thread: 2006-08-31 : I think my expectations are screwed
On 2006-09-05, Joel P. Shempert wrote:
But I didn't mention those guys because I know much less about their sex life!
That statement (of Brand's) struck me when it flew by. . .Now that's it's resurrected, I'll comment on it.
If we're just talking about "religiously fervent, charismatic, gathering devoted people around himself; it starts out socially and religiously conservative, rejecting the decadence and relativism of mainline," I can see that applying to all those on Brand's list (though I'd probably quibble about Christ or Siddartha being "conservative," but hey, it IS true that they rejected the decadence of their day). But "over not many years the doctrines and the in-group sex become very weird". . .? Speaking of the two guys that I DO know a little something about, well, I can see reading between the lines (as I know some do) and speculating that Mary and Martha, Mary Magdalene, etc. indicate Christ being a wacky Koreshian sex cultist. Though it's just that, speculation. But I'm not sure where you would even get anything near "the in-group sex becom[ing] very weird" in the case of Moses. I mean, if you want to say something about charasmatic and fervent people inspiring movements that evolve into entrenched (and often oppressed) power structures, then fine, great. But it strikes me that with the Smith-Koresh comparison Vincent's talking about something more specific.
