At Home On Piety Hill

I’m here at Panera again, blogging as Denise does our shopping… this is wonderful and peaceful… and it’s a long way from Uganda… a real long way.

My nephews (names withheld to preserve their privacy) were talking about the lost children of Uganda and how they would like to do what they can to help these victims of the most brutal civil war imaginable. The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) under the command of Joseph Kony continues to ravage the northern districts of Gulu and Kitgum in Uganda along the Sudanese border. You can follow the links for the details of this devilish “rebel” leader and his recruiting methods, along with the different ways that people are helping the “night commuters” — children who make the nightly trek into town to avoid being abducted in their villages. The civil war has been going on for about twenty years, but as is often the case, many people in the west are just now becoming aware of the problem.

I’ve wanted to write about Uganda a number of times before… I’ve visited twice, made lifelong friends and hope to return in the future (with Denise and the kids, too). Camille has been there to teach accounting to medical staff and she has expressed a desire to return.

The first time I traveled to Uganda with Emma in 2000, our hosts took us to a “safe place,” well out of range of the LRA. We were in Nakasake in the Luwero district, just north of Kampala. Our church team taught the Bible, preached in the open air, operated medical clinics and worked with the many schools in the area. Immediately upon arrival, we received news that there were elements of the LRA on “the prayer mountain,” which was a hill about a mile away! We continued to do our work, but the presence of paramilitary security men became more visible and they kept us near the center of town or watched us closely as we traveled to nearby villages. These security men did not like their photos taken, so you will have to settle for these shots of one of our “guardian angels” from a later trip.

I have dozens of stories to tell (ebola outbreak, goat on a stick, naked muzungus showering, etc,) and hope to blog about them later, but the subject at hand is the crisis in northern Uganda. Our first trip to Uganda was the result of a call for Christian workers to establish and support ministries to women, who had been abducted, raped and/or mutilated by the LRA. When they escape or are returned to their villages, they are often treated as outcasts. We helped set up training centers, where these women learned trades like sewing, bicycle maintenance and other skills to earn a living. We also sent food and medicine.

My second trip was with another team, which headed south to take building materials and the Gospel to a small village, where we also held a huge medical clinic. Then, we went north to Kumi, which is very close to the frontlines in Uganda’s war with the LRA and even shuttled people to a leprosy hospital there. We never saw or heard anything about the LRA in Kumi. However, on that trip we arrived in Kampala at the same time our host was just returning from a harrowing escape from southern Sudan, through LRA territory in Gulu. He and another missionary had gone up and met someone with a bulldozer in Sudan, where they had built a landing strip for relief cargo planes to use to supply refugees, fleeing the fighting in Darfur and other places. The first plane to use the strip landed to pick them up, taxied to the end of the runway and planted the nose of the plane in the ground! So, they had to walk out of Sudan into Uganda and then seek safe passage back to Kampala. Life is never easy in Uganda!

Child molestation cases involving Catholic priests have been all over the news since the 1990’s, pointing to serious sexual abuse among clergy of all faiths and denominations. What makes this such a powerful story is the fact that priests had built a solid reputation as trustworthy advocates for children over the years, yet that has all been undone now. When someone my age thinks of children and priests, we are immediately reminded of Father Flanagan and Boy’s Town. But, a relative few betrayed that trust and robbed so many children of their sexual innocense, plunging the Roman Catholic church into one of the most costly and devastating crises in its entire history.

What is more frightening is that these sexual abuse cases are relatively small in number and scope, when compared to the hundreds of thousands of children in the United States, who have been or are being sexually abused by professional educators over a similar time period. A study conducted for the Department of Education, Educator Sexual Misconduct, found that about 10% of all school children will be the target of some sort of physical sexual misconduct by a teacher during their K-12 grade education. Carol Shakeshaft, who authored the study, points out that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops found that about 10, 667 children had been victimized by priests between 1950 and 2002. Based upon numerous studies which she has worked with, Shakeshaft extrapolated the number of school children suffering abuse by professional educators to about ten times that of the clergy!

