I just watched a movie "His Only Son" in the theaters made on a shoestring budget of $250K and it was one of the most powerful movies (to me) I've ever seen. But I'm a Christian, and it dealt with the life of Abraham in the bible, with symbolism towards Jesus' death. It caused a lot of introspection of my own relationship with and faith in God.
I think people are yearning for stories that show people not overcoming a contrived drama, but want strength and hope from seeing others overcoming true obstacles in their life and making it something they can draw from. I frankly don't go to the movies much because there's so much swearing, sex, (insert your unnecessary permutation of different gender/sex/lifestyle promotion), and it's found so much in streaming tv shows, movies, etc.
People are burned out from having this stuff shoved down their throats and they're turning their backs on it. They're tired of vapid, shallow plots, actors and characters. They're sinking mentally. Many are wondering if the shot they took (voluntarily or by coercion) is the beginning of a death march and seeing people keel over on live TV or at sporting events, or seeing people around them get covid over and over again, and cancer.
They see the economy crumbling and are worried that things will be even worse than it's ever been, knowing that this administration has lied since claiming to have been elected, on through nearly every financial, military, foreign affair, war or just flat out lying to the American people about what they're seeing with their own eyes.
They're awakening to what Hollywood stands for, and want no part of it.
They need to rebuild relationships within their own families and with their neighbors.
They want real love. Not the one night stands or faux expressions of friendship.
That takes time, and people seem to have lost touch with how to do that.
They know something's missing in their lives. And the world isn't delivering it, and is in fact going the wrong direction and people know it. They want something to hold on to.
For me and many others, it's Jesus Christ, and a sense of divine identity and purpose in myself. And a mission... to bring others towards Christ. Repent, and be happy! There's something so much bigger than what the world has to offer, and people are seeking, and just don't know where to turn.
And it's not the movies or their social movements they're pushing.
It would help for starters if they turn off their cell-phones. That is the single largest cause of 'people losing touch with how to (build more complex and satisfying relationships).'
If all you do is look at Facebook and TikTok all day, how can you possibly expect anything else?
I too sense a renewed interest in religion and my wife and I both feel that there is, in the air, a sense that we are headed toward a revival in the Christian faith. People are overloaded with all the evil tranny stuff that is going on. Homosexuality, while a sin, is one thing -- but people playing God and trying to change their gender is blasphemous to a true believer. I know this is the case for Christians, and I suspect it is also true for Jews and Muslims, as both have joined in the protests against the push to accept the trannies as 'normal.'
[They] have turned up the dial too fast and we are pushing back. Which is another sign they are losing -- they are making stupid mistakes, some of them on their own and I believe, some forced by our side.
I think it's not just the pushback, but when the facts and truth don't support their positions, then it's easy for it to crumble.
The sad thing is that like a bad couple fighting, the topic is merely changed and the argument continues on with a different topic. And we seem to get sucked into yet another argument with no basis in truth. When do we learn to ignore them and stop supporting anything they're using to promote this stuff?
For instance, a total abstinence of Anheiser-Busch products?
That seems to be starting. Wayne Allyn Root just recently announced a new book which I understand will be a list of anti-woke companies that we can support. Amazon (why he sells there I don't know) showed it as available to order but not shipped for a while, so it's apparently not released yet.
I saw a movie recently called "Jesus Revolution" and it was a fascinating view of the early 70's, post hippie movement of the 60's where people were pursuing free love, sex and augmenting that effort with drugs. They were yearning for more and the 60's movement didn't do it.
There was a revival highlighted in early March of this year at Asbury College which has spread to other college campuses.
Wonderful comment, Justin. I haven’t seen that movie yet but it is on my list. I did watch The Chosen (Angel.com available free). Three seasons so far and I loved it!
There are 4 movies under the title God Is Not Dead. Once you watch quality Christian movies you realize you want more…for many of the reason you stated in your comment!
I resisted watching The Chosen for awhile, after having my own experience with Jesus. I didn't want to see anybody else's interpretation.
My wife nagged at me to watch it and I explained why I wouldn't.
Late one night about 2am I decided to watch it. Lots of character development in the first episode and I feel asleep.
Wife busted me about 10 minutes before the end, finding me asleep. I told her I was about to turn it off anyway. Too confusing (fighting sleep).
She said, just watch it. It's almost over.
OK.
10 minutes later, I was crying. The symbolism of that verse being applied to each of us in our struggles and the absolute pure love I felt from Jesus (which I cannot describe adequately with words) have been undeniable.
I ran to the computer and fired off a note to a large number of people about the show.
And I've been a big fan ever since. If for no other reason than to testify of Him and open people's hearts to receiving Him.
Like Dallas says, he can only bring the loaves and fishes. Jesus will feed the 5000. (the world)
And we can honestly each have our own experience with Jesus, and once you have, there can be no denial.
Every knee will bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus is our Savior.
I resisted for awhile too, for the same reasons you had. We form impressions how Jesus “looks” and His mannerisms, I suppose and then we are hesitant to introduce a new “face” to the man. The Christ Mind will shine through any persona who achieves that state of mind…or who acts the part.
I’m just so thankful to find that Christian movies are on the rise in popularity! ❤️🙏
I am editing to come back and add that after that early episode of Jesus with the children, I was completely hooked 😊
I wanted to put some emphasis on something else you said... Isn't it amazing when you find/meet someone who just radiates love? You can just feel it. (sadly, I'm not one of them, but trying to be.)
I've had a hard time with that episode and finally came to the realization that I'm too uptight. LOL. (basically looking for the deeper spiritual meaning).
Of course he would interact with children at their level, with purity and innocence.
The one thing that is interesting in my experience... I can't remember what He looks like. But it's what I felt that was important. And it stayed with me for 11 days.. When it went away, I felt like what I can only imagine a drug user feeling... doing anything possible to get it back.
I remember a time years later, when I was struggling badly with a number of things in my life - failing marriage, unhappiness at my employment situation, etc. and I wanted that experience again, and that desire/entitlement stayed with me for months and I was sinking badly, thinking I was unworthy or something. (the previous experience was preceded by 6 months of intense study of the New Testament as well as a book called "Jesus the Christ" (heavy read, but the words chosen within it were perfect. Read how the book came about.)).
22 Verily, verily, I say unto you, if you desire a further witness, cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart, that you might know concerning the truth of these things.
23 Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have than from God?
And immediately, I realized I HAD a witness from Jesus. What more did I NEED?
Pity party and despair gone. And it's been gone every since.
Now, our church has TONS of Jesus videos. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media?lang=eng But I like The Chosen's actor Jonathan Roumey the best... He has a complexion that is more believable for the region and heritage. LOL. (I suppose that's why I wasn't allowed to remember His face. I would focus on it more than what I felt.)
But I was able to see all the people in the world, and feel of His love for each of them. That was what I was able to keep and feel for 11 days. And felt that way about everyone I encountered during that time. It was incredible!
“ But I was able to see all the people in the world, and feel of His love for each of them”
What a blessing to have such an experience, Justin!
Thank you so much for sharing your story!!
I loved it.
I’ve had two incredible experiences of His Presence…each during a meditation where gratitude, love, and joy we’re very heightened frequencies. The 2nd time I was so startled by the “encounter” that I lost the connection so to speak…how I longed to get it back!
Gifts from God stay with us one way or another forever 🙏❤️
I had one other experience... it was a kinda "shit or get off the pot" moment... 🥴
I was in a crowd, a bit back from the street, as Jesus was dragging the cross through. He stopped for a moment, as if to rest, and turned and looked directly at me. He didn't say anything, but his eyes somehow communicated to me, "Will you follow me?" The decision was in my court...
Sometime later, I saw this video with a scene somewhat close to it (really startled me!). It's about a boy trying to cope with the death of his father. https://youtu.be/pl-dWrhqoxU?t=893 (Called "Easter Dream")
There was a woman I "met" over the internet once, during and after my divorce who I consider an angel. She mentioned he had a gift that allowed her to see relevant scripture references written out on a "whiteboard". Kind of like "John 3:16" or the last few words of _______. She counseled people in real life, and I felt at times that she had scriptures memorized for helping with counseling. Over the course of a few years, there were times she referenced scriptures that she would have had no idea about, and each time they were PERFECT for me.
I recorded these as she shared them with me, and re-read them often - a kind of "mini-bible" for me to help me through that trying time. I was utterly DEVASTATED when it accidentally went through the washer and dryer. She felt that perhaps I no longer needed those scriptures to get through my trial, and it was time to move on. She radiated pure love to me. (I wish I could meet her in person to thank her personally.) She mentioned having conversations as she prayed. I wish I had that kind of relationship... I know it's possible. I saw evidence of it in my life from her.
Was unable to catch this one in theatres, but Jesus Revolution was also good and The Chosen series. Past ten years at least has seen a rise in higher quality faith-based projects.
I’m currently in a hotel on the Strip for some much needed R&R, where I’ve had an in person chance to witness the cultural train wreck that is popular entertainment these days.
Every live performance extravaganza, every single cable and tv channel show now seems to feature the same mindless orgiastic funscape, performed by a multiracial panoply of androgynous obese stereotypes.
