Hello everyone, and welcome to Lecture Three of our series. Today, we have the privilege of hosting the insightful Mike Parenti as our guest lecturer. As we delve into his expertise, I invite you to consider the intriguing parallels between religion and politics. In lecture 2, Daniel Dennette mentioned the irony of differential persistence, note here how some ideas are made stronger because they are resisted.  

The intersection of understanding God's plan for Kingdom Expansion through behavioral biology and its potential overlap with the concept of super patriotism, as discussed by Michael Parenti, involves a nuanced exploration of religious beliefs, human behavior, and social dynamics. It's essential to consider these aspects in relation to both theological perspectives and socio-political analysis.

1. **Understanding God's Plan through Behavioral Biology:**
Behavioral biology examines the biological basis of human behavior, including social, cognitive, and emotional aspects. When exploring God's plan for Kingdom Expansion, one may consider how behavioral biology sheds light on innate human tendencies, such as the need for social cohesion, cooperation, and the search for meaning. The biological perspective can be integrated into theological interpretations by suggesting that these behavioral traits are part of God's intentional design for the establishment and growth of religious communities.

2. **Super Patriotism and Social Dynamics:**
Michael Parenti's concept of super patriotism likely involves an intense and exaggerated form of patriotism that can have social, political, and even religious dimensions. In this context, understanding God's plan may intersect with the idea of super patriotism if certain religious beliefs are intertwined with extreme nationalistic sentiments. Super patriotism can be seen as an expression of fervent loyalty and allegiance to a particular group, nation, or ideology, and the overlap may involve examining how religious identity and national identity intersect or conflict.

3. **Religious Nationalism and Super Patriotism:**
Some theological perspectives intertwine religious identity with national identity, fostering a sense of religious nationalism. In such cases, super patriotism could manifest as an extreme expression of religious fervor aligned with a specific national or political agenda. Understanding God's plan in this context might involve examining how religious teachings are interpreted and manipulated to support particular political ideologies or nationalist sentiments.

4. **Critical Analysis of Super Patriotism:**
Michael Parenti's work often involves a critical analysis of socio-political concepts. Applying this critical lens to super patriotism within a religious context could entail examining how extreme forms of patriotism may be exploited for political or power-related purposes. It might involve questioning whether certain expressions of super patriotism align with the principles of justice, compassion, and ethical conduct advocated by various religious traditions.

5. **Balancing Faith and Civic Responsibility:**
The discussion of super patriotism and God's plan for Kingdom Expansion can prompt reflections on the balance between religious faith and civic responsibility. While religious teachings may guide believers to work towards the common good, an extreme form of patriotism might be scrutinized for potential contradictions with higher moral principles.

It's important to approach these discussions with sensitivity, recognizing the diversity of religious beliefs and interpretations. The intersection of behavioral biology, God's plan, and super patriotism involves navigating the complexities of human nature, cultural influences, and the potential misuse of religious and nationalistic fervor.

Notes:

The nation-state is a way of instituting control vs. freedom and government rule instead of people rule. The state no longer serves us, as soldiers, but we serve it. It becomes an abstract moral idea whose existence and growth are taken as self-justifying. 

Individual morality asserts that your behavior at some point needs to be self-controlled. At a certain point there are things you shouldn’t do even if you have a strong convictions and desires and even if it’s within your self-interest. 

What are the similarities between a Nation-state with super Patriots and a religious organization with sincere believers?

Nation-states are more than human – their existence and actions are endowed with virtue so as to place it above the normal constraints and rules of life. 

There is no other restraint besides the limitation of its power and power of other nations to stop it. 

Unsupportable and outrageous acts in personal moral code become applauded as heroism if it’s for the religion or the nation, i.e. circumcision, sacrifice, blood rituals, etc. The saying goes, “Thou shalt not, becomes thou shalt if it’s in the national interest.”

Super patriot ideology is not random and neither is the ideology of sincere believers. There are specific targets that have potential to develop a threatening social order that is counter to ours. Therefore, the key function of super-patriotism and sincere religiosity is to convince followers that we are constantly preparing for war; that we are constantly under attack from evil-minded murderous neighbors that want to kill, steal and destroy. Since we are attacked we have a right to defend. This cultural message is created by laws that are geared to benefit the interests of the ruling class; the clergy, why? Because their dominance controls the laws. The laws in turn create culture. 

What happens when a super-patriot meets an anarchist or a sincere Christian meets an Atheist?

Many people who go against this culture end up combatting ideas and not the policies or politicians that created them. 

“Never argue with a fool, from afar nobody can tell the difference.” 

The discussion devolves into a critique of theatrics as opposed to a critique of the issues; talk about the process, speaker’s delivery, stage presence, energy, narrative. 

Jesus said, “I am the door.” If you came to my house and all I did was show you my front door and tell you all the wonderful things about my door, but never let you inside – how would that make you feel?

The conversation about Jesus and “How was church” conversation is a critique of theatrics as opposed to talking about the other sides of our issues.