Archive for the ‘Religion’ Category
This episode looks at national debts as sneaky taxes, and why protectionism should be one of the most holy words in our vocabulary. Asks, if we owe on loans without our consent, are we really free? Referencing the radio series Wizards of Money by “Smithy,” does an in-depth analysis of FICA, the tax that pays for Social Security and Medicare.
Demonstrates how FICA made the income tax less progressive, and why those who can’t afford their own insurance are paying the most to extend the lives of seniors. Proposes an alternative that would provide free reproductive, pre-natal, and pre-school healthcare, so the right to life doesn’t end at birth.
Finally, compares the budget of the Roman Empire in 150 CE and the 21st century US Empire, including the most expensive provinces for each: Judea and Egypt. Updates the parable of the talents to the modern terminology of IMF loans and corporate kickbacks.
Poems:
- “No More Cliches” by Octavio Paz
- “ The Tao of the Trial” by Marilyn Nelson
Songs:
- “Everything Has an End, Even Sadness” by Kaki King
- “Money” by Monty Python
- “The Taxman” by the Beatles
Videos:
- “The Money Programme” with Eric Idle of Monty Python
- “Journeys with George,” a video-montage by Monica Guerra using footage from Alexandra Pelosi’s documentary of the same name
To listen or view the transcript, click here.
Tags: FICA, Journeys with George, Kaki King, Marilyn Nelson, Monty Python, Octavio Paz, Smithy, Wizards of Money
Posted in Bible History, Debt, Economics | Comments Off
Faith & Quakes: Examines the question of theodicy that has puzzled philosophers from Plato to Barbara Ehrenreich: if God is all-good and all-powerful, how can evil exist? Gives a brief history, including St. Iranaeus, St. Augustine, and Alfred Whitehead, and proposes a new answer to “Are people born wicked, or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?”
Demonstrates why the catastrophe in Haiti is an effect of empire, not God. Compares the US military invasion, ala Katrina, to the responses of Iceland, France, Italy, Nicaragua, Cuba, Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, Senegal,
and Palestine. Presents Haiti’s history in opposing colonialism and the ways they’ve paid for this “deal with the devil” – crushing embargoes, onerous debts, brutal dictatorships, and free-market famines. Suggests that Papa Bush and Baby Bush have more to do with Haiti’s tragedy than God.
Poem:
- “Celestial Music” by Louise Gluck
Songs and/or Music Videos:
- “Because It’s There” by Michael Hedges
- “Freewill” by Rush
- “The Saints Are Coming” by U2 and Green Day
Informational Videos
- “The Problem of Evil: A Challenge to God’s Existence?” by A2
To veiw the multimedia transcript and audio player, click here. Note to subscribers: we apologize for a couple of extra posts recently. We added the blog to a number of directories, which required verification codes. Also, my computer’s been taken over by a poltergeist, so email may be sporadic while it’s being exorcised. Thanks!
Tags: Alfred Whitehead, Barbara Ehrenreich, colonialism, earthquake, Green Day, Haiti, Louise Gluck, Michael Hedges, Plato, Rush, St. Augustine, St. Iranaeus, theodicy, U2
Posted in Foreign Aid, Latin America, Religion, US History | No Comments »
Biblical Blackwater: Responds to an interview of Max Blumenthal, author of Republican Gomorrah, with an analysis of the Bible story of Sodom and Gomorrah. If taken literally, God disapproves of homosexuality, but approves of fathers offering teenage daughters to be gang- raped, and then impregnating them himself. If taken allegorically, God retaliates against rebellious nations by enslaving and oppressing them.
Examines the Amarna letters – diplomatic clay tablets sent to the Pharaohs from his Canaanite administrators complaining about the nomadic raiders and outlaws called the Habiru. Examines the evidence for whether Abraham was a mercenary warlord hired through the Pharaoh’s vassal-overlord, Kederlaomer, to put down the rebellion of Saddim (Sodom). This was an alliance of salt, named for the Valley of the Salt Sea: five cities who joined in an insurgency for independence. Was Abraham the notorious jackal Abdi-Ashirta, who took the Pharaoh’s territories from the kings of Gezer, Byblos, Jerusalem, Jordan, and the rest of the Canaanite cities?
