and your prophet likely just made shit up!
Yes, I am vamping here, based on my reread of "Satanic Verses," When I read it the first time, way back when first published, I definitely got that part about how the "Prophet likely just made shit up," and hmmm, well, it did not seem all that blasphemous to me, but I guess that I knew that some would have (no make that
seen) cause for taking offense. What I did not know then was the one incident, where the title of the book comes from, is an event for which there seems to be historical evidence that
that prophet of
that religion pulled a major "WHOOPS!! DO-OVER!! Um, anyone got an eraser? I did not mean what I said then."
Even worse, the reason they refer to that incident as the one involving the "Satanic Verses" is because of the (allegedly) stated reason for the revision of the "sacred text."
"The Devil Made Me Say That!"
Hmm . . . ya, right. We believe that (wink wink, nudge nudge, say no more!)
But given the age old dispute and embarrassment concerning the incident, to the eyes of some, I now (thanks to googling) understand why so many Moslems went bat-shit over that book, even with out reading it. The mere title was seen (to those of a rigid, fundamentalist, tyrannical and despotic, if not violently militant POV) as blasphemy.
Well that was the official story. Personally, I think it was more a matter of the
"WHOOPS! That is soooo EMBARRASSING! Whydidja havta mention that?" factor, that was conveniently disguised as rage over an act of blasphemy.
Anyway, shifting gears a little, I do know I tend to RAGE at the internet, but hey I will say something NICE about it here. Really. SWEAR!
One of the (few, precious few) good things, things I like about the internet, is how it helps me in my age-old, lifetime, one of the best of the best and few hobbies of mine:
READING!!I do like it that when I am reading a book and have a question, or want some clarification on a point (or even to look at a map, all I have to do is google it.
Neat, that!
Now should I dovetail back to the matter of dissembling prophets and lunatic followers? Nah. Unless, just to say that I do get that whole built-in
psychosis of fundamentalism. If you take such a hard line you basically
Must Go Batshit on anyone who disagrees with your belief, no matter how trifling the deviation. Any kind of fundamentalism, be it a religious one, academic, or political one, is a classic
"Paint Yourself Into a Corner," thing.
I mean, if you run around acting as if
YOU HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS! YOU ARE THE KEEPER OF THE TRUE PATH/WORD/GOSPEL/WAY -- WHAT THE FawK EVER IT IS!!! You
MUST reject any thing anyone else says, because once you accept the possibility that you can be wrong, even on a trivial point, you admit fallibility.
And even if it is not a guarantee of the fact you are all wrong, it opens up the chance for a slide down that slippery slope to a realization (yours or that of any observer) that you very well may be totally full of bullshit.
Hmm that turned out to be a longer end note than I had thought.
Oh hell. There is more.
Ok this is my take on it (not original, likely) but the net result of the (alleged) rewrite of the (alleged) Satanic Verses is likely directly related to the (from our Western POV) misogynistic tendencies of those cultures, and that religion.
I mean really? Can going back (allegedly) to the sacred text and wiping out, repudiating the ancient goddesses, saying that the former verses lauding them as "intermediaries" to the One God, were THE WORK AND WORDS OF SATAN, give support to a bias against if not HATRED of Women?
Naa that could never be!
I must be making shit up!!
{I'll skip the LOL. I did go for the irony there, but this shit is no joke.}
