 |
| - Yes, septum ring theory?! |
So the Genesis AI volunteered to give me a stern condemnation of the latest Internet meme, "septum ring theory", when I made the mistake of searching for the meaning of said meme.
But don´t worry. I sat out the "jeans/genes" kerfuffle, and will most certainly sit out this one, too. Come to think of it, maybe I´ll sit out the rest of the decade!
This is some kind of click bait. Apparently, conservative Christians object to Jesus being starred by a Black Queer woman (!) in the most recent version of "Jesus Christ Superstar".
Yes, really. "Jesus Christ Superstar". So the conservative Christians are in effect complaining that a *liberal* version of Jesus has become...even more liberal?! Geezus, what a mind job. Whaddya say to a thing like that?
Maybe somebody should tell them that "Jesus Christ Superstar" was always, you know, anti-Christian or something.
Just another Tuesday on the interwebs, bruh.
When Dakota of Earth (the resident YouTube stoner and kook anthropologist) was 17 years old, he actually wrote a letter to Charles Manson (!) and...got a response. A very cryptic response. ATWA something. But hey, it´s Manson we´re talking about.
I haven´t seen the actual film "Jesus Christ Superstar" (1973) for years (maybe not since 1973, who knows). However, when listening to some of the songs on YouTube the other day, one thing struck me.
Sure, the film can be taken as a criticism of Christianity or religious cults. But judging by the lyrics of the songs and the ethnicity of the dancers, isn´t it also a veiled criticism of the revolutionary left and the Black Power movement? This "counter-cultural" production is actually an attack on the counter-culture it borrowed its aesthetic from.
Not sure what to do with this piece of information, or if I even care, but there you go.
There is a YouTube video called "Rude Buddha" or something to that effect. The commentary section is full of supposed Buddhists who claim that "real" Buddhists shouldn´t be insulted by the skits in the video, that "real" Buddhists actually think they´re funny, and so on.
Oh, really.
So I asked ChatGPT about blasphemy laws in Thailand, Sri Lanka and Bhutan (three Buddhist nations which are also popular tourist destinations). Guess what, guys...
It seems *really existing Buddhists* aren´t particularly keen on their prophet being mocked. But sure, if you are a stoned hippie in California, I suppose you might think insulting the Enlightened One is all good and well!
Yes, several predominantly Buddhist countries—including Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan—have laws or legal practices that restrict speech perceived as offensive to Buddhism, particularly when it is seen as insulting the Buddha, Buddhist institutions, or religious sentiments. These are not always framed as "blasphemy laws" in the way they are in some Islamic nations, but they often function similarly in practice.
Here’s a breakdown by country:
Legal Basis: Section 206 of the Thai Criminal Code criminalizes defamation or insult of religion.
Details: Anyone who "defames, insults or threatens" Buddhism (or any religion recognized by the state) can be punished with up to seven years in prison.
Recent Examples:
Foreigners and locals have been prosecuted or deported for social media posts or artwork deemed disrespectful to the Buddha.
Wearing clothing with Buddha images or tattoos of the Buddha—especially in inappropriate body areas—has led to arrest or deportation.
Legal Basis: Several laws, including the Penal Code (Section 291A and 291B), criminalize deliberate acts intended to insult religious beliefs.
Details: These laws apply broadly to all religions but are often used in defense of Buddhism.
Recent Examples:
In 2014, a British woman was arrested and deported for having a Buddha tattoo.
In 2020, a Sri Lankan writer and teacher was charged for allegedly defaming Buddhism in an article that criticized religious extremism.
Legal Status: Bhutan does not have overt blasphemy laws, but the constitution protects Buddhism as the spiritual heritage of the country.
Details: Freedom of speech is guaranteed, but it is limited by considerations of public order and respect for religion.
Cultural Practice: Criticism or satire of Buddhism or the monarch (who holds a semi-sacred position) is culturally taboo and can invite social or legal consequences, even if not codified as explicit blasphemy laws.
While these countries do not always use the term "blasphemy," insulting Buddhism or the Buddha can lead to legal action, including fines, imprisonment, deportation, or social persecution. Laws are often vaguely worded, giving authorities wide discretion in what is considered "insulting."
Would you like a comparison with blasphemy laws in other religious-majority countries?
