Useful post, and sooo connected to your other essays. These make me assess my history of how I arrived at my ‘now’ and what that is. I live under the same roof with the guy who is legally my husband. He left the planet about 10 yrs ago when he was saved by Jesus, all in- mega church. I keep my mouth shut most of,but not all of, the time as it is useless to argue with a belief. I do bring attention to inconsistencies, such as taking responsibility for one’s body and not loading it up with Oreo cookies and wine, which is most evenings and shows up in an ever enlarging body and achy joints.
I half expect him to run off with an evangelical comrade who fawns the same song. Pretty sure he stays around due to inertia and my aptitude for organizing and fiscal responsibility. Stunning how almost all the flock are trashing their existence here in this life, on most every aspect of living- physical, financial and rat race participation, they await their promised reward.
Meanwhile, here on the ground, I work to maximize the beauty that I see everywhere , gardening- such a continuous learning curve that gives exercise, fresh air, a good amount of food, that I keep discovering new ways to save and prepare.
When I’m not at my work bench or in the gallery shop- where I maintain a gorilla garden behind the shop to play in.
I have a humbling respect and amazement for the power that brought this playground about! Just doing my best not to be a weed. ( although I’m learning weeds have their place too)
Grateful for your sharing Ray, and for your wise wife’s assistance. She was the one that knew about the fruit leather ;)
As far as I can see, sharing goals and mutually respect and be grateful to each other is a good relationship, as long as both parties equally contribute. If they don't, it becomes a game in which the freeloader profits and the exploited one is left with the reward of being able to complain. Thinking about writing an article about what makes a marriage/relationship work.
All organizations are undermined to serve the hierarchy. Serving the hierarchy is to sacrifice oneself. yes, all organizations are technically hackable, now. You'll have to do your own thing, start by planting a garden.
All official ideologies, including the religions that have been used for justifying law and order land on the same premise: the disempowered must be convinced that they deserve their fate and must be given some hope in return for their compliance.
Not sure if I would. Examining texts leaves out the Spirit, which loses the substance and keeps the form. It is true that the Bible has been used by ideologues and by various cultures to justify their ways, and most of the prominent religions that exist today served the ruling classes well; the ones that didn't were eradicated.
Biglino is the Vatican and head rabbi's translator of ancient Aramaic and proto-Hebrew. He's literally the world's foremost expert on those particular texts.
What you're reading in the KJV is very different from what he's reading.
I could also opine on the early Christian writings in the Nag Hammadi codicesk and how the Council of Nicaea tried to erase them from history, and how the Codex Oera Linda also recorded history of "Yesus" (aka "Buda"), but...
If God didn't become man to partake in human joy and suffering, God is only a toy-maker and people are toys.
I prefer the Pascalian way, because everything else suggests that humanity is screwed. :)
It is intriguing to observe historic data, but textual analysis must decode culturally-specific implications, which linguistics and archeologists cannot access; they are only scratching the surface. Turning this pastime into imagined expertise is an insult to human intelligence. It must be taken for what it is: a form of intellectual entertainment, filling out gaps in jigsaw puzzles in which the gaps amount to at least 90% of the whole picture. It's not completely useless, but considering the human condition leads a lot further in at least addressing the mystery of life. Of course, all available tools must be grasped and applied to the same hypothetical model in order to eliminate obvious contradictions and, perhaps, to generate a few more pieces in the puzzle.
"If God didn't become man to partake in human joy and suffering, God is only a toy-maker and people are toys."
+100
Here's the crazy thing: Even if you dig into the history & stories surrounding Jesus, and come to conclusions that are radically different than the status quo, the fact remains *his name still casts out demons*. The nature of reality is far weirder than most people are willing to admit.
Clif High is a deep woo-woo researcher (and also a hard reality researcher) and he's predicting (via mass-language analysis) that a great deal of hidden history is about to be revealed, and that it will be quite shocking (as in some people will literally shit themselves). He's also been far more right than wrong over the years.
I personally look forward to this, as humanity has been intellectually & spiritually constipated for at least a several hundred years and could use a good species-wide high colonic.
Looked for a church for a long time. I occasionally went to one I liked but they fell for Covid fear. Many online sermons are good and I have 2 online friends who share prayer requests with. They’re a blessing, we all feel alienated from organized religion.
Even when no money is involved, religious groups and their attitudes twerk me bad. When I meet those who feel 'my' life is not as good as it would be without their version of Jesus, or that I better be in good with their God when I die or else!...I mention that this suggestion amounts to recruiting, and that I find it offensive* they usually stop communicating with me. I, for my part, do not try and convert them into paganism though one day I may be tempted to try as a joke...(only in my hobbit tree person voice....) *offensive in that I am not complete or perfect without their 'religion'....that I am missing something. I have never felt like anyone is missing anything, sure a screw here and there, but that all are made perfect, one way or another...At that point I begin to act like the heathen they consider me to be. I hate to disappoint!!
The weak want to find followers, because they think that if others agree with them, they will be, all of a sudden, right. I am yet to see a proselytizer who wanted to share their happiness by demonstrating it without some form of conformist crowd behavior... Yes, they also want you to be afraid. If God is not creating this world out of Love, humans are are only toys in His hand. If the Creation is about love, there is nothing to fear as long as one is doing their best...
Useful post, and sooo connected to your other essays. These make me assess my history of how I arrived at my ‘now’ and what that is. I live under the same roof with the guy who is legally my husband. He left the planet about 10 yrs ago when he was saved by Jesus, all in- mega church. I keep my mouth shut most of,but not all of, the time as it is useless to argue with a belief. I do bring attention to inconsistencies, such as taking responsibility for one’s body and not loading it up with Oreo cookies and wine, which is most evenings and shows up in an ever enlarging body and achy joints.
