There is a critique of my Warrior Religion Project by a gentleman by the name of Johann Kurtz on his substack called “Becoming Noble.” His criticisms are very fair. Some of which are feelings I had while I was putting them out. The reason is simple: it’s been a project. A project that inspired me to look into the subject further(reading far too many books). As such, you can see a progression of my ideas the further you go along and you also see ideas that were presented, then later dropped. Some of these ideas were dropped for the mere reason that I didn’t see them as possible in the world we are in and it’s vital to see the world as it is, not as you imagine it should be.
I believe every religion has just been a different cultural interpretation of the original religion of the Father: Dyeus Pater, Sky Father, the Ascended Striker, Lawgiver and Judge, Creator and bringer of Order. His people worship him as Divine Ancestor and first King. His apotheosis was the act of slaying the Serpent (chaos) and establishing the first civilization of men. He is the opposite of nihilism. His worship is the search for Truth, the upholding of natural Law, maintaining ancient Traditions, the drive for personal glory and sacrifice, and the eternal war against entropy and decay.
I really appreciate the comprehensive response BD. Naturally I still disagree with a lot of this, but I hope by both clarifying our positions in respect to one another our mutual readership will be able to engage with both positions and will better know where they stand.
A couple of suggested readings that you might enjoy:
- 'The Sabres of Paradise' by Lesley Blanch. This is a biography of Shamil the Avar, who was one of the primary inspirations for Paul Atreides. You must, must read this, I think you'd find it truly exciting. Here's an introduction with a bunch of quotes so you can get a taste for it: https://becomingnoble.substack.com/p/the-warrior-and-mystic-ogre-and-saint
- 'You are too free' which is an essay I wrote about what it would take for modern Catholics to reclaim the spirit of the Templars. This is behind a paywall but if you're interested in reading, sign up for a free subscription and I'll comp you premium: https://becomingnoble.substack.com/p/you-are-too-free
- 'Northern Courage' which is a dialogue between Spengler's pessimistic conception of the noble defeat and Tolkein's hopeful, Catholic conception of salvation by fighting to the last man: https://becomingnoble.substack.com/p/northern-courage
Very thought provoking, BD. I consider Nietzsche a realist, not a nihilist. Long before the man known as Jesus of Nazareth walked the earth, the Christ was a white God for Aryans and had nothing to do with Jews. The Jews hijacked and corrupted Christianity for their own ends, as they do with everything. The crucifixion is metaphor depicting the agony of descending from spirit into a flesh body in the realm of base matter. Aryans did thus to battle the hordes of the Demiurge here, continued from the heavens. It is obvious that the god of this world is not the eternal one with no beginning and no end, but an inferior, demonic asura. A tribal, anthropomorphic, sadistic psychopath. This is a world of pain, suffering, hatred and violence. Billions of sentient beings die horrible deaths so billions of others may live. And, there are beings who feed off of us. The old gods would sometimes bestow favors upon mortals but more often than not would fuck with them and cause them misery. Hence the refrain, "We are playthings of the gods." I find it interesting that this is analogous to the actions of the Archons the ancient Gnostics spoke of. Action based faith degenerates into the passivity of corrupt, institutionalized religion. The only way to defeat our blood, cosmic enemies, who possess the reigns of state power and the muscle and propaganda organs that go with it, is with lone wolf, leaderless resistance, asymmetrical, guerilla warfare. Anything else will be infiltrated, compromised and destroyed. I've no use for any god that one must grovel before. I will stand tall and proud before my heavenly father, as I did my biological one. Violence is endemic to this world and is the only thing the sub-human untermenschen understand. We will deal with that reality or it will deal with us. War is the father of all, as spiritual growth necessitates struggle. It is eternal. 88!
One of the problems with Kurtz's critique is he seems to have an incomplete understanding of violence from even a Christian theological perspective.
In his critique he claims that violence as a end in itself is 'ugly' and low life centric. It can be, no doubt it can be. However his attempt to qualify that violence towards a righteous end is good does not really hold.
Violence is of the world of the fallen - this world. When Christ returns and triumphs - the sins, the flaws of this world like violence and pain are gone. They cease to exist. It is a return to the Garden of Eden where such things did not exist.
For a Christian then it becomes impossible for violence to ever be beautiful (I have written about this in more detail myself). How can that which is of the fallen world - of Satan - ever be beautiful?
It can't.
No matter if a higher ideal is at play here the perfect state of existence the Christian seeks is to remove violence as even being a concept.
