That heretics be burned is against the will of the Spirit.
This could tie in with politic and religion but on the religion side heretics were being burned at the stake which against the Spirt is a sin to God. But, the church had control of the Bible and of they could transfer God's meaning which meant that men such as John Hus and John Wyclif were burned at the stake unable to call out the church and complete their mission.
Christians must be taught to cherish excommunications rather than to fear them.
This ties in with religion and also somewhat with politics due to the factor of excommunication. This passage communicates what Luther set out to accomplish standup to the church and their corrupt unjust ways. Luther stood by what he believed in and cherishing that excommunication which gave us Lutheranism.
rising
I agree with the points made by Ssamo1 The Pope is trying hard to tell people to stick to the traditional Catholic practices and shun the reformatory ideas of Martin Luther. He is being religiously appealing for people of that time because he knew that those who have believed in Roman Catholicism and have been loyal to the Pope, Peter and the Church will listen to him and consider Martin Luther and his reformation as prime evil. These words work powerfully from religious as well as from the political perspective.
Finally, let the whole church of the saints and the rest of the universal church arise. Some, putting aside her true interpretation of Sacred Scripture, are blinded in mind by the father of lies. Wise in their own eyes, according to the ancient practice of heretics, they interpret these same Scriptures otherwise than the Holy Spirit demands, inspired only by their own sense of ambition, and for the sake of popular acclaim, as the Apostle declares. In fact, they twist and adulterate the Scriptures. As a result, according to Jerome, "It is no longer the Gospel of Christ, but a man's, or what is worse, the devil's." Let all this holy Church of God, I say, arise, and with the blessed apostles intercede with almighty God to purge the errors of His sheep, to banish all heresies from the lands of the faithful, and be pleased to maintain the peace and unity of His holy Church.
Here, the Pope is reiterating the fact that the Roman Catholic church is the universal church of the land. He also argues that some are not true believers and accuses them of heresy, saying that they twist the scriptures to meet their own agenda. He is so strong in his faith that he felt the need to call others out when they were misusing God's word.
Against the Roman Church, you warned, lying teachers are rising, introducing ruinous sects, and drawing upon themselves speedy doom. Their tongues are fire, a restless evil, full of deadly poison. They have bitter zeal, contention in their hearts, and boast and lie against the truth.
In the bible, Peter was one of Jesus' first disciples, beliebed to be the firs pope, and was also the first apostle ordained by Jesus himself. Peter warned of false teachings and how the Devil will tempt us. In this excerpt, the Pope was is referencing Peter's words and is in a way asking for his help. This reference of the Bible shows that he values his religion and is using the words of the Bible when disagreeing with Luther.
Germans, truly germane to the Catholic faith, have always been the bitterest opponents of heresies, as witnessed by those commendable constitutions of the German emperors in behalf of the Church's independence
Here Pope Leo is accusing the Germans of being bitter toward the Catholic religion. His statement is showing that he condemns the Germans for not following the beliefs and in the interest of religion.
Now that Italy is sucked dry, they come to Germany and begin very quietly; but if we look on quietly Germany will soon be brought into the same state as Italy.
While many people can find salvation in religion, this passage speaks about how it brought Italy nothing but destruction and loss of money. Instead of having a positive impact on the country, it was negative. Once the cardinals had taken all of Italy's money they were forced to move on to Germany to accomplish their task of leaving it in the same state as they did Italy.
He wears a triple crown, whereas the mightiest kings only wear one crown.
Here, he is saying that the Pope is more powerful than even the mightiest of kings. He says that the while kings are powerful, their power does not compare to that of the Church and the Pope.
Now that Italy is sucked dry, they come to Germany and begin very quietly; but if we look on quietly Germany will soon be brought into the same state as Italy.
