felis_ultharus (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
felis_ultharus) wrote2005-04-19 06:23 pm
felis_ultharus) wrote2005-04-19 06:23 pm
A Medieval post, in three parts...
Heere bigynneth the post
To my D&D group -- I intend, at some point this busy week, to post a brief summary of our adventures. After so many weeks idle, it'll be necessary.
I intend to continue the campaign without interruption at least through to the end December, if you all are still interested :)
As for the winter semester, I'll see -- I'll be back up to two classes then.
Sequitur pars secunda
More funny gleanings from Boswell:
Sequitur pars tercia
Today, as they announced the new pope, I was reading Boswell's version of the attack on the Cathars. The Cathars were a heretical sect. Most of what we know about them comes from Catholic propaganda, which claimed that they all homosexual. There may be some truth to the notion they were queer-positive: they were probably Manicheans, which would mean they likely saw the production of children as a great evil (as it entraps the soul in flesh).
Anyway, the Cathars were wiped out, and Catholic propaganda in the 13th Century cemented the connection between homosexuality and heresy so thoroughly, that a French word for one kind of heresy -- bougrerie -- entered English as buggery.
Meanwhile, the cardinals elected as their new pope the man who was the driving force between the church's antigay, anti-safe-sex crusade. So we can expect another several years of using the church's money and influence to hold back human progress.
And did anyone else immediately notice he's a dead ringer for Emperor Palpatine?
To my D&D group -- I intend, at some point this busy week, to post a brief summary of our adventures. After so many weeks idle, it'll be necessary.
I intend to continue the campaign without interruption at least through to the end December, if you all are still interested :)
As for the winter semester, I'll see -- I'll be back up to two classes then.
Sequitur pars secunda
More funny gleanings from Boswell:
About fifty years later efforts were made to interest another pope -- Urban II, the reformer who launched the first crusade -- in the case of high-ranking prelates who were well-known to be involved in homosexual activities. This effort, although mounted by one of the prominent churchmen of the day, Ivo of Chartres, failed even more completely that Peter Damian's. Ivo informed the papal legate and the pope himself that Ralph [!?], the archbishop of Tours, had prevailed upon king of France to install as bishop of Orléans a certain John, whom Ivo knew to be the archbishop's lover (and to have had sexual relations with the king, since the latter boasted of it to Ivo). In fact, John had also shared his favors with the previous bishop of Orléans (Ralph's brother) and was generally so accomodating with his person that he was generally known as Flora, in reference to a celebrated courtesan of the day.
Sequitur pars tercia
Today, as they announced the new pope, I was reading Boswell's version of the attack on the Cathars. The Cathars were a heretical sect. Most of what we know about them comes from Catholic propaganda, which claimed that they all homosexual. There may be some truth to the notion they were queer-positive: they were probably Manicheans, which would mean they likely saw the production of children as a great evil (as it entraps the soul in flesh).
Anyway, the Cathars were wiped out, and Catholic propaganda in the 13th Century cemented the connection between homosexuality and heresy so thoroughly, that a French word for one kind of heresy -- bougrerie -- entered English as buggery.
Meanwhile, the cardinals elected as their new pope the man who was the driving force between the church's antigay, anti-safe-sex crusade. So we can expect another several years of using the church's money and influence to hold back human progress.
And did anyone else immediately notice he's a dead ringer for Emperor Palpatine?
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I'm more worried about what he'll do in the future, though. He's got the power, the money, and the will to bring gay rights and safe-sex campaigns to a halt in a lot of country. Even he had a squeaky-clean past, I still wouldn't want him having access to that money and power.
(You know, the organization he used to run? It's called the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and it was set up originally to coordinate the activities of the Inquisition all over Europe. He's the world's Chief Inquisitor -- though it's not called that anymore. His job was stop dissent at all costs.)
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He still scares me, though. If half of what I hear about what he believes is true, he's not the kind of person who should be in a position of power. As you said, he's said to be extremely, extremely conservative