I recommend reading "Talking about bicycles" by Cs Lewis. It is a short read, so I will not describe it here, but take it for granted that you read it before continuing reading this comment:
It is clear to me that Barbaric Disciple is in the "Enchanted" age He has not experienced war and violence, he has only read about, read about its virtues and its heroism. It is a childlike fantasy, not fit for neither grown men nor religion.
The more mature view is that of Johann, which recognizes that violence is messy and ugly, but sometimes necessary, and in this neccessity there is true heroism and virtue worthy of God. We admire heroes not because of the violence they have done, but because of what good came out of that violence, and the strength required to reach that end. It is when we realize this, when we get a mature view of violence, that we enters "re-enchantment", as Cs Lewis describes it. Something Barbaric Diciple seriously needs.
The only Christianity I am interested in is the Christianity of men willing and *able* to leave their foes spread blood-eagle on the Earth in retribution for some previous insult upon their justice and presumption upon their mercy.
Our Lord is a Lord of Hosts. Our Heaven is an Armed Camp. When Our Lord returns, the Blood of his Enemies will rise up to the bridle of his charger.
19 And the angel thrust in his sharp sickle into the earth, and gathered the vineyard of the earth, and cast it into the great press of the wrath of God:
20 And the press was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the press, up to the horses' bridles, for a thousand and six hundred furlongs.
What will the life of the world to come be? A Crusade across the Stars, spreading like an unquenchable flame. My Heaven is the Heaven of Dante's Mars. Blood in, Blood out. Why? Because Cosmos is imposed by Logos upon Chaos, the 'formless and void' waters of creation. If the Chaoskampf were ever to end, that would the unmaking of the world.
In the Mars Cantos, Dante's great-great-grandfather Cacciaguida (A knight under the emperor Conrad III, killed in the disastrous Second Crusade) concludes his long appearance in Mars by directing Dante's eyes back up to the cross. One by one, eight warrior spirits flash along the arms of the cross (of warrior martyrs flying in formation) as Cacciaguida names them; Joshua son of Nun, Judas Maccabeus, Charlemagne, Roland, William of Orange, Renouard, Duke Godfrey, and Robert Guiscard de Hauteville (Robert the Weasel), Terror of the World, conqueror of the two Sicilies.
I believe every religion has just been a different cultural interpretation of the original religion of the Father: Dyeus Pater, Sky Father, the Ascended Striker, Lawgiver and Judge, Creator and bringer of Order. His people worship him as Divine Ancestor and first King. His apotheosis was the act of slaying the Serpent (chaos) and establishing the first civilization of men. He is the opposite of nihilism. His worship is the search for Truth, the upholding of natural Law, maintaining ancient Traditions, the drive for personal glory and sacrifice, and the eternal war against entropy and decay.
I really appreciate the comprehensive response BD. Naturally I still disagree with a lot of this, but I hope by both clarifying our positions in respect to one another our mutual readership will be able to engage with both positions and will better know where they stand.
A couple of suggested readings that you might enjoy:
- 'The Sabres of Paradise' by Lesley Blanch. This is a biography of Shamil the Avar, who was one of the primary inspirations for Paul Atreides. You must, must read this, I think you'd find it truly exciting. Here's an introduction with a bunch of quotes so you can get a taste for it: https://becomingnoble.substack.com/p/the-warrior-and-mystic-ogre-and-saint
- 'You are too free' which is an essay I wrote about what it would take for modern Catholics to reclaim the spirit of the Templars. This is behind a paywall but if you're interested in reading, sign up for a free subscription and I'll comp you premium: https://becomingnoble.substack.com/p/you-are-too-free
- 'Northern Courage' which is a dialogue between Spengler's pessimistic conception of the noble defeat and Tolkein's hopeful, Catholic conception of salvation by fighting to the last man: https://becomingnoble.substack.com/p/northern-courage
Very thought provoking, BD. I consider Nietzsche a realist, not a nihilist. Long before the man known as Jesus of Nazareth walked the earth, the Christ was a white God for Aryans and had nothing to do with Jews. The Jews hijacked and corrupted Christianity for their own ends, as they do with everything. The crucifixion is metaphor depicting the agony of descending from spirit into a flesh body in the realm of base matter. Aryans did thus to battle the hordes of the Demiurge here, continued from the heavens. It is obvious that the god of this world is not the eternal one with no beginning and no end, but an inferior, demonic asura. A tribal, anthropomorphic, sadistic psychopath. This is a world of pain, suffering, hatred and violence. Billions of sentient beings die horrible deaths so billions of others may live. And, there are beings who feed off of us. The old gods would sometimes bestow favors upon mortals but more often than not would fuck with them and cause them misery. Hence the refrain, "We are playthings of the gods." I find it interesting that this is analogous to the actions of the Archons the ancient Gnostics spoke of. Action based faith degenerates into the passivity of corrupt, institutionalized religion. The only way to defeat our blood, cosmic enemies, who possess the reigns of state power and the muscle and propaganda organs that go with it, is with lone wolf, leaderless resistance, asymmetrical, guerilla warfare. Anything else will be infiltrated, compromised and destroyed. I've no use for any god that one must grovel before. I will stand tall and proud before my heavenly father, as I did my biological one. Violence is endemic to this world and is the only thing the sub-human untermenschen understand. We will deal with that reality or it will deal with us. War is the father of all, as spiritual growth necessitates struggle. It is eternal. 88!
