As many of you know, one of my goals in life is to visit the world's most dangerous places. But what you may not know is that one of my other goals is to go on a pilgrimage to the world's holiest places. This is relatively easy because there is so much overlap between the two. (What a coincidence!) So far I've got Judaism and Christianity down, 1/3 of Islam, a fair bit of Hindu and a smattering of Buddhism. But since I'm not actively travelling right now, I thought I'd have to put that goal on hold. I was wrong.
Because Hill Cumorah, one of the holiest sites of the Mormon faith, is a stone's throw away from Rochester, New York. (That's a little Biblical humour there, hahaha). My brother Fred lives in Rochester and I go there all the time, not the least bit aware that I was so close to the place where Joseph Smith Jr. found the gold plates that eventually made up the Book of Mormon. And here I thought the only thing to do in Rochester was go shopping at Target...
Anyways, we're going to go in July for the catch the Hill Cumorah Pageant, which is "America's largest and most spectacular outdoor theatrical event....a magnificent, family-oriented production with special effects straight out of Hollywood: volcanoes, fireballs and explosions...a prophet is burned at the stake...lightning strikes the mast of a ship. A 5000K carbon arc-light star appears at the Nativity scene..." and more. (reference: Krakauer's Under the Banner of Heaven). 
Eeeee, fun! And maybe we can even find Fred a wife or two there.
3 comments:
We might not be a traditional family but we do great family outings. I always found parks a bit boring but a Mormon Pageant or the Pride Parade seems like a great way to bring Jewish values into your family. You go Bereskins!
that is totally sweet! give joseph smith a snog and a crotch grab for me!
Dude, that book is amazing. People need to stop saying things like "I couldn't put it down" about books, because they're lying, they did put it down, and now when I need a punchy phrase it's not available. But I pretty much fell asleep clutching "Under the Banner of Heaven" in my hands, it's so good.
That pageant does sound like extra-strength crazy. Fun times.
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