Real-Life Quotations

"I decided the rice was okay since there was only two bugs. They were really little bugs!"

xkcd rocks

I Dare You! Christianity and Celibacy

There's an interesting thread on Christianity and Sexuality going on at Empire Remixed. (Here, here, and here). Basically, they're saying "hey guys and gals — i.e. other Christians — let's talk about sexuality in an open-minded way." They're very articulate, poetic, and heartfelt in saying this, but yes, that is what it boils down to. This message might sound pretty obvious, but really given Christianity's fraught relationship with sexuality... it's both necessary and worth applauding. (Though it's not like they are the only ones saying this kind of stuff these days — I'm just saying the more, the better).

But I'm going to be a little more aggressive, and throw down the gauntlet to evangelicals. (A Christian tradition I was raised in and identified with for most of my life, so I probably have a little aggression to get out my system here. Probably none of them actually read this blog — really, no one actually reads this blog — so I might as well be talking to myself. But, hey, it's soothing for me to post these ranting rambling on the Interconnect, and we should all support the admirable project of maintaining my sanity).

Dear evangelicals: Where in the Bible does it say not to have sex before marriage? Where exactly is that commandment? And no, vague references to 'sexual immorality' do not count. (One has to define what im/morality is first!). And neither do proscriptions against adultery, because, as anyone with a dictionary knows, adultery refers to people that are married banging people that they aren't married to.

Look, it's definitely possible to make a sound Biblical argument(s) for pre-marriage celibacy. Normally, evangelicals constantly quote chapter and verse in support of what they are saying, but strangely when it comes to sex before marriage... they don't. They don't make this argument. I was hit with a lot of 'chastity propaganda' growing up, and I never heard a good exposition of the relevant passages, in the light of the over-arching themes of the Bible.

Two reasons, I think.
1) There is no verse that says 'don't have sex before marriage.' I've read every word in the Bible, and it's just not there folks. There's implications, there's principles that could be applied to this situation based on other instructions regarding sex, but the Bible never clearly and un-ambiguously states 'don't have sex before marriage.'

2) If you tried to explain to teens why Christians shouldn't have sex before marriage, and back it up with a solid biblical reasoning... They might realize that this is an argument and that it involves a fair amount of interpretation. They might realize that you could also argue the opposite. (Yes, it's also definitely possible to make a sound Biblical argument — I think — for relaxing the proscription against sex before marriage that the Victorian Age saddled us with. I'm not saying this is a better argument or interpretation — I really don't know — I'm just saying it's possible). In other words, they would be thinking. And everyone knows that if teens actually start thinking and making their own decisions about whether God wants them to be celebate... well, clearly, we will be swept by a cascade of teen sex, abortions, pregnancies, our nation will descend into apostasy, be overcome by terrorists, run by liberals, and fall into the gaping maw of the very pit of hell.

Ok, I'm being silly. (I know you don't actually believe that. Right?) Please hear the teasing tone in my voice as I'm writing this.

And please pardon my inflamatory (ha! that's a pun!) tendencies — I do respect the viewpoint and commitment of those who are pursuing a celibate lifestyle before marriage. Going against the grain of our societal system and its unhealthy obsession with sex, and ways of dealing with it, is admirable in itself. And that's a far from easy path. But please. Let's be open about this stuff. Let's talk. Let's think. Let's not reflexively consign each other to the nether regions of 'sin,' 'heresy,' and 'un-Christian behaviour.'

I'm just stating the obvious here.

"Say, you guys fancy yourselves an 'indie band,' right? Well, why don't you put your song on the Internet and let people download it? That would be pretty indie right?"

Pet Peeve

Look, I like buying albums. Yes, real honest to goodness physical albums. Made with plastic and paper and sometimes even vinyl. I like supporting musicians. I like having something I can hold in my hand and look at, that doesn't have the same standardized feel and aesthetic (i.e. the way iTunes makes all music look and feel the same way, and subjects it to the same organization system -- not that I don't sometimes appreciate that system)

But if you're going to sell me your album can't you give me something a little value-added for my hard-earned cash, something I couldn't get by just downloading the album for free? Yes, pretty pictures are nice, but what I'm really talking about above all else is lyrics. It's nice to able to understand what you're singing about – they're not always easily discernable – if nothing else so I can sing along!

Are you embarrased by them? Think no one's interested? Too cheap? Please, I want to follow along!

All this said, Bruce Peninsula is absolutely amazing, and they put on one of the most brilliant shows I've ever witnessed, and you really should check them out. Choral indie pop, where the choral component is inspired by rough and passionate folk field recordings, not church choirs. If that makes sense. Epic and danceable and sacred and dirty and just plain fun!

Yeesh, can you tell I love them?

(And they are far from the only band guilty of this offence).

What I did instead of working on my Honours Essay

"Freedom just means being told what to do by someone different."
-Terry Pratchet (Interesting Times)

You know what artists are? Artists are people who say 'I can't fix my country, or my state, or my city, or even my marriage. But by golly, I can make this square of canvas, or this eight-and-a-half-by-eleven piece of paper, or this lump of clay, or these twelve bars of music, exactly what they ought to be.
-Kurt Vonnegut, (Time Quake)

"Whoever tells the stories creates the society."
-Alice Hoffman (some newspaper article)

And finally, proof that comics based on D&D can be quite funny (intentionally):
"We were madly in love! She killed all my friends and I killed all her friends, so we'd only have each other... like in a fairy-tale."
-Some evil character

Silly Dungeons and Dragons

"The terrifyingly inevitable, viscious and visceral onslaught of black midnight ebony shadow elves of darkest deathly doom!"

Alright, so D&D is a bit too easy a target for parody. And playing does involve personal creativity and in-person sociability. Much better than a lot of other things you could be doing with your time.

But the 'dark' melodramatic language can get a bit ridiculous. Of course it's not like I'm involved in anything that uses over-the-top 'dark' imagery, takes itself a little too seriously, and often comes off as ridiculous instead...