i saw these too - i laughed and it's easy to say, "yeah, that's them... look at us." but i read a few of the comments on youtube and they have some good points... some excerpts:
"It's funny how there is little or no gospel message in these videos. They are just opportunities to make fun of Christians, the Church, the Bible and such. That's real helpful. (not!) It's a "good" message for non-believers, isn't it? It shows how we Christians, or Christ followers, can knife each other in the back. That's a GREAT message for th unsaved. Nice work post-modern, U2 Kool-aid drinkers."
and...
"Muslims worldwide are returning to their roots while Christians are fighting over who can reject their past more strenuously." (thanks spmat) Christ Followers will be beheaded just the same as those lame Christians. This is why the West will fall :("
so i do laugh and think it's funny... and yet i understand the points being made and agree...
i see what you're saying, but i think you're wrong to say that its like a knife in each others back. what kind of world do we lice in where it becomes "betrayal" to say something bad about your religion? i associate that comment with how people said anti-war protesters were un-patriotic, or how questioning the "patriot" act was un-patriotic. lemme show you how your quote is similar to it.
"It's funny how there is little or no politcal message in these videos. They are just opportunities to make fun of Americans, the United States, the Constitution and such. That's real helpful. (not!) It's a "good" message for non-Americans, isn't it? It shows how we Americans, or Members of the US, can knife each other in the back. That's a GREAT message for th non-Americans. Nice work post-modern, U2 Kool-aid drinkers."
i mean what does that sound like to you? sounds like middle america blindly patriotic crap. to me. if its wrong, whats wrong with saying that its wrong? just because i'm christian does it mean i have to take everything laying down and let it go? just because i'm american does it mean i can never say that what americans do is wrong?
hahaha, i'm just kidding. i see your point billy. thanks for using the political parallel. though i'm not sure if i think that it's the same thing.
it's like trying to make a point by mocking your little brother. yeah, it's making a point, but we've put down people whom we call family.
legit questioning/standing up for what is right [war protests]... are all desperately needed... but mocking people whom we try to maintain some level of unity with and would claim as brothers and sisters in Jesus seems counterintuitive... counterproductive. i don't read it as someone trying to take away our right to question.
i think what i read in the comments made [btw, were not comments I made... seems like you were thinking that i wrote them] was this, "what good does it do to pick on other people whom we call brothers/sisters in Jesus? what does it accomplish in the end? It only makes us think we’re better then them… that we pity them for being so caught up in that kind of Christianity." i have no problem with questioning things... if our church isn't an example of "questioning" things, then i don't know what is... but that’s how I read it. i didn’t take it as a challenge to the right to question.
but all in all, i think it's pretty funny. i found in on youtube and saved it as favorites. but i'm just saying that i think i understand the intent of the comments and recognize that it's not as productive as it might have intended to be.
I don't even know if any one will read this, but something about that video didn't sit well with me...
Lisa showed it to me a week ago after checking Billy's xanga. To be honest, there are a lot of things I feel, and I think I can try to understand the novelty of the clip, and I can admit that maybe I am wrong, but I don't see how this can rightly bring unity, love, understanding, or edification. Is there room to question? Absolutely... but there are ways of questioning, and for someone who questions a lot and gave a lot of headaches to my old church leaders with my constant rebellion, I just don't see how this manner of cynical, tongue and cheek jabbing is Christ-like. I understand Jesus questioned the religious elite and He often put them to shame... but I think He could do that because He could see every man's heart. I don't think we are in any position to make assumptions of what it is in the heart of "conservative" Christians.
I dunno, maybe I am making assumptions myself... I don't want to judge the guys who made this film or even the people who love it... I guess it just brings me down when we cut down people we call brothers and sisters in Christ in this manner. It's one thing to talk to them (conservatives) and debate/discuss/talk over things we don't agree on and another thing to have a sense of superiority on Jesus-following with heavy doses of condescending tones. Again, I might be wrong, I just felt that we are basically reversing the judgmentalism... I explained this to Lisa after having sat quietly pondering the video and she came to the same conclusion, realizing that we gotta love the Christians we don't necessarily jive with as much as we do those we love... we can talk about it if any of you want to talk about it.
I think the video is pretty funny. I'm glad Billy linked us to it. Of course, it might have just been a ploy to increase You Tube viewership.
