Comments for Challenging Times http://www.facingthechallenge.org/wordpress David Couchman's blog on living in today's world in the light of the Bible. Tue, 03 Aug 2010 14:18:16 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Comment on The Golden Compass by rusmeister http://www.facingthechallenge.org/wordpress/?p=159&cpage=1#comment-1355 rusmeister Tue, 03 Aug 2010 14:18:16 +0000 http://www.facingthechallenge.org/wordpress/?p=159#comment-1355 A few years onward... I was pleased to see that the prospect of sequels has been buried. The film was an economic failure, and so the masters of Hollywood, whose god is the dollar, will not support more losses. The reason is simple. Pullman is no Lewis. His thoughts may be entertaining to some, but they are not intellectual. Pullman calls for "freedom of thought" while being entirely bound by an emotional hatred of Christianity that evidently makes him unwilling to really study it as fairly if it were a far eastern religion. He supposedly wants to teach children to question authority - as if they needed to be taught that. Any parent of actual children knows, that even before they hit their teens (the minimum age at which one would read this book or watch this film) they question authority without any teaching whatsoever. The thing they need to be taught is respect for authority - that authority is erected as a defense against real dangers. The idea that authority is necessarily bad/evil is itself brainless. Free thought, as Pullman understands it, is merely an unwillingness to actually think - to have assumptions that faith and organized religion are evil - as if anything that proposes to have a real effect in the world ought to be disorganized and cannot possibly be a force for good. Reading more Lewis and GK Chesterton and less Pullman would cure people of a mentality that actually discourages thinking. A few years onward…
I was pleased to see that the prospect of sequels has been buried. The film was an economic failure, and so the masters of Hollywood, whose god is the dollar, will not support more losses. The reason is simple. Pullman is no Lewis. His thoughts may be entertaining to some, but they are not intellectual. Pullman calls for “freedom of thought” while being entirely bound by an emotional hatred of Christianity that evidently makes him unwilling to really study it as fairly if it were a far eastern religion. He supposedly wants to teach children to question authority – as if they needed to be taught that. Any parent of actual children knows, that even before they hit their teens (the minimum age at which one would read this book or watch this film) they question authority without any teaching whatsoever. The thing they need to be taught is respect for authority – that authority is erected as a defense against real dangers. The idea that authority is necessarily bad/evil is itself brainless. Free thought, as Pullman understands it, is merely an unwillingness to actually think – to have assumptions that faith and organized religion are evil – as if anything that proposes to have a real effect in the world ought to be disorganized and cannot possibly be a force for good. Reading more Lewis and GK Chesterton and less Pullman would cure people of a mentality that actually discourages thinking.

]]> Comment on Lily Allen: The Fear by Ministry for the Young Generation | Ntuchamber http://www.facingthechallenge.org/wordpress/?p=474&cpage=1#comment-1323 Ministry for the Young Generation | Ntuchamber Sat, 19 Jun 2010 00:52:40 +0000 http://www.facingthechallenge.org/wordpress/?p=474#comment-1323 [...] issues as well as active in environmental and social issues. Here are two comments from “Challenging Times” that viewed her song as a criticism on the contemporary materialistic [...] [...] issues as well as active in environmental and social issues. Here are two comments from “Challenging Times” that viewed her song as a criticism on the contemporary materialistic [...]

]]> Comment on What’s happened to Slipstream? by David http://www.facingthechallenge.org/wordpress/?p=1086&cpage=1#comment-1311 David Wed, 02 Jun 2010 10:17:26 +0000 http://www.facingthechallenge.org/wordpress/?p=1086#comment-1311 There are several rss feeds from Slipstream, at http://www.eauk.org/slipstream/rss-feeds.cfm These will continue to be updated. The URI for the podcasts is http://www.eauk.org/slipstream/podcast/index.cfm ... and this will also continue to be updated. The Slipstream page on our site http://www.facingthechallenge.org/slipstream.php ... won't be updated. And the slipstream rss feed on our site http://www.facingthechallenge.org/slipstream.xml ... also won't be updated. I hope this helps. There are several rss feeds from Slipstream, at
http://www.eauk.org/slipstream/rss-feeds.cfm

These will continue to be updated.

The URI for the podcasts is
http://www.eauk.org/slipstream/podcast/index.cfm

… and this will also continue to be updated.

The Slipstream page on our site
http://www.facingthechallenge.org/slipstream.php
… won’t be updated. And the slipstream rss feed on our site

http://www.facingthechallenge.org/slipstream.xml
… also won’t be updated.

I hope this helps.

]]> Comment on What’s happened to Slipstream? by Myers Cooper http://www.facingthechallenge.org/wordpress/?p=1086&cpage=1#comment-1310 Myers Cooper Wed, 02 Jun 2010 08:35:03 +0000 http://www.facingthechallenge.org/wordpress/?p=1086#comment-1310 Does this mean that the podcast URL is now defunct? Does this mean that the podcast URL is now defunct?

]]> Comment on What’s happened to Slipstream? by Eddie http://www.facingthechallenge.org/wordpress/?p=1086&cpage=1#comment-1309 Eddie Wed, 02 Jun 2010 08:15:25 +0000 http://www.facingthechallenge.org/wordpress/?p=1086#comment-1309 Is there an rss feed for the slipstream audio and video materials? Is there an rss feed for the slipstream audio and video materials?

