I always have to laugh when secular liberals laugh at Fox News when said Fox News is whipping their asses. I watch in half amazement and half disgust as they fire their "enlightenment" weapons of logic, science, and that especially annoying liberal specialty of oh-so-snarky Letterman-Jon Stewart style- dripping- in- irony sarcasm at the Murdoch Machine. Yep, secular liberals giggle among themselves, sip their lattes, and then wonder why the Corporate Capitalist Machine is eating everything in sight with nothing stopping them. Why do these people watch this crap and vote against their interest? Secular liberals are totally flummoxed by the appeal of Fox News. Why? Its because secular liberals ignore the reality of the existence of Original Sin. Their problem is that Rupert Murdoch never forgot.
Why do conservatives love Fox News? Because for them Fox is FUN. Hatred of the people who you think destroyed your life is FUN. Racism is FUN. Watching Bill O'Reilly and the gang rail against the people you hate is FUN. Taking potshots and the Great Kenyan Usurper with the phony birth certificate is FUN. Even fear is fun, if you can turn it into amusement park fear. Its fun to be afraid of ACORN, the New Black Panthers, and whomever is the Scary Fox Monster of the Current News Cycle is today. Like a roller coaster, deep down they know they really don't have much to be afraid of, but every carny barker knows that if you can control the marks' fear, you can sell it right back to them. And if you get a hottie like Megyn Kelly to serve up the fun, so much the better.
This is the work of Original Sin. When it comes down to it, conservatism is FUN. Don't believe that racism is fun? I grew up with racists. They loved being afraid. When you got to the subject of how horrible "niggers" were, you could not shut them up. The stories just went on and on and on... Its fun to look down on the people you hate. Look at the faces of the people who attended Klan rallies in the South. Don't tell me they weren't having fun spitting on civil rights protesters. Mike Royko in his book Boss tells the story of what happened when Martin Luther King tried to integrate the white backlash wards on Chicago's Southwest Side. In between throwing bricks and bags of shit at the protesters, they had time to sing this little version of the Oscar Meyer ditty:
I wish I was an Alabama trooper
That is what I truly want to be
For if I was an Alabama trooper
I could kill the niggers legally.
Oh, they were having fun all right. In fact any Foxoid who reads the above is now laughing his conservative ass off. Things have not changed, Ask the NYPD. Go to Ferguson. Go to Baltimore.
Conservatism has even made religion fun. Most fundamentalist churches now feature the "Rapture". Its not enough that Jesus is going to come again and deliver all the believers to Heaven. Oh no, now there has to be a Rapture (a 19th century invention ,by the way). Not only to Christians get to go to Heaven, they get Leave Behind all those Bad People they love to hate. Sit high in Heaven and watch Obama, Hillary, and all those gays suffer horrible tribulations. What Fun! Don't believe me? The Left Behind series has sold tens of millions of copies. They are loaded with guns and tanks and bombers and a whole bunch of other stuff that gives wingnuts wet dreams. Think this is a joke? Hundreds of lawmakers across America do not think so. Why protect the planet when the Rapture is just around the corner. Won't it be great? Won't it be fun ??
Rupert Murdoch understands all this. The democracies of Australia, Great Britain, and the United States have been broken on this understanding. He understands that the majority of the consumers of media want to have fun. Why give the public understanding of the issues that effect them most. That could be dangerous for Rupert's buddies. No give them fluff, celebrities, true crime and Page Three girls. Give them fun, or at least make them think its fun. ( Don't get the wrong idea, I got nothing against fun. I just don't believe it should come from the misery of others). Fox News is the crowning glory of Murdoch's evil genius. After all, his. worship of the rich policies have made tens of millions miserable. So create a network that expertly convinces the people to blame liberals, minorities, ect.. And make them have fun watching! Satan could not have done it better.
Folks, Fox News is a spiritual problem. It will not be defeated by brilliant repartee, policy wonks and their position papers, of even brilliant Obamaish electoral strategies . It certainly will not be defeated by Hillary. To defeat the evil of Fox we need spiritual weapons. We need the strength and wisdom of God to defeat evil. Unfortunately, by being secular, liberals have turned away from the only weapon that that will defeat the right wing machine. They will see this blog as an exercise in fantasy. They will continue to ignore the power of God. They will continue to indulge in all the tired old strategies. And they will continue to get their butts whipped. They will win some elections and be disappointed as the Machine strangles their hopes once again.
