But people who trash talk the Church? Ya’ll got your right to free speech of course, but guess what…
WE AIN’T GOING ANYWHERE!
Go start your own Church and see how far you get. Maybe you’ll get 100 Facebook followers in a week if you strategize real well and give out free candy 🙂 If I were you I’d choose the winning team, huh?
2)Â I haven’t seen a ton of Billy’s stuff, but what I have seen is almost always disrespectful, sacrilegious, discriminatory, inappropriate, racist, unkind, profane, rude, obscene, and just overall mean.
3)Â I don’t hate anyone except for Satan (although Maher makes me reconsider somewhat…).
4) I validate people who have concerns with organized religion (or otherwise doctrinally strict life philosophies). Read more here about this:
5)Â I don’t think all atheists are bad people (read more here!).
6)Â I VERY MUCH think that Bill Maher is a bad person (and I don’t make comments like that very often!).
8) There are public figures who poke fun at Mormonism (and other religious/cultural groups as well) in a way that is NOTunkind or belittling. Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart are the ones that come to mind at the moment.
9) If you’re dying for a television fix of a gray-haired man, may I suggest checkin’ out Anderson Cooper? I am a fan of his stuff. And I even wrote him a lil’ poem!
10)Â We may find others’ (religious) beliefs (very) odd, but still we must find the humanity and decency to show some level of respect, even if we do not (fully) agree.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
I’m not worried about (permanent) damage that Mr. Bill Maher will do to the image of the LDS Church (cuz he can’t!). No way. We’re here to say. And he’ll be left to his own sad life. (Sorry if this is a lil’ mean-spirited).
Still, Billy Boy bugs me so much so that I devoted
(a lot of) time and effort to writing this post.
Come on now, Maher. Change yo wayz a lil’ bit, huh?
BILL MAHER PUTS A SOUR taste in my mouth…
and if I’m gonna have those particular taste-buds activated,
I’d muuuuuch rather it be because of something like this:
🙂
PS. I understand that his last name does not naturally rhyme with the word “sour;” I twisted it for a stylistic purpose.  Lots of artists do this kind of thing (slant rhyme is the exact term). John Mayer does it in his song “You’re No One ’til Someone Lets You Down.” Check it stat!
PPS. Not gonna lie, I’m quite proud of this post and its plethora of literary/journalistic/celebrity/religious/historical references. Go count ’em!
Miley Cyrus’s recent crazy antics, self-exploitation, and blatant and obscene exhibition of sexuality are not cute. They are not funny. They are not sexy. They are not empowering. They are not entertaining. They are not artistic. They are not healthy.
And friends, we NEED (young) women who are classy. We need women who respect themselves and others. We need these women as role-models for our own children.
One of my favorite musicians expresses this same sentiment:
  I’m looking for a four-course meal that isn’t based in base desire I’m looking for a lady that knows the soul is more than an appetizer
Ms. Cyrus, I only just recently wrote you a letter concerning your disappointing music video “Wrecking Ball. (I wrote your confused father, Billy Ray, a letter as well).” I didn’t expect to be writing about you again so soon, but you’ve left me no choice.
Miley seriously, you must make a change.
I beg of you to stop before you self-destruct. Truly.
If you don’t believe in/care about God, then telemarketers are people too.
Children of God/people can be annoying and inappropriate.
Children of God/people deserve some level of kindness, respect and decency.
It’s likely that they don’t like their job
JUST as much as you don’t like them calling you!
Just sayin.
More to come on this idea.
Much more.
*Haven’t quite decided yet how I feel about portraying Renaissance artistic nudity in this blog. Ms. Wilkinson’s thoughts are still evolving concerning this matter.
But BACK TO MY ORIGINAL TOPIC (bookending)
To choose one scripture (because there are certainly plenty!) to embody my thoughts on the subject of telemarketers, allow me to borrow from the words of the Savior:
“Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren,
PS. I am very aware that there are telemarketers who harass, are annoying, and overstep personal/ professional boundaries. I know that fact all too well. Like I said: More to come.Â
And yet I stillbelieveKNOW! that covenants (temple or “merely” baptismal) are not something to be taken lightly. AT ALL. Particularly if one is in the “public eye” (thanks, Tom Petty!)…
*intentional ambiguity is one of Katherine’s favorite tools (although truthfully I’m not being very ambiguous here)
15% of me wants to see “The Book of Mormon” musical,
while 85% of me does NOT:
Pretty simple which one will win out.Â
People have strong feelings about “The Book of Mormon” musical. A ton has been written about it. Here are (in my intelligent opinion) 3 of the best insights:
Official LDS spokesperson. I simultaneously admire and envy this man (and his career) so much.
Plus I could listen to him read the phone-book.
The writers of the musical (South Park guys) said they researched the faith for 7 years. Brother Otterson talks about all the things the Mormons actually DID in Africa in those 7 years. Cool!
He is a Jewish writer for the NY Times whom I admire very much. He talks about how only strict doctrinal religions (like Mormonism!) can survive. All other half-heartedly, generic attempts don’t really do any good.
This piece points out that it shouldn’t be acceptable to ridicule Mormonism.
#we’re all a little curious
#the percentages might change a little bit if someone paid for my theater ticket, airfare, and lodging to NY. I could write a review of it and put it on this blog. just sayin’
because if I’m not comfortable talking about it, I will respectfully communicate that. But I do love not only to talk, but to converse. I want to know your story, too.