Let the Mystery Be

I heard this fantastic song the other day while listening to my local public radio station's folk show. It made me smile. It's "Let the Mystery Be," a catchy, sincere little song about religious skepticism and living for what's most important. It's sung by Iris DeMent and can be found on her 1992 album Infamous Angel. I found this old video of her singing it:



I just love it. I think it's my new theme song. It's just a sweet, simple statement of religious uncertainty but also a reverence for life and love. Here are the lyrics:

Everybody's wonderin' what and where they all came from.
Everybody's worryin' 'bout where they're gonna go when the whole thing's done.
But no one knows for certain and so it's all the same to me.
I think I'll just let the mystery be.

Some say once you're gone you're gone forever, and some say you're gonna come back.
Some say you rest in the arms of the Saviour if in sinful ways you lack.
Some say that they're comin' back in a garden, bunch of carrots and little sweet peas.
I think I'll just let the mystery be.

Everybody's wonderin' what and where they all came from.
Everybody's worryin' 'bout where they're gonna go when the whole thing's done.
But no one knows for certain and so it's all the same to me.
I think I'll just let the mystery be.

Some say they're goin' to a place called Glory and I ain't saying it ain't a fact.
But I've heard that I'm on the road to purgatory and I don't like the sound of that.
Well, I believe in love and I live my life accordingly.
But I choose to let the mystery be.

Everybody's wonderin' what and where they all came from.
Everybody's worryin' 'bout where they're gonna go when the whole thing's done.
But no one knows for certain and so it's all the same to me.
I think I'll just let the mystery be.
I think I'll just let the mystery be.

Mike Huckabee and Jon Stewart on same-sex marriage

Jon Stewart had Mike Huckabee on his show the other night and they had a great conversation about homosexuality and same-sex marriage. It's quite good, and they basically lay down the major arguments for and against same-sex marriage. But I really appreciated the respectful tone and the civility of the discussion. Oh, and maybe the fact that Jon Stewart won the debate hands down.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Mike Huckabee Pt. 2

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

In case you haven't noticed, I've been a bit light on the blogging lately. I think I got all blogged out in November with the election and all. I should be picking it up a bit soon.

Prop 8 - The Musical

A funny and somewhat irreverent take on Prop 8:

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

Yep, that's Jack Black as Jesus. You can read a bit more about it here, including an interview with the creator, Marc Shaiman. They put it together pretty quickly, and it features quite a cast, including Jack Black, John C. Reilly, Neil Patrick Harris, and Maya Rudolph.

Harvey Milk on hope

I came across this video yesterday. It's moving. It's from a speech given by Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California. I didn't know anything about Harvey Milk until this new autobiographical film came out. I recently listened to a really interesting NPR interview with the screenwriter, who actually grew up Mormon! I hope to see the film if it ever gets to State College. It's received really positive reviews.