One study of 225 cases of admitted sexual abuse in New York found that none of the cases had been reported to police and only 1 person lost their teaching license. Often the offenders in these cases are let off with a slap on the wrist. I wonder why that is. Perhaps it has something to do with the behemoth NEA, the teacher’s union that is so solicitous in having parents turn over their children to the “professionals,” when it comes to instilling morals and teaching about sexuality!

I noticed this trend about a year ago and have found a few local news stories, but rarely a national expose´or serious article on this disturbing, almost universal assault on our kids. There are stories of female teachers initiating sexual relations with young men, young women, kids with special needs and one teacher who molested 9 year olds, then slashed her wrists in front of the class. It’s about time for the progressive media get this story out across the country and, perhaps, save a few children some life-long trauma.

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a letter to the editor of The Union, our local newspaper. Here’s the text:

With the elimination of al-Zarqawi, pundits point out that there are hundreds al-Qaida to take his place. This would be the safe bet. However, history demonstrates that Islamic terrorists can change. The Baha’i faith is a good example.

Baha’is trace their lineage to the Bab, a 19th century Muslim terrorist who called on world leaders to repent and join him under the flag of the Mahdi. His followers carried his message through armed conflict, beheadings and murder until they were brutally suppressed by the Persian government.

After the Bab’s execution, leadership fell to one of his lieutenants, Baha’u'llah, who quickly began modernizing the various cells. He made gains, yet continued to own black slaves, hold plural wives and carry on a blood feud with his brother.

Baha’u'llah’s son, Abdu’l-Baha, guided the movement into the 20th century, abandoning the Bab’s tactics of “the striking of necks, the burning of books and papers, the destruction of shrines, and the universal slaughter of all save those who believed and were faithful.”

If the world responds to al-Qaida with condemnation and military force, perhaps they too will adopt a quietist expression of their religion, as the Baha’is have. Let’s hope they do.

A Baha’i reader took exception with my premise and, unfortunately, I was unable to develop it as fully as I would have liked to. The newspaper has a word limit for publication. However, I hope to carry on a dialogue in the comments. I think that by the current definition, the Bab and his followers would definitely be classed as terrorists. If you would like to read more about Babi militancy, you can check out these sources:

• From Babism to Baha’ism: Problems of Militancy, Quietism, and Conflation in the Construction of a Religion by Denis MacEoin
• An Examination of Distortion and Suppression in 20th Century Baha’i Literature by Vance Salisbury (that’s me)
• The Baha’i Faith: It’s History and Teachings by William Miller
• The Babi Movement: A Resource Mobilization Perspective by Peter Smith and Moojan Momen

The other day at work, I was following my usual routine… performing menial labor, while I listen to talk or opinion on the radio. One of my customers, who would probably consider herself progressive, tolerant and erudite, came to the counter and asked, “how can you listen to so much hate?” I was taken aback and then responded, “man, you should have heard the hate I was listening to this morning driving up here. I had NPR on the radio!” Then, it was her turn to look surprised.

So, I thought it might be a good idea to reflect on what I listen to and why; then blog about it. I don’t watch commercial television and what little time I do have to enjoy video, I try to spend watching good films or something educational. But, I have hours every day when I am commuting or doing production work, so I listen to a very specific, well-rounded mix of radio and spoken word.

Now, before I start blogging about what I’m listening to, you may be wondering if I was serious about National Public Radio (NPR) and “hate?” Well, “yes” and “no.” You see, I am an amateur media analyst… I love watching how art, film and communication media are employed to educate, sell, persuade and manipulate people’s thinking. And, I’m equally fascinated by people’s response, when they are “getting worked.” But, I don’t see this process as necessarily bad and I’m not using the term “worked” as a pejorative, nor do I think all propaganda is bad. However, I do think there is such a thing as what Francis Schaeffer called “true truth.” And, I actually enjoy the challenge and the excitement of “drilling down” through what’s presented to me throughout the day and sorting out “what’s really going on.” It’s something of a hobby for me.

