| Finding This Book | | | | Food and Us and getting the food in us." I used to say |
| "OK, I have to admit it, even though I am strictly a No | | | | it like that especially when I was hungover, had low |
| Religion kind of guy. I am, or should I say WAS a Seer. | | | | blood sugar and needed a nice bunch of beans for |
| I came from a long line of Seers, and just because I | | | | breakfast. |
| invented the Religion of No Religion does not mean | | | | How It Really Went Down - |
| that I did not have psychic powers and the like. | | | | All of my Rads and I were out on long binges and |
| Anyway, I am writing this story of my life. Jerusalem, | | | | travelling and my brother Jake is brewing up this great |
| or what they will call Jerusalem is below me. I am in | | | | meal in his tent. So, to make a long story short, I was |
| the Mountains of Edom hiding this book in a | | | | living on my Just Me Religion and was just a little short |
| "Mayonnaise Jar on the Front Porch of Funk & | | | | of change and food. Well, obviously under my |
| Wagnalls". (to quote Ed McMahon and Johnny Carson). | | | | philosophy, I went to the bro and the Pop to get some |
| Ok, I will stop with the kidding. I put it in a jar because it | | | | more draw down on my funds, and darn it, I was |
| is so controversial. Eventually, it will be "protected" in | | | | hungry. People say I sold my birthright for a bowl of |
| the Herodian temple in Jerusalem. (Herod was one of | | | | soup. That is a very unevolved way of comprehending |
| my grandchildren. Proud of the boy.) Then at the | | | | what was occurring at that historical moment in time. |
| destruction of Jerusalem, the Romans take it to Rome, | | | | I hated the Monos and the Unseen talk. It was all a |
| and then through the centuries it evades being thrown | | | | bunch of Hooie. I mean with their Religion people had to |
| away and ends up in The Vatican, and Tom Hanks | | | | suffer. Why do people have to suffer? I mean why do |
| gives my book to Christofer, through neither an Angel | | | | people have to come up with a Rationale for |
| or a Demon, who is now revealing it to the world. | | | | Suffering? Why not just solve people's economic |
| The Autobiography of Ed - | | | | troubles, give them a good meal and tell them to go |
| They call me Esau or Edom. But you can call me Ed. I | | | | home and be happy? And what is this thing called |
| invented the Religion of No Religion. Let me be | | | | "Struggle"? Why struggle for years and years to build |
| confusing so I can later be clear. This Religion of No | | | | something bigger and newer? Innovation is a crock. All |
| Religion is the Religion of Just Me and You, as long as | | | | we need is food and clothing and a nice place to sleep. |
| you believe in Just Me. Much more later. | | | | Working for 7 years for your father-in-law to be? |
| You see today, millions of people believe in my Religion | | | | What kind of a contract is that? Oh, Abe and Saksby |
| - This Religion of No Religion. No, its not Atheism. | | | | and Jake they were a trio. I was the only one with any |
| Atheism is the Belief in No God. This is the Belief in | | | | brains. What I bring to the table, along with my big |
| Just Me. But back in my day....Back in my day, its all | | | | hunger, is BRAINS. I can see everything that is going |
| Polys and Monos. Mostly Polys. The Polys (polytheism) | | | | on and I can come up with an explanation for it that is |
| and the Monos (monotheism). Whoever was not a | | | | not based on some silly NOTION of an Unseen. Sure, I |
| Poly or a Mono kept his personal beliefs to himself. Until | | | | traded my birthright for a nice breakfast, but what it |
| I came along. I made it cool to be Believe in Just Me. | | | | was really all about is breaking their rules. I did not think |
| Saksby, Jake, Ed and Abe - | | | | I would be held to that! I mean a contract is not a big |
| You see I was a rich man's trustfunder. I was in line to | | | | deal. I mean with no Unseen, who is the authority |
| get this gigantic inheritance. Me and my rads | | | | behind the contract? Do you see what I mean? |
| (comrades) would go on drinking fests and live off the | | | | The Doctrine of the Religion of No Religion - |
| fat of the land. My grandfather Abe (Abraham) and | | | | A couple hundred years BC, My people blended in with |