But out of the ashes of disaster comes hope. First God whispers, Then He Shouts. Then he SCREAMS. Can you hear the screaming now Secular Liberal? The screams of billions of suffering souls? So much suffering that only a Cross can redeem. Take another look at Jesus, my liberal friend. The Jesus of Marin Luther King, not the stolen and basterdised Jesus of Sarah Palin and Fox News. The only force that can defeat evil. Please. Because, just like you I am sick of losing. For once lets feel the glory of Victory!
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Jesus Christ: A 2000 Year Problem for the Rich
You really cannot blame the rich and powerful for hating Jesus Christ. He seems soooo indifferent to the accomplishments of these great people. He says stuff like "the last will be first and first will be last". No wonder people like Nietzsche hated him. What do you mean the last will be first?? Don't you know I WORKED HARD to be first? I DESERVE IT! I am first because I am smarter than you! I worked harder than you! I'm just better than you! My bank account proves it. And now you want be not just to be second, but LAST? And some loser to be FIRST? Crucify this idiot! Or at least get him the hell out of here.
It is amazing that a country like the United States which worships wealth and "rugged individualism" would also call itself a Christian nation. Its almost like we should see a Koch brother wash the feet of a homeless man. So how do be try to take it both ways? How is the USA both greedy and "Christian"
You see, Jesus is not the weak looking hippie type that is depicted on so much bad religious art. He was a radical. He was an earthquake. He was God. And God just doesn't care what Herod or Pilate or the scribes and the chief priests think. He died for us to forgive our sins and then was resurrected so we ALL can have eternal life. All of us. The lowliest soul now can have eternal life by sharing the resurrection of Jesus Christ. By doing this he gives an awesome dignity to those who follow Him. He said it was as hard for a rich man to enter Heaven as a camel to pass through an eye of a needle. Keep in mind that he did not say it was impossible. There are plenty of wealthy people who have followed Jesus and are presumably with Him in Paradise. But the Lord knew his audience. He knew that the vast majority of the rich and powerful would turn away from him. He knew that they would want to be worshipped themselves rather that submit to any other God. So when Christians started to grow in significant numbers in the Roman Empire, the powerful had to do something. Killing Jesus didn't work. Neither did throwing Christians to the lions. But then they came up with their brilliant solution. Steal Jesus. Water Him down. Make Him a tool of the powerful. This strategy has been stunningly successful.
Crusade in the name of Jesus! Start wars in the name of Jesus! Start a pogrom and kill Jews in the name of Jesus! My way of worshipping is the right way, and if you do not do it MY way, then off with your head! The risen, resurrected Christ was mostly ignored, left to the province of saints, his message of hope for the poor and eternal life usurped my kings and princes of the Church. By the time Christianity made it to these shores, it pretty much forgot what Jesus was all about. The Puritans burned witches, "heretics" and killed Indians in the name of Jesus. The Spaniards were going to convert the Indians to Christ. They converted them to smallpox instead.
So is it any wonder today that Christianity in America offers almost no resistance to the corrupt, corporate machine that is devouring America now? Water down Jesus and turn the Awesome Power of God into baby food for the masses. Look at the timid priests and ministers who dare not upset their dull, fat, suburban flocks. Reduce Jesus to the Holy Sex Nanny: it doesn't matter how you treat your neighbor as long as you refrain from all that dirty stuff, and oh yes, The Is Nothing More Important Than Abortion. Then there is the Prosperity Gospel. God wants you to be RICH!! Not rich yet? It must be YOUR fault. Or, lets not even try to make our world a better place. Wait for the Rapture instead! The earthquake that is the Risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the one force that gives every soul the power, strength, and endurance to change this world and to live eternally into the next, gets swept under the rug, and is replaced with ....what? Nothing that the princes of the world have to worry about, that's for sure.
