Jesus 2.0

[Tiassa]

The further humanity moves into this age of modernity, the more I'm convinced that there will be no more genuine prophets.

Well, that is, of course, if there ever were any. In my lifetime, though, the Buddhists have come 'round looking for the next maitreya, and found some young boy from ... uh ... well, the western U.S. I can't remember exactly where.

That's gotta suck, though, being yanked from modernity into the bright promise of antiquity. Suddenly Krishnamurti doesn't seem so damn crazy, eh?

Adam Huber, Bug, April 18, 2011​

Robyn Hitchcock wrote:

"Religion isn't dead either. The AntiChrist will have access to computers, television, radio, and compact disc. If he walks among us already, the chances are that he has a walkman. I just hope it's not Christ himself, disillusioned after two thousand years in a cosmic sitting room full of magazines and cheeseplants, turned malignant and rotting in despair at the way his message has been perverted."​

Metroid Christ? Jesus Is My Hedgehog?

"Lord, save my soul!"

(In a minute! Gotta beat Wario!)

I'm just sayin' ....

Salvation in the twenty-first century? Or would the savior be waiting in line for his turn on American Idol?

Jesus 2.0? Or is there a beta version?

 

[spidergoat]

I think the issue is that there are so many of them, they get lost in our information age. Jesus would be just another crank on the internet. David Koresh is still considered by some to be one. Of course, the term is a religious one, there is no such thing as a prophet.

 

[Lori_7]

i like the old jesus just fine. he's still doing his job as far as i'm concerned.

 

[Me-Ki-Gal]

Got to fill out a form first and then wait in a line

 

[Lori_7]

Got to fill out a form first and then wait in a line

hahaha. apparently that's how we keep them "distracted".

 

[Me-Ki-Gal]

I think the issue is that there are so many of them, they get lost in our information age. Jesus would be just another crank on the internet. David Koresh is still considered by some to be one. Of course, the term is a religious one, there is no such thing as a prophet.

How bout a real smart guy that can tell which way the wind blows, are there any of those Critters

 

[lightgigantic]

The further humanity moves into this age of modernity, the more I'm convinced that there will be no more genuine prophets.

the further humanity moves into the farce of polished animal as some gesture of modernity, the more I'm convinced that the genuine need for prophets is felt more acutely.

 

[Tiassa]

The Racket

the further humanity moves into the farce of polished animal as some gesture of modernity, the more I'm convinced that the genuine need for prophets is felt more acutely.

I wouldn't argue specifically against that point. However, in prophetic monotheism, such as Christianity, the separation of humanity from the animals is reiterated.

As such, the move into the farce of polished animal, combined with the need for redemption and constant prophetic reminder, makes the whole thing seem like a racket.

 

[Yazata]

The further humanity moves into this age of modernity, the more I'm convinced that there will be no more genuine prophets.

I'd question whether there were ever any genuine prophets.

But yeah, I do think that the modern West as grown too sophisticated/skeptical/cynical (take your pick) to embrace some individual as a voice of God. The mere suggestion is going to suggest 'weird cult' in most people's minds. Even otherwise religious people would dismiss it.

And it isn't just the West. I don't think that it would fly in much of east Asia either. Several Shinto-inspired "new religions" did arise in Japan in the 19'th century that put a lot of emphasis on prophetism. Those new religions still have several million Japanese followers today, but I don't see that kind of prophetism recurring in Japan in this day and age.

Why is it easier for modern people to believe in prophets of the past than it is for them to believe in prophets of the present? I'd speculate that part of that might be a desire not to be made a fool of by con-artists. Besides, with the purported prophets of the past, it's much easier to take them on your own terms, to make them into whatever it is that you want them to be. (Just think of all of the interpretations and re-interpretations of Jesus.)

Well, that is, of course, if there ever were any. In my lifetime, though, the Buddhists have come 'round looking for the next maitreya, and found some young boy from ... uh ... well, the western U.S. I can't remember exactly where.

