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| Bettejo Dux with her Irish cane called a Shillelagh. They say you shouldn't talk about religion or politics if you want peace. Well today the talk is on religion... Enjoy! Bettejo has lived on Kauai over 30 years and is a people lover, animal lover and lover of life.... www.bettejodux.com |
The Patriarchs
I don't like them. They don't like me.
Actually they usually stay out of my way, as I stay out of theirs. They know better than to storm my gates. They'll get my shillelagh across their broad behinds.
Nevertheless, a truly deep concern for women, little children, the future, keeps me in the game.
Their harangue, their harassment, their fear and guilt and sin and hate peddling simply cannot be ignored. The American ones-the worst in the world- stand in the pulpits and TV screens and rant and rave and froth. They parrot, in mind, deeds and action the god they created some fourteen hundred years ago.
Fourteen hundred years ago? What's that?
...and here we are back to Emperor Constantine, the Church of Rome, the Pope with a direct line to the great Jewish horror, Jehovah, the Inquisition, witch burnings, the plagues, the Dark Ages begin here. The whole sick sick sick shebang. I think if I were today's version, I wouldn't take much pride in 'my' history.
And it certainly is 'his' story.
The incredible delight of the pagan gods, these powerful, very human fantasy creatures were done in by them like enemys of the state. The pagan gods loved sex, nudity, war, but they had balance, a saving grace. Gods and goddesses of nature, peace. hearth and home, the great god Pan and his pipes, replaced with a father, an abused son, a holy ghost -come on- and one insipid virgin who took the place of a panoply of gorgeous, glorious, powerful women.
Most people have never even heard of them. Except on those rare occasions when the word 'pagan' comes up and it is bad mouthed, regaled and banished from a state of human experience. Understand, I am not 'selling' paganism, but I am suggesting you at least peer into these historical times.
Venus Rising by Botticelli-she looked like Julia Roberts-Leda and the Swan by Reubens, Yeats' poetry, mythology and wonder were disappeared. Hung in museums, buried in esoteric university libraries and studies. The Greek and Roman and Norse gods and goddesses shoved down the memory hole to be replaced by : let me quote Richard Dawkins, "The God of the Old Testament, arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction, jealous and proud of it, a petty unjust unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive blood thirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynist, homophobe; racist, infanticidal, genocidal, felicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capricious malevolent bully."
Humankind has been living with this nut case for how many years? Raise your hands if you know the answer.
I do hope you're aware that in the past-even the recent past- voices like Richard's did not for long remain attached to bodies.
Today there is still a stigma-an orthodoxy, as Hedges might say-against speaking out against religion. Religious criticism was verbose. It was not nice, in polite society, to expose religious beliefs, no matter how nutty, hateful, gaunt, greedy, stupid and childish it was.
To dare suggest it is a fierce, powerful, disgusting force to contend with, expose and bring down is naughty.
Well naughty is as naughty does. Dawkins and Hitches and Harris are fighting back.
Let the games begin.
Hana Hou, (Encore) Shared from Facebook...
A Funny Joke...
Morris and his wife Esther went to the state fair every year, and every year Morris would say, 'Esther,I'd like to ride in that helicopter.' Esther always replied, 'I know Morris, but that Helicopter ride is fifty dollars, and fifty dollars is fifty dollars'
One year Esther and Morris went to the fair, and Morris said, 'Esther, I'm 85 Years old. If I don't ride that helicopter, I might never get another chance.' To this, Esther replied, 'Morris that helicopter ride is fifty dollars, and fifty dollars is fifty dollars.'
The pilot overheard the couple and said, 'Folks I'll Make you a deal. I'll take the both of you for a ride. If you can stay quiet for the entire ride and not say a word, I won't charge you! But if you say one word, it's fifty dollars.'
Morris and Esther agreed and up they went. The pilot did all kinds of fancy maneuvers, but not a word was heard. He did his daredevil tricks over and over again, but still not a word.
When they landed, the pilot turned to Morris and said, 'By golly, I did everything I could to get you to yell out, but you didn't. I'm impressed!'
Morris replied, 'Well, to tell you the truth, I almost said something when Esther fell out, but you know, fifty dollars is fifty dollars!':)