Every other commercial is pushing a new pharmaceutical drug to treat some strange new illness I’d previously never heard of, whose list of potential side effects is absolutely blood curdling.
It’s easy to give up hope when you see this nightmarish constant pumping of soul destroying drivel aimed at the masses.
Your review of where this is all headed gives me hope.
The dying gasps of a failed attempt to re-define culture. Just as a star goes nova and explodes at the end of its life (at least, some do), this is where the wokesters are today. And no better place to see it on display than in Las Vegas, which has always overdone everything.
So many of the more Christian movies are filling the theaters with very few vacant seats. Angel studios I understand has bought the rights of Sound of Freedom which I have anxiously looked forward to seeing for years! The culture is definitely changing!
Tim Ballard runs Operation Underground Railroad, and has written a number of books as well, which are pretty good, regarding early leaders of this country and also about the discovery of this country, with a religious slant to it. I'm excited to see this movie as well.
[Disclaimer: I'm a contributor to Operation Underground Railroad, and have a number of Tim's books.]
OUR has a series of documentaries that are done well in addition to books. I just saw that "The Sound of Freedom" was just acquired by Angel Studios and is set for release the second half of this year. I have been waiting a long time to see this movie and my guess is the release is being timed appropriately. - Coincidence that the OUR Films page header reads "Stories Matter" ...
Oh! Thank you for that update on Sound of Freedom…I have often wondered what happened to that movie…suspecting that perhaps it’s release was awaiting the right timing, I.e. when enough people are awake to the trafficking of kids and are finally asking questions.
"While ‘the Right’ has done a fine—if somewhat overblown—job of exposing the Socialist Marxist agendas that have been infecting American school systems and Media discourse for years—and on an accelerating scale—I believe the realm of mass media entertainment, from blockbuster filmmaking to the publishing and music industries is too often left to the side in favor of the exploration of ostensibly ‘more important’ vectors of communication in this ideological, political and logistical war for the control of our nation and its people, for its heart and soul and mind."
Absolutely true. Oddly, the Right recognizes the influence that popular culture has over the minds of many, but does little to harness that power. We complain about the Woke entertainment industries, but do little to offer real alternatives. At best "our side" puts out a few partisan movies and songs that border on (or are outright) propaganda. But if we want to reach the so-called normies and if we want our values, beliefs, and the truth to have a lasting impact on society, then we need to make more of an effort to create genuinely good and enjoyable art and entertainment. Not just alternatives that pander to our current emotional state.
Your article is a wonderful white pill indicating that the time of Hollywood dominance is coming to an end. While Hollywood (and the rest of the mainstream art and entertainment complex) falls, artists and storytellers should be honing our crafts so that we are ready to fill in the gap that will be left by that behemoth's (figurative) death.
You're pointing out that culture precedes policies, and yes, conservatives have not done a good job in getting ahead of things, and are instead reacting.
I believe Ben Shapiro recognized this and it was a key point in starting DailyWire and getting into movies with it. And thankfully the Christian film industry is stepping up with good entertainment that doesn't have cheesy "Hallmark" movie plot lines as they have in the past.
And for our part, we need to support those efforts, and not the hollywood bastardized stories like they did about Noah a few years back.
There are so many good people, and good stories out there. Strength to be gathered by realizing we're NOT alone. Standing up with others who are pushing back on the nonsense, and refusing to be silenced. And speaking with our wallets economically to buy from companies who aren't pushing woke ideologies.
Thanks for this essay. We are the stories we tell ourselves. That is why propaganda is such powerful method of manufacturing our intent. It is so insidious as it stealthfully takes advantage of our human sympathies. It can veer sharply off the rails as during the witch hunts, burnings and dystopia of Europe and early America. The consent manufacturing uses fear mongering to convince. The weaker the person the more susceptible they are to these schemes.
Many people in comments here are talking about Christianity as an alternative story, as an anti-dote to much of the past 100 years of subversive Hollywood degeneracy, and that's a wonderful idea. I love the idea of anything that celebrates love and morality and spirit.
But since I am someone who grew up with liberals, I need to point something out. Part of the reason Hollywood has been so successful at supplanting stories about spiritual life, God, faith, etc and replacing it with drivel is because so many people quite literally left their respective religions behind - they fell out with religion in general - and many did so for very sound reasons. I mention religion and not God/Spirit in relation to this subject because for many, many, people any mention or offering of a Story about Christian Faith, Morality, or God is immediately seen and interpreted as a Story about the Christian Religion, Church, Dogma, and Indoctrination.
Christian stories will appeal to, and draw in only those people who already identify with being Christian - who see themselves that way. The people who do NOT see themselves that way will predictably have a knee-jerk "no thanks" reaction. It's important to acknowledge this reality. Good stories that speak to everyone's humanity can help - if they are NOT overtly religious or overtly Christian-specific.
Yes, I am saying that many Christians have a blind spot, in that they have difficulty seeing where Spirit can and does meet Humanity outside of the Christian paradigm. Much as many Christians would love it if people began ditching Hollywood and going to (Christian) church instead, I can tell you right now that it's not going to happen with most people, especially not those who have already found good reason not to do so.
BB is profoundly insightful when he says that we need to begin making new stories. But there exists a Universe of different views of what it means to be a spiritual being outside of the Christian story. And to reiterate, Christian churches have burned a lot of bridges in recent centuries. If we truly want all of humanity to come along - WWG1WGA - then we have to recognize this.
C.S. Lewis was known to be a devout Christian, and yet his Chronicles of Narnia appealed to a vast audience outside of Christianity. Much like Tolkien's LOTR (they were friends), he was able to tell stories of the celebration of nature, God, and creation, of the spirit of humanity pitted against the odds in a fight with evil - without actually quoting Bible verses or promoting Christianity overtly. This is the power of story.
I agree with your stand and liberal opinions as you explain them and your own context.
I grew up with conservative Roman Catholic values and customs, and when I became an adult (around the age of 25), I understood that many of the difficulties and disbeliefs were rooted in the chaotic and questionable behaviors "tolerated" within the ecclesiastical "authorities" themselves (dogmatic conflicts, deviances of all kinds, politicized choices of the Papacy, laxity and lack of discernment and foresight). It was a deleterious, even depraved general attitude.
Practitioners no longer knew how to distinguish the wheat from the chaff, and many began to doubt the Church and its representatives, to end up distancing themselves from it by instinctive prudence.
I myself have made this journey and I have returned to a direct relationship with the Word (the Scriptures) and the Lord, without fudges or foggy explanations.
I prefer to live my faith serenely rather than have it constantly questioned on points of detail.
Concerning movies and TV series, I miss the productions of/with Michael Landon and his faithful partners as they were positive, educational (in the noblest sense !) and valorizing for all: each one could find there a part of his universe, his own behaviors and weaknesses, and their most adapted "remedy" !
Michael Landon was well known for his roles as Little Joe Cartwright in Bonanza (1959-1973), Charles Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie (1974-1983), and Jonathan Smith in Highway to Heaven (1984-1989).
The last time I watched Michael Landon was probably 1985 so I would have to watch it again with new eyes in order to really evaluate, but I would bet there were a few subversive additions to those scripts that seemed innocuous at the time. It's just how Hollywood works. The summer of 2021, I sat down and started re-watching many of my favorite movies from over the years, "just to check" and see if I could recognize manipulations now that I was more savvy to them. I must have watched at least fifty of them in a row. I was completely shocked at just how much sneaky subversion there was - and just how blind I had previously been. I was quite shaken when I began to understand how few productions were NOT trying to subvert me in some way.
We are products of our times, too - movies that I watched in the 80's and 90's seemed so benign in my soft-filtered, rosy memories. I couldn't imagine it - not those movies/shows, for sure! - only to realize in horror what sick ideas they had insinuated into my brain. And I, and everyone else, had happily gone along with it without question.
Many stories have been told, for many different reasons. There are psychological ways to "stroke" someone's existing beliefs while introducing an otherwise-would-be-heretical belief and Hollywood has honed those skills over this past century. This is why they make genres of movies, to appeal to different segments of society - they will come at you where ever your weaknesses lie.
Women were targeted this way. Take the example of the movie Working Girl. Leaving aside the title that echoes an age-old phrase describing prostitutes, the movie "celebrates" a woman who learns to take what she wants in a "man's world", even supplanting the woman who did the same thing before her. It is an extremely clever movie that whispers directly into young women's ears: "You can be powerful" if you "Use your beauty to get ahead", and "It's okay if you have to lie to get there", and "Your boyfriend is a jerk, you don't need a family anyway", while somehow at the end she is seen as the hero who rejects her roots and gets herself a cubicle in NYC and life is great now, she's "going places". The movie's producers fully and completely understood the psychology, motivations, and emotional landscape of many young women of that time - and they had been shaping and manipulating that psychology for decades already.
<-- That last part is what I am talking about. We cannot make stories that resonate for people if we don't understand the people in the first place. The Cult has been effectively doing this for a very long time and are highly skilled at it. But if we want to wake sleeping people up, we need to understand their slumber, their dreams, and why. It requires understanding points of view that are antithetical to one's own - and to realize how nuanced and varied they are. It's actual work to do this, and not easy at all.
