Holy smokes! I just realized that I haven’t posted a new blog since just after I met Cameron!!! Wow, I guess life just got a hold of me and wouldn’t let go. I have been keeping a list of things I would like to blog about. Mostly just stories I wanted to get down so I would have them in a more permanent place than my head. Perhaps another New Year’s resolution I will make is to blog at least once a month. Don’t hold me to that, it’s just a thought I’m milling over. However, a New Year’s resolution is what has brought my blogging moratorium to an end. There is something that has been on my bucket list of things to accomplish in life for a long time. I have decided to make it a goal for this year. I have two purposes in blogging about it now. The first reason is to make it more of a forceful issue. If I have it down in writing, especially in a public place like my blog, I will be more likely to complete it. The second reason is to explain it a little further to those in my life who may question my thought processes.
Like I said, this is something that has been on my bucket list for quite some time. I actually mentioned a portion of it to a friend over a year ago because I thought she may be in a position to hook me up with an easier way to accomplish it. Unfortunately, that was not the time, but it has been in the back of my mind since before then. Part of the reason it has taken me so long to finally decide to get it done is because I am a little lazy, and it will certainly be a challenge. Furthermore, while there is a semi-easy way to get it completed, I didn’t want to spend money in order to access the easier way because the more difficult way was already readily available to me. As luck would have it, I was thinking about this little goal just the other day and thought I’d research it a little further. Low and behold, I located a way to obtain the easier way over the internet!
At this point in my story, I suppose I’ll let you in a little further: the goal is to read a rather lengthy series of books. They are all quite long and I have counted a total of 1581 chapters which would require that I read just over 4.3 chapters per day (on average) in order to complete it within a year. I do own a copy of all the books in the entire series, and I have owned them for years, but they mostly just sit on my shelf and collect dust. This is where the easier method for completion comes in. Audio-book!!! I am a slower than average reader, and don’t have a lot of free time (hence the reason for the long delay between blog posts). None of that matters if I’ve got an Audio-book to listen to. I can listen while I clean the apartment, or while I drive to and from work, or while I’m shopping or pretty much whenever I feel like.
My reasoning for choosing this particular series is due to its cultural significance. There are everyday phrases which come directly from these books. There are entire movements based completely on the contents of these books. I would be hard pressed to find even one living person on the entire planet who hasn’t heard of at least the original two books (One book in two parts really, but for all intents and purposes, I’ll just say two books. Though technically, in and of itself, it is a series of books rolled into one, two-part, bound together book, but that’s just going overboard with my description). I know people who’ve read all or parts of these books at one time or another in their life, but the people who’ve actually finished all of them cover-to-cover are few and far between. If you haven’t guessed yet, I am talking about the Bible. I’m also planning on reading the LDS accompaniment books: The Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price. I plan on reading the LDS scriptures second and have given myself the leeway with the New Year’s resolution that if I can’t complete those portions during 2012, I will finish them in 2013. That being said, I will read (listen to) the entire Old and New Testaments between January 1st and December 31st 2012.
I am not going into this with some kind of hidden agenda of proving them wrong, false or anything like that. Additionally, and I feel it should go without saying, I have ZERO intention of ever joining any organized religion ever again, nor do I believe this will miraculously force me to believe in god again. I don’t think god is an entirely impossible entity, but the logical, thinking part of my brain tells me it is unlikely for such a being to exist. That being said, I do plan on listening to the works with an open mind. Again, I would like to reiterate my reasoning for completing this: The Bible is an incredibly culturally significant piece of literature! I have read works by William Shakespeare for similar reasons; ironically, I found audio-books helpful with his Old English writing styles as well. It need not be stated that the Book of Mormon, and other LDS works have a similar, though not as vast, cultural influence here in Utah.
Another piece of motivation I have for taking on this particular challenge is because I feel semi-hypocritical to not have read it. I feel it is inappropriate of me to disbelieve the contents without having read its entirety. Furthermore, when I defend my rights to be an openly gay man involved in a loving, committed, monogamous, marriage with another man, often times, I am defending myself against people who choose to quote bible verses at me. A common way for me to attempt enlightenment of these individuals is to ask them to study the history of gay people from the dawn of time. I ask them to read up on current scientific and psychological studies regarding gay people as well as reading memoirs of the gay experience written by those of us who have taken the time to pen our stories. I conclude by asking them to search their hearts after having educated themselves on the subject. Typically I ask them to kneel down and pray (running under the assumption that they believe in god seeing as how they’ve just been quoting bible verses at me) about it. Due to the fact that I ask this of people I’m arguing with, I feel it is inappropriate for me to not extend the same courtesy to them by reading their works and searching my heart and soul regarding how I truly feel about these subjects.
So there you have it. Are you as surprised as I am? I have to be honest, even though it has been on my bucket list, I didn’t think it would come so quickly. The only challenge I have now is to find an additional MP3 Player or iPod to download the tracks to so I won’t lose my place if I decide to listen to the music on my iPod (which is nearly full anyway). So if any of you know of anyone who has an extra MP3 Player or iPod lying around that they’d be willing to loan me for a year, I’d be very grateful! Or if anyone knows where I can purchase an inexpensive one (New or used is acceptable) or if anyone is willing to donate $$$ to the cause, I’ll accept your donations -just kidding LOL. Lastly though, and on a more serious note, if anyone else is thinking about joining me in my quest and would like to listen to the audio-books as well, they are available for a free download from the following site:
http://lds.org/mp3/newarchive
PS, I never expected there would come a day when I actually referred people to the lds.org website LOL
