(Food) For Thought

This morning in Sunday School, we were blessed with the opportunity to have a panel of five mormon missionaries and one mormon “regional judge” come and have an open Q&A with our the senior class. Let me start off by commending them for their openness and bravery in coming to a “hostile” crowd of Baptist high school students. Their kindness should not go unstated, because it was truly an act of courage to walk into that auditorium knowing that they were going to face an intense amount of controversy and discordance. So, to these five elders and one regional judge, thank you. Thank you for your time, and thank you for your tolerance.

That said, I have never been so strongly in spiritual disagreement with one group of people in my entire life. I have discussed debated various doctrinal standpoints with many different denominations, I’ve talked about Jesus and my beliefs with friends who say they just wish we could all have “one big religion,” but I have never been so rattled by a single spiritual discussion. With other denominations, I can take comfort in the fact that I believe that they are saved and simply have a different view about baptism, etc. Even with lost friends, I realize that all I can do is pray for them and leave the rest to God. With mormons, my heart is broken. These people genuinely believe that they are going to heaven. Every ounce of their body, soul, and mind is working towards achieving the ultimate status in the mormon faith- the celestial heaven. Apart from works, the mormon faith is empty.

At one time during the Q&A, I read Proverbs 30:5-6, which says, “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.” When I pointed out that the Book of Mormon is an addition to the Bible, the regional judge (basically, the “top dog”) intervened to answer that I myself did not know how the Bible was written in a chronological sense, and therefore could not say that Revelation was even the last book of the Bible. This irked me more than I can say, and I quickly rebutted saying that the Bible is inspired by God and was constructed and compiled by his disciplines whom he sovereignly chose. Somehow he managed to avoid answering my question.

Just a quick tid-bit about the mormon faith: mormons believe that their founder, Joseph Smith, received a divine vision from God, along with encrypted “holy” messages on several golden plates. Yes, you read that right. Mormons believe that God spoke to Joseph Smith by writing on dinner dishes. Personally, I find that absolutely ridiculous. Matthew 24:24 says, “For false Christs and prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect- if that were possible.” Somehow, the regional judge again managed to divert my question. Later while discussing the same topic, Jacob King came to my defense and read Galatians 1:8, which says, “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!” I don’t think it could be said more clearly that that.

The thing about mormonism is it is so close to Christianity in so many ways that non-believers can be very easily deceived. Both religions claim to believe in grace, both read and (claim to) believe the Bible, and both have very faithful believers. Apart from religion, mormons are some of the nicest people you will ever meet. There’s a reason that mormonism is one of the fastest growing faiths in the world- they’re great people! They’re kind, they’re honest, they’re loving; they’re everything you could want in a neighbor and more! What they lack is doctrine.

As a Christian, I believe in the unfailing grace of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Without Him, I am nothing. My works, my efforts; they amount to nothing when compared to His surpassing greatness! Isaiah 64:4a says, “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.” Filthy rags are the best I have to offer Jesus. Jesus who is perfect. Jesus who is all things good and holy. Jesus, my Savior. All I can give Him are my disgusting, polluted, putrid rags! And yet in his surpassing kindness, He forgave me! Despite the fact that I literally have nothing to offer Him in return, He loved me. He took me in. He made me His child. 1 Corinthians 15:9 says, “But by grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them- yet not I, but the grace of God was with me.” 

No matter how hard I work, I will always fall short. No matter how many times I pray, I will always sin. No matter how often I read the Bible, I will never be perfect. Nothing can take my humanity away from me. But get this: God made me human! He created me in His likeness as a human, and He has a special and divine plan for my life! What could be greater than that?! He knows the past, the present, and the future. He is totally in control, and I could not be any happier with that. I have confidence that the world is in good hands. I leave you with 1 Corinthians 16:13-14, which says, “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love.” 

Journal(ism)

Journalism is defined as, "The collection and editing of news for presentation through the media." The ablitiy to compile and present factual material in an appealing and informative way; that is journalism. Without gathering the information in an efficient way, the system would fall apart. It is also essential that the news be presented in a way that is not only visually but auditorially stimiulating. You need your readers to want to read what you have to say! If your audience isn't interested in what you're writing, you are in trouble. How many journalists would use the picture to the right as their headliner? None, because the picture itself would discourage the audience from even attempting to read whatever the journalist had wrote. All of a sudden, the picture has caused a complete lack of interest, and the journalist's writing has gone to waste.