The problem of storytelling lies in being able to relate to someone else's point of view, something many overtly religious folks have a demonstrated problem doing. It's just not as simple as pointing out the word of God, as some appear to think. Many fall into the trap of thinking that Liberals are "that way" (an assumption) "because they have lost God", when the reality is far more complicated. We need to stop demonizing ordinary people who are simply fearful, confused, and brainwashed - and trust their hearts to handle it when they finally do see a truth. It's hard to respect such sheep-like followers, but it is still important that we do so, because beneath the endless, child-like naivete, many Liberals do have open, loving hearts.
The problem is not that we need to fix people, it's that we need to reach them.
Just to clarify, my personal opinions are not Liberal at all, I was describing the classical Liberal point of view because I know it so well, having grown up surrounded by it. Also btw Leftists/Communists/Woke are not actually much like traditional Liberals - they have proven to be almost entirely unreasonable, and cult-like in their beliefs - not what I originally described. Leftists would still be susceptible to new Stories however, if we can understand what motivates them, so it's still worth telling the stories.
Sarah! Love your well-articulated, deeply thought-out comments!!
You wrote: “ We need to stop demonizing ordinary people who are simply fearful, confused, and brainwashed - and trust their hearts to handle it when they finally do see a truth. It's hard to respect such sheep-like followers, but it is still important that we do so, because beneath the endless, child-like naivete, many Liberals do have open, loving hearts.”
Well stated! Lately I am so aware of how we on the conservative side of “the great divide” are just as manipulated into reaction and judgement as we perceive the left/woke side to be. The more outrageous the woke the more critical, judgemental, and repulsed the reaction on the “right”. [They] attack our cultural values through extreme displays of woke-ism which ends up luring us, through reaction, to abandon our virtues. Values are culture based and virtues are common to all of humanity.
As we on the conservative values side of the orchestrated divide become more and more reactionary it eclipses the virtues of acceptance, tolerance, understanding, kindness.
[They] have always backed both sides of every war…this war is no different. We must remain vigilant against [their] manipulations. While we must resist the push to become violent in our physical protests we must also resist the lure to become violent through hatred towards our fellow travelers in this lifetime.
You said it better than me, but my thoughts have been on a similar wave length ; ) ❤️
You are right, [they] want so badly for us to "turn" and join them in their sick behavior. They want us so badly to become violent, to go on the attack - I believe [they] quite literally feed off of that kind of energy.
"[They] attack our cultural values through extreme displays of woke-ism which ends up luring us, through reaction, to abandon our virtues." <-- This is so well said, you DID say it better than me!
I see it too. When Roe v Wade came down, and there were Liberal women protesting it, I saw an extremely ugly side of Conservatives come out. They were screaming at these women, calling them "whores", "sluts", "demons", "baby-eaters" and on and on. It's sick, and you nailed it: they completely abandoned any high ground they might have had. They simply piled on and attacked.
We all need to understand the different ways that the Cult has been inserting itself into our minds and hearts, teaching us to blame and attack each other instead of recognizing how we got here, where the true culpability is: in centuries of lies, manipulative stories, games, fears, and most especially ignorance: the concealing of knowledge. The very last thing the Cult wants any of us to do, is to awaken to our own power, our own energy, our own knowledge, and to trust our own perceptions. They want us looking to them for answers. Why else did they write stories about being punished for eating of the Tree of Knowledge? (Yes I believe that all bibles have been subverted.)
[They] hate God, so in turn they hate Nature, they hate Creation, they hate Creativity, and what is the ultimate creative act? Having a child. This is why they target women, children, and Nature itself. [They] taught society, even religion itself, to target women and children too, and it's time for that to end. 🥰 ❤️
“ We all need to understand the different ways that the Cult has been inserting itself into our minds and hearts, teaching us to blame and attack each other instead of recognizing how we got here”
Exactly!!
Reminds me of an interesting comment I came across on coffeandcovid substack…the thread was on the trans activism so much in the spotlight these days:
“ But the anti woke conservatives also insist on a definition of male/ female that precludes any anomaly.... and yet we know that generations born today are assaulted by known endocrine disrupters (everything from polluted drinking water to EMF frequencies) that humans have never had to deal with before. Plus gender identity issues are very closely linked to autism, which is itself linked to toxicological stresses both pre and post natal.”
I had never stopped to think of it that way.
You are right, [they] keep us engaged in the “blame and attack” game without considering how we got here.
Thank you too Feather, I always enjoy an exchange with you too. ❤️
I think you make an important point - the issue of health is one of the biggest of indicators of all. We have to ask,
"What does it really mean to be trans when 12 yr old boys are involuntarily growing breasts because his diet is full of soy and estrogen injected into his food?" Or,
"What does it mean for a girl to cut her breasts off, when every bra ad out there is being modeled by a biological male with gigantic fake breasts?"
Even, "what does it mean to give birth to children, when our bodies our first poisoned, and then society denigrates/punishes us for being mothers"? (Or even conversely for NOT being mothers.) Damned if we do, damned if we don't.
And, instead of the Cult using wartime rape as a way to subjugate and demoralize a country by attacking it's women and children, they have simply targeted them in additional new ways (because of course rape still works well): fear (especially), mind control, mental and physical illness, "birth control" and abortion, poverty, devaluation of motherhood, cult of youth/beauty, black-pilling and now Woke Guilt. No wonder a few Karens ended up virtue signaling and mask-policing... they are trying to have some semblance of personal power, albeit going about it the wrong way. The more I learn, the more I think women's minds have been targeted in particular, because they hold the key to a family - it is through them that families are created in the first place.
Many thanks for your well-constructed, very detailed and accurate explanation !
Having read many of your comments, I know your opinions are not liberal but it is useful to clarify for other/new readers 👍🏻
As I don't know any efficient mean to do so, I agree 💯/💯 when you Say "The problem is not that we need to fix people, it's that we need to reach them." !
Are they only reachable, or do we have to shock, provoke and awe them to succeed ??
Hi Trumpist! (Sorry, forgot to say hi last time) :)
I wish I knew ahead of time how far we (and White Hats) need to go to wake them up.. it seems like it's been an eternity already. That emotional reaction - the Precipice - is very likely what will have to happen first. It will be scary, probably even for us, but for the Sleeping Ones it will be terrifying.
Regarding "It will be scary, probably even for us, but for the Sleeping Ones it will be terrifying." I offer you to have a look to the hypothesis made by Noah on this post (don't worry about the commercial down the article !): https://wltreport.com/2023/04/07/heres-what-comes-next/
Oh he's definitely right - that's [their] playbook. They have used Scare Events for centuries. [They] have introduced Precipice after Precipice to induce fear and control over populations. The Hegelian Dialectic goes even further into psychology and mind control, predictive programming over decades, etc. I don't think most people realize [they] have been playing such a long, long game. Due to conditioning from movies and television, many people's attention spans have been reduced to just a few seconds.
This is why I think the White Hats will also use this tactic - they are well known to use [their] weapons against them, in service of the Awakening. To normies, it will SEEM like the end of the world. To us, we will see the tactic for what it is.
Here's another 🥰 because tone never comes across well online, lol :)
I totally understand your point. But recognize that God's Word does not return to Him void and is living and active and sharper than any two edged sword piercing right through to a separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Let God do His thing, and TRUST that He is working all things together for good, for those that love Him and are called according to His purposes. This is why it has worked for thousands of years and will continue throughout eternity....
I am happy that you feel good about your own spiritual beliefs, as do I about my own. But this is not what I was talking about, was it.
See, this is just the problem - can you not see it? I did not personally express any doubt in God or difficulty with my own spirituality in any way, nor was I saying that the truth of Love and Spirit needs any help to manifest itself. I am not worried that God can't handle it.
And yet you saw it as an opportunity to preach your own beliefs in response. I agree, faith is important, but so is our God-given free will. Right action matters even more than praying in my belief. Understanding, of ourselves and others. Knowledge. Please remember I was replying to the article that BB posted - saying that IF you want to reach people of spiritual beliefs outside of your own, proselytizing to them works against that end.
Agreed Sarah... I don’t want religion crammed down my throat anymore than I want trans-crap crammed down my throat. People have had enough of all of it. I have a completely moral reason for abandoning my “religion” many years ago and have found a new perspective on religion as a whole. Some really need the extra that it may provide, the company of others that a church can give and structure to their faith, I found I didn’t need it to remain close to God and to live as Jesus led us to live. The “church” itself is a political machine that, imo, pushes people off the path of spirituality and towards inclusivity and conflict. JMO
My beliefs closely align with your statement here. My understanding of "the church" (and by that I mean all churches of all religions) is that they are constructs of men, and the same is true of all "holy scripts" and bibles. They are also products of their times, and are simply stories made by men - often little to do with nature, natural law, or love, but instead are used as manipulations of power, politics, and propaganda. Witness the many different versions of "The" Bible in Christianity. This is a heretical belief to many Christians, and yet regardless of what they think, or any given church thinks, I am still a deeply moral, spiritual person with my own profound relationship to God and Natural Law. You are entirely correct - for centuries before we ever had a Woke mob bullying the people, we had churches doing the same exact thing to us.
