So, finally, after years of being inundated with advertisements, glowing endorsements and media reports about its ability to create frenzy amongst pre-teens, I have read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Okay, so strictly speaking, I didn’t read it – I listened to it on tape – but I think that still counts and anyone who disagrees can please spell out their reasons below.
At any rate, I think Harry fell into that same trap that so many highly rated works of art fall into: I was expecting the absolute best. Not sure why. I think, because it’s the best-selling work of fiction of all time (excluding the Holy Bible), I was expecting something phenomenal. The same way I expected Gone with the Wind to be phenomenal for being the best-selling motion picture of all time.
I always seek out those “#1 selling” bits of art/entertainment just to see what all the fuss is about. Titanic, Thriller, Seinfeld, DaVinci Code, Citizen Kane and Roots are all things I initially looked into because they are, in their respective fields, some kind of superlative. I’ve met with different levels of satisfaction in each case. In the case of Harry, I certainly wasn’t blown away. I was never caught up in the action or emotion of the story so much so that I couldn’t put it (the car radio) down.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and am currently ‘reading’ book two in the mile-wide series. I appreciated how all-encompassing the world was: names of streets, names of potions; all sorts of things were detailed reminiscent of Star Wars in their ability to enhance a fictional world. As a side note, I wish we really lived in a world where you could tell if someone is good or evil based solely on their name.
At the same time I was listening to this book (well, not the exact same time), my wife and I were watching a TV miniseries entitled Tin Man, which billed itself as a ‘re-imagining’ of the Wizard of Oz.
I bring this up because both works of fiction had that same old worn-out premise: what I like to call “The Messiah Premise”.
Here’s the synopsis: A young person comes of age by discovering they are (in some ambiguous prophecy) destined for greatness. Only they can save the world! They are endowed with special powers, allowing them to cheat through their obstacles. In fact, they are so special that there was even something unusual about their parents: immaculate conceptions come to mind (or, perhaps we are just never told about their lineage). As they begin their world-saving journey, they are helped along the way by various friends – including one all-wise oldster who, for whatever convoluted reason, can’t do the job of saving the world themself. Along the way, they are told various bits and clues about their past and their future, all very cryptic and, without fail, would have been a lot more helpful had they known such things a wee bit sooner. In the end, they meet up with their greatest foe. And though their loyal sidekick may have been there with them right up until that point, through some twist of plot, they must face the demon alone. Oh – and they’re probably related to that demon. In the end, however, they succeed in saving humanity as we know it.
This story is perhaps best known in the gospels, but is also central to Harry Potter, Tin Man, Lord of the Rings, Superman, The Matrix, The Never Ending Story, Star Wars (twice!), The One Moses, King Arthur and a thousand other tales. I’m not saying this makes for a bad movie/book/comic/TV show, I’m just bored with it. I much prefer someone who rises to greatness through their own gumption. Indiana Jones, Sherlock Holmes and Captain Picard come to mind…
Friday, March 28, 2008
Friday, March 14, 2008
Creation Reveals God’s Glory!
The September 2006 issue of Awake! (a monthly periodical published by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society) invites us to “consider the wonders of God’s handiwork”. It invites us to “then ‘hear’ what these things are ‘telling’ you. No doubt, you will reach the same conclusion as did the apostle Paul—that not only God’s existence but also his qualities can be readily ‘perceived by the things made.’” (page 27)
I, for one, whole-heartedly, unequivocally, unabashedly, unapologetically agree with this excerpt. Surely, if biological beings are the handiwork of the God of the bible, then undoubtedly a closer inspection of His creations can reveal much about Him. Much the same as Moonlight Sonata reveals the personality of Beethoven and Three Musicians clues us in to Picasso’s mind.
The Awake! magazine also said: “By taking an in-depth look at what God has made, ‘His handiwork,’ we can learn what some of his qualities are. Well, what do we see?” (08Jan1979, page 11)
Good question. What do we see?
When this line of reasoning was touted at Witness meetings, audience members reveled in noting the love a mother cat shows for her kittens, the humor we see in watching otters, the beauty in parrots, the power of whales and, of course, the intelligence of humans.
Here then, I submit 5 creations that reveal the Lord’s personality…
1. The Cuckoo
Female cuckoos don’t bother making nests and incubating their eggs. They simply find an existing nest with a clutch of eggs already inside it and then, when she sees an opening, she surreptitiously deposits an egg. When the nest owner returns, she is unaware that she is now sitting on someone else’s egg. Soon, the baby cuckoo hatches and proceeds to shove the original eggs out of the nest. Mom is left with an adopted child she never asked for and none of her own.
