In The Heart

I was reading the reviews of Spengler's new book How Civilizations Die: (And Why Islam Is Dying Too) and came across this interesting bit:

David Goldman's book is hard to summarize, perhaps because it is so thought-provoking. It is also full of data which you have probably never seen before.

The most startling data describe what might be the impending collapse of the Iranian theocracy. It has been a complete failure in every direction, and even the mad, evil Ahmadinejad can see the handwriting on the wall. After thirty years of religious tyranny, it turns out that a mere two percent of Iranians attend mosque on Fridays. The birthrate has plummeted --- the steepest drop in fertility known to recorded history. Prostitution is pandemic, with a huge number of prostitutes being women who passed the university entrance exam, or who are actually studying at the university. They sell themselves not out of desperation but out of greed. Drug addiction now has hit 5 million men, among the work-force which is 35 million strong. Rumor has it that the Big Turbans on top of this seething volcano are now grabbing everything they can before their number is up, with billions of dollars disappearing from Iranian banks.

Gee, maybe Grandpa was right: "Religion is in the heart. It cannot be forced upon the people. You find the love within God, and with that love, you cherish life."

What is even more startling is that this is only the worst case in the Muslim world --- all of the oil-importing Muslim countries are facing disaster, with Egypt as a prime example: 80 million very backward people who need to buy half their bread from abroad. Well, tourism in Egypt is dead, for some STRANGE reason, and that foreign exchange has disappeared, and the price of wheat is going up up up as the Chinese, Koreans and Japanese buy more and more. We may well be looking at a desperate famine situation within twelve months.

I think that is exactly right. People have to find their faith. It can't be forced on them.

I didn't find my faith until I was in my late 20s. A big part of the reason is that I had a very difficult childhood due to the alcoholism of my father. But it was quite understandable in retrospect. His mother beat him. Badly. He often recounted an incident where she threw a meat axe at him. Very lucky for me - he ducked.

I'm not much of a believer in religion (in case you hadn't noticed). I think its effects are generally pernicious because religion is about power and power structures. Besides, I don't need faith. Why should I? I have experience. The Maker talks to me. And what has he been telling me?

He told me to start having children (I was 38 at the time and my mate was 34) not quite in Abraham/Sarah territory but still. We have 4 children.

1. An artist
2. UChicago graduate (with honors) in the Russian language
3. An Electrical Engineer
4. A Chemical Engineer

Not a lot of children to be sure. But way more than the average high tech geek. I couldn’t be happier about the advice. Especially since I was sure at age 30 that I would never have a family.

Every man (and woman) has to find his own way. It would be more than helpful in that respect if government would get out of the way. We will never have a moral nation with government forcing morality down people's throats. The example of Iran is very instructive in that regard. Forcing is counter to the best of the Judeo-Christian tradition. It must come from the heart. And heart is something government is not well known for. I'd like to see more Christian compassion and a lot less (Pharisee like) "the law is the law." Maybe for murder and theft. But extending that to what people eat, drink, and smoke - very unwise.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Beaten For A Bulge

Who did the police beat? A Man With Downs Syndrome.

"The family is very upset and really shocked, to be honest," attorney Philip Gold said Wednesday. "They can't believe that this could have happened, let alone to their their son who is an innocent, sweet individual with Down syndrome."

Gilberto Powell, 22, was stopped by officers in the area of Southwest 111th Place and Southwest 138th Street around 9:30 p.m. Saturday, according to a Miami-Dade Police report.

The report said officers spotted a bulge in Powell's waist band and when they tried to pat him down, he tried to flee. Police say Powell broke free as officers tried to place him in handcuffs, hitting his forehead on the ground.

Powell hit one of the officers in the chest and continued to struggle until one of the officers "struck [Powell] in the left side of his face with an open hand in an attempt to subdue him," the report said.

After Powell was finally handcuffed and questioned, the officers realized he was "mentally challenged, was not capable of understanding our commands, and that the bulge in his waistband was a colostomy bag," the report said.

What ever happened to the concept of Peace Officer?

