Saturday, April 12, 2008

Stairway to Heaven

Posted by Mickey Z on 04/12 at 11:49 AM
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  1. “I handed them a script and they turned it down,” Gene Roddenberry stated about the first Star Trek movie. “It was too controversial. It talked about concepts like, ‘Who is God?’ [In it] the Enterprise meets God in space; God is a life form, and I wanted to suggest that there may have been, at one time in the human beginning, an alien entity that early man believed was God, and kept those legends. But I also wanted to suggest that it might have been as much the Devil as it was God. After all, what kind of god would throw humans out of Paradise for eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. One of the Vulcans on board, in a very logical way, says, ‘If this is your God, he’s not very impressive. He’s got so many psychological problems; he’s so insecure. He demands worship every seven days. He goes out and creates faulty humans and then blames them for his own mistakes. He’s a pretty poor excuse for a supreme being.’ Not surprisingly, that didn’t sent [sic] the Paramount executives off crying with glee.”

    There was also supposed to be a scene where Captain Kirk does a flying dropkick against Jesus on the Enterprise bridge.

    Sorry.  The geek in me wanted to share.

    Posted by Charles from Jersey City  on  04/12  at  02:00 PM

  2. Another spiffy quote:

    “When did I realize I was God? Well, I was praying and I suddenly realized I was talking to myself.”

    - Peter O’Toole

    Posted by Charles from Jersey City  on  04/12  at  02:02 PM

  3. Now there’s a band name for you: Dropkick Jesus.

    Thanks, Charles. Anyone else got a god story/quote/whatever for us?

    Posted by Mickey Z. from Astoria  on  04/12  at  03:21 PM

  4. Charles...1...after reading you comment, I’m willing to bet a nickel you’ve read ‘The Mysterious Stranger’ by Mark Twain

    Posted by joe of maine from   on  04/12  at  03:27 PM

  5. Joe, haven’t read it, but I certainly will.  (I’ll be waiting for that nickel.) But thanks for the recommendation. 

    Here’s one more:

    “The president of the United States has claimed, on more than one occasion, to be in dialogue with God. If he said that he was talking to God through his hairdryer, this would precipitate a national emergency. I fail to see how the addition of a hairdryer makes the claim more ridiculous or offensive.” - Sam Harris

    Posted by Charles from Jersey City  on  04/12  at  03:43 PM

  6. It is too bad that the idea of God has been tainted so horribly by organized religion, religious-based war and violence in the name of God, idiotic thinking and prejudice influenced by religious works and preachers and politicians who use the “word” of God to perpetrate their continued abuse of the world and those living things in it.

    It is also too bad that these things have influenced many good people to turn away from what in my heart I believe is true...that there is a spiritual mystery that I do not fully understand that can help us in times of great need and hardship...that somehow fuels love and sympathy within me...that is a part of all of us, in what one might call a soul.  I don’t call it God and I repeat that I do not fully understand it...but I believe it exists because I have seen what it can do...in my life, and in the lives of others around me.

    There’s my quote.

    Posted by JOS from Oak Park  on  04/12  at  04:10 PM

  7. If the pope came to visit me, I’d have him arrested for loitering, tresspassing, and disturbing the peace...he gets the same treatment as all celebrities.

    Posted by joe of maine from   on  04/12  at  04:12 PM

  8. that would be something to see, Joe.  It’s too bad you’re not on his itinerary:

    http://www.archny.org/papalvisit/tentative-itinerary/

    Posted by JOS from Oak Park  on  04/12  at  04:16 PM

  9. this is kind of funny:

    http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2769265663193607311

    Posted by JOS from Oak Park  on  04/12  at  04:17 PM

  10. Bill Hicks sez: “I love the Pope, I love seeing him in his Pope-Mobile, his three feet of bullet proof plexiglass. That’s faith in action folks! You know he’s got God on his side.”

    Posted by Mickey Z. from Astoria  on  04/12  at  04:27 PM

  11. Some of my older Pope-related material here and also here.

    Posted by Mickey Z. from Astoria  on  04/12  at  04:30 PM

  12. I quite admire those Japanese who admire nature, simplicity, and selfless ritual:  the ringing of a bell on New Year’s day, or the famous tea ceremony, for instances. I guess I am a Christian for reasons no more deep than trying to understand where a bird flies when it comes in one window and out the next.

    I think occasionally of the elegant and sublime Omar Khayyam who I was taught to love by my grandfather and an Iranian friend who could recite him at length in the original tongue.

    Khayyam:

    For I remember stopping by the way
    To watch a Potter thumping his wet Clay:
    And with its all-obliterated Tongue
    It murmur’d--"Gently, Brother, gently, pray!”

    [I just glanced (and shuddered) at Khayyam’s bio at the Wikipedia which seems to have evolved into a portrait more amenable to fanatics in a post-Cheney world.]

