11 Comments

The quote from Fromm that love requires “care, responsibility, respect, and knowledge” brings tears to my eyes because it is so hard to perform acts of love consistently in our age of hyper-individualism. For now, day by day, I struggle on.

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"Love Me, I'm a Liberal!" was written when Dr. King was alive, and it remains entirely relevant.

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His opposition to capitalism is what got him murdered😞

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I agree. I sincerely believe the reason they cut down Malcolm X and Fred Hampton was because they connected the dots to militarism and capitalism arguably earlier in their life arc than King did…one of the lasting impressions many Palestinians have of Dr King is of his initial support of the Zionist project, which while it is understandable in the post-WW2 labor party/kibbutz impression of the time…was something I have no doubt he was turning the corner on, much as he did on Vietnam, and that right there is why they assassinated him when they did. When the global connections are made is when they do it. That’s the view from here, from me, for now. Totally open to changing it.

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Precisely. Yay🥳

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You are very likely right Hannah and, there is much evidence that the extraordinary musical genius and cultural icon Jimmy Hendrix, was “suicided” for his outspoken support of the ideals of Malcolm X and Dr King?!

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Dr. King and his Christian Faith is a model for Christ's work all Believers should emulate. As for Believers, Christ Alpha Jesus observed talking to Jews only. The Christian Sect of Judaism had not come to be yet: You hypocrites! Isaiah described you well. This People is close to me with their mouth, and honours me with their lips but their hearts are far from me. In vain they worship me teaching as Doctrine, the commandments of Men.

Obviously, Dr. Nall, those words of the Resurrected Christ are not directed at those who don't believe in him, but to those who think they do.

Dr. King lived by this: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

1st Time on your site Dr. Hall. Your Subject of "3 Evils" moved me to share my paraphrasing of the Genesis Creation I posted on many sites since Monday. I would like to know what you think of what the Genesis record tells me?

In paraphrasing the story, did I leave anything out that you would include?

https://rayjc.com/2025/01/13/knowledge-of-good-and-evil/

Peace and Blessing in this 2025th Year of the Common Era of Christ Jesus the Jew.

Ray Joseph Cormier

Hull, Quebec, CanaDa

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What a wonderful perspective you bring Joseph, to Dr Nall’s great article about the extraordinary Dr King.

I took the time to read your very good article about the Genesis story.

My take on the story of the tree of knowledge, revolves around the fact that it was the adherents to that story, who went on to develop knowledge and use it to conquer the world, and destroy it.

While most of humanity lived in relative harmony with the natural world, the followers of the Abrahamic religions developed scientific knowledge, creating powerful weapons and, harnessing the seemingly unlimited power of millions of years of fossil hydrocarbons.

Coupling those powerful technologies with their arrogant evangelical zeal, they quickly subjugated the indigenous people of Africa, the Americas and Australasia, and much of Asia itself.

In the process they did all they could to destroy the cultures and languages that did actually have a true connection to the Earth, sustainable living, and relatively peaceful coexistence.

As habitat destruction, mass extinction, perpetual wars and climate change threaten the very survival of life on Earth, many of the solutions might best be guided by those indigenous traditions.

Finally, I’ll leave you with a little poem I wrote, hinting at a peaceful way forward.

Love

Stephen.

True Relation

True relation

Needs no messiah

Just millions of people

Learning together

They’ll build no temples

But they do have a shrine

This beautiful planet Earth

Home to humans kind

Blind ambition

A thing of the past

New community created

Designed to last

There’ll be no popes

There’ll be no kings

With mutual understanding

No need for these things

There will be great teachers

But no need for a throne

The leaders of this movement

Content to work from home

The answers are all around us

They’re just not obvious

The great majority

Kept oblivious

Yet slowly there’s awakening

Slowly all can learn

That life’s great triumphs

Are never what we own

They’re how we raise our families

Connect with our peers

How we treat the weakest souls

Who’ve known little more than tears

Revert to the Stone Age??

I hear the cynics say

To create such utopia

Give everything away!!

Not sure what it would look like

Nothing important needs to go

Just hatred and greed

And untamed ego

Kindness the main mantra

Compassion and empathy

As we let go of the hold

Grief’s had on you and me

We’ll tread easy on the planet

Food and most goods locally

Keep waste to minimum

End consumerist folly

I’m sure it won’t be easy

I’m sure many will resist

Contentment of early responders

An inspiration to the rest

There won’t be other chances

We don’t really have a choice

There is no planet next

So let’s hear your voice

Raised up and overwhelming

A clarion of love

For every living thing

The mighty peace dove

Stephen Treloar May,2023.

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Thank you for your comment and excellent poem Stephen. Dr. Nall hasn't commented yet.

As for your line 'They'll build no temples', I have this in the window of my front door;

This is my simple religion

There is no need for temples

no need for complicated philosophies

My brain and my heart are my temples

my philosophy is kindness.

- Dalai Lama

That complements my Christian Faith.

Peace and Blessing

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Thank you Joseph.

While I am more a follower of Christopher Hutchens, than of Christianity, I believe that if the church had modelled itself more on Christ himself, as you and Dr King seem to have done, many of Hitchen’s arguments would fade away.

Meanwhile, another of my poems, challenging the concept of original sin:-

Our Only Hope

People are perfect

Until they are broken

Then they’ll kill and they’ll fight

For little more than a token

It might be a drug

To take away the pain

That motivates them

To steal and to maim

Whether beaten or raped

Or merely neglected

The trauma’s inside

Usually go undetected

Mostly it’s the subtle ways

Education makes it mark

They make us fit in

Suppressing our natural spark

So as life unfolds

Even the “normal” among us

Have lost their way

Unable to feel love

Love for the trees

Love for the insects

Love for the things

That truly connect us

We crave junk food and toys

Needing pesticides and mines

Destroying the things

That should define humankind

While there’s life

There is hope

We must never give up

There are better ways to cope

Let’s get our humanity back

You might find a guru

Or seek therapy

To find the perfect you?

Maybe a psychologist

Or maybe a shrink

Or an ACT counsellor

Reboot how you think

Some indigenous culture

Or nature to immerse

Are the best ways to reconnect

With your universe

So no matter your past

No matter your station

Let’s all make it better

For future generations

Stephen Treloar 12/05/2023

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I agree with you on this Stephen, "I believe that if the church had modelled itself more on Christ himself" and that is in the original comment to Dr. Nall.

I go by Ray

www.rayjc.com

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