Some really surprising information in this one. I didn´t know that Auroville (the quasi-utopian community in southern India organized by Aurobindo´s supporters) has a de facto special status within the union of India. One of its governing bodies include fairly high-ranking elected Indian officials! It seems the BJP government has claimed the mantle of Aurobindo and may be moving towards making Auroville a federal territory, while making the community more explicitly "Hindu" (or rather Hindutva).
I suppose the old hippies living in the community don´t like the new developments. The short docu linked above hints at ethnic and perhaps political tensions between native Indians and White Western expats, many of the former supporting the BJP. Note also the special visa provisions for foreigners residing in Auroville.
One thing I didn´t get was *why* (as in "why really") the federal government of India is so interested in this particular location. Let me guess. Some kind of property development? Perhaps this is the end of the Mother´s agenda...
A very interesting video c/o Brad Warner, a Zen Buddhist teacher based in California who is apparently something of a maverick. In this video, Brad explains why he can´t stand (other) Buddhists. My impression is that he rejects all forms of evangelizing worldviews: Christianity (conservative or liberal), the Hare Krishna, dogmatic atheism-materialism...but also most forms of Buddhism. Brad talks at some length about his upbringing in rural Ohio and his encounters with various cults and cliques in high school and college.
Brad´s brand of Buddhism is a non-dogmatic form of Zen. It´s open-ended enough to include God (if you can prove his existence!) or reject reincarnation (if you can´t prove *its* existence). Apparently, Brad often gets into trouble with more dogmatic Buddhists who can´t stand anyone questioning or down-playing reincarnation. Their usually passive-aggressive attitudes might turn aggressive-aggressive! Judging by some previous videos, Brad doesn´t really care that much about "the Buddha´s original teachings", "early Buddhism" or the Pali Canon, which also rubs many Buddhists the wrong way.
Somewhat ironically, the Buddhists our bro can´t stand seem to be Americans. I got the impression that White American Buddhism was very non-dogmatic, but Brad evidently has problems with the opposite kind of people! But - like he points out - even "liberals" can be pretty dogmatic and have a missionary mentality.
Final point. I absolutely agree with the observation that the Hare Krishna sound strangely "Christian", although I would say its their attitude rather than their formal message. Many of them do come across as newly converted and somewhat naive "fideist" Christians with the same evangelizing impulses. Interestingly, they often have a very positive view of Jesus...
Joe Rogan talks to outdoorsman Steven Rinella who cracks a tale (or tall tale) about a crazy Canadian hippie in Alaska who claimed to be the Biblical character John the Baptist?! The hippie turned out to be a parasite and petty thief, but ultimately met his doom in a small cabin during the unforbidding Arctic winter. Apparently, he lacked the proper Essene survival skills. Anyhow...
Rinella´s friend evidently gave the hippie a classical "sky burial". He just threw his corpse outside and the next day it was gone, presumably consumed by some hungry denizen of the Alaskan hinterland.
I admit that this story didn´t move me as much as I expected, but perhaps I´ve been hardened by too much consumption of Tantric material from the happy generations of Tibet...
Charles Manson used to be seen as the Devil incarnate, and sure, he wasn´t a nice guy (more like a psychotic cult leader with a penchant for serial murder) but in hindsight, he nevertheless looks pathetic rather than scary. Yes, he really was a "nobody". A nobody who epitomized the dark side of the happy hippie 1960´s...
I actually remember the interview from which the first clip is taken. I think it was made at some point during the 1980´s. It used to scare the hell out of me. Now...I can´t stop thinking about "the banality of evil". Or am I just getting old and jaded?
Found the above clips by chance the other day.
Our man JMG continues his analysis of Richard Wagner´s seminal opera "The Nibelung´s Ring". Note the comments on child psychology and alternative schooling!
Conservative Lutheran theologian admits that he was a pizza-eating punk rocker in his youth?! HA HA HA.
Some kind of weird lesbian cult is breaking the Internet in the aftermath of Trump´s victory in the US elections. 4B is apparently South Korean, but something tells me the idea (separatist "radical feminism") originally comes from California. Or is it ancient Greece?
Won´t accomplish anything, of course.
Women shave their heads protesting Trump victory
Liberal women launch abstinence campaign
Joshua from the YouTube channel "Ready to Harvest" explains the microchurch movement, which I suppose is distinct from the home church ditto! Or is it?
The microchurches seem to be a kind of "affinity groups", without trained pastors or a centralized organization. Indeed, they hardly have any internal structure either - at least not on paper. Nor is there any church building. The emphasis is on "missional living", Bible study and slow recruitment through bringing in friends and family.
