A right brained plaything, a taste for saints eyes
Shrouded in cosmos, universal disguise
An episode gone rotten turn off your TVs
Many have fallen from big screen disease
Wiry instruments electric creation
To nature no more belongs fleshful sensation
What was it like to taste human tears
To run around naked and wither our fears
To be two figures, shadows of dust
Wallow in the fiery blue weathers of lust
Lifeblood flowing the seed fully spent
The two fledging lovers to nowhere went
This is our cycles insignificant course
Split from its full into halves and then fourths
Now we've fell forward forgetting the danger
To cut away the newest of strangers
Have the stars gone out, will they leave us blind
Not for me and my friends and a few of our kind

-A new pantheist

That is good, and I say that as one who despises poetry.

The serpent is the symbol that historically represents what you described. The snake is "Ouroboros", the eternal circle of life, death and rebirth. The serpent, of course, is recognized by Christians as Satan, the great adversary.

Now why would Christians do a thing like that?

To answer this question, one needs to attend a Farmer's Market. Here in Santa Fe, we have a decades-old well developed Farmer's Market. The people are junkies. They know everyone by first name. They fellowship. They donate money as offerings to the provider in exchange for providence. They worship the fruits and vegetables the Earth has given them.

In other words, the Farmer's Market is Church. You can draw many reasonable analogies from this comparison.

• "Free Market" corporatists worship the market too, except they believe an Aristocracy should be worshipped rather than the farmers.
  
• Animals become fixated on the provider of their food, and all other human interactions become secondary.
  
• The week is seven days long. Coincidentally, this is the ideal period between market visits for an agrarian society.
  
• Primitive tribal societies glorified the mighty (male) hunter as provider, at least until agriculture displaced hunting.
  

At this point it should be obvious why religion was invented. Cultivating plants and nurturing domesticated animals was women's work. A male supreme being would deny the provider role these too-powerful females were expecting.

Today, religious people thank an imaginary male god for their food, and the fertile earth is disregarded. The labor of farmers, the importance of ecology and the work of the mother and children in preparing the meal is all ignored. This then is how males monopolized providence. All other ideologies were considered evil, the adversary to their imaginary supreme being. And that snake, the symbol of fertility, decay and rebirth, was called Satan. The Great Adversary of God.

I kindof admire the artificial intelligence of computers, Gnarlodious, and it doesn't compel me, per say (whatever...) to run out for soda, naked!

That being said, and whatever 'pantheists' are all about, don't you reserve a special place for G_d 'the Father'?

And Mother Earth? With sunglasses 'blocking' out ALL the details, I see that she gives beautiful birth every day to people, plants and animals!

Albert Schweitzer, from Western Massachusetts winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1952, wrote appealingly about the sanctity of all life. Then in the same breath, he rushed over to sick Africa to minister, as a doctor, to leper colonies. He knew the risk. While he was at it, he inspired-nay founded- the African nation of Gabon. That's real fellowship!

www.schweitzer.org  

quote:

Originally posted by GoodBusiness:
I kindof admire the artificial intelligence of computers, Gnarlodious, and it doesn't compel me, per say (whatever...) to run out for soda, naked!

That being said, and whatever 'pantheists' are all about, don't you reserve a special place for G_d 'the Father'?

And Mother Earth? With sunglasses 'blocking' out ALL the details, I see that she gives beautiful birth every day to people, plants and animals!

Albert Schweitzer, from Western Massachusetts winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1952, wrote appealingly about the sanctity of all life. Then in the same breath, he rushed over to sick Africa to minister, as a doctor, to leper colonies. He knew the risk. While he was at it, he inspired-nay founded- the African nation of Gabon. That's real fellowship!

www.schweitzer.org  

What are all the beings of nature other than a manifestation of Life itself? At source, you are merely a manifestation of that yourself.

Call it what you will, at its essence, it is all the same. Life is Life. No difference between that which animates one being or one life form over another....all are identical at their core. Differences are only physiological.

