Jesus: the ascension

[ILOVEJESUS]

I thought he was pure brilliant white like Dulux. Do you think he was more of an Autumn beige then Irr?

[Philboid Studge]

[Irreligious]

ILOVEJESUS wrote

I thought he was pure brilliant white like Dulux. Do you think he was more of an Autumn beige then Irr?

Well, you know I think Jesus is purely fictional, but you've seen for yourself what Christians are worshipping. The images are ubiquitous.

I realize that it's impolite and socially unacceptable to point out the obvious, which is that the alleged creator, savior and ruler of all humankind is a white, god/man. However, even as a child, I could not escape the reality of that observation and what it portends. It's why people think it's so funny (and incongruous) to portray God as a woman, a black man and, famously off-Broadway some 30 + years ago, as a Puerto Rican janitor in a steam room.

Everybody who worships the unseen Jesus Christ knows what they're worshipping. In fact, they take it for granted. Of course, it's pretty easy to do in the context of a world where we are all accustomed to white people being in charge. They are, largely, the authors of human history, at least here in the "western world." They also invented a lot of cool shit for which humanity, in general, ought to be extremely grateful.

But are they the authors of existence itself? Well, that's one I never could buy.

[Philboid Studge]

Krugman's email and our forum is very similar :

But now I get spitting, incoherent rage over articles on, um, health care economics or macro modeling. What enrages people so much about these pieces? Usually, it’s impossible to tell — in fact, I often have the sense that the enraged correspondents haven’t read the things at all. But that’s OK — they know that I’m corrupt, a liar, a Nazi, and have been spewing my evil in my writings.

The point is that whatever is driving all this doesn’t have anything to do with the realities of what I, or, much more important of course, Obama say or do. Obama could have come in proposing to pursue an agenda identical to Bush, and he would still be a socialist/Commie/fascist, with those of us who don’t see it that way lying Nazis ourselves.

Something is going very wrong in the heads of a substantial number of Americans.

[Irreligious]

Philboid Studge wrote

Krugman's email and our forum is very similar :

Yeah, the hardcore right-wingers have become even more virulent in their hatred of so-called pinko-lefties since Clinton left office. Maybe it's remorse at promises unfulfilled?

I mean, we're still not quite a theocracy yet and the wrong people have only been emboldened by electing Obama as head of state.

I realize I'm painting them in broad strokes but, as a group, these alleged God-fearin' folk have never had much affection or compassion for people who are not like them, and they have long been suspicious of Democrats as not-so-secret Communists lying in wait to take their guns, money and religion from them. Even worse, the Democrats, in their minds, seek to coddle the wrong people. That is, all the criminals and uncontrollable minorities (one and the same thing to a lot of these folks), as well as other assorted freaks who either won't or can't conform to the ideals that makes right-wingers think they're special.

Of course, they're enraged when that's how they view the world.

[nkb]

Lily wrote

My obsession is with understanding how this country could elect a man with no resume, a past scrubbed clean, no accomplishments, and no real experience in any sort of actual job.

Weird, I thought we were talking about Obama, and Lily pulls out Dubya in her arguments.

Lily wrote

His children go to a $30,000 a year private school. What would he know about the schools of hoi polloi?

Refresh my memory, where did Bush Jr.'s kids go to school, when they were the age of Obama's kids?

Well, this reminds me of a question you still haven't answered: How is the appointment of Rahm Emanuel as Chief of Staff different from Andrew Card's appointment?

[ILOVEJESUS]

Irreligious wrote

Well, you know I think Jesus is purely fictional, but you've seen for yourself what Christians are worshipping. The images are ubiquitous.

I realize that it's impolite and socially unacceptable to point out the obvious, which is that the alleged creator, savior and ruler of all humankind is a white, god/man. However, even as a child, I could not escape the reality of that observation and what it portends. It's why people think it's so funny (and incongruous) to portray God as a woman, a black man and, famously off-Broadway some 30 + years ago, as a Puerto Rican janitor in a steam room.

Everybody who worships the unseen Jesus Christ knows what they're worshipping. In fact, they take it for granted. Of course, it's pretty easy to do in the context of a world where we are all accustomed to white people being in charge. They are, largely, the authors of human history, at least here in the "western world." They also invented a lot of cool shit for which humanity, in general, ought to be extremely grateful.

But are they the authors of existence itself? Well, that's one I never could buy.

But isn't Jesus all colours ( as he is the infinite creator), and also a spirit. Also in the documentary Bruce Almighty wasn't he played by Morgan Freeman? I feel your whole argument unravelling here lol. Bruce almighty was based very closely on accuracies derived from the bible itself.

