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| Posted by: sexkitten Oct 20 2004, 03:27 PM |
| Printable Version of Topic Click here to view this topic in its original format ExChristian.Net Open Forums > General Christian Theological Issues > The Sacred Kingship Posted by: Lokmer Aug 6 2004, 02:27 PM The true problem of Christianity, when you strip it all back to its doctrinal flotsam, is that it revolves around the Sacred Kingship ritual - where the king of the people bears their guilt and is sacrificed for it, appeasing the gods and allowing life to continue. This tradition is universal across cultures, taking a variety of forms, and goes back at least to the beginning of agriculture, where the death of the King/chief/sacrifice was believed to fertilize the land and encourage the sun to come back from its retreat into the south. This symbol and story has been a part of all north-of-the-equator agrarian societies since the dawn of civilization, and it is thus one of the most powerful in our cultural vocabulary. Even today it is capable of moving the most resolute people to tears, and figures centrally in many of our stories. In the modern era, though, we have more often a hero that sacrifices himself for something practical - to save a life, to buy time, to better himself, and this is qualitatively different from the old Sacred Kingship story, because it is motivated out of character and not fear, and its aims are practical and honorable, rather than magical. The reason for this transformation is that we know now, deep down, that it's a cheat. Like children, we all wish to avoid responsibility for our actions and for the actions perpetrated on us. Like children we want daddy to make it all better, to punish our siblings instead of us. America particularly is the master of this craft, imprisoning recreational drug users but leaving money launderers and organized crime alone. Suing MacDonalds rather than eating properly. And on and on. But deep down we know it's bullshit. It hangs on in this country like no other in the western world, because we still have a culture that lives and breathes the sacred kingship in the form of Christianity. Today I was reading a story by Fredrick Pohl, called "Target One." It's the story of a man who, after a nuclear war, travels back in time to assasinate Einstein before he can discover relativity. He succeeds, comes back to the future, only to find that someone else has now discovered relativity, and the future is still a post-war radiation heap. In closing, the narrator says: "The futility of it struck me - the futility of trying to place all of our guilt on one man. The futility of trying to avert evil by means of murder, for in doing so, no one was saved...'Our fate, dear Brutus, rests not with the stars, but with ourselves.'" Now THAT ^^^ is a quote I'd like to see on a billboard, layed over a beautiful picture of a cross. -Lokmer Posted by: sexkitten Aug 6 2004, 02:33 PM QUOTE (Lokmer @ Aug 6 2004, 02:27 PM) "The futility of it struck me - the futility of trying to place all of our guilt on one man. The futility of trying to avert evil by means of murder, for in doing so, no one was saved...'Our fate, dear Brutus, rests not with the stars, but with ourselves.'" Wow. That is just incredible. Posted by: Reach Aug 6 2004, 02:42 PM QUOTE (Lokmer @ Aug 6 2004, 05:27 PM) "The futility of it struck me - the futility of trying to place all of our guilt on one man. The futility of trying to avert evil by means of murder, for in doing so, no one was saved...'Our fate, dear Brutus, rests not with the stars, but with ourselves.'" Now THAT ^^^ is a quote I'd like to see on a billboard, layed over a beautiful picture of a cross. -Lokmer So would I, Lokmer! Pass the offering plate and get a billboard? ;-) Maybe someday... more will see the same. Posted by: TexasFreethinker Aug 6 2004, 02:47 PM QUOTE (Lokmer @ Aug 6 2004, 05:27 PM) "The futility of it struck me - the futility of trying to place all of our guilt on one man. The futility of trying to avert evil by means of murder, for in doing so, no one was saved...'Our fate, dear Brutus, rests not with the stars, but with ourselves.'" Well said. Posted by: chefranden Aug 9 2004, 05:20 PM Waste of money. Americans wouldn't get it. Posted by: Aminor7 Aug 10 2004, 08:57 AM The Shakespeare is nice.. Powered by Invision Power Board (http://www.invisionboard.com) © Invision Power Services (http://www.invisionpower.com) |