Jesus tells disciples that, like himself, they “do not belong to the world” of rulers. Jesus also tells them truth does not belong to the world of rulers either, so Jesus “consecrates them in truth.”
Rulers not being ‘consecrated in truth’ explains Trump’s 30,000+ lies. One type of lie is opinion. Not to be confused with expert opinion meaning advanced knowledge, opinion is the lack of knowledge. Opinion is defined as notions or beliefs not substantiated by facts. Opinion avoids research and critical thinking in favor of anecdotal personal experience. Opinion is susceptible to moods, conformity, and, prejudice. Prejudicial opinion abounds on talk shows, certainly right-wing ones where speakers offer untruths. Many, such as Fox News, when caught in their desecration of truth, attach the disclaimer of being entertainers. As if lying about a role absolves them of responsibility for truth. They take a position above the fray; like puppet masters. They are not immersed in the grit of truth; its emotional intelligence, moral reasoning, and behavioral wisdom. Instead, they use the lie of opinion to puppeteer emotional superficiality, immoral reasoning, and behavioral folly. Their audience is moved, believing they are agents of truth, not knowing they are reactive puppets to liars, for example, Trump, his attorney, Sydney Powell, and others telling the Big Lie that the election was stolen. When sued for her Big Lie, Powell stated in court, “No reasonable person would conclude that (my) statements were truly statements of facts.” They were “outlandish claims,” “inherently improbable,” even “impossible,” and should not have been believed. Yet millions relating as puppets did believe the lies and are acting immorally as a result, violently, because of puppet masters. Jonathan Haidt, Professor at NYU Stern School of Business is being hailed as a guide for moral truth during the GOP Big Lie. As proof they offer his popular Moral Foundations Theory. It theorizes people’s moral foundation is appropriately “emotional.” We all tend to ultimately “fail to establish any kind of rational principle” or moral reasons for our positions. We should therefore let people who believe differently than us, like in the Big Lie, keep talking and listen to them. They are moral too and we need not react emotionally to them but can rationally learn their morality. Haidt says proof of our tendency to emotionally react without rationality is our reaction to incest – most people can’t rationally explain way they oppose it. But Haidt’s incest example only proves that right-wing puppet masters, like him, desecrate truth. They groom us so incessantly with their opinions and to let them keep talking while we listen to their morality that we cannot reasonably explain the truth of how puppet masters sometimes operate in families – through incest. Persons who cannot rationally explain a moral response against incest and for healthy relationships are living under the unhealthy relationship culture of right-wing puppet masters. Puppet masters abuse us across systems and in degrees, sexually, emotionally, politically, financially, socially, and morally – grooming us to be emotionally attached to them while they use us for their satisfaction. Right wing puppet masters, like Haidt, spawn their grooming from incestuous enclaves of domination and inequality which they rationalize as moral. They breed an incestuous, aka patriarchally abusive culture epitomized by the puppet master Trump and his cohort of incestuous pedophiles: Jeffery Epstein, Tofik Arif, John Casablancas, Matt Gaetz, George Nader,…. through their however slight acquiescence to that culture and its puppet master morality. Right wing puppet masters groom us for emotional superficiality, immoral reasoning, and behavioral folly. They hinder our being ‘consecrated in truth;’ its emotional intelligence, moral reasoning, and behavioral wisdom.
Haidt’s grooming is also evident in asserting we should “agree to disagree.” It means we prioritize civil manners when groomers abuse civil rights. His opinion, that ‘both sides’ hate the other, desecrates the truth that puppet masters ‘punch down,’ systemically denying civil rights and human rights to people they are hating and killing. Haidt’s opinion that a culture war exists, desecrates the truth that puppet masters devise culture wars. His opinion that political correctness is an offense to humanity, desecrates the truth that puppet masters always politically correct for their own honor, privilege, and benefit which is the real offense to humanity. His opinion that Eastern religion’s Shiva/Destroyer and Vishnu/Preserver exist in union and so should we, desecrates the truth that Brahmin puppet masters invented Shiva/ destroyer to justify their Vishnu / Preserver desecration of every culture’s untouchables. Finally, Haidt’s opinion that everyone is entitled to their opinion, desecrates that we are all ‘consecrated in truth.’
Prayer: Spirit, fill us with truth.
Question: How is my emotional intelligence, moral reasoning, and behavioral wisdom when puppet masters and their puppets start talking?
May 16, 2021 Gospel John 17:11b-19 Seventh Sunday of Easter