"The last question," Kathy said. "Why and how is religion the problem of mankind?"
"Religious rituals and teachings no longer make sense," Jobynski said. "Mankind is threatened by over population and they preach against birth control. People are starving and the religious are the only financial solvent entity with the capability of relieving famine. Homo-religiosous (religious man) denies historical and scientific data. The religious suspend their common sense while the secular venerate science.
“Can you prove it?” Kathy asked.
“The virginity of Mary, the resurrection of Christ, Mohammed's sojourn to argue with God in heaven and Moses parting the sea are accepted as fact."
"But I see the hand of God in history," Kathy said. “Mankind, with all our faults and deficiencies appears in history to have been guided to a higher moral standard.”
“That’s debatable,” Jobynski said. “Some of the greatest travesties of justice have taken place in the last one hundred years. I see God’s legitimacy and revelation in science. Religion can no longer conceal the truth. Knowledge uncensored by church or state is available on the internet."
“ Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free,” Kathy said.
“John 8:32”, Jobynski said. "The truth will reveal the hypnotic effects of elaborate religious ceremonies, bogus mythology and historical ambiguity. Popes, Mullah's, Bishops, and Rabbis will no longer be the exclusive arbiter of God’s intentions. Freedom of thought must prevail. Ignorance will be a matter of choice, truth in religion a reality."
"Dotty Moxon and the atheists will love that," Kathy said. "The clergymen will hang us out to dry."
I’m prepared for both theological and atheistic arguments,” Jobynski said. "You've represented the church, how will they defend against us?"
“They won’t” Kathy said. “They’ll attack. They will question our credentials, our sanity and especially our motives.”
“We represent God.”
“How can we prove it?”
“True,” Jobynski said. “Maybe if I had a staff that would turn into a snake?”
“What can we tell them about God?” Kathy asked.
“Nothing,” Jobynski said. “I don’t want to say Reverend Paul Smith the mass murderer spoke as God. You can claim client attorney privilege.”
“Say, what you told me in the car,” Kathy said.”You won’t answer that question. Speak about The Eighth day of Creation and traveling to outer space.”
“Sitting here, listening to myself k,” Jobynski said, “our story sounds crazy,”
“It’s the only one we’ve got,” Kathy said. “The clergy will stress their charity work as their reason for continuing the status quo.”
“And their volunteer services, educational, welfare and medical institutions, hostels and orphanages."
"If religion is the problem," Kathy asked, "what can we offer to replace it?"
"Dedication to God," Jobynski said. "Not service to religion. God must become the focus of worship, not man or his institutions. Religious establishments have become the idols to which people bow, not God. The secular too. Theybow to Wall St. and Science."
"How can we change it?”
"By taking man out of the religious equation," Jobynski said.
"Wouldn't that take Jesus out of Christianity?"
"Yes, and Mohammed out of Islam."
"What about Judaism?"
"The House of Israel must refocus on God. Jewry has concocted a superficial, self-serving, homocentric approach to God. Most Jews find their religion irrelevant. Humanism, atheism and eastern philosophies are more attractive and less restrictive.”
"Have you any idea what you're proposing?" Kathy said.
"Not really," Jobynski said. "I'm repeating what the voice in my head tells me."
"We may trust the voices," Kathy said, "But will the world trust us? Religion isn’t going to relinquish the moral high ground. The pious will fight like hell to retain power. Take Christ out of Christianity, Mohammed from Islam and revise Judaism? You're challenging humanities entire social structure. They'll fight."
"I can't stop them from defending what they believe in," Jobynski said.
"I don't know if we can win," Kathy said. "The Pope alone controls more gold, art, property and stocks than the world's largest corporations, governments or states on the planet. The Vatican is the greatest possessor of wealth on earth. The Protestant church has its own financial, institutional and political power. Islam with its oil assets equals them."
"What about the Jews?" Jobynski asked.
Kathy said. "With only 14 million Jews worldwide, half in Israel they haven't the numbers or money to be politically effective. “At first they’ll keep a low profile.”
“Why?”
“Fear of being blamed. Their power rests with the media.”
”I lived in the Vatican,” Jobynski said and know something about its wealth. How did religions get so moneyed?" Jobynski asked.
"Tax exemptions," Kathy said. "If the world financial crisis worsens the only solvent institutions will be the religions. They'll take over Greece, Italy, Ireland, and Spain. They'll control others through loans."
"You mean they already have four Catholic countries in their pocket?" Jobynski asked.
