Kiss

This is going to sound sort of whiny. Apologies up front.

Often times religious metalheads get accused of being anti-Christian or not "true Christians" Of course this is absurd, the music you like has nothing to do with your status as a Christian. Are there evil influences in metal? Absolutely. That doesn't make the genre itself bad. 

No one in the church has ever really said anything about it-in fact several members have positive comments when I wear Megadeth of Kiss T-shirts. 

Speaking of Kiss, no, it doesn't mean "Knights in Satans Service" it never did. Having seen them in concert several times, owning almost all their albums (even their terrible Music From the Elder) and having read two books about them (the incredible "Face the Music" by Paul Stanley and the average Gene Simmons one) Needless to say, I am a fan. In full confession, I like their early stuff much better than their new stuff. "Kiss" (self titled), "Alive" and "Love Gun" are their best albums. After that it was a steep decline. In the beginning they truly sounded like the New York Dolls, the godfathers of New York City glam-punk.

Also needless to say, those who still believe it will claim to know more than a thirty year Kiss fan.

Sorry for the whining. 

We're still here.

Well, the blood moon has passed and we are still here. I'm sure that the more ardent believers in themselves will have a thousand excuses as to why Armageddon didn't occur, but will the doomsayers learn anything? Will they stop with their nonsense and see the error of the ways? Will they see how they make all of us believers look like idiots? 

Don't hold your breath. 

Album of the weekend

Godsmack-The Other Side

Bit of a sad story to this one. My wife and I went to see Godsmack at an acoustic show in Manchester NH. Three days before that, Dimebag Darrell from Pantera was shot on stage by a deranged fan. It was one of the most intense and bittersweet concerts of my life. 

I actually think Godsmack is slightly overrated, but this album is still quite good. 

All of the songs have an intimacy that most unplugged albums do. Since so much of Godsmack has an electronic sound to it, I was hesitant to buy this one. 

"Running Blind" is the best song on the album. It's a very good description of how many of us feel when we are going through hard times. The other songs, "Keep Away", "Voices" and "Asleep" also translate quite well from plugged to unplugged. 

This is one of those albums you buy with trepidation but realize you are playing it much more that you thought you would. 

 

How to be wonderful

It's actually quite easy. You need a touch of Jerry Seinfeld's unflappable confidence, Johnny Ramones sneer and intensity, and Thomas Monsons ability to stand alone.

Bad things are going to happen to you in life. When Jerry Sienfeld was dumped by a woman (and he was, often) he let it slide right off him and kept on trucking. It didn't effect him at all.

 In reality, your life is probably going much, much better than you think it is. Bad things are relative.

If you are reading this, you are a "have" in the world. You are almost certainly reading it from a computer/smart phone/whatever. You have that at your hands. Many, many people in the world would love to have that.

That said, life can be tough. Overall, I don't think it is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short for us in America, it can seem it. We've all had tough times. But we can't be victims. Johnny Ramone got his butt kicked in a fight. It made him stronger. He was "too tough to die."

Most importantly, you need the ability to stand alone. It's a cliche, but it's also true. You can't please everyone. The more vocal you are with your opinions, the more you are bound to irritate to someone. Usually it's not because of what you said-it's because they are tired, lonely, want attention, or just plain don't like you. 

Obviously, I love Thomas Monson. Choosing his best GC speech is a near impossible task to me. But yes, "Dare to Stand Alone" is right up there for me. 

God bless! 

The Salamander Letter?

In the late 70s, early 80's, a slew of "new LDS information" came into light. One of these was "The Salamander Letter" a letter that purported to be written by Martin Harris, one of the first witnesses of the authenticity of the book of Mormon. In the letter, it claimed that Joseph Smith saw a Salamander that apparently told him about the Golden Plates. It goes on and on. It's a very, very strange letter. 

It's also a total fraud. 

Created by the expert forger and convicted murder Mark Hoffman, some people still think that the Salamander letter is legit, and they use it as a stick to beat the church. 

The church also thought it was real. Oops. Yes, the church made a mistake, but that just goes to show how talented (and evil) Hoffman was.  

