The Unconditional Human Spirit

The very best climate science reports and news:

https://co2coalition.org/

https://wattsupwiththat.com/

https://www.netzerowatch.com/

http://co2science.org/

An affirmation of unconditional

An underlying assumption in my arguments for unconditional is that unconditional is “self-validating” as good, right, and therefore true. And if basic theodicy is right to assume that ultimate reality/deity is fundamentally good in some way (i.e. God is love) then there is no higher understanding or definition of good, right, truth, or love than unconditional. We all know this at an intuitive and daily-experience level- i.e. that unconditional is the best of being human, the best way to relate to failing others. We know this from our personal experience in relationships with spouses, children, family, friends, neighbors, others, etc. Unconditional is also how we would like to be treated in terms of our own imperfections and failures.

(Theodicy- The affirmation of deity as fundamentally good.)

The assumption of “self-validating” means that unconditional does not need outside validation from some other authority- whether from a religious tradition, holy book, philosophical argument, ethics “experts”, or other sources of authority. Its ultimate validation comes from the intuitive common sense of ordinary folks like ourselves.

Historical examples of the potential effectiveness of unconditional in human ethics: Note Nelson Mandela and his approach of forgiving, loving opponents and his arguments that the unconditional treatment of enemies “brings out the best in others” (not all, but most) and “turns enemies into friends” (not all, but most). And a balancing note re Mandela: Offenders were held responsible/accountable for their crimes by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Mandela did not embrace unconditional as some form of dogmatic pacifism in the face of evil (i.e. “turn the other cheek” and just ignore or dismiss offenses).

The evidence that an unconditional approach toward enemies also works at a societal level- Remember the strikingly different outcomes in the early 1990s between Mandela’s unconditional-like approach to enemies in South Africa (avoiding civil war and mass-death as noted by Richard Stengel in “Mandela’s Way”), compared to the retaliatory approaches toward “enemies” in Rwanda (1994) and Bosnia (1992-95) around the same time.

Unconditional works in very practical ways to break retaliatory cycles and thereby defuse potentially harmful situations. It is potently successful at personal and societal levels. It is simply the highest and best that we have discovered for taking humanity to the heights of humane thought, feeling, motivation/intention, and response/behavior. But it takes the unique courage of a Mandela (“towering in stature as maturely human”) to initiate an unconditional response in situations where the primal and instinctual felt urge when offended in some manner is to strike back in like manner (eye for eye, tit for tat, hurt for hurt, humiliation for humiliation, getting even, getting “justice”, etc.). Read the rest of the opening comment here

The very best climate science reports and news:

https://co2coalition.org/

https://wattsupwiththat.com/

https://www.netzerowatch.com/

http://co2science.org/

Mental pathology and wellness, and the influence of both on human personality, to both good and bad outcomes.

“I think and therefore I am”.

“There are no really bad people, just bad ideas that make people do bad things”, comment of a friend.

‘Cruel God’ images- “These ideas permeate Western culture and inevitably influence those who live in this culture… (The) consequences are fear, guilt, shame, and impoverished personalities.”, psychotherapist/theologian Zenon Lotufo.

“We become just like the God that we believe in”, Bob Brinsmead.

Project: Much like Martin Luther nailing his 95 theses to the Wittenberg castle church door in 1517, so I am nailing my theses to this door of the Internet. But unlike Luther just protesting the way that the indulgences were sold, but not protesting the very sale of indulgences, I am going more directly to core issues of fundamental belief. Much like my friend Bob Brinsmead’s direct presentation of the central anti-sacrifice message of Historical Jesus and exposing how Paul buried that liberating message in his contrary gospel of the Christ that presents Jesus as the ultimate sacrifice. When Bob posts his good research on his site, I will link to that. It is mind-blowing. That the stunning new theology of Jesus (an unconditional God who does not demand sacrifice for forgiveness)- that central Jesus message has been buried for two millennia under the entirely contrary message of Christianity- i.e. the claim that the supreme sacrifice of Christ was necessary for the forgiveness of sin.