I can see at least two problems with this approach. First, the microchurches are really a missionary strategy (theologically, they seem to be evangelical). The point of each microchurch is to train each member in forming new microchurches. Every member must count on being "sent out" at some point. So they are not exactly one big cozy family! Joshua also explicitly says that many microchurches are geared towards penetrating and evangelizing "subcultures". Surfers or bikers, say.
Second, leaders virtually always emerge in every human setting. If there are no formal structures, how can the leaders be held formally accountable for anything? A common problem in all these subcultural milieux is precisely "the tyranny of structurelessness" behind which the mask of Führerschaft lurks. Funny evangelical Christians make the same mistake as radical feminists, anarchists or hippies!
Third, the microchurches sound frankly cultic. A small high-commitment group based on cliquish ties which attempts to fly under the radar, while trying to bring in new members by befriending them on the beach...yeah, like we never heard *that* before.
I think I rather join an Anglican church and stay in the back pews, thank you!
I admit I never heard of "Cowboy Churches" before, but their existence seems...well, logical. And yes, most of them seem to have their stand offs, pardon, services in Texas!
We´re talking about evangelical congregations working within the American "cowboy" subculture. Think rodeos, country & western music, that kind of stuff. The worship style is informal, country music is played, sometimes real horses are shown at the Church services. Somewhat surprisingly, the Cowboy Churches seem to be tee-totallers.
Several different denominations or organizations of Cowboy Churches exist, the largest one being the AFCC. Their theology is Baptist. There is also a smaller group which is charismatic/prosperity gospel. Some "regular" denominations have Cowboy Church congregations or Cowboy Church services. If you´re dilligent, you could find Lutheran, Methodist or Seventh-Day Adventist Cowboy services.
As I said, not really surprising given the Americanized flavor of much American Christianity. If you get my drift, cowboy.
 |
| Ior Bock Credit: Nico Backström |
Ior Bock (1942-2010) was a Swedish-speaking eccentric, druggie and cultist from Finland who apparently invented an entire mythology, known as "The Bock Saga". I admit that I first heard about this colorful character at the YouTube channel of American influencer Styxhexenhammer666! But then, here in Sweden we don´t usually track the eccentrics, Swedish-speaking or not, from our eastern neighbor!
Judging by Wiki´s article (see link below), Bock´s private mythology isn´t *entirely* original. Think Hyperborea, Sweden is Atlantis, the Arctic Home in the Vedas, Thor Heyerdahl...that kind of stuff. Bock´s more colorful contributions include a bizarre obsession with sex and "fertility" rituals, but this is probably derived from extreme Left Hand Path Tantra (Bock spent considerable time at a beach in Goa).
Apparently, the old fool was stabbed to death by a mentally unstable Indian he took with him back to Finland as his "assistant". I sure wonder if something more "Tantric" could have been involved somehow...
Be that as it may, here´s the link:
"The Wild Hunt" seems to be a Woke Neo-Pagan on-line publication, but on *this* issue, they side with the evil minions of Conspirituality (and the pre-2020 Woke-ish counter-culture). Interesting...
Another alternative "pagan" belief system among homeless people, this time teenagers and adults in Eugene, Oregon. Note that the author almost sounds like a skeptic, yet the article is clearly published in a Neo-Pagan magazine! A case of real pagans versus pagan LARP-ers?
 |
| - You have to love one another indiscriminately... and build larger fortifications! |
Not sure why everyone thinks the Mohists were "the hippies of ancient China". From the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy:
>>>Central elements of Mohist thought include advocacy of a unified ethical and political order grounded in a consequentialist ethic emphasizing impartial concern for all; active opposition to military aggression and injury to others; devotion to utility and frugality and condemnation of waste and luxury; support for a centralized, authoritarian state led by a virtuous, benevolent sovereign and managed by a hierarchical, merit-based bureaucracy; and reverence for and obedience to Heaven (Tian, literally the sky) and the ghosts worshiped in traditional folk religion.
>>>Mohist ethics and epistemology are characterized by a concern with finding objective standards that will guide judgment and action reliably and impartially so as to produce beneficial, morally right consequences.
Sounds like the Liu Shaoqi wing of the Chinese Communist Party. Minus the ghosts, I suppose!
Reading this entry as I write this:
UPDATE. OK, that was freakin´ boring, probably won´t read all of it. But see this shorter entry:
