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Rock ‘em Sock ‘em Rapture

All this talk of the Rapture has turned me into a giddy, culture-obsessed freakazoid. The fanfare on both sides is a barrel of crazypants fun: will you be sporting a Rapture Veteran t-shirt, or will you be signing your pet up for a new owner once you’re whisked away to Heaven? (All pet rescuers are certified atheists!)

Past Judgment Day prophecies may not have been real -- but they have made a very real impact on American history. This interesting Christian Science Monitor article shows how failed Rapture predictions of the past have given way to new religious movements, psychological research and even more Rapture predictions. For example, the Seventh Day Adventist movement grew out of a failed prediction called the “Great Disappointment” of 1844.

End Times prophecies have also impacted social psychology. Dianetics follower named Dorothy Martin convinced a group of followers in 1954 that End Times believers would be rescued by flying saucers. Psychologist Leon Festinger snuck into the group of believers and documented their belief systems as part of his study of what is now known as cognitive dissonance.

Paul Boyer talks more about the Rapture's social and cultural ripples in his interesting essay, "Doomsday: A User's Guide." In his essay, he mentions how even NASA engineers have jumped on the Rapture boat. Edgar Whisenant sold several million copies of a 1988 book detailing 88 reasons the world would end that year.

I’m not clearing my social calendar for the nearing apocalypse, but I am planning a low-key day of eating ice cream with my two rock and roll besties, Blondie and Siouxie!

There’s also this great slideshow of shoot ‘em up, disease-ridden apocalypse movies to pop in your DVD player.

What are you doing for the Rapture? Let me know!

The Last Fiesta

Detail, "The Last Fiesta," via Pale Horse Design

Happy Easter!
Although this Last Supper post is about 40 days overdue, I thought Pale Horse Design's work needed a spotlight before Easter ended. (Thanks to Dan for sending me the original link!) "The Last Fiesta" is part of the "Saints and Sinners" exhibit in St. Petersburg, FL. Chris Parks' bold, tattoo-style portrait collections are inspired by Dia de los Muertos and Luchador culture. He also uses images of feudal Japan and other Eastern influences (check out this cool muay thai/Buddha hybrid here.)

I've been crazy-busy with my column lately, and I'm also starting to do some preliminary research on America's Christian hardcore and metal music scenes. I'm swimming in a vast ocean here (a Blood Ocean, even?) Any recommendations of bands, books or specific music scenes to check out?

Islam's All-American authors

There's the one about the guy in love with WWE wrestling and punk music. Then there's the one about the only non-Catholic girl in Catholic school who wished she could be the Virgin Mary in the Christmas play. Then there's the Boulderite who moved to Cairo and found the love(s) of her life.
In the past few months, I've come across three beautiful, hilarious and eye-opening memoirs written by American Muslims. One reason I've been drawn to these stories is sort of selfish: the authors are young, based out of cities I'm familiar with and grew up in with the same kind of pop culture I'm familiar with.
My second reason for seeking out these books is because Islam is a religion that is constantly in the news, but often as a big, nebulous "other." I get the feeling that Islam isn't always viewed as a "real" American religion. Numbers vary, but the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life estimates 2.5 million of us Americans are Muslim. A big chunk, and a big chunk of stories.
The best part? At least three of them have written really hilarious/personal/great books that you should read!

I loved "The Butterfly Mosque" by G. Willow Wilson. The Boulderite moved to Cairo to teach English, but she had no idea she would fall in love with a religion, a city and a man all at once. She gives an honest, grounded account of her conversion, her marriage to a deeply devout person and her adjustment to a society that sees women, religion and independence in a much different light. Plus, she was just 27 when she wrote this (it was published this year!)

"Impossible Man" by Michael Muhammad Knight was a much different story that was just as page-turning. Knight was barely a teenager when he found Islam in a book about Malcom X. In Knight's book, he spares us no details of his his trailer park youth, his messed-up family life and his initially rigid view of Islam and the West. I can't wait to see his film "Taqwacore: The Birth of Punk Islam."

I have to admit, I haven't read this one yet, but I met Asma Gull Hasan, author of "Red, White and Muslim," just tonight at a panel discussion. She's a lifelong Coloradoan who often has to explain her religion to people who have never met a Muslim before. Her descriptions of growing up Muslim in a Catholic school, her close-knit relationship with her mom and her trials with online dating had me laughing uncontrollably. Check her work out here.

