Jim Palmer's Blog, page 13

Inner + Anarchy = New World (Part 2: Contemplatives and Activists)

This is the second post in thee series: Inner + Anarchy = New Wold. As I mention in Part 1 of this series, Jesus said he did not come to bring peace but a sword. This is not Jesus advocating violence, but Jesus indicating that the truth he came to bear witness to and demonstrate would invalidate, delegitimize and supplant the prevailing beliefs, mindsets, narratives and ideologies, and the systems and structures operating upon them. Perhaps you have are unfamiliar with the Jesus I am describing. He is not the Jesus of Christianity. I wrote Inner Anarchy to lift up this Jesus and his liberating and universal message, which has been twisted, corrupted and misrepresented by the church.

Speaking of Inner Anarchy, I have observed a couple things since the release of the book. There are some people who are especially drawn to the “inner” part of the equation. This focus is on one doing their inner spiritual work. This involves turning away from the false beliefs, mindsets, narratives and ideologies that have been programmed into our heads and ruling us from within. We pick up these false beliefs and mindsets through our families, education, religion, mass-media, popular culture, government, corporatism and other societal systems, structures and institutions. They control how we see ourselves, others, God, the world and life itself. The other part of the inner work is turning toward the power and authority within ourselves and trusting what is real in our deep feelings and what we know to be true in our gut. The highest common denominator inside all of us is the awareness that love, freedom, harmony, wholeness and well-being is what’s true. In a nutshell, the inner work is switching sources – turning away from what has been programmed into our heads, and turning to what we know and feel is real and true in out gut.

Then there are people who are more drawn to the “anarchy” part, which is the tangible expression, demonstration and manifestation of a new world and society. This focus is upon the oppressive systems and structures in our world that are standing in the way of humankind’s liberation.  Although the word “anarchy” can be a polarizing word (mainly because of people’s misconceptions), the underlying principles and sentiments are a solid practical framework for considering what it would mean to lift up a new reality out of ourselves and into the world. More specifically, some of those principles and mindsets include: (1) The absence of hierarchical power structures and systems; (2) voluntary association; (3) mutual aid; (4) self-organization. Virtually all anarchists view government and capitalism as the antithesis of these values.

So, these are the two sides of “inner anarchy.” A simplification of this might say that the “inner” folks are contemplatives. and the “anarchy” people are activists. What’s critical in my view is that the two be wed together. The “inner” (contemplative) without the “anarchy” (activist) won’t work, and the “anarchy” (activist) without the “inner” (contemplative) won’t work. Not only is it a challenge to unify these two sides on an individual level, it can be a challenge at times for these two groups of people to work together. The “inner” folks and the “anarchy” folks tend to have a different kind of mindset and energy, which sometimes leads to a misunderstanding and conflict between them. In a perfect world, the inner folks would shut up and listen/learn from the anarchy folks, and the anarchy folks would shut up and listen/learn from the anarchy we folks. In my view, we need each other.

How do you do the inner work? How do you do anarchy? That’s the subject of my next post.

Inner + Anarchy = New World (Part 1: Does Jesus bring peace or a sword?)

In Matthew 10:34 Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.”

This is one of those perplexing saying of Jesus that often gets swept under the rug because it doesn’t fit with the kind, loving, gentle and meek persona of Jesus that many people associate with the Jesus of Christianity. The real Jesus was a scrappy, subversive, radical and dangerous person, and was public enemy #1 to religion and the state. Jesus infuriated the religious established, turned over tables in the temple, and would not bow down to the worldly powers and authorities of his day.

I wrote in Notes from (Over) the Edge:

“People often envision Jesus as someone tiptoeing around in a flowing robe, speaking softly, and carrying a baby lamb in his arms. But the real Jesus of history was a lightning rod. He got angry. He was the greatest debunker of religious hierarchies and traditions, and the greatest desacralizer of holy places, times, people, rituals, priests and things, that this world has ever seen. The religious establishment hurriedly condemned him to death for blasphemy, while the secular powers executed him for sedition.”

And in Inner Anarchy:

“In Matthew 23, Jesus delivers a scathing rebuke of the religious establishment in the form of seven woes and throws in a few nasty terms to describe the practitioners for good measure. He condemned these self-proclaimed “men of God” for operating with a false, baseless claim of divine authority. He characterizes their entire religious operation as a spiritually dead and bankrupt farce, led by frauds and swindlers.”

Jesus wasn’t Mr. Nice Guy. Here’s why. Jesus clearly recognized that the world and its people were enslaved and held hostage to a power that needed to be struck down. That power existed in the form of a false belief, mindset, and narrative that separated people from God and one another. Driven by ego and self-interest, some had learned to manipulate people with these false mindsets and ideologies to oppress the masses and benefit the few, namely the institutions of religion and the state who often worked in tandem to keep the racket going.

Jesus came onto the scene and proclaimed that another world and society was possible, and that it already existed in the heart of humankind. He referred to it as “the kingdom of heaven” – the reality of peace, freedom, harmony and well-being. Jesus taught that this kingdom within could be lifted up out ourselves and made real in the world. It first requires one to dethrone those ruling beliefs, mindsets, narratives and ideologies within themselves and connect with that deeper source within them, and then give expression to that inner reality through are words, actions and relationships in the world.

In terms of the outer expression of our inner work, there are two sides of it. With our left hand we divest ourselves from whatever shape or form those falsehoods have taken in our world, and with our right hand we lift up, live and demonstrate the alternative. Once you do your inner work, you begin recognizing that many of the foundational systems and structures of our world are based upon and operating from those false beliefs, mindsets, narratives and ideologies. You start becoming aware of how they oppress people in countless ways, and stand in the way of their liberation and that “kingdom of heaven” within us all.

Which brings me to Matthew 10:34 and Jesus saying, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” We know Jesus words here do not mean that he was advocating violence and bloodshed. There are several occasions when Jesus makes this explicitly clear, and times when he backs down his followers who are on the brink of taking up arms against the establishment. However, it was clear that Jesus understood that there would be distress and conflict in the birthing of the “kingdom of heaven on earth.” Why? Because there would be a clash of two kingdoms – the kingdoms of the world based on false ideologies and the kingdom of heaven within the hearts of humankind.

