My Mormon Adventure

This past weekend I had an interesting experience.  I attended not one but two church services at a “Mormon” church.  Those that know me will probably be shocked by that confession.

It all started with me visiting my father and his wife this past weekend. My dad “converted” about two years ago. When he first told me about his new religion I was shocked.  You see my father is an educated man.  I have known him my entire life and he always struck me as being the ultimate skeptic when it came to religion.  I had always been taught in mainline evangelical churches that Mormons were these scary shock troopers that had the uncanny ability to brainwash people into believing in the book of Mormon. I knew that my dad was not one to be brainwashed by anyone. At first I figured that maybe he had converted in order to make peace with his new wife.  I couldn’t have been more wrong about that. His life changed for the better. I as his son will be the first to say that something worked in his heart and made him a better person. He is still my dad but he is different. He wakes up and reads his scriptures every morning. Not only that but he prays before every meal and he regularly goes to church. Not only does he go but he likes it. He’s even a leader in his church now.  If you had told me three years ago that my father was going to be a leader in his church I would have laughed at you.

When I arrived at my dad’s house on Friday he informed me that he had church on Saturday and Sunday this weekend. I decided to go along with him so that I could experience this Mormon thing first hand.

Given all of the horror stories that I had heard about The Latter Day Saints I expected to see someone like this leading the service:

There were no signs of dark priests or demonic rituals. In fact the services were very uplifting. They were having a “Stake” conference which is a lot like other denominations’ district conferences. They sang hymns and three to four people spoke on different subjects.  A teenager even got up and shared with the congregation at one point. I never got to do that when I was a teenager. All I was offered the chance to do is to be in horribly choreographed “dramas” called “human videos”. Yeah…no thanks.

As I looked around the room I noticed that no one had glazed over eyes. In fact the people attending the church were much like any other church I had ever attended.  Some were paying attention to what was being said. Others were attending to their children while one lady I saw was balancing her check book during the service.  They didn’t offer me any funny looking kool-aid or anything like that. Most of them shook my hand and talked to my father.  The only other difference between that service and a traditional baptist service was of course the fact that they used scriptures from two books:

Overall i’d say that checking out the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was a positive experience. I was glad that I got to experience first hand something that has impacted my father’s life in such a deep and profound way.  When it comes to religion people can argue doctrine all day. What they can’t argue with is a changed life.

The next time Mormon missionaries come around I won’t try and avoid them. I’ll shake their hands and talk with them.

Do I agree with everything that they believe? Based on what little I know about them the answer is “no”. However that doesn’t mean that I can’t treat them like people and learn more about them.  Ignorance is not bliss.

The Difficulties of Loving Comics and Living in Forlornia

I love comic books. I have loved them as far back as I can remember.  The hobby really took off for me while I was in college. There was a comic book store not to far from my dorm and i’d go there weekly to pick up my books. Purchasing comics from an actual comic book store is always a lot of fun. There is a certain camaraderie that Comic geeks have. We may not always like the same books or characters but we all appreciate the euphoria that comes with walking out of the store with a nice stack of comics.

It’s also a lot of fun if the store has employees that are fun to talk with as was the case with the store I frequented during my college years.

Fast forward almost seven years and my career has brought me to a small town that I will refer to as Forlornia.  There is no comic book store here. The only comic I can buy in town is the Wolverine kids magazine. (Wal-Mart carries it)  The nearest comic book store is seventy miles away.  As the sole bread winner for a family of four I can’t afford the gas to drive up to said store.

So I get comic books mainly via the subscription services that Marvel and DC offer. My problem with them is that they don’t offer event books or the titles I want to read the most. Not to mention the indie books I would love to read. I am blessed with a single friend that is able to make the 70 mile trip once a month. Through his generosity I have been bale to read the important event books and review them for this  blog. He lets me borrow his books. God bless him!

I’m not sure what I am going to do about collecting comics this year.  For the time being I am not going to renew my subs. After all I don’t want to fall into the trap of just getting books for the sake of getting books. I know of the other subscription services online but those charge your credit card monthly and I’m not wanting to do that at all.

I suppose I could go to all trades for a while.

They look nice on a bookshelf and don’t take up as much space as floppies but I love the floppy. Sigh…There is no easy solution for me. As long as my career has me in Forlornia I will continue the debate with myself: Try and get floppies OR become a ‘trade waiter”? To read? Or to read months later? That is the question.

Blackest Night 1

And so it begins! DC’s major event of 2009! Blackest Night DUN! DUN! DUN! The buildup to this event has been brewing in the Lantern titles as the “War of Light” has been in full swing. An ancient prophecy says that the War of light will lead to Blackest Night and the end of all life.  In case you don’t know the War of Light is the war between the various colored Lantern corps. Each color pulls it’s power from certain emotions. For example yellow is fear, red is rage, blue is hope, Orange is avarice and Green is of course willpower.

This issue begins with the human Green Lanterns flying over coast city as part of a parade in their honor. It is explained that this particular day in the DCU is a national day of mourning for the heroes that have lost their lives over the years.  We get to see several panels of DC’s heroes in different cemeteries honoring their dead.  Little do these heroes know that dark machinations have come together and the Black Lantern rings launch and begin reviving dead heroes and villains alike. They rise up as twisted zombie like versions of themselves and that is when the proverbial you know what hits the fan.

One thing I love about this comic is the sense of dread and terror it imparts as we see a few panels of clouds of Black Lantern rings heading across the cosmos reviving the dead.  This first issue also includes the deaths of two major heroes in the DCU as they fall victim to some of their formerly dead friends.

The execution of this comic is flawless. Writer Geoff Johns and Penciller Ivan Reis knocked this one out of the park. It blows my mind to think that this was only the first part and it was this awesome! If Blackest Night continues to build momentum than it could be the comic event of my lifetime.

Rating 10 out of 10

New Avengers 54 review

New Avengers 54

So this is it.  Marvel comics history is made as the Avengers and the new Sorcerer Supreme  do battle with the demon that has been possesing the Hood.  A lot is packed into this issues becuase after the battle resolves Clint Barton and Norman Osbourne conitnue their tiresome media war on each other.  The issue ends with Clint deciding that Osbourne will have to be killed. Well duh!  Get on with it already! My problem with the whole Dark Reign event that Marvel is doing is that the overarching story seems to be moving along at a snail’s pace.  Another problem I have is that a new Sorcerer Supreme in the Marvel universe is a big deal! Yet it almost comes off as filler to me as I am waiting for Dark Reign to go somewhere. Still, it wasn’t a bad issue in and of itself.  There is plenty of action and at least the Sorcerer Supreme storyline reaches a satisfying conclusion. 

This New Avengers arc was my first exposure to Billy Tan’s pencils and even though at first I didn’t like them they have grown on me.  Writer Brian Michael Bendis continues to write memorable dialogue and interesting stories.  I just wish Dark Reign would start coming to a close. I’m sick of Osbourne and his evil cabal running everything.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10