1. Providence O, Providence's mighty hand struck down The bricks of rebellious sons and 'twas found. God need no man to prove He exists. Shot Down were the bricks with lightning, of George Floyd. Let his name now be made to ever rot In hell, for the power of God, annoyed Broke to rubble the emblem of black hate. Another is to go up, God, please also, this, break. 2. Commitment Start a journey with one foot upon the soil Which is soft to tender soles, And walk a mile, or two. The road becomes like gravel, and then the sand Sears the feet with blazing heat. How one walks that road, and knows at the end of it Are riches and honor. A thousand times One throws themself down upon the road Crying, "Not another step!" Yet, a breeze blows past the cheek And again one stands, and walks. Thou walkest because thou ought to. Commit thyself to the path. To wander backward is foolish; Or to take another path would lose oneself upon the way. So, walk until thy heart beats like a drum And walk until every muscle aches. I walk, because I have chosen my path And know one day I shall find my oasis. 3. Bone Wars Penniless, penniless Two geniuses were made. What man, being wise Doth with perfect knowledge Guess first all presumptions true? For a mistake, friends were made enemies--- A moot mistake of pedantic dragons. The sky is like the fumes of a furnace's smoke The embers dashed upon the mountains. The lightning flashes, the thunder's war, The eerie Indian Rain casts ember's glow upon all things Enshrouded by smoke. Criticize me for a mistake I made, But know I am not a god. For the wickedness of the feud Was theft, bribery and violence For the sum of fortunes made by digging up bones. Flash twice, thou lightning, For two wicked foes The thunder rolls. I am imperfect, and should a man Pour over my work to find A detail wrong or a comma splice... A "then" spelled for "than" or vice versa--- Do not be like Marsh and steal from me. Do not pedantically search my words for a place to pounce. I am not like Cope. I shall weep bitterly For the fire in my heart would dim Like the sunset's furnace. The smoke of my cloudy sky would be snuffed out. I have tried with all my prowess to give the summation of my thoughts. For, I am a poet, not a historian. I am a poet, not a scientist. I only speak what is the science of the soul... What are the Forms lying beyond this world. And my science is accurate. It decries the hidden wisdoms of the world. 4. Cursed Islam What is religion, if not a purifier of the heart? If religion teaches you to curse Or if religion teaches you to hate Or if religion teaches you to deceive What use is it? If religion teaches you to subjugate If religion teaches you there are races greater And races lesser, if religion teaches you That anything beside the Heart IS what God looks upon for judgment What use is it? What religion must force converts And kill and threaten And tell its people to lay up hatred in their heart What use is it? It is a cursed religion. One which I hate. In the Bible, God, when He lives upon the Earth The God of the Jews and Christians, When He reigns for one thousand years He will permit all faiths to exist; Yet, the knowledge of His law will be preeminent For it is even above His name. God, for Him to be just, Must hold truth above even His own holiness. That is why Christians are taught never to lie While Muslims, their faith is a lie. 5. Megan Fox Mysticism, Christians trying to find an answer--- She did not go to hell. Nobody smirks after being there. When I went to hell I saw a satyr with a spear As the sinews in his thigh muscles Bowed under the weight of his muscular physique. He was red, the perfect color for hiding in the night, And his horns were like a greased hair cut. And his face. He had a face. This creature was ready to smash my skull in And place me in a prison Until I called out to God And He raised me out of that pit. I had hoped the story were true. Nothing would add to her beauty But chastity. Nothing would add to her beauty But wholesomeness. But, she is filthy as she ever was And no, Megan, you did not go to hell. 6. Fairyland A war between Christendom and Paganism Is that text Fairyland. Baal, Athena, Thor, They battle Brittos, Beowulf, Joash. Pagan myths circle the brow And heroes must defeat it Within that very thought. The lustful Greeks, the violent Nords, The inhumane Canaanites; The Manichean Zoroasters, The Materialism of Babylon; Paganism is found in many forms And my heroes must do aught battle with it. For, as Chesterton said, There is one rival to Christianity And that rival is Paganism. The age of the epic is not dead; For religions encompass philosophies And there is only one philosophy Which produces love. All else must be fought with mortal combat And Eternal Rewards dolled out to those Who cling to God like Jacob did the Christophany. For, there is only one God, and he is Jehovah-Jyra. 7. Where I Came From Robots were friendly. Chip, the local nurse bot At the General Hospital Meandered about and piqued my childish curiosity. It could think, move, it was as human As any man I'd met. There were no smart phones. Man was at peace; The stars shined bright. The grocery store Had a coffee grinder And about thirty varieties of beans. It wasn't racist to portray Indians; It wasn't racist to portray Black Folk; It wasn't racist to portray Quakers. They were iconic imagery. Stories were at their peak; The best ones were being made. I was taught a hundred tall tale and fairy tales Iconic of the American Mythology. That was my education; Paul Bunyan, John Henry, Johnny Appleseed, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks and The Three Bears,--- We sang patriotic hymns at the beginning of every class. We said the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America Which was a republic, under God. The Ten Commandments were written on the Statue of Liberty. They were on the pillars of courts. There was no internet. Bugs Bunny was on every day, For about two hours a day. Elvis was bigger than the Beetles. There were ten channels on cable. And most of all, there was love. 8. Abide the Snow How I love Thee, oh Stately King The worlds seen from Thy peak. Beneath Thee, Thy black Princes' tor Gather by the valleys for war. It, the breath of Heather Blossoms Stain the rocks with liquid crimson; The Princes reign above the lot Of men, who upon earth, the gods They have all stopped believing in. Thus, Mount where the Nard Flower's sin Had grown, and the harlot's love washed Thy foot, Thy fragrant soils soft,--- Thy Statehood beams upon the breadth Of all worlds and cloudy hex. Thy peak is worshiped for its height; Princes beneath Thee ready fight; And the steeples of thy Welkin Ring, for Thou art the very vault in View of those who see Thy splendor; And raiment of the Prisms wore Thou upon kneck and ivory knape--- The sash of Thy Kinghood---irate That the very dogs Thou wished good Sought to steal from we poor our food. 9. A Tale of Two Princes I heard a preacher once preach A sermon on two princes: The story goes as so: The crown prince had a list Which, for his joy, was promised to him. He had no expectation for the things on that list Prior to the King and Queen promising him the things On that list. The second prince, Being far more popular among the people For his sunny disposition, Had nothing promised to him. He, too, had no expectations; And the King loved him more than the crown prince. Thus, when Michaelmas came The two princes were bestowed with gifts. The crown prince, who was promised everything on his list Was given two things from the list. Looking for the others--- For they were semi-precious stones Which he liked--- He became sad that the thing he was promised Was not given to him. The second prince--- Whom the whole kingdom loved--- Was given coal. And the second prince said, "Ooo! I can make this into diamonds "If I press hard enough upon the coal." And the whole kingdom was stunned That the prince who received coal Was celebrating that he could make diamonds From his coal. Thus, they became wary of the crown prince. So, the King---having laid out his plan Very carefully, to defame the crown prince And bring honor to the second--- Took the coal from the second prince And gave him diamonds to replace the coal. Then, he distributed among the kingdom How honored the second prince was For receiving coal and doing a dance for joy. However, the semi-precious stones Asked for by the crown prince Were all he asked for--- There was no other request he had And the whole kingdom had promised him everything on his list Down to the last sum. And he had only received a twentieth of what he asked for. And he wept that the promise made to him was in vain. Thus, the crown prince absconded his crown And gave it to the second prince Whom, having the sunny disposition Was happy for getting coal for Michaelmas. Later on in life, The crown prince grew to be a wise man And the second prince to be a foolish man. For, the crown prince never received aught That he asked for. The second prince, he received everything. The crown prince grew strong, he grew wise He labored on his princely duties--- Knowing that the kingdom belonged to his cousin--- While the second prince spent the riches Obtained by the crown prince. For the crown prince had obtained many riches Yet the second prince ate all the riches up--- If there were even a gem able to be bought By the crown prince's labor, The second prince was the one who received it. The crown prince, having worked hard For his salary, was perplexed. "Why did all the riches go to my cousin?" And, lo, it was because he was the king? So, the crown prince was saddened by this That all of his labor was spent to feed the second prince On his worldly lusts. The crown prince, though, Had time to understand what he would do with the profits. He, happy his crown was stolen, Will be a benefactor for the people. This was what he set his heart to do. For though the crown prince asked, And did not receive aught he asked for from his kingdom;--- Rather, he was scorned when he asked And given only a partial sum--- He was thankful that his wretched cousin Had the crown and not him. For, remember, he only wanted semi-precious stones; And his cousin wanted diamonds. Thus, the crown prince worked upon his princely duties Peering over all wisdom, to divine a strategy To save his kingdom from the barbarian onslaught. The second prince, he was allied with the barbarians. It came to, that the kingdom fell But the crown prince escaped with his life. For, he had accrued wisdom in his poverty--- For he was now poor, for all the sustenance he gained Was given to his cousin--- And thus, through the roughness of his life He attained a true knowledge Which the second prince had not attained. And, had he received the semi-precious stones He may not have acceded the office he did obtain Which was as a counselor to kings With wisdom, honor and glory. Though, his kingdom still hated him He had attained to the truth which could have saved it. 10. My Science My instrument is mind; My measurement is meaning. I ponder upon the Words spoken by the prophets And come to accurate conclusions. Yet, the precision--- Words can be too precise. For, it is the accuracy of discovery Which finds true meaning. If the words were precise--- Not even the definitions Of these scientific terms are--- They would carry no meaning. For, some concepts are too dificult To write precisely. Yet, that doesn't mean we cannot be accurate In interpreting them. 11. The Lotus Tea Upon the frailty of the lotus petal He plucks it to make his herbal tea. He then causes those who drink to forget. It, a tea with herbal essence Rot-grey in color, sickly; It is color of all men's skin; Sometimes darker, sometimes lighter, Regardless of how long it is steeped. It is poisoned by forgetfulness. Wars, heroes, ancient causes Are all forgotten by those Who drink the lotus tea. Where are the prophets; Where are the peacemakers: Where are those who listen? 12. Cow Tools; by Gary Larson I hath never seen the cartoon--- Yet, I hath heard it described. The joke, thou reader, Is thy reaction to it. 13. My Sympathies with Shakespearean Sonnet My love, when I first met her, she had a Face like that of a man's; her hair was foul--- She and I had not a semblance of play; She was boring, and had no word to rouse A glimmering thought or interesting Conversation by which made me smile. Then, I met him whom friendship would soon bring The conversation my heart had, mild, Wished to make. Wisdom he would teach me, right Yet dark and mysterious. So, her face I left, though her womanhood I aroused--- I learned that friendship was far more innate Than breasts, womb, skin and amatory's cowl. Thus, for true love I will patiently wait. 14. My Wasted Breath What is my voice among a thousand amateurs? What is my voice to those whom I've offended? Among the amateurs and social justice wariors My voice is drowned out by the Siren's who rent The hearts of the seamen to lusty show of song's breath; To the coves they die, and are dashed to pieces Upon the reefs. Amateur and offended left No place for my songs to be harked or heeded. What is my voice among the Siren's? All for souls They sing, their asp like bodies and naked breasts Upon the serpent's slough, and they sing of nothing old But what is new and in their hearts, which sings of the West The vacuous Gnosis of Mnemosyne, to which truth Is found only in Cholesterol, isolated In singular mind and sympathies uncouth. What is my voice among the sirens? It is Wasted. 15. Vignette How many words do I see? Master poets lose themselves in the din. Fortune's wheel Turn to formulaes Of money, markets And robotic algorithms Of buzzing hashtags. It is not a fun game; I do not enjoy it. I do not enjoy trying to find out What the masses want to hear And telling it to them. Truth is my unicorn. And when none believe in it--- A thousand songs are sung But noone truly listens. The Skalds sing of the virtue of silence. Of wit, and those who have it; If you do not, to stay silent. For speaking out of turn is foolish. Yet, that silence--- It is all I can think about now. To listen--- But it's hard because so few have aught to say. There are a thousand poets in my eye--- I unravel the scroll. Is it beautiful? Or is it the song of the modern age? All wishing to have their say--- Yet none saying. 16. Illusions A charming conversation tattles about The quiet book store---of bass and alto. It's deep, sincere. Nothing they say interests me. But, it is wholly interesting to them. And that interests me, because it is good. It is something I wish people had often. Finding their class, their clique, through buzz words Which aligns them to each other's world. It is not gossip. It is not crass, nor base. It is not about money or sex but Common interests. And the boredom sets in. Not mine, but theirs---the chinwag disrupted By their better angels, to enable work. "This is the only good Fleetwood Mac song." Now they are speaking about common interests; Common enemies. Common hatred. Kyle comes in, and they are bored. I am not. I listen, I interpolate, I hear... Illusions. Now they speak of stories... Are they visions? Are they real? Illusions? Like when the tv seems to know my thoughts? Illusions interrupt my meditation Which are equally interesting to me. 17. Logos Those of the Beautiful Race--- The Ethiopian with thy beauty--- Aristotle tried to relegate you To a slave for lack of Logos. There is nothing inherent in you That can steal this gift from you. However, if the Cracker steals it--- And they do---then men of all races Will be subject back under a yoke and bondage. For understanding is the foundation of our freedom And without it, there is only force. Without it, there is only war. And powerful men and women--- Black, white or brown--- Will steal from us, who are less fortunate--- Our voice. Understanding, wisdom It is anyone's gift who seeks it. Do not revive the sins of the past By burning with fire the very Word Which will set you free. 18. Aristotle's Slave I am free Because I understand. ❦ All are slaves Because they refuse to listen. 19. Good Art Art which skill had wrought, Whether natural; romantic: Affirming volition or fatalism: Whether Ugly or Beautiful: So long as it captures the truth And is wrought with skill, I call thee art. Truth is antinomy. It mends contradictions; It plays with the war between light and shadow. 20. Imagine I can... And it's one of my worst nightmares. I've imagined there's no heaven I've imagined there's no hell. I've imagined there's no possessions It's far worse than you can tell. I've imagined there's no countries And all were under the brotherhood of man. There'd be no freedom to die for There'd be nothing but the Brotherhood's hand. I Imagine all would be silent And imagine his song enforced. I Imagine all things were given By the Brotherhood of Man's gun's force. I have imagined the lyrics I have thought about his song. To me it's an anthem of despair And it can only go so very wrong. Men are all so different. Men are not all wise. To force all men to conform And never share their lives It would be the most boring world One with only peace: For men would live in silence And there'd be no children playing in the streets. Sometimes what divides us Is the very best of this world. What men fight and die for Is the greatest, valued pearl. If men were wholly thoughtless If men were wholly slaves Then John Lennon's world Would be there to all men save. His world cannot contain us For men are so very diverse... To force all men as converts To a world which censored verse... It wuld be the hell I fear most It would be a world untrue. It would be a world of peaces All held together by tyranny's glue. I say it couldn't work out... It is only a dream... For blood would be the War Shout With "Peace" fought for in the streets, He was only a dreamer... Not a wise man you see. For I can imagine a world of peace With religion and countries... It would be ruled by our Father And His glorious Son. He would not be a Tyrant And we'd all have our blessed freedoms. A field to pasture; A few friends to love. Food in our stomachs And men would live by good. For verse is my most cherished right To write and to read the words Which men have fought and died for And without them, it couldn't be much worse. I believe in poetry. I believe in good. I believe in freedom. And on that hill I stood. John Lenon's world's a pipedream One which knows not how things work. And I know if you really imagined it It wouldn't be as good as it once looked. 21. Gifts A gift given, is often ill received By those who are pugnacious and rude; Only if the gift were exchanged for another gift. If a gift were given with no thing in return Suspect the gift, for men are generous But will not often give a gift without expectation. Yet, if you give gifts without expectation, Do not hesitate to receive a gift on return. It is more rude to refuse the gift Than to give one without expectation. 22. Yin and Yang Yin; Yang, Both possess half of truth. Both are Atheists. Yin possesses knowledge of dark substances Of man and mankind's inner clockwork; The higher and lower organizations of patterns in existence; The nihilism of men who've abandoned truth. Yang possesses knowledge of the higher principles Of choice, compassion and universal love. He knows it is a fact that nihilism is illogical; that morals are certain; A fact of life,---that more joy is attained through law. Solomon knew both of these Were the ways of finding God. Yet Yin walked circumspect upon the earth And was kindhearted to all she met; Knowing great darkness abounded. Yang walked foolishly upon the earth And was vengeful toward all who had stumbled; Knowing good, he could not see the evil in himself. 