Luther was discouraged by the Catholic Church and how they were looking for money in exchange for forgiveness of sins. His concern in this statement is how people are true to their religion and he doesn't feel as though Catholics have been and doesn't want that to happen in Germany.
jesuitically
The Society of Jesus, called the Jesuits, an order of Catholic priests, was established in 1540 by Ignatius of Loyola. The Jesuits were renowned for being teachers and scholars. They also had a reputation for being wily and able to twist words and rules to their own ends. Hence, calling something "jesuitical" means that the logic or reasoning behind it is suspect.
in Adam all sinned
The doctrine of original sin was originally developed by St. Augustine. As a part of Christian theology, it explains humanity's tendency towards sin as the direct result of Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden.
Adam and Eve, on the Sistine Chapel ceiling, by Michelangelo
Mahomet like
"Mahomet" refers to the Prophet Muhammad. Europeans in the eighteenth century had a very negative view of Islam. This may refer to Voltaire's 1742 play Mahomet, a direct attack on the character of Muhammad, in which Mahomet is depicted as using his power, religious fanaticism, and the pretense of divine right to act as an absolute ruler. 
Popish
Popish is a (slightly derogatory) term for Catholics. Most Protestants believed that Catholicism was overly ritualistic to the point of idolatry and that the Pope was no better than a despot. To be under "Popish" rule was the worst fear of many Englishmen.
"When I was a child my father had a slave who taught me to pray the Christian prayer in my own language, and told me many things about Lela Marien. The Christian died, and I know that she did not go to the fire, but to Allah, because since then I have seen her twice, and she told me to go to the land of the Christians to see Lela Marien, who had great love for me. I know not how to go. I have seen many Christians, but except thyself none has seemed to me to be a gentleman. I am young and beautiful, and have plenty of money to take with me. See if thou canst contrive how we may go, and if thou wilt thou shalt be my husband there, and if thou wilt not it will not distress me, for Lela Marien will find me some one to marry me. I myself have written this: have a care to whom thou givest it to read: trust no Moor, for they are all perfidious. I am greatly troubled on this account, for I would not have thee confide in anyone, because if my father knew it he would at once fling me down a well and cover me with stones. I will put a thread to the reed; tie the answer to it, and if thou hast no one to write for thee in Arabic, tell it to me by signs, for Lela Marien will make me understand thee. She and Allah and this cross, which I often kiss as the captive bade me, protect thee."
Davary also mentions that Mary is very well revered in muslim society especially amongst women. This conflicts with the author's words that Zoraida was introduced to Mary through a christian slave of her fathers. Zoraida most likely was exposed to the Virgin her entire life, even before the slave that introduced to her christian prayer.
The central problem of human beings isn’t religion, as the New Atheists insist. It’s tribalism.
so that the blessed news had to circulate from individual to individual
On plantations slaves were often not allowed to practice religion or anything of their choice because they were not looked at a people. They had to find other ways to do this, so instead of having things like churches or massing they usually told stories that passed down from person to person
Meanwhile, since this devilish state of things is not only an open robbery, deceit, and tyranny of the gates of hell, but also destroys Christianity body and soul, we are bound to use all our diligence to prevent this misery and destruction of Christendom.
I’m glad that Martin Luther used religious adjectives such as “Devilish” to describe what his opponent’s actions; just as they do with everyone else. The church always identifies something they differ to as demonic or devilish. They spiritualize everything they do not agree with. Back then a woman was not able to speak in the church or be in ministry, it was considered not Biblical, devilish. Today, is a norm in the Christian church. It shows how dangerous extremist religious perspectives could be.
What has brought us Germans to such a pass that we have to suffer this robbery and this destruction of our property by the Pope? If the kingdom of France has resisted it, why do we Germans suffer ourselves to be fooled and deceived? It would be more endurable if they did nothing but rob us of our property; but they destroy the Church and deprive Christ’s flock of their good shepherds, and overthrow the service and word of God.
It is evident in this passage how Luther feels about the Pope and his decisions. Back then, it was thought that the Pope would lead people to salvation and by listening to him, you would be guaranteed a place in heaven. Luther argued that through faith alone, you would gain a spot in heaven, which is why he states that Germans were being "robbed" of their property. Luther is saying that by listening to the Pope, you are going against your faith because the Pope is teaching its people the wrong ideas and beliefs.
