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Frankly I've always harbored a certain suspicion of anyone who feels as though they are "God's chosen people". I mean, nothing personal but if you go around believing you can commit any sin, any possible atrocious act against your fellow human or the planet and automatically receive a "get out of jail free card" morally and ethically, you are sadly mistaken grasshopper. Actions always have consequences. Oh and congrats to C-Street hypocrite loser number three.
You see I have an idea that when we separate things as "God is up there" and "we are over or down here" one mentally separates the very creator from creation! What is it that isn't a part of "God" or that we are not part of? It is all interconnected. A living, breathing organism to some, a mutually inclusive shared delusion to others. Or both. Or neither. It's your journey, right?
But to commit crimes, to sin amorally and with avarice with no remorse for one's actions or personal responsibility is to throw the whole creation out of whack, out of balance. One works against one's own best interests this way when in actuality we should all naturally prefer to enjoy happiness, prosperity, comfort and longevity and work together to share and wish the same for ALL of our fellow humans during our mutual short existences upon this planet. Otherwise we only repeat the cycle of suffering if one doesn't realize that each and every one of us, indeed each and every single interconnected molecule has an equal and important role to fill in this crazy clockwork of a world.
Or maybe that's just the the "godless" Buddhist in me talking.
-Laz
(note: I edited this a day later to remove gender from the "remove the creator from his creation..." line. Why? Because attaching a gender to something as ineffable (a most excellent word, by the way) as the concept of 'creator' is about as silly as arguments over what people choose to call this 'creator', this animus, this unknown and perhaps unknowable 'thing'. Personal sensibilities usually allow me to avoid attaching any 'thing-ness' to the ineffable as most occidental religions insist. Frankly it offends those sensibilities that much of the world seems to be too busy staking out, dividing, claiming ownership and fighting long standing bitter wars over what essentially boils down to a mental construct, this ineffable. Cast as something that requires both faith and belief to accept. In their eyes, if you don't have exactly the same faith and belief as them then you are the enemy, which is oh so very wrong headed and counterintuitive to the survival of the human race itself. Whereas discernment might inform one that fluidity of the potentiality of ideas and our ability as humans to manifest compassion directly as ACTION rather than just words is where the balance of our mutual co-existence on this planet should reside. - 7/18/09 12AM***
Updated 7/20/09 6:30PM
More horrifying details of "The Family" came out today in an article by Jeff Sharlet of Salon. The list of politicians associated with the C Street house is practically a laundry list of all the bigots who oppose Obama not because of reasoned argument against any particular policy of the administration but because these people see themselves as Christian warriors on a mission, directly communicated to them by God. I kid you not. The more light that gets shone upon their delusions of grandeur the better. Again, Jesus himself said "the kingdom of heaven is not of this Earth..." -- isn't it about time people like these started listening to the actual words their savior instead of their own pompous egos?
-Laz
I read a very disturbing book quite a few years back, "The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner" by James Hogg, a Scots man born in the 18th Century. It actually haunted me for weeks afterwards - quite why I never could understand at the time. I think I do now though.
ReplyDeleteThinking about it I'd go as far to say that it is one of the best books ever written in Scottish literature. Set in Edinburgh,itself a city of contrasts which is beautifully described, the book is related through the perspective of two story tellers. It examines the dual nature of Robert Wringham, who believes himself to one of the Elect, a person predestined for salvation. As such he believes that he is free to do whatever harm he wishes as he has already been "saved".
I won't give the plot away but can say that the book defies the idea that the answer to a question has one single fundamental answer.
In other words - there is no single truth.
I'm glad Rachel at least keeps highlighting this part of the repub sex scandals and keeps interviewing the writer who "infiltrated" the C Street house...the idea that they are above the laws and owe their first loyalty to the group should be grounds for removal from their various offices. Wanna bet there's more holy shit to come?
ReplyDeleteYep. Plenty more of the "do as we say not as we do" crowd yet to be exposed for their hypocrisy. Better to root them out NOW than when they're already in positions of even greater power. Oh wait. We just had that. Except Dubya and his cronies seemed more interested in war profiteering than any 'sexual politics'.
ReplyDelete-Laz
Great article, Laz. Namaste.
ReplyDeletePlease read this Huffington Post article by Bruce Wilson:
ReplyDeleteLoren Cunningham, who has connections with the Wasilla Assembly of God church, "...is founder of the global evangelizing organization Youth With a Mission, which owns the increasingly notorious "C Street House" where GOP Senators John Ensign and Tom Coburn enjoy cut-rate rent and Bible classes, and swap personal secrets such as news of Ensign's recently disclosed extramarital affair."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bruce-wilson/palin-attended-church-eve_b_237740.html
Already did, but thanks for the tip to those who haven't. I followed the stink of the trail from Sarah's local church directly to "The Family" because I suspect they and people like Sarah believe exactly the same. See my updated note at the bottom of the original post.
ReplyDeleteIt is not hard for one whose rituals are limited to quiescent meditation and moment to moment mindfulness of the noble eightfold path to see the activities of these so called "charismatic evangelicals" as something approaching a bizarre form of sociopathy.
And if you don't know what I mean by moment to moment mindfulness of the noble eightfold path, here's a nice 'secular' reference page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_Eightfold_Path
-Laz
theft being the most sincere form of flattery from another writer...I've gotta pull that last bit out onto my desktop to puzzle and ponder for a bit...sue me if you must.
ReplyDeleteHeh. Wait! Umm what?
ReplyDelete-Laz