Truth, Justice, and the Muppet Way

I recently watched Superman vs. The Elite, the latest DCU animated movie, and it raised an interesting question. In this day and age, is a boy scout like Superman relevant? It's a compelling subject, especially when we seem to relate more to anti-heroes than we do the boy in blue. As I've written before, anti-heroes are nothing new, but is there also room for the idealist, the noble hero who grants mercy, doesn't kill, and believes that everyone, including the bad guys, deserves a second chance? Can we relate to a hero who wants to see the best in everyone, who embodies the ideals of truth, justice, and the American way?

One of my favorite movies from last year was The Muppets. It not only brought our felt friends back to the big screen, it posed a similar question. In today's cynical world, are the Muppets still relevant? Are we still looking for the Rainbow Connection? Can we sing along to "Life's a Happy Song?" Do the purity and goodness of the Muppets have a place in this world?

Bible Questions and Answers

Whenever we enter the political season, politicians like to make hay (and other farm byproducts) by speaking about their desire to legislate out of the Bible. Naturally, this causes many in their audience to ask a lot of questions.

The Bible is not a simple document, and is has a long, proud history of not being a simple document. Not everyone understands what it really says and how it applies to modern life. After all, the context of the Bible is not a world that included the internet, refrigerators, and working knowledge of deoxyribonucleic acid. It can be tough to apply all those old rules and regulations to modern life.

This can lead to a lot of tricky questions. These are bound to come up in conversation, particularly if you happen to be using the Bible as your sole argument as to why everyone shouldn't be allowed to do things you don't approve of. The following is taken from from forwarded emails on the subject, a satirical series of questions about the Bible, aimed squarely at those who want to legislate Biblical rules.