Space Robot Spiritual

Happy Sunday!
Here is a youtube video of my favourite children's performers: The Secondhand Pants. They are a group based in Winnipeg. I've seen them several times at the Winnipeg Folk Festival singing out of a science-folktion jukebox.

Video games are not evil (...?!)

I've really being enjoying this song today. It is a Swahili version of the Lord's prayer. It was actually written for a video game (Civilisation IV). I didn't post the ''official video'' for the song because it has scenes from the game in it. Scenes of violence. I am against violence, simulated or otherwise, so I tend to think that the world would be a better place if video games didn't exist. Not only do I believe that video games normalize and desensitize people to violence, they also prevent people from having authentic, personal social interactions, contribute to our society's sedentary lifestyle that leads to all sorts of health problems (both physical and mental), and prevent people from engaging with the real world, preventing people from getting involved in the true struggles that are happening in meatspace.

So with all that being said, it's a bit humbling to admit that I am spiritually uplifted by a song from a video game soundtrack. 

In more video game news, I stumbled upon this CBC article today about a computer game that can be used to treat depression in teens and is as effective as one-on-one counseling. 

So what can I conclude from all this? Well, firstly this has been a reminder that making negative generalizations about something (in this case, videogames as a potentially useful media) can blind a person to its positive potential. Secondly, I have to say that this only affirms my suspicions that being open can make a person see grace in places where they would never have imagined that they would find it.

Popular Music and Religiosity

The United Church tends to be quite a moderate church, and I've never come across a UCCer that would say things like ''when I accepted Jesus into my life''. I tend to say things like that though, maybe with a touch of irony. My best friend will respond to phrases like this by rolling her eyes.

This might be atypical, but I had a specific turning point this summer when ''I accepted Jesus into my life''. I had been going to church for 15 years, but I was never sure if I should call myself a Christian because I didn't know for sure that Jesus was the son of God. Actually, I still don't know. I've started to think that being a Christian is less about dogma and more about action, a way of life, loving thy neighbour as thyself. I think it should be anyway.

All of this is really preamble to what I really wanted to write about today: how popular music lost its shine after I found Jesus. Some background information here: before I was saved, I listened mostly to music that would be classified as folk, indie and oldies. But once I had started settling into my faith, I turned on my old music and I found it distasteful. It wasn't lewd or anything, it just didn't offer me any hope. I'm a big fan of the poetry of Charles Bukowski, but his stuff is dark. I've been in dark places, but I don't want to stay there forever. That is not the role of a Christian. When I listen to the lyrics of popular music I hear a lot of despair in the songs I previously enjoyed, I. When it's not despair, it's often materialism and objectification of human beings as love-objects (or worse).

So I'm starting a list of music that I don't find repulsive. I thought I would share a couple of songs today.

''The icons are whispering to you
They're just old men
Like on the benches in the park
Except their balding spots are glistening with gold''

I also highly recommend her song ''Laughing With''.

Now here is song #2

This is an adaptation of a 2-part motet by Orlande de Lassus, a 16th century Franco-Flemish composer.