Thomist Tacos for the Soul
Philosophy, Politics, Religion, Cults, Culture & of course Tacos.
Busting the Immigration Myths
Feb 20th
It is interesting to note that there has been a lot of controversy regarding the proposed amnesty reform with the intent of issuing guest worker visas. The fact of the matter is that whenever the issue of immigration comes up there is a always a terse “get rid of them” reaction that prompts us to ask are we throwing out the illegal baby back out with the river water? The LA Times published an intersting piece that shows how many of these knee jerk reactions are actually more emotional than factual. The “facts” quoted in the article can be found here http://www.labor.ca.gov/panel/impactimmcaecon.pdf.
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[Translate]El Gran Yo Soy – Reflexiones sobre la existencia de Dios
Feb 8th
Yo Soy ¿Alguna vez se ha puesto a pensar acerca de la existencia del Gran YO SOY de acuerdo con la declaración eterna y presente de Éxodo 3:14? El filósofo Wil Durant dijo en cierta ocasión que la pregunta más importante a través de los siglos no es ¿existe Dios? Sino ¿de dónde vino Dios? ¿Cómo creó él todo esto? En otras palabras, ¿si el universo es un efecto, entonces cuál fue su causa? Analicemos esta serie de preguntas para meditar un poco sobre este asunto.
Algunos han afirmado que si todo efecto necesita de una causa, entonces Dios también necesita de una causa. ¿Quién creó a Dios? Parece increíble que muchos de los misterios en relación a Dios estén reservados detrás de un velo sagrado el cual el hombre, a pesar de todos sus avances intelectuales, no ha podido entender ni comprender. Ha muchas cosas que Dios se ha guardado para sí mismo, “Las cosas secretas pertenecen a Jehová nuestro Dios…” Deut. 29:29. ¿Acaso esto significa que todo pensamiento acerca de Dios debe ser evitado? De ninguna manera. El salmista David pensaba en Dios constantemente; en sus atributos y en su creación. David afirmó en el Salmo 139:6 que tal conocimiento era demasiado maravilloso para él. Sin embargo, esto le motivara a pensar más en Dios. Dios nos ha dado cierta capacidad de apreciar su majestad, su persona, su carácter y muchas otras de sus cualidades. Tal capacidad la encontramos en la revelación natural y la revelación especial de Dios.
En lo que respecta a la revelación natural, Dios ha dejado su firma en la creación y a través de ella demuestra a la humanidad muchos aspectos relacionados a su existencia. El libro de los Salmos afirma también que “los cielos cuentan la gloria de Dios y el firmamento anuncia la obra de sus manos” Sal. 19. En cierta ocasión escuche al astrónomo Hugo Ross en una entrevista radial en Ohio State Radio. En ella, el Dr. Ross afirmaba que era posible discernir diversos atributos de Dios simplemente a través del estudio de varios aspectos del espacio y las partículas atómicas. “En el espacio podemos observar el amor, el poder, la inteligencia y muchos otros atributos que su causa (Dios) debe poseer en relación al efecto (todo lo creado).” ¿Qué movió al Dr. Ross a hacer esta declaración? La misma razón que movió al Dr. Norman Geisler a declarar en su libro Cuando los escépticos pregunten en forma de silogismo:
· Todos los diseños implican un diseñador. · Hay un gran diseño en cuanto al universo. · Por lo tanto, debe haber un Gran Diseñador del universo.
Pero eso no es todo. Según los científicos modernos, las probabilidades de que este universo exista son de alrededor de 1 X 10 40000. Es decir, una en cuatrocientas mil veces. ! Nada mas una! La cosmología también nos dice que las condiciones necesarias para que este mundo continué existiendo son tan delicadas que si se realizara tan solo un cambio fraccionario la vida tal y como la conocemos no existiría. Usted pudiera preguntarse, ¿será este Ser perfecto capaz de amarnos? Solamente Dios en su infinito poder puede hacer que todo esto acontezca. Ravi Zacarías cuenta en su libro A Shattered Visage “The Real Face of Atheism” (La Verdadera Cara del Ateísmo), que cuando el primer cosmonauta ruso regresó del espacio fue invitado a participar en una conferencia de prensa, donde afirmó en forma triunfalista que en su viaje al espacio no había visto a Dios. En respuesta, y en una atmósfera silenciosa alguien dijo,”si se hubiera quitado el traje espacial seguramente lo hubiera visto.”
