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Cljarlotte ^osit
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 26, 2004
8B
RELIGION
A time to
celebrate
Esther 8:3-8; 9:17-23
Esther again pleaded
with the king, falling his
feet and weeping. She
begged him to put an end to
the evil plan of Haman the
Agagite, which he had
devised against the Jews.
Then the king extended the
gold scepter to Esther and
she arose and stood before
him.
“If it pleases the king,” she
said, “and if he regards me
with favor and thinks it the
right thing to do, and if he is
pleased with me, let an
order be written overruling
the dispatches that Haman
son of Hammedatha, the
Agagite, devised and wrote
to destroy the Jews in all
the king’s provinces. For
how can I bear to see disas
ter fall on my people? How
can I bear to see the
destruction of my family?”
King Xerxes replied to
Queen Esther and to
Mordecai, the Jew,
“Because Haman attacked
the Jews, I have given his
estate to Esther, and they
have hanged him on the
gallows. Now write another
decree in the king’s name in
behalf of the Jews as seems
best to you, and seal it with
the king’s signet ring-for no
document written in the
king’s name and sealed
with his ring can be
revoked.”
This happened on the
thirteenth day of the month
of Adar and on the four
teenth they rested and
made it a day of feasting
and joy.
The Jews in Susa, howev
er, had assembled on the
thirteenth and fourteenth,
and then on the fifteenth
they rested and made it day
of feasting and joy.
That is why rural Jews-
those living in village's-
observe the fourteenth of
the month of Adar as a day
of joy and feasting, a day for
giving presents to each
other.
Mordecai recorded these
events, and he sent letters
to all the Jews throughout
the provinces of King Xerx
es, near and far, to have
them celebrate annually
the fourteenth and fifteenth
days of the month of Adar
as the time when the Jews
got relief iinm their ene
mies, and as the month
when their sorrow was
turned into joy and their
moioming into a day of cele
bration. He wrote them to
observe the days as days of
feasting and joy and giving
presents of food to one
another and gifts to the
poor.
So the Jews agreed to con
tinue the celebration they
had begun, doing what
Mordecai had wirtten to
them.
‘ Tassions of
the Christ’ ’
By Artellia Burch
anelliQbitrch@thedv3rlottepost.com
“The Passions of The Christ” is
remarkable and appropriately violent.
The controversial movie produced,
directed and funded by Mel Gibson is
an amazing visual and audible version
of Jesus of Nazareth’s crucifixion. It is
extremely accurate according to the
books of Matthew, Luke, Mark and
John, also known as the Gospels.
Since so much controversy has been
attached to the movie, I didn’t know
what to truly expect when I went to
the viewing. From the minute “The
Passions” started I was pleased. The
film was so real. It was as if I was a
guest following Jesus for his last 24
hours.
The movie opened in the Mount of
Olives, the place Jesus went to pray
with his closest friends John, James
and Peter. According to the Gospel of
Luke, Jesus prayed so hard and was in
so much distress over his fate that his
sweat became blood. The film gave a
believable visual of that episode and
Gibson took artistic license by adding a
lurking Satan slithering around the
distraught Jesus as he battles within
himself to do the will of God, which was
to die on the cross.
Gibson gave the viewer an opportuni
ty to see his idea of the origination of
sin. I say that because every place
there was violence, deception, cruelty
and just pure evil Satan was always
there - a common belief in the Chris
tianity faith.
Plus I think the movie did a great job
in presenting the human side of Judas,
Christ’s betrayer. It didn’t make Judas
out to be Satan; it simply showed how
he gave in to greed, later regretted it
and committed suicide.
The star of the movie wasn’t the
actors or the great cinematography.
It was the brutal story of crucifixion.
Gibson left nothing to the imagina
tion when it came to this. He includ
ed the Gospel’s accoimt of Jesus’ last
hours and the physical and mental
brutality he endured before he was to
die on the cross.
Gibson didn’t make the crucifixion
glamorous. It was bloody and
painful-which came across on the
screen. It was not a Hollywood-style
movie filled with cliches. It was very
real.
The only unrealistic part of the
movie was the mere fact that all of
the stars except the man that helped
carry Jesus cross were white. Now
that’s just a little hard to believe
since the people in that part of the
world are of color.
Thousands of Egyptian students protest
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CAIRO, Egypt (AP) _ About
6,000 students at the Islamic
Al-Azhar University demon
strated Monday against
France’s decision to ban head
scarves in public schools.
Veiled females wore head-
bands that read, "I won’t take
off my vefi.”
The head scarf is compulso
ry for female students
enrolled at Al-Azhar, Islam’s
most prestigious Sunni uni
versity.
The protesters remained
confined to the campus, which
was surrounded by large
numbers of riot police. Stu
dents chanted, "(This is) a
French attack against Islamic
awakening.” One group car
ried a banner that read, "No
to (French President Jacques) ,
Chirac, my veil is my liberty.”
The students also chanted
pro-Palestinian slogans.
Despite international criti
cism, the French Parliament’s
lower house overwhelmingly
passed a bill this month ban
ning Islamic head scarves and
other conspicuous religious
symbols, such as Jewish skull
caps and large crosses in secu
lar schools. The biU is expect
ed to go before the Senate
early next month, where little
opposition exists.
The government says the
law aims to keep religion out
of its schools.
There have been protests
and condemnations against
the ban across the Arab world.
Geoi^e Foreman
Inspirations
Toni Fritsch, producer
Trauma Records
Ratings
Classic;
ExceUent;
Good
Fair
Why?
No stars — A
This CD has left me per
plexed, bewildered and con
fused. What was on George
Foreman’s mind while doing
this?