23. Warfare A wight may be a righteous man, And a beast a fortunate son. Wicked beings may torment a soul Of whom true righteousness had won. For fortune's not the hallmark's brand Upon the heart's red, burning coal, Which marks a man for Godly things Or raises him above the fold. A righteous man had demon's sting Which raised him above his soft bed. The pangs of ill-wrought anguish rose Him midair, anguished and in dread. Yet this man is a righteous son He had done no wrong thing untrue. For demonic oppression, wot I, its source’s not always you. 24. Why From my dad I learned the language of Freud; Learned the stock markets would one day fall; That the housing market was like a steroid; I learned how to predict the future’s laws. From my mom I learned the facts of life; I learned that man was man, and a woman woman. I learned love conquers all of life’s strife. She called me a philosopher, and that would stand. My mind was a garden of wars and dialogues; It was filled with lusts for adventure’s safe In my child’s play. Never had I heard demagogue’s Tongue, never had my mind been influenced by hate. My best friends taught me play, structure and wisdom. My apparition of love taught me the purpose of life. My country taught me the value of freedom. My apparition of love taught me to seek a wife. Like Chateaubriand or Milton I fell in love with her, The idea, the perfect form of woman played her part: Her ideal was there to ever in my imagination ensure That my purpose would serve to chasten the heart. I read over fifty of the timeless classics, I pursue the secret certainty in geometry. I have seen highest goodness in love’s charming hex; I have tasted the lowest evils by hatred’s calumny. I have seen both the highest goods and lowest ills; I have studied the art of Word for fifteen years. I have known what it is like to kill And to wake up from that nightmare’s fear. I have a science of the soul exact and true. I understand men both good and bad. I understand what drives me and you I only wish not to be a passing fad. 25. Uzziah Stately Priest, of the order of Melchizedek; King, and Priest, honored champion of the meek: Uzziah, remind me of gluttony, of wealth, of honor How it is unbefitting for man to take the role of Christ. Christ, Healer, is not his Surname, but his office Who could heal thee from thy leprosy. Yet, you, taking the office to perform the priestly duties As King, the offices were separated for a reason. Only the Lion of Judah, the Messiah, the Son of David Has the right to perform both the rituals of sacrifice And the rituals of cleansing, and the rituals of divine statehood. No other may possess this spiritual role of Priest and King. That is why, Uzziah, when you went to burn incense upon the alter You were stricken with your disease. For a feeling overcame you---one which is not yours--- To cleanse thyself from thy wicked deeds. When this ritual is to be performed by the priest And thy ritual is to be performed of the King’s. Even a king’s office is under the smiting hand of the LORD That there are holy sacraments given to both kings and priests And their offices, of man, ought never be mixed. 26. Proof Christ is He Had I a talent, And I a skeptic, I would bet Christ an Eastern Mystic. Had the Western Philosopher a talent, And surely he is a skeptic, He would bet Christ a manifestation of Greek Philosophy. I have a talent, And I am no skeptic, I will bet my soul that this conundrum proves the universality of Christ's teaching; How a homeless, carpenter's Son could find all truths on his own Without an education. West and East corroborate His claims And prove He is God manifested in the Flesh. 27. The New Covenant Eternal is the LORD's love for Israel. It is deeper than the Planc Length. It is wider than the Twelve Universes; Aye wider than all Universes man can discover. We possess the LORD’s Word upon our heart The knowledge of good and evil. As sure as the stars and sun ordain the Seasons As sure as the Earth’s foundations never can be reached So is the LORD’s love for His people Eternal. 28. There Were Beasts There were beasts, Who cautiously arrived At a delicatessen of human food Which lay upon the forest floor. The animals would take bites; Never did they eat the whole portion. There’s wisdom in this. Both that the wild beasts Were cautious to give up their freedom For easily trifled upon meat; But also, that they ate To what filled them, and no more; Also, that they left the morsels, Perhaps for fear of predators, Or perhaps by Godly design Which they understood Was right, and honorable, To eat the portion enough for oneself And leave the portion enough for others. 29. Western Civilization's End Seven men piously sit, Arranged in a circle Discussing the matter of truth. Each gives their discourse, And each discourse arrives closer and closer to the truth. Finally, the last man speaks, And He finds the very face of God. Then, a degenerate man enters into the party Has that last man abused, And with the last man's absence, initiates an orgy. Several months later, A new civilization arises from the ashes of the last. 30. The Best Cover Letter Ever Writen? Benedict Cumberbatch reads "The Best Cover Letter Ever Written." I like words, too. But only if they mean something. Austere words, which communicate man's inner demons. Blistering words, which scathe human iniquity. Righteous words, which are pious and just. To me, casuistry is verbiage which “Crackles, Sparks, Pops,” Is “Gluttonous, Voluptuous, Gelatinous and Toady.” Finding “Demimondes” when you could simply say, “Flapper”. Sexy is a good word, because everyone knows it. But describing the woman’s sumptuous lips; Why not just call them kissable? Oh, I love words, when they speak the truth. When they vacuously “Tinkle and Tick and Creek and Crank” It sends chills up my spine, and I want to vomit. I hate those words; they are gaudy excesses. Give me an excursus describing Stirling Engines And build a society to the stars; colonize Andromeda’s Galaxy, Speculate on the Quasars; theorize about gravity and the grave. Words are my Aegis, and my mien is sullen when “Salacious, scandalous, and suave” Words are guarded at the gates of the Orthodoxy of Svengalis who deem Grammatical Sentences as obsolete. Man is man. Woman is woman. Casuistry, Sophistry, Postmodern messes Trick the existentialist generation Who find meaning from nowhere… And they like the thrill of “Suck, tongue, lick, lavish”. I have nothing base to say. I deal in the realms of Philosophy; The higher forms The archetypes of civilization; The meanings and nuances of all life And the Sphere we live upon called the Earth. Am I a better writer? If that is good writing, I am the worst. Yet, my writing means something And that is all I ever intended it to be. 31. TEd-Talks Justifying its abuses. Almost like the millions slaughtered Were necessary. Remember this about communism. It says, “Everyone has food.” No. Everyone does not have food. Troops come into your silos, steal your grain, And then give you a little cake of cornmeal. For that cornbread, you lose your voice. For that cornbread, you lose your work. For that cornbread, you lose your property. And still, yet, you are hungry. 32. A Critique of Communism Your work is stolen. Your voice is stolen. Your freedom is stolen. All so you can eat a piddle of bread And drink some filthy water. The government shingles your roof So after three years of its leaking Someone comes, and tacks a nail with hammer. Or, you do it yourself. But, hide it! Hide your self-reliance! Burn communism to the ground Peoples of communist nations. Take up your guns, And kill them. Spill their acrid blood into the sand. Kill their children. Kill their elderly. Do to them what they did to you. 33. I Envision Two Paths I envision two paths. The first is slavery. The second is poverty. Either the state takes care of you. Or you cannot take care of yourself. The shining example that was capitalism Was a man had the recourse to take care of himself. However, when the machine takes away the man's means Of taking care of himself, he ends up needing the help of the state. And when the man ends up being helped by the state He is imprisoned by the State's stipend And he can never make himself free. The solution is a field to till, A garden to tend to; A horse for a blacksmith to shoe. Yet, that would require work which far too many are incapable of. So, God I hope you come soon. 34. The Preacher's Magic Oh, tongue, thou art mistaken. The preachers preach on the magic Word, which brings fortune or despair. Yet, I know what thou mean, my LORD. The tongue can bless---how how it can bless. It can bring happiness, joy, peace, comfort. Or, the tongue can curse. It can shake a man’s faith In himself, and his own paths. And given this, the curse sets one on a path To hardship and despair. And the tongue sets one on a path To prosperity the more it blesses. For, encouragement lightens the heart And discouragement makes it weighty. Yet, the tongue which speaks truth It is the tongue which will be rewarded. For, sometimes curses are spoken To bring a soul to repentance. And sometimes blessings are spoken To bring a soul to despair. Sometimes, a hearty rebuke---a curse even--- Is far more just than a blessing spoken In flattery. 35. The Nordic Magic No, their spells do not interest me. Speaking softly to a leech will Not make them less likely to bite. But, to know their minds, what concepts They felt important... Love, boating, Sharpened swords and spells to ward off Etins, Alfs and Dwarves; to control The misfortunes of burning homes; To have will over turbulent Waves, winds, swirling grey clouds and rain; It speaks lots to what the culture Thought of on a daily basis. Yet, it is equally true that Christianity made them more Prosperous by settling them; For the strong Jewish customs of Shepherding and Farming replaced The material lack they stole. 36. The Wisdom of Jordan Peterson There is no more room for creative people. We are a pain. No more room for the bard. No more room for the carpenter. No more room for the baker. No more room for the whistler, The musician, The painter, The toy manufacturer. The writer, The poet; The novelist--- No, novels must be written By a collaborative on market trends--- No more drummers No more stringed instruments, No more worship, No more books, No more readers, No more architects, No more gardeners. No more folk art, No more playgrounds. No more toy guns or hula-hoops. No more army men or matchbox cars, Only aphantasia. No, the only work that is left Is the manager. And the laborer. And that is because the majority of people are so. No more gingerbread houses, No more vellum, No more calligraphy, No more ballads, hiakus or odes, No more surrealism, No more cubism, No more realism, No more philosophy, No more, unless its figuring out The next way to make money. Jordan, reevaluate yourself. This is what you believe in right now. You’re a patron of the arts? Yet, you can’t support this modern capitalism if you are. No more quilters, No more afghans, No more photography, No more card tables with the hinge And patterned like a Chess Board. No more nursery Rhymes, No more fairy tales, No more cookery, No more paintings held in high esteem. No more black or Indian faces on the cardboard design--- No, everything is mapped out. Scientifically designed for the most use. Created specifically for your viwwing pleasure. Best meant not to offend, best created to make the most amount of money. And creative you are, it is only so far as It can make money. Everything scientifically designed to produce the most--- The pink chosen because it calms, yet later it excites and annoys. The Blue abandoned because it looks cheap. The green used in abundance because people think they’re intelligent If they prefer that color. Chosen for their own vanity. I like blue. And yellow. And Purple. Chess hacked from computer engines. I’m done. 37. Through His Eyes I Saw Through his eyes I saw Myself; Oh one who destroys, My eyes were like thine. I saw my very worst night. And my greatest victory. His lips and my foul Fingers called me Antichrist. Yet I shall soon win! 38. The Bluebird We artists are the Blue Bird; Red chest; we wear the sky as a raiment. Sell Outs, Marketers, Editors... They are the Blue Jay Which dig in their beaks Wetting our feathers with blood. They come, knowing only how to consume. We Blue Birds come, only knowing how To sing and be beautiful. Unfettered nature favors the Blue Jay; Yet from where I come from The Blue Jay is a pest While the Blue Bird is a lovely gift of God's creation. Build us our little homes Which the Jays and Crows cannot fit. For, soon enough we will no longer Be an endangered species. 39. The Queen of Poets O' the Queen of Poets The wretched Kings decry... Sword of Damocles unsheathe; The Queen of poets sings her Coda While she is yet a nursing babe. Her speech has yet to form… Yet, truth was on the lips of babes Like none ever seen so far. Kings, fear thou this, The poet’s heart who fears thee. For if the Queen of Hearts cannot sing her odes Then freedom dies. Sing. Sing Queen of Poets, And like the Blackbirds of Ireland Have your songs be heard! 40. Is Faith an Illusion? A wise man once said Faith was like smoking a cigar Faith was like listening to a symphony Faith was like butter. That unbelief were like cigarettes That unbelief were like a gramophone That unbelief were like margarine. Yet, I still perceived doubt. T. S. Eliot wrote Ash Wednesday. The greatest confession of faith in history. There were no apologetics. It was simply put, that God was known to Eliot In the moment he wrote it, And Eliot cried out to our God Saying for him never to forget. That is faith. We are at one point wretched, worthless sinners. And afterward we are cleansed. We may cuss, smoke an occasional cigarette Or write a blasphemy in our books. But, we know God Because God is in our lives. We know ourselves before God And we know ourselves after God. And we say, “Because I do not hope to turn again.” For in that is the emotionally weighted truth That before we were exiles, Hopeless, and suddenly we find life. And through our lives we increasingly And bitterly And sweating and crying and hoping against all hope;--- Our prayer intensifies, To where it was first a whimper And then it transforms into a heartfelt cry of belief. That is what faith is. 41. Spies Spies, spies They are everywhere. Have an idea They make you despair. Do not believe it? Just ask the police. What we know Is the least. They stop my books They stop your crafts; Have an idea And they'll watch your back. I knew it was true But today it was confirmed. Spies rule our lives And it makes my stomach churn. The walls are not the LORD's. 42. On Yin I watch thou speak... Always on destiny Always on causation. Turning wheels are man’s mind; Gears, leavers. What is bad is bad. What is good is good. Bad men are bad men. Good men are good men. There is no choosing for either. The lesser things go to war; The religious things are merely a product Of things upon things upon things upon things. Years, upon years, upon years, upon years. Line upon line upon line upon line. Here a little, there a little. I listen to you speak Relegating man, analyzing him as if man were a beast. Yet, your brother Yang Sees the soul within a man And attributes it to science. It is a soul nonetheless that he sees--- He sees the good, the volition, the capability for order. The rational mind. He plainly sees what is good in man. You see it, and say it is religion’s job to order it. He sees it, and says religion hinders it. I see it, and say it is a little of both. Yet, Yang is wiser then thou for seeing it. Thou seest it, and claim it is irrational. It is not. It is wholly rational. More pleasure comes from it than not. I silently look at both things And say, “God created it.” Neither can prove, nor disprove, God. Neither rational morality Nor irrational morality. For morals are rational--- It is just also true that most men cannot understand why. Sages spend lifetimes striving for one solitary truth. And when two sages find it, Then they war among one another. It is not that either’s truth is any less true; Only that both men cannot conceive of the other man’s truth. Both truths are true. And both men, knowing their truth, War with the other. I, I look to Christ. He was a genius superb above all other men. Godly intelligence; I read Moses, seeing the most controversial laws Are a wellspring of life. I do not conform my thoughts my own mind's redundancies But rather base my truth on what proven systems there were. And I say, “How is this?” And they surely come to reasons which I could never find on my own. Even the darker subject of war. Hammurabi was only a genius because God provided for him law; Yet, not all laws were found. Moses was a genius because God provided for him law; Yet, grace was not found. Christ was a genius, never having studied, He was God, He found all which man could under the sun And spoke it in parables. Even eternity is wisdom;--- For without it, what cautions a man to gain everything And to do great harm? What man, without the capacity for forgiveness Has reason to do what is good? None rational. That man must die. And if he does not die He can only build an empire of blood. I look to your speech, Yin, And I say, “There is half of wisdom, “Yet your brother has a half, “And I have the whole. “Yet, I only have the whole “Because I have a teacher. “You two do not; “You see half of all wisdom “And forget the other’s half; “Thus, you eternally strive with one another “And do not see the truth.” 43. Two Rocket Ships It was said If men sent two rockets To outer space; one were Atheists with Modern Science And the other Christians. They both would colonize their planets. The first would cease to be men at all within a generation. While the second would find pasture and retain what made humans noble. 44. Sleep Paralysis His bed quakes; He awakens To the sight of The Nephilim. The Giant is muscular, His eyes are black; He wears leotards; He looks like a Mohawkan. I believe it. Sleep Paralysis opens The eyes to the demonic world. Yet, the apparition Is called “Michael.” It is not Michael. It is a Giant. The Giant vaporizes; The shade disappears. Then a diviner is called. The diviner speaks Of the familiar spirit. It was his familiar spirit. Now it is another’s. 45. Swear A famous evangelist In World War I Kills men--- Thou Shalt Not Kill. I say the occasional Naughty Word Which offends--- Thou Shalt Not Have Any Filthy Conversation. In the first case, They were fighting Raping Huns. In the second case I’m fighting Postmodern lies. Some men need to be killed And thereby break the commandment. Some men need to be offended And thereby break the commandment. I see in both situations it is necessary To suspend the rules, for the greater purpose Of winning a war. 46. Thomas Kinkade I understand everything I need to know about the art world By its disdain for artists like Thomas Kinkade. Pretentious--- Art belongs to everyone, Yet they want it to be exclusive. Art feeds the artist But they want them to starve. The fact is his works are beautiful. The man was no saint. This is for certain. However, it takes superb intellect To understand the imagination. The works are beautiful--- He truly is a master of light. God truly did bless him. Though, a lesson is found in his life; To walk humbly upon the earth And not to be vain nor deceitful. To not exploit others. His paintings were brilliant. They were not kitsch. Modern art is actually kitsch Appealing to the Bathos and guttural Churning of the four biles; It is false medicine; It, rather, mistakes a leech for sutures. 47. Am I a Peg Shebna, Ozymandias--- Is my writing a tomb? Do I stand with my city of poetry To watch it crumble? Are the Bishop’s words Spoken of me: I act, “I Am”? Is my wasted breath for my own glory? Or, am I a peg, Which when the weight bears down upon it I one day break? 48. The Steel Man If I didn’t believe in God Then I might believe It's morally objectionable to Abstain from sex with a woman on her period. Smoking Marijuana is morally superior to smoking tobacco. Abortion is perfectly fine. So is homosexuality. So is forcing your child to have gender reassignment surgery. That women are superior to men in virtue and judgment in every way possible. That speech ought to be controlled, so as not to offend anyone. That there is no such thing as objective right or wrong. That there is no such thing as good, nor evil. That competition is ethical, and the only way to progress the human race is to transcend it, and therefore make man into a machine. That people are born either good or bad, and nothing can change them; they’re inherently what they are as their DNA makes them. That it’s okay to divorce if you’re unhappy in the relationship, and the people you hurt in the process ought to get over it. That monogamy is an illusion. I would believe Self Love is more noble than Selfless Love. I might believe that there’s no way to interpret a difficult passage. I might believe that sex before marriage is morally obligated. I would think life is about fun, and getting the most out of it, even at others’ expense; for, it’d be ignoble to do things that I don’t want to do. I might believe that people who can’t work ought to be sterilized or killed. I might believe that people ought to receive stipends, rather than work. There are many other things that I would believe if I didn’t believe in God. And remember these are all common beliefs of atheists. 