http://www.jweekly.com en Copyright 2011 2011-10-17T19:38:22+00:00 http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/63189/idan-raichel-india.arie-get-down-in-o-town http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/63189/idan-raichel-india.arie-get-down-in-o-town#When:19:38:22Z by leigh cuen | On Saturday Oct. 15 Idan Raichel and India Arie came to Oakland as part of the annual SF Jazz festival. They performed songs from their collaborative album “Open Door,” to be released in the spring of 2012. Arie twisted and swiveled around the stage in a flouncy dress. Idan fed off of her hippie-dippy energy, even abandoning his piano bench for an electric bass during one song. photo credit Ronald Davis They sang together in English, Hebrew, and songs with mixed lyrics from both languages. Raichel’s contributions proved him to be a talented lyricist in both languages. He said that he is greatly indebted to Google Translate. Raichel’s nimble-fingered piano melodies and breathy singing served as a catalyst for Arie's highly emotive vocals. The songs were smooth, optimistic, and revealed a new flavor for Raichel, a refreshingly funky overtone. This album was born out of the Arie’s travels to the Holy Land. In 2010 Arie went to Israel for a little soul searching after a disastrous turn in her career. She asked around who was the most radical songwriter in Israel. Raichel’s name came up again and again. When Raichel got a call that India Arie was in Tel Aviv and wanted to meet him, he thought that it was a crazy fan pulling a prank. He offered that they meet at a falafel stand close to his house because he was afraid to give his real address. But then Raichel saw Arie waiting for him at the falafel stand and the rest, as they say, is history.  Of course I was not deviant enough to smuggle recording devices into the concert. But lucky for you, others have been naughty at previous concerts. Here are some clips of the two performing together. God bless youtube.   blogs 2011-10-17T19:38:22+00:00 http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/63124/mormon-or-morals-do-denominations-matter-in-todays-political-scene http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/63124/mormon-or-morals-do-denominations-matter-in-todays-political-scene#When:16:30:12Z by christa woodall | "Are Mormons Christians?" This question is, unfortunately, not unfamiliar to most members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Despite a Christ-centered theology, certain doctrines that differentiate Latter-day Saints from our Christian brothers and sisters also cause us to, well, not be considered Christians or brothers and sisters by them. Thanks to evangelical minister Rev. Robert Jeffress, that debate has come to the forefront yet again in the race for the 2012 Republican nomination. While introducing Texas Gov. Rick Perry last week, Jeffress said evangelical voters should support a "true Christian" - and that would rule out Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman, Jr., since Jeffress denounced Mormonism as a "cult." Numerous articles and editorials denouncing Jeffress's narrow-minded views have run on major news sites this week, with Latter-day Saints being defended by everyone from the president of the evangelical Fuller Theological Seminary to a Muslim comedian to a Jewish Los Angeles Times columnist. Amid these responses, several writers raised the same question I'd ask: should a candidate's religious belief matter in today's political arena? Aren't candidates' morals, values, and actions better gauges of their hearts than what church - or synagogue or mosque - they attend (or don't)? In looking to weigh in on this issue, I turned to two of my personal favorites - Michael Medved, who hosts a top-rated conservative talk radio show, and his equally brilliant wife, psychologist Dr. Diane Medved. I had the good fortune to intern for The Michael Medved Show in 2003, and it was time spent with the Medveds in their beautiful Seattle-area home that initiated my love of Jewish faith and culture. The Medveds agreed that it is a candidate's track record, not his or her theology, that matters in the election. While theology can sometimes provide a glimpse of one's moral code, the two aren't necessarily synonymous. "I personally believe America is uniquely blessed-at least partially because of the sincere devotion of so many Americans to their faiths," Diane Medved said. "As far as a presidential candidate-you evaluate the candidate and his record; his belief system as it has played out/influenced his performance in office. "We have track records of the candidates to focus on-the person's religious belief is personal, private and irrelevant UNLESS it has interfered with the execution of his duties," she continued. "VALUES