Paul's Passing Thoughts

Thanksgiving Day is upon us, and of course, this is the day we remember those brave Pilgrims who came to America for religious freedom. And of course, there were struggles in the new land and the Pilgrims got some advice from the Indians on how to plant corn and such. So, at harvest time, the good Pilgrims invited the Indians for a feast of “thanksgiving.” Hence, Thanksgiving is adorned with images of Pilgrims, Indians, and tables of food with a big fat turkey as the centerpiece.

In all of history, no propaganda proffered by the worst of despots could hold a candle to this story. In historical context, who were the Pilgrims, and what should Americans really be thankful for?

The idea that the Pilgrims came here for religious freedom is not exactly true and should incite a qualifying question: “What kind of religious freedom”?

First, let’s start with the right mental framework: “Pilgrim” is a soft term for, “Puritan.” The Pilgrims were European Puritans. They came from Europe. This is a short post, so let me compare Puritanism to something you may be more familiar with: Islam. Puritanism WAS predicated on the same basics of Islam; namely, a spiritual elite must rule over the unenlightened masses for their own good and the overall good of humanity. Secondly, the spiritual status of all people is predetermined; you are of the gnosis class, or you aren’t. Mobility between these classes is/was strictly forbidden. I emphasize “was” in regard to the Puritans and “is” in regard to Islam because the Puritans no longer exist.

Why do the Puritans no longer exist? You can thank Benjamin Franklin and company for that and add it to your list of things to be thankful for on Thanksgiving Day. The “religious freedom” that the Puritans sought in the new land was that of the church state. The Puritans were political refugees that dreamed of creating the ideal church state In America. In their mind, the church state was the way to go; it had just never been done correctly. That’s why they left Europe; supposedly, Europe was doing the right thing the wrong way.

We are all familiar with the story of Jesus exorcising demons from a man, and their request to be allowed to enter a heard of pigs. Some surmise from this that demons have to operate in a living entity of some sort. That’s speculation, but the fact that Puritan religion, like Islam, must have a body of political government to live in is not speculation, it’s a fact. That’s why Puritanism doesn’t exist today; the American founding fathers took their body away. Nothing has changed. Islam is in America seeking to find life in our political body. If they are kept out, they will die. Puritanism, like Islam, can only live when the spirit of faith is united with the body of governmental force.

Puritanism, like Islam, is a bad idea that must survive on the blood of the people. It is an idea that is not self-sustaining. The idea must enslave the masses and feed off of them. This is the reality, in every case, of the third world country: an elite that won the cosmic lottery, ruling over the totally depraved masses. They will tell you what you are capable of doing for the state. They will tell you what to eat. They will tell you how many children you can have. You are incompetent by virtue of the class you were born into.

The American colonies were originally ruled by the Puritans. The traditions they brought with them from Europe included the sport of witch hunting that had to be vacated in Europe because it threatened to wipe out an important element of humanity: the female. In some German cities, only a handful of women survived the European witch wars. The sport had to be vacated because the brilliant Puritans started doing the societal math: women minus producer class equals no church state. Brilliant. And did they learn their lesson? Answer: ever heard of the Salem Witch Trials?

The Puritans also created the first public school system in the colonies. In many cases, these were boarding schools where children were removed from their homes by law because the Puritans didn’t trust the commoners to raise their own children. Many Puritan laws concerning the American Indians were also the inspiration for the genocide that later occurred in American history. The Puritans were also primarily responsible for bringing slaves to America. Slavery was one of the European traditions they brought with them. Among the first slaves brought to America arrived at Jamestown. Remember that the Puritans were also second wave Calvinists embodied in the Presbyterian church which later became the primary champions of slavery in the South. The fruit never falls far from the tree.

This is the tyrannical environment that the founding fathers grew up in. Tradition holds that Benjamin Franklin attended the first Puritan public school in Boston. The European tyranny they grew up in inspired the American idea. This idea was predicated on the competence of the individual. This idea was predicated on the belief that all men were created equal and free. The founding fathers said that this truth was intuitive. They stated specifically that it was “self-evident.” As a result, the Puritans were ever a thorn in their side; for example, the Puritans claimed that Benjamin Franklin, a prolific inventor, did so by demonic powers.

“Gospel” means “good news.” The true American gospel is not far from the biblical gospel. Christ preached the good news of God’s forgiveness and a future kingdom. But He also preached the freedom of man to be responsible for the sum and substance of his own life—a responsibility to maximize the gifts God has given. A responsibility to “the life that bears your own name.” It is both freedom and responsibly: “to whom much is given, much is expected.” The founding fathers emphasized the part of the gospel that was paramount at that time: the freedom of man. This gospel inspired slave and commoner alike. It was the true gospel of the Great Awakening.

To associate American evangelicalism with the Republican Party is surely a mistake. American evangelicals confuse the American gospel with the biblical gospel. Both are good, and one is very good, but Christ never converted anybody with the sword. Man is created free, competent, responsible, and free to choose.

Anyone who thinks they are above the fray of American politics and religion is a fool. Anyone who doesn’t concern themselves with these questions is a fool. You cannot separate your freedom from religion or politics. A man once said, “You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you.” Let me borrow that wisdom and say, “You may not be interested in religion or politics, but they are interested in you.” These will eventually own you one way or the other.

Certainly, those who are not free have nothing to be thankful for other than the predestined crumbs of life handed to them by sin or the tyrant that rules over them. This is now their abysmal plight due to their ignorance.

And it’s a pity, for the tyrant is always unworthy to rule over the free. The big fat turkey in the middle of the table wasn’t obtained by the Pilgrims because turkeys are hard to hunt. Surely the same Indians who had to plant their corn brought it to the feast. Pilgrim-like religionists  are always pathetic beasts who must be fed by those ignorant enough to allow their oppression. Those ignorant of the gospel of freedom.

paul