[via Prolegomena]

There we are.
There we are.
In the dark.
In the dark.
The shadows deep,
Flicker and sweep,
Past what we are,
To what we see.

{the rest}

Seek, and Ye Shall Find...What You Want

Here's a typical DVC inspired dialogue... See if you can find a search for truth in it.

It usually starts with something like this, "Everybody knows that the Church Fathers were liars. Can you prove the compilation of the Bible wasn't pure politics?"

And just when you start saying, "Well, I don't agree that the Church Fathers were--" the questioner moves on with eyes flashing unnaturally, "Why is the Church so afraid of women, huh? Why has it suppressed them since the beginning? Yeah? Answer THAT!"

So, you clear your throat and say, "Well, I wouldn't say that the Church is afr--"

But they've moved on again. "The fact is, there is no evidence for the Resurrection. Have you ever read the Gospel of Mary Magdalen?"

"Well, no, but--"

"See you people are all brain-washed." [exhalation of disgust] "How so many people could be so stupid is amazing to me....Where are my birth-control pills?!"

...Who was it that said, "They have Moses and the prophets...?" People searching for truth would not be reaching for enlightenment from a pulp-fiction rack. The other day, I heard a useful Christian idiot (to Sony Pictures, anyway) say that Christians should stop criticizing DVC as being a badly written story, because, "Let's face it, fifty million readers can't be wrong!"

Yes. They can. Let's try this, "Hey, let's face it, sixteen million readers of Hustler magazine can't be wrong!" Or hey, fifty million Germans who voted for Hitler couldn't be wrong!"

Yes, they could and they were.

[via Church of the Masses, HT: D'Caffeinated Pickle]

Gives new meaning to the phrase "death camp"...

From this post at Get Religion:

So, and here’s the key question, who wanted to stage this production? Who thought this was a good idea? I mean, we are told that the state museum changed its mind, but someone had to think that this made sense, that this would be good, that there were ticket buyers out there who would think that this was a cool idea.

Maturity: Maturity = time between damage and repair

[via Resonate, HT: Wendy Cooper's weblog]

A Piece of Reconciliation

A first chance at a The Second Chance.

For Justice...

Easter:

To fulfill the mission, the heir stymies the rivals by using their power against them...for the sake of justice.

From Publisher's Weekly:

Christianity has been twisted and warped to such an extent that not even Jesus would recognize it now. This is Wills's thesis in his stimulating, fresh look into the life and message of Jesus of Nazareth. The now-ubiquitous phrase, "What Would Jesus Do?" encouraged Wills, professor of history at Northwestern University and prolific writer on contemporary religion, to take a closer look at how the Christian message has been used and abused in recent times. Wills believes that most Christians don't understand Jesus' startlingly radical message, so they should not claim to have knowledge of how he would act today. People of all political persuasions have used Jesus' words to rationalize a domesticated, flaccid Christianity that upholds the status quo, or, worse yet, supports discrimination toward those who are on the margins. This attitude, according to Wills, completely misses the truth that Jesus "walks through social barriers and taboos as if they were cobwebs." Readers who are familiar with Wills's writing know that he is not shy about critiquing organized religion, and they will not be disappointed. Although his arguments lean toward hyperbole at times, at its core this book invites Christians toward more honest reflection on the life and message of the one they call "Savior."

Sometimes eggs and bunnies don't do it justice...

The Gallery of Unfortunate Easter Cards

by Cap'n Wacky's Boatload of Bunnies

HT: Educated & Poor

No Paper-Mache?

The Stations of the Kitsch

and

The Passion of the Tchotchke

[via Going Jesus]

Thanks Becky!

Good Friday:

When Jesus gets aborted from the world....

The scene:

One side wants miscarriage. Another wants abortion.

The abortion happens. It is finished.

What will happen when the reborn arrives on the doorsteps?

"Open-mindedness” does not mean “changed mindedness”.

-- Darren, via this post at The Eagle and Child

Somehow this made me think of Easter:

For as much as the innocence of children is a beautiful thing and something to almost be coveted, there is something nice, as well, about having lived through things and knowing what the world is really like. It's kind of a sad and weathered being, but there's something good in it too. And it's not just the wisdom you get from it that's the good in it. It's not even the end result or the spiritual awakening, it's the being hurt and being loved and being bruised in themselves that are somehow good too....

We're all these fragile little children that know too much, and while that's sad, it's somehow okay. And if we would all just get connected to each other, we'd make it out a whole lot better.

[via Vandermeander]

Muted or Magnified?

"Living without speaking is better than speaking without living. For a person who lives rightly helps us by silence, while one who talks too much merely annoys us. If, however, words and life go hand in hand, it is the perfection of all philosophy.”

Abba Isidore of Pelusia

[via The Bush League Theologian]

On Fans and Friendships...

There are some friendships that are entirely rooted in the past, which consist entirely of reminiscing and wishing for days gone long by, much as there are bands and albums that remain firmly rooted in your past without much transcendence into current reality (eg. DC Talk's Nu Thang). Some friendships are brought to an abrupt halt from varying circumstances, much as some artists' careers are ended at what might be perceived as a premature time (Benjamin Gate, Further Seems Forever). There are friendships from way back when that have been constantly present, though sometimes understated, throughout all of life's ups and downs, often so much so to the point that life cannot be imagined without that friend's influence, much as there are artists that have that same effect. Then again, there are some people - and artists - to whom you are exposed that you feel like you would be alright if you were never exposed to them again....{read some more}

[via Life of Turner]

Divine Enzyme?

[via ~Scottyd~]

We all possess ‘enzymes’ in our bodies which are proteins that catalyze or speed up chemical reactions by reducing the required dosage of activation energy. Without these enzymes our bodies couldn’t keep up with the energy needs of all our systems....

It looks like things are changing because we’re expending all this time and energy, but real change can’t occur. It’s like pushing a boulder up a hill and sliding back down in the mud after getting only halfway to the top. But sometimes change does seem to really happen thanks to a catalyst of some kind (which could be a combination of all sorts of things from the Holy Spirit, to a charismatic leader, to tragedy, to paradigm shifts, etc) and afterwards the situation is notably different in character (and you might say, in chemistry). But the new order of things is understandably quite terrifying to most human beings since we traditionally prefer the status quo. Going “over the hump” into the unknown on the other side is pretty freaky. It’s also worth noting that when individuals or groups of people go through such radical changes that often a ‘down time’ of reduced energy is required to reorient everything before going through another big change. I have a suspicion that most people can relate to some of this stuff with vivid examples.

(Thanks Al for pointing this out!)

From Publisher's Weekly:

No Christian faction, not liberals, mainliners, evangelicals or fundamentalists, escapes the smarty-pants treatment from this senior contributing editor of the religious satire publication, The Wittenburg Door. Garrison assumes a gentle "above it all" attitude, redirecting the church's attention to the Beatitudes and to Jesus' "great commandment" (to love God first and love others as ourselves). She also argues for renewed separation of church and state, noting Jesus' tendency to serve "as a prophetic voice to proclaim the Word of God without being a pawn of the Roman government." Garrison is especially tough on those who publicly claim to have God on their side. "Given that my last name ain't Falwell, Robertson, or LaHaye, I can't claim to speak for Christ," she states. But don't for a moment think Garrison blames all of life's problems on the religious right. She's blessed with the ability to observe, cringe at and poke fun at anyone who insists on a "correct Christian response" to complex social and political matters. If you like the Door's approach to the lighter side of Christian culture, or if you just need a good laugh after reading too many serious religion books, it doesn't get much better than this.