are another question-we WANT our representatives to have distinct values we can discuss, evaluate and will inform their actions." As a non-Christian conservative, Michael Medved balked at Jeffress's implication that only an evangelical Christian is a suitable candidate for president. After all, according to Pew Research Center, only 26.3 percent of Americans are evangelical Christians. "If you are going to have a political party that says ‘evangelicals only welcome,' you are doomed not only to minority status but to permanent irrelevancy," Michael Medved said. Regarding the "Are Mormons Christians" question, he continued, "That's up to God to decide, isn't it? Or is this really part of what we should be deciding when we choose someone to vote for as president of the United States?... I care much more about a man's character, and everything I see about Mitt Romney indicates a person of fine character. Isn't that the real point?" I agree. People should be evaluated on the content of their character - not race, not religion, not gender, not socio-economic status. What do they do with their time? Do they show integrity in their actions? Do they support the same causes that matter to me? Is their perspective on the Constitution and the law in line with mine? Then that's who I should support for office. And that works both ways. While I think it's awesome to see two fellow Latter-day Saints in the race, I won't default to supporting either simply because we share the same faith. As for what Mormons represent, Diane Medved summed it up best: "For me, despite having disagreements (of course!) with Mormon belief/theology, I find Mormons (generally) to be upstanding, moral, charitable, straightforward people who sincerely believe their faith. What better neighbors and citizens could anyone possibly want? And their emphasis on family is exactly the counterbalance to hyper-sexed, narcissistic, materialistic media content that our nation absolutely NEEDS to stay sane and even to maintain the course of the founders." blogs 2011-10-13T16:30:12+00:00 http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/62991/forget-me-nots-and-new-beginnings http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/62991/forget-me-nots-and-new-beginnings#When:15:46:46Z by christa woodall | The five petals of the forget-me-not flower represent five important messages from G-d to remember. (Photo by dawnzy58 on Flickr) Shana tovah u'metukah! I love autumn. It, to me, seems more filled with the promise and anticipation of new beginnings than a cold January new year - so it seems perfect to come back from a summer's hiatus to write about the sweetness of the new year. Latter-day Saints may not celebrate Rosh Hashanah, but around the same season each year, we mark a time of new beginnings and introspection through a General Conference broadcast worldwide each first weekend of October. During four two-hour sessions on Saturday and Sunday, we gather together in churches or in homes to hear counsel and guidance from leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - advice for living with hope in difficult days, reminding us to live up to the privileges we've received from G-d and to seek His promised blessings. In advance of the conference, Mormon women are treated to a 90-minute broadcast specifically focused for them the last Saturday of September. The highlight of last weekend's meeting came from Pres. Dieter F. Uchtdorf, third-in-command in the Church, who used the delicate forget-me-not flower as a metaphor, each of its five petals representing a message from G-d that we ought not to forget. "You may at times feel a little like the forget-me-not-insignificant, small, or tiny in comparison with others," he said, noting: "I hope (the forget-me-not) will be a symbol of the little things that make your lives joyful and sweet." Along with the introspection of Rosh Hashanah, I'd like to share the five "forget-nots" from Pres. Uchtdorf: Forget not to be patient with yourself - Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, even those who seem perfect. It is unfair to compare our weaknesses with others' strengths. "G-d wants to help us eventually turn all of our weaknesses into strengths, but He knows that this is a long-term goal," Pres. Uchtdorf said. "It is OK that you are not quite there yet. Keep working on it but stop punishing yourself. " Forget not the difference between a good sacrifice and a foolish sacrifice - In today's time-crunched world, it is crucial to be able to prioritize and to choose the best things over good and better choices. Pres. Uchtdorf noted that every situation is different, and suggested asking, "Am I committing my time and energies to the things that matter most?" in order to distinguish between good and foolish