| my Father Saksby (Isaac) had done a great job of | | | | Jake's people and "pretended to convert", but we kept |
| building up what could be called a "mobile empire". | | | | our agenda. Then, when the Romans came along, we |
| They were special because they were wealthy and | | | | stepped up to be the "in betweeners" - the liaisons, as |
| had the high tech ability to wage war on the run, build | | | | it were between the strident, nationalistic, self-righteous, |
| large herds and even hit the sails if they had to, to | | | | zealous Jews and the implacable Romans. We were |
| wander around. They were called the Hebrews, or | | | | dialectical materialists MAN! We said, we will deal with |
| Habiru, because they were "wanderers". That was a | | | | these guys and take control, and get back that long |
| compliment, not a put down. They could move in to | | | | lost birthright. Herod had my religion in his very sinew; |
| your territory and exert themselves. (Kind of like the | | | | and if truth be known, I was lost to lore and legend, but |
| American Navy. Wake up some morning with a Nimitz | | | | he still probably resented me. The Edomites were in a |
| class carrier off shore) | | | | spot up there in the rugged mountains, but they made |
| All These Guys are Monos - | | | | the best of it. Oh well. Once you don't believe in the |
| So Abe and Saksby and Jake (Oh yeah, Jake (Jacob) | | | | Unseen, you have to believe in Something. For me the |
| is the main protagonist here. Although he is my | | | | Something was Just Me, and the Edomites had to |
| Antagonist). These guys were all Monos and tedious!?! | | | | believe in themselves, (I guess that was my real |
| Making sacrifices all the time to this Unseen. They had | | | | practical legacy). |
| only one Unseen, but they were still tedious, because | | | | One thing that people don't get, which is why I am |
| they thought their ONE Unseen was above all of the | | | | writing this book is that PEOPLE STILL BELIEVE even |
| Unseens of the Polys. So, feeling naturally superior, | | | | if you take away the THING they believe in. I |
| wealthy, and self-righteous they caused a continual | | | | understood this because I saw when my Rads were |
| cramp in my style. I was the oldest son, and according | | | | dissolute and hung over and miserable; that they got all |
| to their own rules, I was supposed to get everything of | | | | mushy and depressed and had these "existential |
| Saksby's when he kicked off. But noooooh! Jake was | | | | crises". It sickened me, but it taught me much. People |
| always trying to outrighteous me. And believe me, it | | | | are GOING TO BELIEVE IN SOMETHING. Its just the |
| was not hard to outrighteous me. | | | | way we are. Don't ask me to explain that part. I know, |
| Multitudes of Unseens - | | | | we are alone down here, and the Unseen does not |
| So here was my take. I lived in a world of all these | | | | openly talk to us, so we have this deep loneliness. So, I |
| religious types who worshipped all kinds of Unseens. | | | | thought it over and said. "No matter how much you |
| Well, I call them Unseens because that's what they | | | | say you don't believe in this or that, there is something |
| are. Regardless of your religious point of view, the | | | | you will always believe in no matter how much you do |
| whole world was governed by the Beliefs in these | | | | not want to confess that. This is a problem. |
| Unseens. The Polys made "idols" but that was | | | | The Question to The Answer - Just How Many |
| because they had such a large cast of characters. Still, | | | | People Did Mao Kill? |
| they were a part of the whole cavalcade of Unseens. | | | | The Religion of No Religion is the Religion of "Just Me" |
| Me and my rads looked around and just pinched | | | | and You, as long as You believe in "Just Me". The real |
| ourselves and said, "Look, if you didn't believe in these | | | | thing that this religion takes is the belief in the RADS. |
| Unseens, what have you got? You've got humans and | | | | You have to have the Rads or it just will not work. |
| animals. Food and water. Industry and Agriculture, | | | | People will go off in all directions. When you take |
| groups of ethnics, tribes, kingdoms and cultures, which | | | | away the Unseen, you have to replace it with the |