Just kidding, Billy. It was a good video, and I'm glad that as Christians, we can kind of poke fun at ourselves sometimes. After all, it kind of brings us down a notch when we see our flaws like this. I wonder if people would view the video differently if it came from a conservative church/group or a contemporary one.
And what's wrong with dressing up for church? Don't we dress up to show respect, kind of like how we dress a little better at a graduation or in a courtroom? I can understand if you're the type of person who just doesn't wear suits, and goes to a wedding in jeans. But, if you're going to dress up for other events, why not church?
If the way we dress shows our respect for our audience, shouldn't we wear our "Sunday best" on Sundays? Why do we save our good clothes for other occasions, but show up to God's house in whatever is clean and convenient? Is that a representation of how we feel about God? Doesn't God deserve our best? (Did you realize this entire paragraph is comprised of questions?)
Then again, maybe our casual style of clothing at church is representative of how close and comfortable our relationship with God is. After all, He has seen us at our worst, when we are completely filthy and unpresentable. And even in those times, he loves us still. So, if God loves us dispite all the filth and grime, I'm sure he would love us in our jeans and t-shirts. I guess that's how unconditional love works.
Not to mention, dressing more casually may make church more inviting to other people, like non-Christians. It's almost like diluting the Bible...if we don't explain about how God would like us to serve Him and the Church and help those in need and things like that, we could probably attract more non-Christians, too. I guess we shouldn’t mention tithing, either.
Anyway...those are a fraction of the thoughts that this video provided for me.
i can see where you all are coming from, and yes maybe it is a bit 'judgemental'. but to me i see it as a thought provoking piece, just like i thought saved and dogma were good movies that brought up good points and good questions. yes some view them negatively, but i didn't.
i think this is just what happens when christians make spoofs off of ads on tv that slander the competition. ie: apple to PC, jack in the box to mcdonalds/ burger king, and PEPSI to coke (which is why coke is better... they don't have to use propaganda to sell a product).
politicians do it all the time. negative advertising.
8 comments:
i saw these too - i laughed and it's easy to say, "yeah, that's them... look at us." but i read a few of the comments on youtube and they have some good points... some excerpts:
"It's funny how there is little or no gospel message in these videos. They are just opportunities to make fun of Christians, the Church, the Bible and such. That's real helpful. (not!) It's a "good" message for non-believers, isn't it? It shows how we Christians, or Christ followers, can knife each other in the back. That's a GREAT message for th unsaved. Nice work post-modern, U2 Kool-aid drinkers."
and...
"Muslims worldwide are returning to their roots while Christians are fighting over who can reject their past more strenuously." (thanks spmat) Christ Followers will be beheaded just the same as those lame Christians. This is why the West will fall :("
so i do laugh and think it's funny... and yet i understand the points being made and agree...
i see what you're saying, but i think you're wrong to say that its like a knife in each others back. what kind of world do we lice in where it becomes "betrayal" to say something bad about your religion? i associate that comment with how people said anti-war protesters were un-patriotic, or how questioning the "patriot" act was un-patriotic. lemme show you how your quote is similar to it.
"It's funny how there is little or no politcal message in these videos. They are just opportunities to make fun of Americans, the United States, the Constitution and such. That's real helpful. (not!) It's a "good" message for non-Americans, isn't it? It shows how we Americans, or Members of the US, can knife each other in the back. That's a GREAT message for th non-Americans. Nice work post-modern, U2 Kool-aid drinkers."
i mean what does that sound like to you? sounds like middle america blindly patriotic crap. to me. if its wrong, whats wrong with saying that its wrong? just because i'm christian does it mean i have to take everything laying down and let it go? just because i'm american does it mean i can never say that what americans do is wrong?
i hope not.
no, billy you're wrong...
hahaha, i'm just kidding. i see your point billy. thanks for using the political parallel. though i'm not sure if i think that it's the same thing.
it's like trying to make a point by mocking your little brother. yeah, it's making a point, but we've put down people whom we call family.
legit questioning/standing up for what is right [war protests]... are all desperately needed... but mocking people whom we try to maintain some level of unity with and would claim as brothers and sisters in Jesus seems counterintuitive... counterproductive. i don't read it as someone trying to take away our right to question.
i think what i read in the comments made [btw, were not comments I made... seems like you were thinking that i wrote them] was this, "what good does it do to pick on other people whom we call brothers/sisters in Jesus? what does it accomplish in the end? It only makes us think we’re better then them… that we pity them for being so caught up in that kind of Christianity." i have no problem with questioning things... if our church isn't an example of "questioning" things, then i don't know what is... but that’s how I read it. i didn’t take it as a challenge to the right to question.
but all in all, i think it's pretty funny. i found in on youtube and saved it as favorites. but i'm just saying that i think i understand the intent of the comments and recognize that it's not as productive as it might have intended to be.
