Mormon:Facts? - one

Extreme Mormon's in Primary

Sitting through Primary every week can be a difficult task. As many people know I'm not a big fan of kids. I like my nieces and nephews, but past that I don't really like kids. So, every Sunday I try to help teach primary with Allison (I try, but I don't do a great job at it). One thing I've noticed is that some people in the Primary are a little to extreme when it comes to their beliefs about church and what we should be teaching the primary children. Then there are some people that I feel understand that we are not their main source for gospel teachings and shouldn't force their own opinions on these kids.

I don't know how to deal with the extreme Mormon views. In my opinion they take the commandments to a whole other level. I feel it's important to teach kids right versus wrong, but I feel the need to give them the tools to make correct choices, not tell them one thing is better than another.

A few weeks ago we had a lesson on the Word of Wisdom in Sharing Time. If you know me, you know I really have a hard time with this one. I feel most people don't interpret it correctly and focus on the wrong parts. I was really worried when this lesson started. It could have been a down out slug-fest of misinformation if done by certain people in the Primary. To my surprise it was done really well. They talked about not drinking alcohol and eating good foods. I was amazed how they didn't bring up caffeine. Especially since most Mormons eat tons of it but refuse to drink it. It's my personal opinion if you have a problem with caffeine you shouldn't eat chocolate ever. Some chocolates have as much caffeine as Coke. The lesson was well done that week.

A couple of weeks ago we had a lesson on our bodies. This lesson mas done amazingly. They talked about how we need to dress modestly, but didn't tell kids what type of close were modest. Instead they handed out pictures to color of little boys and girls. They told them to talk them home and discuss with their parent what they felt modest clothing was. They emphasis that this was a topic for them and their parents to decide on. Then they talked a little about what the Strenght of the Youth said, but always making sure the children knew to ask their parents what was correct.

Then this week we had a lesson on keeping our mind clean. This one should have been easier than the last too. Most of the kids in our sharing time don't have to worry about this. The oldest kids are six. Yet, the extreme view point came out. This lesson was done by a different person the the other lessons. She talked about how her kids couldn't watch some kids show because they dressed to immodestly. I asked Allison what that meant to her later and she thought the person was talking about nudity. I was like, I don't think so, because she refereed to kids shows on kid networks. To say the least I can, this person said a few other things that were way beyond the mark. If my children came home and said my primary teacher said this, I'd would tell them that they were wrong and full of crap. I just wanted to walk out of that sharing time and take my class because I really felt she was filling their heads with mis-truths and half-lies. I doubt anyone would feel the same way as me. They probably think that her lesson was fine, even though she was using scare tactics to get the kids to not think bad thoughts, which is impossible, because our minds will think bad thoughts no matter what. It's more of what do we do when they enter our mind versus we're unclean if we have a bad thought.

This post has gone on a little longer than I wanted. What I'm trying to say is if you have kids be careful. Primary might be filling their heads with half truths and opinions as doctrine. I'm not saying all Primary teacher's are bad, I think most are really good. They are doing this for free which I think is amazing. It's the extreme Mormons you have to worry about. The ones that homeschool their kids because they don't want them around non-lds influences (kids). (Not all homeschooling is bad either.)

Summer is Coming to an End

I hate and love when summer is over here in Bloomington. One thing that is nice about summer being over it the temperature and humidity goes down. The leaves start to change color (that's still about two months away). The sun goes down earlier and earlier, which is nice for me since I go to bed early. Yes, autumn is coming and I can't wait.

The problem with fall in Bloomington, the return of the students. This has always been a double edge sword for me. Without the students I would have never lived in Bloomington period. When I was a kid my Dad taught at the University. Now my wife is one of those many students. There are many ways to tell that the students have moved back. Traffic is doubled through town. You can't walk through Target anymore. There are tons of extra boxes and people inside. It worst than Christmas.

Although the main way I know the students have returned is my habit of almost hitting them on the way to work. During the summer I have no trouble getting to work at four am. Hardly anyone is up and I don't have to worry about people dressed all in black darting out in front of my car as I drive to work. This week I almost hit four or five different people on their way home from the bars. You would think they wouldn't jump out in front of the only car on the road to cross the street. I am always the only car on the street, but they still feel the need to cross the street before I pass. I do not understand this, is waiting ten or twenty seconds really going to affect their time getting home?

As much as I love the end of summer in Bloomington, it's a bitter sweet. I love the crisp weather. I love the changing of colors. I don't like the crazy students jumping in front of my car at four am.

wordless wednesday - baseball fever

Mormons at our BBQ

Guess what was at my public library in Indiana? Baptist at our Barbecue! Who would have thought that movie would be in a city so far east of the Great Salt Lake? This little Mormon flick is one of the many I think might be doing it right. It won five different Best Pictures awards in small festivals. It also one Best Film of the Decade at Hope & Dreams Film Festival. I tried to look this festival up, but it's webpage no longer exists. That was sad.

