Revenge Religion
. . . because the wrath of God is not sufficient: He/She/It does not hate hard enough. In the case of the Father (in Christianity), why did he reveal himself in Jesus of Nazareth instead of John of Patmos? Doesn’t he understand humankind – our inability to repent? Too many of us don’t even know we need to; we don’t even know we are sinning. The book of sins, a sort of Leviticus, let’s say, isn’t thick enough. It needs to be elaborated several times over with particular attention to sexual sins and failures of obedience. It needs to consider not only our deeds, it should delve into our thoughts, and it should prescribe punishments that are swift and sure and painful. Some sins, it needs to tell us, are unforgivable.
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crabbiolio@gmail.com
to G Stephens <gasparthegreat@whatmail.edu>
You asked about our weather. The snow is already six inches deep and still whirling down, thickening the air. Its white is like the black of night. Both seek to cover everything. Only you can, as your eyes adjust, see through the darkness. There is a kindness about the dark. It may not be intentional, but it is there. About the white, there is none.flathead
screwdriver
Have you read The Anomaly? By Hervé Tellier. It won a Goncourt Prize. It took much too long to get started, three-quarters of it was chapter one. Then, suddenly, there are these French intellectuals discussing on French TV, and one of them says something like something you wrote some time ago: “We want a way of conceiving the world without reexamining our values.” It was in a preface to something someone had written about politics and religion.
I didn’t read the book, but the argument of your preface went something like this. We all want the world to conform to our expectations. What distinguishes the arrogant from the humble (and all elites and fundamentalist preachers are arrogant, their “humility” is utter pretense; moreover, they know it) – what distinguishes the arrogant from the humble is that the arrogant want to impose their expectations on as many of everyone else as they imagine they can; and their imaginations are as large as their ambitions are as large as their egos. The humble, on the other hand, would at most only like occasionally to speak – not that they expect anyone to listen. In one moment, they hope someone might; in the next, they realize that that hope is ludicrous. In that moment, they may actually reexamine their expectations, even their values; but they can’t see around or beyond them, nor do they see others to embrace. So, they give themselves a pass. They go for a walk or look for something on Netflix.
The discussion in The Anomaly set me thinking about arrogant and humble religion. The writer of The Apocalypse was certainly among the arrogant. But Jesus – I humbly believe – was among the humble. He did have an audience, but he never expected to convince any of them. Why were they following if they weren’t listening? Some pretended to, almost convincingly, but none did.
Where am I going with this? Help me out.
_______________________________________
gasparthegreat@whatmail.edu
to T Riich <crabbiolio@gmail.com>
I am sorry about the snow. I know you find it abominable. (Did you see what I did there?) Are you sure it’s something I wrote that you’re thinking about?
_______________________________________
crabbiolio@gmail.com
to G Stephens <gasparthegreat@whatmail.edu>
Yes. I found the book, Politics or Ethics? by Giles Hircum-Juvenis. In the second section of your preface, you wandered a bit off track to take on “the pharisees,” a term I’m told we should now avoid, even in lower case. Though, what is a good alternative? – not “hypocrites,” who would have us believe they respect the law but do not. No, we want to describe those that revere the law too much. “Idolaters”?
_______________________________________
gasparthegreat@whatmail.edu
to T Riich <crabbiolio@gmail.com>
Legalists? Most are idolaters as well. And interested in revenge if at all possible.
01.17.22
to be continued
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