The old order – those false beliefs, mindsets, narratives and ideologies and the systems and structures of our world based on them – are not going to go quietly into the night. What Jesus meant by his words in Matthew 10:34 is, “Don’t think I’ve come to make life cozy.” There will be conflict, there will be division, there will be confrontation, there will be distress, there will be instability, and it’s not always going to be pretty. When tectonic plates start shifting there turbulence. That is what the “sword” represents. We can see the reality of this in the life that Jesus lived and it will also be true in our lives.

How do we navigate this turbulence of the “sword”? That’s the subject of my next post.

Does Jesus bring peace or a sword?

In Matthew 10:34 Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.”

This is one of those perplexing saying of Jesus that often gets swept under the rug because it doesn’t fit with the kind, loving, gentle and meek persona of Jesus that many people associate with the Jesus of Christianity. The real Jesus was a scrappy, subversive, radical and dangerous person, and was public enemy #1 to religion and the state. Jesus infuriated the religious established, turned over tables in the temple, and would not bow down to the worldly powers and authorities of his day.

I wrote in Notes from (Over) the Edge:

“People often envision Jesus as someone tiptoeing around in a flowing robe, speaking softly, and carrying a baby lamb in his arms. But the real Jesus of history was a lightning rod. He got angry. He was the greatest debunker of religious hierarchies and traditions, and the greatest desacralizer of holy places, times, people, rituals, priests and things, that this world has ever seen. The religious establishment hurriedly condemned him to death for blasphemy, while the secular powers executed him for sedition.”

And in Inner Anarchy:

“In Matthew 23, Jesus delivers a scathing rebuke of the religious establishment in the form of seven woes and throws in a few nasty terms to describe the practitioners for good measure. He condemned these self-proclaimed “men of God” for operating with a false, baseless claim of divine authority. He characterizes their entire religious operation as a spiritually dead and bankrupt farce, led by frauds and swindlers.”

Jesus wasn’t Mr. Nice Guy. Here’s why. Jesus clearly recognized that the world and its people were enslaved and held hostage to a power that needed to be struck down. That power existed in the form of a false belief, mindset, and narrative that separated people from God and one another. Driven by ego and self-interest, some had learned to manipulate people with these false mindsets and ideologies to oppress the masses and benefit the few, namely the institutions of religion and the state who often worked in tandem to keep the racket going.

Jesus came onto the scene and proclaimed that another world and society was possible, and that it already existed in the heart of humankind. He referred to it as “the kingdom of heaven” – the reality of peace, freedom, harmony and well-being. Jesus taught that this kingdom within could be lifted up out ourselves and made real in the world. It first requires one to dethrone those ruling beliefs, mindsets, narratives and ideologies within themselves and connect with that deeper source within them, and then give expression to that inner reality through are words, actions and relationships in the world.

In terms of the outer expression of our inner work, there are two sides of it. With our left hand we divest ourselves from whatever shape or form those falsehoods have taken in our world, and with our right hand we lift up, live and demonstrate the alternative. Once you do your inner work, you begin recognizing that many of the foundational systems and structures of our world are based upon and operating from those false beliefs, mindsets, narratives and ideologies. You start becoming aware of how they oppress people in countless ways, and stand in the way of their liberation and that “kingdom of heaven” within us all.

Which brings me to Matthew 10:34 and Jesus saying, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” We know Jesus words here do not mean that he was advocating violence and bloodshed. There are several occasions when Jesus makes this explicitly clear, and times when he backs down his followers who are on the brink of taking up arms against the establishment. However, it was clear that Jesus understood that there would be distress and conflict in the birthing of the “kingdom of heaven on earth.” Why? Because there would be a clash of two kingdoms – the kingdoms of the world based on false ideologies and the kingdom of heaven within the hearts of humankind.

The old order – those false beliefs, mindsets, narratives and ideologies and the systems and structures of our world based on them – are not going to go quietly into the night. What Jesus meant by his words in Matthew 10:34 is, “Don’t think I’ve come to make life cozy.” There will be conflict, there will be division, there will be confrontation, there will be distress, there will be instability, and it’s not always going to be pretty. When tectonic plates start shifting there turbulence. That is what the “sword” represents. We can see the reality of this in the life that Jesus lived and it will also be true in our lives.

How do we navigate this turbulence of the “sword”? That’s the subject of my next post.

Will inner anarchy lead to anarchy?

I recently published my fifth book, Inner Anarchy. Inner anarchy is turning away from the false beliefs, mindsets, narratives and ideologies that have been programmed into our heads through tradition, education, religion, government, mass-media, pop culture, corporatism and other societal institutions. As different as they seem, they all operate from the same set of flawed premises such as don’t trust yourself but trust them, the “experts.” Religion starts with the fundamental false assumption that people are inherently “sinners” and need to be saved from themselves. Government exerts power and control over our lives based on the lie that we need protection from each other and aren’t capable of sorting things out ourselves. Meanwhile, they all work in tandem to keep us enslaved in a capitalistic system that benefit a few and oppresses the rest of us. The inner anarchist questions and deconstructs every sacred cow and especially those things so ingrained in us that we wouldn’t even think of questioning.

The inner anarchist not only turns away from the false beliefs, mindsets, narratives and ideologies that have been ruling and running their lives, but they turn toward a different source and authority for living. There are moments in our lives when something triggers an experience where we touch something very real in our deep feelings. It’s an awareness, tacit understanding, an inner knowing, something we feel deep in our gut. These deep feelings, awareness and intuition bubbles up within us and we touch the oneness and interconnectedness of all things. A deep sense of love, peace, joy, liberation, belonging, homecoming and harmony open up within us in these moments. It’s not a religious phenomenon. It’s a very natural place within each of us that we connected with and operated within freely as children before we were programmed to mistrust it. The inner anarchist listens, trusts, follows, speaks and lives from that source.

