COEXIST: Symbols, Society, and Separation

Most bumper stickers are simple, requiring little thought to get the message the driver wants you to. It’s normally a campaign plea, a sports team, the classic honor student brag, or a funny phrase. One recently popular one, however, really got me thinking. If I take the time to research something (haha), you know it’s been on my mind. You’ve probably seen one of these bumper stickers by now. They’re typically a blue-ish color with big white symbols that appear to make up the word C O E X I S T. What I’m wondering is how to view this concept/movement in light of Scripture and our culture.

HERE ARE THE FACTS:

The Bumper Sticker was created by a website called www.peacemonger.org. From what I’ve read, the creator/owner of Peacemonger is a fairly radical liberal dude, highly involved in anti-war/anti-Bush movements, and even delves into a group that believes 9/11 was a government-staged conspiracy – that the towers toppled as a result of detonated explosives.

Definition, as stated on www.answers.com:

• To exist together, at the same time, or in the same place.

• To live in peace with another or others despite differences, especially as a matter of policy:

The symbols forming the word COEXIST appear as follows:

• C – the crescent moon and star symbolizing and associated with the Islamic (Muslim) faith.
• O – the peace symbol, originally used for the promotion of nuclear disarmament, later adopted by anti-war advocates in the 60’s.
• E – the astronomical symbols for Mars/Venus, later used to denote gender.
• X – the Star/Shield of David, later used to symbolize Judaism and represent the nation of Israel.
• I – the 5-pointed star used to symbolize the religions of Wicca and the Baha’i. Wiccans range from polytheists to atheists and practice witchcraft. The Baha’i basically meld most religions together, stating Jesus/Muhammad/Buddha were simply messengers for an almighty God.
• S – the ying-yang symbol, standing for Taoism, a diverse religion grounded in nature and spirits, and Confucianism, in which people attempt to better and perfect themselves through social and personal efforts focused on morality and virtue. Both religions find their roots in Asia.
• T – the cross, a long time symbol for the Christian faith, depicts the act of love and sacrifice by the God-man Jesus Christ.

Meaning/Message of the movement and those who display the logo, as stated in an article at  www.enochmagazine.com –

• “COEXIST is a way to demonstrate your support of religious freedom, tolerance and understanding.”
• “To encourage others in a greater religious understanding of other’s distinctive faiths, beliefs and practices. To promote friendship, goodwill and mutual trust among them.”

My Take –

In a nutshell, I believe (at this point) that the symbol is a good thing. I don’t believe that it predominantly represents the idea of atheism or some new age nonsense, but of a culture where religious freedom continues, just as our nation was founded on. Christians need to be accepting of all people in order to establish relationships and lead them to the TRUTH. Discrimination and animosity towards other religions, regardless of how wrong they may be, is a perfect recipe for further discord between fellow countrymen and between creations of God. I support the idea of tolerance, in the context of a free nation and a loving standard crafted by Jesus Christ. The sticker does not call us to accept all religions and ways of life as gospel, but to live in an understanding and peaceful way, while still upholding our personal beliefs.

On the flip side, I do think the COEXIST sticker could be confusing to some who are struggling to find an absolute truth. I can see problems when witnessing to someone who has come to believe, possibly as a result of the movement, that one can find God/peace/themselves through many avenues. I think it may be harmful for a Christian to fully support a concept that leaves other options, besides the atoning blood of Jesus, as possibilities for divine/eternal security.

Can you really support COEXIST if you believe John 14:6? What do YOU think? Feel free to reply here on the blog or on the FBook note page.