sacrifices. Forget not to be happy now - Using the example of the golden ticket from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Pres. Uchtdorf emphasized not overlooking the simple joys of life. "In their anxiousness, people began to forget the simple joy they used to find in a candy bar. The candy bar itself becomes an utter disappointment if it does not contain a golden ticket," he said. Whatever a "golden ticket" may represent to each person, he urged all to not put their happiness on hold as they wait for a future event, or golden ticket, to appear. Forget not the "why" of your religion - Too often for people of all faiths, religious observances can become routine, and vital aspects at the heart of the faith can get overlooked. "When we understand why our Heavenly Father has given us this pattern for living, when we remember why we committed to making it a foundational part of our lives, the gospel ceases to become a burden and, instead, becomes a joy and a delight. It becomes precious and sweet. Let us not walk the path of discipleship with our eyes on the ground, thinking only of the tasks and obligations before us. Let us not walk unaware of the beauty of the glorious earthly and spiritual landscapes that surround us." Forget not that G-d loves you - Pres. Uchtdorf closed his address with a reminder that each man and woman is a child of G-d who desires a personal connection with each of His children. "Just think of it: You are known and remembered by the most majestic, powerful, and glorious being in the universe! You are loved by the King of infinite space and everlasting time... No matter how dark your days may seem, no matter how insignificant you may feel, no matter how overshadowed you think you may be, your Heavenly Father has not forgotten you. In fact, He loves you, with an infinite love." blogs 2011-09-29T15:46:46+00:00 http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/62649/matisyahu-releases-elijahs-song http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/62649/matisyahu-releases-elijahs-song#When:19:49:58Z by leigh cuen | Matisyahu just racked up major brownie points in my book by releasing "Elijah's Song" in memory of a young boy who he met that was suffering from cancer.  Matisyahu said: "I wrote and recorded this song with my friend Elijah just hours before he passed away last December. Proud to be able to share his voice and story while helping his family on their road to recovery. If you like it, you can make a donation and get two versions of the song-including one with him singing." The song is now available to download. All of the proceeds go to the Elijah Memorial Fund, administered by the Chabad of West Boca (Florida). The download includes two versions of “Elijah’s Song”, including a special version with Elijah and Matisyahu singing together the night before Elijah passed.  Possibly the first time I've ever heard a tear-jerking reggae song, and it's so worth the tissues. blogs 2011-08-22T19:49:58+00:00 http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/62443/yemen-blues-grooves-in-s.f http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/62443/yemen-blues-grooves-in-s.f#When:18:17:06Z by leigh cuen | Monday August 1 Israeli singer Ravid Kahalani and his nine-member blues band, Yemen Blues, rocked the Independent in San Francisco. Kahalani sings in both his native Hebrew and his family's Yemeni dialect of Arabic, fusing jazz, Middle Eastern melodies, and funky blues into one modern brew.   Yemen Blues are no strangers to the Bay Area. They opened this year's Jewish Music Festival in early March with a performance in Berkeley. If, like me, you weren't lucky enough to catch Yemen Blues red-handed with blue tunes, you can check out the video of that Berkeley performance on youtube. Beteavon. Photos by Jan Lauren Greenfield.     blogs 2011-08-03T18:17:06+00:00 http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/62440/interview-with-temple-sinais-new-rabbi-andrew-strauss http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/62440/interview-with-temple-sinais-new-rabbi-andrew-strauss#When:21:56:44Z by admin |   Ilana DeBare is former San Francisco Chronicle writer and current j. board member. She writes a blog titled "Midlife Bat Mitzvah." Here is the latest entry: In Conversation: Rabbi Andrew Straus One benefit of writing this blog is that it gives me an excuse to sit down and talk with our rabbis at much greater length than I normally would. This is the fourth in an occasional series of interviews with the rabbis of Temple Sinai, my Reform congregation in Oakland, Calif. Rabbi Andrew Straus may be 50 and a veteran of three congregations, but he's the new kid on theTemple Sinai block, having taken over as senior rabbi on July 1st after the retirement of Rabbi Steven Chester. Still, less than a month into his rabbinate here, it's already clear to me that he is a wonderful addition to the Sinai community.          < For the rest of this blog entry, click here >     blogs 2011-07-28T21:56:44+00:00 http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/62241/adam-mansbach-politely-asks-you-to-go-to-sleep http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/62241/adam-mansbach-politely-asks-you-to-go-to-sleep#When:22:21:59Z by rachel leibold | (image courtesy of Akashic Books) A while back, Overheard Newsroom tweeted this gem: "You can start a story with a quote twice in your career. Once when you're an intern, and again if the pope ever says f---." Adam Mansbach does say "f---" a lot, but he isn't the pope - therefore, it took all my willpower not to start this post with this absolutely perfect line from his new book: "The wind whispers soft through the grass, hon / The field mice, they make not a peep / It's been thirty-eight minutes already / Jesus Christ, what the f---? Go to sleep." If you haven't closed down your browser window in disgust by now, you may be the perfect audience for "Go the F--- to Sleep," Mansbach's new children's book - er, make that children's book for adults. ONLY. Seriously, this is R-rated stuff. The book is basically exactly what it sounds like: A whimsically illustrated, liltingly rhymed parental plea for their young child to stop asking for water, quit with the questions and please just go the f--- to sleep already. Mansbach, who is Jewish, lives in Berkeley and is the author of several books, including "The End of the Jews" and "Angry Black White Boy." The genesis of "Go the F--- to Sleep" (or GTFTS, as it's been dubbed on the Internet), as Mansbach explains it, was a joking Facebook status he posted about writing a book with that title, after yet another difficult time getting his now-3-year-old daughter, Vivien, to sleep. Adam Mansbach (photo by Sarah Millet) "I didn't intend to write it," Mansbach says over the phone from Martha's Vineyard, where he's doing a little work after finishing up teaching fiction writing in an MFA program at Rutgers University. A longtime lover of hip-hop, his cadence makes me feel as if he's going to break into a freestyle rap at any moment."But once I wrote that, I knew that I did know how to write it. So I sat down, and wrote it in two sittings." Because GTFTS is done in the style of a children's book, it had to be illustrated - and Mansbach immediately thought of his friend Ricardo Cortes, an author and illustrator who had once made his own children's book - "It's Just a Plant," about a little girl who discovers her parents smoking pot. Mansbach and Cortes worked together to conceptualize the art, which features pajama-clad children in a variety of fantastical and strange situations (hugging a pride of sleeping lions, parachuting into a farmer's field, playing bongos next to a mountain range) as well as normal domestic scenes of a child in their crib, finally asleep in bed, etc. While his previous books have been released by big publishing houses, Mansbach approached small Brooklyn-based Akashic Books about publishing GTFTS. "I love the work they do at the house, and I love the idea of working with independent publishers if I can," he says. What Akashic didn't realize was how big a hit the book would be. A viral marketing snafu got people talking: Somehow, a PDF of the book got leaked online, and soon it was being posted everywhere. At first, Mansbach and Akashic tried to limit the damage by sending cease-and-desist notices and just politely asking people to remove the link; eventually, though, they realized that the exposure was helping turn GTFTS into a license to print money. A month before its release, the book was already at No. 1 on Amazon's best-seller list, and it topped the New York Times list on its first week in print. (As of today, it's No. 4 on the Amazon Top 100.) Despite Akashic's small size, Mansbach assures me that "they've been completely on top of it. They're a small publisher, but they have great distribution." But the book has attracted the attention of more than just the sleep-deprived guardians of toddlers. In a move that made hipster parents across the country have apoplexies with delight, Samuel L. Jackson recorded an audiobook of GTFTS. And Fox 2000 has bought the movie rights. Um, movie rights? Mansbach isn't allowed to say much, except that he's not going to have anything to do with the screenplay, but will gladly go to the premiere. A writer-director has been hired and "it's a very open adaptation," he explains. He can reveal that it will be a live-action feature intended for adults (as if there were any question). (image courtesy of Akashic Books) Some have argued that Mansbach