The prosperity gospel

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The so-called prosperity gospel is a set of beliefs that says that God will reward faith , and very generous giving, with financial blessings.

Although proponents call themselves christian, there is nothing christian about this idea. The most prominent American prosperity gospeller is currently Paula White, white, married three times and accused of taking advantage of her African American flock in Florida and on Black Entertainment Network. Controversy swirls around her. Trump likes her (well, she’s a blonde with a good figure and an outgoing personality), and her philosophy suits him beautifully, for he can claim that it is God who has endowed him with billions of dollars. White offered the prayer at his inauguration and is a weekly visitor to the White House, with considerable influence. She is the head of a group of evangelical pastors who advise Trump, and it is she who alledgedly “personally led Trump to Christ”, (not cheating suppliers and ridding himself of debt by going bankrupt). She has been clever, never asking Trump for any favours, but buying a $3?5 m condo in Trump Tower. She is so well esconced in the White House that she is able to put in front of Trump a list of 130 peoplewho are “originalist, constitutional“ judges and pursue what matters to her: Supreme Court justices, religious liberty, Israel, human trafficking, coverage of contraception, and abortion. No other religious sect has similar access, even though the Constitution states that no Administration should favour one faith over another. She claims that Trump is fulfilling an assignment from God that is important to the church and to America”.

Here you have a clever woman who knows exactly how to manipulate the self-reverential Trump, who probably is now persuaded that he is the chosen of God, not only because of his wealth but because he has been personally chosen to return America to the path of righteousness. The abuses of religion! No wonder Epicurus was wary of it.

Epicurus and mumbo jumbo

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No one knows whether the Romans really believed in their gods. I doubt they believed that their Emperors were really transformed into gods on death. In a book by Daniel J. Gargola called “The shape of the Roman order: the Republic and its spaces”, the author points out that they believed deeply in the rites of religion, the attempt to discern the will of the gods, expiate ill omens, and discern whether a public act was within the bounds of divine law. Religious rites had to be performed with precision. Auguries were taken in templa, and the buildings they were taken in had to be in precisely the right place with the right geographical orientation.

Epicurus was quite definite: there may be gods, but they live on Mt. Olympus, bicker and chase one another around the mountain, but have no time for the pathetic concerns of Man.
He never, as far as I know, commented on the rites of religion, and we do not know what he thought of the Roman preoccupation with auguries and so on because he wasn’t there But most emerging societies had these rites and superstitions, including the Greeks. I do believe he would have, had he been there, laughed at them and called them “lorem ipsum asynartisies” which, loosely translated, means “mumbo jumbo”. The flight of birds, the neighing of a horse at dawn, or the direction a tortoise walks when released – all these are totally random, and nothing useful can be deduced from them. But they are sufficiently obscure, and the people sufficiently ignorant, that they do allow priests to use them to exert power over their flocks and frighten them into obedience. Sometimes that obedience is a positive thing, if it produces a kind, thoughtful, considerate and cooperative population. More often it is just about power.

Thought for the day

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When asked their views on the Ten Commandments, 8% of Leave voters, versus 4% of Remain voters, said that the commandment against lying (thou shalt not bear false witness) was no longer an important principle to live by. (YouGov)

How have we arrived at this situation? One should not need this part of the Ten Commandments to tell you it is wrong to lie. It should be common sense, instilled by parents. Decline in religious observation has nothing to do with it; upbringing does.

It’s started!

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Two agencies of the European Union are being pulled out of Britain in some of the first concrete signs of Brexit. The European Medicines Agency and the European Banking Agency, which between them employ more than 1,000 people in Canary Wharf, will move to Amsterdam and Paris respectively. “All of their work is firmly based on the EU treaties which the UK decided to leave,” said an unapologetic Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator on Brexit. Vince Cable, the Lib Dem leader, said Brexit secretary David Davis had tried to pretend Britain could keep the agencies, showing the government had little grasp of the coming “jobs Brexodus”.

In addition, the UK has lost a battle to remain part of the international court of justice (ICJ). It is the first time in the court’s 71-year history that Britain has failed to gain a seat. Incumbent judge Sir Christopher Greenwood stood aside for an Indian candidate after failing to win the support of the general assembly. It seems that some EU nations are no longer automatically supporting Britain at the UN. (Guardian 21 November 17)

The Guardian also comments that the EU appears to be firmly in the driving seat of negotiations as Britain’s red lines are rubbed out one by one, Meanwhile, David Davis apparently faces censure for hoarding secrets from MPs about Brexit’s economic impact – pretty grim, one imagines.

What did the Brexiters expect but a catastrophic decline in Britain’s influence worldwide and a major decline in the economy? Obvious to those of us on the sidelines, but then busting up the system is the name of the game, as it is in Trumpland.

Inequality in the United States

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According to the Guardian Weekly (November 11th) the world’s 1,542 billionaires increased their wealth this year by 17% to $6tn, a return impossible to get on most stock markets and rather a distance from the average interest income of 0.35% offered normal people by normal banks. The IMF has told western governments to increase taxes on the top 1% to reduce the dangerous levels of inequality. Keep trying!

At the beginning of the last century the railroad, oil, steel and banking robber barons were brought to heel by a Republican President Theodore Roosevelt. The chances of a real leader emerging today to do something similar look bleak. The more sensitive of the super-rich 1% are apparently getting anxious about blow-back from beleaguered taxpayers, fed up with the farce. They (some of them) are trying to disperse some of the money by buying art and making it accessible to the hoi poloi (72 of the top collectors of art are billionaires), and buying sports teams (140 of the top sports teams are owned by 109 billionaires). Billionaires also own the US National Basketball Association and the National Football League, and British soccer clubs are not only full of foreign players but most of the top clubs seem to be owned by foreign billionaires. Welcome to the 21st Century, where little British is owned by Britons.

Am I being too negative when I say that patronising art galleries and owning soccer clubs doesn’t quite do the trick. I would rather they paid a 40% tax per annum (that means every year!) and help improve schools, healthcare and other good causes. Because, of course, their clever accountants, helped by sleazy “banks” in Caribbean islands, Cyprus, Jersey etc make sure the huge incomes are tax free. If moderation is the key word in Epicureanism, then no follower of Epicurus can support the current situation. It is unhealthy for society.