Baptist at our Barbecue was an interesting little film. It was a love story about Tartan a single 29 year-old Mormon. This alone doesn't sound like a very big deal, but if you understand Mormon Culture, you know that being 29 and single is like the having the plague. Tartan lives in Provo, where there are tons of single Mormons. He feels he just doesn't fit in there so he moves to Montana. To a city that is split in half. Half are Mormons and half are Baptist. Thus the religious rivalry begins. Through this all Tartan meets a beautiful single Mormon girl from Utah trying to escape her old life, Charity. Mind you she is the only female in this film that looks like a movie star. The rest look like country folk. Not like the hot farmer's daughter type though. The I've worked on the farm my entire life kind.

The film was okay for a Mormon film. There were a lot of inside Mormon jokes. There were also a lot of weird comedy moments, like when things would be stolen that shouldn't be able too. I enjoyed the movie, but I wouldn't rate it as great. It was nice to be outside of Utah, but you were still in a heavily Mormon community. Anytime you have a town that is half-Mormon, it's a large population. I feel like this film could have been more than it was. It had a good message of communities need to come together and live with their differences. I still want to see a Mormon movie that doesn't have a high Mormon population situation. I know all those Missionary movies out there, but they don't count. A missionary is a sub-culture all in itself. They don't interact with the general population like normal people. I would like to see a movie about Mormon set in the east. Where the character has LDS friends, but their best friends are not LDS. That's how I grew up. I had my Church friends and I had my school friends. Sure a couple of them were in both groups, but not my best friends in high school.

In closing I want to say this movie was good for a Mormon film, but only okay for a regular independent film. I still want to see more films based outside of the Mormon bubble. Plus I want a film I could show people who don't know a lot about the Mormon culture.

my type of classical music

From some odd reason I've really been into The Postal Service lately. It might not be odd, but it is to me. For someone who loves to listen to punk and hip-hop it's a strange departure. Sure the Postal Service has nice beats and smooths vocals, but that's not what I always go for. I like raspy male voice. Someone who has drunk their life away. That's why I like bands like Rancid, Bad Religion, and Say Hi so much. They aren't smooth, they feel like they have some life to tell. I know, Say Hi, isn't punk or Hip-Hop, but his voice is so amazing. I've been turning to The Postal Service more and more when I want something light to listen too. It's almost like I consider them my classical music. I don't know why, but I do. I just feel like who they arrange their synthesizer is how Mozart would do it if he was alive today. I personally don't think Mozart would be make classical music if he was alive today. Mozart would be more like a Hipster and be make grand rock and hip-hop operas. It would be smooth and amazing. I could see him teaming up with Trent Reznor and making sweet noise.

So what I'm saying is I've been listening to an album made in 2003 a lot lately. I've even though about buying on vinyl cause I like it so much. I use it to lift my mode out of the blues. I hope you can like it too. Maybe if you haven't heard of this little project by Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie and Jimmy Tamborello you can check it out. I like it a hundred percent more than Death Cab, but who doesn't? Probably Death Cab fans. Also I decide to give you a peak at Say Hi. I love this band. Saw them live and they do not disappoint.

Madison County, I went there!

Mormons in Films

One thing I feel the Mormon culture has embarrassed well is film. Mormons have been a part of movies since the silent era. Notably not always shown in the best of light by others, but we have been a standoffish culture for many generations. Over the generations we have slowly developed our own sub-genre for film. As Mormons we love movies and we like to make them. That is ever apparent if you go to Deseret Books. There are movies upon movies made by Mormons for Mormons. It's amazing how many movies have been made now. I remember only ten years ago I'd never even heard of a Mormon movie. No one I knew owned one east of the great Mississippi for sure.

The first Mormon film I saw was Singles Ward. I was 19 at the time and had never seen anything like it. A movie that portrayed Mormons as they really were. Not some uptight religious freaks, but real people. It made me laugh. I could actually identify with some of the characters. The only movies I'd seen before that were produced by the church. They were boring and kind of put me off.

After seeing Singles Ward I saw another Mormon film, God's Army. That film was more down to earth. It was a serious drama about missionaries. I feel like this film is one of the best versions of what it's like to be a Mormon missionary. It's hard and sometimes you have to let of steam. This movie is even in my public library, which is amazing, considering we have such a small Mormon community in my city.

Then came the big Mormon movie. So big, it was released by Disney and had screenings across the entire United States. No other Mormon film has done this yet. What movie am I talking about, The Other Side of Heaven. I'm not sure if this counts as a Mormon film. I don't know who made it and I'm not sure if the actors are Mormon. One thing I do know is it's about Elder John H. Groberg missionary experience. It was a good film.

What is the state of Mormon films now? The last decade has seen some amazing things happen for the Mormon film industry. Will we continue to see new films? I'm sure we will, but what about major releases? That I'm not so sure about. I haven't heard of any new films, but I'm not surprised by that either. It cost hundreds of thousands to make a major release. I'm sure there will be another one someday. What I'd like to see is more Sun dance style films. Independent films that go to the many different film festivals to make some big splashes for Mormon films. Look at Sun dance Film Festival, it's in Park City, Utah. It's in the heart of Mormon country, we need to get on top of that.