We restrain all in the virtue of holy obedience and under the penalty of an automatic major excommunication
In my opinion, terminologies such as to “restrain”, “penalty” or “excommunicate” have a connotation to power and a very dogmatic sentiment. The excommunication process was a censorship and an exclusion. Since it is a penalty, it suggests guilt. To me, religion has always wanted to add guilt in people to have power over them.
Finally, let the whole church of the saints and the rest of the universal church arise. Some, putting aside her true interpretation of Sacred Scripture, are blinded in mind by the father of lies. Wise in their own eyes, according to the ancient practice of heretics, they interpret these same Scriptures otherwise than the Holy Spirit demands, inspired only by their own sense of ambition, and for the sake of popular acclaim, as the Apostle declares. In fact, they twist and adulterate the Scriptures. As a result, according to Jerome, "It is no longer the Gospel of Christ, but a man's, or what is worse, the devil's."
In this passage, the pope Leo x affirms that the cathlic church is the universal church, accuses the prostesant religin of twisting the words of the holy scripture. This pasage and other passages show that the pope cared more about the cathlic religion being the dominent religion than having political control over land.
Against the Roman Church, you warned, lying teachers are rising, introducing ruinous sects, and drawing upon themselves speedy doom. Their tongues are fire, a restless evil, full of deadly poison. They have bitter zeal, contention in their hearts, and boast and lie against the truth.
In Catholicism, we were taught that Peter was made the first Pope through Jesus Christ. In Peters' teachings, he elaborates and warns us on how there will be false accusations, false teachings, and false prophesies (in other words, the devil and his temptations will be against us). Pope Leo is referring to those teachings in this passage, and is relying on his faith and his beliefs when referring to and disagreeing with Luther's teachings and beliefs.
In comparison with Vedic usage
This is an interesting subject. If Zoroastrianism is characterized by a rejection of the devás of Indic religions, then there's an interesting parallel with Judaism's rejection of Mesopotamian gods beside Yahweh. It's as if they made an effort to distinguish themselves from their cultural heritage through intolerance.
Another parallel would be that Judaism eventually became the dominant religion in Babylon, while Zoroastrianism became the dominant religion of the Persian world. One could ask themselves if there's a correlation between religious intolerance and cultural success. Although, admittedly, chance has been a big factor in Judaism's success, so this may well be mere speculation.
volver la mirada a las ciudades de sal
Aquí se alude a un pasaje bíblico del Génesis en el que la esposa de Lot fue convertida en estatua de sal al desobedecer a Dios y mirar hacia atrás para ver cómo ardían las ciudades de Sodoma y Gomorra. ¿Cómo relacionarías esto con la reflexión de Filiberto sobre la juventud?
Religion is an affair of the heart
Sounds like blind faith to me.
Willard was also convinced that the American economic system was unjust and un-Christian
Interesting that government was expected to have a religious aspect. Whereas, today people hate that politicians use God's time to justify their choices.
Just as the Romans and Etruscans cut , +w.-up the heavens with rigid mathematical lines and,. Ci\. l~ confined a god within each of the spaces thereby ,,,,..lb~op_h'. delimiied, as within a temp/um, 16 so every people of,\~ \>l"'-has a similarly mathematically divided concep-tual heaven above themselves and henceforth :., l' ' thinks that truth demands that each conceptual god be sought only within his own sphere.
This could actually be read as a really fascinating criticism, or I suppose observation, about the relationship between man and society and religion. In that man carefully constructs, or calculates, truth and god(s) and heaven and all other ruling social concepts. It's a weird mix of math/science/logic with religion/heavens/abstraction.
All that man can say or do can never elevate us, it is a work that must be effected between God and ourselves. And how'! By dropping all political discussions in our behalf, for these, in my opinion, sow the seed of discord, and strengthen the cord of preju-dic
Oh, so maybe the personal is not political for Stewart. . . .
such a person concerning beauty would, beyond doubt, be a perfect standard for the taste of all others.
