Evidently, I can still be shocked by the absolute outrageousness uttered under the umbrella of "fair and balanced." I suppose I shouldn't be so shocked, but when someone slights an entire religion as incapable of redemption in comparison to his own, what else could I be?
The founding fathers had the foresight and sense of decency to protect everyone's freedoms, including freedom of speech, so that Brit Hume can utter what he did on Fox Sunday on how Tiger Woods can redeem himself.
As the old saying goes, "only in America." I find myself in an awkward and profoundly sad situation where I must agree with that bawling moron who cried about wanting her America back. I don't know exactly what her America looks and feels like (re: white, right and Christian), but I know this America we are living in feels all wrong to me.
By now, I imagine most people have seen or heard what Brit Hume said. If you haven't here it is.
For the record, not only does Buddhism offer redemption, it offers forgiveness. May your god also forgive you, Mr. Hume. Your ignorance is disgraceful. That voice of authority that you speak with should be silenced. You should be ashamed of yourself, but you probably think you are speaking the gospel.
And that may be the scariest part of all...
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Joseph Campbell pointed out one of the salient differences between Eastern and Western religions can be observed in the psychology behind the distinct ideas of Paradise: in the west, Adam & Eve are punished by Yahweh (bad, disobedient children!) and kicked out of the Garden of Eden. After they are forced out we are told that behind them are fierce cherubim block the way back to Paradise, doing so with twirling, flaming swords. Compare that with the Buddhist tradition, where one can look into a shrine through a gate that is also guarded by ferocious looking monsters. Inside the gate (of many shrines in Japan, etc.) sits Buddha with one hand aloft and one hand touching the ground (the Ground of Being). Buddha is saying the monsters are your fears--pay them no heed! and bids you to go past them and enter the Garden, which is open to all (the Garden of at-one-ment).
In the west the emphasis is on disobedience and fear, expulsion and disconnection. In the east the argument seems to be we are the captains of our own beings--yes, bad things will happen, and friends and family will die etc., but when you operate out of compassion and balance you will not be kicked out of the garden by anyone but yourself. As a matter of fact, you're in it right now.
p.s. Jesus wasn't a Christian. Just sayin'...
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I was just going to comment on my posting. If you go to:
www.usnews.com/blogs/john-farrell/2010/01/06/why-brit-hume-comment-on-tiger-woods-is-creepy-wrong/comments/
You kind of see the problem.
"Cindy of MS" writes:
There is only one true God. So Brit was telling the truth about the one true God. Sure, there's lots of religions out there with idols and man made gods; but there is only one God who made this earth and us. He makes the rules on how to get to heaven: that's by repenting of our sins and following Jesus, believing He died for our sins. That's what Tiger needs to do, you need to do, and the whole world needs to do. Repent and follow the one true God.
Jan 06, 2010 19:36:35 PM
After the Greco-Roman period of great thought and wondrous art came the Christian driven "Dark Ages." To quote Mr. Zimmerman, "You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind is blowing." Civilization went from sculptures of perfection and fairly amazing sophistication to... stick figures, in the name of Cheeses.
Jivester, I love your mind, but you're going over all of theirs. They're coming up with stick figures and you're spoutin' Carravagio. Again, let me quote the scriptures of BOB (from one of my favorites)--
Feel bad this morning, ain't got no home.
No use in worrying, 'cause the world gone wrong
That's pretty screwy but you should at least be tolerant. Tiger Woods will still be a great golfer and with plenty of girlfriends I hope. He doesn't need redemption, he needs condoms. I mean, I love whores....I don't like religions, any of them, especially yours. I think they're all on the take and make people feel small....even yours. But i'm way tolerant....
mjs, thanx for the great Budda explanation....I didn't know they had monsters and gates....my sitar coach was/is Buddhist and he told me some things that made really good sense He didn't mention gates but I'll tell you this, the sitar is just a bitch.... I had to put it down. There went my exposure to Buddhism except for a few things from Richard Gere. One thing he told is that no one is beyond redemption....there, it''s official...Richard fucking Gere.
