Elaine Pagels has written a book on Revelations calling it the most controversial book in the Bible. Apparently there were several variations of the book of Revelations. Many people think Revelations was written by the Apostle John, but rather by another John. Not John Doe, but rather a John of Patnos? who was actually raging against the Roman Empire in coded language.
Years later a scoundrel Bishop Epiinacious? in the Fourth Century picking this version of Revelations which worked well as a tool to attack his enemies in his goal to consolidate his chruch. The coded terms in Revelations ...Whore of Babylon..etc can be used to tar enemy sinners.
Recenttly a letter to the editor in the Mitchell Daily Republic used the Book of Revelations as the basis for attacking those who don't believe in his version of the wisdom of the Flying Spaghetti Monster concluding they must "turn or burn". This is not drill, baby, drill, but burn, baby, burn. Equally about as useful for making government policy.
Now we hear Rick Santorum saying that he wanted to "vomit" when he read John Kennedy's statement calling for an "absolute" separation of church and state. Now, the apologists for this kind of Santorum nonsense are saying that Christian views are thus excluded from politics and government. This is total bull shit.
The real problem is religious salesmen and inquisitors using Religion as a tool to give their lunacy some kind of extraordinary legitimacy to then beat their opponents bloody as they claim to be only work of an omniscient, omnipresent god of some convenient variety..
Religions are a form of insanity. News from Afghanistan is a daily reminder. We do not need a theocrat or religious apologist in the White House or any other part of government. Revelations is a revelation of the self-serving lunacy.
*** Stay tuned no need to genuflect here---- Doug Wiken
It’s "Revelation", not "Revelations". A number of Jeopardy contestants have learned this the hard way over the years!
[[Note from Doug: John, thanks for the correction. I guess I did not waste enough time watching Jeopardy When I do watch, there are times where I know practically every correct answer and others when even my my multiple guesses aren't any good. I am amazed at the consistency of correct responses on that show by some contestants
There may be one book of Revelation in the Bible, but it appears there were multiple revelations of Revelation.}}}}
Posted by: John | Feb 27, 2012 at 03:03 PM
You are right about the number one problem. Radical deformers of their religion, like the Islamists in the Middle East and the Christianists in the USA, play a big role in the insanity in this nation and some parts of the world today. Those Christianists and their Big Mouths and Cold Hearts do so much damage to believers and unbelievers alike.
That's the kind of thing that sickens me. The Christianist Santorum sickens me in his misuse of religion. It is heartbreaking.
Meanwhile, us Christians who are sickened by such degradation of Christianity struggle to be heard over the din. The news media likes to report outrageous things, not humility and acceptance of all.
I call myself a "Red-Letter Christian." By that I mean that my closest allegiance is to the words of Jesus, frequently printed in red in many bibles. He superseded the angry and vengeful god of the OT. Jesus said he did, in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew.
Aw, I won't go on any longer. I could, but I think it would be pointless for the Christianists don't listen.
Posted by: D.E. Bishop | Feb 27, 2012 at 03:35 PM