Zeitgeist, Deceptions, and Summit

Having the privilege of being able to attend some of the lectures taking place at Summit Leadership Camp, here in Tennessee, I am excited to be learning along with the students!  Today I heard from several different speakers, but there is one in particular whom I want to write about ... Sam Youngs.  I will tell you more about Sam later, but first I will tell you why I enjoyed his talk so much.  For one thing, Sam talks fast and fills the hour with a lot of information.   Some might say he talked too fast.  I thought it was perfect. Secondly, Sam shared information that is new to me.  It's not that I know everything there is to know about worldviews, but rather that I have attended these talks at Summit so often that many are refresher courses for me.   Of course, every year there will be new books, movies, and current events to discuss so there is bound to be new material.

What Sam talked about is not actually new news, but it was new to me.  He mentioned a movie that is available on Netflix instant queue called Zeitgeist: The Movie.  This documentary style movie was made in 2007 by Peter Joseph and Peter Joseph's goal is to accomplish three objectives.  The first objective is to convince the viewer that the story of Jesus is simply a compilation of stories derived from other religions and myths.  This is what Sam shared with the group today.  The second objective of this movie is the suggestion that there was a U S conspiracy behind 911 and the third objective is to convince the viewer that those behind the conspiracy are out for economic gain.  It seems a little bizarre that a director would attempt to combine these arguments into one film.   I will have to watch the film in its totality before I can even comment on the last two objectives.

Regardless of the conclusions drawn by the movie producer, this is a movie worth watching and critiquing with your older children, or with a group of friends.  The part Sam talked about involved the various myths and religions that seemed to be similar to the biblical story of Jesus (virgin birth, performed miracles, 12 disciples, etc.), but with additional stories that were ludicrous and unbelievable.You'll understand this remark when you watch the movie.  After Sam pointed out some of the fallacies involved in this movie, he told the students that they should learn to ask these specific questions regarding the information contained in this film.

1.  Where did the producer get his information?
2.  Is the source reliable?
3.  Why is it that the source has access to information that is unfamiliar to so many?
4.  Is the source an expert in this field?
5.  What are the actual religious and mythological stories in their entirety?

Sam, along with the other speakers at Summit, encourages the students to always be respectful when engaging in controversial discussions.

Sam Youngs was homeschooled in Florida.  He attended Summit, first as a student, then as staff. Now he is a Summit speaker as well as an instructor in critical thought, Bible, and worldviews at Bryan College.