A Hindu View of 'God'

Hindu UK provides this useful summary of the Hindu notion of God. The first paragraph gives a pretty good description of the 'nondual' philosophy of Advaita, which is considered the highest manifestation of Hindu thought regarding the Divine. Most people don't even know that Hinduism goes well beyond picturesque representations of Gods and Goddesses!

Search for the Historical Krishna

Was Krishna a historical figure or is he just a myth? This article by a Hindu scientist explores the origins of this most beloved of Hindu gods. However, let it be noted that the historical reality of Krishna is far less important to Hindus than is that of Jesus to Christians. It is only the spiritual message that counts.

The Beauty of Holiness

I don't read Chronicles Magazine, though I know about it through my interest in the political writings of Srdja Trifkovic. It has been called a 'paleoconservative' magazine, which seems to mean that it is less aggressive, interventionist and secular than the 'neocons' or Wall Street Journal types. It appears to have a Christian slant, which I view with some degree of skepticism. I will readily concede that Christianity can be spiritual, but it can also be political, narrow-minded and intolerant. In my opinion, the unique prophet paradigm is simply a bad idea. Even though most Christians seem to have embraced modern liberal democracy with sufficient sincerity, the seeds of medievalism remain.

At any rate, I am attracted to this particular issue called The Beauty of Holiness. I fully agree that the very idea of beauty seems to have curiously vanished in 20th century highbrow art and music. (Let us leave popular culture to one side. It is mostly bad, but some of it is very good.) As a classical music lover, I try hard to like 20th century composers, and some do appeal to me, such as the Ligeti of the spooky voices in 2001 A Space Odyssey. But again and again, I notice that 20th century classical music is characterized by a lack of melody and by raucous and grating harmonies, tones and rhythms, which contrast so vividly with the lush beauty of the romantic music of the previous century, and with the equally beautiful music of the centuries before that.

I cannot help but make an association to the century that brought us the horrors of Fascism and Communism and two world wars. In turn, I cannot help but make a further association to the evaporation of spirituality during the 20th century. There must be a connection. However, I suspect the Chronicles folks would like to see a return to traditional Christianity, whereas I would prefer something more along the lines of the Indian religions like Hinduism and Buddhism. With them, one enjoys the luxury of remaining fully rational! Modern and humane. Like Emerson and Thoreau. But I do like Christian art and music. They got that much right!

By the way, when I did a Google search for this picture of a Madonna, I hade to wade through countless photos of that other vulgar namesake. A sign of the times.

Zoroaster, Judaism and Islam

Not having studied Zoroastrianism, I cannot vouch for the accuracy of this interesting article on Zoroaster and his influence on Judaism and Christianity. One might also add possible influences on Hinduism. However, I can believe that it was a basically high-minded and tolerant religion, which was decimated by the barbaric onslaught of Islam. Here are some more links for further study:

Wikipedia: Zoroastrianism

Religious Tolerance: Zoroastrianism

Avesta: Zoroastrian Archives

World of Traditional Zoroastrianism

Let us hope that Iran is soon liberated from its long Islamic nightmare and recovers the noble spirit of its original, ancient faith!

Mozart's Wife

This picture of Constanze Mozart in her old age is thought-provoking. On the one hand, Mozart is the joyful composer we all know so intimately, who lived in a remote time of powdered wigs, before photographs and other modern inventions. Partly due to some silly musicals, we imagine Mozart as always full of mirth and laughter, and his wife too. Yet this picture of Constanze in her old age is so grim and somber, and the world she lives in seems closer to us, if only because of the realism of photography. This also reminds me that portraits in general from the 19th century tend to look severe and pained, and especially those from Germany. At least that is my impression from having perused many books. Perhaps I am speculating, but I wonder if a general bad temper in the population wasn't in some way related to the rise of German militarism. They should have followed Mozart's example instead.

Interview with David Frawley

Of all the Westerners who have 'converted' to Hinduism, David Frawley is one of the most authentic, being one of the few Westerners to be recognized by a major Hindu sect in India as a Vedacharya or teacher of the ancient Vedic wisdom. In Hindu Voice UK, he gives one of his first interviews in a long time.

Mexican Pictures

Here is a beautiful new photoblog called Mexican Pictures .

Durga and me

This article shows how a single fascinating picture in her parents' home could reignite faith in an uprooted young Hindu woman.

Sakya Monastery - Wheel of Life

Here is a video from the Sakya Monastery in Seattle on the Wheel of Life in Tibetan Buddhism. To quote: "The Wheel of Life illustrates the essence of the Buddhist teachings, the Four Truths: the existence of earthly suffering, its origin and cause, the ending or prevention of misery and the practice path to liberation from suffering."

Here is a tour of the colorful monastery.

Political Scientist is a Decent Philosopher!

