New Here!

[Miss Amy]

Hi everyone. I found this website when I was online yesterday. I am so happy to have found a place where people are interested in the same things as me. I am very, very interested in religion and politics and how religion affects politics and vice versa. I am Canadian and I live close to the American border. I detest American politics, and lately I detest Candian just as much.

I try to live my life within a Buddhist system of beliefs and I am perpetualy learning and becoming new. My first bursh with Buddhism was a visit to the Borobodur Temple in Indonesia.

I am also interested in ancient Mayan Philosophy; and the relationship between religion and "Hollywood." Religions that come in and out of fashion are interesting. It is interesting to me that people can base their beliefs on cues from other people. Everyone is wearing Gucci, everyone is practicing Kabbalah...

[wil]

Originally Posted by Miss Amy

I am also interested in ancient Mayan Philosophy; and the relationship between religion and "Hollywood." Religions that come in and out of fashion are interesting. It is interesting to me that people can base their beliefs on cues from other people. Everyone is wearing Gucci, everyone is practicing Kabbalah...

Namaste Amy,

Welcome and religion and hollywood...nice...

I see so many cartoons that have themes...and movies...and tv shows...beyond the sex, guns, violence....often there is an underlying moral content quite worthwhile...or a metaphysical thread...how pervasive is that...and what direction is it??

One of our number one rated shows year after year...Charlton Heston and the Ten Commandments...and then some of the Christmas stuff that everyone has to see Yes Virginia...and every time a bell rings an angel gets its wings...

What else is out there though? Scientology is big amongst many of them, is it leaking into the movie scripts? I don't have enough knowledge of the thought to know....and Buddhism....I'm not talking blatant in your face...but their are story lines that have indications that somebody is describing the path....

[Miss Amy]

I am not sure. I am an Early Childhood Educator and find most of the stuff while, not doubting there may be some morality somehere, is already ruined by so much of the "other" stuff that the value is truly lost.

Of course Scientology is leaking into some of our stuff when the big shots start producing/directing and calling the shots where else will they go. Do you remember John Travolta's much talked about, failure Battlefield Earth written by L Ron Hubbard.

[lunamoth]

Welcome to the forum Miss Amy!

luna

[wil]

Originally Posted by Miss Amy

I am not sure. I am an Early Childhood Educator and find most of the stuff while, not doubting there may be some morality somehere, is already ruined by so much of the "other" stuff that the value is truly lost.

Of course Scientology is leaking into some of our stuff when the big shots start producing/directing and calling the shots where else will they go. Do you remember John Travolta's much talked about, failure Battlefield Earth written by L Ron Hubbard.

I don't remember that...but it also has a lot to do with that rectlinear activited tendency stuff...we see what we want to see.

Some see it a shame that Touched by an Angel or Joan of Arcadia didn't make it, I think it great that we got to enjoy them, and that they were my kids favorite shows.

How about Take the Lead, or Pay it Forward, or sooo many cartoons...we just saw Meet the Robinson's....good stuff in there!

or take a look at Reel Spirit

[Snoopy]

Hi Miss Amy,

I think you've managed to select an avatar used by someone else on here (toujour 333), so I'll have to have my wits about me! (unless one of you decides to change... )

Snoopy.

[Muslimwoman]

as salaam aleykum Miss Amy

Welcome and enjoy.

[Miss Amy]

Well as the newbie, I think that it is my responsibility to change so I will do so, thanks Snoopy.

[Miss Amy]

So I guess that if we were going to talk about religion and Hollywood we would have to talk about LOST. That is a show that has a lot of overt as well as hidden religious ideas.

I have to say that I love it and I thought it was going Buddhist with their "Dharma Initiative" themes and then I saw what they did and reconsidered.

[Pathless]

Welcome Miss. I mean Amy. Do I call you Miss or Amy? Anyhow, enjoying your posts. Be careful with your TV. Mine tried to eat me. I had to turn it off.

[Pathless]

Originally Posted by Miss Amy

I am also interested in ancient Mayan Philosophy

You down with 2012? Mayan Calendar and all that?

[flowperson]

Miss Amy...I'm charmed. Welcome and enjoy !

flow...

[Snoopy]

Originally Posted by Miss Amy

Well as the newbie, I think that it is my responsibility to change so I will do so, thanks Snoopy.

Hey Miss Amy nice new avatar; I had it as my desktop once; they're all buddhas aren't they? (hard to tell at that size).

Cool.

s.

[Miss Amy]

Originally Posted by Pathless

Welcome Miss. I mean Amy. Do I call you Miss or Amy? Anyhow, enjoying your posts. Be careful with your TV. Mine tried to eat me. I had to turn it off.

My first reference was to "Hollywood and fashionable religion!" We got a little side tracked with the merits of TV.

I don't see the value in the moral lesson of most TV shows or movies because often the lesson is hidden so far underneath the layers of violence and unkindness. The TV itself, a powerful weapon.

However if we are going to reference "religious" TV we can't forget that angel one with Michael Landon, what was that called again....

Highway to Heaven! My mom loved that one!

[Miss Amy]

Originally Posted by Pathless

You down with 2012? Mayan Calendar and all that?

I am new to this and unfamiliar. I just googled it though to read on my lunch.

During a really hard time of my life someone shared with me her belief in Mayan Philosophy because they believe that for every negative there is a positive and that for every positive there is a positive. It is a great way of thinking and I have always tried to go back to it.