'The Bible'

 The History Channel recently began a new series called 'The Bible' -- detailing the life of Christ reenacted directly from the works of the New Testament. One story in particular caught my eye, about the actor Diogo Morgado, who portrays Jesus. Morgado claims to have had somewhat of an "out of body" experience as he stood perched on the cross during filming. He claims to have looked down on the set, and suddenly his whole life flashed before his eyes. He later describes in this article the experience as "touching", and believes his role as Jesus Christ was meant to touch the lives of others.
  Though I don't necessarily understand the meaning of this experience, or what this experience entails in regards to Christian viewers, but the story was somewhat touching nonetheless. Over the weekend, I watched portions of 'The Bible' episodes with my brother, and they're very different from what I consider traditional History Channel/Discovery Channel reenactments. The episodes seemed more captivating and thought-inducing than I anticipated. Perhaps the experience connected on a more personal level because the season finale airs tonight (Easter Sunday).

Marriage Equality and the Supreme Court

  Since marriage equality has caused such an uproar in the past week, I looked into the Supreme Court rulings and the Constitutional amendments in relation to the hot-button issue. DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) rules that marriage is only between a man and a woman, but the Supreme Court needs to decide if DOMA violates the Equal Protection clause by refusing benefits to same-sex couples. Additionally, same sex marriages were legal in the state of California until voters passed Proposition 8, defining marriage between only a man and a woman. Decisions on the cases will have no expected ruling until June. Until then, many American Facebook users have changed their profile picture to a red or pink equal sign as a display of protest. The movement toward marriage equality grows as younger generations develop more liberal opinions on the matter. Huge political and pop culture leaders have been taking their stances as politics continue to polarize in the heat of debate. Despite the backlash of proponents of same sex marriages, the issue still remains: is the Supreme Court lording over a case of equality or Constitutional traditional values (i.e. the values of the Church)?

 

The Thorn

  Every year, New Life Church (mega church) puts on a large production relating to Easter Sunday about how Jesus was betrayed and killed for the sins of all mankind. Every other year the mega church alternates between productions, though this year New Life performed The Thorn -- a very moving performance by local dance companies, church members, and the like. I cannot put into words the theatricality and emotional bearings The Thorn has on those in attendance, but because the church is so large, thousands gather to see each of the shows. Though I can't do proper justice to the work dedicated to The Thorn, I will say the who performance feels very cirque-du-solei. Ballerinas dressed as angels spin in hula hoops and fabrics hung from the ceilings, local tae-kwon-do master black belts parade around and captivate audience members donning the garments of "demons".
  I highly suggest all see the performance once in their lifetime -- the story of Jesus' betrayal and crucifixion is captivating even if one doesn't believe in Christ or Christianity. New Life goes to great lengths to put on the show, and the whole thing looks incredibly realistic. I am shocked at how well the actors portray their characters, especially Jesus. None of the scenes appear fake, and it's quite shocking. Regardless of religion, I recommend The Thorn to anyone who happens to be in Colorado Springs around Easter time. See for yourself!

Texas Christian University

  TCU is a private university located in Fort Worth, Texas and founded in 1873. TCU associates with the Disciples of Christ.
  The Disciples of Christ -- otherwise known as The Disciples -- is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination. The movement began in the early 1800s, and eventually formed from a group called the American Christian Missionary Society.
  The Disciples of Christ follow the basic practices of most present-day Christian denominations -- baptism to achieve salvation, communion, etc. However, one unique aspect of the Disciples of Christ is that church leaders encourage followers to read the Bible on their own and decide how God is calling them to act within the faith.
  TCU is such a well-known university and welcomes thousands of students every year, drawing much attention to The Disciples of Christ.
http://www.tcu.edu/

St. Patrick's Day

  Saint Patrick is known as a Christian missionary, bishop and patron saint of Ireland. Saint Patrick was born in Roman Britain around the beginning of the 5th century. When he was 16, he was captured and imprisoned by Irish raiders, where he remained in captivity for six years, working as a shepard. While in captivity, he became a devout Christian and dreamed of converting the Irish to Christianity.When he finally returned to England, Patrick dreamed again, in which an angel told him to return to Ireland as a missionary. Patrick traveled to Ireland and converted large populations of Irish civilians to Christianity, while also incorporating pagan traditions.
  St. Patrick's Day is celebrated every year on March 17, in honor of Saint Patrick's death -- March 17, 461.

  According to folklore, the holiday is associated with green because Ireland is often called the "Emerald Isle".

