The Zeitgeist Conspiracy

Zeitgeist the Movie–– coming to a computer near you. It’s a 2-hour YouTube extravaganza all about how 9/11 is a shadowy government conspiracy. And how Christianity is nothing more than a rehashing of Egyptian astrology. And how Jesus is simply a retread of the Sun god Horus. The net-net of “movie” is that the Man (be he the Roman Emperor Constantine, the Illuminati, or the Federal Reserve) is ingeniously conspiring to keep us down. Among his methods are myth-based religions, human suffering and a group of clever Masons. When does Lara Croft come in and save the world? But I digress. Which is why I love the Internet. The crazies get equal time. I can blog that Muhammad was really a sock puppet and upload a video warning that implanted microchips are the apocalyptic mark of the Beast. And the crazies beget more crazies. And those crazies get followers. And those followers beget more fear and suspicion. Why, it almost sounds like a …what’s the word?…Conspiracy. Freaky!

Birth pains

The pro-life movement has had a fascinating character arc in it’s thirty-some years of gestation. We’ve all watched as embryonic placard-wavers and zygote-like sidewalk counselors morphed violently into vitriolic megaphonists and action-packed abortion clinic bombers. Then in its later trimesters, we saw the cause sprout suavy political action groups and kinder, gentler crisis pregnancy centers. Then something happened––an unplanned birth. Science and technology accidentally hooked up and, haplessly, unwittingly, brought forth a bundle of joy: the Ultrasound. The pro-lifers quickly drew up the adoption papers and seamlessly transformed their fledgling counseling centers into full-blown medical clinics. Suddenly, that proverbial lump of fetal tissue grew arms and legs right before our very eyes. And the pro-life movement grew wings. So when my wife and I saw the hysterically funny, deeply touching indie film, Juno, I hardly noticed that we were imbibing inadvertent, pro-life propaganda. Because there is only one thing more persuasive––more strangely heart-nagging––than some whizbang sonogram snapshot of a glob of radiant, unborn life. It’s a glimpse of human truth; and you’ll find it right up there on the screen.