What are you reading? Got any great religious memoirs (of any religion) to share?

Hard Rock Baptisms

Tim Kanelos was baptized at Union Reservoir with the roar of a hardcore band in the background.
During Saturday's Heaven Fest, a Christian music festival in Longmont, almost 40,000 people visited to hear pop, rock, indie hip hop and metal bands on 7 stages.
Kanelos came for the music, too. Then he saw the tent at the edge of the reservoir with one word stenciled on the side: "Baptism."
"I always wanted to get baptized in water. I already got baptized in the spirit, but it didn't affect me the way I wanted," he told me, still dripping from his dunk in the cold water. A line five people deep waited for their turn. "I feel like a more complete Christian, and Jesus was baptized this way."
Northern Hills Christian Church in Brighton, CO, started offering baptisms during the first Heaven Fest three years ago. Last year, baptism organizer Darlene Nelson said 59 people took up the church's offer. By the middle of the day Saturday, just halfway through the festival, 125 people had already taken the plunge.
Participants with piercings, tattoos and band t-shirts waited in line, nodding their heads in revenrence as they stepped into the water. After a pastor murmured a prayer and dunked them, most returned to shore with beaming smiles.
The loud music and huge crowds didn't bother Kanelos, who said the baptism was the important part, not the location.
"I was just trying to focus on the moment," he said.
While Kanelos toweled off, 12-year-old Mike McBridd stood in line for his turn. His mother, Erin McBridd, told me the family had talked about the possibility of him getting baptized, but it was Mike's idea to follow through at Heaven Fest.
"I just thought I'd get it over with, and today was a good day," he shrugged. "It's my first baptism."

The idea of getting baptized in a reservoir during a rock concert might sound weird, but I remember earning extra money as a lifeguard in high school by staying after hours so churches could baptize newly converted members in our community pool. There had to be a lifeguard on duty at all times while the pool was open, so my only job was to sit on the bench with a guard tube and watch the ceremony. It was awkward, but strangely touching.

Any readers out there have unique baptism stories? I'd love to hear it!

Image via Chicaco International Christian Church

My last 6 months? Mountain towns, meditation and Christian rock

I've been pretty busy these past few months! There has been tons to explore in the deeply weird and wonderful cross-sections of religion and pop culture.
In May, I visited Crestone, CO, a remote town in the Sangre de Cristo mountain range known for its ashrams, meditation retreats, convents and new age communities. In June, I tried out mindfulness meditation with some great folks in Boulder's Jewish Renewal community. In July, I even went to the Lady Gaga concert, where I got to see her controversial use of religious imagery firsthand. (More on that in a few.)
This past weekend, I spent time at Heaven Fest, a giant Christian music festival in Longmont, CO. Almost 40,000 people braved the 98 degree heat and rock out with Christian rock, hip hop, hardcore, folk and indie bands. You can see my preview on the festival here.
I'm back to blogging and I have plenty to share from my travels, so stop by again soon! You can always reach me at bubblegumandbibles@gmail.com or follow me on Twitter.

Spreading the faith, not the flu

AP reported that the number of Colorado swine flu cases has gone down this week, but that hasn't stopped congregations worldwide from tweaking their religious rituals to stop the spread of germs. Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail wrote a great story about some techniques.
One idea came from an Italian inventor, who made an electronic holy water dispenser that squirts a little onto worshippers' hands so they don't have to put their fingers in communal bowls swimming in germs. Then there's the church who passed out communion bread on toothpicks. A Rabbi in Montreal gives visitors an elbow bump instead of a handshake and asks them not to touch or kiss the Torah as it is carried through the temple. Some imams ask worshippers to take extra care when carrying out their ritual hand and face cleaning.

Get weirded out when shaking a ton of hands after mass? (I did too-- I was a blossoming germaphobe as a kid in church.) What do your churches, mosques, temples or meditation areas do to keep germs at bay as you pray?

On my book list

To add to my overflowing reading list: "My Jesus Year" by Benyamin Cohen. Cohen writes about how his struggle to keep the oomph in his Jewish faith leads him to spend a year exploring the pull of Christianity. According to descriptions I've read, he takes it to the limit by jumping into the mosh pit in a Christian rock concert, seeing himself on the jumbotron at a megachurch and attending a Christian wrestling match. What does the son of an Orthodox rabbi learn from his Christian excursions? Well, you can ask him yourself when he visits Boulder 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7 at the JCC, 3800 Kalmia Ave in Boulder.

