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| Friday, May 24, 2013 |
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Quotes from the original Matrix: -Neo, sooner or later you’re going to realize just as I did that there’s a difference between knowing the path and walking the path. Taken out of context, the quotes may not seem like much, however, I think there are a lot of Gospel/truth parallels. |
Spider-man: |
Nate, I see what you mean with most of your “Matrix” quotes, but can you expand on some of them? What Gospel do you see in the “spoon” and the “rabbit-hole” quote? :) |
Each time I see Hellboy, I’m surprised by what a good movie it is. |
Proud Daughter of Eve, Thanks for asking. Here is the full quote about the spoon: Spoon boy: Do not try and bend the spoon. That’s impossible. Instead… only try to realize the truth. It would be impossible to eliminate (bend) challenges and temptations from our lives. To me, the idea that ‘there is no spoon’ means that the challenges and temptations placed before us in this life are just a distraction from the truth. The temptation/challenge in and of itself is of no value. It is simply the catalyst that causes us to choose. And it is our choices that shape us into what we are and by which we are judged. The ‘rabit-hole’ has to with learning truth and obtaining knowledge. I compare the choice presented to Neo to the war in heaven. Satan’s plan was to keep us under control–forcing us to do good–using us only to glorify himself. Taking the blue pill would have kept Neo in this state, innocent–never being able to grow past the reality of what he truly was–a man imprisoned in a glass bathtub filled with pink fluid–being used by the machines. Our Heavenly father’s plan was the riskier plan. We aren’t ‘safe’ like we were in the bathtub, but our Heavenly Father knew that our eternal destiny was much greater than to spend an eternity in that state. By coming to ‘Wonderland’ each of us has the chance to learn truth–and upon knowing truth (good from evil) we have the opportunity to choose the good and to grow (become more like our HF). So I guess we all took the red pill. |
I was talking with Steve Evans about the best super-hero movies ever. We both agreed that the original Superman, Spiderman 2, and X-Men 2 were among the best, though we didn’t agree on the order. Steve also told me that I needed to see Hellboy, which he said was up there with the finest. I’ve been meaning to check it out for some time, but now that I’ve seen you’re post, I’m adding this to my NetFlix queue. Spiderman 2 is a great study in the problems we create for ourselves when we hide our candle under a bushel. |
Song lyrics: Diana Ross (on the meaning of life): “Do you know where you’re going to? Do you like the things that life’s showing you? Do you know? Do you care?” Jewel (on salvation): “Who will save your soul, after all the lies that you told?” Spice Girls (on agency): “Tell me what ya want, what ya really really want. I’ll tell you what I want, what I really really want.” Movies: “The Blue Bird” starring Shirley Temple. About the pre-mortal existence. BTW, Mormons aren’t the only ones who believe in a pre-mortal existence. This belief is also commonly held by Catholics. |
Threadjack – “best super-hero movies ever” I thought Spiderman was better than Spiderman 2, just because when I finished the movie there was part of me that said, “Yeah, I relate to that guy. That could happen. That could’ve been me.” For the same reason, I think the most recent Batman movie deserves to be in the “best of” category. I like realism and a consistent story line. I would still include Spiderman 2 on the list of greats. Spiderman 3 stunk. Back to this thread – Southpark – At the “Welcome to Hell” new arrival orientation, several of the new occupants ask, if they, a devout [INSERT VARIOUS RELIGIONS HERE] weren’t making it to heaven, “Who was?” The cruise-director-like orientation officer checks his clipboard and responds, “The MORMONS. Yep, only the Mormons are going to heaven.” In all seriousness, the Sword of Truth novels, a fantasy series by Terry Goodkind, are all about free agency. Some people probably won’t like the novels because of the violence, perversions, fornication, etc., that are used to make you understand the evil that is being fought against. |
Good points, Nate. :) Bookslinger, that’s news to my Catholic husband. But he converted as a teen and so doesn’t have a lot of roots in the Catholic community. Where did you learn that? Hm. Most of your examples I can see but care to expound on how the Spice Girls are talking about agency? Not to thread-creep, but what did you like so much about “X-men 2″ and “Spider-man 2,” DKL? I don’t remember if it’s “Spider-man 1″ or “2″ I’ve seen but I wasn’t impressed by either of them. |