NPR is one of my staples… it’s one of my main sources of news, opinion and entertainment and I wish them success, even though I’m always urging Congress to cut their funding and make the private Corporation For Public Broadcasting earn their keep and compete on a level playing field with their commercial counterparts! I think, by and large, they do a good job, but they lean left and I find it amusing that there are actually folks who think that NPR or the BBC are “objective.” Face it folks, no news or opinion source is objective and I really don’t expect them to be. If NPR had to compete for listeners ($$$), I think they would be more diverse and cover a broader range of cultural and political perspectives in their programming.

When we are talking about “hate,” as defined by my customer, we are actually talking about critical opinion, parody, sarcasm, downright ridicule, etc.. So, do I hear that on NPR? By her definition, sure! I’ve heard some of the most narrow, bigoted, hateful language and opinion from NPR’s most vaunted personalities: Terry Gross, Garrison Keillor, Daniel Schorr and Steve Inskeep. But, more on them later… I suppose what I’m saying is that “hate” is a loaded word and its definition often depends upon which side of the opinion you’re on. Your sense of humor and ability to laugh at yourself and the absurdity of some of your deeply held opinions, along with the discipline it takes to be objective (when news organizations are not) will play a part in ones idea of what qualifies as “hate.” A rudimentary grasp of history can also be helpful, in putting things into perspective.

Man, this is scary! The Feds infiltrated a terrorist group in Dutch Flat, which was hatching a bomb plot against a government facility near Folsom. I’ll tell you, these religious fanatics will stop at nothing to advance their Pagan philosophy. Good job, G-men!

There are still members of this sect at large, so keep your eyes open for Subaru Outbacks (their version of the Humvee) sporting racks carrying kayaks or mountain bikes, frequently seen near Pilates studios, juice bars or organic co-ops.

Today I called into the Rush Limbaugh radio program and made my talk radio debut to approximately 15 million listeners. The really cool part is that my remark about the film Mars Attacks became the inspiration for Rush’s parody, Mahmoud Attacks in his regular feature, See, I Told You So… (“You can stream the audio of the call segment here)
I am the caller identified as “Arthur from Nevada City.” I used my middle name, in case I totally embarassed and humiliated myself. I pointed out that, while the press is receiving the letter from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to President Bush as some sort of diplomatic overature of peace, the text of the message actually sounds like a religious authority claim by Ahmadinejad, calling Bush to repentance and the recognition that the Qaim, the messianic figure in Twelver Shi’ism, is at the door. Instead of a friendly appeal to avert a nuclear showdown, this epistle may be akin to the Martian declaration, “we come in peace,” being broadcast while blasting or disintegrating anything and anyone within range! It was comforting to know that Condoleeza Rice sees the letter for what it is, a sermon on “history, philosophy and religion.” It may be more than that, but only time will tell. Keep your eyes on the horizon for the Black Standard at the head of an army coming out of Khurasan!

Rush took off on the Mars Attacks remark, so I didn’t really get into the details about the letter. I wrote a paper some time ago about the Bab, a nineteenth century claimant to Mahdihood, and you may glean some insight under the heading Holy War and the Babi Uprising at Shaykh Tabarsi. Also, Juan R. Cole wrote an article about the messianic claims of Baha’u'llah and the letters he sent to world political and religious leaders, calling them to repentance and the recognition of his exalted station. I think you will see what I was getting at. Do I think Ahmadinejad is claiming Mahdihood? Not really. Some other authority claim? Perhaps. Still, it’s funny to watch the sympathetic response to the letter in the Congress and the press — they do not have a clue about what’s going on in this man’s head.

P.S. In the transcript of my call, “Twelver” is the word that was “unintelligable” right before “Muslims.”

Transcript:

I just took the eschatology quiz at QuizFarm.com to see where I slot in on the end times spectrum. It looks like a pretty solid analysis:

The 28 questions yielded an eerily accurate picture of where I stand on the issues. Now, before you go off to QuizFarm, I should warn you that there are some pretty raunchy drills over there, so be careful. On the other hand, you have nothing to fear when you pull up a seat at the Revelation Roundtable (which I have just recently updated).

