Sir Elton John’s Historical and Theological Elucidations: Was Jesus a “super-intelligent gay man”? | True Freethinker

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Mariano has written a great piece on a recent statement by Elton John. I think this goes to show just how awful our society has degenerated and how much we can twist things in our own minds without God.

Sir Elton John’s Historical and Theological Elucidations: Was Jesus a “super-intelligent gay man”? | True Freethinker

What Hollywood Believes: William Shatner

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Once in an interview William Shatner was asked "Is there a God?" Shatner replied "There is, but we don't know where. Or Who. And, indeed, why."

I hate to disagree, but I think it's a cop out answer. Many times I think people say such a thing because they don't wanna say "I don't know." and want to appear humble or spiritual instead of just coming right out and deal with the question of all questions.I would answer Shatner's questions pretty easily. He says that there is a God but we can't know Him.

God revealed Himself to humanity and the Bible is the record of that revelation spanning 40 authors, 1500 years and three continents.

Where? Everywhere! God is omnipresent and exists simultaneously everywhere and everywhen simultaneously.

Who? YHWH - THE LORD - The I AM THAT I AM - He that sustains Himself with Himself

Why? For His Glory and good pleasure. It's God's reality.

The 12 Most Powerful Christians in Hollywood - The 12 Most Powerful Christians in Hollywood - Beliefnet.com

Here is a great article listing the 12 most powerful Christians in Hollywood. It's really cool. I'm planning to go more in-depth into what they believe in the coming months.

The 12 Most Powerful Christians in Hollywood - The 12 Most Powerful Christians in Hollywood - Beliefnet.com

What Hollywood Believes - Laurence Fishburne

"I have this unshakable faith. I believe in myself, I believe in God. I had two times in my life where I wanted to give up everything I worked for, but God gave me a job. I believe in my children. I believe in human beings. I believe in the goodness that is in human beings. I believe in many, many things I cannot prove. I believe that there's the world of the seen and world of the unseen."

I got to wonder what Fishburne really means. Do any of the things he believe in conflict with one another? Do they coincide with the Bible. One thing he said that definitely conflicts is the thought that people are inherently good. It is one of those things that I wish was true but is not. The Bible expressly contradicts this thought.

What Hollywood Believes - Lisa Whelchel

Lis Whelchel said:

"The Lord takes us seriously when we call upon Him, even in Desperation. He began to answer me every time...and he would give me an idea."

I have found the same thing in my own life.

What Hollywood Believes - Leonard Nimoy

When Nimoy was asked if he was a religious man he answered:

"No, not particularly. I certainly don't live in s kosher home although I was raised in a kosher environment. My wife and I are affiliated with a temple...but I consider myself more spiritual than religious."

I've heard that he was raised Jewish and the Vulcan salute came from Judaism. The interview points to Nimoy's hobby is photographing "the divine feminine." This is envisioning femaleness as divine. This belief is mirrored in the Da Vinci Code. I'm a fan of Star Trek and I am disappointed that He is not a follower of Jesus. Worshipping the female body is idolotry pure and simple.

What Hollywood Believes - Maria Shriver

"Yes, I bring faith and God into the book [her book called What's Heaven]. But this is a book that I hope appeals to all religions. I explain death as a process of your life being over here on earth and you go to Heaven to be with God. I talk about the soul and I try to give answers to very basic questions."

Okay, I'm scare. It's a children's book. My kids won't be reading it. This is a univeralist viewpoint: everyone is going to heaven. Not Biblical at all.

What Hollywood Believes: Debbie Reynolds

"My faith in the fact that I believe God's looking after me and I'm herte because I have a purpose, and I feel that I should fight hard to try to survive and to try to do good for others as well as myself and my family. I live by the Ten Commandments and I believe in them, and I try to stay right with that."

Iy's interesting how she said nothing about Jesus. Without Jesus there is no hope to keeping the ten commandments. If you break one, you break them all.

What Hollywood Believes - Charlton Heston

"Ever since playing Moses in The Ten Commandments I've felt a deep, personal connection with the Bible which remains as vivid and vital today as when it was told around campfires centuries before there was any written language."