The bigger question is why
was this CD on Foreman’s
mind? This two-disc set is
divided into two parts: the
first is a collection of songs
and personal meditations
written by Foreman, the sec
ond a collection of songs Fore
man likes.
Let’s talk about the first
CD. Foreman convinced
Ronald Baumgartner, a stu
dent of Leonard Bernstein, to
compose music to songs he’d
written. He also convinced
classical tenors and sopranos
to sing along with the Vienna
Boys Choir and the Vienna
Festival Symphony Orches
tra to play the music. All of
that is a tremendous achieve
ment but I don’t understand
why any of those parties
Artellia Burch
[.‘■J
Jesus death
on eross
was an act
of love
Egypt’s foremost religious
leader, Mohammed Sayed
Tantawi, the grand sheik of
Al-Azhar, issued an edict early
this year saying France was
entitled to pass the law and
asking Muslim women living
in France to comply with it.
Tantawi’s remarks were
criticized by many Egyptian
theologians, but Egyptian
President, Hosni Mubarak
backed Tantawi and said
opposing the French ban was
pointless.
When I left the Monday
viewing of “The Passions of
the Christ,” I was thoroughly
moved by the movie. After
the film was over I sat in
silence reflecting on the level
of physical pain and humilia
tion Jesus went through just
for me.
I know the scripture says
that Jesus died on the cross
for the sins of the world.
However, when I think about
the sacrifice I see him dying
that brutal death because of
me. I see a loving Savior
enduring physical abuse,
mocking from human beings
and spiritual taunting from
the enemy just to save me
from the depths of heU.
Everyone should see Jesus’
sacrifice as a selfless act of
love. It’s amazing that He
loves us so much He would
have traveled fi'om heaven to
die on the cross for us.
On top of that, Jesus does
n’t ask for much in return. In
fact He only asks me to give
my life to Him. Which isn’t
asking for much since he was
willing to give His life for me.
Before seeing “The Pas
sions,” I still struggled with
letting go of my own way of
thinking because there were
things I still wanted to hold
on to.
Yet, after seeing the movie I
realized that Jesus died to
himself. He didn’t do what
He wanted to do on Earth. He
only did His Father’s will.
Since Jesus was wiUing to
live a selfless life, he sacri
ficed Himself on a cross so a
disobedient child like me can
be free from the wrath of
God.
Why would Jesus do that
for me when He didn’t have
to? I found the answer in
Luke 6 when he instructs
people to love enemies and do
good to those who hate you.
In Luke 6:32 he says “If you
love those who love you, what
credit is that to you? Even
‘sinners’ love those who love
them. And if you do good to
those who are good to you,
what credit is that to you?
Even ‘sinners’ do that.”
Jesus allowed the love of
His Father to control him.
Please see Jesus/5B
agreed to do this. Foreman’s
meditations come off a bit
stiff as do his songwriting
capabilities. This is inspira
tional music at its dullest.
The second side is even
more perplexing. There are
songs by Aretha Franklin,
Lee Greenwood, B.J.
Thomas, Jose Carreras,
Edwin Hawkins and Jim
Nabors (yes, Gomer Pyle
U.S.M.C) I like most of these
folks but I don’t know that I
would put any of them on the
same CD.
If you don’t have the songs
on the second CD, the $14.99
you shell out may be worth it.
Sandy Patti’s “Amazing
Grace” is awesome. Dormie
McClurkin’s New York
Restoration Choir sings the
mess out of “Joyful, Joyful.”
But only if you are a true
Foreman fan will you find the
first CD remotely entertain
ing, inspiring, moving - or
anything for that matter.
This could have been
divinely inspired. Maybe.
Really, it could have been.
Church News
February 19
The Mecklenburg County
Missionary Union of the
Women’s Baptist Home and
Foreign Missionary Conven
tion will be held at 1303
Hawthorne Lane.
February 21
W^ston-Salem State Uni
versity Concert Choir will
perform at Friendship Mis
sionary Baptist church at
3301 Beatties Ford Road.
Greater Mount Moriah
Primitive Baptist Church
will hold an Adult Lecture at
4 pm on “From the Pyramids
to the Ghetto” by Ahmad
Daniels and a youth lecture
“Building Self-Esteem in Our
Youth” at 5 pm by Doris Fra-
February 23
Silver Mount Baptist
Church at 501 West
Arrowood Road will hold a
special campaign service to
elect Rev. Franklyn Richard
son as the next President of
the National Baptist Conven
tion at 7 pm.
February 26-28
Second Calvary Baptist
Church will sponsor a Music
Ministry Workshop.
Greater Mount Moriah
Primitive Baptist Church
will hold its Black History
Celebration at 5 pm.
February 25
Ash Wednesday Service
will be held at Friendship
Baptist Church at 7 pm.
session will be held at M.G.
Benton Convention Center at
301 West 5th Street, Win
ston-Salem at 8 am. Regis
tration is $10.
February 28
February 28
The North Carolina Baptist
Ushers Convention one-day
February 29
Friendship Missionary
Baptist Church at 3301 Beat-
ties Ford Road will hold its
Fifth Sunday Hymnsing: A
Celebration of Our Heritage-
Metered Hymns & Spirituals
will be held at 5:30 pm.
Greater Mount Moriah
Primitive Baptist Church
will hold its African American
Arts Festival and Food Tast
ing at 2 pm.
March 5-6
A gospel comedy show will
be held at Dr. U.I. McCall
Activity Center at 1200
North Irby Street at Old Wil
son High Auditorium in Flo
rence, SC at 8 pm.
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