2 Comments

Comments

• Magneto -

  Dec 21, 2015 7:52 pm

  Brilliantly done podcast. I’m headed over to listen to more…

  Some years ago, I was one who felt blessed to live in a time of peace. But my perceptions deceived me somewhat, knowing that I was living in an outwardly peaceful region, but unwitting that the coiled spring of violence was being wound, with it sporadically unwinding in painful spurts in regions rich in resources and our rulers proportional meddlings.

  Violence is something that we have outsourced to those who are willing (perhaps, some, pathologically, too willing) or economically and occupationally compelled to do violence on behalf of “us”.

  As a result, we have our soldiers returning – those who do return – similar to wars past, who bring the wake of violence or its bottled-up effects back home from these manufactured conflicts to our families, where its effects are devastating. Divorce rates, abuse rates and suicide rates among these, our warriors and their own, are heart breaking.

  We live in a society whose ostensible order is held together by the threat of violence, and fear of it keeps the masses in line, at least until they are a few meals hungry, which has a remarkable effect of pulling back societal and governmental curtains.

  The violence of war is not far from my family and friends, who have shouldered it as well as one could hope – WWII, Korea, VietNam, more…

  All the same, Chris’s point remains valid: an outbreak of real violence (of the kind seen, but not understood on our game consoles, DVD’s and web streams) more broadly to comforts-coddled Americans will show chaotically unprepared. I expect many to collapse under the predicted failing of their hearts. It will be wholly pathetic.

  As to whether our freedoms are being effectively fought for and won by these men like Bob Hollowell is debatable, the further we get away from more defensive wars like WWII in favor of offensive wars; I have not seen a flourishing of freedom proportional to our human losses – taxes, schemes, surveillance, thuggery, predations and thefts rise, where the “blood of patriots and tyrants” was supposed to, instead, water the tree of liberty, which looks to be desiccating in the hot wind of coercion.

• Chas Hathaway

  Jan 26, 2016 1:54 pm

  Chris, I just started listening to your podcasts, and I absolutely LOVE them! The best LDS podcast I’ve found so far (and I’m a major podcast geek). I’m forcing myself to listen to only one or two episodes at a time, because otherwise I’ll be caught up in less than a day. You can bet I’ll be an avid listener.

  I also loved the sample chapter—I’d never have guessed that it was an early draft. It sucked me in completely.

  I think your thoughts on violence/sex/language/etc in media were spot on. I was working at Deseret Book a decade ago when a new book by a well-known and well-respected LDS author was denied shelf space because of content, and there was something of an uproar from the author’s fans. Sheri Dew was the new President of the company, and after hearing so many complaints, sent an email to all Deseret Book associates regarding the issue. Her concern was exactly what you talked about—the intent. In essence she said if the content demonstrates the problem with the sins committed, or shows the harmful consequences of the act (this issue was sexual content), then that is more likely not to be banned. But if the content is there for its own sake, or just for the sake of “art,” that’s not enough.

  The scriptures themselves are filled with violence, adultery, and all kinds of salty characters, but the message of the scriptures is clear: there are consequences for choices, and the Lord watches over his people, blessing, guiding, and protecting them if they heed His counsel. There is incredible insight into how the Lord expects us to respond in times of war. Some people wonder why there are so many chapters in the Book of Mormon that deal with war, but the Lord knew we would be living in a time of some of the worst wars in history. The more we can glean from those chapters, the better, and historical fiction (or for that matter, sci-fi or fantasy) provides insight that can be obtained in no other way of which I’m aware.