I half expect him to run off with an evangelical comrade who fawns the same song. Pretty sure he stays around due to inertia and my aptitude for organizing and fiscal responsibility. Stunning how almost all the flock are trashing their existence here in this life, on most every aspect of living- physical, financial and rat race participation, they await their promised reward.
Meanwhile, here on the ground, I work to maximize the beauty that I see everywhere , gardening- such a continuous learning curve that gives exercise, fresh air, a good amount of food, that I keep discovering new ways to save and prepare.
When I’m not at my work bench or in the gallery shop- where I maintain a gorilla garden behind the shop to play in.
I have a humbling respect and amazement for the power that brought this playground about! Just doing my best not to be a weed. ( although I’m learning weeds have their place too)
Grateful for your sharing Ray, and for your wise wife’s assistance. She was the one that knew about the fruit leather ;)
As far as I can see, sharing goals and mutually respect and be grateful to each other is a good relationship, as long as both parties equally contribute. If they don't, it becomes a game in which the freeloader profits and the exploited one is left with the reward of being able to complain. Thinking about writing an article about what makes a marriage/relationship work.
That should be a nice can o worms to open ;)
All organizations are undermined to serve the hierarchy. Serving the hierarchy is to sacrifice oneself. yes, all organizations are technically hackable, now. You'll have to do your own thing, start by planting a garden.
Organic one, please.
All official ideologies, including the religions that have been used for justifying law and order land on the same premise: the disempowered must be convinced that they deserve their fate and must be given some hope in return for their compliance.
the disempowered must be convinced that they deserve their fate and must be given some hope in return for their compliance.
That is an idea worthy to deeply consider.
All culture-sustaining ideologies have always been based on this very principle.
I'm sure that I'm guilty of something.
Not being smart enough maybe.
Ditto
I can never be smart enough, either! Guilty as charged. :)
You're going to love Mauro Biglino. There's interviews on Youtube and recommend his books esp. The Naked Bible.
Not sure if I would. Examining texts leaves out the Spirit, which loses the substance and keeps the form. It is true that the Bible has been used by ideologues and by various cultures to justify their ways, and most of the prominent religions that exist today served the ruling classes well; the ones that didn't were eradicated.
Biglino is the Vatican and head rabbi's translator of ancient Aramaic and proto-Hebrew. He's literally the world's foremost expert on those particular texts.
What you're reading in the KJV is very different from what he's reading.
I could also opine on the early Christian writings in the Nag Hammadi codicesk and how the Council of Nicaea tried to erase them from history, and how the Codex Oera Linda also recorded history of "Yesus" (aka "Buda"), but...
If God didn't become man to partake in human joy and suffering, God is only a toy-maker and people are toys.
I prefer the Pascalian way, because everything else suggests that humanity is screwed. :)
It is intriguing to observe historic data, but textual analysis must decode culturally-specific implications, which linguistics and archeologists cannot access; they are only scratching the surface. Turning this pastime into imagined expertise is an insult to human intelligence. It must be taken for what it is: a form of intellectual entertainment, filling out gaps in jigsaw puzzles in which the gaps amount to at least 90% of the whole picture. It's not completely useless, but considering the human condition leads a lot further in at least addressing the mystery of life. Of course, all available tools must be grasped and applied to the same hypothetical model in order to eliminate obvious contradictions and, perhaps, to generate a few more pieces in the puzzle.
"If God didn't become man to partake in human joy and suffering, God is only a toy-maker and people are toys."
+100
Here's the crazy thing: Even if you dig into the history & stories surrounding Jesus, and come to conclusions that are radically different than the status quo, the fact remains *his name still casts out demons*. The nature of reality is far weirder than most people are willing to admit.
Clif High is a deep woo-woo researcher (and also a hard reality researcher) and he's predicting (via mass-language analysis) that a great deal of hidden history is about to be revealed, and that it will be quite shocking (as in some people will literally shit themselves). He's also been far more right than wrong over the years.
I personally look forward to this, as humanity has been intellectually & spiritually constipated for at least a several hundred years and could use a good species-wide high colonic.
Nothing is hidden.
The truth is hiding in plain sight. :)
I guess we'll see. The more I look, the more is revealed. It's a hellofa timeline.
BTW Biglino's done a lot of interviews, he's all over Youtube.
Looked for a church for a long time. I occasionally went to one I liked but they fell for Covid fear. Many online sermons are good and I have 2 online friends who share prayer requests with. They’re a blessing, we all feel alienated from organized religion.
Most churches and parochial/religious schools muzzled even little children, which says more than enough about them...
I am well beyond the point of listening to talk, and I am solely responsible for my actions.
Even when no money is involved, religious groups and their attitudes twerk me bad. When I meet those who feel 'my' life is not as good as it would be without their version of Jesus, or that I better be in good with their God when I die or else!...I mention that this suggestion amounts to recruiting, and that I find it offensive* they usually stop communicating with me. I, for my part, do not try and convert them into paganism though one day I may be tempted to try as a joke...(only in my hobbit tree person voice....) *offensive in that I am not complete or perfect without their 'religion'....that I am missing something. I have never felt like anyone is missing anything, sure a screw here and there, but that all are made perfect, one way or another...At that point I begin to act like the heathen they consider me to be. I hate to disappoint!!
The weak want to find followers, because they think that if others agree with them, they will be, all of a sudden, right. I am yet to see a proselytizer who wanted to share their happiness by demonstrating it without some form of conformist crowd behavior... Yes, they also want you to be afraid. If God is not creating this world out of Love, humans are are only toys in His hand. If the Creation is about love, there is nothing to fear as long as one is doing their best...
🎯 I appreciate your viewpoint on this, as I feel similarly.