Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Part I

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (TWOK) was by far the best Star Trek movie. Based on Moby Dick, Khan believed from hell's heart that Captain Kirk killed his wife, so he pursued him with hateful vengeance, even with his last breath.

Of course, the plan was foiled by Spock who sacrificed his life for the despised Kirk.



I was thinking specifically about Spock's Christlike sacrifice when I remembered the first time I heard the phrase, "Good deeds never go unpunished." My high school choir director uttered these words, and then later went on to heroically save a drowning kid from the Delaware River. (Go figure.)

This phrase was shortsighted in the final analysis. TWOK showed this in that Spock's true self lives in Dr. McCoy. This could obviously indicate that we live in our friends' memory, but I think it was deeper than that. Since Spock's Katra could be passed onto another, was it possible that his Katra could live on in the Ultimate Mind, God? I think that was a distinct possibility.

So, ultimately, good deeds in love could assure our infinite existence in the Mind of God.

Huey Lewis and the News' Bad is Bad Part I

So, this is my favorite Huey Lewis and the News song, Bad Is Bad.


This song foreshadows where Huey Lewis took the band most recently (the video also foreshadows that the original News have moved on from this band). Blues is their new style.

I like all the fancy 7th cords by The News; and in truth, the songs where The News takes a major role are my favorite.

This song really shows what make things bad, and as a contrapositive, what makes a thing good.

The guitar playing was bad because it didn't sound like a guitar, but a chainsaw; the soul stew was bad because it didn't taste like stew; Huey's relationship with Marie wasn't good since she wasn't faithful like he expected her to be (it seemed to be serious since he had the key to her residence).

It turns out, a thing that isn't the way the thing is supposed to be is bad. Likewise, things that are what they are essentially supposed to be are good; the best things are more perfectly what they are to be.

The Big Bang Theory Theme Song Part II

So, last time I mentioned that it seemed like The Big Bang Theory theme song implied that oh-so-tiresome argument that hard science and religion are at odds with one another (the song starts at 2:25 in the video below).



I sincerely hope that I am wrong on this score. For you see, the Big Bang Theory actually proves that the universe had a creator that Christians call God (timeless, immaterial, powerful).

St. Thomas Aquinas had "five ways" of proving God's existence. At the time, way back around the 1200's, no one knew scientifically about the Bing Bang. Aristotle, who St. Thomas loved to use for his proofs, believed that the universe existed for infinite time, however, through other means, St. Thomas proved that there was a beginning (first cause by God).

If St. Thomas knew that there was a Big Bang, his theoretical proofs for a temporally finite universe wouldn't be needed. So, it turns out that the Big Bang helps Theists' assertion that there is a Creator of the universe (or even multiverse). Someone needs to tell the Bare Naked Ladies.

Well, I tried here: maybe they may come across this over the internet machine someday.

In recent times, Dr. Craig has used other means to show that the universe was created by God. They can be viewed below.

The Kalam Cosmological Argument (Dr. Craig)

Huey Lewis and the News' The Power of Love Part I

Huey Lewis and the News' The Power of Love is my second favorite song of this '80's band. It feels electric like the '80's movie for which is was produced, Back to the Future (Michael J. Fox).



It also seems like a Gospel song. Listen to the lyrics. There really is no specific mention of a love interest. The "help from above" line could be help from the Holy Spirit to feel The Power of Love.

One can be rich or poor since anyone can receive the Power of Love sent especially in the sacraments of baptism and confirmation. It makes "a bad one" or "a wrong one" or "a hawk" into a new person.

The band has more explicitly religious lines in other songs, but this one may take the cake for the most overall holy song that they produced. McFly's family would be proud.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture Part II

This post is about the "meld" between the V'ger probe and Decker.



In the last post, I likened Decker to God the Father (Creator) and the V'ger probe as standing in for humankind. This post will discuss how the relationship between Decker and the V'ger probe is parallel to God the Son and to an individual.

During this clip, Decker wanted to be with the V'ger probe who was once his love interest Ilia. The V'ger probe who is made in the likeness of Ilia, who now stands-in for V'ger, wants with all its being to be with Decker.

This whole relationship reminds me of what St. Paul said about the one-fleshness between man and woman in marriage. He said that the sacrament of marriage was mysteriously a direct parallel to the bond between Christ (Jesus) and the Church.

The question is, how does an individual become part of the Church to have this special relationship with Christ? The answer is baptism.