“Right action matters even more than praying in my belief.” That quote right there of yours is it exactly! People can (and do) preach all day from their own personal pulpit, but ACTIONS are what matter. I’ll bet Jesus didn’t talk to people in the way most “christians” do today.... and his actions spoke louder than any words.
I agree with your statement about action that matters more than praying: I don't remember the term but there's a specific Hebrew word that precisely designates the primacy of action, of behavior, over prayer.
I am just waiting for the time when people learn that all research we are doing in labs are just STORIES! This is gonna be fun to watch. And they built poisonous jabs, chemotherapy, anti-biotics (anti-life) and more on these stories. I am so happy to be able to watch everything from 40K bird's perspective while still working in a medical center thanks for RE. Thanks for all your writing, BB!
I miss the really good stories that had meaning with momentous content. This has been really bad for quite some time and more so for someone who loves books and film. IMHO ( which means i know nothing😁)
Love where you are headed here and look forward to the War FOR Stories.
Hi Sam…for some reason when I read what you just wrote, the Anne of Green Gables movie came to my mind. Haven’t thought of that in ages and yet I loved it…especially the Anne of Avonlea - where, in-spite of the constant critical attacks Anne endures from the headmistress, she extends the hand of friendship, inviting Katherine to spend the summer on Prince Edward Island…a powerful story of the transformative power of forgiveness : )
I will have to watch again as i do not have a good memory of this movie. Can you tell me which one you were watching - most likely the 85 or 87 version? 💞
Ha! I didn’t know there were different versions of the Anne books to movies made!
I’m referring to 2 movies in which Megan Follows played Anne. Yes, that goes back to the late ‘80 when these movies came out. Anne of Avonlea was a sequel to the first. ❤️
Once again fearless tiger, you’ve made a great case for the ‘story’ being the center of how we teach, chastise, imagine, pass history and knowledge to the next generation. Music, too, is the best way to remember verse and it’s perversion really took flight post ‘50s and ‘60s. Remember when all the best cartoons were created to classical music and untold millions were introduced to the classical world? This was all replaced with discordant sounds where the goal seemed to increase anger in the listener. Now, when my husband and I watch anything, I always stop it to point out either programming or propaganda. Once awakened to this, it’s so obvious. You are right. To restore our culture and teach the important lessons to our children, we must tell the story in the eyes of truth. The sooner the better. I’m always looking for your articles because I learn so much from each one! Thank you and God bless you.🙏
This article fits well with the Story Hour discussions you and Chris Paul have weekly.
I am delighted to see the Woke Hollyweird go bust (Go Woke, Go Broke) and look forward to the day when the entire empire gets annihilated and spread to the winds.
Of course the same can be said for most every DS Rat Bastards in every corner of our world. Their end can't come soon enough.
But as I continue tom have to tell myself, it is not my timeline but God's timeline that will come to be. So I will continue to pray for patience and discernment (and Righteous Justice!!!).
Culture as a shared story? Yes. What is western culture? Christian. Foundationally Jesus is the source of our culture. One that progressed to a point where our constitution became possible.
The religions you cited along with pagan religions each had there chance. The Christian west out shined them all. Even with its flawed human adherents. But Christianity and Catholicism in particular has an implacable enemy, satan. In the end he is defeated decisively. Jesus either rose from the dead or we Christian’s are fools. Worshipping Him will produce the best possible culture in any time or place.
....as I am currently reading the Chronicles of Narnia. I have read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe before, but I had not read the others......so I have re-read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and have started Prince Caspian. I am finding so many things applicable to today, I'm wondering if Lewis was a time traveler??!!!!
Methinks you need to consider substituting Maoist for Marxist, if not in your writing, but in your thought process. The American "cultural revolution" we have allowed and are now witnessing is reminiscent of what took place in the mid-1960s in socialist/communist China, while during that same era in the purported "land of the free" we had a capitalist version engendered (pun intended) and amplified by assassination's of prominent leaders that were the primary "shock" events for the Baby Boomers. Coupled with the mixture of readily available hallucinating drugs, sexual mores abandoned, rock and roll lyrics as soundtrack, and a second "unwinnable" war like the Korean "conflict" that created a cocktail of lascivious and licentious behaviors that neutered family values. We have not recovered, especially when people with power like Hillary and Obama inculcated their multitude of disciples with "rules for radicals" ideology and methodology.
Lamentably, without the Light of truth returning to a substantial majority of the population the future appears increasingly dystopic. Nevertheless, there is historical precedence for the Creator to have mercy. Nineveh comes to mind. But what was required. The appearance of a prophet who spent three days in the gastric juices of a large fish. Can you imagine what Jonah looked like when he reluctantly showed up and declared that judgment was coming? He probably appeared white as a ghost, completely disheveled, not to mention an odiferous smell. It is almost like he had risen from the grave. How providential that on this very weekend a visible sign being commemorated around the world by His followers was prophesied by Yeshua to those detractors that in due time demanded His crucifixion:
"Then some of the Torah scholars and Pharisees answered Him, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You." But Yeshua replied to them, "An evil and adulterous generation clamors for a sign, yet no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. For just as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah. And behold, something greater than Jonah is here." Matthew 12:39-41
Maybe it is finally time for our wicked and perverse generation to have a better understanding of America's relatively recent true history and how we have indeed been like the proverbial frog slowly boiling in a cauldron of innocent blood, wasted semen, and intoxicating liquids that have polluted and anesthetized our thinking. How foolish have we been to be so self absorbed by our "freedom" and "choices" to choose self indulgence, pleasure and entertainment, in lieu of faithfully adhering to the two commandments that summarize the writings of the Law revealed by Moses and the prophets:
1) Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and 2) love your neighbor as yourself.
Of course, in order to do this, you must first be absolutely honest with yourself. Then upon reflection, sincerely confess your personal transgressions. Finally, repent and turn completely (180 degrees) toward the One who has not only paid for all your sin, but also forgiven you totally. Remember, He even asked for forgiveness for His executioners: "But Yeshua was saying, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." Luke 23:34a
How about you? How about now?
Mao, Marx, and all of the other isms, as history records, will bring nothing but death and destruction. On the other hand, the faithful down through the ages recommend choosing eternal life with Him over the inevitable death and damnation that comes from absolute separation.
I exercise listening to fav music from the 60's, 70's, and 80's- and I hear the words sung in a new light, given what I know now.
What do I hear? The sweetest songs with the (for their times) most powerful voics and popular messages are/were promoting adultery, drug use, alcohol use, family abandonment, young girl temptations, social rebellion and more as positive ways to be, to act. Hyper sexualization in books, magazines, semi-soft porn in Playboy, Penthouse and more freely available everywhere. Pull them up and listen, read the lyrics; pull your antique collection of stroke mags out of the closet and look again.
This has been an agenda in play for decades.
I remember a movie called "Murphy's War" (Peter O'Toole) from the book of the same name; I was outraged when they changed the ending for the movie- that has always stuck with me over the years.
I was raised on Star Trek; I saw the first Star Wars in July '77 and went back 17 times dragging friends and family to watch it.
Can't stand watching the abominations they've created of those franchises now.
Revisionist history anyone? I have an extensive library that I used to reread continuously. I can't read them now, knowing what I know now, understanding that their premises were based on my false perceptions from the periods concerned. Clancy- CIA and the US Government as the good guys- with a few overreaching rascals acknowledged...
It never was true- it was just what we were taught.
With another coating of affirmation laid on each time we absorbed the messages.
Were the singers, lyricists, authors, publishers, producers in fact ignorant/innocent like me?
Or were they complicit?
Makes me want to read the Real History of the World.
Why this article, of all the other great ones to make my first comment? I have long had passion for movies and stories. It has been sad to see the decline of story telling. Star Wars and Lord of the Rings specifically have been sad to see be reduced to what they are now. But there is a movement in the faith-based film\tv industry that is using alternative means of funding that is making waves in the media world. This makes me hopeful in the ways not enough are talking about!
I just watched a movie "His Only Son" in the theaters made on a shoestring budget of $250K and it was one of the most powerful movies (to me) I've ever seen. But I'm a Christian, and it dealt with the life of Abraham in the bible, with symbolism towards Jesus' death. It caused a lot of introspection of my own relationship with and faith in God.
I think people are yearning for stories that show people not overcoming a contrived drama, but want strength and hope from seeing others overcoming true obstacles in their life and making it something they can draw from. I frankly don't go to the movies much because there's so much swearing, sex, (insert your unnecessary permutation of different gender/sex/lifestyle promotion), and it's found so much in streaming tv shows, movies, etc.
People are burned out from having this stuff shoved down their throats and they're turning their backs on it. They're tired of vapid, shallow plots, actors and characters. They're sinking mentally. Many are wondering if the shot they took (voluntarily or by coercion) is the beginning of a death march and seeing people keel over on live TV or at sporting events, or seeing people around them get covid over and over again, and cancer.
They see the economy crumbling and are worried that things will be even worse than it's ever been, knowing that this administration has lied since claiming to have been elected, on through nearly every financial, military, foreign affair, war or just flat out lying to the American people about what they're seeing with their own eyes.