    Voltaire once remarked that the Western religion breeds fanaticism-- how true is that? Ultimately fanaticism wanes as wisdom grows.  Emmanuel Todd makes a good case for that in his book, After the Empire.

    And ultimately, we matter little; ultimately Love should matter most to us… the more human we wish to be.

    (I love the quotation from Tracy Chapman.)

    While recharging my batteries yesterday afternoon in the Mission District-- I marveled at how easy it is for Latinos to converse with less guardedness, more spontaneity, and more penetration than the average gringo.

    There is an efficiency trade-off no doubt, but what could be more pleasant than honoring a friend by stopping what one is doing to linger and just share time?

    Posted by Robert B. Livingston from San Francisco  on  04/12  at  06:24 PM

  13. Hope. Pope. Hmmm...possible topics for the next round of posts: dope, grope (could reference Schwarzenegger), soap, this guy, faux pas…

    ...nope.

    Actually: just checking in to bring this to your attention.

    Posted by Keir from Currently? New York  on  04/12  at  11:35 PM

  14. Pope is for suckers.

    Posted by Mickey Z. from Astoria  on  04/13  at  06:24 AM

  15. Just say no to Pope.

    Posted by Andy from Shanghai  on  04/13  at  09:03 AM

  16. Robert Livingston...12...you said, “what could be more pleasant than honoring a friend by stopping what one is doing to linger and just share time”

    Great Comment Robert...unfortunately for me...I’m losing compassion for the fearful, who become anti-social.

    Posted by joe of maine from   on  04/13  at  10:14 AM

  17. Here’s a question for the pope...asked by Layla Anwar...yes...it’s all Red to me also.

    When I say so much blood, I mean daily blood...DAILY.DAILY.DAILY. Human blood sacrificed at some altar, and am still trying to figure out the God that presides over it.

    Is it the God of Globalization, the God of America, the God of Judea and Samarea, the God of Babylon, the God of Mecca or the God of Jerusalem...?

    Which God is it that demands so much blood? But most importantly why Arab (muslim) Blood ? What kind of vampire lives off Muslim Blood ? And does blood have a race or an ethnicity or even a religion ? It’s all Red to me…

    Posted by joe of maine from   on  04/13  at  11:11 AM

  18. Mickey...mixed feelings on your poem about Nuns.

    I understand the sentiment completely, however, my aunt has been a Nun for more than 60 years.
    I absolutely adore her.

    “but what can I do?”

    While in High School I attended the John Paul II show at the Garden.
    Being a good Catholic boy, of course I was very enthusiastic.
    I’ve spent the better part of 25 years distancing myself from my Catholic backround as much as possible.
    A few years back, when JP II died, a good friend of mine said “Fuck him”.
    I, reflexively i guess, admonished him for the comment.
    He was shocked, as was I.

    I guess some experiences are so ingrained, that regardless of one’s learning and growth, the truth can be missed and forgotten in the moment.

    OK, I’ll stop my ramblin now.

    Lets HOPE for Phil Franchise tonight!

    Posted by Tommy from I live by the River  on  04/13  at  01:21 PM

  19. I went to a Catholic ( St. Clement’s) school for eight years. Yes, There are mean nuns. I had one in the 5th grade(Sister Josephine). She had a long pointer that she would strap you across the back with if you got out of line. My 4th grade teacher(Sister Annalita) was one of the sweetest loving people I ever knew. The priest (Father Lenahan) was a great guy. He tipped the bottle a bit too much but was a great guy none the less. All in All I took away some great experiences from that school. I would do it all over again if I could.

    Posted by David from Louisville KY  on  04/13  at  02:29 PM

  20. Ref. David...19...prosecute Sister Josephine for using a pointer to ‘enchance’ her position of authority.

    Posted by joe of maine from   on  04/13  at  04:54 PM

  21. Don’t get me wrong. Over 12 years of Catholic school education, I did know some nuns (and even a priest or two) who were good to me.

    Posted by Mickey Z. from Astoria  on  04/13  at  05:34 PM

  22. Spinal Tap for the religious set: http://tinyurl.com/6bh7h6 (Can’t believe I wasted a neuron carrying this in my skull!)

    #13, 14, 15: Don’t do Pope. Pope on a Rope sounds like a great gift-giving idea. I understand the Papal Visit (tm) will cost Catholic U about $800K. No word yet on what it will cost the rest of us.

    Who’s your pope? (see parens, paragraph 1) http://tinyurl.com/4tazq

    The Last, but one, Supper: http://tinyurl.com/37h8e9

    We could go on, but this pope business has gone on long enough.

    Posted by Zen Prole from Urth aka 'God's Proving Ground'  on  04/13  at  05:56 PM

  23. Stairway to heaven!

    Posted by Laptoper from   on  04/30  at  08:17 PM

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