The Tao of Brew: Or, A Nice Cup of Coffee

"I have measured out my life with coffee spoons." T.S. Eliot

"When you wash your hands, when you make a cup of coffee, when you're waiting for the elevator - instead of indulging in thinking, these are all opportunities for being there as a still, alert presence." Eckhart Tolle

In a world bereft of certainty, beset with all manner of depression, anxiety, divisiveness, and strife, there stands tall a pillar of steamy, reassuring stability. From the sprawling city-scape of Seoul, Korea, to the minaret lined streets of Istanbul, Turkey and from there to the neighborhood Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, or their very own kitchen counters people from myriad walks of life, income brackets, and occupations find solace, stimulation, and strength in their daily cup of coffee. 

Whether taken black, or with cream, no sugar, cream and sugar, cream and honey, sugar, no cream, or in the frothy form of a holy host of espresso beverages, this necessary nectar provides more than just caffeinated nourishment to the masses. It serves as an opportunity for absolute control and freedom of choice, to have something truly "our way" a midst the unrelenting waves of external forces that lay beyond our control: the lane closing accident on the freeway en route to work, a system wide computer crash at the office, little Mikey or Susie being cut from the youth travel basketball team. 

And yet, the sustenance our dark hewed elixir provides is fleeting. Almost as quickly as it arrived it is gone, often after our first sip, as we rush away from the counter or out the front door, our minds once again inundated with the day's worries and troubles. What a horrific waste of one of Nature's most soothing balms!  At the risk of being labeled hokey or Pollyannish I submit that rather than merely serving as an accessory to amplifying our anxiety, the act of brewing and drinking our daily coffee can be utilized as a form of centering meditation.

While I am aware of the multiple methods used to achieve optimal flavor and taste (i.e. Nespresso and K-Cup machines, French Press, Aero Press, and the old reliable drip pot), and have had excellent cups made from all of them, I am partial to the cone method. I find it to be the most hands on of all of the aforementioned methods, and thus the most conducive to achieving a state of meditative focus. 

To begin with, upon rising to meet the day, I warm my porcelain # 4 style Melitta filter with hot water, to insure that the maximum flavor is drawn from the roast in tandem with the boiling water. Next, I slowly and attentively fill my electric kettle with bottled spring water. While I often find tap water to be stale and lacking the same vitality as its bottled brethren, it is all a matter of personal taste. If one is able to procure a lively cup from the tap, I by all means do not begrudge them. 

Once the kettle has been filled and activated, I then turn my attention back to the cone, were I apply the brown paper filter. After crimping the bottom and side edges of the filter, to again insure maximum draw of the roast, I set about perhaps the most sensitive aspect of the brewing process: the measuring of the grind. While most folks are as varied in their choice of roast as they are in their respective political and spiritual persuasion, I am a through and through believer in the virtues of dark roast, taken strictly black. It is, again in my estimation, the most robust, rich, and alive of all, still teeming with the earthy spirit of the soil where it was conceived and bred. With but one scent of it I am lifted on high into glorious rapport with the vibrancy of Creation!

But enough hyperbole, however warranted... I then reach for my trusty tablespoon. In the vein of a devout Catholic or Buddhist, silently thumbing their respective prayer beads, I measure a hearty tablespoon of the grind, and with the same reverence place it into the womb like filter. Though the recommended ratio is six ounces of hot water for every two spoonfuls, I add in two more to again reap as much flavor as possible. By this time the water is coming into the home stretch of boiling; I then prepare my porcelain mug in the same manner as the filter, warming it with hot water, before placing the cone over it. 

As the kettle reaches its crescendo I immediately flick it off, swiftly but securely pouring the water over the grounds, and letting gravity do its magic. Within moments I am seated at the kitchen table, glorious cup in hand, enjoying the scene of unfolding morning all about me. From this vantage point, I can see that all, to borrow a phrase, is indeed "good, and very good."

I can imagine the protests of my fellow modernists, who will insist that such a "silly" practice simply cannot be done, that there is not enough time in a morning. To them I will reply with the old maximum, that "can't means won't." My own "silly" practice doesn't take more than five to ten minutes at the most, and is far more satisfying than trepidatiously hitting the snooze button, and rolling over for ten minutes of angst ridden "sleep", if it can be even considered as such. I am all too aware of the fact that old habits die hard, but a little short term pain is well worth the long term gain of fostering true appreciation for the manifold - and I daresay transcendental - qualities of a nice cup of coffee.

If you enjoyed the content of this post, check out my best-selling e-book, Dragon Heart, available in the Kindle Store on Amazon.com. As always, comments and feedback are encouraged.

Guest Post: There's Devilry Afoot!

Guest writer Jonas E. Hill offers his insightful take on the latest shenanigans of religious conservatives, particularly their on going beef with President Obama's alleged "Muslim" sympathies. 

Join me, dear readers, in welcoming to the blog the literary talents of Mr. Jonas E. Hill, an acquaintance of this writer who will occasionally be contributing his own unique perspective on any and all things, starting with today's guest post. Enjoy!

There’s Devilry Afoot! – Religious Paranoia in ‘Murica

Jonas E. Hill

It’s a rather odd feeling to be an American these days. On the one hand, our country is one of the most advanced (if not the THE MOST advanced) nation in the Western world, especially the English speaking world. Our history is replete with the names of famous Inventors and Scientists who either called America their home sweet home from childhood (such as Thomas Alva Edison), or pulled up their roots and immigrated here to pursue and win their fortune (such as the Serbian-born, later naturalized American citizen and celebrated scientist Nikola Tesla). These men (and women, I haven’t forgotten you ladies) have made life more happy, comfortable and worth living for their nation, not to mention the entire human race, through their creativity and their dedication to their calling which it must be said they truly loved.