Jesus was the quintessential inner anarchist. I wonder if it would matter if people knew that Jesus lived as an anarchist before the term was ever created. It’s unfortunate that Jesus got hijacked and co-opted by the Christian religion. Jesus was a subversive, radical and dangerous person before he was later domesticated by Christianity. This was a central reason why I wrote Inner Anarchy – to expose how the Christian religion has led 2.5+ billion people astray by twisting the life and teachings of Jesus and preventing his truth from getting out. Jesus did not believe in the “God” of religion and most of the orthodox doctrines of Christianity have little or no connection to the truth Jesus bore witness to and demonstrated. Jesus challenged, confronted, undermined, rebelled against and refused to obey the dictates of religion and government. Instead, he called people to find their power and authority within themselves. Jesus main message was, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come.” This message of Jesus has been corrupted by the church. The word “repent” does not mean to admit wrong, accept your sinfulness or feel contrition for past wrongs. The word for “repent” (metanoia) means to use your mind in a different way, namely to access that natural inner authority that I mentioned above, which Jesus referred to as “the kingdom of heaven” within us. This is the inner anarchy Jesus called for.

Using the word “anarchy” in my book title raised some eyebrows. People have been fed a false understanding of anarchy to mean something like lawlessness, violence, insurrection, mayhem and senseless revolt. The word ‘anarchy” means the absence of a ruling class. Anarchists believe that the hierarchal power structures of a ruling class are oppressive, and that people must be free to voluntarily and equally associate with one another, self-organize, and operate in a spirit of mutual aid to meet one another’s needs such as those that Abraham Maslow identified in his Hierarchy of Needs.

The question has come up – does/will inner anarchy lead to anarchy?

Here’s the connection as I see it. As we do our own inner work of turning away from the false beliefs, mindsets, narratives and ideologies that have been ruling us from within, then it only stands to reason that we can no longer perpetuate and participate in the ways, systems and structures of our world that are based on these false premises. In that sense, it’s an inside out anarchy. We must first remove the plank in our own eye before we run out to move the speck in another. We are only treating symptoms if all we do is seek to remove people or people groups, or tear down systems, structures and institutions of power. The true enemy operates within each of us in the form of those false beliefs, mindsets, narratives and ideologies that have been programmed into our heads. We want to blame the system, not realizing that we have been contributing to our own oppression and captivity by subscribing to those kinds of mindsets within us. If we don’t do our own inner work then we are likely to replace the old structures with no ones that ultimately end up being more of the same – same show, different channel.

But as we do our inner anarchy we will recognize that the prevailing and fundamental ways of our world are a sham and based purely on falsehoods. We can no longer in good conscience continue to participate in them. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that this inevitably will lead to our divesting ourselves from those ways, mindsets, values, structures and systems. Once again Jesus is a good example of this. Jesus was not some esoteric separatist hermit. He was a scrappy radical who immersed himself in the muck, mire and miseries of the human reality. He incited people to inner anarchy and refused to play the game of religion or government, which ultimately led to his execution. Jesus demonstrated an alternative that challenged people to find their power and authority within themselves and live by the Golden Rule in their associations with one another. Jesus described a new world and society where it was “on earth as it is in heaven.” What heaven? The one inside you. That one that has bubbled up within you in feelings of love, peace, joy, liberation, belonging, homecoming and harmony.

Inner anarchists are therefore left with a choice that is a bit discomforting. Who will we be in the world? Will we make inner anarchy mainly an “inner” and individualistic thing, and wait for the new world to magically roll out? Or will we go into the world, divesting ourselves from the current order and lifting up a new reality in its place? In my view, to truly follow the path of Jesus is the second choice. The two parts are equally significant and inseparable – “inner” (the inner work each of us must do) and “anarchy” living this reality out in our world. I’ve never been a fan of labels and I don’t think we need to make too much of the label “anarchy.” The point is that as we turn away from those false beliefs, mindsets, narratives and ideologies within us, and turn toward that source, power, and authority within us, then we give expression to that in real and concrete ways as Jesus did – undermining the old oppressive order and lifting up a new liberative order in its place.

Having said that, the true anarchist spirit is operating outside hierarchal power structures in more liberative and practical ways such as voluntary association, self-organization and mutual aid, and there is much to gain from this mentality. Anarchists are not shy about undermining the most fundamental premises and structures of society such as capitalism and labor, and creating alternatives that respect human freedom and autonomy, the common good, and respect for the planet and all living things. However, don’t think I am somehow speaking on behalf or representing all anarchists. It’s a diverse group, which includes a few of those who would just prefer to randomly burn things down to the ground. There are a few in every crowd.

Inner anarchy is a daily process – both the “inner” and the “anarchy” part. One of the very useful things we inner anarchists can do is connect meaningfully with one another and create communities with people who support one another in the process, dialogue, act, lift up a new reality, and practice these new ways of operating.

Did you ever hear in church that Jesus was an anarchist?

Did you ever hear in church that Jesus was an anarchist? Probably not.

Many of my friends who are anarchists are Atheist. It makes sense. At its root, anarchy is the absence of a ruler – that would include a ruler on earth or in the heavens. Here are a few anarchist quotes about this:

“As long as we have a master in heaven, we will be slaves on earth.” –Mikhail A. Bakunin

“Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, the soul of a soulless situation. It is the opium of the people. The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is required for their real happiness.” -Karl Marx

“Anarchism stands for the liberation of the human mind from the dominion of religion and liberation of the human body from the coercion of property; liberation from the shackles and restraint of government.” -Emma Goldman

I am in agreement with these sentiments. The “God” of religion is something we made up. There is no sky “God” beyond the clouds in the heavens who controls and orders the affairs of humankind, and working out some mysterious divine plan. It’s unfortunate that the Christian religion has used Jesus as the poster-child for this religious propaganda. One of the central reasons why I wrote the book Inner Anarchy was to show how the Christian religion has misrepresented Jesus and his message, and draw out the truth that Jesus bore witness to and demonstrated.

It’s regrettable how the Christian religion has typically portrayed Jesus. The truth is that Jesus could be considered the biggest anarchist of them all. Jesus’ life began and came to an end in defiance of government. If it had not been for Mary and Joseph’s intentional act of defying King Herod’s decree, Jesus would have never been born. Jesus was born into this world as a criminal and would later be killed as a criminal – a criminal as so regarded by the government. Everything surrounding the birth, life, and death of Jesus was a defiance of the religious and political power structures of his day, which ultimately conspired together to have Jesus executed. This anarchist spirit is prevalent in about everything associated with Jesus, including his own mother. I wrote in Inner Anarchy:

 “Mary is not the serene and submissive one we see portrayed on Christmas cards. Oh no! The New Testament “Mary” is the Greek rendering of the Hebrew Marion. It means “bitter rebellion.”

“Mary” is that spirit of anarchy—the need to rebel against the belief systems that have been dumped on us and led us astray. Can you now see? That is “Mary,” the mother of the messiah, within us! That is the anarchy that we have been talking about that is so necessary. That is the messiah’s mom! No mom, then no messiah!”

“Jesus confronted and challenged the hierarchical structures of power in his day. I wrote in Notes from (Over) the Edge:

“Jesus turned everything upside down. He desacralized everything – times, places, rituals, altars, hierarchies, traditions. In their place, he ascribed dignity and authority to the human being – ordinary men and women who bear God’s image. He put everything back under the feet of the human ones. Religion – Law, Scripture, everything – must serve them rather than be served by them.”

and

“Jesus was continually challenged, “By what authority do you say this or do that.” He never answered by appealing to the authority of the Bible. He laid no claim to a vision from any kind of special revelation. In fact, what makes Jesus immeasurably greater than any religious guru is precisely the fact that he spoke and acted without authority and that he regarded “the exercise of authority” as a profane characteristic.

Jesus’s perception and teaching of the truth was direct and unmediated. He did not even lay claim to the authority of a prophet. Unlike the prophets he did not appeal to a special prophetic calling or to a vision in order to legitimize his words. Jesus never used the classical prophetic introduction, ‘God says…’ What gave weight to the words of Jesus were the words themselves. Jesus was unique among the men of his time in his ability to overcome all forms of authority-thinking. The only authority which Jesus might be said to have appealed to was the authority of the Truth itself.”

Jesus taught that the guiding and governing principle for social relations and human affairs is to treat others as we would want others to treat us. By definition this would have to be a voluntary association between people as opposed to a mandated or legislated one. It also means that if someone is following the “Golden Rule” they must not do to others what they do not want others to do to them, which means one must respect the autonomy of other people’s personhood and their just property.

The story of Jesus commanding us to give unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s is commonly misrepresented as Jesus commanding people to give to Caesar the denari which he asks for (i.e., to pay taxes to government) as – it is assumed – the denari are Caesar’s, being that they have Caesar’s image and name on them. But Jesus never said that this was so! What Jesus did say though was an ingenious case of rhetorical misdirection to avoid being immediately arrested. When the Pharisees asked Jesus whether or not it is lawful to pay taxes to Caesar they did so as a ruse in the hopes of being able to either have him arrested as a rebel by the Roman authorities or to have him discredited in the eyes of his followers. Jesus simply said “Give to Caesar that which is Caesar’s.” This begged the question, what exactly does belong to Caesar? The answer was demonstrated in everything Jesus taught and lived. What belonged to Caesar? Nothing. Jesus was a subversive person, and quite clever. He said be “wise as serpents and harmless as doves.” Jesus picked his battles. A time or two he paid the Temple tax to avoid arrest. In his mind, there were bigger fish to fry.

There’s much more that could be said about the anarchist sentiments that Jesus taught, lived and demonstrated but that will have to be a subject for a future post.

One of the central themes of Inner Anarchy is showing how Jesus was an inner anarchist. Jesus confronted the religious and societal/political power structures of his day and called people to divest themselves from them. He was viewed as a dangerous threat to these hierarchies of power, which ultimately conspired together to have him killed, which Jesus did not resist and faced voluntarily. What separates Jesus from typical anarchist thinking is that Jesus did NOT see the root problem as individuals or groups of people in power or the ruling class. Instead, Jesus identified the culprit of human injustice, suffering and oppression as the power structures within ourselves in the form of the false beliefs, mindsets, narratives and ideologies that have been programmed into our heads and rule us from within.

Inner anarchists are people who strike down and turn away from those false beliefs, mindsets, narratives and ideologies that have been ruling within them. Instead, they turn to the power and authority within themselves and lift up a new reality and world in its place. Jesus referred to this inner reality and authority as “the kingdom of heaven.” It’s not a religious thing but a natural part of each of us deep within. It is what’s most real to us in our deep feelings and what we know to be true in our gut. Once one does their inner anarchy they can no longer support or perpetuate the systems of religion or this world that operate upon those false beliefs and ideologies. This is the connection between inner anarchy and anarchy. Jesus said first address the system within yourself so you can truly aid the liberation of others, and replace the old order with a new world.

Contrary to popular belief, Jesus did not teach or advocate the view of a sky God who is located somewhere beyond the clouds and who is guiding and controlling the affairs of humankind according to some divine plan. Jesus called this “God” a lie. Instead, Jesus taught that “God” is a spirit, dimension, and authority that is naturally within every individual person, and does not need religion to regulate it. The primary message of Jesus was calling people to switch sources – to turn away from those false beliefs and ideologies in our heads, and to turn toward what is real in our deep feelings and what we know is true in our gut. In other words, to turn to that natural authority within ourselves – to speak, act and live from that higher spiritual presence with us. We all did this quite naturally as children until we were inoculated with the poison, dispensed by societal institutions such as education, religion, government, media and society.

So back to the question: Do you have to be an atheist to be an anarchist? I would say yes… and no. The answer is “yes” in terms of divesting oneself from the “God” of religion – that tyrant in the sky who rules the world and the fate of humankind. Jesus himself did not hold belief in that “God.” But I would also say “no” with respect to the fact that, whatever one chooses to call it, there is an authority, dimension, source, consciousness… that runs equally through us all. We touch that source often but perhaps we doubt it or don’t know what to do with it. John Lennon was connecting with and giving expression to that source when he sang the song, Imagine. Martin Luther King, Jr. was connecting with and giving expression to that source in his “I have a dream” speech. Noteworthy anarchist Errico Malatesta was connecting with and giving expression with that source when he said, “We anarchists do not want to emancipate the people; we want the people to emancipate themselves.”

I don’t believe there can be any sustainable anarchy without inner anarchy. The target of our struggle is never merely the tyrant on high but also that piece of the oppressor planted deep inside. Until we tun away from the false beliefs, mindsets, fears, narratives and ideologies that have been programmed into our heads and ruling from within… and until we turn to that source and authority within us and lift up what we know to be real and true in our gut… we are not going to birth that world that John Lennon, Martin Luther King, Jr. Errico Malatesta and all of us carry deep inside.

Do you have to be an Atheist to be an anarchist?

