The Giver Movie Processing....

This past weekend I was with some friends and went to see the movie The Giver. It is definitely one of those "I need to process this" kind of movies. It is a movie that explores (imperfectly) the question, what it would be like if we could somehow take away people's emotions and pain and control their environment?

(Spoiler alert!)

    The boy (named Jonas) who we follow throughout the movie is chosen during a special choosing ceremony to be the next "receiver" for the community. The job of the receiver is to receive memories of what life was like before and experience pain. His mentor (called the Giver) gradually gives him memories of what things were like before the environment was controlled.
     Jonas eventually learns about what his father does and is horrified. His father sends people to "Elsewhere" which is another term for euthanasia. Anyone who doesn't meet the correct standard is euthanized and his father (because he has no emotion) just does it like he would do anything else. It's another job and another thing to take care of and he does it with a smile on his face. It's unnatural and Jonas' reaction is appropriate.
     He values life and people being able to experience life. I agree heartily with this idea as it is portrayed in the movie. I think that life should be valued and that people should be allowed to make their own choices even if those choices are bad ones.
     I do not agree with all of the ideas portrayed in the movie. In this film (and I imagine in the book as well) it is assumed that man is basically good and if we just control his environment there would be no war or fighting or stealing or lying. It is assumed that everyone will be nice to each other, there would be no competition, and no covetousness whatsoever. I do not agree with this idea.
     I believe that man is at his core basically bad (Psalm 51:4) and that even if you do control his environment he is going to want to do things that are wrong. I don't think you can medicate that out of someone by removing his emotions.
     It is true that people were doing wrong things because it was their jobs. Maybe it's harder to see the wrong that people were doing because they did it without feeling guilt. But then they could feel fear somehow. I'm still trying to work this whole thing out. Like I said its an "I need to process this" kind of movie.
    Obviously this is an imperfect attempt at trying to answer a "what if" scenario. But that is all that we are going to get from stories like this because they are written by imperfect people. This just goes to show that even a very good attempt still falls short of being perfect and that's ok. It got me to think and I hope it gets others to think too.
     This all being said. I thought that the value of life and the messages that we should be free to feel, think, and make our own choices were a good ones and would encourage those who want to see this movie to go and see it. Just realize that you may not agree with everything and that's ok. Discuss it with others and figure out what it is that you don't agree with and why.

Movie Review: Ragamuffin

     This movie is about Rich Mullins (the music artist who wrote "Awesome God," "Sing Your Praise to The Lord," "Sometimes by Step," and many other well written songs). It's one that follows where the man went and who he met when.
     It's a drama. It doesn't really capture the lovableness of a struggling alcoholic/drug addict who has been captured by Christ. It very much captures the emotional pain that all sensitive people go through. Rich was a very emotive person but he was also very much an approachable and lovable person too who could entertain and make you laugh but at the same time would say profound things that would make you think. This movie captures only the dramatic side it but it fails to portray his humorous side.
    It briefly shows his generous nature (he gives a shirt away while he's at the reservation) but it doesn't show how generous he was. He was always giving stuff away. He comes across in books as a very selfless person whereas in the movie he comes across as being a bit selfish (mostly in the self pity department but you see it elsewhere too).
      From what I've read of him he seems to be someone who couldn't get enough of God and wanted desperately to be like Jesus. That same level of passion doesn't come across in the movie.
     It was a good movie and some of the scenery is really beautiful. I think that his story is still a good one even though it's only one dimensional when it comes to his personality. It was worth watching at least once but just be aware it doesn't really do justice to the full individual.
      It did humanize him more for me which is probably a good thing. It also helped me to connect the dots of what happened when which was also very helpful.
      If you aren't familiar already with Rich then I would suggest reading Arrow Pointing to Heaven to get a better picture of who Rich was and his passion for God. (I have gotten a little more than halfway through this one and have really enjoyed it so far). You could also read a collection of his writings called "The World as I Remember It: Through the Eyes of a Ragamuffin." (I personally haven't read this one but have heard good things about it).
      If you have watched this movie and have something to add feel free to comment below.

Book Review: Chucking College

     I picked this book up because I believe that college is not necessarily the answer to higher education. I believe that its possible to get a good education without going to college and use the money that you may have spent for classes on building your own business. I was hoping that this book might give me some tools and answer some questions on just how a girl like me might go about doing that.
     Lets just say I did not want to finish this book. The first 3 chapters are all a big rant on how awful colleges are. Chapter 4 has some good things to say and then she starts the rant up again for the next 2 1/2 chapters. The author takes her experience and applies it to all colleges. I got the idea that the author herself did not do enough research before setting off for college and so, by default, had a bad experience while there. (If you don't do your research what do you expect?)
     At first I just wrote down questions because I like to give the author a chance to redeem themselves before I just start thinking negatively about what they have to say.
     I asked:
     Is the author being fair in making overarching statements about all colleges? Is it possible that there are good colleges out there and the author was just very hurt by one college and sought evidence to justify her position? Is this chapter just one big rant that just happens to have some truth to what she is saying but is not necessarily true everywhere?
   
