Quote:
Originally posted by Tyrone Slothrop
I think I was referring more specifically to the view that government derives its authority from God. That's not necessarily Christian -- I think Islam takes the same view -- but there are other religions that see things differently.
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Not to mention the significant minority of people who not only disagree that our government derives authority from a Judeo-Christian (-Islamic) God, or from any god, but that there is any god. Or that any such god should, through the authority of the state, wield authority over the rest of us.
I for one am generally not bothered by public religious demonstration, feeling that most of it is meaningless, traditional pageantry. However, I am (at least culturally) of the establishment religion. When trying to imagine how members of non-establishment religions (or non-religions) might feel at the government's apparent approval of other beliefs, I remember the Zaporozhian Cossacks' reply to Sultan Mahmoud IV's demand for their submission:
"Thou Turkish Devil!
Brother and companion to the accursed Devil, and Secretary to Lucifer himself, Greetings!
What the hell kind of noble knight art thou? Satan voids and thy army devours. Never wilt thou be fit to have the sons of Crist under thee. Thy army we fear not, and by land and by sea in our chaikas will we do battle against thee.
Thou scullion of Babylon, thou beerbrewer of Jerusalem, thou goat thief of Alexandria, thou swineherd of Egypt, both the Greater and the Lesser, thou Armenian pig and Tartar goat. Thou hangman of Kamyanets, thou evildoer of Podolia, thou grandson of the Devil himself, thou great silly oaf of all the world and of the netherworld and, before our God, a blockhead, a swine's snout, a mare's ass, and clown of Hades. May the Devil take thee!
That is what the Cossacks have to say to thee, thou basest born of runts! Unfit art thou to lord it over true Christians!
The date we know not, for no calender have we got. The moon is in the sky, the year is in a book, and the day is the same with us here as with ye over there -- and thou canst kiss us thou knowest where!"
BR(always liked that painting)C