Miss his talk but want more one-on-one time with rad Jewish authors? Cohen's talk is just one of the many the JCC will host as part of 2009 Festival of Books and Culture. See the whole schedule here.

My sale-rack bedside table is literally buckling from being piled with books, but I just gotta ask anyway: any suggestions for other books I should be adding to the stack? I'm on a humorous-memoir-about-faith kick, apparently.

Music's bloodline

Photo by Chrissy Piper, via Pitchfork
I was so excited to read Pitchfork's in-depth interview with John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats. The new album, "The Life of the World to Come," uses Bible verses as the base for Darnielle's part-autobiographical, part-introspective, part-musing lyrics. The result isn't always saintly-- in fact, it's at turns dark, doubting and hopeful.
This isn't the first time Biblical themes have seeped into Darnielle's lyrics, but it's the first interview I've read where Darnielle gets so specific about his faith and how it influences his music. One of my favorite excerpts:

"If you're into music, you're into religion, somehow or another.
Religion, that's the bloodline of music. The whole reason, I'm pretty
sure, we have music on notation is to preserve chant, to transcribe
what was going on, which we're singing in order to describe the
experience the divine."

That got me thinking about music history and the way faith has shaped the types of music we listen to today. What do you think? Do you see the influence of hymns, devotionals or other "religious" music on the stuff you're playing on your iPod?
Here's an impromptu list of some of my recent-and-past-favorite songs that fit that description for me.

-Black Soul Choir-- 16 Horsepower
-Freedom Hangs Like Heaven-- Iron and Wine
-Children of the Lord-- Slim Cessna's Auto Club

Despite heavy Biblical imagery, I wouldn't consider these songs to be "church songs." In fact, I hear a sort of irony, darkness and artisticness to them that I've tried to explain a little better here and here.

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Now back to our regularly-scheduled blogging...

So I promised myself I would never post one of those “sorry for not posting” messages here, but it looks like the ole blog has gotten a little dusty since I’ve been gone. I’m back, though, and armed with lots of news to tell you.
First off, I recently got a job as the Faith columnist for the Daily Camera in Boulder. So far, I’ve meditated with Buddhists, chatted about the Bible in a comic book store and listened to Jewish toddlers sing adorable Shabbat songs. That’s right, I actually get paid to write about religion now!
I’ve even been able to address pop culture in my recent column. R. Crumb, the comic book artist responsible for some crazy, weird, sexed-up, drugged-up underground comics in the 1960’s, has taken on a totally different project: the Bible. The Book of Genesis, to be exact. It’s definitely a departure from his past work, but the book—a “straight illustration job” depicting the book word for word—still has R. Crumb’s personality written all over it. Check it out at your local comic book or bookstore!

I’ll still be on Bubblegum and Bibles to talk about the weirdo fringes of religion and pop culture, a topic that seems to get broader and weirder every day. Thanks for reading, and stay tuned!

St. Christopher, patron saint of surfers

I am in St. Christopher's waters.
I'm vacationing in Laguna Beach, a paradise of salty air and a ridiculously accessible view of the Pacific Ocean. From my balcony, I can watch skilled surfers navigate huge waves. On a recent shopping trip, I saw an array of Saint Christopher medals for sale on thin chains. When I asked the salesperson why St. Christopher, she didn't know.
A frustrating Internet search ensued. I found out that he is supposedly the patron saint of lots of things--mariners, travelers and surfers-- but I found nothing that explained why. I always knew that St. Christopher was the patron saint of travel (I had two former boyfriends with medallions pinned to the sun visors in their cars), but the surfer/mariner thing was new to me. I'm a tourist here-- anyone know where the St. Christopher thing comes from? Do surfers wear the medallions when surfing? What's St. Christopher's role, and is it a big one for those who pray to him? In the meantime, I think I'll just keep watching the ocean...

www.surferscreed.com

Sizzlin' hot image of the Virgin Mary appears on a griddle

After a cook in Calexico discovered what he thought was a sacred image of the Virgin Mary on a restaurant griddle, people drove in from as far as San Diego (about 125 miles) just to get a glimpse. Visitors included these two lucha libre wrestlers, who said her image was "a true miracle" according to the Imperial Valley Press. (The photographer who took this picture must love me and want me to be happy--this is probably my favorite picture EVER.)
I am a serious dork for supposed "sacred sightings." There's nothing like the mix of fervent excitement, guaranteed national media attention and campy reverence for things like a 15-year-old piece of toast. I personally don't believe that a face on a griddle is a sacred message from God, but hey-- if it is, he's certainly got a sense of humor. There's nothing funnier than seeing people getting worked up over a Cheeto.
Check out this slideshow of "sightings" found on silly objects like melons, paperweights and X-rays.

