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| A new book, Love Wins by evangelical preacher Rob Bell, is getting criticism throughout the Christian world for making the strong case that there is no ever-burning hell. To me, Bell's position is of particular interest, as I've held similar views for years. Rob Bell is now finding out what it means to be a Christian, in telling the truth, this one-time rock star of the Christian world is now finding himself distanced from his contemporaries.
Bell's book, now #2 on the New York Times bestseller list, makes the case that the Christian world is largely governed by assumptions when it comes to our eternal destiny, and states that God has a plan for those billions who have never heard of Jesus Christ in their lifetimes, and that mainstream Christianity would suggest are being tortured in Hell right now at this minute.
Interestingly enough, Bell's book also states that there are misconceptions about Heaven, but this position is getting no attention. It only matters to many people that their enemies are not going to Hell. This really says much of the barbarity of the human mind.
I've found myself defending my beliefs on a number of occasions. For starters, the immortal soul teaching is nowhere taught in the Bible, save for one instance. In that instance, the serpent in the book of Genesis tells Eve that she will not surely die for the sin that he is attempting to get her to commit. This contradicts the plain statement throughout the Bible that the penalty of sin is death. Sadly, most of the people who call themselves Christians today believe Satan's lie than God's message of hope for all mankind. But this is not surprising when you consider that Satan has deceived the whole world.
Christianity needs to start asking the right questions. If God and Satan are competing for the ownership of souls, why does it appear that God is losing, with only a small portion of humanity believing anything that even resembles God's message? If God is Love and a being of mercy, why does it seem that mercy ends the moment a person dies? If God is so loving, why does an eternity of torture seem like an option for the unrepentant?
An honest Christian shouldn't avoid looking for answers to these questions.
Thankfully, there are churches today which don't avoid the truth about the afterlife. As recommended free reading, check out Heaven and Hell: What Does the Bible Really Teach offered by the United Church of God. It's refreshing to know that there are churches out there that tell the truth! | | |
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Genre: RPG
System: Nintendo DS
Developer: GAMEFREAK
Publisher: Nintendo
GAMEFREAK insists that it's name be spelled in caps. Seeing as their newest entry in their Pocket Monsters series of games is so hot, I'm more than willing to oblige.
Pokemon Black and White is by far the sexiest game in the series up to this point. It has everything needed to make it attractive: The graphics are bounds beyond what we've seen in previous installments for the Nintendo DS, the pokemon battles are actually fully animated, the music is clear and catchy, and Pokemon Black and White are very atmospheric overall. None of it's individual elements clashes. Beyond all the flair, it's easy to see that we are playing on the same general Pokemon engine we're already familiar with, which isn't a bad thing.
The Pokemon story this time takes place in the Unova region, modeled closely after the American locale of New York City. Here, you're filling the shoes of a boy or girl who is out to become a top-tier pokemon trainer. Just as always, you prove your worth by collecting gym badges, and a crime syndicate stands in your way. These elements of the Pokemon story aren't new, but Black and White are more story centric than previous games in the Pokemon series. In other pokemon games, you meet Team Rocket/Aqua/Magma/Galactic at some point in the story while already on your quest to collect badges. In Black and White, you meet Team Plasma right away. Like, "as soon as you walk into the next town" right away. Not only that, you're introduced to most of your major rivals by that point, so the game's story is already beginning to develop. The flow of the backstory focuses on the development of the character of it's human characters, and their relationship to Team Plasma. So unlike in most pokemon games, where you spend a lot of time wondering when something is going to happen, in Black and White it seems as though the story is consistently moving forward.
We've probably all heard it said that graphics don't make the game. This is true, but it's a rare treat of a game that can look good and play great. Pokemon Black and White is an example of such a game. This game uses actual 3D models for many of the game's locales, though the camera isn't dynamic. There is a real sense of depth, similar to what we already saw in the other Pokemon games for Nintendo DS, though Black and White seem more interested in pushing the graphical envelope. The environmental visuals can be described as simple, crisp, and very nice. It's candy for the eyes.
If you're used to seeing pokemon as stationary sprites in previous pokemon games, you're in for a treat, as pokemon in Black and White really come to life. Because pokemon sprites are fully animated, pokemon battles have a real sense of motion, especially with the camera selectively zooming and panning as the battle carries out. In spite of this, battles are very fast-paced.
