The Exorcism of Emily Rose speaks to both beleivers and doubters alike. Terry Mattingly is quoted as saying " (it's purpose is to) make believers think twice about what they believe and doubters have doubts about their doubts.” in Plugged in Movie Review by Focus on the Family.
After watching this movie something glarred me in the face, and it didn't have horns or red eyes. It was the realization that our culture is obsessed with the spiritual realm, and yet denies it's true existence. Just count the number of movies in, and coming into, theatres related to the subject and you'll see what I mean.
C.S. Lewis said, "There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors."
As Father Moore said, “Demons exist whether you believe in them or not.” So I wonder how pleased they are with our Culture, who has the "best of both extremes. We disbelieve in devils, and yet feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them?
TSB VIII
2 months ago
11 comments:
Cultures have been obsessed with spirituality since the beginning, that's where all the different religons sprung from. I think in North America we are seeing it more now because we are becomming a post-christian nation - people are no longer taught the basics - angels good, deamons bad - and so they search on their own.
Yeah, I think in an age where it's considered negatively dogmatic to say anything specific about God, angels & demons become more popular. This occurred during the Roman Empire and it occurs today in our culture.
What I'm most concerned about, though, is the 'unhealthy interest' level in the North American church. Even though the Bible says very little about angels and demons, I observe quite a few Christians almost obsessing over angel & demon 'ology'.
I think part of the unhealthy obsession could be because people with the gift of discernemnt arn't properly taught why they have that gift and how to use it. They feel (sometimes see) things in the world around them that are evil and, understandably, firghtning and try to figure out why.
Hmm... good thoughts, all around. Fox Mulder (on X-Files) once said "Did you really think you call up the devil and then ask him to behave?" or something like that. I think our culture doesn't know what it's messing with.
Steph, Man has been searching since probably the Tower of Babel to connect with some spiritual power.
I think Post-Christian is simply your 20th & 21st Century atheist or agnostic. I say this basically because people who don't want God to have any say in their lives claim one of the two. The whole I can't be accountable if I don't believe mentality, kind of reflects that post modern philosophy we talked about.
There are those in North America who have genuinely never heard of Jesus and I would not call them Post-Christian, because they haven't had a chance to "go beyond God" if they haven't heard of him yet.
To wrap this us I would tend to think "Post Christians" are no longer searching. They have been exposed to God and rejected him. Now they are using the spiritual realm for entertainment, and as the saying goes, "you play with fire, you're gonna get burned"
Matthew,
My philosophy when dealing with the demonic has always been "I'm not gonna go looking for a fight, but there are times the fight is gonna find me and I'm gonna be ready". When these times come I want to be equipped for the fight and I use the Bible to equip me, rather than Pop-theology.
As Coach Boone says in Remember the Titans, "I don't scratch my head unless it itches and I don't dance unless I hear some music. I will not be intimidated. That's just the way it is.
Steph,
I agree we don't always properly train people how to use their gifts and that results in the gift being stunted. I think I agree with the obession being intially provoked by an evil presence trying to misuse the gift as an in, but I'm not willing to go that far with ya.
I tend to think God doesn't give us a measure of a gift we aren't ready to exercise. I tend to think gifts are appropriated to us, given and as we are found faithful the measure increased. I don't think God just blindly dishes gifts. It' more likely the seeing demons and unhealthy obsession is fueled from other sources.
te term post-christian nation refers to the fact that at once point in North America, you could talk about any Bible story and have the assumption that most of the people you were talking to would have a basic understanding of what you are talking about, whether they were "Christians" or not. That is no longer a safe assumption as the majority of North Americains stopped going to church in the last generation and now there is an all new generation who has never heard about Noah, Moses, Jesus or anything Biblical. Post CHristian doesn't mean they have been exposed to CHristianity and rejected it, it means they havn't had the chance to reject it, at least not personally. they figure their parents rejected it and they had good reason, or that the culture rejected it, or whatever.
Steph, I see how u use the term, "post christian" I stil ldon't agree with it's use, but that is a topic 4 another time. So we'll let it rest.
not just how I use it Dave, how it's been used every time I've heard it.
but then again, I read a lot that you think is junk anyways, so use it however you see fit.
An i know that's going to come across harser than I intend it to, it's ment to give you a chuckle, not upset you
...was the movie itself worth watching? i've heard that from a christian standpoint, it was actually fairly blunt and accurate about the truth of the Gospel.
Post a Comment