Poems:
- Denise Levertov, ”Beginners”
- Margaret Atwood, ”Up”
Songs and/or Music Videos:
- Thievery Corporation, “The Forgotten People”
- DeVotchKa, “Transliterator”
- The Bangles, “Walk Like An Egyptian”
Audio Bonus:
- Interview with Max Blumenthal about the importance of calling out fundamentalists on what the Bible actually says, both literally and allegorically. Also touches on child-rearing, and proposes a third paradigm to disciplinarian vs. indulgent.
Tags: Abdi-Ashirta, Amarna letters, Denise Levertov, DeVotchka, fundamentalism, Habiru, Margaret Atwood, Max Blumenthal, Republican Gomorrah, Sodom, The Bangles, Thievery Corporation
Posted in Raising Children, Sovereignty, Torah/OT | No Comments »
Writing the Wrongs: Closes out the first year of Third Paradigm by adding a retrospective of (mostly) unpublished writings by Tereza Coraggio to the website. A collection of sixteen poems is called Becoming Yeast: Poems of Transformation. Nine essays on the apocryphal gospel of Philip are called Revolutionary Mystics and How to Become One. Also includes responses to Jeffrey Sachs and to Peter Singer, and proof that Jesus was the code name for an imperialist Roman spy. Comments on Obama’s pre-conviction of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in the media. Suggests a trial for the “masterminds” of the controlled demolition on 9-11.
Poems:
- Tereza Coraggio, “Celestial Effervescence”
- Tereza Coraggio, “The Holy Dark”
- Joy Harjo, “Morning Prayers”
- Tereza Coraggio, “Thoughts on the Afterlife,” dedicated to Isa Dempsey
Songs and/or Music Videos
- Kaki King, “Air and Kilometers”
- Robbie Robertson, “Cherokee Morning Song”
- Michael Franti and Spearhead, “Hey World” (Remote Control Version)
Informational Videos
- “Cherokee Morning Song” with old and new photographs of North American natives
Tags: 911 Truth, Becoming Yeast, Cherokee Morning Song, Gospel of Philip, Jeffrey Sachs, Jesus, Joy Harjo, Kaki King, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Michael Franti, Peter Singer, Robbie Robertson, Tereza Coraggio
Posted in 911, Bible History, Gnostic, Indigenous, Media, Obama, Zealots | No Comments »
Joy, Luck, and the Religion of Prosperity: Examines prosperity consciousness and magical thinking from nineteenth century mind-cure healers to New Age spiritual hucksters and the megachurches of consumer christianity. Responds to “The Secret” with the “Joy Luck Club.” Reports on Douglas Rushkoff’s article in the e-zine Reality Sandwich called “I Am God,” giving the history of wealth-creationism and the spirituality of selfishness. Discusses Willis Barnstone’s translation of the New Testament from the Greek, and his decision not to “soften the blows” of anti-Semitism. Compares the gospels as apologists for Rome to Josephus. Reads excerpts from Life, Inc: How the World Became a Corporation on Christian branding.
Poems:
- Hafiz, “A Handful of God”
- Nelly Sachs, “Perhaps God Needs the Longing”
Songs and/or Music Videos
- Kronos Quartet, “Ya Habibi Ta’ala” or “My Love, Come Quickly”
- Depeche Mode, “Your Own Personal Jesus,” MTV concert video
- The Frey, “Happiness”
- Sun Dream, “Shahasrara (Crown Chakra)”
Tags: Depeche Mode, Douglas Rushkoff, Hafiz, I Am God, Inc., Kronos Quartet, Life, Nelly Sachs, Reality Sandwich, Sun Dream, The Frey, The Joy Luck Club, The New Covenant, The Secret, Willis Barnstone
Posted in New Age | No Comments »
Zeitgeist Continued: Using the movie Zeitgeist as a springboard, examines the parallels between Old Testament patriarchs Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. Makes the case for Josephus as the author of the New Testament, and for the Old Testament as a reverse-engineered invention of the Roman Empire. Asks if the God referred to in the Bible resembles Caesar. Reviews the cartoon autobiography of Marjane Satrapi called Persepolis. Uses audio clips from Zeitgeist, including Bill Hicks. Quotes research from Josephus scholars Steve Mason and G. J. Goldberg, and from Joe Atwill’s book, Caesar’s Messiah: The Roman Plot to Invent Jesus.
