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Program Particulars
*Times denoted refer to web version of audio
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(01:40–02:46) Music: "Prologue" from the soundtrack of Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone by John Williams |
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(02:07) Scene from Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone
In the audio clip from Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone, Professor Severus Snape addresses a class of incoming Hogwarts students:
Professor Snape: I can teach you how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses. I can tell you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even put a stopper in death. Mr. Potter, our new celebrity. |
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(03:04) Book by Tickle
Phyllis Tickle's 1996 book God-Talk in America can be purchased through Public Radio Book Source. |
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(03:42) Scene from Touched by an Angel
The audio clip was excerpted from the episode "Most Likely to Succeed" of Touched by an Angel. In this scene, the newly christened angel, Gloria, provides hope for a man in despair:
Dennis: I wasted so much time.
Gloria: Oh, but God can redeem time, Dennis. God created time. Just as He created you. He loves you. And He's given you all the time that you need, right now, to do the right thing. |
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(04:20) Reference to the Reformation
The Reformation was a series of movements within the western Christian Church that took place in the 16th century. During this period, a variety of Christian factions in Western Europe protested and questioned the doctrines and practices of traditional religion, particularly the Roman Catholic Church, which ultimately lead to the establishment of Protestant denominations.
In continental Europe, Martin Luther, an Augustinian friar, is commonly known for his protestations of the selling of indulgences and his stand as a reformer. Luther gained notoriety for his Ninety-Five Theses, in which the ideas contained in this document gave impetus to the Reformation. King Henry VIII triggered the movement in England when he split with Rome over his seeking an annulment. |
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(08:38) Mention of Niebuhr
Reinhold Niebuhr (1892–1971) was an American theologian who argued that Christianity is obligated to confront ethical, social, and moral problems. A political activist, he wrote prolifically and penned well-known works such as Moral Man and Immoral Society (1932), Christianity and Power Politics (1940), Faith and History (1949), and many others. |
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(08:43–09:43) Music: "Juju Space Jazz" from Nerve Net by Brian Eno |
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(09:40) Scene from The Matrix
The Matrix trilogy has spawned many academic conferences and papers. In 2001, The Journal of Religion and Film published an academic paper, "Wake up! Gnosticism and Buddhism in The Matrix," which explores the religious imagery and symbols in the premier movie.
In this scene from The Matrix, Neo meets Morpheus for the first time and offers him a chance to see the truth:
Morpheus: Do you believe in fate, Neo?
Neo: No.
Morpheus: Why not?
Neo: Because I don't like the idea that I'm not in control of my life.
Morpheus: I know exactly what you mean. Let me tell you why you're here. You're here because you know something. What you know you can't explain, but you feel it. You felt it your entire life, that there's something wrong with the world. You don't know what it is, but it's there, like a splinter in your mind driving you mad. It is this feeling that has brought you to me. Do you know what I'm talking about?
Neo: The Matrix?
Morpheus: Do you want to know what it is? The Matrix is everywhere. It is all around us. Even now in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window, or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work, when you go to church, when you pay your taxes. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth.
Neo: What truth?
Morpheus: That you are a slave Neo. Like everyone else you were born into bondage, born into a prison that you cannot smell or taste or touch—a prison for your mind. Unfortunately, no one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself. |
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(11:02–11:20) Music: "Juju Space Jazz" from Nerve Net by Brian Eno |
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(12:44) Reference to Descartes
Rene Descartes (1596-1650), often called the father of modern philosophy, created a new way of thinking about philosophy and mathematics by rejecting the traditional, scholastic methods in which ideas were based on assumptions or emotional beliefs. He accepted only ideas which could be proven by direct observation. At the starting point of his methodology, Descartes begins with universal doubt and concludes there is only one thing that cannot be doubted, doubt itself. From this postulation comes the famous phrase, Cogito, ergo sum, or "I think, therefore I am." |
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(15:28) Scene from Holes
Walden Media, founded in 2001 by Cary Granat and Micheal Flaherty, states that its mission is to create films and interactive media that inspire learning among people, especially young audiences. Through these experiences, they posit, children will be inspired to express themselves and to understand the world they live in.
The audio clip was excerpted from one of Walden Media's first feature films, Holes.
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(16:52) Freeman's Movie Company
Revelations Entertainment is a production company started by Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary. Some of the films it's produced are Levity, Under Suspicion, Along Came a Spider, and Bopha!. |
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(17:25) Mention of Jenkins
Jerry Jenkins has co-authored with Tim LaHaye the best-selling Left Behind series. The popularity of the authors' series of apocalyptic, Christian novels compelled Newsweek to publish a feature piece in its May 24, 2004 edition, "Religion: The Pop Prophets."
The movie company Tickle mentioned is Jenkins Entertainment, which was formed by Jenkins and his son, Dallas, in 2000 to produce positive, moral films for young people. |
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(19:18) Scene from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
In the audio clip excerpted from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, the fellowship has descended into the realm of Moria. Realizing that they are being watched by Gollum, who is possessed by the evil allure of the ring, while in the Mithril mines, the wizard Gandalf assures Frodo Baggins in his moment of regret:
Frodo: I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.
Gandalf: So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides those of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the ring, in which case you were also meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought. |
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(19:55–20:25) Music: "The Treason of Isengard" from the soundtrack of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring by Howard Shore |
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(20:25–21:07) Music: "The Arrival of Baby Harry" from the soundtrack of Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone by John Williams |
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(20:38) Conservative Groups and Harry Potter
Conservative Christian groups such as Focus on the Family and the Evangelical Alliance issued statements raising concern about the elements of magic and the supernatural that are portrayed in the Harry Potter books and films.