And yet despite the fact that Americans can now walk down the street with a hand-held super computer/telephone in their pocket, despite the fact that we now have medicines that can cure diseases that only a century ago were a certain death sentence, despite the fact that the American nation placed a human being on another planet, the nation still remains the laughing stock of the modern 21^st century Industrial world. For indeed, despite the undeniable progress of science  and the hard work of scientists nationwide, and world-wide, a shocking percentage of the American population (nearly 30% to be precise) believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible. 

Furthermore, they are prepared to uphold by all means necessary (including their fists and their firearms) a Bronze-Age Creation mythology, to the point that they have come to view any point of view (however similar in insanity to their own) as a grave threat to be destroyed by fire and sword. And they will be damned before they let any other religion or philosophy share equal rights under the law as their own faith has.

Now, before we proceed, a disclaimer. I am not in any way arguing for the destruction of religion. I am not arguing for or against atheism/agnosticism, nor attempting to disrespect anyone’s spirituality or lack thereof.What I say is this: If indeed you must believe, then believe sanely. Believe with an open mind (it is difficult, it may require you to stop taken everything so literally, but it is possible, if you try). And yes, there were a number of eminent scientists throughout human history, up to the present day, who maintained their faith in some sort of higher power, but nevertheless recognized that the Holy Books of the world are not the final authority on anything in life.

To illustrate my point, let us explore the ravings of a long-time member of America’s vaunted religious conservative movement, Mr. Don Feder, journalist and Communications Director of the World Congress of Families (a notoriously anti-gay organization which praises, among other things, former atheist and Communist Party member now turned Eastern Orthodox zealot, Russian President Vladimir Putin). 

Mr. Feder has decided to try the usual dirty trick that is the desperate last resort of the American Religious Right: blame the “Other”, criticize and demonize those who are different or disagree. In this case, the nefarious “Other” is Islam. While indeed the Islamic religion is no stranger to fanatical zeal and fundamentalist belief, (illustrated by the hideous blood bath raging in the Middle East) the point that needs to be made is how very similar these religions really are, especially when it comes to fundamentalism, violence and cruelty, and the ongoing attempt to maintain a literalist interpretation of their respective holy scriptures in a scientific, evidence based 21^st century in which nearly all their claims as to the nature of the universe have been proven false.

Again, let me reiterate: I have nothing against Christianity, Judaism, or Islam or any other religion. As I said before, I will now say again for those who would try to scream bigotry to silence critics; IF YOU MUST BELIEVE, THEN BELIEVE SANELY. BELIEVE WITH RESPECT TO YOUR FELLOW HUMAN BEINGS, AND THEIR RIGHTS TO DISAGREE.

Mr. Don Feder opens his latest tantrum with a reference to the current American President being a secret Muslim. (A popular tactic for American religious conservatives), saying:

“Our president has been called Islam's principal Western apologist. But that's like calling the Chief Rabbi of Israel kind of Jewish, or Lindsay Lohan sort of messed up. In fact, from his 2009 Cairo speech to last Friday's Sermon on the Mosque, it's been nothing less than slavish devotion: the Muslim Brotherhood is "secular," the Ft. Hood massacre was "workplace violence," the Taliban is "an armed insurgency" (but not terrorist), initially, Benghazi was caused by an anti-Mohammed video, "the future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam," the muezzin's call to prayer is "one of the sweetest sounds on earth," and on and on ad nauseam.

 In the coming Caliphate, maybe he'll be the Sheik of Chicago or the Imam O.

 At the Prayer Breakfast, after his faux Buddhist greeting to the Dali Lama, the alleged leader of the Free World pledged to "push back against those who would distort our religion for their nihilist ends." Which religion?”

I think this calls for an appropriate response. Ladies and gentlemen, I do not vote, I do not belong to a political party, and view the whole process as rather silly. I view education and the search for truth through the scientific method and through philosophical debate to be a more constructive action. So in the name of truth, remember this:

President Barack Obama is a Christian. He has said so in his own words, and here is but one example in which he has discussed his religion and how it has shaped his views of the world. Are we clear? Christians, if you hate the American President, remember that he belongs to your own religion. What does that say about Christian brotherhood? Better yet, if you think the President is terrible at his job, and he draws inspiration in his life and work from Christianity… what does that say about the faith? 

Consider these things carefully before you open your mouths to criticize.

While we are on the subject of Christianity let me say a word about the beloved “National Prayer Breakfast”.  The event is a yearly gathering started in 1953, in which Christian leadership from around America and the world at large gather for a day of meals and speeches. The event has drawn such notable conservative activists as Dr. Ben Carson, the famous American surgeon who doesn’t seem to actually believe in science, Christian fundamentalist writer Eric Metaxas, Christian screenwriter Randall Wallace (who wrote the screenplay for Braveheart) and a slew of other prominent religious American citizens.

Another issue of note is that in addition to a host of US Senators and Congressman, every American President since Dwight Eisenhower has attended the National Prayer Breakfast and many, if not all, have made speeches. This leads me to ask the question: In a nation which has clearly laid out in its legal code that no religion is to be shown any preference over another religion (the pseudo – scholarly assertions of so called Christian legal “experts” like David Barton to the contrary notwithstanding), or that religion should not be shown preference over non-religion, why are American politicians, especially the Head of State, the President, attending these events?

 Don Feder claimed in the above quoted excerpt from his article that Obama may become the leader of an American caliphate. A caliphate is an Islamic nation governed directly by Sharia law. Mr. Feder and his conservative friends are terrified of an Islamic government taking root in America… and yet they live in a nation where the overwhelming majority (76% in fact) of people identify as Christians, and political leaders are attending religious prayer conferences, openly endorsing the Christian faith over other faiths and beliefs in the American nation.