I was going to make a joke earlier that the Protestant approach would be to declare all taste equally bad in the eyes of God, but he's actually kind of doing that here. "Why are there differences in taste?" "Because we live in a sin-cursed world."
when we have given up the vivifying, energetic language, stamped by God himself upon our natures, for that which is the cold, life-less work of art, and invention or mun?
According to Sheridan, Rhetoric inspired by God is stronger than the language that man created, because even though our language may be more complicated than utterances, it does not communicate our thoughts, feelings, etc. as well as our natural "groaning" (I'm not sure what our natural noise would be?). Agrees with Astell in terms of divine inspiration correlating to rhetoric, but is different in that for Astell, people of the Christian faith were divinely inspired to be better rhetoricians by virtue of their beliefs, but Sheridan is saying we should "get back to our roots," as it were, and not ignore our natural rhetorical inclinations as inspired by God.
As a consequence, 4""~ those whose only concern is abstract truth experi· <J I i...dt . ence great difficulty in achieving their means, vuvt1$ and greater difficulty in attaining their ends
Mirrors Astell's religious language
Besides, by being True Chrislians we have Really that Love for others which all who desire to persw.ade must pretend to; we've that Probity and Prndence, that Civility and Mode.I'/)' which the Masters of this Art say a good Orator must be cndow'd with; and have pluck'd up those Vicious Inclinations from whence the most distastful faults of Writing proceed.
Interesting that Astell draws a parallel between rhetorical ability and Christianity, that by being a Christian you are automatically a better rhetorician by virtue of your beliefs. Is she suggesting rhetoric is divinely inspired, or just that the virtuous Christian life leads to better rhetorical abilities?
And hence we see that, in the interpretation of laws, whether divine or human, there is no end; comments beget com• ments, and explications make new matter for ex-plications; and of limiting, distinguishing, vary-ing the signification of these moral words there is no end.
"There is no end." Another useful way to think through rhetoric in light of Muckelbauer.
But, of course, there are often temporary ends achieved.
"If a husband takes a second wife and doesn't behave equally toward her, when he dies he will be handicapped in the hereafter and go to hell," he said.
Islamic scholars washed their feet as they debated the merits of a second marriage.
QUESTIONING POLYGAMY
Polygamy is creating cultural clashes in a country struggling to reconcile the secularism of the republic with its Muslim traditions.
religion is competing with politics
The practice is generally accepted under the Koran.
accepted in koran for muslims
Punctually at midday he opened his bag and spread out his professional equipment, which consisted of a dozen cowrie shells, a square piece of cloth with obscure mystic charts on it, a notebook and a bundle of palmyra writing. His forehead was resplendent with sacred ash and vermilion, and his eyes sparkled with a sharp abnormal gleam which was really an outcome of a continual searching look for customers, but which his simple clients took to be a prophetic light and felt comforted. The power of his eyes was considerably enhanced by their position—placed as they were between the painted forehead and the dark whiskers which streamed down his cheeks: even a half-wit’s eyes would sparkle in such a setting. To crown the effect he wound a saffron-coloured turban around his head. This colour scheme never failed. People were attracted to him as bees are attracted to cosmos or dahlia stalks. He sat under the boughs of a spreading tamarind tree which flanked a path running through the Town Hall Park. It was a remarkable place in many ways: a surging crowd was always moving up and down this narrow road morning till night. A variety of trades and occupations was represented all along its way: medicine-sellers, sellers of stolen hardware and junk, magicians and, above all, an auctioneer of cheap cloth, who created enough din all day to attract the whole town. Next to him in vociferousness came a vendor of fried groundnuts, who gave his ware a fancy name each day, calling it Bombay Ice-Cream one day, and on the next Delhi Almond, and on the third Raja’s Delicacy, and so on and so forth, and people flocked to him. A considerable portion of this crowd dallied before the astrologer too. The astrologer transacted his business by the light of a flare which crackled and smoked up above the groundnut heap nearby. Half the enchantment of the place was due to the fact that it did not have the benefit of municipal lighting. The place was lit up by shop lights. One or two had hissing gaslights, some had naked flares stuck on poles, some were lit up by old cycle lamps and one or two, like the astrologer’s, managed without lights of their own. It was a bewildering crisscross of light rays and moving shadows. This suited the astrologer very well, for the simple reason that he had not in the least intended to be an astrologer when he began life; and he knew no more of what was going to happen to others than he knew what was going to happen to himself next minute. He was as much a stranger to the stars as were his innocent customers. Yet he said things which pleased and astonished everyone: that was more a matter of study, practice and shrewd guesswork. All the same, it was as much an honest man’s labour as any other, and he deserved the wages he carried home at the end of a day.He had left his village without any previous thought or plan. If he had continued there he would have carried on the work of his forefathers—namely, tilling the land, living, marrying and ripening in his cornfield and ancestral home. But that was not to be. He had to leave home without telling anyone, and he could not rest till he left it behind a couple of hundred miles. To a villager it is a great deal, as if an ocean flowed between.He had a working analysis of mankind’s troubles: marriage, money and the tangles of human ties. Long practice had sharpened his perception. Within five minutes he understood what was wrong. He charged three pies per question and never opened his mouth till the other had spoken for at least ten minutes, which provided him enough stuff for a dozen answers and advices. When he told the person before him, gazing at his palm, ‘In many ways you are not getting the fullest results for your efforts, ’ nine out of ten were disposed to agree with him. Or he questioned: ‘Is there any woman in your family, maybe even a distant relative, who is not well disposed towards you?’ Or he gave an analysis of character: ‘Most of your troubles are due to your nature. How can you be otherwise with Saturn where he is? You have an impetuous nature and a rough exterior.’ This endeared him to their hearts immediately, for even the mildest of us loves to think that he has a forbidding exterior.
Using Durkheim's concepts of the "sacred" and the "profane", what do these paragraphs reveal about what Narayan is saying about India?
Or in short, how are the paragraphs like the image below?
When people speak of religion and argue about which is best or truest or has God's blessing to the greatest degree, we must always ask, "What do you do for practice? What are you doing that is advancing yourself and enabling you to be exemplary to others?" That is the only question we need to ask about religion. God is not interested in religion, only in advancement. That is all that matters. If you think of it like this, it will make sense to you. You can leave all sectarian controversies behind for those who cannot practice.
Thoughtful blog by Grete Howland, about being raised as an evangelical Christian -- and then discovering that it isn't for her.
For those raised in more liberal, free-thinking denominations, such as certain Episcopal congregations or the Unitarian-Universalist church, the religious molding might not be such a bad thing. In those cases, you might have been taught that everyone is unconditionally welcome in the love of God, that all belief systems are worthy of respect, that decolonization is mandatory practice, to have a community service mindset, and the basic lesson of self-reliance. These are examples of habits and traditions one might want to continue practicing, regardless of personal faith or continued church involvement.
...
I had been taught (1) to put my faith in God regarding everything--finances, relationships, and so on--and (2) that the way to deal with stress and pain was to pray for their causes to be gone. I was not supposed to change my thinking; God was supposed to change my circumstances.
The evening before All Saints Day was referred to as All Hallows’ Eve, which eventually became Halloween.
They honor the saints in celtic religion
Gentile or Jew
A biblical reference. Who's side are you on?
O you
This feels like a direct address to the reader. It feels didactic and adds to the overall sense of a religious sermon or teaching that comes from the section as a whole. It implicates the reader in the poem and asks the reader to address their own mortality.
Son of man
In Christian scripture, Jesus often refers to himself as the "Son of man." This shows his humanity, rather than solely identifying his divinity.
Shantih shantih shantih
There is peace in the rubbish. (Spelling?)
Most Salvadorans are Christian. About 57 percent of the population identifies with the Roman Catholic Church, and much of the remainder is Protestant.
What are the other religions in El Salvador? And how do they celebrate there religion? Like what are there traditions?
90 percent of Colombians are Roman Catholic, while Protestants, Jews, and practitioners of native religions account for the remaining 10 percent.
religion RC
Abraham‘s seed
She likens the English Protestants to the Israelites.
Gog
A Biblical figure who made war against Israel (Ezek. 38), often a figure for the Antichrist. Here the term is used to describe Islam.
Romes whore
An alarming revision of the Catholic idea that the Church itself is the bride of Christ.
Copes
A long mantle worn by a priest; a liturgical vestment.
Crossiers
A bishop's staff, curled into a spiral on top.
Mytires
Mitre; a tall headdress worn by bishops.
Surplices
A white linen vestment worn by clergymen
Baals
A demon, here referring to Catholic vestments as those of the devil.
Popelings
Catholics
Popery
Derogatory term for Catholicism
help the Church,
The House of Commons also volubly opposed Catholic practices in England before and during the Civil War.
Rochel
The Catholic Louis XIII of France laid siege to Rochelle in 1627-1628, defeating the Protestant Huguenot forces.
Rome
Roman Catholicism, due to the perceived Catholic leanings of Charles I.
flying for the truth
Puritans migrated to New England in the 17th century due to the Catholic leanings of Charles I and rising religious tension in England.
Masters
God
Belzebub
Satan
Church Offices were sold and bought
A practice known as simony.
men of might
Due to his marriage to the Catholic Henrietta Maria of France, Charles I gained the mistrust of Puritans such as Bradstreet.
Idolatry
One critique of Roman Catholicism was the inclusion of statues and images in the Church, which Protestants often condemned as the worship of idols. As a Puritan, Bradstreet would have been particularly opposed to this.
Economically rational voters should not vote
Which means that democracy has to take a quasi-religious character...
curate
"A member of the clergy engaged as assistant to a vicar, rector, or parish priest", or "A minister with pastoral responsibility" (OED). In this context, Henry either has engagements (appointments) to keep with his assistant, or he has engagements (duties) of his own as a clergyman.
uma ligação direta com Deus justifica a violação de quaisquer refreamentos e considerações meramente humanos. Resumindo, os fundamentalistas não se tornaram diferentes dos comunistas Stalinistas “sem deus”, para os quais tudo foi permitido, já que viam a si mesmos como instrumentos diretos de sua divindade, a Necessidade Histórica do Progresso em Direção ao Comunismo.
Todas as vezes que criamos um Deus, acabamos por criar uma ferramenta totalitária (?) que justifica conceitos de certo (nós) / errado (eles).
divine service
Although religion was a daily ritual in the life of Jane Austen, with her father being a clergyman, it is never a focus and sometimes scarcely even mentioned in her novels. Austen has actually composed several sermons and prayers, but the lack of religion in her novels suggests that it was considered a more private affair.
Y tú has venido entre nubes, entre nieblas. Como que esto era lo que nos habían dejado dicho los reyes, los que rigieron, los que gobernaron tu ciudad:
Cortés debía de ser muy arrogante por aceptar el rol del dios de otra cultura entera.
Diálogo de Motecuhzoma y Cortés
Este fragmento es muy raro - ¿Qué dirías tú a un dios violento?
Mas aguardad que muy presto veréis el castigo sobre vosotros que hace nuestro dios Quetzalcohuatl.
Parece que los cholultecas creen que los conquistadores no son una manifestación de Quetzalcohuatl.
With these religious justifications, and with obvious economic motives, Spain’s rivals arrived in the New World.
--Noted for the motives behind rivalry from the nations listed below
they are forbidden from drinking back home
Appealing to the religious integrity of the immigrants may than constitute a way to reduce the sexual violence then.
spiritually-orientedpeople are less likely to experience depression. Nowthose findings beg the question of why: what is it about feeling like you have a spiritualpractice? One hypothesis is, it’s really community.
(paraphrase) it could also be awe
Edmund Burke.And what he does, and really one of the most impressive books on awe ever written, is hesecularizes awe. He takes this emotion and he shows how it really is a part of everyday,perceptual experience. So he writes about how patterns of light and dark can triggerawe, how things that are powerful like oxen can trigger awe. He kind of maps out what sortof sensations create this experience that used to be the domain of religion.