2. Japanese Giant Hornet
This lovely creature looks for food by searching out beehives, then calling in reinforcements. The couple dozen Giant Hornets spend the next couple of hours ripping the heads off of the tens of thousands of bees courageously guarding their nests. When finally all the bees lie asunder and dying, the hornets enter the nest and steal the children. They then carry them off to their own children, who will eat them. Kind of like when Israel ransacked Jericho.
Here’s a video of the storm troopers in action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fTrSOFyfxs
3. Human bot fly
God created this awe-inspiring animal in such a way that it lays eggs right on top of a mosquito. The violated mosquito then lands on a human, where the eggs rub off. The nice, warm body heat of the human gives the eggs the signal they need to hatch. The little hatchlings then burrow into the skin and live under there.
4. The Blue-ringed Octopus
Unlike other animals, which often kill to eat, the octopus just bites whenever it feels scared. God shows his mercy and kindness in this bite, which immediately numbs the mouth and tongue, blurs the vision and creates paralysis. There is no known antivenom, but if you can round up some of your friends, they can perform CPR on you for several hours until the venom wears off.
5. Ichneumon Wasps
This example of Godly benevolence lays its eggs right inside a living host. God even gave the females freakishly long ovipositors so that they can jab, syringe-style, right into a caterpillar’s body and push out their eggs. Upon hatching, the larval begin feeding on the STILL LIVING host. Since even baby wasps like fresh meat, they take precaution not to kill their host. Right away. At first, they chomp on non-essential organs, waiting until they are ready to leave the ‘nest’ before consuming the brain. Hallelujah!
I, for one, whole-heartedly, unequivocally, unabashedly, unapologetically agree with this excerpt. Surely, if biological beings are the handiwork of the God of the bible, then undoubtedly a closer inspection of His creations can reveal much about Him. Much the same as Moonlight Sonata reveals the personality of Beethoven and Three Musicians clues us in to Picasso’s mind.
The Awake! magazine also said: “By taking an in-depth look at what God has made, ‘His handiwork,’ we can learn what some of his qualities are. Well, what do we see?” (08Jan1979, page 11)
Good question. What do we see?
When this line of reasoning was touted at Witness meetings, audience members reveled in noting the love a mother cat shows for her kittens, the humor we see in watching otters, the beauty in parrots, the power of whales and, of course, the intelligence of humans.
Here then, I submit 5 creations that reveal the Lord’s personality…
1. The Cuckoo
Female cuckoos don’t bother making nests and incubating their eggs. They simply find an existing nest with a clutch of eggs already inside it and then, when she sees an opening, she surreptitiously deposits an egg. When the nest owner returns, she is unaware that she is now sitting on someone else’s egg. Soon, the baby cuckoo hatches and proceeds to shove the original eggs out of the nest. Mom is left with an adopted child she never asked for and none of her own.
2. Japanese Giant Hornet
This lovely creature looks for food by searching out beehives, then calling in reinforcements. The couple dozen Giant Hornets spend the next couple of hours ripping the heads off of the tens of thousands of bees courageously guarding their nests. When finally all the bees lie asunder and dying, the hornets enter the nest and steal the children. They then carry them off to their own children, who will eat them. Kind of like when Israel ransacked Jericho.
Here’s a video of the storm troopers in action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fTrSOFyfxs
3. Human bot fly
God created this awe-inspiring animal in such a way that it lays eggs right on top of a mosquito. The violated mosquito then lands on a human, where the eggs rub off. The nice, warm body heat of the human gives the eggs the signal they need to hatch. The little hatchlings then burrow into the skin and live under there.
4. The Blue-ringed Octopus
Unlike other animals, which often kill to eat, the octopus just bites whenever it feels scared. God shows his mercy and kindness in this bite, which immediately numbs the mouth and tongue, blurs the vision and creates paralysis. There is no known antivenom, but if you can round up some of your friends, they can perform CPR on you for several hours until the venom wears off.
5. Ichneumon Wasps
This example of Godly benevolence lays its eggs right inside a living host. God even gave the females freakishly long ovipositors so that they can jab, syringe-style, right into a caterpillar’s body and push out their eggs. Upon hatching, the larval begin feeding on the STILL LIVING host. Since even baby wasps like fresh meat, they take precaution not to kill their host. Right away. At first, they chomp on non-essential organs, waiting until they are ready to leave the ‘nest’ before consuming the brain. Hallelujah!
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