I have to admit: this guy's one of my favorites. I'm sympatico, mostly because I, too, have gotten into trouble due to my smart mouth.
"Diagoras the Atheist of Melos was a Greek poet and sophist of the 5th century BC. He became an atheist after an incident that happened against him went unpunished by the gods. He spoke out against the orthodox religions, and criticized the Eleusinian Mysteries. He once threw a wooden image of a god into a fire, remarking that the deity should perform another miracle and save itself."
That one NEVER fails to crack me up.
"The Roman philosopher Cicero, writing in the 1st century BC, tells of how a friend of Diagoras tried to convince him of the existence of the gods, by pointing out how many votive pictures tell about people being saved from storms at sea by "dint of vows to the gods", to which Diagoras replied that "there are nowhere any pictures of those who have been shipwrecked and drowned at sea." And Cicero goes on to give another example, where Diagoras was on a ship in hard weather, and the crew thought that they had brought it on themselves by taking this ungodly man onboard. He then wondered if the other boats out in the same storm also had a Diagoras onboard."
Somehow, that reminds me of Jonah's journey to Ninenveh.
"The Christian writer Athenagoras of Athens (second century AD) mentions that Diagoras was punished because he "divulged the Orphic doctrine, and published the mysteries of Eleusis and of the Cabiri, and chopped up the wooden statue of Hercules to boil his turnips."[1]"
We need more men like Diagoras. People who tell it like it is, and the devil take the hindmost.
Ponder, muse, get back to me on this one.
Till the next post, then.
9 comments:
This reminds me of that guy who was talking with the media after those hikers got caught in the snowstorm recently. He said something like, "I'm sure God will protect them, etc." Its kind of sad that they won't be able to find the body of one of the hikers until spring comes.
KA, you have to read this-
http://www.religioustolerance.org/inerran6.htm
Go down to "Translation errors due to source ambiguity"
""And with a male thou shall not lie down in beds of a woman; it is an abomination."
Could be translated as-
"You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination" (RSV)
Or as-
"Men must not engage in homosexual sex while on a woman's bed; it is an abomination"
That is, homosexual activity is only condemned if it is done in the wrong location: on a woman's bed."
That's hilarious. ^_^
Actually, MF, I was aware of this. There's also issues of mistranslation vis-a-vis whether or not the acts in question were in re: to male/female temple prostitution.
The whole book is such a mess, I shake my head: how can any logically thinking adult use this thing as a guideline, is beyond belief.
Thanks for another great history lesson. I love them!
"He once threw a wooden image of a god into a fire, remarking that the deity should perform another miracle and save itself."
That cracked me up too! lol
Diagoras: The ancient Greek Rabble-Rouser.
I wonder if he had many friends?
Watcher: I'd bet the only friends he had appreciated his rather dry wry wit.;)
He once threw a wooden image of a god into a fire, remarking that the deity should perform another miracle and save itself."
A man after my own heart, he was!
This brings to mind some Tull lyrics:
"If Jesus saves, well he better save himself
From the gory glory seekers who will use his name in death"
Oy, yer a woman after me own heart, you are.
That's Aqualung, 'My God', ain't it?
I had to go look that up - my poor memory's failing me.
KA
It's definitely Aqualung.
I get the cut titiles mixed up in my head sometimes tho. Without looking it up, My God sounds right. If i remember rightly, lots of flute riffs
--'course, what else?--
I love the Aqualung album.
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