VADE RETRO SATANA! PENTACOST OF 2025

 

If you are reading this blog, you are likely already aware that I have been a lay urban hermit ever since I became disabled a little more than 20 years ago, when I decided to dedicate the rest of my life to The Lord. 

The day I decided to dedicate

the rest of my life to God, in 2004

(Yes, I have lost a little weight since then.)

In 2006, I found a quiet little apartment in New Mexico, on the edge of town near the Rio Grande River. The view was of trees and mountains, and my particular unit had been built specifically for disabled people.

It was conducive to the quiet contemplative life, but recently we have learned that major construction is required. I may be asked to leave or I may be required to remain here while the rent continues to skyrocket, and the ambiance will become that of a noisy, vibrating, honking, beeping construction site, teeming with guys in hard hats.

Obviously, this is complicating my monastic routines and may even interfere with my physical disabilities.

As much as I really love researching the saints for this blog, and catching up with all of you, I will have to take a break for the time being. The worldly concerns pressing in on me may force me to move into another apartment, if I can find one that is the right size, with the right floorplan, and a safe neighborhood that is conducive to my peace and spiritual practices. 

So far, in my search for a new hermitage apartment, ALL of the reviews are just miserable for the low income apartments. Many folks moved to my town during and after Covid, an appreciable number of whom brought their big city income with them because jobs-from-home became much more available, turning a quiet, small, affordable city into a dirty, crowded, much more spendy destination for the work-from-home crowd. This caused the rents to skyrocket, along with other expenses, such as food.

When I first moved to this small city in the Southwest in about 1998, I could afford a decent apartment on a secretarial salary. My first place was about a 700 square foot, one-bedroom place that cost about $400 a month. There were about 6 apartments, in total, and the atmosphere was shaded by several large trees - a real bonus in this dry place.

That same apartment today would cost THREE TIMES that amount, but salaries have not tripled, and neither has Social Security! Everyone has been feeling squeezed.

At the same time, the homeless population has exploded. I don't know why this has happened suddenly, but along with it comes a really frustrating wave of petty thievery and vandalism. I can't even keep a garden statue in my portion of the community yard. Every garden angel disappeared, including a rather tall ceramic angel gifted to me by someone who moved to Texas.  It was a beautiful, high-quality ceramic that was stolen from the garden in the middle of the night.

Garden statue sitting in front

of bird bath - 

Statue was stolen after 2:00 a.m.

I have been told that the homeless bring all the flotsam and jetsam and tidbits they steal into the local pawnbrokers, who'll give them a dollar or two for something that might cost me $80 if I bought it online. And the disreputable pawnbrokers, KNOWING that these people are bringing them stolen goods, keep this whole thing going.

Then the homeless accumulate their dollars and their dimes and buy a pill or a whiff of something to make them high.

Then there are the hostile neighbors, one of whom took my Blessed Mother out of what I THOUGHT was a protected area of the garden.  Nope. He took it out of the pot where she had lived FOR YEARS and he smashed her to bits in the yard one night, shortly before he moved. (He had been harassing me for months before that time.)

Blessed Mother smashed by neighbor

Of course, if you are religious, some of the neighbors will attack you in one way or another, and the garden is accessible.

For the most part, I have given up putting decorations into the garden, unless I am prepared for it to be stolen, or the decoration is so big and unwieldy, it is hard to steal. At the moment, a neighboring friend is putting some decorations in my bird bath (pretty stone spheres) that I will have to bring into my apartment when I take the dog out for his last walk of the day. I'll put them in a bowl and set it on the table next to the door, then return them to the bird bath when I take out the dog for his first walk the next day.

It is a hassle, but that bird bath (and the bird feeders) are in view of my living room window, where I spend most of my day, and I love the idyllic peaceful scene.  I have some solar-powered fountains that turn the birdbath into a moving scene while keeping mosquitos at bay at the same time! I really enjoy the view.

When I had a car, the vandals broke our windows if they saw pocket change in the console between the seats!

Moving will also mean losing this wonderful view that soothes my heart. It is RARE to have any greenery adjacent to the apartment complexes in this arid place.

I will miss my occasional rainbow view!

I would like to buy one of those homes on the HUD special program, but this isn't something that I can do at the present time. After 20 years of disability and poverty, I don't have the necessary funds. Even a HUD house has some requirements.

The apartment where I have lived for the last 20 years has not been cared for properly and now requires major repairs. 

Half of the residents have already been forced to leave this lovely property. Another 11 apartments have just received a similar notice (after being made to move from a previous apartment into an apartment on another floor where they were under the impression they were going to be able to stay! They have only been there long enough to barely finish unpacking.)

I will miss the local birds and animals!

In addition, all of the residents with whom I have cordial relationships and who wish me well are among the ones being made to move out, leaving a small cabal of people who have behaved in an evil manner toward me. There is a saying that "no good deed goes unpunished," and I have a lot of experience with that!

So, it seems that it may be time to move to "higher ground," at least until this building is finished being repaired. I believe that part of the deal is that I get first "dibs" on moving back into my apartment - unless, of course, they tear down the whole thing, which I highly suspect may be a possibility!

Not my walk-in shower but 

I got this photo from UNSPLASH

There is just one fly in the soup and that is this: Because of my disabilities, I must have a walk-in shower, and those are few and far between in this city. Medicaid installed the one that I currently have in this apartment, but they will only do such a thing once every five years! So, unless I find another apartment with a walk-in shower, I may have to stay here and make some special arrangement. Everything is up in the air, and I have a lot of research to do, so I will just have to see what The Lord has in mind for me.

Fortunately, I have a lovely social worker helping me and making phone calls. I also have an advocate from Solace, as well as a caregiving agency that, to date, has not been able to get me a decent caregiver but who has been super about filling in the blanks for me, with some of the office gals coming in to take out the trash and do dishes for me. There is also an attorney at the Senior Citizen Legal Center who has helped me in the past and who I may call upon again, if things get difficult.

The problems are many, however, and I pray that they do not give up on me because of it. 

I hope to keep my indoor garden alive

during the move

That company, "A Place for Mom" was calling me for a couple days, offering their free service, until they found out that I could not afford to pay more than $700 a month for an apartment, and even THAT is a terrible stretch for me, but I think my social worker is more than capable to help me.

Even if I do not end up moving out of this apartment, I must put in some extra work on my writing and my painting because, if I am ever going to get my projects off the ground, I had better concentrate on my creative work. At the very least, I must finish at least ONE of the novels I have started because I really need to generate some income in addition to my Social Security because the more my disabilities become severe, the more my finances appear to be inadequate for my care!

I keep telling myself that, if only I had not been written out of my father's will by a third wife AFTER he got dementia, then I would not be going through this. They knew I was disabled, and because I was in another state and unable to travel back to see my father and learn what they were doing to him, his body was cremated before I knew he had died under EXTREMELY SUSPICIOUS circumstances!  

Photo of pill doctor from UNSPLASH.COM

The quack "pill doctor" that wrote prescriptions for him is the same one who signed his death certificate. That "doctor" ended up going to prison for writing prescriptions for patients he had never seen. I could not do anything about it because all the evidence had gone up in smoke by that time! 

It looks like one of my relatives was "in on" the plot to write me out of the will but then found out that she ALSO had been written out, functionally, by her partner in crime, so she then concocted a very clever scam that locked me out, legally, from being able to win a court case because she was the one who had the direct, first-hand witness evidence! It is a long story, but all I have to say is that Hanibal Lector doesn't hold a candle to this person!

From Amber Kipp on Unsplash

I can only remind myself that God brings all things to the good for those who love Him and believe! ALSO, God loves the poor and must have loved me a lot to make me one of his favorite people.

Training myself to think in this way has taken many years and a lot of work. If you are not able to instantly adopt this posture, don't worry about it. It will come. And do not think that you must be inscrutable and unemotional either. We are still human.

The most valuable thing we have, when dealing with these traumatic life events and circumstances, is the firm attachment to God. It isn't just belief that is necessary. Belief is primarily an intellectual assent. We must BE WITH the Lord all the time.

In any case, I have faith in The Lord and I am willing to surrender myself to His Will. I prefer to be "in on" the plan, but if I cannot, I must relax and trust Him while I do my part of it. I have to talk to myself a LOT during these difficult times when so many circumstances are piling on top of me.

This brings up the topic I wanted to discuss with you before I take this little break. I just want to remind you to be prepared for Satan and his minions to have an extra special interest in you the moment you begin to devote yourself most strenuously to your spiritual disciplines. If you have relied upon me for any spiritual advice or comfort, the moment I step away, the Dark One will target you.  If you have been gaining spiritual strength through a regular attendance at mass, he will do something to interfere with it and throw off your rhythm. Beelzebub and his minions will intrude into everything that supports your sacred routine.

If you have people in your environment that are servants of darkness, you can count on them to  hinder your progress, your plans, your meditations and your dreams. They hate to see you communing with the Divine. The light that shines from you when you are in the flow, just enrages them.

They will come after you as soon as you become holy. Don't give up your efforts!  Continue your prayers and your meditation. Say your Angeles and the Regina Coeli, whichever is appropriate at the time in the calendar. Try to go to confession as often as possible.  Keep your soul whistling clean, but don't be surprised when Satan's minions start to harass you in direct relation to the amount of effort you put into your spiritual life.

Those under the influence of Satan will try to detract you from your holy path. Don't let them sway you.  When they attack you and speak ill of you, just start praying for them even more than you already do. 

People who have been influenced by the New Age religions mistakenly believe that, if they are doing it "right," that their spiritual disciplines will prevent Satan from bothering them. While it is true that there are some disciplines that help keep the demons at bay. (I recommend Father Ripperger, the exorcist, for information about those practices) what typically happens is that the demons who have taken up residence in the people around you will become enraged when they see you making spiritual progress.

Just remember: they want to detract you from all those things that are helping you to become holy.

Satan has no need to bother those who are already under his influence. It is the holy ones he tries to knock off their feet! Do not think that your "bad luck" or lack of success or string of unfortunate circumstances are a sign of God abandoning you!  It isn't GOD we are dealing with when fighting off the meanies of the world.

Mohammad Metri on Unsplash

I will check in, now and then, in case you have sent me messages. You can also reach me on Facebook. After I finish my novel, I will return, God willing, and resume my blog posts about the saints and the life at Silver Cottage Hermitage.

Don't forget the Amazon grocery list under my picture at the top right of the blog page. I will have to save money for the new hermitage location, and it will help if some groceries are donated. Later on, I may add some packing supplies.

In the meantime, please pray for me as I pray for you! 

Silver Rose

Stairway to Heaven

The Contemplative life!

JESUS PUNISHED THE RICH, BUT NEVER THE POOR

As I listen to and read world news, I am disturbed by a furious trend toward punishment as the cure for every societal ill, real or imagined

Recently, for instance, I heard that the small country of Brunei has just passed a law that adulterous and homosexual acts will be punished by stoning to death.

Stoning to death.

In our country, we have a so-called "president" who instituted  a policy that directly caused thousands of children to be taken away from their parents and incarcerated in cement-floored holding cells for an indeterminate time, with no plan in place as to how the children and parents would ever be reunited - all because the family came to this country, fleeing poverty and gangs, hoping for a better life.

Their kids were taken from them because, essentially,

their papers were not in order.

Donald Trump claims, falsely, that President Obama did the same thing. He did not. Trump is lying, once again. While the occasional incidental separation of children from parents convicted of serious crimes DID take place during the Obama administration, Trump's "Zero Tolerance Policy," as announced by Jeff Sessions (many videos available of the day he announced it) is what caused a huge uptick in the number of case of children separated from their families - so much so that the incarceration of these children and the conditions under which this was carried out, is a major scandal of this administration, in part because of the THOUSANDS of children and families thus brutalized.

I could write quite a bit about the punitive temperament of Donald Trump, but I just can't bear to let my mind touch him any more than I absolutely have to, other than to say that he and the people he represents form a large block of humans whose orientation tends toward harsh penalties, incarceration, and cruel practices.

"Sell your possessions and give alms; make yourselves purses

which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no

thief comes near, nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is,

there will your heart be also."

Luke 12:44

I have observed that the people who ignore Christ's preference for the poor, and the Biblical injunctions against the amassing of wealth, are the same people who, with angry hearts, continually castigate the poor and disadvantaged. They are the ones who revel in the punishment of lawbreakers. To them, harsh worldly laws that target the poor and disadvantaged, are more important than the commandments of Jesus and the apostles, despite many of them advertising themselves as the best Christians ever. They are the modern Pharisees.

It is all smoke and mirrors, sleight of hand, and

the Wizard of Oz behind the curtain; meant to

distract attention from the disobedience of the

modern day Pharisees for whom commerce is

their God.

To combat our cultural tendency toward this harsh punitive orientation, we need to cultivate the love of Christ and advocate for the poor and disadvantaged, just as he and his Biblical forbears did. Resist the political narrative that encourages hatred of desperate immigrants who come here searching for peace, safety, and survival. Resist the lies and obfuscations that would have everyone believe that massive numbers of people are "gaming the system," "faking disability," and illegally obtaining food for their children at our expense.

The Pharisees are using gullible people to advance their agenda, which is to further enrich themselves while feigning religiosity at the same time. In doing so, they are twisting and torturing the Christian faith beyond all recognition.

Try to stay focused on the heart of Christ and his commandments. I recommend meditation on His words. Ignore the countless justifications for cruelty that the Pharisees present to us.  Concentrate on the heart of Jesus' message, his continual preference for the poor and disadvantaged, and everything good will flow from there.

"If you wish to be complete, go and sell your

possessions and give to the poor, and you shall

have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."

Matthew 19:20

May the Lord submerge your heart in His love.

Silver

Contemplating Ananias and Saphira in the light of Epiphany

The Adoration of the Magi

by

Sir Edward Burne-Jones

I am writing this on Epiphany,which celebrates the revelation of Jesus as "the" Christ and the visit of the Magi (the three kings from foreign lands) who came to worship the Christ Child. There are various stories and traditions about the observance of this day, but it has to do with the announcement of Christ to the world, including to the gentiles (which the kings represent, since they are not Jewish.)

So, here I am, a gentile, an adopted daughter of Christ, the Jewish Messiah, looking back upon that time when Jesus was first "announced" to me. I was a nun in a Hindu convent and happened to read works by and about numerous Catholic and Orthodox mystics. At that time, I imagined that Catholics would naturally aspire to the love embodied in Jesus, but in the ensuing years, I have learned that, instead of being holy reminders of Him, some very public Catholics are unholy reminders of what happens when people allow wealthy political animals to manipulate their beliefs and values.

While I have met and do know many beautiful Christians; Catholic, Orthodox, and every other sort, the public persona of the typical Christian is vile because a large segment misrepresent our faith on the national stage and in social media. If we were to believe their version of Christianity, then their Jesus was a mean dude who wanted us to take food away from hungry people and lock up migrant children as a means of disincentivizing the stranger from finding safe harbor among us.

Their Jesus is a liar who spouts constant falsehoods, misrepresentations and misleading comments as a means to an end because he teaches that the ends justify the means.

Their Jesus values money and wealth above all else. Rich people are the good people, in his scenario, and they are the ones that are entitled to all the help - lots of lovely tax breaks and the removal of every obstacle that stands between them and their greed, because greed is a good thing for this jesus.

"You shall give generously to [your poor brother], and your

heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because for

this thing, the Lord your God will bless you in all your work

and in all your undertakings."

Deut. 15:10

Since every end justifies every means, it is perfectly acceptable to this jesus that the planet, its flora and its fauna, and even other people should suffer and die so that a few people with gold plated toilets can have control of all the money and enslave the rest of us.  Those few wealthy men at the top of the heap are the chosen ones of the god of that disgraceful jesus.

Jesus and the Wealthy Young Man

"One thing is wanting unto thee: Go, sell whatever thou hast,

and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven;

and come, follow me."
Mark 10

Their jesus mocks and despises people of color, disabled people, unattractive women, and old people.  Their jesus only cares about the American economy. The rest of the world sucks.

An odd feature of this counterfeit "Jesus", is a stiff-necked obsession about abortion. The cult that worships this fabricated jesus decided that the only solution to the vast number of abortions being performed was to make it illegal, while at the same time refusing to give assistance to poor mothers and babies, putting poor women and their babies in an impossible bind: kill the babies slowly, through poverty, hunger and disease or kill them quickly in abortion and save everyone the agony.

Bogus Jesus believes that bending people to his will by painful coercion is preferable to any other method of conversion because this sham Jesus enjoys tormenting people who are already suffering. Their Jesus would not consider supporting poor moms and babies as a deterrent to abortion because he wants to punish poor people who have sex outside of marriage.

Jesus at the door of the heart

Fake Jesus doesn't want good, comfortable white Americans to have to sacrifice their hard earned dough for stupid women who don't keep their legs closed or the brats that are born from her. Their Jesus believes that poor women will stop having sex and won't get pregnant to begin with if they just hold the line and make everything as painful as possible.

I don't recognize their Jesus because he sounds an awful lot like Satan to me.

Donald Trump

The fake Christian

Worshipers of Bogus Jesus have gotten behind a contemptible, appalling "political" figure whose personal values and public positions are right in line with their Jesus, and it is horrifying to the rest of us who do not adore the wolf in sheep's clothing.

"He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to

the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he

speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father

of lies."

John 8:44

I have been in an agony of disappointment, fear, rage and apprehension since becoming exposed to the bogus jesus and his lovers.  I've been wringing my hands and my heart daily, in fear that "Christian" supporters of the deceitful, autocratic dictator-wanna-be will aid him and cheer him on, as he throws America into some war or that the turmoil in our culture will reach some tipping point that tumbles us headlong into an even more fascist government than we currently have.

But today, while reflecting on the latest horror from that freak show called the Trump Administration and the public "Christians" that support him, I was suddenly reminded of the story of Ananias and Saphira.

Ananias dies after lying about the money

Among the apostles and their followers, Christians held all things in common. They sold their land and possessions and gave the money over to the community. Funds were distributed according to the need of each person. Ananias and Saphira decided they would hold back some for themselves. They lied about the money and each was struck dead on the spot.

This stark, cautionary tale from the earliest Christian era gives me much comfort because, although an antichrist is currently being worshiped in the public square, our God is not oblivious. While He may not strike down the evildoers on the spot, there WILL be a reckoning of some sort. I am sure of it.

Jesus and the Money Changers

I received a telephone call, in the midst of these ruminations about this faux jesus and his cult. The manager of the grocery store where an employee had claimed I am not disabled because Trump doesn't think I am, called to bring me up to date on the disciplinary action they took. He has been suspended without pay. If there is another problem with him, he will be fired. It seemed a good omen, though on a very small scale. I felt encouraged to relax a little, nonetheless.

While I will not stop protesting and objecting to the harm being done by this spurious Jesus and his mesmerized devotees, my confidence in the oversight of our Good Lord has been restored. We can't get complacent, though. Much prayer and sacrifice are needed. It is necessary to fight evil with Good.

Bless us all.

Silver Rose

THE LADDER TO HEAVEN

LADDER BETWEEN HEAVEN AND EARTH

Sometimes, when I hear a pro-Trump mob shouting approval for his xenophobic, racist and nationalistic comments, it really frightens me. It sounds very much like the recordings I have heard of Hitler inflaming the German people, urging them to hate the Jews and blaming Jews for everything that has gone wrong in their lives.

White Germans went on to kill Jews, Armenians, artists, homosexuals, and anyone who violated the cultural norms of middle class whites or disagreed with the Nazi methods. What is next for Americans if the far right wing of the GOP stays in power?

While Hitler was a true believer of his own toxic political philosophy, I think that Trump is simply using the presidency to fill his empty coffers. I believe that Trump is leading his followers into a cruel future, not because he wants to help us reach some kind of ideal, but because he needs the money. He is using his power to fill the government with people who are dedicated to making the rich even richer, removing all obstacles to the wealthy being able to amass even more money than they already have. Along the way, his businesses and the businesses of his relatives, are being flooded with foreign cash.

I suspect that Trump refused to publish his tax returns because he was broke - at least his version of being broke. He gave government positions and offices in the White House to his relatives who manage his business interests. Since becoming president, money from foreign governments especially, has come pouring even harder into the Trump businesses, including his daughter Ivanka's business, which, just this week, received another 7 special trademarks with China - within days of Trump's announcement that he intended to save China's ZTE Corporation, a sudden reversal of his "policy" that no new foreign contracts would be allowed during his presidency.

Ignoring my suspicions about this venal motive of his, which can only be inferred at this point, I am concerned that a large percentage of Americans are being manipulated with tried and true techniques used by authoritarian figures throughout history. They are being turned and formed on the lathe of hate and ignorance. They have given themselves over to it willingly because Trump, a typical authoritarian figure,  either promises them relief from responsibility for the bleak condition of their lives or gives them reassurance that their country will not be overrun with brown people. The authoritarian figure capitalizes upon the mob's fears. He sacrifices the immigrant, the poor person, the black person, in a social lynching.

"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me,

you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil

and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no

food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger

and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me

no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me."

Matthew 25

Many of Trump's supporters are white evangelicals, according to recent news articles and statistics. These supporters of the far right ignore the continual and insistent message of the Bible to love one's neighbor as much as oneself.  The Bible is full of references to helping the poor and the stranger. Trump supporters imagine that it is acceptable to support the destruction of all our vulnerable populations and to turn away the refugee under a supposedly "pro life" and "pro family" banner. It boggles the mind.

"Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and

her daughters had arrogance, abundant food, and careless

ease, but she did not help the poor and needy. Thus they 

were haughty and committed abominations before me.

Therefore, I removed them when I saw it."

Zek. 16:49

I wonder what kind of family they have in mind, when I listen to trump brag about grabbing women "by the p...y" and then, later, denying he had actually done it when 19 women complain about being assaulted by him. He called them liars and impugned their character, as if being groped by Donald Trump was something anyone would want known about them. There is no advantage in it. It is nothing but humiliation.

"Stormy Daniels"

The affair with the porn star, how he tried to cover it up, lied about it, lied about the payment, got caught lying, then had to fess up, does not sound like family values to me. His attorney, Rudy Giuliani, paints a picture of a man who regularly needs his affairs to be cleaned up in this manner and who feeds money into a slush fund for this purpose. Trump's wife, Melania, was pregnant and then had just given birth to their child when Trump was having sex with the porn star, risking the health of wife and baby. What kind of family values is that?

"What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has

faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?

If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and no food

for the day, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace,

keep warm, and eat well,' but you do not give them the

necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith

of itself, if it does not have works, is dead."

James 2:14-17

I am not being obtuse. I am well aware that the only criteria for "pro family" in the minds of evangelicals is often nothing more than making abortion illegal while at the same time starving the hungry. Abortion is not going to become illegal in America until America experiences severe trauma as a result of not having enough young people working to support the society.

Trump has made some movements in the direction of making abortions more difficult to get, but they are not permanent. As soon as he leaves office, all of that will be overturned. People will have to stop killing their babies of their own accord. Men like Donald Trump would have to stop having affairs that need to be hidden, for one thing.

It is a mystery to me why evangelicals have sold themselves so cheaply, with so little to gain, and so much to lose. Associating Donald Trump with the topic of abortion automatically denigrates the position of the pro-life movement with the majority of the voting public.

Donald Trump - the choice of white evangelicals

It isn't just the evangelicals. Just yesterday, a priest blabbed some far right propaganda onto Facebook that supposedly most of our refugees are Muslim and that he believes they should not be "given welfare," (i.e., helped to survive) because they come from Muslim countries and they're old enough to be in the Army. This convoluted, logic-strained rationalization based on a false narrative is what passes for compassion in his world, apparently. He is sucking up all the admiration of his flock, enjoying the status of being a priest, and gut-punching Jesus at the same time. Hypocrites like this make me want to scream and tear my hair out.

Jesus told us that going to heaven when we die is not a sure thing. He said that many people would come to him, in the end, and beseech him, saying, "Lord! Lord!" and He would tell them to get away from him and that he does not know them. Getting baptised, donating to the church and appearing now and then are not going to get us through the pearly gates.

This topic reminds me of an icon that I look at quite frequently. It is the ladder to heaven. All along the ladder, people are falling off and falling into the pit of hell, where Satan's demons await them.

God help me, but the address of Jared Kushner's beleaguered property on 5th street is 666. I'm just saying.

The people of the land have practiced oppression and committed

robbery, and they have wronged the poor and needy and have

oppressed the sojourner without justice...Thus, I have poured out

My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of 

My wrath; their way I have brought upon their heads,: declares the

Lord GOD.

Ezek. 22:29,31

Silver Rose Parnell

AYN RAND: APOSTLE OF SELFISHNESS AND HERO OF THE ALT. RIGHT

Ayn Rand

Russian-American novelist, promoter of selfishness, 

hero of the alt. right

1905-1982

Russian educated atheist Ayn Rand believed that selfishness was a positive virtue. She hated Christianity, championed abortion and, in addition to writing a few toxic novels and a small volume about selfishness, she also started a club that was dedicated to the promotion of selfishness. That the right wing lauds her and follows her selfish prescriptions for American society is a jarring contradiction, ESPECIALLY since the majority self-identify as Christian, and Rand's philosophy is the antithesis of Christianity.

"Abortion is a moral right which should be left to 

the sole discretion of the woman involved; 

morally, nothing other than her wish in the

matter is to be considered."

~ Ayn Rand ~

Several of America's contemporary government leaders have been remarkably affected by the fantasies of this novelist whose world view, if widely enacted, would regress the civilizing influence of Christianity on mankind back to the beginning of time.

Rand wasn't an economist and, in fact, her imaginative pronouncements on this field are dismissed by professional economists who have studied the history of economic systems and who know that we are stronger together than we are individually. It is the positive glory of human beings that we aim to enable every one of our members to succeed, and we lift up one another because we know that, in doing so, the human species becomes more successful. The dog-eat-dog world of Ayn Rand produces the opposite result.

"Jesus said unto him, 'thou shalt love the Lord thy God

with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy

mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the

second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as 

thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law

and all the prophets.'"

~ Matthew 22:37-40 ~

Because selfishness, xenophobia, racism and misogyny that are promoted by the alt right are damaging to the human race, as a whole, the alt. right movement, as typified in its most virulent form in the ravings of Steve Bannon, has to discredit and discount the experts in crucial fields of knowledge, even Biblical scholards. This bizarre subculture lionizes opinion without foundation while deriding experts in favor of fiction writers.

Steve Bannon and Marie LePen - 2018

"Let them call you racists. Let them call you xenophobes. 

Let them call you nativists. Wear it as a badge of honor."

~ Steve Bannon, 2018 ~

Ayn Rand was famously racist and nationalistic. She spoke against Native Americans, Arabs and indigenous people, in general. Her brand of politics is for white people only.

Followers of alt. right personalities resolutely ignore professional opinion in favor of people whom they perceive to be the common man, in whom they see themselves in some capacity. The pleasing mirage that the alt right personalities project, caters to the ordinary white guy, who then feels that maybe he too can rule the world without the bona fides typically required to do so. Slovenly Steve Bannon, with his baggy clothes and unkempt mop of hair, is their spokesman.

What is really going on here? At the heart of the modern alt right movement is the fight of the wealthy to grab even more wealth than they already have. The disparity of income in America is already the second worst in the world among all nations, but the wealthy are using hot button issues to coerce the white majority into helping them in the biggest smash-and-grab since before the French Revolution. The poor, disabled and elderly are hungry and poorly housed, yet the wealthy want to eliminate social programs that help alleviate their suffering. Ayn Rand disparages the charity that would help them.

"Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor, will

themselves call and not be heard."

~ Proverbs 21:13 ~

Ayn Rand is the figurehead upon which the right hangs its political hat because her philosophy is conveniently hostile to poor people and minorities. According to Rand, it is immoral to make a man contribute to the welfare of the poor, vis-a-vis taxes. This is contrary to the Christian ethos, but the followers of the alt right are so mesmerized by the smoke and mirrors of Paul Ryan and people like him that they fail to call this movement into account for its violation of the central tenets of Christianity.

"You shall give generously [to your poor brother] and your

heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because

for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your

work and in all your undertakings."

Deuteronomy 15:10

On Facebook and other social media, I have had too many conversations with supporters of the lies of the alt. right mouthpieces who blame everyone's troubles on lazy, criminal poor people, minorities, and the like.

When faced with hard facts that disprove the myth of "massive fraud in the disability system," for instance, supporters resolutely cling to the lies. The payoff for believing poor-hating propaganda is too great to give it up, since those lies serve to elevate the status of the common man without any effort - somewhat like the video games that allow us to be big winners by the flick of a finger on a button. To be a winner, without having to bend one's head to any authority, without having to accept inconvenient truths that emphasize our lack of status, and without exerting a lot of effort, is too heady a wine for people who have chaffed under the annoying limitation of being ordinary for such a long time. Why accept facts when the lies let us believe that the poor are to blame for all our difficulties?Having a scape goat that possesses less power than we do allows us to look down upon them and pretend to some superiority. It is also far easier to withdraw assistance from the poor than to reclaim the ill-gotten gains of the wealthy.

"For all those who exalt themselves shall be humbled,

and those who humble themselves shall be exalted."

~Luke 14:11~

The psychology of Christianity is brilliant. People of real religious faith and comprehension already know this, but it also stands the test of objective examination. We can reject selfishness, not just because Jesus said so, but because it doesn't produce good fruit for humanity as a whole. We can embrace modesty and humility, not just because Jesus said to do it, but because those virtues propel us in a positive direction that is healthy for the individual as well as the group. We can share our wealth with the poor, not just because it is emphasized continually throughout the Old AND the New Testaments, but because it makes sense for the survival of our species.

The authorities upon whom one bases one's world view and activities is a clue to one's heart, so I ask you: Who is your authority? Is it Jesus, or is it Ayn Rand?