Sadico Junction does it again… Sadie posted a reasonable response to counter some good ol’ fashioned intolerance and a trinity of religion experts showed up to remind her that Christians are to be seen, but not heard. One of these erudite scholars made the time-worn observation, “The problem is that most “Christians” don’t exactly follow Jesus’s example.” At last count, there were about 2.1 billion Christians on the planet, so does that mean that he’s monitored the WWJD quotient of a third of the world’s population? I suppose 1.52 billion would qualify as “most” and that would be a more manageable number for him to keep tabs on. Still, that would make him God… or, at least a demi-god. Then, another wizard tossed out the chestnut “I’ll say it again - what about the christian anti-abortionists who blow up Dr’s & abortion clinics?” Let’s see, how many clinics and doctors have been blown up? I looked online, but couldn’t find the statistic. I think it would be safe to say that it’s less than the number of Christians burned, blown up or murdered in the past week by pagans, atheists and socialists around the world. Finally, this gem: “How about the Christian groups who work to remove practical sex education from public schools - thereby forcing their view (that sex is icky, evil and BAAAAD) onto all the rest of us?” I really don’t know how to respond to this kind of silliness… so, on one hand Christians think “sex is icky, evil and BAAAAD,” but then these same folks will rail on the Jesus crowd for having too many kids. I suppose they think Christians with kids are simply breeding and not deriving any pleasure from… Aaaargh. why am I even talking about this? It’s laughable so, check out my comments.

My Way News: “Bush meets Dalai Lama, ignoring China’s objections

Nov 9, 4:08 PM (ET)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush met at the White House on Wednesday with the Dalai Lama, exiled spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, ignoring objections from China… The private meeting with the president and the first lady came one day after the Bush administration named China a serious violator of religious freedom in a report to Congress. ‘We’ve made our views very clear when it comes to our support for religious freedom… And we will continue to speak out on those issues,’ said White House spokesman Scott McClellan… Wednesday’s meeting was Bush’s third with the Dalai Lama. Next week Bush is due to visit Beijing and hold talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao.

Bush has really bungled things recently, so it’s no wonder he’s courting fundamentalist Buddhists to prop up his religious base. Of course, this will infuriate secularists like Michael Newdow, the ACLU, the communist Chinese, national socialists, grant writers, the California Teachers Association and other repressive groups. Homosexual activists have also been enraged by the Dalai Lama’s pronouncement that gay sex “…is considered sexual misconduct; meaning that homosexuality is acceptable for society, but not in Buddhism or for Buddhists.” George just keeps steppin’ in it.

The Times October 07, 2005
No dancing and no gays if Hamas gets its way
By Stephen Farrell

A VISION of an Islamic society that bans mixed dancing and sternly disapproves of homosexuality has been given by Mahmoud Zahar, the most senior leader of Hamas in Gaza. After controversies when a Hamas-led council halted a dance festival and Islamist gunmen stopped a rap band performing in Gaza, Dr Zahar defended the enforcement of a strict interpretation of Islam.

“A man holds a woman by the hand and dances with her in front of everyone. Does that serve the national interest?” Dr Zahar said on the Arabic website Elaph. “If so, why have the phenomena of corruption and prostitution become pervasive in recent years?”

Well, I hope all you progressives are happy about recent events in Gaza! You were ecstatic at the images of synagogues reduced to rubble and anti-Jewish demonstrations. The American flag burnings and the christophobic slogans thrilled your souls, as you witnessed the triumph of social justice for an oppressed people. But, then it happened. As in other socio-politico revolutions, when the victory is sealed the true face of the movement emerges and, in the case of Hamas, it is particularly ugly.

NO MORE DANCING. I hope you are satisfied, because now the genie of chorophobia is out of the bottle, these traditional mainstream Muslims will not rest until every disco is boarded up and every contra dance in every Grange Hall across America is silenced. When this Palestinian brand of Islam comes to America, no dancer (amateur or pro) will be safe except in their closet. Speech codes will be strictly enforced banning any talk of dance from the foxtrot to the robot. Swing dancers will be forced into the back alley.

Of all the phobias out there, chorophobia is perhaps the cruelest because it denies a human’s inborn, primal yearning to gambol with ones partner or in the language of the common man — to strut one’s stuff, y’all.

