Welcome to mjpaxton.com, my new blog on Spirituality and Media. I think you’ll like it here.
Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Mike – the author. I love discussing faith, life, and art in all forms. You may be wondering what my credentials are. I’m going to let you keep wondering – I could tell you anything, and it would be meaningless. I’ve known high school dropouts who are incredibly wise, and college professors who I hold in low regard. I’ve also known dropouts who can hardly think, and professors with dazzling intellects. The best way for you to determine whether I know what I’m talking about or not is to read, and decide for yourself.
That’s actually one of the interesting common links between spirituality and art. Both the religious and the artistic experiences are very subjective – in the end, all the evidence in the world doesn’t make up your mind. You do. Other people may tell you that you’re right or wrong, but they can’t change your experience. Only you can decide what you will believe about God and religion, movies and television, paintings and books. The freedom – and the responsibility – is yours.
That’s why I wanted to start this blog. I want to start a discussion. I want to make people think. I want to have someplace to talk about my experiences with spirituality and media. And here, at the beginning, I want to explain a little bit what I mean by that.
Spirituality
I’ll be honest with you. I consider myself a Christian. A nontraditional Christian, but a follower of Jesus Christ nonetheless. The reason I chose to call this a blog about spirituality rather than Christianity is openness. I believe that there are spiritual truths that are not specifically Christian truths (for example, people of many faiths would agree that there is an invisible plane of reality that affects the world we know). I also want to create an environment that is open and welcoming, rather than one that makes readers feel unwelcome. Great conversations about spiritual truths can cross religious lines, and in the end people can agree to disagree.
Now, I feel the need to point out that nothing I write here can change the ultimate nature of reality. I don’t think that any of us have it all figured out, and in the meantime both my beliefs and yours are simply our perspective on the universe. I think we can respect other people’s right to an opinion while at the same time thinking that opinion is wrong. But then, I have been accused of having too much faith in humanity.
Media
Media is a very, very broad term. In day to day conversation, it usually refers to the various mass media as a whole – “violence in the media.” Personally, I think that any piece of art that has a medium falls into this category. Some examples would be movies, paintings, television shows, books, sculpture, video games, theatre, music, and more. Admittedly, this is not all “fine art.” I’m okay with that. You can expect my media writing to include everything from reviews to explorations on what makes “good” or “bad” art. I expect to have fun with this.
Spirituality and Media
Lastly, I want to explore how faith and art interact. What does it mean to be a spiritual creator? How should our spirituality affect the was we receive and interpret media? Are these two forces at odds with each other, in harmony, or somewhere in between? I’m looking forward to exploring this relationship.
As my greetings draw to a close, I feel like I should warn you, and ask for your patience in one area. This is my first blog – like much of life, this is a learning experience for me. While I don’t anticipate any significant problems, please bear with me if any technical issues to crop up. I’d do the same for you.
Thanks; and again, welcome to mjpaxton.com