Silver Adept (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
silveradept) wrote2007-12-25 11:29 pm
silveradept) wrote2007-12-25 11:29 pm
The Sun Rises Again - 25 December 2007
Solstice was a few days ago, but for those who celebrate the Osiris/Mithras cult and all its derivatives, greetings of the festival of rebirth to you. Which, for some, is simply insufficient. It being a slow news day, and kind of thematic, the New York Times has decided to put a spotlight on the person that Bill’O probably considers his staunchest ally in the nonexistent War on Christmas. Who probably would have a look at this photograph of a church in touch with Christmas origins, and not see why people are having a good laugh at it. A much easier-to-understand joke involves a Christmas mistake of switched bags.
Of more interest to the world is that even after 25 years of fighting the War on Some Drugs, the price of Mexican marijuana in Houston hasn't changed much - which means it’s actually gotten cheaper with the way that the dollar has gone. Some things never change?
The Center for Responsible Nanotechnology suggests that a possible reason why we haven’t found anyone else in the universe yet is because they hit a barrier that wiped them out - something like nanoweapons. For now, we’re playing with directed sound to get in your head and beams to fry your skin. The first recorded use of nanoweapons may be the last, and there’s no guarantees all they will do is leave a crater behind.
Peace on earth, and to all people, good will.
Ron Paul is still unsuitable as a Presidential candidate. as he stands by statements and associations with groups interested in bringing back the order before the Civil Rights Act. We expect Mr. Paul to run as an independent, if he’s really serious, with as much stuff as has been put up on him. Huckabee’s candidacy, with the statement about his 23% sales tax and his evangelical roots should also be pushing him to the fringe, but then again, a lot of the other candidates don’t look good either. Will it be a matter of holding one’s nose and voting for the least offensive candidate?
Penelope Trunk, in the Boston Globe, passes on one piece of good advice in a mountain of questionable stuff. the good advice? Graduate school is not for everyone, so evaluate and talk to people who have been there and done that to see whether you really want to press on. The questionable stuff? Going for an MBA is a no-brainer in the affirmative, for other professions, not so good (and in law, one should check marketing skills as well as legal ones), and for humanities degrees, where teaching is the likely result, Penelope says not to bother, as “Baby boomers have a lock on tenure-track jobs, and those boomers aren’t going anywhere any time soon.” A true statement, but if my recall is correct, having one’s MAC means a better base salary and pay grade possibilities. So it might be worth it, once you can get hired. Going for an Ed.D might not be the right idea, though. In my case, it was MLS or bust, so I didn’t have much of a choice.
And rounding out the very short news entry, a nearly-complete survival kit that fits in a mint tin, one that fits in a deer-hunting pouch, and one that fits in a medium-size fanny pack. The smaller ones lack shelter units and protection, and the big one isn’t exactly going to have a tent inside it, so finding protection and natural shelter will have to be part of the idea if you should need such a kit. And the two smallest kits do not have a food supply with them, so you’d better hope the fish bite or you find some washable, edible berries/shoots/plants.
Regarding the Saturnalia, though, I’m embarrassed to say that I received presents from places I wasn’t expecting, and thus had nothing to exchange there. And furthermore, all that I really could and did give out this year were cards, and a few gifts bought for exchanges. I know that for most, the giving is the important part, and that I cannot reciprocate is immaterial. Still, there’s always a little twinge there when it happens. Dome time down the road, I’ll do it to someone else and the debt will be paid. Can’t say that I’ve had enough of a sense of self-worth to really feel comfortable with the idea that my companionship is a great thing and a wonderful gift given. I’ll chalk it up to having moved in the last few months and try not to feel too bad about it. Besides, my presents from home are going to be my stuff arriving in boxes, so I’m not going to complain too much if there isn’t anything new.