49. Oh, thou violinist, my easterntwin “Oh, thou violinist, my easterntwin “I wish to kill you, for you are conjoined “To me without my consent. “How you play there, Bach, Beethoven, Paganini “Mozart, Williams;--- “Oh, I loved your music. “How I loved the songs, which in rapturous throws “Did I listen to you fiddle. “Yet, now that you are with me for nine months “I wish only to sever you. “I wish only to sever you from my body “And thereby crush your skull “And sell your organs. “I hate you, oh violinist “Chapped to my body; I who sustains you “Wishes only to cast you into your grave.” 50. She Weighed Fifteen Stone The contraption sat, A mechanical Machine, which told truth. The very fact truth Could be told by it Proved God does exist. For truth is true, she Weighed at fifteen stone. Numbers of matter, Two hundred and ten Pounds are fifteen stone. Yet, there is that which Is weighed; Atheists Get caught up in the Number theory. So, It is,---Humanist Philosophers find Moral principles Are measurable, Yet they fail to find The complete picture. That, Jack, is why we Need Christ. To sort it Out, and show us how to live. God, being good, set An example, taught Lived and died for us. The reason we know He is God, is truth Was found by Him. Which, Men, the great sages, Had found radical Bits of, but Christ found Them all. That is why We call Him Teacher. What is measured of Faith, was completely Found by His allwise Flourishing brow. 51. The Interpretation of Desolation Row The first stanza is Bob Dylan witnessing the race riots and is reflecting on American Racism. The second stanza is a man being rejected by an easy woman. The third stanza is about the end of the world, when the stars and moon are darkened, what people will be doing. The fourth is about a woman deciding to join the clergy, and thereby never experience life. The fifth is about a man with a false sense of intelligence and a robin hood complex, who was famous long ago for an obscure talent, but lost it due to drug addiction. The sixth is about a psychologist with patients who are involuntarily celebate, and that's the problem with them. The seventh is about a priest encouraging a man for courtship, but ultimately he will fail because of the preacher's bad advice. The eighth is about the military industrial complex, how spy networks and insurance agents work in tandem, and oppress those who "Know Too Much.” The ninth is about intellectuals who argue among one another, and the pop ideologies which divide them. The tenth is Bob Dylan receiving a letter from an old acquaintance who mentioned the people he sung about in this poem. The Desolation Row is the depression caused by these situations. 52. The Road Taken Two roads diverged in a verdant wood And I being one traveler took the level one. Yet, upon the willow’s grove, where the oak and elm Had stood, I turned my way back And took the path with the sharp hill. Before the open girth of the path, A yellow caution sign had been placed. And I, knowing the easier path would lead to bad health Took the more difficult path. I sturdily marched up the grade And felt my body strengthening. And then it dawned on me when I crested that glorious hill That sometimes it is safer to take the more difficult path. 53. Universe 25 Sodom and Gomorrah. Canaan. Israel. Babylon. Persia. Greece. Rome. Sodom and Gomorrah. Canaan. Israel. Babylon. Persia. Greece. Rome. Overpopulation? No. Idleness. Yes. Sin. Yes. The solution is work, Creativity, Self reliance. Law. 54. My Near Death Experience I was in the waves of the ocean Body surfing. One wave came, And overwhelmed me. My back had been taken to my head And I snapped. A green aura Surrounded me, and the feeling of peace. A voice spoke to me. "This is the feeling you like." What's next is unutterable. I asked Him, “Are there any other religions.” He said, “Not for you, no.” I said, “What about for anyone else?” God said, “No. Only Jesus Saves.” I then remembered my life, And He told me, “That was the past.” I said, “I want to have a wife.” God said to me, “I am your Husband.” I then asked Him, “Can I go to the Kingdom?” The LORD said, “No, you haven’t received treasure.” Then I said, “I wish to receive treasure, “More treasure than anyone else.” And the LORD said to me, “I will allow it,” and I was taken up out of the waves And my split back was set back into place And I could feel my body rearranging into its normal fixture. In the background I could see a hooded figure Who saw me, and then flashed away. The hooded figure was my mortal enemy. I asked, “Who is that?” To my girlfriend. She said, “That’s nobody.” And I was back. 55. White Guilt Never was the happy so divided Than the day they sat upon their bench; The Giant spoke to them, towering--- Look upon thy children, are they not different? Indoctrinate them in savagery, like my heritage. The little one cries over the violence of thy race Upon my own. Why dost thou dare to give them home When they are so different from thee? These children ought to have starved to death Or be given to those of like skin. Was it thy guilt that caused thee to love thine own children? 56. Cross Examined Upon my search, I have seen men striving to do good. And I found that strife has created great harm. Men would rather look inside themselves Where they find the utmost assurance that they are good. Then they destroy trying to conform mankind to the model of goodness In themselves. It is simple. Mozi proved the Golden Rule was logical. Yet even he had gotten things wrong. Jesus--- His moral teachings were perfect. No other genius in history can say the same. He told men to call Him teacher, and nobody else. I saw an evangelist struggle to understand An Atheist’s remarks that good and truth are self evident. These same individuals want to prove the Earth is young And that we had not evolved from apes. My doctrine is that we are only apes--- Yet too many have been into the void and seen what I have seen. The women who found the idol of Shiva was thrown back into this world Cruelly. Christians simply do not get it. So many of us have been indoctrinated in the existentialist claim Of their being no objective value. I speak as an atheist today, when I was an atheist, That I could see there was objective truth. I could see there was good and evil. I ought not concern Christians to disenfranchise faith in it As the result of this ministry of nihilism has spun the world Into chaos. We preach the Gospel. The Law must be self evident Or else there can be no God. And the law is simple: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” “Love others, as you love yourself.” The first commandment is fulfilled in the second. The bitterness---as I read my atheist character--- Of this nihilism is that it's taught as an alternative to Christ. When, Christ can only be God if His law is self evident And the words He spoke independent of Him. That even if He did not exist, these laws were still true. And when we see the laws He preached were true We find ourselves approached by the solitary wisdom That an abjectly poor Carpenter’s bastard had found truth; And not only found it, but all of it. That this man, who couldn’t possibly have been educated, Discovered something that many of the great sages had only come by Through much learning. And when you find this, The case begins to be ever more strong that Jesus is the Christ. Men are not capable of finding truths so potent on their own; Without help from others. Men are not creative enough. Not even I. And I find myself at the first piece of wisdom I’d ever found. Truth is self evident. Good is self evident. Nietzsche and the Existentialists were wrong. It takes a fool hardened by philosophy to not see it That there is meaning to life; And that meaning is to love others in the way we ourselves want to be loved. And that solitary truth is why Christ became our teacher. And how we know He is God Come in the Flesh Is that He taught truths which were self evident And persuasive enough to convince any rational mind. And if we’re honest, The preacher talked about this dirty old rapist--- The boogie man of the modern age, Is the Hitleresque rapist which all know is wrong. For the only two morals today are do not kill and do not rape. Yet, the greater morals are found inherently true By the discord we experience today--- And knowing that we are imperfect It becomes clear that we need a savior. Not because meaning must be found in the Bible But because the Bible described self evident meaning Which can be found independent of it or God. 57. Pop Music I am haunted by a vision. There is ample land. There is ample seed. There are ample waters. Yet, because of wars, All of this has disappeared. Men live in domes Where the sky is iron And the ground is bronze. Israel is protected by Iron Dome Which is a dome And not a missile system. Outside of the domes Are dirt, bare, deserted wastelands. Trillions of men live in termite clustered houses; And they ready to fight the domes. To bring down the domes’ wall. Outside, there is communism. Inside there is Utopian capitalism. Outside, the men are sticks; They are tiny men, feral, With breast implants and orifices; Genderless, sexless, raceless… Techno Cyber Punks--- A homogeneous blob Fed by injections. They swarm the pleasure domes Getting destroyed by nuclear weapons And their blood becomes rain. 58. A Sorry State He pointed at the plate And said, "That's your freedom." 59. A Conversation with India I look at those starving in your country And I look at the food in mine. I see you want the freedom---so they say--- To earn a living and eat. What you fail to understand Is that America was once much more Than a place where your freedom was to be fat And drive a car. Freedom meant saying what was really on your mind And speaking against the government. Freedom was knowing that your stuff wouldn’t be rifled through By government agents, or that you wouldn’t be spied on. Freedom was the right to fight against the government if it ever crossed those boundaries. You should read Roseau. The freedom of this country was that censorship was against the rules. Monopolies were against the rules, also. The Sherman Act made sure of that. Kids, in the 1980s would smoke cigarettes in the school hallways. It was common for companies to hold picnics. You could swim in the river or lake--- There wasn’t safety equipment everywhere Stifling you, or treating you like you were some kind of fool. Lawsuits were uncommon. I could say “Retard” I could say, “Faggot” I could say an offensive joke. If it truly crossed the line, people would reprimand it. They wouldn’t cancel it. YouTube, as you know, had anything a man could imagine on it. It was the golden age of information. I could publish anything---hypothetically, though this was never proven--- And I could make a living off of it. I could challenge the government. I could speak words of insurrection and not be investigated. And nobody would bother me. I don’t feel I have that freedom anymore. My only freedom, so said my brother one day, Is to eat. That was my freedom. And how slowly that freedom is being taken from us As prices for everything go up--- What was once a forty cent candy bar Is now two dollars. What was once a dollar soda bottle Is now two dollars and fifty cents. What was once a dollar a pound meat Is a four dollar a pound meat. What was once fourteen bags of groceries Is seven. I want you to have the freedom I experienced. I want that for you more than anything. I know, watching me---it’s my delusion--- You saw an entitled snob who chased Veplow all around the playground. I don’t want you to starve; I want you to have work. If it’s creative, artistic, manual labor, data entry, healthcare, craftsmanship, cookery, Whatever the job is you have, I want you to enjoy it, And be satisfied by the blessings of good government. I invite you to read Roseau. You had a Communist Revolution. It left you desolate. You had a Capitalist Revolution And your freedoms were taken away. Work is paramount; So is entertainment; So is ample food and clean water, Sewage systems, electricity… I wish you had what I had. It’s my greatest wish that the whole Earth was satisfied by the blessings I’ve had. Unfortunately, my country is not the ideal nation anymore. Does one exist? Perhaps it ought to; Words cannot hurt someone. Yes, people made fun of me But it was a common thought that I despised Dodge Ball from my friends. I did not. I loved Dodge Ball. The thing I despised was the selfishness, bitterness, arrogance and unkind nature Of all my peers. Which I took on their bad qualities. I suppose America is falling for that reason. But, I invite the whole world to take what we had, And build for themselves the kind of society I enjoyed. Ideas ought never be censored;--- Pornography; Violence; That might be best censored. But, then again, what is real is something immoral If it’s being sold as entertainment. Real sex, real violence, real life. Stories are meant to supplement reality, not be reality. 60. Pro Choice "Come, let us reason together. "The poor are scum upon the Earth; "And suffering---there is no way "To lift oneself out of suffering. "Poor should be thrown into chambers "And gassed; their bodies burned. "For, they are victims of this oppressive culture. "We ought to harvest their organs "And use them in our cosmetic products. "If a child or man is unloved--- "Rather than show them love--- "We ought to carefully weigh their "Benefit to society--- '"Their mourning, it brings down others, "And my soul is hurt by their mourning--- "And we ought to destroy them. "Rip open their cranium, and harvest their brains. "For, if one is a victim, "We ought to kill them. "For, that is the ethical, "And merciful thing to do." 61. History I read the Bible for what it had said And I found all we know of history Is scribed in those pages’ plain English ink. Yet, when I confront a skeptic, she points To the same evidence I had found. She Says, “Look, this proves the Bible is errant.” It’s simply a shift of nouns, a pagan Mythos, a long line of strong Satanic Divinations, maddened by poetic Intrigue just like my own mythologies. And I find the simplest truth is, they wish The Jews, who worshiped Baal, to have only Worshiped Baal, yet what they claim already Was said in the Bible. Yet, postmodern Analyses, and a defiance of Plain English supplants Baal for Jehovah. But it begins to appear that Hubaal Is a lie, yet the maddened scholars think He is more ancient than the Laws of God. Which, one need only look at Christ’s pure Word To know that what He spoke was self evident And therefore, making it more ancient still. 62. Phillies I, a Fourth Generation Phillies Fan Sit in the darkness of my room; listen To the sounds of the TV. My friend hates Me in that moment; I am bitter. Sleep Doesn't come easy. For my friend hates me. I hear it in his voice; I see it. Stained Is my voice to his ears, and he and my Family watch the Phillies. Bryce Harper hits A walk off home run. I feel no joy. For I offended him, just like my mother Was offended by the truths I uttered. I cannot but speak the truth, and now I, Seeing my team have the year I prayed for, Cannot enjoy it; my heart's bitterness For those I love and their hatred at my Words---where does it come from? I do not know. My life is like this season of Baseball; Triumphant Highs, Magnificent lows. All Is torn assunder in my wretched Heart. Bryce is worth thirty million dollars. Yet, am I? I do not know, for what I Love is my family and friends, and country; So I sit in darkness, solitude; Wait Yet the age's wisdom is the trophy Goes to thieves, the robbers, the murderers. Maybe a thief had joy in the ballgame But even if there were joy in it, I Sit nearly in tears---I wonder about My vision, my righteousness; I sometimes Wonder if the Earth were flat; I don’t know. All I know is this, that I listen to The sage today, after emailing Him, and I find my prophecies foolish. Yet, there is a peace. Though I am scolded For having the prescience to see futures And to know the dark course society Goes, I know this is what the Gospel preached. 63. The Four Noble Truths Sometimes the path to suffering Is the path to greater joy. Sometimes, striving against Evil--- Which causes temporary pain--- Is better than meditation. Sometimes, feeling self love And its endorphins aroused by Blank minds Is not the noble path. Sometimes war is necessary. 64. The Ferry To Hel The young King stood upon the shade-filled river Styx And argued with the Ferryman about crossing. The Ferryman, secretly, the young King’s sire, Had a wicked grin creak across his wrinkled, gray face. “I have slept with many men’s wives, o thou proud king.” The king, with wrath, opened up his mouth in judgment; “Let me cross the river Styx, into hel, the land “Of Giants.” But the ferryman would not. He cried, “O, you’ll travel far from thy wife, so unfaithful!” The King spoke, “I have slaughtered many Nephilim!” The Ferryman creaked a smile most severe. “I “Will not let you. For if you cross, you shall lose aught! “Thy wife shall sleep with any wight, and thy joys fail!” The King, knowing the old Ferryman’s exploits, glared. “My wife is faithful, you lie!” Yet the ferryman With a devilish grin, said, “I will not let you.” 65. Of Sound Mind It was said by Lewis that Jesus must Either be insane, or the Son of God. It was said by good G. K. Chesterton That Christ had proven his sound mind's subtlety. I say that Christ was a Genius, who poor, Surpassed all the sages of history. 66. Apollonius of Tyana Surrounding her is cloudy divination. She learned from India, Egypt, Canaan The mysteries of the purple occult. Then, was she raptured? A perfect philosopher? Before the Judge, whose sharp sentence was death Did she disappear into the gold abyss? Or, is it as one true prophet said, Christ is wedded to death? To conquer it.--- Knowledge of the certainties of this life, The certainties of the algebra, of All matter which is governed by its law… Did this make the perfect philosopher? Then, I, entwined by death, like the Fable’s Hero, wish to be so and disappear At judgment. 67. The Foes of the Red Cross Knight Oh, thou Red Cross Knight With the Daughter of Zion As thy bride; she rides upon the lion. So, you first find yourself at odds With Morpheus, and then Duessa. You see thy lady sex the Spright. Then, you must fight Sans Foy And you must fight Sans Joy And you must fight Sans Loy. You must fight a false Love. You must fight a false Joy. You must fight a false Loyalty. These three brothers hate you For you slew them, one after another. One after another, after another. Then, you must fight the Beast; Pride, Idleness, Gluttony, Lechery, Avarice, Envy, Wrath. Beneath the House of Pride Is the Mithgarth-Worm eating away Swirling amidst the floorboards. How many enemies can you face? How many foes can you fight? How many can be those defeated fears? 68. For'tuna and Kairos How many have been wasted by thee? Men, who made thee the goddess? Women, who abandoning home throw their lot? For, aren’t thou just a lot, thrown? Thou art without justice, or the scales. Thou dost not weigh the balance, And give fortune to the good. Thou distribute, like a lot, Thy blessings. Men, wary, seek thee And search for thy brother Kairos; And in Kairos they await for thy German love. Worshiping Kairos and For’tuna The two lovers---and seizing upon They take For’tuna as their bride. Yet, how many souls are wasted Never seeing Kairos, never being blessed By the lottery of For’tuna? Whom, their unholy romance brings with it The savors of purple silk and crimson velvet. The savors of a dozen spices in every pot; The fat of a roasted suckling and corn Never lacking. And the man who gains For’tuna as his bride, the man who captured Kairos, that man grows ever so cold And he ends up in hell. For he says, “Jehovah has so blessed me with wealth, “And these miserable lot of fools “Do not work, and are lazy. “That is why they do not obtain wealth and favor.” However, it is the lot which brings man His state in life, and nothing more. If one man is born into a kingdom with guns And another man into a kingdom with swords; When they war, the former kingdom shall always win. If one man is born into a kingdom with wealth And another man is born into a kingdom with dearth It is For’tuna and Kairos who reign over them. However, a sturdy hand which sets upon the plough Shall never lack bread, water or any good thing No matter aught the kingdom he has been born into. Whether slave or free, the man who quietly works Upon his labors shall have continual feasts. 