Below are the some of the more prominent myths that have dominated human consciousness beginning with the earliest human belief systems, and down into our modern world. These myths still dominate religious traditions today and have even been embraced in “secular/ideological” versions. Note, for example, the “apocalyptic millennialism” or “lost paradise/redemption” themes regularly expressed by the climate alarmism cult. Even many in “science” embrace such myths. I recently noted again how Stephen Hawking fell for apocalyptic mythology in the final two years of his life, making his own prophesies of the “end-of-days”, even setting dates.

The ideas below have profoundly influenced human outlook, emotion, motivation, and response/behavior, often for the worse- i.e. inciting our worst animal impulses to tribalism, domination, and destruction (see psychotherapist Zenon Lotufo’s comments at bottom).

Fortunately, we have more humane alternative ideas now to inspire the “better angels of our nature”, to inspire our authentically human impulses. Embracing these new themes/ideas will involve the revolutionary transformation of human narratives, worldviews… overturning foundational core themes.

The list is fundamentally about the contrast between humane and inhumane, between good and evil, between right and wrong- and which ideas express these stark differences. These are some of the worst and best of ideas that we have used to shape our narratives, both public and personal. While reading the list, ask yourself- What ideas shape your personal worldview/narrative? Read the rest of the opening comment here

Section topics:

Our ancestor’s struggle with imperfection led to the creation of bad mythology that still dominates human consciousness today;

Paul MacRae’s excellent article on the lost paradise of the much warmer paleoclimate era (3-6 degrees C warmer than today and life flourished);

Earth has been breaking records for the coolest years over long-term history;

Pres. Biden religiously predicting the “end-of-days” (“Mother Nature is revealing her wrath… a whole generation is damned”);

Patterns: The destructive outcomes of alarmism crusades;

Core themes of lost paradise/redemption mythologies;

Impulses and Ideas that dominate human consciousness and life;

Climate facts and more…

How did we get to where we are today? Wendell Krossa

The early human inability to understand/accept imperfection: That misunderstanding worked itself out in bad mythology, mythology that still widely shapes human thought, emotion, motivation, and response/behavior today:

Ancient logic (primitively mythical, irrational) found expression in the following myths, rooted in some distorting baseline assumptions.

It began with the belief in a deity that was obsessed with perfection and hence intent on punishing imperfection. An entire complex of related myths emerged from this baseline theology of a God that was angered by early humans ruining the original perfect world that they claimed he had created. The ancients reasoned that the upset deity then introduced illness and death as punishment for the “sinful” people who had ruined his original paradise world. Examples of this thinking- Enki made ill in the Sumerian “City of Dilmun” myth, and Adam/Eve cursed with suffering and death in the Hebrew “Eden” myth. Read the rest of the opening comment here

A central project on this site- Exposing the persistent embrace of primitive mythological themes to shape contemporary “secular/ideological” systems of belief, such as the climate alarmism narrative. And offer better alternatives for a new narrative.

New articles further below: This site will continue to tackle history’s most distorting and destructive belief systems- the pathological themes of the “apocalyptic millennial” or “lost paradise/redemption” narratives… Apocalyptic millennial ideas distort entirely the true state of the world, the actual long-term trajectory of life.

“True Woke: Tim Robbins had a real awakening (Russel Brand interview)“, see bottom of this opening section- (Woke recovery plan: Awakening to and affirming the fundamental principles of Classic Liberalism, or awakening to and affirming fundamental human love);

“The tribal impulse behind racism“;

“Affirming unconditional as the core of all reality“;

Good one on irresponsible panic-mongering- “With the ‘expert’ COVID view blown up, green terror must be next”, by New York Post Editorial Board;

Physicists Richard Lindzen, William Happer challenge Net Zero- “Challenging Net Zero with Science: Lindzen-Happer-CO2 Coalition Paper“;

Ira Glasser (former ACLU director) on Joe Rogan podcast: Defend free speech for all. The issue, says Glasser, is- “Who gets to decide what is ‘hate speech'”;

