WishboneDawn
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Posts posted by WishboneDawn
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The acting was mediocre, many of the characters were very shallow and poorly developed. The dialogue was trite. I honestly think that movies made by Christians are embarrassingly poorly made most of the time. The only exceptions I can think of at the moment are Mel Gibson movies.
I can't wait to see Noah. It's supposed to be exceptionally well done and full of interesting theology.
And it was directed by a secular Jewish man who's an atheist. Maybe the great Christian movies are the ones Christians don't make. :D
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We're using Jacob's 2nd edition. My daughter isn't intensely fond of it (she hates colourful texts with lots of sidebars and Jacob's is just on the edge of that precipice) but she does say she it's effective. I'm referring to her because I gave her the text and the answer key and walked away - she likes doing her math on her own and the textbook is very good for independent learners. It would definitely be more challenging then TT and by all I've seen on these boards it's a solid program.
We did go for the 2nd edition because it had more proofs and I'd recommend it for a kid who wants more challenge.
I think she'd love Kiselev but with no answer key we're both a bit intimidated.
ETA: I looked at Discovering Geometry too but discovery based and hands-on stuff makes my daughter cringe like a vampire splashed with holy water. :D
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I just went to see this with my husband last night. No, it is not the best film ever. However, I'd like to own the movie when it comes out.
Why? Because it displayed how strongly some non-Christians feel. It made very good points about Christ/Bible. It brought me to tears in parts. It displayed someone who cared more about standing for Jesus than anything else in life, regardless of what others thought. That's what Christ wants for those who love him! The movie displayed the statement "I'm not ashamed to be a Christian"
Could the acting have been better? Absolutely. Was some of the movie predictable? Yes, some. Was everything that had to do with Nietzsche correct? I don't know much about Nietzsche but my DH does and he didn't mention anything.
I personally thought it was very good!Thank you for sharing! I appreciate that.
Now I'm going to disagree. :D
I think the bolded is probably why I would not enjoy the movie. I don't think Christ wants us to stand for him, I think he wants us to stand for love, His commandments to love God and love our neighbours. Who are our neighbours? With the Samaritan story the answer was everyone. Jesus is only the message, only the point, if we remember the message He Himself stood for. I'm reading a pretty good book (the Christian Moral Life by Timothy Sedgwick) right now that would likely argue that standing for Jesus only for the sake of standing for Jesus might be an exercise in idolatry. Sort of a radical thought but might make for interesting discussion :D
So stand up for Jesus? He's God, He's quite fine. Stand up for the idea that we should love the rude professor, not seek to prove wrong, but love? I think that was more the message of Jesus, not stand up for Jesus but stand up for and live his message. Is that an idea that's explored? I'm handicapped because I haven't seen it (it's not playing here at all right now so I have no chance to for the time being) but it would seem not to be. Especially if the idea of Christian love is about reaching out, sharing the Good News, I'm not sure how it could be about that when the professor (the muslim father, the asian father) seem to be cast in stereotypical and negative lights.
As for being ashamed to be Christian, that just seems to be the situation for which the message to turn the other cheek is meant. Being ashamed is a choice WE make and not an idea, I think, that a movie needs to talk us out of. We should turn the other cheek. When we don't, we concern ourselves with ourselves and others become, well,
Other rather then part of the larger community of humanity and creation. The love we're supposed to live and extend is limited, even denied. Is an atheist going to go to that movie and see the Good News? Is a muslim or a philosophy professor going to see an offer of love?
Is it going to convince those who see it to extend that message of Jesus to others or is it going to simply makes us feel better about being Christians and send us home satisfied?
I should make it clear that the questions I'm asking are for myself as well. This thread and the Sedgwick book have been a happy coincidence that have had me asking questions of myself since I first saw this thread. :)
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As a side note the best but of historical fiction I've read recently that really understood it couldn't populate the world of the novel with modern mind was a fantasy, Game of Thrones. There is exactly one modern thinker in that book, Tyrion the dwarf.