"I retain one of the best international tax experts in the world," Kathy said. "According to him the Church could take over the western world by default right now! But they won't"
"Why not?"
"They want to control the world, not run it."
"The clergy are survivors” Jobynski said. “With their money, intellect and surety of belief they'll mount a fierce defense. We must by-pass the Church."
"How?" Kathy asked.
"Appeal directly to the people. You told me in the taxi to use the clergy as a foil to speak to the TV audience. If we can’t convince the clergy, we talk to the people. It’s them we want. They must decide."
"If we fail," Kathy said, "there will be greater hatred than before. People will ban together in religious and nationalistic groups to fight for living space like the rats."
"Instead of people believing in God," Jobynski said, "We must somehow give them the knowledge of God. There's a great difference between belief, faith and the knowledge."
"When did man ever know God?"
"Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Moses and the Prophets all walked and talked with God. I believe Sister Theresa, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and others were influenced by God. You and I spoke with Him"
The two sat silent in the guest room of Gracie Mansion contemplating the task before them.
After some minutes Kathy asked, "What did you mean by the differences between Belief, Faith and Knowledge of God?"
"You can believe in God but not have faith in him. As a priest I met Catholics who believed God created the world with the laws of nature and then abandoned us. They had no faith in the Almighty to be just and benevolent."
"I'm a Protestant who felt that way," Kathy said.
"Then there are those who have faith," Jobynski said. "To varying degrees they trust in God, sometimes to the extreme. They act like the Rabbi on the roof during the flood."
"Are you saying that total faith is wrong?"
"Man and God are in a relationship” Jobynski said. “God gave us the laws of nature and told us to learn them and subdue nature to our will. He gave the social laws to man and told us to live by them. Man must always question. The moment an individual stops questioning God, the Almighty becomes an idol to that person."
"But a person who questions someone or something cannot not have total faith in that person or thing," Kathy said.
"You are speaking of a person who believes in God. When you experience God then you know. You know God with perfect surety."
"You and I know God is," Kathy said. "Do we stop questioning?"
"No!" Jobynski jumped up. "We must always question."
"What are we supposed to question?"
"God's words to man."
"You mean the Bible?" Kathy asked
"Yes," Jobynski said.
"You mean the Torah or the Old Testament?".
"The written Torah and the Oral Torah or Law, the New Testament and the Koran."
"Law is my business," Kathy said. "Either it applies or doesn't."
"Interpretation changes with every generation. Some Christian Bibles say, "Thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal."
What's wrong with that?"
"Later on in the Bible it says, 'If someone comes to kill you, you must kill him.' The Rabbis interpret the commandment as not to murder. You can kill in self defense and in war."
"And how do they interpret stealing?" Kathy asked.
The Sages said it was ridiculous to execute a starving person for stealing a piece of bread. They concluded that the Hebrew word used in this commandment refers to kidnapping.
"So the Oral Law or clergy’s interpretation is a way of scholars adapting the written law to peoples needs."
"Within the boundaries of the written Law," Jobynski said.
"Why is it Jews rarely convert?"
"When oppressed, they seldom switch religions," Jobynski said. "Leave Jews alone and they'll eat pig, work on the Sabbath and intermarry. The assimilation rate of Jews in America is over fifty percent. In Germany and Austria, until Hitler, assimilation was as high. I once heard a Bishop in the Vatican tell a Saudi Prince, "If you Muslims want to get rid of the Jews in Israel, "Leave them alone. Give them petrol free of charge. With the money they save they will leave Israel for the west or kill themselves with their motorcars. Those that remain will convert to Islam."
"Are Israeli drivers that crazy?"
"Absolutely. They think speed limits, red lights and stop signs are suggestions. And they don't drink and drive. They have killed more of their own people stone sober with cars than all the terrorists and wars combined in the last sixty years."
"Is that why Israelis go to other countries?"
"No," Jobynski said, "Driving crazy is a national sport. They leave Israel because they don't like being Jewish. They see themselves as Israelis, not Jews. Let's get to the final question."
"Do you want to say anything about hell in answering the second question?" Kathy asked.
"Don't look for trouble," Jobynski said. "
"Question 3," Kathy said. "Why is Religion invalid?"
“First we must define what religion means.”
Kathy googled her laptop and read from the dictionary toolbar, Religion is “a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs. 2. a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects:
“Okay,” Jobynski said. “Let’s work with that.”
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