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Religion in the Head Shop

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19:42 / 28.03.04

How about "Temple of Boom"?

Both good ideas, 'The Temple' has a bit of character to it, after all the other fora aren't called 'intellectual discussion' and 'news and current affairs' or whatever. Yeah, I think 'The Temple' is a top idea.

08:56 / 29.03.04

I prefer The Spirit, because that's a term which sounds perfectly in place both discussing the sacramental use of Captain Crunch to summon the shade of Admiral Nelson in your dining room* and the enthusiasm of a Southern Baptist congregation. (The Temple has organizational overtones to me, which The Spirit lacks.)

I feel that religion should end up in The Spirit** because, while the idea of the forum being where we discuss the nuts and bolts sounds good, a large number of people—even very spiritual people—don't think that spirituality is an engineering problem. We mages are into applying our belief systems, but we are not in the majority. I want people who believe spirituality is primarily for experiencing and discussing rather than creating acausal effects to have their say in a place that is topically appropriate. (That, and the lingering concept that the Head Shop is where smart debating goes continues to drive me bonkers.)

* - it doesn't work. Duh, he was an admiral.

** - ...and of course there will be much crossover because of the historical connections between philosophy and religion blah blah blah.

13:29 / 29.03.04

I do like The Temple. Though if we go that route I'll insist that Heresy be added to the summary, just on general principles. But I'll have to admidt it looses a bit of the edge that way. I think "magick and spirit" is the best way to go to preserving the established feel if you want to monkey with the name any more.

13:45 / 29.03.04

I like The Temple, too -- because it's a place, which the Lab and the Head Shop and the Switchboard (sort of) are, as well.

Sense-checking Tom here: In the case of the Magick and Christianity it would be my position that if you want to talk about a philosophical position on divinity then it should be in the Head Shop, because that's what it's for - the discussion of philosophy, cultural studies and identity politics. If you want to talk about belief in God or a desire to connect with the unknowable or the spiritual, then you should be in the Magick.

I'm not sure I see the difference between the italicized statements, at least as long as the "abouts" are included.

04:24 / 30.03.04

Oh hell... I still like The Spirit better but grant scores a direct hit with the place theme (double points coming off his reverse sauchau off of Notting Hill Gate) and I yield to The Temple.

13:34 / 30.03.04

Yea, the place reference is winning me over. I'm liking Temple more and more.

15:08 / 30.03.04

i just popped in for the first time since it became the Temple. i like. i like a LOT. it's perfect.

09:41 / 31.03.04

Definitely The Temple. Spirit is that two-fisted 1940s crimefighter in the blue domino mask.

18:17 / 02.04.04

I'm still unsure that "Religion" belongs in the Temple. It makes sense for the reasons that people have already mentioned, but to me much of religion - and I supposed I mean organized religion in this context - is so tied to cultural anthropology that I think it's falling through the cracks on Barbelith. I was intrigued, for example, by the flurry of threads that talked about Christianity, but after the reshuffling they promptly died In particular, the thread that questioned the existence of Hell in relation to possible mistranslations of the Bible was winding up to be really fascinating but sunk like a stone in the "Temple." Sad, I think.

Perhaps religious threads having to do with Christianity, Judaism, Islam, etc. are typically too mainstream for Barbelith, but that's precisely why I'd be interested in Barbelith's take on those topics.

Scrambled Password Bogus Email

17:18 / 14.04.04

It's a pity, the Choosing a Path thread was, in the abstract, set up to investigate the philosophical, cultural, geographical etc. reasons for beliefs, and particularly ones which have shifted through shifts in these factors, but started out as a bit of an Oprah testimonial thing...it was welcomed in the Head Shop by many who posted into it, but sank like a stone after being moved to Conversation...Any chance of relocating it in the Temple?

18:36 / 14.04.04

Post a link?

03:43 / 15.04.04

Ummm... I just put in a request to move it, but asked for it to be moved to the Head Shop... sorry..

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