Influential books, Hesse and baby blessings

If you ask people what the most imfluential book they have every read, probably the most common answer will be 'the Bible'. It flows off the tongue like a bird song. When you press these people about when they actually read the Bible most will eventual admit.......they haven't. Personally, I don't consider the Bible, or any other canon scripture, to be a book. It is scripture. Hence, I never anwser 'the Bible'.

Young people often quickly bring up some book that they read in high school lit, or perhaps something from the amphetamine-fueled Ayn Rand collection. I have no single book to be certain, rather a host of books. Interestingly, two of them are by Hermann Hesse. The first is Der Glasperleinspiel, the second is Demian. Yes, yes, I did read Demian for the first time in High School but it was in German so 'that's different'.

Anyway, one of the conversations in Demian revolved around Jesus being crucified and, more specifically, the thieves that hung alongside him. One of the thieves taunts Christ saying to the effect, if you are truly the Son of God then save yourself. The other thief answers, again, to the effect, this man is truly the Son of God.

We have been forever conditioned to somehow lionize the second thief. In Demian the following points were made: Both thieves had the existing pattern of belief (in crime) and were deserving of the fate they had been handed. The first thief was accepting of it. He sought no mercy, nor was he grasping at straws. He was a man of bad character, but at least he had one that was consistent! The second thief was neither a believer, let alone a disciple of Christ. he was just some punk-ass that got what was coming to him and he was grasping at straws. It is all reminiscent of a previous post topic Ronnie Lee Gardner. He was blubbering on about the 'good' he can still do if he was kept alive. The fact is Ronnie Lee Gardner would have licked the Dalai Lama's nut sack if he thought it would save him. The one thing Ronnie Lee could never do? Accept responsibility for his actions and express remorse while looking the family of his victims in the eye. I'll see you in hell Ronnie!

So, how does this rant tie into baby blessings? While it is not a 'saving ordninance' of my faith, blessing of children is an important thing nonetheless. I blessed all of my children that I was able, and it was a spiritually moving event every time. My beef is with fathers of the kids who have another family member do it, because they are not worthy to perform the ordinance themselves.

Why do they have the ordinance done? Is it because, like the theif on the cross, that at the very last minute they "believe" in the correctness of the principle? If there were but a little more time, they would become worthy to do it themselves? Nonesense! They do it because they perceive some type of benefit for themselves if they allow it. These people are worse than those who unequivocally state, "I do not believe in the (insert name) faith, therefore neither I nor my family will be part of these ordinances". At least these people believe in something and are consistent in their beliefs.

This one argument, from Demian, has greatly influenced how I view people's 'worth'. I would much rather discuss faith or other matters religious with a devout Catholic, Baptist, Muslim, Hindu, Jew, or even an atheist! These people have a belief. Ye must be either hot or cold, for if ye are but luke-warm,,,,,,,,, Does this ring a bell?

In earlier posts I mentioned the concept of absolute value. Find it and review it if you'd like. The reader's digest version is this. Devout Lutherans, if converted, make better Mormons that jack-Lutherans. Devout atheists, if converted, become devout believers in God. Agnostics? Spittle.