Whither goest our culture?

[SINthysist]

Reading these two articles back-to-back, gives me pause for thought in light of recent discussions.

 

[SINthysist]

British Priests to Be Taught Martial Arts for Self Protection

The Associated Press
Published: Dec 17, 2001
LONDON (AP) - Beneath the white collar, add a black belt: Some British priests are taking martial arts classes to protect themselves from irate parishioners and other dangers of modern life.
A group of Church of England priests is enrolling in tae kwon do classes after researchers found that members of the clergy were more likely to be attacked than probation officers or doctors.
A two-year survey of 1,300 clergy in southeast England by the University of London found that 12 percent had been assaulted, 22 percent threatened with violence and 70 percent subjected to verbal abuse.
Assailants included homeless people, psychiatric patients and parishioners angry about not getting the dates they wanted for weddings or baptisms.
The Manufacturing, Science and Finance Union, which represents hundreds of Church of England clergy, said it had arranged self-defense classes for its religious members.
"It is a sad fact of modern life that members of the clergy will come into contact with individuals who are likely to resort to violence," said the head of the union's clergy section, the Rev. Bill Ward.
"Most clergy receive no training in dealing with violent people, so we are making a start with our own self-defense classes and hope the Church of England will follow suit," he said.
Another source of violence is opposition to the growing numbers of women ordained as priests. A female vicar attacked with a broken bottle in February this year attributed her survival to self-defense training.
Organizers of the classes in tae kwon do - a Korean martial art similar to karate - hope they will help priests ease tense situations rather than seeking confrontation.
"They deserve to be able to carry out their work while feeling secure in their workplace from verbal and physical attack," said the union's general secretary, Roger Lyons.
Six priests have been murdered in Britain in the past five years.
http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAUN2TLCVC.html

 

[SINthysist]

'SIMPSONS' PHILOSOPHY PROF TURNS 'TOON RAIDER

By BILL HOFFMANN
December 17, 2001 -- A college in Michigan has launched a bizarre philosophy course based on the wit and wisdom of "The Simpsons."
The class at Siena Heights University in Adrian, Mich., has already become one of the most popular on campus.
Required reading includes "The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer" by William Irwin, and "The Gospel According to the Simpsons" by Mark Pinsky.
The two-credit course called "Animated Philosophy and Religion," is the brainchild of Professors Kimberly Blessing and Anthony Sciglitano.
They believe the long-running Fox sitcom has a lot to say about life and how to live it.
"I thought it would offer another opportunity to draw people into philosophy," Blessing said.
For 12 seasons, "The Simpsons" has used religious subjects for laughs and has sometimes been called sacrilegious for its jabs at clergy and the faithful.
Pinsky notes that the characters regularly pray, attend worship and discuss humanity's inescapable religious questions.
For example, Homer regularly displays his religious ignorance by calling God "omnivorous" instead of "omnipresent," snoozes in church and prays only out of desperation.
"God, if you really are God, you'll get me tickets to that game. Why do you mock me, O Lord?" he moans in one show.
Next-door neighbor Ned Flanders has his boys play Bible Bombardment board games and vacations at "America's Most Judgmental Religious Theme Park."
Students are already signing up for next semester's class, saying they can't wait to discuss Homer Simpson's kitschy take on the world.
"I will learn a lot and it will be very funny, too," predicted biology major Lacy Wilmot.
http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/36838.htm

 

[Lost Cause]

Quo Vadis? We have reached a point in our culture(s) that we have no direction. We are soothed by Mommy & Daddy Government that we don't have to try anymore, everything is taken away to worry about. The media reinforces that concept with selected news that creates outrage and division, and herds us to surrender more freedom.
Finally, when we feel we have no control of anything, we feed on ourselves. We get dumbed down to a hair aboving drooling idiots, ready to spout any dialogue shoveled into our near empty minds. The more you resist, the harder you're spanked by Mommy & Daddy, and by the other droolers.
You can choose to be slave or warrior, to be ruled by no man or king, to think and act for yourself, or to repeat anything that's feed to you.
Read the Bill of Rights, Magna Carta, or the Federalist Papers.
Teach Freedom
Rome went through the same problems..I hope we're smarter!

 

[SINthysist]

Only it seems, probably due to the communication age, that we are mirroring Rome at a quicktime pace where centuries have become decades.

 

[Lost Cause]

The comparisons to Rome are too similar, accelerated, and I'm afraid...crossing each other in the near future. Can you say, European Union? (compare the coinage) Hail Caesar!

 

[SINthysist]

I can

but I wonder if my good friend p_p_ can?

 

[alltherage]

Not that this has any real point but have you folks seen the Euro's yet? I was listening to NPR last night and they had a european art critic on and he did not like them. Just wondering what you thought?

 

[SINthysist]

Since art seems to be dead

At least to the layperson, who would care what an art critic has to say.

No, I have not seen them. I like Mexican currency, so vividand colorful and the two-metal coins are so cool.

Now does the death of art also correlate to violence (physical and verbal) against religion?

 

[alltherage]

I believe it does. Violence rises and invades the populist culture and drowns out civility. Our culture(western) is becoming more compartmentalized and as a result it is evolving to a less humanistic level. The best example of that is what we are doing right now. You write to your box and I to mine. Somehow this passes for human contact. We know that it is not but one day soon we will see cyber marriages.

 

[Lost Cause]

Art critics look for asthetics, I look for similarities. All that's missing is Il Duce, or the Third Reich emblem. Every conquest or war in Europe was for control of the region, what better way to conquer than to control the currency? Who's in charge of the Euro-Dollar? Germany? Belgium ? Italy? France? Can you pick any of those that did not breed tyrants?......Hail Caesar!

 

[Azwed]

Art critics look for asthetics, I look for similarities. All that's missing is Il Duce, or the Third Reich emblem. Every conquest or war in Europe was for control of the region, what better way to conquer than to control the currency? Who's in charge of the Euro-Dollar? Germany? Belgium ? Italy? France? Can you pick any of those that did not breed tyrants?......Hail Caesar!

I think Germany has the most control over the Euro through the Bundensbank(sp????). The state bank of Germany has done a great job on keeping up with inflation and has earned much respect in the european community.

 

[SINthysist]

All of those cultures experienced chaotic times

and were willing to trade freedom (relatively speaking compared to 1776-style freedom) for security which a tyrant can and will give in the short run.