for Jews during the reign of the Roman and Greek empires.
http://www.matthewmcgee.org/paultime.html