Paul's Passing Thoughts

Former (?) pal of Voddie Baucham and president of the now defunct Vision Forum is just and noble.

Society defines madness as an inability to properly evaluate reality. In other words, a mad person’s interpretation of normative reality is an anomaly. Communication with the mad subject cannot be constructive; they perceive reality differently. In some cases, their perception of reality can be somewhat appealing, but unfortunately not real; that’s why we don’t let them drive. That’s why we don’t let them babysit little Johnny.

The contemporary Protestant church is the essence of sanctified madness. We can partake in madness, and it appears to be perfectly normal. Isn’t it good that there is outrage over Doug Phillips’ fall? Isn’t the “I didn’t see that coming” responses perfectly normal?

I don’t know, which reality are we in? “Well, Doug Phillips is a Calvinist.” Ok, let’s look at it from that reality: he is just and noble.

Of course, this means that we now have to communicate in the Calvinist reality in which the terms have different meanings. To the discernment blogosphere that continues to focus on the horrors of the mass graves, and ever found wanting in explaining how the bodies got there, this terminology would seem to be madness. But be advised, I am talking Calvinist to Calvinist here. Let me pause and speak as a Calvinist talking to those in the other sphere:

“Well, I am sure glad you haven’t sinned today (snicker, snicker).”

“Yes, this is disappointing, but we are all sinners saved by grace.”

Now, let me talk in the Calvinist to Calvinist sphere:

“(While wagging the head in exasperation) man, the totally depraved just don’t get it. They are sooooo UNJUST. Yes, here we go again, the unjust railing against the just. Woe unto them on the day of judgment!”

As you can tell, the term “just” has a different meaning in each sphere. For instance, Nazism during WWII was completely predicated on Plato’s Republic. By the definition of “just” according to Plato, Hitler was/is just. Why? Because he focused on his own societal calling as a philosopher king. He stuck to his own business and nobody else’s. He focused on natural division and his responsibility to his part of it (tR 2.374c).

To Plato, societal justice equals UNITY at all cost (tR 1.351,2a). From there, Plato borrowed the Hindu concept of the Bhramin (preist), Kshatria (warrior), and Sudra (commoners). This is the trifold soul of man in both Platonism and Hinduism. In each individual, the soul is predicated by one of these three which determines the person’s class of citizenship. The soul mirrors societal function and need.

Every person possesses reason (philosopher king), a zeal for a unified society (warrior), and ability to build (artisan). But each individual has a soul shaped by one of these characteristics. The one who attends to this natural calling, and no other calling, and contributes to society with the calling, is a JUST individual. To attempt any other calling is “the extreme of wrongdoing” (tR 4.434c).

Now, the artisan is necessarily dominated by appetite, lack of temperance, and a propensity to interpret reality by the material. They build things, so obviously their soul will have a special kinship to the material. Their appetite and lack of temperance drive them to excel in building things. However, the just artisan recognizes that the appetite must be controlled by the reason part of his/her soul, but for the artisan soul, reason is not intuitive because they can only comprehend the material world, so the just artisan relies on the wisdom and dictation of the philosopher king, and is motivated to do so by the fear of the one who enforces the dictates of reason, the warrior. Fear of the warrior is evidence of the warrior part of his/her soul, and the zeal for reason to be upheld.

In contrast, the philosopher king, whose soul is predicated by reason, has an intuitive ability to study the material world in order to progress to the true reality of forms. All material elements are shadows of reality, but pure reality cannot be accessed with the five senses. Artisans are enslaved to interpreting reality via their five senses, but that’s ok because they primarily build things. But the philosopher king accesses true ideas which are invisible, immutable, and eternal. The material world is temporary, untrue, and mutable.

This is the Hindu Absolute, and Plato’s objective forms, his trinity of the true, good, and beautiful. The forms are objective, the material world is subjective. Man cannot experience the objective true forms; he can only experience the shadow world subjectively. The philosopher king endeavors, through reason and ideas, to access the true forms as much as possible and apply them to society for an improved subjective life; ie., a progressively improved shadow life.

Unity among the philosopher kings and warriors depends on social engineering and pure marriages dictated by the state (tR 5.460-464). The Nazi SS was the warrior souls in this construct and partook of this patriarchy playbook to a “T.” The SS dictated who their soldiers married to assure thoroughbred warriors who enforced the dictates of their philosopher king, Adolf Hitler.

This ancient construct is the basis of mythology. It is Plato’s “noble lie” and the Hindu “deliberate mythology.”  It is designed to keep the artisan content in their role, and also reflects the upper class’ assumption that the artisans will believe anything because of their inability to reason. Such is not the case completely, but it appears that way because the mythology is dictated to those who know better by force. The Nazi mythology was the Arian Ice Kingdom. Oh, and by the way, the swastika is a Hindu symbol. But, those artisans who don’t buy the mythology, often buy the idea that to be just is to mind your own business and put complete trust in the elders philosopher kings. That way you can be “just” while preventing any unfortunate church discipline visits from the warriors.

Furthermore, UNITY is the epitome of justice, and in the individual, unity of soul is complete trust in the philosopher kings and tending to the form of your own soul and nobody else’s.

Behavior is completely beside the point. The definition of justice is the point. This is Western thought, and Protestantism in particular. Why are churches willing to sweep evil of every sort under the rug for the sake of unity? That’s why. Why do politicians think we are dumb enough to believe their mythology? That’s why. And be sure of this: Calvin’s total depravity is sourced in the sudra and the artisan, and nowhere else. Calvin and Augustine’s endearment to Plato is hardly obscure history.

There is still hope for the American church because by and large organizations like Vision Forum cannot survive when the likes of Doug Phillips get caught. But unless Christians get a grip on reality, that will change. Remember, GARB churches were totally willing to throw the ABWE Missionary Kids under the bus for the sake of GARB societal unity—because that’s the definition of justice for them as opposed to the victims. The whole ABWE debacle boils down to the church’s definition of justice.

Phillips isn’t a hypocrite by Calvinist standards. He is a just man who told noble lies. Flail away at this “injustice” and “hypocrisy” till the moon turns blue.

They don’t hear you. They think you are insane. Come out from among them and build a solution. Behavior is just a symptom of their madness.

paul