To celebrate The Simpsons switching to HDTV on the US Fox network the opening sequence has been given a makeover.
There are a lot of scenes you’ll remember from the previous opener, which has remained the same for around twenty years, but there are some new surprises too.
Is our belief in God begin at birth or is it something that we pick up from those around us as we grow older?
Are we born without a concept of God? Do we begin our lives as atheists who then need to be convinced that there’s something bigger than us in the cosmos?
Oxford University psychologist, Dr. Olivera Petrovich, a lecturer in psychology of religion, has been studying the development of spirituality in children. She recently conducted cross-cultural studies involving British and Japanese children to see if children from different cultures have a similar understanding on matters of spirituality.
She was surprised to find that results were very similar in Britain and Japan. In general she found that most children have an understanding that there is a creator God at work in our universe. Very interesting results indeed considering that as a culture, Japan discourages speculation into the metaphysical, so most children are not brought up hearing about God or spirituality.
You can read an interview with Olivera Petrovich about her research here.
My regular Wednesday morning guest on 98.5 Sonshine FM is Ross Clifford who is the Principal of Morling College in New South Wales and current President of the Baptist Union of Australia. Each week we chat about a range of issues relating to spirituality and belief.
Today we discussed the research and looked at what impact such research should have on us.
You can hear our discussion by clicking play on the audio player at the bottom of this post.
I just spotted an interesting post from Phil Cooke at his Change Revolution blog.
He believes that there were warning signs before the downfall of several high profile preachers such as Ted Haggard, Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Bakker. He explains in his post What Preachers Wrestle With Always Comes Out in their Sermons.
Good or bad, one thing in my experience you can almost always count on – preachers work out their own personal demons in the sermons they preach. Whatever they’re wrestling with inside, will work it’s way out in their messages.
Can I encourage you to click through to read his full post?
In my own experience it’s not just preachers. We can all be rather transparent without knowing it. I’ve often noted that those who seem fixated on a particular issue are probably the people who still have a long way to go in dealing with that issue in their own lives.
While it provides an interesting window into another person’s character I wonder if understanding the principle could help us notice the things we should be working through in our own lives. What are the things we talk about most often? Are we trying to convince others or ouselves that we’re doing OK?
Have you seen what Phil is talking about in action? Have you seen it in others or yourself?
I’d be very interested in your perspective on what Phil has said in his blog post. Please feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments section of this post.
Do you ever feel trapped by your circumstances?
I felt very trapped yesterday while shopping. Emily and I headed out to the shops to buy a few bits and pieces for lunch. I grabbed the first shopping trolley I could see … and that’s when I was overwhelmed with the feeling that I would never leave that shopping centre. I was trapped.
You see, I had found a shopping trolley that was an absolute pleasure to push. It didn’t have a wonky wheel that would shudder up and down the aisles. It didn’t veer to the left or the right, making me feel like a trolley wrangler trying to keep an errant trolley on the straight and narrow. It didn’t even make annoying noises that make other shoppers stare as if you’re doing something evil to make the trolley emit such a disturbing tone.
This was the perfect shopping trolley. I knew that once my shopping visit was over, this magnificent machine would just be thrown in with the rest of the trolleys ready for the next lucky shopper.
How could I ever leave that supermarket? I knew I would never be reunited with this marvelous contraption. I was destined to stay there forever, just so that I would never lose that moment.
Thankfully Emily made me see sense. We packed up the groceries, pushed the trolley to the trolley return, and headed home.
I know I made the right choice in leaving, but from time to time I know I’ll suddenly feel that emptiness, knowing that I may never find a perfect shopping trolley again.
This is a mosaic of people following me on Twitter. If you’re using Twitter and you’re following me … thanks. If you’d like to add me you can click here and go through the motions. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you can get your own Twitter account then start following me.
You can get your own twitter mosaic here.