I got a blanket, a set of knives, a box of prizes, chocolate and then some, an absolutely adorable book bag with a dragon on the front, the beanie baby Scorch (a fuzzy dragon), a fuzzy lion, a movie pass, tea (English Breakfast and Oolong), tea mugs, balsamic vinegar, a soup cookbook, a Babar book that I was going to buy tomorrow from the friends of the library, a movie pass with enough for tickets and concessions, the third volume of .hack//GU, of which I don’t have the first two volumes, some money to go bookbuying with, and some money to go buy myself things like bookcases with. So it was still a good gift-receiving period for me. I keep saying that when I get a bit more self-sufficient, I’ll be able to give gifts... it’s been quite a few years that I’ve been saying that. Maybe next year I will have finally managed to make that into a reality. We can only hope.
So begins that first day of a twelve day journey for magoi in Persia, having noticed a very odd celestial sighting and deciding that the matter warranted further investigation and observation. According to the popular legend, they will find the star pointing at a stable in Roman Judea, and declare the child born there to be a descendant of kings. Wishing to stamp out any talk of insurrection and rebellion, throughout the existence of this particular child, the Roman authorities will attempt to ascertain the identity of the “king” of one of the rebellious religious monotheist sects and execute him. Unfortunately, rebels hide the child until he is grown, and then reintroduce him into Judea as a prophet of their god. He accumulates a following rapidly with his teachings, a populist appeal that says society and government should take care of their people, rather than taxing them dry and not caring about their welfare. Fearing a rebellion in his name, Roman authorities arrange for him to be arrested on terrorism charges and swiftly execute him after a show trial. This puts down the rebellion, but the legend of the now-martyred Jew survives and is passed from person to person in secret. Biding their time, meeting in secret, eventually they are able to place one sympathetic to them in the highest office of the land, and now protected by the state, begin a bloody and repressive revenge on the people that they feel oppressed them. Thoroughly convinced of the rightness of their cause, their campaign to stamp out any dissent continues even to this day, one thousand, six hundred years after the first of the cultists came to power. Many say peace and do war. However, as with any institution, a subversive element has appeared, even within their power structure. They have decided that the teachings of the Jew they consider a facet of their god are correct and should be listened to more than the vengeful leaders of their sect. They work within their own system, trying to gather others both inside and outside the system so they can exert influence and pressure and eventually topple the leaders that have done great harm in the name of their god. We wish them good skill and fortune in their endeavours. The subverters have not yet reached critical mass, but their ranks grow every day. Perhaps the final triumph of their effort will be when we suddenly stop noticing their presence in places they shouldn’t be. Or maybe it will be just a faint part of a hymn...
Gloria in excélsis Deo
Et in terra pax homínibus.
Of more interest to the world is that even after 25 years of fighting the War on Some Drugs, the price of Mexican marijuana in Houston hasn't changed much - which means it’s actually gotten cheaper with the way that the dollar has gone. Some things never change?
The Center for Responsible Nanotechnology suggests that a possible reason why we haven’t found anyone else in the universe yet is because they hit a barrier that wiped them out - something like nanoweapons. For now, we’re playing with directed sound to get in your head and beams to fry your skin. The first recorded use of nanoweapons may be the last, and there’s no guarantees all they will do is leave a crater behind.
Peace on earth, and to all people, good will.
Ron Paul is still unsuitable as a Presidential candidate. as he stands by statements and associations with groups interested in bringing back the order before the Civil Rights Act. We expect Mr. Paul to run as an independent, if he’s really serious, with as much stuff as has been put up on him. Huckabee’s candidacy, with the statement about his 23% sales tax and his evangelical roots should also be pushing him to the fringe, but then again, a lot of the other candidates don’t look good either. Will it be a matter of holding one’s nose and voting for the least offensive candidate?
Penelope Trunk, in the Boston Globe, passes on one piece of good advice in a mountain of questionable stuff. the good advice? Graduate school is not for everyone, so evaluate and talk to people who have been there and done that to see whether you really want to press on. The questionable stuff? Going for an MBA is a no-brainer in the affirmative, for other professions, not so good (and in law, one should check marketing skills as well as legal ones), and for humanities degrees, where teaching is the likely result, Penelope says not to bother, as “Baby boomers have a lock on tenure-track jobs, and those boomers aren’t going anywhere any time soon.” A true statement, but if my recall is correct, having one’s MAC means a better base salary and pay grade possibilities. So it might be worth it, once you can get hired. Going for an Ed.D might not be the right idea, though. In my case, it was MLS or bust, so I didn’t have much of a choice.
