12 Responses to “November 20, 2009”

1. Kyle L.
   November 25th, 2009 @ 2:51 pm

   Just wanted to comment on the Twilight vampire movies. I know we must run away from the occult, but I think the twilight series is more focused on romance than the occult… I have never read the books or seen the movies but I did see people lined up at the mall for the movie. They were in costume and everything! I think there is a point when people can be obsessed with something and it goes to far. Anything that will cause you to dress up and wait for hours in line to see it surely isn’t a good thing for you.

   I agree that the vampire movies can pull people into the occult but I think if someone is grounded in Jesus they can distinguish between the good and the bad. I know many Christians who are dedicated who have seen the movie, but they aren’t obsessed like the loons who were in dress up.

   I’m not sure where I stand on this issue. I guess it’s up to us whether or not to let the world absorb us, and we should obviously not let it. I also know we shouldn’t dabble in the occult, but I think twilight is simple story. The problem begins when people try to replace Jesus with something else, and that leads them to become obsessed with whatever they set their eyes upon. Just a few thoughts.

2. Ben
   November 26th, 2009 @ 8:14 am

   Twighlight = innocuous fantasy stories. It’s not a big deal.

3. Dr. Michae L. Brown
   November 26th, 2009 @ 9:47 am

   Ben,

   Re: Twilight, do you think that there’s anything demonic, in general, when it comes to vampire fantasies? Do you have any issue with the massive popularity of vampire themes in today’s culture?

4. Mwiya
   November 27th, 2009 @ 1:53 pm

   Dr Brown,
   I have a question about Jewish Tradition. How is that The books of the Torah and the book of Judges and others clearly depict a Messenger of YHWH who is worshipped and revered as YHWH and yet seen as being sent by YHWH, and yet Jewish tradition as far as I’m aware either seems to be unaware of this or explains it away with ideas like that of Metatron and the like? I have a friend of mine who is an orthodox Jew, the first time I highlighted this to Him he was surprised as though he had never heard of it? In fact in reading newer translations of the Hebrew Bible by the JPS it seems like their translation attempts to downsize the importance of this angel. Where in older JPS translations it would say “The Angel of the LORD..” it says in a newer Translation of the Tanakh “An Angel of the LORD.” In Zechariah in the latter chapters of the book chapter 12 or 14 it talks of The Angel of the LORD being God, in the newer JPS it says like “A Divine Being.” Is there any reason for this?

5. Mwiya
   November 27th, 2009 @ 1:55 pm

   Dr Brown,

   I also had another question about the Book of Enoch. Why is it not part of the Western Church’s canon? I know the Ethiopic Church holds it as scripture. The book of Jude quotes it and one of Peter’s letters seems to allude to it so why is it not held as scripture since it seems that the Apostle’s seem to have seen it as such, otherwise why quote from a book that is full of false prophecy if it in fact is a falsified work?

6. Kyle L.
   November 27th, 2009 @ 11:18 pm

   I can give my explanation for what you’ve asked. As for the Angel of the Lord, of course modern Jewish translations are straying away from what promotes Jesus. In all the debates I’ve listened to, I have not heard anything satisfactory to disclaim these passages. Especially the one where the three people show up and we figure out that one is God while the others are angels. Theres a lot of weird translations in the Newest Jewish translations. I saw that in one of the older Jewish translations, the “my” in Isaiah 53:8 is uppercase showing that God is speaking. Not anymore!

   You also asked about Enoch. I believe it was Jewish practice that sometimes they quoted from other works to prove a scriptural or spiritual truth. I believe that the apocrypha are very valuable and help us to see exactly what many Jews of the old days thought, especially about the Messiah. Are these texts infallible? No, but they do contain truths that can be quoted in order to prove a point, which we can see in Matthew’s writings. They New Testament authors may have not even realized that they quoted the book! It may have been in their head while they were writing.

