Thread by @PnictogenHorses

let's return to this business of choosing *anchors* for oneself—reference points that people gauge themselves against, which remind them where (and when) they are in the world.

let's say you've anchored yourself in the world with...a stone. a piece of ordinary rock.

(cont'd)

https://twitter.com/PnictogenHorses/status/1639152735953252353

I have a stone right here in front of me—it's specular hematite, polished into an attractive, shiny, slightly irregular sphere about 4 cm in diameter. Chara named it _Orbis Ferox_ ("fierce sphere") partly in allusion to its composition: it's iron(3) oxide, Fe₂O₃.

(cont'd)

now imagine that we referred *all of our decisions* to _Orbix Ferox_. (we don't, but...try to imagine that we do.)

imagine that we got out of bed in the morning and first thing we did was pick up the hematite sphere and ask it, "what should we do today? what portends?"

(cont'd)

suppose we carried _Orbis Ferox_ around with us at all times, in our pockets or purse. suppose we were always handling it, *gripping* it when faced with anything challenging or confusing—suppose we were always *talking* to the sphere, and always listening for response.

(cont'd)

if we behaved this way with our hematite sphere, we'd have made _Orbis Ferox_ into a personal anchoring object to the highest possible degree: we'd have made the sphere into an *idol*, an object of reverence and ritual—something that was now *necessary* to our lives.

(cont'd)

because if we relied upon _Orbis Ferox_ for doing *everything* in our lives, we'd be lost without it. as it stands, if we lost our hematite sphere or if someone smashed it, we'd be really *peeved* and sad about it but we wouldn't feel like our lives had been upturned.

(cont'd)

now suppose that I did the same thing to @MattWalshBlog's favorite #Bible. or @PastorMark's, or @RepMTG's—Christian fanatics tend to own *heaps* of Bibles (the more Bibles, the more holy they feel!) but undoubtedly they have a *favorite* one. suppose I destroyed it.

(cont'd)

how upset do you think @PastorMark &c. would feel if I destroyed their favorite Bible, or their favorite Cross? I think they'd be *much* more upset than if someone smashed our hematite sphere.

that's the nature of idolatry: one puts part of one's identity in the idol.

(cont'd)

if we'd treated _Orbis Ferox_ as an idol, it would be like the hematite sphere was part of ourselves—if it were lost or smashed, it would feel a bit like losing an eye or a finger.

this is how Christians like @MattWalshBlog &c. behave towards their Bibles and Crosses.

(cont'd)

they're not *supposed* to do this; Christians are supposed to believe in high and lofty *abstractions*, not in concrete objects—but here's the dirty secret about Christianity (especially right-wing Christianity): people like @MattWalshBlog don't believe in abstractions.

(cont'd)

@MattWalshBlog and @PastorMark and @pastorlocke *do not believe in abstractions*. they want a "faith" that they can see and touch and feel, at all times—and they demand that all society and government prop up their faith, which is why they're moist for @RonDeSantisFL.

(cont'd)

if "God" (or the next best thing, i.e. President Ron) isn't sending police officers round to stomp on drag performers—why, then it's like "God" doesn't actually exist, for @MattWalshBlog &c.

these people are *idolaters*. they need physical, tangible icons to believe.

(cont'd)

and that's why Christian fanatics like the ones that run the @GOP (and who've been puppeting @mtaibbi) are so *dangerous*. they're "religious" but in a weak, wispy way that needs constant support and shoring-up—all society needs to affirm the faith of @MattWalshBlog &c.

(cont'd)

if they're not seeing "God" all round them, they get scared and angry and demand that laws be passed in order to protect their flimsy and idolatrous "faith". that's modern-day, politicized American Christianity; that's @MattWalshBlog's Christianity.

~Mona Drafter of Pnictogen

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