The music in Pokemon Black and White is not neglected. There are a number of music tracks in this game, and they sometimes are slightly altered to match events taking place. One of the gameplay elements introduced in Black and White are the changing of the seasons, which seems to happen on a month-by-month basis depending on the DS internal clock (we, on the other hand, have four seasons assigned to three month blocks apiece). Some areas change in appearance drastically during different months, and the music contains minor changes as well. There are a number of different catchy tracks that you'll find yourself humming when you're not playing the game. Pokemon music has always been catchy, and the music in Black and White is no different.
For all the aesthic upgrades that make this game so sexy, would you think that there's a major change in the Pokemon gameplay formula? Well, there's not. We have the same formula that we see in many turn-based RPGs. You select your attack, and attacks are resolved in decending order in relation to the speed of the combatants. Pokemon in particular as always placed an emphasis on typecasting, which is matching up your attack types depending on what your opponent is weak to. This is no different. The basic Pokemon formula is the same, and that's not a bad thing. This game works, there's no reason to introduce a radical new formula to risk unbalancing anything.
The major changes will mostly only be noticed by the hardcore. Triple battles are a new battle archetype in which a player can have 3 of their own pokemon in play, and each round the player selects an attack for their pokemon to perform. Rotation battles are another type of battle in which the player sends three pokemon into play, but only the one in the middle can attack, and the player can send a pokemon on either side of it into it's place at any time.
There is also a minor change in the EXP formula. Pokemon now gain more experience points if they are lower in level than their opponents, and less if their level is higher. This change make it easier to raise freshly-caught low-level pokemon during the flow of story.
One of the most intriguing features of Black and White is the introduction of a Game Sync, which allows the player to merge their game with their account at Pokemon.com. I have no comment as far as this goes, as this is yet to happen at a future date. If it works like the Japanese version, this allows for the capture of special pokemon from a "Dream World" which have abilities that they otherwise wouldn't have.
In addition to the GTS that was introduced in Diamond and Pearl, which introduced trading with other players anonymously anywhere on the globe, Black and White have a new Random Matchup similar to the one used in Pokemon Battle Revolution. This allows you to battle other human players. My major gripe with this feature is with the many players that decide to disconnect when they are losing. You know who you are. You suck.
I should point out that the post-game will hand your ass to you if you're not ready for it. The opponents that you face after completing the main storyline do a serious jump by about 10-15 levels, and some opponents become available who have teams of six who will each probably be at least 25 levels above yours. This means that Pokemon Black and White will adequately challenge you.
Another point I appreciate, albeit an entirely aesthetic one, is the tone of the game. Pokemon has become edgier, if only by a little bit. There is a real sense of danger as you combat a team willing to even kick pokemon that don't do as they are told. Pokemon has always seemed to be slowly going in that direction, though never in a way that would make it appear odd. What does appear odd are the little secrets in the game that may prove controversial if discovered by a group willing to give it significant attention.
What happened between Manhattan and Central Park?
Final Verdict:
Visuals: Among the best on DS.
Sound: Hard to get out of your head.
Overall Presentation: Someone cares, and it shows.
Characters: Finally, human characters in a Pokemon game I can care about!
Backstory: Surprising, for a Pokemon game.
Gameplay: Not much different, which is good.
Replay Value: I waited a month to do this review. What does that tell you?
Recommendation Level: Don't have to. You already have it. Good move.
Pokemon Black and White for the Nintendo DS get a score of 10 out of 10. It seems like GAMEFREAK is doing everything right. They may prove to be their own worst enemies, as they have to find ways to outdo themselves with their next games. This review didn't even cover most of the new features, just the ones I've found most relevent. Realistically, this game goes well out of it's way to connect you with other players. Thankfully, short of connecting it to your Facebook account. I hope I didn't just give the devil any ideas.
Times, they are a-changing. | | |
| Most of the Christian world believes that Easter is the holiest day of the year. But did you ever wonder where the celebration came from? Many would be dismayed to discover that Easter is not Christian in origin, and that it was celebrated across the pagan world long before Christ's ministry. In fact, it's one of the most ancient traditions in mankind's history.
