Jesus Domesticated, Packaged, Sell-able

The once revolutionary Jesus has become a peaceful, nice, Caucasian friend. Does anyone wonder why he was murdered on a cross? To many church goers the cross represents hope, resurrection, etc. But what did it mean in Jesus' time - and isn't this more important?

The cross was the method of killing, especially among others, insurrectionists. Even the "bandits" on each of Jesus' sides were also insurrectionists - though translators and the church have mistranslated/preached "theives".  This is easy to ignore. But to think that Jesus died as "The King Of The Jews" - which was not a sarcastic label - is threatening to the status quo. And as throughout most of history, the church has established, sanctioned and protected the status quo. Of course this includes invadiing countries, killing/poisoning the natives, destroying cult-u-r-es, repressing/raping women...

To establish oneself as Messiah was threatening - blasphemy - to the Roman occupiers and the Jewish elite. It was a brave and deadly political move. Any challenge to the propped-up high priest or the Roman authorities was swiftly deal with with execution.

What has happened to the story of this revolutionary peasant named Jesus. If he was a carpenter - only mentioned once in New Testament - that meant he was "scum". He was just above the lowest of the low. Where are these people now? The church preaches against revolutionaries and the poor [prostitutes, druggies, ....]. The church needs to revolt against a society that murders, imprisons revolutionaries - those fighting for social justice, environmental justice, women's rights....those oppressed by the "status quo".

Churches tell people "invite Jesus into your heart and you will go to heaven..." - a "nice", sell-able message. A neat package. A lie. Jesus said "repent and believe". That means CHANGE. What kind of change? "Go and sell all your possession and give to the poor....then you will enter the kingdom of God". That is revolutionary, and hard to "sell". I want a Jesus I can fit into my pocket.

He remembers the flowers and the birds...may we repent and stop raping His land:

Fundamentalists Lie: Proclaiming Hatred Of The World From Their Mansions

Funda-mental-ist “Christians” are to hate the world. They are to love God but not the world. What does this mean? First, let’s look at the verse where this comes from 1 John 2:15-16 [all from NIV]:

Do not love the world or any-THING in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the father is not in him. For everything in the world – the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he HAS and DOES, comes not from the father but from the world.

So, the world is not some abstract thing outside of the church but the goods and achievements people acquire. It’s about being materialistic – greedy. If any dummy contextualized this and actually read the bible instead of believing their worldly pastor, they would see this.

Yet many churches preach that God will bless you and give you worldly things. But in this context they are good – and not “of this world”. What a lie. Here we see clearly how the church man-i-pulates the bible to serve its purpose. This purpose is to rationalize greed and materialism while being arrogant and self-righteous.

The world usually comes to mean those outside the church. And the juxtaposition of "us" versus "them" lifts the "Christian" to a lofty arrogant, self-righteous position. But this is far from the truth. Let’s look at chapter 3 verse 10 of John’s letter:

This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not DO what is RIGHT is not a child of God; neither is anyone who does not LOVE his brother.

So it is not “faith”, church, prayers that reveal the truth about ones “status” with God – but whether you LOVE. And what is love? Tell others that Jesus loves them, missions and the like? Let’s look at v. 16-18:

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And WE ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has MATERIAL POSSESSIONS and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

So love is about sharing material goods. And we are not to accumulate nor love things or be prideful. And yet the church says otherwise. So how does the church call itself [and its members] “Christian”? We do not love God if we do not share. This  needs to extend into material goods like clear air, water, shelter, etc. How do we steal the very air and water from the poor through our driving, industrial agriculture, intense energy use, war, etc. 

We are told to give up our lives for our brothers. But I can already hear the whining of those who do not really love others but their possessions and convenience – them-selves. Rather than loving God through loving their brother [including the nonhuman “brother”], they are greedy. This reveals their real father is the devil, not God.

Evidence of "Christians" loving their neighbour and loving their greed and convenience:

Faith And Terror Both Eliminate Self-Respect

Both Faith and Terror

are instruments for the elimination of 

individual self- respect.

Terror crushes the autonomy of self-respect,

while Faith obtains its more or less voluntary surrender.

In both cases the result of the elimination

of individual autonomy is - automatism.

Both Faith and Terror reduce

the human entity to a formula

that can be manipulated at will.

-Eric Hoffer

For more ice pics click here

Wendell Berry: The Ecological Teaching Of The Bible Is Inescapable

"The ecological teaching of the Bible is inescapable:

God made the world because God wanted it made.

God thinks the world is good, and God loves it.

It is God's world; God has never relinquished title to it.

And God has never revoked the conditions...that oblige us to take excellent care of it.

If God loves the world,

then how might a person of faith be excused for not loving it or caring for it?

If God loves the world,

then how might a person of faith be...

justified in destroying it?"

-Wendell Berry

What a wonder-full winter of beauty. Click for more "chilling" pics.

Black History Month: All Because Of The Bible

The bible supports slavery. See pics/verses below [from Exodus 21 and Colossians].
Most KKK [Ku Klux Klan] are/were "outstanding" church members.

What lame excuses are there to excuse slavery? "Christian" dishonesty and the worship/idolatry of the bible justify the bible. Why? Who? Very few Black slaves, if not programmed by Whites would agree. A Black Theology runs counter an academic European theology.

But, tell me - no show me - how does one "love your neighbour" while enslaving, beating, raping, etc. It continues in places like Mississippi where Blacks and Whites are still separated. And merely look at the prison system: 80% Blacks. Why? Hmmm.When one black woman gets "life" for an $11 crime...hmmmm....wonder why.

The system of apartheid was "founded" and kept alive by "good" church goers. [The Africaners are "Christians"]. And these same people who murdered Blacks and threw Nelson Mandela into jail, pretend "it's all good". Just look who went to his funeral! - all the "great" leaders - who [more so their country] supported the Afrikaners and aided them in finding and arresting Mandela! And of course we can't forget the wonderful work of. the NSA [National Security Agency] which led the police to Mandela.

Ah, the lies told to us.
Ah, the lies we easily believe.
Ah, the blind trust in authorities.
Ah, the utter distrust of experience and the experience of the poor, oppressed, ...including the nonhuman world.

Didn't Jesus say, "He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners...to release the oppressed...." Luke 4. And this can not be "spiritualized" as some do. So either invalidate his words or change the meaning - all to keep the status quo going - protect the minority at the expense of the majority.

Shame that such racism still exists and we deny the past reality and continue. See here for more.

WWJD: Fossil Free Jesus

The Land Demands Its Sabbath

While "the world" focuses on rights - entitlements - so does the church. The gospel has been sterilized. No longer do christians proclaim the need to repent. Rather, one merely needs to say a cute little prayer and bam - the world and its wonders are yours!

But the bible speaketh otherwise. "The land must not be sold permanently, for the land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants...you must provide for the redemption of the land." - Leviticus 25 [niv]

Part of the redemption is to allow the land to have a sabbath. It is to be respected, cared for, and given "rights". This must be a priority for the religious. If we don't give the land what it deserves, God will intervene and "lay waste the land" [i.e. kill off the people], so that the "land will rest and enjoy its sabbaths." [Lev 26].

Let's hear that preached/lived by church goers - who drive to church in total disrespect to the land and all its inhabitants.