The Unconditional Human Spirit

Continuing with the battle of good against evil, the most basic of human struggles for meaning and purpose.

If historians like Richard Landes (“Heaven on Earth”) are right that “apocalyptic millennialism” beliefs had a significant influence in driving the Marxist revolutions of last century with the mass-death outcomes that we now know resulted, and if he is right that this same complex of beliefs also drove Nazism with its mass-death totals, and if he is right that these same core themes in Paul’s Christology are driving the apocalyptic crusade of climate alarmism, then apocalyptic millennialism (also known as “salvation through violent destruction”) is, as Arthur Mendel said, the most violent and destructive idea in history. (He referenced specifically “apocalyptic”)

And it is then beyond egregiously irresponsible to continue to cloak this evil as good, as divine, to continue to defend and protect it in our major world religions and in “secular/ideological” variants.

Adding to the sense of egregious irresponsibility is that for two millennia we have had the entirely opposite complex of themes in, for example, the humane message of Historical Jesus. Further, notable public figures have made clear the striking contrasts between the message of Jesus and Paul’s entirely opposite themes. I am referring to public figures like American Founder Thomas Jefferson who bluntly termed the message of Jesus “diamonds” as contrasted with Paul’s Christology as “dung”, or “the product of lesser minds”. Leo Tolstoy added his similarly blunt descriptives of Paul’s contrary message.

Some of you will be highly offended by such blunt language. See the section below on the AI comment on the psychology of true believer rage at challenge to core belief systems like Paul’s Christ myth. We get that religious rage is a survival response. We see this rage in the response of that Jewish audience to Jesus’ first public presentation of his stunning new theology of an unconditional God. Rejection of the long-standing belief in vengeful, retaliatory God incites murderous rage in true believers.

The challenge here is to responsibly acknowledge the proven history of outcomes from the beliefs that we embrace in our narratives. We know now from, for example, the continuing eruption of violence in the contemporary Islamic theocracy crusade (notably Iran) that people do become just like the God that they believe in. We know how dangerous bad ideas/beliefs are because they incite and validate the worst of our inherited impulses to (1) tribalism, (2) defeat and domination of differing others, and (3) vengeful, violent destruction of differing others. These are the “evil triad” impulses inherited from our animal past. (Qualifier: The same violence has stained the histories of all three major Western religious traditions.)

And, though this will be difficult for many to even consider, the “salvation through destruction” that energizes the Iranian theocracy crusade, that same complex of basic themes also motivates the climate apocalypse crusade. Again, check out the research of historians like Richard Landes, Arthur Mendel, David Redles, Arthur Herman, and others who are repeatedly referenced on this site.

This battle against the inherited animal is fought most critically inside each one of us. As Solzhenitsyn wisely stated, the real battle of good against evil is not fought at the societal level of one class against another. The real battle against the real evil in life is an intensely personal battle that takes place inside each one of us. Joseph Campbell also referenced this with his “Hero’s Quest” framework that helpfully outlines our individual life stories. Read the rest of the opening comment here

You can’t mix entire opposites in one merger. Jefferson and Tolstoy understood this.

More on the separation, the necessary differentiation between Jesus and Paul. If you are going to recommend the revival of a traditional religion like Christianity as necessary to solve what you feel are degrading trends in our societies, then make the separation and differentiation between these two opposite theologies and messages real clear for people. It is basic human responsibility to be clear on bad and good. Wendell Krossa

This is about the most basic project of humanity across the millennia- discerning between bad and good, rejecting the bad and embracing the good. This is fundamental to our exodus and liberation from our animal past to continue our progress toward becoming maturely human in liberal democracy civilization. This is the grand meta-story of humanity, central to the meaning and purpose of being human.

The issue and point in much comment below…

The core themes/message of one (i.e. Historical Jesus) affirm basic liberal democracy principles and institutions such as the universal inclusion of all as equals with equal rights and freedoms under Classic Liberal laws and representative institutions. His themes affirm the non-domination of mutual service in free societies (i.e. no lording over but serve others), and restorative justice approaches toward imperfect others.

