First post of 2007, jesus camp, etc.

Well happy belated new year to everyone. I just spent a week off from work taking care of my son Ian because our nanny was on vacation. The young boy just continues to amaze.

I just wanted to point out a couple of movies that I recently saw which I recommend: Jesus Camp and Little Miss Sunshine. Neither one was seen by very many people as far as I know. Little Miss Sunshine is just a cute and funny story about a dysfunctional family. Just a very funny entertaining film that I think will appeal to most people. Lots of cursing though, if that bothers you.

Jesus Camp was just a fascinating documentary about preaching to kids. Clearly the reaction to this movie will be mixed depending on the religion of the viewer. The problem is that kids will pretty much believe what adults tell them. So, I think it's wrong to 'indoctrinate' kids with bad things. I think this is where suicide bombers come from. However, if you are 100% certain that what you are telling them is true, then you can feel justified with this behavior. I'd guess that the people depicted in this movie fall into this category. Unfortunately, whoever trained those martyrs in the Middle East probably fall into this category also.

OK, here's a list of some controversial topics (some more than others of course):

1. does god exist?
2. what is the nature of god?
3. abortion / stem cell research
4. evolution / creation
5. homosexuality
6. immigration reform
7. the environment, global warming, and conservationism
8. war / terrorism / freedom

OK, these are some interesting topics that are discussed in politics and which do not have a clear answer. Other topics are not worthy of much discussion because most people in democratic societies feel that there is a clear cut answer. (for example: slavery is wrong, racism is wrong, sexism is wrong, people should have free speech, don't steal, don't cheat, etc.) The trouble is, if you look at a similar list from a few hundred years ago, the topics would be very different. (ie: abortion and homosexuality were wrong, racism and slavery were not wrong, women could not vote!)

So, the interesting thing that I would like to invite discussion about is, can you predict which of these topics will no longer be debatable in the next 50-100 years or so? Based on what I've seen, my guess is that #5 and #7 above will become fairly clear to most people by the end of my lifetime. Notice that I haven't yet provided my own opinions on these matters. I will at some point, but I'm just trying to avoid getting shot down at this point. I have a feeling that the debate on the other topics will still be around for a longer time. And for #1 and #2, I'm guessing that the debate will never end.

Regarding God, I think that some people will never be convinced to change their mind. If you've had a personal experience with God, then how could anyone convince you that God doesn't exist? If you haven't had an experience like that, then you're probably more likely to be an agnostic or an atheist.

Regarding abortion and stem cell research, I think it's fairly simple. If you believe that humans have a 'soul' or a 'spirit' which exists and cannot be explained by science and is not matter (ie: not part of the physical body), then you're probably going to be against abortion and stem cell research. OK, I'll let this one out of the bag: I do believe in the 'soul'. I can't tell you why I believe it, because there is no reason that would be good enough to convince anyone who doesn't believe it. Therein lies the problem, I suppose.

Regarding the environment, I'm thinking that at some point, things like the rising price of oil & energy, global warming trends and continued resource wars will convince most people to try to conserve.

Regarding immigration, I'm biased because I'm currently in the process of legally obtaining a green card. Because I've incurred a great loss of money and time during this process, I have very little sympathy for those who have broken the law.

OK, this was a long post, I'll talk to you later. Enjoy the warm weather! (To all of you in the east coast of North America).