Francis Fukuyama understands something about life's mysteries, such as consciousness, which even modern philosophers and scientists often fail to appreciate. He realizes, along with Descartes, that consciousness simply cannot be reduced to matter, which makes it very mysterious indeed. (And matter is equally mysterious, in its own right, regardless of whatever superficial theories physics comes up with, which can only describe its behavior, without truly 'explaining' anything.) The materialist paradigm has so taken over the contemporary intellectual scene that there is an astounding failure to comprehend that science has really explained nothing at the most fundamental level, and the universe remains as mysterious as ever. Perhaps not proof of the divine, but at least highly suggestive!

Still, Francis, you did an about-face on the neocon thing, but that is OK. It must have been Wilsonian idealism or something.

Einstein Robot from Japan

Here is a clip of a remarkably lifelike Einstein robot being developed in Japan. This may raise all kinds of philosophical questions, but rest assured: No robot could ever be conscious. Or could it?

The Spectacular Z-Machine

This dazzling image is not science fiction but an actual experimental apparatus at Sandia Labs called the Z-Machine, which is part of a general research program into fusion energy. Recently, the Z-machine briefly achieved a temperature of 2 billion degrees Kelvin - hotter than inside a star - and the researchers are not sure why!

Jain Festival in India

BBC Online has a slideshow of a Jain festival in India, where the faithful pour coconut, sugar cane juice and other offerings on a huge statue of their ancient saint Bahubali. The Jains are known for their pacifism, which has deeply influenced other religions of India as well as the world.

The Classic Beauty of Artist Han Wu Shen

This is the kind of art that could easily be sentimental, but Han Wu Shen dodges the bullet, in my opinion. At least, it's no worse than Renoir or some such artist. The Chinese have such imagination, delicacy and appreciation for beauty. I hope we never go to war with them!


Han Wu Shen is one of several artists at the Cordair Art Site. Another is Bryan Larsen, who painted this



Doesn't this picture make you feel like flying, or being young again, or both? The artists at this site seem to combine modern themes with traditional styles. That is fine with me. I always thought modern art, abstract or otherwise, was way overblown. (Well, let's make an exception for Chagall, Miro and a few others with heart.) The site also seems to have a human spirit or individualism theme. Even a reference to Ayn Rand. That is also fine with me. I never really fancied being proletarian. I'd rather be a god.

Meditation Alters the Brain

Buddhist Tradition Thickens Parts of the Brain
from Yahoo! News
Nov 11, 2005

Meditation alters brain patterns in ways that are likely permanent, scientists have known. But a new study shows key parts of the brain actually get thicker through the practice.

Brain imaging of regular working folks who meditate regularly revealed increased thickness in cortical regions related to sensory, auditory and visual perception, as well as internal perception -- the automatic monitoring of heart rate or breathing, for example.

The study also indicates that regular meditation may slow age-related thinning of the frontal cortex.

"What is most fascinating to me is the suggestion that meditation practice can change anyone's gray matter," said study team member Jeremy Gray, an assistant professor of psychology at Yale. "The study participants were people with jobs and families. They just meditated on average 40 minutes each day, you don't have to be a monk."

The research was led by Sara Lazar, assistant in psychology at Massachusetts General Hospital. It is detailed in the November issue of the journal NeuroReport.

The study involved a small number of people, just 20. All had extensive training in Buddhist Insight meditation. But the researchers say the results are significant.

Most of the brain regions identified to be changed through meditation were found in the right hemisphere, which is essential for sustaining attention. And attention is the focus of the meditation.

Other forms of yoga and meditation likely have a similar impact on brain structure, the researchers speculate, but each tradition probably has a slightly different pattern of cortical thickening based on the specific mental exercises involved.

Intelligent Design

Intelligent Design, a proposed alternative to evolution, has been a hot topic in the news and on the blogosphere lately. Since our biological origins inevitably touch on religion, the issue can be emotional. This prompted me to do a little research and thinking, and my results are here. (The picture shows a protozoa.)

Some Chilltopia Photos

Chilltopia is the name of a German musical group that plays what they call 'chill out and ambient music'. It has a mellow and funky sound, much like the blue and purple light on their webpage. I like their free download called 'The Last Battle of U-853'. I wish that Jimmy Smith bluesy organ were heard more often! They also have some interesting photography on their site, of which a few samples are shown here.

When Were Curves Not OK?

Dove soap has an amusing new advertising campaign called Real Beauty to reassure women that it's OK to have 'curves'. When was it not OK to have curves? Women are supposed to have curves. Women are supposed to have flesh. I never liked the emaciated look that has taken over Western fashion photography for some years, and I can't believe how many women fell for it, suffering needlessly with rabbit-food diets. I doubt there are many men who desire a skeletal woman, so there must have been some failure of communication. Eating is good for us. Of course, nothing to excess ... and you can make up your own mind what 'excess' is.

Lance Wins Seventh!