The opposite themes of Paul’s Christ affirm Hellenist/Platonic principles of elite domination and control of commoners (i.e. Plato’s “Philosopher Kings” as special elites more qualified to rule all others and framed by Paul in his “Lord” Jesus Christ as the ultimate dominating ruler). Paul’s Christology also affirms discriminatory exclusion of dissenters (i.e. “unbelievers” banned, silenced, damned/exterminated). His retaliatory, vengeful theology affirms harshly merciless punitive justice approaches.

(“His retaliatory, vengeful theology”? Yes, he stated that by quoting an Old Testament verse in Romans 12: 17-20 as his rejection of the unconditional theology of Jesus. He re-affirmed the theology of a retaliatory, destroying God.)

Historians, like Arthur Herman in his “The Cave and the Light: Plato Versus Aristotle, and the Struggle for the Soul of Western Civilization”, have done some interesting tracing of the historical line of descent of these differing ideas and principles (i.e. Plato’s ideas of elites ruling collectives descended down through to Hegel and then to Marx, whereas Aristotle’s more “individual freedoms and rights” ideas descended to affirm modern liberal democracy principles).

And yes, we do become just like the ultimate Ideals or deity that we believe in.

Continuing…

I asked several AI to look at the Luke 4: 16-30 incident where Jewish believers erupted with murderous rage in response to Jesus’ introduction, for the first time in public, of his stunning new theology of a non-retaliatory, unconditional God. He did so after first rejecting the long-standing image of the Zoroastrian vengeful God that has shaped all three great Western religions (i.e. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam). Read the rest of the opening comment here

It is my habit to post new blogging comment, often repeating issues and themes that are central to the main concerns of this site, and then get AI to analyze and summarize what I have posted.

They have the skills to summarize things and sometimes give fairly decent analyses if asked.

Latest…

Grok, Your analysis and summary of the topics presented on the top two sections on

http://www.wendellkrossa.com/

The sections are titled:

“The most consequential revolutions in history have been psychological and theological”

And

“Breaking the darkening/enslaving chains of the apocalyptic curse on humanity- Start with admitting that it has always been a great fraud”

Grok replied:

The first section is a blog post dated May 14, 2026, titled “The most consequential revolutions in history have been psychological and theological.”

Wendell Krossa argues that the deepest, most transformative changes in human history occur not primarily through politics or technology, but at the level of core beliefs, psychology, and theology— specifically the foundational ideas about ultimate reality (God/deity), human nature, and how we should respond to others (especially “enemies”). These “archetypal” themes shape societies, motivations, emotions, and behaviors across generations. Read the rest of the opening comment here

Coming soon– Some very interesting input (from Grok, Anthropic Claude) on why the battle for AI supremacy matters so much. It’s a battle for liberal democracy now under threat from resurging Marxist collectivism through its modern variants, as well as similar threat to overthrow liberal democracy and replace it with totalitarianism from theocracy crusades such as from the Iranian leadership (differing from the main Iranian populace).

This battle for freedom against surging totalitarianism gets to archetypal-level transformation as Anthropic Claude says, “The most consequential revolutions in human history have not been political or technological but psychological and theological”.

The coming material is also more on answering General Nagata’s concern that we have not yet defeated “the idea” that drives eruptions of violence and war like that of ISIS in Syria (2014). This is more on “It’s the theology, stupid”.

Also more on the archetypal-level revolution presented by wisdom sage Historical Jesus with his “stunning new unconditional theology” that went directly to the core idea/belief in human narratives, a fundamental transformation that Paul subsequently rejected in his retreat to reaffirming the dominant archetype of wrathful, retaliatory deity at the center of his Christ-ianity. That then shaped subsequent Western narratives and society more than any other idea/belief/theme as historians like James Tabor have argued (“Paul and Jesus”).

Historians like Richard Landes have detailed the outcomes of Paul’s myth in shaping Marxism, Nazism, and now environmental alarmism.

