Futurelawyer

The Real Story Of Valentine's Day - It Isn't About Undying Love.

Let's Talk About The Real St. Valentine. I hate to burst the commercial bubble; but, Valentine's Day was a creation of Medieval crazies, who believed in magic. The real St. Valentine was a Roman priest who was tortured and beheaded in 269 A.D. Look it up. But, no ritual murder can stop modern commercial success. Just as the early Christians coopted Pagan rites to create Christmas, so also we have, over time, turned a murder into a retail bonanza focused on a false sense of what true love is. Read it and weep. But, love your lover anyway. That part is a good thing.

It Is So Long Since He Left Us.

Christmas I still can't believe that it's been 1,988 years since Christ left us. Things have certainly gone downhill since he left. War, pestilence, plague, pandemics, crime in the streets, bad politicians, fake religious leaders, bad actors, and, now, angry mobs of woke people burning, and looting. Sometimes, I wish that He could come back for just a little while, and straighten things out. But, alas, we are going to have to wait until Judgment Day. This year's birthday party will require some careful navigation. We need to check on guest vaccination, monitor mask wearers, and make sure everyone stays physically away from us. All that, and keeping up with the CDC and Dr. Fauci,just add to the stress of the holiday. Sometimes, I just want to hide in the house until it's over. But, then, I remember that we don't know when our day will arrive, and we must be prepared. So, mask up, and try to put on a brave face during the holiday. You never know when it will be your last Christmas. 

P.S. This is satire. I apologize in advance if my words have triggered any gentle souls who are unable to handle satire, and I promise to do better in the future. If we have a future, that is.

P.P.S. If the mention of the Christian Savior triggers anyone, I must refuse to apologize. Some things are too important to worry about blowback or criticism. If the early Christians were willing to be killed by lions, I certainly can handle some modern day social media attacks. 

 

 

All Soul's Day - Remember The Dead.

All Soul's Day. On November 2d, in the Catholic tradition, we remember those who have died. However, the Wikipedia article, and other sources, don't tell us why we do. In my youth, I always had mixed feelings about the day; especially, since I had lost my father at the age of 5, and I couldn't understand why we were praying for deceased people who were allegedly in Heaven, a far better place. I preferred to think that they were praying for us. It is good to remember the dead, just as it is wise to remember that we will die. Memento Mori. Such thoughts cause us to be grateful for the life we have, and to seek joy in every day. But, it has always seemed arrogant to me to claim that we "know" what lies beyond the grave. Perhaps it is better to admit that we do not know, and to live the best lives we can while we are alive. Rest in peace to all my friends and relatives who aren't with us. Today I remember you, and promise to live the best life I can, as long as I can.

An Open Letter To Politicians, Religious Leaders, And Anyone Who Says They Know Better.

The older I get, the more I realize that religion and man made rules are really just a method for some people to control other people. Most rules and regulations are. Some control, of course, is a good thing. Reducing crime, for instance, by laws against bad behavior. But, it is a question when we criminalize behavior that harms no one, and, in fact, is just an excuse to control. For instance, why must I attend a Mass in order to preserve my eternal life. We should be talking about whether there is an eternal life, not setting down rules about how to sit in a pew. So, when a Priest tells me he knows what God wants from me, I have to ask. How do you know? When a politician tells me he knows whether, and how, I should wear a mask, or get an injection, or deal with others, I have to ask. How do you know? We have ceded too much decision making about our own lives and bodies to other human beings who have no idea what they are talking about. I suggest a new religion and a new political party. Let's have no religion or political party. Let's make decisions for ourselves, with the only rule being to harm no other. Politicians, priests, Popes, Social Media moguls, newspaper authors, press secretaries, sports figures, celebrities, just butt out. We know you don't know what you are talking about.

Gods And Men - The Next Time Someone Tells You Religion Holds All The Answers.

What do you worship? Why?

The Best Argument For The Existence Of God.

I have no patience with men who pretend to know what God is thinking or saying. It has always seemed to me that another human cannot "know" what a spiritual being says or wants. Priests, Popes, Nuns, or anyone else who dresses up in a certain type of clothing in order to appear wise and knowing, are all pretending. They don't know anything more than the rest of us. But, that doesn't mean that there isn't a Prime Mover, call it God or whatever, doesn't exist. Rationally, a human being must be agnostic, and admit that religion is merely a way for some humans to exercise control. As for the existence of an Almighty God, that is more likely than not. No matter how scientific knowledge advances; nor, how far it advances, there is always the problem espoused by Isaac Newton:

If We Meet No Gods, It Is Because We Harbor None.

This simple statement by Emerson highlights the limits of our knowledge and understanding. We decide what we will see in the world. If we have goodness and divinity within ourselves, we will see it in others and in the universe outside ourselves. We are in control of the vision of Godliness. This may be a subjective view of divinity; but, it is the only one that we can empirically prove. If I sound like a doubting Thomas, it is because I believe in rational discourse. I respect and honor Faith. But, in the end, Faith is just that, and we forget that humble men and women have no direct line to the divine. We are passengers on that ship. "If we meet no gods, it is because we harbor none".

Does God Care Whether We Pray In Latin?

Pope Francis Bans Old Latin Mass. The older I get, the more I realize that neither ordination nor being a Pope means that you can tell other human beings whether and how to believe in, or pray to, whatever God you imagine. In fact, human based organizations, like the Catholic Church, or any other Church group, for that matter, really have some stones to try and tell the rest of us what to do, or what to say, or how to pray, or whether to pray. So, forgive me if I say to Pope Francis, I will pray in Latin if I choose to do so. Maybe I am just getting contrary as I grow older; but, while I respect the rights of others to believe whatever they choose to believe, I certainly have no desire to set out rules for their lives, short of protection of all humans from violence or abuse. Laudate Dominum and Dominus Vobiscum. Et cum spiritu tuo.

 

Easter Sunday

Bok Tower Gardens. For Christians, this holiday commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead. Regardless of whether you are a believer, the history and the human connections is worth studying and remembering. For the non believer, this is still a happy holiday, filled with rabbits, Easter eggs and the celebration of Spring. We are on the earth such a short time. We honor all beliefs, recognizing that no human really knows anything; especially about the future. I will spend the day with my bride having a picnic in one of the most beautiful spots I know.

Holy Wednesday And The Bargain Of Judas.

The Bargain Of Judas. In the Christian tradition, today, Holy Wednesday, marks the Bargain of Judas, or the contract that betrayed Jesus, made between Judas and the Chief Priests. As a lawyer, I have always been fascinated by this part of the story, grounded, as it is, in a bilateral contract between two actors. The consideration, we are told, was 30 pieces of silver ( a tidy sum in those days), in exchange for information as to the location of Jesus and the time he would be there. Like a modern day police informant, Judas was paid for information. Unlike a civil contract, there is no enforcement mechanism in the law for breach; but, I suspect that Judas would pay a severe penalty for lying to the priests. Regardless of whether you are a believer, the remainder of this week is the stuff of history, and the stories themselves are fascinating. All of human greed, emotion, passion, love, hatred, and the full range of what it means to be human are found in the history. Each day has its own special story. Have a Happy Easter.