“I feel uncomfortable… threatened“- the new ‘authoritative’ standard to control the speech and behavior of all others;

“Hold a fundamental belief” (Something to center our spirits during the worst that life throws at us);

“The essential offensiveness of Historical Jesus:” Historical Jesus- A person entirely opposite to “Christian ‘Jesus Christ'”. Historical Jesus overturned traditional retaliatory, punitive justice that was affirmed by Paul’s Christ myth. But a qualifier, the breakthrough insight of Historical Jesus on theology- “a stunning new theology of a non-retaliatory God”- is not an advocacy for pacifism in an imperfect world. The importance of understanding the breakthrough central insight of Historical Jesus lies in the fact that this person who overturned entirely the very core of all conditional religion was then turned into the ultimate icon of highly conditional religion.

Further, Jesus’ anti-sacrifice protest at the Temple in Jerusalem, that was the immediate cause of his death, that protest against sacrifice was rejected by Paul who then turned him into the ultimate cosmic sacrifice (i.e. the sacrifice of the godman Christ for the sins of all humanity).

The comments above continue the project of this site to go to the root of alarmism narratives/crusades, whether religious or secular- to go after the deeply rooted themes/archetypes that fuel destructive alarmism crusades. Read the rest of the opening comment here

A site project: Probing why primitive apocalyptic, and “lost paradise/redemption” mythologies, continue to resonate with modern minds, despite the inevitably destructive outcomes, both personal and social. These ancient mythical themes are even embraced by “secular/ideological” movements today, such as climate alarmism.

This is a project to challenge pathology that deforms human consciousness, personality, and societies (Psychologist Harold Ellens and psychotherapist Zenon Lotufo in “Cruel God, Kind God: How Images of God Shape Belief, Attitude, and Outlook”). This is a project to correct this problem of bad ideas deforming life at the most foundational level of meta-narrative themes.

This from National Post: Common sense on the climate alarmism crusade, “Reality checks on the climate change agenda- Logic dictates a balanced approach using both hydrocarbons and renewables prudently and wisely” by Derek Burney, Feb.23, 2023

https://www.google.com/search?q=Derek+H.+Burney%3A+Reality+checks+on+the+climate+change+

Section topics: Contact wkrossa@shaw.ca

(1) Some of the most profound insights ever offered on how to live as authentically human;

(2) Alleviating/conquering our fear of dying;

(3) Site-splainin- The “burying” issue that Jefferson and Tolstoy pointed to regarding the “paradise lost/redemption” complex of ideas (i.e. the Christ myth of Paul that buries the central insight of Historical Jesus)

(4) The impulses and related ideas that still dominate human consciousness and life (the “Lost paradise/redemption” complex of myths);

(5) The baseline myth- “original paradise”, or better past (The reasoning behind this mythology: If the world was originally perfect- i.e. an “original paradise”- and now is obviously not perfect, then logically life has been declining toward something worse);

(6) Unconditional- humanity’s highest and most humane ideal- a centering theme for a new narrative;

(7) My protest against Paul’s Christ myth (It intentionally contradicts and buries the main themes in the message of Historical Jesus- i.e. Paul re-affirms retaliation in contradiction to Jesus’ non-retaliatory stance, Paul re-affirms divine conditions in contradiction to Jesus’ central unconditional theme, and Paul re-affirms divine violence in contradiction to Jesus’ non-violence message.);

(8) “The Two Degree Limit”, Andy May responding to alarmism over temperatures increasing by 2 degrees C. For most of the paleoclimate history of life (the 500 million years of the Phanerozoic era) average world temperatures were 3-6 degrees C warmer than today and all life flourished during that time;

(9) Sabine Hossenfelder on the physics of the greenhouse effect;

(10) “Why the Human Contribution to Climate Change is Minimal and Negligible”, by Rolf Reitz

(11) And well worth reading- “In Search Of A (Near) Perfect CO2 Global Warming Analogy” by Ron Barmby

This just below is very much related to my overall challenge to the “profoundly religious” climate alarmism crusade. Bad mythology is bad mythology wherever you find it, whether in religious belief systems or in so-called “secular/ideological” versions of the same.

