Look Out Below

Hatred at bottom always desires to make itself independent - but never can, and can all the less the more it hates.

Martin Heidegger
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We're all pagans. If we are Christians, Muslims or Jews we may believe we are monotheists and live comfortably under the shadow of an Almighty God that cares for us and controls and governs the world. We may even trust that our brand of monotheism is superior to someone else's. We think we worship the true God and other people don't. But woven through the tapestry of our seeming holiness are mud dwelling mortal traits that belie any sense of true godliness.

Rage, lust, fear, revenge, selfishness perch like gargoyles on the sides of buildings, leering down at us as we go about our days activities, waiting to spread their wings and fly down as the dangerous predators they are, to grab our thoughts and feelings, to find a home there and set up their own temples of worship. And when that happens have we adopted a false god or has it adopted us, or both? Either way we have given up our claim to monotheism and become a pagan like those of old. We have justified destructive behavior, irrational beliefs, inhumane desires. But those pious sorts who believe in the Ten Commandments and pride themselves at obeying them, have just broken the first one. There is an idol or two, or three, lurking in the corners of their sacred temple. False gods have set up residence.

The worst of these demigods is hate because hate is the opposite of love, which is the most powerful positive force in existence. If hate has a grip on one he can always find someone or something to hate without realizing that it is hate itself that is doing the hating.

What's worse is when one goes slithering back into his monotheistic skin and ascribes to his so called one God the hatred he feels, as in "God hates fags" or some other object of one's ignorance, fear and scorn. It's unimaginable the number of crimes that have been committed at the feet of and under the name of "God."

One who thinks about it must wonder what the purpose is of thousands of years of religious thought and teaching from philosophers, theologians and saints if we have emerged into the 21st Century unable to understand or even conceive of a truly benevolent all inclusive deity.

Is it any wonder there are atheists? Who wants to worship a god who visits despair, disease and destruction upon his own creation? A lot of people do, evidently. But are they worshiping the one god, or the gargoyles of paganism?

There are no excuses and no exceptions. In my own rather extensive reading into the sacred writings of the ages I've found no evidence of a hateful, angry,god, capable of despicable acts against humanity except for some dead end paths which attempt to make God manlike instead of the other way around. Hate, rage, lust, fear and so on have no life of their own. They have only the life we give them. Otherwise they are just stone statues perched on the sides of buildings, threatening but lifeless reminders of our vulnerability.

DB - The Vagabond
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SUMMER QUESTION
(This is not a contest.)

Who are the 2 (two) most important people alive today? Why?

Only 8 responses so far. Summer is about to close her gates. Get with it. Don’t be left out in the heat.

dbdacoba@aol.com

Thank you.
DB
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