Now the new stuff… Read the rest of the opening comment here

More “holy shitoli” admission from the climate apocalypse crusade, Wendell Krossa (a new springboard for commentary)

See Watts below on the IPCC using a “weasel word” for “impossible” and admitting the end of another apocalyptic crusade.

While there are varied good studies on the social psychology level of what drives modern apocalyptic “madness of crowds” crusades (i.e. Arthur Herman’s “The Idea of Decline in Western History”, Kristian Niemietz’s “Socialism: The Failed Idea That Never Dies”, etc.), this site focuses on the archetypal level as a critical factor in solving General Nagata’s concern that we have to defeat the “idea” behind violent apocalyptic crusades like Islamic theocracy.

“Archetypal level”? As in the deeply embedded factors in human subconscious that have long been shaped by primitive mythological themes like “lost paradise, life declining to a worse state, toward apocalyptic ending, demand for salvation through sacrifice and a purging of impurity from the world, promise of salvation in a restored paradise or new utopia, etc.”. These archetypal themes (and the impulses they validate) subtly influence moderns to continue embracing narratives with the same themes, whether religious or ideological. They grant people “emotional satisfaction” in the embrace of familiar themes/beliefs/ideas. No matter the harmful outcomes to themselves or their societies. Leading examples- socialist collectivism, environmental alarmism, theocratic crusades.

Moving along… The Watts article further below (“A Generation of Kids Thinks They Have No Future”) illustrates my repeated argument here that the environmental alarmism movement has always been a “profoundly religious crusade” driven more by apocalyptic mythology than by rational science. So also, the same mythology has driven Marxist revolutions (despite claims to “scientific materialism/history”), just as it drove Nazism and other apocalyptic crusades across history. Read the rest of the opening comment here

See below a clip of Konstantin Kistin (“Triggernometry”) on why every socialist society ends in totalitarianism.

My recent “tussle”, in the link below, with several of the main AI- i.e. notably Google’s AI Overview, Grok, and Chatgpt. I pushed them on how certain dominant themes from primitive mythologies (i.e. the “apocalyptic millennialism”, or “salvation through violent destruction”, that was formalized in Zoroaster’s cosmic dualism) that these themes have continued to prominently shape modern human narratives, both religious and secular, with destructive outcomes for our societies.

Note that I had to challenge Chat for responding with its usual excessive cautionary qualifying. That qualifying weakens critical points that have to be made against clearly dominant trends in the public discourse of our contemporary world.

At stake in these issues is the protection and continued survival of liberal democracies that are under constant threat from Marxist collectivism, apocalyptic environmentalism, and religious theocracy, all committed to replacing liberal democracy with their varied totalitarianisms. Read the rest of the opening comment here

See new material below on tussling with Shellenberger on the revival of undifferentiated religion.

Note new material below on Haviv Gur’s interview at Free Press explaining the theology that drives the Iranian theocrats to violence. A theology common to all three great Western religions that holds the dangerous potential to incite some to extremist fanaticism.

See also below the “holy shitoli” (a variant on “WTF”) as the IPCC admits that “a set of key assumptions promoting a climate ‘crisis’ since 2011 are ‘implausible’” and these “assumptions have produced outlandish claims of future climate catastrophe”. This means that “almost every fearmongering mainstream media climate headline and story that has been written over the last 15 years is junk”. Once again, everyone now say with me- “Holy shitoli”.

Also, a defense of the NDE movement as the latest stage in the history of human “spirituality”. But, as some argue… “It’s just personal, subjective experience”. Yes, just like the “personal, subjective” experiences of all the founders of our great religious traditions, that they subsequently built those religions on (i.e. Moses’ mountaintop experiences, Buddha’s enlightenment under the tree, Paul getting his Christology on Damascus Road and other heavenly visions, Muhammad’s cave revelations and visits from Gabriel, etc.).

Those have been the most dominant meta-narratives in human history as the products of humanity’s response to the primary impulse for meaning and purpose. The ideas/beliefs/themes of these traditions have long shaped the archetypes of the collective human subconscious and those, in turn, have repeatedly shaped and driven all the following offspring human systems of meaning/belief down through history, both religious and “secular/ideological”.