Their argument, like so many others, is patently absurd.

Moving on to further points, this past year the leader of the Buddhist world, The Dalai Lama attended the National Prayer Breakfast, and the American President greeted him warmly… once again, Mr. Feder and company are outraged that this took place; yet I would suspect they are outraged that the Dalai Lama was invited to this event at all. The answer is simple – the President should not be attending any prayer meetings as a political leader; however if he does so, than he must show respect to ALL RELIGIONS in attendance. Not just the religion which Mr. Feder and his Christian friends prefer.

And, finally, we will end with one final quote from Mr. Feder’s lengthy article;

Two strains converge to shape Obama's attitude toward Islam. There's nostalgia – for his Moslem boyhood in Indonesia (so innocent, so carefree, so harmonious) and his absentee dad – combined with the left's worldview.

As I said before – the President is a Christian, and has said so with own lips. So religious conservatives, please stop lying (it is a sin, after all). As for the President having an absent father – this is an absolutely irrelevant point in the discussion, so I will not dignify it with a response. And finally, Mr. Feder rages that the President is a political leftist. Well, my only answer to that is that if you are a fundamentalist Christian (or in the case of Mr. Feder, a Christian apologist), and you take your scripture literally, without question, than Jesus made it quite clear that he himself was a man of left wing politics. For the sake of argument, let us entertain the literal view of the Bible. Even from this point of view, it is clear:  Jesus opposed the rich, opposed the established religious authorities of his time, and his followers were the impoverished peasants of Israel, prostitutes, and the sick and disabled. This is reflected in Jesus’s own words when he said:

"Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God. (Matthew 19:24)"

And furthermore:

"…and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward." (Matthew 10:42)

Which leads me to my conclusion: Don Feder, World Congress of Families, all you religious conservatives, whoever you may be, whatever church you belong to – stop complaining, and start HELPING people…. The sick, the dying, the hungry, the poor. Stop worrying about people’s sex lives, stop worrying about trying to put the Ten Commandments in public buildings, and stop worrying about what church/and or any other holy place of worship the President attends. Jesus has commanded you to do it – are you going to disobey him?

As for the very concept of a “National Prayer Breakfast”, keep in mind your Lord’s words:

And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward.  But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6:5-6)

Thank you for reading, Christians and Non-Christians alike.

Peace be upon you all. 

If you enjoyed the content of this post, check out my best-selling e-book, Dragon Heart, available in the Kindle Store on Amazon.com. As always, comments and feedback are encouraged.

Quick Take: No Butts About It!

In the latest round of dispatches from Arkham Asylum the 'Murican heartland, dear readers, there is one particular noxious nugget of note:

In a recent session of the Montana legislature, a bill was drafted by one Representative David Moore, who in one feel swoop identified the real issue that is plaguing the once fruited plain... yoga pants.

More specifically, the proposed bill would outlaw "any device, costume, or covering that gives the appearance of or simulates the genitals, pubic hair, anus region, or pubic hair region."

And that is only the tip of the spear in Moore's thrust (gotta work with your material, folks) to eradicate widespread lewdness. As the Billings Gazette reported:

"The Republican from Missoula said tight-fitting beige clothing could be considered indecent exposure under his proposal.

"Yoga pants should be illegal in public anyway," Moore said after the hearing.

Moore said he wouldn’t have a problem with people being arrested for wearing provocative clothing but that he'd trust law enforcement officials to use their discretion. He couldn’t be sure whether police would act on that provision or if Montana residents would challenge it.

"I don't have a crystal ball," Moore said."

"Trust law enforcement to use their discretion"? Certainly nothing could go awry there! But I digress...

While the mere fact that such a juvenile response - one roughly on par with the same "icky" reaction grade school children have to contracting "cooties" - is even being articulated serves as another blow to the last vestiges of American dignity, thankfully Mr. Moore's tantrum was contained in timeout.

"Amid giggles" from his more sensible fellow legislators, the bill was tabled by a unanimous voice vote in a session of the House Judiciary committee. 

I could waste precious time and energy expounding upon the utter ridiculousness of such an archaic, antiquated, and down right stupid notion, that banning "suggestive" (which isn't a subjective term at all) clothing will somehow restore public decency and well being; but the fact that Moore's colleagues in the Montana legislature - a state where 35% of the Christian population believes in a word for word reading of the Bible - literally laughed his bill out of consideration says it all.

To paraphrase the late, great George Carlin, if people wonder why America can't seem to produce decent cars or electronics, can't educate the young or provide healthcare to the elderly and the poor, look no further than David Moore and his legion of stuff shirt, frumpy ilk, to whom the very existence of human genitalia is an affront to their shallow existences.

Good Gods, Y'all!

Contrary to what many religious conservatives might believe, the majority of neo -pagan adherents - including the Icelandic Astaru organization - do not carry out ritual violence or adhere to a literal view of their guiding mythologies.

"We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs flow.
The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde, singing and crying: Valhalla, I am coming!"

Who better than the mighty Zeppelin to herald the epic news! Earlier this week, it was announced that construction of Iceland's first major Norse temple since 1,000 A.D. (when the island nation officially adopted Christianity as the state religion) would begin this month, to serve as the main gathering place for the Astaru Association, Iceland's chief Norse neo - pagan group.

Let the torrent of frenzied comments begin: "Wait a second, MacCormack, I thought you said this was a FREE THINKER'S BLOG!!!!!!!!!! What are you addressing this inanity for? Everyone knows the only people who dabble in this nonsense are Dungeons and Dragons Nerds and Metal Head Hooligan misfits!"

