Comments re: Bush and the Christian right
by cleaves Sunday, Jan 16 2005, 7:24am
international / social/political / opinion/analysis

Due to the number of responses relating to the above article, I am obliged to elaborate on some of the points raised. I hoped that enough information was initially supplied; however, it would seem that a more reactive rather than analytical understanding occurred. Nevertheless, I am always happy to respond to all criticisms, they are all constructive regardless of the intent of some.

BANKSY -- American Jesus

John 8:32 "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

I wish to make clear from the outset that I do not wish or expect anyone to believe a word I say; the imperative of realising Truth is based on personal endeavour – Truth is earned. I hope you all maintain your discriminative faculties and apply this principle to all – including theologians and other representatives of various religions – who would all expect that you believe them!

Regarding the status of Jesus as a man, which offended many ‘Christians’ who maintain their belief in the supernatural as proof of divinity. I would respond that I too believe in the divinity of Jesus and Buddha and YOU!

John 14:20 "At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you."

Luke 17:21 "Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you."

Matthew 24:25 "Behold, I have told you before. 26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not."

Pigs do not fly and neither do men! The belief of great men such as Jesus and Buddha is not based on fantasy or the supernatural – both set an example for all to follow. I offer the following interpretation of the account of Jesus ‘levitating’ (walking on water.)

In philosophical and theological discourse turbulent waters are indicative of unruly emotions. The reader will note that Jesus ‘walked’ on turbulent stormy waters (not calm.) He admonished his disciples for being fearful and then invited Peter to join him on the water. Please note that Peter was chosen intentionally, and what characteristics did Peter have? Impetuousness, short temper, cowardice, fear, violence etc., in short, Peter was a slave to his unruly emotions – this is why he began to ‘sink.’ The message of the great teacher here is obvious. We must rise above the ‘waters’ of our emotions in order to free ourselves from the slavery of negative behaviour patterns and to become immune to the attempts of others who would use tactics of fear or other negative aspects of the emotions to enslave us.

Do you find the above interpretation useful and instructive? Or would you prefer the Walt Disney version, which would not require you to improve yourself!

Now to the case of Magdalene, which a few puritanical hypocrites referred to with disdain. I will say this to you prior to interpreting the casting out of ‘devils’ in order to make her "acceptable" (as you put it) for the friendship of Jesus. Your comments reveal much to the perceptive eye. Undoubtedly you are all men; I empathise with your wives and children, I know you abuse them and you no doubt vote for George W Bush. As Jesus stated, you will have your reward.


Luke 8:2 "..Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils,"

Firstly, Jesus loved this woman above his other disciples – at least it appeared as such – why? In fact he loved all equally, but his behaviour with Magdalene was more intimate! Do you find this unusual (you latent homosexuals?) He was a man and she a woman, perfectly natural response, especially when we consider the torment she would have suffered at the hands of the compulsive-obsessive door-knob-wiping values of Judaism, which relegated her to outcast status. He accepted her before he cast out her ‘devils.’ He saw her pain and torment and her need for Love, which he offered her without restraint or regard for the opinion of the next-door neighbours. [You sanctimonious cowardly fleas!]

Now dear reader, what do you suppose those "devils," which Jesus "cast out" were? Perhaps they were the cohorts of Beelzebub, Choronazin or horned demons, maybe even goblins – then again, why not ‘Snow White and the seven devils’ – point taken I would hope.

He cast out perversity, vanity, avarice, sensuality, self-loathing, etc., and for this she was eternally grateful. She could not help but love the man who released her. She remained with him till the end. Compare this woman’s faithfulness, dedication and loyalty with the marriage contract of today and ask yourself which relationship is greater.

Rather than deal with each issue separately, I will relay an anecdote that I hope will serve as a 'vaccination' against further tendencies to theological fantasy and illusion.

A few million years ago when I was young, I travelled the world in search of Truth. My quest was unrelenting and difficult; life-threatening situations were not uncommon. There were many who claimed to ‘know,’ but proved to be frauds. When I had earned the right to discover that which I sought, I met a few extraordinary men. I am forever in debt to one for releasing me from the mental slavery imposed by my cultural background.

