Sean R. Reid

This particular flavor of rant is going to be a little different than usual. I’m sort of walking out on a limb here. Porn is a topic of which I’ve become very convicted. A lot of people I know won’t agree with me on this. I have family and friends that just won’t get it. They won’t see what the big deal is about porn. Arguably, most of society doesn’t see it as a big deal. Afterall, sex sells. Sexualized men and women, and the objectification of them, is pervasive in our media.

I realize I could lose some friends over this. Honesty is dangerous when it comes to this particular topic.

Hell, no more than 2 years ago I wouldn’t have agreed with me. Penn & Teller even did an episode of Bulls-hit! about it and  anyone that knows me knows that I usually fall in lock-step with them.

But that was then.

Today it’s different.

You might say pornography is “victimless.” I will respectfully disagree with you. I can personally attest that my involvement with pornography has hurt my wife and our relationship deeply. Not the least of which being that my dishonesty has created a problem with trust that will take a long time to repair. Maybe a lifetime. I hope not.

I’m not arguing that pornography should be illegal. I’m not judging those who are involved with pornography, or the sex industry, and saying that they’re bad people. I’m not casting stones and I support the freedom of speech, even that with which I don’t agree.  Those things have not changed.

Numbers don’t have a bias. Addictions are real.

I’m merely presenting some statistics.

My hope is that perhaps I’m saying something that makes someone else stop and think.

I don’t really have any goals in mind other than that and…

more importantly…

I’m finally stepping out from the darkness of a self-impose exile.

You don’t have to agree. But I hope, particularly if you know me, that you’ll respect my point-of-view and know that it comes from a place of deep thought and careful consideration.

I’ve been through various stages of hell and loneliness for over 20 years. Porn didn’t fix that.

I think trying something different is long overdue.

Source Sex Addiction

If you haven’t seen the Old Spice commercials then I have to wonder why you’re even reading this blog post since you obviously don’t have a computer and are afraid of the “interwebs.”  They’re probably THE most brilliant marketing I’ve seen in the last few years (possibly decade??).

This is an amusing parody put together by Community Christian Church.

Usually these “Christianized” pop culture parodies are like nails across a chalkboard. So many of them are forced, poorly written and just plain un-funny. This one, on the other hand, is pretty amusing and fairly clever. Granted, it’s borrowing from a tremendously clever template but that doesn’t take away from the quality of the work.  The self-awareness and mocking are doled out in just the right amounts for my taste as well.

It definitely made me chuckle.

“I’m on a donkey!”

One of the more frustrating aspects of my journey of faith, both before and after coming to Christianity, was the seeming divide between what could only be considered “fundamentalists” in both the science and religion camps. I think Stewart nails that point to the wall here. It’s one in which I’ve made myself. At some point there is a layer of “faith” to all scientific exploration despite it lacking a deity. The scientific method is the best means for acquiring answers to many of the questions of the “how” of the world but even it has it’s limitations. Particularly when it comes to the “why” of the world, a question which religious faith is more adept at answering.  To these ends I think Stewart’s comparison of anti-matter and God, albeit a humorous simplification,  is spot on.

h/t: Huffington Post via Pete Enns

More important is the statement made by Robinson regarding the nature of this debate, “The gladiators for both sides are inferior representatives of these sides.”  I couldn’t agree more.  The longer this shallow, arguably spurious, debate continues the less quality we get from the worlds of science and religion.  It becomes folks like Dawkins and Hitchens trying to out-yell the Southern Baptist Convention and Kenn Hamm. It is a futile and stupid exercise that advances nothing aside from egos or a few more book sales.*

Thankfully there are organizations like BioLogos which bring a measure of sanity and intelligence to the table. It’s a refreshing change from the rampant stupidity.  Sadly, both sides seem to be threatened by the idea that they should be challenged to think which places BioLogos, and like-minded individuals, squarely in the cross-hairs of the aforementioned screaming hordes. I think Chaplain Mike from InternetMonk.com said it best when he referred to it as “trench warfare.”

I’m also thankful for folks like Marilynne Robinson who seem unafraid to call “bollocks” on this debate. I’ve not heard of her before watching the video but now I’m very intrigued about picking up her new book.

Hmm…did product promotion just work on me?? 

*Which I argue might be the actual reason for the debate the first place. Nothing sells quite as well as controversy, even a manufactured one.

I’ve never been  particularly a big fan of Lenny Kravitz.  He’s put out some great tunes but nothing that really “grabbed” me.  After seeing this I might have to revisit that opinion, or, I have to at least admit that he seems like one helluva cool guy.

This is just plain awesome. How much are you loving it if you’re in that school choir?? I’m pretty sure this is the stuff dreams are made of!  BTW, that guitar player is pretty damned talented in his own right! Shred man!!

h/t  Collide magazine

Simply put: THIS.IS.AWESOME!! Go Electro Boy!!!

Props to the city of Seattle and the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

h/t io9