[Irreligious]

ILOVEJESUS wrote

But isn't Jesus all colours ( as he is the infinite creator), and also a spirit. Also in the documentary Bruce Almighty wasn't he played by Morgan Freeman? I feel your whole argument unravelling here lol. Bruce almighty was based very closely on accuracies derived from the bible itself.

Maybe you're right, ILJ. Perhaps, all those folks attending Mass really are praying to an old black man with a salt-and-pepper Afro instead of the alabaster dude with the long, lanky auburn locks so abundantly portrayed in imagery throughout Christendom.

[nkb]

Morgan Freeman was God, not Jesus, in Bruce Almighty. Of course, the people behind the movie obviously don't think Yahweh could be a black man, they were just pulling everyone's chain. God is white, dammit!

[Philboid Studge]

Jeffery Hunter, Max von Sydow, Willem Defoe, Victor Garber, Ted Neeley, and James Caviezel have all played Jeebus on the big screen. Very little melanin in that lineup.

von Sydow later played an exorcist.

Hunter was Captain Pike.

Garber is a dead ringer for Dawkins.

[Irreligious]

That's the crazy thing about Christianity: Sometimes God and Jesus are one and the same and other times they are distinct individuals, which often makes for a rather incoherent discussion on the alleged creator of existence, humanity's savior and its supreme ruler.

Anyway, Jesus is often the embodiment of the alleged eternal God for a lot of Christians. Otherwise, it's difficult for people to worship a spirit, since few would have a coherent idea of what this thing is supposed to be without assigning it a visage. I mean, you can't really visualize something as undefined as a spirit. Yeah, there is the "Casper The Friendly Ghost," hologram version of a spirit, but that is still recognizable as something vaguely humanoid.

Irreligious wrote

I realize that it's impolite and socially unacceptable to point out the obvious, which is that the alleged creator, savior and ruler of all humankind is a white, god/man.

This is a child's understanding. What is your excuse? How can you not know that God has no attributes? He is not old, he is not beared; he is neither male nor female. This is what adults understand about God whether they believe in God or not. Why didn't you get the message?

However, even as a child, I could not escape the reality of that observation and what it portends. It's why people think it's so funny (and incongruous) to portray God as a woman, a black man and, famously off-Broadway some 30 + years ago, as a Puerto Rican janitor in a steam room.

As a child, your observation was understandable and appropriate. When you became a man, it was time to put away childish things. Why didn't you?

But are they the authors of existence itself? Well, that's one I never could buy.

Who but an idiot would buy such a thing? Who but an idiot would propose such a thing?

Irreligious wrote

Maybe you're right, ILJ. Perhaps, all those folks attending Mass really are praying to an old black man with a salt-and-pepper Afro instead of the alabaster dude with the long, lanky auburn locks so abundantly portrayed in imagery throughout Christendom.

This is idiotic. I am bilingual and I can't find words strong enough with which to ridicule such childish nonsense. Maybe I will ask the young couple I sit next to in church if they are praying to an alabaster dude. They, like some 25% of the parish are black and, somehow, don't seem to have your problem. Then, of course, I can ask the other 20% if they are praying to an alabaster dude. I rather imagine the Chinese, the Koreans, the Indians, the Indonesians, the Hispanics and the Lebanese are going to look at me like I am crazy.

They'd be right, too.

[nkb]

Lily wrote

This is a child's understanding. What is your excuse? How can you not know that God has no attributes? He is not old, he is not beared; he is neither male nor female.

Then why is God still referred to as "He"? Why not "It"?

Lily wrote

As a child, your observation was understandable and appropriate. When you became a man, it was time to put away childish things. Why didn't you?

You know what thread this is going into, don't you?

[Irreligious]

Philboid Studge wrote

Jeffery Hunter, Max von Sydow, Willem Defoe, Victor Garber, Ted Neeley, and James Caviezel have all played Jeebus on the big screen. Very little melanin in that lineup.

von Sydow later played an exorcist.

Hunter was Captain Pike.

Garber is a dead ringer for Dawkins.

Well, outside of a stylized musical, it wouldn't make much sense to portray Jesus as black, Asian or an Aboriginal Australian in a so-called historical depiction of Jesus' story, given where the tale is set. Actually, it doesn't make much sense to portray the character as Nordic or western European, either, but somehow we are able to hurdle that bit of incongruity. Centuries of practice helps, I guess.

nkb wrote

Then why is God still referred to as "He"? Why not "It"?
You know what thread this is going into, don't you?

The same place this is: Then why is God still referred to as "He"? Why not "It"?