Melt Machine Guns into Plow Shares

I am at a coffee shop… Bella Dubby…drinking … XMAS ALE, Great Lakes Brewery just released it. It is awesome, a little strong though.

Devendra Banhart has a new album out. On the album is a song called Sea Horse. The song is phenomenal, going from deep depression to straight screaming and ax rocking!!!! When ever he goes to the rocking part he says this:

Well I am scared of ever being born again

If it’s in this form again

I have come to love this verse. It is my new all time favorite song lyric. I like to think about it and put into different contexts, especially a religious context, a Christian religious context.

Who wants to be “born again” if it’s in this form again?

In this “form” that is so tied to the world, consumerism and American ideal. Being bogged down by television advertisements and bill board signs that scream “YOU SUCK…YOU’RE A FAT HOG…YOUR SO SKINNY…YOUR HAIR SUCKS…YOU SMELL LIKE A 15 POUND DEAD BABY MULE DEER THAT GOT DEFECATED ON BY A 780 POUND BULL MOOSE … BY THIS…GET THIS PAIR OF JEANS… GET THIS COMPUTER…GET THESE FRIENDS…THIS AND THAT….”

Christianity does a horrible job at disproving this myth, the myth that life is found within consumerism, the world and American Ideal. Rather then shun it, it has embraced it. Christianity has become buddies with the culture and the culture has whored it out to the masses, by making it a commodity… that is now being mass consumed through the creation of Christian celebrities, Christian politicians and mega churches that make more money in one week during the Sunday tithe then the poorest nations.

What is the response to be???

1. So far it has been nothing… what should it be???

2. Boycott

3. Burn creeds and dogma-replace them with-the Sermon on the Mount/Plain and the Beatitudes

4. Teach people to love who they are …before one can fulfill Jesus’ commandment, “Love your neighbor asyour self”, one must first learn to love ones self… this is an often overlooked aspect of this commandment. I blame this on the devil (Michael Moore, Bill O'Reilly, Paris Hilton,) Look at society, everyone hates everything about their self and because of this people can not take the liberty to love others because they hate their self. I cannot fully love others until I fully love myself. How do I do this????????????????????? Figuring it out…. Peace.

p.s. I am working on a paper… “Render unto Caesar what is Caesars”

I will put it on here. It is a critique of Mark 12:13-17 and how this verse has been used to inspire blind acceptance of militaristic, oppressive Governments…when in all actuality…through historical/critical/social research one can come to the conclusion that this is not what Jesus meant at all…. Peace and love, JohnIV