Allen Hunt's Blog

Just read this excellent summation of where many Americans stand after a 7 year assessment of Islam. Many of us have spent the 7 years since 9/11 trying to play catch-up on a religion we formerly knew very little about.
Check it out
Not pretty.
Makes me wonder two things:
1) How hard must it be to be Muslim in America in 2008? After 7 years of revelations of what the core tenets of Islam are (its remarkable lack of mercy and love as it describes the nature of God, and the fact that Mohammed led 60 military campaigns - 3 of them were defensive - as the founder of this "faith") - how hard it must be to practice this faith in a country that finds it repellent.
I really am fascinated by the human side of this. 2% of Americans are Muslim. How does that feel?

2) Why, given the smorgasbord of faith choices in America, would anyone CHOOSE to practice Islam? What is the appeal?
I honestly do not get it.

Will discuss this on the show tonight. And I plan to LISTEN a lot.

OK, the binge is over.
We rented that heap of movies (see earlier blog), and the mania has finally ended.
Here are the last two ratings:

Bella - B
Not the most sophisticated or developed plot but a compelling story of tragedy and redemption. Soccer star makes mistake, lives in spiritual exile, and ultimately finds renewed hope and a reinvigorated life.
Spiritual tale filled with teaching moments as well as solid acting. I recommend it.

Mr. Bean's Holiday - D
A mistake. My mistake for renting it. The producers' mistake for making it.
We wanted a comedy, a little light-hearted fun. We got the worst of Bean's productions.
Rowan Atkinson is a funny dude, and his facial contortions are unparalleled. Unfortunately, that does not a 90 minute movie make.
Would be a nice 22 minute sitcom episode. Any more is the debacle that this movie is.
Thumbs down (I know you are surprised)

As promised, the second winner of the email of the week.
Dogs, Michael Vick, Leona Helmsley - stir the passions but illustrate the point: it is easier to value the lives and care of dogs than it is the value of a human being.

Good morning Mr. Hunt. I was listening to your show Sunday night, and I was at first flabbergasted, then intrigued at the topic of the evening about animal adoration. You are absolutely on point with your evaluation, and your point was made clearly as I listened one man who called to say he lost his wife last September, and he didn't know how he could have made it without his "dog." That is so sad!! I lost my lovely (and godly) wife of 30 years to cancer 4 years ago, and I made it through because of my love for Jesus Christ. That's how I survived. Not the cat that she gave away a week before she died, not my 4 grand sons (I lost one grand son to complications), not my loving and supporting children and fine in-laws. I pity "all the lonely people" as the Beatles sang 40 years ago who avoid the peace they are looking for when they ignor and reject Christ. So Sad!!!!!!

Mr. Hunt, I have returned to school at 55 to get my education degree to teach middle schoolers in the inner city. I am a "good" Catholic boy, and God is making sure that there are no obstacles in my way. That is where he wants me, and I know that he is in control. So many in our society just cannot accept that it is futile to try and control things, and when you relinquish the desire to control everything, that is when you find peace. In the big picture, it disgusts and saddens me that in this country, and in this world, the sanctity of life of an animal is more important than the sanctity of the human life. I heard recently that here in America we have just crossed the 50 million abortion mark since Roe vs. Wade.
Jesus weeps daily!!!!

God Bless
I enjoy your show.
Regards
Rob

Last night's show on Dogs, Michael Vick, Leona Helmsley, and our attachment to dogs really stirred the passions on both sides.
If you missed the show, listen here
Strong emails and opinions,so I have selected two as the best. One today, and one to post tomorrow.
Here is the first - from those who politely disagree.. Interesting opener and closer.

You suck. I am one of the Americans you referred to on your show that considers my dogs to be a part of my family. I have lost three babies and for now my dogs are my kids. Several times they have made me get out of bed in the morning, made me laugh through my tears, even kept me from taking my own life. The people that don't understand the type of connection with dogs that I am describing don't understand it because they have not experienced it. That does not make it wrong Allen--it certainly does not make it a sin.

I know, you said (paraphrasing, not quoting) we sometimes treat dogs better than humans and humans worse than dogs and that is wrong and can even be a sin. Christ loves unconditionally and teaches us to forgive one another and treat every brother the same--as we would treat Christ himself. As a follower of faith you must understand that this becomes increasingly difficult for mankind to do in a society where brothers comit inconceivable and unimaginable acts against one another. Dogs provide unconditional love and joy. They add so much to the lives of people. If a person receives fulfillment from a relationship with their dog it does not harm anything.

When I last glanced at your poll the people that consider dogs part of their family were about tied with the people that do not consider them a part of their family. I have never listened to your show before. I heard the last few offensive minutes on accident. I will never listen again. The reason the poll results have not skyrocketed with people that consider dogs a member of their family being in the overwhelming percentage, those people are out walking and spending time with their dogs.

Are you a cat lover?

Jessica

Enjoying some good free time with my family as my wife is on vacation and my schedule is a little more free. Wonderful.
We rented a heap of movies yesterday and watched two.

