A Believer's Farewell

John C has been our faithful mystic commenter for a few months now (though it seems longer, his first comment was on Dec 31, 2008). His comments, though always puzzling and sometimes bizarre, have brought about many interesting conversations that, without him, would have never happened.

But he has a new job, and he’s giving us a break while he settles in there. He sent me this guest post — and how could I refuse John C?

If you’ve been involved in the community of UF at all, you’ll probably enjoy this post. If not, it won’t make any sense to you. At all.

* * *

A Daring Incursion

A Believer’s Foray into Unbelieving Cyberspace
By John C

Army HelmetThe holiday break is nearly over, the kids are gone, the festivities ended. So what now? Ah yes the good ol’ internet. Hmm…let’s see, what shall we google today? Christianity? Faith? Belief? Unbelief? Yes that’s it, Unreasonable Faith. And so my foray into the dark regions of unbelieving cyberspace began.

Suddenly I found myself TELEported back in time landing smack dab in the middle of THE ANGRY PHILISTINE’S camp! Where was my sword of faith? Lord, why hast thou forsaken me? Here, now in the dead of WINTER?! I tried to speak, to be heard above the deafening decibels of doubt but was as a MUTE. Nevertheless I fought the good fight of faith, onward Christian soldier. The land of AOR must be conquered! Ancient spirit riddles, bible verses, nothing penetrated the doubters strong armor of unbelief, my spirits dampened and dismayed.

Undeterred, I pressed on to the high call. I raised my voice in righteousness, but with a loud cry they jeered “put a SOCK in it.” Suddenly I felt like DANIEL in the lion’s den, my mouth was shut. The opposition was fierce, but I was determined to slay the Goliath of REASON by the sword of FAITH! So I took my BOOMSLANG from my leather pouch and steadying my aim…whoosh, I hit the unyielding beast square in the MCBLOGGENSTEIN! Victory at last! That’ll teach’em to vorJACK with JOHN C!

A fierce battle ensued on the plains of MORALITY. But who would win the SUNNY DAY? The Promised Land lay just beyond the horizon. The enemy shot what seemed like endless flaming arrows of LOGIC and SCIENCE in their desperate attempts to dislodge me from my high fortress of faith but not a single arrow pierced my armor of light. Regrouping, I loaded my LRA (logic repulsion archery) and took dead aim. Zing! I hit the MARKbey and CLAIDEAMH MOR than ever but to no avail, I was hopelessly outnumbered and by now the night was fast approaching, the DARKMATTER was nigh upon us.

Suddenly I longed to return home to the plains of the faithful, to the believing bunch. The fighting had taken its pound of flesh and the journey was long and TYresome. Oh how I longed to be CHILDLIKE once again but they told me it DOESNTWORKTHATWAY, that I needed to grow up, to think with my head and not my heart lest I be ensnared in a STEPHEN WEBB of deceit. So I fell on my knees, gathered my strength for one last assault, one last, desperate campaign must be waged for the King.

Fierce fighting broke out on the high plains of SKY-GOD, in the mountainous air of the soaring clouds. Soon, it EVOLVED into hand to hand combat, each man for himself, a day of RECKONER’ing was at hand! No one budged; neither side would concede one miniscule plot of land, not in the least. Back and forth we went in endless verses and curses as the fighting raged. Exhausted, my POE’TROLL finally headed back to camp, bloodied and bruised but breathing, thankful to be alive, ROGER, over and out. Neither side dared claim the day, it was a mystery as to whom the victor was, to whom the spoils of war belonged. So disheveled and distraught, the solemn brigade retreated homeward singing THE MYSTERY OF THE AGES, a new battle hymn was born.

So the many wars of David finally give way to the peaceable reign of Solomon. Napoleon retreats back across Europe. A much needed respite, a hammock and a long siesta. I go away now for an extended season, but will return again someday. So we live to fight another day, to wage w-o-r-d war three. Let us regroup, armor up, and employ tactical “strategery” to gain the advantage.

This is not the end, because you know with John C…THERE IS MORE!