Or do they? The world might think that God is dead but he is not. The earthshaking power of Jesus Christ is available for all those who believe, no matter how lowly their earthly station. Its the world whose soul is dead, not Christ's. I see so much despair in liberal land, thinking that the Koch Brothers and their ilk have defeated us forever. Its time for us to start over. Forget what you think you already know about Christ and give Him a chance. He is not just the (false) god of Sarah Palin and the wingnuts, but an earthquake that can shake up your life and that of the world.
No I am not a fool. Got any better ideas? Or are we just going to stand around and let the plutocrats destroy our communities, our country, and our planet? I am not living in la la land. All I know is what we are doing is not working. Take a second look at Jesus Christ. Refresh your soul with His hope and His power. Lets use that power to finally take our world away from those who would destroy it.
It is amazing that a country like the United States which worships wealth and "rugged individualism" would also call itself a Christian nation. Its almost like we should see a Koch brother wash the feet of a homeless man. So how do be try to take it both ways? How is the USA both greedy and "Christian"
You see, Jesus is not the weak looking hippie type that is depicted on so much bad religious art. He was a radical. He was an earthquake. He was God. And God just doesn't care what Herod or Pilate or the scribes and the chief priests think. He died for us to forgive our sins and then was resurrected so we ALL can have eternal life. All of us. The lowliest soul now can have eternal life by sharing the resurrection of Jesus Christ. By doing this he gives an awesome dignity to those who follow Him. He said it was as hard for a rich man to enter Heaven as a camel to pass through an eye of a needle. Keep in mind that he did not say it was impossible. There are plenty of wealthy people who have followed Jesus and are presumably with Him in Paradise. But the Lord knew his audience. He knew that the vast majority of the rich and powerful would turn away from him. He knew that they would want to be worshipped themselves rather that submit to any other God. So when Christians started to grow in significant numbers in the Roman Empire, the powerful had to do something. Killing Jesus didn't work. Neither did throwing Christians to the lions. But then they came up with their brilliant solution. Steal Jesus. Water Him down. Make Him a tool of the powerful. This strategy has been stunningly successful.
Crusade in the name of Jesus! Start wars in the name of Jesus! Start a pogrom and kill Jews in the name of Jesus! My way of worshipping is the right way, and if you do not do it MY way, then off with your head! The risen, resurrected Christ was mostly ignored, left to the province of saints, his message of hope for the poor and eternal life usurped my kings and princes of the Church. By the time Christianity made it to these shores, it pretty much forgot what Jesus was all about. The Puritans burned witches, "heretics" and killed Indians in the name of Jesus. The Spaniards were going to convert the Indians to Christ. They converted them to smallpox instead.
So is it any wonder today that Christianity in America offers almost no resistance to the corrupt, corporate machine that is devouring America now? Water down Jesus and turn the Awesome Power of God into baby food for the masses. Look at the timid priests and ministers who dare not upset their dull, fat, suburban flocks. Reduce Jesus to the Holy Sex Nanny: it doesn't matter how you treat your neighbor as long as you refrain from all that dirty stuff, and oh yes, The Is Nothing More Important Than Abortion. Then there is the Prosperity Gospel. God wants you to be RICH!! Not rich yet? It must be YOUR fault. Or, lets not even try to make our world a better place. Wait for the Rapture instead! The earthquake that is the Risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the one force that gives every soul the power, strength, and endurance to change this world and to live eternally into the next, gets swept under the rug, and is replaced with ....what? Nothing that the princes of the world have to worry about, that's for sure.
Or do they? The world might think that God is dead but he is not. The earthshaking power of Jesus Christ is available for all those who believe, no matter how lowly their earthly station. Its the world whose soul is dead, not Christ's. I see so much despair in liberal land, thinking that the Koch Brothers and their ilk have defeated us forever. Its time for us to start over. Forget what you think you already know about Christ and give Him a chance. He is not just the (false) god of Sarah Palin and the wingnuts, but an earthquake that can shake up your life and that of the world.
No I am not a fool. Got any better ideas? Or are we just going to stand around and let the plutocrats destroy our communities, our country, and our planet? I am not living in la la land. All I know is what we are doing is not working. Take a second look at Jesus Christ. Refresh your soul with His hope and His power. Lets use that power to finally take our world away from those who would destroy it.
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