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From: tim@cmu-cs-k.ARPA (Tim Maroney)
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Re: Crowley's sense of humor.
Message-ID: <464@cmu-cs-k.ARPA>
Date: Wed, 26-Jun-85 16:20:58 EDT
Article-I.D.: cmu-cs-k.464
Posted: Wed Jun 26 16:20:58 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 29-Jun-85 00:38:52 EDT
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Organization: Carnegie-Mellon University, Networking
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>From Paul Dubuc:

> Definitely unhelpful; and truely disappointing.  I would like to give
> Crowley the benefit of my doubt that this really is a joke (never mind
> that might I have a hard time seeing the humor in such a joke if it were
> one); that somehow he didn't really advocate human sacrifice at all.  I
> would think that people who so strongly object to charges of satanic
> practice against Crowley and his disciples (is that a good word?) would
> be a little more helpful in clearing up any misunderstanding.

If you are willing to believe that Crowley killed 150 people a year in human
sacrifice, then I'm sure nothing I could say would dissuade you.  It is
obviously impossible to get away with that.

As I said, all the secrecy in the book, including this joke, is on a single
subject.  The reason for the secrecy is Christian attitudes toward the
subject of secrecy, and the psychological dangers of the method.  I have no
desire to tear down a veil that was put up by a Magus.  No one told me what
the subject of secrecy was; I had to figure it out myself.  It does not
involve any imposition of one's will on another, such as involving someone
in something without their consent, or killing or wounding someone, as
should be obvious to anyone who has read my expositions of Thelema.  It
does, however, run counter to taboo-list morality in its Jewish, Moslem, and
Christian manifestations.  You would not find any such difficulty in Hindu
or Taoist cultures.

And that's such an obvious hint that I may have already overstepped the
proper boundaries!  No more, sorry.

"Disciple" implies slavish obedience and worship.  I disagree with Crowley
on a number of points and I do not worship him.  So I don't think it's a
very good term.  If you need to refer to us as a group for some reason, try
"Thelemites".  Just don't call us late fo -- oh, never mind.
-=-
Tim Maroney, Carnegie-Mellon University, Networking
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