With religion, by the time you get life sorted out to the inth degree, you don't need it anymore. And what's this about wanting America back...no air conditioning, no color tv....what? What? "Anything you want, we got it right here in the USA."...... come on....Britt Hune should be allowed to step in shit without you getting pissed...come on...it's party.
Leave Brittany, I mean Britt alone........
From The Power of Myth--Bill Moyers interviews Joseph Campbell:
Campbell: (edit) When Yahweh threw man out of the Garden, he put two cherubim at the gate, with a flaming sword between.
Now, when you approach a Buddhist shrine, with the Buddha seated under the tree of immortal
life, you will find at the gate two guardians— those are the cherubim, and you're going between
them to the tree of immortal life. In the Christian tradition, Jesus on the cross is on a tree, the tree
of immortal life, and he is the fruit of the tree. Jesus on the cross, the Buddha under the tree—
these are the same figures. And the cherubim at the gate—who are they? At the Buddhist shrines
you'll see one has his mouth open, the other has his mouth closed—fear and desire, a pair of opposites. If you're approaching a garden like that, and those two figures there are real to you and threaten you, if you have fear for your life, you are still outside the garden. But if you are no longer attached to your ego existence, but see the ego existence as a function of a larger, eternal totality, and you favor the larger against the smaller, then you won't be afraid of those two figures, and you will go through. We're kept out of the Garden by our own fear and desire in relation to what we think to be the goods of our life.
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Barry: I'm not trying to convert anyone, and am not going over anyone's heads. I can't jump that high.
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Amen to that...and Barry. sorry that i can't type worth a damn.
Can I just add to this fascinating, but off-topic thread? You and I, and for that matter, Joseph Campbell, know/knew more about Buddhism than Brit Hume will ever hope to... if he ever hopes for such knowledge. It is beside the point. He could have chose one of the other two Abrahamic religions, assigned them to El Tigre and condemned them. Judaism is certainly an easy target, and as for Islam? In the immortal words of John Gotti, fuhgeddaboudit.
So, where does that leave us? Christianity? But, as we all know, it is not a one-size-fits-all religion. Mr. Hume probably has a hair across his ass over Catholicism. I mean, who doesn't? And he probably also thinks Unitarianism (worshipping the unit?) is way too liberal for him.
Presbyterianism? Baptist? Calvin? Lutheran? Christian Science? Greek Orthodox? Anglican? Methodist? Latter-Day Saints? Nation of Yahweh? Pentescostal? Jehovah's Witnesses? Foursquare? Branch Davidian? (ooh, sorry, Dave)
The list goes on. It reminds me of the term, "non-scheduled theologies," coined by truth-teller, Lenny Bruce.
The point is, first and foremost, Mr. Hume is one of the many who go to the MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY church of forgiveness. Secondly, Mr. Hume criticized El Tigre as much for being of mixed race as he did for not worshipping where he does. When Mr. Hume, with all the rapturous joy of a basset hound, said El Tigre could only be forgiven by conversion to Christianity, I took it to mean (as I wrote), right and white, with a little of that old time (and yes) god-fearing religion. As an aside, I take issue with Mr. Hume, or anyone, talking religion and showing not a scintilla of joy. Not so much as a slight grin. If you have accepted Cheeses into your heart and life, shouldn't you be the least bit happy? Rabbis smile. I've seen them. And none of that flickering eyes, beatific shit. No, they just smile, like a regular kind of person... like Chauncey in the picture. Not like a fucking basset hound, with droopy eyes and spit ropes.
And David-- you actually agree with William Kristol, (as seen toward the end of the clip). He just wanted to talk about the likelihood of El Tigre returning to the game (of golf). I apologize in front for putting your name in the same sentence as Wm Kristol's, whom I like slightly less than, say, A-Rod.