Do you have to be an Atheist to be an anarchist? I’ve been pondering this question lately because many of my anarchy friends are indeed Atheist. It makes sense. At its root, anarchy is the absence of a ruler – that would include a ruler on earth or in the heavens. Here are a few anarchist quotes about this:

“As long as we have a master in heaven, we will be slaves on earth.” –Mikhail A. Bakunin

“Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, the soul of a soulless situation. It is the opium of the people. The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is required for their real happiness.” -Karl Marx

“Anarchism stands for the liberation of the human mind from the dominion of religion and liberation of the human body from the coercion of property; liberation from the shackles and restraint of government.” -Emma Goldman

I am in agreement with these sentiments. The “God” of religion is something we made up. There is no sky “God” beyond the clouds in the heavens who controls and orders the affairs of humankind, and working out some mysterious divine plan. It’s unfortunate that the Christian religion has used Jesus as the poster-child for this religious propaganda. One of the central reasons why I wrote the book Inner Anarchy was to show how the Christian religion has misrepresented Jesus and his message, and draw out the truth that Jesus bore witness to and demonstrated.

It’s regrettable how the Christian religion has typically portrayed Jesus. The truth is that Jesus could be considered the biggest anarchist of them all. Jesus’ life began and came to an end in defiance of government. If it had not been for Mary and Joseph’s intentional act of defying King Herod’s decree, Jesus would have never been born. Jesus was born into this world as a criminal and would later be killed as a criminal – a criminal as so regarded by the government. Everything surrounding the birth, life, and death of Jesus was a defiance of the religious and political power structures of his day, which ultimately conspired together to have Jesus executed. This anarchist spirit is prevalent in about everything associated with Jesus, including his own mother. I wrote in Inner Anarchy:

 “Mary is not the serene and submissive one we see portrayed on Christmas cards. Oh no! The New Testament “Mary” is the Greek rendering of the Hebrew Marion. It means “bitter rebellion.”

“Mary” is that spirit of anarchy—the need to rebel against the belief systems that have been dumped on us and led us astray. Can you now see? That is “Mary,” the mother of the messiah, within us! That is the anarchy that we have been talking about that is so necessary. That is the messiah’s mom! No mom, then no messiah!”

“Jesus confronted and challenged the hierarchical structures of power in his day. I wrote in Notes from (Over) the Edge:

“Jesus turned everything upside down. He desacralized everything – times, places, rituals, altars, hierarchies, traditions. In their place, he ascribed dignity and authority to the human being – ordinary men and women who bear God’s image. He put everything back under the feet of the human ones. Religion – Law, Scripture, everything – must serve them rather than be served by them.”

and

“Jesus was continually challenged, “By what authority do you say this or do that.” He never answered by appealing to the authority of the Bible. He laid no claim to a vision from any kind of special revelation. In fact, what makes Jesus immeasurably greater than any religious guru is precisely the fact that he spoke and acted without authority and that he regarded “the exercise of authority” as a profane characteristic.

Jesus’s perception and teaching of the truth was direct and unmediated. He did not even lay claim to the authority of a prophet. Unlike the prophets he did not appeal to a special prophetic calling or to a vision in order to legitimize his words. Jesus never used the classical prophetic introduction, ‘God says…’ What gave weight to the words of Jesus were the words themselves. Jesus was unique among the men of his time in his ability to overcome all forms of authority-thinking. The only authority which Jesus might be said to have appealed to was the authority of the Truth itself.”

Jesus taught that the guiding and governing principle for social relations and human affairs is to treat others as we would want others to treat us. By definition this would have to be a voluntary association between people as opposed to a mandated or legislated one. It also means that if someone is following the “Golden Rule” they must not do to others what they do not want others to do to them, which means one must respect the autonomy of other people’s personhood and their just property.

The story of Jesus commanding us to give unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s is commonly misrepresented as Jesus commanding people to give to Caesar the denari which he asks for (i.e., to pay taxes to government) as – it is assumed – the denari are Caesar’s, being that they have Caesar’s image and name on them. But Jesus never said that this was so! What Jesus did say though was an ingenious case of rhetorical misdirection to avoid being immediately arrested. When the Pharisees asked Jesus whether or not it is lawful to pay taxes to Caesar they did so as a ruse in the hopes of being able to either have him arrested as a rebel by the Roman authorities or to have him discredited in the eyes of his followers. Jesus simply said “Give to Caesar that which is Caesar’s.” This begged the question, what exactly does belong to Caesar? The answer was demonstrated in everything Jesus taught and lived. What belonged to Caesar? Nothing. Jesus was a subversive person, and quite clever. He said be “wise as serpents and harmless as doves.” Jesus picked his battles. A time or two he paid the Temple tax to avoid arrest. In his mind, there were bigger fish to fry.

There’s much more that could be said about the anarchist sentiments that Jesus taught, lived and demons tarted but that will have to be a subject for a future post.

One of the central themes of Inner Anarchy is showing how Jesus was an inner anarchist. Jesus confronted the religious and societal/political power structures of his day and called people to divest themselves from them. He was viewed as a dangerous threat to these hierarchies of power, which ultimately conspired together to have him killed, which Jesus did not resist and faced voluntarily. What separates Jesus from typical anarchist thinking is that Jesus did NOT see the root problem as individuals or groups of people in power or the ruling class. Instead, Jesus identified the culprit of human injustice, suffering and oppression as the power structures within ourselves in the form of the false beliefs, mindsets, narratives and ideologies that have programmed into our heads and rule us from within.

Contrary to popular belief, Jesus did not teach or advocate the view of a sky God who is located somewhere beyond the clouds and who is guiding and controlling the affairs of humankind according to some divine plan. Jesus called this “God” a lie. Instead, Jesus taught that “God” is a spirit, dimension, and authority that is naturally within every individual person, and does not need religion to regulate it. The primary message of Jesus was calling people to switch sources – to turn away from those false beliefs and ideologies in our heads, and to turn toward what is real in our deep feelings and what we know is true in our gut. In other words, to turn to that natural authority within ourselves – to speak, act and live from that higher spiritual presence with us. We all did this quite naturally as children until we were inoculated with the poison, dispensed by societal institutions such as education, religion, government, media and society.