Cuán irónico el que tanto el ateo como el humanista van en busca de Dios sin saber que él ya nos ha dejado su dirección, por decirlo así, en la creación. No obstante, la revelación natural no es suficiente para otorgar la salvación. Para ello es necesaria. Se necesita la revelación especial. Esta revelación especial se encuentra en la palabra de Dios, las Santas Escrituras. Es allí donde encontramos lo que implícitamente observamos en la creación: El amor de Dios.
Dice en el libro de Colosenses que todo fue hecho para El Hijo y por medio de Él. Esta es una ilustración perfecta del de amor que se manifestó desde antes de la fundación del mundo. Lo lo más precioso de todo es que “Dios muestra su amor para con nosotros, en que siendo aun pecadores, Cristo murió por nosotros.” Rom 5:8. Y lo hizo para que nosotros pudiésemos llegar a ser coherederos con Cristo. Para mí, esta información revelada es suficiente para estar seguro de que tengo la oportunidad de tener una relación con Dios.
Pero aun no me ha contestado ¿de donde vino Dios? ¿Vale o no la pena entonces que nos quebremos la cabeza considerando que Dios se guarda para sí los secretos de su existencia? Para empezar, eso lo escribí para llamar su atención. Pero el hecho de existan ciertos secretos o misterios en cuanto a la existencia de Dios, no quiere decir que no debamos usar la razón en conjunto con las Escrituras para descubrir “algunas” cosas acerca de Él. n realidad la explicación es simple. Veámoslo en forma de silogismo para que se más comprensible:
· Todo efecto presupone una causa. · Toda cosa contingente y finita que existe es un efecto y necesita una causa. · ¿Necesita Dios de una causa?Entonces, ¿quién quien creó a Dios? Respuesta: Nadie. Si observa detenidamente, Dios ni es finito (es eterno) ni es contingente (Dios no depende de nadie, él es omnipotente). Por tal razón el silogismo que acabamos de ver no es aplicable a Dios. Es por esa razón que. Él dijo, “YO SOY.” Ahora, a partir de aquí, es mejor que se lo dejemos a Él. Sin embargo, lo que sí sabemos es que el gran YO SOY nos ama y quiere que seamos parte de Su reino. Si quieres, puedes hacerlo allí donde estas, diciéndole a Jesucristo que deseas entrar en una relación personal con Él. Veras que cuando pones tu fe y confianza en ÉL, Él cambiara tu vida y tu destino.
Si quieres saber más acerca de la salvación en Cristo o cualquier otra pregunta en cuanto a la existencia de Dios, por favor comunícate conmigo por medio del correo electrónico. Gracias por tu atención y que Dios le bendiga.
David Mendez
================================================================== Bibliografía
Cuando los Escépticos Pregunten, Un Manual de Evidencias Cristianas Editorial UNILIT, Miami Florida 1995 Paginas 16-21
A Shattered Visage The Real Face of Atheism Editorial Baker, Grand Rapids, Michigan 1990 Pagina 11
Gracias *Carlos A por su ayuda editorial
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[Translate]Piper on the Cartoons of Mohamed
Feb 7th
An incredible observation from and incredible man. I think that in an incredibly hostil and intolerant scoiety towards what they consider intolerant, backward, backward thinking, inept, funny-mentalist there was one who dared utter the obvious.
From: http://theologica.blogspot.com/2006/02/piper-on-muslim-outrage-over-cartoons.html
“John Piper writes in: ‘Am I missing it, or is there an unusual silence in the blogosphere about the Muslim outrage over the cartoons of Mohammed. To me this cries out for the observation that when artists put the crucifix in a flask of urine, Christians were grieved and angered, but not one threatened to kill anyone. Our longing is to convert the blasphemers with the Good News of Christ’s death and resurrection, not kill them. Our faith is based on One who was reviled not just in cartoons but in reality and received it patiently for the salvation of the cartoonists. These riots are filled with intimations about the glorious difference between Christ and Mohammed, and between the way of Christ and the way of Islam. And the cowing of the press around the world and the US government is ominous for the fear we are under of Islam–not just extremist Islam. I do not respect the teachings of Islam which when followed devoutly lead to destruction. So I have been pondering which will take me out first, Islam, Uncle Sam, or cancer. No matter, all authority belongs to Jesus. I just want to bear faithful witness to his glorious gospel of peace to the end.’”
A religion of peace? Which one is the natural and logical outworking of the tenets of its worldview?
