Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Taking Freedom to the World

Taking freedom to the world. What a grand claim. What a grand desire. What a ridiculous premise.

We have heard over and over that it is our job to spread freedom and democracy to the world. To bring an end to tyranny. To free the oppressed. But I have come to realize that it is simply not possible to do.

Freedom is not a gift. It cannot be given. It cannot be gained FOR you. It is a right. A right that must be seized and held by the strength of your resolve. Freedom must be purchased in blood if necessary. If it is just given to you, with no sacrifice, you will never appreciate it, never value it, never jealously protect it. If freedom is not taken, it will not be worth dying to keep. Unless you are willing to die to taken it, it means nothing to you, you will take it for granted.

In the dark depths of our history, in the waning day light in Philadelphia over 200 years ago, our forefathers committed the people of this land to war. The desire for freedom and independence burst from is shell and lashed out violently at the oppressive british empire. It the fire and blood of the revolution, freedom was born, strengthened, and taken by the force of our collective will! Thousands were willing to die to earn the freedom they so desperately desired. And because of that genesis in blood, because that freedom was taken, demanded, not given, we have remained a free people.

Freedom cannot be given. If people are not willing to die to gain freedom, if the light of freedom doesn't burn so brightly that it burns away the chaff, then there can be no freedom. Tyranny only exists because the people allow it to exist. Take Iraq as an example. Why did they live under tyranny so long? Why didn't the people rise up and annihilate tyranny? Because it wasn't so important to them as it is to us. They didn't desire freedom so much as to rise up and fight the tyranny. They don't desire freedom so much that it burns in their hearts and struggles to break free!

Spreading democracy and freedom is a pipe dream! Freedom only comes to those willing to have it at any cost. Freedom is the right of all human beings. Yet, it only belongs to those willing to seize it in a death grip and claim their right! What will be the ultimate out come of the nations we "bring democracy and freedom too" when we leave? Are we naive enough to believe that we can "enforce" freedom and democracy on a people unwilling to hold onto it themselves?

No. We must no longer partake in "spreading democracy and freedom". We can no longer hold on to childish idealistic views that we even have the power to "bring freedom" to any one. Rather, stoke the fires of freedom through our actions in the world. Stoke the desire to be free, and stand ready to hold out a hand when the peoples of the world throw themselves into the fire and purchase their freedom with their own blood. Until that happens, our soldiers will die for the "freedom and democracy" of absolutely nothing.

Monday, June 8, 2009

The Essence of Christianity

I had allot of time to think while unplugged for several days. I got to thinking about what was really at the center of my former belief, my former religion, christianity. The conclusion that I came to was a revelation to me. The extreme simplicity of it all left me contemplating it over and over. Surely it was more than this. Surely it was more complex in its core meaning. The finality of what I thought of was this. No, its not. It is very simple.

The essence of christianity is this. You worship a tribal god that requires human and animal blood sacrifice to appease him. Period. Now, I'll expound on that opinion.

The essence of christianity can be made very simple. But its more fun to draw it out. See, in the beginning, god specifically said that he is jealous, and like wise by his actions upon that jealousy, petty and insolent. He has no problem killing anyone for nearly any reason. And then killing all their family and friends and anyone who stood next to them. The christian/jewish god is a jealous petty god. But he is just a tribal god. The bible talks clearly about there being other gods, or else he would have nothing to be jealous about. It goes through great lengths to make sure his tribal followers make him the top god, not the only god, just the top god. Notice the command "thou shalt have no other gods before me". See, you could have other gods, just make him the top god. So god is a petty jealous god, wanting to be king of the gods. Got it. That is fairly typical of tribal gods.

My second claim is that he craves animal blood to satisfy him. Yes, he is a god of animal sacrifice. There are strict laws in the old testament on how to sacorifice many different animals for different things. This all powerful tribal petty jealous god not only is not powerful enough at this point to forgive sins, but he requires others living creatures to die for those perceived wrongs that he makes up in his jealous state of mind. So he REQUIRES animals to die to get over himself. Any all powerful god could forgive or just make people ask to be forgiven. The only reason animal sacrifice was required, was because he made it so. His own living creatures mean nothing. His own creation nothing better than fodder to satisfy his petty jealously and anger. The slaughter of innocent animals to appease the tribal god.

But in the New Testament and the advent of christianity, this petty, jealous, tribal, animal sacrificing god takes it up a notch. While he has shown the propensity for this type of sadistic cruelty in the past, it has never reached this heights more than the one time it is recorded in Judges 11:1-11, 29-33. Jephthah promises to sacrifice what ever comes out of his house if god lets him win a battle. Of course, ole J slaughters the enemy (gods hallmark) and his daughter comes out of his house. So he sacrifices his daughter and god accepts it as good. But that was just a prelude to insanity.

The christian god steps up the insanity by REQUIRING a HUMAN sacrifice to not burn you in hell for ever. Take that in for a minute, think about it, the christian god is a god of human sacrifice. An all powerful god could surely simply forgive sins, just ask right? Nope. He wants blood. Innocent blood at that. Not just anyone. Someone who doesn't deserve it needs to die a torturous death. The tribal blood god steps it up a notch and requires human sacrifice, Jesus. Now sure, christians believe he is god, but who cares right? We are talking about the requirement of blood, human blood, just to be forgiven of what? Some perceived sin? No, you are BORN sinful by nature. Your very birth requires human sacrifice to avoid hell. What a nice blood god he turned out to be.

For the very crime of being born with a sinful nature, the christian god REQUIRES a HUMAN sacrifice. This is tribal to the extreme, not at all what a loving caring god would be like. After all, wouldn't he just make it easier to get to heaven, just ask for forgiveness and you get it? But no, he MADE the requirement of blood. Didn't have to, but chose to make blood necessary. A petty, jealous, tribal blood god, that is ultimately powerless. So powerless and so sadistic, that he has to require humans and animals to bleed for his pleasure. That is the essence of the christian god. If you are a christian, the essence of your faith is that you worship a sadistic tribal blood god obssessed with making his creatures bleed and die for his pleasure. This is the god you serve. One that isn't powerful enough to just forgive your sins, or one that just likes to see people bleed. Sick.