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Daily Meditations with Matthew Fox 

09/14/2024

NOTE: 

One way to approach a spiritual term is to go to its opposite first. The opposite of wisdom is folly. There is plenty of folly in the air—and on the air waves—these days in this time of choosing a president. Indeed, presidential voting has already begun in some states. It is for this reason that I wrote my new book just released this week on Trump 

Cree elder Doreen Spense reflects on how the traditional role of indigenous elders teaching the young was horribly disrupted due to the travesty of “Indian boarding schools.” Walrus Talks

& MAGA as the Anti-Christ, a Handbook for the 2024 Election.

I am proud to say that I dedicated my book as an elder to the wisdom of the young. It goes like this: I dedicate this book to the young leaders of the world. And all those who are not in denial about climate and recognize our Earth as sacred and worth saving. And to those who believe that a government of the people, by the people and for the people is an aspiration worth struggling to preserve and improve upon. And who prefer biophilia to necrophilia, joy to grievance, love to hate, and justice to greed that guarantees injustice.

Allow me to exegete this dedication a little. By “young leaders of the world,” I mean such people as David Hogg, a survivor of the Parkland High shooting shooting. Then a teenager, he has now co-founded with Kevin Lata a movement called "Leaders We Deserve." Lata is campaign manager for Maxwell Frost, the first Gen-Z member of Congress.

David Hogg, a survivor of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, speaking against gun violence at the Westminster Town Hall Forum in Minneapolis. Photo by Lorie Shaull, Wikimedia Commons.

Their mission is to elect young progressives to Congress and State Legislatures across the country to help defeat the far-right agenda and advance a progressive vision for the future. To “identify and elect more trailblazers—youthful, audacious, and charismatic,” and help train them and fund them. 

Back to my dedication page: “Those not in denial about climate change and recognize the Earth as sacred.” If there is one thing I learned in writing my major tome on Evil, Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul and Society, a few years ago, it is this: The opposite of evil is not good; bad is the opposite of good. The opposite of Evil is the Sacred.

This insight resets our understanding of Evil—and it begs for a reset because religion has trivialized evil by overselling sin and we are left almost without a language for talking about evil. The archetype of the Antichrist is one such language that shakes up our talk about evil. 

How sacred is the Earth? How evil are those who are in denial about the suffering of Mother Earth today and who have built an entire political party around this denial? 

And how Evil is the killing of democracy, what Lincoln named as government “of, by and for the people” (not corporations). Democracide and Matricide march together. The killing of democracy and killing of holy Mother Earth go together.

Joe Scarborough calls January 6 what it is: Pure Evil. MSNBC

I dedicate my book that lays bare the Biblical teaching about the Antichrist—that which is in opposition to the Christ person and message—to those who choose to preserve both Earth and Democracy.

See Matthew Fox, Trump & MAGA as the Anti-Christ, a Handbook for the 2024 Election.

And Fox, Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul and Society.

And Fox, The Pope’s War: Why Ratzinger’s Secret Crusade Has Imperiled the Church and How It Can Be Saved.

And Fox, Original Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality

And Fox, The Coming of the Cosmic Christ: The Healing of Mother Earth and the Birth of a Global Renaissance

Banner image: “David Hogg (far left) and Emma Gonzalez (profile center) at the Rally to Support Firearm Safety Legislation in Fort Lauderdale on February 17, 2018. Broward Young Democrats chair Chelsea Lunn (far right.)” Photo by Barry Stock. Wikimedia Commons. Creative Commons license

Statement of Solidarity with Israel/Palestine.

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Queries for Contemplation

Do you see a difference between sin and evil? How big is that difference? Does the term “Antichrist” help name the experience of Evil for you?

Recommended Reading

Trump & The MAGA Movement as Anti-Christ: A Handbook for the 2024 Election

Matthew Fox tells us that he had always shied away from using the term “Anti-Christ” because it was so often used to spread control and fear. However, given today’s rise of authoritarianism and forces of democracide, ecocide, and christofascism, he turns the tables in this book employing the archetype for the cause of justice, democracy, and a renewed Earth and humanity.
From the Foreword: If there was ever a time, a moment, for examining the archetype of the Antichrist, it is now…Read this book with an open mind. Good and evil are real forces in our world. ~~ Caroline Myss, author of Anatomy of the Spirit and Conversations with the Divine.

Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul and Society

Visionary theologian and best-selling author Matthew Fox offers a new theology of evil that fundamentally changes the traditional perception of good and evil and points the way to a more enlightened treatment of ourselves, one another, and all of nature. In comparing the Eastern tradition of the 7 chakras to the Western tradition of the 7 capital sins, Fox allows us to think creatively about our capacity for personal and institutional evil and what we can do about them. 
“A scholarly masterpiece embodying a better vision and depth of perception far beyond the grasp of any one single science.  A breath-taking analysis.” — Diarmuid O’Murchu, author of Quantum Theology: Spiritual Implications of the New Physics

The Pope’s War: Why Ratzinger’s Secret Crusade Has Imperiled the Church and How It Can Be Saved

The Pope’s War offers a provocative look at three decades of corruption in the Catholic Church, focusing on Josef Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI. The final section in the book focuses on birthing a truly catholic Christianity.
“This book should be read by everybody, not only for its ferocious courage, but also for its vision for what needs to be saved from the destructive forces that threaten authentic Christianity.” ~ Andrew Harvey, author of The Hope.
“In the gripping The Pope’s War, Matthew Fox takes an unwavering look at the layers of corruption in the Catholic Church, holding moral truth against power.”   — Jason Berry, author of Vows of Silence: The Abuse of Power in the Papacy of John Paul II

Original Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality

Matthew Fox lays out a whole new direction for Christianity—a direction that is in fact very ancient and very grounded in Jewish thinking (the fact that Jesus was a Jew is often neglected by Christian theology): the Four Paths of Creation Spirituality, the Vias Positiva, Negativa, Creativa and Transformativa in an extended and deeply developed way.
“Original Blessing makes available to the Christian world and to the human community a radical cure for all dark and derogatory views of the natural world wherever these may have originated.” –Thomas Berry, author, The Dream of the Earth; The Great Work; co-author, The Universe Story

The Coming of the Cosmic Christ: The Healing of Mother Earth and the Birth of a Global Renaissance

In what may be considered the most comprehensive outline of the Christian paradigm shift of our Age, Matthew Fox eloquently foreshadows the manner in which the spirit of Christ resurrects in terms of the return to an earth-based mysticism, the expression of creativity, mystical sexuality, the respect due the young, the rebirth of effective forms of worship—all of these mirroring the ongoing blessings of Mother Earth and the recovery of Eros, the feminine aspect of the Divine.
“The eighth wonder of the world…convincing proof that our Western religious tradition does indeed have the depth of imagination to reinvent its faith.” — Brian Swimme, author of The Universe Story and Journey of the Universe

In the Beginning There Was Joy: A Cosmic Celebration for Kids of All Ages

The first book in the Father Fox’s Fantastical Fables series tells the story of the big bang and how humans fit into the awesome, fantastical, cosmic picture! With artwork curated from illustrators around the world, this book expresses the joy and wonder of all peoples and cultures, planting seeds of respect, cooperation and hope to work together for the healing of our planet.

"Matthew Fox does it again, here for our young ones, who so need a positive, cosmic vision to thrive, or even survive, in a sad time." - Father Richard Rohr, Author of The Universal Christ

"Matthew Fox offers a resounding affirmation of what our souls have always suspected: we are made for joy."  - Mirabai Starr, Author of God of Love and Wild Mercy

UPCOMING EVENTS

See Matthew Fox's full calendar HERE

Join Matthew Fox Tuesday Sep 17 @ 11:00am PT for an interview with the Thom Hartman Program on his new book Trump and the MAGA Movement as Anti-Christ: A Handbook for the 2024 Election. See how to listen or watch live HERE (https://www.thomhartmann.com/radio)

MONTHLY: Join Matthew Fox, Mariko Middleton, and Skylar Wilson of the Order of the Sacred Earth in a free virtual meeting for connection and networking with other mystic warriors. Last Tuesday of every month, 4:00-5:00pm PT. 
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88665302478  
Meeting ID: 886 6530 2478

Learn more at www.orderofthesacredearth.org

Join Matthew Fox as he discusses his book Occupy Spirituality: A Radical Vision for a New Generation in an Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat, Thursday, September 19, 4:00-5:30 pm PT. 
Register HERE.

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