[MD] New Model Army, Mystic(DQ) Experience, and Religion (SQ) as Power

[Arlo J. Bensinger]

Stephen,

I think the whole point of the lyrics was that Mystic/DQ experience is personal,
and as it is relagated to static patterns it is often used to perpetuate its
own power, rather than "lead the flock to enlightenment".

"If it was truly a new route over the mountain it’s certainly a needed one. For
more than three centuries now the old routes common in this hemisphere have
been undercut and almost washed out by the natural erosion and change of the
shape of the mountain wrought by scientific truth. The early climbers
established paths that were on firm ground with an accessibility that appealed
to all, but today the Western routes are all but closed because of dogmatic
inflexibility in the face of change. To doubt the literal meaning of the words
of Jesus or Moses incurs hostility from most people, but it’s just a fact that
if Jesus or Moses were to appear today, unidentified, with the same message he
spoke many years ago, his mental stability would be challenged. This isn’t
because what Jesus or Moses said was untrue or because modern society is in
error but simply because the route they chose to reveal to others has lost
relevance and comprehensibility. "Heaven above" fades from meaning when
space-age consciousness asks, Where is "above"? But the fact that the old
routes have tended, because of language rigidity, to lose their everyday
meaning and become almost closed doesn’t mean that the mountain is no longer
there. It’s there and will be there as long as consciousness exists." (Pirsig,
ZMM).

It is in the "statification" of these mystic experiences that the "church"
becomes more important than the "message". One spends more time worshipping
"Jesus" than actually doing what he suggests. Many in history have divided the
"flock" of these religions into those who seek exoteric understanding (the
literal word on the page), and those who seek esoteric understanding (the
metaphorical message of the words). What side you camp on in your own business,
but the dangers of an all exoteric approach is fairly evident by simply viewing
the actions of "believers" in the name of their respective "God".

And, by the way, the lyrics have nothing to do with "science" as being the only
path. I'm not even sure where you got that from. They say nothing except bowing
to love and beauty is Good, while bowing to "a god in the image of man" (a
social power structure) is not. I believe this. You find value in bowing to
such a structure. Sobeit.