THE FIRST COMMANDMENT

God's First Law Was Really 
The Only One He Needed.

I don't like to write or talk about religion and the reason is simple: most people stop thinking when it comes to religion. They fall back on superstition or bible quotes. So, before you read this, keep in mind what religion is: It is the human process by which we endeavor to understand God. It is not God, which means it is not perfect or divine. And I know you may think the bible is the divine word of God, well, it just isn't. It's the interpreted word of men.

I watch The Ten Commandments every year in part because it's a good movie and in part because I love watching white people portray Egyptians. And I like how there are actual black people in the movie who are servants and not Hebrews. And then there's Edward G. Robinson, the Egyptian from Hoboken. But my favorite part is when God tells Moses The Ten Commandments and we listen to them counted out in spectacular fashion.

All of the Commandments are good but I think that most of us don't understand the first one. It seems simple enough. "Thou shall have no other Gods before Me." So think, this was the first thing God said, His First Rule of law. He gave us life and he just wants to be #1. Seems fair and easy to do.

Well, we all break this Commandment almost every day of our lives.

Now, I'm not talking about golden calves or snake-gods. I'm talking about the supplanting of our will and judgment before that of God using the very religion which supports the law.

"But how Gary? How am I breaking God's first law every day?"

Each day we decide which sins are acceptable and which are bad. We also condemn and place our earthly judgment over that of God, withdrawing from faith as if we don't even believe in him. We also pervert and bend His Will through earthly interpretation to our own convenience.

For example, men and women agree that murder and adultery are a sin and yet both men and women continuously fornicate and lie, which are also sins. We just decided that one set of sins was worse than the others, placing our judgment above that of God who says, all sins are equal.

Here's how that conversation will go on Judgement Day:

YOU: Hey, Pete I'm here to enter Heaven.
ST. PETER: Sorry but you fornicated hundreds of times and lied thousands of times.
YOU: Yeah but I never murdered anyone or slept with anyone's spouse. High five!
ST. PETER: Sorry, those are sins too.
YOU: Yeah but I decided that adultery and murder were worse because you know, I would never want anyone to do that to me.
ST. PETER: Uh huh. Go to Hell. It's that way. Fall in behind Congress and the reality show people.

Many Christians fight against sin in the name of God, even though these acts should be judged and forgiven by God, not men. But we decided that we should judge them because that whole "love thy neighbor and waiting for afterlife" thing doesn't make us satisfied that God's Will is being done right now while we can enjoy it. By the way, elevating the earthly realm over the covenant for the next life is also a violation of rule #1.

And then there is money, the actual god of man. We all worship money and even talk about it with the same reverence as God. Hell, God's name is on the damned money! This is the worst violation of the First Commandment. The fake money god has us all by the spiritual balls and won't let go because we won't admit it. We give money to fake ministers who build giant churches and fly around in private jets. We try to buy our way into Heaven with money and now, we are told that if we give the church money, God will give us more money, oh wait they never say that. They say you'll get "a blessing" which could be anything from money to your diarrhea going away.

Look at how money and God are the same to us:

1. You can't see God. You have to have faith. You can't see money either. The paper or the coin just represents the wealth that backs it.
2. God is powerful. Money is powerful too. Just ask any billionaire, Bank of America or the Supreme Court.
3. God is mysterious. So is money. I defy anyone to tell me what The World Bank, IMF or The Fed do and who runs it.

So some of you are all hot and bothered right now with a full clip of bible quotes ready to fire. Save it. Your bible quotes mean one thing to you and 8 billion other things to the 8 billion people on Earth.

In closing, I believe the answer to all spiritual questions lies in the First Commandment. The problem is, if we practice it literally, it would bind us to a very strict pattern of behavior which would nullify just about every fun and pleasurable thing in life. If we ignore it, then hypocracy looms. Somewhere in the middle, as usual, lies the right path. Putting God first really just means putting everything else second. In that sense, this was really the only law God needed. The other nine commandments could be easily interpreted from the first one. In fact, everything in the bible is kind of a subset of this first divine law.

Brilliant, right? Well, that's why God is God.

And if you are worried about your behavior and the First Commandment, don't. Remember, God will always forgive you.

Now excuse me while I go off to consider how coveting an Ox and donkey applies to the present.

© 2014

FOR SALE: THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS

We all know that the seven deadly sins are PRIDE, ENVY, GLUTTONY, LUST, ANGER, GREED and SLOTH. But did you know that we market each sin in societal policy?  