See historical research on Marxism, Nazism, and environmental alarmism for evidence.

The best of news is that we were long ago given the liberating and non-religious alternative to the bad ideas in these dominant meta-narratives- i.e. the “stunning new theology” presented by Historical Jesus of an unconditionally loving deity. Entirely contrary to Paul’s highly conditional Christology. Now the project is to recover the “buried diamond” of that Jewish wisdom sage.

More on rethinking the “spiritual/metaphysical“, Wendell Krossa. Yes, its “speculation”. Nonetheless, some speculation offers better alternatives than what we have inherited from religious traditions. Historical Jesus felt the same.

This site exists to communicate one critical insight/discovery, i.e. the stunning new alternative theology that was given to us two millennia ago that there is a profoundly unconditional Love behind all reality and all life. That Love is closer than our own breath or atoms, it is in us all as inseparable from our human spirit and self. It defines the nature of our core self or spirit, the real us. And that is a liberating boost to human self-image after we have been beaten down with “fallen, sinful humanity” mythology from our beginnings. Read the rest of the opening comment here

Note new comment in the section below- “Insert (help for understanding the psychology of violence)”

This, in appreciation of common-sense clarity:

The heroic J. K. Rowling- “If you believe free speech is for you but not for your political opponents, you’re illiberal. If no contrary evidence could change your beliefs, you’re a fundamentalist. If you believe the state should punish those with contrary views, you’re a totalitarian. If you believe political opponents should be punished with violence or death, you’re a terrorist.”

Amy Hamm’s take on Rowling’s comments above: “If your ideas require dressing up in academic jargon, because they sound foolish in plain language- they are all certainly foolish.”

“Woke academics claim J.K. Rowling guilty of being Voldemort: They also accuse her of something called ‘celebrified transphobia’”, Amy Hamm.

https://nationalpost.com/opinion/amy-hamm-woke-academics-claim-j-k-rowling-guilty-of-being-voldemort

This guy seems to get the point that “It’s the theology, stupid”.

“Rubio identifies main roadblock to US-Iran agreement” Read the rest of the opening comment here

This section (below) has the full Grok analysis and summaries of the main essays on this site in fulfilment of the proposals in the section below- i.e. “Humanity is in the midst of the greatest story ever told— the exodus from the animal to the unconditionally human in liberal democracy”. The essays and AI analysis present the alternative themes to construct entirely new meta-narratives framed around the most humane insights from past sages, contemporary scholars, and others.

First, some response to the Iran theocracy issue…

The harsh reality in our world– Wendell Krossa

There are people across our contemporary world who, however you view them, cannot restrain themselves from threatening general peace and order. Perhaps you see them as driven by psychopathy, or just as “evil” people. I would frame them as true believers in a profoundly deformed theology, believers in a God of violence and destruction, people who have embraced the divine obligation to engage a Zoroastrian righteous war to exterminate demonic evil enemies as required by their God, as necessary to prepare the way for installing some form of salvation (e.g. Caliphate, millennium, heaven, etc.). People who become just like the God that they believe in.

Zoroaster’s tribal God who demands the defeat and domination/extermination of evil enemies, as essential to preparing for salvation, has shaped the theologies of all three Western religions- i.e. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Insert (help for understanding the psychology of violence): To keep this fresh in reader’s minds (and to keep the focus on this main contributing factor to the notable violence that we are all observing on the international scene) here again below is a summary of quotes from psychologist/theologian Harold Ellens (former US Army chaplain). He explained, in psychotherapist Zenon Lofufo’s “Cruel God, Kind God”, how bad theological ideas deform human personalities and generate violence.

There is no comparable belief that is more potent for “generating bad behavior” than deformed ideas of deity/God. This ultimate Ideal or Reality has long played the main role in the “behavior based on belief” coupling that people use to express their primary impulse to meaning and purpose. Read the rest of the opening comment here

Below, Grok analyzes and summarizes the main essays/papers on this site, combining the content into an entirely new meta-narrative to replace what we have inherited from the narratives of the world religions and their secular/ideological offspring. Traditional religious narratives still contain some of the worst ideas from humanity’s primitive past that incite and validate bad thinking, feeling, motivations, and consequent destructive outcomes of bad behavior.

