Strategically Communicating

Good reading this week.  A lot jumped out at me but I will only touch on Harry Potter’s affect on religion.

I remember when I first heard about Harry Potter.  Many of my friends and their kids couldn’t get enough.  Even my kids wanted to go watch the movie.  I have to admit, I am not a Harry Potter fan.  I am not a fan for no reason other than I’m not into the fantasy world thing.  That’s probably why I didn’t like The Matrix either.

I find it fascinating when our personal perspectives often contrast with others.  For example I remember hearing about Harry Potter books being used as a vehicle to introduce kids to wizardry, demonic or evil anti-religion thinking.  I remember people saying that Harry Potter was luring kids away from God.  I also remember the big debate about whether Harry Potter should be in our public schools or not.  All this because of a fictional character in a fantasy world.  I finally went out and watched the movie.  I thought it was cool.  Still not my thing but cool and entertaining nonetheless.

I remember in the 80’s people were saying the same thing about hard rock music.  Back then, Ozzy Osbourne was Harry Potter.  Rock music was something I did get into and no it did not sway me away from my religious beliefs.  I’m embarrassed to say that it did sway me into sporting a mullet.

What is fascinating is how we allow our perspectives to often times be shaped by what we hear and read in the media or from those in our sphere of influence and allowing that to limit how and what we think about things and not dare to investigate.

Denis Haack says in Convergence Culture “If we are to understand those who do not share our deepest convictions, we must gain some comprehension of what they believe, why they believe it, and how those beliefs work out in daily life.”

I agree.  We must learn to ask “why” and investigate, so that we can understand and shape our perspectives based on those investigations and the knowledge of understanding others perspectives.

Jenkins goes on to say “Christians are apt to disagree among themselves about what is or what is not valuable in such works, but that the process of talking through these differences focuses energy on spiritual matters and helps everyone involved to become more skillful in applying and defending faith.”

If we perform our due diligence and learn a little about what we read, hear or see, we will shape our own ideas and perspectives and that will allow us to strengthen or change our beliefs and values on our terms.

This left me asking:

How often do you dig or do you rely on surface information?

Is your perspective your own or is it fragmented by others and the media?