They're awakening to what Hollywood stands for, and want no part of it.
They need to rebuild relationships within their own families and with their neighbors.
They want real love. Not the one night stands or faux expressions of friendship.
That takes time, and people seem to have lost touch with how to do that.
They know something's missing in their lives. And the world isn't delivering it, and is in fact going the wrong direction and people know it. They want something to hold on to.
For me and many others, it's Jesus Christ, and a sense of divine identity and purpose in myself. And a mission... to bring others towards Christ. Repent, and be happy! There's something so much bigger than what the world has to offer, and people are seeking, and just don't know where to turn.
And it's not the movies or their social movements they're pushing.
They want something more... and uplifting.
It would help for starters if they turn off their cell-phones. That is the single largest cause of 'people losing touch with how to (build more complex and satisfying relationships).'
If all you do is look at Facebook and TikTok all day, how can you possibly expect anything else?
I too sense a renewed interest in religion and my wife and I both feel that there is, in the air, a sense that we are headed toward a revival in the Christian faith. People are overloaded with all the evil tranny stuff that is going on. Homosexuality, while a sin, is one thing -- but people playing God and trying to change their gender is blasphemous to a true believer. I know this is the case for Christians, and I suspect it is also true for Jews and Muslims, as both have joined in the protests against the push to accept the trannies as 'normal.'
[They] have turned up the dial too fast and we are pushing back. Which is another sign they are losing -- they are making stupid mistakes, some of them on their own and I believe, some forced by our side.
I think it's not just the pushback, but when the facts and truth don't support their positions, then it's easy for it to crumble.
The sad thing is that like a bad couple fighting, the topic is merely changed and the argument continues on with a different topic. And we seem to get sucked into yet another argument with no basis in truth. When do we learn to ignore them and stop supporting anything they're using to promote this stuff?
For instance, a total abstinence of Anheiser-Busch products?
That seems to be starting. Wayne Allyn Root just recently announced a new book which I understand will be a list of anti-woke companies that we can support. Amazon (why he sells there I don't know) showed it as available to order but not shipped for a while, so it's apparently not released yet.
A book, huh? Hopefully not out of date by the time it comes to print.
This site seems to cater to just that need. https://publicsq.com/
I saw a movie recently called "Jesus Revolution" and it was a fascinating view of the early 70's, post hippie movement of the 60's where people were pursuing free love, sex and augmenting that effort with drugs. They were yearning for more and the 60's movement didn't do it.
There was a revival highlighted in early March of this year at Asbury College which has spread to other college campuses.
I love this.. thank you for sharing. We need more people to realize we are IN this world but don't have to OF it.
My friend saw it and said it was wonderful!
Wonderful comment, Justin. I haven’t seen that movie yet but it is on my list. I did watch The Chosen (Angel.com available free). Three seasons so far and I loved it!
There are 4 movies under the title God Is Not Dead. Once you watch quality Christian movies you realize you want more…for many of the reason you stated in your comment!
I resisted watching The Chosen for awhile, after having my own experience with Jesus. I didn't want to see anybody else's interpretation.
My wife nagged at me to watch it and I explained why I wouldn't.
Late one night about 2am I decided to watch it. Lots of character development in the first episode and I feel asleep.
Wife busted me about 10 minutes before the end, finding me asleep. I told her I was about to turn it off anyway. Too confusing (fighting sleep).
She said, just watch it. It's almost over.
OK.
10 minutes later, I was crying. The symbolism of that verse being applied to each of us in our struggles and the absolute pure love I felt from Jesus (which I cannot describe adequately with words) have been undeniable.
I ran to the computer and fired off a note to a large number of people about the show.
And I've been a big fan ever since. If for no other reason than to testify of Him and open people's hearts to receiving Him.
Like Dallas says, he can only bring the loaves and fishes. Jesus will feed the 5000. (the world)
And we can honestly each have our own experience with Jesus, and once you have, there can be no denial.
Every knee will bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus is our Savior.
I resisted for awhile too, for the same reasons you had. We form impressions how Jesus “looks” and His mannerisms, I suppose and then we are hesitant to introduce a new “face” to the man. The Christ Mind will shine through any persona who achieves that state of mind…or who acts the part.
I’m just so thankful to find that Christian movies are on the rise in popularity! ❤️🙏
I am editing to come back and add that after that early episode of Jesus with the children, I was completely hooked 😊
I wanted to put some emphasis on something else you said... Isn't it amazing when you find/meet someone who just radiates love? You can just feel it. (sadly, I'm not one of them, but trying to be.)
We are works in progress 😊
I've had a hard time with that episode and finally came to the realization that I'm too uptight. LOL. (basically looking for the deeper spiritual meaning).
Of course he would interact with children at their level, with purity and innocence.
The one thing that is interesting in my experience... I can't remember what He looks like. But it's what I felt that was important. And it stayed with me for 11 days.. When it went away, I felt like what I can only imagine a drug user feeling... doing anything possible to get it back.
I remember a time years later, when I was struggling badly with a number of things in my life - failing marriage, unhappiness at my employment situation, etc. and I wanted that experience again, and that desire/entitlement stayed with me for months and I was sinking badly, thinking I was unworthy or something. (the previous experience was preceded by 6 months of intense study of the New Testament as well as a book called "Jesus the Christ" (heavy read, but the words chosen within it were perfect. Read how the book came about.)).
I was sinking badly, and in one particular moment, as clear as day, I got these scriptures put in my mind. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/6?lang=eng&id=p22-p23#p22
22 Verily, verily, I say unto you, if you desire a further witness, cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart, that you might know concerning the truth of these things.
23 Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have than from God?
And immediately, I realized I HAD a witness from Jesus. What more did I NEED?
Pity party and despair gone. And it's been gone every since.
Now, our church has TONS of Jesus videos. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media?lang=eng But I like The Chosen's actor Jonathan Roumey the best... He has a complexion that is more believable for the region and heritage. LOL. (I suppose that's why I wasn't allowed to remember His face. I would focus on it more than what I felt.)
But I was able to see all the people in the world, and feel of His love for each of them. That was what I was able to keep and feel for 11 days. And felt that way about everyone I encountered during that time. It was incredible!
“ But I was able to see all the people in the world, and feel of His love for each of them”
What a blessing to have such an experience, Justin!
Thank you so much for sharing your story!!
I loved it.
I’ve had two incredible experiences of His Presence…each during a meditation where gratitude, love, and joy we’re very heightened frequencies. The 2nd time I was so startled by the “encounter” that I lost the connection so to speak…how I longed to get it back!
Gifts from God stay with us one way or another forever 🙏❤️
That's wonderful!
I had one other experience... it was a kinda "shit or get off the pot" moment... 🥴
I was in a crowd, a bit back from the street, as Jesus was dragging the cross through. He stopped for a moment, as if to rest, and turned and looked directly at me. He didn't say anything, but his eyes somehow communicated to me, "Will you follow me?" The decision was in my court...
Sometime later, I saw this video with a scene somewhat close to it (really startled me!). It's about a boy trying to cope with the death of his father. https://youtu.be/pl-dWrhqoxU?t=893 (Called "Easter Dream")
There was a woman I "met" over the internet once, during and after my divorce who I consider an angel. She mentioned he had a gift that allowed her to see relevant scripture references written out on a "whiteboard". Kind of like "John 3:16" or the last few words of _______. She counseled people in real life, and I felt at times that she had scriptures memorized for helping with counseling. Over the course of a few years, there were times she referenced scriptures that she would have had no idea about, and each time they were PERFECT for me.
I recorded these as she shared them with me, and re-read them often - a kind of "mini-bible" for me to help me through that trying time. I was utterly DEVASTATED when it accidentally went through the washer and dryer. She felt that perhaps I no longer needed those scriptures to get through my trial, and it was time to move on. She radiated pure love to me. (I wish I could meet her in person to thank her personally.) She mentioned having conversations as she prayed. I wish I had that kind of relationship... I know it's possible. I saw evidence of it in my life from her.
Was unable to catch this one in theatres, but Jesus Revolution was also good and The Chosen series. Past ten years at least has seen a rise in higher quality faith-based projects.
Excellent roadmap of where we are headed.
I’m currently in a hotel on the Strip for some much needed R&R, where I’ve had an in person chance to witness the cultural train wreck that is popular entertainment these days.
Every live performance extravaganza, every single cable and tv channel show now seems to feature the same mindless orgiastic funscape, performed by a multiracial panoply of androgynous obese stereotypes.
Every other commercial is pushing a new pharmaceutical drug to treat some strange new illness I’d previously never heard of, whose list of potential side effects is absolutely blood curdling.
It’s easy to give up hope when you see this nightmarish constant pumping of soul destroying drivel aimed at the masses.
Your review of where this is all headed gives me hope.
The dying gasps of a failed attempt to re-define culture. Just as a star goes nova and explodes at the end of its life (at least, some do), this is where the wokesters are today. And no better place to see it on display than in Las Vegas, which has always overdone everything.
Truly.
So many of the more Christian movies are filling the theaters with very few vacant seats. Angel studios I understand has bought the rights of Sound of Freedom which I have anxiously looked forward to seeing for years! The culture is definitely changing!