I'm not sure what playing the sitar has to do with the price of eggs. I actually know more about the price of eggs. What with the feed and scratch we lavish upon our hens, the price of our eggs is dear. But I do know that Beatle George could play a mean one. But neither that nor singing that by chanting the name of the lord will set you free actually set him free. Go figure. Maybe cancer is a deity, too. After all, so many people end up answering to it.
I'm just saying...
Down, boy!!!
Why, I don't hate Christians. Some of my best friends, etc. As for tolerance, my people have a museum in its name. I rail against intolerance.
And, above all else, keep your head while others lose theirs. Joke 'em if you can't take a fuck. And that goes for Brit Hume, too.
Sorry about your bad Jewish experience. Some of us don't really care that much about gelt.
That's more like it....I don't gelt it. We are still on about tiger woods. My original point from posts past was why does he want to be married/saddled anyway? All those beautiful white girls around 24/7 and then some joker thinks he needs redemption...ha. And that ohter guy after brit hune was right....he got back on the subject...tiger woods will make a huge comeback.
Next time pay attention to what i say i don't need to repeat myself.....capice? it's hard to type with my shopworn fingers....call me.
I'm confused. Brit is cool anda joker? And, for the record, I thought the post was about an asinine comment by a right-wing nut proclaiming the superiority of his brand of religion. Tiger is like a Hitchcock McGuffin in the deal.
I'll call you when I'm in the neighborhood.
Ha, i don't know this brit guy...i don't watch tv....but i did watch your video...he gave his opinion which is cool but the other guy got back on topic....tiger is the best and he'll be back for more golf and girls....he doesn't need redemption at all.
Anytime some christian steps in shit you revel....when madoff was exposed you ignored...when islam is gaining ground you vote for it...now get out of the intolerant mindset and drop your hebrew crap... the world is hell and getting worse....get used to it....vote libertarian if you really care about fair and balanced.....do it.....and turn off the tv.....there's plenty of leftwing acorn nuts to drag the place down.
your comments here were about how groovy religions are when they are just not groovy at all..... they make folks twisted and it's hard for them to let go of it all.....especially anyone that's been reborn...... now don't make me educate you anymore as my hands can't feel to grip and my toes too numb to step.... waiting only for my bootheels to go wandering....so let me recover....carpal tunnel is a bitch for a zen master craftsman with universal knowledge......and remember, nature's cruel.....don't go shaving to try to please me.
I don't know. Maybe this will be the last word on this topic. I can only hope.
Brit Hume and cool do not belong in the same dictionary. I don't revel in Christians stepping in shit. Stepping in shit is non-sectarian. Look back on this blog. I wrote about Madoff. Vote Libertarian? You mean, like LaRrouche? The "Libertarian" that called Obama a monkey? Give me a break. And I'll lay off the "Hebrew crap" when you stop quoting Robert Zimmerman.
I think I recall that maybe you did do a short on madoff, my bad.........please don't bring obozo into this....isn't dylan a christian now...some conversion long ago???
According to WikiAnswers, "In the 1970s, he declared himself a born-again Christian, but returned in later years to his roots in Judaism."
And no self-respecting Christian would have done to Christmas songs what Dylan did on his Christmas in the Heart" CD. Maybe he should stick to Hava Nagileh.
Maybe he wanted some good southern bbq so he converted for a while....who knows for sure....he's not the brightest bulb in the pack. he did that one record in nashville long ago, we felt so sorry for him.
Yes his Christmas album was a riot. i thought he might've done it for his grandkids.
How 'bout this. Notwithstanding the funny little hats, books, and candles....the fairy tales and the chosen people crap.... all ancient mumbo jumbo that you seem to love......Just as i was giving you the lowdown on religion, especially yours, here comes the cavalry......
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeSSwKffj9o
Wish Lenny bruce was here for this...
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