Mormons & Zombies

The great attraction of zombie stories and films is the suspension of social constraints. In a zombie situation you are free to do as you please. Everything you could want is available and free for the taking because everyone is gone and they left their stuff. Well, they aren’t physically gone. The people still exist, just at lower level. And since they are at a lower level and they threaten you it’s okay to shoot them. It’s a better world than if a neutron bomb had killed everyone and left their stuff. There is no radioactive residue and there are fewer bodies to clean up since the zombies are helpful with that aspect of global collapse. Another bonus with zombies--all those guns you own are suddenly practical everyday useful tools.

Looking at the attitude that cable TV loud mouths, Tea Party enthusiasts and right wing politicians have shared with our community it appears that they fit into the role of zombie attack survivors. They are threatened; they look at certain groups as lower than they are. They seem smug with by suggesting hints of violence. They build up arguments that justify their hate. They say and do things that hurt people and they justify in by arguing that upholding the law is vital. They have created the perception that literally crossing a line in the sand is far worse than murder or assault. They want “us” to be afraid of “them.”

If Jesus were here would his first concern be about the violation of misdemeanor law? Or, would he ask why comparatively wealthy people add fear to the lives of the poor? Would he worry about how many undocumented people are in jail or would he go visit them?

Our community will make choices over the next few months that will affect us for years. If we make choices based on fear, not knowledge and not charity, we will regret them and our children will live with the damage we have done to our neighbors. We live in the shadow of some poor choices our community made in the past. We can’t change the past, but we can shape the future.

Farewell to the Freedom Festival. We'll Miss You. Come Back When You Get It Right

For as long as I can remember Provo City has embraced the fourth of July. The balloon launch, the parade, and the Stadium of Fire all contributed to the festive atmosphere. Over the years there have been a glitch or two, an MC who told jokes for soldiers not families and fireworks that were a little more than people expected to name a few. Recent years the festival has featured popular cable TV personalities that made some people uncomfortable. This year, just when the problem appeared to be solved with a host that didn’t threaten anyone things looked to be back on track. Then Monday the train that is the Freedom Festival ran straight off the tracks.

Monday the parade marched down the streets of Provo and wiped the future of the festival into the ground. I seams the parade organizers let incumbent politicians ride in the parade and they of course were all Republican. Then they stood by while Republicans campaigned along the parade route while the Democrats obeyed the rules and kept to their float.

The festival appears to claim that it is a private event and it can do what it wants. That may be true, but BYU is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is also a private organization, but one that cannot take sides in political campaigns. By appearing to use BYU facilities to support the Republican party the festival has placed the university in the position of having to defend its neutrality or simply cut ties with the festival.

The politics of cutting ties is strong. The church has a problem with its image when it comes to race relations. Anyone who grew up in the church knows how hard we have worked to fix the wrongs of the past and to correct the perception that we are racist. That all went to pot recently when politicians in the west with LDS ties embraced laws and policies that are seen as racist. Add to that the motto of the candidate for senate who marched through Provo this week…”Take America Back.” Take us back to what? The basic constitution, thirteen colonies and slavery?

The Festival needs to regroup, the university needs to protect itself from exploitation, and the people of Utah Valley need to think about what freedom really means.