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I think everyone should go read those links because the history of the thing is getting overlooked while people focus on literary merits.http://archive.hbook.com/magazine/articles/1998/jan98_macleod.asp[/url]
http://www.academia.edu/2144562/Toward_a_Theory_of_Historical_Fiction_for_Children
If the point of historical fiction is to give kids a feel for an era then the fact that a book like Sarah, Plain and Tall that basically plants a modern-thinking girl in another time defeats the purpose. It's well written and won a Newberry. Quality of writing is no guarantee that a book will relate useful historical information beyond some of the material realities of living in a specific time.
You and SarahW brought this up before and, if I remember correctly, were treating dismissively by some. I think because for most of us, we don't understand the work of history as well as we understand literature.
But it's important. It informs how we shape our ideas of the future and past. For those of us who are Christian it can be valuable in how we approach the Bible, a book whose authors were most definitely not modern thinkers.
I'd just hate to see this topic turn into another discussion of what makes great literature when there's an opportunity to really understand how we approach history -
You got all of that kind playing out of your system when you were a kid. That's the practice playing that kids do. You don't need it. You do the real thing.
I used to "parallel play" with my kids. If my daughter was playing Barbies I'd sit with her and sew Barbie clothes. I enjoyed that and she had my company.
No need to feel guilty.
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Yes. We're doing Jensen's this year after spending last year with LAoW. My daughter ended up doing few of the exercises in LAoW and instead mostly just read it and worked what it covered into her other writing. I could see doing both in a year if you approached LAoW as she did...
I think the two would make a good finishing course and in that light I'd probably not think in terms of a semester. Rather it would be about working at them until the forms were mastered and the writing quality was good. If you need something for a transcript I might do LAoW one semester and Jensen's the next.
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The two problems on one worksheet I saw, that came home with my own child, the first had John and Mary, and the second had DeShawn and Rosa. I wondered which ethnic group the DeShawn and Rosa came from (they were listed as siblings). And why are there never names from any other ethnic groups? It is either bland English...John, Mary type stuff...or very ethnic Black and Hispanic...names where I do not know a single black or Hispanic person with. And where are the Asian names Irish names? Scandinavian? Russian?
Who are they selling to? Are they targeting districts where those names are more popular? It might be less about diversity or being PC and more about marketing. -
The two problems on one worksheet I saw, that came home with my own child, the first had John and Mary, and the second had DeShawn and Rosa. I wondered which ethnic group the DeShawn and Rosa came from (they were listed as siblings). And why are there never names from any other ethnic groups? It is either bland English...John, Mary type stuff...or very ethnic Black and Hispanic...names where I do not know a single black or Hispanic person with. And where are the Asian names Irish names? Scandinavian? Russian?
Who are they selling to? Are they targeting districts where those names are more popular? It might be less about diversity or being PC and more about marketing. -
Oh, and "showing your work" or "explaining your thinking":
This actually is important when you use mathematics as part of your job (engineering calculations, budget presentations, etc). We've been working on this a lot in the middle school years. In our home school, that means showing important steps in your calculations, even if you can just do it in your head (and just doing it in your head is usually where errors turn up). Other mathematically literate people can trace your thinking by the steps that you show. I don't think it is necessary to write an essay on the challenges of place value in addition and subtraction in scientific notation, for example. Just show the steps you took in adding 7.3 x 104 + 2.4 x 103 (to use an example from our recent work).
Thinking back to Liping Ma, I wonder if the problem with the explaining work but has Moore to do with teachers who don't have a firm conceptual understanding themselves. -
I live in a University community where most of the people I know are highly educated. Many of them are totally confused by the elementary level math being taught to their children. One mom told me that her first grade dd cried over her math homework every night, so the mother asked for a copy of the textbook (students don't have their own copy). The school told her she could rent a copy for $20 and the mom was so frustrated that she agreed. Both she and her husband read through the textbook and were more confused than ever. When parents complain about the curriculum they are being told that it's CC required and the school district doesn't have a choice.