This is very inspiring, and hence spiritual! Lance Armstrong wins an unprecedented 7th Tour de France. The Tour de France is an incredibly arduous bicycle race around France, including the mountains, lasting 2232 miles. Winning seven races in a row is amazing, but winning them after fighting cancer is miraculous. Surely this has far more to do with Lance's spirit than with his body.

'Vive le Tour, forever'
Sports Illustrated
July 24, 2005

I was surprised to learn that this Texan and friend of George W. Bush opposes the war in Iraq. He thinks the money should have been spent on cancer research.

Beethoven Beats Bono

No need to explain why this is good news, from a spiritual point of view. And I thought my musical hero Beethoven had been nearly forgotten!

Beethoven (1.4m) beats Bono (20,000) in battle of the internet downloads
by Charlotte Higgins
in The Guardian
July 21, 2005

An Indian Beauty

My study of Indian spirituality is supposed to take me away from samsara! Unfortunately, it got me interested in India in general, and I have discovered that there are quite a few stunning beauties over there. Here is an example. I can't imagine anything lovelier than this. It makes philosophical detachment quite a challenge! However, appreciation of beauty can also lead us to divine thoughts, if we have the right attitude. (I don't know who this is.)

Sea Claims Australian 'Apostle'

The BBC reports that one of the Australian 'apostles' has disintegrated into the ocean. The apostles are a group of rocks off the scenic coast of Melbourne, which I visited about 10 years ago. I felt a twinge upon reading this story, as it reminds me of how all is impermanent, including the mighty formations of nature. Even the massive Himalayas will one day be reduced to dust.

Hindu Chariot Festival in Utah

This is what makes America great! One thinks of Utah as a bastion of Christian Mormon conservatism, yet the ISKCON Temple at Spanish Fork will hold a Hindu Chariot Festival in the midst of splendid natural scenery.

This festival is modeled after the oldest ongoing festival known to man. For the last three thousand years the Jagannatha Chariot Festival has been observed in Puri, a town in the Indian state of Orissa. Annually in the month of June, the town of 70,000 swells to one million population as pilgrims arrive from all parts of India (and the world) to help pull the gigantic Chariot of Jagannatha (Jagat=Universe, Natha=Lord, Lord of the Universe). The chariot in Puri is built afresh each year, is five stories high, has sixteen massive wheels, and takes hundreds of people to hand pull it through the streets. The festival was introduced to the western countries in 1965. Today it is celebrated all over the world: London, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Madrid, New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, etc. Our Spanish Fork version of this epic event will naturally be more modestly staged, yet remain true to its content.

Wild and Mysterious Clouds

These wild and mysterious clouds are a rare formation called 'lenticular mammatus'. They appeared recently over Joplin, Missouri and were photographed by a local news team, where bigger versions can be found.

BBC: Kalash spring festival

From the BBC
25 May, 2005

Tucked away in the mountains of northern Pakistan, the tiny Kalash minority celebrates the end of winter in May each year with the Joshi (spring) festival. They claim they are descended from the soldiers of Alexander the Great.

Charming Photos of Nepal

Here are some of the most most charming photos I've seen of Nepal. I love how the beauty of Hindu and Buddhist religion is integrated into everyday life. I hope the Maoist rebels don't destroy all this. Communism may have its origins in poverty, but it destroys spiritual life.

On the Ancient Mysteries and Christianity

As I have already mentioned, a website called Pagan Origins of the Christ Myth summarizes scholarship which strongly suggests that Jesus Christ owes much of his symbolism to mystery religions and fertility myths then prevalent in the Greco-Roman world. There may have been a charismatic Jewish rabbi named Jesus, who inspired a local following, but I am persuaded that much of his myth was indeed borrowed, consciously or unconsciously, from other sources, especially the idea of personal salvation through the death and resurrection of a God-man. The similarities are too striking, in my opinion, although I'll admit that resemblance may not constitute 'proof'. (Neither does it 'invalidate' Christianity as a spiritual path, though it does help to temper the Christian tendency towards intolerance and exclusivity. More on that later.)

The POCM website is particularly useful for its carefully selected bibliography of the scholarly literature. In this essay, I will summarize the Introduction from Marvin. W. Meyer's book The Ancient Mysteries (University of Pennsylvania Press, 1987), and then I will follow with some personal thoughts on how this relates to Christianity. Meyer's book is the only one-volume anthology of selected ancient texts relating to the mystery religions (or 'mysteries'), and it has been praised by other leading scholars. Therefore I consider Meyer to be as trustworthy a source as any to glean whatever hard facts are available regarding these mysterious mysteries, since much that is available on the internet is unreliable. His Introduction is only 14 pages, so this can hardly be the last word on the subject, but it is a good beginning.

