I almost forgot what today is, Easter Sunday. The main reason I was reminded of it came when the long-time friend I have coffee with every Sunday at 1 pm texted me this morning, saying our local coffee shop probably would be closed. Which it was. So we went to pleasingly secular Starbucks.
On the way there, I saw that a church had its usual large sign up on the side of the building: “He Is Risen.” When I mentioned this to my friend, he said, “Like sourdough bread.” Clever. I was going to steal that line, but decided to credit my friend with coming up with it. (Well, some Googling revealed that quite a few others got there first with the sourdough analogy, like this Etsy page.)
I’m 99.999% sure that Jesus didn’t rise from the dead. I’d make that 100% if I didn’t subscribe to the scientific adage that nothing is absolutely certain, which allows for the possibility of every truth, no matter how settled it may be, being capable of revision. This is how an open mind remains open.
I used to be more anti-religion, probably as a reaction to my own 35 year span of religiosity. Sort of like how someone who used to be a heavy drinker and is now sober enjoys recounting why and how they gave up alcohol.
Now, though, I mostly view religions in general, and Christianity in particular, as being akin to hockey: I have no interest in them, but I’m fine with other people enjoying them. I included “mostly” because unlike hockey, fans of religion are prone to pushing their chosen form of religiosity onto others. So I get upset with religions when they push their way into the lives of people who just want to be left alone.
Like when fundamentalist Christians try to make abortions illegal for every woman in the United States, or when Christian politicians require that the Ten Commandments be posted in public school classrooms. Crap like that stirs me to criticize religions.
Otherwise, if someone wants to believe that a divine being is going to take care of them after they die, ushering them into heaven and an enjoyable afterlife in the lap of God, go for it. Whatever helps you get through the day. Life can be tough. Often we need a crutch to keep us on our feet. A real crutch works best, in my atheist opinion. Yet if a fantasy crutch beckons, I understand why it can be so appealing.
After all, for three and a half decades i clung to my own religious crutch. I wasn’t able to let go of it until this happened naturally, a result of many influences that were almost entirely outside of my control. Heck, maybe completely outside of my control.
I can’t resist sharing what our supposedly Christian president, Donald Trump, posted on his Truth Social account today, Easter Sunday. It sure doesn’t sound either Christian or Jesus-like to me. Trump is referring to the war he started with Iran. He’s threatening to destroy all of Iran’s power plants and bridges, a war crime, since these are civilian targets. The “Fuckin’ Strait” is the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has closed to most shipping, including almost all of the oil tankers that usually supply about 20% of the world’s oil.
Here’s what Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican who used to be a big supporter of Trump, said about Trump’s post.
Discover more from Church of the Churchless
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Osho explained beautifully how Jesus wasn’t on the cross long enough to physically die. With conspiratorial help they literally faked his death using pharmacopoeia of the day and then he fled that God forsaken land of Israel and lived out a long life where he originally learned his single third eye technique (Kashmir).There is physical evidence of all of this. And it makes me feel a lot better that he survived the crucifixion. Survived it in a very real physical sense and yes they saw his physical body that bared the scars. So nobody has died for my sins and I don’t want them to.
I don’t mind if they get sick though like Gurinder ” Shysterji” .
https://youtu.be/rVP3Jsp8CE8?si=JN_itI9OvN8LCvKg
“Jesus in India” is a 2008 documentary also making the case for his survival, and why not simulate death by entering samadhi? Maybe he did so as a matter of course and was surprised as anyone not to have died.
Another essay telling you about the author’s lofty egalitarian ideals, but which quickly devolves into a political rant about Donald Trump, the anti-guru who is in his nij swarup 24/7.
Yes, most of America now gets that Donald Trump isn’t a nice guy. But to portray Trump as the poster boy of Christianity is a bit much. And it’s not much to your credit to not even attempt to mention the positive humanitarian aspects of Easter. Just the usual jejune atheist hee hee hee.
That said, I do think it’s fair to point out that many religious folk wish to control others. But so do progressives like yourself. You just hide your totalitarian impulses, invoking the false cover of logical positivism and science.
To wit, your rule # (7) “No false “facts” about critical issues. As the saying goes, everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but not their own facts. This applies to this blog, especially about COVID-19 and other critical issues. Blatantly false comments won’t be published if they’re about life and death or other critical topics such as global warming.”
Here is is 2026, and it’s clear to everyone that 1) covid was a joke, hardly more deadly than the flu, and 2) Even Bill Gates now admits that global warming is not the existential threat some scientists and people like you assured it was —
— and wanted people locked up who said otherwise.
