Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site utastro.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!ut-sally!utastro!ethan From: ethan@utastro.UUCP (Ethan Vishniac) Newsgroups: net.flame Subject: Re: Tax relief for Churches--ARRRRGHH Message-ID: <103@utastro.UUCP> Date: Thu, 24-Oct-85 10:00:25 EST Article-I.D.: utastro.103 Posted: Thu Oct 24 10:00:25 1985 Date-Received: Thu, 31-Oct-85 02:44:23 EST References: <40@drutx.UUCP> <12090@rochester.UUCP> Organization: U. Texas, Astronomy, Austin, TX Lines: 29 > In article <58@utastro.UUCP> ethan@utastro.UUCP (Ethan Vishniac) writes: > >> > >> What is your, or the states, objection to a cult worshipping motherhood? > > > >Since you ask, none whatsoever. I do not care if people worship motherhood > >(a laudable thing after all), or fatherhood (ditto), or chartreuse carpeting > >(which makes me puke, but really turns some people on). I do not care if > >cultists meet and have orgies every Tuesday night or discuss scientology > >instead. However, for some odd reason I am offended by silly idealizations > >of our barbarian heritage. > > Oh, like Christianity. I understand. > You're being obtuse. If you can read english (rather doubtful) you might figure out that I hold in equal contempt all attempts to romanticize the brutal religious practices that were widely practiced in the (not very) distant past. This certainly includes some Christian practices. It also includes Mycenean ritual. It does not include any rituals I've heard about practiced by modern pagans. It's a tribute to the diversity and vitality of usenet that taking a position against human sacrifice is so controversial. :-) -- "Superior firepower is an Ethan Vishniac important asset when {charm,ut-sally,ut-ngp,noao}!utastro!ethan entering into ethan@astro.UTEXAS.EDU negotiations" Department of Astronomy University of Texas