The past few days have been conducive for relaxing and reading. I finally bought myself CDs I’ve been meaning to get since last year or so, too: Sarah McLachlan’s Afterglow (it didn’t have Surfacing-type ballads but was still very listenable), Gin Blossoms’ Outside Looking In compilation (it didn’t have “29”, my favorite, but eh, it’s still good) and also Isha Abubakar’s new EP Katakataka (only four tracks, but they’re very melodic original songs).
I read and enjoyed borrowed issues of Oni Press' Courtney Crumrin by storyteller Ted Naifeh. I first noticed his work a few months back, a short X-Men Unlimited story starring Emma Frost and Wolverine. He’s good at creating inter-character conflicts and dishing out comeuppances; that's clear from the get-go. He gets to explore his own unique, flawed characters in his magical and eerie comic book. The Eisner-nominated creator drew his stories himself too, using a style that’s clean and cartoony yet very detailed (he seems a bit influenced by P. Craig Russell, Mike Mignola and Kelly Jones).
Courtney, an outcast student and a young witch, is a distinctly vindictive protagonist that has an unquenchable thirst for mystical knowledge. Her adventures are unpredictable, absorbing, and at times, shocking. Fans of Sandman, Buffy, and Bone will find the title a worthwhile and refreshing read.
Speaking of shocking, I recently discovered an eye-opening website about God-inspired atrocities in the Bible. I wonder why Religion and Theology teachers never discussed those specific topics back in school. In any case, there are linked essays and lists that illustrate how vengeful and bloodthirsty the deity was portrayed as. The inconsistencies of several oft-cited passages were highlighted, as well. The message of intolerance is also hard to miss in the Old Testament, as there are numerous written instances that document it.
I had to get the family Bible to confirm if the Second Book of Kings 2: 23-24 was really about 42 kids getting torn to pieces by two bears. Yeah, it was. Apparently, the kids were teasing and calling God’s prophet Elisha “baldhead”, so he “cursed them in the name of the Lord.” So enter a pair of heaven-sanctioned beasts from the woods. Holy crap. Compelling and intriguing info, though; they’re the parts that rarely, if ever, get discussed at church or in class.
Back to more reading… I’ve a few mags, sites, comics and catalogs to absorb before I get swamped with work again.
3 comments:
theres more ... try the link below for a more complete list of bible wisdom .. that people conveniently reinterprets, ignores, or worse believe to be correct ..
http://www.evilbible.com/Evil%20Bible%20Quotes.htm
Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save him that is sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, it shall be forgiven him. (James 5:14-15 ASV)
(This passage is evil because people who believe it may not get proper medical treatment for their sick children.)
Yeah, I read that, Max. The most disturbing ones were those that demanded human sacrifice, and acts of violence and prejudice against others. Scary.
Oh and I got the link from your blog by the way. Thanks! :)
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