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      On my website I discuss UFOs and Biblical critique and I recieved some feedback from those interested in UFOs that there should be 'more UFOs' and less Bible critique on my site. After all, critique of the Bible is only of interest to a few people and has nothing to do with most people, right. But I don't think they really understand what I am trying to accomplish here, so I thought I would mention a few things.

      It is impossible to separate 'culture' and cultural conditioning from the individual, so when you have a tradition that has been influencing a society for thousands of years you are going to find examples of 'modes of thought' that are culturally conditioned from birth. What I mean is that a person could say, 'I am a complete atheist, I believe in absolutely nothing, I am a total materialist' and yet at the same time it would prove to be the case that in their thinking they have actually inherited much from the Judeo-Christian culture (even though they might not think so). Here I am talking about influences on our minds and on our thoughts that are more subtle and even 'unconcious'.

      As an example of what I mean, you can consider the Bhuddist or Hindu traditions. These traditions were more 'mystical' than the Judeo-Christian tradition ever was, and this tends to emphasize individual experience while our cultural tradition has always emphasized the experience of authority figures (hence you always find churches quoting the Bible to establish 'the authority' of something or another). There was never a 'Pope' of the Hindus or Bhuddists and these traditions, being mystical and more personal, were as a result extremely diverse and consequently more tolerant of variance (for you cannot have a personalized mystical tradition and intolerance at the same time. It just won't work).

"Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense." ---Buddha

      Now a person might suggest that the Judeo-Christian cultural heritage of our society only influences churches, but to insist that this is true is to ignore the results of thousands of years of cultural conditioning. One way to get in touch with these 'unconcious influences' is to compare the 'world view' of say, an eastern Asian country, steeped in thousands of years of mystical thought with the thought patterns of a Western civilization steeped in thousands of years of the Judeo-Christian tradition, emphasizing differences in order to get in touch with these unconcious culturally conditioned influences on our thought patterns.

      There are some obvious examples. Let's say a woman wants to get a promotion, but instead has to put up with her boss slapping her backside and calling her 'little honey.' Read my essay on 'Psuedo-Pauline' letters (letters that the church wrote and then signed with Paul's name, in order to 'establish the authority of that letter')

      Now like I said, it is obvious where this oppression of women came from, and this example is not particularly subtle. Now that boss might not go to a church, but notice how he has inherited certain thought patterns from thousands of years of culture conditioning.

      Other examples might be more subtle. For example our heritage has been less mystical, less personal, and more authoritarian. One means to resist this authoritarian influence, my way, is to point out that multiple traditions exist in the Bible (something that authoritarians would deny since it reduces their 'Biblical authority' to admit that the Bible contains multiple traditions. It is a myth that the Judeo-Christian tradition is monolithic, but this myth of 'biblical inerrancy' is neccesary to back up authoritative bible quotes).

There are multiple traditions which purport to explain and describe Christ. We are all familiar with the 'Gospel of John' version of Christ and the theological position which states that you must 'believe on me and thou shalt be saved' (and consequently 'even the unsaved good burn in hell' for not doing that one required work of salvation). As I note in my discussion of the two versions of the Abraham story the scriptures do not only teach "believe in me and thou shalt be saved." For, "What if some did not believe? Will their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God. Certainly not." (Romans 3:3) "For God is the savior of everyone, but especially of those who believe." (1 Timothy 4:10) Those of you who are looking for a more reasonable version of Christianity can consider collecting the verses from these alternate (and ignored) traditions and using them instead. (Call it another public service from yours truly.)

      Okay, so we have the more well known authoritarian tradition emphasizing the need to believe a certain strict dogma and a submerged, more mystical, more tolerant tradition that we never hear about, because it would reduce the authority of religious authorities.

      Now consider the intolerant attitudes towards differences of all sorts in society at large, including people who never go to a church, but nevertheless have been culturally conditioned to intolerance towards differences in thought and belief. During the sixties there was 'the hippy movement' and no one complained more than those churches. But a lot of people who never set foot in a church complained just as loud. Try and have a different sort of yard, with wild plants and wild flowers growing, instead of a strictly manicured lawn and wait to see how long it takes for someone to call the cops on you. Or dress different. Or be different. Notice the flack people take for these things. Wonder where they learned to be so rigid in their thought patterns, so intolerant of difference? These things might not seem 'religious' but they are culturally conditioned, more subtle, perhaps even unconcious, the result of thousands of years of cultural conditioning.

      I just mention these things to point out to people why 'critique of the Bible' has broader applications to expanding the mind than people might at first realize. If you truly want to 'expand your conciousness' this is impossible without recognizing and understanding the influence of culture, and this culture was Judeo-Christian.

      In 1997 Pat Robertson was so enraged by my testimony of UFOs, not to mention my 'difference' (and probably by my Biblical Analysis) that he went off on a rage about 'stoning' yours truly. This type of religion is 'different' and I use his response at that time as an illustration of what I mean about the rigidness of the Judeo-Christian tradition when confronted by something unusual. (To this day I still get attacked as a devil for mentioning a UFO, most recently by Benny Hinn last week. So the point remains the same.That is what the following links are all about-thought you might find it interesting to know I have a lot of history, and a lot of water has gone under the bridge. By the way, it is quite possible that Pat Robertson has calmed down since then. For the most part we seem to be ignoring each other, which is an improvement of sorts. Just thought I would mention that. By the way, I am surprised by how mad these links make some people. Understand that this is water under the bridge as far as I am concerned, and, as I said, we seem to be ignoring each other. I just post these links to make a point, and also to prove that I have some history in these matters, not to stir people up to anger, alright...

      If you ever have a friend who is thinking of joining the religious right, make sure to get him to read a few of my essays will you. That should help a person make an informed decision.