7. Mwiya
   November 28th, 2009 @ 11:20 am

   Thanks Kyle

8. Ben
   December 1st, 2009 @ 6:24 am

   Hi Folks

   It was actually quite fortuitous that came back here, because I read more about Twilight. I have seen the first movie. I take it as a fantasy story much like Harry Potter, as entertainment. But I came back here because I heard of a sequel called “breaking dawn”. If you haven’t read it, don’t. because from what i have heard about it (which might not be true), it is overtly sexual, and not as innocuous as i thought, and it is this sort of thing that bars it from me. I am rejecting it on that basis, because that’s the thing that affects me.

   It’s all about perspective – how one sees twilight. If one sees it from the viewpoint that it is just a story, that one can completely disassociate from it, then one can also see it as something innocuous.

   If one views it through a biblical perspex, as something occultic (because of the characteristics of vampires being similar to demons) and something that affects peoples’ lives then one can see it the other way too.

   In the end, the real question is: does this affect our living? Does this make us more prone to sin? does this draw us away from God? This is a question of fact. [perhaps for some it might, perhaps for others it might not. perhaps some can say "it's just a story" and not think any more of it. Others might dislike such vampire/demonic/occultic themes pervading our lives through pop-culture. But hang on - these vampires are "good" vampires. They don't want to hurt people. they are more like guardian angels saving Bella rather than demons wanting to destroy. anyways, some might say all this this is like holding fire to your chest - of course it is bad: "NO NO NO" as Dr Brown says with loudspeaker ]

   It all comes down to whether or not it draws you away from God, factually. Only you can really say whether it does or it does not I suppose.

9. Ben KC
   December 1st, 2009 @ 8:08 am

   Some movies can:

   1) Draw you away from God. One may not even notice it sometimes but its like a frog placed in a pot of water lukewarm water. The tempurature rises very very slowly and the frog doesnt notice the change. As the tempurature changes, the frog continues to adjust to the tempurature and dies at the end in the boiling water.

   2) Desensitize our hearts and lose discernment.

   3) Cause someone else to stumble. What may not cause girls to stumble may cause guys to stumble. What may not cause guys to stumble may cause girls to stumble. It doesnt only apply to gender, but it applies to other areas such as culture, age, etc…

10. Ben KC
    December 1st, 2009 @ 8:12 am

    FYI, Ben and Ben KC are two diferent people.

11. Kyle L.
    December 1st, 2009 @ 3:14 pm

    What Ben KC says it correct. Some movies/videogames/media can desensitize us, which becomes problematic. Excessive gore and blood leads one to not be bothered by such things, which CAN theoretically lead one to commit such an act in real life since it no longer bothers them. I used to be able to play gory videogames and watch extremely gorey movies, but now I can’t. It turns out we gain regain that sensitivity as well.

12. Mwiya
    December 7th, 2009 @ 11:29 am

    Dr Brown,

    I had a question regarding jewish tradition. After the Temple built by Solomon was destroyed, the Ark of the Covenant disappeared. Later on another Temble was built with the leadership of Zerubabel and Joshua the High Priest at the time. However, there was no ark of the Covenant. As such how could the various laws regarding entering the Holy Place and sprinkling blood on the mercy seat of the Ark be practiced during that time. Is there any documentation that sheds some light on this?

    Also I had another question regarding food laws. In the Book of the Acts of the Apostle’s we see that God reveals to Peter that all foods have been made clean; I take the revelation to mean that. Also various texts show describe Paul telling Peter how He (Peter) would sometimes live in the manner of Gentiles (eating foods which I suppose the Law of Moses regards as unclean). As such my question is this, has God made all food clean. And if so why is there still a movement within Messianic Judaism to keep Kosher. As a gentile I know that eating food with blood or from a strangled animal is sin, but is that a general rule for all considering Peter’s revelation on the subject? Or is the revelation more to do with gentiles being incorporated into God’s House or perhaps both concepts in one?

    I find it interesting that in Genesis 1 and 2 man and all animals were only permitted to eat fruits, veggies and nuts. That would intrinsically have made eating meat not kosher so to speak as it would be outside of what God allowed man and beast to eat. Then we come to the post-flood period and Noah is allowed to eat all animals but has to cook them etc. Then we find the list of foods that can be eaten are narrowed down in the Law, and then perhaps in the New Testament the list is expanded. Do you think that in the world to come we shall be all vegeterians as Adam and Eve were I presumme?

Leave a Reply