It happened to Kelly Thomas too, in Fullerton, Calif. Only he didn't survive. Don't click on the link if gruesome photos make you sick to your stomach. Because the one they have there will make you wonder what kind of animals could do that to a human. It was videoed too. And his last words were a cry for help. "Dad. Dad....."

We have a war going on against Americans in this country. Everyone is under suspicion for contraband. And some folks around here wonder why that war makes me crazy. It makes me crazy because police have an attitude because of that war. And it is not a good attitude.

Look around for the Kelly Thomas video and see if you can stand hearing him call out to his dad for help. I have sons. And it breaks my heart. Unfortunately my heart is not made of stone. Probably a personal defect. Why should I care about a stranger?

Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. Deuteronomy 10:19

If Christians celebrated Passover in the Hebrew way (some do) we might see a lot less of this sort of thing. Because we Jews read this verse every year at Passover. And we make it personal - "Because of what God did for me..." Not my ancestors. Me. Personally. He lifted my burdens and made me free.

Time to get back to the old time religion. If it was good enough for Jesus.....

Update: From the The Passover Hagadah

We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, and the L-rd, our G-d, took us out from there with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm. If the Holy One, blessed be He, had not taken our fathers out of Egypt, then we, our children and our children's children would have remained enslaved to Pharaoh in Egypt. Even if all of us were wise, all of us understanding, all of us knowing the Torah, we would still be obligated to discuss the exodus from Egypt; and everyone who discusses the exodus from Egypt at length is praiseworthy.

Further:

In every generation a person is obligated to regard himself as if he had come out of Egypt, as it is said: "You shall tell your child on that day, it is because of this that the L-rd did for me when I left Egypt."

The Holy One, blessed be He, redeemed not only our fathers from Egypt, but He redeemed also us with them, as it is said: "It was us that He brought out from there, so that He might bring us to give us the land that He swore to our fathers."

Thus it is our duty to thank, to laud, to praise, to glorify, to exalt, to adore, to bless, to elevate and to honor the One who did all these miracles for our fathers and for us. He took us from slavery to freedom, from sorrow to joy, and from mourning to festivity, and from deep darkness to great light and from bondage to redemption. Let us therefore recite before Him Halleluyah, Praise G-d!

Just reading that has made my tears flow like rain. Because He saw my burden and lifted it. And thus I am obligated to lift the burdens of others.

“If I am not for myself, then who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, then what am I? And if not now, when?” - Rabbi Hillel

As I have said often, "I'm not much of a Jew." But when He speaks to me I listen. And crazy as this sounds (we live in a Modern Age after all), He has spoken. This will not stand. You hear that all you mofo supporters of this abomination? The Wrath of the Maker is headed your way. For you have been unkind to the stranger. And mistreated the afflicted.

And just to get all ecumenical. (in case there are some Christians still reading):

And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Matthew 25:40

H/T The Agitator

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Hebrew Etymology

Commenter Randy suggested I do some etymological research. So I did. And found something very interesting.

In 1936, Sara Benetowa, later Known as Sula Benet, an etymologist from the Institute of Anthropological Sciences, in Warsaw wrote a treatise, "Tracing One Word Through Different Languages." This was a study on the word Cannabis, based on a study of the oldest Hebrew texts. Although the word cannabis was thought to be of Scythian origin, Benet's research showed it had an earlier root in the Semitic Languages such as Hebrew. Benet demonstrated that the ancient Hebrew word for Cannabis is Kaneh -Bosem. She also did another study called Early Diffusion and Folk Uses of Hemp. There is a reprint of this in Cannabis and Culture. On page 44, she states, "The sacred character of hemp in biblical times is evident from Exodus 30:23, where Moses was instructed by God to anoint the meeting tent and all of its furnishings with specially prepared oil, containing hemp." On page 41 Sula Benet writes, : In the course of time, the two words kaneh and bosem were fused into one , kanabos or kannabus know to us from the Mishna. According to the Webster's New World Hebrew Dictionary, page 607 the Hebrew for hemp is kanabos.