Swallowed in STATIC

Yes, I still exist. Yes, I’m still keeping up with this blog. And yes, though I don’t actually have a terrible amount of information to report about MYSELF, I felt obligated to chronicle what little HAS happened. Maybe it’ll be more than I expect . . . here it goes ->

Hard to remember where I was last time I blogged (and yes, I realize I could just go back to my last “weekly-ish rant” post and check, but I’m not lol), but let’s see . . . . I think I had just gotten into RTS and had 3 weeks to get a job before that started. Well I didn’t get one. OH – and before I forget – none of this is supposed to sound like a boo-hoo whine-fest, these are just facts. I realize it is called the “Weezer RANT” but I’m not complaining, just recapping. ANYWAYS – I have some good leads on jobs at this point, but wasn’t able to nail one down before seminary started, so I will be sitting this game out. No big deal though. I’m pretty effective in the stands, anyways haha. But this way I can pay off the little debt I have and save some cash for later. SO this has left me with a lot of free time, aside from working on getting a job and the occasional day of random work. So I have caught up on a lot of movies (which we’ll get to later), re-polished my frisbee golf skills, unpacked a few old video games, and helped work at church. Ah yes- that’s actually a positive update – so Grace Church has 3 locations right – and we’ve always wanted to visit the downtown one, especially now that I live 5ish min from it. So the one week we visit they unveil a church building that’s been given to them via a dwindling church looking to merge. The building is on McBee St, right next to CBH, and is over 150 yrs old. We’re talking old-school white church w/ steeple, big steps out front, pillars, pews, a pipe organ, and a wrap-around balcony. So with this new building comes plenty of new opportunities to get involved – very cool considering I had been frustrated with trying to get re-involved. Anyways, so all I have to do now is get a job. Living at the Tucker residence is cool. Plenty of freedoms and a laid-back lifestyle. Thankful for friends who give me something to stand on while I put my limbs back on. Here’s the cool things though – I was in so far over my head in Cali that this situation hasn’t even phased me. At least I know people here, and people who care and love me. God got me through that, so I think I can manage this. My biggest problem is not being angered by my current state of inactivity, dwelling on the “what ifs” of the past. I feel like everything I’m trying to accomplish, for whatever purpose, is on hold, and all I’m trying to do is break free from a static I’ve been engulfed in for far too long. The scope of this feeling goes a long way sometimes. However, I know God knows what He’s doing, but living like you really believe that can be tuff sometimes.

HERE’S the rest ->

Music

Only thing to report here is last night’s FACING YESTERDAY concert, in my opinion, was thier best yet. They released their EP, A Different Shade of Night – solid performance all around. Glad to see Tucker as the newest member of the band, utilizing his talents for back-up vocals, keys, and hopefully some upcoming violin action.

Sports

Not a lot happening right now. Olympics are going on and I have never cared less hahahaha.

TV

Well TV, for me, is now in its prime. LOST and American Idol are in full swing. This week on AI we’ll here the first round of the Top 24. The final season of LOST is in full swing, slowly but surely SORT OF answering a myriad of mind-bending mysteries we’ve been submersed in for years.

Movies

Ok here’s the loaded section – like I said, a lot of free time has led to a lot of movies, but I’ll keep it brief (ish).

– Shutter Island – been pumped about it for months, since it was supposed to come out in Oct. It’s about an investigation of an escape from a high security mental institution for the criminally insane. Without giving anything away, let me just say that the previews are a bit misleading. This movie is NOT a horror flick. Think mystery suspense drama with some tense and spooky moments. Really good flick, not great – DiCaprio is excellent, as usual, and the story easily entertains and keeps the audience interested. 8 outa 10.

–Book of Eli – pretty good movie, really cool Biblical themes, Denzel is solid. It’s about a guy with a unique book who journeys through post-apocalyptic America. 6.5 outa 10

– Memento –first big movie by The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan. Really good, unique film. It’s about a guy who loses his short-term memory. Impossible to guess the ending. I have never had to pay closer attention to a film. 7.5 outa 10

– The Time Traveler’s Wife – romantic drama following the wife (Rachel McAdams) of an involuntary time traveling man (Eric Bana). Pretty good movie, McAdams is beautiful and does a great job. 6.5 outa 10.