October 6, 2005
Theologians debate message of Katrina
By RICHARD N. OSTLING
Associated Press Writer

New York’s Union Theological Seminary began the academic year with an explosive speech by Bill Moyers, late of PBS and CBS television, who was introduced as ‘the most respected journalist in America.’

“Most respected journalist?” Says who? Dan Rather? Union Seminary sure has slipped since the golden days of Bonhoeffer, Barth and Tillich! And, what are they doing mixing religion with politics? Perhaps Mahatma Moyers will enlighten us.

‘The country is not yet a theocracy but the Republican Party is,’ Moyers charged.

“Etymology: Greek theokratia, from the- + -kratia -cracy
1 : government of a state by immediate divine guidance or by officials who are regarded as divinely guided. ”

Wait just a minute… he must have the Republicans confused with that other party… the party that ran a failed seminary student for President… the party of the Reverend Al Sharpton and the Reverend Jesse Jackson. And, let’s not forget the Bible totin’ Senator and President Clinton. The former First Lady used to communicate with the departed spirit of Eleanor Roosevelt… would that qualify as divine guidance?

‘Democracy is in peril.’ He compared conservative Christian activists with Muslim terrorists who can cite ‘many verses in the Quran’ as grounds ‘for waging war for God’s sake.’ America’s ‘homegrown ayatollahs,’ he stated, are deceitful bullies whose ‘viral intolerance’ undergirds ‘an unprecedented sectarian crusade for state power’ and ‘political holy war financed by wealthy economic interests.’

Please allow me to translate Mr. Moyer’s bigoted, progressive patois: Tolerance is the only remaining virtue with one exception: there will be no tolerance for the Christian who doesn’t know his place… the closet. Those Christians who take their faith out into the neighborhood, the school, the court, the public forum, medicine, the arts and to skid row are intolerable.

Moyers cited the incredible devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina and linked this with the Genesis flood. He noted that millions of conservatives believe the biblical teaching that God brought the deluge to punish human sin and also accept ‘God-ordered genocide’ elsewhere in the Old Testament. His point: It’s dangerous to ‘read the Bible as literally true,’ and liberals must resist those holding that belief.

It sounds as if Mr. Moyers is the danger to democracy and the sad thing is that, he’s so deluded by years of fawning and veneration by his colleagues, he doesn’t even know how pathetic he sounds. He debased PBS and CBS; now he’s defiled Union Seminary!

Poll: Fewer People Link Islam, Violence

By WILL LESTER
Associated Press Writer

July 26, 2005, 4:14 PM EDT

WASHINGTON — The percentage of Americans who believe Islam is more likely than other religions to inspire violence has declined in the past two years, according to a poll taken after the London bombings. Just over a third, 36 percent, now say the Islamic religion is more likely to inspire violence, while 44 percent said that in July 2003, according to the poll conducted by the Pew Research Center and the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.

Pollsters are still mystified by an unexplainable plunge in the collective IQ of many Americans over the past two years. This trend is expected to continue, as long as the education cartel remains in the hands of ivory-tower academics, education lobbies and teacher’s unions. The good news is that, if the terrorists eventually win out, oversight of American educational institutions will no longer remain in the hands of ivory-tower academics, education lobbies and teacher’s unions!

In a previous post about Muslim terrorism, Brits Get A Wake-Up Call, I attributed London terrorist bombings to British Muslim’s disgust with western culture and a faithful reading of the Qur’an. I may have to take that back after reading this story in Ireland On-Line:

Would-be bomber was on benefits
26/07/2005 - 11:38:06
One of the would-be suicide bombers who tried to blow up a London Tube train last Thursday had been given thousands of pounds in British taxpayers’ money. Yasin Hassan Omar, 24, was given £75 (€108.70) a week in housing benefit to pay for the one-bedroom flat where he has been the registered tenant since February 1999. His housing benefit stopped in May.

It looks as if this fellow may have been evicted from “the projects” by “the man.” Coddled by years of liberal handouts, he reacted like his counterparts across the pond and took his frustrations out by trying to blow up the neighborhood.

This raises another question: How do we deal with this new kind of terrorist: the benefits bomber? Rather than bunking him with his more competent brethren down at Gitmo, where he would likely learn more destructive behaviors, how about years of group therapy around readings from Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life. That’ll surely stop the violence.