Sara Benetowa discovered that the Kaneh-Bosm or Cannabis is mentioned 5 times in the Old Testament. The first occurrence appears in the Holy Anointing Oil as Calamus, (Exodus 30:23). Sara argued that the translation of Calamus was a mistranslation which occurred in the oldest Bible the “Septuagint” and the mistranslation was copied in later versions.

But what is the effect to the baptism?

You may argue that the Anointing with the cannabis based oil has no redeeming value. I would like to point out that all Orthodox Churches practice the Chrism anointing. What started me into The Fire Baptism and the Lost Sacraments is that not one Church uses the Holy Anointing Oil as described in Exodus 30:23 even with the Calamus translation.

The Bible is very clear that this was the only oil to be used.

A Sarah Benetowa article can also be found at the site. Read the whole thing.

The irony is of course hilarious. Those most identifiably against cannabis tend to be on Christian Right these days.

Update: There has been some controversy in the comments. Here is a video discourse on the latest etymological research on the subject:



Continued here.

Also for your amusement my recent article on the religious revival of the 60s: The 60s Actually Did Work Until Crony Religionism Killed It

And a video from the Christian perspective:



Roger Christie - THC Ministry - Holy Anointing Oil Recipe - video

The Hawai`i Cannabis Ministry

You can help Roger Christie by donating to him directly through the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Please send funds to Roger at the address below - [see the link above for details]

Hey maybe it is time to get back to the Old Time Religion. If it was good enough for Jesus it is good enough for me.



“Are you unwilling to be anointed with the Oil of God? Wherefore we are called Christians on this account, because we are anointed with the oil of God.” Theophilus of Antioch (181AD)

From Is it Christ or is it Anti-Christ???

The Holy Anointing Oil of God is described in Exodus 30:23. Take thou also unto thee three principal spices, of liquid Myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet Cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet Calamus (Kaneh Bosem in Hebrew) two hundred and fifty shekels, and of Cassia five hundred shekels after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin. And thou shalt make it an oil of Holy ointment compound after the art of apothecary: it shall be a Holy anointing oil. Exodus 30:22-25

And:

But as “Christ” means “the anointed” What does “Anti-Christ” mean? “Anti” in Greek means “Opposed to” or “Instead of”. The Anti-Christ would then mean “Opposed to the anointed” or “Instead of the anointed”.

For false Christ's or (false anointed ones) and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect. Matthew 24:24

Today the Roman Catholic Churches, use Pure Olive Oil, sprinkled with powered Balsam, and blessed by a Bishop at lent. Here we find the “instead of anointing”.

The Coptic Orthodox use a Myron oil which consists of over 30 spices. The Myron Oil is based on a tradition that Saint Mark took with him the spices used at Jesus burial to Alexandria. Whether or not this is true is unknown, but here again we have the “Instead of Oil”

There are other Churches that boil down various other configurations of the Holy Oil. Some include wine, salt, and other ingredients, boiled with oil, as the “instead of Holy Oil”.

Most protestant Churches offer no anointing at all. Here we find the “opposed to anointing”.

It appears, that in the Christian World, so preoccupied with calling themselves, Christians or “The Anointed Ones”, we have no place for the “Holy Anointing Oil of God”, as described in the Exodus 30:23

Could it be that the Churches have been deceived, regarding the anointing? If this is so, surely this would have been prophesied.

Further update: In the comments some one said I ought to get over attacking Christians. I said I thought that was a good idea and I would look for some dirt on the Jews in relation to the material at hand.

Here is something I found. I'll look for more. Orthodox Jews run a medical marijuana collective in Berkeley, California and also sell a religiously inspired cannabis cream. Here is the url of the collective: Doc Green's

Not exactly about Jews: Jesus 'healed using cannabis'

Jesus w as almost certainly a cannabis user and an early proponent of the medicinal properties of the drug, according to a study of scriptural texts published this month. The study suggests that Jesus and his disciples used the drug to carry out miraculous healings.