– The Life of David Gale – solid movie. It’s about an activist against the death penalty (Kevin Spacey) who is eventually convicted of a rape and murder. He then details his story to a journalist (Kate Winslet). Really enjoyed this movie – great acting and story. Warning – some graphic content is involved in the murder scenes. 7.5 outa 10

– Taxi Driver – older Scorsese movie with Robert DeNiro about a mentally unstable Vietnam War Vet who picks up a late night taxi job in NYC. Not a terrible exciting movie, but is pretty good. I would NOT recommend it to the average movie-goer. 6 outa 10

– Heat – mid-’90s Michael Mann flick with DeNiro, Al Pacino, and Val Kilmer. REALLY long movie about a professional detective chasing a professional thief. Pretty boring movie, has one or two tense scenes. Didn’t care for it at all. 4.5 outa 10

– Gosford Park – a british murder mystery film that had pretty high reviews. I watched it for an hour and was so bored I turned it off. Literally nothing happened.  2 outa 10.

Up next on my movies to see list: Law Abiding Citizen, Unforgiven, Raging Bull, and a few more

Well folks, that’s all I got for now. Pray I get a job soon (and, now that I think of it, get back in the gym). God Bless – Peace ->

Weezer’s Spring 2010 Movie Guide

(please note that this list is subject to additions and deletions, and since I obviously haven’t SEEN any of the movies on this list, my official stamp of approval is not on ANY of them.)

Dear John – based on the novel, which I have actually read lol, by Nicolas Sparks (Walk to Remember, The Notebook) – super good book – Feb. 5^th

The Wolfman – stars Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins and Hugo Weaving – Feb 12^th

Valentine’s Day – normally I wouldn’t list a movie like this to go see, but if you want to see a chic-flick, this one looks like a lot of fun and has a TON of people in it, such as: Topher Grace, Emma Watson, George Lopez, Julia Roberts, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Jennifer Garner, Bradley Cooper, Ashton Kutcher, Patrick Dempsey, Jamie Foxx, and even Taylor Swift. – Feb 12

Shutter Island – stars Leonardo Dicaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, and directed by Martin Scorsese (The Departed, Gangs of New York, The Aviator, a lot more). Set in Boston, it’s about 2 federal marshals investigating the escape of an inmate at a prison for the criminally insane. A  MUST SEE – Feb 19

Alice in Wonderland – stars Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham-Carter, Alan Rickman, Anne Hathaway – classic fairytale brought to life by director Tim Burton (Sweeney Todd, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Sleepy Hollow) March 5

Green Zone – stars Matt Damon, directed by the guy who did Bourne Supremacy/Ultimatum. March 12^th

The Bounty Hunter – another chic-flick, just listed because it has Gerard Butler and Jennifer Aniston in it, and they’re both sweet. March 19

Clash of the Titans – stars Sam Worthington (Avatar, Terminator: Salvation) Liam Neeson (Taken, other stuff). Looks insane – big battle of gods and things from Greek mythology. – March 26^th

The Expendables – listed solely cause it sounds hilarious, it’s a Sylvester Stallone directed, over-the-top action flick with some of the biggest names in action – Sly Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Jet Li, Jason Statham, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, etc. April 13

Typically, the best movies of the year come out in the summer and the end of the year. The only movie on here I’m REALLY stoked about is Shutter Island (who’s original theatrical release date was moved up from Oct, 2009). When we get closer to it, I will post the (much anticipated, I’m sure haha) Summer Movie Guide. Until then, these movies should keep you on the right track for your Spring movie-going. If and when I see any of these, I will let you know what I think. Until then, we’ll be seeing ya. Peace ->

Get Back, Get Back

. . . Get back to where you one belonged. (Thank you, Beatles)

Broadcasting LIVE from sunny (not compared to SoCal) Greenville, it’s the premiere episode of the 2010 edition of the WEEZER RANT. For all of you who have been DYING to know what happens next, this is the episode for you. Once again, it’s been about 6 weeks sincem y last post. I really am hoping to make it a more frequent blog, complete with different articles other than my awesome monthly “rants on varying subjects.” Buckled in? Alright ->