Grok combines the more humane ideas/themes from the best insights of our ancestors and contemporaries into a new narrative framework that affirms liberal democracy society.

The project of this site has been to offer alternative and more humane insights to structure narratives, more humane themes to transform narratives that will then function to also transform the archetypes of the human “collective subconscious/unconscious” (Carl Jung’s term).

This, again, is more response to General Nagata’s frustration that you can defeat violent movements like ISIS in Syria (2014) but you have not defeated the “idea” that drives them. He even claimed that “we don’t even know the idea”. Yes, Gen. Nagata, we know damn well what the idea/ideas are, but we continue to play irresponsible games of overly-cautious reformism that tinkers around the periphery of our main narrative systems, notably, hesitancy to properly and fully transform the worst elements of our major world religious traditions that have birthed the secular/ideological offspring of Marxism, Nazism, and environmental alarmism. And so, we continue to see eruptions of “madness of crowds” apocalyptic hysteria both in theocratic and collectivist crusades that leave ruined societies and even mass-death in their wake (endless crusades driven by “salvation through violent destruction”).

And many are still avoiding the need to transform the most fundamental idea of all- i.e. the theology. The God at the core of belief systems, the ultimate reality that holds complexes of ideas together. That is the most critical idea (especially in its “angry, violent deity” versions) that we have to “defeat” as in transform entirely with the more humane insights that we have today. The full and thorough transformation of deity imaging will mean embracing a “death/rebirth”, “disintegration/reintegration” degree of change.

The approach of cautious tinkering over past millennia has not solved the problem of these inciting/validating archetypes. We need narrative transformation at the scale/degree of the Historical Jesus approach, aware that his message of radical alternative unconditional theology cost him his life. Good righteous and moral religious people of the first century AD reacted with outrage at his disturbance and overturning of the traditional theology that gave them comfort and hope, especially the hope of divine retaliation against their enemies (see the Luke 4 synagogue incident where he first presented his new theology of an unconditional God and they tried to throw him off a cliff). Read the rest of the opening comment here

Choose your God carefully. (Because “It’s always the theology, stupid”- my paraphrase of James Carville and Bill Clinton on the economy), Wendell Krossa

Whatever we idealize most, or worship, is what we become like. And if our fellow citizens widely idealize the same ideals then that is what our society becomes. We have two main God options (ultimate reality, ultimate ideal) to shape our belief systems, narratives, and the national stories that populations/societies unify around. These two produce or effect differing influences on people and societies.

Preface: As noted before here, I do not appeal to Historical Jesus as some final authority. I do not “believe in Jesus”. I simply find the content of what he said to be useful for illustration of the best of being human. Hence, I refer to him as a widely known and influential historical figure.

Unfortunately, due to the “burial” of his diamonds under the dominant New Testament Christology of Paul, some of Jesus’ better insights/statements have been undermined and even lost. For example, he stated clearly that true greatness does not lord over others (i.e. dominate) as worldly rulers do but the truly great serve others. Then Paul turns around and makes him the ultimate Lord demanding that every knee bow to him and people subject every thought to his domination and control (Philippians 2:10-11, 2 Corinthians 10:5). Totalitarianism taken to ultimate extremism. Those two entirely opposite views did not come from the same person.

See also on this site: “How Paul constructed the great dualism of highly conditional ‘Christ-ianity’, burying the stunningly unconditional ‘diamond’ of Jesus.” Posted on April 3, 2026 by Wendell Krossa

http://www.wendellkrossa.com/?p=15526

Few true believers will acknowledge this great contradiction in Christianity because of the threat that such admission poses to the essential identity built on this religion and the investment of life in such a religious system- i.e. the beliefs that shape one’s personal narrative, the emotional satisfaction from such beliefs, the guidance for life, the promise and hope for eternal salvation and bliss, and the validation of one’s life by one’s deity (pleasing a parent, satisfaction in parental pride, etc.).

