[Buddha-l] Batchelor

[Jim Peavler]

On Mar 16, 2010, at 7:49 AM, Wong Weng Fai wrote:
 

 Another John Adams quote. John Adams is famous for having been personally very religious but he kept paring his religion down and down as he continued to study theology.
Toward the end of his life he was asked what he took to be the true meaning of life. His reply was only four words: "Be good and just."

Adams was the most vigorous of the founding fathers to oppose any kind of religion having any thing to do with politics or government. He almost single handedly kept religion out of the Constitution. I was shocked last night when I tried to watch Glen Beck for the first time. I lasted 10 minutes. he had pictures of Adams, Washington, and Franklin, labeled Faith, Hope, and Charity. His discussion of "Faith" was a nearly hysterical panegyric on how Adams represented God and godliness in the founding of the nation. The EXACT opposite of Adams' position. I thought of writing an email with a few dozen quotes from Adams attacking, with some ferocity, the very idea of religion being in involved in politic. Then I thought, if anybody ever saw supposed email they wouldn't care. it would not change the new truth. I keep having to remind myself that it is not about facts, or history, or climate, or on and on ---- it is about power. All facts will b ignored (or even attacked).



> "Why get up? Why keep fighting? Do you believe you're fighting for 
> something? For more than your survival? Can you tell me what it is? Do you 
> even know? Is it freedom? Or truth? Perhaps peace? Yes? No? Could it be 
> for love? Illusions, Mr. Anderson. Vagaries of perception. The temporary 
> constructs of a feeble human intellect trying desperately to justify an 
> existence that is without meaning or purpose. And all of them as 
> artificial as the Matrix itself, although only a human mind could invent 
> something as insipid as love. You must be able to see it, Mr. Anderson. 
> You must know it by now. You can't win. It's pointless to keep fighting. 
> Why, Mr. Anderson? Why? Why do you persist?" - Agent Smith