The Sinister Encoded Gospel of Blither
Long before Dan Brown ever even dreamed of Leonardo's secret clues or recycled the ever popular conspiracy of the Templars, there was Bob. The parody of the "Church of the Subgenius" creatively trashes Christianity (and any other religion for that matter) much more effectively than "The Da Vinci Code". So while the Catholic church hyperventilates over the DVC, along with numerous evangelicals, a far more blasphemous comedy has been standard fare for agnostics and atheists for many years.
As with any parody, the truth behind the parody gives it power. Parody is cheap because it requires no defense. Whatever message it conveys is derivative from the original message it mocks. The same can be said of the DVC. No one would care about the royal bloodline of Isaiah or Matthew, but in our enlightened age it is scandalous to suggest that Jesus had sex because it taints His divinity. Ultimately, this is the whole point of the theme. If Jesus is God, then why would He have sexual intercourse and conceive a child? Are the children then partially divine? Is history nothing more than complex manipulation by hidden forces and conspiracies?
While dining at a restaurant, a friend of my daughter walked by our table with her family and asked her, "We just went to see the Da Vinci Code, have you seen it?" My daughter replied that she had not, to which her friend said, "It was REALLY COOL."
It was really cool. And that is the end of that. What more can be said?
I've considered writing my own gospel, hence the title of this blog entry. It would be about how our distant descendants discover time travel and manipulation and intervene in the past in order to bring about the future heaven. All religions would simply be myths based on actual future visitations by those who were engineering their own present in order to redeem all of history and bring back all those who have died. In this gospel, the future civilization is god, perhaps some infinitely wise and benevolent cyber-intelligence, or some engineered spiritual being culminating in the perfect wisdom entity. In my gospel, a secret group of social architects have been continuously intervening throughout history in order to bring about this utopian future. Unfortunately, one of them wants to destroy the future, and so the plot develops around the struggle to prevent this marauder from destroying heaven.
Actually, this story has already been written, in a much more believable form. It is called the Holy Bible. A transcendent God intervenes in His temporal creation and steers His-story in order to accomplish His purpose. An all powerful God casts out the rebellious Satan and his armies, and though the forces of evil want to destroy Heaven, all that they do ultimately brings glory to God. No conspiracy is required because the Hand of God has already been revealed. No secret knowledge is required, because the necessary truth has been written for anyone to read. We are certainly free to discover hidden codes within the text, but no codes are necessary because access to a living God does not require hidden knowledge or encryption. The most mysterious message of God's revelation comes in the form of prophesy, most of which describes events which have already occurred.
We love conspiracy as long as it is secular or demonic. We want to believe that our world is controlled by either capricious men or capricious spirits. What we don't want to believe is that the world is controlled by a sovereign God for His good purpose. We can fight and struggle with capricious men or spirits, but how can we fight with an omnipotent Creator? If the die is cast and the battle won, then what is left other than a bumpy ride without a steering wheel?
Why is a dark conspiracy more believable than a divine purpose? People would rather be unwitting victims than culpable free agents. Little Johnny would rather be paranoid and think that everyone is out to get him rather than believe his troubles begin with his own behavior, or even worse, his own inherent nature. A sovereign God who allows us to freely choose between life and death cannot be blamed for the consequences of our behavior, whereas if we are being quietly manipulated by forces beyond our awareness, we are innocent.
There is only one catch in this endlessly regressive blame game. Who manipulates the manipulators? Do they have perfect freedom while the hapless slaves make bricks from mud? If George W. Bush belongs to a secret society and consults his plastic decoder ring to receive his orders from the temple of low men, then how far do we trace the conspiracy until we find the ultimate earthly (or heavenly) power? If Pope Benedict hides the true nature of Christ, is he in control, or is he just another pawn? Where is the real hidden hand and what is its purpose?
Some people like small, sinister gods. I will worship the One True God.
As with any parody, the truth behind the parody gives it power. Parody is cheap because it requires no defense. Whatever message it conveys is derivative from the original message it mocks. The same can be said of the DVC. No one would care about the royal bloodline of Isaiah or Matthew, but in our enlightened age it is scandalous to suggest that Jesus had sex because it taints His divinity. Ultimately, this is the whole point of the theme. If Jesus is God, then why would He have sexual intercourse and conceive a child? Are the children then partially divine? Is history nothing more than complex manipulation by hidden forces and conspiracies?
While dining at a restaurant, a friend of my daughter walked by our table with her family and asked her, "We just went to see the Da Vinci Code, have you seen it?" My daughter replied that she had not, to which her friend said, "It was REALLY COOL."
It was really cool. And that is the end of that. What more can be said?
I've considered writing my own gospel, hence the title of this blog entry. It would be about how our distant descendants discover time travel and manipulation and intervene in the past in order to bring about the future heaven. All religions would simply be myths based on actual future visitations by those who were engineering their own present in order to redeem all of history and bring back all those who have died. In this gospel, the future civilization is god, perhaps some infinitely wise and benevolent cyber-intelligence, or some engineered spiritual being culminating in the perfect wisdom entity. In my gospel, a secret group of social architects have been continuously intervening throughout history in order to bring about this utopian future. Unfortunately, one of them wants to destroy the future, and so the plot develops around the struggle to prevent this marauder from destroying heaven.
Actually, this story has already been written, in a much more believable form. It is called the Holy Bible. A transcendent God intervenes in His temporal creation and steers His-story in order to accomplish His purpose. An all powerful God casts out the rebellious Satan and his armies, and though the forces of evil want to destroy Heaven, all that they do ultimately brings glory to God. No conspiracy is required because the Hand of God has already been revealed. No secret knowledge is required, because the necessary truth has been written for anyone to read. We are certainly free to discover hidden codes within the text, but no codes are necessary because access to a living God does not require hidden knowledge or encryption. The most mysterious message of God's revelation comes in the form of prophesy, most of which describes events which have already occurred.
We love conspiracy as long as it is secular or demonic. We want to believe that our world is controlled by either capricious men or capricious spirits. What we don't want to believe is that the world is controlled by a sovereign God for His good purpose. We can fight and struggle with capricious men or spirits, but how can we fight with an omnipotent Creator? If the die is cast and the battle won, then what is left other than a bumpy ride without a steering wheel?
Why is a dark conspiracy more believable than a divine purpose? People would rather be unwitting victims than culpable free agents. Little Johnny would rather be paranoid and think that everyone is out to get him rather than believe his troubles begin with his own behavior, or even worse, his own inherent nature. A sovereign God who allows us to freely choose between life and death cannot be blamed for the consequences of our behavior, whereas if we are being quietly manipulated by forces beyond our awareness, we are innocent.
There is only one catch in this endlessly regressive blame game. Who manipulates the manipulators? Do they have perfect freedom while the hapless slaves make bricks from mud? If George W. Bush belongs to a secret society and consults his plastic decoder ring to receive his orders from the temple of low men, then how far do we trace the conspiracy until we find the ultimate earthly (or heavenly) power? If Pope Benedict hides the true nature of Christ, is he in control, or is he just another pawn? Where is the real hidden hand and what is its purpose?
Some people like small, sinister gods. I will worship the One True God.
posted by moleses | 5:54 AM
1 Comments:
Another jewel.
Iceman
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