Christian Juju
JJ brings us the enchanting Christmas story of American Teabaggers who prayed that their God would murder a Democrat to prevent the passage of Obama’s obviously Satanic health care bill. They were apparently concerned that God’s aim might have been just a little off, because as it turned out a REPUBLICAN Senator missed the vote.
Christianity is the wellspring of some of humanity’s most elevated philosophical, spiritual and artistic achievements. It’s also a lightning rod for vicious, jaw-droppingly stupid ideologues who think Ronald Reagan sitteth at the right hand of God – advising him. Michaelangelo and Saint Augustine and Handel and Bramante find and celebrate that in the Christian vision which exalts us: the self-styled “Christians” of the new right, the teabaggers and the Westboro Baptist Zombies their ilk are dragging their religion back to its most primitive roots – religion as voodoo, as a battle between tribal gods. A tool to curse your enemies, a platform of moral superiority to spit on them from.
I don’t buy the magic bit, which leaves me with an interesting problem.
I have a aunt who is a nun (and a very nice person). This year, along with her Christmas card, she sent me a “Mass Card”, which indicates that a Mass will be said on my behalf in the New Year.
I accept and am grateful for the kindness of the intention. However, it is my sincere belief that the dedication of a Mass has the impact of a witch doctor’s curse on my well being, in this life or the highly dubious next. Furthermore, I share with Martin Luther grave reservations about the validity of a system that promises spiritual benefit to an unknown recipient.
However, I could be wrong, in which case my cynicism is going to mean the waste of spiritual capital of potential value. I initially considered putting the Mass up on e-bay, but I’m not sure what the actual mechanism would be for transferring the benefit to the purchaser. I shall therefore publicly bequeath the benefits inherent in my Mass to be divided equally between SUZANNE and Kathy Shaidle, two self-professed political Catholics who need to reflect a bit on the concepts of charity, compassion, and humility. And that’s a nasty old atheist talking.
One thing I decided to do when I stopped being a “good Catholic” (at age 16) was to resolve not to become bitter about having been a Catholic. I suppose I was lucky in that respect, since I grew up during a brief period of liberal Catholicism, during which time no one talked about homosexuality or abortion and that faith was a matter of living well and being good, as much as is humanly possible. I was also never abused by any priests or traumatised by any nuns (my parents were also very non-deferential when it came to Church authority…my mother once reamed out a Priest for saying something intolerably sexist to her) I also just avoided Catholics like SUZANNE, because they’re nothing but boring, mousy holy rollers who don’t make much sense at the best of times (I probably talked more with Catholics like Shaidle during her lapsed period, although I didn’t have much time for drunken, narcissistic lefties either…but I digress).
What’s my point? You’ll never figure this out because it’s not rational and is not much intended to be (although I continue to believe you can be devout *and* rational, but that entails rejecting wizardry and superstition…I mean miracles). Other than this stuff providing material with which to examine the depraved nature of humanity, I’m not sure why you continue to try (that is if, if I really believe you’re trying, instead of just inviting a conservation). Neither one of these people will ever, ever apologise for what they’ve done or admit their sinful lack of charity, compassion, empathy and humility, which is the only thing that will ever redeem them.
Those two fuckwits are as far away from Catholicism as it is possible to get. One prayer card ain’t going to be anywhere near enough.
It’s the Catholic equivalent of carbon credits.
Ah. An Inconvenient Troth, as it were.
All that makes Christianity great is subversion.
I share with Martin Luther grave reservations about the validity of a system that promises spiritual benefit to an unknown recipient.
Crap, you mean all those candles I lit for you went for nought? That’s gratitude for you. I cut the lapsed Catholic guy a share of my carbon footprint out of love and he spews bloodless fundie Protestantism back at me. balb, no serious theologian believes Reagan sits on the right hand side of God, although I admit there is a school out of Heidelberg that places him in the back row of the celestial chorus.
I really don’t think you can put Suzanne and Shaidle in the same boat. From what I’ve seen (very limited) the former is a devout, civil and quite intelligent one-trick pony who is an irksome prosletyser about her lock on Truth, which earns her visceral insults that do her critics little credit and which she may even seek out like a youthful martyr . The other is a bilious misanthrope who seems to be going through life jumping from one extreme and angry ideology to another. I believe she was once on your side and she may well live to be again.
Quaere: If Christianity is fundamentally naive error for the simple, and anti-scientific nonsense the educated should see through, how did it become the wellspring of some of humanity’s most elevated philosophical, spiritual and artistic achievements.? In the words of that Siamese king, ’tis a puzzlement.
“no serious theologian believes Reagan sits on the right hand side of God.”
I’m not talking about serious theologians, dear boy. I’m talking about the folks who are adorning their rec rooms with framed copies of this.
i quite agree with your distinction between my two beneficiaries (I would gladly sit down for a coffee with SUZANNE), but each, I think, could profit from a bit of reflection buttered with grace. Atheists behaving badly are just being normal – after all, bereft of all faith and conscience, we cannot help but rape and slander and abuse our fellow humans. It’s just our way. But semi-pro Christians should really play the game, don’t you think?
On your last point – well, reflecting on life, death, the universe and all that will provoke a bit of a frisson in most artists. Christianity had the marketing smarts to get itself adopted as religion of choice by a collection of countries in expansion mode.
The ugly trinity of the Abrahamic religions have spread as much hatred and bloody murder across the pages of history as they have inspiration. The magical zombie death cult is home to centuries of graft, abuse and cruelty, I can’t see much of any difference between the ‘pray for opponent’s death’ gang and the rest of the sinister mob waving their talismans of torture. The world would be better off without the mind disease of religion. Wellspring my ass. Christianity seized wealth, power and influence. The most elevated philosophical and artistic achievements came about because that was the only commission in town and gord help the artist or philosopher who thought to go their own way. If I put a gun to the head of an artists and she paints me a masterpiece I don’t get to claim the status of muse.
Like I meant to say, out of Christianity came subversion. But the masses still would have been stupid, Popes or no Popes – look at Americans. And whoever the leaders were in the day, they denied the humanity of half the human race – Greek, Roman. Human history is unbelievably gay, in my opinion.
The most elevated philosophical and artistic achievements came about because that was the only commission in town and gord help the artist or philosopher who thought to go their own way.
You are dead right about that, psa. Time and time again, creative artists tried to express their individuality to help liberate the oppressed public, only to have the cold, authoritative grip of the all-powerful Church stifle them. It really was one of history’s great aesthetic atrocities.
I would gladly sit down for a coffee with SUZANNE
Would she and you be talking about your homosexuality or your abortion?
“Those who do not recognise evil are doomed to be its prey.” That it’s in the Bible. You can look it up.
Love the sinner, hate the sin. I got that in a fortune cookie once.
But we’re all sinners.
And EVERYBODY likes fortune cookies.
One of my best friends is an absolute pro-lifer, big “C” Catholic. Another long-time friend is a pro-life Christian Evangelical.
Interestingly, neither are Conservatives. Although, my webmaster is a rightwing lunatic in the worst way – Conservative. We get along okay. In fact, I think our arguments help sustain my relationship with my beau because we bring out the worst in each other and get it out of the way so we can be better’n all get out to our partners.
Luckily for women everywhere, his partner is a George W. Bush coffee mug.
The thought is nice, balb, but such benefits are non-transferable. Muhahahah. That Mass will spring you out of purgatory whether you like it or not. So there! That’s my uncompassionate, uncharitable and non-humble wish for the day.
Jesus earned a treasury of merit by his sacrifice to spread the love, balb. Luther didn’t buy into that. It’s called a “treasury” and merit is a lot like money or credit. Sin is considered to be a form of debt, after all, and it’s all part of the economy of salvation.
And now to really pile it on, I’m going to say a Hail Mary for you, just cuz I’m feeling so nasty.
You don’t need to worry about me, kiddo. In my youth I served Mass every day during an entire Lenten season. Now, I don’t remember the name of that particular devotion, but I was told it guaranteed me the assurance of dying in a state of grace. Can’t ask for more redemption than that.