MOVIE BITS - MAGIC IN THE MOONLIGHT BY WOODY ALLEN - Trust man instead of God and see what happens

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It's a film full of surprises so I won't spoil it by telling you much about the plot, except that it's about a magician (the kind who uses tricks in theatrical performances) - and what happens when he meets an attractive girl with supernatural gifts. 

What ensues for the magician is a sequence of profound personal transformations, the greatest of all being the magic of true love. 

The subtle message of this movie, whether it was intended or not, is that this man - who is a militant atheist - has sublimated his need for a belief in something into unquestioning trust in a lifelong friend who persuades him to meet this girl in order to debunk her. 

And that is the crux of the matter.  People or societies who don't believe in God tend to channel their needs for a belief in something into a belief in other people or in ideologies. 

 

Continue reading

 

Atheism and other secular cults

 

Some atheists worship leaders, ideas, or their own recipe for the transformation of mankind - such as Marxism, Fascism, Nazism, liberalism, and a myriad of other political cults. 

 

They may even worship a political leader or ideologue - with often unquestioning trust.  

 

Belief in an unknowable God is one thing.  Belief in religion and dogma (religious or otherwise) is quite another. 

 

Sometimes religion can be benign and positive.  Sometimes it can be suffocating, violent, and dehumanizing. 

 

But the sense that there is a higher power - unknown and unknowable - and the belief in dogma are not the same thing and should not be confused.

 

When liberals rant against religion, they throw the unknowable God and all religious dogmas into the same basket, and then proceed to discard everything.

 

And sometimes the most extraordinary absurdities occur:

 

Canadian liberals worshipping at the altar of Multiculturalism

 

The same liberals who rant against Christianity - curiously - tend to defend Islam as a harmless cultural expression - oblivious to Islam's politically supremacist, misogynist, and violent nature.  

 

This is what happens in Canada right now with the leftist Liberals and socialist NDP defending the right of Muslim women to wear a burka or niqab (full face covering) at citizenship ceremonies, while the Conservative government characterizes that garment as a symbol of Islam's oppression of women. 

 

There you have it:  liberals defending the oppression of women in the name of religion and multiculturalism, and the conservatives defending women's rights.  We live in interesting times.

 

Back to the movie: 

 

I'm not a film critic.  All I will say is that unlike Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris -  which I love and have watched several times - Magic in the Moonlight is good for only once, and even then it gets a bit boring at times.   

 

But it has a very good jazz soundtrack, and was filmed in the beautiful south of France, with a cast of likable actors, starting with Colin Firth.

RELATED

Mark Kermode's movie review for The Guardian:

Woody Allen has long been fascinated with the mechanics of stage magic, and this whimsical romance, set in the 20s, combines a love of prestidigitation with a discussion of metaphysics – two of his favourite subjects.

Colin Firth is Stanley Crawford, a conjuror performing under the stage name Wei Ling Soo, who is called upon by his friend Howard (Simon McBurney) to debunk a young clairvoyant.

Convinced that all magic is for show and all spiritualism is hokum, Stanley observes the glamorous Sophie Baker (Emma Stone) at work, only to fall under her spell, and question his lifelong disavowal of love and metaphysics.

 

Shot in antiquated sunny hues in the picturesque south of France, Allen’s latest is a sweet-natured contrivance; big on whimsy, low on memorability.

 

Firth and Stone are fun despite a notable absence of on-screen chemistry, and although the whole thing occasionally displays the creakiness of an over-orchestrated magic trick, it delivers enough chuckles (if not belly laughs) to keep the matinee audience smiling.

Source: 
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/sep/21/magic-in-moonlight-review-sweet-natured-contrivance

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Canada's Liberal Party defends the Burka

 


WOMEN IN BURKAS - Photo John O'Reilly

Justin Trudeau, leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, who believes multiculturalism and the Teletubbies are going to save the Western Hemisphere from Islamic extremism, excoriated P.M. Stephen Harper recently for his decision to appeal a court ruling allowing Muslim women to wear a face covering during the swearing-in ceremony for Canadian citizenship.
 
Read more:
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2015/02/the-best-revenge

 

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The highest value in life:  personal freedom

BOOK BITS  -  "THE ART OF LIVING"
by Epictetus (who lived in 55 AD) 

 

IDEAS FOR A WISE AND COURAGEOUS LIFE

The worthiest goals are freedom, even-mindedness, and tranquility.

If it's freedom what you seek, then wish for nothing that depends on others, or you will always be a helpless slave.
 

The life of wisdom is a life of reason and logic. 

But clear thinking requires proper training.

 

Authentic happiness is always independent of external conditions.  Your happiness can only be found within. 

 

Don't lower your personal standards to win social acceptance and life's comforts. 

 

You become what you give attention to.   

First say what you would be, then do what you have to do.

Find worthy models to emulate.

 

Respect and care for your body.  Promote its health and well being.

 

Be suspicious of convention.  Take charge of your own thinking.

 

On the other hand there's no inherent virtue in new ideas. 

 

Judge ideas and opportunities on the basis of whether they are life-giving. 

 

Practice having a grateful attitude and you will be happy.

 
Read more: 
http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/2014/04/book-bits-art-of-living-by-epictetus.html
 
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