I began my first in-depth study of The Apocalypse this week and I think I have some insights and revelations of my own, concerning the identity of the Antichrist and the Beast of Revelation 13.

First, let me say that Dan (the guy to the left of Macaulay Culkin) is not the Beast, nor is his friend, Michael Jackson, the Antichrist. Of that, I’m relatively certain. However, I’m not so sure about this character, King Juan Carlos of Spain:

You see, he’s been fingered as the Man of Lawlessness by a number of “prophecy experts,” most notably Chuck Missler and Jon Courson. As a supplement to my serious study in Revelation, I began listening to tapes by these erudite Bible teachers (so-called) in order to gain insight into the strategic trends, which are preparing the world to bow to the control of this spellbinding, power hungry, dynamic, world dictator.

I found a tape of Jon Courson’s Prophecy Update for 1993 and he made a number of predictions about the things to come. Among them:

• King Juan Carlos of Spain, King of Jerusalem, is probably the Antichrist
• The generation, which began with the settlement of Israel in the land, will see the second coming of Jesus to establish His millennial kingdom in September 1999 at the Feast of Trumpets — then the millennium begins in 2000.
• Of course, you have to back up seven years for the Great Tribulation, so that means that the Rapture will occur sometime in 1993.
• The ten nations of the European Union represent the ten horns spoken of in Daniel and Revelation, even though there were 13 members in 1993 (he was able to pare that number down with some impressive mathematics). By the way, there are 26 nations in the EU now and more on the way.
• The year 2000 is the beginning of the millennium, but we don’t have to rely only on the Bible for that fact, because all the new agers and rabbis from 300 AD onward said it would happen.
• Rabbi Schneerson (April 18, 1902 - June 12, 1994) was quoted by Courson as saying that he would live to see the establishment of Messiah’s kingdom, the millennium, with his own eyes in his lifetime.

These are but a few of the nuggets of gold Mr. Courson mined out of the Scriptures for the crowd. Is it any wonder that we Christians are looked upon as a bunch of gullible half-wits, when we tell someone that Jesus died for their sins on the cross and rose from the dead, so they can live forever? That’s the problem with “crying wolf” and serving up this kind of sensationalistic slop to God’s people year after year — It may be entertaining, but Biblically illiterate Christians aren’t the only ones listening! These kinds of fairy tales get out to the general population (many times because we have passed around a tape or CD or book promoting this nonsense) and the honest inquirer is left to separate the facts of the gospel from the chaff of speculative theories and prognostications by these hucksters.

There is a way to stop these people and their creepy, cultic fascination with events that haven’t happened yet (not to mention their amnesia, when it comes to the hundreds or thousands of failed predictions they’ve made). Just say “no” to their speculation and sensationalism!

2 Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires…

But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels. 2 Timothy 2:23

2 Timothy 1:13 Retain the standard of sound words, which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.

I ran across this dispatch from the frontlines of the War on Terror, where a senior Al-Qaida lieutenant was captured, and I was immediately taken back to my childhood. One of the coolest things to ever happen on the way home from school was hearing the battle cry, “Girl Fight!” That meant hair-pulling, kicking, clawing, screaming and spirited fisticuffs, as opposed to predictable, dull punching and maneuvering when boys fought. Apparently, a girl fight will draw an enthusiastic crowd in Pakistan, too:

Britain, UK news from The Times and The Sunday Times - Times Online:

“Officials say that one of al-Libbi’s couriers unwittingly led the CIA and Pakistani security officials to the Libyan-born mastermind in a town close to the Afghan border. He and four close aides were hiding at a shrine on a hilltop outside Mardan, near Peshawar.

Witnesses described yesterday how armed undercover agents in burkas ambushed al-Libbi on Monday as he rode pillion [side-saddle] on a motorcycle through a graveyard. Al-Libbi, who was disguised as a woman, shot at his pursuers.

Bystanders dived for cover as a dozen people — all in black burkas — returned fire. The 42-year-old militant with a $5 million (2.6 million) price on his head fled to a nearby guesthouse shouting to staff that he was “a jihadi” and pleaded for help.

