Dogma

Kevin Smith, a churchgoing Catholic, uses Dogma to explore a wide range of church-related issues. The film comes to a head at a church rededication in Red Hook, N.J., conducted by a cardinal who is interested in updating the way Catholicism markets itself in the modern world.

This Christmas Eve I attended a service in Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. And allthough the 'Our Father' prayer that we recited is still applicable today, I suggest that the Catholic church considers using these modernized guidelines for its followers to read and reflect upon:

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
2. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
3. Follow the three R's:
- Respect for Self
- Respect for other's
- Responsibility for all your actions
4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
5. Don't' let a little dispute injure a great relationship
6. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
7. Spend some time alone every day.
8. Open arms to change but don't let go of your values.
9. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
10. Live a good honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time.
11. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don't bring up the past.
12. Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality.
13. Be gentle with the earth.
14. Once a year, go someplace you've never been before.
15. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds the need for each other.
16. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
17. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.