Tim Ballard runs Operation Underground Railroad, and has written a number of books as well, which are pretty good, regarding early leaders of this country and also about the discovery of this country, with a religious slant to it. I'm excited to see this movie as well.
[Disclaimer: I'm a contributor to Operation Underground Railroad, and have a number of Tim's books.]
OUR has a series of documentaries that are done well in addition to books. I just saw that "The Sound of Freedom" was just acquired by Angel Studios and is set for release the second half of this year. I have been waiting a long time to see this movie and my guess is the release is being timed appropriately. - Coincidence that the OUR Films page header reads "Stories Matter" ...
Oh! Thank you for that update on Sound of Freedom…I have often wondered what happened to that movie…suspecting that perhaps it’s release was awaiting the right timing, I.e. when enough people are awake to the trafficking of kids and are finally asking questions.
I've been searching for it forever and was so glad it will be out towards the last half of 2023! Maybe that will awaken the rest of the sleepers!
Which means between now and then, the subject will become more mainstream!
❤️
I certainly hope so!!! Extremely important conversation considering all they are trying to do to our children!!!
"While ‘the Right’ has done a fine—if somewhat overblown—job of exposing the Socialist Marxist agendas that have been infecting American school systems and Media discourse for years—and on an accelerating scale—I believe the realm of mass media entertainment, from blockbuster filmmaking to the publishing and music industries is too often left to the side in favor of the exploration of ostensibly ‘more important’ vectors of communication in this ideological, political and logistical war for the control of our nation and its people, for its heart and soul and mind."
Absolutely true. Oddly, the Right recognizes the influence that popular culture has over the minds of many, but does little to harness that power. We complain about the Woke entertainment industries, but do little to offer real alternatives. At best "our side" puts out a few partisan movies and songs that border on (or are outright) propaganda. But if we want to reach the so-called normies and if we want our values, beliefs, and the truth to have a lasting impact on society, then we need to make more of an effort to create genuinely good and enjoyable art and entertainment. Not just alternatives that pander to our current emotional state.
Your article is a wonderful white pill indicating that the time of Hollywood dominance is coming to an end. While Hollywood (and the rest of the mainstream art and entertainment complex) falls, artists and storytellers should be honing our crafts so that we are ready to fill in the gap that will be left by that behemoth's (figurative) death.
You're pointing out that culture precedes policies, and yes, conservatives have not done a good job in getting ahead of things, and are instead reacting.
I believe Ben Shapiro recognized this and it was a key point in starting DailyWire and getting into movies with it. And thankfully the Christian film industry is stepping up with good entertainment that doesn't have cheesy "Hallmark" movie plot lines as they have in the past.
And for our part, we need to support those efforts, and not the hollywood bastardized stories like they did about Noah a few years back.
There are so many good people, and good stories out there. Strength to be gathered by realizing we're NOT alone. Standing up with others who are pushing back on the nonsense, and refusing to be silenced. And speaking with our wallets economically to buy from companies who aren't pushing woke ideologies.
Thanks for this essay. We are the stories we tell ourselves. That is why propaganda is such powerful method of manufacturing our intent. It is so insidious as it stealthfully takes advantage of our human sympathies. It can veer sharply off the rails as during the witch hunts, burnings and dystopia of Europe and early America. The consent manufacturing uses fear mongering to convince. The weaker the person the more susceptible they are to these schemes.
Many people in comments here are talking about Christianity as an alternative story, as an anti-dote to much of the past 100 years of subversive Hollywood degeneracy, and that's a wonderful idea. I love the idea of anything that celebrates love and morality and spirit.
But since I am someone who grew up with liberals, I need to point something out. Part of the reason Hollywood has been so successful at supplanting stories about spiritual life, God, faith, etc and replacing it with drivel is because so many people quite literally left their respective religions behind - they fell out with religion in general - and many did so for very sound reasons. I mention religion and not God/Spirit in relation to this subject because for many, many, people any mention or offering of a Story about Christian Faith, Morality, or God is immediately seen and interpreted as a Story about the Christian Religion, Church, Dogma, and Indoctrination.
Christian stories will appeal to, and draw in only those people who already identify with being Christian - who see themselves that way. The people who do NOT see themselves that way will predictably have a knee-jerk "no thanks" reaction. It's important to acknowledge this reality. Good stories that speak to everyone's humanity can help - if they are NOT overtly religious or overtly Christian-specific.
Yes, I am saying that many Christians have a blind spot, in that they have difficulty seeing where Spirit can and does meet Humanity outside of the Christian paradigm. Much as many Christians would love it if people began ditching Hollywood and going to (Christian) church instead, I can tell you right now that it's not going to happen with most people, especially not those who have already found good reason not to do so.
BB is profoundly insightful when he says that we need to begin making new stories. But there exists a Universe of different views of what it means to be a spiritual being outside of the Christian story. And to reiterate, Christian churches have burned a lot of bridges in recent centuries. If we truly want all of humanity to come along - WWG1WGA - then we have to recognize this.
C.S. Lewis was known to be a devout Christian, and yet his Chronicles of Narnia appealed to a vast audience outside of Christianity. Much like Tolkien's LOTR (they were friends), he was able to tell stories of the celebration of nature, God, and creation, of the spirit of humanity pitted against the odds in a fight with evil - without actually quoting Bible verses or promoting Christianity overtly. This is the power of story.
Hi Sarah ! 🇫🇷
I agree with your stand and liberal opinions as you explain them and your own context.
I grew up with conservative Roman Catholic values and customs, and when I became an adult (around the age of 25), I understood that many of the difficulties and disbeliefs were rooted in the chaotic and questionable behaviors "tolerated" within the ecclesiastical "authorities" themselves (dogmatic conflicts, deviances of all kinds, politicized choices of the Papacy, laxity and lack of discernment and foresight). It was a deleterious, even depraved general attitude.
Practitioners no longer knew how to distinguish the wheat from the chaff, and many began to doubt the Church and its representatives, to end up distancing themselves from it by instinctive prudence.
I myself have made this journey and I have returned to a direct relationship with the Word (the Scriptures) and the Lord, without fudges or foggy explanations.
I prefer to live my faith serenely rather than have it constantly questioned on points of detail.
Concerning movies and TV series, I miss the productions of/with Michael Landon and his faithful partners as they were positive, educational (in the noblest sense !) and valorizing for all: each one could find there a part of his universe, his own behaviors and weaknesses, and their most adapted "remedy" !
Michael Landon was well known for his roles as Little Joe Cartwright in Bonanza (1959-1973), Charles Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie (1974-1983), and Jonathan Smith in Highway to Heaven (1984-1989).
The last time I watched Michael Landon was probably 1985 so I would have to watch it again with new eyes in order to really evaluate, but I would bet there were a few subversive additions to those scripts that seemed innocuous at the time. It's just how Hollywood works. The summer of 2021, I sat down and started re-watching many of my favorite movies from over the years, "just to check" and see if I could recognize manipulations now that I was more savvy to them. I must have watched at least fifty of them in a row. I was completely shocked at just how much sneaky subversion there was - and just how blind I had previously been. I was quite shaken when I began to understand how few productions were NOT trying to subvert me in some way.
We are products of our times, too - movies that I watched in the 80's and 90's seemed so benign in my soft-filtered, rosy memories. I couldn't imagine it - not those movies/shows, for sure! - only to realize in horror what sick ideas they had insinuated into my brain. And I, and everyone else, had happily gone along with it without question.
Many stories have been told, for many different reasons. There are psychological ways to "stroke" someone's existing beliefs while introducing an otherwise-would-be-heretical belief and Hollywood has honed those skills over this past century. This is why they make genres of movies, to appeal to different segments of society - they will come at you where ever your weaknesses lie.
Women were targeted this way. Take the example of the movie Working Girl. Leaving aside the title that echoes an age-old phrase describing prostitutes, the movie "celebrates" a woman who learns to take what she wants in a "man's world", even supplanting the woman who did the same thing before her. It is an extremely clever movie that whispers directly into young women's ears: "You can be powerful" if you "Use your beauty to get ahead", and "It's okay if you have to lie to get there", and "Your boyfriend is a jerk, you don't need a family anyway", while somehow at the end she is seen as the hero who rejects her roots and gets herself a cubicle in NYC and life is great now, she's "going places". The movie's producers fully and completely understood the psychology, motivations, and emotional landscape of many young women of that time - and they had been shaping and manipulating that psychology for decades already.
<-- That last part is what I am talking about. We cannot make stories that resonate for people if we don't understand the people in the first place. The Cult has been effectively doing this for a very long time and are highly skilled at it. But if we want to wake sleeping people up, we need to understand their slumber, their dreams, and why. It requires understanding points of view that are antithetical to one's own - and to realize how nuanced and varied they are. It's actual work to do this, and not easy at all.
The problem of storytelling lies in being able to relate to someone else's point of view, something many overtly religious folks have a demonstrated problem doing. It's just not as simple as pointing out the word of God, as some appear to think. Many fall into the trap of thinking that Liberals are "that way" (an assumption) "because they have lost God", when the reality is far more complicated. We need to stop demonizing ordinary people who are simply fearful, confused, and brainwashed - and trust their hearts to handle it when they finally do see a truth. It's hard to respect such sheep-like followers, but it is still important that we do so, because beneath the endless, child-like naivete, many Liberals do have open, loving hearts.