I like the quote, but it says nothing about what Heston believed about Jesus or if he believed that we should apply the Bible to our lives.

What Hollywood Believes - Halle Berry

Halle Berry is quoted as saying:

"I know that there is a God - the God within me that's always present and will protect me. I'm not afraid to climb a mountain, because I know that I'm protected. Even if I fall and die, I'm still protected. My faith is on that level.

I meditate and pray all the time. The faith and respect that I have in the power of God in my life is what I've used to keep myself grounded, and it has allowed me to move past the storms that were in my life. I'm still a work in progress, but I know as long as I stay close to God I'll be alright."

This was encouraging because at least Halle Berry recognizes a power higher than herself. Is her faith in the God of the Bible or in faith itself? I'm not sure. She does realize however God has brought her through a lot. I'm just glad God is working on her just like He is working on all of us.

What Hollywood Believes - Jack Nicholson

Nicholson once said,

"I don't believe in God now. But I can still work up an envy for someone who has faith. I can see how that could be a deeply soothing experience."

The quote does not say what robbed Jack of his faith but I feel sorry for him. It is by faith that we walk with God. Without it life has got to be empty.

What Hollywood Believes - Billy Ray Cyrus

Billy Ray Cyrus most definitely has a Christian upbringing and worldview. I sure hope that he is passing this treasure to his children.

"If you're going to stand up for Jesus, your life will be a battle between light and darkness. And for everything that God will bring into your life that represents the light, the devil, he's such a sly fox, will come at you with two times more attributes of evil..."

"I made a lot of mistakes, but I was fortunate that I was brought up in a church where I heard about God's love and His forgiveness. I might have gotten a little wild, but I never left my faith. Luckily, teachings from the Bible were instilled so deep inside me that no matter how far I would stray, I'd still hear that voice that said, "You have a purpose, you have a reason you were put on this earth. you've got to be the person God wants you to be.'"

"By no means...am I proclaiming that I'm this perfect, religious person. I'm not. I'm not all of a sudden stepping up on a pedestal and saying I'm holier than tho, because I'm not. I'm a very imperfect person, but isn't that why God sent his son Jesus to earth? To save sinners like me?"

And like me. I liked this quote. It's not luck that he never forgot what was instilled into him, it's a gift from God.

What Hollywood Believes - Hugh Hefner

This quote from Hefner comes as no surprise but its interesting to look into anyway.

"If a man has a right to find God in own way, he has the right to go the devil in his own way also... Religious leaders can attempt to persuade us of the correctness of their beliefs - they have this right, and indeed it is expected of them. They have no right, however, to attempt in any way to force their belief on others."

I halfway agree with Hefner. The Bible tells us that we don't get to go to God in our own way. Jesus is the only way. This does not mean that there aren't multiple paths, only that they all go through Jesus Christ. I agree that we have no right to force anyone to agree with us but we should warn and inform as much as we can.

What Hollywood Believes - Stephen King

Stephen King said:

"I think he's always been there [his work]...G0d is different in different books because it depends on the people you're writing about. I don't see myself as God's stenographer. As someone who believes in God, believes that God is a logical outgrowth of the fact that life fits together as well as it does, but that doesn't mean that we know God's mind."

King was discussing the existence of God and I agree with him. The fact that life and the universe fits so well together does point to God's existence and there is no way we can know all of God's mind except for what he has revealed to us. I could not tell if King believes that God has revealed himself or how. As a Christian I know the Bible is that revelation.

What Hollywood Believes - Howard Stern

Howard Stern said:

"I'm sickened by all religion. Religion has divided people. I don't think there's any difference between the pope wearing a large hat and parading around with a smoking purse and an African painting his face white and praying to a rock."

I'm disappointed by Stern's remarks. No shocked, but concerned because of the platform he has. People listen to him. We as people mistakenly equate religion with spirituality. In the West we are great at compartmentalizing. Religion becomes a set of rituals and behaviors we follow for a definite time each week. Otherwise we live as we choose regardless of what those rituals say we believe. It's a lie. While those who worship rocks and other idols (worshiping anything outside of God is an idol) are often way more sincere and consistent in how what they say and do matches what they say they believe. However they believe a lie. Ultimately it's equally sad to live a lie as it is to believe a lie. I disagree with Stern there is a difference. Being a Christian is more than just rituals and behaviors. It should afgfect everything we say and do - how we live.

