Christianity
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Gospel of Matthew 22:37-39
There exists a creature which is perfectly harmless;
when it passes before your eyes you scarcely notice it
and forget it again immediately.
But as soon as it invisibly gets
somehow into your ears,
it develops there, it hatches, as it were,
and cases have been known where it was penetrated
even into the brain
and has thriven devastatingly in that organ,
like those pneumococci in dogs
that gain entrance through the nose.
This creature is one’s neighbor.
The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge by Rainer Maria Rilke, trans. by Stephen Mitchell
I was prompted by friend’s post to revisit/reconsider the faith tradition of my heritage. I mean Christianity, the religion that I know best, that is, from the inside of practice. What is expected of me, as implied by the words of Jesus in Matthew chapter 22? An unconditioned dedication to the very Ground-of-Being is required… Consequently I must ask where do I begin, since the ‘Lord your God’ is an unfathomable abyss?
As to my neighbor… Which of the possible neighbors is meant by Jesus? Which of these merits my love: the harmless one, or the abysmal monster?
And which am I?
2 thoughts on “Christianity”
About two days ago, while driving along near my home, I was behind an enormous either Bronco or Jeep, painted in the beige color of camouflage and complimented with many extra lights and gadgets. On the back was a decal that read DARK MAGA. I assumed that it must refer to maniac in DC, but needed to look up the reference on the internet. The following is what I read:
Key Aspects of Dark MAGA:
Focus on Revenge and Authoritarianism: Dark MAGA advocates for an authoritarian Trump who would be ruthless in his pursuit of power and seek retribution for the 2020 election. It is often described as a “fringe movement advocating for a vengeful return of Trumpism”.
Visual Aesthetic: Dark MAGA is characterized by a distinct aesthetic that often incorporates black and blue color schemes, militaristic symbols, and imagery inspired by dystopian and action films like Terminator. This aesthetic is sometimes combined with elements of other far-right online movements like fashwave and skullmask.
Meme Culture: The movement utilizes memes as a key tool for spreading its message and engaging followers. These memes often feature hyperbolic language, apocalyptic rhetoric, and insider references to foster a sense of shared identity and distinguish followers from outsiders.
Alleged Ties to Extremism: Experts warn that Dark MAGA, through its use of imagery and themes, may be an attempt to introduce more mainstream conservatives to extreme elements within the far-right, including white nationalist and neo-Nazi ideologies.
This is apparently someone who lives nearby. As for embracing him as a neighbor, I cannot fathom even being in the same room with someone who espouses the kind of hatred this person identifies with, much less engage in a conversation. The overt sickness that is rampant in this nation does not bode well for our ability to move past the Bottleneck of Ignorance.
Certainly this was a chilling scene. An example of “doubling down” on the shadow-side of ideology.