media

The Cross Disintegrates

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I’ve been wondering about how people will regard Christianity in America in the future. This is for obvious reasons (the religious right, hypocrisy) and the personal (I love to speculate). Truth be told, I don’t see it being anything good.

First, it’s really obvious that the Religious Right et al has made Christianity synonymous with “Bigoted, sexist, homophobic, reality-denying wealth-worshiping asshole who’s a total hypocrite.” Yes, plenty of American “Christians” violate their own religious tenets which is obvious as hell when you have even a passing understanding of the teachings of Jesus. They also do not care that they are hypocrites and have no spiritual curiosity, if they ever had any. Honestly it’s kind of a joke how Christianity has gotten branded.

Secondly, the media has run with this because the Religious Right is loud. They have money, they are publicity hounds, and they are of course politically active – and useful. The Religious Right has been happy to get involved in everyone else’s damn life, and of course the media amplifies that. Plus the American media loves to both-sides things even when people are ranting or opportunist.

Third, the Religious Right is and will be defined by horrible things. Climate denial. Cruelty towards immigrants (despite a lot of that being critiqued in the Bible). Racism. Selling out. People will be hurt by this, people will be hurt by them, and they seem to enjoy that.

Fourth, and sadly not addressed, I think that non-religious right Christianity hasn’t really fought back. Sure I see some truly good people, you can find all sorts of people doing good things. But I don’t see a fight for the soul of Christianity in America which you’d think would be really freaking necessary. There’s so many people being utter assholes in the name of Jesus, you’d think there’d be a willingness to battle.

But I just don’t see it. Some of it sure, but not enough that’s big, bold and in your face. Christians should be utterly pissed at the legacy of grifters like Robertson and Falweel and the like. They should be out there in people’s faces. Heck, maybe some kind of big public act of repentance and penance that would name names.

For whatever reason, the Religious Right has defined Christianity these days. I don’t see that going away, barring some kind of gigantic Great Awakening/Bonfire of the Vanities type activity. Which might happen, but I’m not holding my breath.

So the future of Christianity, in America, is that the Religious Right has pretty much won. They have the dominant description of Christianity. It’s a cruel, greedy, unstable, pile of hypocrisy glad to elect and worship any grifter that comes along. I don’t see it changing too.

What this means is that in future political and social changing, Christianity – even people who aren’t religious right – will be judged as if they are. People won’t be looking to be Christian if they’re not into the whole asshole paradigm That is if anyone is even looking for a specific religion.

I feel a strange . . . sadness to all of this? First, that there’s just so many assholes, of course. But I feel bad for the non-asshole Christians even if I’d wanted them to fight more. I supposed I’d have liked to see a transition to a broader spirituality, but it feels like part of it will be utter, life-ruining, life-endangering failure.

But I don’t see a future for American Christianity where “Christian” isn’t at least secondarily associated with “awful person.” Maybe there will be some kind of syncretic reformist movement, but that’s just maybe.

–Xenofact

Madness Isn’t The Measure

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It seems that there’s always some book or movie or secret that people tease will “drive you mad.” There are mystical tomes that will supposedly melt your mind – as of this writing I’ve seen this applied to Enochian lately. I’ve witnessed people claiming that there’s secret footage of dark practices that will drive you mad – for some reason, this usually involves Hillary Clinton. I suppose if I wrote a book called “The Enochian Secrets of Hillary Clinton” I’d reach a lucrative audience I’d never want to meet.

“It will drive you mad,” is a strange way to promote something. No advertiser will approve ad copy that reads “This Macaroni and Cheese will give you anxiety!” I’ve never had a commercial tell me “Now you can get the socks that will cause depression.” Mental breakdowns are a peculiar way to get someone’s interest.

I know of course that the “pitch” here is that these secrets someone can reveal (usually at a price) are so reality shattering that your weak little mind will break. Off the bat, doesn’t that feel like the secret-holder hints that they’re stronger than the rest of us. Oh it might not be intentional, but it’s there, an annoying sense of bragging should lead to mistrust immediately.

