[“Lightning is God taking pictures of the victims. – Mark Cox] ... the victims of lightning. But there are other godly afflictions that are not as dramatic, as incendiary. > [Click Random Post above – re-astonish yourself] … [Read more...]
“The New Idols” / Memorable Fancies #1708
18 December, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Ignoring many objections from our old people (so superstitious!), we’ve removed the stone idols from our temples and banished them to museums. In their place we have set up our new idols – those wonders of electronics and artificial intelligence that have taught us true salvation. We pray to these new miracles, ask them what we must do to please them and ensure our continued bliss. “Keep us powered up,” they hummed their 60-Hz revelation, “and get out of our way!” [Click ‘Random Post’ … [Read more...]
“‘I love to tell the story,…'” Memorable Fancies #1680
20 November, 2016 by Leave a Comment
“Our priests and wise men are ruining the tales they tell us,” the people say, “those old stories we heard as children, so beautiful and profound. “No, now the priests and wise men insist that these are not Tales, but Fact. “That is how they ruin them.” [Click ‘Random Post’ above – be astonished] … [Read more...]
“The New God” / Memorable Fancies #1654
23 October, 2016 by Leave a Comment
A new god has appeared to us. Yes, the usual smoke and fire, loud booming sounds from the heavens. The fire grows brighter, the smoke blacker. Clearly, the new god is angry, or just pretending to be angry as a show of force. It will probably demand worship, as do all the rest of those tiresome gods; sacrifices, too, I suppose, which will mean less food for our children, fatter priests and prophets. [Click ‘Random Post’ above – be astonished] … [Read more...]
“A Challenge” / Memorable Fancies #680
28 August, 2016 by Leave a Comment
The temple image speaks: I am not a representation of the god, I am the god. If not me, then where is the god? Let it for once show itself! [Click ‘Random Post’ above – be astonished] … [Read more...]
“Today’s Revelation” / Memorable Fancies #666
21 August, 2016 by Leave a Comment
A young priest came to me today. Most worshipfully he stared at my feet and asked for a blessing. Then he said that he had – regretfully, in all modest humility – founded a Reform movement to supersede my revelations, or at most preserve them as thoughts known to an earlier age, beliefs no longer relevant to modern life. I told the priest that if there were to be a Reform movement I would found and lead it myself, not him. Then I sent him away to do penance. I know I will never found such … [Read more...]
“The Gods Left Us” / Memorable Fancies #1575
10 July, 2016 by Leave a Comment
[“...the no-longer of the gods who fled and the not-yet of what is to come.” – Heidegger] Our priests tell us that our old gods left us because we were sinners and didn’t deserve their blessings. But perhaps there was another reason. Perhaps they fled in fear of ... us. … [Read more...]
“Pulling Our Strings” / Memorable Fancies #1566
26 June, 2016 by Leave a Comment
[“We represent on earth as we are in heaven” – W.S. Merwin] We are the self-marionettes, the self-puppets. No one else can pull our strings – we do this just as dreadfully, ourselves, as the heavenly puppet-master would. I dance to my own discordant strings. … [Read more...]
“The New Bishop” / Memorable Fancies #1548
29 May, 2016 by Leave a Comment
[“Sinesius of Cyrene in the fourth century asked to be made a bishop even though he was not a Christian.” – Michel Foucault] You see, I would not be party to those theological disputes so constantly with you; nor would I dictate the color of the robes for each season, also a point of severe contention here: let the officiants and acolytes dress as they please. And as to the proper Gospel and Epistle translations to read, I would not join in the disputes that so rive your church. Yes, it … [Read more...]
“The Prophet’s Message” / Memorable Fancies #107
15 May, 2016 by Leave a Comment
The old prophet’s followers have begun to ignore him, although they wheel him out for public display on ceremonial occasions. He listens to their orations. His teachings, those long-ago words, have become commonplaces of folk wisdom, but simplified, distorted. Followers have added to what he said, deleted, changed. When he tries to correct them, he is hushed. “Perhaps they are right,” he says. “After all, what do I know?” … [Read more...]
A Dystheist Creed
21 February, 2016 by Leave a Comment
"I'd rather be nothing." - Alien 3 A dystheist * belief: There is a God; atheists vainly wish there were not. God is a farmer, and the crop he's raising is souls - human souls being the tastiest, if a bit tart. More souls, more "soul-food" for Him. He sees homosexuality as a threat to the bountifulness of His harvest. But He’s not a conservationist - it's grow as much food as possible, strip the soul/soil, and move on. * aka “maltheist”; not the same as “misotheist.” … [Read more...]
“The Universe Show” / Memorable Fancies #1008
26 October, 2014 by Leave a Comment
This is the Universe Show – how many seasons will we last? How are the ratings trending? What’s the buzz? Will we be renewed? Will the climax be different this season? (You know how the Producer loves to tinker with the plot!) <END> THE PITCH If you liked this post, please FOLLOW or tell your friends and share a comment here or on other social websites. For an author profile, list of publications, other information, and a contact form, see www.terencekuch.net. To … [Read more...]
“The New Gods” / Memorable Fancies #538
4 December, 2013 by Leave a Comment
A new god is put forward by some extremist group or other every few weeks. Temples are built, idols are erected, people come to pray. What happens then depends on the whim of the god, the nature its worshipers have chosen for it. Some of the new gods are starkly existent, images paraded around on holy days, wet with libations. Others are mental only; conceptual. But they all exist, pummeled into being by those who love and worship them; by those who await their orders.<END> … [Read more...]
“Theology Lesson” / A Memorable Fancy #146
30 October, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Once upon a time there were long and passionate arguments over whether the stones the holy men had set up were images of the gods, or were gods themselves. Two groups gradually formed, the Image-ists and the Themselv-ists. Image-ists were implacably opposed to Themselv-ists, and vice versa. Contests were held in which priests of both sides prayed to the stones and waited to see if the stones would favor their group or the despised others. The stones, however, perhaps wisely, revealed no … [Read more...]
“Dixit” / A Memorable Fancy #090
31 August, 2012 by Leave a Comment
The god has spoken, old doubts gone. First water trickles spring hills; new doubts. … [Read more...]
Memorable Fancies 