As I stated in my brilliant blog The Human Debt Ceiling, the unholy trinity of Materialism, Ignorance and Faithlessness is killing our nation.  Here is more specific proof of that theory.

PRIDE is excessive belief in one's own abilities, that interferes with the individual's recognition of the grace of God. It has been called the sin from which all others arise. While America has slipped to middling in every indicator as a world power, we are #1 when it comes to confidence. We go about stating that "America is still the best and talking abour "Exceptionalism."  And we say it, tweet it, text it and watch it on machines made in China. 

America markets Pride by being in denial about our slipping fortunes.  The day we stepped away from civility, humanity and caring for our fellow man was the day we ceased to be the best.  If pride does indeed cometh before the fall, then it won't be-eth very fucking long.

GREED is the desire for material wealth or gain, ignoring the realm of the spiritual.  Wall Street and Washington are 24 hour Greed Machines. These two entites conspired to execute the biggest crime in the history of our nation.  

And we have all been suckered by "prosperity ministry."  For the last time people, God is not an ATM machine.

America markets greed to us by saying that greed is good and rewarding greedy people and never calling bullshit on the unholy connection between the church and covetedness.

ENVY is the desire for others' traits, status, abilities, or situation.  This one is right in front of your face each day.  The reality show.  We envy celebrities because they seem to have a great life.  But we forgot celebrity was once attained with talent.  But since we lowered the bar, accepted greed and gave in to false pride, now everyone thinks they can and should be a star.

America markets Envy by promoting greed and pride which allows anyone to covet the status and life of another.  We used to accept our lot in life by the grace of God.  Now, we think if "I can just show my ass in the right place I can be famous and get paid." 

GLUTTONY is an inordinate desire to consume more than that which one requires.  Most people think of food when they see this one.  But most gluttony is in the form of consuming and indulging in everything to excess. 

America markets Gluttony in all things American.  Nothing can be too big, too flashy or too much.  We have to have the biggest car, house and fake breasts.  And it's okay because, you guessed it, we're the best and we deserve anything we can get by any means because God wants us to have it here on earth.

But if you insist on the old world definition, America is the second fattest nation in the world behind Kuwait.

SLOTH is the avoidance of physical or spiritual work.  Lazy comes right after fat in this country. Americans used to have a work ethic that found us connecting our occupation in spirit and thankfulness. Now, we all just want to get paid without working or having talent. (seen Envy above)  And as for spiritual work, well, that's too hard.  It easier to believe that God wants to give you stuff.

America markets Sloth by talking about exceptionalism but promoting dependency and then blasting you when you become dependent.  It also tells you that solthfullness is a right and evil men are trying to take it from you.

LUST is an inordinate craving for the pleasures of the body.  From bimbo news anchors to lingerie for kids, America had pushed its head into its genitals and will not come out.  But the best evidence of this is the Celebrity Ho.  How did Kim Kardashinan and Paris Hilton both screw all over the internet and then get to come into you child's bedroom at night?  Our young girls are sexualized at an early age and so inevitably pedophilia is now on the rise.

America markets lust by selling all other sins with it.

ANGER spurns love.  We hate each other.  For over thousand of years we've been trying to figure out how to love  each other and all we do is cling to the silly belief that one person is somehow better than another due to some superficial trait.  And because we hate each other, it has been easy for people to divide us and thereby sell us the other six Deadly Sins.

American markets anger buy turning its citizens toward prejudice and bigotry and away from God and while we fight, they steal the world from us.

Copyright 2011

OCCUPY HEAVEN

Millions Gather At Churches And Religious Landmarks to Protest The Rebuke Of A Reward In The Afterlife.

Along with the protest against greed has come a bigger movement. Occupy Heaven is upset that the new Christianity, Prosperity Ministry, has silently killed the idea that Heaven is your reward. For the last fifty years, the Christian church has become more interested in wealth than souls and as a result, it has been corrupted to its core.

One Occupy member said: "The only difference between Wall Street and the church is, your teenaged son might be safe on Wall Street."

So, In a startling move, God has closed Heaven.

The Almighty is upset that Christians now believe that their reward for good behavior is found on Earth and in things made by men and not in ideals proposed by The Word.

Occupy Heaven is trying to get God to change his mind and re-open Heaven by turning on a fallen church.

"This has got to stop!" says Bill Brown, 35, of Atlanta. "Each week, I go to church looking for salvation and wisdom and all I get is cynical sermons about "money blessings. Last week my minister's sermon was entitled The ATM of Faith. I wanted to strangle him with his shiny suit."

The movement is global, with protesters jamming the doors of cathedrals all over the world. More than 3 million people filled Vatican City last week for a vigil.

The Pope issued a statement saying that the Catholic Church has never abandoned the idea of Heaven. The Pontiff then agreed that as long as we foolishly place faith in men, money and material, we violate the First Commandment and Heaven should remained closed. He did not, however agree to Occupy's request to get rid of "that smoking purse and the shiny dresses."

St. Peter, guardian of the Gates To Heaven, had this to say: "It's a shame. After thousands of years, people all of a sudden back off faith for money, fame and status? It's ridiculous. By the way, I'm out of work now, what's up with that Jobs Bill?"

But some people believe Heaven is outdated. "Man, it's like that 17 virgins thing," said Reverend Curtis Currency of the Unity Church in Alabama. "Be good and go to some place with clouds and Angels? That's crazy talk. God wants you to be happy now and have the things that make you feel good now."  When asked what he thought happened when we died, Rev. Currency said: "I don't know but I'm sure there's some kind of nice car involved."

Millions in the Occupy movement called upon God to respond and he did through tweets he sends to an obscure writer:

"Heaven is the wellspring of eternity, the only thing worthy of your faith and soul. It is no joke-- and neither am I." - retweeted from God.

For now, Heaven remains closed and no one will pass into its eternal bliss as long as we continue to believe as we do.

Reverend Baker Donovan of Maine put it best: "We are free to worship as we like in America, but God's Nation is not a democracy and there is no amending His Constitution. Only in service of His Word can we truly Occupy Heaven.

copyright 2011

JESUS 2.0

A fundamental Shift In Christianity Has Changed The Promise Of God From Eternal Life To Earthly Guarantee.

When I was a kid,  my minister was a young man who was thought of as a radical.  He warned us young ones to resist those who would change the doctrines of God and he slammed all other religious men and women who asked for money first then thought of saving souls.

Souls.

Remember when Christianity was about your immortal soul? Now Christianity has taken a radical shift from heavenly reward to earthly blessing. This is supported by passages in the Bible but we know the Bible supports many things, some good others not so good.  

As Americans have become more self-centered, selfish and materialistic, so has our perception of God. The war that is going on now in society, culture and politics reflects this. Suddenly, we have the two camps of extremes. One that sees no limits on man's behavior and the other that sees only limitation. Most of us are right in the middle, just trying to be good and make it to Heaven.

Heaven.

Remember when that was our goal?  Now, it's something for old people. Young Christians talk about "blessings and prosperity"-- right now.

The New Jesus, wants you to have stuff more than he wants you to go to Heaven. He wants you to join the religious social order, march along, then claim your Bentley, hot spouse and vacation home. Jesus 2.0 wants your heaven to be here on earth.

And the corruption, the greed, avarice and boy rape doesn't mean there's a problem in the church. Life is complicated and the flesh is weak. So if you're waving a Bible but have your other hand up some boy's ass, I will not judge you. I'll pray for you while I'm asking for stuff. And if you sin but have money, well then it's a wash.

I could be wrong, but I don't think Jesus died so that I could have man's earthly inventions. I thought His sacrifice was a pact, a passage for us to enter the Kingdom of Heaven and life was the test of your faith.

Christianity is the safeguard, the firewall that is supposed to prevent us from forgetting this. Jesus 1.0 taught us that God is not convenient and you don't get to just change Him when it gets hard. You conform to Him or go to Hell.

Jesus 2.0, the convenient Savior, teaches a gospel made by weak people for weaker minds. It is a religious iPad with hundreds of apps that bring easy living and guiltless indulgence. These are Jesus 2.0's Ten Commandments:

1. Honor God and he will give you earthly prosperity.

2. People who have money are blessed.

3. Money erases sin and abates criticism of its possessor.

4. Thou shalt not covet when you can pray for what you want.

5. Thou shalt not commit adultery but you can fornicate your ass off.

6. Thou shalt not kill-- or snitch on a killer.

7. Thou shalt not lie unless it leads to a blessing.

8. Thou shalt not hate on another person for being blessed.

9. Remember the Sabbath, that's all, just remember it.

10. Honor thy mother and thy father. Thy children?-- not so much.

As we fall from grace, we do not grab God as a lifeline, we use Him to cushion ourselves against the hard ground of faithlessness. See, if we reinterpret The Word as we change, then it is always what we want it to be.  After all, no one really knows the mind of God, right? So then maybe He wants us to change doctrine every few hundred years to suit our changes.  

The question is, are you willing to bet your soul on it?

Copyright 2012

The Chicken, The Egg And Eddie Long

Eddie Long And His Problem Is The Tip Of A Very Big Iceberg That We Do Not Speak Of Very Often.

Eddie Long addressed his people and the people (10,000) lined up with gold-leafed bibles and prayer cloths to ask for tolerance and forgiveness for Eddie Long. When one man asked for the truth, he was thrown out. Others ask not to convict the man before he’s proven guilty. This happens every time a man of God is accused with molestation or other misbehavior.

But ask yourself this: in all those other accusations, how many times has it NOT been true?
The answer is almost never. So, I don't wonder if he did it. Chances are he did. Now it's all about getting him out of it so the money can keep flowing in that church. If you want a more sympathetic view read Goldie Taylor's excellent blog here.

So before the payoffs begin, before people plaster religion over their denial and refuse to see what’s in front of them, let this, my most humble FB page, be a place where someone looks beyond the bullshit to something more important.

I am concerned with things more troublesome than another fake, homophobic self-hating gay republican minister. I worry about the root of this problem.

There is a history of sexual abuse that goes all the way back to slavery. The master raped his slaves then enslaved his own children. Black men were forced to have sex with different women without love commitment or jumping a broom. And we can only surmise that many slave masters were homosexual and raped male slaves. And after freedom, we carried these scars into an uncertain future.

Flash-forward to the rampant incarceration of black males in the 1980’s and 90’s during the creation of the prison industrial complex, when America’s phony “war on drugs” was used to end the progression of post-civil rights black America. Affirmative action was halted, discrimination laws relaxed and businesses allowed to ship jobs overseas. When unemployment soared, black men were left with few choices. And if they chose to use drugs in their despair (or weakness), then simple possession laws suddenly carried penalties that rivaled major violent felonies. Men were taken away from their families and communities and put into a burgeoning prison system which broke their spirit and awakened the aforementioned baggage of slavery.

Within the prison population that incarcerates 10.4% of the black male population, there is widespread sexual abuse and forced homosexual behavior. Some years later, this wholesale incarceration of black men led to a corresponding rise in reported male molestation in the black community. Many men admitted in a study (see below) that they are not homosexual but occasionally engaged in sex with men and in almost every case, they were introduced to this behavior by force or coerced by a trusted adult, like a minister of a mega church.

Understand that this is not a myth. It is fact proven with hard numbers and lives lost and turned asunder. A black man goes to prison under an unfair and unjust system. He is molested. He gets out and he in turn molests a boy, who molests another and so on. The studies show that within the black community that casual molestation inflicted upon fatherless boys became almost commonplace, Many victimized young men suffered from self-hatred, depression, suicidal thoughts. Also many of them carried resentment of women which came from resentment of traditional sexual roles. (And although this was not in the study, I say this anti-woman notion was reinforced by hip hop images and lyrics.) See, Childhood Sexual Abuse in Black Men who have Sex with Men: Results from three Qualitative Pilot Studies. Sheldon D. Fields, PhD, David Malebranche, MD, Sonja Feist-Price, PhD.

It is an almost Shakespearean tragedy: The same country that freed us, kept us in a constant state of legal oppression, within a cycle of poverty and subject to new and improved forms of slavery that kept the problems alive and allowed them to mutate until they were absorbed into our culture, thus proving the very false racist notions which justified our original enslavement.

Outrageous, you say? Ridiculous that prison culture could influence the greatness of Black America? Then were did the baggy pants style come from? Where did the “no snitching rule” come from? Rap tunes celebrating the strength of doing time? Prison tats? The rising HIV infection rates of black women?

We have survived many terrible things in this country but the shadow of our past is never far behind, it seems. And every time we slow down, it overtakes us.

I thought Eddie Long represented everything that was wrong with the church. Now it seems he also represents what’s wrong with black society. But which came first? Is Eddie Long a chicken laying eggs filled with abuse or is he himself a victim, an egg that matured to wreak havoc upon others?

Copyright 2010