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Adrianvs

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About Adrianvs

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  1. Regarding the Iroquois (or other native american tribes or cultures, for that matter), let's be careful not to romanticize them. One way that this is done is by assuming that those features of their culture which are not known or mentioned are the same as the features of our culture. I am not familiar with the Iroquois tribe, but I have studied the cultural and personal histories of other tribes like the Sauk, Mesquakie, and Ioway. We can admire many aspects of the tribal culture (and I do), but there are other features which are seen as reprehensible in our own minds. Everyone in the
  2. Much of the difficulty in discussing this issue comes from a particularly narrow definition of "Christian principles." Individuals often bring this issue up defining Christian principles to include only exclusively Christian principles. Ex: "What evidence is there to support the idea that the founders of this nation *wanted* Christian principles to be it's bedrock? There is no mention of Jesus or God the Constitution." They will also assume that the consensi (consensuses?) of our nation somehow form a core set of "secular principles." This is a simple method of division, but it
  3. Seed, I am sincerely curious as to what you believe the purpose of the uniform to be. That it does not fit your body type is a legitimate concern, but you indicated that having a custom tailored uniform would not solve the real problem. Instead the problem is that the uniform has "weird elastic on the waisband [sic], and pockets galore." The uniform is not "in style" or "something a younger woman wants to be seen in." It has unnecessary "big pockets in the front," and a "yahoo coller [sic]" that one "can't do anything with." The uniform is also "ugly and mannish." We must also not f
  4. Although several of the points have been addressed in the responses, here is a primer on homesickness by the Rev. Msgr. Francis Schwartz, whom I met at a session of National Camping School a couple of years ago. The little article is spot on. http://www.inquiry.net/adult/problems/homesick.htm One thing that I would like to add, however, is that the guideline regarding calling home or keeping the boy at camp is not an absolute. As a camp chaplain, I have been taken to a scout who, resulting from a number of factors, was bordering on psychosis. The child had some specific developmen
  5. "Really? The BSA's Judeo-Christian Declaration of Religious Principle...does not sound very Buddhist to me." I never said that the Declaration of Religious Principle was compatible with Buddhism (the modern religious form). I stated that it was compatible with "Indian understanding." Within that paragraph, I was referring to Indian philosophy and you will note that the subject of the post as a whole was Hinduism. I only brought up Buddhism as an illustrative example. While philosophical Buddhism originated in India, it never took hold there, and modern forms of Buddhism are not consid
  6. Mary had a litte lamb, She fed it Castor oil, Every time it jumped the fence, It fertilized the soil. Mary had a little lamb, The doctors were surprised. But when Old McDonald had a farm, The doctors nearly died.
  7. That is true, Trevorum. Hinduism is very complicated and has been undergoing substantial changes for centuries. Some of the old gods (who were once the deities of a polytheistic Hinduism) such as Indra and Agni are still worshipped by many. When tribes or villages fight each other, their gods also fight and kill each other. Local gods become national gods and vice versa. Gods of conquered peoples join the new nation or empire along with their people. Most polytheisms seem to develop this way. We can see this in Egyptian cult as well as that of the Greek and Roman empires. In the ca
  8. I can't speak to Shintoism (and I don't know if there is really any "pure" animistic Shintoism which has not been assumed into a form of Buddhism), but regarding Hindus, it would be inappropriate to think of the religion as polytheistic. Modern Hinduism is almost exclusively monotheistic, seeing the gods as merely aspects of the One, Absolute, and Eternal God. The four major divisions of modern Hinduism (Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism) differ in which god(s) they are devoted to as the form(s) of God, but all agree in the unity of the singular God (often called Brahman or Ishva
  9. Anarchist, Political and economic systems are not quite as simple as you would like to believe. It seems quite paradoxical for a self-referred anarchist to have such a simple faith in government programs to solve societial problems. In any event, the relationship between tax cuts and tax revenues is not as simple and inverse as you may believe. Remember, too, that wealth and income are not the same thing as anyone who owns a nonincorporated small business or works for such an individual should know. In any event, the following article by economist Thomas Sowell may help to clarify the
  10. "Perhaps I am less cynical than you, but I saw Trevorum's greeting as an acknowledgement to his fellow Pagans that our holiday was last night." When Trevorum extended his solstice greeting to all, I took him at his word. It seemed to me that he was offering it to everyone. I was not offended. Nor was I offended when Ed and John extended Christmas greetings (presumably) to all. Should I be offended at either? Also, keep in mind that not all pagans celebrate the winter solstice and not all who celebrate the solstice are pagans. The features of nature, including the sun, are import
  11. O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come, shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death. Isaiah had prophesied, The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shown.
  12. Perhaps some clarifications would be helpful here. Regarding agnosticism, the term applies to two distinct philosophical positions. Hard agnosticism maintains that knowledge of God or gods is unknown or inherently unknowable. Soft agnosticism maintains that one does not know such things, but does not maintain that they are inherently unknowable. Soft agnosticism is often a personal designation, rather than an absolute doctrine like hard agnosticism. Soft agnosticism is compatible with weak atheism, which is a absence of belief in God or gods, but they are not identical. Deists believ
  13. I have often been haunted with a fancy that the creeds of men might be paralleled and represented in their beverages. Wine might stand for genuine Catholicism, and ale for genuine Protestantism; for these at least are real religions with comfort and strength in them. Clean cold Agnosticism would be clean cold water -- an excellent thing if you can get it. Most modern ethical and idealistic movements might be well represented by soda-water -- which is a fuss about nothing. Mr. Bernard Shaw's philosophy is exactly like black coffee -- it awakens, but it does not really inspire. Modern hygienic m
  14. I wonder if Ms. Rood will answer for the death tolls of the ideologies she supports. I wonder if she really believes that the dead are disturbed or disgraced by the presence of flag-waving adolescents. I wonder if the dead are disturbed or disgraced by the presence of spiteful and malicious journalists. Ms. Rood pretends that it is the death that sickens her, but it appears to really be the life.
  15. "It's interesting to note that the Jewish Kosher laws are simular to Isalm's and the Jewish Committee on Scouting did provide kosher meals at Jambo. I wonder if any Islamic troops knew these meals were available?" I had the same thought, Trail Day, but somehow I doubt that grabbing Jewish Kosher meals would have been a popular option. In my understanding, it would have worked, however, as Muslim dietary restrictions are contained within a more restrictive Kosher law.
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