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[Translate]Get Rich or Die Trying – Reviews In
Nov 9th
Well, some of the early critics have spoken and yet again we have he case of a auto portrayal + good director + don’t care because I’m stinkin rich + I smile throughout the whole movie = bad production. Here are the comments:
“On one hand you’ve got Tupac Shakur, Will Smith, Ice Cube, Mark Wahlberg, Ice-T, LL Cool J, Sean Combs and Andre Benjamin. On the other you’ve got 50 Cent. This kid stinks! ” – Sean Burns, PHILADELPHIA WEEKLY
5/10 “50 spends the film with one look on his face, and itÂ’s the look that you imagine a caveman would have when confronted with a cellphone.” – Devin Faraci, CHUD
2.5/5 “With the emotional range of a wet sock, Jackson mumbles through his lines with a blank expression.” – Stefan Halley, HERO REALM
D+ “50 Cent’s fanbase might love this valentine to the rapperÂ’s ego no matter the quality, but other audiences might not be as forgiving with this half-realized urban fairy tale.” – Brian Orndorf, EFILMCRITIC.COM
2/4 “A reiteration of the now-clichéd hip-hop rise-to-fame legend that duplicates the crime-to-rhyme formula of Hustle & Flow.” – Nicholas Schager, SLANT MAGAZINE
1.5/4 “Get Rich or Die Tryin’ will always be known as the 50 Cent movie. Not because of who stars in the film, but because that’s how much it’s worth.” – Phil Villarreal, ARIZONA DAILY STAR
7/10 “A good introduction to the rapper and his music, but also an entertaining movie in its own right.” – Edward Douglas, COMINGSOON.NET
“Everybody loves Marcus (50 Cent), from relatives to homeboys to would-be killers.” – Cynthia Fuchs, POPMATTERS
With that said, Curtis Jackson (aka 50 cent) is laughing all the way to the bank. Does he care whether his movie bombs? Probably not. Is it further damaging the stereotypes? Yeap. Just listen to what Spike Lee (whom I usually don’t agree with) said in a recent interview:
Lee described a billboard in Los Angeles promoting the current film “Get Rich or Die Trying” which featured rapper Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson holding a gun in one hand and a microphone in the other. Lee said that billboard sends young black men the message that there are only two ways to succeed: “get a record deal or shoot the s**t out of somebody, excuse my language.” Lee said the billboard has since been removed after criticism from the black community.
And the same messages are being promoted by many rap artists and, perhaps more important, by the record companies which determine what CDs get released. Lee said those negative stereotypes are just as damaging to white suburban teenagers, who are a key market for hip-hop CDs, as they are to black teenagers.
“We’ve put pimps on a pedestal,” he said. While Lee has met the rapper Snoop Dogg and likes him personally, he said the promotion of Snoop Dogg’s pimp image in mainstream culture — such as a Chrysler ad featuring Snoop Dogg with Lee Iacocca — is a bad thing.
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[Translate]After the Dust Settled: Post Considerations on Kill Bill
Oct 18th
The Spill on Kill Bill
There are few movies that glorify gore for the sake of cultural expression such as Kill Bill. Quentin Tarantino whose credits include Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown has made modern inroads with his glorification of a variety of mediums and genres sutured with violence in Kill Bill. The following is not intended to give a full blow by blow analysis or critique of the movie but an overview that will highlight some of the crucial points the movie established, thus impacting a Christian worldview. One could visit Focus on the Family’s Plugged In to get a family review[1] or Michael Medved’s editorial in USAToday for an overall critique of the film.[2]
The film which opened up on October of 2003, gave movie goers the ride of their life as they saw images that contrasted between what seemed real and fantasy, between the macabre and the tender moments of death and suffering. The movie’s main thrust comes from the “The Bride” played by Uma Thurman as the movie depicts her quest for vengeance as team of assassins left her for dead. The Rotten Tomatoes movie review website gives a great synopsis about the movie.
KILL BILL: VOL. 1 tells the first half of the sprawling story, which is quite simple at first glance. A female assassin, referred to as “The Bride” (Uma Thurman), is attacked on her wedding day. Dead are her soon-to-be husband and unborn child. However, she doesn’t die. Four years later, she wakes up from a coma looking for revenge. Although her ultimate target is her former boss, Bill (David Carradine), it’s quite clear that The Bride is saving the best for last. And before she can track him down, she must methodically take out the minions who ruined her life. VOLUME 1′s targets include Vernita Green/Copperhead (Vivica A. Fox), Sofie Fatale (Julie Dreyfus), and the heartless O-Ren Ishii/Cottonmouth (Lucy Liu). Using a blessed sword handmade by Hattori Hanzo (Sonny Chiba), The Bride begins her relentless assault.[3]
The film includes a variety of genres such as action, suspense, and horror among others. In addition, it artistically involves a variety of color tones that are used for different sequences with tender but eerie songs that are reminiscent of the Kung Fu theater scores and the Sergio Leone spaghetti Westerns. If one could compare it with a painting, Tarantino uses a variety of stylistic instruments as well as mediums such as crayon, clay, oil and watercolor paints, and so on. The darkened theaters and the surround sound give this particular canvas an effect that could leave any viewer somewhat mesmerized. Nevertheless, we will discuss the juxtaposed images that give Kill Bill a name for its own.
