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Symbiosis: is the living together of two dissimilar organisms, as in mutualism, commensalism, amensalism, or parasitism. But when slavery was common place, symbiosis had a different meaning. The wives of the male slave owners believed symbiosis was something totally different. ...
We the 'people of colour' have an amazing naivete with regard to
religion particularly Christianity as defined by Western Europe. Most
are familiar with the Christianity of faith. What is not so well known
is its origin, the Christianity of history and how it impacted upon the
faith; indeed there are many misconceptions about the faith and most
people confuse the historic Christianity with the Christianity of faith.
'Orthodox' Christianity and the birth of European
Nationalism
February 09, 2002 by Corey
Gilkes
(READ MORE)
http://www.trinicenter.com/Gilkes/2002/0902.htm
'By the time the fool has
learnt the rules of the game, the players have all gone home'. - African
Proverb
Many of the adherents who follow the faith for the sake of the 'purest'
aspects of the religion, believe, in their innocence that others do
likewise. As such they staunchly defend a religion the origins and
development of which they remain blissfully unaware.
So much time is
wasted arguing about which denomination is better or whether Creation or
Evolution is true, or whether the Bible is the infallible Word of God.
Little time is spared for carefully contemplating the extent to which
religion has been used as a tool for exploitation and the lengths those
who seek political and economic power would go and have already gone in
the pursuit of such power. Indeed, due to our misreading of the bible
and our love affair with Judaism and things Christian, very few even
bother to challenge the implied right of Europeans to rule, so deeply
have we internalised feelings of inferiority.
In examining the impact of Christianity upon ancient and Medieval Europe
one thing is certain; the Church succeeded in uniting most of Europe.
There is no doubt, as the fundamentalists argue, that Christianity has
unified Western Europe in ways that transcended the narrow confines of
tribalism.
That it sought to include everyone through its message of a
universal brotherhood. That it harnessed the warring tribes of Europe
and in so doing unified the political, economic and social outlook of
Western Europe by harnessing the various aspects of the continent's
secular culture. However, there is another side to this story; one that
is by no means as romanticised as it is often made out to be. Exactly
how the Christian Church went about unifying and transforming Europe, if
one looks at it honestly, is shameful to say the least. Christianity,
as defined by Rome, Greece and to some extent Asia Minor, brought
religious intolerance to a level never before seen. It provided
justification for the taking of other people's lands by cleverly
disguising ethnocentrism and an expansionist ideology in a message of
universal brotherhood. Ironically it used this universal brotherhood
message to maintain a hierarchical structure that saw Europe and
European-centred societies at the pinnacle while the conquered lands and
peoples occupied the lower rungs.
It introduced chattel slavery and
rape in places where such things did not exist before, wanton
destruction and contempt for the environment notwithstanding its
exhortations to the contrary. It reinvigorated old gender prejudices and
superstitions thereby transforming Europe and Western influenced
societies into neurotic, male-dominant, sexually repressed societies. In
its rise to ascendancy orthodox Christian bishops forged biblical texts
- such as the passages following Mark Chap16: 8 - in order to create
the myth of an historical death and resurrection.
It is this myth of an
historical, fleshly death and resurrection of Jesus and his
'appointment' of his disciple Peter that lies at the foundation of
European expansionist ideologies and their perception of a divine right,
a manifest destiny.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9x-QHkQBhE&feature=related
religion particularly Christianity as defined by Western Europe. Most
are familiar with the Christianity of faith. What is not so well known
is its origin, the Christianity of history and how it impacted upon the
faith; indeed there are many misconceptions about the faith and most
people confuse the historic Christianity with the Christianity of faith.
'Orthodox' Christianity and the birth of European
Nationalism
February 09, 2002 by Corey
Gilkes
(READ MORE)
http://www.trinicenter.com
'By the time the fool has
learnt the rules of the game, the players have all gone home'. - African
Proverb
Many of the adherents who follow the faith for the sake of the 'purest'
aspects of the religion, believe, in their innocence that others do
likewise. As such they staunchly defend a religion the origins and
development of which they remain blissfully unaware.
So much time is
wasted arguing about which denomination is better or whether Creation or
Evolution is true, or whether the Bible is the infallible Word of God.
Little time is spared for carefully contemplating the extent to which
religion has been used as a tool for exploitation and the lengths those
who seek political and economic power would go and have already gone in
the pursuit of such power. Indeed, due to our misreading of the bible
and our love affair with Judaism and things Christian, very few even
bother to challenge the implied right of Europeans to rule, so deeply
have we internalised feelings of inferiority.
In examining the impact of Christianity upon ancient and Medieval Europe
one thing is certain; the Church succeeded in uniting most of Europe.
There is no doubt, as the fundamentalists argue, that Christianity has
unified Western Europe in ways that transcended the narrow confines of
tribalism.
That it sought to include everyone through its message of a
universal brotherhood. That it harnessed the warring tribes of Europe
and in so doing unified the political, economic and social outlook of
Western Europe by harnessing the various aspects of the continent's
secular culture. However, there is another side to this story; one that
is by no means as romanticised as it is often made out to be. Exactly
how the Christian Church went about unifying and transforming Europe, if
one looks at it honestly, is shameful to say the least. Christianity,
as defined by Rome, Greece and to some extent Asia Minor, brought
religious intolerance to a level never before seen. It provided
justification for the taking of other people's lands by cleverly
disguising ethnocentrism and an expansionist ideology in a message of
universal brotherhood. Ironically it used this universal brotherhood
message to maintain a hierarchical structure that saw Europe and
European-centred societies at the pinnacle while the conquered lands and
peoples occupied the lower rungs.
It introduced chattel slavery and
rape in places where such things did not exist before, wanton
destruction and contempt for the environment notwithstanding its
exhortations to the contrary. It reinvigorated old gender prejudices and
superstitions thereby transforming Europe and Western influenced
societies into neurotic, male-dominant, sexually repressed societies. In
its rise to ascendancy orthodox Christian bishops forged biblical texts
- such as the passages following Mark Chap16: 8 - in order to create
the myth of an historical death and resurrection.
It is this myth of an
historical, fleshly death and resurrection of Jesus and his
'appointment' of his disciple Peter that lies at the foundation of
European expansionist ideologies and their perception of a divine right,
a manifest destiny.
http://www.youtube.com/wat
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