Finally, a non-political post. Hurrah!
Anyway; those who know me personally know that I am a HUGE metal fan. I love metal, from slow, melodious doom metal, to funky progressive metal, to my favorite, makes-you-want-to-punch-a-dragon POWER METAL. In my eyes, metal is not a Satanic mismatch of evil lyrics, screaming/growling, and violent themes, unless the metal band specifically goes for that set of themes (admittedly, some do that, and I prefer not to listen to them). Metal, like all music, is simply intended to evoke a emotion out of a listener. To me, metal's greatest strength is it's ability to do that. I have alternatively cried, laughed, pondered, and gone out to do something with my life after listening to metal.
The themes used in metal are almost as intriguing as its ability to inspire emotion. One day you could listen to a band singing about fighting dragons and elves, another day you could listen to a band about the legends of ancient Egypt, on a third day you could listen to a technological-based album, and on the fourth day you could hear another band sing about how great it is to be a pirate. I have never seen such a diversity of themes in any kind of music besides metal. The writers for metal bands have such a variety of thoughts on various matters that you can point to a group of bands and say "they're the pirate metal guys", to another group and say "They're the guys who did albums about Lord of the Rings", and to a third group and say "They do Viking Metal". All of this, and it is still fundamentally the same kind of music.
All in all, I think metal taps into an energy that most kinds of music leave alone. Sure, hip-hop/rap can tap into the energy of hating injustice/growing up, classical can tap into a sense of majesty, country can tap into a sense of the laid-back attitude of rural regions, and other sorts of music can tap into their kinds of energy, but I think metal is alone in capturing the idea that music can not only tell a story, but be a book in music form, evoking whatever emotions the author wants you to feel. Metal can switch between emotions, and I feel other genres of music cannot.
So there's my thoughts on metal. I'll leave you to to a link to the metal band Sonata Arctica's cover of "Wind Beneath My Winds", which I think nicely proves my point. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5pY-_e8znE
Monday, June 13, 2011
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Green Politics and Mormonism.
So I've started getting interested in environmentalism and religion; and it is frankly amazing just how easily Mormonism can mesh with green politics.
Judeo-Christian theology in general is fairly green-oriented: the Garden of Eden story in particular is a good example. As well as the command to "multiply and replenish the earth". Mormon theology and history specifically is also packed with stories and principles that seem pro-green. The Sacred Grove of Joseph Smith's First Vision could not have happened without, well, a grove, for example. And a great deal of stories just like the Sacred Grove take place in uncultivated, wild nature.
The most interesting thing about Mormon theology and environmentalism, however, is that, while you could dismiss those "pray in nature" stories as happening in a time when people were just not as settled as we are today. However, Mormon philosophy (perhaps unintentionally) continues to sync up with environmentalism. Mormons are supposed to be self-sufficient, and to not live beyond their means. That is also what Green activists preach. We are supposed to be stewards of the earth. Oh, wait, there it is again!
Even more specifically, the half-strong suggestion half-commandment Word of Wisdom has a lot of Green credentials: It cautions members to "eat meat sparingly" (which unfortunately I, and a lot of other members to not follow very well), it tells members to eat "wholesome herbs and every fruit in the season thereof", and gives a divine promise of "health in their navel and marrow to their bones", along with the promise that "[they] shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint". That really sounds like either Organic Foods-esque marketing, or simple eco-principles to me.
Interestingly enough, even though Green politics are generally considered left-wing, and the LDS Church is generally right-wing, there's been a quiet but steady push towards pro-environmentalism within the higher leadership of the Church. And apparently, I'm not the only one who has noticed. There's been several Utah radio interviews discussing Eco-Mormonism, and the one I'm currently listening to is very interesting, as it points out many of the things I've mentioned in this post so far. http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/krcl/news.newsmain/article/1/0/1796410/RadioActive/RadioActive!.April.28.Can.Mormons.Go.Green
Among other things, it mentions that the LDS Church back in the 80s lobbied successfully to block MX nuclear missile testing in Utah and parts of Nevada, which sounds pretty environmentalist, no? The Church has apparently gone on to quietly start building a series of eco-friendly chapels, including a tabernacle (if I remember correctly) in the Mormon Corridor of the US, where they hold immense influence. They even apparently met with Al Gore in 2009, and according to this article http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705294746/Gore-and-LDS-leaders-meet.html], a Church spokesman said "Prudent stewardship and wise use of resources are principles that church leaders have emphasized throughout the history of the church". Very pro-green message there.
Even secular institutions in heavily Mormon areas, like Mormon-majority schools within Utah have also begun eco-friendly construction, which encouraging.
