For my Big Mysterious Research Project, I had to reacquaint myself with the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. While I remembered even most of the more shocking stuff from my studies in history and literature and from my Sunday school days, I had completely forgotten the part of Genesis where Lot's daughters get him drunk and rape him.
[From the novel Spock's World by Diane Duane. Sarek has just been asked if it is true that a Vulcan cannot lie.]
"Captain, here again our people are not of a piece. Those of us who practice cthia [logic] find lying offensive because it perverts the purpose of speech, to accurately describe the world; and there are other reasons less logical, more founded in the emotions. But some practice cthia more assiduously than others, and some hardly at all. And even those who practice parts of it most vigorously are prone, on occasion, to ignore other parts of the philosophy...I remember a time some years ago on Earth when I was invited to attend a religious gathering as part of a cultural exchange program. The people at the gathering were professing their belief in one of your people's holy books, and stating that the only way to be saved - I am still unclear as to what they felt they needed saving from: we never got as far as an explanation - the only way to be 'saved' was to follow the book's instructions implicitly, to the letter. Now that book is a notable one, in my opinion, and filled with wise advices for those who will read them and act on them wisely. But some of the advices have less bearing on the present time than others; at least, so it seemed to me. I asked these people whether they felt that all the book must be obeyed, and they said yes. Then I asked them whether each of them then did indeed, as the book said they must, take a wooden paddle, when they needed to evacuate their bowels, and go out the prescribed distance from the city where they lived and dig a hole with the paddle, and relieve themselves into the hole and cover it over again? They were rather annoyed with me. And I said to them that it seemed to me that one had no right to insist that others keep all of a law unless one keeps it all himself. I am afraid," Sarek said, mildly, "that they become more annoyed yet."
"The 'rag' infoservices ate it up," Amanda said with a mischievous smile. "'Demon Alien Pursued By Lynch Mob.'"
Heh, yeah. The Bible is filled with craziness and "adult situations." I read it when I was 10, and it scared the hell out of me.
ReplyDeleteFor my Big Mysterious Research Project, I had to reacquaint myself with the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. While I remembered even most of the more shocking stuff from my studies in history and literature and from my Sunday school days, I had completely forgotten the part of Genesis where Lot's daughters get him drunk and rape him.
ReplyDeleteI'm reminded of Reverend Lovejoy's classic line, "Hey, have you ever READ this thing? Technically, we're not even supposed to go to the BATHROOM."
ReplyDelete[From the novel Spock's World by Diane Duane. Sarek has just been asked if it is true that a Vulcan cannot lie.]
ReplyDelete"Captain, here again our people are not of a piece. Those of us who practice cthia [logic] find lying offensive because it perverts the purpose of speech, to accurately describe the world; and there are other reasons less logical, more founded in the emotions. But some practice cthia more assiduously than others, and some hardly at all. And even those who practice parts of it most vigorously are prone, on occasion, to ignore other parts of the philosophy...I remember a time some years ago on Earth when I was invited to attend a religious gathering as part of a cultural exchange program. The people at the gathering were professing their belief in one of your people's holy books, and stating that the only way to be saved - I am still unclear as to what they felt they needed saving from: we never got as far as an explanation - the only way to be 'saved' was to follow the book's instructions implicitly, to the letter. Now that book is a notable one, in my opinion, and filled with wise advices for those who will read them and act on them wisely. But some of the advices have less bearing on the present time than others; at least, so it seemed to me. I asked these people whether they felt that all the book must be obeyed, and they said yes. Then I asked them whether each of them then did indeed, as the book said they must, take a wooden paddle, when they needed to evacuate their bowels, and go out the prescribed distance from the city where they lived and dig a hole with the paddle, and relieve themselves into the hole and cover it over again? They were rather annoyed with me. And I said to them that it seemed to me that one had no right to insist that others keep all of a law unless one keeps it all himself. I am afraid," Sarek said, mildly, "that they become more annoyed yet."
"The 'rag' infoservices ate it up," Amanda said with a mischievous smile. "'Demon Alien Pursued By Lynch Mob.'"