The anointing oil used by Jesus and his disciples contained an ingredient called kaneh-bosem which has since been identified as cannabis extract, according to an article by Chris Bennett in the drugs magazine, High Times, entitled Was Jesus a Stoner? The incense used by Jesus in ceremonies also contained a cannabis extract, suggests Mr Bennett, who quotes scholars to back his claims.

"There can be little doubt about a role for cannabis in Judaic religion," Carl Ruck, professor of classical mythology at Boston University said.

Referring to the existence of cannabis in anointing oils used in ceremonies, he added: "Obviously the easy availability and long-established tradition of cannabis in early Judaism _ would inevitably have included it in the [Christian] mixtures."

Mr Bennett suggests those anointed with the oils used by Jesus were "literally drenched in this potent mixture _ Although most modern people choose to smoke or eat pot, when its active ingredients are transferred into an oil-based carrier, it can also be absorbed through the skin".

Quoting the New Testament, Mr Bennett argues that Jesus anointed his disciples with the oil and encouraged them to do the same with other followers. This could have been responsible for healing eye and skin diseases referred to in the Gospels.

"If cannabis was one of the main ingredients of the ancient anointing oil _ and receiving this oil is what made Jesus the Christ and his followers Christians, then persecuting those who use cannabis could be considered anti-Christ," Mr Bennett concludes.

More etymology by Chris Bennett (mentioned in several of the above videos). I'm still looking for dirt on the Jews.



Part 2 of the Chris Bennett interview

My Hebrew name is Moshe משה (English Moses) often Maish, which would be a nickname. My English name is Michael.

I'm still looking for dirt on the Jews. And all I came up with is the Orthodox guys again.

It’s not an uncommon sight in the East Bay — home of the country’s first cannabis trade school, Oaksterdam University — but an hour later Green is doing something a bit more out of character for the Bay Area: He’s wrapping tefillin and davening mincha, the afternoon prayers.

In Northern California, even the religious Jews light up.

Green, 32, is a founding member of Doc Green’s, a medical marijuana collective established by Orthodox Jews, who, like the late kabbalistic rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, believe that cannabis was one of the ingredients in the holy anointing oil described in the Torah.

I used to wrap tefillin and daven mincha when I was a kid. I may still have the tefillin from my youth around somewhere. I'll have to ask the first mate if she put them somewhere.

Anyway I'm tired of looking for dirt on the Jews. It is hard to find. If anyone has a link I'll add it.

I did find this from Above Top Secret.

Aloha. I just bought a book on the advice of a dear friend. In my opinion, it will help to open the big door of cannabis prohibition, once and for all.

The book is Webster's New World Hebrew Dictionary by Hayim Baltsan published in 1992. The ISBN number is 0-671-88991-5. It cost me $18.00 plus tax.

On page 650 there is the definition of 'marijuana'. It says 'kanabos'. The Hebrew word for it is there for all to see.

It's the SAME WORD that appears for the definition of 'hemp' in the Ben-Yehuda Hebrew-English Dictionary on page 140. This book cost me $7.00 plus tax.

Together, these dictionaries help to prove that cannabis - kanebosm - kanabos - is the missing ingredient in the holy anointing oil of Moses and the Christening oil of Jesus.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

The 60s Actually Did Work Until Crony Religionism Killed It

Walter Russel Mead has a post up about The War Against The Young: Warning From Italy and Japan. I left a comment in reply to something we see all too often posted on the 'net.

We know the 1960s didn’t work.

The 60s worked for me. Four kids.

1. Artist
2. Russian Language graduate
3. EE 4th year
4. Chem E. 3rd year

There was a religious revival going on in the 60s that was nipped in the bud by Christian Moralists who didn’t want to see their religion in decline.

Ah. Well. If we can get the moralists off our backs we might actually get back to a place of great faith. Which would be good for all religions.

It would be much better if everyone was talking to the Head Office vice having to listen to ministers preach.

And why did I have 4 children? Well the Head Office told me to. There are many different routes to open your heart to the Maker. People truly interested in religion would not shut off any of them. There is in fact not one way. Only one Maker.

