Tag Archives: sin

THE GERMANS

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They like to measure things –
In fact, “things” constitute “poetry” for them –
Like manipulating microns
Or fashioning the best teeth in the world.

They often fall into harsh prejudices or judgments, however,
–  (like other people enjoy jumping into lakes) –
Against Jews or Blacks
Who have experienced Germans walking – not on water – but on their heads.

Life for Germans is Romantic
As opposed to Real.

Their religion is anti-spirit
Because it’s impossible to manipulate God
Without placing “Him” inside a spiritual-materialistic religious organization –
Far distant from any possible change.

Germans are heroic –
But sin in their lack of humbleness –
In fact, they’ve long believed – back to the time they were still living in forests –
That they’re a “race” of heroes –
Especially when it comes to manufacturing guns, swords, and sausages.

Hansel and Gretel are typical good Germans
Baked in an oven by a bad old witch –
Who tricked them –
Since Germans are always innocent of everything.

SUBJECTS AND OBJECTS

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“Sin”
Is treating people (including one’s self) and other living beings as objects.

Objects aren’t real – they’re ephemeral –
Only subjects are “real” in any true sense.

For example, the ego is a self-made intangible “object”
While your “true self” is always a subject.

The essential work of human beings is to find and align
Their true selves with a “real” God – not with “made-up” ones.

Mostly, though, we need to jump-start our everyday lives
Into an alternative world of creativity, joy, and color –
That we’ll start experiencing the moment
We decide to put aside our comfortable ego
And, completely, “wake up”!

PAIN ALL AROUND

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When a society
or a person
Does something bad –
Really Bad –

They quickly forget it –
so as to be able
to do it again –

As Americans, we think mostly about
how good we are –
(and getting better every day) –

But if, by accident,
we’re ever reminded of our bad,
we tend to “duck and weave,” arguing many
others have been much worse –

That’s why the old-time religions are right
about sin.

We love it so much that
We “marry” it –
And hold it close to our hearts

Where it inexorably bites us deep
Unto death

Satan sitting on our chest
God up in his sky

Pain all around.

WHAT ARE MEN SO AFRAID OF?

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“Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.” 12 Mathew 32

The religious traditions that exclude women from a central role vis-à-vis God flagrantly sin against the Holy Spirit. By imposing strictures against women’s relationship with God, especially in preaching and teaching, men, in direct opposition to Jesus’ admonition, are forcefully diminishing the Holy Spirit by restricting it to one half of the human race – since the Holy Spirit is, of course, freely available to all human beings, not just to a single sex, and, certainly – not just to males.

So, what is it that men have been so afraid of? Is it that women’s natural love of nature implies they might also have the potential to be more intimate with God as well? And is that why men, so very long ago, felt an urgent need to manufacture a male “exemplar” God to prima facie exclude all images of women from the godhead? Or might it have been an even deeper fear – that God might actually possess strong feminine aspects?

There’s also been a lack of “inwardness” in our postmodern lives. It’s far easier to project human intelligence “outward” into science and technology, finance and politics, than “inward” where thinking inevitably has to confront emotions and feelings. Ironically, the outward “male” path is easier to follow than the inward “female” one because it’s so difficult for one’s rational thinking to sort out one’s emotions and feelings – especially when we become so “attached” to the latter. However, that’s where most of the “juice” in human life resides – along with an ability to get “real things done.”

Here’s the problem: in men’s traditional approach to religion, “spirit” has not been taken very seriously, while materialism has been avidly worshipped. As a result, the spiritual visions of Jesus, Buddha, and Mohammed have, over time, become transformed by the religious institutions established in their name into a kind of ersatz spirituality – shading into frequently violence-tinged “spiritual materialism.” This has created the kind of spiritual imbalance that, one day, might flip humanity into a final tragic cycle of self-destruction.

The “hard” male-dominant social structures that have created this spiritual imbalance – i.e., the world’s vast, almost child-like, yet extraordinarily expensive military organizations, the constantly morphing multinational corporations, and the West’s “sacred” capitalist economic structures – by common consensus have now gone too far and are currently threatening humanity’s very existence.

In light of all of this, isn’t it time – even past time – to think about spiritually starting all over again – and modestly and respectfully requesting women’s help?

REINTERPRETING GENESIS

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The snake was both friend and foe –
Friend because it enticed us into opening up to self-awareness
Foe because it gave no hint about the consequences.

Once, long ago, we lived as happy human animals,
Doing what we wanted or needed –
Without reflection.

But, one day, just before biting into a ripe pomegranate,
We stepped back, looked at what we could see, and
Made a conscious choice.

For the first time, we could see ourselves, in context –
And were shocked –
Because, suddenly, we realized we were responsible
For our actions
And that we were no longer going to just do “what comes natural”.

After that, we had choices:
To be anything –
To do anything –
And we would be able to see it all.

After that pivotal moment, we no longer could stop seeing ourselves –
Because once you know – you know –
And in that archaic instant, we lost all naturalness –
We lost “Eden”.

The gap between a human animal
And a human being is virtually infinite,
(not qualitatively different from the gap between the spark or “touch” that created the universe and God),
Now, however, we’re compelled to continue crossing that gap,
Because, once started, there’s really no turning back.

The snake knew this, of course –
That’s why its gift was a curse,
And its curse a gift –

Humans had to lose themselves
In order to become themselves.

This is the cross shared by every human being –
And it’s never a matter of sin
But of consciousness of the responsibility for our own suffering.

All of us, also, need to suffer for future generations
Who’ll need to cross that gap as well
To become full human beings.

So, each of us is presented with the same choice as Jesus –
That is, whether or not to act as God
Would act
If God were human.

For us, it’ll always be a matter of direction –
Individually, as well as for the entire human race.