And rounding out the very short news entry, a nearly-complete survival kit that fits in a mint tin, one that fits in a deer-hunting pouch, and one that fits in a medium-size fanny pack. The smaller ones lack shelter units and protection, and the big one isn’t exactly going to have a tent inside it, so finding protection and natural shelter will have to be part of the idea if you should need such a kit. And the two smallest kits do not have a food supply with them, so you’d better hope the fish bite or you find some washable, edible berries/shoots/plants.
Regarding the Saturnalia, though, I’m embarrassed to say that I received presents from places I wasn’t expecting, and thus had nothing to exchange there. And furthermore, all that I really could and did give out this year were cards, and a few gifts bought for exchanges. I know that for most, the giving is the important part, and that I cannot reciprocate is immaterial. Still, there’s always a little twinge there when it happens. Dome time down the road, I’ll do it to someone else and the debt will be paid. Can’t say that I’ve had enough of a sense of self-worth to really feel comfortable with the idea that my companionship is a great thing and a wonderful gift given. I’ll chalk it up to having moved in the last few months and try not to feel too bad about it. Besides, my presents from home are going to be my stuff arriving in boxes, so I’m not going to complain too much if there isn’t anything new.
I got a blanket, a set of knives, a box of prizes, chocolate and then some, an absolutely adorable book bag with a dragon on the front, the beanie baby Scorch (a fuzzy dragon), a fuzzy lion, a movie pass, tea (English Breakfast and Oolong), tea mugs, balsamic vinegar, a soup cookbook, a Babar book that I was going to buy tomorrow from the friends of the library, a movie pass with enough for tickets and concessions, the third volume of .hack//GU, of which I don’t have the first two volumes, some money to go bookbuying with, and some money to go buy myself things like bookcases with. So it was still a good gift-receiving period for me. I keep saying that when I get a bit more self-sufficient, I’ll be able to give gifts... it’s been quite a few years that I’ve been saying that. Maybe next year I will have finally managed to make that into a reality. We can only hope.
So begins that first day of a twelve day journey for magoi in Persia, having noticed a very odd celestial sighting and deciding that the matter warranted further investigation and observation. According to the popular legend, they will find the star pointing at a stable in Roman Judea, and declare the child born there to be a descendant of kings. Wishing to stamp out any talk of insurrection and rebellion, throughout the existence of this particular child, the Roman authorities will attempt to ascertain the identity of the “king” of one of the rebellious religious monotheist sects and execute him. Unfortunately, rebels hide the child until he is grown, and then reintroduce him into Judea as a prophet of their god. He accumulates a following rapidly with his teachings, a populist appeal that says society and government should take care of their people, rather than taxing them dry and not caring about their welfare. Fearing a rebellion in his name, Roman authorities arrange for him to be arrested on terrorism charges and swiftly execute him after a show trial. This puts down the rebellion, but the legend of the now-martyred Jew survives and is passed from person to person in secret. Biding their time, meeting in secret, eventually they are able to place one sympathetic to them in the highest office of the land, and now protected by the state, begin a bloody and repressive revenge on the people that they feel oppressed them. Thoroughly convinced of the rightness of their cause, their campaign to stamp out any dissent continues even to this day, one thousand, six hundred years after the first of the cultists came to power. Many say peace and do war. However, as with any institution, a subversive element has appeared, even within their power structure. They have decided that the teachings of the Jew they consider a facet of their god are correct and should be listened to more than the vengeful leaders of their sect. They work within their own system, trying to gather others both inside and outside the system so they can exert influence and pressure and eventually topple the leaders that have done great harm in the name of their god. We wish them good skill and fortune in their endeavours. The subverters have not yet reached critical mass, but their ranks grow every day. Perhaps the final triumph of their effort will be when we suddenly stop noticing their presence in places they shouldn’t be. Or maybe it will be just a faint part of a hymn...