Meyer starts out by describing a religious crisis during the Hellenistic period (which began with the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C and predates the rise of the Roman Empire and Christ by a few centuries). Although he is specifically discussing Greek religion, his remarks apply to the entire Mediterranean world, which was now under the influence of Greek culture. Basically, the old Greek gods no longer seemed credible and no longer provided spiritual sustenance to many of the people. Those gods had been closely associated with civic virtues, back when Greece was a loose and quarrelsome confederation of proud city-states, before being swallowed up by the new empire. Furthermore, the old gods displayed less-than-divine character traits, such as jealousy, lust and anger, which no longer appealed to a more reflective mentality. The rational thinking fostered by Athens during its Golden Age (5th century B.C.) also took its toll on traditional religious belief, sometimes resulting in agnosticism or atheism, which could lead to public censure and even death. Finally, the very creation of a vast empire extending all the way to Afghanistan introduced many new religious ideas and rituals. Civilization became more cosmopolitan.

The mysteries were popular though secretive religious ceremonies which satisfied the new spiritual thirst for inner redemptive experience. Often of ancient origin, they were widespread throughout the Hellenistic world and drew on Gods from many cultures: Greek, Syrian, Anatolian, Egyptian, and Persian. The word 'mystery' comes from the Greek word myein, meaning 'to close', as in closing the lips or the eyes. Profound spiritual secrets were revealed which could lead to a mystical rebirth. As with the Brahmins of India, such wisdom could not be revealed to outsiders; hence the closing of lips to ensure secrecy. Thus, we possess little information regarding the secret rites and their revelations. Another interpretation of 'mystery' was that the initiate closed his eyes to mundane knowledge, only to open them again to see higher truths. Nocturnal ceremonies with flickering torches were sometimes used to create the proper atmosphere. The gnostic knowledge could be quite vivid and visual, in some sense, though we lack details. For example, the highest stage of the important Eleusian mysteries, held near Athens, was called the epopteia or 'beholding'. Clement of Alexandria, a church father, gives us this quote from Pindar, "Blessed is one who goes under the earth [dies] after seeing these things. That person knows the end of life, and knows its Zeus-given beginning,"

The mysteries were generally associated with the cult of a Mother Goddess of fertility and harvest, such as Demeter, goddess of grain, in whose honor the Eleusian mysteries were held, or Dionysos, god of the vine and debauchery, whose presence was also felt in wild vegetation and in the sap of forest trees, according to Plutarch's On Isis and Osiris. Throughout the world, and since time immemorial, agrarian societies have celebrated the cycle of harvest through the symbolism of the death and rebirth of some divinity, who sometimes had to be propitiated with sacrifices, such as food, wine or animals, to ensure the next harvest. Such ceremonies within the Mediterranean world included worship of Demeter, whose daughter Persephone (or Kore the 'maiden') was kidnapped by Hades, god of the underworld, where she was retrieved by her grieving mother, though only for part of the year, which is why we have the seasons; or of the Syrian goddess Atargatis, dating back to the second millennium B.C., whose lover the fertility God Baal died and rose each year along with the plants; or the Asian Adonis, a god of vegetation, known as Tammuz in Babylonia, Assyria and Phoenicia, whose sister Ishtar (Astarte) bought him back from the underworld each year, again resulting in seasons; or the Anatolian Attis or the Egyptian Osiris, who were also gods whose death and rebirth were linked with the seasons and the harvest. Just as Kore was resurrected by Demeter, Baal by Atargatis, and Adonis by Ishtar, so was Attis resurrected by Cybele and Osiris by Isis. Not surprisingly, many of these gods and goddesses were identified with each other.

There were purely masculine versions of the myth, such as Mithras slaying the bull, but again the blood of the bull is associated with fertility, as shown by surviving artwork. The cult of Mithras appealed to soldiers in the Roman Empire.

Notice the key theme of the death and rebirth of a god or goddess. (Already, we cannot help but think of Jesus.) The rebirth of the divinity is originally associated with the harvest, but over time it acquires a personal significance for those seeking spiritual salvation, either in this life or the next. It is natural to appeal to the very power that is believed to cause fertility in nature and to adapt that to the individual condition. The participants in the mysteries acquired the salvific power in ways that are not clear, since secrecy was well preserved. There were ritual fastings and purifications (including baptisms with water similar to Christianity). Hymns were sung and sacred dances performed. Dramatic reenactments of a myth may have inspired the audience to feel that they shared in it. Or the consumption of sacred food and wine was believed to provide spiritual nourishment, sometimes literally the body of the god, just as in Christianity. In Mithraism, where the flesh and blood of the sacrificed bull were consumed in the form of bread and wine, the similarity to the Christian Eucharist was so pronounced that it caused embarrassment to the Church father Justin Martyr, who declared it the work of the devil. Such angry condemnations are quite revealing! And in several ancient texts associated with the mysteries, such as Apuleius' The Golden Ass, the initiates are even declared to be reborn, yet another similarity to Christianity. Further similarities include the virgin birth and crucifixion of the God-man, miracles, and more, as detailed on the POCM site, which quotes the following 'smoking-gun' words from Justin Martyr:

When we say that the Word, who is the first-birth of God, was produced without sexual union, and that He, Jesus Christ, our Teacher, was crucified and died, and rose again, and ascended into heaven, we propound nothing different from what you [the pagans] believe regarding those whom you esteem sons of Jupiter.