Journalism is just as much about pictures as it is words. Though typically someone is going to think of writing when they hear the word "journalism," the pictures are absolutely crucial to getting his or her message across. The visuals help to reel your readers in and get them really focused on what you're trying to say. They also can really help to capture the message you're trying to convey. Through pictures, you can communicate so much more effectively than through words alone.

Journalism is media. Media is journalism. You cannot have one without the other.

Alternative Thinking

After our discussion in COM 103 on Monday, my views of movie media drastically changed. I was really brought to realize just how much effort and intentional design goes into creating a film. Angles. Lighting. Weather. Every seemingly minuscule detail is actually used to convey a very specific, purposeful message to the viewers. By using certain angles and filming techniques, the director is able to subconsciously plant an idea in your head. You are only seeing what they want you to see. 

So then the question becomes, what do they want you to see? Well, I recently went and saw "The Roommate" with a couple of friends. While watching this film, I became acutely aware of how important each and every angle is. In one scene in particular, the assumed crazy roommate is supposedly lurking in the bathroom, while another girl is in the shower. Rather than just filming the girl in the shower, or the girl who is sneaking around the bathroom, the camera pans from several angles across the bathroom. This technique brings a lot of added suspense to the scene. 

Lighting is also a very important element when making a film. Darker lighting could suggest an underlying evil, sadness, or even death; whereas brighter lighting could point to hope, joy, or ultimate freedom or salvation. When I was watching "The Roommate," I noticed that darker lighting was especially used in scenes of deception or evil. Whenever the (crazy) roommate was causing trouble, the lighting was dark as if to suggest the mischief.

One more scene that particularly caught my attention in this film was the library scene. The angles as well as the lighting in this scene were both very instrumental in creating a very specific vibe. As the roommate is stalking her roommate's boyfriend, the camera shifts back and forth between his face and hers. This creates a massive amount of suspense because you absolutely cannot wait to see if Stephen (the boyfriend) will notice her staring at him! Not only that, but the lighting is very dull and creepy, which only adds to the mood.

As you can see, there are many different ways to shape what viewers are truly seeing when they watch a movie. Through camera angles, lighting, and various other techniques, directors are virtually able to control exactly what the viewers perceive. It no longer becomes a matter of what you're seeing, it becomes a matter of why.

Why Care What We See?

Why should we analyze what we see in film and television? At first glance this question seems rather dull, if not unnecessary. Contrary to popular belief; however, critical analysis of film and television is absolutely vital. It would be a tragedy if we mindlessly received all this media with little to no concern about its content and intent.

Many things in today's world seem as though they are just absent-mindly put into place, like there is no real reason or cause behind it being created and displayed. The truth is that all media has some purpose- whether hidden or not, and it is our job as the consumers to disipher and disencode this purpose. If we do not analyze the media we are presented with, we become pawns in the media's hands, only doing their wishes. Who would want to be a pawn when they can be the queen?

Smith says in Chapter 1, "There is a temptation to treat film and television in a similar manner, as if spontaneous things occur by chance. Nothing could be further from the truth." This statement is so true, especially in today's world. It is our responsibility as consumers of today's media to critically study and critque the media messages we are confronted with in every day life.

When Reality Isn't Real At All...

These days, media is everywhere. No matter where you might go, you are going to come in contact with some form of media constantly. How do you know that what you are receiving it true? Factual media and media are two very different things. Media reserves the right to be as extreme as the author feels necessary, and the truth is often lost in the scuffle. When investigating the trustworthiness of a specific piece of media, you need to consider not only the author, but also the premise of the media, and the cause for it being developed.

Reality itself can never be completely captured unless filmed 24/7/365. Anything less than that would be one's own perception of reality. Cutting out any pieces of the filming would be a personal decision, and would therefore be "altering reality," or at least other people's views of reality. According to Smith, "Reality occurs 24 hours a day with an enormous 'cast' of characters, each with his/her own perceptions." In short, media will always be suceptible to one's own views, emotions, and opinions if there is any editing involved, and therefore it cannot be totally factual.

One story that I do feel is factual; however, is this story about lethal injections and foreign drug policies. When I read this story, I was immediately confronted with my own personal perceptions, and I was extremely frustrated with Daniel Cook's appeal. This man was convicted of a double murder, and yet he wants to be spared any sort of physical pain. I'm sorry, but that's a ridiculous. If you had the strength to kill those two innocent people, then you have the strength to die a painful death.