| are all just bigger more complicated versions of | | | | Power of the Rads. "Collectivism" is an almost not so |
| Humans and Food and entertaining ourselves between | | | | quite harmful sounding phrase. I like that phrase. Do not |
| meals and love making and marrying and burying each | | | | even ask how many millions of people Mao Tse Tung |
| other. If you just look at this whole thing in a particular | | | | killed. Do not even ask. (But check it on the Web) You |
| economic context, its all very simple. One of my | | | | have to get a group of Rads when you take away |
| children of the future will come up with a great way to | | | | the Power of the Unseen from the people. In my |
| explain it. | | | | religion, you go to the comrades and tell them to join or |
| Dialectical Materialism - | | | | die. This gets their attention fast. And you make sure |
| From Wikipedia comes this delightful explanation: | | | | that these people hate the upper classes. It gives them |
| "Dialectical materialism originates from two major | | | | a natural angst to pursue. It's not that the rads are evil, |
| aspects of Marx's philosophy. One is his transformation | | | | its just that you take away everything from them, and |
| of idealistic understanding of dialectics by Hegel, into a | | | | give them a little back. It works quite well as a religion |
| materialist one, an act commonly said to have "put | | | | that is no religion. So that's the key part of the |
| Hegel's dialectics back on its feet". The other is his | | | | confusing definition..."and You, as long as you believe in |
| core idea that "the history of all hitherto existing society | | | | Just Me..." The "Just Me and You" is the Rads |
| is the history of class struggles" as stated in 1848's | | | | (Comrades). If it works right, they can get a glorious |
| Communist Manifesto. | | | | inspiring feeling as they kill. Just like the feelings that you |
| Materialism is based in the conviction that all | | | | get in church. |
| phenomena that can be explained through natural | | | | As The World Turns - |
| means. Some aspects of Marxism are informed by | | | | You know the Destruction of Jerusalem was an |
| the philosophy of Hegel. According to materialism, | | | | earth-shaking event. Not only did it fulfill a prophecy of |
| matter is the total explanation for space, nature, man, | | | | Christ's, but it sent Judaism on its way, from Edifices, |
| psychism, human intelligence, and every other aspect | | | | and intellectualized it; it made young Christianity a child |
| of existence. Marxism assigns the task of knowing all | | | | of the Roman Road and it sent my Edomite people up |
| truth to science. If science can get to know everything | | | | into what would eventually become Russia. It's my |
| about matter, then it can get to know about everything. | | | | opinion that no one understands the "bowl of pottage" |
| Conclusively, matter is accepted as the beginning and | | | | story. I just wanted to straighten that out with my new |
| ending of all reality. Matter's sovereignty in determining | | | | suddenly revealed book. After a few decades of |
| the course of nature is a vital part of Marxist thought | | | | analyzing the book, maybe they will realize what was |
| and what separates dialectical materialism from the | | | | really being said about me back there, and how I fit into |
| Hegelian method of dialectical idealism." | | | | the future. I am tired of the Big Three. Maybe I get |
| Of course this is deep to explain because nobody | | | | some "street cred for representing" what really ended |
| talks about it openly. Its the secret out there in the | | | | up happening to the world. It looks to me like I won. In |
| open, the elephant and the cow in the middle of the | | | | my way of looking at things. What do you thnk? |
| village square. "Matter is the beginning and ending of all | | | | One of my kids ended up inventing the RED party |
| reality." They say these guys came up with it, but they | | | | around the turn of the Twentieth Century in Russia. |
| just made it sound philosophical and astute. Actually, | | | | That is what my name means -- EDOM MEANS RED. |
| lots of people came up with it in the past. I was the | | | | Kind of ironic huh? That's what I say to myself late at |
| one to proudly declare it. "There ain't no Unseens. Its | | | | night. "Ed is red, and Ed ain't dead. |