The problem is not that we need to fix people, it's that we need to reach them.
Just to clarify, my personal opinions are not Liberal at all, I was describing the classical Liberal point of view because I know it so well, having grown up surrounded by it. Also btw Leftists/Communists/Woke are not actually much like traditional Liberals - they have proven to be almost entirely unreasonable, and cult-like in their beliefs - not what I originally described. Leftists would still be susceptible to new Stories however, if we can understand what motivates them, so it's still worth telling the stories.
Sarah! Love your well-articulated, deeply thought-out comments!!
You wrote: “ We need to stop demonizing ordinary people who are simply fearful, confused, and brainwashed - and trust their hearts to handle it when they finally do see a truth. It's hard to respect such sheep-like followers, but it is still important that we do so, because beneath the endless, child-like naivete, many Liberals do have open, loving hearts.”
Well stated! Lately I am so aware of how we on the conservative side of “the great divide” are just as manipulated into reaction and judgement as we perceive the left/woke side to be. The more outrageous the woke the more critical, judgemental, and repulsed the reaction on the “right”. [They] attack our cultural values through extreme displays of woke-ism which ends up luring us, through reaction, to abandon our virtues. Values are culture based and virtues are common to all of humanity.
As we on the conservative values side of the orchestrated divide become more and more reactionary it eclipses the virtues of acceptance, tolerance, understanding, kindness.
[They] have always backed both sides of every war…this war is no different. We must remain vigilant against [their] manipulations. While we must resist the push to become violent in our physical protests we must also resist the lure to become violent through hatred towards our fellow travelers in this lifetime.
You said it better than me, but my thoughts have been on a similar wave length ; ) ❤️
Hi Feather!
You are right, [they] want so badly for us to "turn" and join them in their sick behavior. They want us so badly to become violent, to go on the attack - I believe [they] quite literally feed off of that kind of energy.
"[They] attack our cultural values through extreme displays of woke-ism which ends up luring us, through reaction, to abandon our virtues." <-- This is so well said, you DID say it better than me!
I see it too. When Roe v Wade came down, and there were Liberal women protesting it, I saw an extremely ugly side of Conservatives come out. They were screaming at these women, calling them "whores", "sluts", "demons", "baby-eaters" and on and on. It's sick, and you nailed it: they completely abandoned any high ground they might have had. They simply piled on and attacked.
We all need to understand the different ways that the Cult has been inserting itself into our minds and hearts, teaching us to blame and attack each other instead of recognizing how we got here, where the true culpability is: in centuries of lies, manipulative stories, games, fears, and most especially ignorance: the concealing of knowledge. The very last thing the Cult wants any of us to do, is to awaken to our own power, our own energy, our own knowledge, and to trust our own perceptions. They want us looking to them for answers. Why else did they write stories about being punished for eating of the Tree of Knowledge? (Yes I believe that all bibles have been subverted.)
[They] hate God, so in turn they hate Nature, they hate Creation, they hate Creativity, and what is the ultimate creative act? Having a child. This is why they target women, children, and Nature itself. [They] taught society, even religion itself, to target women and children too, and it's time for that to end. 🥰 ❤️
“ We all need to understand the different ways that the Cult has been inserting itself into our minds and hearts, teaching us to blame and attack each other instead of recognizing how we got here”
Exactly!!
Reminds me of an interesting comment I came across on coffeandcovid substack…the thread was on the trans activism so much in the spotlight these days:
“ But the anti woke conservatives also insist on a definition of male/ female that precludes any anomaly.... and yet we know that generations born today are assaulted by known endocrine disrupters (everything from polluted drinking water to EMF frequencies) that humans have never had to deal with before. Plus gender identity issues are very closely linked to autism, which is itself linked to toxicological stresses both pre and post natal.”
I had never stopped to think of it that way.
You are right, [they] keep us engaged in the “blame and attack” game without considering how we got here.
I love reading your comments. Thank you ❤️
Thank you too Feather, I always enjoy an exchange with you too. ❤️
I think you make an important point - the issue of health is one of the biggest of indicators of all. We have to ask,
"What does it really mean to be trans when 12 yr old boys are involuntarily growing breasts because his diet is full of soy and estrogen injected into his food?" Or,
"What does it mean for a girl to cut her breasts off, when every bra ad out there is being modeled by a biological male with gigantic fake breasts?"
Even, "what does it mean to give birth to children, when our bodies our first poisoned, and then society denigrates/punishes us for being mothers"? (Or even conversely for NOT being mothers.) Damned if we do, damned if we don't.
And, instead of the Cult using wartime rape as a way to subjugate and demoralize a country by attacking it's women and children, they have simply targeted them in additional new ways (because of course rape still works well): fear (especially), mind control, mental and physical illness, "birth control" and abortion, poverty, devaluation of motherhood, cult of youth/beauty, black-pilling and now Woke Guilt. No wonder a few Karens ended up virtue signaling and mask-policing... they are trying to have some semblance of personal power, albeit going about it the wrong way. The more I learn, the more I think women's minds have been targeted in particular, because they hold the key to a family - it is through them that families are created in the first place.
Hello Sarah 🙋🏼♂️🇫🇷
Many thanks for your well-constructed, very detailed and accurate explanation !
Having read many of your comments, I know your opinions are not liberal but it is useful to clarify for other/new readers 👍🏻
As I don't know any efficient mean to do so, I agree 💯/💯 when you Say "The problem is not that we need to fix people, it's that we need to reach them." !
Are they only reachable, or do we have to shock, provoke and awe them to succeed ??
I wish you a nice Easter !
🙏🏻✝️🇺🇸
Hi Trumpist! (Sorry, forgot to say hi last time) :)
I wish I knew ahead of time how far we (and White Hats) need to go to wake them up.. it seems like it's been an eternity already. That emotional reaction - the Precipice - is very likely what will have to happen first. It will be scary, probably even for us, but for the Sleeping Ones it will be terrifying.
Happy Easter to you too 🥰
You're welcome Sarah, and thank you for your 🥰 !
Regarding "It will be scary, probably even for us, but for the Sleeping Ones it will be terrifying." I offer you to have a look to the hypothesis made by Noah on this post (don't worry about the commercial down the article !): https://wltreport.com/2023/04/07/heres-what-comes-next/
I think he could be right 🙁
God bless us if this would realize !
Oh he's definitely right - that's [their] playbook. They have used Scare Events for centuries. [They] have introduced Precipice after Precipice to induce fear and control over populations. The Hegelian Dialectic goes even further into psychology and mind control, predictive programming over decades, etc. I don't think most people realize [they] have been playing such a long, long game. Due to conditioning from movies and television, many people's attention spans have been reduced to just a few seconds.
This is why I think the White Hats will also use this tactic - they are well known to use [their] weapons against them, in service of the Awakening. To normies, it will SEEM like the end of the world. To us, we will see the tactic for what it is.
Here's another 🥰 because tone never comes across well online, lol :)
I totally understand your point. But recognize that God's Word does not return to Him void and is living and active and sharper than any two edged sword piercing right through to a separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Let God do His thing, and TRUST that He is working all things together for good, for those that love Him and are called according to His purposes. This is why it has worked for thousands of years and will continue throughout eternity....
I am happy that you feel good about your own spiritual beliefs, as do I about my own. But this is not what I was talking about, was it.
See, this is just the problem - can you not see it? I did not personally express any doubt in God or difficulty with my own spirituality in any way, nor was I saying that the truth of Love and Spirit needs any help to manifest itself. I am not worried that God can't handle it.
And yet you saw it as an opportunity to preach your own beliefs in response. I agree, faith is important, but so is our God-given free will. Right action matters even more than praying in my belief. Understanding, of ourselves and others. Knowledge. Please remember I was replying to the article that BB posted - saying that IF you want to reach people of spiritual beliefs outside of your own, proselytizing to them works against that end.
Agreed Sarah... I don’t want religion crammed down my throat anymore than I want trans-crap crammed down my throat. People have had enough of all of it. I have a completely moral reason for abandoning my “religion” many years ago and have found a new perspective on religion as a whole. Some really need the extra that it may provide, the company of others that a church can give and structure to their faith, I found I didn’t need it to remain close to God and to live as Jesus led us to live. The “church” itself is a political machine that, imo, pushes people off the path of spirituality and towards inclusivity and conflict. JMO
My beliefs closely align with your statement here. My understanding of "the church" (and by that I mean all churches of all religions) is that they are constructs of men, and the same is true of all "holy scripts" and bibles. They are also products of their times, and are simply stories made by men - often little to do with nature, natural law, or love, but instead are used as manipulations of power, politics, and propaganda. Witness the many different versions of "The" Bible in Christianity. This is a heretical belief to many Christians, and yet regardless of what they think, or any given church thinks, I am still a deeply moral, spiritual person with my own profound relationship to God and Natural Law. You are entirely correct - for centuries before we ever had a Woke mob bullying the people, we had churches doing the same exact thing to us.