20 Kids and Counting.

  While living at home, I watched my fair share of television and occasionally flipped the channel to TLC. TLC features odd families, though I found none more rare and confusing than the Duggar family. For those who do not know of the Duggars, they are a Christian, devoutly religious family committed to raising the 20 children Michelle Duggar conceived in her now 47 (48?) years of life.
  I decided to inquire further about their decision to avoid any and all forms of birth control, and I came across the official Duggar family website, which describes the reasoning behind their decision to conceive in accordance with "God's wishes". According to the website, Michelle Duggar regularly used birth control before conceiving her first child and suffering a miscarriage. They consulted a Christian doctor, who informed the young couple that birth control often causes miscarriages in unknown pregnancies. As a result, Michelle and Jim Bob made the decision to abstain from birth control, and continued conceiving children as God "saw fit". I supposed the rest is history. Here is the link to the Duggar website.
  The Duggars participate in Christian traditions typical of a devoutly religious family, and attempt to remain distant from pop culture in order to avoid temptation. One episode I saw even featured Jim Bob Duggar instructing his sons to look down and away from scantily clad women (rather interesting).

Pope Election

  As the conclave nears, a new Pope will be chosen -- and in light of the elections, a chimney has been installed on the Sistine Chapel.
  Such a thing would seem odd -- though the process comes from a tradition to notify the Catholic masses of the time a new Pope has been chosen. The century old cast-iron stove burns black or white. White means a Pope has been selected (ballots are burning in the stove), whereas black smoke means a Pope has yet to be chosen, and ballots are still being counted. In the past, this process notified the public waiting in anticipation for the election of the new leader of the Catholic followers.
http://news.yahoo.com/sistine-chimney-installed-conclave-nears-135418278.html

Christian Cookies

  I found a recipe for Christian cookies online! However, I assume they're "Christian" simply because they are formed in the shape of the Ichthys. Regardless, I find this recipe ironic because really no other aspect of these cookies strike me as "Christian". In fact, the cookies themselves are made of won ton wrappers... weird. The dish is traditionally made with Polish dough (also doesn't strike me as incredibly Christian), though I suppose it's a baking option if I'm ever feeling exceptionally inclined to make Christian cookies. If you ever want to make some yourself, here's the link!

The American Dream in regards to religion

  For a moment, imagine a picturesque scene, outwardly displaying an "average" American family in terms of the 1950s. I assume you see a young, beautiful mother preparing dinner and setting the table while wearing a large polka-dot dress and apron. Two children (one boy, one girl) with neatly-combed hair sit patiently waiting for their meal as the patriarchal figure in the scene reads the newspaper and probably tells stories of his job at the factory... most likely one at plant manufacturing the latest and greatest Ford car model.

  Now, consider the values treasured by a family such as this: do you think they attend church regularly? Probably.
  Studies done during the 50s and 60s reveal an astounding 49% of Americans attending church during this era. By the 1960s, this figure jumped to 69%. Even President Eisenhower -- often considered a non-religious man -- joined the Presbyterian Church in 1953. This period of time after World War II is often referred to as a "religious resurgence". One religious revival favored a reaction to the "godless" Communism of American enemies at the time, while another religious revival entailed a large growth in the Evangelical community, influenced by Reverend Billy Graham. Graham promoted traditional values still present in the Evangelical community, and hosted his worship on television, making $2 million a year.
  Since the early 50s, the American Dream often involved a heavy presence of Evangelism, though religion has been steadily declining in America since the mid-2000s. Experts predict that by 2050, the religious population will decrease by half (of what currently stands).
  The American Dream has been redefined by industry, consumerism, and race affiliation. Traditional and devout religion may soon be cast away from the "American Ideal" as well, as studies suggest.

Significance of the Easter Egg

  With Easter just around the corner (in non-Orthodoxy Christianity), families dye eggs bright and happy colors with the promise of an Easter bunny bearing gifts and candies -- much like Santa Claus around Christmas.
  No historian or archaeologist is quite certain about the origin of the Easter Egg. However, in the Christian religion thousands of years ago, the egg symbolized the "seed of life", and thus represented the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
  Why we dye eggs is also unknown, though in ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, eggs were dyed for festivals in celebration of the coming of spring. Egypt, Greece and Rome largely affected early Christian traditions, which is why historians believe eggs were dyed and given as gifts in medieval Europe during the reign of large churches and monasteries.

MACKLEMORE

  College opened my eyes to a music artist I had never heard before: Macklemore. Now his most famous song "Thrift Shop" plays all over the radio. Despite his tendency to sing about partying and having fun, he does have one song which I heard recently and really enjoy.
  Once again, regarding the topic of homosexuality and the church, I believe every human being is entitled to the same rights. I liked this song because Macklemore's lyrics that hit home: "we paraphrase a book written 3500 years ago" (The Bible).

The right wing conservatives think it’s a decision
And you can be cured with some treatment and religion
Man made rewiring of a predisposition
Playing god, aw nah here we go.

Just something to think about.