Jota, but if the Mormons are right, almost no-one is going to hell. I’ve seen that scene and I appreciate the props but it misses a fundamental point of LDS doctrine. Or, since you then said “in all seriousness,” were you joking? That “Sword of Truth” thing sounds interesting but I quit watching “CSI” because I didn’t need the ugliness and though it perhaps has good intentions, I don’t want to wade through ick to get the good. Same reason I didn’t watch “The 40 Year-old Virgin.” My brother and sister (not active) wanted to watch it one of the last times we were all together; I didn’t have any interest but in the interest of family bonding, gave it a chance. I excused myself about 10-minutes in, I think. My sister was upset with me and tried to point out that in the end he doesn’t have sex until he marries the girl and he tells her something about how he realizes he’d been waiting for her, but I’m not sitting through 90 minutes of stuff like that horse joke* first. *If you don’t know what I’m referring to, count your blessings. For reference, it’s the story the main character’s buddy tells him about how he and his girlfriend spent the weekend at the beginning of the movie. |
I like this German movie called FAR AWAY SO CLOSE (sequel to WINGS OF DESIRE) as an illustration of how hard it is to make the little right choices even with the best of intentions for our long-term (eternal) goals. |
“in the end he doesn’t have sex until he marries the girl” Well thanks for spoiling it for everybody else… |
Spoon boy: Do not try and bend the spoon. That’s impossible. Instead… only try to realize the truth. I think they ripped off “Coming to America”. |
Um … what about Star Wars or Battlestar Galactica? |
And there are moments in “V for Vendetta” that are deal with agency… |
PDoE: Re: Spice Girls and agency. Exercising agency is making choices concerning what you “really really want.” God judges men according to their desires in addition to their works. D&C 137: 9 “For I, the Lord, will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts.” Those who say “I want ‘A’ right now, but since I know ‘B’ will be better in the long run (or because ‘B’ is God’s commandment), I choose ‘B’” are merely playing a semantic game. Someone who reasons thusly is still both choosing and wanting ‘B’, or at least wanting ‘B’ with a greater desire than wanting ‘A’. Re: Catholics and pre-existence. I don’t know if it’s official Catholic doctrine. Or if it’s taught in catechism classes. But it’s held by at least one of my full-blooded-Italian traditional Catholic friends. |
I remember Star Trek used to have a lot of references to the spirit world and eternity. |
I’ve written this elsewhere, but I found that the gospel permeated the 2002 film “Changing Lanes” starring Ben Affleck and Samuel L. Jackson. Taking place on a Good Friday, the film is about the power of forgiveness and the demands of the Atonement. |
Daughter of Even (10) – Yes. I generally don’t watch TV shows or movies that depict scenes that make me uncomfortable. I have a little more tolerance for novels. A few of the violent scenes described of the Sword of Truth novels pushed the edge for me and I almost stopped reading them. I’ve gone back and forth in my mind about whether they were necessary to the plot line, or if they were gratuitous. I think they were necessary. There was no other way to cause the reader to understand the pure evil that was being battled. That said, even as good as the novels are, you should not read them if you’re sensitive to those issues. |
Sorry. Eve, not Even. My bad. |
NP, Jota G. I didn’t mean to sound like I was coming down on the books you mentioned. I just like to explain too much. :) |
Jota G, we’ll have to agree to disagree about Spiderman vs. Spiderman 2. I liked both of them quite a lot (and Spiderman 3), but I liked Spiderman 2 a lot better. I agree that Batman Begins was very, very good. I thought that it dragged too much in the middle. Plus, though the inclusion of so many classical Batman villains was inventive and well done, I think that Ra’s Al Ghul ended up being a less-than-optimal main villain, basically showing up to explode a bunch of stuff at the end and while droning on-and-on about social darwinism. (Social darwinists don’t make good movie villains — I think that’s a gospel principle.) I repeat, I really enjoyed the movie, and I bought it on DVD as soon as it came out. I just thought that it didn’t make the cut of the top 3 |
My children and I agree that Monday Night Football is so rife with spiritual themes that we need to use it as the basis for our lesson. |
I remember the first time I heard “What if God Was One of Us†by Joan Osborne. I was mesmerize and yet shocked at the frankness of the lyrics. If God had a name what would it be? And yeah, yeah, God is great If God had a face what would it look like? |
queuno, BSG is just too easy. Plus if we discuss it it might cause Languatron to show up… |
