It has been said that “religion is
the opiate of the masses; the sign of an oppressed creature, the heart of a
heartless world, and the soul of a soulless condition” fostering the rank and
file of automatons within a political economy operating in the
name of a God emphasizing frugality, hard work, and thrift - regardless of consequential
human suffering. Thus, without many spiritual restrictions, automatons just
obey and reap the benefits in the afterlife – more specifically -
the kingdom to come.
But didn’t Jesus say “the kingdom
of God is upon you” thus implying a call for action and change in the HERE
AND NOW! Well, while there has been action and change throughout history,
He also said the poor will remain constant. But that doesn’t imply a need for the
suffering we see on a daily basis. Yet, contrary to the potential for peaceful
co-existence, the disparity between the HAVES and HAVE NOTS
remains constant if not worse. So, what was the point of the Protestant
Reformation and the Separation between Church and State? Was it just a
shift in the money going to an elect few rather than the coffers of the church?
According to famed sociologist Max
Weber, Capitalism in Northern Europe evolved when the Calvinist Protestant code
of ethics influenced large numbers of people to work hard in the secular world,
developing their own enterprises and engaging in both trade and conscience-free
accumulation of wealth for investment; thus, keeping capitalism well fed to
thrive like a soul damning cancer without restraint – Point! Where in the name of God everything and
anything is game by any means necessary, the spirit of capitalism will develop a
kind of involuntary servitude to serve a mechanized industry that can care
less about who pushes its buttons.
Thus, the importance of religion in
the lives of contemporary Americans is steadily on the decline. Records show
a trend. While higher education tends to replace faith based discernment
with scientific calculation; ages 15-30 are either shifting from their religious
upbringing to something new or leaving affiliation all together; ages 30-60 are
returning with a possible urgent sense of sin and the need for atonement; the largely
autonomous Pentecostal movement is not only influencing the charismatics
of the roman catholic church, but is becoming the fastest growing religion in
the world. And although centered mostly on prosperity preaching, a pulpit
driven psychotherapy has traded biblical principles for personal empowerment
and general entertainment. Thus, 5 Mega Churches in the south and
mid-west have risen to a membership 10,000+ strong. How’s that for a
political thrust in voting power. Thus, when expectations are not met and
the political institution fails to exercise a will to address systemic
shortcomings, religion can serve as an organizing principle to mobilize people for
sociopolitical action.
Point! You can’t separate political
capitalism from religion without losing the fact that a utopian like kingdom
is possible and well worth pursuing. No where better can this voting power be
seen in action than among the Amish and Jews, specifically the Kibbutz and Hasidic
clans, where faith-based marriage, family, and child rearing practices are collectively
observed and upheld. Note their doctrine of control by conscience causes
rigorous honesty, confession, and a conviction in that when one turns to the
Lord, the veils of selfish pursuits are lifted, and the truth is brought
to light: Where the spirit of the Lord resides there is PEACE, COMMUNITY and LIBERTY. “Welcome
the religion that pours into the bitter chalice of the suffering human species
some sweet, soporific drops of spiritual opium, some drops of love, hope and
faith.”
The Grand River Red
I
walk with the infinite hand in hand
I
dwell both at the heights of kings and the pits of their lowest subjects
While
constant through the valleys of laborers, nobles and lords I run
I
carry the message of life’s essence in seeds upon my back
I
collect the spent residue of mortal remains just the same
As I
roar and whisper along the path of existence from beginning to end
I
never go astray nor tarry along the way
I do
not fret the coming of tomorrow nor linger with remorse for yesterday
And
today is but a fleeting moment,
a
shadow tween what was and what will be
I am
the echo of forefathers and the voice of offspring’s in the distance
I am
the coffin of bones put to rest, transformed to shells in my bed
And
the womb from which new pearls to the world are fed
I am
the grand river red
That
which lingers dormant in the back of your head
That
which calls on to you – that which you call upon with unspoken words
That
which escapes the charts of maps and eludes you wildest dreams
I am
the grand river red – made eternal by the infinites spell
The
portal, the gateway to the mystic realms of heaven
And
the mental gates of hell
Where
only the chosen willing few can drink from my bittersweet well
I am
the grand river red – able to transform and transport it all
The
collected dead bones of knowledge – endlessly recorded and recited
To
the vibrant chambers of wisdom – the future insighted and exploited
for i am the grand river
red
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