>"I do. If I'm good, I'm going to Heaven. And if I'm bad, I'm going someplace else, like over there, right?"
I like this, because by the plain meaning of the words, he's saying that the opposite of heaven is "over there," meaning "in a room with Laura Ingraham."
Great poem. I'm not religious at all, but at the same time, we still have no idea what we are, or why we exist, or how consciousness even works, and so the question is still open.
But for the time being, if the whole of our reality and sources of meaning are going to come from the sort of emergent reality that's born from society, and if these seemingly-universal concepts of karma or an afterlife are part of that, then as a practical matter they might as well be real. You see that in the overlap between religious writings and those of classical philosophers - the latter arguing that the virtues have a realness and an objectivity to them that seems to mirror many ideas of sin in religion. In *some* ways those two ideas may as well be the same thing.
If anything, this all makes Trump's blathering seem even more self-serving and insane! The idea that he's saying, in effect, that he wants to become virtuous is just unimaginable. But on the religious side of it, it invites an interesting question where, if you are trying to follow the rules *just to get into heaven*, but would not be doing so if it weren't a requirement to get in, does that actually qualify you for entry? Is it a test of someone's heart or of their actions? And if it's their heart, then why do they even need to know that heaven exists in the first place? In the absence of that knowledge, where else would the metrics for such a test come from? It would come from the society of other people this person is part of, and the universal rules - the virtues and vices - that already exist as part of it.
I’m not personally a hyper religious person, I was personally disillusioned with it when I was a child, especially after the infamous Catholic Church scandals, but I also recognize the immense goods that religion has historically contributed to throughout history, In a sense it can be thought of as some of the first schools, libraries, mathematics centers, etc. Not just with christianity either, islam & judaism both saw similar purposes with their own churches and monasteries. Its some of the first places of origins for all sorts of schools of though, from treatise on why we need to do colonialism to enslave natives “to bring god to them” all the way to exact opposite schools of thought on why we need to not do that, producing emancipatory religious ideologies. It’s quite a mixed bag and I like to take it all in as literary metaphors. You can end up applying those metaphors and history to the ends you want to create, and this is how states and political projects use religion, but also in art. That poem is actually a smaller exert from a longer one titled “The Sitting US President Jokingly Gestures at a Plan to End US Elections Through Warmongering” if you want more
Irrational thinking like this is the basis for all the conspiracy theories, and racism and misogyny and misinformation that indoctrinated our citizens to believe Trump’s lies and right wing propaganda. Rational belief in facts and logic supported by evidence is how humans progress and survive. Mythical beliefs based on ancient writings and pronouncements by men in robes do not lead to truth, more likely delusions, substituting faith for evidence and rational and critical thinking.
Malty, How can I possibly respond to such an intelligent reply? Any time you want to debate the issue of God, real or delusional, let me know. Interesting that you didn’t rebut any of the points I made? How young were you when you were indoctrinated into which ever mythical religion you believe in?
all this really makes me wonder what the hell people are hearing in church these days. I saw some article about how christians are now against empathy, broadly. i don't even know what to say about that
You have to be known by him... The bible says that many will.come and say I did this in your name and that in your name. People who clearly think their Christians... and he said depart from me I never knew you. Its about having relationship with God
He thinks there's gonna be a negotiating table just outside the gate where he haggles with God over the pro's and con's of how he led his life. That's what establishing peace on earth is to him. It's a moral asset he can use to broker a deal with God.
Absolutely love the weather comparison. In both cases, we're living with the hellish (pun intended) consequences of something that could have been corrected long ago.
>"I do. If I'm good, I'm going to Heaven. And if I'm bad, I'm going someplace else, like over there, right?"
I like this, because by the plain meaning of the words, he's saying that the opposite of heaven is "over there," meaning "in a room with Laura Ingraham."
I think it's plainly obvious that we're already in hell, but being in a room with laura ingraham is certainly a lower level therein...
We all carry the wars of these madmen’s making,
Hell ain’t half full.
They are urging us to get waking.
What will the president see in heaven?
I doubt a single contemporary, maybe JFK?
Passing extinguished souls?
Looking back aghast?
At their own murderer stepping in the door?
I am comfortable in my notions that I know his soul’s path,
in no way will it be placed with the martyrs of the past,
in no way will it go the same way as the souls in god’s righteous holy baths,
I can be comforted in my knowing of the bible,
that hell eternal lay in wait,
his soul will be fitted for the grand ornate pyre.
