Bach and duke nukem or some marketing advise to Religions

Music you want to listen to while reading this:
Johann Sebastian Bach: Musical Offering

it is actually interesting to understand that there are certain inalienable truth that can not be proven. Let’s assume for this article that this is true, and that I understand Gödel’s Theorem correctly. If you want to dig into this, a good point to start is Douglas R Hofstadter’s Gödel, Escher, Bach: To summarize the theorem:

“To every w-consistent recursive class k of formulae there correspond recursive class-signs r, such that neither v Genr nor Neg (v Gen r) belongs to Flg (k) (where v is the free variable of r).

Actually it was in German, and perhaps you feel that it might as well be in German anyway. So here is a paraphrase in more normal English:

All consistent axiomatic formulations of number theory include undecidable propositions.” Hofstadter, Gödel, Escher, Bach, 2000, Penguin Books, p17

“Gödel’s proof pertained to any axiomatic system…. In short, Gödel showed that provability is a weaker notion than truth, no matter what axiomatic system is involved.” Hofstadter, Gödel, Escher, Bach, 2000, Penguin Books, p19

Now applying this onto the universe – which – definitively in religious terms is an axiomatic system: there we go: Gives those religious fanatics amongst you ideas, yeah, right: just learn that with religion you do NOT have to prove, because if you cant, then why do it at all? That is maybe a silly thought from rational point of view, but I believe in relation to religion it is the way to go:

“What?” you are saying now, is this writer crazy? He claims to be an enlightened human being – enlightened in the renessaince-ical way, not in the hindu or budhist way (not yet – and unfortunately unlikely ever) and too individual for the Christian or Moslem way - - - so he claims to be enlightened per the above definition and rational and logical thinking and then he plays those religious fanatics powerful arguments into their hands!

The reasoning behind why it is actually possible to live this contradiction of not believing in God and at the same time to be a rationally thinking being at the same time is explored elsewhere, so that for this short chapter it is ok to assume it is possible.

Now the only point I am trying to make here is that as a religion and/or a church – again thoughts about their difference being explained elsewhere elsewhere - you not only have to prove, but SHOULD NOT, MUST NOT prove!!!


BECAUSE, if you try to explain that Jesus – me being Christian, but feel encouraged to adopt this for your own religious disputes - was conceived through instantaneous sprouting – as, apparently some catholic clerics try to explain the Lady Mary’s virginity with (sorry cant find the source) then the only thing you get is either ridiculous or will be proven wrong later: well, in the case of the Catholic Church it is assume that not acknowledging facts helps somehow. Not sure about that, but fact is that a possible mistake in dealing with Galileo was acknowledging only some hundred years after! this sailor did the Magellan-thing and by miracle appeared again on the other side.

For those of you not being Christian, let me explain that in Catholicism certain things commonly assumed as being symbols are actually not symbols at all: The Lady Mary giving birth to Jesus Christ the son of God, but still being a Virgin, the wine and bread that you are offered during Eucharisty during Mass actually being the Blood and Body of Christ (the way of Jesus Christ telling us human beings that he is dying for us and we can take part in him by consuming him, as I understand it as a sign that we can do the same – meaning living good/perfect and should participate and give our best to society).

"Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body, 19b which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." 20 And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, " This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.."
(Lk.22:19-20 Gk. N.T. UBS. 3rd ed.1990

or talking about marketing


The Protestants believe this to be a symbol – we Catholics don’t, well shouldnt!. Believe me, I do not get it. But then again, walking through Hackney one Saturday night at 200am, I made a quite weird experience: staggering along the pavement quite pleasantly drunk from or to a bar, I realized people in the street: well you say, this is hackney, so people buying crack, or coming out of a club, but no, how wrong you are: it was people participating in a Baptist Mass at “God’s Sanctuary”, and they were standing outside because the church, a previous shopfront was actually full! And they were speaking in tongues, not even realizing I was passing between them, some having their toddlers with them…
Now I am sure these people would surely believe that they have just tasted blood and body, and would understand the above. Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing, I leave to you to decide…

Now this brings us back to what I was actually about to say: If you are a Religion, don’t get ridiculous. You don’t HAVE to prove. You are outside scientific reasoning. That is not to say it is ok whatever you do, but this is some marketing advise, and it is to say that if you go down to that level, you will only loose. So just don’t. People wont mind, but they will if you try to compete on a level where you simply cant, because the rules are not yours.
Get me right, you still have to have a justification for actions generally I believe founded in personal or general good but more about this elsewhere.

So the main rule is: Do not try to compete with renaissance, or with science. Be mythical!



Have you ever been to Notre Dame on Ester Saturday, meditated in a Buddhist monastery on a rainy October afternoon in Darjeeling, burned incense for Ganesha? Whatever religion you chose to believe in – or more likely your parent chose that you should believe in - , you do the above should It is about the darkness of a Gothic Cathedral, when Gregorian Chorals are chanted in total darkness, and slowly, very slowly at first, but then ever faster, burning candles are passed from the back to the front, casting golden rays of light through scented air, pregnant with copal, bathing everyone in pure golden brightness?

* * *

oh yeah right, the heading: while reading Gödel, Escher, Bachmentioned above, it draws references to Bach's Musical Offering - dont ask me how and why, but a highly recommended read - which right away, I obviously I right away had to listen to. And you will now!
beautiful.
And as I did, I had a nostalgic flash-back, so I had to download Duke Nukem.

To bring you even more into the right mood!
Repopulation
so now I am playing Duke Nukem 3D while listening to Bach. simple hey?
So get down there, and shoot some Aliens!

love to you all
especially to those sweet religious fanatics out there, hey, possibly Libanon is all sanitized within a week, looks already like Dresden.(actually now, as this article is finished, Libanon is: you fuckers! You know who you are.)