That “No one comes to the Maker except by me” shit has got to go. Because it is a lie. And a religion based on a lie will not prosper.

The 60s in fact was an attempt to corner the market on religion by passing laws (sounds like crony capitalism doesn’t it). It will not last. Or prosper long term. And the end of the long term is at hand. Forty years later.

H/T Instapundit

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Clergy Against The Drug War

Part Two of the video is here.

Reform Jews speak out in favor of Medical Marijuana.

The Union Of American Hebrew Congregations favors Medical Marijuana.

Here is a short bio of one of the participants in the video.

William Martin, Ph.D. taught criminology for 35 years. He has chaired the Department of Sociology and at Rice University and is a Senior Fellow at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy. Bill has written six books, including A Prophet with Honor: The Billy Graham Story. He is writing a book on drug policy for religious and social conservatives. Bill has given hundreds of talks about public policy issues, including drug abuse and drug policy.

H/T commenter Deep Thought on the post Side Effects

Cross Posted at Classical Values

A Matter Of Character

We are just past the the tenth anniversary of the first publication of my article Heroin. By this time it is old news. Medical protocols have changed with respect to illegal drug use (it is now looked on as an attempt at self medication), but we have heard nothing significant on this subject from ANY major or semi-major religion that I'm aware of. Which brings up a little ditty (supported by the facts found by Dr. Lonnie Shavelson and reported in Heroin) that I have been posting around the 'net :

About 70% of female heroin users were sexually abused as children. Why aren't the churches standing up for them and asking that the dogs of war be called off them?

And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

You would think Christians would be extremely sensitive to government abuse of targeted populations. Especially sexually abused women. You would be wrong. And pointing out Christians does not let the others off the hook. I'm at this because so many apologists for Christianity say this is a Christian Nation. If you say so. Which is why I'm not a devotee of any organized religion.

Let me just say that the silence of all (probably an exaggeration) religions in America on this subject is deafening.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Rational Basis

We have rules. Traditional rules.

From Leviticus 10:6

Uncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes; lest ye die, and lest wrath come upon all the people: but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the LORD hath kindled.

From Leviticus 11:7-8

And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you. Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you.

From Leviticus 11:10-11

And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you:They shall be even an abomination unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, but ye shall have their carcases in abomination.

From Leviticus 16:29

And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you:

From Leviticus 19:16

Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour: I am the LORD.

From Leviticus 19:18

Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.

From Leviticus 19:18

Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.

From Leviticus 19:31

Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.

From Leviticus 20:9

For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall be surely put to death: he hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him.

From Leviticus 20:10

And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.

From Leviticus 20:13

If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

From Leviticus 20:27

A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them.

From Leviticus 24:16

And he that blasphemeth the name of the LORD, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name of the LORD, shall be put to death.

From Leviticus 26:1

Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it

From Deuteronomy 22:5

The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment:

From Deuteronomy 22:11

Thou shalt not wear a garment of divers sorts, as of woollen and linen together.

From Deuteronomy 22:22

If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel.

From Deuteronomy 22:28-29

If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, which is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found; Then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel's father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife; because he hath humbled her, he may not put her away all his days.

Can anyone tell me on what rational basis Traditional Values folk pick and choose among those laws and many others? Let me add that the Jewish Religion has evolved since those days so long ago. There is currently no effective murder penalty in Jewish law except for genocide.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Fetish

Irrational traditionalism (we have always done it this way) can be a fetish. An excuse for lack of study and thought. We used to laugh at South Sea Islanders for their Taboos when I was a kid. The idea was so popular they named a perfume after it. And yet we have in politics a very powerful Traditional Values crowd. Let me say that I have nothing intrinsically against those values. But they all ought to be evaluated in terms of current conditions. Is slavery profitable? Only if it doesn't have to compete with machines. Altered conditions change the morality of traditional practices. For better or worse the birth control pill and modern contraception in general plus antibiotics and other STD treatments has changed the effective morality in male/female sexual relations. And let us not leave out warm summer nights and automobiles.

