More history lost in Iraq

[Dr_Evil_Mouse]

Grim. These folks trace their history back to the first instances of Christian Gnosticism in the Middle East, and now it looks like hardliners will do what they can to erase them, one way or another. There's nothing like insecurity to drive out the richness of an ancient culture. I don't expect the US will do anything to take care of them any more than they did to protect the Shi`ites who rose up against Saddam Hussein after the first Gulf War.

Iraq Chaos Threatens Ancient Faith

[Deeps]

[color:purple]Yaaaaahhhhh for religion.

Religion brings so much good to the world.

Waving your book at people never turns into killing "non-believers"

Being into one religion is such a normal way to go through life.

"It's getting to the point where I'm going to tell people to pis-off if they are religious. It's really just become too offensive" [a friend]

I'm in the same f'ng boat.

Some jack-ass in Chicago with a mega-phone in one hand and the good book in the other, talking some-jive about how JC was on his way and blah fire blah brimstone blah hey everybody let's get paranoid blah blah.

I'm gonna snap soon.

PS My father and his parents and by proxy of the good word his 3-siblings and their total of his about 12 nieces and nephews have been estranged for about a decade because my parents didn't get an enullment (sp?) when they decided that their marriage had run its course. Yaaaah literal interpretation of bibles!!

[bradm]

My father and his parents and by proxy of the good word his 3-siblings and their total of his about 12 nieces and nephews have been estranged for about a decade because my parents didn't get an enullment (sp?) when they decided that their marriage had run its course. Yaaaah literal interpretation of bibles!!

The word is "annulment", and I assume they were/are Catholics? There was a posting on a guitar message board from a guy who had an interesting problem: he was married to a woman, and they wanted to join a Catholic church. The problem was that they had been married in a civil ceremony, and the Catholic church doesn't recognize civil ceremonies, so they were going to have to get married in a church ceremony.

But this raised another problem: his wife had been married previously, but had got divorced, so the church said she had to get an annulment before they'd allow her to get married in the church. The guy protested, as his wife's previous marriage had been a civil ceremony, and so shouldn't have been recognized by the church (as needing to be annulled). No dice: she still had to get it annulled. Inconsistent? Yes. Hypocritical? Certainly. Self-serving? Yup.

Aloha,

Brad

[Dr_Evil_Mouse]

I dunno. I've got my faith firmly pinned on the Flying Spaghetti Monster these days.

I do always wonder what it is that underlies the insecurity that makes people turn metaphor and poetry into justification for violence. Which comes first, the violence or the culture?

I'm still waiting for Charles Taylor's (the guy from McGill, not the Liberian dictator ) book on all this. Did run across a couple of good articles, though.

The Alchemy of Violence

and

Spirituality of Life - and Its Shadow

[Steve from Cleveland]

Good to see that I'm not the only one to be touched by His Noodly Appendage...

rAmen...

SfC

Edited September 20, 2005 by Guest

[Lazlo]

I dunno. I've got my faith firmly pinned on the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

I regret to inform you both that your so called God is dead. As of 9:14 pm on Sunday night the Flying Spaghetti Monster was devoured by myself and two others. His holiness was delicious, served in a spicy marinara sauce with meatballs.

[popo weenie]

there is a place for certain things ,don,t you think?

this could really screw up people that are trying to find peace in this world

but to each his own.

some day your back will be against the wall, who do you turn to?

[popo weenie]

Dr_Evil_Mouse Said:I dunno. I've got my faith firmly pinned on the Flying Spaghetti Monster[color:red]

i feel sorry for you, what would your kids think or believe if you had any?

[Dr_Evil_Mouse]

They'd probably think, "You fool, faith is so late twentieth century."

[secondtube]

some day your back will be against the wall, who do you turn to?

something tangible, real, something that will be able to get my back OFF the wall...

family for one.

my own ambition for two.

if you assume some mystical force is going to 'save' your ass, your in trouble.

[Dr_Evil_Mouse]

Hear hear...

I don't think anyone can rely ultimately on anyone or anything when the back is firmly against the wall. I'd hope the Simon Weisenthal stories around in the last day or two would jog as much. What he achieved was exceptional; justice is hard won. All we have in the end is the knowledge that whatever happens in the world is engraved in the fact of eternity, but who are we to pull any of that down off the wall?

So, yes, the love within a family (or circle of friends) is above the worth of anything else.

Damn red wine...

[Dr_Evil_Mouse]

Dr_Evil_Mouse Said: I dunno. I've got my faith firmly pinned on the Flying Spaghetti Monster[color:red]

i feel sorry for you, what would your kids think or believe if you had any?

This is another question - or couple.

a) Feeling sorry? Please pay no mind!

The kids? I'm all too glad we haven't raised them the same way we were raised, which in its own context was more than plenty. Faith in this human mess? They know better already!

Faith is inexorable - we can't get anywhere without it. Faith in what? That's where it all goes to pieces. Faith and trust are synonymous. If we don't get a decent sense of trust as kids, we're screwed. I have better faith in our six-year old cat than I do in half the people I see on the news; I know she has her limits.

[TheGoodRev]

They'd probably think, "You fool, faith is so late twentieth century."

GOLD, DAVID

That last bit was top-notch, as well. Carry on.