Save Yourself

Since David's been in Italy, I hadn't watched the season finale of 24... hoping we could watch it together one popcorn-filled night. However, I finally broke down and pressed "play" on my TiVo... All I can say is that it was more than disappointing.

Jack has a conversation with Agent Walker about how he tries to save people because, in a way, he hopes he can save himself . This introduces the idea of "self-salvation" to the 24 season that continues on to Jack's death bed. (Or is it? Kim -- surprise! -- decides to try the experimental adult stem cell surgery that could save his life.)

Jack is having pangs of conscience because he's done so many "bad" things in life. Whom does he call? The Muslim imam whom he'd previously accused of having terrorist sympathies. Does the imam come in and explain how the Quran emphatically explains there is a Day of Judgment on which God will decide the fate of each person according to their deeds? The Quran states:

But those who disbelieve say, “The Hour (i.e. the Day of Judgment) will not come to us.” Say, “Yes, by my Lord, it will surely come to you. [God is] the Knower of the unseen.” ... He may reward those who believe and do righteous deeds. Those will have forgiveness and noble provision. But those who strive against Our verses [seeking] to cause failure (i.e. to undermine their credibility) - for them will be a painful punishment of foul nature. (Quran, 34:3-5)

Nope. This wasn't mentioned. (Not that I regret that 24 didn't delve into Islam.)

Had Jack gone nuts and called a Christian pastor, priest, or reverand, he would've heard about the bad news of the gospel (that he is, in deed, guilty of grave sin against God) and then the good news (Jesus paid the price). But instead Jack calls in an imam... who doesn't even get a chance to explain his own theology. It's almost as if the show's producers wanted to allay their critic's fears -- see, we aren't just an extension of the FoxNews network. We're the first "carbon neutral" television series, after all. Haven't you noticed all our annoyingly ubiquitous public service ads? -- but didn't have the guts to finish the job.

Jack confesses his sins to him, and then... the imam offered the same advice Oprah Winfrey would've in a similar situation. He grabs Jack's hand, closes his eyes in what looks like a prayer. However, "prayer" indicates you are praying to someone. The imam, however, just makes a statement. "Let us forgive ourselves."

Ugh!

So now we know that 24:Redemption (the original 2 hour movie that started this whole mess) was referring to "self-redemption." The whole wonderful season was cut off at the knees with some watered down narcissistic relativism served to us from a Muslim imam.

In honor of 24's awful finale, I think we should all say a prayer to ourselves and take a moment to learn a few songs that we can sing to ourselves if we ever feel down:



Final verdict? 24 should've stopped at 23 this season. Let's hope the producers get it right next time.

MEMORIAL DAY

Pete Hegseth writes beautifully on The Corner:

Memorial Day is about one thing: remembering the fallen on the battlefield and passing their collective story to the next generation. These stories, and the men who bear them, are the backbone of this American experiment and must never be forgotten. As John Stuart Mill once said, “War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things; the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks nothing worth a war, is worse.” The minute, excuse me—the second—we believe our freedoms "inevitable and/or immutable," we cease to live in history, and have soured the soldier's sacrifice. He died in the field, so we can enjoy this beautiful day (and weekend). Our freedoms—purchased on the battlefield—are indeed “worthy of war.”

And this day, with America still at war, it is also fitting that we remember the soldiers currently serving in harms way. Because, as any veteran can attest, just one moment, one explosion, or one bullet separates Veterans Day from Memorial Day. Soldiers currently in Iraq and Afghanistan are fighting for our freedoms today, knowing it’s possible they may never see tomorrow. These troops—and their mission—deserve our support each day, and our prayers every night. May God watch over them—and their families; May He give them courage in the face of fear, and righteous-might in the face of evil.

Congratulations

David's friend from law school just won the Amazing Race!

A SAD COMMENTARY ABOUT ME

So I was at Zion Presbyterian Church a couple of weeks ago, and our fifth graders stood before the church to recite their catechisms.

"What is the chief end of man?" the teacher asked.

The group collectively responded, "Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him for ever."

"What is God?" the teacher went on.

"God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. "

Although I was duly impressed with their memorization, my mind wandered a bit. Then, the question, "Which is the second commandment?"

The kids responded, "The Second Commandment is, 'thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth..."

Do you know what I was thinking during this? "No, no, no...! It's about protecting the right to keep and bear arms!"