Pimp My Swine Flu Mask

Fun Mexican pop culture site Guanabee posted this excellent photo essay of some of the most creative ways people are weathering the Swine Flu scare. Even St. Jude's safe from germs!

Lights, camera, churches

Image via NAB Show

Tailored to houses of worship, the audio/visual technology industry has its own niche that focuses on sound systems, projectors and lighting for religious services.
During last weekend's trip to Vegas, I crashed the NAB Show, a National Association of Broadcasters convention for digital media professionals. With the help of a map of the vast convention hall and Matt's spy skills (he was actually registered) I chatted with professionals about technology's role in the "worship experience."
As churches grow, congregations are adding energy to church services with sound systems and video projections, said Michelle Makariak of Technologies for Worship Magazine. TFWM follows the AV industry for upgrades that will work best in churches.
It's not just megachurches who are eyeing projection systems and flashy lighting, she said. Even smaller churches are upgrading so worship bands sound better and pastors can record sermons to post online. At the conference, businesses offered projection systems for worship lyrics, acoustics installation, portable stages and lighting concepts.
Churches are also looking for ways to communicate outside the walls of the church. They're talking about establishing successful blogs and using "virtual churches" to reach congregants around the world.
Streaming Church is a Web portal that allows churches to post videos of services, provides chat rooms for congregants attending from home and keeps track of visitors around the country. President Steve Lacy said Streaming Church is designed to ease people into new churches and keep them connected outside Sunday services.
"Those who are intimidated might be more willing to check it out online before going through the doors not knowing what to expect," he said.
Online, people can watch services, chat, follow the pastors on sites like Twitter and even donate money with the click of a button. If they like what they see, hopefully they will attend the church regularly in person, he said.
"We don't want them spending most of their time online, unless they can't physically be there," he said.
Some of Streaming Church's U.S. clients have used the platform to reach African communities, who set up outdoor churches and follow the streaming services with the help of a projector and computer monitor.
“It’s still about getting people together,” he said.

Our Lady of Guadalupe... Vegas style

Here's a funny souvenir kiosk we saw on Fremont Street in Las Vegas. The framed art was actually flashing and changing colors-- apparently, even Mary and Jesus get the Vegas treatment there.

Sunday in Sin City

Hi friends! I just got back from Las Vegas, where I spent a fun weekend with friends and even won some money! ($2.34, to be exact.)
After two days of Vegas-y action, Matt and I decided to venture off the strip for a different experience. Along the way, we stopped at this church on the strip whose services were just getting out.
On an impulse, we walked in. As soon as I smelled that church smell, I realized it had been a long time since I'd gone to church at all. After all that time, church smell is kind of comforting: a mix of air conditioner, old lady perfume and clean carpet.
I went into the alcove to light a candle for my grandmother who passed away when I was in high school--something I seem to do only when traveling. During my trip to Prague, I lit a candle for her at the epically gorgeous St Nicholas Church, where the ceilings dripped with gold. This time around, the church was much more plain but had its own sense of flair: in true Vegas fashion, traditional prayer candles were replaced with electric flames you switch on with a toggle! The alcove looked like its own Las Vegas casino sign with the rows of lit up electric candles.
The experience was a little ironic given Vegas's reputation as Sin City, but in a city of 558,880 people, there have to be a few who don't hold church down at the bar.

