spine-tingling deities
I’m a huge Mike Patton fan. He’s a multi-talented, multi-faceted, multi-genre music-making genius extraordinaire. I love Faith No More, Fantomas, Peeping Tom and even that silly Italian orchestra stuff. Lots of other people love him too – webpages with references to “Mike Patton is God” abound. I listen to his music in pure ecstasy – all sorts of spine-tingling feelings that assure me this man is amazing. So, imagine my horror when I stumble upon YouTube interviews with this music deity incarnate, only to discover he’s just not cool. But seriously, like not cool at ALL.
Unusually, this got me thinking about other deities. Lots of Christians base their love for the god God on the evidence they have for his existence. There’s a book and there’s something of a spine-tingling feeling (maybe from the heart or soul, it’s difficult to pinpoint). Very similar to my situation with Mike Patton – I have music and a spine-tingling feeling. Except they don’t have a YouTube video to give them any further information.
So, we’ll have to go to the god God’s autobiography (The Bible) to see if we can find any further information about the true character of this elusively invisible deity. What glimpses of the god God’s personality can we find?
narcissistic
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.
He really likes people singing his praises. Most confident beings don’t need to hear how great they are on a regular basis, but this god God pretty much demands to be worshipped and praised. Anyone else thinking self-esteem issues? This can happen to anyone, nothing to be ashamed of here. But he really takes it one step further by craving mindless glorifying and, to be frank, some terrible singing from clearly inferior and confused human beings.
poor decision maker
So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.”
This quote is a clear illustration of a stroppily bad creator, not happy with his sloppily poor workmanship. Apparently it’s possible to regret decisions you make even if you’re perfect and you know everything that’s going to happen.
jealous and vengeful
I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me
There are lots of jealousy and revenge bits to choose from, but this is my favourite because it comes from the main rule tablets that apparently set our moral compass. It really doesn’t paint a pleasant picture. Jealous and vengeful doesn’t win brownie points with me in any context, but when it’s to the point of hurting innocent offspring, you have to wonder just how messed up a being can get.
conclusion
I’m beginning to realise why this deity is hiding. A bit like Mike Patton, he would do well to stay in the shadows and assume people will think he’s cool if he just gives them the spine-tingling clue. Beauty goddess Kate Moss has taken a leaf out his book. Spine-tingling beauty but choosing to keep her mouth shut in public, just like all good Christian women in their loving house of worship.*
[*if you choose to accept one of the two ‘correct’ interpretations of these passages, you will know that the silence of women isn’t necessary, either because it was a cultural rule that doesn’t apply or because the original quotation marks didn’t make it to the deity-inspired English interpretations]
“Sins of the fathers”- this passage is descriptive rather than prescriptive. Like Larkin said “They give you all the faults they had, and add some new ones just for you”.
LikeLike
I see what you’re saying, but I think there’s an element of wishful thinking interpretation there – and it would still be a horrible deity who wanted to do that! 🙂
LikeLike
For an all powerful deity, his resume is wanting in many respects!
LikeLike
It’s at once the widest, deepest and silliest of all the holes in any and all religion: why are their gods hiding? Why invisible? Why mysterious? Why inaudible?
LikeLike
They do exist. They’re just not cool.
LikeLike
You’re back!
LikeLike
I hope so. I’m just reading your new post with the nonsense stuff. I’m pleased it’s not supposed to make sense. 🙂
LikeLike
Glad to hear you arrived safely. We lost ark…
LikeLike
He’ll be back, he must be so bored – a big blogging hole in his life …
LikeLike
How dare you declare, or even suggest, that any one else, exept Lemmy Kilmister of the Motörhead is god?
There is of course that nasty habit of his to collect nazi memorabilia and wear dashing Hugo Boss designed ss-uniforms from time to time, but for now I can put that disturbing thought aside, because he – as a god – propably has some perfectly acceptable and valid reason to have such an omnious hobby. It may even be, that though omnipotent, that he is, he has his hands tied by some universal rule he has himself created at some previous point, though he knew where that would lead to, that is, to collect fancy nazi stuff.
LikeLike
Oh my goodness Raut! Lemmy is a one-trick pony and I don’t even appreciation his mono-genre! How can you even pretend he could compete with the musical mastermind of Patton? This is the first bad comment you’ve ever given. 🙂
LikeLike
Violet, more posts, please! I’m going through withdrawal: MUST … READ … VIOLETWISP …
LikeLike
Thank you Jim! 🙂 That’s so nice of you say!! Unfortunately so far the change of scene has reduced my pondering creativity (and time) to zero. And I expect anything I do manage to squeeze out will be disappointing – I don’t have the hummingbirds and bees for inspiration anymore!
LikeLike