Meyer goes on to quote a vivid literary fragment attributed to Plutarch, who compares the experience during the mysteries (probably those at Eleusis) to death and rebirth:

At first there is wandering, and wearisome roaming, and fearful traveling through darkness with no end to be found. Then, just before the consummation (telos), there is every sort of terror, shuddering and trembling and perspiring and being alarmed. But after this a marvelous light (phos) appears, and open places and meadows await, with voices and dances and solemnities of sacred utterances and holy visions. In that place one walks about at will, now perfect and initiated and free, and wearing a crown, one celebrates religious rites, and joins with pure and pious people. Such a person looks over the uninitiated and unpurified crowd of people living here, who are packed together and trample each other in deep mud and murk, but who hold on to their evil things on account of their fear of death, because they do not perceive the good things that are in the other world.

The initiates may have actually felt transformed, or they may simply have received secret knowledge guaranteeing salvation in the future. No doubt many of them were simply socializing. Plato said that many joined the ceremonies but that few were true mystoi. At any rate, the ceremonies must have been very stimulating in some way to be so popular. The processions could resemble a modern Mardis Gras. If nothing else, Plutarch's description may show that the mysteries prepared one for death, not unlike the Tibetan Book of the Dead.

Meyer finishes by quoting from Aristotle, who sums up the mysteries by declaring that the initiates did not actually learn anything but rather had an ecstatic and transforming experience. In general, mysticism is more of an experience than any kind of formal knowledge which can be spoken. My belief is that a 'higher state' of illumination or consciousness is potentially within us, as part of our spiritual nature, but must usually be aroused or revealed, either through meditative practices or through symbolism and ritual. These exercises simply suppress mundane thinking and make the mind receptive to an ecstasy which is already within but hidden.

Whatever may be 'spiritual' in Christianity probably works on this principle, in my opinion. That is, the Jesus myth, derived from the Greco-Roman cultural environment, may simply be another 'spiritual tool' to arouse the mystical state of mind. It could be called a 'mind-trick' or perhaps a 'suppression of mind trick'. This is not meant as a criticism. The ordinary ego-based mind is concerned with gratifying the body and puffing up its self-image, which is a hindrance to the manifestation of the latent divine experience. Any spiritual technique that opens the door to the inner garden is valid if it works. (For example, devotion to Jesus would work like devotion to any other symbolic representation of divinity, by suppressing the ego-mind and focusing and purifying consciousness.) The fault of Christianity is its intolerance, its overemphasis on dogma, and its refusal to see parallels in other religions. (This tradition originated with the Roman emperor Constantine in the 4th century A.D., who crushed the 'pagan' religions and made Christianity the official religion. Despite a few setbacks, the new order prevailed and was inherited by the Church, which is modeled in many ways on the Roman Empire.) Finally, to say that the religious experience is 'within' is not to denigrate it as 'merely psychological'. Rather, it is to affirm our essential identity with the divine, obscured only by ignorance.

Iris Chang dead at 36

Iris Chang, who wrote an excellent book on the Japanese massacre of Chinese civilians in Nanking during the 1930's, has taken her life at the age of only 36. She was found with a gunshot wound to her head in a parked car along Highway 17 in Santa Clara county south of San Francisco, where she lives. She was suffering from depression, for which she had been receiving treatment. In a note prior to her death, she asked to be remembered for the person she was before she became ill.

I feel so many sad and disturbing emotions. She was obviously such a talented and beautiful person, in every way. Can you imagine a nicer person? This shows just how powerful depression can be. It also reminds one of the mystery of life and death. Here today, gone tomorrow. Is this heartrending, or should we maintain the equanimity towards death preached by Krishna in the Gita? After all, the body is only a shell, which the spirit discards like old clothing as it takes on a new life. She may well be in some beautiful place or condition now. Who would deserve it more? Perhaps this is a case of 'they whom the Gods love, die young'.

What remains troubling is the pain which causes one to take one's life, and our loss at such talent and beauty and charm, so typical of the Chinese. She will leave behind the lasting legacy of having drawn our attention to one atrocious but neglected chapter in human history. She wrote several other well-received books and had a bright future as a leading young historian.

Iris Chang was a young child when her parents first told her stories about a slaughter of the Chinese people so horrible as to be almost beyond belief. She recalls their voices quivering in outrage, as the two university scientists talked of Japanese soldiers slicing Chinese babies into thirds and fourths. Of Chinese men used for bayonet practice. Of pregnant women disemboweled, their fetuses killed.
--Nightmare in Nanking

My feeling is that her depression may have been related to her lifelong obsession with this atrocity. It must have sunk deep into her subconscious. Her suicide may have been her way of empathizing with the victims. Perhaps she felt, 'If them, why not me?' Perhaps she is with them now.