So back to the question: Do you have to be an atheist to be an anarchist? I would say yes… and no. The answer is “yes” in terms of divesting oneself from the “God” of religion – that tyrant in the sky who rules the world and the fate of humankind. Jesus himself did not hold belief in that “God.” But I would also say “no” with respect to the fact that, whatever one chooses to call it, there is an authority, dimension, source, consciousness… that runs equally through us all. We touch that source often but perhaps we doubt it or don’t know what to do with it. John Lennon was connecting with and giving expression to that source when he sang the song, Imagine. Martin Luther King, Jr. was connecting with and giving expression to that source in his “I have a dream” speech. Noteworthy anarchist Errico Malatesta was connecting with and giving expression with that source when he said, “We anarchists do not want to emancipate the people; we want the people to emancipate themselves.”

I don’t believe there can be any sustainable anarchy without inner anarchy. The target of our struggle is never merely the tyrant on high but also that piece of the oppressor planted deep inside. Until we tun away from the false beliefs, mindsets, fears, narratives and ideologies that have been programmed into our heads and ruling from within… and until we turn to that source and authority within us and lift up what we know to be real and true in our gut… we are not going to birth that world that John Lennon, Martin Luther King, Jr. Errico Malatesta and all of us carry deep inside.

What does Jesus have to do with crypto-anarchism?

I have studied anarchy in great depth, which led to my coining the phrase “inner anarchy,” which is the title of my most recent book.

I am sympathetic toward anarchy as a social movement. Anarchy is typically described as a political philosophy that advocates stateless societies often defined as self-governed voluntary institutions based on non-hierarchical free associations. Anarchism opposes authority or hierarchical organization in the conduct of human relations, including, but not limited to, the state system. People often equate anarchy with insurrection, chaos, lawlessness and violence because these dynamics have characterized several historical instances of anarchy. In this sense, anarchy has unfairly been given a bad name.

Characterizing anarchy as chaos, lawlessness and violence is not accurately representing what anarchism truly is. “Anarchism” and “anarchy” are undoubtedly the most misrepresented ideas in political theory. The word “anarchy” is from the Greek, prefix an (or a), meaning “not,” “the absence of,” or “the lack of”, plus archos, meaning “a ruler,” “director,” chief,” “person in charge,” or “authority.” In other words, “anarchy” is “the absence of a master, ruler, sovereign or ruling class.” Anarchy means more than just no government,” it means opposition to all forms of authoritarian organization and hierarchy. Anarchists envision a society within which individuals freely co-operate together as equals.

It’s not possible in this post to adequately convey what anarchy is as an idea, theory or philosophy, or to cover the historical origins and developments of anarchism. The most comprehensive site on the Internet for exploring anarchy is: theanarchistlibrary.org. Some additional resources worth exploring are: (1) Panel Discussion About Anarchism; (2) Noam Chomsky Lecture on Anarchism.

Some central figures to anarchy that you can explore further are: Peter Kropotkin; Mikhail Bakunin; Emma Goldman; Pierre-Joseph Proudhon; and Errico Malatesta. If you’re into history, the most successful anarchy effort is typically considered to be be the Spanish Revolution from 1936-1939.

A few quotes from these well-known anarchists include:

“We anarchists do not want to emancipate the people; we want the people to emancipate themselves.”

― Errico Malatesta

“The history of human thought recalls the swinging of a pendulum which takes centuries to swing. After a long period of slumber comes a moment of awakening. Then thought frees herself from the chains with which those interested — rulers, lawyers, clerics — have carefully enwound her.”

― Peter Kropotkin

“Anarchism stands for the liberation of the human mind from the dominion of religion and liberation of the human body from the coercion of property; liberation from the shackles and restraint of government. It stands for a social order based on the free grouping of individuals.”

― Emma Goldman

I am sympathetic toward the idea of anarchy because I believe, as Charles Darwin pointed out in On The Origin of Species, that our capacity to cooperate is our most potent human survival characteristic. Human beings created the social technology of language to empower cooperative living. Our ability to effectively self-organize and take direct action precludes the need to establish rulers and hierarchies to sort things out for us. You could make an argument that even in the best of cases such as “democracy” (as opposed to totalitarianism) that hierarchical structures of power and authority become corrupt and seek to control people’s lives. Jesus is considered to have been an anarchist, evidenced by his denial of the religious and worldly power structures of his day, and lived in defiance of religion and government.

Shallow anarchistic thinking tends to equate the problems in our world with the rulers, authorities and ruling classes themselves. In other words, they see the people or groups of people as the obstacle or enemy. The root problem is deeper than this and lies in the false beliefs, mindsets, narratives and ideologies that rule people from within. That’s the real obstacle and enemy – not the people or groups themselves, but those beliefs, mindsets, narratives and ideologies. Even anarchy can become an ideology and function in the same way if it is originating from that same poisoned well.

Anarchy as a cyber-movement has been growing exponentially. Often referred to as crypto-anarchism, these are anarcho-capitalists who employ cryptography to enable individuals to make consensual economic arrangements without government interference, surveillance or regulation. Bitcoin, for example, is the anarchist alternative to government regulated capitalism and the use of fiduciary money. Bitcoin is considered the first cryptocurrency. Invented by Satoshi Nakamoto in 2008, bitcoin is a decentralized virtual currency which exists as a peer-to-peer network where people carry out financial transactions with one another without any intermediary. However, purists such as Amir Taaki and Cody Wilson believe that the anarchist spirit behind bitcoin has been compromised as it has become more commercialized and co-opted by the interests of big business and those who want to impose regulations.

But even with the technological advancement and sophistication of these digital tools, which are meant to empower and enable people to voluntarily self-organize their lives free from hierarchies of power, the tools have also been corrupted and used to do great harm, violence and oppression against one another. Ross Ulbricht is likely facing 30 years in prison as the mastermind behind the “silk road,” an online black market best known as a platform for selling illegal drugs. The radical terrorist group, ISIS, is waging full-scale cyberwar and utilizing every technological advancement at their disposal to do so.

People like Amir Taaki, Cody Wilson and even Ross Ulbricht are brilliant, but any hope of truly achieving the vision of a free humankind where people voluntarily cooperate and self-organize to create a world that works for everyone is going to require inner anarchy. We must dethrone and dispel the false beliefs, mindsets, narratives and ideologies that we have been socialized into and rule us from within. This is our true enemy, which pits us against each other and eliminates any possibility of achieving the kind of free, voluntary, and productive association that anarchists envision. Unless this inner anarchy takes place all our technological advancements and sophistications will be in vain, and they will ultimately come to serve those false mindsets and ideologies that rule us from within. This is my conviction, which is why I wrote the book, Inner Anarchy.