“Right action matters even more than praying in my belief.” That quote right there of yours is it exactly! People can (and do) preach all day from their own personal pulpit, but ACTIONS are what matter. I’ll bet Jesus didn’t talk to people in the way most “christians” do today.... and his actions spoke louder than any words.
Exactly, and Jesus didn't pray for God to kick out those moneychangers, he went and did it himself!
Hi Painin 🇫🇷🙋🏼♂️
I agree with your statement about action that matters more than praying: I don't remember the term but there's a specific Hebrew word that precisely designates the primacy of action, of behavior, over prayer.
👍🏻👏🏻
I wish you a happy Easter ! ✝️🕊️
I am just waiting for the time when people learn that all research we are doing in labs are just STORIES! This is gonna be fun to watch. And they built poisonous jabs, chemotherapy, anti-biotics (anti-life) and more on these stories. I am so happy to be able to watch everything from 40K bird's perspective while still working in a medical center thanks for RE. Thanks for all your writing, BB!
I miss the really good stories that had meaning with momentous content. This has been really bad for quite some time and more so for someone who loves books and film. IMHO ( which means i know nothing😁)
Love where you are headed here and look forward to the War FOR Stories.
BRING IT ON! 💞
Hi Sam…for some reason when I read what you just wrote, the Anne of Green Gables movie came to my mind. Haven’t thought of that in ages and yet I loved it…especially the Anne of Avonlea - where, in-spite of the constant critical attacks Anne endures from the headmistress, she extends the hand of friendship, inviting Katherine to spend the summer on Prince Edward Island…a powerful story of the transformative power of forgiveness : )
I will have to watch again as i do not have a good memory of this movie. Can you tell me which one you were watching - most likely the 85 or 87 version? 💞
Ha! I didn’t know there were different versions of the Anne books to movies made!
I’m referring to 2 movies in which Megan Follows played Anne. Yes, that goes back to the late ‘80 when these movies came out. Anne of Avonlea was a sequel to the first. ❤️
Once again fearless tiger, you’ve made a great case for the ‘story’ being the center of how we teach, chastise, imagine, pass history and knowledge to the next generation. Music, too, is the best way to remember verse and it’s perversion really took flight post ‘50s and ‘60s. Remember when all the best cartoons were created to classical music and untold millions were introduced to the classical world? This was all replaced with discordant sounds where the goal seemed to increase anger in the listener. Now, when my husband and I watch anything, I always stop it to point out either programming or propaganda. Once awakened to this, it’s so obvious. You are right. To restore our culture and teach the important lessons to our children, we must tell the story in the eyes of truth. The sooner the better. I’m always looking for your articles because I learn so much from each one! Thank you and God bless you.🙏
"How are we to chart a path forward as a free and open society..."
...
"as long as the core of each lies in the intent to better ourselves and the world around us, to teach, and to inspire"
Brilliant, Burning Bright
This article fits well with the Story Hour discussions you and Chris Paul have weekly.
I am delighted to see the Woke Hollyweird go bust (Go Woke, Go Broke) and look forward to the day when the entire empire gets annihilated and spread to the winds.
Of course the same can be said for most every DS Rat Bastards in every corner of our world. Their end can't come soon enough.
But as I continue tom have to tell myself, it is not my timeline but God's timeline that will come to be. So I will continue to pray for patience and discernment (and Righteous Justice!!!).
Anyway, keep up the great work!
God Bless!!!
Culture as a shared story? Yes. What is western culture? Christian. Foundationally Jesus is the source of our culture. One that progressed to a point where our constitution became possible.
https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/speeches/2008/september/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20080912_parigi-cultura.html
2nd paragraph gets good.
From different article.
“Benedict’s simple approach to Catholic culture is worth reconsidering: worship creates culture; culture does not generate itself.”
What we worship determines our culture.
Hi Kent !
I agree 💯/💯 and you could draw the same conclusions by analyzing Judaism and Islam in the same way, but probably also Buddhism and other religions.
The faith of each one defines its prism of thought, its way of living and seeing the world...
🇫🇷 ✝️ 🇺🇸
The religions you cited along with pagan religions each had there chance. The Christian west out shined them all. Even with its flawed human adherents. But Christianity and Catholicism in particular has an implacable enemy, satan. In the end he is defeated decisively. Jesus either rose from the dead or we Christian’s are fools. Worshipping Him will produce the best possible culture in any time or place.
I agree !
I wish you a nice and happy Easter :-)
He is Risen!
Blessings on you and yours.
....interesting article.
....as I am currently reading the Chronicles of Narnia. I have read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe before, but I had not read the others......so I have re-read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and have started Prince Caspian. I am finding so many things applicable to today, I'm wondering if Lewis was a time traveler??!!!!
Methinks you need to consider substituting Maoist for Marxist, if not in your writing, but in your thought process. The American "cultural revolution" we have allowed and are now witnessing is reminiscent of what took place in the mid-1960s in socialist/communist China, while during that same era in the purported "land of the free" we had a capitalist version engendered (pun intended) and amplified by assassination's of prominent leaders that were the primary "shock" events for the Baby Boomers. Coupled with the mixture of readily available hallucinating drugs, sexual mores abandoned, rock and roll lyrics as soundtrack, and a second "unwinnable" war like the Korean "conflict" that created a cocktail of lascivious and licentious behaviors that neutered family values. We have not recovered, especially when people with power like Hillary and Obama inculcated their multitude of disciples with "rules for radicals" ideology and methodology.
Lamentably, without the Light of truth returning to a substantial majority of the population the future appears increasingly dystopic. Nevertheless, there is historical precedence for the Creator to have mercy. Nineveh comes to mind. But what was required. The appearance of a prophet who spent three days in the gastric juices of a large fish. Can you imagine what Jonah looked like when he reluctantly showed up and declared that judgment was coming? He probably appeared white as a ghost, completely disheveled, not to mention an odiferous smell. It is almost like he had risen from the grave. How providential that on this very weekend a visible sign being commemorated around the world by His followers was prophesied by Yeshua to those detractors that in due time demanded His crucifixion:
"Then some of the Torah scholars and Pharisees answered Him, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You." But Yeshua replied to them, "An evil and adulterous generation clamors for a sign, yet no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. For just as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah. And behold, something greater than Jonah is here." Matthew 12:39-41
Maybe it is finally time for our wicked and perverse generation to have a better understanding of America's relatively recent true history and how we have indeed been like the proverbial frog slowly boiling in a cauldron of innocent blood, wasted semen, and intoxicating liquids that have polluted and anesthetized our thinking. How foolish have we been to be so self absorbed by our "freedom" and "choices" to choose self indulgence, pleasure and entertainment, in lieu of faithfully adhering to the two commandments that summarize the writings of the Law revealed by Moses and the prophets:
1) Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and 2) love your neighbor as yourself.
Of course, in order to do this, you must first be absolutely honest with yourself. Then upon reflection, sincerely confess your personal transgressions. Finally, repent and turn completely (180 degrees) toward the One who has not only paid for all your sin, but also forgiven you totally. Remember, He even asked for forgiveness for His executioners: "But Yeshua was saying, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." Luke 23:34a
How about you? How about now?
Mao, Marx, and all of the other isms, as history records, will bring nothing but death and destruction. On the other hand, the faithful down through the ages recommend choosing eternal life with Him over the inevitable death and damnation that comes from absolute separation.
It is a valid statement: Better late than never!
God Bless You All!!!
I'm a 1958 model, born with tailfins...
I exercise listening to fav music from the 60's, 70's, and 80's- and I hear the words sung in a new light, given what I know now.
What do I hear? The sweetest songs with the (for their times) most powerful voics and popular messages are/were promoting adultery, drug use, alcohol use, family abandonment, young girl temptations, social rebellion and more as positive ways to be, to act. Hyper sexualization in books, magazines, semi-soft porn in Playboy, Penthouse and more freely available everywhere. Pull them up and listen, read the lyrics; pull your antique collection of stroke mags out of the closet and look again.
This has been an agenda in play for decades.
I remember a movie called "Murphy's War" (Peter O'Toole) from the book of the same name; I was outraged when they changed the ending for the movie- that has always stuck with me over the years.
I was raised on Star Trek; I saw the first Star Wars in July '77 and went back 17 times dragging friends and family to watch it.
Can't stand watching the abominations they've created of those franchises now.
Revisionist history anyone? I have an extensive library that I used to reread continuously. I can't read them now, knowing what I know now, understanding that their premises were based on my false perceptions from the periods concerned. Clancy- CIA and the US Government as the good guys- with a few overreaching rascals acknowledged...
It never was true- it was just what we were taught.
With another coating of affirmation laid on each time we absorbed the messages.
Were the singers, lyricists, authors, publishers, producers in fact ignorant/innocent like me?
Or were they complicit?
Makes me want to read the Real History of the World.
Or, help write it-
-And teach it to our children.
Why this article, of all the other great ones to make my first comment? I have long had passion for movies and stories. It has been sad to see the decline of story telling. Star Wars and Lord of the Rings specifically have been sad to see be reduced to what they are now. But there is a movement in the faith-based film\tv industry that is using alternative means of funding that is making waves in the media world. This makes me hopeful in the ways not enough are talking about!