69. Our Burnt Offering Aye, Christ had gone to hell. The Father, Who is Christ, Was with the Thief on the cross In Heaven. Yet the second Person of the Trinity had descended Into hell, as is prophesied. Christ, like the sacrificial lamb’s Body, was broken. And like the Lamb, He passed through The fires so the priests and sinners could eat. What was finished Was the Levitical priesthood And the veil to the temple was torn. For, could there be forgiveness If Christ did not rise? Why rise, if death is the supreme accomplishment? Would Christ have died, Had he ascended into heaven? Nay, but He would be among the living in heaven. Had He need to ascend in Bodily Form To the Father, if His Soul were taken to paradise? Why rise at all, if Christ did not first descend? For, the prophets say Christ descended into death Not that He raised into life, And the Father, Who is Christ Jesus, Presided in heaven, while the Son Wast in hell, suffering torment And collecting the souls of She’ol Whom would make covenants with Him. 70. The Tragedy of Love Love has had the tragic past To be first, embarked on by two Who, with the passion broke The skin of pleasant womb And flower petals meet. And indulgent in amatory’s Naked touch, was quaffed For the allure of paramour’s touch. Then, love had been a vile thing Which censored from the lay Was called most wretched and worthless thing; A vile state of unhappy charm Which struck a boy or girl And would cause their life such great harm. For, worst was when loveless wed The man or woman would find the naked breast Of lover, and undawned their raiment They fell to lusty show of love’s Chemical bliss. And therefore, Love was sacrilegiously vile In the eyes of man, as a thing uncouth And cursèd, which ruined marriage vows. Then, once again, love unbridled Was to be forsaken once again When man and woman through emotion’s bliss Would fornicate one with another Their vile prick dipped in the ink Of woman or man, which love became A chemical once again, never to have been committed To one or the other---nay, just a vile thing Forsaken, indulged in, callously forgotten Once it dimmed and the two in heated sweat Found the chemicals at last had disappeared They leave one another, looking for the blasted heat With one again, leaving children to the dogs. It is all sacrilege. 71. Vile Thou didst make the Shakespearean Sonnet Be a song about homoerotic love, Of a man and his eleven year old, dead son. How much more foul is this queer science Which cannot interpret a man’s verse? Of a heartbroken father, singing over his son’s hearse? No, instead, you make it the foul love of he and a duke; Yet, read the damn thing, and its true meaning In light of this, Will make thou puke. For how dost thou change the fatherly advice Of a sire to wed a wife? If not a father's fatherly love to a son, Thou disgraceful fiends would make it vice? 72. The True Shakespearean Sonnet He was married to a black woman. He loved her very much, in soul But was not physically attracted to her. They had a son. Their son died. Shakespeare wrote in succession His fatherly advice to his deceased son. He was conflicted on not having a sire And his advice to his son was to wed So he could produce offspring And thereby continue his family’s legacy. He didn’t express his love to his son Except in his sonnets, where a careful ear Would see the true sense in what they meant. Almost humorously, he predicted His work would be misinterpreted Even defied; and the shocking thing Was his family was a mixed race family. This is the true Shakespeare. He was not gay. He was a father mourning a son And in love with a black woman. 73. Paraclete I listen to Hindu mantras And I see, in part, a veiled revelation Of the Spirit of God. I believe other religions wholly find God; They find God’s spirit, For if they couldn’t, Then it would not be true, “I was found by a nation that did not seek me.” However, God’s spirit upon the Earth Is available for all who seek God; Yet, for eternity---save one is abjectly poor--- For true knowledge of salvation, One need to know Who God is. I cannot but confess that other religions Have mingled and found the Spirit of God. I can feel power in Hindu mantras--- But, it is worldly knowledge. It is not knowledge which leads one to eternal life, But rather it leads one to eternal damnation. For, the LORD says, “All who enter not by the gate “Are thieves and robbers.” Meaning, men find God But without entering in through the Shepherd’s Gate They are but thieves who have stolen Paraclete; And thereby, they have not known Him fully But rather one person of the Trinity. For, only by knowledge of all three Persons Of God, can one attain to the riches of eternal salvation. Upon the earth, many find Him, But they do not know His name And without knowledge of His name There can be no salvation for any. And the reason for this is Christ's teachings. No religion, save Christianity, Has a full revelation of God's law, First given to Abraham in Mesopotamia, Second given to Moses in the deserts of Canaan, And third and finally revealed by the Son of God Himself, Jesus Christ. For without this full revelation One mingles with God perverse spirits of demons--- For every religion either propagates lies in their holy text, Or outright sin. And that is why one, To be saved---for finding God does not mean you're saved--- Means one must accept Christ and all that He had taught. For we call Him "Teacher." Not Vishnu, not Muhammad Not Buddha, not Darwin, nor even Moses if one cuts from the Word of God All that Christ had taught. First and foremost, it is Christ who gave Pure truth, and unadulterated, which no other man in history can claim. Christ alone is our teacher--- And some men, searching God, Find Paraclete, but without knowing His name There can be no life. 74. Divine Power Three divine powers exist. Wisdom, Paraclete and Love. Wisdom is the ability to interpret and understand. Paraclete is to commune with the presence and power of God. Love is love. I believe anyone can find these--- Christian or not. But, each of these come from, and are evidence of, God. The name of God is what saves. And only the name of God. One can mingle with all knowledge, All power and all love, But without knowing Who God is, There can be no salvation. For, only Christ has spoken the words of truth. Only Christ has given the perfect command for life; To embolden the power of God--- For, if one mingles with God’s power The fullness of the divine power points to the Words of that Crucified Christ. 75. The Okay Hand Sign Conspiracy theorists say it’s “666.” Leftists call it “A Symbol of White Power.” Yet, when I see Indians make the hand sign From an entirely removed region of the world, I tend to think it a natural hand sign That probably has some universal significance. Most likely, it’s the most opposite of a threatening posture That the hand can make, so naturally, We are built to do this when we’re trying to communicate That we are intending to appear nonthreatening. Which is a great symbol That the Black Lives Matter movement, Subconsciously, intends to make violent Every tic of peace, in order to Elicit the Racial Ragnarok And 2pocalypse Our Racist belligerents so desperately covet. 76. Una Thou Daughter of Zion Una, thou Daughter of Zion;--- Let I never be unchivalrous to forget thee. The Lion is killed for you; The Law is slain for you, Laid on the body of Asland--- He is killed by false Loyalty Who rapes thou away. Duessa, that potion mistress Medea, Walked beside me, yet let me escape her When I see hell is in the house of pride. She rides six of the Heads of the Thirteen By the Seven Heads of the Nile Dragon, That Mithgarth Worm Who eats away at our Tree of Life, Which holds our worldly plane in the air-- It feeds, so let I never forget thy beauty Lest the Earth fall to the World. 77. The Folly of the West It's a question being seriously asked right now, "Are mathematics invented or discovered?" If this question is seriously being entertained, Then the education system has failed miserably. The fact that Pythagoras had discovered a theorem Which we still use today, and the algebra we use Is proven in all areas, including physics and engineering, Shows that Mathematics are not invented. They are discovered. Even number theory is discovered. Base Ten or Base Twelve or Base Seven May be an example of different languages, yet they will always Come to the same conclusions, no matter what system is employed. Any invented mathematics cannot be called mathematics. This question just proves how ridiculous the current education system has made our kids. 78. Lil-Nas Shoes Christians scream about a shoe with blood in it. While they dance in ecstatic fervor, They babble like lunatics in the presence of non believers, They draw Enneagrams, They ascribe magical powers to essential oils, water and blood, They think grace gives one license to sin, They sing chaunts like that of the Occultist hymns, They play with spiritual powers, like a rebellious teenager does with Axe Cologne and a lighter, They do things with spiritual things that even the most hardened Pagan wouldn’t dare--- What’s my comment on the shoe? Fix the log in your own eye, before you bother about the mote in your brother’s. 79. Jesus Christ Is Come in the Flesh What this means--- So you can't call me a False Teacher, Collin--- Is that Jehovah God Came, by the Virgin Mary, And conceived the child Christ. Within the very body of Christ Dwelt God---fully God. The Flesh of God, God’s Word becoming flesh, Was Christ fully. Christ was not a cup. His flesh was as much God As the Father of Lights. The very Word of God became flesh And tabernacled among men. God, then, was crucified by Pontius Pilate Died, and was buried, And on the third day he raised from the dead. He then ascended into heaven In the resurrected Body, And there He is seated by the right hand of the Father everlasting, Amen. That Christ still has a body, this is evident; And He will return again, to judge the living and the dead. I speak the full manifestation of the Flesh of God in Jesus Christ As is said by John the Apostle, “He who confesses the LORD Jesus Christ is Come in the Flesh “That Spirit come’th from God.” 80. Hamnet Hamnet, you are the Young Man. You died. Your father spoke of you in your wild throws Of romance with a young woman. And she, you had blessed wed If not for the reeling throws of time Which because of thy mixed race Thou wert killed for courting her. Thus, grief thieved thy father William Who sung of your lovemaking To immortalize you. Thou wert Romeo. 81. Messiah I don’t say the Bible is inerrant, But our faith in it, like Kierkegaard said, Is more important than the object of The Bible itself. I still believe in it. Because if one read the metaphors, it Is clear that it is the Word of God, and God Breathed. I imagine Jesus telling His story, writing each chapter as His Book, to teach mankind about war and peace About love and hate, about right and wrong. Yet, would it not make sense that the news In Bethlehem reach Herod’s ears after The Prophet and Prophetess declared Him The Son of God and then King of the Jews? "They departed into their own country "Another way." Then they went to Egypt! Jesus was a young boy. It seems for Mary and Joseph to flee To Egypt, after Christ’s own lawful rites Would have to be after He was declared King. And David fighting off the numbers Of many men in battle, the point is That He won great victories, whether horse Or Chariot, or Footman it does not Matter. And perhaps Jehoiakim were A Mandela Effect, like Billy Graham. Or, it could be he was overseen by A regent until eighteen. 82. Andrew How many times has the LORD called you? Nay, just once? No, it's been multitudes of times In multitudes of different ways. He keeps calling you, until you follow him. 83. Judas Iscariot The portrait of a wicked man is such: He, having blood money, throws it at the Priests, where the silver coins spill onto the Temple's floor. The Priests then persuade Judas To accompany them, for it’s bloodcoin And then they buy the Potter’s Field with him To mock Jeremiah’s prophecy. Weak Judas then realizes prophecy Has been fulfilled, and he hangs himself in The field, where several two-days later his Rotten corpse spills his purple guts. 84. On the Inerrancy of Scripture I spy upon the Earth the reverberating Circle--- There are Christians who lose their faith over A small detail wrong in our Holy Text. I say God doesn’t care about small details. Just the big Picture. Yet, with this there is an end to wisdom When the zealot, clinging to his faith, seeks scripture And sees the most minute detail wrong; “An Error!” And then the Atheist says, “See! If thou cannot “Trust God to make the Bible all inerrant, then thou “Canst trust a word the Bible doth say? Canst thou, now? “For if the Bible be inspired by God, how “I say to you, can you believe anything it “Says, if I find this little, innocuous thing?” I say, one ought to know God, and it won’t be a Problem. For, if one communes with God, God’s love will Show one the fact that our Bible is not a god Nor is it God’s flesh, nor is it God’s power. Words It is, transcribed by prophets, written by Jesus. But it is not the object of our faith. So what Kierkegaard says, that faith is more important than The object of faith, which for many Christians is The Bible. How do we know it is true? Because It speaks independent truths which man can find on Their own, yet no man, save God, was aught wise enough To find aught morsel of Wisdom’s objective truths. I spy upon the Earth the reverberating Circle--- There are Heathens who find God’s Paraclete And they believe they have found full revelation. Knowing power, they find themselves descending deep Into the recesses of dark idolatry. For, knowing power, they know not whether it be Darkness or light--- This is why one must couple truth And power--- for if they’re found independently Christians find all wisdom---to which there is an end; And wisdom not knowing God or tasting power Is as dangerous as Heathens tapping into it Like a thief. For knowing the Bible without first Knowing God denies the power and existence Of God. Yet knowing God exists, finding power, Is to know God, without washing in His clean blood. 85. The Reign of Science Are we anymore free today With science as our guide? Are we any happier? Are we any more blessed? Are we any more satisfied by love? Are we less hungry? Are we sheltered more? Are the governments any more benevolent? Are the children any safer? Are the schools better? Is the child’s hope in the future any brighter? It seems five years of the reign of Science Has already crippled the Earth totally. 86. India The cure kills. Bodies float down the Ganges Starved from the Locusts which wiped out Half of the crop. Meanwhile, being told to stay indoors, And not go into the market to avoid getting sick. A well fed individual has nothing to fear from it. But, a man told not to go to market, Told to wear a mask which costs a day’s salary--- They die for they’re blocked from access to food. Meanwhile, Joe Biden forces Americans to take vaccines; A hot meal is the best vaccine medicine can afford. And for over ninety percent of the world They are being blocked from having it. 87. The Battle of Oxford For one hundred and eighty years The Boers and the Rebels fought wars For one hundred and eighty years The Boers and the Rebels fought wars Bloody and broken. Between gaps They would rest, and blood would spill out Upon the grassland’s ruby clay Of the African bush. Back, forth They would wound and maim, and so kill The Redcoat and Boer Warrior’s bled. On the final salvo, after Many years of slaughter, the Boers Took one last push into Redcoat Lines, yet the Redcoats repelled them For they were refreshed by a moment’s Hesitation from the Boer lines. Fifty-one hundred Rebels slain And Fifty-two hundred Boers lay Dead upon the open plains, heaped Into their rows, where the dead lie. 88. Western Empiricism If Western Empiricism were only understood? Then, classrooms would build squares And test out the Quadratic Equation. They would cut their squares, and see The beautiful workings of geometry. They would do calculus, and find it precisely Forecasts measurements---they would test It with the forces of Gravity. They would see circles’ circumferences Were Pi, if the diameter of a circle were one. They would predict the volume of spheres; They would understand the reason spheres Are calculated, and they’d see by water displacement That the calculations are 100% accurate. They would, in remedial math courses, Learn algebra through physics and electricity. They would learn how electricity works By testing it in the classroom. They would measure velocity and distance and time. They would learn geometry through Euclid, And connect the limitations of physical reality. Instead, our students are bombarded by deduction Without any a posteriori understanding of why? Deduction within deduction, within deduction--- If one has perfect logic, yet not a fact to use with it, Then one can prove about anything--- So long as the logic is sound, it creates beautiful works of art. Yet, to understand the simple nature of reality Is to understand the subtle nature of how real world Events dictate the interpretation of history. That a word is as accurate as a scientist’s compass. Should we know history… See history… Understand Shakespeare for what he truly said, Not what we had liked him to have said; We would not pervert the science of the soul. For, the mere fact that we make a lovesong Of a man with his eleven year old son To be an erotic evocation of a gay relationship With a Duke--- There’s something perverted in our knowledge. The fact that Fantasia’s nudity is seen in perverted light; It means that someone must feel a cherub is erotic. Not, however, to see the metaphor of erotic lovemaking Which brings upon Cupid’s form from the womb. No… Cupid is erotic, Shakespeare is singing love songs about his son. Why I cling to my Bible is that it helps erase that nonsense An align my soul back to understanding things Without the perverted intrusion of sensualities Which ought not be interpolated into the text; Save that an individual is perverted beyond all measure. Yet, because we live in a perverted culture Cupid is erotic, and Shakespeare sings erotic stanzas To his eleven year old son Hamnet, whom the poem So clearly is talking about by reference a dozen times to death’s deparation. 