In todays world, the origins of Mormonism seem very bizarre, so people are willing to believe almost anything about Smith. 

Sadly, it's something that LDS have to get used to. We need to better train our apologists so they don't fall for this kind of thing again.   

RIP to Elder Richard Scott

Been a sad year for LDS. First we lost Tom Perry. than Boyd Packer, and now we lost another one. RIP 

Arguing against religion

We religious people have heard it all before.

Religions are exclusionary. Well, yes they are but so is atheism. Just by definition ,atheism claims there is no God. Therefore, Atheism excludes those who believe in God. Religion, like Atheism, is a philosophy that makes a truth claim, so of course it's exclusionary.

Religion causes wars. One hundred percent correct. But so does atheism. And athiesm has done a lot more of it lately. Ironically, 99% of Christian religions strongly condemn violence in 2015. Not mentioned by atheists.  

Religions require faith, and I'm more into reason-This is also true, and it's one of my own personal stumbling block to faith. Science sort of bores me and I know very little about it.  What I do know though is "A little philosophy leans ones mind to atheism" and in my view, so does science. What little I know (Darwinism, Big Bang etc) does make me wonder though it life is all that matters and if it's all there is. 

I have my moments of Randian Objectivism which includes a strong atheistic world view. No apologies. Even on the cross Christ Himself doubted Gods existence, or at the least His own plan in it.  

Good enough for him, good enough for me.

Vaccines

This is a big one, so take notes. 

I'm at the very end of Generation X, so I grew up with my mom and dad telling me about polio. The reason they aren't in iron lungs? Vaccines. 

The reason you haven't died from diphtheria? Vaccines. 
The reason you haven't died from smallpox? Vaccines. 
The reason you haven't died from Typhus? Vaccines.
The reason you haven't died from Mumps? Vaccines. 
The reason you haven't died from Measles? Vaccines. 
The reason you haven't died from Yellow Fever? Vaccines. 

Look up all those diseases. They killed millions before you and I were born. 

Get my drift? 

I have many rules I live by. One is "If I can guess every single one of your views within five minutes of knowing you, I don't have to talk to you. You are boring." Another good one is "If you only read things you agree with, you are probably insecure in your views"

Another big one-I don't debate with conspiracy theorists or anti-vaccine people. To paraphrase Thomas Paine, "Trying to argue with them is like trying to administer medicine to a corpse." 

Yes, there are those who disagree with me. If you are one of them, I apologize and I'm sorry if I offended you, but I try to be honest here.

Missed church again!

Yikes! After going almost every week for two years, in the past month I've missed church three times. 

I don't try to miss church, I'm not losing my testimony or anything. In fact, when I do miss church I try to read scripture for a bit or listen to the prophets speak at GC or something. 

As I mentioned before, my family is selling our house in New England and moving down south. I love to drive, so I'm not complaining-but this past month I've driven down interstate 95 more times than a truck driver. Thank God for my XM radio and the Audiobook app on my Iphone. 

Have a truly blessed Sunday everyone. See you in church. ;-) 

Album of the weekend

Green Day-Kerplunk! 

Ahh, Green Day. The band punk fans don't like and mainstream music fans do like. Honestly, I like Green Day, but I don't love them. They have morphed into a pop-punk band and yes, they have sold out. While I understand that you have to change your style for modern appeal, no band has done it more so than Green Day. 

While "Dookie" is by far their most popular album, Kerplunk! is one of their best. This is where the snootiness of Green Day began to take shape. They lack the snarl of Rancid and the bubblegum feel of the Ramones-but in fairness to them they did bring their own attitude to punk. Too bad they lost it after Dookie. 

Kerplunk has a garage feel-it adds to the authenticity of the punk sound.  It's also Green Day for old school Green Day fans. 

Whiskey and Missionaries

As I've mentioned before, I love the missionaries. They are by far the most under appreciated members of the church. 

That doesn't mean I can't have fun with them. We had them over for dinner a few days ago. 

I emptied out a bottle of Jack Daniels into the sink. Sorry my non member friends, I'm sure it was a waste of perfectly good whiskey. 

I replaced the whiskey with apple juice, but I didn't tell the missionaries that. 