Altered knowledge can also change how we treat others. We are not sure if "gayness" is genetic, eipigenetic, a cultural affectation or a combination of those and other factors. What ever the cause we no longer condemn to death homosexuals. It just doesn't seem right to kill people because of who they have consensual sex with. Prison might be OK though. Kinder and gentler. And burning witches has gone out of favor. Both popular religious practices at various times and places. And you know death for witches is sill in the most popular traditional values book of all time. Who is rewriting these laws without notice?

So the test of any religious/traditional practice should be a rational basis test. And in America I would add a Liberty test. You know Leviticus 25:10:

"Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof" a traditional value that has stood the test of time.

We place no reliance on virgin or pigeon, our method is science our aim is religion. Obviously a not so traditional value that might serve us better than fetishising tradition.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Faith In Force

Punishing sinners. A thankless pass time. A LOT of money in it though.

According to Judeo/Christian philosophy punishing sinners is reserved for the Maker. Punishing disturbers of the peace is allowed.

Where our "religious" friends go off the rails is in conflating the two. Vice may be unseemly. It is not crime. Vice is to be regulated. Crime punished.

You can't stop people from doing damage to their immortal souls - called in some cases "a learning experience". You can create quite a bit of crime by trying to suppress vice though.

Who are the disturbers of the peace?

Well fashions in vice abatement change over time. For a long time in America alcohol was the favored target. Now we have new ones. And even those are on the verge of passing in the next 10 to 20 years. I wonder what/who we will be hating in 2030? Since every society needs something/someone to hate I propose the Andromeda Galaxy. It is sufficiently far away so that it is probably safe for a while.

Of course part of the problem here is the fragmented nature of the hate market. Some hate bankers, some politicians, Jew hatred is coming back to more normal levels, and some people are even so picky as to hate only Democrats or on the other side only Republicans. Such a very interesting dichotomy in America. The Democrats want to force you to do one thing. The Republicans another. They are united in their belief in force. Which is rather far from a belief in the Maker.

Me? Like any human I have my petty hatreds. I refuse to elevate them to the level of principle.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

They Need Help

My God is so powerful he doesn’t need any boosting from government.

It is the weak gods that give us all the trouble. Always needing government help.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

The Eternal Truths Of Religion

Villainous Company is looking at some studies on the effect of daycare on children. And comes up with this stunner:

It's amusing, in a way, to see the very same arguments being arrayed against Science that have been used for centuries to argue against Religion. In both cases, essential truths about human nature are too often discarded because they can't be proved beyond the shadow of a doubt.

Yeah. The essential truths of religion. Don't mix milk and meat. Don't mix fibers. If you have sex with a guy (and you are a guy) we will kill you. If you have sex with a guy not your husband we will kill you.

In fact that seems to be the essential truth of religion as practiced. "We will kill you." And given the current rise of the Islamic nutters we forget the essential truth of religion at our peril.

And where did we go wrong? Organized religion. Collectivized religion. If every one had their own religion, religion wouldn't be such a mess. In fact I favor direct talks with God (spirituality) over religion. It is generally safer. And from my experience more comforting. Plus the advice is way better than anything I ever got from a Rabbi. Why would that be? The Rabbi talks to the congregation. God talks to me. i.e. collective advice vs personal advice.

So how do I know I'm talking to God and not the Devil? Well it is a risk. Just like figuring out if the minister is a man of God or of the Devil. At least in my case if I am mistaken it is one man led astray. In the case of the minister it could be whole congregations, ministries, and worst of all whole religions. I'll take my chances with individuals to avoid Extraordinary Popular Delusions and The Madness of Crowds.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

There Are No Atheists

It used to be said that, "There are no atheists in foxholes."

I believe we will be finding out that, "There are no atheists in depressions."

Obama's Mother-In-Law Practices Santeria

Well there are reports. But does it matter? Not a bit. Unless this is some kind of counter spin to the Christine O'Donnell/Witchcraft craziness.

