Freethought & Rationalism Archive

GakuseiDon · 07-17-2010, 07:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by avi

Bottom line, I doubt any link whatsoever, between "monotheism" and Pygmy traditional folklore. But then, on the hand, I completely reject the assertion, offered yesterday, I think it was, on one of the threads, not sure which one, that Judaic monotheism represented the foundation of western civilization. What crap.

Actually, Acharya S speculates that it was the Pygmies who were the foundation of western civilization. She writes in "The Christ Conspiracy":

As has been seen, it is virtually impossible to determine which nation is the progenitor of western culture and, therefore, the Judeo-Christian tradition, and we are left to ponder the idea of another source, such as the Pygmies, who claim to have been a global culture many thousands of years ago.

Dave, can you confirm that I am quoting Acharya S correctly and in context, please?

Toto · 07-17-2010, 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by avi

I suspect that the situation is rather more complicated than we have thus far elaborated in this thread.

It always is

Quote:

1. Schebesta seems, from the casual reading I have done, to be somewhat more than just another Catholic missionary. He had studied Japanese, in preparation for going to Japan, prior to WWI, then, instead was transferred to Mozambique. I am unclear about how much time he spent in the "Belgian" Congo. I am even less clear about his knowledge of the Pygmy languages of the region--they are NOT similar to Bantu . . .

Schebesta was not a typical missionary. But he was part of a European Catholic school of anthropology that was shaped by Catholic ideology. According to Mark, he spent 40 years writing about the Pygmies. But he seems to have been quite flightly - he spent a few weeks with different groups, and then wrote up what he thought he found, which he felt free to revise with new information.

But he was quite prolific - three popular books, a four volume scholarly monograph, and lots of articles, which made him the foremost authority on the Pygmies in his time.

All of your criticisms of his capacity only shore up the case against Acharya S's reliance on his second hand anecdote about Pygmy legends.

Quote:

......Bottom line, I doubt any link whatsoever, between "monotheism" and Pygmy traditional folklore. But then, on the hand, I completely reject the assertion, offered yesterday, I think it was, on one of the threads, not sure which one, that Judaic monotheism represented the foundation of western civilization. What crap.

avi

No argument there.

aa5874 · 07-17-2010, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GakuseiDon

Quote:

Originally Posted by avi

Bottom line, I doubt any link whatsoever, between "monotheism" and Pygmy traditional folklore. But then, on the hand, I completely reject the assertion, offered yesterday, I think it was, on one of the threads, not sure which one, that Judaic monotheism represented the foundation of western civilization. What crap.

Actually, Acharya S speculates that it was the Pygmies who were the foundation of western civilization. She writes in "The Christ Conspiracy":

As has been seen, it is virtually impossible to determine which nation is the progenitor of western culture and, therefore, the Judeo-Christian tradition, and we are left to ponder the idea of another source, such as the Pygmies, who claim to have been a global culture many thousands of years ago.

Dave, can you confirm that I am quoting Acharya S correctly and in context, please?

Based on the quote you provided Acharya S speculates that "it is virtually impossible to determine which nation is the progentor of western culture.."

So, once it is virtually impossible to determine it was Pygmies, then Acharya S simply "ponders".

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