Here is her website.

Postscript: I just read that she left behind a husband and 2-year old son...

The Liberal Elite Hasn't Got a Clue

Tom Wolfe is a celebrated author of American social life. He is a 'Southern gentleman' by birth and claims to have retained some of the traditional values of the religious environment he grew up in, despite not being religious himself. In particular, he is shocked — or rather 'awed' — by the promiscuity he has detected on upper class campuses and among the 'liberal elites' in general. He thinks this explains much of the popularity of President George W. Bush, who stands for 'conservative morality'. He has a new book coming out, a novel about a chaste young woman who is corrupted when she goes to college. Here are a couple of paragraphs from a review by the Guardian newspaper in England:


The Liberal Elite Hasn't Got a Clue

Monday November 1, 2004
The Guardian

The novel — researched, as usual, down to the last expletive — concerns a young world speaking 'fuck patois', loaded with creatine and cocaine, numbed by PlayStation 3, and charged by alcohol, the 'vile spleen' of rap and, above all, ubiquitous sex between the heirs and heiresses to privilege in America. Most intriguingly, in this week of all weeks in American history, the book affords a gateway towards explaining Wolfe's boldly delivered, tantalising, remark: 'I have sympathy with what George Bush is trying to do, although obviously the excursion [into Iraq] is not going well.'

[. . .]

'I personally would be shocked out of my pants if I was at college now,' confides Wolfe, who spent four years trawling the campuses for raw material. The book, he says, is 'about sex as it interacts with social status. And I have tried to make the sex un-erotic. I will have failed if anyone gets the least bit excited. So much of modern sex is un-erotic, if erotic means flight of fancy or romantic build-up. Sex now is so easy to consummate — it is a pressure that affects everybody, girls more than boys, I think.'

As he notes, the America which votes tomorrow is a country riven over morality like never before. On the flip side of the culture of ubiquitous sex is that of puritan Christianity, as harnessed in no small part by Bush. ... But I don't think these people are left or right, they are just religious, and if you are religious, you observe certain strictures on sexual activity — you are against the mainstream, morally speaking. And I do have sympathy with them, yes, though I am not religious...

[. . .]

'I think support for Bush is about not wanting to be led by East-coast pretensions. It is about not wanting to be led by people who are forever trying to force their twisted sense of morality onto us, which is a non-morality. That is constantly done, and there is real resentment.


How does Wolfe really know all this? Whom does he talk to? Who talks to him? Is he any more reliable than the pollsters who just blew it with the election? I have no idea. It seems to me that an old man in a white suit lurking around campus asking the students about their sex lives is likely to get arrested!

What I can say is that I doubt the so-called 'sexual revolution' has really changed human feelings. People still want love, still get hurt when betrayed, and most importantly, many (most?) women still want children. That fact alone forces a minimum of 'conservatism', since realistically speaking marriage and mutual loyalty will usually be required for the sake of the children. It seems to me that even today most women will want some guarantee that the man will stick around and assume his obligations. Does that not imply marriage? Perhaps I am old-fashioned. (I changed this paragraph somewhat after feedback from Sugis.)

Anyhow, speaking for myself, I am very sensitive to the feelings of others and especially to how they feel about me. I simply cannot help it, since another person's face and eyeballs are just THERE! It is hard to trust someone or to have them trust you. It is hard to find someone you really care about or who really cares about you. Going through the motions is an intolerable nightmare. Hence, the so-called 'sexual revolution' is irrelevant to me. A personal relationship remains a very delicate process. Religion and morality have nothing to do with it. I couldn't care less about stone tablets from the sky, unless they fall on my head. It is simply that I care deeply about my own feelings, and hopefully those of others, at least if they have treated me decently.

I have skirted the question of whether any sexual intimacy whatsoever before marriage is 'evil' and 'sinful'. I will assume that I am addressing a sophisticated reader and not a puritan. However, I do think that the personal feelings just mentioned will make such intimacy quite difficult unless there is at least a serious prospect of marriage. Otherwise the question will arise, 'Am I not good enough for you?' Again, the question of feelings.

Finally, I will admit that I share the conservative concern about the lack of 'spirituality' (or simple decency) in current popular culture. I too disapprove of vulgar and aggressive lyrics and so forth. I'll concede that my love of personal freedom and fear of religious conformity are based on an idealistic view of human potential which glosses over how freedom can be abused. At the same time, I realize that spiritual decay can doom a society, but the question is what to do about it, and who is to do it? I prefer to err on the side of freedom whenever possible on all moral matters where reasonable people may disagree. For more insight into the culture war, read this.

Christians Eat Lions in 2004

This article provides important insights into how conservative Christians feel about the 'liberal elite'. Liberals ignore this bitterness at their own peril. It would seem wise for liberals to compromise on non-essentials, such as having the word 'God' in the pledge of allegiance, allowing some non-denominational prayer in schools, or being satisfied with gay civil unions rather than marriages. However, I'll admit that in theory I would like the strictest separation between Church and State, even to the point of purging the word 'God' from all public documents.