The first guy was fresh out the MTC, and those are the best to playfully tease. He looked at me funny, than drank a little bit-but I don't think it even touched his lips. His companion, who has been here for a while, slugged the rest down.

After that, I asked them-what's it taste like? Does it taste like apple juice? 

We recorded it, but I promised the new guy I wouldn't put it up on here

Blood moon revelation

I am a convert to the church, so the overwhelming majority of my close friends are not members. Don't get me wrong, I have wonderful friendships in the church too, but since I've only been part of the clan for a bit, I know non-members better. 

All my friends have been wonderful about my conversion. They playfully tease me and joke around about it, but it's all in good fun. We can't allow ourselves to be uptight little babies. 

This brings me to the "Blood moon revelation". I've had three of my friends (again, all non members) ask me about it. Apparently a woman wrote a book about it, claiming that God spoke to her and she knows the details of the end of the world. 

I'm not going to use names-I have no interest in calling attention to doomsayers and false prophets.  

The woman who claimed to know about the end of the world is the 2015 version of Harold Camping, and she gives all of us a bad name. While I am in favor of women getting the priesthood, as of right now, they don't have it. She doesn't have the keys to allow revelation for the entire church.  LDS believe (and I do too) that only one man has the keys to accept revelation for the entire church-the current Prophet, Thomas Monson. 

Apparently some LDS are stocking up supplies based on the claims of this woman. While it is true, LDS do keep supplies on hand for emergencies, no, we are not all running to the hills with our shotguns in hand waiting for then end. 

There are two types of false prophets. Those who know they are wrong and don't care-or those who are deluded and genuinely believe they are correct. I can't read minds, so I don't know which one she is.   

What I do know though is that Christ Himself said "No man knows the time I will return, not even I. Only the Father" (paraphrased). 

Johnny

TS Eliot said, in the beginning of his poem, "The Wastelands" that "April is the cruelest month" 

With all due to respect to him, I think it's September. 

Eleven years ago today, we lost Johnny Ramone. The greatest punk guitarist in history and by far, the bravest man in music. Like many of his fans, I remember exactly where I was when I heard he had passed away. We all knew he was sick, but it was still a blow. In society today it's quick to scoff at old notions like role models. We don't like putting people on pedestals, we only care about ripping them down. Forget that. Johnny will always be an inspiration to all of us.  

Forever missed.   

Syrian Refugees

Caveat-unless you personally are going to pay for their medical bills, food, clothing and housing, do not lecture me about "compassion" and and "opening my doors". 

There is "Christian charity" and then there is "I am a fool". Many of these refugees look like strong, able bodied young men. They don't need your help. 

There are also pictures of refugees with Iphones. 

A good way of thinking is "Don't give money to beggars with better phones than what you have" 

Same with refugees. 

Album of the weekend

Saliva-Back into Your System

From the song "Pride" on that album

"A message to our enemies, never ____ with one who has to fight for being free"  

Never forget.

Kim Davis

One thing up front-I am pro civil gay marriage, I have been long since before it was cool. I draw the line at two people of the same gender marrying in a church though. In the rare, rare case I had the authority to marry someone in a temple, I would have to decline marrying two members of the same gender. It’s just my religious views, hate me if you want too.

All that said, Kim Davis should be fired immediately for not following the civil law.

My concern, and it’s a big one-is that a Catholic (a religion I have nothing but respect for) will deny a marriage permit to a divorced person. Or a rabid anti gunner will deny my pistol permit because of their views on guns.

is there a double standard where leftists can get away with anything while those who dare to think for themselves can’t? You bet there is. If a lesbian judge refuses to marry heterosexual couples, people who babble about “equality” will be oddly quiet. It’s destructive; it’s immoral and unfair. It’s also reality. Get used to it or be prepared to fight it as often as you can.

Big Love

Big Love on HBO was one of the best representations of Mormonism in mass media history. 

Do some LDS not like the show? Yes, but I don't understand why. 

Let's be honest, there is a lot of ignorance out there about us. People have no clue who we are and what we believe. 

Bill Hendrickson (The character played by Bill Paxton) is flawed, but throughout the series remains an incredibly decent man. Even noble. He loves his wives, children and always tries to do the right thing. 

