h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Very interesting indeed. Just as I enter into a new freedom, the Devil steps in and tries to divert me into a mould of his own devising. This time, it was his "version" of what a spiritual Christian should be, complete with inner voice, guidance and so on. I was under the sway of that when I posted last night about discipleship not being easy - it was a horrible performance-oriented, fear-driven, anxious experience I was having at the time. I've had a gutful of the devil in my life, and it's rather dispiriting to realise that we fight against him and his works until we die. I've got the influence of Dominic Smart dinning in my ears at the moment. Sorry Dom, I'm not interested in your brand of Christianity, thank you very much. Get out of my head. In fact this brand of Christianity is dependent on an incorrect attitude towards the Bible. Over-zeal concerning it. Anxiety concerning not living up to its demands. That isn't from God.

The fact that there are correct and incorrect ways of relating to the Bible is not news; it is startling to me to see just how deep it all runs. Presently I am battling against my evangelical past, and the archetypes that it installed in me. Ultimately, those archetypes are a prison which separate you from God and from others. It's all very interesting.

The most sensible thing I've ever read concerning the use of the Bible was by Robert Banks in an article I haven't got here, I don't think (although it may be in the box files from the BD, but I can't be bothered to search through them all to find it). He is a New Testament scholar, who is into the House Church idea, because that's how he saw the church beginning. I am in complete agreement with him on this one - I don't like religious buildings and avoid them wherever I can. To me, we should be meeting in each other's homes, without those overarching structures oppressing the people.

Anyway it's a nice day, blue sky and sunshine. My cold is almost gone. I don't need to go to Tyger Valley any more, because I'm giving Henry something of my own, which he has admired in the past.

Had weird dreams again - very weird dreams indeed. Extremely weird.

As I was getting dressed I had Dominic in my mind trying to convince me that his version of the faith is correct. The fundamental lie on which his account is based, is "You're not grown-up enough a Christian yet to be able to walk in freedom like I do". I've had this before from evangelicals, notably from Rigby. There's this mystical vision of "maturity", like the rainbow never actually attainable, which they use to oppress others by reference to - always implying that they are closer to it than you are.

This form of spiritual battle, by the way, is what the Sufis mean by "jihad" - holy war.

The sun has gone in and it's clouded over - what a pity. Still, I feel like going out somewhere today. In the meantime I have to pass by the Matieland post office in the Neelsie, where I suspect my mother has sent me something for Christmas, then I have to go to the Traffic Dept to pick up my driving licence.

Went to the Neelsie to pick up a present from my mother - the 2006 Private Eye annual, most snorkworthy. Then to the Traffic Dept to pick up my replacement driving licence. The weather is changeable - the sun is coming in and going out.

A few days ago the water in the little stream that runs along my back yard, started up again. It's part of the irrigation system in this part of Stellenbosch, and they turn it on and off. Down Van Riebeeck st. there is also a little stream, rather like the "Baechle" in Freiburg I think it was. So I've got the merry sound of flowing water - lovely!

It's 11pm, time for a coffee and a biscuit, only I don't have any biscuits, not sweet ones anyway, and I feel like a choccy biccie or even better, a Custard Cream, which I think are the best biscuits ever invented. Don't you feel nostalgia for the biscuits of your childhood? Nice, anyone? Some of them were yucky, but some were lovely.

It's sunny, but windy.

Time for another coffee, but this time I'm going out to see if I can find some custard creams, and a litre of milk too.

Too windy out there for me - flying metal objects, again. Most uncomfortable.

I found some custard creams - they seem to have been made somewhere in Arabia. As I thought, they don't taste like proper ones - texture's all wrong, too. Still, they are quite nice in their own right.

Found a proper smiley page at last: A1925598

http://www.globalserve.net/~sarlo/RatingsR.htm

This guy gives the Bhagwan the highest rating and rates him even higher than Jesus!

Oh dear. I see David Icke is into fascism and anti-Semitism. Not good. I liked his theory about lizard entities from the 4th dimension though.

My goodness me, those dreams I had last night were really strange. I keep remembering bits.

Having come off various intoxicants rather suddenly, I'm feeling strange, really strange, today. I suppose this is just my brain complaining - it wants a fag and a glass of wine.

You seem astonishingly certain which is the devil and which is the god, Dag.

I don't know that I could ever be so sure as you seem to be.

Look to Proverbs 18:17

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It comes with practice.

Look at Hebrews 5:14