Christians Eat Lions in 2004

by Don Feder
FrontPageMagazine.com | November 8, 2004

Here’s one for Ripley’s Believe-It-Or-Not: The Democrats have spent decades making life miserable for Christians. On Election Day, Christians returned the favor.

Since at least the mid-1970s, the Democratic Party and its allies have devoted themselves to alternately sneering at and savaging Christians.

They’ve depicted the followers of Jesus – evangelical Protestants and traditional Catholics in particular – as superstitious degenerates, bigots, trailer-park misogynists, both sexually repressed and hypocritically lecherous, and a gang of Torquemada wannabes who constitute a clear and present danger to democracy and the 21st century.

The only problem the left seems to have is in deciding whether Christians are more Elmer Gantry or Elmer Fudd.

They’ve derided their values, indoctrinated their children, given their teenaged sons condoms (and told their teenaged daughters how to get an abortion without their parents knowledge or consent), used their tax dollars to fund "art" like a crucifix submerged in a jar of urine, eliminated the mildest public expressions of faith, and tried to overturn 3,300 years of Judeo-Christian tradition by mandating gay marriage from the bench.

After all of this, the Democrats are shocked to discover that they aren’t wildly popular in the Bible Belt. Where, oh where did we go wrong, they moan, as George W. rallies Christian support to become the first president since 1936 to win reelection and increase his party’s representation in both houses of Congress.

The media believe Bush’s opposition to gay marriage swept the president to victory. While the issue – and the presence of 11 traditional marriage ballot questions (all of which carried, with an average vote of over 70%) – clearly played a role in Bush’s reelection, the war between the Democratic party and religious America extends far beyond the marriage debate.

To the amazement of The New York Times, 22% of voters told exit pollsters that they were motivated by "values" or moral questions – more than those who based their votes on the economy or the war on terrorism. Bush was endorsed by over 80% of values-driven voters.

White evangelicals pulled the Republican lever by 78% to 21%.

The phenomenon cut across denominational lines. Running against the first Catholic presidential candidate (at least in name) since 1960, Bush won the votes of 51% of Catholics. In Florida, Catholics voted for Bush over the alleged altar boy, 55% to 45%. In Ohio, Catholics who attend services weekly chose Bush 62% to 38%. Who says Republicans don’t have mass appeal?

As a general rule, in the 2004 election – the more a voter went to church, the redder he got.

Those who never attend religious services voted for Kerry over Bush, 62% to 36%. The Massachusetts Senator – who vowed he would never make a policy decision based on an article of faith – also carried those who went to church a few times a year (54% to 45%).

Bush got the support of voters who visit a house of worship a few times a month (50% to 49%), once a week (58%) and more than once a week (64%). For the Democratic Party, churchgoing America is enemy territory.

It wasn’t always so. Formerly, Catholics loyal to Rome were a bedrock of the Democratic Party. Once upon a time, it was easier to find a Protestant in Dublin than a Republican at a Knight of Columbus meeting or a gathering of the Ancient Order of Hibernians.

Likewise evangelicals. In that bygone era, the Bible Belt was cinched around the waist of the party that nominated William Jennings Bryan three times. Born-again Christians helped to keep the South solidly Democratic.

The great political awakening started in the 1970s, when the Carter administration attacked the tax-status of Christian schools. A milestone was reached in 1980, when Ronald Reagan told a gathering of evangelical pastors in Dallas: "You can’t endorse me, but I’m going to endorse you."

For observant Catholics, a sure sign that they were persona non grata in the Democratic Party came at its 1992 nominating convention. By then, the party had become so dogmatically pro-abortion that then Pennsylvania Governor Robert Casey was denied an opportunity to address the convention because of his pro-life position.

Ron Brown, the convention’s organizer, told the popular governor of one of the 10 largest states, "Your views are out of line with those of most Americans." If "most Americans" is here defined as the subscription list of Ms. Magazine, Brown was correct.

In the latest evolution of liberal anti-Catholicism, Senate Democrats have established what amounts to a religious test for public office. Kennedy and his cohorts have announced that, no matter how qualified, a pro-life judicial nominee will be automatically rejected. They might as well hang a sign on the door of every federal courthouse in the land – "Catholics Need Not Apply."

The foregoing caused Charles J. Chaput, archbishop of Denver, to suggest that a Catholic who voted for Kerry should go to confession before he received communion.

The left seems to devote considerable energy to devising new and ingenuous way to outrage, horrify, aggravate and otherwise annoy anyone who takes the Bible seriously.

Exhibit A is a 51-page study ("Beyond the Pledge of Allegiance: Hostility to Religious Expression in the Public Square") compiled by the Liberty Legal Institute of Plano, Texas and presented to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Property Rights In October.

