tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30385557.post3112552296087993601..comments2023-09-30T14:24:49.616-05:00Comments on EVERYTHING'S JAKE: God DrunkJohn Guzlowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13052735138993479204noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30385557.post-82590779194534225682007-10-03T05:11:00.000-05:002007-10-03T05:11:00.000-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.John Guzlowskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13052735138993479204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30385557.post-22271279897290408392007-10-02T21:00:00.000-05:002007-10-02T21:00:00.000-05:00Spinoza was referred to as a "God intoxicated man....Spinoza was referred to as a "God intoxicated man." If religion is the opium of the masses, what is the opium of Communism? The religion of the elite?Urkathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17086121300436012432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30385557.post-65150471995606949692007-10-01T06:26:00.000-05:002007-10-01T06:26:00.000-05:00There's so much to be said, both for and against r...There's so much to be said, both for and against religion, but almost nothing can legitimately be said against people who live humble lives, always trying to be their best toward others.Urkathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17086121300436012432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30385557.post-18789778399500387622007-09-28T09:25:00.000-05:002007-09-28T09:25:00.000-05:00I got this response to my remarks about religions ...I got this response to my remarks about religions not being humble from my Charleston, Illinois, friend Lisa Childress, and she said I could post it here:<BR/><BR/>I think maybe, in the first century after the establishment of Christianity, that the religion was humble. Certainly it was scared, since it was being persecuted. And the monastic movement of the 3rd or 4th century was an attempt to return to that beginning state of humility and prayer, which seems to me to pretty much corroborate your statement that the religion was, early on, pretty aggressive. I blame Constantine for much of this. Not for outlawing the persecution, but for making Christianity the state religion of the Roman Empire. It is pretty much a given that if you give power, power will be taken. After it became the emperor’s darling, Christianity became a magnet for the ambitious, who saw the way to curry favor with the Emperor.<BR/><BR/> <BR/><BR/>And it’s all been downhill since. You are right that there are many humble and sincere people who practice Christianity, as there are in any religion (Islam, for example), but the power structure is corrupt. The pedophile scandals are a perfect example of the kind of decay that has set in since the beginning.<BR/><BR/> <BR/><BR/>And, lest we forget, Hitler was raised Roman Catholic, at a time when the Mass was heavily anti-Semitic. So, it’s a long, sordid story. But we should remember that the people are the Church, not the hierarchy and certainly not the buildings.John Guzlowskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13052735138993479204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30385557.post-46428269013827667722007-09-28T09:22:00.000-05:002007-09-28T09:22:00.000-05:00Eva, thanks for the McLaren recommendation. I'm a...Eva, thanks for the McLaren recommendation. I'm always interested in reading about religion. <BR/><BR/>I recently read Garry Wills's WHAT JESUS MEANT and liked reading about how he reads the New Testament. He believes it's been corrupted by various interpretors, but finally believes he has to believe in Jesus.<BR/><BR/>Here's a piece from the Publisher's Weekly blurb at the amazon site:<BR/><BR/>Christianity has been twisted and warped to such an extent that not even Jesus would recognize it now. This is Wills's thesis in his stimulating, fresh look into the life and message of Jesus of Nazareth. The now-ubiquitous phrase, "What Would Jesus Do?" encouraged Wills, professor of history at Northwestern University and prolific writer on contemporary religion, to take a closer look at how the Christian message has been used and abused in recent times. Wills believes that most Christians don't understand Jesus' startlingly radical message, so they should not claim to have knowledge of how he would act today. People of all political persuasions have used Jesus' words to rationalize a domesticated, flaccid Christianity that upholds the status quo, or, worse yet, supports discrimination toward those who are on the margins. This attitude, according to Wills, completely misses the truth that Jesus "walks through social barriers and taboos as if they were cobwebs." Readers who are familiar with Wills's writing know that he is not shy about critiquing organized religion, and they will not be disappointed. Although his arguments lean toward hyperbole at times, at its core this book invites Christians toward more honest reflection on the life and message of the one they call "Savior."John Guzlowskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13052735138993479204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30385557.post-36863673748754728362007-09-27T08:07:00.000-05:002007-09-27T08:07:00.000-05:00John, You might be interested in reading Brian Mc...John, You might be interested in reading Brian McLaren’s Generous Orthodoxy. His new book, Everything Must Change is out now, but I haven't read it. Anyway, it's an interesting take on where/how Christianity went wrong. Sorry I missed you when you were in town. My dad had to be taken to the hospital that day. Hope the reading went well. --Evaevahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18105352337911606163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30385557.post-85609753044328009192007-09-27T06:25:00.000-05:002007-09-27T06:25:00.000-05:00I don't think the American people needed "visions"...I don't think the American people needed "visions" to realize slavery was wrong. If this guy's heart is so bad, how did he manage to have a son in his sixties?Urkathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17086121300436012432noreply@blogger.com