When I met this man he promptly asked what I sought, I responded as I had a thousand times before – Truth! Upon hearing my answer, he roared with laughter – I mean he was ‘splitting his sides’ laughing and so were a few others present at the time. It was hard to take as it was all at my expense. Everyone could see my reaction and laughed even harder, the more I tried to compose myself and not react, the more ridiculous I must have appeared. Tears of laughter began streaming down peoples faces until I too began to laugh – it became so infectious I couldn’t help myself, even though I was still conscious that it was all at my expense. One of the company then pointed at me and said, "look this idiot is laughing at himself," which of course resulted in more laughter from all except me. I was offended, dejected and getting angry – this last display of emotion really hit the high-point for those rascals. The situation seemed cruel and uncalled for, so I decided to leave. "Well thank you for taking the time to see me," I said and made for the door. This gesture seemed to quieten things down a trifle. As I was about to disappear through the doorway the old man said, "didn’t you say you were searching for Truth?" He made the word sound like the most absurd word in the English language. Before I could respond, he gestured toward the veranda to where we both repaired, the others having made their exit.

"So where are you from and how long have you been in India?" he asked; thinking that I may yet discover something, I politely answered his question. "You have come a long way for nothing." "So it would seem," I said. "What is your religion?" I tried to explain that I had none but he insisted on a direct answer, so I said, "well, I was born into a Christian family and baptised according to that faith." "Ah! a Christian, a great Sage your Jesus Christ." He then asked me if I believed in Jesus, I replied in the affirmative but added that I also believed in Siva and Buddha. "Never mind Siva or Buddha, you are not a Hindu or Buddhist." "Are you sure you believe in Jesus?" he asked again. It was obvious he was baiting me but I replied, "yes!" He then pointed to a mountain in the distance and asked me to move it! [hook, line and sinker.] "Impossible," I said. "But you confirmed your belief, therefore, according to his teaching and your belief, you should be able to move that mountain." He then referred to a New Testament (which I observed was well read and marked) and read the following passages:

Matthew 17:20 "…If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you."

John 14:12 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father."

And then demanded that I move that mountain or he would expose me as a liar and hypocrite! I didn’t have any alternative but to concede. He consoled me by saying, "don’t feel too badly about it, all Christians are hypocrites and liars." I took slight offence and replied that there have been many mystics who have known God in the faith. "But could they move mountains or fly or raise the dead?" he asked. "So there must be an another interpretation that is more accurate than a literal reading, otherwise Jesus is a liar," he quipped without waiting for my response.

I do not wish to turn this paper into a novel so I will summarise by saying that my experience with this wise man freed me from the stupid interpretations of Christian theologians and those who profess to have ‘authority’ from Jesus. I was also taught an ancient method of discriminative inquiry, which reveals the Truth in all things (including the Scriptures.)

The ancient writers of many Scriptures were acutely aware that corruption would occur, as a precaution they buried the loftier aspects of the teaching in symbolism, allegory, metaphor and every other literary device available. In this way is Truth preserved in a text. An additional benefit (of the method) is that profound treatises open like a flower and reveal the beauty and genius of not only their creators but the Creator. When applied in the world of men, liars and hypocrites become transparent and are exposed to their lying ‘bones.’

Notwithstanding the above, Scripture also speaks quite plainly for numerous reasons – I offer the following to expose the nefarious manipulators behind Bush and the ‘Christian right.’

John 13:34 "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another."

John 15:9 "As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love."

John 15:12 "This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you."

This is stated plainly for the simple reason that Love conquers All; not fear, missiles, bombs or the inane drivel of morons and fanatics such as Bin Laden, Bush, Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld and all the rest. Moreover, we all know it, but what prevents people from applying this principle? Fear!

We now all have the opportunity to ‘walk on water’ and rise above our fears and other negative emotions.

Peace to you all.