You would be right, good people: And as a free thinking space - and my personal blog to boot - I am free  (like what I did there?) to post and discuss whatever tickles my inquisitive fancy at any given moment. And, if all you angry bears can just settle down, I believe you'll appreciate where I'm going with this bad boy.

While steeped in the rich and vivid tales of old portraying the deeds of Odin, Thor, Balder, Loki, and the rest of the mythic Norse pantheon (as famously preserved by the Icelandic historian and poet Snorri Sturluson in the Prose Edda), the Astaru Association does not subscribe to a literal interpretation of those accounts. As Hilmar Orn Hilmarsson, the high priest of the Astaru Association, described it:

"I don’t believe anyone believes in a one-eyed man who is riding about on a horse with eight feet (referring to Odin and his steed Sleipnir). We see the stories as poetic metaphors and a manifestation of the forces of nature and human psychology" (emphasis added).

Certainly a far cry from the unflattering portrait painted of basement dwelling Cosplayers huddling over a game board, or the more insidious mass panic imagery of brain washed youths in revolt dabbling in satanic black masses, as the specter of Aleister Crowley looks from the shadowy nether, cackling in devious delight.

The sentiment expressed by Hilmarsson is in keeping with the ground breaking work of mythologist Joseph Campbell, author of the classic Hero with a Thousand Faces (which famously inspired George Lucas in crafting the Star Wars saga). Campbell, who was heavily influenced by Jungian psychology, and its Archetypal theory in particular, believed the characters, events, and places named throughout all the world's mythological traditions to be personifications and symbols of the states of the human psyche and the powers of the wider universe, not meant to be taken as literal, historical personages, places, or things. In this school of thought, the only demons and dragons to be conquered reside within the dark caverns of our subconscious depths, In Campbell's own words:

"It's only when a man tames his own demons that he becomes the king of himself if not of the world."

The picture entertained in the frenzied public consciousness of violent demon possessed pagans, lurking in the darkened peripheries of enlightened Godly civilization, looking for souls to corrupt and blood to spill, is in large part fueled by the Evangelical Christian principle of Scriptural inerrancy - also present in Orthodox Judaism and the Salafi and Zahiri strains of Sunni Islam -  in which, as opposed to the allegorical/metaphorical interpretation, the contents of the above named faiths' holy books are accepted at face value, without question. 

It is through the lens of this narrow world view that, upon watching films like the 1973 cult classic The Wicker Man (in which a devout Christian police detective uncovers acts of neo Celtic pagan sacrifice on a remote Scottish island), listening to the occult themed lyrics of heavy metal artists like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne, or hearing David Berkowitz's unsubstantiated claims of Satanic cult involved in the Son of Sam murders, devout adherents of the "literalist" perspective come to believe in the physical existence of devils, wizards, and all manner of heathen seeking to pollute and undermine God's revealed truth.

Sadly as history has proven time and again, it is from this perverted spirit of "righteousness" that zealots - in a twist of tragic irony - visit cruel barbarity upon the "heathen",  both real and imagined; the degraded practices laid at the feet of the heathen are given new life as justified methods of "cleansing" in the pure hands of the people of God. This blinding dogmatism - most prevalent in but not exclusive to religion - is the driving force behind Inquisitions, Crusades, Witch hunts, moral panics, jihads, tortures, book burnings, genocides, oppression and all manner of truly "devilish" activity down the ages.

And, allow me to spare you good folks the trouble of busting out your ace in the hole - the Hitler card - and informing me that the Nazi Party was peopled to the gills with Wagnerian Norse - Teutonic Pagan antisemites. It is a matter of historical fact that Nazism was met with wide spread acceptance by German Christians of all denominations. Hitler went to great lengths to connect his National Socialist philosophy with Christian tenants, helping to spearhead the Positive Christianity movement, as well as using charged Christian rhetoric in his speeches and writings:

"Hence today I believe that I am acting in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator: by defending myself against the Jew, I am fighting for the work of the Lord." (Mein Kampf, p. 65)

"And the founder of Christianity made no secret indeed of his estimation of the Jewish people. When He found it necessary, He drove those enemies of the human race out of the Temple of God." (Mein Kampf, p. 165)

"The National Government will regard it as its first and foremost duty to revive in the nation the spirit of unity and cooperation. It will preserve and defend those basic principles on which our nation has been built. It regards Christianity as the foundation of our national morality, and the family as the basis of national life." (Speech delivered in Berlin upon becoming Chancellor of Germany, Feb. 1st 1933)

Yet I digress...

Perhaps none of this should come as a horrible surprise. After all, according to a 2011 Gallup poll, 3 out of every 10 Americans believe the Bible, as the "actual word of God," is to be "taken literally, word for word." And, to be fair, if that 30% of the American Christian population wishes to hold these views as their own personal system faith, it is unquestionably their right to do so, as ridiculous as it may appear to myself and others. If they wish to remain in a state of willful ignorance and rail against science, women, minorities, and humanity in general they're more than welcome to.

 However, it is more often than not this segment of the population that is the most adamant in demanding that their world view be given preferential treatment via the law at the expense of, in their estimation, "lesser" or "blasphemous" philosophies. And, if any one speaks up and dares to cite the plain English of the 1st Amendment, the pastors of the bully pulpit claim "discrimination."

Just where am I going with all this? Let me answer that with a question of my own: If so many of the myriad pagan faiths, with origins dating back to farthest antiquity, can change their perspectives in light of our ever growing understanding and consciousness as a race, and still glean significant insight and meaning from their traditions, what is preventing Christianity, Judaism, and Islam en mass from doing likewise?