That's not mainstream Buddhism, that's for sure. I remember reading about some claims being made in Nepal a couple of years ago about some young man that devotees were proclaiming to be a new Buddha. A scholar at some Buddhist university was interviewed and he kind of shrugged, suggesting that people not jump to conclusions, but just watch events as they unfold. I think that things didn't go very well and the supposed new Buddha has already slid back into obscurity.

That's gotta suck, though, being yanked from modernity into the bright promise of antiquity. Suddenly Krishnamurti doesn't seem so damn crazy, eh?

I never thought that Krishnamurti was crazy. He was almost a tragic figure, a child trapped in a crazy situation. The Theosophists who were proclaiming him a new avatar or something were the ones whose sanity I'd question.

But having said all this, it might be a mistake to assume that the secularism and cynicism of the modern West (and East) is a universal condition.

The Islamic world can probably be treated as yet another cultural zone. I don't think that they are very open to continued prophetism (Sufi saints and some Shi'ite ideas come close) but their reasons for rejecting continued prophetism often seem totally different from those of the West.

I get the impression that belief in saints (even living ones) and charismatic gifts is still a big part of popular religiosity in parts of Latin America.

Then there's sub-Saharan Africa. That's probably where I'd look for prophetism today. We don't hear very much news about African religious events here in America, but I get the impression that new prophetic religious groupings are still appearing in Africa today. They are increasingly apt to take on Christian or Islamic coloring, however heterodox, but it's still happening.

 

[Lori_7]

tiassa,

i've had prophecy given to me in the middle of a whacked out spiritual experience that i haven't seen the fulfillment of in it's entirety and still don't really understand in a practical or logistical sense. one of the most impactive aspects of my experience though was the recognition of what i would consider to be modern day prophets. i was blown away. these people are prolific, well known, well loved, and influential people. and it's like they're hiding in plain sight. do you remember what they are? you were around here back then when i was losing my mind over it...

 

[Tiassa]

Misty mountain once upon a time

i've had prophecy given to me in the middle of a whacked out spiritual experience that i haven't seen the fulfillment of in it's entirety and still don't really understand in a practical or logistical sense. one of the most impactive aspects of my experience though was the recognition of what i would consider to be modern day prophets. i was blown away. these people are prolific, well known, well loved, and influential people. and it's like they're hiding in plain sight. do you remember what they are? you were around here back then when i was losing my mind over it...

I remember that general once upon a time, but the specifics probably wouldn't gel until I was looking at one of the threads.

Sufis, such as those assembled and published under the editor Idries Shah, are primarily the reason I never undertook Sufism; it was clear to me that I could never actually be a Sufi by following the paths I was learning about.

But some would refer to Sufis who were so hidden in plain sight they would not, themselves, identify as Sufis. What the Sufis mean in this case is that "getting it", as such, goes beyond any one set of aesthetic markers. The Sufi path, even if I someday, somehow arrive at the same destination, is not one I am meant to trod.

Yet if we take that secret self sentiment in which we all want to be a Jedi Knight, or Themysciran Amazon, or whatever—you know, that superhero aspiration—and frame it something a bit more mundane and human, yes, I would seek the state and perspective asserted by Mansur al Hallaj, "Ana al haqq!" or, "I am Truth". Gairdner described the stages of the mystic; the seventh, "The Soul Clarified and Perfect" (El Nafsu-l-Safiya wa-l-Kamila) seeks to polish the mirror of the soul, that one might truly see that there is no God save Allah, understand that there is no God save Thou, and thus recognize that there is no God save I.

Most of those hidden in plain sight, however, are not fully emerged. And most will never fully emerge. But they are there. The shining stars of our human condition are still, and likely always will be, cloaked in their mortality, bound in some way by their very humanity.
____________________

Notes:

Gairdner, W. H. T. "Theories, Practices, and Training Systems of a Sufi School". 1912. Sufi Thought and Action. Ed. Idries Shah. London: Octagon, 1990.

