What would Jesus Buy?

I've always found it interesting that the one time Jesus really lost it and got mad was with the money lenders. When they had turned his church (and now his birthday) into a temple of shopping. Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me) brings us the tale of Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping. Humour can be the most powerful way to handle serious issues.

Oscar Wilde once said "If you want to tell someone the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they will kill you."

The hunger for goods here is amazing. Now that I am living in the States I can see the light and dark side of this Consumerist Culture. Personally I don't think it's all bad. As a Liberal person I know that we tend to focus a little too much on the doom and gloom of an imagined future, rather than enjoying the moment at hand. There is something to be said for sitting around with your mates and watching Sunday Night Football and eating chicken wings.

The dangers I see though is in that self same short-sightedness. We are encouraged to live in the moment with no thought for the future. The message is always the same... "Be Young and Beautiful." That is what is drilled into us. It's an impossible mantra, as everything ages and everything dies. We know this, yet somehow we are seduced by this classic piece of 'Double Think'.

What we are told is that we can 'buy' youth and beauty. If you are a man and make enough money/success you can 'buy' a beautiful woman, and if you are a woman all you have to do is
be beautiful and a man with wealth and power (Prince) will sweep you off you feet to lands unknown. LA is the capital of this concept.



Although I am an Atheist and proud of it, But I have a lot of respect for the Christian Church and other religions in General. At their heart is an intent to do right by humanity, at there core is a desire to be good. Yet churches are subject to the same failing we are as people. Why? because at the end of the day, I believe they are based on and translated by people, not Gods. To me, God is the source, that if we are close to, then we are on the path to doing what needs to be done.



The reason I believe Christians and a lot of other religious groups seem so content with themselves is that they 'allow' themselves to be happy. They say, let us focus on 'Glory' on 'Good' on 'Smiling' on celebrating creation. What a wonderful thing to allow into your life. I
think we just need to give ourselves permission to discover on own best state. Allow yourself to be happy, to be grateful, to get close to the Source. Whatever that may be for you. If it's art, if it's music, if it's love. Be close to it and let it full up your soul. Allow yourself to just be happy, for no other reason, than the sake of being happy.

Amen.