Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site mcnc.mcnc.UUCP Path: utzoo!lsuc!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!mcnc!bch From: bch@mcnc.UUCP (Byron C. Howes) Newsgroups: net.politics,net.religion,net.flame Subject: Re: skulls and snakes Message-ID: <961@mcnc.mcnc.UUCP> Date: Thu, 31-Oct-85 00:46:43 EST Article-I.D.: mcnc.961 Posted: Thu Oct 31 00:46:43 1985 Date-Received: Fri, 1-Nov-85 03:28:18 EST References: <323@drutx.UUCP> <815@rlgvax.UUCP> Reply-To: bch@mcnc.UUCP (Byron C. Howes) Organization: North Carolina Educational Computing Service Lines: 24 Xref: lsuc net.politics:1775 net.religion:536 net.flame:2158 Summary: In article <815@rlgvax.UUCP> raghu@rlgvax.UUCP (Raghu Raghunathan) writes: > > This is another interesting difference between Hinduism and > Christianity. In Hinduism snakes are considered almost > sacred and a symbol of good fortune. In my village in > India it was considered a honor if a snake crawled into > someone's kitchen and partook of the food; and many village > temples have several snake nests around them that are protected. > > Considering there are so many differences in beliefs between > religions it is no wonder that people of different faiths have > such a hard time putting up with each other. The Snake, as a god or representation of knowledge and wisdom is far more ancient that Christianity or Judaism. Joseph Campbell implies that the Judaic myth of the Garden of Eden is, in fact, a turning upside down of a common myth about the snake/consort giving knowledge to man. The purpose of the rewrite was to discredit those who worshipped the snake/consort. The myth of the guilded calf in Exodus was likewise an effort to discredit a local deity. -- Byron C. Howes ...!{decvax,akgua}!mcnc!ecsvax!bch