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What Would Jesus Buy?

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Dave_LF
Post subject: What Would Jesus Buy?
Posted: Tue 18 Dec , 2007 1:57 am
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Think I'll need to catch this one. Preview:
http://wwjbmovie.com/

I don't know what TruthAlert is, but here's their summary:
http://truthalert.net/What%20Would%20Jesus%20Buy.htm
Quote:
In this age of rampant, mindless consumerism, few Americans question exactly why it is they feel compelled to buy so much... stuff. However, with What Would Jesus Buy?, Executive Producer Morgan Spurlock and Director Rob VanAlkemade have done it in the same brilliant fashion as Spurlock's now famous exploration of the perils of the American fast food diet, Super Size Me.

Truth Alert was graciously invited by Winston Emano, a director with David Magdael & Associates, Inc., to preview this documentary-style film on Sunday, November 11, 2007 at the beautifully restored Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills, California.

What Would Jesus Buy? follows the very talented performance activist Bill Talen as he assumes his charismatic, animated alter ego, Reverend Billy of the Church of Stop Shopping. He is joined all along the way by the Church's Gospel Choir.

Spurlock said in the post-screening question-and-answer session, "You can best inform people if you're not trying to beat them over the head." Indeed, the film delivers a serious message packaged in a delicious, comedic shell. While you're laughing at the Reverend's evangelical antics, you're also contemplating the worldwide impact of globalization on Americans and on second and third world laborers producing disposable goods for our tireless shoppers.

The essential mission of the Church's nationwide tour is to save Christmas from the "Shopocalypse"; the chaotic enslavement of the soul to an insatiable materialistic desire while life's true gifts -- like time well-spent with family -- fall by the wayside.

To do this, Reverend Billy invades monuments to American excess such as Starbucks and Best Buy to offer his basic message, "Stop shopping!" The puzzled looks of people conditioned to purchase without due consideration is priceless. It is as though they are witnessing, if not divine intervention, something at least a little supernatural. This is accompanied by curbside confessionals for shopping sins, an exorcism of Wal-Mart headquarters, door-to-door Christmas caroling with some refreshing lyrical departures, and a special Christmas Day climax in the heart of the American fantasy construct.

Interspersed is psychiatric analysis of the compulsion to shop and assorted commentary from overstretched parents and others.

If you want a humorous and gentle reminder of what has been lost from our national consciousness this holiday season, go see What Would Jesus Buy?


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Ara-anna
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Posted: Tue 18 Dec , 2007 5:15 pm
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Jesus would buy none of that.


He would buy Microsoft products. It's in his contract.

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LalaithUrwen
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Posted: Tue 18 Dec , 2007 8:44 pm
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That might be interesting.


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Dawnnamira
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Posted: Wed 19 Dec , 2007 2:17 am
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I can't believe they're making a movie out of it... :Q

Way to make Christians a million times more mockable you guys. :neutral:

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Dave_LF
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Posted: Fri 21 Dec , 2007 5:24 pm
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????

If anyone's making a mockery of Christmas, it's the people commercializing it; not the people pointing them out. Don't shoot the messenger. :neutral:


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Dawnnamira
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Posted: Fri 21 Dec , 2007 6:44 pm
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Not Christmas, Christians.

I dunno...I've never liked the whole idea behind "what would jesus buy?" and a movie about it seems pointless to me.

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Angbasdil
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Posted: Sat 22 Dec , 2007 1:57 pm
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Sorry Dawn, but as a Christian myself, I find that the people who make Christians the most mockable are Christians.

My wife and I have struggled financially for most of our lives. But we've worked hard and been blessed and now find ourselves in a very comfortable financial position. We give money to our church and to charities and if we want something and think the price is right, we buy it.

So I've been a bit conflicted this Christmas season. We'd like an LCD HDTV. The one we want costs about $650. We can afford that, and we considered buying it for each other as a Christmas gift, but we decided we really didn't want it $650 worth. I want a Nokia N800 internet tablet. But I don't want it $250 worth. Now here's the question. If I don't want an N800 enough to spend $250 on it the rest of the year, why would baby Jesus make me want it bad enough to ask my wife to spend $250 on it now?

I talk to people all the time who are stressing out about what to buy their family members for Christmas. Usually it's family members they avoid for the rest of the year because they don't get along. And I know that some of these people aren't doing well financially (as so many aren't these days, thanks to our good Christian President and his "compassionately" conservative economic policies. But that's another soapbox. Sorry.) So these people will put a lot of their Christmas shopping on their credit cards, because they feel obligated to go out and spend money they don't really have to buy people they don't really like crap that they don't really need.

You want to see peace on earth and goodwill toward men? Then do not go to the mall this weekend. I witnessed more cuss words and middle fingers from soccer moms fighting over parking spaces than I saw from my drill sergeants back in basic training. Because their kids saw this cool new toy on TV and have to have it. And we have to buy it for them. because it's Christmas. And cool new stuff is what Christmas is all about. It's the reason for the season.

There are those out there that will tell you we're in a "culture war" in this society. These people make a lot of money telling you this BTW. But they say that there's a war on Christmas, that greeters in department stores have been banned from saying "Merry Christmas" and instead must say "Happy Holidays". How I wish this were so. I really really reeeeally wish that the acolytes in these temples of commercialization and consumerism would divorce their high holy days of consumption and excess from the birth of my Lord and Savior.


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vison
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Posted: Sat 22 Dec , 2007 5:31 pm
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C'mon, Angbasdil, tell us how you really feel! Don't hold back, now!!!

I made a vow not to go to a mall this year and I did, except I went ONCE to one store that only has outlets in a mall.

It was nice.

And why would Baby Jesus be buying Himself a birthday present anyway? If he was going to, He'd buy it closer to his birthday, sometime in the spring.

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Dawnnamira
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Posted: Sat 22 Dec , 2007 5:31 pm
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Yes Ang, I know Christians make Christians a mockery. I'm a Christian...well, I don't know if I can really say that anymore. I've seen too much hypocrisy in the "church" and in the good "Christian" places and I'm not sure I want to be associated with it anymore.

But I'm sorry, it seems I dragged this thread off-topic with my statements, and I don't want to osgiliate it any more.

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