Who is John Galt?

As you may have noticed I have reduced my blogging for a season. Life can get in the way of your passions. I should start up my regular schedule soon. 

If you do not know who John Galt is, click here. 

I have been considering more and more the point Karl Denninger is making here. If one can't really particpate in a corrupt system, then don't. Yes I know that one has to eat, but do you need a new car every three years? Does my iPad still work? If so, do I need the new one coming out soon? 

While most of us are not self employed, or as is the case with Karl and me semi-retired, I think that most of us can gradually opt out of the system to some degree. 

It is something to consider.

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Oh No, Not Civil Religion Again!

My critique of the modern combination of religion and government has not been well received. I am not surprised as the prophets' condemnation of the ancient forms of patriotic religion was not well received either. 

For me the most notorious example is the singing of the Battle Hymn of the Republic in church. Philip Gorski, whom I have mentioned before, had this to say about the Civil War: 

It was the Civil War and its aftermath, however, that transformed Christian nationalism into a popular ideology and gave it its characteristic ritual form: the cult of the fallen known as “Memorial Day” (Stout 2006). Politicians and clergy on both sides of the Mason-Dixon were quick to claim that God was on their side, that theirs was a sacred cause, and that the blood of the fallen was a form of sacrifice to the Almighty. And as the carnage escalated, the rhetoric turned apocalyptic as well.

Consider one of the most famous and familiar texts of the era — the lyrics for "The Battle Hymn of Republic." It contains the archetypical tropes of Christian nationalism American style: God as a God of war who marches, carries a “terrible swift sword” and can be seen “in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps.” A God, too, who demands blood sacrifice on “an altar in the evening dews and damps.” A demonized enemy, a “serpent” whose head must be crushed. An apocalyptic war that will unleash “the grapes of wrath” and set all men free. An empty promise, of course.

Philip Gorski is apparently not a Christian, so he may have several levels to the idea of an empty promise, but I must agree that from my perspective the promise of God's aid to either side in a murderous war was idolatry. The same is still true today. 

What is ironic to me about the desire to compare Modern America to Biblical Israel is the lack of historical context. Have modern Christians forgotten what happened to ancient Israel? If the comparison is valid, and on some level I agree that it is, then the consequences of America's sins will be dire. 

Jeremiah 7 talks about ancient Israel and the natural consequences of their sins. Let me quote the Message version, and make a few changes to make the parallel I am drawing more exact. 

3-7 “‘Clean up your act—the way you live, the things you do—so I can make my home with you in this place. Don’t for a minute believe the lies being spoken here—“This is God’s Country, God’s Country, God’s Country!” Total nonsense! Only if you clean up your act (the way you live, the things you do), only if you do a total spring cleaning on the way you live and treat your neighbors, only if you quit exploiting the street people and orphans and widows, no longer taking advantage of innocent people in this country and no longer destroying your souls by using your Churches as a front for other gods—only then will I move into your neighborhood. Only then will this country I gave your ancestors be my permanent home, my Country. 

Hmm. 

Knowing what happen to Ancient Judah not too long after Jeremiah 7, and knowing the sins of the US, I am not sure I would make the analogy between the US and Israel lightly. 

Are You Crazy?

I can just see you asking this as I recommend that you watch a four-hour documentary. But this BBC documentary is that important. If you want to understand how the world works, at least the part of the world I call Babylon the Great, then invest the time.

Originally I had commentary of each of the four parts when I first recommended the series. The original links no longer work, so the one link below is the one you will have to use if you watch. If you want to know my understanding of the documentary, click the following links.

This is a different Bernays

Part I 

Part II

Part III

Part IV

The beloved editor of the Prophecy Podcast blog, Pam Dewey, has also written about these issues, and the "star" of the documentary, Edward Bernays. Click here for her commentary.

The Wizard of Adz 

If this is the first time you have thought about these issues, this documentary could literally change how you look at the world.

How Do I Hate Thee?

How do I hate thee? 

Let me count the ways.

I hate thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach.

With apologies to Elizabeth Browning. 

If you are a Republican, is this how you feel about Obama?
If you are a Democrat, is this how you feel about Sarah Palin? 

Let's say you are right and these people are your enemies and worthy of your hate. 

What did Jesus say about your enemies? I bet you already know, but just in case, here is Jesus in Mathew 5:

43-47 “You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.

48 “In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.”

Hmm.

Paul mentions those whose conscience has been seared with a hot iron. Did you blush when you read what Jesus said in the context I provided of politics? If so, then mediate on this. If not, then I am not speaking to you. Either you are not active in politics, or your conscience is already seared. 

Patriotic Sunday

I find the video I have embedded below deeply troubling. What I found the most troubling was the video panning of the audience at the end where the announcer tells everyone to stand to show support for the idolatry they just witnessed. Most do. 

In the time of the Judge Gideon in Ancient Israel, the staff of Moses that was used to heal the people of a plague still existed.  As you might expect it had become a symbol of idolatrous worship. Gideon was forced to destroy it. The staff itself was not evil, the use of it which popular custom at the time dictated was a violation of the second commandment. This is how I look at the use of flags in worship. 

While I am sure that many in this congregation thought this presentation was over the top, I wonder how many still agreed with the philosophy presented? How many of those who did not stand did so for health reasons? Most I would guess. 

"Oh say can you see?" I doubt most of my readers do see. 

One cannot leave Babylon the Great by worshiping at one of its altars.