Let us ponder over that mystery in the spirit of profane questioning which the aforementioned Mr. Crowley was no stranger to:

.  

If you enjoyed the content of this post, check out my best-selling e-book, Dragon Heart, available in the Kindle Store on Amazon.com. As always, comments and feedback are encouraged.

Imagination: Architect of Reality

Through the annals of history, all great minds - of poets, writers, philosophers, artists, athletes, statesmen, and scientists like Einstein - have cited the use of creative imagination as essential in bringing forth their respective visions into the material realm.

"Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere." Albert Einstein

"Imagination creates reality." Richard Wagner

"Imagination governs the world." Napoleon Bonaparte

"I have fallen in love with the imagination. And if you fall in love with the imagination, you understand that it is a free spirit. It will go anywhere, and it can do anything." Alice Walker

To the above quoted luminaries - and the countless score of inspired souls down the ages, whether painter or plowman, soldier or suffragette - the utilization of the imaginative faculty was not merely to serve as an arena for the staging of lifeless day dreams, or the breeding ground for feverish delusions of grandeur. It was nothing less than the workshop of the mind, where grand thoughts and noble visions are forged by the fiery smith of conviction into tangible, physical reality. For some, it was something yet grander; In the words of William Blake, "Man is all Imagination. God is Man and exists in us and we Him... The Eternal Body of Man is the Imagination, that is, God, Himself ." 

Indeed, those intrepid visionaries such as Blake - who both the uninformed masses and the dogmatic gatekeepers of the stunted status quo condescendingly labeled "mystics" - have only articulated with forceful beauty the sentiment expressed by the inquisitive searchers of truth of all times:

"Mind is the Master power that moulds and makes,

And Man is Mind, and evermore he takes

The tool of Thought, and, shaping what he wills,

Brings forth a thousand joys, a thousand ills: —

He thinks in secret, and it comes to pass:

Environment is but his looking-glass." 

Befitting her inherent ability of myriad manifestation, she has donned many different masks throughout the ongoing run of Creation - God, Allah, Brahma, Yahweh, Tao, Fortune, to name but a few of her perceived forms - yet the Muse of Imagination has been ever present, working in tandem with earnest, expansive minds to bring "into existence the things that do not exist" (Romans 4:17). 

The voices of glorious antiquity sound their testimony to her ability - as directed by the current of individual, and in turn, collective human thought - to form "light and create darkness,

make weal and create woe" (Isaiah 45: 7):

"The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it." Marcus Aurelius

"If we are not stupid or insincere when we say that the good or ill of man lies within his own will, and that all beside is nothing to us, why are we still troubled?" Epictetus

"A happy life consists in tranquility of mind." Cicero

"To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders." Lao Tzu

Even the contents of the Christian Scriptures, when viewed thorough the illuminating lens of vivid psychology allegory and metaphor, stand in firm solidarity with the insight of the "heathen" experience:

"For as he thinks in his heart, so is he." Proverbs 23: 7

"You will also declare a thing,

And it will be established for you;

So light will shine on your ways." Job 22:28

"So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them." Mark 11: 22 - 24

"That is all well good," I can imagine the doctrinaire materialist scoffing, "Yet nothing but abstract theory and fanciful metaphysical musing! Hard, empirical evidence if you please, dear sir!"

Ask, and you shall receive, to borrow a line. The miracles of science as demonstrated by her storied prophets have only verified and reinforced the earlier observations of the ancients.

There is the old story of August Kekule, the renowned German chemist known for his contributions to the field of theoretical chemistry, who discovered the shape of the benzene molecule via a day dream of a snake seizing its own tail (the ancient Ouroboros symbolizing regeneration; Carl Jung believed it to be a significant archetypal image).  

The celebrated Nikola Tesla attested strongly to the role that concentrated and inventive thought played in his illustrious career:

"I am credited with being one of the hardest workers and perhaps I am, if thought is the equivalent of labour, for I have devoted to it almost all of my waking hours …

"The gift of mental power comes from God, Divine Being, and if we concentrate our minds on that truth, we become in tune with this great power."

The Wizard of Menlo Park, Thomas Edison, without whom we would quite likely still be reading by candlelight, remarked, "To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk."

And, of course, there is the monumental paradigm shifting work of Albert Einstein, whose theory of relativity revolutionized the scientific view of the Cosmos from a static Newtonian model to an expanding universe. Quoth the sage, "The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination."

In light of Einstein's revelations, the field of physics has slowly begun to entertain and accept the idea, long held by the esoteric philosophical schools, of an ever evolving and expanding Universal Mind that animates and sustains all creation, of which humanity as a portion of can access through use of the mental faculty. Sir Arthur Eddington, prominent English physicist and one of the earliest supporters of Einstein's theory of relativity, posited in The Nature of the Physical World:

"The universe is of the nature of a thought or sensation in a universal Mind... To put the conclusion crudely — the stuff of the world is mind-stuff... The mind-stuff of the world is something more general than our individual conscious minds; but we may think of its nature as not altogether foreign to feelings in our consciousness... Having granted this, the mental activity of the part of world constituting ourselves occasions no great surprise; it is known to us by direct self-knowledge, and we do not explain it away as something other than we know it to be — or rather, it knows itself to be."

Eddington's contemporary, Sir James Jeans, believed likewise. From his The Mysterious Universe:

"Today there is a wide measure of agreement, which on the physical side of science approaches almost to unanimity, that the stream of knowledge is heading towards a non-mechanical reality; the universe begins to look more like a great thought than like a great machine. Mind no longer appears as an accidental intruder into the realm of matter; we are beginning to suspect that we ought rather to hail it as a creator and governor of the realm of matter..."