89. Combat Wombat I've built an entire empire through poetry; Established through logic the principle that words Have meaning. Yet you topple it down By refusing to listen. You attack a brother in Christ. Let me defend him. My words have bite, and I know my wisdom seeps into your soul. You'll say, "Dude this guy is crazy, "His words don't seep into my soul. "He's a religious nut job with a blog." And then you'll mention my criminal history. Let me just say, that riotous past is why I Know you're wrong. There isn't any sin I abstained from in youth; And I know full well your every thought. Subconsciously, they ream in me... I understand your arguments better than you do. Why is Homosexuality disgusting? Because it plainly perverts our perceptions about reality. By skewing the common discourse with foul notions, It makes no man have a sense of purity. Words wholly unsexed become scandalous. Shakespeare sings a catamizing hymn to his son; Fantasia's cupids are erotic---I've heard it said. The Bible has no clear interpretation. Anyone who reads the Bible knows you're plainly wrong. But your smugness... Homosexuals can't help themselves? Then neither can a pedophile or rapist. Why have laws at all, if people are bound to their sin Genetically, and have no way to escape it? It seems the Gospel is moot, now, For the whole point of the good news Is that doesn't have to be true. How many gays want to be gay? Used to be none of them; Now it's hip, and in the by and by And it's noble. And because of that The knowledge of the past is entirely perverted Homosexuals aren't always catamites, I'll give you that. But they surely are sodomites. The Bible condemns sodomy. In its literal translation, it categorizes Sodomites The same as Catamites. Sodomites are anyone who have sex Beyond penetrative vaginal sex. And even that can clearly be a sin If it's eaten by a paramour---which is another word the Bible uses. Look it up. And the Bible has a clear interpretation. It is the story of Israel becoming a people, And then sinning through Idolatry with Abortions, Sodomy and Paramours. The Bible says that quite plainly. Then God brought Babylon to Israel's walls; Here, as a matter of history, We have actual evidence that Babylon did this. They besieged them, And then the besieged city's people had to eat their own shit, If not their neighbors. Surprised I cuss? "No," You say. I'm crazy, you say, you say, you say. No... I'm just tired of people like you Perverting everything you touch. I spend a lifetime finding the meaning of the greatest literature in history. And you, your whole generation, Sweeps it away with one blatant, ignorant sweep. Why is homosexuality wrong? Because it clearly makes people unable to understand one another. Simple proof is every lie you uttered. And Christ is the restoration of that great siege. He is the restoration of His people; The Shepherd back to the Promised Land. 90. Thoughts on Prufrock Haunted like I always am by Prufrock, A vision... Loveless, unsentimental, Obtuse--- Successful for a time And waning into your elder days You are no longer famous. You are "Counselor to princes." Looking like the fool... Balding, thinning, deluded by magic. I've seen it in many academics. So caught up in knowledge, So inured by philosophy that love is like Prufrock's lovesong. In and out they go, talking of Michelangelo... A subject high and mighty. Yet, it does not seem to interest Prufrock. Why doesn't Michelangelo interest him? Inured to beauty--- Likely you stare at blank walls, and jagged lines. Michelangelo no longer interests you. Do you believe you're like Lazarus? Do you believe you're like John the Baptist? Grasping for an answer... A false prophet, giving divisive counsel to the king. Balding, thinning... I'd rather be impoverished, And like a monk compiling my odes Than become you. I'd rather hold onto Eternal Life. As Eliot said, "Let me never turn again." You made a public denunciation of me and my faith... You are he, that Prufrock. Balding, deluded and inured by your countless studies. Ensconced in the dullness of Academia. Obtuse. Sometimes ridiculous. I simultaneously see you as the most vile man I can imagine... A loveless psychopath murdering, "A time to murder; a time to create." In the collegiate world, or whatever world you walk in, Your insomnia, your meandering through crooked streets Seeing the shadow cross your room. The yellow smoke reminiscent of Agent Orange Reminiscent of Mustard Gas. Muzzles, mustard gas... For some reason you think you're Lazarus. For some reason you think you're John the Baptist. Holier than thou, a martyr. I have a mental image of you, in your rolled up khakis, Yet walking on the beach searching for Mermaids. You drown yourself. Let me never be you. I never want to be you. Deluded, ensconced in study; Unloving, uncharitable... Maddened by philosophy, Maddened by Aristotelian Ethics. You dabble in poetry, Like you were Yeats or Tolkien. You think you were the Oxford Don, You teach your class, Your sing your liturgy of "Breasts!" Like you had just recited Southey; Filling the Stadium at Coventry With adoring fans. Your erotic poetry, Like Endymion, Feigns a greatness, Yet falls on ears like a guttery does eyes. At the very most, You are a sub par poet Who's enjoyed his brief time of fame... Working in the hallowed halls of Academia--- Unkind, unmoved by any great sympathy. No... like so many scholars You are not enthralled by Michelangelo. You cannot enter into the fray, The ecstasy--- He is overrated. That is what you think. Jubilant, triumphant shouts over what could be mankind's greatest artist, And it does not excite you; Unlike a child who sees it for the first time Who speaks for days, upon days, upon days. What's more honest is the child's curiosity. But, you stifle it... Show your class a Joan Miro For he you find worthy. Does that even excite you? The guttural banality of stick figures And geometric shapes? I'd say like a prude, like a simpleton, Like a pompous ass, you dote over it. For it tantalizes your toddler like mind. 91. Rashomon He doesn't prove witnesses are unreliable But that modern culture is filled with liars. 92. Some of the Evide3nce I've studied the Genealogies in scripture. And they are very, very, very accurate. Abraham---if you tally up all of the years--- Lived right at the forming of Hammurabi's Code. The cult of Aten was founded---and you can do this yourself I swear---right when Moses lived. For those who say the Jews didn't exist Because scholars see evidence of Baal worship In Canaan---the Bible says that the Jews forgot their religion many times. The Bible says that Israel worshiped Baal for most of its existence But the Southern Tribe of Judah stayed for the most part faithful. We know there was a Southern Tribe because the Tele Dan Stele--- An Archeological relic---has written on it Verbatim that Judah had lost a battle, And on that stone was written the portmanteau Housedavid Which this pagan king had won a victory over. Meaning, Judah was indeed a kingdom. Yes, the Bible was recompiled in Persia On its most recent draft---but the Bible Claims so when it says several dozen times, "As it still is to this day." Meaning the Histories were transcribed After Cyrus had restored Israel back to Canaan from Babylon. Cyrus, who was prophesied in Isaiah to be the restorer of Israel's Captivity Some 200 years beforehand. I've already established that Israel was a people Prior to the captivity, so it can only be that the religion Was preserved. It is also recorded that Babylon sacked Jerusalem In the Nebuchadnezzar Chronicles--- Which is another historical fact. So, it cannot be claimed like it sometimes is That Israel or Judah weren't kingdoms prior to Babylonian Captivity. As for the flood--- Every culture around the world Has a myth about the global flood. As for Christ's existence He most certainly lived. The Vatican has record of His census And it has His death certificate Which the Jews had forged to try and claim Jesus was not the Messiah. Also, there are references to medical conditions As yet unknown to the ancient world in the New Testament. Jesus sweat blood. It's a condition called "hematohidrosis". And Jesus died of a Heart Attack, because When He was pierced, water flowed from His wound. This is consistent with a heart attack Where the water lining of the internal organs is damaged. This also could only occur if Christ had truly died. As for the resurrection, Men who had personally known Jesus Were willing to die over the testimony that He raised from the dead; They were crucified, burnt, impaled, Stoned, suffered persecution For the testimony that He had risen from the dead. Men will not suffer long for a lie. They just won't. But, these men suffered and died, So they must have been eyewitnesses to His resurrection. As for the record in Genesis, God is all powerful. The rest of these facts should overshadow Any insipid doubt about how God could create the world in six days. God is God. Meaning He can turn water into wine Raise the dead, heal the blind, deaf and mute And that also means alter time and matter. He changed simple H20 into the magnificently complex chemical composition of wine. Any doubt to the matter of how God could have created the world Is a un-imaginative assumption. God conceived Christ through a Virgin Which is prophesied in the scripture. Also, Christ's crucifixion and death are prophesied In plain terms, in Isaiah 53 and Psalm 2 and 22. The fact that God was going to change the Law is prophesied in Jeremiah 31. It's also true that in Deuteronomy, the curses Over Israel were fully satisfied by the captivity and sacking of Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar; Which is a matter of historical fact, preserved in the Babylonian scrolls of the Nebuchadnezzar Chronicle. Isaiah 53 is verbatim in the Dead Sea Scrolls Meaning it, too, existed prior to Christ. Meaning the prophet did actually predict Christ. As for the morality of Christianity It is proven independently by Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Mozi, Confucius, Lao Tsu, Maimonides, And many other great sages in history finding aspects of the Christian truth. It was revealed in part through many religions, which veiled the truth as they mingled with God Unknowingly, but was fully revealed by God through direct communion with Prophets. God, to be just, had to reveal His law through His prophets. So, He first revealed it through Abraham, Inspiring what academics have called the "Cult of Righteousness" To then Moses who chiseled them down upon stone And finally Christ, God Himself, spoke the full revelation of God's Law. This was so none would be without the knowledge of what is demanded from man by God. For, if God were good, and seeing it takes geniuses to find even a small portions of moral truth, God would have to reveal Himself through revelatory visions to men and women Throughout History to inspire Law. And He did just that through the Prophets and Moses, and finally through His Son Jesus Christ And the Apostles. For, the morality laid down by Christ is quantifiably the best in existence, and it is testable; It produced the happiest civilization in history, For as that civilization fell away from its belief in God It had gotten ever worse, until now it is like the rest of the world. This is the evidence that God is Jesus. 92. Notes on the creation of Astille Looking at my villain in Hail Britannica. I find the prefix in French, "a" which means without. I find the suffix "lle" which means she. Yet, of the "sti" I found it rooted in a Danish word. Yet, that cannot be, though it has to be, As the word means "Path" And it must be why I chose it. But, I remember precisely looking through French Prefix and Suffixes Somewhere in my Dad's French Book To come up with the Portmanteau. And so I come up with "Astille." Pronounced " 'a stee yuh" Yet. I had found it in a French Dictionary And it wasn't Danish. Perhaps I chose the Danish word To portmanteau with the French To say Astille was not Danish, So she was not the right path. Very strange mystery. But, when I was creating her name, I was looking over French Etymological suffixes and prefixes To create a Portmanteau. Though, I wholly remember making Astille's name Fully of French origin. Which is a great mystery to me How this could possibly have happened. 93. Odinism and Hellenism On my bookshelf are works such as the Poetic Edda Ovid's Metamorphoses, Homer's Iliad and Odyssey Virgil's Aeneid and Horus' Odes and Epodes. Like Lewis I'm tempted---yes, it's a temptation--- To reconstruct them. However, with all religions--- Pagan included---there are moral aberrants. In Odinism, particularly, it was the religion of the Nazi Party. But, more imperatively---the more enticing religion--- Is Hellenism. Yet, at its core is sin and passion. It was told to me by a beloved person That Dionysius was Satan---or the Greek Satan. Deriving a meaning for Satan, That Satan is imbued with passion, sexuality, drunkenness. I have to say that Ovid is full of beautiful scenes. The Pagan religion enticing the flesh. I could never be swayed to Odinism, as it's racist--- But, Hellenism I could be swayed to it for its focus On beauty and passion. In fact, it was my religion as a child. Not literally, but in all the passions I had Pan and Syrinx, or Byblis' love for Caunus Came closest. I was unbridled--- Much was my proclivity toward passion. And that is what the Greek Religion is Is a celebration of human passion. Feeling the liquor of pure emotions--- Whatever is their source. In my adulthood, I realize that this was precisely The dirty thing I abhorred most. I was overwhelmed with Peace--- And that peace came from loving Jorgia. Not to say that Jorgia was my God--- But, that the feeling of Peace became The highest form for religious emotion. It's the thing I'm bringing men to in my writing. I find in the Christian religion--- Its mythology, its architecture, Its music, its painting, its worship Its religion, its cultural impact, That it best reflects the peace I found through Jorgia. Prior to that, I had not known it--- I was much like Ovid's depictions Filled with enraged passions. It was in effect my religion--- That of Eros, but Jorgia brought me knowledge Of something deeper than Eros. She brought me knowledge of peace. And imbued in that peace came direct communion with God. It was far superior. So, I reject Hellenism and Odinism Odinism for the reason that it killed 14,000,000 people On its last manifestation. Hellenism because it is the religion of the world As it exists today---and that religion is passion Without recourse to law. 94. The Root of Atheism The atheist sees evil And says, "A Good God would never "Create suffering." I look at Genesis, The very book atheists nitpick, And understand man had acquired Judgment. With this knowledge, Man understands right from wrong, Therefore, deserves to suffer. For, a crime committed by a dog Is not damnable. For it does not know Why it commits sin. Thus, man must be reminded That this world is imperfect; That is why there is evil. Because our lives are purposed To attain to a better life. And this life can never be that better life. 95. Fool The top nine most inconvenient verses In the Bible---so an Atheist proclaimed--- He unfolded nine of my favorite verses. Jesus called the Pharisees fools. So what? They were fools. Just like you're a fool. Yet, he who calls his brother "Raca" That is "Worthless fellow" Which translates into "Fool"--- I'm sorry, did I just chink the first third of your video? Jesus whipping the Temple is a fulfillment of prophecy. "My house has been made a den of thieves." And even Jesus displays wrath. Sorry. I'll get to the rest later, but you're not going to like what I have to say. Yes, Christians cannot sin. That is, they cannot commit cardinal sins. As John says, probably somewhere nearby that same chapter, Is that there's a sin leading to death, And a sin which does not lead to death. The second, Christians do often. The first is impossible for a Christian, For the Holy Spirit prevents them, Even in some scary supernatural ways. Which leads to the last. I have seen amputations healed. A guy's finger once appeared out of nowhere, And it was amputated the day before. And I have seen a few people raised from the dead, Actually, I've seen blind, deaf mutes healed too. Those inconvenient verses Build up the whole testament to my theology. And, for the last one. The law shall not pass. It's still in effect today. So that those who do not obey it Will be sentenced to death. So, as Jeremiah says, There will be two unchanging covenants. The Old Covenant and the New Covenant. Which, if you don't partake of the New, You automatically are condemned under the old As the Old is a universal law which binds all men To God's holy standard. While the second is a mercy. All Christians have sinned, and have fallen short of the glory of God. All Christians deserve a death sentence. Until Christ's blood washed them, Which they became sinless, And sealed with the Spirit full of grace. 96. Ezra and Nehemiah The most wild conjecture I can make to validate modern academia's theory about the Bible true Is that Isaiah II convinced a bunch of Completely ignorant people that they were Jews And then somehow got a license From the king to go to a remote Desert in the middle of the earth. So, if hypothetically the Bible were written in Persia, And just thrown together with a bunch of Random historical texts, some impromptu prophecy And some Sumerian Mythology thrown on top of that; Where was Ezra and Nehemiah written? Obviously, it had to be written by the Jews After the fact. And, it catalogs the rebuilding Of actual walls, the rebuilding of an actual temple;-- And then there's protectorate kingdoms of Persia attacking them Constantly, who verbatim know these people are Jews. At the very least, it would be suspect--- That this invented race in that invented moment Would come to find the ruins of a city Which was conquered seventy years earlier. And then, the surrounding people Knew this invented race, And decided to harangue it. There's a lot of assumptions. Most likely, the Jews had an actual historical Scripture, an actual lineage of kings from two separate kingdoms, With a Law infused with Oral Traditions written down by Moses--- Whether they were Sumerian, I'm suspect to think That the events were shared by many cultures, As most things which are true are--- So, these stories were preserved by Moses And handed down to the Jews in accordance with their Torah, and the Bible really were written over the succession Of 1300 year prior. I'm even apt to believe The verse about Cyrus were in the original Isaiah text; As, certainly, Jesus is in Isaiah too, in the most literal terms In the 53rd chapter. It's not hard for me to believe, at all. What's harder to believe, Is the series of strange, misshapen events That don't conform at all to what we know about basic human psychology. 96. The Revolution The most beautiful movement in history. It freed every slave. It gave every man, woman and child a voice. It prospered billions. It made its poor fat. It made skin and gender moot. And then three hundred years later A counter revolution arises Led by the very tyrants Whom we freed ourselves from. It wants to revive Feudalism. It wants no one to have a voice. It wants the billions to have no self reliance. It wants all malnourished. It uses Gender and Skin color as the weapons to revive it. 97. John MacArthur Did not the Priest wear the ephod? A congregation, to symbolize the service John had given his church And the good shepherding, Have given him the five thousand dollar watch. For every thing under the sun there is a time and season. He did not purchase it himself, And wear it out of vanity. His flock had rewarded him For his service. For every deed under the sun There is a time and season. A time to kill. A time to heal. A time for a priest to wear a symbol of his good work. A time for the priest to sell it, and give the produce to the poor. Truthfully, it would be unloving and rude To reject the gift, or to sell it. Does one, after receiving a good gift Go off and sell it? No, for such would be an offense against the giver. John, you're not a hypocrite for having the watch. That is Christian Pharisaicalism that would scorn you for it. Christ Himself allowed Mary Magdalene to pour her costliest perfume On his feet. If we are to lead by His example, For shepherding a flock as well as you, A gift is nothing excessive. Do not sell it. 98. The Pharisees It is just like this people to Tempt the priest and say to him, “Give up your gift and ephod "And give it to the poor," Rather than to admonish him of his affluence And say, "Thou must give of that to the poor." 99. Oscar Wilde As much as I sympathize with him. As much as I am him. My sin was unacceptable. I deserved my two year sentence. And I bore it with patience. I deserved my ten year sentenced And still bear it with patience. Without justice, men are in danger everywhere. I would be horrified, if in an effort to exonerate me Men made my specific sin acceptable. I would rather bear it patiently, As a cross. I may be made fun of I may be made a laughingstock--- To wit, I already am. I see the furrowed mien on the neighbor's faces. I see their disapproval of me. But, I am not so flagrant that I would Strut around with my sin, Telling all that they must accept me. What I did was wrong. And what he did was wrong. It was the habitual unrepentance of it; That is what caused the great distress. I do not want a world where what he nor I did Is made into a normal thing. I bear my shame with humility--- I understand it. I would have no other way of men For what I did was wrong And inexcusable. That is why I confessed it in the first place. Because it was wrong and inexcusable. 100. On Judgment A wicked man destroys himself For he excuses the sins of his own soul When he finds those sins in others---thereby, He allows those same wicked men The opportunity to slay his soul. This is different than mercy. When a sinner makes an affront Upon one's self, and one has the Justice to overlook the offense And thereby excuse it. It is also different than gossip. One ought not meddle in affaires Not belonging to them, nor be Enraged by the stories of others' sin. For justice is not found through gossip.
