What
Sin A Name?
 Does
is seem odd to anyone that Western societies refer
to the Xtian deity as plain old "God"? It's
a ludicrously simple
appellation especially
for someone who supposedly wields supreme
power.
Even
Superman gets three syllables.
The ironic truth is that the word "god" has
pagan roots, coming as it does from the ancient Germanic
word for
"good". When the Bible was translated from
Hebrew and Greek they substituted freely using common
colloquial
language rather than stick with the original
Baal or El or YHWH or Fred or what-have-you.
In a sense, it was all about marketing.
The one-syllable version has its advantages as even
a baby can pronounce it. It probably doesn't hurt
that we reflexively call it out during sex, too. Think
how much Coca-Cola would pay for that kind
of advertising.
Oddest thing, though, is that God speaks in the megalomaniacal
third person and we think nothing of it. What would
have been so wrong with a little first-person prose,
especially in Genesis? You know, "I built the
light and it was most awesome, dude!"
This is, incidentally, a very simplistic overview of
the divine nomenclature regarding the Great Cosmic
Muppet. If you're interested you can go into deeper
detail
here.
------------
Speaking of marketing, it also explains Jesus. Consider
trying to sell the Old Testament to ancient peoples.
There's a whole lot of stick to that story but meager
carrot. The OT God was generally rancorous and liable
to do just about anything, much of which could ruin
your
whole
day.
Just ask the folks in Gomorrah.
It's clear that the religious powers-that-be needed
a sure-fire way to squeeze some shekels out of the
yokels, and what better way than the promise of eternal
paradise... for free! So they borrowed the idea of
virgin birth, as it had worked so often in the past,
and suddenly it's "All aboard the Soul Train!". Anyone
could get into Heaven with the right password. Just
be careful of the third act.
And the soft-sell continues as present-day portraits
of the Littlest Redeemer looks more like the guy who
dispenses Denver's medical marijuana than Osama bin
Laden.
----------
And now our "Chart of the Day":
Click
here for a larger version.
As retiring Congressman Barney Frank says "We could
easily defend this country on a measly $400 billion
per year and still use the other $200 billion for schools
and job creation."
Gonna miss that guy.
=Lefty=
------------
Republican Job Creation Update
 "We're
going to have a relentless
focus on creating jobs." -
John Boehner, February 10,
2011.
The following is #115 in a
list of Republican
job creation activities
since they gained control of
the House in 2011. None, sad
to
say,
have
yet to result in one, single
new job.
(115) 11-30-2011: The House did nothing today except
postpone votes on suspension bills. Atta boy, GOP!
NOTE: As a result of an unexpected wave of enthusiasm
the Republican
Job Creation update now has
its own web site. It will remain
on the RP but
a web site of its own will raise
its visibility on the 'net as
we progress towards the critical
2012 elections. And I thank you
for your support.
------------
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