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Re: [microsound] the black, the white, and the Mutek @ Stylus



Hi Rudy,

let me just give you a very personal answer concerning the 'connection
between fascism and religion'.  As I said, a very personal one, I don't
claim to state a 'law' or something: My grandfather strongly opposed
everything that had to do with the (christian) religion.  On the one hand,
Marx's words about 'religion being an opiate for the people' resonated in
his head; on the other hand, the horrible crimes performed in the name of
Christ, the killing of non-christians, colonialization, burning of 'witches'
etc.  So these were two reasons for him to be anti-religion, anti-church.
(Reasons I think that were quite valuable).  BUT I think there was
nevertheless a need, an urge in him to believe in something, to give himself
over to something grand, greater than human.  On the one hand that was
music, and since he seems to have been emotionally starved he began with
Beethoven symphonies but soon was completely into Richard Wagner.  On the
other hand, he fell for nationalsocialism and became a nazi, a fascist; and
a quite ardent one.  I think he was not an isolated case in Germany at that
time, many nazi followers were disappointed with organized religion, and the
nazi movement gave them something which 'felt like a religion'.

If he would have been able to find a true mystic experience within a
religion, I don't think he would have turned nazi or fascist.

After all religion, in the literal sense of the word, means to be tied back
to something greater than the individual.  That is not fascist per se, at
least in my opinion.  It all depends on how that "X, which is greater than
the individual' is filled out, whether it is a live-giving X or a
life-destroying X.  For me, religious mysticism celebrates life, all life.
Once human beings think they are the measuring rod for all there is, it gets
really dangerous.

Best,

Dagmar

Rudy Carrera wrote:

> That's a very nice way of stating it, Dagmar.  I for one don't feel
> particularly fascist when I attend Church.  It is a small bit offensive
> to hear that organized religion is a sort of brainwashing tool (I myself
> am Eastern Orthodox, and mysticism is quite strong in our faith).
>
> Regards,
>
> Rudy A. Carrera
> Falcata-Galia and Tariff Records
> PO Box 134
> Rialto, California  92377  USA
> http://www.falcata-galia.com
> http://www.tariffrecords.com
> http://members.tripod.com/musicsource7/index.htm
>
>
> -

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