Critiquing Culture Summary Task

1. Advertising

1.1. Advertisement is all around us, constantly reinforcing an idea that we "must have". It promotes a very materialistic lifestyle through manipulating people's priorities.

1.2. People consume things that are advertised to feel included and a part of society. In many cases, people buy that new, popular thing that it is advertised to simply fit in.

1.3. Companies through marketing influence society's thoughts. By reinforcing how a new product is a 'necessity' for us to live a good life. Companies behind advertisements make us prioritise the wrong things as needs, when really they are just wants that we should just desire. Through advertisements, we are also sent this message that our lives are for us to live, and by living for ourselves, we should treat ourselves or do ourselves a favour by having this new product.

1.4. However, we are not susceptible to the messages behind advertisement. We should realise the bigger picture and what's more important in life than keeping up with these new products. Instead of keeping up with society, we should think about what really matters, keeping up with God. We must think of God and that it all 'starts with Him'. God created us for a purpose, whether we know it or not. However, our end goal is to get to Heaven, to eternally be with God. So when we are tempted by the advertising around us, we need to think whether these materialistic and self-centred things will actually help us to get to our purpose or our end goal.

1.5. Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. - Luke 12:15

2. Social Media

2.1. Different things drive different people. For instance, the constant need for approval is my driving force of life. By constantly comparing myself to others through social media and trying to reach an unrealistic expectation of what I should look or be like, I am left miserable.

2.2. When social media is used in a bad way, it can majorly influence our self perception, relationships and behaviour by setting unnecessary and unrealistic standards. This can leave us feeling unhappy with ourselves and destroying our self-esteem.

2.3. Instead of turning to social media to seek acceptance, we should turn to God. He is our creator who created us uniquely wonderful and perfect in our own ways. These worldly things such as our physical appearance doesn't mean anything to God. Being seemingly beautiful won't mean anything if you have an ugly heart. By knowing that God uniquely created me, it helps me to understand that I do not have to conform to what culture tells me I should be. Because if i can see that God sees I am special in my own way, why should I care about anyone else's opinion?

2.4. You alone created my inner being. You knitted me together inside my mother. I will give thanks to you because I have been so amazingly and miraculously made. Your works are miraculous, and my soul is fully aware of this. - Psalm 139:13-14

3. The Good Life

3.1. The good life is God's plan for our life. Just as a creator makes something to fulfil it's purpose and task, God has created us for a purpose and to complete the task of uniting with him in His kingdom for eternity.

4. Historical/Cultural perspective

4.1. This concept of 'the good life' has been something that people have been looking at and unpacking over hundreds of years.

4.2. The "Good Life" concept is often linked to the ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle. This is because the "Good Life" is built on Aristotle's theories of 'the good'.

4.2.1. The theory of something being 'good' is something that fulfils its purpose by operating in the manner that it was initially made to.

4.3. This idea of what the "Good life" looks like has changed through different times and other places through the changing of that society.

4.4. Throughout history, people's understanding of the Good life has both changed and remained constant in different aspects. For example, people's understanding of the good life has changed in the essence that people have understood the necessity of clean water, education, health care, human rights, jobs, racial and gender equality. However, people's understanding of the good life has remained constant in the essence that there is still some discrimination and marginalisation of certain types and groups of people and an aspiration to be wealthy.

5. Hollywod

5.1. Although movies can seem as just harmless entertainment, they can sometimes feed us the wrong, unchristian message of what life should be like or how we should act like etc. Dreams that are given to us through movies can sometimes not support God's dream for us.

5.2. In a way, movies can be similar to the message of God's dream for us. Movies are able to show us new worlds, they inspire us, they teach us, they are powerful, and they frequently act as parables. This is similar in the way that Jesus' spoke parables that changed the world. Movies can change our world and the way we view life, for good or bad.

5.3. It is messages behind the movie that the producer is trying to send that can make us change our life views. This is why is it is important that we think critically about the things we watch, listen to and play.

5.4. We can question the message behind movies by reminding ourselves about the acronym THINK. Is it True, Helpful, Inspiring and Kind?

5.5. But test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. - 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22