is able to "get away" with his profane book because he's a dad - that a woman, a mother, wouldn't be able to admit these feelings publicly without being lambasted for being a "bad mom." "There's some validity to that," Mansbach acknowledges. "It's more permissible, societally, for a father to express frustration in these kinds of ways. That's partly related to the genderization of humor and frustration and anger, but part of it is also the fact that it's still fairly unusual for people to consider that a man is taking primary care of a kid, or that he's in charge of putting a kid to bed. In that way, the book gives a little more visibility to fathers." Mansbach has long prided himself on being outside the mainstream - he's a white Jew who loves hip-hop, for one - and none of his previous books have enjoyed as much insta-success as GTFTS. Yet Mansbach insists this isn't his "sellout moment." "There was nothing calculated or intentional about this book," he says. "I wrote it whimsically and super quickly, but honestly, and with some attempt at craft. People who know me are sort of tickled by how it blew up because it's clear to them that this is me talking the same kind of s--- I'm always talking about, it just happened to hit a vein in the zeitgeist right now." That vein, he explains, is "a kind of honesty about parenting that has been sort of shut down by everyone's desire to appear to be a perfect parent…There's a constant conversation on any number of fronts about parenting, but people don't feel at liberty to admit the frustrations. It's hard to embody paradoxes and complexities." Vivien is a better sleeper now than she was when Mansbach wrote the book, though she still has difficult nights. Yet one of Mansbach's lessons from GTFTS is that his experiences weren't as bad as they could have been. "I've heard a lot of stories," he says, somewhat wearily, when I ask him if parents who have read the book have enlightened him with their own tales of going-to-bed-woe. "But I realized," he says after a moment, "that my daughter in many ways was relatively easy to deal with." blogs 2011-07-08T22:21:59+00:00 http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/62161/could-a-mormon-make-the-white-house http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/62161/could-a-mormon-make-the-white-house#When:19:53:56Z by christa woodall | Could religious differences dissuade people from voting for a qualified Mormon candidate? "No religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States." - Article IV, U.S. Constitution Between two prominent Latter-day Saints tossing their hats in the ring for the 2012 Republican presidential candidacy and Broadway buzz for the Tony award-winning Book of Mormon: The Musical, there seems to be a lot of chatter lately about how this could be the "Mormon moment." However, a lack of change in voters' anti-Mormon sentiments across nearly 50 years makes me wonder if - and by how much - people's conceptions of Latter-day Saints are evolving, despite a flurry of media and pop culture interest. While a Bloomberg poll released today says Huntsman's and Romney's Mormon faith doesn't appear to be a major hurdle to the candidates, a Gallup poll released yesterday questions whether a Latter-day Saint has a realistic shot at the White House. According to the Gallup poll, 22 percent of Americans say they would not vote for a Latter-day Saint. That places Mormons as the least favorable religion among voters, whereas fewer than 10 percent of those polled say would not vote for a nominee who is Jewish, Baptist or Catholic. Those numbers are nothing new - Gallup reports that the opposition against Latter-day Saints for president has held around 20 percent since Gallup first measured it in 1967. However, similar resistance to other faiths has tapered off to single digits in the last 44 years. Why, then, is there the continued resistance to a Mormon president? If you think about it, those of Baptist or Catholic faiths generally share many of the same conservative stances as Latter-day Saints, like being pro-life and pro-traditional marriage. Each religion has its share of doctrinal quirks and history that can be potentially embarrassing. What makes Mormons different from their fellow religious counterparts? In my view, one difference could be that if you're an "active" (orthodox, pious) Mormon, then your actions will inevitably fall out of step with the mainstream. You abstain from alcohol, coffee, tea, tobacco, and sexual relations outside of marriage - all things that are unquestioned parts of daily life for so many in the world. However, with a little explanation, many of the "Mormon quirks" don't seem nearly as quirky. Part of the problem, though, is that those thrusting Latter-day Saints into the limelight