The now annual exercise decrying the “War on Christmas” has begun once again. I have already seen the first salvos fired on Facebook. Many of The Complete Pilgrim’s readers can already guess my position. I believe that there is indeed a war on Christmas, but it’s not coming from those who joyfully declare “Happy Holidays”. The real war is being waged by those forces who … [Read more...]
SEVEN EXCELLENT MOVIES TO WATCH ON INDEPENDENCE DAY – CIVILIAN EDITION
America’s 243rd birthday is fast approaching, with all of the barbecues, parades and fireworks that that entails. But for those planning on taking in a movie or two on this Independence Day, what to watch? Well, thankfully, Hollywood has produced nearly a century of films to stir the patriotic fervor of every American’s heart. But which ones to watch? As a movie lover, I … [Read more...]
SEVEN EXCELLENT MOVIES TO WATCH ON INDEPENDENCE DAY – MILITARY EDITION
From the earliest days of Hollywood, movies about war have proved to be one of the most prolific and popular cinematic genres; and with America’s military history, there is no shortage of stories to tell. From the American Revolution to the modern day wars in the Middle East, Hollywood has covered everything in perhaps over a thousand films. But there are a few that stand out … [Read more...]
SEVEN MOST RELIGIOUS SUPERHEROES OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE
In the year 2000 (has it really been seventeen years?), Hollywood gave us the first film in the X-Men franchise. Since then, multiple film studios have given us ten films in the X-Men franchise; fifteen films in the Avengers franchise (including the Guardians of the Galaxy) with nine more on the way; five Spider Man films; and a handful of other odds and ends. Movies based on … [Read more...]
BIBLICAL EPICS PART TWO – LESS THAN STELLAR BIBLE MOVIES
As we celebrate the 100th anniversary of D.W. Griffith’s silent masterpiece Intolerance, it is easy to remember the many great Bible epics that Hollywood has turned out over the last hundred years. From the classics (The Ten Commandments, Ben Hur) to the controversial (The Last Temptation of Christ) to the contemporary (The Passion of the Christ), Hollywood’s greatest … [Read more...]
BIBLICAL EPICS PART ONE – CELEBRATING A CENTURY OF THE BIBLE IN FILM
On September 5, 2016, Hollywood celebrated the 100th anniversary of the release of the movie Intolerance, considered by many to be the greatest (or at least one of the greatest) films of the Silent Era. Produced and directed by D.W. Griffith as a sort of apology for his earlier film Birth of a Nation, which was heavily criticized for its racist overtones, Intolerance focused … [Read more...]
SEVEN MOST RELIGIOUS SUPERHEROES OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE (continued)
4 – ARCHANGEL (1963) Archangel is one of the founding members of the X-Men. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1963, he was one of the original superheroes that debuted with the X-Men comics. Originally known as Angel, Warren Worthington’s powers include great strength and the ability to fly, thanks to his angelic wings. His hero name is inspired not only by his wings, … [Read more...]
FULL LISTING OF RELIGIOUS SITES IN THE COMPLETE AMERICAN PILGRIM
The following churches, cathedrals, synagogues and shrines are featured in The Complete American Pilgrim: NEW ENGLAND FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH – Kittery Point, ME BOWDOIN CHAPEL – Brunswick, ME NEWINGTON TOWN CHURCH – Newington, NH SHAKER MEETINGHOUSE – Canterbury, NH ROCKINGHAM MEETINGHOUSE – Bellows Falls, VT FIRST PARISH CHURCH – Plymouth, MA OLD … [Read more...]
THE WAR ON HOLIDAYS
October is here (not that you would know it from the weather), and once again we are plunging headlong into the ever-lengthening holiday season. While I freely admit that I do love this time of year, I can’t help but think that holidays are fundamentally different today than they were in the days of my increasingly distant youth. There was a time when most holidays, both … [Read more...]
WERE THERE EGYPTIANS AMONG THE ISRAELITES OF THE EXODUS (continued)
Akhenaten was one of Egypt’s greatest and most controversial pharaohs. During his reign he established, among other things, a monotheistic religion around the deity Aten, pushing all other Egyptian deities out of public life. It has been suggested that Akhenaten was strongly influenced by the ideas of the Hebrew slaves, and that the deity Aten (a sun god) may have been the … [Read more...]
