Luigi Enrico Pietra d’Oro currently teaches art and art history at a small, rural community college in Southern California where he spends a lot of time encouraging his students to question what they believe and to think for themselves. He has taught art, primarily sculpture and ceramics, for over 35 years to all age groups from kids in Kindergarten to senior citizens. He holds BFA and MFA degrees from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He has traveled extensively and lived and taught in Brazil, American Samoa, Italy, Germany, England, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Hawaii.

Luigi has an extensive religious and spiritual background, having made a personal study of many of the world’s religions including Judaism, Christianity, Bhakti Yoga, Zen Buddhism and Taoism. His spiritual explorations have embraced the psychedelic, the immanent, and the transcendental.

When asked why anyone should read The Second Coming, The Last Parable of Jesus, He replies:

“First of all, this is a good read. It’s funny and unpredictable, relevant and timely. I call it

Relevant, Irreverent Literature.”

“This story also has two very important messages:

1. Accountability. We have to take accountability for our own actions.
2. We must move forward, away from the savior mentality we have created and adopted individually and culturally. The savior mentality motivates us in two very unhealthy and unproductive ways.
• We hope, wait for and expect someone else to take care of the problems we create, someone else to correct and forgive our mistakes (sins). Some expect scientists to save us, some expect religious leaders or a messiah, some even hope a politician will do it! It keeps us insecure, full of the belief that we are too sinful, stupid or unworthy to do the right thing. We believe we are victims of either evil or divine forces, instead of perpetrators of evil and good.
• We consciously and subconsciously create crises and wars, creating the conditions we believe will bring a savior, or make heroes and saviors out of us. Biblical fiction like Revelations has influenced us to believe that the prerequisite to the coming of a savior is war, disease, pestilence, famine and total destruction. So, we have been creating such miseries with the false hope and assurance that if things get bad enough, someone will be sent to bail us out. Even if such a ridiculous idea could come to pass, it’s better to live responsible, peaceful lives and simply eliminate the need for a savior.”

Would anyone really think Jesus would be bummed if we all re-created The Garden and avoided all the war, famine and pestilence?

“It doesn’t really matter whether we believe in a god or not. It doesn’t really matter if god exists or doesn’t exist. We know how to live. We know we are our brothers' and sisters' keepers. We know we have to take care of this planet we live on. If we believe in god, then ‘god helps those who help each other.’ If we don’t believe in god, then ‘we help each other and ourselves by helping each other.' It’s all the same.”