His “Q wisdom sayings” (“the closest we get to what he actually taught”) provide some of best ideas to shape narrative themes and thereby eventually reshape/transform the archetypes of our collective subconscious (Carl Jung’s theory). New fundamental archetypes framed by the themes of the Jesus tradition/message will provide upcoming generations with the most humane of ideals that will inspire them to respond with “emotional satisfaction” (Kristian Niemietz) in their choice of beliefs that will subsequently continue to affirm liberal democracy principles and practises.

The two main deity images- (deity images have always been the ultimate embodiments of human ideals/archetypes)

First, the “stunning new theology of Jesus“:

Historical Jesus presented the image of a nonreligious, unconditional deity that led eventually to the basic principles of liberal democracy societies. His view of ultimate reality/ultimate Ideal (1) affirmed non-tribal principles/practises where all receive protected equal rights and freedoms (i.e. universal inclusion- “sun and rain generously given to all equally”), (2) affirmed non-domination by state elites/bureaucracies and institutions that should function to serve citizens (no lording over but serving others), and (3) affirmed non-punitive justice systems that hold offenders responsible but treat them humanely (no more eye for eye but love your enemy), etc.

And the opposite view of theology–

The opposite and highly conditional theology of Paul’s Christ myth was a retreat to the primitive deity images of previous history- i.e. (1) a deity that embodies the tribalism of true believer insiders versus excluded/demonized unbelievers who are to be punished and destroyed in Hell (Lord Jesus will return in blazing fire to destroy all unbelievers- 2 Thessalonians, etc.), (2) deity as Lord/King that validates human domination (i.e. “divine right of kings, slaves submit to masters”, husbands as lords of families just as Christ is Lord of Christians, etc.), and (3) deity solving problems with violent destruction through apocalyptic purging and eternal hell (i.e. the still widely dominant theme of “salvation/purifying through destruction” shapes religious narratives as well as secular/ideological narratives).

Which theology dominates today? In the last century it was the elements of the apocalyptic millennialism of Paul’s Christ, and we saw the outcomes as that Ultimate Ideal carried entire societies into the mass-death outcomes of Marxist/socialist violent crusades to establish collectivism (see Tabor, Landes, and Ellens quotes below). We also saw Paul’s Christology of “salvation through destruction” work its influence of deforming human minds and lives in the horrific antisemitism of Nazism, and we are now watching it ruin liberal democracy societies again through the salvation by destruction crusade of environmental alarmism, along with the very same theology threatening liberal democracy through the theocracy crusade of Islam. Read the rest of the opening comment here

Section topic: Detecting and affirming unconditional love at the core of reality, the true nature of the creating/sustaining Reality. This is something that philosophical materialism cannot or will not see and hence it ends in speculations on the meaningless random elements of materialism (e.g. natural law shaping the ultimate nature of a materialist god called “Self-Organizing Principle”). And that results in the meaninglessness of ultimate nothingness that is without personhood, without morality/ethics, love. And we wonder why so many suffer excessive anxiety, depression, and nihilism today.

Why use AI now? Because I have put decades into research on the great ideas/beliefs that have shaped human consciousness across history and the outcomes of those in human societies, both for good and for evil. And now these AI are taking that research, analyzing and commenting on it, adding their good insights that go broader and further than what I can do. I mean- They skim the entire Internet in seconds, covering all areas of human thought/insight and all history. Kinda miraculous, eh.

I have been fascinated by human beliefs across history and especially intrigued by their persistence in our meta-narratives today (i.e. in both religious and secular/ideological versions) because of the personal impact of these ideas/beliefs on myself and others. As I have noted here repeatedly, I have felt intensely, for example, the personality-deforming influence of “monster God” beliefs, and suffered under that for years, finally finding liberation in the central insight of Historical Jesus, a wisdom sage with a message quite entirely opposite to Paul’s “Christ-ianity”. Read the rest of the opening comment here