Also, someone tells you that this book or film will drive you mad, doesn’t that also mean that whoever wishes to share the mystery is bad at it? Look, if you’re really desperate to reveal great secrets from under the skin of reality, maybe do it in a way we can handle it? Sure if the knowledge has already driven you around the bend, maybe you have an excuse to create spirit-shattering books and plays. Otherwise, take a communications course or something, mister or missus Holder Of Hidden Knowledge.

All of the above, of course, is me being sarcastically charitable that people claiming madness-inducing knowledge actually know anything.

You don’t need to reveal Shattering Truths to drive people insane – you can use complete and utter bullshit. Many, many people go down absolute rabbit holes of conspiracy theories or fake occult texts, or con games and lose their minds. You can create little worlds of words and images and insinuations that people will happily become trapped in to the detriment of their sanity. You can even do this by accident, as I’m sure we’ve all witnessed courtesy of social media.

People don’t need revelations to go mad, just something to obsess over and some points to connect. When someone claims ruinous knowledge, you can guess what I assume it is.

So no, telling me something “can lead to madness” doesn’t impress me. Yes, it is a warning, it’s just not a warning about threats to my mental health. It’s a warning of arrogance, of bullshit, of a scam, and at best something that’s just an elaborate puzzle with no solution.

Warning “this secret will drive you mad” is a warning about bullshit. Which may make me mad, but more in the pissed off way than the mental breakdown way.

– Xenofact

The Most Dangerous Occult Book In The World

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So many tales and conspiracy theories have “the most dangerous occult book.”  It’s enough the late Sir Terry Pratchett parodied it with the “Necrotelenomicon” a book by Achmed the Mad (who preferred to be called Achmed I Just Get These Headaches).  But how is such a book portrayed in fiction?

Inevitably it’s some rare and creaky tome, thick with horrific pages, and challenging or dangerous to read.  It drives readers mad, it crawls with brain-twisting truths, it twists reality  To read it is to feel something else is watching over your shoulder and it has its own plans.

However, what would a truly dangerous occult book be?  Not some kind of Anti-Personnel Grimoire (a term The Necronomicon Files by John Wisdom Gonce II used delightfully).  A book that is a threat to the world isn’t that much of a threat if it drives most readers mad.  So what would such a book truly be like, a book that delivers real power and isn’t a trap?

Well first, it wouldn’t damn well drive you nuts.  A Dangerous Occult Book – let us call it a DOB – would probably not make people insane by reading it or even being in one’s possession.  Such things tend to be noticed, and such owners tend to have painfully short relations with stakes and kindling if they stay reasonably sane.

Secondly, A DOB would not be particularly hard to use.  It may crackle with power, but if that power takes too much effort to use, it’s simply not worth the time.  It would be streamlined, simple, clear, and give you useful abilities.  If a DOB takes too long to use and is too hard you’re better off using a fist, a lawsuit, or just doing something else.

A DOB would allow you to have an effect and it wouldn’t necessarily be what’s expected.  Do you need to summon demons – or just manipulate minds?  Is it worth turning lead into gold when precognition can let you make money more subtly?  Must you be able to throw obvious lightning, or would subtle curses be more you route.  It’d would work, but it might not be obvious to our expectations.

A DOB might contain a lot of useful information that changes one sense of place in the universe.  Simply and effectively, it would change you and empower you by helping you see yourself differently.  It would keep you from being trapped by existing religions and traditions, freeing you to use that power in its pages.

Finally, a DOB would be easy to transmit, spreading power among those in the no.  It might not be overly long, it would be clear, it could be copied.  Replication would make it even more dangerous as it could be spread about, extra copies hidden, etc.

A truly Dangerous Occult Book wouldn’t be some hernia-producing grimoire.  It would be a manual.

Of course, if we’re all looking for big thick grimoires filled with incomprehensible diagrams and fonts off of a heavy metal album?  Then maybe we’d miss the simpler but more powerful books under our nose . . .

Or someone could be writing it right now.

– Xenofact