Amen

Did you ever wonder what the word "amen" signifies? I did, and asked my follower Kent Schnake, who has read the Bible cover to cover more than 20 times. He elucidates:
.
During my first trip to Japan, I was repeatedly told that hai means "yes." That is true, but during a conversation a Japanese listener will usually say "hai" repeatedly. They often don't mean "yes, I agree" - it's more likely "yes, I hear you." I was frustrated. Why couldn't the Japanese be clearer? Upon reflection, I realized that the same thing can be true in English: Sure. Okay. Got it. These can all mean "yes, I agree," but they are often simply ways of saying "yes, I hear you." We decide which is meant by paying attention to tone of voice, body language, and context. If we want to be unambiguous, it is good to have a word that is less subject to interpretation. That is particularly valuable for a literate people, because words in text are devoid of tone or body language. Muslims have long referred to Jews and Christians as "people of the book." It is a positive statement, indicating that Jews, Christians, and Muslims have all benefited from divine revelations that have been committed to writing and preserved. All have many centuries of literacy as part of their heritage - and all say "Amen." There are variations in pronunciation. Even as an English speaker, I have never been confident whether "ah-men" or "ay-men" is more suitable.
.
Monotheistic religions have one important practice in common: prayer. Simply put, prayer is conversing with God. When we converse with God, we seek to be as clear both with God and with others who are listening. The person praying may say "amen." "Amen" has been spoken and written in Hebrew, Arabic, Greek, and Latin for centuries. From there it has passed on to many other languages, including English. A common English definition is "so be it." Unambiguous, emphatic agreement. As with many cultural conventions, saying "amen" has lost force in many situations. For a long time I thought it was just a way of saying "I'm done" when a person finished praying. However, particularly in the Pentecostal fellowships that I frequent, "amen" is used during sermons, during prayers, and even as an emotional response to good news. I might say, "My daughter has recovered from pneumonia," and then hear an emotional "amen" as a response. Emphatic, unambiguous, and multilingual. Amen to all that!

Zombies!?!

Today a guest post by Holly McCarthy, who writes on the subject of certification for geriatric nursing:

In January 2009, pranksters hacked into warning signs in Austin, Texas, cautioning drivers about “zombies ahead.” While there was actually no plague of the undead in the capitol city of the Lone Star State, this occurrence brings some interesting issues to light regarding zombies and popular culture.

In the movies, zombies bring people of various races, cultures, and creeds together for one purpose: to kill the zombies that are after them. Zombies represent not only death and the possibility of an afterlife, but the unknown as well. When zombies begin to appear in movies, people move through the stages of grief. Denying the evidence right in front of them, the characters wait until there is a full-on epidemic before doing anything at all to remedy the situation. But when that time comes, the characters work together to defeat a common enemy. They shed their prejudices and differences and operate as a cohesive unit for the sole purpose of eradicating the zombies and restoring order in the world. Just when things look as bad as they can be, someone steps in and helps make things right again.

Is it really any wonder that zombie movies have maintained their popularity over time? Even with the same plot and scenario, they remain relevant to viewers over the years. Looking in context at their rise in popularity, it is easy to see the parallel between zombie films and the state of the society that produced them. Looking back at the caution sign in Austin, perhaps it was a wake-up call to people in that town, urging them not to become part of the undead, but to once again think and feel as individuals. There is always time to prey on the flesh of the living later...