Posted by Baphomet on June 10, 2002 at 19:41:29:
In Reply to: On Christianity and Martial Arts posted by Ex-Instructor on June 10, 2002 at 08:37:13:
Truly evil are the mechanisms of repression in church and society, which do not see the shadow in themselves, those who prohibit the pill in
The Third World with the threat of sin - despite the fact that over-population is one of the most urgent problems. And those who protect
peace with a weapon in hand, or as a climax in experiencing their own inner chaos, even proclaim war to be a just cause. Evil is not the
opposite of Good, nor something which can be avoided through Good, but rather, an aspect of Good itself which we have separated from it
so that the other side may continue to exist as Good.
Advocatus diaboli
Religion is a window, as it were, through which our consciousness peeps into the world. The nature of our religiosity always says something
about how we ourselves create the world in our imagination - or, to express it more precisely, how we receive it reflected back by the
models of collective longing, the religious holding tank, so to speak, of our individual yearning. Religion does not just come down from the
sky. It is also constructed by people and responds to existential questions which are based upon the foundation that people cannot find
peace in themselves, nor meaningfulness in the goals of the world. However, it can scarcely be in the interests of religion to answer these
questions and redeem the soul. Ultimately, a saved person would barely pay for the model of meaning which binds him or her to it. Thus, the
messengers of religion must prevent the soul from overcoming its inner limitations at all costs. Indeed, they would rather pledge themselves
to the Devil than allow someone to experience meaningfulness in a life beyond their dogmas. Under these circumstances, any statements
and contributions made by religion in regard to the redemption of human beings ought to be considered with great care.
For centuries it was drummed into people from childhood on that God and the Devil fought for their soul, and that the whole meaning to
life was constituted by not falling prey to Evil. But because this Evil had not been overcome, it became institutionalized behind the mask of
Good. Thereby, you were able to destroy everything capable of being clothed in Evil without any hindrance whatsoever. The destruction of
Evil mutated into 'Good', offering meaningful fulfillment of the repressed instincts of people who no longer experienced meaning, but with
ruinous lust destroyed anything that did not come within the yoke of 'salvation'. The following passage from the Bible illustrates just how
clearly agressive force was used as a means to an end against 'infidels' or people of a different persuasion:
*; =qq(