Last time I wrote, the epic return-trek was 4 days away. Assuming you read the 1st sentence of this post, you’ll notice I made it back. The trip went REALLY well. Took 3 days, 2400 -ish miles, and a lot of music/podcasts. I stopped at hotels outside Albuquerque and Little Rock. Turns out, with a working alternator and coolant reservoir, the 626 is a fully capable, cross-country towing, warrior of a machine. The trailer gave me little trouble, other than me having zero skill in the BACK UP A TRAILER category. For those wondering, YES, I stopped at the very 1st Zaxbys I saw and fulfilled a long-awaited desire. I was able to arrive back a day earlier then planned, allowing me to surprise my family Sat night and surprise my friends at church the next morning. Over the next week, I made my rounds catching up with everyone. My close friends were kind enough to plan a welcome back party, which rocked. Christmas this year was spent in Delaware with my Mom’s family. That 11 hour car ride up there felt like nothing – a testament to the ridiculous amount of driving I’ve subjected myself to recently.  Biggest thing that’s happened since I’ve been back (aside from what’s detailed in the following paragraph) is me moving. Tucker bought a house back in Oct, and haas been saving me a room in it. I moved in 5 days ago. Loving it so far – the house is big, and has a ton of potential. We are slowly fixingit up. The kitchen is well underway. Now, the big news:

Funny story time – SO as I said last time, I enrolled at BJ Seminary for the Spring semester. A few facts: I have been at BJ since I was in K-5 (that’s 17 years of school). I was definitely excited about enrolling there for seminary, but more because I knew they had good classes/teachers; I was not looking forward to being under the system again. Nothing I couldn’t handle, but getting a degree from somewhere else, getting a fresh, different perspective, and avoiding some minor inconveniences were all things that excited me about being at TMS. I had looked at another school, Reformed Theological Seminary, while I was in CA, but their prices were more than I could handle and couldn’t compete with the huge discount BJU gives its undergrads to enroll in the grad program. Now the story: Last Thursday, I was talking to Mitch Miller and he was detailing some things that happened at BJ this past semester that really got me discouraged about being back there again. Same day – I’m out to eat before the BCS Nat’l Championship game, and Davey McNight is telling me about RTS and reasons I should look into it further, one of which is a potential financial option I was unaware of. With the approval from everyone at the table, and later my parents, I scrambled all over the place on Friday, filled out everything, called everyone, faxed, emailed, requested all the necessary you name it’s. I also had a sweet convo with Ben Fetterolf, who put to rest all my doubts and fears on the matter. That was Friday. Monday morning I drove up to Charlotte w/ Davey and visited RTS. Really liked what I heard/saw. SO in basically 2 days, with the approval of my pastor, former pastor, Oasis friends, parents, and friends – enrolled in ans was accepted to RTS. I’m pumped about pursuing the ministry there, learning about God, and growing in faith. The class system is cool because it will allow me to commute up there 1-2 days a week, and there are several guys in Gville who do that, so we can carpool. Only thing left to nail down is the job . . . . God is good.

Categorical rundown time (yay) ->

MOVIES  – I’ve seen 3 movies in theaters this holiday season, so we’ll look at those.

1. Invictus – not a whole lot to say here, but the movie was good. Matt Damon and especially Morgan Freeman give great performances. The story was good, well written, and for the most part, kept me interested. Definitely not a GREAT movie, and certainly far from my favorite Eastwood flick.

2. Sherlock Holmes – I was really looking forward to this movie. It turned out to be exactly what I expected – an action packed, at times humerous, fun movie. Again, certainyl not a GREAT film, but really well acted (particularly by Downey, Jr) and  just an enjoyable, good time. And (couldn’t avoid mentioning) it has Rachel McAdams in it. Love her. Definitely a recommeneded movie from my take.

3. AVATAR – These 3 movies were all in a “must see” category for me. Avatar was probably the one I wanted to see the most. 12 ish years in the making, $300 – $400 million dollar budget, the biggest advancement in movie-making technology in at least a decade, and James Cameron – the self-proclaimed king of the world. All votes are in, and almost unanimously agree that Cameron has done it again. Avatar received high marks from almost all major critics, none of which weren’t blown away by the jaw-dropping visuals. Now I’ve seen Avatar 3 times at this point (one in regular, twice in 3D). I want to emphasize that THIS IS NOT A MOVIE TO WAIT TO SEE UNTIL IT COMES OUT ON DVD. I don’t care how good BluRay looks, you need to see it on the big screen. If the movie was silent, it would still be worth going to. The 2 hr 45 min film flies by, keeping you, with little trouble, entertained and engrossed in the world of Pandora. I’m not saying it’s my favorite movie, but it’s a GREAT film.