in pop culture and media have an outside-in perspective. Big Love, The Book of Mormon: The Musical, and a myriad of other media pieces either blatantly lambast and skewer Mormon doctrines and culture, taking things completely out of context, or they perpetuate misconceptions like polygamy. For the record, polygamy was banned in 1890 - anyone practicing it since gets excommunicated from the LDS Church. How do you turn around more than 180 years of misconceptions? The LDS Church has taken a stab at it with their "I'm a Mormon" campaign, which recently made its debut in New York City. In this effort, everyday members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints discuss who they are and how their faith influences their lives. I've been impressed with this crowdsourced campaign because it gives face and voice to who Mormons really are - not who outsiders make us out to be, either from ignorance or from an agenda. Will that be enough? I guess we'll see. The church-driven branding campaign has nothing to do with the political one, but how politics play out for Romney and Huntsman may reflect a shift, if there is one. I, for one, will be eager to see what's around the corner for these two.   blogs 2011-06-23T19:53:56+00:00 http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/61976/sauls-coming-to-off-the-grid-berkeley http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/61976/sauls-coming-to-off-the-grid-berkeley#When:20:12:35Z by emily savage | Off The Grid, a popular food truck meet-up already in place in many SF locations, launched a North Berkeley version last week to much success  — we heard it was mad crowded. This sixth location of Off the Grid will feature eight to 10 mobile food trucks each week at the intersection of Shattuck and Rose in Berkeley's "Gourmet Ghetto."While all of the vendors have their own rides (read: fully functioning food trucks) each week an official Off the Grid truck is rolled in for a guest slinger. This week, June 7, Saul's Deli executive chef Peter Levitt (pictured below) will be the guest Off the Grid trucker. The traveling Saul's menu includes (among other dishes: a $2 Saul's pickle plate, $3 chicken matzo ball soup, $3 savory potato kugel, $3 potato latke with apricot sauce and creme fraiche (whoah) and a $4 corned beef on challah with mustard. For dessert? There's $3 sweet peach and brandied prune kugel with whipped cream.Keep up with future Off the Grid guest chefs and locations here: OffTheGridSFThe gist: Saul's at Off the Grid North BerkeleyWednesday, June 7 from 5 to 7 p.m. At intersection of Shattuck and Rose, Berkeley(photos: sauls, besighyanw) blogs 2011-06-07T20:12:35+00:00 http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/61975/comparing-broadways-mormon-hit-to-lds-missionary-reality http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/61975/comparing-broadways-mormon-hit-to-lds-missionary-reality#When:17:40:37Z by christa woodall |   Elder Jay Bostwick, second from left, and other LDS missionaries visit with Elizabeth Musembi and her family in Kilungu, Kenya. The Musembis were pioneers among LDS members in Kenya.   The talk of the town on Broadway these days is The Book of Mormon: The Musical. The brainchild of South Park creators Matt Parker and Trey Stone, the show lampoons religion - both Christianity in general and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - in its portrayal of two stereotyped LDS missionaries (the Arrogant One and the Loser One) and their experiences leaving "sheltered" lives in Utah to serve in Uganda for two years. Poking fun at Latter-day Saints is nothing new for Parker and Stone; they've mocked Joseph Smith and a number of other Mormon beliefs on South Park over the years. When I heard they'd targeted my faith in a big-budget Broadway show, I couldn't help but to cringe - so many misconceptions already exist surrounding my religion, and the play just perpetuates the stereotypes and half-truths, based on what I could gather from listening to its soundtrack online. That the show, which has been hailed as both intensely profane and sweetly warm-hearted, racked up 14 Tony nominations, including Best Musical, puzzles me. Other faiths have been portrayed lovingly on Broadway before - Fiddler on the Roof or The Sound of Music, anyone? - so seeing my church's debut on the Great White Way be one of ridicule makes me a little heartsick. I know the show is a satire, but just how off base is it? How do the scenarios in the play compare to the reality of missionary life in Africa? Having neither served a mission nor visited Africa, I couldn't really tell, so I turned to the experts: two friends who served in the Kenya Nairobi Mission (which used to include Uganda) almost a decade apart. Both men listened to soundtrack and