Silko, Christianity, and whatnot

As I enter my Fall break, I simply can't shut off my psudo-philosophing long enough to actually enjoy myself. I just read "Gardens in the Dunes" by Leslie Silko, a book that touches on themes of universal spirituality, feminism, and a little bit of gnosticism thrown in.

It reminded me of Elaine Pagels, the famous scholar of Christianity from Princeton, and her search for a "pure Christianity", a mythical period immediatly after Christ's departing where all Christians supposedly believed in the same thing. What she found instead were a babel of "heresies" and alternative Gospels, in which women like Mary Magdeline were much more prominent than in the official record; sometimes even more important than the deciples.

Silko's book also touches on the life/death cycle and the universal sacred truths to be found in it. The way she connects Native American beliefs with old European paganism is very interesting.

No one can seriously deny the pagan influences within Christianity. Mary is an obvious earth mother, while the Holy Trinity is similar to Greek mythology with its anthromorphic God (Jesus) standing between people and the fundamental force of the universe (God the father/Yahwah)

Jack Chick is famous for seeing a vast Catholic/Satanic/Muslim/Freemason/Communist/Fascist conspiracy in the pagan remnents within Christianity, and maybe he's only 99% crazy. Silko does a good job illuminating the various archtypes in human belief systems. Chick simply needs to blame them on a concious conspiracy since he has traded spirituality for mechanized adherance to proper doctrine. To him and his ilk, true belief is something that must be rigidly defined, not generally felt.

Chick types have been various movements to "purify" Christianity of its pagan influences. In practical terms, this has meant getting rid of anything that smacks of female sexuality. (Virgin birth.) The problem is that Christians still feel the vague need of a cosmic life/death cycle that justifies our own mortality. It's pretty hard to have a life/death cycle that doesn't involve a vagina at some point. Christianity's attempts to compensate for this have been.....






interesting.


The obvious homoeroticism of the crucifixion story has been noted before. Perhaps this is nothing but subconscious prison sex. The attempt to purge religion of sexuality can only lead to, if not homosexuality, than some fucked up S&M heavy form of autosexuality.

B.S. off