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writing for godot

To Thee or Not to Thee

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Written by S D   
Sunday, 06 March 2016 09:13

In the past 10 years or so, I've become an atheist. However, I am still spiritual, and always will be. I just don't buy into theism--and here I'm speaking primarily about the theism of the "Book(s)"--Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

And it's not that I don't enjoy mythology, with its gods and goddesses, that to me are really archetypes we use daily in order to understand our various subpersonalities, or the vagaries of the elements.

In fact, the pantheon of the Greco/Roman gods, or the Teutonic characters, not to mention the Hindu/Asian deities, are so much easier to understand and apprehend than those in the Bible/Torah/Quran, as far as I'm concerned.

But say, have you visited the website called bricktestament.com? I think it's a must-see for all Americans, because the artist who created it has managed to do something terribly important: break down most of those weird bible stories we never got taught in Sunday school into tableaux anyone can understand...they're like bible moments interpreted by our venerable South Park creators, recreated using LEGOs. And the kicker is, the artist is transgendered, and now hard at work completing the Book of Mormon (boy oh boy, I can hardly wait!).

She's also doing one on American History.

But getting back to theism:

For many years I've had a hard time trying to imagine how a temperamental and exceedingly violent figure like Yahweh could in any way be responsible for creating the universe. So, I had to investigate how hizzoner came into being, and found that he's just a leftover god the Hebrews co-opted from the Canaanites, and that he used to have a female consort, but they decided to do away with her nibs.

Although that was probably a really dumb idea, it did pave the way for the re-emergence of the goddess in the form of the Virgin Mary. Too bad they had to insist on her being a virgin, but at least she had other incredible attributes to make up for this.

Probably the Holy Spirit is the best of the Trio of Christian gods, since he's the most familiar to any of us who's ever had an inspiration.

I loved growing up Catholic for the first couple of years. I even had statues of the Sacred Heart and the Virgin Mary, each with its own votive candle in their respective red and blue glass holders--just like church. Our rituals outdid the protestants' in my view, and helped lead me into the realm of the altered state, for which I'll be eternally grateful.

I do love that religion got people to build the most incredible temples, write and perform some of the greatest music ever conceived, and to provide a refuge for the desperate and downtrodden. Too bad it got co-opted by some of the most heavy-handed and downright sadistic humans that ever tread the planet.

I feel comfortable in most churches, and like to stop in and offer up prayers every now and then. These aren't going to Yahweh, but sometimes to St. Jude--that patron saint of hopeless cases. Sometimes I even sneak in one for St. Philomena, or St. Christopher--who were more recently deemed figments of our Catholic imagination.

To which I take umbrage, because in truth, I think even Jesus was more like Lao Tsu or Shakespeare--not necessarily a real person, but a syncretized deity created from longings and imaginings, perhaps a man-made amalgamation people needed and may still need, motivationally speaking. in the end, does it really matter if he was one guy, or many, or even a wonderful fictional character, as long as the stories resonate with a truth that inspires us to be better? As long as we don't do wrong by him?

No doubt, Religion is the opium many of us seem to need. I partake every now and then, but I'm no addict. How I keep from going overboard is to subject my most passionate beliefs to critical analysis anytime I feel myself feeling smug or righteous.

I don't understand why so many Americans insist on believing the earth is only 5-7K years old, that God was a burning bush, or that Abraham's wife bore children in her 90s. My guess is that we've been handed down a whole lot of other stories, and been sold on the idea that we Americans are the one chosen ones, by God, to realize the Christian dream, and therefore are entitled to go about trashing the rest of the world either directly or indirectly. Like, say, Aleppo. Or Ur. Or Beirut. Or Saigon...

If I ruled the world, the first thing I'd do is make everyone read Howard Zinn's People's History of the US. And Buddha's ideas. I'd make them partner with pregnant women about to give birth, and stick around afterwards, while they try to sustain the life they just brought into the world. I'd make each person grow their own food for one full year, and build their own dwelling. I'd make them spend 3 days and nights in the wilderness, collecting their own drinking water, depending on their own {hopefully} evolved wits to survive.

No one seems to know how to do anything anymore except talk about the drumpf and the upcoming meaningless elections. They got no soul, man!

People who have to live close to the earth, like the pygmies and the aborigines, know how to live without G-O-D. They don't even need to use numbers.

Some people, like the ancient Hawaiians, don't even need to use S's... but I digress.

I wouldn't throw Pope Francis under the bus, but as far as I can tell, religion has been more detriment than help to man and womankind.

Wish I could say otherwise.

(God help me.)



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