I'm listening to Christmas songs right now. I'll check this out when I'm done...on December 26th.
I don't even know if any one will read this, but something about that video didn't sit well with me...
Lisa showed it to me a week ago after checking Billy's xanga. To be honest, there are a lot of things I feel, and I think I can try to understand the novelty of the clip, and I can admit that maybe I am wrong, but I don't see how this can rightly bring unity, love, understanding, or edification. Is there room to question? Absolutely... but there are ways of questioning, and for someone who questions a lot and gave a lot of headaches to my old church leaders with my constant rebellion, I just don't see how this manner of cynical, tongue and cheek jabbing is Christ-like. I understand Jesus questioned the religious elite and He often put them to shame... but I think He could do that because He could see every man's heart. I don't think we are in any position to make assumptions of what it is in the heart of "conservative" Christians.
I dunno, maybe I am making assumptions myself... I don't want to judge the guys who made this film or even the people who love it... I guess it just brings me down when we cut down people we call brothers and sisters in Christ in this manner. It's one thing to talk to them (conservatives) and debate/discuss/talk over things we don't agree on and another thing to have a sense of superiority on Jesus-following with heavy doses of condescending tones. Again, I might be wrong, I just felt that we are basically reversing the judgmentalism... I explained this to Lisa after having sat quietly pondering the video and she came to the same conclusion, realizing that we gotta love the Christians we don't necessarily jive with as much as we do those we love... we can talk about it if any of you want to talk about it.
I think the video is pretty funny. I'm glad Billy linked us to it. Of course, it might have just been a ploy to increase You Tube viewership.
Just kidding, Billy. It was a good video, and I'm glad that as Christians, we can kind of poke fun at ourselves sometimes. After all, it kind of brings us down a notch when we see our flaws like this. I wonder if people would view the video differently if it came from a conservative church/group or a contemporary one.
And what's wrong with dressing up for church? Don't we dress up to show respect, kind of like how we dress a little better at a graduation or in a courtroom? I can understand if you're the type of person who just doesn't wear suits, and goes to a wedding in jeans. But, if you're going to dress up for other events, why not church?
If the way we dress shows our respect for our audience, shouldn't we wear our "Sunday best" on Sundays? Why do we save our good clothes for other occasions, but show up to God's house in whatever is clean and convenient? Is that a representation of how we feel about God? Doesn't God deserve our best? (Did you realize this entire paragraph is comprised of questions?)
Then again, maybe our casual style of clothing at church is representative of how close and comfortable our relationship with God is. After all, He has seen us at our worst, when we are completely filthy and unpresentable. And even in those times, he loves us still. So, if God loves us dispite all the filth and grime, I'm sure he would love us in our jeans and t-shirts. I guess that's how unconditional love works.
Not to mention, dressing more casually may make church more inviting to other people, like non-Christians. It's almost like diluting the Bible...if we don't explain about how God would like us to serve Him and the Church and help those in need and things like that, we could probably attract more non-Christians, too. I guess we shouldn’t mention tithing, either.
Anyway...those are a fraction of the thoughts that this video provided for me.
i can see where you all are coming from, and yes maybe it is a bit 'judgemental'. but to me i see it as a thought provoking piece, just like i thought saved and dogma were good movies that brought up good points and good questions. yes some view them negatively, but i didn't.
maybe thats where we are different :)
i think this is just what happens when christians make spoofs off of ads on tv that slander the competition. ie: apple to PC, jack in the box to mcdonalds/ burger king, and PEPSI to coke (which is why coke is better... they don't have to use propaganda to sell a product).
politicians do it all the time. negative advertising.
i say just come as you are, suits or jeans!
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