Tabitha Falkayn:
"'Most of us keep to the Old Faith, you know.'" (VI, p. 502)
Even human members of Highsky Choth? The Old Faith involves:
polytheism;
pagan references to a "'...hell-wind...'" (IX, p. 547) for the newly dead;
traditional rites;
drugs used in sacred revels;
"...slaughterous sacrifices." (p. 548)
One reason why Tabitha has considered ending her partnership with Draun is that he neither believes in the gods nor respects tradition but enjoys slaughter. But does either belief or respect make "slaughterous sacrifices" less reprehensible?
I prefer the New Faith response to the question whether:
"'...the spirit outlives the body?'
"'How could it?...Why should it?'"
-Poul Anderson, "The Problem of Pain" IN Anderson, The Van Rijn Method (Riverdale, NY, 2009), pp. 103-134 AT p. 122.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
And I would disagree with both the Old and New Faiths of Ythri!
If Draun ENJOYS slaughter for its own sake, doesn't that mean he is a sadist?
In itself, I see nothing reprehensible in sacrificing a sheep, lamb, or bull to God, as the Jews did in First and Second Temple times down to the fall of Jerusalem to the Romans in AD 70. However, I also believe animal sacrifices are no longer after the once and eternally sufficient sacrifice of Christ.
As for the questions raised at the end of this blog piece, I suspect Frank J. Tipler's THE PHYSICS OF CHRISTIANITY may be relevant for any responses. Only just starting that book and it has to be read with care.
Sean
Post a Comment