It’s About Making Babies!

I wrote Senator Coburn, MD, of Oklahoma today.

Senator Coburn,

I confess I am a bit confused. NBC is taking a poll, and there has been much brouhaha about “In God We Trust” on US currency, coins, and other expressions of Christian faith in and around US Government and local government property.

I thought the US Constitution forbids intermingling church and stae. I hadn’t realized that church, faith, and religion are all the same thing.

I had thought that faith was a person’s understanding and beliefs about matters of the spirit. I had thought that religion was the general practice of worship and expression reverence for a chosen spiritual guide, God. And I had thought that a church was a secular organization of people expressing a communal faith.

How, then can the US Constitution have anything to say about faith, or religion? It is only the organizations we call “church” that is barred from participation in our government.

If a state or official wants the ten commandments posted in a courthouse, that is mere ornamentation for the public, even if an expression of faith for the individual. If that same posting of the Ten Commandments were commissions – or imposed – by the Roman Catholic Church in America, by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (The Mormons), the Southern Conference of the Baptist Church – that would be an illegal conflict, since churches are barred from interfering with Government.

NBC is running a poll, asking if “In God We Trust” should be removed from currency. Since there is no church affiliated with our currency, I can see no conflict. Consider the phrase traditional or religious, as you will. Without the context of church, the phrase is a choice – one bound in history and tradition, and to many, a guide for the future.

Unless POTUS Barack Hussein Obama believes that America demands the statement on their currency as a back-handed slap, an expression of *dis*trust in government. Then I would think the challenge would be to restore trust, not ban the criticism.

The phrase on currency, “In God We Trust” actually implements the Constitutional ban on state religion. By stating that the trust is *not* in organizations of men, the message is clear: Personal faith is honored and encouraged. Government, currency, will not be bound to any church, i.e. organized religion.

Eve-101.com asks in “The Battle of Cupid“,

Singles or couples, who reigns supreme on February 14th?

**Rain on parade alert**
Valentine’s day was a pagan fertility ritual. Like many adoptions of the church when they discovered the Celts, this became .. uh, a day “to remember St. Valentine”. Wasn’t there something about snakes? No, that was Patrick. Sorry.

Magic

It’s all about magic.

Not just “put some magic in our sex lives” magic. Real, coveted, Church calendar changing magic. Valentine’s Day is about an ancient fertility rite. Fertility, as in “get pregnant”. This dates back before commercial interests transformed the world in the Renaissance, and “proper thinking” took it place as social guiding principle over reality.

A bit of misquoted history – Don’t bother looking for corroboration.

The lingerie, the candy, the sappy cards, are a misguided hat tip to the underlying festival. What happened, was that the fertility rite folks understood that the excitement and release of makkin’ whoopy was magical. Really. And the Catholics wanted that magic bound to the church. So they “discovered” they were celebrating that day and pulled some wool over some eyes. Where the fertility rite involved sexing out your worship of the gods, now we discreetly, with the Church’s blessing, indulge in “romance” – that is still expected to raise power and magic for the use of the Church, through carnal indulgence.

An new slant on “sexy Valentine”

That is right. You are *expected* to “get lucky” to make the Church strong. Just like those ignorant, befuddled pagans did. Only, the pagans weren’t all that ignorant or befuddled – just looked down on by the high-and-might (celibate!) priests. Note that the celibate priests were also raising, and dedicating, their sexual energy to the church by not squandering it on mere mortal women, I guess. This does sound hokey today, but recall the Church squandered years and much money, debating just how many angels could dance on the head of a pin. Before pins were factory-made and of a dependable size.

The fundamentals

Valentine’s Day is not about celebrating romance. Or devotion. If you are really going to celebrate the day, it has to be in an intimate relationship. Otherwise the magic falls flat and just flutters about. And if you try the cheap candy, the second hand lingerie (oh, yuck!), and strike out – not only the gods will be down on your ass. You will have a disappointed partner to deal with, too.

Ya gotta get the squeal, to show respect and praise for the gods that went in for that kind of thing.

Back to the question

Is it better to be dating or single for this holiday? Coupled. Well-coupled is always better, any day and every day. Mated, even. This holiday was custom made for mated, married people. And people that want to get that way – if your “celebration” pleases the gods, the gift is fertility. As in, pregnant! (Notice we still, today, centuries after the Church swiped the pagan festival, call babies “a blessing?”)

Don’t believe me?

Just look up some time. The “mistletoe” thing, where you hang a sprig over the door (Doors, brooms, many things were sacred to pagans. We still say “life is sacred” today!) and kiss a girl you catch there? This is a very watered-down version of the intent of the custom, to bless the lady of the house with a lovely baby for the year. Very watered down version of the original custom.

Back at Eve-101, where this started

I hope the guy in the Eve-101 article was being ironic or sarcastic or something contrary to the words he used. Because venial and shallow seem to shine through.

And, T. Brad? – for my money, if you aren’t participating with an intimate partner, you aren’t taking part at all. Send your Mom and Sister a card, and leave the vandalism in your diary.