I won't even go into the stories I've heard from teachers about the endless training in CC and how it's being implemented in their schools.
This has been going on for years. I've been hearing similar stories, generally involving texts like Everyday Math, for the last ten years (since I started to pay attention to education in the US).
From what I gather CC doesn't mean poorly written texts. It's simply means new editions of pure-existing poorly written texts. -
I'd second LAoW but I would add in Jensen's Format Writing. LAoW will address a lit off style and basic structure issues but Jensen's gets into the sentence-by-sentence, nuts and bolts of putting together first paragraphs and then essays of different types.
They really complement each other well. My daughter finds that one will cover what the other lacks. We did LAoW last year and she's doing Jensen's now.
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But I really want to know. I'm not the one who asked you originally why it was one of the best films, but I was looking forward to your answer. Instead you answered, "Why wouldn't it be?"
I am a staunch Christian and I find that a number of Christian movies are mediocre. I want to know why this movie was good. I'm curious and am interested. I also wanted to know why everyone thought Frozen was so good and Avatar, back it its day. If someone says that something is one of the best movies they've seen, I want to know why.
I'm not being snarky. I am genuinely curious.
Or anyone else, for that matter, who has posted that you loved the movie. Why?
It's been a pretty one-sided discussion. I'd like to see the other side as well. -
That's an excellent program. I did three years of it about 25 years ago and I still have the books. I think there were 4 years and I don't remember why I didn't finish it out.
You should take it again.:D We've got new texts, not the written-in-house binders anymore and on the while they're excellent. Year four is a whole lit meatier now because of that change I think. -
Hook, line and sinker - ok, i'll take the bait. Why not?
Here's my answer: why would it "not" be considered one of the best films "ever"?
Because I've seen to many movies to assume they're all the best films ever until proven wrong. :D
I'm curious about what made it such a great experience for you. I haven't seen it, I'm going by unflattering reviews and summaries. Is like to hear the other side. It may be it did something for you that it didn't do for the reviewers. I've also loved movies that got panned. Sometimes we can find redeeming stuff in films that others miss.
I was also wondering whether you might have been engaging in some hyperbole. Maybe you enjoyed it but we're intentionally overstating the matter to deliver some snark you those of us who've gotten a little, er, enthusiastic in our takedown of the movie? I probably d deserved that if that was the case. ;) -
up front here- I haven't seen the movie yet, not sure if I will. Dawn, your post made me think of discussions we've had with our kids after watching a video series on youtube called "The Restless Church" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4V-JQ7UUVg8 and many points you wrote about are discussed in the series. We found it very thought provoking about thinking more deeply about exactly what we are doing - are we really "changed" by a radical worship conference? what changed? are we preaching to the choir? Do we want more? Anyways, left the link. I don't know the background of the group, but I love the narrator's accent.
Thank you! I'm going to watch that as soon as I get a chance. I mentor an EFM (Education for Ministry) course and it's from that and when I first took the course myself that I started asking those questions. I just get suspicious of anything Christian that's basically cheerleading and saying, "Yes! We ARE better then everyone else!" I mean, that's exactly the point at which Jesus or Paul would come into a room and give everybody a slap upside the head. With a big stick. A BIG stick. They challenged, they weren't cheerleaders.
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We saw the movie this past weekend and it was one of the best films we've ever seen. When it comes out on dvd I plan to buy a copy.
But why was it one of the best films you've ever seen?
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I too saw it yesterday and loved it.