This Star Trek movie is a commentary on baptism!

The "meld" scene above sort-of shows how Christ and His disciple become a new creation through baptism.

Could it be that the Enterprise is the Holy Spirit that brings the Christ character (Decker) to V'ger? That may be too much. What do you think?

(My first post on Star Trek: The Motion Picture is here.)

Backstreet Boys' As Long As You Love Me

Yea, I know. The Backstreet Boys? Well, let me explain.

I was walking in the drug store late one night, and from the speakers overhead I heard a terrible fright. Well, that fright was named, "As Long As You Love Me".

I can't explain how much I really hated this song (especially now since Master Bieber just put out a song with the same title which I haven't listened to).

However ...

I got to wondering...

There has to be something redeeming about this song. Let's look at the refrain only (and ignore the rest, shall we? I know, big burden):

I don't care who you are
Where you're from
What you did
As long as you love me
Who you are
Where you're from
Don't care what you did
As long as you love me

Pathetic, right? Desperate much? Well ...

Then I thought of a Bible verse (I was known as Bible Man in college by some of my friends):

For Christ, while we were still helpless, yet died at the appointed time for the ungodly. Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person, though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. Romans 5: 6-8

Even though we (the "who/you" of the song) did things that were wrong (being sinners, or ungodly), Jesus (Christ; the "I/me" of the song) laid down his life to save our lives. "God proves his love for us" in this way.

The question is, "How can we love God in return?" for the "As long as you love me" line? This unpopular, old song holds the key:

Tallis - If ye love me

If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, which the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows it. But you know it, because it remains with you, and will be in you. John 14: 15-17

So, "As Long As You Love Me" turns out to be not-so-bad if you change it up a bit.

Well, actually, maybe not.

Huey Lewis and the News Workin' For A Livin' Part I

Workin' for a Livin' is musically one of Huey Lewis and the News' best songs. The rising & falling of the bass line riff and Mr. Lewis' harmonica solo at the bridge are fantastic. The addition of the jazz organ makes it stylin'.


In this post, I'll focus on the line, "Workin' for a Livin' / Livin' and working." This line reminds me of the deep question, "Do I live to work, or do I work to live?"

When I first heard this question as a kid, I immediately thought, "Duh, I don't live to work since work is the last thing I want to do. I'd rather be playing video games." My definition of work for a long time was, "You're working when you'd rather be doing something else."

Then I read Laborem Exercens (LE) by Pope John Paul II. I thought, is it possible that the question sets-up a false dichotomy, sort-of-like asking whether nature or nurture shapes the lives of children to adulthood? Can working/living be intertwined?

LE reveals that work is defined by any activity which gives each human being's personal life meaning/dignity and shapes the culture-at-large. Whenever we do anything, or work, whether for money or not, we have the opportunity to fulfill our purposes for being, the main pair being "to love" and "be loved".

Think about it: When we go to work, we are contributing a service or product that will define the culture while also providing for ourselves and/or our family. When we are with our family, we help each other (change diapers/sheets) which fulfill our lives in love.

The Big Bang Theory Theme Song Part I

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I always chuckle when I hear The Big Bang Theory theme song by the Bare Naked Ladies. Not because the show that is about to start is funny, but because the Bare Naked Ladies seem like they're trying too hard to be smart with all the lyrics; Sheldon would probably laugh at them if he heard it too because they have no PhD's among the band members (as far as I know).

(Here's a new visual version of the song)

I also laugh because the band probably has no idea that the theorist of the Big Bang Theory was a Catholic Priest, Monseigneur Georges Henri Joseph Édouard Lemaître (below on the left next to Albert Einstein).

(This picture is in the Public Domain as far as I know.)

I'll bring up the show's attempt at making fun of religion later, but the only time any Catholic Priest was mentioned was Pope John Paul II by name, by Amy Farrah Fowler (Series 5 Episode 11). She said, "Sheldon: In the year 2000, Pope John Paul II was named an honorary Harlem Globetrotter." That's probably all they know about the Church.

What they should really learn is that Einstein said,

“Only the Catholic Church protested against the Hitlerian onslaught on liberty. Up till then I had not been interested in the Church, but today I feel a great admiration for the Church, which alone has had the courage to struggle for spiritual truth and moral liberty.” 

Perhaps now they too may be "interested in the Church" and read this blog? Although, I only have a bachelor's degree in engineering, so Sheldon may have to pass.