One's first hint should be the name itself. Who or what is "Easter"? Easter is the name of a fertility goddess. This goddess went by many names throughout the pagan world, which included, Easter, Eoster, Ashteroth, Astarte, and a number of others. The next hint is the symbology associated with Easter. Eggs and rabbits are fertility symbols. The egg has long been a symbol of fertility, and rabbits aren't known for anything besides reproducing.
The tradition goes back to ancient Babylon, when post-flood civilization was getting started, and the middle-east was still fertile. When the king of Babylon died, the people wanted to make the queen the ruler due to a number of fabrications that made her out to be divine. Thinking her a goddess responsible for their spring harvest, they celebrated the new year with reverence for her (the Babylonians celebrated the new year in the spring). This holiday would be named for her, and other names for which she was known.
When she bore a child, she touted him as a messiah, and the reincarnation of the dead king. To this end, she staged his death and hid him away for a time. When the child emerged again for the spring harvest festival, the queen claimed that he returned from the dead. During the time that the child was presumed dead, people mourned for him. This too would become a custom. Throughout the ancient world, for a number of days leading up to the Easter celebration (usually between 7 and 40), people would participate in "mourning" for their fallen savior. During this time, people would give up their vices, and temples would be filled with tears. This observance is nearly identical to the Lenten observance.
As people accepted a yearly custom of mourning and giving up their vices, they had also made a custom of getting their fair share of debauchery and chicanery before they had to give it up. This was the ancient equivalent of the "Fat Tuesday" celebration.
Finally, the reason why we have Easter hams was due to the belief that the queen of Babylon's son was killed by a wild boar. Other traditions say that the boar wasn't killed, but was spared because it begged for the queen's mercy so pitifully, that she spared it. In any case, pigs have long been a symbol of good luck, and in many pagan circles, it's still upheld that eating pork is like eating good luck. To this end, the Dutch still eat pork and sauerkraut every new year's day.
Having learned all this, I'll bet you think that the absence of Easter or any tradition like it becomes all the more conspicuous. Now that you know the truth, what are you going to do?
Recommended reading:
http://www.lasttrumpetministries.org/tracts/tract1.html
http://mystery-babylon.org/easter.html
http://www.religioustolerance.org/easter1.htm
http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-t020.html | | |
| It has been a long while since I've last seen an episode of the Pokemon anime. In fact, it's been years. When I was in high school, I followed the show fanatically. It was the first thing I'd watch on TV after coming home. Was this strange for someone who was in high school? Well, I didn't care. I loved the Pokemon video games, and I loved the anime.
I stopped watching for a number of reasons. I lost access to cable due to the complexities of life. Not only that, but the show was hundreds of episodes in, and it didn't seem to be going anywhere. But anyway, I left off when Ash was in Sinnoh, and the animation and music were definitely improving. Dawn was a great character, and the pokemon were really cool (the Diamond and Pearl pokemon were among the coolest, in my opinion). But where I wasn't occupied with other things, I lacked access to cable television, was the victim of bad timing where I had it, and didn't really bother to find anything on the internet.
But finally, I saw an episode of Pokemon Black and White on Cartoon Network a couple days ago. It's been a long while, and I thought I'd give it a go. And why not? I was already playing Pokemon Black on my DS, and it was easily the best installment in the series. I'll review the game at a future time, but for now, my first impressions on the anime...
...Were not good. It was a half-hearted episode titled "Snivy Plays Hard to Catch!" Ash literally spent the entire episode trying to catch a difficult Snivy. It's been done before. This same show has done this many times. Yawn. The background music wasn't too bad, and I recognized some remixed tunes from my DS game. The animation, on the other hand, looks like it was done by people who have found permanent employment. There are two new characters, Iris and Cilan, but they don't add very much. Cilan was obviously another Brock, a gym leader who could cook. Iris was another "cute girl character from the games" that draws in your little sister. For the first black character in this show, I was hoping for some personality, but that's a bit much to ask from a show that's done pretty much everything.
The Pokemon anime is The Simpsons of Cartoon Network, it has jumped the Garchomp. Not only that, it captured the Garchomp in a pokeball, gave it Pokerus, IV trained it, taught it Swords Dance, Earthquake, Outrage, and Fire Fang, then did the exact same thing to five more Garchomps. This show is only still on the air because an army of fans will complain if it's taken off. I for one will have a hard time watching this again. I'll keep the movies, though. | | |
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