What Hollywood Believes: James Taylor

James Taylor was quoted in What Hollywood Believes as saying that he believes that spirituality is an important part of recovery from drugs and alcohol. However he did say that his songs were "spirituals for agnostics." I think what is really telling is his answer to the question: "Does not having faith in a person God make it harder to stick with a 12-step recovery program?" He said:

"Twelve step programs say an interesting thing: Either you have a God, or you are God and don't want the job."

This freaked me out. I hope not all programs teach such a bad idea. It really speaks to where we are in our culture however. People have taken god off the thrones of their lives and replaced Him with themselves. This is why we are in the state we are in as a species and society.

What Hollywood Believes: Bob Dylan

What Hollywood Believe records two thought from Bob Dylan that I find interesting. In the first one Dylan said:

"I feel a heartfelt God. I don't particularly think that God want me thinking about Him all the time. I think that would be tremendous burden on Him, you know. He's got enough people asking Him for favors. He's got enough people asking Him to pull string."

I get his sentiment, I just don't agree. God can do anything and can hear the prayers and thoughts of every human being every where and every when at the same time. I agree we should be more concerned with serving Him rather than what He will do for us.

When Dylan was asked about the nature of religion I really liked what he said.

"Well, religion is repressive to a certain degree. Religion is another form of bondage which man invents to get himself to God. But that's why Christ came. Christ didn't preach religion. He preached the Truth, the Way and the Life. He said He'd come to give life and life more abundantly. He talked about life, not necessarily religion... "

"A religion which says you have to do certain things to get to God...,which is by works: you can enter into the Kingdom by what you do, what you wear,what you say, how many times a day yopu pray, how many goood deeds you may do...That type of religion will not get you into the Kingdom, that's true. However there is a Master Crerator, a Supreme Being in the Universe."

What Hollywood Believes: Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Schwarzenegger said that he believes in God, but he defines that with respect to the fact he know evil exist. He seems to hold to the duality picture of reality. If there is evil then there must be good. I bought this for a while until I realized that there was point in the past where there was only God. No Angels, No Universe. Nothing but God. God is good. Therefore good can exist without evil! God's existence is not contingent on anything. But everything including the devil is contingent on Him.

What Hollywood Believes: John Travolta

John Travolta is a scientologist. He's been with scientology since he was 21 years old. He says that it helps him put things in perspective."A film not doing well isn't a disaster - a plane crash is a disaster,..." He said thast he believes that there is life after death but you get to get to choose to be reincarnated or "just hang out, whatever you feel like." He admits that he prays and when asked to whom he prays he answered, "To the yet-not-fully-understood God concept."

I'm real disappointed with Travolta's answers because God is not a concept and I think it is a cop-out to throw your hands in the air and just say we don't know a lot about God because we cannot fully understand Him. We can't know everything about God and how he does what He does and why but we have no excuse for not know what he has revealed and walking in that. If you want to know more about God you can know.

What Hollywood Believes: Dolly Parton

Here is a quote from Dolly Parton regarding her conception of "God":

"Everybody thinks of God as a different thing. To me, God is that greater, higher energy - that greater, wiser wisdom. It's tha thing in all of us that we all have to draw from. I've always trusted God and trusted myself, which to are intertwined. I'm a creative person, and what gifts I have come fom that divine place that I try to tap into. So who have I got to be afraid of?"

I've got a two fold disagreement with her worldview. To Her God is impersonal. God's purposes, thought, and will are not separate from her own. This is not Biblical.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,"
declares the LORD.

"As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,

so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

- Isaiah 55:8-11

The other idea I can't get along with is the that trusting yourself and trusting God are intertwined.

But man, despite his riches, does not endure;
he is like the beasts that perish.

This is the fate of those who trust in themselves,
and of their followers, who approve their sayings.
Selah

Like sheep they are destined for the grave,
and death will feed on them.
The upright will rule over them in the morning;
their forms will decay in the grave,
far from their princely mansions.

Psalm 49:12-14

Instead,God tells us in Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.