Bringer of Death
see the devil kiss the hand of god
see the devil crying tears of flame
see the devil bite the hand of christ
and know the devil is the work of god
and all the devils do the work of god
in this season of the world's demise
upon the wings of the fallen dream
I hear the sound of a bleeding mind
bringer of death
bringer of death
the angels smile the smile of the shame
they bring the tortures that infest the earth
see the warlords of a heavenly rank
and know that WAR IS THE WILL OF GOD
bringer of death
bringer of death
~GLENN DANZIG
One of the problems with Kurtz's critique is he seems to have an incomplete understanding of violence from even a Christian theological perspective.
In his critique he claims that violence as a end in itself is 'ugly' and low life centric. It can be, no doubt it can be. However his attempt to qualify that violence towards a righteous end is good does not really hold.
Violence is of the world of the fallen - this world. When Christ returns and triumphs - the sins, the flaws of this world like violence and pain are gone. They cease to exist. It is a return to the Garden of Eden where such things did not exist.
For a Christian then it becomes impossible for violence to ever be beautiful (I have written about this in more detail myself). How can that which is of the fallen world - of Satan - ever be beautiful?
It can't.
No matter if a higher ideal is at play here the perfect state of existence the Christian seeks is to remove violence as even being a concept.
THIS AGGRESSION WILL NOT STAND! THIS SLIGHT AGAINST BD'S HONOR SHALL BE AVENGED!!
I recommend reading "Talking about bicycles" by Cs Lewis. It is a short read, so I will not describe it here, but take it for granted that you read it before continuing reading this comment:
It is clear to me that Barbaric Disciple is in the "Enchanted" age He has not experienced war and violence, he has only read about, read about its virtues and its heroism. It is a childlike fantasy, not fit for neither grown men nor religion.
The more mature view is that of Johann, which recognizes that violence is messy and ugly, but sometimes necessary, and in this neccessity there is true heroism and virtue worthy of God. We admire heroes not because of the violence they have done, but because of what good came out of that violence, and the strength required to reach that end. It is when we realize this, when we get a mature view of violence, that we enters "re-enchantment", as Cs Lewis describes it. Something Barbaric Diciple seriously needs.
The only Christianity I am interested in is the Christianity of men willing and *able* to leave their foes spread blood-eagle on the Earth in retribution for some previous insult upon their justice and presumption upon their mercy.
Our Lord is a Lord of Hosts. Our Heaven is an Armed Camp. When Our Lord returns, the Blood of his Enemies will rise up to the bridle of his charger.
19 And the angel thrust in his sharp sickle into the earth, and gathered the vineyard of the earth, and cast it into the great press of the wrath of God:
20 And the press was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the press, up to the horses' bridles, for a thousand and six hundred furlongs.
What will the life of the world to come be? A Crusade across the Stars, spreading like an unquenchable flame. My Heaven is the Heaven of Dante's Mars. Blood in, Blood out. Why? Because Cosmos is imposed by Logos upon Chaos, the 'formless and void' waters of creation. If the Chaoskampf were ever to end, that would the unmaking of the world.
In the Mars Cantos, Dante's great-great-grandfather Cacciaguida (A knight under the emperor Conrad III, killed in the disastrous Second Crusade) concludes his long appearance in Mars by directing Dante's eyes back up to the cross. One by one, eight warrior spirits flash along the arms of the cross (of warrior martyrs flying in formation) as Cacciaguida names them; Joshua son of Nun, Judas Maccabeus, Charlemagne, Roland, William of Orange, Renouard, Duke Godfrey, and Robert Guiscard de Hauteville (Robert the Weasel), Terror of the World, conqueror of the two Sicilies.