Another example of my guerilla marketing:

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Subject:	Re: [christianobjectivists] New subscriber: Monart Pon and Concerto of Deliverance
Date:	Sun, 01 Aug 2004 11:40:13 -0600
From:	Monart Pon <monart@...>
To:	christianobjectivists@yahoogroups.com

Hello Tom and everyone,

Following up on my posting last week about the new album Concerto of Deliverance for you to sample, and to Tom's replying invitation to share my thoughts on "christian objectivism", I offer this:

I've read through the messages here from the beginning, some more carefully than others, and I applaud the aims of some writers to blend christianity with objectivism: to create a view and way of life that they hold as being the best of the two. I particularly like Tom's posts on the roles of and relationships between religion and philosophy, and his presentation of the metaphor "Mother religion / Father philosophy". Tom would have much to share from his wide readings and deep thinking about this subject.

I've read only a few books related to the "philosophy of religion", e.g., _Religion without Revelation_ by Julian Huxley, _Hero with a Thousand Faces_ by Joseph Campbell, and _Romantic Manifesto_ by Ayn Rand. I've also reflected on the recorded speeches of Robert Bidinotto (The Objectivist Center) on the subject. I've given about as much thought to the essence of religion as I have to the essence of philosophy, in the 30+ years since I first read Rand's Fountainhead (and her "Introduction" to it). I didn't know it then as such, but it was an intense and life-changing, religious experience for me, as well as being one of philosophical enlightenment. Ever since then, my life's journey can be described mostly as one of a "religious" objectivist, although I've never belonged to any particular religion or church.

Those of you who read Fountainhead may recall the scene where a client (coached and manipulated by Toohey), in persuading Roark to build a religious temple, remarked that Roark was "a deeply religious man -- in his own way" (not the exact words). I would say that I, too, am religious like the way that Roark was. I do not believe in "God", "faith" or an "afterlife" as those ideas are commonly and variously defined -- but I do believe in a "perfect being", a state or quality of purity, unity, and wholeness -- of consecrating and attaining the highest ideals of life.

For me, it's not "God" who is the supreme being, lording over me, to whom I must give obedience. The ultimate absolute for me is reality: all that which is, is what it is; the being of all beings is being itself. And to live by this absolute being, this objective reality, is my ultimate purpose. Thus, the highest, sacred value for life is truth -- being true to reality -- with the corollaries of honesty, justice, and courage, of achievement, beauty, and joy.

I regard "religion" as if it were the emotional-motivational counterpart to the intellectual-validational factor in life which is one's philosophy. Like philosophy, religion also serves to integrate one's life into a consistent and meaningful whole. The word "religion" etymologically relates back to the idea "to bind together". "Holy" relates to the "whole". "Worship" relates to a state of worthiness, of having worth. In short, to be religious, for me, is to hold one's life as being holy, being sacred -- to be worshipped as the ultimate value sought -- to live that life with dedication, truth, integrity, and purpose.

I offer, below, a poetic illustration of what I mean (excerpts from "Starship Being Light" http://www.starshipaurora.com/starshipbeinglight.html )
I also offer a musical illustration of what I mean in the album Concerto of Deliverance http://www.starshipaurora.com/concertoofdeliverance.html

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The infinity of ideals made finite and real
...

Aim of Will
Action of Mind
Achievement of Body

Dignified Honor of Truth
Concentrated Power of Goodness
Radiated Glory of Beauty
...

The infinite all of glory
in one finite shape
in one integrated body
in one unified soul
in one clear word
in one shining love
in one temple
in One
...

finitude to the infinity of ideals
shape to the formlessness of dreams
singularity to the plurality of values
unity to the multiplicity of desires
concreteness to the abstractness of thought
direction to the randomness of movement
fortitude to the hardships of life
certainty to the chances of victory
...

WorShip

Ship of Having Worth
State of Making Value
Way of Facing Truth
Quality of Showing Beauty
Act of Giving Love
Ceremony Bringing Joy
Being Becoming Light

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-Monart