     Ok so the last question may have been a little judgmental. (One out of 3 isn't bad.) I was kind of getting annoyed with the rehashing of the same topic only in different words by that point anyway.
     I thought that the testimonies sprinkled throughout the book were helpful and came from people who were just saying that college didn't work for them so they went another rout or that this is what they did instead of going to college and getting a degree. (In some cases they were more helpful and more insightful than the chapter that they were placed in).
     Chapter 4 was pretty good except for one statement that Melanie makes which I found to be a little pharisaical on her part. She says:

     "Imagine if you had $50,000-$100,000 cash and could invest it in a way that would establish a solid foundation and launching pad for your adult life. Would you choose to spend it on attending required classes based on someone else's agenda for your life, on studying under liberal professors, on living with an arbitrarily assigned person, and on having your innocence and purity robbed?" (Emphasis mine)

     Are any of us truly innocent? I mean really? Does college suddenly cause us to have a sin nature? This is not the first time in the book that she has said something like this I just was so mad that she seemed to be ranting about how "evil" college was once again. OK I get it Melanie, can we just move on now?
     Now I do agree with her that spending tons of money on something that may or may not work out is not a wise choice which is the main thrust of this chapter. So other than that it was a good chapter to read.
     Later she talks about this 24 year old named Jen Keeton who was expelled from Augusta State University because she believed that homosexuality was a behavioral choice rather than a state of being. She was a Christian and stood by her Christian values and I applaud her for it. We should expect to get this sort of treatment from the world because the world hates God and anything or anyone that smacks of Him or who stands for truth no matter how small that truth may seem.
      From how the author writes it sounds like there are no Christian colleges out there with men and women of faith on campus. I have friends who have been to colleges where they met godly young women and men and they do exist! Just because the author did not experience it does not mean that this scenario does not exist anywhere!
    In the context of talking about Psalm 1:1 she states:

    "College offers the counsel of wicked professors, who earnestly desire students to adhere to their liberal teaching; the unavoidable necessity of standing in the way of immoral acquaintances - sinners really....."

     She says all of this saying that you will come across these things at college but you come across these things at home too. I believe that the young college bound student that doesn't do their homework and research their college carefully may indeed have to take classes from wicked professors but someone who values their education should really be diligent about researching the college before committing to it.
     The last statement is particularly odious to me:

     "standing in the way of immoral acquaintances - sinners really."

 You can't find this at home? You don't find yourself spending time with sinners? I found these statements to be a bit judgmental. Yes, there are people who go to college to party and to live the "college life." We are called to love them and not be the one to "cast the first stone" so to speak.
     She ends chapter 5 with this:

   "Culture changing does not happen effectively by integrating with the culture. Think of the righteous man who feels called to witness in a bar, and take note of his strategy. He goes in there, "engages the culture" with the gospel, and then gets out as soon as his mission is accomplished. Hanging out in the place of temptation will not accomplish any more good; in fact, doing so has been proven to cause weaker "missionaries" to become desensitized and worn down by constant pressure to join the crowd."

     I have to ask, what did Jesus do? He was known for hanging out with tax collectors and sinners. If someone feels called to witness in a bar then it's better to obey that calling and reap the harvest than to ignore it and walk away because its "beneath" you to go there which is kind of the feeling I got towards the end of this chapter.
     We must remember to rely on Christ's strength instead of trying to stand on our own. Christ will give us the strength to stand against temptation.
     From how Melanie writes you would think that you could lose your salvation but the Bible teaches that "the Lord will keep you from all evil he will keep your life (Psalm 121:7)". If we are truly saved there is nothing that can take us away from God.
     In chapter 6 Melanie complains about not being able to get people to agree not to drink while they were in Europe for a college tour. I'm sorry honey but you can't be everyone's parent and sometimes it's best to just be kind to people and pray for them.
     She also makes some more comments about how "evil" college is. It's really too bad that she takes college to this extreme. You can find good colleges out there and people do get good experiences there. Like I've been saying, you need to do your research to find these colleges but they do exist!
     In chapter 7 she goes into some of the things that you (in her opinion) shouldn't be studying in college: Greek mythology, Philosophy, Evolution, and Religion Studies. I totally disagree. I believe that you can study these things in order to have an understanding of what others believe so that we might be better equipped to give a defense of our faith. True we do not necessarily need to know what other people believe but it behooves us to know so that we can better understand where they are coming from. I don't think that studying these things will make us any less a Christian.
     Once you get through the rant bit of the book (the first 7 chapters minus chapter 4) then the rest is more of the kinds of information that I wanted to begin with. She gives helpful suggestions on how to build a better resume, hints on what you can do to start up your own business, tips on what you can claim on your taxes, and encouragement to keep on learning even though you are not in school.
     Melanie is just trying to be helpful but in the process she ends up being very judgmental of all colleges. I do not believe that all colleges are bad there are just fewer colleges out there that are good (including good Christian colleges).
     Will I step foot in a college classroom myself? I don't know. This world is changing and with so many options and things available it can be overwhelming. I may have to go to college to get a degree or take a few classes if I feel The Lord calling me to a particular field of study and that is ok. But while I wait I am going to explore the world around me and gain skills and knowledge in areas where I want to have skills and knowledge in.