And Santeria? I belonged to one of those groups once. Not exactly traditional Santeria though. It was designed to attract American Wiccans and fans of Aleister Crowley. In Chicago. On Halsted Street. Around 1975. The group had a book/herbal store and the services featured naked dancing girls. On the appropriate holidays.

You know if more Republicans switched to that religion they would have no trouble attracting hormone addled teens to services. Or voters to political rallies. Well among the men and appropriately disposed women anyway.

And if you dig deep, Santeria is sort of a paganism based very loosely on Catholicism. Which is a sort of Christianity loosely based on paganism rather than being a Christianity true to its Jewish roots. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

Well I knew some Christians once who celebrated all the major Jewish holidays and especially Passover. Those people had the right idea. Time to get back to the old time religion. These days? I’m mostly Jewish with a little Aleister Crowley thrown in for spice. It suits me. Any way the Hebrew comes in real handy when studying Crowley. Who might be considered something of a Kabbalist. The give away is the copious Hebrew in his book 777 And Other Qabalistic Writings of Aleister Crowley: Including Gematria & Sepher Sephiroth.Not for beginners. But very interesting. It is kind of a pagan Connections. Without all the explanatory text.

And my politics? I'm a libertarian Republican. Unless the Republicans piss me off. In such circumstances I might go so far as to vote for a Communist like Obama. In fact in 2004 I did vote for Obama.

Amazon has a few pages of books on Santeria.Should you need some more bedtime reading.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Separation

Leave the matter of religion to the family altar, the church, and the private school, supported entirely by private contributions. Keep the church and state forever separate. - Ulysses S. Grant

I believe Grant was a Republican. I wonder if he could get elected these days.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Dual Loyalties

Jews get accused a LOT of dual-loyalties. America AND Israel. Eric of Classical Values sent me a link to this url which shows it is Worse Than We Thought for some Christians.

Are you a Christian first and an American second?

Or an American first and a Christian second?

Do you take your marching orders from God or the constitution?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker
I am a Christian American. I love my county but my God is more important. If the constitution contridits the Bible i guess i will have to break the law. please to not think that i hate my country...i am very patriotic! I JUST LOVE JESUS MORE. :]

Of course that is not the only dual loyalty around. Some people have a commitment to Theft by the State - commonly referred to as Socialism - over the Constitution. And a lot of those don't even claim to be patriotic, in fact just the opposite. They see patriotism as an impediment.

I'll take the patriots. Even if they have dual loyalties.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Matters Of Faith

Wretchard at Belmont Club is having a discussion of the nature of faith prompted by an Obama speech Honoring the Fort Hood dead. Faith is an interesting thing. An engineer labors on because he has faith that questions will turn into answers. And not just any answers. Answers good enough to earn a profit. That severely limits the solution space. We see the same thing in farmers. They have to believe that they can steer around unpredictable obstacles well enough to harvest a crop and make a profit. Faith is an every day thing for that kind of business. But it is an uncertain faith. Sometimes faith is unwarranted. Difficult business that.

Well a few words on the subject:

I have always liked Hunter S. Thompson’s Commentary on Faith.

I wouldn’t recommend sex, drugs or insanity for everyone, but they’ve always worked for me. Hunter S. Thompson

I will admit it is not a religion suitable for children.

God and I have a special relationship. I believe God exists and that c********* had better straighten up and fly right or I’m going to kick some serious arse when I get a holt of the summabitch.

Of course I really don’t need faith. God talks to me every day. Or it could just be my mild schizophrenia.

You want mild schizophrenia to help you? Lower the filters. You know, be born again. Stop making so much internal noise. Replace it with external noise. Because there is signal hidden in that noise. All true religion consists of teaching you how to be born again. Being the technical geniuses we are in the West some day we will invent a pill. Maybe we could call it TFW. Temporary Filter Wipe.

So what is the value of faith? It gets you to labor on, despite the fact that there is no objective way out of the current difficulties. Faith overcomes depression. And sometimes that extra effort is enough to get you out of the mess. Or it gives you something to do until the solution arrives. Survival advantages. And it doesn't need much advantage to make faith propagate - genetically if not by word of mouth.

