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Reviews and commentary by Tony Isabella
"America's Most Beloved Comic-Book Writer & Columnist"
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TONY'S ONLINE TIPS
for Sunday, March 27, 2005
This cover of LOONEY TUNES #150 [April, 1954] is as warm and fuzzy as you're going to get from me this Easter. Truth be told, I have never felt more distant from what passes for Christianity in my country and feel no particular need to celebrate the day, save that it will please my family.
Now, personally, I feel pretty okay with God. While I don't think Jesus is necessarily the only viable inspiration for living a good life, I really dig the bit about doing unto others as you'd have them do unto you. That covers just about every situation that I can think of and I have a real good imagination. But my problems with "Christianity" aren't likely to go away anytime soon.
Though I was raised a Roman Catholic, I no longer consider myself as even remotely a member of that church. I was already concerned about the church's lack of equality and respect for women. I was already concerned about its alliance with the fundamentalist creeps who, not so long ago, were openly likening the church to the "Whore of Babylon" and who still do so privately. I never understood the church's logic of being against abortions and birth control because the latter so clearly reduces the number of the former. Do the freaking math.
However, what really got me to "I'm outta here" was the Church covering up decades of child rape and molestation by priests and its subsequent moving these sexual predators around from parish to parish, thus allowing them to escape the consequences of their crimes and continue committing them. When the heinous enormity of the situation became public, the Church spent more time trying to protect its financial assets than ministering to those assaulted by its priests, even to recommending that individual dioceses ship the records to the Vatican so they couldn't be subpoenaed by the courts here. Then, when lay people got involved with the crisis, which, after all, affected them deeply, the Church, more often than not, pushed them aside or away. So, yeah, stick a fork in me, I'm done with the Vatican and its malicious charlatans.
P.S. Though the sexual predator crisis is ongoing, the Church (especially the Vatican portion thereof) is spending far more time railing rabidly over equal marriage rights and popular fiction than in cleaning up its own house.
My search for a new church isn't going so well. My standards are too high. I want a church that receives and treats all people equally, be they women, gays, liberals, or rusty old comic-book writers. I want a church that follows Jesus and not some book that was written thousand of years ago by flawed human beings and messed around with by other flawed human beings, all with their own dated agendas or prejudices. I want a church that recognizes and opposes the mendacity of politicians who serve the rich and powerful at the expense of the people. I want a church righteous enough to reject and condemn the pandering of those who embrace a "culture of life" only when it serves their ends.
I do appreciate the suggestions made by my friends on the TONY ISABELLA MESSAGE BOARD and I have followed up on those suggestions. No success so far - I live in a conservative area - but the search goes on. Maybe that's even the point. Maybe what I'm meant to do is ask the nagging questions that too many others don't.
I figure it will all sort itself out somewhere down the road. I also figure I'm in good hands, so I don't spend an awful lot of time fretting about it.
Thus ends the Easter sermon.
Thanks for spending a part of your day with me. I'll be back soon with comics news, views, and reviews.
Tony Isabella
<< 03/26/2005 | 03/27/2005 | 03/28/2005 >>
Discuss this column with me at my Message Board. Also, read Heroes and Villains: Real and Imagined.
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THE "TONY" SCALE
ZERO: Burn your money before buying any comic receiving this rating. It doesn't *necessarily* mean there's absolutely nothing of value here - though it *could* - but whatever value it might possess shrinks into insignificance before its overall awfulness.
ONE: Buy something else. Maybe I found something which wasn't completely dreadful in the item, but not enough for me to recommend it when there are better comics available. I only want what's best for you, my children.
TWO: Basic judgment call. I found some value, but not enough to recommend it. My review should give you enough info to decide if you want to take a chance on it. Are you feeling lucky today, punk? Well, are you?
THREE: This denotes something I find perfectly respectable. There are better books out there, but I wouldn't regret buying this item. Based on my review, you should be able to determine if it's of interest to you. Let the Force guide you.
FOUR: I recommend anything earning this rating. Unless you don't like the genre, subject matter, or past work of the creators, I believe you'll enjoy this item. Isn't it uncanny how I can look right into your soul that way?
FIVE: Anything getting this rating is among the best comicdom has to offer. You should buy/read this, even if the genre/subject matter doesn't appeal to you. It's for your own good. Me, I live for comics and books this good...but not in a pathetic "Comic-Book Guy" sort of way.
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