Imperial March

Dun dun dun Dun dudun, Dun dudun!

You are watching a classic sci-fi film, and suddenly a familiar series of notes come on. You know what these notes mean; they are the sounds that accompany the main villain, the bad guy that sends shivers up your spine, the driving force of evil in the film. You can't do anything about it; you are a simple viewer, without impact to the way the story plays out. After all, the film has been filmed, the end was several decades ago, and you are there to enjoy events as they pass before your eyes.

Obviously, a movie is not what our life is like. We have the option of action, we are the self-controlled agents of our lives, and the end is yet to be seen. Also, we don't hear ominous motifs whenever something significant happens. Or do we? Is there something that can warn us of trouble, encourage us towards good, and change the mood of the scene? Have I led you in the right directions with questions yet?

There is definitely something (or rather someone) sent to help us in life. Our Father in Heaven loves us, and wouldn't want us to struggle blindly, so the Comforter has been sent to guide us. When he wants us to know that something is good we will be able to feel of the fruits of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23, just as when the movie wants you to recognize the good guys. Likewise, the lack of these fruits or the presence of their opposites such as hate, misery, or confusion can warn us of bad situations just as the Imperial March warns us of the presence of Darth Vader. This concept is what Moroni asks us to listen to in Moroni 10:3-5, not just the words of well meaning yet human missionaries (like myself). Try it out!

Canon and Zombies and Scripture

Another zombie, with a different
requirement for destruction

A little while ago, another online missionary (which means he also has a blog and a Facebook) wrote a post about zombies that I highly recommend reading, especially if you are a well cultured and interesting person. After reading that (or before) I'd invite you to go about halfway down the post and read something he said: "There's two ways to kill a zombie: Crush the body or remove the head. It's as simple as that." The purpose of today is to expound on this statement, and perhaps why it's not quite as simple as that.

The simple reason it's not so simple can be summed up with the word "canon." In fiction, the canon is the official rules, occurrences, people, and facts of the related works. So, when Elder Whitlock referred to the two ways to kill a zombie, he was drawing from a certain canon wherein the rules were as such. On the other hand, I normally draw my zombie canon from the works of Max Brooks, which includes the Zombie Survival Guide. This work of fiction (we hope) has extensive details into the hows and whys of zombies, and I personally think it is a great read. However, the canon for this book is that the only way to kill a zombie is to destroy the brain (if the head is simply removed, it can still bite). This is a clear and obvious difference of opinion, which can easily be resolved by saying the canon is different and going our different ways. That is perfectly fine in the world of fiction. This is not quite as easy to say in the world of religion.

Canon is classically used to describe what is official in a church (be it Catholic, Ecclesiastic, and sometimes Mormon). This extends to the holy scriptures; what is canon is accepted as truth, while what is not canon just doesn't carry the same weight. What do Mormons consider canon? The simple answer can be found in the Articles of Faith numbers 8 and 9, which I'll summarize here: the Book of Mormon, the Bible (correctly translated), and the continuous revelation given by God's prophets are canon. We believe in an open canon, not confined to the pages of books written in the past, just as the Apostles of old and the original Christians did (if they didn't, where did the New Testament come from?). I testify to you, humble reader, that this canon, and the Church it supports, has blessed my life and will bless yours. As I've suggested before, give it a read and try it out yourself.

Optimism

Nathan Fillion, actor
that plays Mal

One of my favorite TV series is Firefly, a sci-fi series that has been called a "space western" quite accurately. The captain of the titular ship, Malcolm Reynolds, is an interesting guy, somewhere between a scoundrel, a noble, an idealist, and an I-don't-care-anymore type of guy. One of the things he says, though, really got me thinking just recently. He states "It's a real burden being right so often." Out of context, it is a good description of his character; bold, self-absorbed, and rather humorous. However, in context it comes right after his doom-filled prediction comes true, and he is instead talking about how he doesn't want to be right like that all the time.

As I thought about it more, I realized that it really is a burden, being like Captain Mal. Instead of seeing the day as an opportunity to grow, hoping for the best, and being optimistic, he has the burden of expecting bad things to happen and then seeing them happen. I do not mean by saying this that it is better to always expect the good, because then unexpected trouble can really mess up a day, but I do mean that having an optimistic outlook on life brings quicker joy, longer mirth, and better happiness.

One of my favorite people, President Gordan B. Hinckley, had it right. He was described as optimistically realistic, or that he would see what is happening and find the reason to be happy and hopeful. This world is full of events that can cause real worry, but if we instead remember Christ and the amazing Atonement he has accomplished for us we can be hopeful of the future and ready to do work to make it happen. I hope you can remember the goodness that you've received, and if you're having a hard time, I'd suggest a classic hymn, Count Your Many Blessings.

Star What? Firewhy? My Take on Sci-fi

Science fiction. What does it mean to you? Does it mean stories of far off worlds, speculative guesses into mankind's future or aliens? Does it just mean Star Wars or more? Is Star Trek the only television show or does Doctor Who ring a bell through time and Firefly make you mad at Fox? Science fiction is an amazing genre, one that I've grown up with (my parents met at a certain magazine's meetings). I've read about "utopias", outright dystopias, and spaceships. I've seen classics, westerns, and giant blue people. It is a genre of speculation and adapting to circumstances. It has concepts interesting for the simple imagination, and others for their value applied to us.

As you've read through the questions in the first paragraph, you may have chuckled at recognition with some of the mentioned items, thought "why even mention that trash," or each of the things I've mentioned might be completely new to you. This is true for most genres or things that people disagree on, but as a missionary my duty is to bring the Book of Mormon to your attention. This is a book that you likewise may have good, bad, or nonexistent experience with. I tell you now, that this is a book that is true and that your previous experience doesn't matter. Instead, your future experience is what can change your life and it all starts with reading and being ready for a mighty change of heart. Trust me, my experience is not something that I could lie about.