The Other Boleyn Girl - really good - B +
Very creative expression of one novelist's interpretation of how things went down in King Henry VIII's court. Proposes that one very ambitious family, the Boleyns, used its women to exploit Queen Catherine's infertility and the lack of a male heir. Amazing how so much of Western history has changed because of Henry and his zipper problem. I had always thought of Henry's problem as an overweening sense of self and pride. The writer here proposes that it may have been his lust that was his undoing. Deadly sins sure are deadly.
Entertaining and provocative. Nataline Portman portrays Anne Boleyn with passion and depth.

27 Dresses - predictable, trite, and very, very average. D
The creators were not creative. Replicators is more like it. The script from every romantic comedy ever written has been plagiarized and piecemealed into this 90 minute movie that felt like 4 hours. Plus, we are asked to believe that Katharine Heigl has been the unnoticed also-ran sister for her entire life of 30+/- years. Not even worthy of being called a chick flick. More like a dud.

Got to a movie for the first time in a while last night. My younger daughter and I went to Get Smart.
Loved it! Funny and sarcastic - just like I like it. Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway were superb. Good chemistry. Very dry humor just like the old sitcom from my childhood.
I highly recommend it.
A- on the Allen Hunt Show grading scale.
Still trying to get to Prince Caspian, but I may have to wait for the DVD. It seems to be disappearing from theaters.

Is Christianity obsolete?
If you read Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, and Richard Dawkins (just to name a few), the answer is certainly "yes."
If you listen to the Allen Hunt Show, the answer is "not in the least, and it never will be obsolete."
I just finished reading an excellent book that challenges atheists and believers alike in helpful, provocative ways.
What's So Great about Christianity by Dinesh D'Souza. I highly recommend it.
Its attributes include:

• Well-written and accessible to the non-philosopher and non-scientist
• Carefully considered and crafted arguments
• Deals with all the "hot" criticisms of the Christian faith like its relationship with reason and science, its alleged sins and atrocities, and its role in Western civilization
• Brilliant treatment of philosophical underpinnings of various faiths as well as those of the anti-faith atheistic crowd represented by the authors above

D'Souza really makes a helpful contribution here for folks who are intimidated by the questions of non-believers and for those who are struggling to figure out whether faith makes sense. A great read.

Something happened in the Salwen family. Might even call it the Holy Spirit.
15 year old Hannah made the connection that how much her family consumes versus how much it gives actually makes a difference in other people's lives.
So now the family is selling their $MM 6500SF house and down-sizing. They plan to give half of the proceeds of the sale (appx. $800K) to the Hunger Project. In particular, they will help 30 villages in Ghana.
Check it out here.
Best part of the story are two things:
1) Hannah's dad is on the board of the local Habitat for Humanity so it is great to see his own daughter teaching him to live a little more generously and a little less conspicuously
and
2) Her quote to her dad that triggered the change. She saw a Mercedes parked next to a homeless man sitting on the curb, and said "If that guy didn't have such a nice car, then that guy could have a nice meal."

OK - I am shallow. I admit it. And I am good with it.
My younger daughter and I invested three hours of our lives, that we will never get back, to watch Deanna choose Jesse over Jason to be her husband on the Bachelorette.
Thank goodness. Jason was a loser, a recent divorcee who just wanted another woman in his life. Jesse - time will tell - but at least he was himself.
Call me shallow - I accept it.
But at least she picked the better of the two.

Astonishing! Barack Obama has embraced President Bush's idea of the faith-based initiative. Astonishing! See this article for typical responses.
Bush considers these initiatives his greatest legacy.
Obama says the government needs help in solving the nation's problems and these partnerships help accomplish that.
Bush and Obama are both wrong.
There is no such thing as a government-funded faith based initiative. To receive funding, the recipients must pledge not to "proselytize" the persons they serve and agree not to "discriminate" against non-believers or people from other religions in their hiring of workers to administer the funds and programs.
What this means is a faith-based initiative is gutted of its faith. Faith is the reason why these people and programs are serving people in shelters, AIDS clinics, and after-school programs. The workers are motivated by their faith. Faith is WHY they are there.
Their faith gives them the compassion they are sharing. To tell them they cannot share their faith or allow faith to play an overt part in the program turns the initiative into social work.
Nothing wrong with social work, but social work does not cure the soul.
What you get when you take the faith out of a faith-based initiative is just another government program.
So it makes sense when Obama says he only wants funds given to those ministries (without the faith) who are getting the job done. Just like all those other government programs that get the job done, huh?
Obama and Bush are both wrong.
Let the Church be the Church. Let the Church offer compassion, hope and faith. And leave the government out of it.

Here it is. The 5th and final cell phone video from our visit to Italy.

This one comes from St. Peter's Square, where every Wednesday when he is in town, Pope Benedict addresses pilgrims and anyone else who gathers there. I have no idea how many people can fit in the square - tens of thousands at a minimum.

We got there early in the morning and sat adjacent to the platform where the Pope gave his address. It was breathtaking and moving to watch throughout the morning as pilgrims and believers arrived in the square. They sang, they chanted, they carried banners written in various languages. It was remarkable to witness the universality and global flavor of the Church all in one place. As a new Catholic, this was very special to me.

The Pope spoke in Italian about Gregory the Great, not a subject I know much about. Various translators got up afterward and shared portions of his address in other languages. They also shared his greetings and recognized various groups who were present that day.

Really great stuff. Enjoy the video!