The Christianity Today article "The Return of Harry Potter" provides a neat summary of the popular phenomenon, conveys the opinions of various groups on the topic, and produces a list of alternative titles for children. |
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(21:07) Audio Clip from Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone
In the scene excerpted from Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry Potter is standing in front of a magical mirror that allows him to see his family, the one he has never known, when Professor Dumbledore finds him:
Professor Dumbledore: I see that you like so many before have discovered the delights of the Mirror of Erised. I trust, by now, you realize what it does. Let me give you a clue: the happiest man on earth would look into the mirror and see only himself, exactly as he is.
Harry Potter: So, then, it show us what we want, whatever we want.
Professor Dumbledore: Yes, and no. It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest and most desperate desires of our hearts. This mirror gives us neither knowledge or truth. Men have wasted away in front of it. |
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(24:40) Reference to Pax Americana
Latin for "American Peace," Pax Americana is a phrase that is often used to describe the era of relative stability occurring after the end of World War II. Critics use the phrase in the pejorative to describe the imperialist tendencies of the United States and liken this wielding of power to Pax Romana and Pax Britannica, periods of history in which the Romans and Britains spread their cultural influence through the conquest of lands.
As part of WBUR's Inside Out radio documentary series, "Pax American with Michael Goldfarb" provides an essential history leading up to this era, including maps and interviews with authors and scholars. |
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(25:05–27:20) Music: "Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters and the Journey to Hogwarts" from the soundtrack of Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone by John Williams |
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(27:56–28:13) Music: "Overture" from the soundtrack of Mary Poppins |
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(28:13) Audio Clip from Mary Poppins
The scene was excerpted from Walt Disney's 1964 classic film, Mary Poppins, starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke:
Mary Poppins: I have no intention of making a spectacle of myself, thank you.
Bert: All right. I'll do it myself.
Mary Poppins: Do what?
Bert: A bit of magic.
Child: A bit of magic?
Bert: It's easy. Let's see. You think. You wink. You do a double blink. You close your eyes and jump. |
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(30:44) "When the Butterfly Bats Its Wings"
Tickle says that the generation born after 1980 thinks differently from preceding generations in that they think in a non-linear fashion; they think relationally. The quote refers to a common example used in chaos theory, in which the simple theorem can be stated: If you do not have total knowledge and control over a system, you cannot predict the results of the system over a long period of time.
The well-known example of chaos theory provided by Tickle is the "Butterfly Effect," which holds that a butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil can cause a hurricane in Japan a week later. The implications of this theory are profound in that we cannot predict the future of the Earth until we possess total knowledge of all of the matter in the universe. |
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(31:45)–32:05) Music: "Main Title: Trinity Infinity" from the soundtrack of The Matrix, by Don Davis |
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(32:05) Audio Clip from The Matrix: Reloaded
In a scene from The Matrix: Reloaded, The Oracle gives Neo some candy and explains what Neo must do to save Zion:
Oracle: We're all here to do what we're all here to do.
Neo: Are there other programs like you?
Oracle: No, not like me, but… Look, see those birds. At some point a program was written to govern them. A program was written to watch over the trees and the wind, sunrise and sunset; there are programs running all over the place. The ones doing their job — doing what they were meant to do — are invisible. You'd never even know they were here. But the other ones, well, you hear about them all the time.
Neo: I've never heard of them.
Orcale: Of course you have. Every time you've heard someone say they saw a ghost or an angel. Every story you've ever heard about vampires, werewolves, or aliens, is the system assimilating some program that's doing something they're not supposed to be doing.
Neo: Programs hacking programs. Why?
Oracle: Well, there are reasons. Usually a program chooses exile when it faces deletion.
Neo: And why would a program be deleted?
Oracle: Maybe it breaks down. Maybe a better program is created to replace it. It happens all the time. And when it does, a program can either choose to hide here or return to the source. |
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(34:58–35:33) Music: "The Prophecy" from the soundtrack of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring by Howard Shore |
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(35:33–36:05) Music: "One of Us" (theme song from Joan of Arcadia), written and performed by Joan Osbourne |
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(37:02) Book by Clark
Lynn Schofield Clark's 2003 book From Angels to Aliens: Teenagers, the Media, and the Supernatural can be purchased through Public Radio Book Source. |
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(36:56–37:03) Music: "My Dark Life" from Songs In The Key Of X: Music from and Inspired by The X-Files, performed by Elvis Costello and Brian Eno |
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(42:07–42:18) Music: "My Dark Life" from Songs In The Key Of X: Music from and Inspired by The X-Files, performed by Elvis Costello and Brian Eno |
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(42:20) Audio Clip from Joan of Arcadia
The scene was excerpted from the episode "Vanity, Thy Name Is Human" of Joan of Arcadia. In this scene, God, dressed in Goth attire, has sent Joan to a cosmetics application class to teach her a lesson:
God: Look in the mirror, Joan. What do you see?
Joan: Some ridiculous, vain girl who can't stop thinking about shading and concealing. This is just not who I am.
God: Exactly.
Joan: So I'm just supposed to reject all this stuff! That's the point? |
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(45:43–46:04) Music: "Out/Out" from The Drop by Brian Eno |
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(46:03–47:13) Music: "Prayer of Saint Francis" from Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Radio Sunnydale, performed by Sarah McLachlan |
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(49:04–50:28) Music: "Many Meetings" from the soundtrack of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring by Howard Shore |
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(50:28) Audio Clip from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
In this scene from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Frodo finds himself in the woods of Lothlórien with an apparition of the fairy Galadriel standing before him:
Galadriel: This task was appointed to you, and if you do not find a way no one will.
Frodo: Then I know what I must do. It's just I'm afraid to do it.
Galadriel: Even the smallest person can change the course of the future. |
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(51:10–52:02) Music: "Many Meetings" from the soundtrack of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring by Howard Shore |
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