Let there be Darkness!

The lights are out at Barnes and Noble by Quail Springs Mall. They have allowed me to stay in my chair, as I write on my laptop with 90% battery left and ticking away.

I love the silence of no electricity, as a few people huddle next to the books to read their names.

I have a stack of books next to me, which may not be read today, but I am hoping the electric company will say the magical words, “Let there be light!”

Yes, it is Easter weekend. And, the irony exists here in Barnes and Noble. If only this company existed as a Jewish company. We would have candles surrounding us now, but instead of candles, we have other kinds of light, such as this computer monitor, the cell phone, and a bit of light from the generator they must have in the back of the building supplying some energy to a few places. And, if Barnes and Noble were Jewish, the ceilings would be higher, as light from outside would splash against the windows bringing us closer to the energy of the sun.

But, for now...darkness.

And, I am happy for now, though I wish to read so many texts to access knowledge and curiosity. In case my battery dies and I must leave the store, the books I have possessed are of the following:

The New Christians by Tony Jones
The Energy of Prayer by Thich Nhat Hanh
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
The Courage to Be by Paul Tillich
The Many Gospels of Jesus by Philip W. Comfort and Jason Driesbach
Gnostic Philosophy by Tobias Churton
The First Paul by Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan
Passion for Peace by Thomas Merton
In Search of Paul by John Dominic Crossan and Jonathan L. Reed
The New King James Version

I cannot possibly read all these books today, particular in the dark, but my general purpose was to focus on the Apostle Paul and how he transformed Christianity away from a Jewish sect into a completely new religion altogether. I have always viewed Paul negatively, but today I want to see the other side of Paul. He is the marketing strategist of Christianity, and from a monotheistic perspective, the Jewish God has always used his faulty human beings in different forms. Moses murdered before he became a leader of the Israelites and brought them out of possible slavery in Egypt. David sent Bathsheba's husband to the front line of war and death so that he could marry her, although the prophet Nathan confronted him. So, perhaps with all of Paul's faults—the persecutions of the first Christians—I can find some kind of understanding, even though I personally believe he helped transform a Jewish reformer and rabbi into a God-man.

How odd it is for me to be talking about Christianity in this form today! It's easter! I should be humble and accept that God created Jesus from a virgin, even though that is the language of all the mystery and so-called pagan religions across the ages. Jesus, the rabbi and Jewish reformer, is, however, now married to paganism. He is the child of a virgin. He worked miracles in the same form as Moses and the Egyptian mystery religions. He walked on water defying gravity. Mystery and magic pervade the god-man. But somehow, between these lines, Jesus the man is revealed, and we should be able to clarify it by sorting through the forty years of mythology before Mark and the other gospel writers finally penned down the Jesus myth after the Jewish temple destruction in 70 CE.

There is a saying I created in a poem many years ago. I wrote that “myth and truth mix to sanctify my naïve mind.” Reason is difficult to sort out from an historical perspective, and myth surpasses the historical perspective and lives on in the archetypes of our reality to the degree that we can view reality symbolically.

So, that is where I am today.

Now, the lights have returned to Barnes and Noble at just the right time.

I will begin reading about Paul and probably find some disappointments and clarifications. No matter what, I accept the Jesus complexity and believe, even if Jesus is man or divine, it matters most that I have received experiences of tranquility in this reality and absolutely find peace in this universal, historical thought process.

There is something alive and moving within me—either the human spirit or reason or something else mystical altogether. And, if God or myself somehow is struck with a pattern within me, then I will come closer to this journey that I am on, which many people call religion. And, since it is mystical, I can only report it as many others reported it—as symbolism and reason. Those two mixed together are not exactly science, are they?

Nor will they ever be!

--Jinglett