One of the central themes of the book is showing how Jesus was an inner anarchist. Jesus confronted the religious and societal/political power structures of his day and called people to divest themselves from them. He was viewed as a dangerous threat to these hierarchies of power, which ultimately conspired together to have him executed, which Jesus did not resist and faced voluntarily. What separated Jesus from typical anarchist thinking is that Jesus did NOT see the root problem as individuals or groups of people in power or the ruling class. Instead, Jesus identified the culprit of human injustice, suffering and oppression as the power structures within ourselves in the form of the false beliefs, mindsets, narratives and ideologies that have programmed into our heads and rule us from within.

Contrary to popular belief, Jesus did not teach or advocate the view of a sky God who is located somewhere beyond the clouds and who is guiding and controlling the affairs of humankind according to some divine plan. Jesus called this “God” a lie. Instead, Jesus taught that “God” is a spirit, dimension, and authority that is naturally within every individual person, and does not need religion to regulate it. The primary message of Jesus was calling people to switch sources – to turn away from those false beliefs and ideologies in our heads, and to turn toward what is real in our deep feelings and what we know is true in our gut. In other words, to turn to that natural authority within ourselves – to speak, act and live from that higher spiritual presence with us. We all did this quite naturally as children until we were inoculated with the poison, dispensed by societal institutions such as education, religion, government, media and society.

If our intelligence and brilliance alone could have solved our human predicament by now, it would have. We need more than that. Current anarchist thinking has misdiagnosed the problem. It’s much deeper than simply taking down the current power structures of our day. In due time we would build new ones to replace them and be right back in the same boat again. We already see this in cases where the Libertarian Party has become just another political party, and the bitcoin just another avenue of capitalistic commerce. The problem is in the water, and we’re all drinking from it. It’s those false beliefs, mindsets and ideologies in all our heads. It’s the collective consciousness that is the immovable stone that is in the way.

If I was planning an anarchist movement I would most definitely want Amir Taaki and Cody Wilson on my side, but I would hope that they would see the need to incite the inner anarchy I’m describing. As smart as we are, we might have to become more like children to really work this out.

Jesus is dead.

“God is dead” is a widely quoted statement by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. The phrase “God is dead” does not mean that Nietzsche believed in an actual God who first existed and then died in a literal sense. Rather, it conveys his view that the Christian God is no longer a credible source of absolute moral principles. I agree with Nietzsche on this point that the “God” of the Christian religion is a fabrication. In fact, Jesus called that “God” a liar, murderer, father of lies and the devil.

The day has come to take Nietzche’s point a bit further. Not only is the “God” of the Christian religion dead, the Jesus of the Christian religion is also. Whereas the “God” of the Christian religion is not real and so his “death” is a matter of discarding this false belief, Jesus was real and lived, but he is no longer alive today.

Jesus is dead. He died 2,000 years ago. There is not a bodily Jesus of Nazareth walking around or sitting on a throne somewhere beyond the clouds in a heavenly city with streets of gold. The only Jesus that is real and remains is entombed in each of us – the spirit of Jesus. Everything Jesus truly was, demonstrated and represented is within each of us. Jesus himself said that his physical death was necessary so people would not be attached to him as a person, but would connect with and follow the spirit. There are currently 2.5+ billon Christians in the world who still believe Jesus is bodily alive and will one day return to earth to save the world. This is not going to happen, and unless the Christian religion discards that false Jesus-story this world will never see the salvation Jesus promised.

I wrote the book, Inner Anarchy, to set the record straight about what Jesus himself claimed, which is considerably different from what we have consistently heard from the institutional Christian church since the rule of Constantine. Here are a few poignant excerpts:

“The reality of the situation is that the salvation of the world is never going to happen through the physical Jesus because that Jesus is dead. Jesus never taught that the critical salvific event was the resurrection of his corpse, and there is evidence that the earliest Christians did not hold this view but believed in a spiritual resurrection. There is a well-documented mystical tradition of people seeing Jesus in visions and dreams, which was much later corrupted by the growing legend of a bodily resurrection.”

*

“There is no refuting the Bible’s account of Jesus’ death by crucifixion, which is collaborated by other historical records. It seems a bit odd, however, that if such an extraordinary event took place—that a body resurrected itself after three days, then wandered about in a physical form for a number of days before being lifted up into the sky—no further record of it exists in historical documents.”

*

“The salient point here is that his Spirit is alive. If you read the Gospels carefully, you will discover that Jesus never claimed that he was the messiah or would save the world in the way the Christian religion teaches. Instead he pointed us toward the Spirit—the same life-giving one that was in him and that he demonstrated. He stated that his authority was not derived from this physical world. Instead, he taught people to recognize a higher spiritual presence within themselves. It is not the physical or bodily Jesus who is the messiah who will save the world, but the presence that filled Jesus and fills us too. The Spirit saves. That is what he was teaching. There dwells our savior in us! It is not Jesus in the sky but “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).”

*

“Jesus often spoke of the necessity of his death, which upset his closest followers. Jesus explained that his death was a necessary step to shift their attachment from the physical Jesus to his Spirit—that higher spiritual presence inside them. Unfortunately, the Christian religion has failed to make this shift; they pay homage and place the focus on the physical Jesus but have not turned toward or manifested that higher spiritual presence within them.”

*

“Jesus came two thousand years ago to demonstrate, testify, and bear witness to the truth, and that truth still stands. There is a heavenly Bethlehem within each of us, and the same Spirit that was in Jesus is in us—that is the true messiah that is to be birthed out of us to save the world! We are the priesthood, but instead of turning people toward the Spirit within, the Christian religion did and does the very thing Jesus exhorted his disciples not to do—build a religion around the physical human Jesus. Jesus stated unequivocally that his kingdom and authority were not rooted in this cosmos—the carnal and religious mental reasoning and mindsets of this world.”

*

“The Christian church has constructed a belief system that denies and twists the powerful spiritual truths that Jesus taught and lived, and in so doing has preached a powerless gospel that has led countless people into a religious maze that goes nowhere. Our colossal error was telling people that they are inherently bad, separated from God, and should not trust what is inside them.

