You do realize that Chris Hedges is an ordained minister of the Christian faith dedicated to promoting and spreading his beliefs and adherence to those beliefs as a part of his life’s devotion,…don’t you?
He, unlike you, clearly distinguishes the non-hypocritical practitioners of christianity, and the charlatan authoritarian conmen wrapping themselves in scripture alluded to in the out-of-context snippet in your post above.
Supermax, I doubt, but a mental hospital most likely. A few miracles would have gotten him a psychotic diagnosis.
All people are inherently, at least a touch “evil,” (put themselves at the forefront of their thoughts and efforts as they strive to make their world revolve solely around their perspective and desires), but most all also have at least a measure of the “divine” (the ability to elevate one’s focus to the needs and desires of others (family, community, nation, and species) above their own selfish/evil inclinations). The determination of “evil” and “divine” are somewhat subjective but rarely arbitrary, where the individual chooses to focus their attention and energy most often tends to determine how others judge (rightly or wrongly) their nature.
I’m more of the opinion that all “rooms” should be tax-exempt. We should tax things we want less of, and it is simply criminal to want less shelter from an increasingly hostile planet and those subsumed by their own evil/selfish devotions and habits.
Per the definition of “religion” given in James 1:27, Christianity doesn’t even QUALIFY as a religion!!
Thanks for your perspective.
So there should be a special tax on Religion?
I’m OK with that
Not sure how you get there, as I wasn’t talking about religion, but rather the private room which one retires to as they seek to express their love for, and worship of the God of their understanding. Of course, you are welcome to advocate for taxations based upon the irrational beliefs that people hold, but, at least in the U.S., you are likely to find that a hard sell, and a very difficult tax to assess, as most citizens hold a lot of irrational beliefs that cover the entire spectrum of human experience which they don’t consider irrational.
I didn’t really express my perspective, I merely presented the contextual setting of the quote you used which was distorted by the omission of that context. That said, my perspective on this issue, is very much in line with my comrade Hedges’ perspective.
I always go there as fast as possible
I think you are at err on this humans are inherently good.
Original sin is in fact original blessing as we are given choices and freedom.
Freedom is the essence of God .Its our instinct build into our cellular memory .And when we act on our instinct like running into a burning building to save a child, rescuing a drowning man, or saving someone from falling .
We act on instinct without thinking so how can our inherent characteristics be evil.
This is what we must know do follow our instincts.
This will serve ourselves and our planet ,this is the way.
Our only Hope.
Blessings
Evil is backwards living the trick is in the word .
Live spelt backwards.
Life moves ever forwards , we do not need to go through hell to get to heaven. Heaven can be right here now.
The universe is a contextual field so we know that everything has happened that we call negative doesn’t have to be created again, we already know where we have been .
LOL, I understand!
My wife shops like a Bull
…she charges everything!
My beliefs and understandings acknowledge that both good and evil (as I defined them previously) are inherent to all humans, and it is through the choices we make, that others weigh the net sum of our actions. You are welcome to your understandings and devotions, they are not mine, but I hope they bring to you and those around you the peace and joy you seek.
As a Wiccan, I connect christianity with the Burning Times and the Enclosure Act, with residential schools and forced conversions of Indigenous peoples. With the Inquisition in many areas of the world, and still in force in the Vatican(though the Rat Pope is no longer with us).
And when people were forced from rural areas to urban areas by the enclosures, voila, Capitalism was born, linking perfectly with christianity.
So here are, on a devasted world, continuing to consume because we’re told we can find happiness by doing so. Our culture forces us to live at hyperspeed-don’t think, don’t feel, just live with a bunch of people called a family but you don’t even know their deepest fears and hopes. Neighbors? No idea.
We have no “religion” per se, but we do have celebrations based on both solar and lunar movements. The Wheel of the Year is linked to the seasons(we just celebrate Yule) and the Lunar celebrations are New, Full, and Waning(the Maiden, the Mother, the Crone). It’s estimated over 8 million of us were burned or otherwise killed during the 1500’s and 1600’s because we were healers and midwives. Because we celebrated the seasons. Because we had no God that would judge us because of our sins.
And empathy and compassion, along with generosity and humility, were all part of our way of life. The erosion and eventual stamping out of these qualities has been a long game of those humans in power. Once those are gone, or become crimes, it’s Game Over.
Harming others is never good or right, and certainly isn’t a part of the christianity I understand or adhere to. That said, I do understand and empathize with you and all the people with differing beliefs (or no beliefs) who have been harmed, injured and killed by the evil that has so often been committed by those who attempt to escape the consequences of their own evil nature by conflating it as a requirement of their religious beliefs, and the disingenuous claims that their actions are the “result of God’s will.”
Good piece, Gary, and helpful updating of Dr. King’s interpretation of Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan. Definitely give an “Amen” to this essay!