Tag: History
The Importance of Literary Theory
B. K. Neifert
(C) 2019
All Rights Reserved
I
For about ten years now, there has been a pervasive conspiracy theory that the Sumerians had created the Bible, and that everything we know about the Jews is a lie. The Epic of Gilgamesh is the text cited as being evidence of this erroneous supposition. There are a few glaring examples of why this belief is erroneous. For one, the Bible is conscious of its tradition, being written first by Moses, around 1300BC. So the assumption that the Bible was first oral traditions would be correct, and even corroborated by the Bible itself. Does it therefore discredit the Bible’s claim, when it corroborates itself that Moses was the first to write down the tradition? Then, it was carried forth by several dozen other prophets, to further record the prophetic heritage of Israel and her people.
No, rather, the conspiracy theory is so grand as to erase Israel from existence. No longer did the Twelve Tribes of Canaan exist. No longer do the Jews exist in Exile in Babylon, despite historical records of their conquest by Babylon. No longer does Persia exist, to send the Jews back to their land. No longer, in fact, because the Bible was written by the Sumerians. Which, literary criticism of the Bible would show that this is impossible. On several dozen fronts, but if we were to erase the Jews from history, we would essentially erase all of Western History with them. If the Sumerians wrote the Bible, and there were no Jews, then there have been absurd claims that Babylon never existed, and Cyrus never conquered it. Therefore, no Persia, therefore no Greece, therefore no Thermopylae, therefore, what exactly? If we acquiesce to the bad literary theory being used to discredit the Bible—and literary theory is the subject you embark on when interpreting it—then we can assume that if the Sumerians wrote the whole of the Bible, then there would be no Western Civilization to speak of. Which is actually one of the more radical and absurd claims being postulated in the hallowed halls of academia.
Of course, the argument breaks down, does it not? We have historical evidence of the Babylonians, evidence of the Jew’s exile in Babylon and the sack of Jerusalem. We have evidence of Persia, and yes, even the Sumerians. Which means, that if the Bible is being challenged on its literary truth, it corroborates what we already presume to know about the entirety of Western Civilization. Without the Bible’s claim, which is also corroborated by Herodotus and archeological evidence, we’d be in severe lack of an explanation for all of History. There’d be no Grecian defeat of Persia, no Persian defeat of Babylon, no Babylonian defeat of Assyria, no Median Empire, possibly even, if you got radical enough, no Roman empire. If we viewed history in the imaginary lens that the Sumerians wrote the Bible, then we’d have no history to speak of.
But, the Bible fills in the gaps of all history. It tells us of all these empires, corroborated by archeology, like the Babylonian game of Ur found in cuneiform text. Which proves there was indeed a Babylon, along with actual pictures of Babylon; Herodotus also noted that Cyrus had conquered it.
If we try to denounce the written records of historians, mythologists, prophets like Socrates, Confucius, Moses or Christ, we tend to do something destructive to the overall understanding of the continuum we call history. We skew it for our political aims, rather than view it objectively from witnesses at the time periods. For, the Bible could not simply be a text written by the Sumerians, passed down and propagated by them. More than likely, the Hammurabi’s code would predate or run contemporary of it, and show us that the Laws in Exodus and Leviticus were in their infancy, being hemmed out by those early civilizations. Hence where the myths get their traction. But, some Prophet had the foresight to place Abraham at the time period, through the Genealogical records of the Bible. Given this weird coincidence, that happens again with Moses and the Cult of Aten, and then again at the Fall of Babylon and the weird monotheistic invention of Zoroastrianism, it would seem that the Bible is very good at predicting when and where its prophets will be at times when Monotheism became most prominent. If studying the genealogical records, it lines up exactly with the events described. Either some genius constructed the Bible for that purpose, or the Bible is itself an accurate description of a people’s heritage. We know it’s an accurate description of a people’s heritage, and we can safely assume that the Bible is an authentic piece of literature describing what is, indeed, the first monotheistic religion. Because the evidence corroborates the stories in the Bible, and the Bible even discusses times when its own adherents forgot their own religion. The Bible is a seamless text at describing the very real and frustrating nuances of history. It even predicts its Messiah will suffer on a cross. It predicts its people will go into exile while only at the time of Moses. It predicts itself time and time again, and those predictions come true. It seems to find the most arbitrary points in history for its prophets to line up with, to corroborate the Monotheism of itself in those eras. And the Bible does, indeed, say that it began with God talking to a Mesopotamian Lord, corroborates with El Worship in Mesopotamia, around the initiating of the Hammurabi’s Code, where they worshipped El and El’s Son. The Bible is a seamless piece of literature, being corroborated by history from the time of the Sumerians in Mesopotamia, where only one man, Abraham, had divine promise from God to establish a people, to now the whole world in Christ.
There is possibly a reason for this, as cultures became more adept at describing the moral patterns of civilization, it became necessary for God to reveal Himself to the civilizations when they were at their ready stages. For some other interesting things appear.
The Greeks have numerous times quoted Old Testament passages. It’s highly unlikely that the quotations were taken from Greece and adapted into the Bible. If Persia wrote the Bible, the Greeks were their mortal enemies, and therefore, would not want their protectorate to succumb to Greek Influence. However, there is much evidence of the Bible predating the establishment of Persia or Greece. One blatant example is the literary consistency of the Bronze Serpent in the days of Moses being destroyed by Hezekiah; which suggests the Bible were written over a period of time, rather than all at once, for such a detail would be nearly impossible to artificially invent by more than one author. More than likely, the Bible was a document written by a people whose ancestry came from the land of Canaan, and their document was widely popular and widely read, as is stated in the Bible when God Himself says He has great fame. Through literature we can understand this is likeliest of all cases. Because the scripture is either written with the most unique piquancy to somehow get itself entangled in all of history, East and West; or it is the written Casebook of God.
Certainly, however, we must backtrack to understand that Western History is reliant on the Jews; the fundamental nature of our historical background is cemented by their existence. Because without the Jews’ Bible being authoritative, we have no knowledge of how Europe came to exist. No real knowledge. For, what is archeological evidence seems to even corroborate that all of it existed, there is a unique conspiracy theory that the Jews were in fact invented by Persia, but the Persians included Greek quotations in their little satellite nation’s book of propaganda, whom the Persians were to be sworn enemies with at their collapse. Less than likely.
What is more likely the case, is that the Bible was established prior to the foundation of Persia or Babylon, or Assyria, or Greece, that the Jews forgot their religion like is said numerous times in the Old Testament, and that the Bible was a widely circulated document in the time periods, which some of its wisdom ended up in the Iliad and Odyssey among other places. It could even be where Confucius learned “Do unto your neighbor as you would have them do unto you.” The Bible could have been, and likely was, a widely disseminated book read by myriads of scholars who would catalog such obscure things in their libraries. Such is a less superficial and fantastical theory than the Jews being the prodigious satellite state of Persia, who just so happened to include Greek quotations in their book of statewide propaganda.
This is more in line with a correct theory, as it’s Occam’s Razor. Assume the most likely of all solutions. It’s almost impossible to think that the Bible was written by anyone beside the Jews. It is almost exclusively, through literary analysis, an entire history of a people.
II
This fact remains, of why it is most imperative that we investigate literature. The Epic of Gilgamesh, upon a cursory perusal, is not the account of Noah and the flood. The Epic is more like Beowulf or Nordic Eddas than it is any account similar to the Biblical text. So, the story of Noah is likely original to the Jews, and given this fact, it is almost imperative that we place history back into its open alignment, with what we know, and not get to be obscurantists with it, by muddying arcane archeological discoveries with what we know through witness testimonies. Because the Bible is, by and by, witness testimony. It’s corroborated through Herodotus. It’s corroborated through Archeology, despite Atheist and skeptics’ protests. The attempt to erase the Bible from our historical knowledge is itself anti-Semitic, and would indeed erase all of known history, leaving us with a Europe that has no actual cause, but rather a mythological cause, which is then replaced and pieced together by archeology to bring about a new, and “improved” version of the truth, that completely contradicts the contemporary, eyewitness accounts of those truths.
With this said, it’s why it’s imperative that we read and understand literature. It is not “Fictitious.” Nor is the Bible purely literature, as I believe it to be the God Breathed Word, and the perfect Casebook on how divine judgments work. Because the patterns described in the Bible display the prescience to describe real psychological phenomena, and sociological phenomena. Which, so do literary works in Science Fiction and Fantasy, and yes, even Realism. But the Bible even more so, that it is almost so hyper realistic in its portrayal of these truths that people will say word for word things the Bible itself says. I often encounter in debates things that Christ’s opponents said to His face, when speaking to them in my evangelistic encounters. Nearly verbatim.
The evidence even goes so strongly in the Bible’s favor, that questioning it at this point is something similar to antisemitism. Which, perhaps, I have found an anti-Semitic vein in the cultures at large to completely erase a people from existence, and therefore their culture, and therefore the invention of that culture, which is what Socrates described in his Symposium: right before he was abused, and a gay orgy exploded on the scene, disrupting a beautiful dialogue about the meaning of love, and what love is.
Simply put, there is a vein in the culture to disenfranchise the Jews, disenfranchise Christians, and it is a sinister road of disenfranchisement, tending only to the destruction of Western Civilization. Which, literature is a preservation of the Western Tradition, as Google can change facts about history, but we can still read about them in old books, and see that Google is, in fact, lying.
The whole road ahead is one paved with fanatical zeal to destroy the past, to erase it from existence, and to build a narrative about the Sumerians. The Sumerians wrote the Bible. A basic propagandistic statement, founded on little shreds of archeological evidence such as The Epic of Gilgamesh. Which, to turn the table around, things that are simple to believe are often not the things that make truth. Simple things are built on propagandistic, little catch phrases and pithy quotes to understand and navigate life. We know this to be utterly simple, because what is true is nuanced. And literature offers a nuanced view of history, which can be seen through the lens of someone who lived through it. Not our far off eyes, trying to peer through the opaqueness of science and archeology.
Much the same, our interpretations of science must then be wrong if this is what we’re beginning to assume through archeological evidence. Either that, or the science does not actually corroborate what is popularly being attributed it. Perhaps it is as Paul warns, “Things falsely called Science.”
It can be an affront to the entirety of the human race to subtract the innocent people of the Jews from history. To steal from them their heritage, and to rob them of their Kings and Princes. This is a crime of anti-Semitism. Heinous in its all sweeping wave through society, that the academies are actually trying to propagate the lie. But, history is too strong, and the existence of Europe too much of an obelisk to forget the past. That same past which shared the Jews and Christians.
The Bible is a strong, historical document. Strongly corroborated by historical evidence. And we need to understand literature at this critical hour, lest we lose our heritage, and not just the West’s. The Jew’s heritage is in all civilizations, all people’s. The Bible is quoted in the Iliad and Odyssey. The Bible created Zoroastrianism. Moses’ defiance of Pharaoh created the Cult of Aten. Abraham created the Hammurabi code. Because the evidence is too much corroborated by the biblical genealogies.
III
Perhaps God had revealed Himself to us through stages. First to one man, because only that one man, plus Melchizedek, could have a true relationship with Him. Then, God revealed Himself to a people. Because only that people could truly know Him. Then, God revealed Himself by coming in the Flesh as Jesus Christ. The ultimate revelation, so man would have no mistaking what God wanted from us. Perhaps, even so, it was the invention of Love that God wanted us to discover. Written in Socrates’ Symposium, as it built from romantic love to the divine love. That perhaps Socrates had known the Hebrew Bible, which is only conjecture. But he possibly could have, as I would imagine the idea of monotheism would be quite novel to someone at that time. And so with the Monotheistic God’s invention, which is of course love.
Perhaps certain groups and peoples were not ready for the discovery of love, but when they had “Evolved” in the most crudest terms, to a point where they were ready to understand and fully comprehend love, that was the point where God fully allowed Himself to be revealed to the whole world, through His Son Jesus Christ.
As, the Bible strangely follows the patterns of history, and strangely is corroborated by random springs of monotheism correlating at the exact time the lineages place our prophets. It’s not likely that anyone would have the access to the information to know it back then, but rather it’s either a one in an impossibly large number’s chance of happening, or it was divinely inspired.
That God would show Himself to the world is itself necessary for God, if He’s benevolent, to do. To leave no question about what we need, and what He wants. First, he codified it with Moses, and second He lived it with Christ. First with the Law, and then with His Life. First he wrote the instructions, and then He demonstrated them. As anyone with Character does when in a managerial position. First he gives the instructions, and when those instructions are not followed through correctly, he demonstrates it himself. God, however, added a third aspect to this. God did it through us, by His holy Spirit.
But this is getting into religion, not literary theory. However, I lay down the reason why I believe in my religion. And next I will lay down why I believe in literary theory.
IV
Often there are questions as to the cause of this or that. There are great sundry questions of history and psychology that people debate. Which, if someone were to read literature they would no longer have these questions, as eyewitness accounts would peer into the dank depths of human imagination, to draw forth an eye witness. A single man’s testimony, whether good or bad.
Yeats is fond of wanting to view love ephemerally, as if love were best as a buck and doe meeting in the woods, the doe showing herself to the buck from the rear, and then the buck mounting the doe. It exists as a prophetic look at the sort of person, whom we can see is wrong because of our knowledge of what love actually is. The check to that idea is Freudian psychology, which claims that the nuclear family is integral in the character development of human beings. Further, literature like Dostoevsky’s shows in stark detail the psychological portraits of unstable families, and even renders it into the most heinous crime, murder, in his Brothers Karamazov. We must view literature in this lens, first, as actual eye witness testimony of the time periods, and we can get a good grasp on their decline or Golden Ages.
In Russia, it was Atheism that caused it to decline. It was divorce. It was the throwing down of the old order, The Judeo-Christian ideas of family, of love, of virtue. Anna Karenina divorces her husband on a whim, and at the end gets the poetic justice of suicide to fit her crime. She had made everyone unhappy, and her hatred for her husband protruded to a hatred for her paramour and child. Which, then left her without a solid place to seek foundation. For she hadn’t love, and that was why she divorced. Levin loses much in the course of the book, gets as depressed as Anna, maybe more because he actually possessed love, but he survives his episode of despair because he finds Christ.
Dostoevsky, otherwise, shows the leap into despair and desperation when Dimitri wants to kills his father, which the cause is over a dispute about money. Dimitri’s father is not a good man, and humiliates a priest in the opening scenes of the book, but it doesn’t change the conscience of the book, that the murder is wrong, and is caused by the father hunger.
Literature captures these portraits of society. It is a barometer of the social milieus at the times it was written. If anyone were to look upon our social barometers, we’d see the world is getting darker. The stories are beginning to reflect more and more the banal realities we all face. In fact, literature is not present at the moment. It is left aside for videos about practical jokes and video essays concerning a host of strange subjects.
The Bible says something strange in Hosea. It says the “Prophets speak in similitudes.” It often crosses my mind if these litterateurs we read are not often prophets. Science Fiction is often prophetic of dark and destructive futures, and can put on moral plays for their audiences, to help the audience understand global trends in diplomacy, armistices,—as one superman episode had superman disabling the nuclear warheads, and then the subsequent invasion of aliens—and applied ethics. While I highly doubt there are aliens, the stories are discussing real phenomena. And it has, for the interim, helped sustain some semblance of peace. But, the story is simply telling its audience that nuclear weapons are keeping the world from experiencing unending global wars, and that the same principles for ethics apply to alien species as they do also to mankind.
At the time period, it was a very good critique. Now, I’m not so sure it was listened to, as there were other, more fundamental science fiction motifs that didn’t get listened to. Such warnings in Bradbury’s novel, or Orwell’s, showing the destructive and intrusive reach of technology into the everyday man’s life. The fact that people became callow from technology, and started harming one another for fun is not far from the truth we see today.
It’s imperative that we recognize the fact that these stories are able to foresee the psychological trends created by technologies. They are not forging the trends, but rather are calculating its use by observing what we already knew about human behavior to begin with. That men are fascinated with devices. Such devices as the printing press have revolutionized the spread of good information, while the internet has polarized everyone into their superficial, ideological camps, ready to cast stones at one another. Fiction predicted this.
Fiction is also good at predicting people’s lives. It can, even with no moral shade to the text, show itself reflective of human error. D. H. Lawrence had created his version of Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina without the moral shame cast upon Anna. And, in describing it from an essay in the very defense of D. H. Lawrence’s work, I could see the very critique Tolstoy outlines in that very defense of D. H. Lawrence. The cruelty and debauched nature, which Tolstoy had poked a hole in, and D. H. Lawrence could not hide it. It is often insulting when we read good books. The fact that the tautology of Tolstoy’s work didn’t need Anna to commit suicide, it was already present that she had done a wrong against her husband. And more often is it the case.