Gloria in excélsis Deo
Et in terra pax homínibus.
no subject
I feel that truth is important, that it ought to be backed by evidence, and that ideas or theories or notions about how things might have been are interesting and fun, but that they're not truth, and shouldn't be presented as such. Speculation and fact are not equal. The recorded facts say nothing at all about rebellion against the Roman Empire. Christ's parents were not recorded as being rebels, or lawbreakers, or anything but ordinary law-abiding subjects. Christ himself is not recorded as being a rebel, nor as having broken any Roman law, but he is recorded as having broken the Sanhedrin's interpretation of Jewish law. When you read, in the original account, that Pilate went out of his way to try and have Jesus released, and when you put that with the previous complete lack of any sort of rebellion against Roman authority... and then you draw the conclusion "I think he was a political rebel" from it, you're speculating, you're not presenting truth.
I don't care if you believe in Christ or not, I'm quite aware you think of him as just another man. That doesn't bother me one bit. I just am rather irritated by this notion of yours that theories completely unsupported by evidence are as valid as theories based on the available facts. You're giving me the Young Earth Creation equivalent here. It's something you happen to think is possible, but it's not something supported by any evidence, and is directly contradicted by quite a lot of the evidence present.
no subject
That's the aim I was trying for - the story from an outside perspective, without the obvious religious references and the point of view of the believer that ascribes noble aspects to the main character. Switching one unreliable narrator for another. Take out the obvious Jesus references from the account and tell me someone wouldn't draw the conclusion that even though he was denying it all the way there, had no history of it (well, one disturbing the peace citation), this Jew, this Nazorean, was going to become a political figure. Whether he liked it or not. If Pilate truly didn't care about rebellion or political insurrection, he wouldn't have asked about them. "Are you a king, then?" is a pretty direct question about competition to the established order. Pilate concludes rightly that there's nothing there that should concern him, aside from the rapidly growing and significantly uglier and more unruly mob outside his court calling for the Nazorean's head. Because while Pilate might know that there's nothing there, and Jesus knows there's nothing there and the writers know there's nothing there, there had to be some reason why the chief priests were dragging a Jew before the Roman court, specifically asking for the death penalty. He's a threat to the chief priests, which means his teachings are popular, and furthermore, that means followers. Followers make for political potential, even if it's never tapped. Enough Jesus freaks in the right places, or in the angry mob, and look! Now they're in government, in the places of power, as rabbis and devotees, and who knows what they're going to do now?
In many ways, we're taking this far too seriously, because it isn't intended to be something scholarly-supported and well-researched. Just a bit of perspective on how things could have gone. Or how they could be justified, knowing what we know now, having seen several hundred years of what happens when you put fanatics into positions of political power. I'm totally reading modern interpretation backwards into the Bible that hang off of shreds here and there, with no real chapter-and-verse support. I'm not saying that Jesus was a political rebel. I'm saying that he could easily have been perceived as one, and that there are textual fragments that could justify reading things that way, and they would probably hold up if you removed all of the believer-specific inside knowledge.
no subject
no subject
For those who don't believe in the premise spelled out in the very beginning, then the objectivity and the truth value of the stuff that follows is not guaranteed. Furthermore, there may have been deliberate omissions and additions to the accounts to solidify the ideological position of the writers. Finally, depending on whether you believe or not, passages take on different interpretations and conclusions. If it's already an assumption that Jesus is God and does all of this out of the goodness of his heart and want to reconcile humanity from their sinful nature, then there's no way in hell Jesus is going to grasp at something as pedestrian as political and temporal power. From outside the belief structure, though, if Jesus isn't known to be God, then he's a guy with a philosophy that's gathering followers. And while he's said he has no interest in politics, his followers weren't necessarily so high-minded. Peter's impulse was to strike with his sword. Remove the God part, and you have a rabbi with a fairly popular philosophy, which could compete with the current institutional structure.
no subject
no subject