Much to my shame I must admit that I do in fact watch Adam Sandler movies. I think the best of them all is Reign Over Me, but for sheer laughter I rather enjoy Happy Gilmore. In the movie Happy Gilmore, Adam Sandler’s character is having trouble putting because he is a former “hockey player” and can’t quite get used to the adjustments necessary for going from a slap-shot to a putt. One piece of advice given to Happy Gilmore is for him to enter a “happy place.”
We all have “Happy Places.” For some it’s a comfortable room; for others it’s a darkened movie theater. As for me, my “happy place” has always been a coffee shop. That is why I write this post. My happy place is no more. What do I mean?
Monday was Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. It’s
nationally recognized as a day of service to the community. There were some
folks that occupied the sidewalks in front of banks, there was graffiti
removal, and parks were cleaned. All this was to celebrate the memory of a
truly remarkable man.
My son Elijah is in Kindergarten and this is the first year
that he was taught about Martin Luther King Jr. When my wife and I picked him
up from school he was wearing a crown with the words, “I have a dream that…” emblazoned
on the front. The rest of the crown were lines that each kindergartener was
able to write about what they dream about. Elijah wrote, “that people would
help each other up.” My son and his friends fall down…a lot! Watch the speech below...
Early on Monday, we took a trip to Costco to buy some much
needed house supplies. We were successful in getting all that we needed…and, of
course, a trip to the food court. On the way home we tuned in to National
Public Radio (NPR). My wife and I listen to NPR most of the time that we’re in
the car to keep abreast of what’s going on in the world and in our country. It
was not surprising then, that NPR was airing Martin Luther King Jr’s “I have a
dream speech.” We all listened intently – including Elijah.
I’ve recently been asked to watch a YouTube video that pits
religion against Jesus. The reason I was asked to watch it is because it so
clearly describes what is expected of people who follow Jesus and stands in
direct conflict with much of what is taught in churches. I liked the video. The
production style is very well done. But what about the content? See below.
I think, by and large, the content is solid. However, the
biggest problem I have with the video is that it contrasts two things, which
aren’t necessarily at odds. Is religion and Jesus at odds?
I don’t think so. I think the major conflict we see
throughout scripture (Old Testament and New Testament) is between true religion
and false religion. When God sets forth various prohibitions to the worship of
Baal, gods of the philistines, Ammonites, and Amalekites, and the setting up of
“high places,” He does so because they are wrong, and false. Consistently, God
is calling His people to turn from false idols because in them there is no life,
which results in the worshiper having no life. For, you become like what you
worship; if you worship lifeless idols, you become lifeless. The conflict is
always between what is right and what is wrong; what is true and what is false.
Religion is simply beliefs that humans hold regarding the
supernatural and the actions appropriate for such beliefs. If you have beliefs
about the supernatural and that leads you to live a particular way, then you
are religious, strictly speaking.
