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the rasta temptation & the almighty use of words

(i'm longwinded today...)

Kelvin wrote:
> Actually, that wasn't me.  I believe 
> that was some cat named Kevin.  GET
> THE ELL OUT OF THERE! (snicker, snicker...)
>
> But, since you've dragged me into this, 
> I'll put in my two cents worth:

haha... i knew it wasn't you, i just wanted
you to get involved... :)  actually, sorry,
my mistake... stanky "l" key on my keyboard.
:)

> I'm thinking now of a story I heard from
> Micahel Medved concerning the movie "The
> Last Temptation of Christ."  (sidebar -
> the Kazantzakis book was great - to movie 
> was crap.)

i have yet to read the book.  i'm bad at 
getting books read.  i have many on my list.
i still have one of amyjoy's books that i 
borrowed last april (chaim potok's "the 
gift of asher lev").  i'll get it back to 
you, amy.  maybe i'll take it on the plane 
with me tomorrow... i've been on chapter 3
since may.  i reread them again in november,
but then i stopped again.  so, i'm still on
ch 3...

i just recently saw the movie this year
("last temptation of christ," that is).  i
remember when it came out.  the christians
in southern california (and at my church
there) were starting rallies and picketing 
the movie theatres and movie company, etc.
i was too young at the time to even be 
interested in it.  when did it come out? 
i think i was in junior high, or something.
anyway, the thing that gets me about the
protest about it was that the christians
were protesting it without even seeing it.
this happens all too often.

saw it about a year ago.  it's not trying
to equate itself with the scriptural account
of jesus' ministry.  it's a story.  a story
about how if things were different.  what if
jesus had decided to call the angels to take
him off the cross?  at the end, he decides
to fulfill his father's will.

in retrospect, i think it was ridiculous for
the christian camps to get in such a stir
over something that they obviously had bla-
tantly judged before the even saw it.  while
i can't compare it to the book, nor can i 
say if it was all that great of a movie- it
did have some good points in it.  ESPECIALLY
from a christian point of view.  i think
there's a great statement/idea of thankful-
ness at the end.

> Medved sat in a screening of the movie with
> several other nationally known film critics.
> After the screening was over and they were 
> leaving, they all enjoyed a pretty unilateral
> discussion on how perfectly terrible the film
> was on many levels... However, the next day
> most of those same critics wrote glowing
> reviews...Medved asked about this, the answer
> he typically got was that they didn't want to
> be associated with low-brow, unenlightened
> Christians who they knew wouldn't like the
> film.  

hehe... not a reason for them to write a hypo-
critical review of it... but i thought that 
response was funny of them.  critics are fickle
and swayed it seems.

> Basically, their need to appear as the 
> "enlightened, know-it-all, keepers of all
> that is excellent" outweighed their need
> to be honest.  

honesty elludes us while we try to be 
something greater to impress others.

[back to the "f" poem]

> For those of us who call ourselves 
> Christians, the Bible says "Let no
> unwholsome talk come out of your mouth."

agreed.

> I think that word qualifies as unwholesome
> talk.

i disagree.  i don't think that we can so 
firmly associate the "words" as something
unwholesome.  didn't paul use some strong
words in one of his epistles that was about
the equivalent of "shit"...?  i think it 
gets translated as "dung" or something in
our english bibles.  i forget where, and 
i'm being too lazy to look it up b/c i 
really need to be packing right now.

i still hold fast to the idea of heart's
intent and motives are what our actions 
and words are weighed upon.  what's the 
difference between the word "ass" or "butt?"
what about "shit" and "crap?"  nothing.  
they mean the EXACT same thing.  used in 
anger towards someone- i don't care which
word- it's wrong.

what about... saying "i'm so fucking happy-
i kicked ass on that test" to a friend or
saying "i'll kill you!!" to an enemy?  i 
see no problem with the first one.  i most
likely wouldn't use that in many instances,
as i think some of the words are unnecessary 
but i wouldn't think anything less of someone
who did).  however, someone who spoke in true
anger towards someone while using no cuss-
words or even "christian cusswords," well, i
think the motives and heart are the indicator
of the sinful heart- not the words.

linford wrote a poem about a word...and about
how in a certain context, it held a meaning
that was quite contrary to how we normally
hear it used.  i don't think he was lacking
wisdom in the matter.  i think he was being
brave by being open and vulnerable.

in many personal instances, i use what some
would consider "cusswords" when i'm broken 
and praying.  sometimes it's the only thing
i can think of to say.  maybe my distress at
my own personal condition or need and thank-
fulness for redemption brings that emotion 
out of me.  is my personal or spiritual 
wisdom lacking in this matter?

> It's basically the same thing that got
> Charlie Peacock in trouble with "Kiss
> Me Like a Woman" and Ashley Cleveland
> in more trouble with "Skin Tight".

or Bill Mallonee for "Love Cocoon."  it got
pulled from many christian bookstores... it
was a very sexually suggestive song.  it 
was to his wife, it even blatantly states.
perhaps he should have kept it for he and 
his wife.  perhaps an artist should just 
let flow out of the what their creator puts
into them.  perhaps it's still a beautiful 
testament of the sanctity that god gave to 
he and his wife.  perhaps he just had to 
let the world know of his love.

this is a good thread.  yeah, i don't think
many people will change their stance on 
words overnight.  i think a lot of of it 
deals with culture and background.  i enjoy
this conversation and all of the good 
opinions.  trouble is i have to leave for 
SoCal tomorrow.  i know my mail box is going
to be f'n filled to the hilt when i get back.
i had 26 just today.  10 days... 260?  i hope
not.

buh-bye.

on a big toad kick,
Dan

np: sprocket - pale

+-  Dan Temmesfeld   -  dtemm at yahoo_com  -+
 Mira un poco mas alla, pa'llegar hay que
+- empezar.  Esto es fundamental. (puya) -+ 

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