Insert: I am old enough now to enjoy the privilege of repeating myself. Much like Pres. Reagan when he realized that he had Alzheimers- “Well then… you get to meet new people every day”. Some of you will get the point.

My ongoing protest against Paul’s Christ myth. “Honing” or refining the protest against the Christ myth (A summary of some of the most important points made on this site) Wendell Krossa Read the rest of the opening comment here

Section topics:

(1) Atmospheric physicist Richard Lindzen on “The absurdity of climate alarmism”;
(2) Summary of the benefits of CO2 by scientist and CO2 specialist Craig Idso of CO2science.org;
(3) Independent Glen Greenwald on “The greatest threat to freedom today” (Twitter files revelations)
(4) Cowardice and courage;
(5) The unconditional treatment of everyone, both good and bad (maintaining our humanity in the face of evil);
(6) Mantras based on false assumptions… and more.

Listen to scientists like atmospheric physicist Richard Lindzen on the physics of CO2. There is no need for a “Just Transition” away from fossil fuels to renewables (the irrational and dangerous obsession of Canada’s climate alarmism fanatic and decarbonization crusader- Justin Trudeau). His “Just Transition” will be very much a destruction of the energy sector in Canada with consequent electrical grid destabilization due to intermittent renewables. Keep an eye on Germany, Britain, and California rushing down the same Net Zero path. Add excessively rising energy costs to the mix of nasty outcomes from the decarbonization crusade.

Instead of demonizing CO2 as a threat to life, with CO2 expert Craig Idso we ought to celebrate rising CO2 in the atmosphere. CO2 is not “the main cause of climate change”. CO2 is not causing a “climate crisis or emergency”. To the contrary, more CO2- life’s basic food- has resulted in a 15% increase in green vegetation across the Earth since 1980. That is more food for animals and increased crop production for humanity. All from more plant food in a “CO2 starvation era” were CO2 levels have been at historic lows compared to paleoclimate history.

And the mild warming of the last 100 years- 1 degree C- has benefitted all life in a still too cold world where 10 times more people die from cold every year, than die from warmth. Wendell Krossa

There are no limits to human creative potential…

This is good from Humanprogress.org. It is why Julian Simon said that biologists get population and resources issues all wrong. They tend to view humans as just another species of insect or animal- dumb and subject to the mindless chaos, randomness, and uncaring patterns of nature. Read the rest of the opening comment here

Christianity got Jesus all wrong on sacrifice (on the most important topic/issue of his message and life) Wendell Krossa (comment on Bob Brinsmead’s summary of Historical Jesus research)

There is a growing awareness, recognition, and acceptance today, within even the Christian movement, that Christianity has gotten some fundamental things about Jesus wrong, entirely wrong in some cases. Like, for instance, his revolutionary new theology of a non-retaliatory God. Read the rest of the opening comment here

The Two Main Approaches to Organizing Human Societies across history- Collectivism versus the free individual Wendell Krossa

The comment below comes from a “fiercely Independent” viewpoint. Kinda like Goldilocks- not too far Left, not too far Right. Sort of Libertarianish, or better- Classic Liberalism. Floating like a butterfly, free to alight wherever, enjoy the nectar and then move on. A self that is free in an open process and not fixed too rigidly on any “object” (i.e. not finding cemented identity in some immutable ideology, religion, nationality, race/ethnicity, or other objects of human identity). Open and free like ‘The Mutable Self’ of Louis Zurcher.

“Independent” because while both sides have commendable features and concerns, neither side gets it all right (and this is not “bothsideism”). David Boaz, for example, said regarding the US situation that Republicans needed to embrace more freedom in the social realm and Democrats needed to embrace more freedom in the economic realm. Neither side held a monopoly on good. My ‘Free Floating’ stance also keeps me from the dogmatic tribalism that locks into loyalty to one side only and views the other side as an enemy to be conquered or cancelled. Read the rest of the opening comment here

This essay is about engaging Joseph Campbell’s points regarding “The Hero’s Journey” (i.e. some of the main features of all human stories).

