Dawnsinger

Message to Michael Moore, from the family of the fallen . . .

Michael Moore, having had his pseudo-journalistic propaganda shoved back down his throat, is pouting today.  Earlier, his homepage consisted of a mosaic of George W. Bush, composed of the tiny mugshots of the Iraq war dead.  This evening, he's listed the war dead on his home page, adding, "and may they forgive us someday."

One of the names on that list is Spc. Robert Du Sang of Mandeville, LA.  I drove out into the woods of rural Louisiana to break the news to his brother and sister.  I helped prepare his memorial ceremony.  I stood with the family as they faced the media covering the first local Iraq war death.

The Du Sangs, who unlike you, have laid their sacrifice on the altar, are fiery in their belief that Robert died for the right cause, and in their support for President Bush.  To reporters gathered beside Lake Pontchartrain in early July, Robert's big sister Jessie said: "Don't you make my brother's death an anti-war story.  He was a hero, and he believed in what our country is doing there, and so does our family."  ( Read more about it )

The family of Robert Du Sang has a message for you, Michael.  I only wish you had the guts to come down to Southeastern Louisiana to get it in person. 

As for Robert, he is home.

Vanilla Ice 'Down Under' . . .

Now this is a scary vision. 42-year-old politico Down Under pulling out the old "Bling-Bling in Every Crib" maneuver.

Read the story . . .

I'm getting this really frightening picture of the presidential debates. Kerry & Bush "bling-blinged" out, Band-Aids on cheeks, saggin' and crotch-grabbing in a desperate hip-hop smackdown.

Word.

Narnia goes Hollywood

Interestingly the MTV article below mentions something I'd forgotten about - the upcoming Disneyfied version of CS Lewis' "The Lion, Witch & the Wardrobe," directed by the guy who brought us "Shrek."

So, being a fan of CS Lewis - and having raised my kids in Narnia, so to speak - I hit the Disney-blessed site. It probably comes as no shock to find that Narnia and Lewis have been thoroughly neutered in a religious sense. A man who loved the fairy tales from his Irish nurse sat down as a Cambridge professor and wrote the Narnia series to amuse the kids. No mention, of course, of what the man was REALLY famous for. If Lewis could read his own bio on the official movie site, he'd spew . . . of course unlike me, he'd spew riveting apologetics that would skewer the Disney project. In fact, I'm quite sure that Mr. Jack would thoroughly disapprove of the movie.

I will be curious how Disney deals with the Creation, the Fall, the Redemptive Death and Resurrection, Armageddon and just the day-to-day Christian theology woven tightly into the Narnia books. The BBC children's theater version of the Narnia books, by the way, get a thumbs-up for faithfulness to the word and spirit of Lewis' works.

Hit the movie's official site . . .

Compare a bio of Lewis on the CSLewis.com site . . .

Link to a description of the BBC version . . .

Interestingly, Movies.Com raises the possibility that Nicole Kidman will be playing the White Witch. She'll be the one sending Aslan the Great Lion to the Time Out Corner, since obviously a bloody altar sacrifice and resurrection won't be on the menu.

Read rumors on Movies.com . . .

MTV's take on 'Passion'

"Can $350 million help Hollywood find religion?"

In an article that uses the term "Godsploitation," MTV analyzes next steps for Hollywood in the wake of the runaway commercial success of Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ." (Read MTV's article . . . )

The answer, of course, is that Hollywood is already deeply religious . . . and phrases like "$350 million" are the John 3:16 of Tinsel Town. But despite the cynical idea that Gibson exploited Jesus' death for profit (remember only a few months ago when the movie was expected to be a dismal failure?) it's not a bandwagon that's going to be easy to hop on.

The uncomfortable Jesus

It's critical to remember, as this essay from Christianity Today points out, that in our pursuit of the goodness, light and love of Jesus, we not forget that God's definition of goodness, light and love supersedes ours, and may, indeed be much different. Aslan, as CS Lewis says (am I in a rut here?), is not a TAME lion.

Read the essay . . .

"Passion" reducing anti-Semitism?

A new study, released this week by the Institute for Jewish and Community Research, shows that the movie "The Passion of Christ" may actually be reducing anti-Semitism. This first scientific survey comes in the wake of months of hysteria about the possibility that the movie about the torture-execution of Jesus would rekindle hostility against Jews. Historically many Jews have been persecuted because of anti-Semitic teachings that as a whole, Jews should be held responsible for Christ-killing.

The new study, however, finds that a sizable number of Americans say the film makes them LESS likely, rather than more likely to hold Jews and Jewish institutions responsible for Jesus' death. The study's author, Dr. Gary Tobin, cautions that this reaction might be different in other parts of the world, but sees hope that the movie has brought the issue into the open and fostered discussion about it.

Rather than rely on the chopped-down wire stories about this study, I asked the Institute for a copy of their official release.

The full text, plus details on the Institute, follows:

Breaking 10 Commandments with 'Passion'

Mel Gibson is reaping rewards from breaking Hollywood's 10 Commands of Moviemaking, according to this Hollywood Reporter article.

I would have added to the list: "Thou shalt continue the tradition of anti-Christian bigotry in moviemaking."