Monday, January 09, 2006
Be Glorified...
Glorify:
Strong's Number: 1392 doca/zw
Original Word Word Origin
doca/zw from (1391)
Transliterated Word Phonetic Spelling
Doxazo dox-ad'-zo
Parts of Speech TDNT
Verb 2:253,178
Definition
to think, suppose, be of opinion
to praise, extol, magnify, celebrate
to honour, do honour to, hold in honour
to make glorious, adorn with lustre, clothe with splendour
to impart glory to something, render it excellent
to make renowned, render illustrious
to cause the dignity and worth of some person or thing to become manifest and acknowledged
I was reading a discussion about Brokeback Mountain and it got me to thinking. Christians often say things like, "You can't watch X (movie, TV show, video game, still life, dolphins, etc.)because it glorifies Y (sex, violence, sexy violence, violent sex, abortion, Martin Sheen, etc.)."
In the case of BBM it would be that movie "glorifying" homosexuality. I haven't seen this movie, but I know that there is a homosexual sex scene between the two male protagonists (and apparently three hetero scenes, presumably between a male protagonist and a female one though no one's talking about that). Is that portraylal glorifying anything? I think some Christians believe that "glorify" apparently just means to portray.
The above entry from a concordance gives us an idea of what the word that the Bible uses means when it comes to glorifying things (usually God, but at least in one case God glorifies those he's chosen). I don't think that you could say that a movie like Robocop "glorifies" violence or BBM glorifies homosexuality in this way. It portrays it, revels in it, sometimes rolls in it but it doesn't imo glorify it.
BBM (and again I haven't seen it but I'd like to) portrays a homosexual relationship, one where the two men presumably love one another. I don't see how that "praises" or "extols" or "does honor to" homosexuality in general any more than Willy Wonka "glorifies" chocolate. It just is. There are homosexuals. They have relationships; some get married, some break up, just like heterosexuals. There's nothing wrong with showing that in a reasonable way (and apparently the love seen is pretty chaste and...uncomfortable physically). If I'm wrong I'd be glad for any of the dozen of you that read this to tell me why. ¶
3:01 PM
Glorify:
Strong's Number: 1392 doca/zw
Original Word Word Origin
doca/zw from (1391)
Transliterated Word Phonetic Spelling
Doxazo dox-ad'-zo
Parts of Speech TDNT
Verb 2:253,178
Definition
to think, suppose, be of opinion
to praise, extol, magnify, celebrate
to honour, do honour to, hold in honour
to make glorious, adorn with lustre, clothe with splendour
to impart glory to something, render it excellent
to make renowned, render illustrious
to cause the dignity and worth of some person or thing to become manifest and acknowledged
I was reading a discussion about Brokeback Mountain and it got me to thinking. Christians often say things like, "You can't watch X (movie, TV show, video game, still life, dolphins, etc.)because it glorifies Y (sex, violence, sexy violence, violent sex, abortion, Martin Sheen, etc.)."
In the case of BBM it would be that movie "glorifying" homosexuality. I haven't seen this movie, but I know that there is a homosexual sex scene between the two male protagonists (and apparently three hetero scenes, presumably between a male protagonist and a female one though no one's talking about that). Is that portraylal glorifying anything? I think some Christians believe that "glorify" apparently just means to portray.
The above entry from a concordance gives us an idea of what the word that the Bible uses means when it comes to glorifying things (usually God, but at least in one case God glorifies those he's chosen). I don't think that you could say that a movie like Robocop "glorifies" violence or BBM glorifies homosexuality in this way. It portrays it, revels in it, sometimes rolls in it but it doesn't imo glorify it.
BBM (and again I haven't seen it but I'd like to) portrays a homosexual relationship, one where the two men presumably love one another. I don't see how that "praises" or "extols" or "does honor to" homosexuality in general any more than Willy Wonka "glorifies" chocolate. It just is. There are homosexuals. They have relationships; some get married, some break up, just like heterosexuals. There's nothing wrong with showing that in a reasonable way (and apparently the love seen is pretty chaste and...uncomfortable physically). If I'm wrong I'd be glad for any of the dozen of you that read this to tell me why. ¶
3:01 PM
Comments:
<< Home
Well, hell, I'll toss my two bits in.
Seems to me that "glorify" as these Christians are using the term means "portray," as you wisely note.
Further, it's not the glorification of "sinful" things that most hard-line Christians really object to. It's the sheer presence of those things.
BBM doesn't "glorify" homosexuality. In fact, it shows how terrible the non-choice to be gay can be when you live in a world determined to condemn you; a world where you're even determined (as Ledger's character seems to be) to condemn yourself. It's a saaaaaad movie.
When you ride a high horse, it's easy to look down on everything and everyone. Some Christians forget this, or worse, revel in it. If Jesus had met a homosexual back in the day I seriously doubt He would have treated them any differently than He did the tax collectors and "Whores" with whom He preferred to spend His time.
After all, it was the "righteous" men of Jesus' time that earned Jesus' true derision. Take the friggin' plank outta your own eye before you start complaining about the speck of dust in your fellow man's.
Seems to me that "glorify" as these Christians are using the term means "portray," as you wisely note.
Further, it's not the glorification of "sinful" things that most hard-line Christians really object to. It's the sheer presence of those things.
BBM doesn't "glorify" homosexuality. In fact, it shows how terrible the non-choice to be gay can be when you live in a world determined to condemn you; a world where you're even determined (as Ledger's character seems to be) to condemn yourself. It's a saaaaaad movie.
When you ride a high horse, it's easy to look down on everything and everyone. Some Christians forget this, or worse, revel in it. If Jesus had met a homosexual back in the day I seriously doubt He would have treated them any differently than He did the tax collectors and "Whores" with whom He preferred to spend His time.
After all, it was the "righteous" men of Jesus' time that earned Jesus' true derision. Take the friggin' plank outta your own eye before you start complaining about the speck of dust in your fellow man's.
You get into complexities that all sorts of people (Christian and non) miss.
# posted by 
: 1/10/2006 5:16 PM
: 1/10/2006 5:16 PM
It's a complex faith requiring people to actually think (unlike what some atheists think). Not enough people do that and I don't actually do it often enough either.
Post a Comment
<< Home
