tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post2177283449738851321..comments2024-03-01T11:17:49.152-07:00Comments on Religion in American History: The Difficulty of Religious Communication: Brother, Born AgainPaul Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881964303772343114noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-38519363051550616462014-07-17T19:32:43.668-06:002014-07-17T19:32:43.668-06:00The rub is that she is constructing something abou...<i>The rub is that she is constructing something about herself, and, therefore, this documentary is more along the lines of autobiography.</i><br /><br />A strong point, Michael. <br /><br />Although it may be more of a snapshot of a phase she was going through--or a self-mythologizing--about who she "is," considering how perpendicular to it her life story actually turns out.<br /><br />Again, what I meant by "fronting" for her sexuality, or identity as an intellectual or artist, whathaveyou, more a chronicle of momentary self-delusion than one of genuine self-discovery.<br /><br />[The brother's the one who remains who he is, more or less.]<br />_____<br /><br />Aside to Ben Thomas: I've been told converting from Judaism to Catholicism is somewhat understandable, but converting to Protestantism, that's a head-scratcher. Since this was a WASP nation for the longest time, Jews and Catholics often ended up together on the same couch, with Sidney, Jugdish, Mohammet, and Clayton.<br /><br />[This isn't to say your second wife couldn't be a shiksa, but conversion was not part of the deal.]Tom Van Dykehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07121072404143877596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-73479446695651812072014-07-14T06:53:32.465-06:002014-07-14T06:53:32.465-06:00Ben, start with Lila Corwin Berman's _Speaking...Ben, start with Lila Corwin Berman's _Speaking of Jews: Rabbis, Intellectuals, and the Creation of an American Public Identity_, (Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2009). Kevin Schultz did a nice review of the book on this blog as well. This book will not necessarily get you to the average person/character, but it will help frame the feelings of in-between-ness that frame the emotions and concerns of community leaders. Others on this blog will certainly have even better choices. MichaelMichael Utzingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14721247941504988878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-65142926407607211172014-07-14T06:35:31.942-06:002014-07-14T06:35:31.942-06:00Tom, you're exactly right about the cameras an...Tom, you're exactly right about the cameras and reality TV. These issues always dog me, and I struggled with this as I thought about the film. At first, I was not sure I liked the film at all. Nonetheless, I think it is a film not just reality TV. In other words, Pimsleur has constructed something to make meaning, religious, sexual, and familial. The rub is that she is constructing something about herself, and, therefore, this documentary is more along the lines of autobiography. She has more insight into herself and family than we do, but, at times, we might see more than she does (because she is too close). I actually think the lost opportunities of the film (not to mention the consistent emotional restraint of Julia and Marc) lend to the authenticity of the project. In other words, while they both agreed to this "unreal" process, Pimsleur's soft touch as a director helped reveal things that I doubt she intended.Michael Utzingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14721247941504988878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-5697041759307769652014-07-14T05:22:04.539-06:002014-07-14T05:22:04.539-06:00Hello Michael. Many thanks for this post, and for ...Hello Michael. Many thanks for this post, and for turning me on to the documentary. As a former Born Again Pentecostal, I experienced a strange and at times uncomfortable sympathy with both Pimsleur siblings, having played the roles of frustrated believer and baffled skeptic in my own family to many of the same results (or lack thereof). <br /><br />I'll toss this question out to the thread: could anyone recommend a resource (mono, article or otherwise) that addresses conversion angst in the Jewish community? Particularly conversion to Christianity. I'm developing a character for a novel who was born to secular Jewish parents and jumps camp at university, and would like to substantiate that process with good scholarship. <br /><br />Thank you once again for the great report, and to everyone here at the blog. Even for an amateur who's not active in the field, the posts here are frequently informative and a delight.<br />-BenAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04514605098217376658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-30629290344111687772014-07-14T01:32:45.369-06:002014-07-14T01:32:45.369-06:00Didn't you wonder, where are they now? Epilog...Didn't you wonder, where are they now? Epilogue, via Ira Glass 1n 2000:<br /><br /><i>In the eight years since we first put this story of the air, Marc has left Alaska to medical school in Texas. He's now in his first year of residency. He is still a Christian. He is still affiliated with The Farm. In the eight years since Julia made her film, she's gotten married-- to a man, a rabbi, in fact. They have two kids.</i><br /><br />Go figure.<br /><br />http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/166/transcript<br /><br />OTOH, I have no idea where 2014 might find them. Life is funny that way. People are funny that way. It all could have gone anywhichway and surprised none of us.<br /><br />Thx for the report, Michael.Tom Van Dykehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07121072404143877596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37589721331585843.post-24026088490186862762014-07-14T01:13:23.280-06:002014-07-14T01:13:23.280-06:00After ten years of separation, his sister, feeling...<i>After ten years of separation, his sister, feeling cut off from her brother, seeks to understand how this could happen and hopefully reunite the family. <br /><br />Oh, and she brings a documentary film crew with her as well.</i><br /><br />Then although 21 years ago, it's reality TV. Once a camera is introduced, it's no longer reality.<br /><br />It's a reality of sorts. We see what he does when he's fronting for his faith, she for her sexuality. <br /><br />There is truth to be extracted from theater, but does reality TV even qualify as theater? <br /><br />Or is it just a study of bad actors?<br /><br /><br />Tom Van Dykehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07121072404143877596noreply@blogger.com