  • Jabster

    Well that sort of makes more sense than a normal John C post …

  • DaMan

    Summary of John C’s posts – Metaphysical garbage, spritual trosh.

    There, now you don’t have to waste your time reading them …

    There is … NOTHING …

  • http://www.slim-blondje.com/eng Pascalle

    Thank you John for this, i liked it.
    Though your normal posts often aggrevate me, and at times i simply skip them, this one was really nice.

    Good luck with the new job.

  • Sock

    Don’t stay gone too long JC. You’re a good-natured punching bag, I like that about you. :P

  • Slurm

    lol, nice post John.

  • http://www.nullifidian.net/ nullifidian

    I have to agree with Jabster. This is certainly the least nonsensical post made by John C.

    Good luck to him in his new position. I just hope he doesn’t talk to people IRL as he does here.

  • Shelly

    He sure put some effort into that one. I have to give him credit, he’s less volatile than most believers I have seen online.

  • http://newref.blogspot.com James

    Bravo.

  • DarkMatter

    John C, you made me smile. I know you are reading the comments, but don’t get tempted for another raid because of your new job, but a short reply will do.

  • http://billpost.blogspot.com/ Bill

    More of the same from John C. I guess attempted puns are a little better than the usual – but marginally so.

    I cringe at the idea of this guy trying to help people with addiction problems.

  • LRA

    JC- Loved it! Hahaaahaaha!

  • http://whyareyousofat.wordpress.com McBloggenstein

    I laughed.
    That must have taken you a while.
    Good luck John C.

  • DarkMatter

    “thankful to be alive, ROGER, over and out”

    I love this part.

  • http://www.vidlord.com VidLord

    lol good stuff! I remember my first exchange with you. I knew you were special when your response to me was that the brain kinda resided in the “soulish” realm :O I would like to leave you with a quote to help guide you on your journey:

    “He who will not eat of my body and drink of my blood, so that he will be made one with me and I with him, the same shall not know salvation.” -Mithras

  • claidheamh mor

    The enemy shot what seemed like endless flaming arrows of LOGIC and SCIENCE in their desperate attempts to dislodge me from my high fortress of faith but not a single arrow pierced my armor of light.

    “The people I decided were enemies kept assaulting me with logic, pointed questions, and some good arguments in their desperate attempts to get me to do “the outsider’s test” and challenge myself and support my statements with reason and evidence; but not a single shred of reason pierced my skull and armor of refusal to think.”

  • boomSLANG

    Thoughtful, and perhaps even clever, but not-too-shockingly, ‘not consistant with his approach, nor his beliefs.

    “…but I was determined to slay the Goliath of REASON by the sword of FAITH!”

    If there is one unambiguous point that John C. has made on this blog, it is this: John C. “knows” that he has the “Truth”. No “FAITH” required. Thus, “the sword of DOGMATIC, UNWAVERING CERTAINTY, ” would be more apt, should he do a sequel.

    ~ A turd dressed up as A PERSON, is still a turd. And turds belong where? Correct!….in the JOHN.

  • http://www.davewyman.com Dave

    >Suddenly I felt like DANIEL in the lion’s den, my mouth was shut.<

    JC was difficult to digest.

  • J.R.

    JC: I hope to see you when you return. I rather enjoyed your company, how ever short it has been so far.

    @All: Remember, without an opposite point of view, all of this ceases to be entertaining or educational.

  • http://avertyoureye.blogspot.com/ Teleprompter

    That was amusing, if nothing else. I remember when John C first commented here, and the other commenters warned me how I would become mired in inanity if I interacted with him. Well, they were right…but I don’t regret it. It’s nice to have a dissenting voice that will actually read what I say, even if the replies are not always sensical.

    I have to say, if it is a sales job, I would recommend John C for the position.

  • http://www.theangryphilistine.wordpress.com The Angry Philistine

    LOL great post John C. You were a terrific sport. Unlike many of the believers that visit here you rarely got rattled.

  • Barry

    I though you were writing John’s obit for a minute till I got to the second paragraph!

    Your posts will missed I’m sure, John, good luck.

