LOST has Proven Itself yet Again

Ok. So many of the fans of ABC’s LOST have bolted this season. Some left because of the lack of revelations to the ongoing mysteries, and some left because of the ill-advisede 13-week hiatus. But, man, after this season’s finale (aired last Wednesday 23 May) they should be coming back in droves.

Sure, the finale created a whole new bag of questions which will keep us scratching our heads until it returns in Feb. 2008. But, isn’t that what it’s all about? The mystery? The thought-inducing drama?

So, yes, some dissed LOST because of impatience, and I will even admit that the beginning of this season left me less than thrilled…but it’s back and back big.

Debating God’s Existence

ABC to air debate on God online

ABC.com will be airing, what will hopefully be and education and entertaining, dialogue/debate between two pairs concerning the existence of God. I did not catch the names of the against-existence folks but on the other side will be Way of the Master stars Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort.

The theology that both Cameron and Comfort present are not what I really uphold as my own, however, I have to admit that I admire and like Cameron – mainly because of his previous work on the great 80s sitcom classic Growing Pains. He’s passionate and I give him thumbs-up for that. I’ll be checking this debate out, although the notion of having to prove God’s existence seems to fly in the face of faith which is so highly upheld in Christianity particularly.

[On a side note, I think they should have included others from other faith traditions to this debate such as Muslims and Jews to give a more balanced approach].

Celine Dion and Elvis Duet

American Idol, tonight, was chock-full of celebrities and artists but one in particular stood out. It was Celine Dion and Elvis singing together, not just musically but (somehow) physically as well. I know it was some shifty video/computer technology that brought that duet into existence…and though it wasn’t the most ideal of duet partnerships…but it was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. It actually looked halfway genuine and, dare I say, real.

I’m not of a huge fan of Celine Dion (which is hypocritical in one way because if I hear one of her songs on the radio I am destined to at least sing the song in my head…and we all do it so don’t deny it!), but I have to give her credit in this particular performance for not trying to showboat the entire thing like she does so many times. She actually shared the stage with Elvis…or video Elvis…or whatever the hell it was. Precisely, whatever the hell it was, was pretty damn cool.

Was Jesus’ Tomb Really Found?

James Cameron apparently thinks so. The famous Titanic director is doing a documentary that claims the tomb of Jesus was found, along with his mother, wife, son, and others. All of this comes from ossuaries found in a tomb in Jerusalem with the names of Jesus and others inscribed on them. The find is huge, for sure. But is it real or reliable?

No, it’s not. I appreciate the work and the detective ingenuity that Cameron and others put into this find, however, any and all evidence is purely circumstantial. All of the names – Jesus, Mary, Joseph, Judah, and Matthew – are extremely common in Ancient Palestine. It would not be hard to imagine several Mary’s marrying several Joseph’s and having children named Jesus. They were as common then as the names John and Will are today. This is not to discount the find that Cameron and others have found, but it is to show that the evidence they’ve gathered is merely circumstantial.

On a deeper note, as a Christian, this is one of those test-things that James speaks about. However, the beauty of faith surpasses all of this. Faith needs no hard evidence and disregards evidences like this that tend to test the faith. The lesson here is strong: faith is of supreme importance, and I hope that others learn that lesson through all of this.