It's not based on an email. It's based on the numerous times similar "requirements" have happened in college classrooms over the past several years that resulted in lawsuits against the schools. A list of lawsuits, and their outcomes, runs at the end of the movie. The student in the movie also does not "take down" the professor at the end.From the Psychology Today article and about the list of lawsuits, "The movie actually lists a number of court cases, in the credits, as the “inspiration†for the movie, to leave the viewer with the impression that this kind of thing happens all the time. In reality, of course, they are largely just the aforementioned “Christian-email-forward boogeymen.†Take the case of Raymond Raines, who Christians claim was picked up by the scruff of the neck and yelled at by his teacher and principal for praying over his lunch in public school at the tender age of five. In reality, he was ten (not five), he got detention (not picked up and yelled at), and it was for fighting in the cafeteria (not praying over his lunch). It’s all just part of that victimization narrative. The standard movie disclaimer says it all: “All characters appearing in this work are fictitious.â€
It makes me question the rest of the list and wonder what truth have been bent and stretched to fit that list.
For those who were concerned that the entire movie revolves around a false premise, it's explained very early on by the professor that "God is dead" is an expression. He uses a few more, simple to understand words. I just didn't take notes or remember the exact quote, but I did think at the time that anyone who questioned the plot would be satisfied.
After seeing the movie, I read saw that harsh Crosswalk review online. I certainly question the reviewer's agenda, and I can't imagine what crosswalk has to gain by publishing the review.
Why do you think the reviewer has an agenda and what do you think that agenda is? I don't understand why the matter of an agenda is even brought up. If you disagree with his review that's great, but debate the review, don't imply there's some hidden agenda driving it.
I can imagine what Crosswalk has to gain, a reputation for critical and intelligent journalism regarding faith. What should they strive for if not that?
The movie, from the reviews linked to here, seems like a perfect example of why I generally stay far, far away from most contemporary Christian media. In general the music and films being produced these days seem small and insular, more intent on making Christians feel satisfied and smug about their Christianity rather then communicating anything good about the faith to outsiders or demanding more of Christians. It's...Masturbatory. It feels good (maybe) in the moment but how does it inform our faith for the better? How does it help us treat those around us better and live our lives in a manner that communicates the Good News especially when the movie seems full of stereotypes that only demonize non-Christians?I think it's fair to walk out of the theatre feeling like you're had a good experience. But whether that experience was actually Good in any meaningful way, nourishing, enriching, expanding, depends on more then the after-movie feeling. What about that movie was nourishing, enriching and expanding? How will it improve anyone's ministry out in the world? Or will it just feed the myth of persecution that seems so prominent in many Christian circles?
ETA: I think the best way for the point to be made would be for people to watch The Ledge. It's the same kind of message-heavy film but with atheism rather then Christianity at it's roots. Sometimes it's easier to learn to recognize this stuff when it's not your own.
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I can understand not agreeing with the idea that we are not supposed to couple for lengths of time.
But I think that the reaction here is more about reacting to the *idea* of Gwenyth, new age, or GOOP.
What is actually reported in the linked article is intentional and productive and responsible. Stuff people here insist should be done before the painful decision to divorce.
She said:
When I read here about adults who experienced pain as a result of their parents divorce, a *significant* percentage of those parents divorced poorly, during and after the divorce. Gwyneth states an intention to do the opposite - after a year of trying to work things out - and gets lambasted. She honored the relationship, was respectful in communicating the divorce, stated an intention to continue to work together as a unit to parent.
I think this a much more thoughtful response. I think people are often to quick to jump to the Hollywood flake stereotype.
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I was explaining the reason behind most of the cultural differences. I'd also said that the category will depend on who you ask. Although I had left off the category of "Otherwise Verboten."
Often the category will depend on the gender. Chickens and cows, for example, are Utility for the females and Eating for the males. A friend of mine was learning ... I forget which language but it was one that male/female endings. She did an immersion trip in a place that spoke mainly that language. She accidentally put the feminine ending onto Chicken when describing the chicken dinner they were eating that night. Her host family laughed so hard they almost fell out of their chairs. It turns out that meat has the male ending, because you eat the rooster, not the hen that is laying eggs. She asked her teachers who said that was standard in languages with gender ending.