We as a people must realize this is what literature is for, to help be a barometer of the social climates of their days. It can diagnose what is wrong with a civilization. Greek and Roman artists portraying sodomy are a good indicator of where their social climate was, and surely enough, the portraits dated close to social upheavals. More than that, a society is best understood through its art. The Epic of Gilgamesh can teach us a lot about the Sumerians but literally nothing about the Jews. Noah would not be a drunkard, nor would he be a great heroic king. He would, rather, fit the character of a humble shepherd or farmer; the noble peasant—,following the will of God, patiently building his ark. Two distinct versions, which modern Hollywood wanted to conflate in their portrayal of Noah. It was the illegitimate child of the stories of Noah and Gilgamesh. An action movie, that made it seem like the people at the time period wished to fight to get onto the ark. It portrayed our modern family aesthetic, but did not understand that Noah and his family would probably be quivering with fear, and huddled together in love, awaiting the flood waters to dissipate; as such would be the character of a man of God. A very unlikely adaption, as it doesn’t fit the reality of how good people behave, but rather bad people. More than likely, those other people drowned without knowledge of the ark ever being constructed, who Noah would have desired greatly to see on his ark, and the few who knew about the ark would have thought Noah was as insane for building it, as he was getting into it before the flood waters rose. That God was a tyrant for allowing the flood is, in all actuality, the same as a murderer thinking his executor is a tyrant for giving him the lethal injection. The fact remains it is more humane to let the murderer die, than live in the suffering he has caused for himself. That is why the law speaks to such affect. And at the time of Noah, everyone was a murderer, or I can see no other reason for God compelling Noah to build the ark. Nor, as is the case today, would anyone believe it, as our current yellow-scholarship tries to erase the Jews from history; it would be the same kind of blindness the peoples had in the days of Noah. It’s not that they are doing it on purpose, but that they cannot know the truth, nor even perceive the logic that makes it true. But, the facts were bare and certain yet opaque because nobody had searched them out.
V
This gets into the importance of literary theory as a whole, that we can, if we’re careful, deduce important artifacts from history. Not only that, but understand cultural milieus, and understand things in a nuanced way. Of course, Babylon’s ruins exist, one can merely look at them, and see it. However, the current milieu is to erase the history of our religion, that is the Christian and Jewish religion. The religion of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Not the God of Abraham and Ishmael. Not the God of Haile Selassie. Not the God of Joseph Smith, nor the God of Charles Russel. For, if one were to simply look at the meanings of the Biblical text, it would be difficult to equivocate the beliefs of these people. One would recognize instantly that Ethiopians are not the Jews. One would recognize immediately that Jesus claimed to literally be God, and is prophesied as so in the Old Testament. On would understand that it was Isaac whom the covenant was given to, not Ishmael. Therefore, one could easily discredit the claims of all of the other Abrahamic religions. If literary theory were practiced correctly, it will derive a meaning from a text that is accurate.
I do not mean the run of the mill Hermeneutics, either. As certain texts explicitly defy being interpreted that way. Some poetry is meant to not convey clear meanings, but is rather sensory, and other poems are meant to draw from subconscious cues a personal interpretation rather than an objective interpretation. Rather, that an interpretation and intention can be derived from any piece of literature, that is sufficient in itself for literary theory.
With this said, one can easily begin to understand rather than interpolate, and begin to view communication as a fundamental part of what makes us human. No other species can philosophize, nor create religion. As Jonathan Haidt said in a lecture, “Humans are the only species that can form cohesive bonds, and build things without being blood related.” I paraphrase. However, he cites quite accurately that it is religion that allowed these feats to take place, or nationalism, or communalism. What he fails to understand is that though the greatest cooperation was built by enlightenment philosophers in the capability of man to reason, and reason, not blind obedience, is the vehicle for cooperation in a pluralistic society such as America; however, underlying that Enlightenment society is the father-vein of Christianity. The one our Mason brothers built, who though rejecting the corner stone, it became the chief corner stone on which all of Western Civilization hinged. Without Christ, there can be no Western Society, and if literary theory were implemented in just understanding what men like George Washington and John Adams were saying, it would be moot whether they believed. The fact remains that in every quote attributed to them on religion, they found the moral epicenter of Christ’s teachings on the Sermon on the Mount sufficient as a moral law for their civilization. And they found no better.
I do not say the founders were Christian. They were not. They did, however, lay a foundation of Christianity in the country, to check the otherwise wild tendencies of human nature with what they found as a sufficient religion. If we were to try and argue against this very nuanced but accurate point, we’d undermine the social fabric of American democracy. Which, is what the postmodernists are doing at this present moment, by undermining the meaning of works of literature through deconstruction.
It is why the scholars who butchered the interpretation of Milton’s Paradise Lost, rather than succumb to the obvious meaning of the text, invented an ulterior meaning, making Satan—the murderer by trade—the good guy. Never did he value the insight of how reason, if taken in its purest form, could undermine the moral fabric of a country. This is what Immanuel Kant observed in his treatise. But, more than that, he quite arbitrarily made a murderer the hero of Paradise Lost. The insanity of this is lent to bad literary theory, where rather than try to utilize and communicate, the point is to simply expound whatever beliefs one has. That power is the alternative to reason, and without a foundation for reason—without literary theory, and accomplishing the arduous task of correctly interpreting someone else’s work—we undermine the foundation of our democracy. It can go one step further and say that the predicate of Reason is founded in the Greek concept of “Word” which St. John had coined as the embodiment of Who Christ is. It might very well be why this alternative viewpoint is being espoused by the universities, in order to undermine the premise of the enlightenment, which was, indeed, founded on the principle that a piece of writing could be understood, and rational discourse would win in the end.
This can only work if we have correct literary theory. Novels and Poems are similitudes, that perhaps the prophets speak, and interpreting them gives a moral play in the existential structure, allowing the audience to judge the characters and determine whether their actions are moral. Or, as a matter of fact, judge the social climates, the intrinsic networks of sociological and psychological truths needed for understanding what literature is. It is foundational to literary theory that we not do away with the clear meaning of a text, as the predicate of reason requires that language be able to be comprehended, and literary devices at that. It is predicated on context. And if Paradise Lost were read in context of the work’s premise, it is that Satan is ultimately bad, and will use persuasion in order to suck the human beings into the trap of nihilism, and therefore, undercut and dissuade men from behaving benevolently. As Satan knows this about us, and knows reason is a slippery slope of syllogism, that once fundamental premises are nullified, then the social strata can begin to slide into more desperate moral decay. And lo and behold, we do this by nullifying reason, ergo, nullifying religion, ergo, nullifying the age of reason with it by supplanting literary theory, and turning it into a subjective science.
Deconstruction is the method by which philosophers have negated clear meaning, and have even bled that lie into the population, so that they are unable to think critically about a piece of writing, and therefore interpret it. It is because the premise of communication is predicated on successful transactions of ideas. And if an idea is merely a matter of subjective interpretation, then there can be no premise to succeed in getting to the predicate of reason.
Therefore, it is fundamentally necessary for reason to be imbued with the thought that sentences can be interpreted. That meanings can be derived. That ideological frameworks can change with the right sorts of information. Our entire civilization hinges on the notion that there is truth, both metaphysical and empirical. That strata of ideas can exist just as concretely as strata of scientific phenomena. Therefore, morals are predicated on this logic too, that they can be discovered. It’s why moral philosophers have discovered morals all throughout the millennia. But, only Christ had found them all. A carpenter’s son. If this isn’t the miracle of them all, a boy who had no access to learning, no access to books, could create the most cogent moral philosophy ever in existence, then one can only be obstinate in their views that Christ is not the Messiah. For, it is proof enough for me to believe, and always was.
That Christ died, and raised from the dead, it is a matter of literary theory, too. The theories of His resurrection being a hoax don’t pan out with the observations we make about human character. Men do not die for a lie. They will readily admit the lie before dying, which none of the apostles who were martyred seem to have done. There have been many miraculous events in history described by many historians, for instance the darkness that followed Hannibal’s invasion of Rome. I personally believe this story, and even that the shields sweat blood. But that is just me. For the scholar who does not believe such things, and believes that the resurrection was a hoax, men contemporary of the time period died for that “hoax.” It is not likely that they died for a hoax, but that they truly saw the risen Christ. Because that is human nature, to die for something concrete. Muslims bombing Christian men, the Muslims are dying for the comradery of their group. Their religion is a great stabilizing factor in all of their lives, and it creates happiness for them. They die for it. But, when early Christians died, they were not dying in battle nor for the comforts of their religion. They were dying by execution after excruciating persecution and little public support. And it wasn’t for an established religion that everyone in society believed in. Only a very few people believed it. No, they died because something real led them to believe. And literary theory proves it. Because human psychologies do not let men die for what they don’t truly believe. A man can die for Christianity in battle, but that same man would have a hard time sitting in an execution line, seeing the opportunity to strike back flee him as he allowed himself to be martyred. For Christian martyrs will die even with an escape. They will still die. They will still risk getting arrested and thrown in prison, when everyone in their society is convinced that they are lunatics.
What’s important to know is that literary theory helps explain this, as what was true for the men and women back in the days of Christ still holds true for our Christian brothers and sisters today. Every day, almost, I hear news of martyrs in Northern Africa. I hear of martyrs here in the United States. It’s yet to be that the government is involved in the persecution, and by the grace of God and work of people like me it might never happen. But, it could happen in this day. Because literature is abused, and literature is rejected. It predicts human responses, just as the Gospel predicted its martyrs’ responses up to this very day. Literature is a forecasting device to allow us to peer into the future. And misinterpreting it, or calling it useless is a dangerous assumption because it has often been more accurate at predicting human advancements in technology, and human advancements in moral philosophy for the better part of its existence. Losing this ground, losing this special invention by mooting it, is leading to the kinds of chaotic thinking we see today. That Jane Austen had nothing to say, and that the time period were not really being described but was her own subjective interpretation;—or that Orwell had nothing to say, and that his vision couldn’t happen, but lo, it is. And what of it? Men need to understand these things so they can prevent it from ever occurring, and literature is exactly the inoculation against bad ideas.
It must further be attested that reading literature helps one think clearly, and understand morality in its narrative function. One can see morals demonstrated through stories, and this is why stories are so important. Without this function, they cease to be stories, but are rather propagandistic statements trying to elevate one side of a power struggle.
However, humans balance out over several generations back into their natural mode. When a great revolution occurs, and a great civilization burgeons, it falls, and another civilization stands on its ashes. As Marc says in my work, The Fifth Angel’s Trumpet, “Well, the sun rises and it also sets.” Which, it is literature that teaches us this mortality, even social mortality, of a civilization’s fall. Literature teaches us why it occurs, and if a man were intelligent they’d realize this, and hem the levies before it ever burst. For if the people are themselves unwilling to do what’s good, they ultimately get what they deserve. But, it’s better they see it in a poem, rather than in practice. It is better to understand war from art or literature, than it is to understand it by actually having to fight. It is better to understand divorce from Anna than it is to understand it from…
And, if we deny that communication is valuable, and can transfer these experiences from one man to another, then we forget that literature is powerful, we forget that experiences can be communicated, and we will forget the nature of our struggle, which is a moral struggle against the flow of the world. Which, is probably why literature was attacked, and vehemently too.
VI
Literature, if done right, gives us experience. It gives us emotions, it gives us truths to aspire for. When Tolstoy had written Anna Karenina, he literally made me feel like I was getting married, though I had never experienced it. No other author could, or perhaps many have. And that’s the power of literature, too, is that it can communicate experience from one person to another. It can communicate thought. If thought is not communicable, then the very premise of an Age of Reason fails. And that Age of Reason is hemmed in with the existence of a Jewish Carpenter who died on a cross two thousand years ago, approximately. Because if we undermine reason, we undermine Word, we undermine the very nature of the Enlightenment, which is that truth can be established. It is not a light subject we embark on. Postmodern philosophers have noted power as the only thing which roots reason. Whose power? Certainly they do not know, for if it is man’s power, is it the man Orwell created who governed 1984, or is it the man in the KGB who understood corrupting our psychology makes us weak and susceptible to internal collapse?
Somehow, our enemies understand this, but hold as a bone the idea of anarchy and freedom in front of us. They sashay the bone in front of us, saying, “Freedom and Anarchy, Prosperity for All and Perpetual Leisure!” and it is Locke’s very freedom that this Postmodern revolution is predicated on. For freedom in a postmodern world is, indeed, Locke’s freedom. It is Locke’s system. But, so is the ardent capitalist. However, both sides of the debate are locked in a heated war of whose poison will be there to fill the vacuum, when Locke’s philosophy reigns supreme. Will it be the socialist or the capitalist? Maybe neither. However, it is not whose power, but rather the cogent philosophy of Locke, that men want happiness, and the government should be best administered to the people’s happiness and that just free exercise thereof of our ability to figure things out for ourselves. There are differing opinions on whose brand will be chosen. However, what is duly unnoticed by most, is that both systems would be hell on earth without a foundation in God’s love. And reason freed from the feelings we share is dangerous. For, truth brings into us feelings, and our hearts can be pleasurable, either for good or bad. But, there are good and pure feelings that we can understand are not bad. There are good and sublime feelings that we can, indeed, understand are wicked. There is pleasure in cruelty. There is also pleasure in feeling an emotional bond with a woman you are making love to. Cruelty in war is the root of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder because the killing was enjoyed, having enjoyed the slaughtering of your enemies. And artists describe it. That guilt, it is an artist’s job to describe.
Where else can you feel the guilt of having committed a murder, unless an artist portrays it to you? Perhaps the artist himself had an outburst of violence, and nearly killed someone, and had felt for a second what it was like to have killed. To translate that emotion to a reader, it is invaluable moral teaching. It can show us what it is to have murdered, and we will never have to know firsthand. We can understand that the conscience is indwelt within us, and is built in our very souls from the moment of conception. We can know many things both good and bad from literature. And if we throw away this valuable teaching tool, we in effect nullify the real experiences of the authors, and say man cannot ever know what it is like to truly experience something, until he does. Yet, anyone who has had a true awakening to art, can understand that the experience in art is nearly the same in similitude with the author’s who wrote it. And we can understand it from afar, seeing if we truly wish to embark on such a dangerous—or perhaps beneficial—task.
It is these experiences in art that lend to the most important aspects of art. That art is satisfactory in communicating, and that it can, indeed, communicate. It can communicate new experiences to us, ones we have never even experienced. The isolation of a Russian Gulag, the terror of a psychotic’s thinking, the evil deed of a good man who murdered a degenerate, the vengeance of a broken whaleship captain.
We must understand these things. We must not try to undermine them with our own notions, nor our own prejudices. We must not get lost in the dark alleys of believing communication cannot exist. For, it is a new invention to say that communication doesn’t exist. Communication does exist. It is very real. Very serious. Very strong. And it would be imperative that one understand that because we can tap into this reality, that the Bible itself details a people’s history, for it is too real not to. If not for the historical existence of the Twelve Tribes of Canaan which we know from the Tel Dan stele, or the photos of Babylon, or the Babylonian Game of Ur of the Chaldees, the literal transcripts of the sack of Jerusalem in Babylonian historical recorded in the Nebuchadnezzar Chronicle, the birth records of Jesus Christ, the witness accounts of Herodotus, then the most cogent reason to believe in the Jews historicity is that they have a piece of literature woven from different times, corroborated by things like Hammurabi’s Code, and the Prophets aligning with every instance of Monotheism; there are just too many details, and precious ones at that, for the Bible to be fictitious. It is, indeed, the history of a people, written by that people over the course of thirteen hundred years by different people. Jeremiah, alone, describes the sack at Jerusalem. It is too invested in the subject to be anything but an eyewitness account. He is the same as me, trying to warn my country of danger, but its darkened ear and ravenous silence answers back.
Such is too much a similitude with my very existence. Such is why I’m inclined to believe the Bible, because the experiences it tells are not only true, but the only concrete and predictive truths in literature. People actually respond the way they do in the Bible. Quite miraculously, stupor comes over people, and they ludicrously take literal what was intended as metaphorical. They strive at strange conjectures, over the simple adherence of the subject revealed. That the Sadducees are the Mainline Denominations and the Pharisees the Evangelicals, and that the Gospel itself predicted this. Both the doctrines stay concrete, unchanging, and that literary truth is why it begins to show itself veritable. It shows itself more plausible than any other religion in history. Because the concepts still exist. The New Apostolic Reformation are the Niccolaitans. The Gnostics are the New Age Theologians and Prosperity Gospel Teachers. The Arians are the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons. The same religions persist, but take embodied forms with details dissimilar, but the Word is all the same. And it is that concept of Word that proves the Bible’s verity. That the concepts persist, that they sustain, that they predict, that they even on occasion were so blatantly plain in a prediction, that the only thing someone could say to the contrary was that it was a later edit into the Bible. But the Dead Sea Scrolls proves that to be inaccurate. There is more evidence sustaining the truth of the Bible, and it can all be attained through literary studies. Not because the literary studies are postmodern, but because they can attain a concrete interpretation of an abstract text, and that communication does indeed exist despite all our protests that it does not.
VII
One of the things that reassure me is how an artist is the best judge of another artist’s work. Humans tend to gravitate toward art that reflects their own soul, and their own conscience. Be it horrific, or sublime, the man who appraises art, appraises it based on his own soul, and sees himself reflected. It is one of the reasons people tend to devalue literature, is that they have never had the idea, nor was it original to them.