]]> Comment on The Golden Compass by Anonymous http://www.facingthechallenge.org/wordpress/?p=159&cpage=1#comment-1260 Anonymous Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:01:34 +0000 http://www.facingthechallenge.org/wordpress/?p=159#comment-1260 <a href="#comment-1259" rel="nofollow">@Livie </a> So what you're saying is: * It's OK for Philip Pullman to disagree with Christianity * It's OK for you to disagree with us But it's not OK for us to disagree with Philip Pullman? How is that right? @Livie

So what you’re saying is:
* It’s OK for Philip Pullman to disagree with Christianity
* It’s OK for you to disagree with us

But it’s not OK for us to disagree with Philip Pullman?

How is that right?

]]> Comment on The Golden Compass by Livie http://www.facingthechallenge.org/wordpress/?p=159&cpage=1#comment-1259 Livie Sun, 14 Mar 2010 06:12:00 +0000 http://www.facingthechallenge.org/wordpress/?p=159#comment-1259 Hi, I am a middle school student and even I know that everyone has a right to express their own opinons in their books so if you dont want to read it because it suggests that the Church is 'evil' then please do not come complaining to us. Pullman has provided another look at Christianity that may be negative but that does not mean it is true. So get over it. Hi, I am a middle school student and even I know that everyone has a right to express their own opinons in their books so if you dont want to read it because it suggests that the Church is ‘evil’ then please do not come complaining to us. Pullman has provided another look at Christianity that may be negative but that does not mean it is true. So get over it.

]]> Comment on God: new evidence by RT http://www.facingthechallenge.org/wordpress/?p=1029&cpage=1#comment-1257 RT Thu, 25 Feb 2010 17:11:24 +0000 http://www.facingthechallenge.org/wordpress/?p=1029#comment-1257 David, Just a note regarding Richard Dawkins... He does not claim that religious faith is evil. He states that he believes religious indoctrination (particularly of young children) to be heinous, and believes the Bible to be morally corrupt. I could be wrong (since it's been a while since I've read it), but I don't recall Dawkins specifically stating in "The God Delusion" that all religious faith is "evil". If you are using his BBC series titled "The Root of All Evil" as a reference, then you should know that he did not choose that title. In fact, he was against using it himself; it was the BBC producers who ultimately chose that name for his TV series. Thanks for posting the link to the Focus.org site - I plan on viewing the videos now. - RT David,

Just a note regarding Richard Dawkins… He does not claim that religious faith is evil. He states that he believes religious indoctrination (particularly of young children) to be heinous, and believes the Bible to be morally corrupt. I could be wrong (since it’s been a while since I’ve read it), but I don’t recall Dawkins specifically stating in “The God Delusion” that all religious faith is “evil”.

If you are using his BBC series titled “The Root of All Evil” as a reference, then you should know that he did not choose that title. In fact, he was against using it himself; it was the BBC producers who ultimately chose that name for his TV series.

Thanks for posting the link to the Focus.org site – I plan on viewing the videos now.

- RT

]]> Comment on Brian Walsh and Sylvia Keesmaat interviewed for Slipstream by Wondering http://www.facingthechallenge.org/wordpress/?p=310&cpage=1#comment-1253 Wondering Fri, 12 Feb 2010 04:12:37 +0000 http://www.facingthechallenge.org/wordpress/?p=310#comment-1253 I have not read the Colossians book yet, but some of what Brian said here on this page is a concern: "Truth is stranger than it used to be". In my understanding God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. What is even more concerning is that these two people are teaching our generation doctrine (or something like that). Are you perhaps making belief in Jesus' blood more complicated than it should be? The Gospel has never changed, God has never changed. I have not read the Colossians book yet, but some of what Brian said here on this page is a concern: “Truth is stranger than it used to be”.
In my understanding God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. What is even more concerning is that these two people are teaching our generation doctrine (or something like that).
Are you perhaps making belief in Jesus’ blood more complicated than it should be? The Gospel has never changed, God has never changed.

]]> Comment on The Golden Compass by Tim http://www.facingthechallenge.org/wordpress/?p=159&cpage=1#comment-1252 Tim Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:10:21 +0000 http://www.facingthechallenge.org/wordpress/?p=159#comment-1252 I am a elementary school teacher and not religious in any particular way. I have read both stories to my class and they can actually distinguish between real and fantasy! Both have value of fantasy stories and the theology in them does provide good discussion points for talking to the kids about what they and their families believe. Kids just don't accept stories as having relevant truths to them. I loved the Narnia books as an 8 year old, they are still great stories and yet i would hardly describe myself as religious. I am a elementary school teacher and not religious in any particular way. I have read both stories to my class and they can actually distinguish between real and fantasy! Both have value of fantasy stories and the theology in them does provide good discussion points for talking to the kids about what they and their families believe.
Kids just don’t accept stories as having relevant truths to them. I loved the Narnia books as an 8 year old, they are still great stories and yet i would hardly describe myself as religious.

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