  • http://larianlequella.com Larian LeQuella

    John reminds me of “Franko” over at the CNN Science blogs. Maybe it’s all a giant Turing test?

  • John C

    Thanks to all, what an amazing group of individuals, I appreciate you so much and enjoyed our many, colorful discussions. I promised Daniel today would be my last day on the forum (not that he asked, just something I feel its time for, and so do you I’m sure, ha) and so with that, I will leave you with this final, true little story, I hope you enjoy it…all the very best.

    —————————————————

    Author Robert Fulghum tells this story of one of his professors, a wise man whose name was Alexander Papaderos:

    At the last session on the last morning of a two-week seminar on Greek culture, Dr. Papaderos turned and made the ritual gesture: ”Are there any questions?”

    Quiet quilted the room. These two weeks had generated enough questions for a lifetime, but for now, there was only silence.

    ”No questions?” Papaderos swept the room with his eyes.

    So, I asked.

    ”Dr. Papaderos, what is the meaning of life?”

    The usual laughter followed, and people stirred to go.

    Papaderos held up his hand and stilled the room and looked at me for a long time, asking with his eyes if I was serious and seeing from my eyes that I was.

    ”I will answer your question.”

    Taking his wallet out of his hip pocket, he fished into a leather billfold and brought out a very small round mirror, about the size of a quarter.

    And what he said went something like this:

    ”When I was a small child, during the war, we were very poor and we lived in a remote village. One day, on the road, I found the broken pieces of a mirror. A German motorcycle had been wrecked in that place.

    ”I tried to find all the pieces and put them together, but it was not possible, so I kept only the largest piece. This one. And by scratching it on a stone, I made it round. I began to play with it as a toy and became fascinated by the fact that I could reflect light into dark places where the sun would never shine–in deep holes and crevices and dark closets. It became a game for me to get light into the most inaccessible places I could find.

    ”I kept the little mirror, and as I went about my growing up, I would take it out in idle moments and continue the challenge of the game. As I became a man, I grew to understand that this was not just a child’s game but a metaphor for what I might do with my life. I came to understand that I am not the light or the source of light. But light–truth, understanding, knowledge–is there, and it will only shine in many dark places if I reflect it.

    ”I am a fragment of a mirror whose whole design and shape I do not know. Nevertheless, with what I have I can reflect light into the dark places of this world–into the black places in the hearts of men–and change some things in some people. Perhaps others may see and do likewise. This is what I am about. This is the meaning of life.”

    And then he took his small mirror and, holding it carefully, caught the bright rays of daylight streaming through the window and reflected them onto my face and onto my hands folded on the desk.

    Jesus said, ”I am the light of the world’, he who follows me shall not walk in darkness” (John 9:5), and His followers are to be like that little mirror, reflecting the light of Christ into the dark corners of the world. That is the meaning of the Christian life. ”Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

  • Sehro

    The only person to draw me out of my beloved lurk.

    Good luck, John C. You drive me insane.

  • http://metroblog.blogspot.com Metro

    This is not the end, because you know with John C…THERE IS MORE!

    Ohboy is there ever.

    So long John. If nothing else I admire your consistent sunny attitude and willingness to expose yourself out here. May your God go with you, eh?

  • http://wmute.livejournal.com wintermute

    That was the most sense John ever made!

    Yeah, I’ll miss you. Even if you were one of the most frustrating people I ever spoke to…

  • DarkMatter

    It’s not his own words except for the introduction, nicely put.

    Anyways, John C, I wish that you prosper in your new job and your future endeavour.

  • Pingback: Holy Crap! « The Unsinkable brian cork

  • Pingback: open minds « The Unsinkable brian cork

  • AnonyMouse

    Heh. This post was intensely creative and entertaining – great work.

    As for the story that John C posted later, I have to say that I rather enjoyed it and I do agree with its overall message. The problem comes with the ending.

    Light may come from many places, depending on your beliefs. You state that that light comes from Jesus. Others might say that it comes directly from Y*h*w*h, or from angels, or from Krishna. In my experience, light comes not from above, but from the love we receive from the people around us. We are all fragments of a mirror, reflecting light onto each other, each a piece of a beautiful glistening mosaic. It doesn’t matter where the light comes from. To insist that the light comes from Jesus cheapens and trivializes a story that is otherwise a beautiful message of interhuman unity.