I say this is the problem with our interpretation of all literature. It tends to imitate what we already know about our world, and tends to give explanation to the moral phenomena which are often discomforting. What is most true, that literature becomes valued and appraised higher than what is most untrue. The similitude with reality reflects the appraisal of the art. The best Science Fiction, for example, reflects society better than the worst.
This is why literature is logic. It has true and false propositions. The best literature is a cogent strain of logical operators, creating in theory cause and effect, based on the causality observed outside of the container of the novel. They are meant to meet resistance by the reader, but a good novel persists because it overcomes the reader. It shapes them, rather than having them shape it.
Postmodernism, therefore, has become quite the philosophy in modern days, where interpretation of art and artists has been accomplished by the general populous, and the result is less that of art influencing the population, but rather the population influencing the kinds of art being consumed. This is counterproductive. Most of our important ideas come or start in novels, or they get stated in perfect clarity first in novels. Because there is action, and the moral philosopher finds the consequence of those actions. Dramatic, often bigger than the real world, but far more understandable, in that it can isolate one aspect of human existence and meditate on it for a few hundred pages.
Where art is never serving this purpose, but is simply serving a utilitarian purpose of entertainment, or enjoyment, it’s not a good day for the culture from which that information comes. Essays cannot, for instance, capture the truth like a poem can. And a novel is simply a poem written in paragraphs, and in existential structure—that is, action and time in narrative. So we can see in the narrative the events unfold, and bear moral weight on them. The details are there to help shape the reader’s understanding of the world they are observing; and if it’s a well-developed world, it will reflect reality because it was created from reality. It isn’t simply the author’s wishes in fancy. It is met with the harsh reality of truth. And that truth is what the novel must meditate on.
For example, in my Utopian novel, the truth is rooted in the romantic love shared between two partners. The almost ethereal and sublime love shared by them gets overshadowed by the constant barrage of scenes about war. Friends do die, old acquaintances with them; the characters who die are often random. Without purpose. Because it is war. And how many narratives are derived from the reality of war? Counterpoised with the reality of a home life? How many novels are written in the between moments? Most of the best novels, actually. Yet, my novels are sociologically rich with insights. The manner in which the society falls is the actual method employed by the KGB. The method is found by me without knowing this, but it happens to be the real method employed by the KGB. Something concrete is developed, something cogent. Something, in other words, real. Campy dialogue turns into real life, when the harsh realities of the outside world intrude upon Marc’s internal reality. And certainly I do not want someone who isn’t an artist themselves to critique it. Unless that non-artist understood the painstaking amounts of time I devoted to the effort, to create literature out of pulp fiction. Was it done? No… not satisfactorily, but the audiences will like it more than my pretentious writings because they will understand it. They themselves will be the artist, emotionally invested in the work, trying to preserve the societies I created, because somewhere they are allowed to create similar societies for themselves. Seeing it in stark detail, what they need.
Literature does this, too. It helps us understand our world. Somehow I traipse upon arcane Psychological Operations employed by our mortal enemies. And somehow they work, despite the protest of the more elite crust of audiences that the work I had made is “Unrealistic.” Pretentious is the thought that my work is unrealistic, when indeed it takes an artist of sorts to understand my work. That is, to say, a creative mind willing to bend to my reason, rather than superimpose their own. Which is what people need. They need to listen, not to speak. Let the artists speak, who have volumes more to say, rather than the propagandists and journalists who spout popular dogmas and opinion pieces. Rather than Rick and Morty, which is a stupid show, feigning depth, when it is indeed a certain kind of individual who watches it, feigning genius. It is indeed a show for those of exactly average intelligence. It is not literature. But, it is our modern literature, as the bulk of our voices are marginalized for what sells on Cartoon Network. And even Cartoon Network is losing its ratings because they don’t produce quality stories anymore, meaning that stories are a part of us. They are inherent in the way we understand the world.
More so, what is considered “A True Story” often has borrowed elements of fictitious literary devices because it captures what we want to know about the truth better than the truth itself. It captures the ideal. And that ideal is what men and women want to know about. Not the vulgar reality. Because the vulgar reality cannot attain moral betterment. It can only attain to an imitation of the vulgar banalities of life.
In that sense, literature is more real than reality. It transcends reality, getting into the layers upon layers of archetypes, and the reality beyond what we see. It gets to the moral perfection, the ideal, a form, and it gives us a vision to aspire to. It teaches us why certain pursuits are vain. If we lose it, which we are, we lose ourselves. Because humans without stories, humans without virtue, humans without the prophets’ similitudes, are humans without a moral standard. And these are more dangerous. These, as is often portrayed in the Russian Authors, are who stir the downfall of civilization.
Because stories are indeed important. Not for what they contain, but for what they aspire to be. Not for the real event, but if the event had transpired, what relevance does it have to our life? And of course it cannot be disagreed with. Disagreeing with a piece of literature is like disagreeing with a well formulated math equation. Because the moral conscience of man is employed by the consumer, to prick them where there is injustice, and to sway them to where there is good. Within the art displays the attitudes of a civilization, to unpack and understand. In those attitudes, we see—in America’s case—cultural decline. And the literature all points to it— without a belief in God, Americans are without the conscience to understand anything. They, rather, are all in an egocentric predicament, where everyone around them can see the mischief of their own doing, but they themselves cannot because to them, their heart is good and just. The moral play pricks at this conscience, when it has bad consequences. The prophet even pricked David’s conscience with his story when David raped Bathsheba. But, where the consequences are tolerable, they laude it. Such is why serial monogamy in art is heralded. Because the consequence is simply loneliness, and Americans are all already lonely.
VIII
For the penultimate part of this essay, I would like to distinguish what I believe about the Bible. It is precisely literary theory that I believe in the Bible. That I can indeed understand.
It’s hard to explain to someone the internal consistency of the scripture, and the doubtful theory that it was written all at once by a man named “Isaiah” who happened to live in Babylon.
First, the Torah sounds distinctly different than the rest of the Bible. It is simpler. It is like the difference between the Pauline letters and the Gospel. There is a certain wording in the Torah that distinguishes it from the rest of the Bible. Meaning, it had a distinct writer.
Secondly, regarding the historical texts, we know through Nehemiah and Ezra that the Bible was being written in succession through the generations. The writer of Judges and Kings sounds different than the writers of Nehemiah and Ezra. Not only do they sound different, but their mode of narrative is different, describing different elements and themes. Meaning, another writer had written them.
Then we come to the Prophets. The prophets each write in different themes, consisting of a consistent narrative throughout the Bible. There is a timeframe at which it is written, and too many differences—yes, actual differences—for it to be anything but a response to what was happening at a moment in history. I’ve read all of the minor prophets, and they have different subjects, different poetic references, different symbolism. It’s often easy to overlook that, but there are methods of interpreting the Bible, that each dispensation in the texts, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, there is different symbolism. Not to mention that the Bible lines up with these historical prophets, with their corresponding kings. Had one man written the Bible, or a series of scribes, it would have been difficult to get the kind of internal consistency that I see in the book itself. The kings line up, and the prophets will tell when they were written, and the correlation abides with the kings. Several accounts of the kings are given, sometimes the same king is mentioned twice. Meaning, it is a record of a people’s history. Was the Bible put together directly after the reinstatement of Isreal? Highly dubious and unlikely, because there is a continuum of information that seems to have been written as it was happening. It seems to be written in succession, by different authors at various different times.
Not to mention, if the religion were simply made up on the spot, it would be nearly impossible for anyone to believe in it. That’s one of the strongest evidences of the Bible, that nobody would believe a religion that they knew was cooked up by a so called “Prophet Isaiah”, who dreamt of a fictitious people, and then with the help of a couple hundred scribes drafted a scripture. There would have to be some relevant link. And, looking at people like Mortdecai, who is lamenting in Babylon in front of the King’s Chamber, it would be obvious to the people living in that day if it were true or false. Nobody would adopt a religious volume knowing it was a forgery. Nobody would believe an account of modern figures if there wasn’t a correlating history to solidify their investment into the stories. Therefore, there almost certainly was a Jewish people. And we learn this through literary studies, as the studying of the literature would be hard to suggest otherwise. What we know about human psychology, is that it’s hard for one man to establish a religion without some kind of historicity. Joseph Smith, for instance, used it with the Native Americans. Had there been no Native Americans, or interest in his mythology, the religion would have failed immediately. But, because there was a people to attach the religion to, the religion succeeded in germinating. As Mormonism is a blatant example of what likely has to be the case. Islam, again, is much the same thing, borrowing from the Jewish stories of the Old Testament, only inciting Ishmael as the mythical founder. Because the tribes of his day had more in common, and the knowledge of these figures ran deep throughout the cultures. Even into other cultures. There’d have to be some—even if hypothetically specious—reason for the Jews to believe in the religion. Some foundation for the belief. And if the Jewish people did not exist, and these contemporary figures like Daniel and Mortdecai and Esther were not Jewish, then there’d be no reason for the people to adopt the religious text, as the subject of their salvation rested solely on their race and its history.
This alone proves that there must have been a culture of Jewish people prior to the captivity in Babylon. It is proven through literary theory. The cogent leaps from existential structure, the chronological telling of events from the time of Moses to the time of Nehemiah, is itself a sort of miracle, and not something that happens overnight. People tend not to believe things, unless there is a reason to invest in the belief. For Muhammad it was the Arab race. For the Israelites in Babylon, it would almost certainly have to be their own race. Otherwise, why would Persia grant them admittance out of the country, and take the painstaking efforts to produce a Bible? Or, why would the kings of Persia give credence to a madman like “Isaiah”, and establish an entire colony based on his ridiculous remarks? Of course, one might posit something like Christopher Columbus, but it is still ludicrously specious to assume that a great migration of people—documented in the very books, so their genealogies were recorded somewhere too—would take the time to go to some desert when Persia was a flourishing capital.
Too many questions are left, that have to be explained by blind zealotry, great persuasive methods, the ability of one orator to convince a mass of people to migrate out into a desert; the likelihood of this is less than likely, unless we have the presumption given to us that the Jews were a people prior Persian rule. It only makes sense, and it seems to make sense with what we know about psychology.
With that there are other reasons I believe in the text of the Bible. Psalm 2 explicitly says that there will be a Begotten of God, who is the Son of God, and that the government of Israel will rest on His shoulder, and we must “Kiss the Son, lest He be angry with us.” The likelihood of this ending up in the Bible is not likely at all.
Second is Psalm 22, the Psalm Jesus quoted on the Cross. It describes Crucifixion.
Third is Isaiah 43. Where it says “No other saves, except me.” This regarding the divinity of Christ, for those who doubt Christ’s divinity.
Fourth is Isaiah 53, where it plainly says a man’s soul will be offered for our sin.
Fifth is Jeremiah 31, where it describes a New and Unbreakable covenant with God. The New Covenant being established after Israel leaves captivity.
Sixth is the captivity itself, which severed Israel from the Old Covenant.
Seventh is Abraham being told to offer Isaac, which was a type of what was needed for our salvation.
Eighth is Job 9 where Job pleads for a mediator between he and God.
Ninth is Leviticus 27 where it says, “No one who may have been set apart among men shall be ransomed, he shall surely die” speaking of Christ, for only one man ever was set apart.
Tenth, and I can continue like this through every chapter in the Bible, is Isaiah 48 where it describes the new thing which was created now, that we hadn’t known before. That very new thing is Christ Jesus.
IX.
I will conclude this essay by saying that literature is a store of some of our most important knowledge. Beowulf, in fact, is an artefact of great importance. It showed us the heritage of Early Saxon culture. It also, in meaning, taught us that struggling against society’s ills was more noble than struggling against our fellow man.
The Bible, no less, tells us the moral law founded by God to His creation, the failure of His creation to fulfill that moral law, therefore, the creation of a new law, established on a previous covenant older than the original, to bring salvation to the whole world.
Arthurian legends tell us much about medieval Europe and Chivalry. They also teach us about comradery.
Don Quixote teaches us about the fall of Chivalry, it also teaches us about friendship.
Hemingway’s novels teach us about injustice, and they also teach us about harsh realities.
Modern scholarship teaches us about our modern age, and it teaches us about our modern bent toward distorting the past by not taking into account the witnesses of history.
Literature is anything we may read, as it is all created by time period it was written in. It is by no means true that we cannot render history accurately. But simply, what we write today is tainted by our own vices of modernity. There is no other way to explain it, as when Happy Days and Brady Bunch were shows, the earth really was that happy. Because it had something to say about the era it was written in. Andy Griffith said a lot about its time period. So with Twilight Zone. So with my History of Civilizations by Fernand Braudel; it taught me much about history, from the lens of the 1970s. So my history textbook tells me a lot about today. Our books teach us about the present, but we can, indeed interpret the past. Montaigne describes a lot of heartache, but in no way does he reveal the kinds of things we accept and tolerate today. Byron was about as bad as he could be, given his knowledge.
Literature is a moral compass. Whether we can be objective about the past, I’m sure we in some sense can, and were better at it at a time. But, unfortunately, the modern age has much to say about the modern age. And not much else. Because we find a sentence is incomprehensible, and this might be why the Jews are being taught in schools right now, as having never existed. When, clearly, the overwhelming amounts of literary evidence suggests they do. Doubly, the stories aren’t understood, and both of these facts are causing major problems in academia right now.
People truly believe that the Jews didn’t exist. It is an anti-Semitic lie perpetrated by academia itself. It makes no difference if a Jew was the one who formulated the theory or not. To minimalize the Bible, is to minimalize history. To minimalize literature, is also to minimalize history. It minimalizes our ability to communicate, and use reason. As, the texts themselves corroborate history. Why? Because they are written at different time periods, predicting futures, being corroborated by archeology, and have internal consistency with what we know about psychology. Reason is the premise that truth can be understood if it’s told to someone. Unfortunately, the problem with our modern age is that truth is subjective, that interpretations of literature don’t matter, and that art itself is outmoded. What will come in its place is systematic simplicity, where context no longer exists, and reason cannot exist. This, in itself, will undermine everything we’ve built, and it is why I am a writer, to help bridge this gap we’ve created. A gap between science and the truth, which needs to be bridged with literature.
My Words About the Revolution
Colonel Brandon had his say—marching with
Washington’s troop toward the Brandywine.
I say… Had Washington’s troops actually listened to that fellow
They’d have knocked him on his rear.
The story was made with today’s so called
“History.”
What we claim to know about the revolutionary war.
The fact is, it seems like rhetoric.
But… using that rhetoric
I wanted to show something good.
The fact that America is worth fighting to preserve.
The whims of an author cannot change history.
We can, rather, just put in our moral say
By the details we have given to us.
How the historical data says Washington’s troops were misers
When, historically, they probably believed very strongly
In the cause of the revolution.
I, rather, can have my say about what I want.
I can reinvent history.
I can rework truth
In order to present another truth.
Stories and works of fiction are never literally true.
In fact, they often get very details so wrong
It cannot be denied that the whole work seems flawed.
But, trade in one analogy for another
The truth is still in there without the details being accurate.
The truth is we, America today,
Are jaded and would not stand by Washington.
The fact is that today,
Washington and Adams and Franklin
Would be trolls on the internet
And nothing more than a blogger or a haphazard writer
Believing the lies about history we are taught.
Why do I bring this to bear?
Because the whole of the truth is that truth
In stories are present today, the age they are written.
And not in the past.
When we dramatize the past
With our stories, often it is today we are talking about.
When we watch the idyllic past
It is the past they are talking about.
Funny, isn’t it?
How art captures the ideal, and the truth
Of the age it is written in.
God Found in History
Thirteen o Two, the Pope declared:
“Peace! Peace! Bring all ecclesiastical authority
“The authority of Christendom
“Over to me! So the troops do nare
“Fight, and wars spread!
“So the great plagues do not sweep
“Through your nations!
“So great suffering does not endure for a century!
“So famines do not wreak havoc on your lands!”
This Martyr was captured and tortured.
Thus, my friends, why there was the black death.
Thus, my friends, was the Hundreds Year War.
Thus, my friends, was the Schism.
Do not put to death your holy men
For they speak peace.
After they die,
The nations do suffer
From Asia even over yon to Europe.
Fifteen Eighteen, yonder the wars
The Pope indulged peoples to sins.
Thus, righteous Israel separated
From Unrighteous Rehoboam;
Thus, great martyrs were made.
Thus, great wars were to be had.
Thus great pogroms spurned the nations.
Do not indulge in sins
Otherwise great harm is done
And many peoples die.
1518 Cortez set sail to find new lands
For the Spanish lords.
Find he did, men who practiced rape
Cannibalism, Human Sacrifice;
Murder was legal,
Food was your very kin;
Wars were games
Where the captors were then to be supped
On at table.
Cortez found them,
And conquered them
With miracles of battle.
Plagues swept through,
Destroying cities
Destroying camps
Yet righteous natives it did not harm.
500 men fought of 100,000
And won.
Galleons were carried over mountains
To war.
And when there was sin in the ranks
The enemies did prosper.
1920s men turned away from God.
Men reveled in their sciences.
Men called men animals;
Men turned and called their fellow man inferior.
Men abandoned their God.
So came the great Dust Bowl.
So came the great famine.
So came a war so notorious
It killed millions of innocents.
So came pogrom after pogrom.
All for abandoning God…
What will happen today?
Atheism spreads like cancer.
Men walk with gleeful pride
Of their sinful acts
Boasting in their sin
Boldfaced like a harlot
Who just got paid to whore.
Consider wisely.