And I also read this call to action by a (seemingly of French origin Muslim convert?) journalist who calls for Muslims to react after such violent attacks. To lead the fight against what we Muslims consider a hijacking of the message of Islam rather than distance ourselves from it. Because yeah – my natural reaction every time is “they don’t represent me. I don’t need to defend this because it doesn’t represent me”. But in reality, for people who don’t know me or people like me, the violent ones speak louder than me.
that self-harshness, guilt, and self-flagellation were the main ways to achieve happiness,which you actually didn’t get to arrive at until the afterlife.
Here is some fun stuff for once from good old Peru. They love pets.
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/peru-lima-church-hosts-annual-st-francis-day-blessing-animals-1522511
conducted a national survey of nearly 1,500 Americans, asking the degree to which each person practiced and experienced forgiveness (of others, of self, and even if they thought they had experienced forgiveness by God). Participants also reported on their physical and mental health. Toussaint and his colleagues found that older and middle-aged people forgave others more often than did young adults and also felt more forgiven by God. What’s more, they found a significant relationship between forgiving others and positive health among middle-aged and older Americans.
From an atheist's vantage, a perceived forgiveness by a "god" might represent a breach in social contract. It is a bit like cheating: getting the benefits without giving back anything, at least directly (though I suppose the improved happiness the subject experiences may make others around them happier indirectly).
Dinerstein explores the idea of technology as a kind of secular American religion, focusing primarily on the exclusionary practices of such a posthuman theology.
northern corner of the country, where dozens of workers were separated by religion
This location is where the Peace Corps was established.
Eternal Return
The concept of eternal return has a chequered history through philosophy and culture, but Alasdair Roberts is invoking the particular use of the term by the religious historian Mircea Eliade. The Wikipedia entry) says that Eliade's eternal return is "a belief, expressed... in religious behaviour, in the ability to return to the mythical age, to become contemporary with the events described in one's myths".
Thus, through the medium of song, we are taken back to become contemporary with, among other things, the Crusades and the falls of Jericho and of Babylon.
From Alasdair's interview by Tyler Wilcox in 2009:
the first song in some ways explores the idea of “eternal return” – I was reading Mircea Eliade on the subject, and Nietzsche obviously wrote about it – I became obsessed with the idea and the various ways in which it could be configured. There’s obviously the classic image of the ouroboros serpent… but I was also think about it in terms of the myth of progress – when what we think of as progress is actually destruction. Like Kekulé’s ring, Benzene. And the fact that I personally constantly return to Song as a form of “expression” or creation rather than, say, improvisation or composition.
Annual Reviews is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Annual Review of Anthropology. http://www.jstor.org The Globalization of Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity
Finally an open-source, open access option for sharing research!
Hdt. 1.154. W see the story of Pactyes as an example of how characters in Herodotus are treated and how he is cautious with religious matters. First of all, Pactyes was the Lydian who Cyrus had entrusted with booty taken from Croesus and the Lydians. In short, Herodotus tells us: Pactyes seizes the gold, hides in Kyme to escape his Persian pursuers and then the Kymaeans consult Apollo's oracle at Branchidae in an unmarked, direct-speech narrative, in identical manner from what precedes it. The unique thing here is that the oracle chastises the Kymeans here for even asking about whether or not they should give up the suppliant. Thus a parallel can be seen here and when Herodotus explains a tale about asking the Indians how much money it would it take for them to burn the bodies of their fathers. Some things were just taboo and the mere thought of them meant that you were in trouble with the gods.
God is not a behavioral psychologist.
This hits the core of everything wrong with popular narratives of relating with God. If religion has as a purpose the fostering of community through morality it fails to achieve where it retreats to rewards and punishment as a means of control.
The Epideictic speaker is concerned with virtue and vice, praising the one and censuring the other.
I thinks religious rhetoric falls under this category.