Of course, this is while a large portion of Mormons deride and scorn green politics, lead by such figures as Glenn Beck and others like him. Again, traditionally eco-politics have been leftist, while Mormon culture is predominately right-wing. But despite that, the LDS leadership has gone ahead with these positions. The church leadership has a massive amount of influence on it's members politics, so the only question now with regards to Mormons adopting green politics is "when will the Church openly endorse their position on this"?
This is especially a big issue where I live in Utah, because the state's unique geography ensures that whatever goes into the air stays in the air for quite some time, creating a smog that sticks in your lungs. Pollution in Utah isn't just a thing that young liberal activists get concerned about, it's a proven health risk and (likely) a damper on Utah's tourist industry. But despite this, because the Church has not taken a concrete position on environmentalism, the vast majority of Utahns take the general right-wing view on this problem.
In closing (or is saying that too pretentious?), I'd like to link to a very informative and fascinating blog concerning environmentalism and Mormons. http://greenmormonarchitect.blogspot.com/
Judeo-Christian theology in general is fairly green-oriented: the Garden of Eden story in particular is a good example. As well as the command to "multiply and replenish the earth". Mormon theology and history specifically is also packed with stories and principles that seem pro-green. The Sacred Grove of Joseph Smith's First Vision could not have happened without, well, a grove, for example. And a great deal of stories just like the Sacred Grove take place in uncultivated, wild nature.
The most interesting thing about Mormon theology and environmentalism, however, is that, while you could dismiss those "pray in nature" stories as happening in a time when people were just not as settled as we are today. However, Mormon philosophy (perhaps unintentionally) continues to sync up with environmentalism. Mormons are supposed to be self-sufficient, and to not live beyond their means. That is also what Green activists preach. We are supposed to be stewards of the earth. Oh, wait, there it is again!
Even more specifically, the half-strong suggestion half-commandment Word of Wisdom has a lot of Green credentials: It cautions members to "eat meat sparingly" (which unfortunately I, and a lot of other members to not follow very well), it tells members to eat "wholesome herbs and every fruit in the season thereof", and gives a divine promise of "health in their navel and marrow to their bones", along with the promise that "[they] shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint". That really sounds like either Organic Foods-esque marketing, or simple eco-principles to me.
Interestingly enough, even though Green politics are generally considered left-wing, and the LDS Church is generally right-wing, there's been a quiet but steady push towards pro-environmentalism within the higher leadership of the Church. And apparently, I'm not the only one who has noticed. There's been several Utah radio interviews discussing Eco-Mormonism, and the one I'm currently listening to is very interesting, as it points out many of the things I've mentioned in this post so far. http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/krcl/news.newsmain/article/1/0/1796410/RadioActive/RadioActive!.April.28.Can.Mormons.Go.Green
Among other things, it mentions that the LDS Church back in the 80s lobbied successfully to block MX nuclear missile testing in Utah and parts of Nevada, which sounds pretty environmentalist, no? The Church has apparently gone on to quietly start building a series of eco-friendly chapels, including a tabernacle (if I remember correctly) in the Mormon Corridor of the US, where they hold immense influence. They even apparently met with Al Gore in 2009, and according to this article http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705294746/Gore-and-LDS-leaders-meet.html], a Church spokesman said "Prudent stewardship and wise use of resources are principles that church leaders have emphasized throughout the history of the church". Very pro-green message there.
Even secular institutions in heavily Mormon areas, like Mormon-majority schools within Utah have also begun eco-friendly construction, which encouraging.
Of course, this is while a large portion of Mormons deride and scorn green politics, lead by such figures as Glenn Beck and others like him. Again, traditionally eco-politics have been leftist, while Mormon culture is predominately right-wing. But despite that, the LDS leadership has gone ahead with these positions. The church leadership has a massive amount of influence on it's members politics, so the only question now with regards to Mormons adopting green politics is "when will the Church openly endorse their position on this"?
This is especially a big issue where I live in Utah, because the state's unique geography ensures that whatever goes into the air stays in the air for quite some time, creating a smog that sticks in your lungs. Pollution in Utah isn't just a thing that young liberal activists get concerned about, it's a proven health risk and (likely) a damper on Utah's tourist industry. But despite this, because the Church has not taken a concrete position on environmentalism, the vast majority of Utahns take the general right-wing view on this problem.
In closing (or is saying that too pretentious?), I'd like to link to a very informative and fascinating blog concerning environmentalism and Mormons. http://greenmormonarchitect.blogspot.com/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)