We should start our own Film Festival, but no restrictions on it. It should not have to have a message about Christ or Mormons. It should just be films by Mormons. A Film Festival to celebrate Mormon's in film. It would have to start out simple, but it could grow over time. If anyone actually knows if there is a small film festival let me know. I'll promote it and make sure people know they can see original Mormon films there.

Another thing I would like to see is more broader movies. It seems that not most Mormon films are very exclusive. If you're not a Mormon you don't get a lot of the jokes. If you're not a Mormon you don't understand what going on in some of these films. We need films about Mormon outside of Utah. Films that still feature Mormons, but not exclusively in Utah. The best film I can think of for this is Napoleon Dynamite. Not my favorite movie, but it's done by Mormons and it features a lot of Eastern Idaho lifestyle, but doesn't force the whole Mormon jokes. People love this film that are not Mormon.

Okay so here what I think:

1. Mormon's have been doing good with films for the past decade.

2. We cannot rest on our laurels, we need to push ourselves as a culture to make better films than before.

3. We need to make some Mormon films that are assailable to the general public, e.i. not so many Fast Sunday jokes.

4. Let's make a film festival to celebrate Mormon's in film.

i heart baseball

I have a secret love, but it's okay my wife knows. It's baseball. I like going to the games. I like watching a game in the middle of the afternoon and falling asleep in the fifth inning. I like the overpriced hot dogs and popcorn. I like the silly little entertainment show they put on between innings. I like to watch the score board and see the stats. I like watching movies about baseball, like Field of Dreams and Eight Man Out. I like watching batters hit home runs and pitchers striking players out. I like the excitement of it all. After all, this is America's favorite pass time. It should be loved by everyone. Baseball isn't my life, but it's a fun distraction.

wordless wednesday @ the park

Mormon Culture: the art

A couple weeks ago my family had a reunion. It was in Iowa, which is about an eight hour drive for my wife and me. We left very early, because that's the best time to drive somewhere. In the wee hours of the morning many discussions were had, ideas were formulated. One thing we both came to realize is that Mormon Culture suck. Growing up Mormon and still practicing I think I'm allowed to voice my opinion on this matter. I think as a culture the Mormon church is failing. Maybe if you live in Utah you don't feel this way, but I've been to Utah and lived in Idaho, guess what? Their is no culture where in Utah and Idaho.

Today I want to talk about art in Mormon culture. When I think about the art I see hanging in many Mormon houses and churches I feel sorry for those people who view it. Greg Olson, Simon Dewey, and Liz Lemon should not be allowed to sell their art at the high volumes that they do. They are the Thomas Kinkades of the Mormon community. If you like Thomas Kinkade than you do not like art in my opinion. That is how I feel about Greg Olson and company. They are purely out to make money, they has no soul. Their art is death. When I look around at the churches and homes of Mormons, I feel death seeping from them. It's like maple syrup slowly oozing out of maple trees.

Here is one problem, I do not know of any real Mormon artist. That's not completely true. I know this good sculpture in my ward. The pieces I've seen of his are good. Next to Simon Dewey and company they are breath taking. I think people like him should be promoted more in our culture. They should be getting requested for their works.

Here's another problem, every few years (it might be yearly) the LDS church puts on am International Art Competition. I've been to one of these competitions. People from all over the world submit art work based on a theme. It's usually a religious theme, which is fine since the church is sponsoring it. In these competition you actually see real art about the Mormon faith. Some of it is really good and some of it makes me feel dead inside (like Kinkade and Olson). The problem with this is that the show is in Salt Lake City in the Conference Center and that's it. Why? They could go around the world to large cities and have art showings. A huge PR move they are missing. Plus I want to learn about new Mormon artist. I want to be able to purchase prints of their works so I can have good Mormon art in my house. The church buys the winning pieces of every contest. Where are they? From the website info, I'd say they are still in Salt Lake at the Church History Museum.

Why a history museum? Why not start art museums and search out other great Mormon artist. Bring our culture to life. I would want this museum to collect more than just religious art works though. It should be a celebration of us as a people. Mormons are diverse. Do we need a million paintings of pioneers crossing the plains? I don't think so. My pioneer heritage is my parents being baptized in California and moving east in a U haul. Why is there no great art work of modern day pioneers? Why not celebrate all of our pioneer heritage in art instead of just the select few who traveled to Utah in covered wagons and handcarts? Where my parents sacrifice not good enough?

I have rambled on for awhile now. Here's what I want you to get out of this blog.

1. Don't accept the status quo for Mormon art.

2. Greg Olson and company's art should be questioned. Is it really art or commercial packaging?

3. Promote your local Mormon Artist, let your friends and family know about them.

If you do these three things, you will be a better Mormon art consumer and help our culture grow in a good way. Remember Mormon culture does not have to be defined by a select few, you can help redefine it. I know I try everyday. Plus if you know of any good Mormon artist let me know, post it in the comments. I'm sure everyone will be happy to discover new artist.