Thomas Jefferson cut the miracle stories out of the bible. He did so to emphasize the moral teachings of Jesus. The end result is called the Jefferson Bible. It was a form of modernization since the miracle stories were included to imply the healing strength of the Son of God title as applied to Jesus. The stories were created at a time when the freedoms of speech, religion and media expression were not included in a bill of rights for empire.
Jefferson’s product can be called a “Cut and Paste” bible. The "Cut and Paste" bible offers satirical commentary on what many do with scripture despite the ascription of "holiness."
History is as it was. It is as it was whether we acknowledge it or not. History cannot be changed. Knowledge however can be organized thematically to improve upon past performance.
History has to be acknowledged objectively for improvement, but we have to avoid the trap of enslavement to status quo objectivity as the absolute. When we cut out the “bad” parts of history for personal gratification, we lose the baseline for improving on the past.
The bad parts have to be identified as such. Otherwise, the ground for improvement by contrast is lost. Granted, Jefferson and the other political leaders were dedicated to using liberty to form a better union. Slavery however was tolerated. Jefferson was a slave owner. However “enlightened” he may have been, he was still enslaved to slave ownership.
The English bill of rights had been documented in 1689. Yet the colonies in the US were subjugated to the crown of King George. They had no representation in parliament. They were taxed without representation. They were forced to provide quarters for the troops who were acting as agents for a tyrant. King George was using Christianity as the state religion to solicit uninformed consent. Americans were punished as a group for the rebellion promoted by the sons of liberty.
If leadership in politics is to be accepted based on the status quo for the wealthiest members of the majority (or minority) group, then improvement for society will not be achieved. The people have to be represented by the government in order to achieve progress. The consequence for representation however, is participation.
We have to have opinions that are based on facts. We have to allow our opinions to change in relation to the discernment of facts in the state of affairs for society. This is the art of political science. Morality is scientific without enslavement to the objectivity of the status quo as an absolute.
We have the right to express opinions; to vote; to religion; to media expression; to due process of law; to freedom from cruel and unusual punishment; to education; to work; to food and water; to shelter; to health care; to term limits for elected officials; to representation for our taxes.
We don’t have the right to promote single party rights as the singular concern for society. The Nazis believed that they had the right to use genocide as a tool for victory. They promoted eugenics as a way for “weeding out” the weak.
Empires before the Nazis used torture, excessive force, cruelty and genocide as well. Tyrants in general believe that they have the right to use damage and death as instruments for political success. The belief that the metaphysics for destruction has to be used to control people is unacceptable.
The metaphysics for destruction has been associated with the claim to absolute power. Thus, constitutional government with a bill of rights is seen as a way to empower citizens by limiting claims to absolute power. Limiting power then, is an objective in western society.
The international oligarchy has replaced non-constitutional monarchy and dictatorship as the institution that claims absolute power. Their consortium negotiates an unfair advantage, then exploits the advantage for industry profit. Their power needs limitation.
Ps29 Isa6 Cant13 Rmns8
Glory to you, Lord God! Glory to you!
We praise you. We bless you.
We worship you.
We sing for your holy name.
You stand before all creation.
Glory to you in the splendor of majesty!
The seraphim sing. The cherubim rejoice,
“Holy! Holy! Holy is the LORD of hosts.
The world is filled with your glory.”
Your voice is upon the waters.
It shimmers with the glimmers of waves.
Your frequency fills the skies.
Darkness moves upon the face of the deep.
Glory rumbles with the sound of thunder.
Turbulence raises the sea.
Creation sings with uncreated energy.
Your voice is powerful;
your face resplendent.
The ground shakes
with groans of pain.
The foundation breaks
where movement
is madness.
The wind raves insanity!
Lightning cracks; a tree is made black.
This is the death of vanity.
The volcano vomits fire.
Smoke fills the sky.
The quakes shake the wilderness.
Tidal surge supersedes the tide.
A tornado touches down.
This is the death of pride.
We have been freed from slavery.
We have been re-born with the Spirit.
We have been lifted to LEADERSHIP’s side.
Just as Moses lifted the serpent
in the wilderness;
Just as Mohammed lifted his eyes
to the skies;
the Son of Man has lifted our lives.
Glory to you LORD God of our ancestors!
Glory to you! You give strength to your people.
You shower us with the blessings of peace.
Our glory is by your side.
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Monogamy is the basic form for marriage in our society. It is the norm for the household order in the economy. There is an expectation for sex in marriage. What happens when the expectation for sexual relations becomes the problem?
Expectation is a part of agreement. The expectation for sexual relations is reasonable, but disagreement regarding degree of intensity, frequency and speech in relation to sex contributes to complication. When sex fails in marriage, the couple can default to household management. Compatibility is pushed as a basis for forming marital relations in our society should such a default become necessary.
Scientific morality can be used to promote healthy and happy relations in marital and social relations. Even scientific morality however has limitations. What if you were confronted with the appearance of perfection in your relations? Would you be able to cope?
Acknowledgement of a dark side helps.
Kelly Clarkson – Dark Side
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5ZUZjhX2qU&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5ArpRWcGe0&ob=av2e
Everyone has a dark side, but the dark side does not legitimize criminal behavior. It simply provides reasonable expectation for friendliness.
Limit power with proportion.
Steve K.
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