Speculating with Campbell on the meaning of human life and experiences Wendell Krossa

Or: How to tower in stature as maturely human, how to become the hero of your story or quest.

Joseph Campbell said that we all live a “hero’s quest or adventure”. Our lives and life experiences can be understood in terms of “the hero’s journey”. We all live heroic stories of adventure, struggle, suffering, conquest of monsters/problems, disintegration/re-integration, transformation, discovery, and gaining insights that benefit ourselves and others. I have added to Campbell’s basic framework, revising, paraphrasing, and changing some things. Read the rest of the opening comment here

Alternative titles: “The message of Historical Jesus versus the Paul’s Christ myth: Separating Diamonds from Dung” (i.e. Thomas Jefferson, Leo Tolstoy’s views on the New Testament), or “The Great Christian Contradiction” (The core message of Historical Jesus is entirely opposite to Paul’s Christ myth that dominates the New Testament), or… “The non-retaliatory God of Jesus, versus the retaliatory God of Paul”

My main point in this essay is that Paul intentionally went after the core insight of Jesus- i.e. that God was non-retaliatory, unconditional love. Paul contradicted this “single most profound insight in history” with his entirely opposite theology that retreated to re-affirm the primitive mythology of retaliatory, conditional deity. Not only did Paul discredit the wisdom tradition of Jesus in 1 Corinthians (e.g. Stephen Patterson- “The Lost Way”), but he also directly repudiated the basic theology of Jesus’ non-retaliatory God with his retaliatory Christ myth and vengeful God theology (compare Matthew 5:38-48 with First and Second Thessalonians and, particularly, Paul’s direct statement of his contrary theology in Romans 12:17-20).

Paul is mainly responsible for keeping the pathology of threatening deity and apocalypse alive in Western consciousness and narratives, with all the damaging consequences of that theology on Western consciousness and lives- i.e. the deforming influence of fear, anxiety, shame, guilt, resignation, fatalism, depression, nihilism, and violence. See psychologist Harold Ellens’ “The Destructive Power of Religion”, and psychotherapist Zenon Lotufo’s “Cruel God, Kind God”. Read the rest of the opening comment here

The human exodus from animal existence to the liberation of truly human existence. This essay probes the heroic human journey from the barbaric retaliation of animal existence toward discovering what it means to be more truly human in terms of non-retaliatory existence. It takes a look at the deep historical roots of human mythology/religion and the core ideas/themes that have persisted across our history in both religious narratives and so-called “secular/ideological/scientific” narratives. As Joseph Campbell said, the same myths have been embraced by people across all history and across all the cultures of the world. There is little new in the human creation of meta-narratives to explain and guide life.

The Journey From Retaliation To Unconditional Love: The Narrative of Human Exodus from Animal Existence, Wendell Krossa
(Revised May 23, 2013, and again Sept. 24, 2022)

(Note: This essay is the outcome of several decades of interaction with a valued friend, a great human spirit, and probably the finest theological mind to have ever graced this planet, Bob Brinsmead, notably, this interacts with material of his such as “The Scandal of Joshua Ben Adam”.) Read the rest of the opening comment here

First in a series (revised, reposted) on better themes for a new narrative that more accurately tells us the true state of life, new themes to replace the core ideas of past narratives. These deal with a mix of scientific, philosophical, and religious concerns.

The religious or mythical speculations offered here are a response to the primal human impulse for meaning, notably, meaning as it relates to ultimate reality and ultimate ideals. Bad speculation on such things has always existed, and will always exist, so rather than deny the impulse for ultimate or “metaphysical/spiritual” answers, offer better alternatives, more humane alternatives.

This is all about the story that we live by and the essential nature of that narrative. I put the ideal of “no conditions love” at the very center of a new narrative because it is the highest version of love that we have discovered and, as the most humane ideal that we know, it points us to the most humane outcomes in thought, emotion, motivation/intention, and response/behavior or ethics.

The short version is at the top below… with a longer version further below… Read the rest of the opening comment here