Theos-Talk Archives (June 2002 Message tt00161)

stevestubbs wrote:
> Bart: "Yes ! Because they get tempted, or are ignorant of their own
> culture, or think that it is part of their culture to do certain
> western actions.
> 
> Or maybe it is just seductive. 

I may have quoted that from Morton, but I do not agree with it at all.
I really have a problem when people use the logic, "This is to protect
other people. Of course, the rules don't have to apply to me, because I
am much better than they are." I was trying to show Morton that this was
the logic he was using, out of my belief that Morton is not the type of
person who would knowingly use this kind of bigotry.

> Bart: "The United States was built on the principle that the
> government has no rights; only the people have rights.
> 
> Unfortunately that principle got turned on its head after the death
> of Jefferson. However well intentioned it might have been, the Civil
> War was based on the idea that only the government has rights, and
> specifically that only the government centered in the District of
> Columbia has rights.

Only in practice; in theory, it's still there. And I support political
groups who are trying to educate the American public in this regard. One
problem that I see is the denigrating of philosophy as a body of
knowledge, to the extent that the best-selling book and hit movie,
"Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" had to have its name changed
in the United States to "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone."

> Bart: "That difference is probably key to why the Theosophical
> Society was started in the United States.
> 
> It was started in the US because Blavatsky went to New York to study
> spiritualism.

Normally, I enjoy our discussions, because we actually pay attention to
what the other writes. In this case, however, there is no way of knowing
for sure, so any argument about it would prove fruitless.

> Another irony is that his goal was to end the temple cult run by the
> Sadducees. The temple cult survived him, but was wiped out
> permanently in 70 by Titus, less than 40 years after his demise, thus
> clearing the way for the rise to dominance of rabbinic Judaism (i.e.,
> the Pharisees). So oddly he got what he wanted but did not live to
> see it.
> 
> The Sadducees (who controlled the Sanhedrins) were unpopular, the
> Pharisees popular, so getting the Sadducees out of the way served the
> long term interest of the public, even though short term things were
> pretty crappy. (After the Bar Cochba rebellion Jews could not enter
> Jerusalem under pain of death.

We have got to stop agreeing like this. People will talk.

Bart Lidofsky