A really big favour?

This week, Dave Balzer (my radio show co-host) introduced me to Mr. Deity, one of the funniest and smartest series I've seen in a long time. The cast of characters on this YouTube sitcom is The Holy Trinity and Satan. Think Friends ... on a cosmological scale!

Brian Dalton is the series' creator. Dalton, who is an actor, filmmaker, musician, writer, and graphic artist, also plays the title role (with a Woody Allen kind of vibe) and writes the scripts. Some have branded Mr. Deity as religious parody, but Dalton's stories really come across as humorous backgrounders on theological paradoxes. No harm, no foul. Maybe that's why my defenses stayed down. Dalton gives me permission to put the conundrums of faith on the table ... and laugh.

Dalton calls himself a "forman", or former Mormon. "I was very religious for about 10 years, and also at the time really studied Christianity pretty hard-core," he says. "So much of this is based on what I've been debating in my head for 20 years. I still love religion. I love the fact that people are concerned about these bigger issues."

For Holy Week, I really enjoyed the second episode from Season 1, called "Mr. Deity and the Really Big Favor". Check it out on YouTube. You can also subscribe in iTunes. Enjoy!

Happy Easter!