Poems:
- Joan Murray, “Her Head” by Joan Murray
- Tereza Coraggio, “Walking the Sierra”
Songs and/or Music Videos
- Julia Kent, “Idlewild”
- Bad Religion, “The Answer”
Informational Videos:
- Zeigeist, Part I: The Greatest Story Ever Sold
- Zeitgeist: Meaning of Life Quotes
Tags: Abraham, Bad Religion, Bill Hicks, Caesar's Messiah, G.J. Goldberg, Isaac, Jacob, Joan Murray, Joe Atwill, Joseph, Josephus, Julia Kent, Marjane Satrapi, Noah, Persepolis, Steve Mason, Zeitgeist
Posted in Bible History, Middle East | No Comments »
Don’t Make Me Hit You: Discusses the blaming of Zelaya, the Honduran President, for the violent acts of the coup regime. Looks at US and Canadian corporate interests in Honduras, such as Fruit of the Loom, Russell, Hanes, Gap, Gildan, Adidas, Nike, Dole, and Chaquita, and their response to Zelaya’s 60% raise of the minimum wage. Role-reverses Hilary Clinton and Mel Zelaya. Analyzes the question of whether morality is relative in terms of torture, terrorism, or killing, contrasting the zealots and the Q’uran to the Ten Commandments. Looks at military recruiting and the falsehoods and artificial choices presented to HS seniors.
Poem:
- Demetrice Anntia Worley, “Feminicide/ Fimicidio” on the disappearances of women and girls in Cuidad, Juarez. Won the Split This Rock contest sponsored by Foreign Policy in Focus.
Songs and/or Music Videos:
- Sting and Peter Gabriel, Spanish version of “They Dance Alone” on the disappearances of men and boys by Pinochet. Performed in Argentina in 1998.
- David Ippolito, “Torture is Wrong or We Can Do Better Than This,” great video
- Sting, English version of “They Dance Alone”
Tags: Cuidad Juarez, David Ippolito, Demetrice Anntia Worley, Hilary Clinton, Honduras, Mel Zelaya, Peter Gabriel, Pinochet, Sting, Ten Commandments, Torture is Wrong
Posted in Education, Latin America, Torture, Zealots | No Comments »
What Would Judas Do?: Places Biblical characters in historical context and shows that the heroes may not be heroes and the villains may not be villains. Tells the stories of Judas the Galilean and Zadok the Sadducee, founders of the Fourth Philosophy and zealot revolution. Examines the central role of the priests and elite in supporting the revolution. Finds contradictions in the Biblical text on when and where Jesus was born, if he was a peasant, the revolutionary era he lived through, and which side he was on.
Poem:
Songs and/or Music Videos:
Tags: Arthur Sze, Chronos Quartet, Dick Gaughan, Iron & Wine, Jezebel, Josephus, Judas the Galilean, the Fourth Philosophy, Zadok the Pharisee
Posted in Bible History, Religion, Zealots | No Comments »
Plant Radishes for Hope: Compares the early sprouting of radish seeds to the evidential hope in Frances Moore Lappe’s talk, The Work of Hope. Applies this to Obama’s Cairo talk and its implications for Palestine. Includes an interview with Phyllis Bennis, Institute for Policy Studies fellow and author of several books on Empire and conflicts in the Middle East. Criticizes Uri Avnery’s comparison of Israel to the zealots as unfair… to the zealots, who defended the oppressed against Rome. Relates a conversation with teenage girls about Dr. George Tiller’s murder, and takes a different slant on the abortion question. Presents the Declaration of the Abya Yala – the indigenous populations of 22 countries. Reports on Friday’s massacre of indigenous Amazonians in Peru, with police firing live ammunition into a crowd of 5000 protestors.
Poem:
- Pattiann Rogers, “The Greatest Grandeur”
Songs and/or Music Videos
- Bonobo, “Days to Come”
- David Rovic, “In the Name of God,” concert video
- Big Country, “Soldier of the Lord”
- XTC, “Dear God”
Audio Bonus
- Interview with Phyllis Bennis
Tags: Abya Yala, Bagua massacre, Big Country, Bonobo, David Rovics, Dr. George Tiller, Frances Moore Lappe, IPS, Israel, Obama's Cairo talk, Palestine, Pattiann Robers, Phyllis Bennis, Uri Avnery, XTC, Zealots
Posted in Bible History, Latin America, Palestine, Religion, Zealots | No Comments »