Retired Monk
"Ideology is a disease"

Thank you for your ready, and broad life-wide perspective! And today I had been reminded that kids have a way of prayer, all their own, and it's, "I WANT MY WAY!" Like on the air today, Fred T.'s campaign manager (immature), who could not get his way, decided instead to 'keep it going' (rather than lose), and was able to infuriate Thom Hartmann.
Thom was mad, and tried to get some substance or meaning to the discussion, and the dude was only able to repeat, "Stop! Stop! Stop!"
What you wrote of about life itself, is now meaningful to me! We progressives are challenged (in disagreeing) to speak to life, not to the individual or person! New Yorkers politely solve this problem sometimes, by 'getting the idea', or 'getting the drop' on someone. At some point the Repubs will cease asserting their identities, and demand attention, for their lifes! And this-because, ultimately, they'll deserve to get their way!?!

Hey GB - while I agree with you in generalizations - I KNOW there are exceptions.

Bonnie Friend: I have listened to The Thom Hartmann Program regularly because he is august.
Today, I happened to look up this word on the train and it means 'inspiring admiration and respect'.

Years ago, I though I was crazy to subscribe. Then more and more folks showed enthusiasm about being on the program, callers said to him their very best thanks and good wishes.

Then, I went through a period of months when I KNEW Thom was absolutely right about everything, and in a way I a little resented parroting him, like saying 'cool-aid', or lately thinking, 'the Reich-Wing Republicans', and then I suddenly realized that I was jealous of how masterfully he knew of our history, in America.

So, what? Well, I don't have to be like him. I have TWO cats for example. I never did advertizing and I have a different background and work than him. I'll NEVER make speeches!!

Now as to the Republicans, on the train today in Connecticut, I looked at one: a proper and prim business guy with an expensive suit and round thin-rimmed spectacles. Not a hair out of place. And I thought of the caring/compassion toward me that MUST BE IN THERE! And when my emotions turned into fear, and I felt his glare and reproach, I knew in my heart that under better circumstances, we might get to know each other, or be some sort of friends. (Surprise: when I smiled at first and persisted with it, he DIDN"T remove all his clothing, and immitate a chimpanzi, and advocate end of the world from nuclear war!) WOW!!

On the other hand, I said softly out loud several times before disembarking, and so almost noone could hear, and then a little louder each time, and very appropriately, "Right-Wing Wacko Nut-Jobs, Right-Wing Wacko Nut-Jobs!"

And as Jimmy Carter said yesterday, these folks headed by Cheney, have been a disaster for the good-intentioned plans of the Grand Old Party, the true republicans!!

I wouldn't say Thom Hartmann is right about everything, I have some major disagreements with him. But he is a powerhouse, a professional broadcaster, and a great mind. I believe he is the number one voice on the radio, and that includes conservatives too. The amount of stuff I have learned from Thom is stupendous, and every time I listen to him I ask myself "why didn't they teach me that in school?".

You're RIGHT!

But NOT in a vaccuum! Noone is!

Specifically, Gnarlodious, you are right to assert, "I am a female."

But I AM right to assert, NO! "I am male."

(and this is not a total joke) My math professor at Community College asserts that he is the ONLY ONE WHO is perfect (but only in math matters! All students, are right.) I would like to get HIS take on this thang!!!

GB - I wasn't talking about Thom. While I have my own "internal" issues regarding Thom - I admit they are internal. They started when I was very little girl. They didn't start with Thom. And heaven knows, (as do I), that's not were they are destined to end, either.

OK - with that, what I was talking about was your observastion of "I had been reminded that kids have a way of prayer, all their own, and it's, "I WANT MY WAY!"

I am proud to say I know a few, (not the majority, mind you), kids/adolescents who do not pray this way. In fact, some of these amazing kids are light-years beyond there adult counter-parts.

OK - my point was not all kids are "all about me." And that's what I meant about "generalizations".

Keep Our Children, In Our Bedrooms

Don't let them out til school,
Shield them from forced, false sharing til then.
Don't let the world stand for 'them the fool',
When they repeat wisdom like women and men.

Read the lies for that's our punishment,
And interpret those realities before it's too late.
Teach them then, that innocense is life's rent,
And that to stay a strong family, ensures each one's fate!!

Send them on their way to class,
Send them to again meet their teacher.
For what she says, well, it just needs to be asked,
And tried, and repented, and then again discovered, that no-one's PER-fect!