PICTURE THIS (23)

PICTURE THIS !!! !!! !!!

A warm dusty afternoon in a little Mexican cattle town ….. no…..wait…. ; in the dusty abundance of yellow-lighted pathways,
there, in a shadowed alley off the main square stands ….., what? ,
a Centurion? , as in Roman Soldier? Well bless me, time-travel, …,
another continent … , of course.
As we encompass the time, heat-blasted visage of the main square, we see, approaching from the west, a tall man in loose garments, likened to the robes of a prophet, with the westering sun casting an ephemerous glow, as of a halo, on his head. As he draws near, there is a sudden commotion as men and women call to the soldier standing near them, appearing to beset him with request for license of some sort: exchange of coin, and much belaboring of the moment.
Well, much dust has been stirred, but as the prophet nears, a calm falls on those assembled, not the slightest whisper is heard, nor of bird, nor of beast. Wonder of wonders, what appeared to be no more than a refraction of the sun’s rays over his shoulders, a halo brighter than any star, has followed him as he shuffled along his way. This is no reflection or refraction, MY ‘G ..’, could this be …… …… the .. Son of ‘G’??
Faith, all will be revealed …!

G-Son steps through the massed peasants and soldiers, appearing as one intent upon some grave, sobering purpose … ah … his business must needs to be accomplished in this minor, roofless construction of rushes at the end of the alley. As he steps across the threshold and closes the leather door, several individuals separate themselves from the crowd and lean against the shed, with the flighty appearance of crows at a bakery, eager for the gaining of some sustenance or advantage. And yet, for the watchers there are gaps between vegetable stalks to which they are applying their eyes. They are watching as G-Son, his robes hitched up around his waist, applies his noble bottom to the ‘square-cut’ hole in the only seat in this timeless place of business. They leap back in fright as bursts of light appear to blossom from within the seat, and they watch in wonder as G-Son perceives the scarcity of cloth hanging from the nail on the wall, glances askant to the sky above, removes his halo with his right hand and passes it under his bottom as he rocks forward in the chamber.
[ Well, … business completed, …, no, not if this picture were to continue the tradition of Hieronymous Bosch. ]

The leather door of the squat hut opens and out steps, not the ‘Christ’, but Jesus, the scholar.

[ One advantage of taking on the Roman Catholic Church, on an even playing field, is that almost anything goes … ! If virgin birth, walking on water and transfiguration can be accepted, well, time travel, trans-substantiation and Hollywood panoramas are no big deal. ]

---I consider religion as a shell providing protection and structure for MAN'S collective intellectual endeavors as HE (mankind) has struggled to develop the essential components, the conceptions and knowledge and sophistication, that will be used as the tools with which HE will construct a balanced moral code for an elegant, enriching, challenging life.
---I have come to the conclusion that religion is an educational element that we must, as a civilization, leave behind. So much valuable time has already been wasted on non-productive activity.

---Does this not appear irrational to you, that religion should appeal to persons of more than ten (10) years of age,
That the concept of God is supported more by darkness than by light,
As it has always remained a subject more surely approached by faith than by reason, as is any uncritical belief in that which cannot be proved,
So I propose that, as Mans’ survival is maintained by reason,
So his destruction is attained by a protocol of unreasoned,
unquestioned beliefs,
---Why would Mankind embark upon such a dead-ended course?

For the simple reason that immediate profit could be made by the manipulators of groups of people, with a common consciousness delimited by faith, with no care for truth or future consequences.


-- I find it hard to understand that so much of our lives, our politics, our societies, our institutions, are influenced by god and religion, at this late date. For I believe that the concept of god was formulated under the duress of trying to integrate too much data without proper discipline, that the concept was used by the strong to enslave and manipulate the weak and that if you employ the concept of god, you are either a slave or a con-man. I do not think that this is our best effort, or even in our best interests, as a means of perceiving reality and endeavoring to achieve a consciousness of existence commensurate with the difficulties of living in the present, ever-changing world.

"TO SAVE THE WORLD REQUIRES FAITH AND COURAGE,
FAITH IN REASON AND COURAGE TO PROCLAIM WHAT REASON SHOWS TO BE TRUE." 'The Prospects of Industrial Civilization', Bertrand Russell