provided feedback about the play's take on mission life and the LDS Church in general. Here's what they had to say: ON LDS BELIEFS "The Church actually came out with an accurate statement: ‘The production may attempt to entertain audiences for an evening, but the Book of Mormon as a volume of scripture will change people's lives forever by bringing them closer to Christ.' I completely agree with that. As I was listening to the first couple of songs, I wouldn't say there were flat-out lies, but it presented LDS beliefs through the irreverent lens of entertainment. The result was stereotypical, entertaining songs. From an LDS person's perspective, you can laugh and make fun of yourself, but if you're looking from an outside perspective thinking this is what we believe, what our culture is, then it definitely does not give a representation of that." - Eric Collyer, a 22-year-old BYU student from La Crescenta, Calif., who served from 2007 to 2009 "Did the creators aim to give an accurate portrayal of Mormon missionaries or of Africa? Probably not. Nobody expects strict historical accuracy in The Sound of Music, either. Does this mean that The Book of Mormon creators have no ethical obligations to the community they have chosen to lampoon? Probably not. But as long as people are not looking to The Book of Mormon: The Musical to be educated about the Church and its doctrines, as long as they are not expecting an authentic glimpse of average Church members encountering the shocking realities of the world, I guess I don't have a problem with the fact that the musical exists and that there is an audience that finds it entertaining." - Jay Bostwick, a 31-year-old BYU graduate student from South Jordan, Utah, who served from 1999 to 2001 ON MISSIONARY LIFE "As far as the challenges of being a missionary, we tended to be concerned and troubled about issues much closer to us than larger societal problems: leadership misusing Church funds, rumors about the Church being a Satanic cult (published in the national newspaper early in my mission), disagreements and backbiting between members in the fairly small congregations... There were larger problems in society, of course, but these were not so prevalent in public spaces that you were having to wrestle with them on a day-to-day basis. And to be honest, you get used to some things... And it doesn't mean you ignored the fact that the problems existed or that, as the musical implies, you just ‘turn off' your connection with reality. If anyone thinks we as missionaries were not really grappling with the poverty, sickness, and suffering we inevitably came across, they're dead wrong. Things were hard to cope with. We were troubled, we were angry, we were disappointed, we were devastated. We often laughed, when there wasn't anything else to do. We did pray, we did rely on our faith in Christ and in the teachings of the Church; that doesn't mean, though, that we ever felt we had easy answers or that we found quick and permanent resolution to the concerns that troubled us." - Jay Bostwick "In the song ‘Baptize Me,' it talks about a missionary baptizing his first convert, and the entire song is like a sexual ballad - it makes baptism essentially into sex. It was kind of tough because living in Africa, I can't tell you how many times as a white man people wanted me to marry their daughters so I could take them back to America, or they wanted white ‘seed.' I wouldn't say the song is accurate by any stretch of the imagination, I wouldn't say it in that way - and in the song, they don't say anything outright, but every line is filled with innuendo. I felt awkward through the entire song. I'd say it's 80 percent inaccurate - accurate in theme, perhaps, but inaccurate in the message and how it's presented." - Eric Collyer ON LIFE IN AFRICA "When I first heard about the musical, I was honestly baffled that, of all the places in the world, it was set in Uganda: how can the experience of missionaries in Uganda somehow stand as a typical LDS mission experience? Having heard the music now, it seems likely the creators thought it would be intriguing, or at least amusing, to juxtapose stereotypical Mormon optimism against some of the most troubling social issues the world has to offer. Yes, East Africa has its problems. The missionaries I served with and I encountered poverty, malnutrition, disease (including HIV/AIDS), homelessness, drug addiction, corruption in government and law enforcement, illiteracy, occasional transportation riots, etc. It would be completely wrong, though, to say that these are the things that characterize my experience in Kenya. I still wonder if the musical's purposes wouldn't have been better realized with another setting besides East Africa." - Jay Bostwick blogs 2011-06-02T17:40:37+00:00