 

[Lori_7]

I remember that general once upon a time, but the specifics probably wouldn't gel until I was looking at one of the threads.

Sufis, such as those assembled and published under the editor Idries Shah, are primarily the reason I never undertook Sufism; it was clear to me that I could never actually be a Sufi by following the paths I was learning about.

But some would refer to Sufis who were so hidden in plain sight they would not, themselves, identify as Sufis. What the Sufis mean in this case is that "getting it", as such, goes beyond any one set of aesthetic markers. The Sufi path, even if I someday, somehow arrive at the same destination, is not one I am meant to trod.

Yet if we take that secret self sentiment in which we all want to be a Jedi Knight, or Themysciran Amazon, or whatever—you know, that superhero aspiration—and frame it something a bit more mundane and human, yes, I would seek the state and perspective asserted by Mansur al Hallaj, "Ana al haqq!" or, "I am Truth". Gairdner described the stages of the mystic; the seventh, "The Soul Clarified and Perfect" (El Nafsu-l-Safiya wa-l-Kamila) seeks to polish the mirror of the soul, that one might truly see that there is no God save Allah, understand that there is no God save Thou, and thus recognize that there is no God save I.

Most of those hidden in plain sight, however, are not fully emerged. And most will never fully emerge. But they are there. The shining stars of our human condition are still, and likely always will be, cloaked in their mortality, bound in some way by their very humanity.

i believe in full emergence. could the point of being unfulfilled be the realization that you're unfulfilled? isn't the fact that you're lacking something implicit in that realization? what is it? i have seen that desperation, passion, loneliness and even isolation makes great art. it makes great music. can you think of a better modern day voice? politicians, no. religious people, no. somebody like me? oh, hell no.

the prophecy i've got is all about immortality. if you can identify a lack, then you can seek. if you seek, you can find. and if you find, you can change the world. if you're a prophet, i guess you just find it before some others do, and it's apparent.

 

[birch]

i have seen that desperation, passion, loneliness and even isolation makes great art.

no, it's not lack. it just seems to be lack. if there were really lack, then it wouldn't produce great art.

 

[Me-Ki-Gal]

Isolation is the shits . It is a funny thing because even with people all around you the isolation still exists. I think it comes from a misunderstanding . Like you will say something and no one will understand the language or the intent. Some one will say " That is crazy that could never be" so the lone wolf will let it go, think to them selves O.K. then and then let it go . So instead of trying to clarify with a bunch of unacceptable noise that no one will buy into they retreat into there own thoughts and move on.
Like Me yesterday . I cried most of the day because I feel the world as a whole just don't "get it" I want everybody to get it , So I set around in self pity thinking " Is it Me " My inability to explain clearly. Maybe !! I do have issues like that .
Anyway you should know I love you unconditionally even if I tend to get mad at things the way they are. Change will come we can count on that . Change is subject to the force of the tides though and I don't mean the moon tides , but the tides of public sentiment. It happens so slow compared to a humans day to day experience . Things are speeding up faster and faster though . Silos of information falling add to the speed in which it occurs and as we all know the internet is changing everything in that way.

Well Off the 9 mile . I still don't know if I really like going up there. The dream state it puts Me in is almost unbearable sometimes yet there is a inter joy that comes with it that makes it all worth it . An eagle follows my truck as I drive up 9 mile road and that is way to cool
Later. Love you people and you mods too!! Mods are People too !! Mods are People too!!

 

[Lori_7]

no, it's not lack. it just seems to be lack. if there were really lack, then it wouldn't produce great art.

that's not true. i've heard plenty of artists say their work is cathartic for them, and i myself have gone through some isolating experiences where there really aren't any other acceptable ways of expressing yourself other than writing or art, and i am not an artist. yet, sure enough found myself writing poetry as a way to get feelings out.

also, artists can get away with expressing things that "normal" people can't. when i went through some freaky spiritual stuff and tried to talk to people about it, people did NOT want to hear about it. an artist could go through the same thing and write a song about it, and all of those people would probably think the song is awesome.
:shrug: