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Everyone has heard the cliché that history repeats itself. Yes, history repeats itself because it’s based on man's nature, and his character tendencies. On one hand man has evolved intellectually and has created and produced unimaginable strides in science and technology, and on the other hand, has exhibited dominance, aggression, exploitation and prejudicial tendencies against his fellow man. Philosophically, man possessing a nature is questioned. However, commonalities present in Homo sapiens include fearfulness, seeking pleasure, avoiding pain along with sexual and aggressive behaviors for survival taking place within a social structure. Yet, man, in his mind, engages in tendencies for escape, illusions and irrationality along with his physiological requirements for food ,water etc . Economics, politics and religion also affect man's character development. This disquisition briefly compares yesterday's Christians of 2000 years ago to today.
Over 2000 years ago, in Palestine, the Roman Empire prevailed with its economics , political and religious thinking. For the most part, the Romans were the enemy. The proletariat, the Pharisees and the Sadducees were the 3 socio-economic categories. Briefly, the proletariat or Am-Haarez class consisted of common ordinary uneducated working class people, along with beggars, unskilled peasants, both in rural and urban populations. They were faced with tax burdens and were oppressed at all levels. The more they were oppressed, the more they engaged in political uprisings and plundering acts of unlawful behavior. They destroyed the Roman Eagle at the entrance of the temple for one example. They were brutally punished, killed and tortured by the Romans for these acts. The more they were pressured, the more they became receptive to national, social, religious, and revolutionary movements. In other words, these zealots hated the Roman power structure. They also hated the Pharisees.
The Pharisees were similar to middle class individuals with a stable monetary. They were educated ,priestly, and scholars with a moneyed aristocracy. These middle-class Jews despised and hated the proletariat's and likewise were hated by them( They wereJewish deputies that served under the Romans). Thus ,there was conflict among and between the social economic classes. A passage in the Talmud , Pesachim 49 h best describes the relations between the Pharisees and the Am-Haarez. A man should sell all his possessions and secure the daughter of a scholar for a wife, and if you cannot secure the daughter of a scholar, he should try to obtain a daughter of a prominent man. If you cannot succeed in that, you should endeavor to obtain a daughter of the synagogue director, and if you cannot succeed in that he should try to obtain the daughter of an alms collector, and if you cannot succeed even in this you should try and obtain the daughter of an elementary school teacher. He should avoid wedding the daughter of a common person, for she is an abomination .Their women are an abhorrence, and concerning their daughters It is said, "Accursed by any who sleepeth with a cow." Deuteronomy 27.
During the times of Roman economic ,social,religious and political oppression.correlated with the rise of a Messianic oriented revolt. This period included apocalyptic writings, i.e.” Woes of the Messiah" Maccabees 13:7, 8, In essence, the end and change was coming" Will be the appearance of the Son of Man and the clouds in great splendor and glory." Additionally, John the Baptist movement appealed to the despised masses with "Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." The faithful followers were the masses of the uneducated poor, Proletariat's of Jerusalem and the peasants of the city and country. Their mission was betterment for themselves and revenge against their Roman rulers, middle class and the Sadducees. This resulted in feelings, fantasies of revenge and punishment against their enemies with the day of judgment. Also, Jesus's message was that the kingdom of heaven was near. This message aroused those suffering oppressed masses and gave them an optimism of hope that the end was coming and there will be a new age.Per Luke 6:20 FF Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you, that weep, for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy for behold, your reward is great in heaven, for so their fathers did in the prophets. But woe to you that are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you that are full now, for you shall hunger. Woe to you that laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.
We find the economically, socially and politically poor 2000 years ago living in desperate times. Their lives were miserable and they were jealous, envious and hateful. Without education and/or without skills, they were stuck in despair and without hope.These poor were unable to successfully cope with their internal drives ,emotions nor employ rationality and reason effectively. Defense mechanisms of denial and rationalization interfered with their reality related to Jesus Christ, the Messiah . They were not promised food, water, etc. on earth, but were told that they would eventually profit in heaven and their enemies were going to be punished. Without any verifiable or concrete objectivity or truth, these desperate followers created, in their imaginative mind, fantasy, dreams and the illusion of concepts and ideas that were not only impossible but improbable. Based on their nature, character and need structure, these beliefs were mechanisms to escape from the reality of their situation. They longed for a great, powerful and omnipotent protector to placate their anxieties. We know that fear, hate, jealousy and aggression are powerful motivators.
Specifically: 1. Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah promised by the prophets. 2. Jesus, after His death is by the Divine awakening raised to the right hand of God. 3. He will soon return to set up his kingdom visibly upon the earth. 4. Jesus is the saint and as such can be certain of the sin forgiving grace of God, and of a share in the future glory, that is, of redemption..
Today's Christians, like Jesus’s followers of 2000 years ago, are also dealing with the problem of living as well as a way of living. Essentially, they have to cope with the anxiety or insecurity that accompanies their separateness. Moreover, they are confronted by the threat of nuclear war, income inequality, global warming etc. Furthermore, the values of the market affect their character. They consume and take in drink, food, cigarettes, alcohol.drugs, games, social media, TV, movies, etc. Not only that, our economic system is centered on the function of the market . The market determines the value of all commodities . Everyone is free to produce, sell and market. Even labor has become a commodity that is sold on the market today. It's been said that man has transformed himself into a commodity and experiences life as capital to be invested profitably. If he succeeds, he is successful and his life has meaning, if not he is a failure . His failure has nothing to do with human values and qualities of love, reason, judgment, brotherhood etc.
We also know there’s more to man than what man thinks but what he feels as well. Is a Christian life today about brotherly love, fulfillment and contentment? If one goes to church, one might hear about principles of love and charity or other messages related to abortion, the Supreme Court, CRT,banning books of non-believers etc. or other non fundamental values and teachings by Jesus Christ ,Paul, Luke etc.. Unfortunately, today’s Christians are troubled and most do not recognize it, and in the process do not employ reason and rationality but Instead denial ,rationalization , projection and displacement in attempting to make sense of their economic, social, political and religious world.
Some have turned to a false messiah for answers to their anxiety troubles but have not turned to him because of faith, but as an escape from their insecurities. They're not identifying with him out of devotion, but to satisfy their insecurity. They have not been able to choose between a way of life without him and they remain unable to find security in other dimensions.It’s become easier to hate and believe in nonsense against all the many enemies.
Today, a false sociopathic appeared with messages of punishing, discriminating and restoring America's racist past (About 100 years ago The Tulsa Race Massacre killed hundreds of residents ,burned more than 1250 homes and erased years of black success; Mississippi's state's voted to send all the states black people back to Africa; and Auburn Cowboys crossed the American River to hunt Chinese laborers in Pilot Hill. We want none of this Black Lives Matter, CRT stuff. We want to ban, and eliminate evil reading materials in our schools and punish teachers who teach that stuff. We do not want our kids to feel uncomfortable. He was going to build a wall to keep out the undesirable foreigners ; he was going to restore America's greatness; pull out of the Paris climate change agenda as well as the Iran nuclear deal. He was going to punish China as well.. He was boorish in attitude and verbal behavior by discrediting and putting down foreigners and others as if they were chattel and not worthy human beings.
This false Messiah appealed to those limited educated without a broad depth or foundation of political, historical, practical information or knowledge ; impoverished judgment in social interactions; absence of a capacity for associative and abstract thinking,and with a narrow or paucity of interests in the world of ideas. Intellectually, they are impoverished. Vocationally, are alienated in repetitive blue-collar capacities. Others are either on disability or on some other form of government assistance. They blame, scapegoat, jealous, envy and hate . They are stuck without alternatives . They not only engage in wish fulfillment,dreams, fantasy and illusion, they are also receptive to lies, falsehoods and preposterous propaganda with a paranoid content. Psychologically, their insecure need structure requires a powerful protector to remake their troubled and insecure world. They relish in their anger and hate.
Other followers that have identified with the false Messiah are those that have similar attitude and character tendencies as their leader . They also lie,cheat and exhibit sociopathic tendencies, Their insecurities,inadequacies and emotional deficits drive them to pursue power and profit. Some know better , but insecurities and passions for being around power and accumulation of money are passions that remain unable for them to control and highlight their character tendencies.
Will this false Messiah be persecuted? Will this false Messiah be resurrected like the Phoenix or will he just burn ? Will there be a judgment day? And there was Jonathan Swift who said” A lie can travel halfway around the world, when the truth is still putting on its shoes."
Reference
Fromm, Erich. The Dogma of Christ.
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