He emerged after apparently making a number of calls on his mobile phone. “He came out unarmed with his hands in the air and his head slightly bowed,” Mr Khan said. He was hooded and bundled on to a special forces helicopter then flown to an army barracks in Rawalpindi for questioning.

Inside Move: Fanatics laying it on the line –’Star Wars’ fans stew in queue

If a movie isn’t playing at a theater, will its fans still line up outside? For “Star Wars” fans, the answer is a befuddling yes.

Former Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne donned his Emperor Palpatine getup and joined 10 other diehard Star Wars fans outside Grauman’s Chinese Theater. There was just one small problem: 20th Century Fox plans to open the film at the ArcLight theater a few blocks away.

Okay, so it’s not really Ozzy, but you have to admit there’s a real resemblance. Anyway, on with the story… This simple truth did not deter the faithful wookies, droids and stormtroopers from observing their ritual outside Grauman’s . The revelation (that they had camped out at the wrong location) failed to dampen their enthusiasm and, in fact, made them even more resolute in the rightness of their position — that is, positioned in front of a theater to see a movie which will not be there! This comical situation provides some valuable insights into cultic thinking, which sometimes results when members of a committed band of devotees are confronted with information flatly contradicting their deeply held perception of reality.

As I read this article in Variety magazine, I sensed an allegory coming on. I was struck by the unique way each individual dealt with the mental discomfort experienced when confronted by “anti-Star Wars” naysayers. Beyond that, I recognized some of the same thought patterns I had followed as a cult member and still do as a Christian, when my faith is challenged! Let’s identify and label some of these faulty responses with actual quotes from the article.

Denial
“We’ve heard all this before,” said Sarah Sprague, one of the designated spokesmen for the group. In 1999 and 2002, there were plenty of rumors (ultimately false) that the previous two pics weren’t going to open at the Chinese… Fox and the ArcLight… say they expect “Revenge of the Sith” to play the ArcLight… And Sprague was adamant the line isn’t moving to the ArcLight. “This is still the epicenter for ‘Star Wars’ fans. For the big iconic pictures of the 1970s, people lining up were here. They weren’t at the Cinerama Dome.”

Cognitive dissonance, giving way to mental confusion, ending in nihilism
“Even if it’s not here, we’ll just go see it somewhere else. We’re not doing this just for the movie.”… “What’s the point of lining up at the ArcLight if someone is going to go online and get the best seat in the house?” But wouldn’t that still make more sense than spending a month outside a theater that isn’t playing the movie? “Lining up for anything, what part of that makes any sense?” she responded philosophically.

Pragmatism in the face of contradictory and incontrovertible facts
“The telling thing is — for me, at least — if the film is not playing at the Chinese … I have zero desire to see it at all,” a fan who calls himself Obi Geewhyen posted on the message board at Liningup.net. “I’m in it for the lineup only and don’t give a darn about the conclusion of this lackluster, so-called ‘Star Wars’ series.”

True believers acknowledging the problem, while overestimating their ability to manipulate fate
A media-savvy bunch, those waiting at the Chinese hope press interest in covering (and most likely mocking) them would persuade George Lucas and Fox to move the booking.

Acknowledging the obvious, yet holding on to any sliver of hope
After the last two “Star Wars” films, “We’re all a little beaten down,” she said. “But this one could be it!”

The Christian exercises faith in historical, time and space events… what Francis Schaefer calls “true truth.” If these events did not take place, then Paul tells us that we are more pitiful than the Star Wars crew out in front of Grauman’s.

And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. 1 Corinthians 15:14 - 19

If you or I shy away from uncomfortable facts or refuse to consider serious challenges to a cherished idea or worldview, there could be serious consequences. We can’t say “I didn’t know.” And, we cannot shirk our responsibility to know what we believe and why we believe it. “I was deceived” is not a valid excuse for ignorance. Jesus put it this way:

If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit. Matthew 15:14

Notice that both the follower and the leader end up in the same pit. You know, it really does matter what you believe and it if what you believe is “true truth.” Jesus claimed to embody truth:

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. John 14:6

That’s a claim worth looking into.