Now I am precisely just a little fuzzy on the details,
I’m not a scholar of hell’s techniques,
but I’ve had a few run-ins with the devil,
I don’t know what truly sits prepared,
perhaps he’ll be split into many shares,
all divided out amongst every different level,
a piece of one,
piece of another,
the balance sheet of his soul,
even contains simony on its levels,
Is he deserving of his very own place?
Or is he simply frozen like the rest in Judecca?
Great poem. I'm not religious at all, but at the same time, we still have no idea what we are, or why we exist, or how consciousness even works, and so the question is still open.
But for the time being, if the whole of our reality and sources of meaning are going to come from the sort of emergent reality that's born from society, and if these seemingly-universal concepts of karma or an afterlife are part of that, then as a practical matter they might as well be real. You see that in the overlap between religious writings and those of classical philosophers - the latter arguing that the virtues have a realness and an objectivity to them that seems to mirror many ideas of sin in religion. In *some* ways those two ideas may as well be the same thing.
If anything, this all makes Trump's blathering seem even more self-serving and insane! The idea that he's saying, in effect, that he wants to become virtuous is just unimaginable. But on the religious side of it, it invites an interesting question where, if you are trying to follow the rules *just to get into heaven*, but would not be doing so if it weren't a requirement to get in, does that actually qualify you for entry? Is it a test of someone's heart or of their actions? And if it's their heart, then why do they even need to know that heaven exists in the first place? In the absence of that knowledge, where else would the metrics for such a test come from? It would come from the society of other people this person is part of, and the universal rules - the virtues and vices - that already exist as part of it.
I’m not personally a hyper religious person, I was personally disillusioned with it when I was a child, especially after the infamous Catholic Church scandals, but I also recognize the immense goods that religion has historically contributed to throughout history, In a sense it can be thought of as some of the first schools, libraries, mathematics centers, etc. Not just with christianity either, islam & judaism both saw similar purposes with their own churches and monasteries. Its some of the first places of origins for all sorts of schools of though, from treatise on why we need to do colonialism to enslave natives “to bring god to them” all the way to exact opposite schools of thought on why we need to not do that, producing emancipatory religious ideologies. It’s quite a mixed bag and I like to take it all in as literary metaphors. You can end up applying those metaphors and history to the ends you want to create, and this is how states and political projects use religion, but also in art. That poem is actually a smaller exert from a longer one titled “The Sitting US President Jokingly Gestures at a Plan to End US Elections Through Warmongering” if you want more
Irrational thinking like this is the basis for all the conspiracy theories, and racism and misogyny and misinformation that indoctrinated our citizens to believe Trump’s lies and right wing propaganda. Rational belief in facts and logic supported by evidence is how humans progress and survive. Mythical beliefs based on ancient writings and pronouncements by men in robes do not lead to truth, more likely delusions, substituting faith for evidence and rational and critical thinking.
shut the fuck up atheist
Malty, How can I possibly respond to such an intelligent reply? Any time you want to debate the issue of God, real or delusional, let me know. Interesting that you didn’t rebut any of the points I made? How young were you when you were indoctrinated into which ever mythical religion you believe in?
Not one person here decides who goes to Heaven. Only God does
all this really makes me wonder what the hell people are hearing in church these days. I saw some article about how christians are now against empathy, broadly. i don't even know what to say about that
This goes through my head with some frequency:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iE7lVN07Q-Y
Well if he were a true good Calvinist, he would know that all he had to do is believe, and he's slick.
You have to be known by him... The bible says that many will.come and say I did this in your name and that in your name. People who clearly think their Christians... and he said depart from me I never knew you. Its about having relationship with God
He thinks there's gonna be a negotiating table just outside the gate where he haggles with God over the pro's and con's of how he led his life. That's what establishing peace on earth is to him. It's a moral asset he can use to broker a deal with God.
The weirdest part isn’t that Trump thinks he’s negotiating with heaven — it’s that some part of me isn’t even surprised anymore.
📌 When absurdity becomes predictable, that’s the real nightmare.
⬖ Watching politics drift into parody at Frequency of Reason: bit.ly/4jTVv69
Absolutely love the weather comparison. In both cases, we're living with the hellish (pun intended) consequences of something that could have been corrected long ago.
Grandpa's finally feeling his mortality
I'd be very happy if he dropped dead today. And may he never RIP.
This post is based on an assumption, without evidence, that there is a heaven.