Fr. Dale Matson
A Stranger In A
Strange Land is the title of a novel written by Robert Heinlein and
published in 1961. It is the story of a human born and raised on Mars by
Martians. He was later brought back to earth. The protagonist Valentine Michael
Smith has supernatural powers and intelligence with almost limitless funds. He
is attracted to the ideals of a neo pagan hedonistic cult and founds his own
cult “Church Of All Worlds”. He is eventually murdered by a mob instigated by
the rival ‘Fosterites’ cult, his body is eaten by his followers and he has post
death appearances.
It is not an original
story with Smith being a pagan version of a Christ-like figure. Even the title
is from Exodus 2:22, “And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom:
for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.”
Heinlein had an
interesting remark about his book. "I had been in no
hurry to finish it [the book], as that story could not be published
commercially until the public mores changed. I could see them changing and it
turned out that I had timed it right." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stranger_in_a_Strange_Land
A pagan “Church Of All
Worlds (CAW) was actually formed in 1968 using ideas from the book. “This
spiritual path included several ideas from the book, including polyamory,
non-mainstream family structures, social libertarianism, water-sharing rituals,
an acceptance of all religious paths by a single tradition, and the use of
several terms such as "grok", "Thou art God", and
"Never Thirst". Though Heinlein was neither a member nor a promoter
of the Church, it was formed including frequent correspondence between Zell and
Heinlein, and he was a paid subscriber to their magazine.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stranger_in_a_Strange_Land
The similarities with the contemporary
Episcopal Church (TEC) and CAW are both
striking and unfortunate. “CAW's members, called ‘Waterkin’, espouse paganism,
but the Church is not a belief-based religion. Members experience Divinity and
honor these experiences while also respecting the views of others. They
recognize "Gaea," the Earth Mother Goddess and the Father God, as
well as the realm of Faeries and the deities of many other pantheons. Many of
their ritual celebrations are centered on the gods and goddesses of ancient
Greece.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_All_Worlds
Heinlein was right when
he said that the public mores had changed when his book was published in 1961.
It was the beginning of the era of sex, drugs and rock and roll. There is a
certain irony in this because I was a part of that changing society. I had been
raised in a different Kingdom. I was raised in the Baptist church with much of
my formation in the 1950’s. The 60’s
transported many of us to a new planet; a new era. I came to believe, that God
was dead and that abortion was a good solution to the “Population Bomb” (Paul
R. Ehrlich, 1968). My morals changed with this new world of premarital sex,
drugs and rock music that promoted a pagan life. It almost destroyed my life
and did destroy the lives of many around me. I am a survivor of that era.
Having been rescued by
Christ, I became a stranger in a strange
land. It is a land on a trajectory of entropy not evolution. The people of
this land are rushing headlong into an abyss. One characteristic for the unsaved people
today is their state of confusion. No matter how words are arranged, much of
what is said is nonsense. It is word salad. It is a kind of “New Speak” lacking
meaning. “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love,
I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.” (1st Corinthians
13:1) “At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate
each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because
of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.” (Matthew 24:10-12)
Are you a stranger in a strange land? I believe these are the
last days, Lord, pour out Your Spirit on all flesh.
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