Weighty testimonials by any standard, from a plethora of epochs and fields, attesting to the immeasurable - no, infinite - capacity of the mind, once grasped by all of Mother Nature's children, to effectively achieve harmonious accord with those invisible yet palpable forces around us, with which we live, move and have our being. With the reality altering findings furnished by science, the words of the Psalmist cease to be the stuff of mere poetic fancy:

"I said, “You are gods,

And all of you are children of the Most High..."

Though humankind, so beautifully slow in its understanding, still pays fealty to the primacy of the "real" world of sense, and remains shackled, like Prometheus of old, to the rock of "Fate";

"But you shall die like men,
And fall like one of the princes.” 

But it is only so because we believe it so. The philosophes of both past and present have boldly tread the ground and lighted the path; it remains for each of us to cast the dye and venture forth across our own Rubicons. Whether we are crowned with the champion's laurel wreath or share in Caesar's ultimate fate depends upon our steering of the rudders of thought.

Only through experiment in the laboratory of shall we discover, as related in Khayyam's learned verse,

"I sent my Soul through the Invisible,

Some letter of that After-life to spell:

And by and by my Soul return'd to me,

And answer'd "I Myself am Heav'n and Hell:"

Heav'n but the Vision of fulfill'd Desire,

And Hell the Shadow from a Soul on fire."

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The Inquisition: Only the Tip of the Iceberg of Religious Persecution

Though modern scholarship has whittled the long believed high death toll of the Catholic wide Inquisition down to a considerably smaller figure, it is only a drop in the bloody bucket of violence and persecution committed under religious pretenses.

In my meanderings on the Inter-webs researching my last post regarding blasphemy laws, I came across the Wiki page for the infamous Inquisition (officially the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Roman and Universal Inquisition) instituted by the Roman Catholic Church. It has long been held in the public consciousness as the embodiment of religious oppression and persecution, most famously being featured in Edgar Allan Poe's classic short story The Pit and the Pendulum (in which he takes considerable historical liberties) and, of course, Monty Python's memorable, cheeky take on their nefarious doings. Though recorded history is replete with endless atrocities committed in the name of religion (both of the pagan and monotheistic persuasion), it is the legacy of the Inquisition and its particularly vicious methods of torture utilized to combat heresy that resonates so strongly to the present day. The ruthless spirit of the enterprise is perhaps best captured in the words of the sixteenth century Italian cardinal Giovanni Caraffa, appointed head of the Roman Inquisition by Pope Paul III and who would go onto be elected Pope himself:

"Firstly when the faith is in question, there must be no delay; but at the slightest suspicion, rigorous measures must be resorted to with all speed. Secondly, no consideration is to be shown to any prince or prelate, however high his station. Thirdly, extreme severity is rather to be exercised against those who attempt to shield themselves under the protection of any potentate, and fourthly, no man must lower himself by showing toleration toward heretics of any kind."

Not surprisingly, in this same righteous sentiment, the future Pope Paul IV created one of the first Jewish Ghettos in Europe by papal bull, Cum nimis absurdum, in which the supreme pontiff declared, "As it is completely absurd and improper in the utmost that the Jews, who through their own fault were condemned by God to eternal servitude, can under the pretext that pious Christians must accept them and sustain their habitation, are so ungrateful to Christians, as, instead of thanks for gracious treatment, they return contumely, and among themselves, instead of the slavery, which they deserve..."

Fueled by such fanaticism the office of the Inquisition - which was most prominent in the Catholic Kingdoms of Spain and Portugal, their respective overseas colonies, and last but not least in the Vatican ruled Papal States - waged ruthless spiritual warfare against all enemies, real or imagined, of the Universal Church for well over four centuries. Perhaps its most well known victims are the scientific pioneers Giordano Bruno (who before being burned at the stake in 1600 was imprisoned for seven years for asserting the Copernican theory of a helio-centered universe, among other grave heresies) and Galileo Galilei, placed under house arrest and initially forced to recant his astronomical findings that further supported helio-centrism (he later recanted his recantation). 

So given the sordid picture painted by the historical record and embellished by the popular imagination, imagine my surprise upon reading that the general consensus of modern historians regarding the Inquisition's body count is amazingly minuscule. According to Cullen Murphy, author of the book God's Jury: The Inquisition and the Making of the Modern Word, "The inquisitors were excellent record-keepers -- at times truly superb. One surviving document gives the expenses for an execution down to the price of the rope used to tie the victims' hands. But a lot of the records have been lost. An estimate that has wide credibility among historians is that about 2 percent of those who came before Inquisition tribunals were burned at the stake, which would mean several tens of thousands of people. The rest suffered lesser punishments."

 Certainly well short of the horrendous numbers often thrown about by eager atheists, freethinkers, and even other Christians (so much for brotherly love) when attempting to show how much evil the Catholic Church has wrought in the world. While the history of Mother Church is a checkered one at best and downright heinous at worst, the numbers don't lie in this case. Freethinkers of all stripes, who rightly value the use of reason and empirical evidence, should take extra care not to fall prey to the same emotional bias and sensationalism they accuse religious extremists of indulging in.

On the other hand, do the smaller figures lessen the persecution visited upon "heretics," "infidels," etc. by the Catholic Church as well as the myriad Protestant denominations? (To quote Frank Costanza, you'll get yours in a minute, Protestant peeps). Hell no! It is just as much a tragedy for one person to be beaten, tortured, or murdered for refusing to violate the dictates of their conscience as it is for one million people to be so callously treated, whether for reasons political, social, or spiritual. To again quote Murphy: "The Inquisition was based on intolerance and moral certainty. It tried to enforce a particular view, often with violent means. There's nothing new about hatred and persecution; human beings have been very good at this for millennia. What's new about the Inquisition is that persecution is institutionalized. It persists for generation after generation" (emphasis added). . Unfortunately, as the pages of history attest, organized religion in general - and the Abrahamic faiths of Christianity and Islam in particular - ranks among the worst perpetrators of such affronts to human dignity. The deprivations of the Inquisition are only the tip of the iceberg of religious intolerance and violence.

