Also mention the inquisition, during medieval times. The Catholic Church is heir to these acts …
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WHAT!? I never knew that, huh.
oops. you are correct though. it doesn’t matter. There are so many things to address here. I think we just might have some fun.
ya, I would be too.
I was pretty radical as a “saved” young man and had a really hard time with gay men. It wasn’t until I started waiting tables that I met and made friends with some homosexual guys. Never had a problem with women but hey I’m a man and I think I’ll use that excuse for now.
It might be important to know that I was “excommunicated”, which in our day and age doesn’t’ really hurt the person but I was really very annoyed about it. Ok, I was angry and bitter but I got over it.
I’m not sure if y’all know this or not but “Ministers, Pastors, Missionaries” etc. are… how do I say this…?
They are MORE Christian than you (and me). They for sure are going to heaven but aren’t sure about everyone else. So for me to be outed was very disturbing. It wasn’t long after that when I finally found some truth.
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Oh yes they are. Luckily, we don’t live in the dark ages anymore. Some of the things they did… would make the “devil” blush.
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You are correct Sir. No moderator and no owner. We are on our own it seems. I think we will do ok without them.
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Cool, I lived there for a few years, attended old Bowditch school and my first year of High School before moving to Virginia, Loved that area, Had my first “experience” on Gallows Hill…LOL
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Really, how do you know that? I really thought it was because of superstition and ignorance of course I never really delved into it so that is why I want to know how you know. Like maybe a reference to a book or some such?
Wow, I can’t believe the police cars have that.
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Well as you probably know the Christian Bible sections of the Old Testament were translated from biblical Hebrew and some Aramaic, then Greek. Hebrew translations are tricky as they are not at all literal, in the sense that one word can have several ,meanings. I will agree that women were treated as possessions in the Hebrew Torah, but far from being thought lowly of no, as a matter of fact there are a score of very revered matriarchs.
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Can’t think of anything more horrific! Good mention, Gus 
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True. Also, doesn’t the Hebrew bloodline flow through the women?
Ya, that is one of the big issues they had with me. When I would say stuff like. " actually that was translated wrong. It means this or that" I was always challenging beliefs. One of the things Christian Ministers love to say. “you gotta have faith” when logic is used they seem to throw their brain away.
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Thank goodness you did. What a horrible way to go through life. I am so sorry you had to experience that. The true purpose of religion is/should be the happiness of all people. No exclusions. But there are very few religions that actually practice what they preach. I found one when I read and studied the Lotus Sutra. The 2nd sentence of Chapter 16: The Life Span of the Thus Come One
“Constantly I have preached the Law, teaching, converting countless millions of living beings, causing them to enter the Buddha way, all this for immeasurable kalpas.”
And in the last sentence…
“At all times I think to myself: How can I cause living beings to gain entry into the unsurpassed way and quickly acquire the body of a Buddha?”
Notice it is said, “body of a Buddha” not the Buddha. Because of the nature of human beings to look up to/rely on leaders or gods, he had to constantly remind his followers to “find the lamp within”, become your own leader.
He turned down countless offers to become a Buddhist leader because it defeated the purpose of his teaching that all people could become Buddhas and equally attain enlightenment. Of course, after his passing this became difficult for humans to uphold and his teachings became watered down. That’s why you see people praying to Buddha statues and other types of Buddhist sects.
As a young person I found this concept new and refreshing even though it was over 2500 yrs old.
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Hmm, I presume you mean you saw “fireworks” and not your first ghost? 
Yes, Salem has that vibe about it. I had quite an “experience” there, myself, in a car. We ended up driving over the curb and coming to a stop in the center of the Town Square…with someone coming to the rescue and looking in the window…and seeing two very guilty looking young people
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To be fair, superstition and ignorance played a big part. So did politics and religion. Even the rye fungus (ergot) theory still thrives today but evidence remains inadequate. I’ve read books but would have to do some research. It was long ago. I’ll take a look for you and see what I can do. If you get curious and google fu it just be sure the sources are credible. Even PBS pushed the rye fungus theory in an elaborate documentary.
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Teehee, yes. Salem is a witchy place and the cops are warlocks 
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Yes it does
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in away,lol
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@Dan_the_Man being that we’re heading into the Halloween season this would be a good time to find info about the witch trials. I heard something on the radio today about it. Here’s a link where you might find something interesting to read. Some novels and some subject matter books…perfect timing.
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Oh, I like this. Love historic fact/fiction reads. I will be looking into these.
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Me too. Have you read Matthew Pearl? He’s one of my favorite contemporaries. Start with the first, The Dante Club. Be prepared for some gruesome descriptions.
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On my list now. Thanks Muth!
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