The great thing about being the only species that makes a distinction between right and wrong is that we can make up the rules for ourselves as we go along.
Douglas Adams, Last Chance To See
Tag: religion
Favorite Quote – God
God does not play dice with the universe; He plays an ineffable game of His own devising which might be compared, from the perspective of any of the other players, to being involved in an obscure and complex version of poker in a pitch-dark room, with blank cards, for infinite stakes, with a Dealer who won't tell you the rules, and who smiles all the time.
Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman, Good Omens
Favorite Quote – Flirty Responses
If heaven's missing anything, it's a god.
The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman
Julia Sweeney’s "Letting Go Of God"
I had the great pleasure of seeing Julia Sweeney's One-Woman show tonight, "Letting Go Of God". I saw parts of it last year at the Paramount and instantly loved it. The extended version was amazing. I think the shorter version was a concentration of the funny bits, and the longer version had a lot more socks to the gut.
When I was abandoning the Mormon faith, I belonged to a group called "Recovery from Mormonism." It was a sort of an online therapy group. They collected stories former members told of their experiences (often AWFUL experiences) in leaving the Mormon church. I always wanted to post my story there, but I never felt like I had a "finished" version. And by the time it was finished, I couldn't remember anymore how it felt like when I was actually there.
Julia Sweeney has no such problem. She elegantly carries the audience through her entire journey, in the moment, with no hints of what is to come. It was funny and satirical, of course, but it was also devastating and embarrassing and filled with all the grief of lost fairy tales. I can't say that I've read as much on the many, many topics that led her to atheism, but her conclusions resonated very strongly with me. Especially the conversation she has with her mother, where she says she is more at peace now than she was before. And that it really sucks to re-evaluate one's own impending demise, especially given the better understanding of one's own significance (or lack thereof) in the universe at large (cv. Douglas Adams and fairy cake).
As soon as the movie is released, I will be buying it for myself and all my friends. But in the meantime, you can enjoy this amusing clip of Julia Sweeney's encounter with the Mormon Missionaries.
Julia Sweeney has no such problem. She elegantly carries the audience through her entire journey, in the moment, with no hints of what is to come. It was funny and satirical, of course, but it was also devastating and embarrassing and filled with all the grief of lost fairy tales. I can't say that I've read as much on the many, many topics that led her to atheism, but her conclusions resonated very strongly with me. Especially the conversation she has with her mother, where she says she is more at peace now than she was before. And that it really sucks to re-evaluate one's own impending demise, especially given the better understanding of one's own significance (or lack thereof) in the universe at large (cv. Douglas Adams and fairy cake).
As soon as the movie is released, I will be buying it for myself and all my friends. But in the meantime, you can enjoy this amusing clip of Julia Sweeney's encounter with the Mormon Missionaries.
Gadianton Brewing Company
image © 2003 mleiv
Medium: Illustrator
Size: N/A
Est. 5000 BC, Cain Adamson, Proprietor.
Hosanna Stout
image © 2001 mleiv
Medium: Pencil/Illustrator
Size: 14X17"
This was printed on glasses in 2001. The two figures are Gayle Ruzicka, head of the Utah Eagle Forum, and Gordon Hinkley, President of the Mormon church. The church had just released a statement prohibiting tatoos and body piercings.
Deseret Honey Mead
image © 2000 mleiv
Medium: Pencil/Photoshop
Size: 8X11"
The front of my mead label. It is all written in the Deseret Alphabet (invented by Brigham Young). The imagery is taken from Plan 10 From Outer Space.
Deseret Honey Mead (back)
image © 2000 mleiv
Medium: Pencil/Photoshop
Size: 8X11"
The back of the label with the alphabet key used as a border. This was a fabulous brew which unfortunately exploded on bottling and we lost our last intact bottle when our apartment burned down.
Laman and Lemuel's Not-So Pale Ale
image © 2000 mleiv
Medium: Illustrator
Size: 8X11"
One of my more popular recent labels for a darker-than-average pale ale. The allusion of course to Nephi's association between evil and dark skin, especially in refence to his two meanie brothers and their descendants.
Pay Lay Ale
image © 1997 mleiv
Medium: Pen
Size: 14X17"
This was done entirely by hand. It was my first beer label, but rapidly become my most popular. It has been printed twice on glasses and has spread across the web. The whole thing is an offensive jab at sacred Mormon ritual.
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