"Oh, spare us with your God-hating clap trap, MacCormack!" I hear some of you saying. "You want empirical evidence? The records clearly show that atheistic philosophies like Communism are CLEARLY responsible for the most violence in history!"

Yes, my good people, there is no denying the unspeakable track record of such brutal regimes as the Soviet Union, the People's Republic of China, and North Korea. However, as many scholars have pointed out, the structure of said regimes - operating within a Marxist framework - share many of the same rigid, dogmatic traits of an orthodox religion, i.e.  unquestioning allegiance of its subjects to the omnipotent code of a God-like,  Messianic leader. For those who are so inclined to investigate further, I recommend starting with this short but illuminating video by noted skeptic and best-selling author Sam Harris. But I digress...

Empirical evidence, you say? Well, let's take a brief look-see at said evidence, including some of the major modern era world religious wars, mass movements of persecution, and religious inspired colonization conflicts, including the speculated numbers for the Inquisition:

The Crusades, including campaigns against heretical Christian groups like the Cathars and the rival Eastern Orthodox Church, as well as the Muslim occupiers of the Holy Land: 1.7 million dead.

The Thirty Years' War, waged by rival Catholic and Protestant States in the Holy Roman Empire, 1618-1648: 5.9 million dead.

French Wars of Religion, between French Catholics and Huguenot Protestants, 1562-1598: 2.8 million dead.

English Civil War, where Protestant Parlimentarian forces ousted the Catholic friendly monarchy of Charles I, 1642 - 1651: estimated 190,000 dead.

Oliver Cromwell's conquest of Ireland, August 1649 - April 1653: 200,000 + military and civilian casualties; 50,000 Irish Catholic landowners have their property confiscated and are sent to the West Indies as indentured servants; All Irish rebels captured are executed; the practice of Catholicism banned in Ireland.

Spanish Conquest of Aztec Mexico, 1521 - 200,00 Aztec deaths.

Spanish Conquest of Incan Peru, 1532 - 2,000 dead, 5,000 taken prisoner and enslaved.

The Great Witch Craze, including the Salem Witch Trials, 15th - 18th Centuries: 40,000 alleged witches and other heretics put to death by both Catholics and Protestants throughout Europe and European colonies in the Americas. In his papal bull Summis desiderantes affectibus, issued in 1484, Pope Innocent VIII ordered an increase in the prosecution of alleged magicians, sorcerers, and witches, who were in need of "correcting, imprisoning, punishing and chastising... according to their deserts." Innocent would also go on to confirm the infamous Tomas de Torquemada's appointment as Grand Inquisitor of the Spanish Inquisition.

Muslim conquests of India, 12th century to 16th century - Indian population decreases by 80 million during 4 century span.

Spanish Inquisition, 1478 - 1834 - est. 1,250 executed, 40,000 Jews expelled from Spain by order of King Ferdinand and Isabella in 1492, forced conversion of both Marrano Spanish Jews and Muslims to Christianity.

Portuguese Inquisition, 1536 - 1824 -  est. 1,183 executed.

Roman Inquisition, c. late 16th century - c. early 20th century: est. 1,250 executed.

That's just a sampling, but I believe the point has been made. While religion is certainly not the only cause of widespread cruelty, suffering, and general inhumanity across the globe, it has definitely been an oft used justification for the perpetration of said barbarities. However, contrary to the thinking of militant atheists, who ironically harbor an Inquistorial zeal to destroy all forms of religious worship, combating fire with fire will only lead to a further conflagration. As Einstein sagely noted, "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them."

 Thankfully, with the advent of the Renaissance, when the seeds of humanism first took root, and their subsequent blooming during the Enlightenment, with the concepts of religious liberty and freedom of conscience, the gnarled roots of ignorance and superstition were slowly but surely being pulled from the intellectual landscape.  

Though religious radicalism is still rearing its noxious, ugly head (primarily, but not exclusively, in the form of fundamentalist Islam), its once powerful appeal to fear is but a ever fading shadow of its former self. In keeping with the upward march of progress and evolution, it will - fiercely but inevitably - be regulated to the dust bin of history. 

I will leave you with a line from the great Bob Ingersoll (whose criminally under read work will be quoted quite liberally; the blog's name is a title of one of his lectures, after all):

"Day by day, religious conceptions grow less and less intense. Day by day, the old spirit dies out of book and creed. The burning enthusiasm, the quenchless zeal of the early church have gone, never, never to return. The ceremonies remain, but the ancient faith is fading out of the human heart. The worn-out arguments fail to convince, and denunciations that once blanched the faces of a race, excite in us only derision and disgust. As time rolls on, the miracles grow mean and small, and the evidences our fathers thought conclusive utterly fail to satisfy us."

If you enjoyed the content of this post, check out my best-selling e-book, Dragon Heart, available in the Kindle Store on Amazon.com. As always, comments and feedback are encouraged.

Pennsylvania Teenager Charged with "Desecration" of Jesus Statue

Given what an eventful year 2014 was news-wise, it is perhaps understandable - and sadly so - that such a troubling story slipped under the national radar:

Back in July of this past year, a 14 year old boy hailing from Everett, Bedford County, Pennsylvania, took several pictures simulating oral sex with a Jesus statute, located on the grounds of a Christian organization called "Love in the Name of Jesus Christ" and posted them to his Facebook page. What was more than likely a stupid and immature attention getting stunt then escalated into full blown legal action, with the local authorities pressing charges against the backwards ball cap wearing bro.

