Clifton's Three (So Far) Laws of Religion
Since my blog-pal Gretchin asked about the "laws of religion," here they are.
1. Nothing Ever Goes Away Completely. Every religious doctrine or practice ever invented is still being carried on by someone, somewhere.
2. The Disciple Is More Obnoxious Than The Teacher, which is the spiritual corollary of the old maxim, "The servant is more snobbish than the master."
3. All Genuine Religions Have Torchlight Processions. See, for example, the one at the beginning of this documentary.
Now before all the Buddhists come after me (unless they do have torchlight processions in Sri Lanka or somewhere), let me say that this law is more aesthetic than philosophical. With all the advances in techne over the past millennium, still nothing speaks to the soul like flickering flames moving through the darkness.
1. Nothing Ever Goes Away Completely. Every religious doctrine or practice ever invented is still being carried on by someone, somewhere.
2. The Disciple Is More Obnoxious Than The Teacher, which is the spiritual corollary of the old maxim, "The servant is more snobbish than the master."
3. All Genuine Religions Have Torchlight Processions. See, for example, the one at the beginning of this documentary.
Now before all the Buddhists come after me (unless they do have torchlight processions in Sri Lanka or somewhere), let me say that this law is more aesthetic than philosophical. With all the advances in techne over the past millennium, still nothing speaks to the soul like flickering flames moving through the darkness.
Labels: blogging, scholarship
posted by Chas S. Clifton at 8:55 AM Permalink
2 Comments:
There's nothing quite as fun or humbling as a torchlight procession- or even a candlelight one. It's one of the things I miss from my old BTW days.
I might need to do something about that...
Well, Burning Man certainly qualifies by all 3 of these criteria. 1, check, in fact one could say that *all* religious traditions *ever* are still being carried on there (well, almost). 2, in some cases, oh yeah, so check. and 3? torchlight processions, fire spinners, sacrificial conflagration, etc etc. oh yeah, they do know how to do cool things with ritual fire...
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