MUSIC – Only one thing to report on here – I finally got ahold of the new Casting Crowns’ album, Until the Whole World Hears. I haven’t listened to it too much yet, but there are some really good songs here. CC is at the top of it’s genre for a reason.

TV – not a ton to discuss here, but a few things of note. I have failed to keep up with The Office since I moved back, so I’m not sure what’s happening there. American Idol premiered Tuesday. I was pumped about seeing Ellen Degeneres on the show, but she wont be on until the Hollywood weeks. Instead, they’ve recruited several singers to be guest judges for the auditions. Finally, I am continuing my re-watch of LOST. I’m currently a couple episodes into Season 5, and with regular nightly watching with the roommates, should be caught up by the premiere of the last season, TUES, FEB. 2nd.

SPORTS – In college sports, Clemson finished off its football season with a win over Kentucky in a minor bowl game. CJ Spiller caps off one of the greatest careers in Clemson football history. It was also great seeing Tim Tebow finish his unparalleled career with an exclamation point. Tebow had nearly 500 yds passing and multiple rushing and passing TDs in FL big win over Cincy.  The Nat’l Championship turned out to be a bit of a let down after TX QB Colt McCoy went down on TX opening drive, leaving TX to rely on a true Freshman QB to lead the team. He did an ok job, considering, but AL came out on top. Personally, I think from what I saw a zero experience QB do to the AL secondary, McCoy would have tore them apart and TX would be the champs, but that wasn’t to be. Congrats, Bama.

In pro sports, the Steelers, for the second straight time, failed to make the playoffs the year after winning it all. Unreal. The Penguins are skating on thin ice recently, losing 7 of their last 10. Not sure what their deal is, but they have the talent to be on top. Finally, the Celtics continue to be amongst the NBA elite, despite a few disappointing losses.

Alright people, I’ve been ranting for quite some time, so we’ll wrap it up with this – This verse of a song has been weighing on me recently, especially during the Christmas season, and surrounded by the wild ride my life has taken this last month:

What wisdom once devised a plan, where all our sin and pride/ Was placed upon the Perfect Lamb who suffered, bled, and died? / The wisdom of a sovereign God, who’s justice will be shown/ When those who crucified Your Son rejoice around Your throne.

– The Glory of the Cross Sovereign Grace Music

If God can orchestrate the greatest celebration of all time out of the greatest tragedy of all time, He can take care of you and me.

Til next time. we’ll see ya.   Peace ->

Marching On (right,right,right,right left)

. . . . . Yea, I know – it’s been more than a month. I posted a Christmas Season Movie Guide, but that was something I had already made up for myself, so I guess it doesn’t count. Anyways – I’m back and writing. Once again, assuming someone other than me reads this, here we go ->

As far as my life goes, things have been pretty routine. I go to school, scrounge up whatever work I can find, and try to maintain (some) sanity. God provided MORE money in a variety of ways, including giving me consistent weekend work with Mike doing tree work, and occasional spurts of work at Ram Board.  The road to Thanksgiving wasn’t an easy one; I had a huge Hermeneutics paper and several Hebrew challenges as well, but God was good and I’m alive. Thanksgiving was SO great this year, I got to spen 10 days in AZ with the Oasis of Truth Church team. Most of Chris’ family joined us Wed and stayed for 5 days,  so even more familiar faces were around than normal. The meal itself was amazing, and the rest of the weekend was filled with hanging out, playing games, ping-pong, video games, movies, and more food. Needless to say, I was super bummed about leaving, but I knew I only had a week and a half of school left before going home for Christmas. And yea . . . . about that . . . .