Big Love presents LDS women as strong, independent yet incredibly loyal. Nikki (Wife number 2. played by the awe inspiringly talented  Chole Sevigny) in particular is amazing. Trapped in a world she doesn't fully understand, she is torn between her loyalty to her father and her loyalty to Bill. 

Perhaps to the dismay of LDS men, we don't practice polygamy anymore (though if you are interested, send a color 5 X 10 to my inbox, must love dogs and be open minded). If Bill Hendrickson had only one wife, I'm confident that the show would be admired by virtually all active LDS.

   

Hail Mary!

How to survive college

High school was the worst four years of my life and college was the best seven. I say that upfront because this could be considered "anti-college" 

However, colleges aren't what they claim to be. They claim to be bastions of free speech where ideas can be debated and discussed without bias. 

Yes I really believed that at one point. 

Unless you agree with everyone else do not speak your mind in college. At all. It's mostly group think, professors and students alike. Independently thinking is frowned upon. You need to have a thick skin and the ability to stand alone. 

Professors delude themselves by thinking that they know how the real world works, but in reality, a college professor talking to you about the real world is like a one year old teaching their mother how to walk. 

Remember this: professors have tenure, which is another way of saying "They can act any way they want too and still have a job". No, really. A professor at my alma mater (UNH) was arrested several times for exposing himself to women. In a fit of staggering bravery, UNH admins let him keep his job. Talk about a war on women. 

Norm McDonald smacking around an anti-bible "comedian"

Wow. McDonald will never work in Hollywood again. He's incredibly brave for standing up for Christians and going against the Hollywood mainstream. Roseanne Barr looked shocked! Shocked! That someone could dare not drink the Kool Aid! 

Album of the weekend

Come Armageddon or the smiting of the first born, we will always have the album of the weekend here. 

The Queers-Move Back Home

The Queers have the added benefit of being both really good, and really un-pc. Even the name is controversial.

My love of the Ramones is obvious, and The Queers are pop punk Ramones style. Move Back Home is one of their best albums-I love the song “I Gotta Girlfriend” and “She’s a Cretin”. It sounds sort of surf like (like the Ramones, of course) so if you are into angry punk, move along. People dismiss it by calling it “bubblegum” and that takes away from the grittiness of the overall sound. “Move Back Home” doesn’t really do the gritty thing (No Social Distortion here folks) it’s more fun and playful.

True Confessions -Waterworld

Part two of my "True Confessions" series. I'm following through with this one. Sister Agnes from third grade would be so proud of me! 

This will assuredly cost me my credibility. I say that upfront. I've tried to be honest here. 

I love the movie "Waterworld". It's one of the few movies I own on DVD and I continue to watch and enjoy it. 

The truest sign of nerd love is to name characters in video games after movie/book characters you admire. 

My darkest secret is that the name I use again and again in most games is "Enola" which is "Alone" backwards and the name of the young girl in the movie. 

Sorry everyone. Waterworld is a great movie and needs to be critically reevaluated.I'm willing to sit through it again with anyone to explain why I love it! 

God bless 

True Believers

The book "The True Believer" by Eric Hoffer should be read by everyone at least once in their life. Hoffer, a longshoreman, wrote incredibly on mass movements and the type of people who join them. 

My first encounter with a "true believer" (though I didn't know it at the time) was in eighth grade, when the class had to vote for Bush or Dukakis. We were assigned homework as to why we would vote for one of them. The assignment was to tell us why we were to vote for one of them in a paragraph or less.   

The mother of one of my classmates wrote a three page (literally)  dissertation on how she could "never vote for someone who doesn't help the unborn". Her kid chose option C, none of the above. It's cute, but also completely out of touch with the real world. 

Even as a child, I was pretentious and obnoxious. When I tried to tell him that it would be better to vote for the lesser evil (it is, welcome to reality) he also went off on me. 

This isn't about abortion, it's about true believers. The theologian Reinhold Niebuhr said, "A frantic orthodoxy is rooted not in faith, but in doubt. It's when you are not sure that you are quite sure." 

He was right, as he was often.