Hey fellow classmates! I was very interested in what we discussed in lecture this week. The idea that vampires, mummies, or any type of monster is a symbol of humanity seeking redemption. It opened my eyes up to villains also seeking this, whether it be in a film or our lives, they can fight for love and forgiveness.
In the Christian faith it is known that we are all sinners but if one tries to do good and is sorry for their actions, God will always forgive them. I would like to bring up Edward Cullen from Twilight as a great model of this Christian virtue because he understand he is a monster but tries extremely hard to not kill humans but instead to feed off animals. Edward is a monster but a monster trying to be an angel.
This is true for Sloth in The Goonies as well because he tries to be better then the monster his family and the young kids think he is. He helps others and seeks redemption by freeing the kids from the cave as the true villains were after them.
In both these cases the monsters have best friends who believe in them - believe in their goodness and stick with them through it all. Christians are called to do this with our neighbours and these partners do it with their so called "monsters".
Therefore, I am trying to point out that even though monsters may be scary or posses life threatening powers, it doesn't mean that they cannot show emotion, love, or remorse.
I wanted to respond to your blog ccandelariobut specifically your final thoughts: "Maybe the reason why violence can be viewed as entertainment is because it's our way of engaging in and connecting with our inner violence."
I think that this is very true. I adore films, I go there to emerge myself in a dream like state where for 2 hours I get to become an artist in Paris or a fugitive on the run - we can escape reality and do or be anything. Isn't this why people play video games - to escape their reality and play in an exotic fantasy world?
I'm not a huge gamer, but I do play occasionally and it is exciting to virtually see yourself on screen fighting goblins or driving Homer Simpson's car. Maybe violence in video games isn't such a bad thing because it allows gamers to release those violent emotions virtually.
During our lecture on violence, gaming, and popular culture I was constantly reminded of a film I recently watched, "Act of Valor". It is about the US navy seals and their missions, but the interesting part is the actors are real navy seals in the US army. This movie was so realistic and eye opening because it was filmed and edited - for some aspects of the movie at least - like you were playing a video game. It was very realistic and not dramatized very much, but still making it emotional and truthful.
Here is the trailer and I am sure just from watching this short clip you will be able to see a glimpse into these mens eyes:
It is a great movie for anyone who plays Modern War Far III or any other violent video games because sometimes we forgot that a solider on screen is a solider in real life who really has to go out and fight these wars. It is not a game, its life or death; there is no pause for energy boost here.
This may seem like a movie review, but the film is great for those who need to remember our fallen soldiers and the reality of using an AK-47 in combat.
I wanted to comment on Professor Harris' topic of Christianity in sports. I am involved in a youth group at my church and alot of the young people talk about Tebow or Lynn and how cool they are. It makes me happy to know that they can find God in places other then church, they can find Him in sports, or the laundry store, or when flipping the channel.
Tebow has spread the message of living your life for God, no matter where you are He is standing there with you, which also comments on the topic of suffering and being called to Christ.
Tebow helped evangelize his fans and bring love to those watching a game. Christianity in sports will hopefully help some people be reminded of God everywhere they are.
I was inspired by your friend Tom's sermon, it is the truth. God stands with those who can't stand on their own. This post reminded me of the current phenomenon that is currently trending on Twitter, #stopkony. If you haven't seen or heard of this event here is the video explaining the situation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc
The reason I wanted to post this video in response to Jordan's blog is because it is the essence of what Tom's sermon was explaining. Although many people did not know of the kony situation before it trended on Twitter, Jesus was with them. He suffered with them and now people worldwide are also suffering; Jesus decided to bring this to our knowledge and hopefully help.
This video is a call for all Christians to stand up, be aware, and act! Suffering happens all over our world and as a follower of Christ we are required to go where Jesus is needed.
I think it will be appropriate to quote Mother Teresa in saying, "Be the change you want to see in the world."
Hi everyone! I was extremely excited when I found out Professor Harris would be talking about Fight Club in class on Tuesday. I could not wait to blog about my ideas on christianity and popular culture in this film ... considering it is one of my favourites.
To begin I would like to start off by saying the clip shown in class was a great one to give a brief idea about the film and consumer culture. It could really open up a persons view point about their life and the stuff that fills it. Do we really need a sofa that may last us a life time or does that Louis Vuitton purse truly define me as a person - NO! Tyler says this and in many ways Christian beliefs say this as well. It is not what you own, it is how you act, respond and love on another that leads you to salvation or a higher good.
I would also like to post a clip of the film from later on in the movie. In this scene Tyler Durden is burning the unnamed narraters hand with a chemical. He is trying to perform a sort of ritual or conversion on the narrater as he says, ’’It’s only after we’ve lost everything that we are free to do anything.’’ Hitting rock bottom is when you can then re-evalute your life and start again without the confusion of consumer culture or religion. (Side note: Christianity does preach this too because for some after we have hit rock bottom we may come to realize Jesus is the only man for me because He is the only one who will accept me at this state)
Furthermore, this scene says alot about God and the self. Tyler wants us to realize God may not like us, He may not have a plan for us and we need to accept that in order to be free. There should be no restraints, no problems or items that would keep us back from understanding that we
DO NOT NEED IT!
What this says to me in relation to the class is that in some cases such as these, popular culture depicts religion as a bad thing. Although Tyler does not say God does not exist, he says God does not like you - this may lead the audience to believe that there is a God but what do we really know about him.
This connects to Lynch’s Four Approaches to the Study of Religion in Popular Culture, specifically the third approach from an insiders point of view about suspicion, that popular culture is corrupting the view of Christianity as seen in parts of this movie.
Hope you like my analysis of Fight Club I look forward to reading any comments you may leave!
If you were wondering the title of this post is a quote from the scene I displayed above.
In response to Jessica’s post regarding the lecture on January 24th about Lady Gaga’s religion of monsters and her song Bad Kids, I have my own personal views on this which I would like to share.
I agree with Jessica’s arguments about the Bad Romance video, most of which are closely related to the discussion we had in class about the religious imagery in her video versus her intentional message. Lady Gaga presents herself in the media as a Christian, one who needs love and believes it is available to all. This is a very simple view of Christianity but one that I think would appeal to her fans. She seems to genuinely love Jesus but she also loves fashion and creativity. This is presented in her videos through extravagant sets and costumes, nevertheless those visual components are normally attached to her personal views on religion, free love and for example inclusivity for Gays and Lesbians.
But as Jessica wrote, some religious people may find her dangerous to society since her fans may see these religious morals beign presented in her songs and videos but they get tangled up with the sex, death, and personal views. This may give people a bad idea about Christianity and thus infect their views and beliefs as Lynch discusses in his article Why Should Theologians and Scholars of Religion Study Popular Culture. Specifically the first approach to study religion in popular culture about how religion is present in popular culture.
A great example of this is through her video Judas released in 2011 off her album Born This Way. This video is about Gaga’s struggle between her love for Jesus and Judas, but the imagery is highly controversial as you can see for yourself here:
Therefore Lady Gaga’s role in Christianity and popular culture is a skewed one because through her resistance of norms and expression of self we see a spectacular performer, but this often gets confused with her Christian values and may confuse her fans into thinking Christianity has a connection with these beliefs.
In contrast to the video above Lady Gaga has another song off the album Born This Way which Jessica also talks about in her blog post. It is a song about knowing your inner self over knowing what people think of you,
’’We don’t care what people say, we know the truth.’’
We see Lady Gaga preaching to her fans, specifically those who are forgotten, about everyone being special in their own ways. No matter if you act out or if your parents are divorced, you are still loved, you are still special.
’’Don’t be insecure, if your heart is pure you’re still good to me if you’re a bad kid, baby.’’
Therefore Lady Gaga is a complex person who seems to love God but also loves performing and being herself which is something she tries to preach to her fans.
