Friday, April 05, 2013

Philosophical & Theological Reflections On Satirical Images: The Bible

Not being political at all, but there is apparently an issue on this. Please see my documentation.
The Bible 2013

Quote from Wikipedia

 'Controversy

There have been claims of a resemblance of the actor that plays Satan with current US President Barack Obama. Glenn Beck was among the first to publicly note this on Twitter.[28] This has led the History Channel to announce, History [C]hannel has the highest respect for President Obama. The Bible series was produced with an international and diverse cast of respected actors. It's unfortunate that anyone made this false connection. History’s "The Bible" is meant to enlighten people on its rich stories and deep history."[29]

Burnett and Downey responded in a joint statement, This is utter nonsense. The actor who played Satan, Mehdi Ouazanni, is a highly acclaimed Moroccan actor. He has previously played parts in several Biblical epics – including Satanic characters long before Barack Obama was elected as our President.[29] Downey added separately, "Both Mark and I have nothing but respect and love for our president, who is a fellow Christian. False statements such as these are just designed as a foolish distraction to try and discredit the beauty of the story of The Bible.[30]'



Image from



 A key in my view in dealing with such a message, I reason after dealing with MPhil and PhD Theodicy degrees is to not just deal with the goodness with God, but also with the overall results of sin, Biblically and in the known reality. The evangelical church often correctly emphasizes the saving nature of the Gospel, but tends to be theologically and even more so philosophically weak in areas of theodicy and the problem of evil. In this life and the next, in the Western world, this life can seems pretty good for many as a Christian. But for a starving child in Africa, even with the Gospel and a loving God, the harshness of a fallen world in this life can be even more apparent. In can soon be over for some. As I have noted, from embryo to elderly any person can die in this realm and reality, Biblically justly within a Christian worldview because of sinful nature (Genesis 3). God has the right to take life, even regardless of the level of sinfulness of a person, or in the case of a very young child, one that does not have an adult, rational understanding and developed sinful choices, there still is an inherited sinful/sin nature via the human race. I realize this is harsh, but it is Biblical and explains many things. This is an example where a strong appeal to human free will really does not suffice, in my opinion, because even if the free will of the African leaders, for example, is primarily blamed for the starvation of their children in some theological attempt to defend God, human beings are still only a secondary cause of all thoughts and actions, whereas God would be the primary cause of all thoughts and actions, but God would have still willed and caused with perfect motives all actions or lack of. I do not reason God damns those without an adult understanding, and related limited free will to hell/Hades, and I reason such persons shall be regenerated and resurrected in Christ.



Went for lunch after church today and this was on a car's windshield. As if, with the nose appliance...