H/T RD in the comments at Find God Or Your Money Back

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Find God Or Your Money Back

I have an atheist (nominally anyway) commenter who often argues that God is necessary for the maintenance of culture and civilization. Andrew Klavan makes the same point in a very humorous way.

Now I'm not a big fan of organized religion. Why should I be? God talks directly to me. And so far the advice has been all good (like "start a family you idiot" - something I put off until I was 38). Of course it could just be my mild schizophrenia talking. But the advice has been uniformly good. Well any way just do the sitting for ten minutes a day for 60 days that Klavan suggest (and you don't have to pray out loud - silence works better for some). What could it hurt? And maybe some time in that sixty days your schizophrenia will give you some good advice. Of course when listening you should beware of imposters. You know, the kind that tell you to go out and kill infidels or some such.

Church And State

I got a really interesting comment to my post at Classical Values: A Libertine Speaks.

Even though I spent many years active in the Church, preaching and having a music ministry, once I got old enough to realize I didn't have all the answers, I didn't want any church elders having influence in law. Law should only be about not directly harming others, and nothing else.

The problem with imposing values is that when someone says "God told me this is the right thing to do" you can't argue with it. They've invoked the ultimate authority and don't think they have to even listen to opposing viewpoints. Calvin, who is STILL considered an authority, had people murdered for disagreeing with him. Almost every Christian church old enough has blood on its hands.

I've been active in quite enough churches to see first hand the jealousy and conflicting values. My music was more modern, and some Christians said "I feel the Spirit" and others said "I feel Satan in this why did you do this". They weren't both right, but both think they know God enough to use the Law to force people to live according to their own set of values.

Paul even told the early church in Corinthians to stop arguing over less important matters.

Jesus spent his whole time WITH the "sinners", not lecturing them or judging them.

We've already seen what the world looks like when the Church runs it, no one wants to go back to that.

plutosdad · October 29, 2009 03:05 PM

I have nothing to add.

Well actually I do have something to add. Eric at Classical Values documents some people who do want to go back to a time when the church ran the world as it still does in some places.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Correcting Their Stance?

The American Physical Society is reviewing their stance on the issue of man made global warming.

Petitioning for a revised statement on climate change

By S. Fred Singer, Hal Lewis, Will Happer, Larry Gould, Roger Cohen & Robert H. Austin

We write in response to your issue discussing “the coming climate crunch”, including the Editorial ‘Time to act‘ (Nature 458, 10771078; 2009). We feel it is alarmist.

We are among more than 50 current and former members of the American Physical Society (APS) who have signed an open letter to the APS Council this month, calling for a reconsideration of its November 2007 policy statement on climate change (see open letter at this link; APS statement at this link). The letter proposes an alternative statement, which the signatories believe to be a more accurate representation of the current scientific evidence. It requests that an objective scientific process be established, devoid of political or financial agendas, to help prevent subversion of the scientific process and the intolerance towards scientific disagreement that pervades the climate issue.

On 1 May 2009, the APS Council decided to review its current statement via a high-level subcommittee of respected senior scientists. We applaud this decision. It is the first such reappraisal by a major scientific professional society that we are aware of, and we hope it will lead to meaningful change that reflects a more balanced view of climate-change issues

Dissension in the ranks? Is the consensus breaking down? Is scepticism becoming respectable in science again? I sure hope the answer to the last question is: Yes! Because without scepticism science is not science, it is religion. A religion known as scientism.

H/T Simen Thoresen via e-mail

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Politics Bad For Religion

Michael Gerson in a preview of the forthcoming book "American Grace: How Religion Is Reshaping Our Civic and Political Lives" by Robert Putnam and David Campbell, has this to say:

The politicization of religion by the religious right, argues Putnam, caused many young people in the 1990s to turn against religion itself, adopting the attitude: "If this is religion, I'm not interested."

And this is a surprise? Well Jesus would not have been surprised. Evidently among wide swaths of so called Christians Jesus is no longer with us.