Monday, March 10, 2008
‘Different Rules for Oprah - New Age Baseball?’
General piece by
Michael Bresciani
In the US the justice system is symbolized by the blindfolded women with the scale in her hand. We hope justice is blind and no respecter of persons but as it pertains to celebrities it seems the blindfold may be made of a very flimsy see through cloth.
Many will never be sure if Martha Stewart deserved her jail time. Still
others are not sure if Paris Hilton had enough time in the pokey. The
trial results of both Robert Blake and O.J. Simpson will keep America
doubting Lady Justice for years to come with people camped on both sides
of the subject.
The legislature borrowed from the sports world when it adopted the “three
strikes” rule regarding felonies. Have we taken baseball to seriously or
justice too lightly. Why haven’t we adopted any rules concerning
celebrities who have carried their eccentricities into social extremism,
error or just bad taste?
Perhaps in our worship of celebrities we might use something that very few
Hollywood celebrities use to make sense of it all, a verse from the Bible.
How about this one from Proverbs 10:12, “…love covereth all sins.” No,
this would fail miserably because the Bible’s definition of love rather
than being syrupy emotional sycophantism has to do with selflessness and
loving the un-lovely. It looks like we will have to go back to the sports
world where at least everyone can be on the same page.
Obviously there are those who can’t see the errors and extremes of their
favorite celebrities and if they’re in the adoring phase all criticism is
mere whispering in the wind.
Insiders like journalist, anchors, and radio personalities already know
that they need multiple layers of armor when talking about American
celebrities. Comedians are not exempt either. They may not be dumped but
grumbling audiences and low ratings can result in unwanted flak from
network execs and CEOs.
Layers of first amendment rights, alerted legal departments, disclaimers,
and appeals to reason or higher authority all precede the last ditch
apology, tears and public groveling that are in store for those who
offend. Has everyone forgotten that if you lie you must defend the lie but
if you tell the truth it defends itself?
Long exordiums are not an acceptable part of article writing so it seems
only right to get to the point. The point being that if we use the
baseball model to check Oprah’s batting record we would be forced to
conclude that she has already struck out but for some unknown reason has
been allowed to stay at bat for a fourth strike. Even Oprah may not be
able to change the rules of the grand old game of baseball.
It isn’t a right or wrong kind of thing that makes the list, it is the
question about discernment, character assessment and finding out what is
really true or false before dumping it on the public.
Strike one is when Oprah told us that James Frey’s “A Million Little
Pieces” was not preceded by only a few little questions and a good helping
of background investigation and average discernment. OK, Americans are
understanding and apologies and public skewering of Mr. Frey seemed to
assuage us. Admittedly celebrity worship does seem like a primary school
activity but have we gotten to the place where our celebrities must choose
our reading?
Strike two is not just the alleged abuse that took place in Oprah’s
multi-million dollar school for exceptional girls in So. Africa. Most
would be willing to say that not even she could be expected to
successfully ride herd on every project she creates especially one that is
half way around the globe.
In America the cries of the “homies” went largely unheard under cover of
“they don’t appreciate anything.” Did American girls vote in some secret
ballot on whether they only wanted tennis shoes and cell phones? Could
only a little discernment have uncovered the influence on worthy girls
stateside that may have been unduly influenced by a powerful combination
of footwear and high tech manufacturers who pay big bucks to endorsement
hungry pop culture and rap celebs? Yet, even the Africans are not
satisfied that Oprah’s mission is the right approach for the broader
issues that are endemic to So. Africa.
That sentiment is best summarized in a statement made by Boston Globe
staffer John Donnelly Jan 20, 2007 under the title “Outside Oprah’s school
a growing frustration.” Donnelly wrote, “But for Africans and Americans
who work with AIDS orphans, Winfrey’s gift ignored a time-tested path to
succeeding with development aid: Communities themselves must identify ways
outsiders can help, not vice versa. But many grass-roots activists in
Africa say that donors often dictate terms of projects and that
recipients, even if they disagree, march to orders.” Here is another
matter of discernment or the lack of it that has ramifications across two
continents.
Strike three is in the minds of many Americans no more than a lark on
Oprah’s part because she has clearly stated that she had never considered
endorsing any political candidate before. Now the full weight of the Oprah
mystique is being leveraged for Senator Barack Obama’s bid for the
presidency. Bible believing conservative Christians are not likely to
change their views on gay agenda issues or abortion just because Oprah has
sided with Sen. Obama. This is a choice she has every right to make for
herself but for the rest of us it says “poor discernment” once again.
In baseball Oprah would be sitting in the dugout by now but Americans have
been known to extend the 15 minutes for some celebrities.
Strike four is Oprah’s endorsement of the new age tripe found in “The
Secret.” Many articles and entire books have been written against the
claims of the Secret but even if they weren’t, the Bible alone sends out a
siren signal to those who haven’t given up all discernment just yet. New
age coupled with the hunger for wealth is a whole new powerful magnet for
Americans who are straddling the fence about spiritual matters more each
day.
A generation of teaching the young to question all authority has resulted
in the idea that the questioner is the ultimate judge of the answer;
doesn’t that make them an authority? A world where shades of gray alone
are acceptable must generate the lie that it did not take a mixture of
black and white to get the shades. Darn it! You mean there is a source;
there are some sorts of absolutes…absolutely!
Gray is considered by most artists to be a hue rather than a color and it
is considered mostly lifeless and ugly by fashion experts. New age
teaching is a sea of nebulous, unfounded, improvable, loosely connected
gray soup that beckons the undiscerning to their own drowning.
Reading crystals, spirit talking, channeling, séance, etc. may seem
innocuous until it is attached to direct attacks on the finished work and
sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross. Then it becomes what the Bible
terms the spirit of Antichrist. As a footnote, the Bible promises that the
spirit of Antichrist will pervade the world shortly before the person
known as the Antichrist actually steps up to rule every nation, tongue and
tribe.
In a revealing but scathing article by the illustrious “Ken” entitled
“Oprah Drinks the New Age Kool-Aid” found in “The Right End of the
Telescope” is a list of ten of the lessons being offered from the Secret
and other new age materials. They are as follows.
1. Lesson #29 asks you to go through your day affirming that “God is in
everything I see.”
2. Lesson #61 tells each person to repeat the affirmation “I am the light
of the world.”
3. Lesson #70 teaches the student to say and believe “My salvation comes
from me.”
4. There is no sin
5. There is no guilt in you. Your calling is to devote yourself to the
denial of guilt.
6. A slain Christ has no meaning.
7. A journey to the cross is a useless journey.
8. Clinging to the Old Rugged Cross is a pathetic error.
9. The name Jesus is simply a symbol of any of the many gods to whom you
pray.
10. The recognition of God is the recognition of yourself.
Not one of these assertions is even remotely biblically or theologically
sound. In fact several of them border on blasphemy. All are errors but
none are as patently ridiculous as numbers four through nine. I will let
the scriptures answer them point for point because if God’s word is not
believed then who’s going to listen to me.
Lessons four and five say there is no sin and there is no guilt in you.
The Holy Spirit speaking through the Apostle John said “If we say that we
have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we
confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we
make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” (1 John 1: 8-10)
Lessons six and seven are as close to blasphemous as it gets. The notion
is indeed antichrist and is diametrically opposed to the truth. The
Apostle Paul warned the Corinthian believers that the cross would indeed
seem like foolishness to the world but it was the power of God to save.
“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but
unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will
destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the
understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is the scribe?
where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom
of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom
knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them
that believe.” (1 Cor. 1: 18-22)
Number nine is the biggest mistake of all. Take away the name of Jesus and
mankind is truly on its own. Forget the question of whether we are alone
in space; the real question is “are we alone in time without a purpose.”
Without Christ we are. New age proudly proclaims that “Jesus is simply a
symbol of any of the many gods to whom you pray.”
The Apostle Peter healed a cripple and after being asked by what power or
what name he did the miracle he replied “Be it known unto you all, and to
all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,
whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this
man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought
of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there
salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given
among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4: 10-12)
Rev Bresciani
HowardWasRight 
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