A semester of intense changes and learning experiences is winding down, and the big decision stares me in the face even more. Ya know what the best advice I got was regarding what to do next semester? My Bible study shepherd told me that the next 6 months of my life is not that big of a deal. Maybe this huge decision of where I’m at school or even IF I’m at school is over-shadowed by a bigger choice – my choice of who to serve on a daily basis. The minute you lose sight of your daily walk with Jesus, then every other decision you face is being seen through a foggy lens. That being said, I will be moving back to Greenville next week (12/10/09) with the plan to continue my degree at BJ Seminary.  YES – once again the trailer of Sheol will be hitched to the 626 as I trek across the globe. PLEASE pray for me as I drive. I have driven long distances before, but not alone.  The job situation is still a big ? , so prayers are appreciated. I’m PUMPED about coming back, seeing my friends and family, furthering my education for ministry,  jumping in at my church, and CHUGGING Zaxbys, but my personality doesn’t like change – so I will still be sad to leave. Cali has treated me better than I deserved, and there are multiple people here I will truly miss.

Alright, now that we got the serious section out of the way, haha, categorical rundown time ->

Movies

– Please see my last post to check out movies to see this Thanksgiving / Christmas Season. I did have the opportunity to catch a couple flicks over the break, so we’ll talk about those. I had already seen the new Star Trek film this summer in theaters, but had the chance to watch it a couple more times. I must have been sleepy or something this past summer becuase the movie was actually much better than I remembered. From a guy who never watched Star Trek but just knew the basic facts, it’s a solid and entertaining action sci-fi flick that MOST people will enjoy. Second movie I checked out was Angles and Demons. Having never seen/read The Davinci Code I was clueless as to what to expect. To those in the same boat – you don’t actually have to see Davinci to understand A&D. The only things tying the stories together are the same central character(played by Tom Hanks) and the general idea of religious conspiracy. I found the movie kept my attention very well, playing out like an Indiana Jones/ National Treasure race against time to find the next clue sorta setup. Not the best movie in the world, and nothing to RAVE about, but totally worth watching.

TV

– Only a couple things to mention here at the moment: 1. I have been continuing to re-watch LOST. I am currently about to start Season 4. The difference between watching a summary of 1-3 and actually WATCHING 1-3 is drastic. I can’t wait to re-watch 4 and 5 and pick-up on tons of little things. 2. Still keeping up with The Office. I haven’t been as impressed this season, but I am loyal enough to the show and to certain characters to continue watching.

Sports

–  Lets see here . . . too sum it up 1. Clemson is currently playing for the ACC Championship. I know he probably won’t win, but Clemson fan or not, I have a problem saying that anyone else deserves the Heisman more than C.J. Spiller. The guy is ridiculous. Overall we had a pretty good season, other than losing some close games early on and then eventually losing to SC. 2. The Steelers are struggling. Having lost 3 straight, they now have to REALLY pick up their game to make sure they can secure a wild card spot in the playoffs. Luckily, the remaining schedule SHOULD be fairly mild. 3. The Penguins have suffered a discouraging load of injuries, but still prove to be one of the best teams in the league. Imagine what they could do if everyone were healthy??? 4. The Boston Celtics struggles for a few games, but have one 7ish in a row and boast the best record in the league. #money

Music

-This may be a longer section than normal, but I recently got my hands on a LOAD of new tunes. Plenty of new albums came out recently, so here’s my take on those select records:

Adam Lambert “For Your Entertainment” – REALLY good album, REALLY bad cover hahahaha. I like almost all the songs; they’re catchy, melodic and capture the full range of Adam’s ridiculous voice.

John Mayer “Battle Studies” – I haven’t listened to a ton of his other stuff, but from what I do know about it I can say that any Mayer fan should be pleased with the new record.

Mayday Parade “Anywhere But Here” – if you haven’t checked this band out, you should. This album in particular is my favorite. Solid tunes

OneRepublic “Waking Up” – really enjoyed this album. Not my favorite group, but there are some really good tracks on here, one of which is credited with the title of this blog entry

I also got All Time Low, Dashboard Confessional, and Daughtry’s new albums, but regrettably haven’t listened to them anough to state an opinion

FINALLY – my favorite Christian group, Casting Crowns, has a new album out entitled Until The Whole World Hears. To my shame, I do not own this album yet, but from what I have read/heard/ know about the band – you will not be sorry for checking it out.

Alright – that’s it for the “weekly-ish rant.” Next time you get one of these, we’ll be broadcasting from SC. woohoo. peace ->