  • Pingback: I Get Email: I Am God | Unreasonable Faith

  • wowbunnies

    Indeed, a good-natured punching bag is hard to find. Especially one that is so strangely entertaining.

  • claidheamh mor

    Thank you! The instant I read that, I was dismayed at the idea of him helping people with addiction problems.

    If any of them feel alienated because no one listens to them, they will find a resolute NON-listener in John C.

    Hearing about how the client thinks and acts strikes me as more than a tad important. Like, essential.
    I’ve heard that that is how the people in counseling and therapy do that: instead of listening to how the human being in front of them works, they project what they think onto that person, and proceed to “treat” themselves.

    From what I’ve seen and heard, some people come to Christianity when they are down and vulnerable, because that’s what’s around them in this culture. That’s so low, to force your beliefs on someone who is vulnerable, right when they need to find their own beliefs and life to become strong.

  • LRA

    I think he might be fund-raising for the center, not counseling for it… Anyway that was the impression I got when he said it was an outreach/sales-like job. Here in Texas, you have to be licensed to do counseling.

    :)

  • Jabster

    Didn’t want to be pedantic but it’s either over (still in conversation) or out (conversation complete) but never over and out.

  • LRA

    Good point!

  • J.R.

    Thank you for the back up as always LRA. Be well.

  • Sock

    Hahhahahahahaha.

    Hah.

  • Framtonm

    Jabster re “Over and out” – you’re quite right. Not that you need my encouragement.

  • http://billpost.blogspot.com/ Bill

    “I’ll be working as a community outreach/sales representative for a substance abuse/addiction recovery facility here in Dallas.”

    Yeah – I didn’t think he was counseling. The description he gave makes it sound like he may be the first facility contact for people in need of recovery services though. I have to wonder how many people in need of service will be turned off by his shtick.

  • http://deleted Janet Greene

    JohnC – sorry to see you go! You’ve been an interesting addition to the discussion.

  • http://deleted Janet Greene

    Maybe there will be a second coming of John C.

  • LRA

    Well, there are two kinds of treatment centers in Texas… those that are clearly, obviously, not sneaky or underhanded in disguise, absolutely Christian, and those that are clearly secular.

    I’m going to go ahead and guess that he may be working for the Christian kind (that caters to Christians). If he works for the secular kind, they won’t tolerate proselytizing.

    Yeah, Texas is funny like that. It is the same deal for mental hospitals. There are ones for people who are Christians and ones for people who are secular. And ne’er the twain shall meet. It’s not like one tries to convert the other at a vulnerable time.

  • LRA

    Now if only that distinction was in place for family planning services!!!!

  • http://deleted Janet Greene

    I find a lot of christian services are sneaky, and try to get converts in the door through false advertising. This includes therapists, treatment centres, family planning centres (as LRA pointed out), and any other service where people seek out help, and trust religion, when they are vulnerable. (Another thing I’ve always wondered about is why people go to their pastors or priests for counseling – do they have credentials for that? Wow, that looks dangerous to me…)

  • LRA

    Yes, hence my vehement objection to “Iamtheenemy”‘s “counseling” for family planning back on the “Christian Pastor Gets Caught Lying” post. I doubt seriously that he had any counseling credentials! And he made it clear that guilt is his tactic du jour. Just disgusting!

  • http://deleted Janet Greene

    LRA – There’s a double whammy with pastors counselling – they are not qualified, AND they have an agenda. I’m still shocked at how unthinkingly people trust religious leaders. This, in spite of all the stories coming out about pastors stealing, having affairs, molesting children, killing wives, etc.

  • claidheamh mor

    The pastors I admire the most are the police department chaplains who counsel crime or accident victims, including any police or service personnel who feel the need. It requires pastoral experience, and I’m guessing counseling experience.

    I knew someone in Anchorage who did that ten years ago, a Stanford graduate and pastor, and I admire him to this day.