--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Robin Carlsen" <maskedzebra@...> wrote: > > I am once again thinking there might be something in this Jesus thing after > all. > > I must assume, Curtis, you do not believe that Jesus was God.
I believe he was a community organizer and a hippie. He might have been met a kinder end if his century had some psycho-stabilizing drugs. For me it is a tragic tale of grandiose delusions meet the power of the state. The state won. That is if we consider any of his story more than a contrived myth collage to begin with. > > Christmas therefore is not the celebration of God's birthday as a newborn > infant. Not for me, I consider it a delightful nostalgia-fest. > > If I have this right--No need to respond. I'm not sure what was in doubt. > > You certainly make me think: There's a lot to say for atheism. > > If only Saint Francis of Assisi were here to post a response. I would only engage him in a discussion of our beloved animals. I suspect we would get along famously once I introduced him to the wonders of modern deodorant. > > But he's dead too--along with the Christ guy. > > I didn't expect anything less (writing-wise). > > I like people with fierce and passionate beliefs-as long as they are > intelligent. > > So, this makes it for me. > > Thanks, Curtis. That was nice of you Robin, thanks. > > You got the right perception of the way things are now--but history would > refute you--but can't. Very curious. > > Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas to you Robin. I hope you are also enjoying all the season's nostalgia triggers too. > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "curtisdeltablues" <curtisdeltablues@> > wrote: > > > > > > > > So you take your fresh ground coffee (preferably dark roast Sumatran) and > > you brew it however you do, (I use one of those Bailetti Italian numbers > > you see on the stove in every Sofia Loren movie) and then the magic begins. > > Having tasted versions of "Christmas" blends through the years, I always > > thought I could do better, but until this morning never took the trouble. > > I resisted the temptation to drop in a soft peppermint (tomorrow I'm gunna) > > and went right for the high grade dark coco powder, a sprinkle of cinnamon, > > sugar, and some ginger and milk. Christmas blend perfection. I'm sure any > > version that includes cloves would be great too. But it is the overly > > strong cloves that I object to in the commercial mixes, aside from the fact > > that any pre-ground coffee is a non starter in my kitchen. (Coffee oils are > > where God lives, and God evaporates really quickly.) > > > > Speaking of God in his various human imagined personas, I am sipping my > > yuletide brew while gazing on a nativity baby as pump as the churro stuffed > > Honduran neighbor's kids who stomp up and down the stairs in their princess > > dresses, but sound more like the prince's horse. (Type 2 diabetes coming > > right up.) It is the nativity set from my youth rescued from my Dad's > > house's attic as we emptied it out. It has a tiny wind-up music box that > > tinkles out Silent Night, but slowed down by decades of mouse droppings no > > doubt. It plays the song absentmindedly now in stops and starts, like an > > old man slumped over the piano in the Alzheimers unit who can only manage a > > few notes of the melody at a time before his mental ship sails away for a > > few moments. > > > > The song is doubly sentimental for me because as a ploy to get some > > Maharishi darshon when he visited MIU my first Winter in '75, I put > > together a group to sing him the song in German. (It is surprisingly not > > at all Nazi sounding and is beautiful in that language, check it out: > > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUb8ySdERKs ) It actually worked to flush > > out the old guru, and it was the longest time I had spent standing next to > > him at that time. He kept us waiting for hours till the early morning, but > > he was really gracious about it all, despite the fact that he despised > > Christianity and looked so tired I thought he was going to fall over. > > After we were done he asked for Age of Enlightenment songs. Emily Levin > > banged out one of her saccharine ditties. Before he went back upstairs > > where he was saving the world and all (banging groupies) he took a moment > > to look me in the eye. It was a nice steady benevolent look, not exactly > > kind, a bit curious, non committal but prolonged. For a guy as besotted as > > I was for the dhotied one at the time, (or my imagination of him) it was my > > Christmas miracle. I thanked him, and he floated off in a shower of Jai > > Guru Devs. > > > > Back to my nativity. The figures are some kind of plaster and my Dad > > repainted them in garish Homer Simpson style, no doubt accompanied by more > > than a bit of Dewar's Scotch, so that the wise men look like members of > > George Clinton's Parliament- Funkadelic. There are oxen and sheep and an > > adoring Mary, looking herself a bit sheepish, as Joseph beside her pretends > > to believe her whopper of a tale of her divine pregnancy in a desperate bid > > to keep his first century Courtney Stodden age-inappropriate hot wife with > > him. "This better be the ONLY divinely conceived baby in this house Miss > > Missy!" > > > > My eyes drift up to my walls with pictures of Santas from 1930's magazines > > gaily puffing on cigarettes (damn I wish I was English and could say he was > > sucking on a fag) while the copy makes claims of the throat soothing > > virtues of Chesterfields. Throat soothing! I've got versions of them all > > over thanks to Ebay, as if Santa had a walk-on part on Mad Men. > > > > I've got some hand carved camels made of olive wood led by a man on a > > donkey who I can only assume is spending another Christmas in Guantanamo > > and someone else is now leading these camels laden with the concentrated > > sap of the poppy which I guess is the wink, wink, nudge, nudge, translation > > for "frankincense and myrrh" > > > > I loves me some Christmas. It is an atheist version, but I don't let the > > bastard child of a rapist ghost interfere with my nostalgia wallowing. If > > you really listen to Christmas songs they are freak'n maudlin aren't they? > > That hits my blues center just fine. I'm not even a hater of the > > materialistic/commercial side of Christmas. I like being coerced into > > buying presents with money I don't have, because otherwise I wouldn't do > > it, and gift giving is a blast. (If you prime the pump with specific > > requests, the receiving isn't so bad either.) > > > > The invention of the modern Christmas and many of its most iconic symbols > > and traditions was pretty recently laid herky jerky on top of those > > wonderful pagan contributions. (Let's get plastered and bring a tree into > > the hut!) If some people want to believe that the arrival of one fat baby > > will give their lives meaning, who really cares? (Oh yeah, I do when they > > put crèches on the public courthouse lawn...) > > > > So to all my friends at FFL, I hope you play this version of All I Need for > > Christmas is You (NOT the sappy Mariah Carey puke version, but the cool > > Vince Vance and the Valiants version) > > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1VkMBi9vvw > > > > Brew yourself a steaming cup of your own version of Christmas coffee, (I'm > > pretty sure Santa would pour some brandy, bourbon or scotch in his) and > > contemplate that even though the baby Jesus story is just a human > > contrivance meant to cover up the indiscretions of an overly hot young Mid > > Eastern woman married by the barbaric customs of her day to an old coot > > with shriveled olives, take heart. By the time the first crocuses are > > poking their noses out of the snow, he will be executed for being the > > world's first Occupy Jerusalem hippie. Wait, that wasn't the landing I was > > trying to stick > > > > Share that enhanced coffee with someone you love, turn the song up, and who > > knows, you might get as lucky as the Holy Spirit). Love is my version of > > Bethlehem's shining star that makes me get on my camel and ride into that > > beautiful silent night. > > >