Quinn

Papa Don't Preach- Glee 

Quinn from Glee is a character that is very religious.  She prides herself on celibacy and her religion, but then she has sex and gets pregnant.  This is against her religion, but most people do not act in the same way to this "sin" as they do with other sins.  Having sex before marriage is a sin according to the Bible, but most people in society today do not take it seriously.  However, they do take homosexual relations very seriously.  To me, this does not make sense because they are saying that one sin is not as bad as another sin.  Their arguments saying that it is against their religion and a sin according to the bible is not valid unless they also say that sex before marriage is just as bad.  Furthermore, I do not agree with the fact that a lot Christians pick and choose what they think is a sin.  Many of my Christian peers pride themselves on being very religious and everything, but they are all sinning by having sex before marriage or doing other things that do not coincide with the words of the Bible.

Same Love

Same Love- Macklemore and Ryan Lewis 

When I was in the 3rd gradeI thought that I was gayCause I could draw, my uncle wasAnd I kept my room straightI told my mom, tears rushing down my faceShe's like, "Ben you've loved girls since before pre-K"Trippin', yeah, I guess she had a point, didn't sheA bunch of stereotypes all in my headI remember doing the math like"Yeah, I'm good in little league"

A pre-conceived idea of what it all meantFor those who like the same sex had the characteristicsThe right-wing conservatives think its a decisionAnd you can be cured with some treatment and religionMan-made, rewiring of a pre-dispositionPlaying GodAhh nah, here we goAmerica the braveStill fears what we don't knowAnd God loves all His childrenAnd somehow forgottenBut we paraphrase a book written3,500 hundred years agoI don't know

[Hook: Mary Lambert]And I can't changeEven if I triedEven if I wanted toAnd I can't changeEven if I triedEven if I wanted toMy love, my love, my loveShe keeps me warm [x4]

[Verse 2: Macklemore]If I was gayI would think hip-hop hates meHave you read the YouTube comments lately"Man that's gay"Gets dropped on the dailyWe've become so numb to what we're sayin'Our culture founded from oppressionYeah, we don't have acceptance for 'emCall each other faggotsBehind the keys of a message boardA word rooted in hateYet our genre still ignores itGay is synonymous with the lesserIt's the same hate that's caused wars from religionGender to skin colorComplexion of your pigmentThe same fight that lead people to walk-outs and sit-ins[ From: http://www.metrolyrics.com/same-love-lyrics-macklemore-ryan-lewis.html ]Human rights for everybodyThere is no differenceLive on! And be yourself!When I was in churchThey taught me something elseIf you preach hate at the serviceThose words aren't anointedAnd that Holy WaterThat you soak inHas been poisonedWhen everyone elseIs more comfortableRemaining voicelessRather than fighting for humansThat have had their rights stolenI might not be the sameBut that's not importantNo freedom 'til we're equalDamn right I support it

[Trombone]

I don't know

[Hook: Mary Lambert]

[Verse 3: Macklemore]We press playDon't press pauseProgress, march on!With a veil over our eyesWe turn our back on the cause'Till the dayThat my uncles can be united by lawKids are walkin' around the hallwayPlagued by pain in their heartA world so hatefulSomeone would rather dieThan be who they areAnd a certificate on paperIsn't gonna solve it allBut it's a damn good place to startNo law's gonna change usWe have to change usWhatever god you believe inWe come from the same oneStrip away the fearUnderneath it's all the same loveAbout time that we raised up

Gay Boy Scouts? Not on My Watch

Boy Scouts Article

There was controversy about how the Boy Scouts organization would not allow for any of their members to be gay.  There was a court case in which the supreme court allowed their discrimination because it was part of their mission statement to be a Christian organization and same sex relations are against Christian religion.  

If I Die Young

If I Die Young- The Band Perry
If I die young, bury me in satinLay me down on a bed of rosesSink me in the river at dawnSend me away with the words of a love song

Lord make me a rainbow, I'll shine down on my motherShe'll know I'm safe with you when she stands under my colorsOh, and life ain't always what you think it ought to be, noAin't even gray, but she buries her baby

The sharp knife of a short lifeWell, I've had just enough time

If I die young, bury me in satinLay me down on a bed of rosesSink me in the river at dawnSend me away with the words of a love song

The sharp knife of a short lifeWell, I've had just enough time

And I'll be wearing white when I come into your kingdomI'm as green as the ring on my little cold fingerI've never known the loving of a manBut it sure felt nice when he was holding my hand

There's a boy here in town, says he'll love me foreverWho would have thought forever could be severed byThe sharp knife of a short lifeWell, I've had just enough time

So put on your best, boys, and I'll wear my pearlsWhat I never did is done

A penny for my thoughts, oh no, I'll sell 'em for a dollarThey're worth so much more after I'm a gonerAnd maybe then you'll hear the words I been singingFunny, when you're dead how people start listening

If I die young, bury me in satinLay me down on a bed of rosesSink me in the river at dawnSend me away with the words of a love song

The ballad of a doveGo with peace and loveGather up your tears, keep 'em in your pocketSave them for a time when you're really gonna need them, oh

The sharp knife of a short lifeWell, I've had just enough timeSo put on your best, boysAnd I'll wear my pearls 

Gaga

Gaga always creates a lot of controversy and here are a couple of videos about people commenting on her song '"Judas" which is about Judas and Jesus. 

First thing on YouTube

I typed Christianity into YouTube just to see what would happen because I was curious and this is one of the first videos to show up.  This man talks about UFO's and Christianity and the idea that humans who have been abducted may have lived on a planet before this one.  I think it is pretty interesting how anyone can share their ideas on the internet about their beliefs or anything that they want.  Personally, I do not think that people really need to share their ideas on the internet, but that is their prerogative.

C.S Lewis

The Chronicles of Narnia is said to have simple Christian ideas that are easily identified and understood by the young demographic group the book is intended for.  The books have become very popular as well as the movies.  In the story, many have said that the lion is a depiction of Christ.  Many have argued that this is so because of the fact that the lion is ridiculed, killed and then is gone after he has died.  C.S. Lewis said that he did not intend to create any Christian parallels in his books and that they came out on their own.

Crash Test Dummies

Crash Test Dummies- God Shuffled His Feet 

John Hendrix

John Hendrix

John Hendrix was the Prophet of Oak Ridge and is depicted in this video by Jack Mansfield.  He is said to have had visions of the future.  He said that Bear Creek Valley would one day be filled with buildings and factories and would contribute to the greatest war in the history of the world.  The government took the Hendrix's land after the death of John Hendrix and used the land in order to build their atomic bomb before Hitler could.

Oak Ridge

Article Link

The infiltration by the drifter, nun and house painter happened last summer, but they are facing trial next week which is why this story was released last week.  The three infiltrated the facility and started to deface the property before they were found. Some of the congressmen in Washington even thanked them for showing that they had major security issues in a place where there should be extreme security.  More information can be found in the article.  

Modern Torture

Modern Interrogation Article

This is one of the articles that we discussed in class and has to do with modern interrogation and torture that goes back to the Inquisition.  There is also an audio clip with the article.

The Inquisition was the Roman Catholic Church's way to fight against heretics.    

Patheos

http://www.patheos.com/

Patheos is a website hosting a global dialogue on religion.  They pride themselves on having balanced and credible information about religion.  Patheos has a series of interviews on YouTube that ask people "what is it like to be a                   in today's world?" They also have blogs, faith channels and a religion library. Check out the link above to see their site!

Beyonce

This is a video portraying someone's beliefs about famous actress and singer Beyonce and the Illuminati.

Beyonce

The Iluminati

Recently, there has been a lot of gossip about very popular celebrities being involved in a devil worship group called the Illuminati.  Much of the gossip has said that celebrities who are asked to be in the Illuminati and accept are then made extremely popular.  Celebrities such as Beyonce and Jay Z, Rihanna, Chris Brown, Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga have been rumored to be involved.  It is also rumored that if one does not accept the Illuminati, they will destroy your career. Some believe that this is what happened with Chris Brown, Rihanna and the woman beating scandal.  Believers say that he must have rejected them at first which is why they portrayed him as a woman beater and then, after his career was in peril, he decided to join and now he is popular again.  All of this is just rumors, but someone people really believe in it and think it is a major problem.

Equality

Many people have been on Facebook lately looking at the News Feed and wondering "who is that" and "what does that picture mean".  The picture is representative of equality in marriage.  The social media is speaking out against discrimination.  There has been controversy in the social media with people who oppose same sex marriage and most of the people who do oppose it do so because of religious reasons.  Many people think that marriage should not even be a legal issue because of the separation of church and state.  Marriage is a legal issue in America and the opposition comes from the idea that, in the Bible, same sex marriage is a sin.  

This goes with my book presentation.  It is a story of Colton Burpo and his trip to Heaven.

Alternate Universe

Alternate Universe

This is a very powerful video.  I wanted to share it because of all of the recent debate and controversy surrounding the gay rights movement.

Goats

Fainting goats were mentioned in class and I wanted to educate as well as entertain with a clip on fainting goats and a clip on goats and Taylor Swift.  No doubt you have seen the parody of Taylor Swifts "I Knew You Were Trouble".  We talked about scapegoats in class which are people, animals or anything that is used to get out of some sort of trouble.  A scapegoat is used as something or someone to blame to take heat off of yourself or someone else and scapegoats were used in history, including religious history.

Elijah

Elijah is one of the characters in the hit TV series Vampires Diaries on the CW.  The prophet Elijah who is said to have risen the dead, brought fire down from the sky and was said to be the "boldest of the prophets". After researching Elijah I realized the Elijah from the Vampire Diaries was likely to be named Elijah for good reason.  In the series, he has a lot of power and is the boldest of the brothers in the "original vampire family".  He causes a lot of chaos when he needs to and does so in order to pursue his beliefs and values which is similar to the prophet Elijah.

Gaga

Lady Gaga performs Satanic ritual

According to this article, Lady Gaga left red liquid in the bathtub of a hotel she stayed in.  Some think that this is Satanic ritual and others believe that it is just an "extension" of her eccentric behavior.  The picture associated with the article is of Gaga wearing a dress made out of raw meat.  The hotel workers were disturbed by the blood like liquid left in the bathtub and most were convinced that she does some sort of Devil worship.

Engima

Sadeness Part 1-3

The background vocals are Gregorian chants which come from a recording of the Kapelle Antiqua Choir.  Enigma did not ask permission to use the chants and were sued by the choir.  The case was settled.  The song as a whole is about sexual desire and the title itself has to do with sadism.  

Djesus Uncrossed

Djesus Uncrossed

Huffington Post Article

SNL does a parody of Django Unchained, but instead uses Jesus.  

Christian Mingle

Christianity has come to the internet in a new way, in the form of a dating website.  On the site, people can look for friends, romance or marriage.  Christian Mingle prides themselves on "being a personals community where you can find singles that share your values and love for God in Christ." Typically, Christians are seen as being very traditional, but this site has allowed them to be very modern when it comes to communicating with others who share their faith.  On the site, they have a statement of Christian faith which includes their opinions on Jesus, The Bible and The Gospel.  It is free to browse the site and when you first log in they ask for you height, body type, eye color, hair color, ethnicity, education, occupation, smoking habits, drinking habits, martial status, children, what church you were raised in, how often you attend church, what denomination is the church currently attended, the name of the church, where you are from and your name.  Most dating sites ask age, looking for a man or woman between which ages, and where you live.  It is obvious that Christian is more extensive when it comes to looking for people on the internet.

Christian Comic Arts Society

I was browsing the Internet and I came across this arts society that has a specific mission to share, support and document the work of people who hold the Christian faith in relation to comic books and other related industries.

This is one of the images I found on the website.  It has nothing to do with Christianity, but the artist who created it is a Christian enthusiast, Erik Johnson, and likes to share his work with other Christians on the site.

Check out the site: http://www.christiancomicarts.com/

Chick-fil-A

Many people view Chick-fil-A as an overly Christian company and they have been in the middle of some controversy over gay rights.  Most people know the restaurant as the only one they can think of that is closed on Sundays.  In my opinion, Chick-fil-A has done a pretty good job of keeping their beliefs, but also being tolerant of others.  

"Our founder, Truett Cathy, made the decision to close on Sundays in 1946 when he opened his first restaurant in Hapeville, Georgia. He has often shared that his decision was as much practical as spiritual. He believes that all franchised Chick-fil-A Operators and their Restaurant employees should have an opportunity to rest, spend time with family and friends, and worship if they choose to do so. That's why all Chick-fil-A Restaurants are closed on Sundays. It's part of our recipe for success."

Q: What is Chick-fil-A's Response to Recent Controversy?

A:  Chick-fil-A: Who We Are. A Response to Recent Controversy.

For many months now, Chick-fil-A’s corporate giving has been mischaracterized. And while our sincere intent has been to remain out of this political and social debate, events from Chicago this week have once again resulted in questions around our giving. For that reason, we want to provide some context and clarity around who we are, what we believe and our priorities in relation to corporate giving.

A part of our corporate commitment is to be responsible stewards of all that God has entrusted to us. Because of this commitment, Chick-fil-A’s giving heritage is focused on programs that educate youth, strengthen families and enrich marriages, and support communities. We will continue to focus our giving in those areas. Our intent is not to support political or social agendas.

As we have stated, the Chick-fil-A culture and service tradition in our restaurants is to treat every person with honor, dignity and respect – regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender. We will continue this tradition in the over 1,600 restaurants run by independent Owner/Operators.

Forever 21

I went clothes shopping for an interview not too long ago and I was putting the bag away and noticed that there was a bible verse on the bottom of it.  I thought it was very interesting that Forever 21 was a religious company because I had not heard of them being so before.  Some say that they add this to the bottom of their bags in order to "protect" others.  Here is the verse:

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

karate chops

Christians are all about "treat thy neighbor as thy self" well.. I came across this video today and I found it very impactful and it just goes to show that a lot of people do not feel that love.

Once act can change the world

This is going to be a very short post. I just wanted to share a video with you guys.  Here it is,

I'll let it speak for itself. 

Valentine's Day

Most people think that Valentines day is just the commercial industries way to get people to spend loads of money on their "loved ones".  Actually, there is religious history behind last Thursday's events.  In today's society, people give each other roses, chocolates, teddy bears and make big romantic gestures.  Saint Valentine was imprisoned for marrying those who were forbidden from marriage and before his execution wrote a letter saying "from your Valentine" and the rest was history.

Leeland

Tears of the Saints- Leeland

website: http://leelandonline.com/

From Baytown, Texas comes the Christian Rock band, Leeland.  The band started in 2004 and has created four albums since then. Three of the band members are siblings, Leeland, Jack and Shelly Mooring.  Casey Mooreand Mike Campbell make up the rest of the band playing guitar and drums.  Leeland has been nominated for three Grammy awards and seven Dove awards.  They perform at many different venues including churches and chapels and I hope to be seeing more from them soon!

Lilith

In class, we talked about Lilith and how she is a theory of the woman who came before Eve. It is said that she was untamed and for lack of better words, not what a woman should be.  Recently, the name Lilith is known to be the vampire Queen, per say, in the hit series True Blood on HBO.  In the show, Lilith embodies the same attributes that Lilith would if the theory is correct.  She is exactly the kind of woman that creates chaos and disorder.  Using her persuasions, Lilith turns the characters in the show on each other and causes them to kill one another in order to become the "one true ruler" of all vampires.  She also convinces the "vampire rulers" that humans are merely a source of food like cattle to carnivores.  Lilith from Genesis was very likely the root for the character on True Blood which is why they seem to have much in common.  The clip from the show below may be inappropriate to some, so do not watch if you think it could be.  You have been forewarned.

Website: http://www.hbo.com/true-blood/index.html

The Bible (mini-series)

Website: http://www.history.com/the-bible

The Bible is a mini-series that is going premier on March 3, 2013 on the History Channel.  There is not much information about it out right now, but it will be a ten part series that will show an exciting depiction of the events in the Bible.  Mark Burnett  is the producer of the show and he has also produced Survivor, The Apprentice and The Condender. The series is inferred to be split up into ten parts as follows: 1) Adam and Eve and Noah, 2) Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, 3) Moses and The Exodus, 4) the foundation of Israel, 5) Kings Saul, David and Solomon, 6) the destruction of Israel and Judah, 7) a few short stories on the major and minor prophets, 8 ) Jesus’ birth, 9) his death and resurrection, 10) an episode dedicated to the book of Revelations.  It is a formidable task to cram the entire Bible into just ten hours, but it will be interesting to see how the History Channgel does it.  Make sure to watch the premier of the show on March 3rd or on the History Channel website afterwards.  

Needtobreathe

website: http://needtobreathe.net/

Signature of Divine (Yaweh) - Needtobreathe

Needtobreathe is a Christian Rock Band from Seneca, South Carolina.  Most people do not know their music, but they are very popular with the Christian Rock fan base.  Without careful listening, their music does not sound very religious and some of their songs are not, but many of them are.  Needtobreathe is one of my favorite bands since I first listened to "Washed by the Water" two years ago.  Their latest album is titled The Reckoning and it was released on October 8, 2011.

This is the track list from The Reckoning, check out the rest of their stuff.   

1."Oohs and Ahhs" 

2."White Fences" 

3."Drive All Night" 
4."A Place Only You Can Go" 

5."Slumber" 

6."The Reckoning" 

7."Able" 

8."Maybe They're On to Us" 

9."Wanted Man" 

10."Keep Your Eyes Open" 

11."Tyrant Kings"

 12."Devil's Been Talkin'" 

13."Angel at My Door"

14."Learn to Love"