For the past two thousand years the Christian religion has been the immovable stone that has sealed off the tomb of the eternal life-giving Spirit within us. Christian leadership can’t even come to a unified agreement and oneness among themselves. Surely that fact alone gives us grounds to rethink a few things.”

I am pointing the finger at myself. As I wrote in Inner Anarchy, I was once one of those religious leaders. I was the seminary graduate with a master of divinity degree. I was the successful senior pastor whom people turned to for truth. I was the religious leader and Bible expert whom people trusted. But I was the one who preached that powerless gospel, handcuffed people to a false God, misrepresented Jesus, and misused the Bible—all the while claiming to be divinely anointed. I was sincere in doing all of these things, but I was sincerely wrong.

It’s time that the Christian religion tells the world the truth. There is no God up in the sky who is in control of all things and implementing a mysterious divine plan that fixes the suffering of our world and humankind. We have been trained to look outside ourselves and up in the clouds to find our God, Jesus, salvation and heaven. We should have been looking, seeking, finding and accessing these spiritual realities within ourselves. Until we do this, nothing will change and we will be waiting another 2,000 years for Jesus to come back if our planet and humankind survives that long.

Who was this Jesus really? I Discuss this in Inner Anarchy:

“Jesus was a human being like you. He was a first-century Jew in ancient Palestine. We know about him today because the truth he shared distressed a deep-rooted, 4,000-year-old religion and threatened the political and societal power centers of his day. He sure raised quite a bit of hell for one guy! Ultimately, those religious and political powers conspired together to have him killed.

Why? What danger did Jesus pose to these powers that resulted in his execution?

The truth that Jesus shared and demonstrated debunked the foundational premises on which those religious and political systems were built. Jesus called for people to stop listening to them and start listening to the spirit of truth within themselves. He attacked the credibility of those systems and told people to find their authority inside themselves. Instead of a human-led society, he was advocating a world ruled by an amazing power or Spirit mind that was already within us. Jesus called it the kingdom—the authority—of heaven. Each time Jesus opened his mouth, he was pulling out another wooden Jenga block, making these religious and worldly powers vulnerable and unstable. Jesus himself was no threat—he had no position of religious or political power and wasn’t campaigning to be the worldly president—but his truth made him a one-man wrecking crew.

If Jesus were alive today, that scenario would repeat itself. He would come to his people—the Christian establishment—and they would quickly discover that his truth doesn’t line up with their longstanding, “orthodox,” theological tradition. Protecting their church kingdoms, Christian leaders would come out with guns blazing. Like first-century Jews, they would reject Jesus, label him a heretic, characterize him as a dangerous inciter, and ostracize him. As Jesus stirred things up and more people started listening to and following him, he would become a person of interest to our worldly and political powers. The government would not allow the rebel Jesus to go on like this—it might just get people questioning their dogma and authority as well.”

Jesus cannot save us or the world. He is dead. But the truth he bore witness to and demonstrated is the salvation the world is awaiting! And it’s not up in the sky; it’s within you and me. When we release the Spirit running through us all, we become one, and peace and love reign.

Jesus said, “Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds” (Matthew 12:24). Jesus knew that as long as the salvation of the world was tied to him personally and his actions in the world, that salvation would never come. His “going away” was a critical step that had to happen. He taught that this shift from the mortal Jesus to the immortal Spirit of Jesus within them was what would birth the power to save the world. It would cut down the ruling mindsets within us that are destroying us and lift up a higher living presence and dimension that would unite us. Jesus said, “And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself” (John 12:32). This was not a challenge for people to start a Jesus religion and go around the world trying to convert people to it. Jesus was saying that when the eternal Spirit—within him and us—is lifted up out of us into the world, then that eternal Spirit will be easily recognizable to us all and draw us together as one human family.

We need inner anarchy! It is time to dethrone the false religious beliefs, mindsets, narratives and ideologies that have ruled us from within and corrupted our present age. Those false beliefs include the sky God of the Christian religion, and the belief that Jesus is going to bodily return to save the world. No more waiting around for “God” to bail us out and for Jesus to drop down out of the clouds to save us. Jesus said that the world we dream of is already within us as well as the power and authority to birth it. We must have the courage to follow the authority within yourself, and lift that world up out of us! No longer can we sit in silence. We must speak what we know is real inside our spirit. We must speak and live that world into existence. Light the beacons of inner anarchy everywhere!

If you are interested in exploring inner anarchy further, read the book and investigate the message for yourself. Here is a FAQ about the book. Contact me if you are interested in connecting with others who are living and spreading inner anarchy.

How inner anarchy can save us

Okay, let me see if I can say this as simply as possible.

1. Our world is coming unglued and currently on a path to destruction.

2. It doesn’t have to be this way.

3. Religion is one of our biggest obstacles because it falsely teaches people there is a God up in the sky somewhere who is going to sort all this out for us.

4. Running through us all is a spirit, dimension and authority through which we can together birth a whole new reality of universal harmony, wholeness and well-being.

5. Our current problem is that we are being ruled within by false beliefs, mindsets, narratives and ideologies that have been programmed into our heads and keep us going around in circles and getting nowhere except further down the path of destruction.

6. The solution is to switch sources – to turn away from the lies in our heads and to turn toward what is real in our deep feelings and what we know to be true in our gut, which is that spirit, dimension and authority within us.

7. What there is to do is to lift those deep and powerful gut feelings out of us by speaking them naturally to each other and following them.

8. All of us can do this because it doesn’t require any special knowledge or religious training; only that you will operate with the simplicity, naturalness and openness of a child.

9. I wrote Inner Anarchy to promote the above. In doing so it was necessary for me to point out how Christianity has become one of the biggest obstacles by creating an entire belief-system about God, which is not what Jesus himself taught.

If you want to explore this message further, here’s a link to the book Inner Anarchy.

Should we be questioning the entire construct of death? Yes!

The subject of death is something most of us ponder and wonder about – not only our own death but also our loved ones that have been taken from us. What happens when we die? Where are our loved ones who have passed? What confidence should we have in the Christian teaching about heaven? The subject of death comes up in Inner Anarchy, and particularly Jesus’ bold assertions that an age is coming in which it will not be necessary to taste death. These are a few of the matters I discuss in the below video.