Two Different Religions

Yesterday brought airport pickup for fog-delayed Cathy allowing sleep-in, photo work at home, driving to Suds discussing Minecraft with Tim, Brian, and Jack. Deaken's birthday dinner with Sydne and Dakota, seeing Sage there. Heard about Sydne and Dakota's protest Saturday followed by rude treatment at Tommy's revealing political inclinations—Tommy's now off my list. Evening Minecraft then Greatest Controversies exploring how Jesus and Paul taught entirely different religions, Jesus possibly not recognizing what Christianity became. Western society offers little moral pride—limitless examples of institutional bad treatment perpetuated by misinformation.

Questions of Recognition

October 21, 2025

Picked up Cathy from the airport yesterday morning. Due to fog her plane was late, which allowed me to sleep in a bit rather than rushing to meet the original arrival time. Sometimes delays work in your favor.

Worked on photos during the day—continuing the ongoing project of processing images, creating Patreon posts, learning technique through practice and conversation with Claude. The work continues accumulating, each session building skills and producing finished pieces.

Random picture of a mine from
my trip

Drove to Suds for beer with Tim, Brian, and Jack. Talked about Minecraft quite a bit—the projects we're each pursuing, the technical challenges, the creative satisfaction of building complex systems in virtual space. The conversation probably sounds absurd to non-players, but there's genuine depth in discussing warehouse logistics or redstone circuits with people who understand why those details matter.

Went to dinner to celebrate Deaken's birthday with Sydne and Dakota. Saw Sage while we were there. The gathering that marks another year, another milestone in his development. These family celebrations matter not because they're dramatic but because they're regular—showing up, marking time, maintaining connection.

During dinner I learned that Sydne and Dakota went to the protest on Saturday. Afterwards they went to Tommy's where they were treated very rudely. Tommy's political inclinations became clear through that treatment—not just disagreement but active hostility expressed through poor service. Tommy's is off my list now. I'll find breakfast elsewhere. This connects directly to yesterday's shopping philosophy reflection: where money goes matters, and I won't support businesses that treat people badly based on political views. There are plenty of places to get breakfast from people who can maintain basic decency regardless of their customers' beliefs.

Came home and played Minecraft, building and problem-solving in that satisfying way virtual construction provides—challenges that have solutions, progress that's immediately visible, systems that work when properly designed.

Watched the Greatest Controversies followed by some Hogan's Heroes. Greatest Controversies explored the fact that Jesus and Paul taught two entirely different religions. Jesus preached Jewish renewal—following Torah more authentically, preparing for God's imminent kingdom, focusing on ethical behavior and social justice within Jewish tradition. Paul created something new: salvation through faith in Christ's death and resurrection, available to Gentiles without Jewish law, emphasis on personal transformation and eternal afterlife rather than earthly kingdom.

The Christianity that emerged followed Paul's vision far more than Jesus's teaching. Jesus might not recognize what his movement became. It's interesting to ponder whether Jesus would have been a Christian in the Pauline sense—whether he would have accepted the theology that developed around his death, the transformation of his Jewish reform message into a new religion that separated from Judaism entirely. The question isn't answerable but it's provocative: would the founder recognize what the followers built?

From a moral and ethical perspective, western society is nothing to be proud of. The examples—including institutional examples—of people treating other people badly seems nearly limitless. Tommy's rudeness to protest attendees is just one tiny instance in an ocean of similar behavior. The institutionally supported misinformation perpetuates this: media that divides for profit, politicians who exploit fear, corporations that prioritize advantage over honesty, religious institutions that abandon ethical principles for political power.

The misinformation creates permission structures for bad behavior. When authorities—political, religious, corporate, media—model treating certain people as less deserving of basic respect, that filters through entire society. Tommy's felt entitled to treat customers rudely because broader culture has normalized that kind of hostility. It's not just individual moral failing; it's systemic permission to abandon common decency.

The connection between Jesus/Paul and contemporary behavior isn't accidental. When religion transforms from ethical framework into identity marker, it loses its moral force. Paul's Christianity emphasized correct belief over correct behavior, faith over works, spiritual transformation over social justice. That shift created space for people to claim religious identity while acting in ways that contradict the founder's actual teaching. Modern Christians can treat people terribly while believing they're faithful—because their religion values faith over behavior, tribal identity over universal ethics.

The day moved from practical activities to uncomfortable recognitions. Deaken's birthday celebration, Minecraft discussions, photo work—all pleasant and normal. But underneath: the accumulating evidence that western society has deep moral problems, that institutions perpetuate rather than correct them, that religion often enables rather than prevents bad behavior. Looking closely and critically reveals things others would prefer you not see. It's a practice that doesn't happen often enough in the general population.