I’m trying to think of anything the Christian world has done to me lately that matches the 2 years of my life that were stolen by the covid conspiracy, nor the trillions of dollars that went down the drain to “solve” global warming before science’s prediction that environmental doom fast approacheth.
— and wanted people locked up who said otherwise.
Then there’s your position on sex change drugs and surgery for children. One of the most heinous things our society has ever done to kids, with covid protocols a close second. Were you in power, we know what you’d want done to anyone who disagrees with you.
Then, a far more minor issue, but there’s RSSB. 20 years of racking your brain to come up with agitprop essays against that religious org. But really, you assure us, “you’re fine with it.”
“I’m fine with it.” You’re not fine with quite a lot, and I’m fine with that. What I’m not fine with is your constant pretense of being Mr. Fair Minded, the soul of toleration.
You’re not that guy. You’re quite as intolerant as Trump is. You’ve proven that. So enough with the act. If you don’t like something, say so. But stop telling us you’re not as interested in controlling others as any MAGA head.
Sant 64
So, sure you are fair minded?
Is anyone?
Brian Ji advocates objectivity. The pursuit of objectivity is his religion. And there is so much we can all learn from him.
You can argue that’s impossible to obtain.
But in its pursuit we learn to become more objective.
And, hey, guess what? That happens when we try to learn about and understand others in their own voice.
To do that we must put aside a lot of our own beliefs and biases.
The pathway to truth may just be the painful pathway to seeing our own bigotry.
And that happens when we take some time to put our opinions aside, and let reality, and the person we are with, into us. Even when we don’t understand or agree. Really, what the hell do we know? Right?
So much to learn.
Perhaps more so then.
Even if that is Baba Ji,
Or Trump
Or Brian Ji
They are here for a reason.
It seems to me that both secular philosophy and religious philosophy are really ways to live in this world, and we choose the ‘path’ or philosophy or belief that we think will get us through the challenges of life. All religions advocate their own ‘truth’ and because truth is what is real, once a person firmly believes in a philosophy that they believe to be the truth, it’s difficult to convince them to believe otherwise. So, I can understand why many people think their way is right and anything contrary (in their view) is wrong, but perhaps joining a sect or religious group is simply replacing one way of life which is based on belief, with another, also based on belief, and then thinking they know all the answers.
I see Pope Leo used his Easter Sunday message to implore global leaders to cease ongoing conflicts and abandon any pursuit of power, conquest, or domination. Was he pointing the finger at Trump, Putin and Netanyahu? Well, fat chance of that coming off. These guys have their own sociopathic agendas mixed with a liberal dose of inflated egos and world power aspirations.
God seems to have no viable presence in reality – except as a belief. Surely, any real caring divine being would look down at his creation and be mighty annoyed to see humans destroying his well-ordered planet, with its environment designed for countless creatures and flora. He would be infuriated at seeing his rivers and oceans continually being polluted and being artificially warmed up through the greedy consumption of fossil fuels, causing the ever-increasing greenhouse gases.
But we are all to blame – as long as we maintain our desired standard of living. Just unlucky if you happen to live in a part of the world where drought turns your land into dust and unprecedented rain floods huge areas, causing death and destruction in its wake. And of course, we are also responsible for ocean warming, coral reef degradation, melting ice caps and glaciers, and, because of environmental damage, biodiversity loss. All effects that are visible and can be observed.
Just look at all the money and resources being wasted in destroying Ukraine, Gaza and now Iran (just to mention a few), where trillions of dollars are being wasted instead of putting them to good use for the millions of struggling people in the world, many due to climate change catastrophes.
So come on, God. Sort these destructive humans out – and oh, definitely don’t let them go to the moon and the planets until they (we) learn to sort our own planet out and treat it with compassion and kindness.
If there is a creator, a god, whatever we can name was created by the same.
Pain, pleasure and birth and death are all part of the survival of the universe.
In THAT sense, for a creator these opposites for the humand are the same for the creator.
What exists, wants to survive and those things that help that survival, continuation, goes with pleasure and the frustration of it goes with pain, avoidance.
God, if he exists, is not a human, with a birth and dearth, experiencing pain and pleasure.
Gaza, Iran and Oekraine have the same “meaning” as anything else in nature
Humans should not speak about God or in his name like humans should not speak in the name of animals … doing so adds up to their misery.
Humans have no creative power. nor the power to destroy nature or to look after it.
They still have no idea what it means to live a natural life in a natural way and imagine themselves as governors of nature instead of parts of it.
Sant64’s
post on Hines is one of the most withering take downs I’ve ever read online.