"Looks like a clear cut case of trespassing," I can imagine many of you saying. "What's so bad about that!? That young ruffian had no business doing such crass things to those fine church going folk! The hooligan is getting what he deserves!"

Yes, perhaps, if he had actually been charged with trespassing on the organization's property. What he was in fact accused of was - wait for it - “Desecration of a Venerated Object.” Yes, people, t'was not an egregious typo - "Desecration of a Venerated Object," which is defined, as passed under a state statute passed in 1972, as "Defacing, damaging, polluting or otherwise, physically mistreating in a way that the actor knows will outrage the sensibilities of persons likely to observe or discover the action." The maximum sentencing term under the statute, by the way, is two years in jail.

"Oh come on, MacCormack!" I hear you crowing again. "He clearly defaced the statute!"

Did he physically vandalize it? Spray paint it? Urinate or defecate on it? Exactly. While, as I said previously, that the young meat-head is certainly worthy of being crowned with a dunce cap for his stunt, it certainly is a far cry from property damage.

"Oh yea, well it must have deeply offended the members of the faith community!"

It appears the members of "Love in the Name of Jesus Christ" actually take to heart that good old Christian tenant of forgiveness: The organization did not seek to press charges against the boy.

The same could not be said of local District Attorney Bill Higgins, who pontificated in verbose fashion, “This troubled young man offended the sensibilities and morals of our community.” Furthermore, he thundered after renting his garment, if his steadfast upholding of the law “tends to upset the ‘anti-Christian, ban-school-prayer, war-on-Christmas, oppose-display-of-Ten-Commandments’ crowd,’ I make no apologies.”

But of course, as seems to be the case more often than not with such outwardly pious moral crusaders, Mr. Higgins has some considerable skeletons in his own closet. Apparently, in Mr. Higgins' mind, the petty posturing done by the teen to the statue is far more offensive to the "sensibilities and morals" of the community than his admittingly having an affair in his office back in 2008 (the woman who Higgins conducted the affair with later accused him of sexual assault, but the charges were dropped).

Despite public outcry over the severity of the charges, which included a protest the week before the young man's court date, he was sentenced with the following:

"The boy must not use social media during a six-month probation period as well as perform 350 hours of community service.

Among the other punishments, he must obey a curfew of 10 p.m., no alcohol or other controlled substances monitored by random drug testing and stay in school."

While thankfully not charged with the maximum penalty of two years in prison, the boy's punishment is excessively ridiculous, when placed in the context of what he did. As straight up dumb as the act in question was, it was no where near, contrary to presiding Judge Thomas Ling's opinion, an infringement of the organization's "rights to practice their faith." He made a jackass of himself by simulating getting dome from JC and trespassed on private property, but he wasn't charged because of that: He was charged because he offended the tender, sectarian sensibilities of Pharisees like Bill Higgins who blatantly abuse their power to uphold the law - which, by the way, mandates separation of church and state (i.e. the First Amendment to the U,S. Constitution and Article II of the Pennsylvania Bill of Rights) in order to enforce their world views on the public at large.

The fact that we are even still discussing this in the second decade of the 21st century, in a nation that prides itself as being the bastion of freedom, is incredible. What is even more incredible is the fact that, at present,  several states still have laws outlawing blasphemy on the books, including Massachusetts, the vaunted "Cradle of Liberty." Furthermore, the last conviction for blasphemy in this country occurred in 1928, in the case of Charles Lee Smith, a little less than a century ago. Not 1628, 1728, or 1828 (when the Roman Inquisition still had a strong pulse in the Papal States), but 1928. 

Is this post intended to be a warning cry against the looming implementation of an American Inquistion, with fanatical friars and frenzied evangelists waiting in the wings and chomping at the bit to put all manner of heretics to the rack in the name of Christ? Far from it: I will leave all conspiratorial speculation in the capable hands of experts such as Mssrs. Alex Jones and Glenn Beck and stick to the basic facts.

What this whole affair does demonstrate, however, is that as long as such laws remain codified on the books for hypocritical blowhards like Bill Higgins to prosecute in attempt to tyrannize hearts and minds behind the facade of "public morality", the notion of religious liberty in this country is an utter farce.

The words of Robert Ingersoll, legendary 19th century American lawyer, Civil War veteran, and orator, who served as the defending attorney in the famed Reynolds blasphemy trial in 1877, remain as right as rain in our own day:

"For thousands of years people have been trying to force other people to think their way. Did they succeed? No. Will they succeed? No. Why? Because brute force is not an argument.

No orthodox church ever had power that it did not endeavor to make people think its way by force and flame.

I want you to understand what has been done in the world to force men to think alike. It seems to me that if there is some infinite being who wants us to think alike he would have made us alike. Why did he not do so? Why did he make your brain so that you could not by any possibility be a Methodist? Why did he make yours so that you could not be a Catholic? And why did he make the brain of another so that he is an unbeliever — why the brain of another so that he became a Mohammedan — if he wanted us all to believe alike?

After all, maybe Nature is good enough and grand enough and broad enough to give us the diversity born of liberty. Maybe, after all, it would not be best for us all to be just the same. What a stupid world, if everybody said yes to everything that everybody else might say.

The most important thing in this world is liberty. More important than food or clothes — more important than gold or houses or lands — more important than art or science — more important than all religions, is the liberty of man."

If you enjoyed the content of this post, check out my best-selling e-book, Dragon Heart, available in the Kindle Store on Amazon.com. As always, comments and feedback are encouraged.