According to the subcommittee’s chairman, Sen. John Cornyn (R, Texas): "The campaign to purge expressions of faith from the public square is pervasive, national and well organized. The report not only contains page after page and example after example of hostility to religious expression, it also notes how this effort to cleanse the public square of all religious expressions is carefully orchestrated and organized by some of the nation’s leading liberal special interests." All of which are aligned with the Democratic Party.

Here are a few of the outrages documented in the pages of the report.

· In St. Louis, Missouri, a 12-year-old student was reprimanded for praying over his lunch.

· A public-school teacher in Houston punished two sisters for bringing bibles to class, confiscated the bibles and threw them in the trash and threatened to report their parents to the state’s Child Protective Services. At the same school, another student was forbidden to read a bible in his free time and forced to remove a Ten Commandments dustcover from a textbook.

· Public high school students in Lynn, Massachusetts were suspended for distributing candy canes with Bible verses attached.

· At a New Jersey veterans’ cemetery, a member of an honor guard, and a Vietnam vet, was fired for saying "God bless you and this family" to the family of a deceased veteran.

· In Logan County, Kentucky, a public library worker was fired for refusing to remove a cross-pendant necklace. She was later reinstated, by court order.

Among the chief culprits in this religious-cleansing campaign, the report names the American Civil Liberties Union, People for the American Way (PAW) and Americans United for the (so-called) Separation of Church and State.

Now, let’s see: which of the two major parties is more closely identified with the anti-God jihad? Who’s more likely to keynote the ACLU’s annual dinner, Rush Limbaugh or Bill Maher? This is an open-book exam, but the score will count toward your final grade.

The following is a sampling of postings on the PAW website : "Bush’s Judicial Threats," "The Bush Administration vs. The Constitution," "Bush’s Statement on Judges Demonstrates ‘Orwellian’ Doublespeak," "Bush’s Tax and Budget Plans: Radical and Irresponsible," and a fawning review of David Corn’s "The Lies of George Bush." Despite the liberal assessment of their intelligence, Christians can connect the dots between assaults on the president and attacks on them.

Hollywood rarely misses a chance to ridicule Christians or denigrate their faith. The pathetic comedy "Saved," just released on video and DVD – which is set in a Christian academy and makes religious kids look like Nazi nincompoops – is the most recent example of Hollywood’s contempt for Christians and their values.

But when devout Catholic Mel Gibson made a movie celebrating his faith ("The Passion"), both the producer and his work were subjected to withering attacks – including charges of anti-Semitism -- by critics and commentators.

The news media’s disdain for orthodox Christians was illustrated by a throw-away line in a front-page story in The Washington Post a decade ago. Reporter Michael Weisskopf contemptuously characterized conservative Christians as, "poor, uneducated and easy to command." This is an ugly stereotype, akin to saying that poor, ignorant darkies like to tap-dance while eating fried chicken.

Said condescension was manifested again in the 2000 presidential election, when the president named Jesus as his favorite philosopher. You could hear the media guffaws – from the newsroom of The New York Times to the editorial department of The L.A. Times.

Senate Democrats have launched unprecedented filibusters to block Bush’s judicial nominations. Federal judges are overwhelmingly liberal (activist and elitist) and Democrats are determined to keep them that way.

The judiciary has led the frontal assault on faith.

Since 1963, it’s banished prayer from the public schools, rejected a moment of silent meditation (lest someone be encouraged to meditate on God), outlawed non-denominational prayers at graduation ceremonies and student-initiated prayers at football games, prohibited posting The Ten Commandments on school bulletin boards, ordered removal of Ten Commandments monuments, and come close to taking God out of the Pledge of Allegiance (required by the 9th. Circuit Appeals Court, reversed by the Supreme Court, on technical grounds).

At the same time, the Supreme Court or lower federal courts have struck down anti-sodomy laws and the most modest restraints on abortion, including parental-notification (again, in some jurisdictions) and attempts to ban partial-birth abortion. In Kerry country, the judiciary mandated homosexual marriage.

The courts are telling Christians: While we will not permit even symbolic affirmations of your faith, we have every right to force our faith on you.

In Academia, Christians are besieged. At least a dozen colleges and universities have withdrawn recognition of Christian clubs, for violating the school’s non-discrimination code, by refusing to admit homosexuals and non-Christians as members – notwithstanding that to do so would violate the basic tenets of their faith.

From start to finish, the war on Christianity is a blue-country operation. It is relentlessly waged by the Democrats’ core constituencies: the entertainment industry, journalists, the public education establishment (every four years, the endorsement of the Democratic nominee by the National Education Association is a pro forma matter), college administrators and the courts.

Christians would have to be masochistic not to revolt against this constant abuse, and totally lacking in discernment not to see it all leading to a nation where faith is marginalized, humanistic values are enshrined in government and the culture, and hate-crimes laws are used to punish dissent.

Evangelical Christians have been in the arena a long time. For once, they ate the lions.