knowyourneighbor

Angels & Demons: Do Unto Others....

The film Angels & Demons will be released shortly.  The book was riveting, but I don't know that I'll go see the movie.

I have been disgruntled with HBO.  Despite protestations, they have aired an episode of 'Big Love' depicting temple rituals which are sacred to me.  This has led me to wonder -- have I, in turn, enjoyed books or films that entertained at someone else's expense?

    

For example, were Evangelicals offended by Guys and Dolls 'Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat'?

Probably not, but I honestly don't know.

The Vatican may ask Catholics to shun Angels and Demons.  Race has - happily -- come to be held sacred in our country; religious beliefs should be as well.  Meaning, if the Catholics see sacrilege in Angels and Demons, shouldn't I, as a person of faith, also see sacrilege? 

Being an 'angel' to the Catholics as they fight the 'demons' is the right thing to do.  

It would also be nice if the next time there's a 'Big Love'-type event, and there will be -- if there were someone out there to show Mormons some love.

Do unto others...

Defending Against Wolves: Boston Herald's Joe Fitzgerald Speaks Up

Did any of you catch Joe Fitzgerald's editorial in the Boston Herald?

He's hard-hitting, but I was grateful.

He saw a people -- my people, my faith - being thrown to the wolves, and he said 'This is not ok."

I'd encourage you to read the whole piece, and as you read, ask yourself two questions:

1)  Will I send him a quick e-mail to say thank you -- though I can't find an e-mail address.  If you find one, let me know.  Otherwise, pay the thank-you forward!

2)  The next time I see someone not being treated fairly because of their race, religion, ethnicity (one that is different than my own) -- will I figuratively stand up and say 'This is not ok!", even if it's not popular to do so?

Here's an excerpt:

In post-award interviews, Black decided to amplify his condemnation of a faith whose tenets he rejects, explaining how his adoring mother was so different from others in her crowd: “I mean, this is a Mormon woman who should not be accepting or loving . . .”

In other words, most Mormon mothers would rather feed their young to the wolves than watch them stray from the teachings of their church.

Even by Hollywood’s standards, Black’s self-indulgence was unconscionable, denigrating an entire faith to justify his own repudiation of it.

Black’s mother sounds like many Jewish mothers, Catholic mothers, evangelical mothers, Mormon mothers, who, even when their hearts are breaking, have a love that’s unconditional, realizing acceptance does not mean approval.

Indeed, some of their stories have appeared here.

Thank you Mr. Fitzgerald.