We live in a time when the the ancient "cults" of the childhood of Man have been quite rightly eclipsed by the superior "knowledge" of the adolescent "cult" of scientism.

The fetishes and idols of the old "cults" are no longer believable and besides which, mere childish believe, is not the basis for the PROCESS that is True Religion.

In this day and age the "religious" language re "jesus", the "cross" and the "resurrection" is just so much self serving childish and silly psycho-babble. Dim witted religious provincialism.

By contrast the process that is True Religion only begins to begin with profound enquiry into the primary aspects of what we intrinsically are as human beings.

What are we as conscious beings? What is the nature of consciousness?
What is our relationship to the Radiant Conscious Light/Energy in which all of this is arising?
What is our relationship to the World Process?
What is our relationship to all other sentient beings?

The old "cults" obviously know nothing about the Living God. Their "association" with God is only words and nieve hopefulness. They do not present a living Spiritual force in the world--apart from their entirely political association with so called "conservative" politics.

Intelligent people quite rightly cannot find Real God in such a mass of idiocy, so they quite naturally look for satisfaction elsewhere. Thus, people are preoccupied with all kinds of political & scientific idealism, as if politics and scientific and technological progress were the Way of Truth.

I am puzzled about Barry Jones. He seems to be a walking encyclopaedia, but is reknown for anything highly intelligent, of his own making like Sir Mark Oliphant? Is his PhD earned?

Once, I saw BJ speak at a university. Bland talk, but, I do remember him being most concerned the person introducing left off a Fellowship or something. Rude.

I also know scientists from the CSIRO whom claim he was actually quite poor at conceptualisations.

He is a fast reader and has a good memory but is no Hawking.

All-in-all in seems he as "spun" and sold himself very well, like "0" or Drawn Fraser. The person is a the product, but, the substance is less tangible.

Hands up all those who remember a time in the life of the ALP - the party of enlightenment - when Barry Jones was on the backbench and Ros Kelly was on the frontbench? Ros Kelly, the Minister who recorded the movement of AUD$30 million on a whiteboard. Try telling the ATO that you worked out your tax return on a whiteboard and you came out square. Ros Kelly, the Minister who approved the cover but not the contents of a publication prepared by her own department.

What on earth did we do wrong to deserve our politicians?

I dipped into Barry Jones book over xmas/ny. It's a very good book for this time of the year when time is not wanting but concentration has gone on holiday - you can pick it up, open any page and start reading and you won't have missed a thing. It is a very indulgent book with BJ's views on, well, everything. The recent death of his wife is dealt with in one page but perhaps the 'death of Barry Jones' as the title's other half is somehow a riddle of the author's perspective. While outwardly appearing pompous, Jones is asking us if his time on earth is really any big deal after all - an interesting poppy but not a very tall one.