A lazy Saturday with the Virgin Mary

I had an uncommon and serendipitous experience at my neighborhood bar a few weekends ago: I talked religion and pop culture with a stranger as we sipped beers and tried to ignore bad 90's rap blasting from the speakers.
The topic of conversation? The powerful image of the Virgin Mary. Oft-featured in ironic, reverent, fucked-up and inspired ways, the Virgin Mary is instantly visually recognizable. My new drinking companion put it best when he said that no matter what an artist does to her--tie her up, cut her or place roses at her feet -- her presence makes the image a powerful statement that goes beyond merely "religious."
I've been seeing some beautiful, unusual Virgin Mary art on Etsy, the online marketplace of handmade goodies designed by talented folks who often work out of their bedrooms and home offices.
I'm particularly in love with this image from Illustrated Ink, a bevy of tattoo goodness with a focus on Dia De Los Muertos designs.
Some of my other favorite shops to find Virgin Mary jewelry and iconography include Sweetheart Sinner (whose bold pendants also feature Edgar Allen Poe and David Bowie) and Jammerdesignz, who paint designs on each image with teeny-tiny brushes.

Heeb's Fauxlocaust contest ends April 1!

Image via heebmagazine.com
Frustrated by the increasing number of Holocaust memoirs penned by frauds such as as Binjamin Wilkomirski and Herman Rosenblat, Heeb Magazine is fighting back "the only way we know how—with a self-aggrandizing and somewhat offensive publicity stunt."
Enter the Fake Holocaust Memoir Competition and your totally bogus Holocaust survival story could end up published in Heeb. Simply come up with a shameless tear-jerker, write it down and send it off by April 1. Get the full details here.

Heeb says the contest is a way to make fun of the assholes who have used the tragic event for profit, but some readers have boycotted the contest, saying it perpetuates and glorifies fraud. Others say the contest is hurtful to anyone who has had family members who endured Nazi torture and internment.

What will ultimately happen when Heeb publishes the winning stories? I haven't seen the editors take back the offer, but it would be wrong for them not to address the boycott, regardless of their feelings about it.

So is Heeb's contest an effective satire, or just a cruel joke?
Heeb says the contest is a way to reclaim a phenomenon that has been hurtful to the worldwide Jewish community-- and in light of the Pope's recent snafu with a Holocaust-denying bishop in Argentina , their aim is even more timely. But with faux memoirs and Holocaust revisionsists filling headlines in just the past few weeks, these issues show that the Holocaust is still producing cultural, political and religious shock waves almost 70 years after its first victims were imprisioned.
As usual, I'm torn. I'm not Jewish, but I like the idea of throwing insincerity back in the faces of those who have tried to use it for profit. But I can't help wondering what Heeb will look for when choosing the winner: an essay that uses suffering and pain as humor? If I've been reading the right articles in that magazine, I suspect an essay that involves gay Nazis, copious pop culture references and an occasional appearance from Sarah Silverman might make the cut instead.

New B&B goodness!

Thanks for visiting my under-construction site. I'll be getting a fabulous new look soon thanks to talented designer (and totally swell boyfriend) Pete Holm!
Also, thanks to everyone who e-mailed me about commenting snags. It should be fixed now so anyone can leave a comment. My favorite part of this blog is reading ad responding to what you have to say, so please let me know what's on your mind!

Happy Sunday!

Man of God, metal god

Thanks to Pete for alerting me to Fratello Metallo, a metal band led by a Capuchin brother who lives in a friary in Italy!
Cesare Bonizzi got a lot of media attention when his band opened the Gods of Metal concert in Bologna last June (it's the biggest metal concert in Spain.) Boing Boing recently posted a rad video of him strutting his stuff.

Other than the obvious novelty of a man of God also being a metal God, I think Fratello Metallo's music is novel in the way it challenges stereotypes that metal music is categorically evil.

Sure, there are plenty of metal bands with a murderous, church-burning wrap sheet (like Mayhem and Emperor, for example), and there's no other genre so saturated with pentagrams, blood and 666 imagery. The metal genre, however, still has its share of bands whose music is chock-full of epic battles, struggles against evil or just good old cheesiness (I think Dragonforce fills all three of those categories nicely.) And metal/hardcore bands such as Zao, Underoath and As I Lay Dying are self-described Christians with a raw, powerful sound.

What it all comes down to is the way metal can express emotion in a visceral, in-your-face way. That emotion could have ties to heaven or hell. In Bonizzi's case, ''Metal is the most energetic, vital, deep and true musical language that I know'', he said in this article written before he was to perform at the Gods of Metal concert. His music is not about "religious messages, but themes of faith that have a bearing on life and which are experienced musically in a secular key''.