AN INTERVIEW WITH FLYING RED HORSE- PAGE 2   EHP- [laughs] Quite right! That is why we're here, isn't it? So, give us a thumbnail sketch of the book. FRH- Well, DIRTY LITTLE GODS is a collection of various writings I committed to paper during the early years of my spiritual journey. There are transcribed Christian sermons, Zen dharma talks, and Earth Teaching essays. There are some other interesting things there, as well. There is a segment of sociopolitical essays, some prose and poetry, some fiction, and a sort of catchall segment that contains random ideas that have been collecting in notebooks for years. Rather than calling the segments chapters, I chose to call them "fragments." It seemed more apropos, as these could certainly be viewed as fragments of my journey. Other than being organized by the style they were rendered in, there is little rhyme or reason to the subject matter. It may well serve to confuse the hell out of a lot of folks! [laughs] EHP- Why the title DIRTY LITTLE GODS? FRH- As early as 1998 I was knocking around the idea of collecting a bunch of my writings into a single volume. The lady I was married to at the time made an offhand comment one day that humans are really just "dirty little gods." The phrase impressed the hell out of me and has stuck with me till this day. EHP- The subtitle of the book is THE MUSINGS, RANTS, AND RAVINGS OF A HERETIC. What makes you a heretic? FRH- Well, no matter what spiritual discipline I have learned and taught, there has always been someone there to wag a finger in my general direction and tell me how wrong I am, how I am corrupting the teachings. Really, when you look at the textbook definition of a heretic, I AM one! [smiles] Think about it- a heretic is a person who holds controversial opinions, especially ones that publicly challenge officially accepted dogma. That's me all over! [laughs] I really identify with the Greek root of the word heretic. The root word is haireistha, which means "to choose." I choose what is right for me. EHP- Now that the book has been published, what do you think about the finished product? FRH- The Christian fragment of the book is really problematic. Those who consider themselves not to be Christian are put off by what they feel to be the excessively "churchy and preachy" Christian language. Many Christians (especially fundamentalists) are even more put off because they feel my...um...unique interpretations of scripture are misguided at best and downright dangerous at their worst. Preachy though it might be, you won't find a single sentence that declares that there is only one way to spiritual fulfillment. I've never bought into that. A couple of the people that I had proofread the book were insistent that I shouldn't include any material of a Christian bent at all. They thought it would alienate or turn off too many people. EHP- I can understand why non-Christians wouldn't be interested in your Christian material, but why the hesitation from Christians? I mean, you were a priest! There's a certain implied credibility in being a priest, isn't there? FRH- Did I just hear you use the words "credibility" and "priest" in the same sentence? Please! [laughs] Let me give you a little insight. The history of the Christian church has been written by the preachers. A lot of what is taught from the pulpit on Sunday morning, and I do mean a LOT, has no basis in historical fact. Over the last 2000 years the scriptures and verbal traditions have been twisted and mangled to suit the goals of the ones who held the religious and secular power. I doubt very seriously if the man we know as Jesus would even recognize, much less approve of, even 5% of the stuff that is done in his name these days. There are those who spout, "God wrote it, the Bible says it, and that settles it!" I can say with certainty, however, that there are many ministers that stand in the pulpit and proclaim one thing while actually in their hearts believing another. But they toe the line, regardless. You see, if you make too many waves its hard to get a steady job in the God business. The fact is that most people are comfortable in their ignorance and ignorance usually pays very well. As for a Christian's discomfort with my writing, you simply will not hear stuff preached in any mainline church like what can be found in the Christian fragment of DIRTY LITTLE GODS. Understand- what I write is simply what I have experienced. I don't ask a single person to follow me down my crooked path. EHP- Is it just me or is there a difference in the tone of the Christian fragment at the beginning and at the end? FRH- How do you mean? EHP- Well, the first half of the fragment seems very...well...like you said, "churchy." It's almost like these were messages from a high mass or something. The second half has language that is a little less embellished and the subject matter of each message is a lot more provocative. FRH- You're quite right. The order of the messages in that fragment is more or less chronological to the way they were written. The earliest stuff was written shortly after my ordination to the priesthood. At the time I was still basking in the glow of my own elevated self-importance and it shows in my writing. [laughs] The messages at the end were sermons that I had delivered but never fully committed to paper. I fleshed these out for inclusion in the book using my old sermon notes. I tried to maintain at least a vestige of stylistic continuity with the earlier work as I was writing these and let me tell you, it was not easy. I just do not possess that mindset anymore. EHP- Since the Christian material isn't your mindset anymore, why did you feel compelled to include any of it in DIRTY LITTLE GODS? FRH- [pauses] It was a decision I made with a lot of ambivalence. As I explained to one of those who questioned the wisdom of my choice, I have my reasons. Though I firmly believe the writing [in the Christian fragment] to be overbearing, needlessly ornate, and bordering on obnoxious, I know there is something of conceptual value buried there. In a way DIRTY LITTLE GODS is a sort of autobiographical record of my personal spiritual journey. This is the reason I didn't try to sanitize any of it; I wanted to be true to where I was at that time in my life. For better or worse, Christianity has a vocabulary that most people in America are at least familiar with. Some may not be comfortable with it, but they do speak the language. I certainly planted some nontraditional concepts (for the average Christian at least) in that fragment. Hopefully those who read the Christian material will be inclined to give the other stuff a fair hearing. EHP- Do you ever go to church anymore? FRH- Rarely. Most of what goes on in the average church is just too unpalatable for me. My church is the sanctity of my home. My church is found in Nature. I've never yet seen a cathedral that can compare to the majesty of the Sun setting on the Gulf of Mexico. I do enjoy attending Unity services occasionally, especially when I get the opportunity to hear Dr. Rocco Errico speak. Rocco has been a friend of mine for several years. He is the preeminent scholar of the Aramaic language in the West, a great teacher and a spellbinding public speaker. I'll go to church to hear him! [smiles]   CLICK HERE TO GO TO INTERVIEW PAGE THREE