Post #304,246
2/16/09 7:37:57 PM
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Yes, progressive for a primitive herding society . . .
. . but more sophisticated societies did better. Describing items in an exhibit devoted to an Egyptian temple priestess / musician named Meresamun (950 BCE), "And papyri detail the legal rights ancient Egyptian women enjoyed, which were completely equal with men's".
In ancient Egypt priests and priestesses served in the temple only a few months of the year, and lived normal lives the rest of the year. Seems like a good system to me.
Some have presumed Egyptian priestesses were celibate, but there's no evidence of that. In the words of an expert, "There's no word for 'virgin' in ancient Egypt and there don't seem to be any rules against premarital sex. So how do you get nuns? It doesn't add up".
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Post #304,247
2/16/09 7:43:38 PM
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and we have changed how, we still herd electrons
people, goods and the economy of money is just an agreed upon rate of exchange. Joe Bob, Achnod, Tequisha and Peenchie haven't changed much in the last 6k years or so, they still need some rules.
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Post #304,251
2/16/09 8:24:30 PM
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That was kinda my point.
It's all very well to go back to "core material", but look at it in isolation in today's light and it looks very out-of-place. The trouble is that such material was generally quite forward looking for when it was written. That's the lesson we have to take from "looking back".
The Catholic Church is a really good example of a religious institution who are rather behind the times. To take your example, the demand for celibacy down through the ages has encouraged untold other problems and still does today.
Wade.
"Ah -- I take it the doorbell doesn't work?"
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Post #304,266
2/17/09 10:06:28 AM
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Fundamentalism rejects that
It's all very well to go back to "core material", but look at it in isolation in today's light and it looks very out-of-place. The trouble is that such material was generally quite forward looking for when it was written. That's the lesson we have to take from "looking back".
Well, yes. But the major two branches of Islam and fundamentalism in general, are built on a rejection of that idea.
One of it's very principles is that if it was good enough for my great^10 grandfather, then it's good enough for me.
Jay
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Post #304,273
2/17/09 10:30:18 AM
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Of course
my great^10 grandfather was most certainly not a christian... he was probably daubing blue on himself and running around with a shillelagh. Same holds true for the other fundamentalists around here at any rate... so they can go piss up a rope.
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Post #304,274
2/17/09 11:41:11 AM
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Re: That was kinda my point.
The Catholic Church is a really good example of a religious institution who are rather behind the times.
EFA.
Don't be a-pretendin' that The Church is in any way, in any of its hydra-like incarnations, some kind of progressive entity; it's still all about the stories of what a bunch of Bronze Age ay-rabs got up to in a dusty corner of the Middle East. Sure, it's got philosophical pretensions about being The Answer, and stuff, but the ol' Bible, with its stories of plagues and demons and miracles and stonings, The Word Of God, is sitting there, winking at you, reminding you that it's just a bunch of fairy stories, exactly as valid and as true as the Eddas or the Epic of Gilgamesh.
Religion has no place in a civilised society. It's an anachronism, a hangover from more savage times. We're better off without it.
I know that there are religions that are peaceful; Jainism, for one. Zen Buddhism, for another. But if they had to die in order to take fundamentalist Christianity and Islam off the face of the earth; well, I'd pay that price.
All in my humble, etc.
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Post #304,276
2/17/09 11:55:55 AM
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nope, that church is a roman invention
bought and paid for by a roman citizen who figured if you control the gnads you control the slaves
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Post #304,282
2/17/09 2:09:18 PM
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Well, not actually as valid as the epic of Gilgamesh . . .
. . since parts of it are very imperfectly adapted from that epic.
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Post #304,291
2/17/09 7:48:29 PM
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That bee in your bonnet needs catching and releasing.
I cited the Catholic Church, headquartered in The Vatican, as a specific example of an institution on top of a religious belief system with a less-than-present-day attitude.
As far as "religion has no place in civilised society", I would strongly dispute that. For many people, following their local popular sports code is at least as religious as anything else normally called that. Numerous people down through the ages will show you that mankind will always seek that sort of thing out. 'Tis a human thing, after all. :-)
OTOH, if you want specifically target religious institutions, well, then why don't you say so? The Catholic Church has been mentioned already, but there are many others.
Wade.
"Ah -- I take it the doorbell doesn't work?"
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Post #304,293
2/17/09 7:56:06 PM
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he's prolly cofe not much religion there
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Post #304,300
2/18/09 1:32:43 AM
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Un-parse-able .
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Post #304,307
2/18/09 9:45:48 AM
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CofE = Church of England
... but Box would be wrong about that.
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Post #304,313
2/18/09 10:41:23 AM
2/18/09 10:59:33 AM
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no Im not, I watch Rowan Atkinson, edit link
Edited by boxley
Feb. 18, 2009, 10:59:33 AM EST
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Post #304,321
2/18/09 12:40:20 PM
2/18/09 12:41:56 PM
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Yeah, you're wrong.
I'm not CofAnything.
Edit: The Moral Maze on Radio 4 is relevant tonight.
Listen if the intertubes will let you: http://www.bbc.co.uk...n/moralmaze.shtml
Edited by pwhysall
Feb. 18, 2009, 12:41:56 PM EST
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