Monday, April 20, 2009

GOD IS NOT GREAT?

The title of this post is not a declaration of my religious apathy... it's an ode to blasphemy, a sin personified best by the great thinker Christopher Hutchens, author of a book sharing the title of this post.

If fornication is sex as sin, Blasphemy is breath... as sin... to be alive, one must blaspheme, or at least perform it's cousin vanity's bidding. Blasphemy is no more than the public, exhibitionist cousin to vanity. Once expressed outwardly, that tendency for some to understand themselves as being larger in relation to God than the Church intends, is blasphemy. Some say blasphemy is the use of the name of one or more gods, in a manner which is considered objectionable by a religious authority. This manner is typically any usage that belittles these grand gods in such a way that they lose relative greatness to Us (I blaspheme with my capitalization) as humans. It may include using sacred names as stress expletives without intention to pray or speak of sacred matters (Christ!, for instance). It is also sometimes defined as language expressing disapproved beliefs, or disbelief. (God is not great!, for instance) "Blasphemy" may be used by extension to describe any display of gross irreverence towards any person or thing deemed worthy of exalted esteem. (The King of England, despite his Divine Right, is not right at all. Didn't he screw the Boleyn girls?) Sometimes the word "blasphemy" is used loosely to mean any profane language, for example in "With much hammering and blasphemy, the locomotive's replacement spring was finally fitted."-- cause we all know how mechanics curse, don't we? With such a diverse group of definitions for this one term... and such grave consequences for its execution: Mat. 12:31 says, “Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men..." it looks like we are all in trouble doesn't it? Cause blasphemy is just about any shocking public expression, from cursing to making any statement challenging those who are revered.

I honor blasphemy, as an idea, for the protection it provides Us from Us (I blaspheme again); from offending the great myths that we have made about our deaths, a stage that constitutes the vast and ever-growing majority of our futures... afterall, the Bible says that if we insult these myths in any way, they will magically cease to be our future realities... instead of myth, we will be given nightmare. I have also chosen to honor blasphemy in the same general, though more sound, way that some idiots in Springfield will one day honor a "great" coach like Larry Brown, who is capable of reining in a young and wild Allen Iverson... because the word blasphemy has come to symbolize our tendency, as humans, to be controlled by fear of the unknown yet inevitable... death. It is my belief that we cannot avoid blasphemy, at least not private blasphemy (although that adjective and noun might work together in oxymoronic opposition); we are all guilty, or blessed, with our questions...

And I do not honor blashphemy in any particularly blasphemous way... I do not honor it out of defiance to Him, nor out of hatred for life or Him. I honor blasphemy as that vain self-understanding, or search therefore, that makes real discussion, thought, and discovery possible. What shocks Us piques the attention of listeners and fosters educational environments.

Our ids require a me-centric approach to life which puts God second, places Him in our eternal vanity. He lives in our shadows... it is our fear of the darkness surrounding Him that incents us to exalt Him, praise Him, even capitalize HIM. Exalting Him, who we conveniently meet in our own personal armageddons (the only kind that me and Hutch believe in) brings light to the unknown darkness of death... and no more.

Just some dumbass thoughts... (Ellipsis)

1 comment:

  1. I hesitate to respond to this post out of fear that any affiliation to it might invoke Zeus’s wrath. Oh well.

    Blasphemy is only blasphemy when in mixed company. I could say to a Catholic bunch that Jesus Christ was actually just a delusional homeless man who died alongside crooks. They’d probably stone me to death in true Leviticus style. If I were to say the same to someone else, an atheist for example who might have less of a personal connection or care for Christ’s story, my claim would have little shock value and would hardly be considered blasphemous. So, in a sense, we are all blasphemers depending on the context.

    Although there is definitely some merit to blasphemy, what with it opening doors to understanding our fellow martians and what not, it can certainly get out of hand. How you frame your ‘blasphemy’ of choice compromises, as you said, that “vain self-understanding, or search therefore, that makes real discussion, thought, and discovery possible.” It’s always interesting to trace the source of heretic ambitions (though we could all be considered heretics one way or another) because blaspheming can go wrong when one wants to be shocking or sensational by spreading the gospel of their contrarian ways which only ends up permeating their every human interaction. If the goal is to be provocative, one can easily become guilty of what one might have hoped to stand against: a closed mind, only to field questions because it has even the slightest potential to create a snag in their neatly woven perception of the world. Let’s find a way to at least be productive blasphemers people. I’m drawn to controversy almost as much as Diddy insists on ad-libbing useless nonsense on his artists’ songs but it definitely takes a conscious effort to temper that attraction with an appreciation for polarizing viewpoints.

    On a slightly unrelated note, blasphemy in actions far surpasses mere words ripping apart century-old texts and the divine characters many pray to. Yet holy defiance becomes more real or at least more provocative when it is spoken moreso than when it transcends our actions? Personally, the latter is a lot more poignant. Words can be misconstrued, mispelt, lost in translation and just plain misunderstood yet we still place so much more weight on words when actions have a clearer impact and an even more poignant message to deliver….for the most part.

    “to be controlled by fear of the unknown yet inevitable... death…”
    Not all exalters are created equal. To say that those who exalt their respective gods to do so out of fear for death undermines their other motivations for praising Him/Her, like giving thanks for what they already have or want to achieve. Not all believers keep one eye on temple/mosque/church etc. and one eye on the finish line.

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    I now need to check if I still have my job.

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