In addition to the beautiful color expressions and mixing of different mediums is the actual content of the movie itself. One has to give credit to Tarantino as he tries to give new backgrounds to different shades of violence depicted throughout the movie. In cinema a person is made aware of incoming violence, whether it is glorified or not, by the usual shift in setting. The marked differences could be registered by a change of darker colors and suspenseful music thus categorizing violence as such. Nevertheless, in Kill Bill we see that Tarantino uses juxtaposed images to denote an eerie violence. For example, there are scenes in the movie where there is an immense amount of blood and gore by the heinous revenge The Bride carries out. This, in turn is backdropped by melodic tones that are downright opposite of what you are seeing.
Furthermore, the introduction of Japanese Anime and a style format that carries out like a book shows that Tarantino wanted to tell a story in every possible way. In essence, once again, Tarantino has to be given credit for exploring different avenues a storyline can be conveyed. Nevertheless, the content is what strikes a chord against the Christian worldview.
Means with Ends
As was mentioned before, what concerned us here is what Tarantino purported to convey in the storyline, in other words the content. As other critics have pointed out, there really is no content to Kill Bill’s storyline. As Michael Medved’s piece points out, there isn’t much of anything in the movie.
Widely described as the bloodiest feature film ever released by a major studio (in this case, Disney’s Miramax division), the movie stands out not because of the presence of graphic violence but due to the absence of anything else.
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 offers no characters, no relationships, no plot, no suspense, no clever dialogue and no resolution. Instead, it plays like an extended, unspeakably gory trailer for Kill Bill: Vol. 2, scheduled to be released in February. Other films will deploy extreme brutality to advance or intensify a story, but this one concentrates on violence as a substitute for story or intensity.[4]
Hence, we should not confuse the means with ends. Just because the movie uses a plethora of means to convey content it doesn’t necessarily mean that it has any. This is a very fundamental and crucial point in regards to a Christian worldview. We entertain ourselves to death by the graphical acupuncture that stimulates us to a lull while content (in this case contentless) information seeps in to our minds. On amazing example was What Dreams May Come, directed by Vincent Ward. The scenery and background (music, lighting, color tones, etc) was so mesmerizing that few people noticed that it was assuming a pantheistic/new age worldview that advocated themes such as reincarnation and karma. It was a very beautiful and aesthetic movie indeed; however the message came with what I call a worldview compromise. A worldview compromise is where there is a sort of mental give and take that happens when we as Christians are not truly rooted in truth. Therefore, when we see movies such as Kill Bill and What Dreams May Come we compromise truth by passively receiving variables that without all the production glitter and glamour would otherwise strike us at being in odds with biblical principles.[5]
Conclusion
In short, Kill Bill is dangerous not because of how upfront it is with violence but because it caters to the non content-like stories (or lack there of) that are promulgated in a Western postmodern society. It is literally a passion play for it plays on the passions and not on the intellect, thus bypassing reason. Therefore, as our children lull before contentless material, they receive it with no reasonable justification. At least with content one has the opportunity to see if it is tied to themes such as redemption, vengeance, vindication, etc., so that we are able to use judgment, reason and opinion to justify or disregard. This is not the case with Kill Bill.
This reminds us of Leeloo (Milla Jovovich) in the movie The Fifth Element where she happens to look through video player at what seems like hours of footage with images of violence. She stood there watching as she tried to learn from millennia of history through a series of images depicting pure violence. Afterwards she went into despair as she gave up on the idea of saving earth. The content she saw on the spaceship impacted her to the point of not wanting to exist anymore. However, what the movie failed to provide was that images are just that, images. In a certain sense they do not speak for themselves for they lack content and context; elements that are lacking in many movies today.
Therefore, it is imperative that one is more discerning with the content of movies. This will help in being proactive instead of reactive when it comes to such movies.
[1] See www.family.org [2] See http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2003-10-21-medved_x.htm [3] http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/KillBillVol1-1126182/about.php [4] http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2003-10-21-medved_x.htm [5] The inverse also happens when one misses a beautiful theme in paying too much attention to the graphics and setting.SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "After the Dust Settled: Post Considerations on Kill Bill", url: "http://www.thomisttacos.com/after-the-dust-settled-post-considerations-on-kill-bill" });
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