With The Feel Of Death’s Breath Upon Our Napes, What Tales We Spin

Cross posted @ God Is 4 Suckers!

That quarter of the year is upon us now: when Fall’s chill threatens Winter’s white cold, and the snow and darkness remind us of our mortality.

As we are the creatures who are self-aware, and from that springs our awareness that each of us will end some day, we as a species draw strange maps of nowhere, calling upon vague shadows to hear our supplications, and some among us will lay claim to that most ephemeral of claims, the mantle of immortality.

In some ways, it is to be expected. We see our loved ones pass – we watch also the passage of strangers and acquaintances alike. It is a foible, this superstition that we tell our neural pathways, this insistence that we should rise, become some other, wisps of energy to be reunited by other wisps, to whisper to those that have gone before, and say hello, I’ve missed you sorely, and that the pain of passage is assuaged, we are all together now, as it should be.

It is also only human, to hope for a redress of the grievances visited upon us by others in this short-lived life, and to imagine there are reckonings amid the shadows and dark places.

Such are the banes of consciousness. The human animal perceives that there’s a beginning to its life, and after some years, an end. But also observes that many things in nature run in cycles, and deludes itself that there’s some cyclic undercurrent as to the state of consciousness, and sees also the inherent unfairness of having learned so very many things, and the knowledge ending upon death. (Of course this can be passed on to others of the pack, but still, it seems unjust.)

So it is the onset of winter that our (some of us blatantly, others subliminally) thoughts may turn to ending. We see the four season in ourselves, microcosmically: spring as birth, summer as youth, fall as middle age, winter as dotage.

As the animal who perceives, we spin tales, we construct elaborate rituals and dances, some of us dancing widdershins upon the heath and jump the bonfire and telling old rumors like true stories, others among us hide within stone walls and sackcloth and print voluminous tomes that recount badly remembered cautionary tales from another age, and yet others unfold and create metaphorical origami that is pleasant to the ear and the mind’s eye but anachronistic and of little use in reality.

And to forestall the inevitable end, we build cathedrals and monuments and graveyards and mausoleums to the beloved dead, and useless monks intone futile hymns to the unproven afterlife, in hopes of shoring up some form of invisible capital like karmic interest, and preparing a road where none lay.

Life is precious, and its passing sadness. But denying death and claiming life everlasting has led to naught but madness.

While there is no soul, life is good, there is no hole in us that cannot be filled by ourselves. We are all stardust dancing in this cloak of flesh, and the loss of the supernatural is a boon to the heart, and we dance, awkwardly or with grace, to the end, smiling, for life has been good for it has been there, and the inevitable quiet is to be embraced and not feared, for a human end should be soft and calm and good, to be painless it is hoped, and a life fully lived need not be shot through with regrets.

I hope your Halloween was a happy one, and may all your tricks be kind ones, and all your treats be pleasant both before and after.

Till the next post, then.

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A Halloween Robot Chicken Classic - “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!”

So I can finally post this on Halloween (it’s not been available the last few years) – Happy Halloween!

Best lines:

"It's always that wah wah wah crap"
"I said strong christian overtones"
"Meet the Kite Eating Tree, you ugly son of a bitch!"

Enjoy.

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Cage Match! Score: Karate 1 – Jesus, Zero

For those of you who haven’t seen this viral video, it’s set in a McDojo in the 80’s, where apparently (according to the news story) a mentally ill fellow came in, and wanted to try out some moves he ‘learned from Jesus’.

‘Turning the cheek’ is decidedly not a martial arts move. I haven’t seen the full video (hard to come by), but it looks like some sort of ‘kick school’ nonsense, which is fairly common the world over. The news report states that the victim says ‘he doesn’t want to fight’, but it’s too fast and burbled to make out. It also happened in the 80’s, when items like insurance, injury, and other modern sensibilities for an MA school weren’t a concern. That’s not condoning the behavior, that’s an observation.

Nobody knows if the fellow that was dragged out was still alive or not. Regardless, that wasn’t a dojo, it was a training camp for vicious guard dogs. Shameful.

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Tuesday Funny: Mr. Deity

Favorite line: ‘You’re punking me!”

Enjoy.

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Allegories Gone Wild – Superiority Is Only Skin Deep…

Cross posted @ God Is 4 Suckers!

For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass.  - Ezra 9:2

An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the LORD for ever: – Deuteronomy 23-3

Of the myriad metaphorical monsters spewed forth from the womb of that old whore Christianity, there are few that are quite as odious or repugnant as the concept of the ‘holy race’. There can be no viler concept than that of race trumping rights, no greater kindling for the flames of xenophobia, no more irrational excuse for bloodletting and the horrific crime of subjugating one’s fellow man (or woman) than that worst of crimes, racism.

A major dominionist sect named Christian Identity are a group of mental pygmies who envision themselves (representing the white race) as a ‘holy race’:

The term "Christian Identity" has two distinct meanings:

Anglo-Israelism (a.k.a. British-Israelism): A theological belief that the Anglo-Saxon, Celtic, Scandinavian, Germanic and associated cultures are the racial descendents of the tribes of Israel. Thus, by extension, Americans and Canadians, are composed of the descendents of the ancient Israelites of the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament).

Racist, Christian-based faith groups: A number of small, extremely conservative Fundamentalist Christian denominations which have accepted Anglo-Israelism, and grafted it to racist, sexist, anti-communist and homophobic beliefs. They view the Jewish people as descendants of Satan. Followers tend to be involved in political movements opposing gun control, equal rights to gays and lesbians, and militia movements.

It is this sort of madness that makes me so virulently anti-bibble.

History:

The Christian Identity movement is a movement of many extremely conservative Christian churches and religious organizations, extreme right wing political groups and survival groups. Some are independent; others are loosely interconnected. According to Professor Michael Barkun, one of the leading experts in the Christian Identity movement, "This virulent racist and anti-Semitic theology, which is practiced by over 50,000 people in the United States alone, is prevalent among many right wing extremist groups and has been called the 'glue' of the racist right."

What is truly brain-dead, is the fact that they owe their ‘theology’ to actual ancient Semites, specifically the Israelites.

The largest Christian Identity movement has traditionally been the Ku Klux Klan which was reorganized in 1915 by William Simmons, a Christian pastor. He had been inspired by the film The Birth of a Nation which portrayed the KKK as a champion of white civilization. The KKK slid into obscurity by the second World War, but was revitalized in the mid 1950's as a reaction to enforced racial integration in the southern US.

That the CI is connected to the genetic rubbish of the pinheads of KKK is of no surprise.

And yes, the FBI has files on these people. A simple scan is enough to curdle the blood:

Quoting the FBI's Megiddo Report on domestic terrorism:

"Wesley Swift is considered the single most significant figure in the early years of the Christian Identity movement in the United States. He popularized it in the right-wing by 'combining British-Israelism, a demonic anti-Semitism, and political extremism.'  He founded his own church in California in the mid 1940s where he could preach this ideology. In addition, he had a daily radio broadcast in California during the 1950s and 60s, through which he was able to proclaim his ideology to a large audience. With Swift’s efforts, the message of his church spread, leading to the creation of similar churches throughout the country. In 1957, the name of his church was changed to The Church of Jesus Christ Christian, which is used today by Aryan Nations (AN) churches."

Such is the price of free speech – it does not guarantee lucidity of mind.

"One of Swift’s associates, William Potter Gale, was far more militant than Swift and brought a new element to Christian Identity churches. He became a leading figure in the anti-tax and paramilitary movements of the 1970s and 80s. There are numerous Christian Identity churches that preach similar messages and some espouse more violent rhetoric than others, but all hold fast to the belief that Aryans are God’s chosen race."

Other current organizations which follow Christian Identity beliefs are: American Nazi Party; Aryan Nations; Church of Jesus Christ Christian, Aryan Nations; Confederate Hammerskins; Jubilee, National Association for the Advancement of White People; The Order; radical modern offshoots of the original Posse Comitatus; Scriptures for America, White Aryan Resistance (WAR) and White Separatist Banner. Many small groups fade in and out of existence frequently.

There is no doubt that these folks would gladly espouse dominionism. And of course, like all crazed cultists, they too embrace an ‘Armageddon’:

"Christian Identity also believes in the inevitability of the end of the world and the Second Coming of Christ. It is believed that these events are part of a cleansing process that is needed before Christ’s kingdom can be established on earth. During this time, Jews and their allies will attempt to destroy the white race using any means available. The result will be a violent and bloody struggle -- a war, in effect -- between God’s forces, the white race, and the forces of evil, the Jews and nonwhites. Significantly, many adherents believe that this will be tied into the coming of the new millennium."

(Points finger to head, rotating index finger, whistling.)

"The view of what Armageddon will be varies among Christian Identity believers. Some contend there will be a race war in which millions will die; others believe that the United Nations, backed by Jewish representatives of the anti-Christ, will take over the country and promote a New World Order. One Christian Identity interpretation is that white Christians have been chosen to watch for signs of the impending war in order to warn others. They are to then physically struggle with the forces of evil against sin and other violations of God’s law (i.e., race-mixing and internationalism); many will perish, and some of God’s chosen will be forced to wear the Mark of the Beast to participate in business and commerce. After the final battle is ended and God’s kingdom is established on earth, only then will the Aryan people be recognized as the one and true Israel."

As this will never happen, it’s easy to see how this sort of group dynamic becomes a powder-keg.

"Christian Identity adherents believe that God will use his chosen race as his weapons to battle the forces of evil. Christian Identity followers believe they are among those chosen by God to wage this battle during Armageddon and they will be the last line of defense for the white race and Christian America. To prepare for these events, they engage in survivalist and paramilitary training, storing foodstuffs and supplies, and caching weapons and ammunition. They often reside on compounds located in remote areas."

What is even more frightening, is that like-minded zealots have been forming ties – the enemy of my enemy is my friend, and all that. For some more eye-popping rhetoric:

"We are going to build the Kingdom of our God on this continent if we have to turn it into a Bosnia first! Death may find you in front of your one-eyed church of Satan or in the filthy bingo parlors where you worship your devil god, but be sure that you will not escape the consuming fire that is the real baptism of the Holy Ghost, The God of Racial Israel.

‘One-eyed church’? Or more to the stupidity – BINGO PARLORS?!? Are you kidding me?

That an evolutionary by-product, perceiving the different as dangerous, has become so twisted into xenophobic hatred, is heart-breaking.

And that this sort of mental rabidity still flourishes, is a sad testament to what little progress we as a species has made. It enrages the hearts of those of us cursed with empathy, it belittles the dignity of Man, it smears the monuments of progress with offal, it threatens to benight us with the ignorance of mental rubbish.

It is to weep.

Till the next post, then.

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Tuesday Funny – Extras

This series only went two seasons – but it had some extremely funny moments. It stars Ricky Gervais as Andy Millman. The funny bits were eye-squeezers, but sometimes the moments of rank cruelty were over the top. For instance, Rick’s had his script approved, they’re producing his sitcom, and he whines to David Bowie about how everybody keep messing about with his ‘baby’. Bowie improvs a song calling him a whiny fat loser there in the bar. Not terribly amusing, more painful. Then there are moments like these:

Enjoy.

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Allegories Gone Wild – Weapons Of War In A Quiver Of…Love?

Cross posted @ God Is 4 Suckers!

Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him.
Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth.
Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate. – Psalms 127 3-5

One of the scarier movements is the Quiverfull movement. These people truly frighten me. If you watch the video from this article, you’d think, “Oh wait – but they seem to be such nice, religious people”.  (Yeah, right, as if religion improves people.)

Families with more than 10 children are becoming the norm among a group of traditionalist US Christians. The so-called Quiverfull families believe they are carrying out God's work, and providing a new generation of moral leaders. .

The way Psalm 127 talks about children has an almost military sound.

It describes them as "an inheritance, and arrows in the hands of a mighty warrior," adding, "happy is he whose quiver is full of them".

The standard apologist’s excuse would likely be, that this is in a ‘metaphorical sense’.

Many Quiverfull families do indeed sense looming battles for Christians, and often see their children as potential future leaders in fighting them.

Or potential cannon fodder. Remember, the religion is hierarchal by nature?

Rev James McDonald has 10 children, aged between four and 26 - an extraordinary fertility motivated by obedience to the Bible.

So, my question is – if this clown McDonald were infertile, would they be hitting the fertility clinic?  Would that make any kids conceived in that manner the ‘Snowflake Brigade’? “All in the valley of death rode the in vitro six hundred”?

"We believe that they are blessings… to be raised up in the worship of the Lord and they will be used by him in whatever way God will call them, to fulfill the Great Commission which we find in Matthew Chapter 28," he said.

And all it takes is one loon who knows how to re-interpret the wholly bibble to suit his/her ‘needs’ to turn the sheep into ravening wolves.

I’ll skip to the bottom:

Quiverfull families insist that the government cannot fix America's problems, but that their children could.

And to illustrate this with a proper counterpoint, here’s a review of Quiverfull: Inside the Christian Patriarchy Movement, of which I will quote selected highlights:

I can’t forgive the Christian patriarchy movement subjects of this superbly crafted and deeply troubling new book, for their bad faith, cognitive dissonance, and behavioral misdeeds carry heavy consequences. Whether or not they know what they’re doing remains an open question. Kathryn Joyce’s gripping new account, Quiverfull: Inside the Christian Patriarchy Movement, is about Christians who want literally to take over and remake the world by outbreeding everyone else, warping the minds of school-children, justifying bigotry with transparent illogic, and systematically denying civil rights. That most of the violence is committed quietly and privately against women and girls, most of whom accede to it with joy and penitence, will give even the most devoutly and egalitarian Christian reader pause. “Forgive them for they know not what they do.” Christian patriarchy movement members who feel imperiled by Jews, lesbians, Muslims, atheists, gay males, feminists, foreigners, and the less fecund seem conveniently to have forgotten these words.

A nice big heaping helping of xenophobia. Why am I not surprised in the least?

The book’s twenty chapters are divided into three gendered parts—“Wives,” “Mothers,” and “Daughters”—in each of which Joyce deftly explores the bizarre ideology and political-economy of feminine subservience. The resulting dystopian communities in real-time and on-line in cyber-space rival those depicted in novels such as Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid's Tale, George Orwell’s 1984, and Sinclair Lewis’s It Can't Happen Here. This ain’t fiction, however. As befitting their understanding and practice of “complementarian theology,” as opposed to the alleged unnaturalness and godlessness of egalitarian gender relations, men and women in the Christian patriarchy movement believe equally (but differently) in the inherent inferiority of Eve (the Original Sin), females (on biological and spiritual grounds), Jezebel (in terms of sex) and women (who have hearts and minds). Sisters are in the process brainwashed into becoming meek and quiet supporters of their brothers, wives are instructed to remain sexually available to their husbands 24/7 (and forego any contraception), and mothers who don’t home-school their children commit them to Satan. Insofar as submissive females require degradation—the more public, the better—virtually every page is painful to read.

And gender biased – even gender bashing. ‘Unconditional love’ my homesick ass.

From another review:

Knowing that exposure to the wider world will be a serious temptation toward apostasy, Quiverfull families have crafted a totalistic environment that completely cocoons their kids off from influences their parents deem harmful.  This cocooning, for the girls at least, lasts a lifetime.  As children they are taught to shun the “feminist” message of self-actualization and instead, in the words of the Botkin sisters, to recognize that “we have no selves that are worth being loyal to.”  Girls are the property of their fathers until their fathers pass them to their husbands, sometimes even with a bridal price involved.

In my opinion, this is exemplary of the inherent problems of the obtuse and anachronistic religion called Christianity. It stimulates what I term a ‘servant culture’ – everyone’s a servant of some invisible patriarch, and being a hierarchy, and seeing as there are no instructions forthcoming from said mythological hierarch, it falls to whoever is viewed to be next in line. And usually it’s male, and whoever shouts the loudest, the most coherently (subjectively speaking), and the most enthusiastic, usually gets the vote. Let’s not forget the mob rule.

And the scariest point? Is that they intend to outnumber us – because in war, it’s hard to beat interlocked mass waves of infantry. Harder still when they’re loaded to the gills with endorphins.

The better question is, how to fight this? Education, of course. But then, there are some folks who refuse to learn different.

Scary thought, that.

Till the next post, then.

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