Apart from my own opinions; though, there are the facts. This man was convicted. This man is on deathrow. This man will die eventually. Personally, I think this piece of media is factual because of the strong amount of evidence. Though news teams have been known to exaggerate, I feel it is absolutely proposterous to believe they would make up a false double murder conviction. To say that would be over the line is an understatement. Also, there are several other sources that back up the news team's claims. The large number of outside sources is particularly convincing to me.

Understanding the need to question everything you are presented with is essential to surviving in today's media-saturated world. If we do not question what we receive, how can we ever validate its truthfulness? Though the truth may be hard to find, it's worth it. John 8:32 says, "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

Media and Audiences: Its Effects on Society

When I was asked to interview a parent about their opinions regarding media and its effects on their children, I immediately went to my own parents. Now I know it probably seems silly to ask my own parents about their standards and beliefs regarding media, but I think you will find that most parents probably feel the same way that mine do.

To begin with, my parents have always been very strict regarding the media that my brothers and I were able to access. From music to movies to television, our media outlets were always very closely monitored. My parents have very strong spiritual beliefs which definitely had a strong influence over the media they felt was appropriate for their children.The content of the shows we watched was always very important to my parents. If they did not view it was appropriate material, we were not going to watch it. It was just that simple. However, they also monitored our media for educational purposes.

As children, we were always limited to a certain amount of television and computer each day. My parents felt that limiting our "screen time," as they called it, would help promote a healthier mind. Not only would it promote a healthier mind, but it would also promote a healthier lifestyle. By spending less time in front of a computer or television screen, we spent more time outside playing and encouraging our young muscles to develop, as well as more time reading and encouraging the strengthening of our brains.

Statistically speaking, television impacts children today more than ever. When a group of 4-to-6 year-old children were asked if they preferred their television or their father, 54% preferred their television! Personally, I find this very upsetting. A piece of technology should never be able to replace a meaningful relative in your life, especially not your father! Not only that, but on average, American youth spend 1500 hours a year watching television, while spending only 900 hours in school.

When I researched the effects of television on intelligence, I found a website that listed the top 5 ways to increase your intelligence. Number one on the list was to limit the amount of time you spend watching television. Clearly, television and other sources of media can be a major detriment to the lifestyles of children. Overall, I feel that it is definitely necessary to not only limit the television permitted in your household, but to also encourage children to exercise their minds and bodies. Don't let your children die in front of a television screen. What a sad death it would be.

Media Concentration

When researching top media companies, one would expect to see Walt Disney and Viacom. One company you might not expect to see; however, is AOL Time Warner. AOL Time Warner is run by CEO Gerald Levin and Chair Steve Case. Founded in 1990, Time Warner is one of the top media companies in the world. Besides owning Warner Bros, Time Warner also owns twenty-four different book labels, Time Magazine, and even CNN. Time Warner’s subsidiary companies are countless, and the company as a whole brings in a revenue of approximately $31.8 billion. 

There are downsides to such media concentration, though. When a company become so large and powerful, there is a high risk of unethical political and economic influence. Capitalism is what our nation was founded on, but if a company creates an economic monopoly, it will wreak havoc. If a country becomes entirely dependent upon one company in particular, that company is able to virtually single-handedly control the entire economy just by raising or lowering its prices. Think about the simple concept of supply and demand- if this company is essential to everyday life, the demand will be unstoppable, and so will the company.

Secondly, if a company is extremely influential in society, then political candidates become subject to their wishes and possibly even their demands. No governor, or even president, would risk having a company shut down that has the ability to shatter the economy as a whole. The entire political race(s) can become completely dependent upon the needs of this company, rather than the needs of the nation. So on top of an economic monopoly, this company has also placed itself at the head of a political monopoly.

Yet there are also advantages to media concentration. Capitalism is something our nation was founded on. It encourages healthy economic competition, and it keeps competing companies honest with their prices and policies. Without this opposition, a single company could potentially come to control the nation as a whole. Competitors in the business industry are always looking for ways to get a leg up on the competition, and media concentration is often what comes from this contention. Controlling other subsidiary companies is frequently how a major company eventually rises up over other rival companies. This keeps the entire economy balanced and in check because companies are always battling to be the best.

Overall, media concentration is nothing more than a fancy term for overactive competition. When a company competes especially well, they become more likely to achieve a higher level of concentration of media, which enables them to be more dominant in their particular field of business. Though there are many concerns about the ethics of media concentration, it continues. The world we live in is absolutely, totally, without question, completely media saturated.