I remember telling a co-worker about an article I'd read about McDonald's beef. It said that they took the too-old Diary cows which are too lean and stringy to make good meat, and mix in the solid fat from the belly of the steers. I thought it was a creative use of what would otherwise be waste. My co-worker expressed disgust. I think it was because he considered both halves not edible.
It's fast and protein.
Considering how trendy nose-to-tail cooking is it sounds like McDonald's was just ahead of the curve.
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Our windows stuff didn't work well on our windows network. When we were an all windows family I had to constantly putz with the network to get it working or keep it working.
I've never had any issues with iTunes either which seems to be a common complaint with many people. I had a non apple MP3 player and it was the biggest headache I've ever had.
I know the price point for macs is high, but the macbook pro I'm typing on cost the same thing as the customized Dell my husband got me in 2011 and that customized Dell turned out to be the worst thing ever. He got one for himself too and it had to be replaced within 2 weeks. In the year I had mine they had techs come out to replace parts, fix things more than 6 times and even their techs had trouble getting things to work. This macbook has given me zero problems in the 2 years I've had it. My husband's god-daughter is using her dad's 10 year old macbook now at the Naval Academy for her classes and has had zero issues with that. We've never had a PC be able to still work after 4 years without major overhauls.
I guess it all comes down to do you want to have to be messing with stuff or not. I like my Mac stuff because it just works the way I think it should.
One of our best running, oldest computers is a Dell. But I wouldn't buy from them now. They used to be very good with producing a good quality PC but those days are long gone I think. Lenovo our Asus are good choices.
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Our cost savings is over the lifespan. In the life of one mac our PC needs new parts, repairs, or flat out replaced. 2 PCs per Mac, sometimes 3 PCs, is no longer cost saving.
I agree Mac is pricey, and not always an option. But I do think the computer is worth the cost.
I think what you're talking about can be avoided if you look for better quality PC makers. We have 7 PCs at the moment. Only four are currently in use but that's because there are only for users in the house. We can't kill them. I have a Pentium to run DOS somewhere, a Dell that's about 14 years old, etc. We've had to replace a couple of optical drives in that time and I upgraded my desktop with a graphics card a gamer friends gave me but that's it. The oldest computer in regular use is at least 7 years old and I'm just now considering spending $60 to upgrade the RAM.
All that because I wish I could see what brands of PCs people are buying that only last a couple of years.
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They usually use other descriptors in the YA books to make clear that these women are all teeny-tiny in every possible way. They're always moaning about how they have narrow, boy-like hips and are so very skinny. :001_rolleyes: And flat-chested. 'Cause they have to throw in a "flaw" somewhere, I guess.
Birdlike. They are always birdlike. Like a sparrow, never a chubby meat hen.
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I haven't had a Mac in years so I can't comment on how good they are or aren't. However, I've never experienced the horror of Windows based computers that I keep hearing about. In the 20 years dh and I have been together we've always each had our own computer, and ds has had his own for 4 years so now there are 3 computers in the house. You'd think at least one of them over the years would give us trouble, but that hasn't happened.
Like any aging electronic product (my iPhone had battery issues as it got older), our older computers have had trouble now and then. Most of the time we can fix it ourselves. Occasionally a trip to the computer shop is warranted. However, problems whether we fix them or take the computers in, are rare.
As for iPhone vs. Android, I had an iPhone for 3 years (my first smart phone) and got an Android last September. I'm still thrilled with my Android and am so glad I switched. I will not be going back to the iPhone.
Honestly, when I encounter issues it's generally because I'm trying to do more then what the general user does so there's always a learning curve and that's half the frustration. 7 and 8 in particular are a little harder to use when you're trying to get under the hood but aren't a power user.
Day to day issues with normal use? I generally don't have those. And in some things Windows has been a breeze. It took a but for me to set up file sharing between my XP machine and 7 but between 7 and 8 It was fantastically easy.
Anyone seeing God's Not Dead this weekend?
in The Chat Board
Posted
I would like to review g the list of lawsuits at the end of the movie though. That I do wonder about.