A very apt description illustrating our escape from Plato's cave where shadows are the accepted reality and subsequently returning and trying in earnest to explain it to others. It often feels like I've escaped the cave only to land on a deserted island. I feel in good company here with other deserters and like-minded people.
What has helped me come to terms with the oneness of our experience is Daniel Dennett’s explanation of dualism and its warping of our perceptions and what we hold to be true.
I was so programmed with the mind/body/ spirit fallacy that decoupling and deconstruction took me many moons.
The calamity of Christianity is the emergence of a world wide bureaucracy telling us all that we’re doing it wrong and then burdening the simple message in dictated rituals and demands for obedience to them rather than to the actual message.
Remarkable essay, thank you so much for this. A concept of the Divine (to capitalize or not to capitalize divine, I do not know)as feminine is the easiest way to release the ideology that "evil" must be punished. I am liking the idea that shifting to Love will change the outcome of...well, everything. We get caught up in anger and retribution, it is a plague that we can end. Let's. ❤️💐
Thank you Jules! The problem of attributing the divine to human ideology is also deeply problematic. It makes us stop questioning and then we instantly get into trouble.
They only bring those parts up when they try to argue the Bible was meant to help humanity. Unfortunately the concepts of healing the sick and feeding the poor are never seen as the basis for legal policy.
Please read and share my contemporary fantasy novel based on my real experience as a disabled person who grew up under religious oppression that attributed my disability to God's punishment for my unknown sins. The character embarks on a journey to overcome the theft of democracy by white Christian nationalists and to find ways to create a practical utopia. Farlop Finds His Way. https://billtrzeciak.substack.com/p/farlop-finds-his-way-prologue
Thank you for your always remarkably humane perspective, Walter.
Lately, I try to ameliorate my despair for the many that suffer, seemingly everywhere these days, with false bravado, grit, and determined fury. And then you offer a daily gift that demonstrates a beautifully worthy mien offered through your writing and I then think and feel better. If only more had access... Billions of humans have needlessly suffered from the poisons infused into us by religious authoritarians, and that in of itself is mind boggling. I feel the change in attitude towards rejecting 'religion' happening oh so slowly in my sub-urban, more educated existence, but the so-called heartland of America, where ever that is, so far, is having none of it. Please keep up your truly good works.
Thank you! Your words are very kind and they help to keep me going as well. Little by little I think we're becoming closer to identifying the problem. Implementing the solution should prove to be easier :)
So good sir! Very insightful…….Debt really is the tie that binds us. Original sin was a construct of Paul. And Paul was more about political control and power than saving our souls. It’s a very crooked system:Krivda
Very interesting. My study of what Jesus actually said in Aramaic (contrary to popular belief among right wing Christians, he did not speak 16th century English!) leads me to believe that he did not, in fact, consider people inherently bad. When Jesus talks about “sin,” the terminology he uses is more to the effect of acting “unripely,” doing something that is not suited to the situation or time it is being done, or being entangled by circumstances that result in our making a negative choice. Certainly we all do that! The church has mistranslated and misused a great deal to its advantage in causing people to feel they are bad and sinful - and, surprise! thus in need of the church for forgiveness or penance. Francis of Assisi was a great believe in original innocence - and all creation as brother and sister. I think that is much more in the spirit of Jesus himself, who generally lifted people up and told them they had worth. Unfortunately, I don’t see the church welcoming modern scholarship that says, “Wait! That’s not what Jesus meant at all!” Enjoyed reading your perspective!
I have saved this writing for myself. And the last comment you made about taking the words of Jesus in the same vein as Plato or Socrates. I am a follower of Jesus. I'm also a follower of plenty of others. I don't need Jesus to be my savior when I die. And I'm not sure that he died for my sins anymore than Martin Luther King, Jr. did. But what I have learned from him does save me everyday. Without it I am lost and living in hell. I think there are very many incorrect statements in the Bible. They're absolutely has to be because it contradicts itself over and over again. So yes take words attributed to Jesus, like Plato, Socrates, Gandhi, Mandela, Tolstoy, or like Walter Rhein, or anyone else. Be skeptical but don't throw the baby out with the bath water. Hold on to what is good, ditch the rest, and even fight it if you need to.
So true..... original sin and primacy of humans are the first of billions of religious lies, manipulations and justfication for mass murder and enslavement. F.... the patriarchal religious institutions..imho🌏🙏
I do believe that inherent sin is flawed, but I do think everyone does sin at some point in their lives. That being said, sin does not look like what most people think it does. People sin when people cause harm to themselves or others, and God hates sin because sin hurts people.
I don't believe Jesus died in our place to protect us from the wrath of God, I also don't think there is evidence of this biblically. But more like Jesus showed us better ways of living didn't give into evil and fought against sinful systems of this world like prejudice and oppression and beckoned it. Jesus took the worst the world had to offer (to the point of death) and then showed us it can be defeated.
I don't think Christianity is the problem, but rather Christianity that looks nothing like Christ and Christ's teachings... Good writing though. I thoroughly enjoyed your perspective
I don't sin. I think it's really important to contain the concept of sin to yourself, if Christianity is your religion. If you accuse other people of sinning, you're infringing on their right to religious freedom. Sin is not part of my belief system, so don't impose it on me. I think our society will be in a better place when this is more widely understood.
This is a really good article. The thing that caused me to slightly pause is where it says "words of christ", etc.. It's because I believe that christianity was intentionally misinterpreted. The "paying the price" & "born in sin" is from taking stories from the old testament literally. Maybe I'm wrong about it being taken literally, but I do know that Constantine threw out quite a few books from the bible that didn't conform to "their" teachings. They wanted to control the masses, so we can't have them thinking they don't need the church or that women have any role other than being subservient to men.
The rest of it is very eye-opening & it does explain their behavior. They're no match for propagandist of the Reich wing, after being brainwashed by the church. You could say they were primed to be MAGA slaves.
Everybody thinks that it’s misinterpreted, but that’s the excuse that prevents us from seeing the flaws. The issue is this idea of seeing the divine in human form. That prevents us from questioning and getting better. If we said, “Plato said some good things, but it is flawed because his perception was incomplete” nobody objects. If you say the same things about the teachings of Christ, people object. That’s a problem. We have to recognize that all teachings are flawed, otherwise we blame people and that leads to suffering.
Ok, but historically speaking, Constantine did throw out many books in the bible. They have misinterpreted it, so I would take it with a grain of salt. I think it is the nature of humanity to make mistakes & live by them.
The teachings of christ, or the “interpreted” teachings of christ? This is starting to feel like semantics to me. I don’t want to cross the rubicon of spirituality & get into philosophy. Some teachings are more flawed than others.
I don't think Christianity contrived to bring authoritarianism to America. But I do think the authoritarianism of some Christians is illustrative of the kinds of Christians who emigrated to your country (we don't have this kind of electioneering over here). Personally, I think it's a remnant from the days of slavery, when "Do as your told" was the standard response to any lip, followed by a lynching.
A very apt description illustrating our escape from Plato's cave where shadows are the accepted reality and subsequently returning and trying in earnest to explain it to others. It often feels like I've escaped the cave only to land on a deserted island. I feel in good company here with other deserters and like-minded people.
I'm glad you connected this to Plato's cave. That's wonderful!
Profound yet clear.
What has helped me come to terms with the oneness of our experience is Daniel Dennett’s explanation of dualism and its warping of our perceptions and what we hold to be true.
I was so programmed with the mind/body/ spirit fallacy that decoupling and deconstruction took me many moons.
The calamity of Christianity is the emergence of a world wide bureaucracy telling us all that we’re doing it wrong and then burdening the simple message in dictated rituals and demands for obedience to them rather than to the actual message.
Most humans have no idea what The Golden Rule is. It's simplicity is sublime, and ignored.
Yes
Remarkable essay, thank you so much for this. A concept of the Divine (to capitalize or not to capitalize divine, I do not know)as feminine is the easiest way to release the ideology that "evil" must be punished. I am liking the idea that shifting to Love will change the outcome of...well, everything. We get caught up in anger and retribution, it is a plague that we can end. Let's. ❤️💐
Thank you Jules! The problem of attributing the divine to human ideology is also deeply problematic. It makes us stop questioning and then we instantly get into trouble.
Maude, from the old movie "Harold and Maude", said, "how people dearly love a cage." That truth hurts my heart.
They missed the part in the Bible where it said the meek and the peacemakers were the ones to be blessed, not their kind.
They only bring those parts up when they try to argue the Bible was meant to help humanity. Unfortunately the concepts of healing the sick and feeding the poor are never seen as the basis for legal policy.
As George Carlin said, “Religion is B…S…”
The word creation implies that there is a Creator. Thus, I don't use that word to reference our world. 🌎
Fair
Please read and share my contemporary fantasy novel based on my real experience as a disabled person who grew up under religious oppression that attributed my disability to God's punishment for my unknown sins. The character embarks on a journey to overcome the theft of democracy by white Christian nationalists and to find ways to create a practical utopia. Farlop Finds His Way. https://billtrzeciak.substack.com/p/farlop-finds-his-way-prologue
Thank you for your always remarkably humane perspective, Walter.
Lately, I try to ameliorate my despair for the many that suffer, seemingly everywhere these days, with false bravado, grit, and determined fury. And then you offer a daily gift that demonstrates a beautifully worthy mien offered through your writing and I then think and feel better. If only more had access... Billions of humans have needlessly suffered from the poisons infused into us by religious authoritarians, and that in of itself is mind boggling. I feel the change in attitude towards rejecting 'religion' happening oh so slowly in my sub-urban, more educated existence, but the so-called heartland of America, where ever that is, so far, is having none of it. Please keep up your truly good works.
Thank you! Your words are very kind and they help to keep me going as well. Little by little I think we're becoming closer to identifying the problem. Implementing the solution should prove to be easier :)
I agree with most of what you have said but I would be careful about that more educated suburban existence versus so-called heartland.
So good sir! Very insightful…….Debt really is the tie that binds us. Original sin was a construct of Paul. And Paul was more about political control and power than saving our souls. It’s a very crooked system:Krivda
Very interesting. My study of what Jesus actually said in Aramaic (contrary to popular belief among right wing Christians, he did not speak 16th century English!) leads me to believe that he did not, in fact, consider people inherently bad. When Jesus talks about “sin,” the terminology he uses is more to the effect of acting “unripely,” doing something that is not suited to the situation or time it is being done, or being entangled by circumstances that result in our making a negative choice. Certainly we all do that! The church has mistranslated and misused a great deal to its advantage in causing people to feel they are bad and sinful - and, surprise! thus in need of the church for forgiveness or penance. Francis of Assisi was a great believe in original innocence - and all creation as brother and sister. I think that is much more in the spirit of Jesus himself, who generally lifted people up and told them they had worth. Unfortunately, I don’t see the church welcoming modern scholarship that says, “Wait! That’s not what Jesus meant at all!” Enjoyed reading your perspective!
The words of Jesus in the same way as the words of Plato or Socrates. They're interesting but deeply flawed.
I have saved this writing for myself. And the last comment you made about taking the words of Jesus in the same vein as Plato or Socrates. I am a follower of Jesus. I'm also a follower of plenty of others. I don't need Jesus to be my savior when I die. And I'm not sure that he died for my sins anymore than Martin Luther King, Jr. did. But what I have learned from him does save me everyday. Without it I am lost and living in hell. I think there are very many incorrect statements in the Bible. They're absolutely has to be because it contradicts itself over and over again. So yes take words attributed to Jesus, like Plato, Socrates, Gandhi, Mandela, Tolstoy, or like Walter Rhein, or anyone else. Be skeptical but don't throw the baby out with the bath water. Hold on to what is good, ditch the rest, and even fight it if you need to.
So true..... original sin and primacy of humans are the first of billions of religious lies, manipulations and justfication for mass murder and enslavement. F.... the patriarchal religious institutions..imho🌏🙏
I do believe that inherent sin is flawed, but I do think everyone does sin at some point in their lives. That being said, sin does not look like what most people think it does. People sin when people cause harm to themselves or others, and God hates sin because sin hurts people.
I don't believe Jesus died in our place to protect us from the wrath of God, I also don't think there is evidence of this biblically. But more like Jesus showed us better ways of living didn't give into evil and fought against sinful systems of this world like prejudice and oppression and beckoned it. Jesus took the worst the world had to offer (to the point of death) and then showed us it can be defeated.
I don't think Christianity is the problem, but rather Christianity that looks nothing like Christ and Christ's teachings... Good writing though. I thoroughly enjoyed your perspective
I don't sin. I think it's really important to contain the concept of sin to yourself, if Christianity is your religion. If you accuse other people of sinning, you're infringing on their right to religious freedom. Sin is not part of my belief system, so don't impose it on me. I think our society will be in a better place when this is more widely understood.
This is a really good article. The thing that caused me to slightly pause is where it says "words of christ", etc.. It's because I believe that christianity was intentionally misinterpreted. The "paying the price" & "born in sin" is from taking stories from the old testament literally. Maybe I'm wrong about it being taken literally, but I do know that Constantine threw out quite a few books from the bible that didn't conform to "their" teachings. They wanted to control the masses, so we can't have them thinking they don't need the church or that women have any role other than being subservient to men.
The rest of it is very eye-opening & it does explain their behavior. They're no match for propagandist of the Reich wing, after being brainwashed by the church. You could say they were primed to be MAGA slaves.
Everybody thinks that it’s misinterpreted, but that’s the excuse that prevents us from seeing the flaws. The issue is this idea of seeing the divine in human form. That prevents us from questioning and getting better. If we said, “Plato said some good things, but it is flawed because his perception was incomplete” nobody objects. If you say the same things about the teachings of Christ, people object. That’s a problem. We have to recognize that all teachings are flawed, otherwise we blame people and that leads to suffering.
Ok, but historically speaking, Constantine did throw out many books in the bible. They have misinterpreted it, so I would take it with a grain of salt. I think it is the nature of humanity to make mistakes & live by them.
The teachings of christ, or the “interpreted” teachings of christ? This is starting to feel like semantics to me. I don’t want to cross the rubicon of spirituality & get into philosophy. Some teachings are more flawed than others.
I don't think Christianity contrived to bring authoritarianism to America. But I do think the authoritarianism of some Christians is illustrative of the kinds of Christians who emigrated to your country (we don't have this kind of electioneering over here). Personally, I think it's a remnant from the days of slavery, when "Do as your told" was the standard response to any lip, followed by a lynching.
Christianity is the model for authoritarianism. It's the worst ideology in history.