When the Christian Church Swapped Holidays with Pagan Rome
Saturnalia was an ancient Roman festival (Dec 17–23) honoring Saturn, characterized by a, intense, temporary inversion of social hierarchy that mirrored a mythical "Golden Age" of equality. Slaves were treated as equals, often served by masters, and allowed to wear the pileus (freedom cap) and act freely.
Key Social Inversions:
Role Reversals: Slaves were permitted to eat with masters, speak freely, and were often served by them, effectively flipping the social order.
Lord of Misrule: A household would choose a Saturnalicius princeps (mock king) by throwing dice to issue ridiculous, absolute commands (e.g., "sing," "dance," "don't wear a toga").
Dress Codes: Strict Roman clothing rules were abandoned, allowing slaves to wear the pileus (felt cap) of freedmen and for everyone to wear colorful casual clothes (synthesis) instead of official togas.
Allowed Vice: Gambling, typically restricted in public, was widely permitted, transforming the city into a scene of wild revelry.
Legal/Business Pause: Courts were closed, schools closed, and no business was conducted, focusing entirely on dining, drinking, and gift-giving.
Purpose:
This inversion served as a safety valve for society, allowing for "December liberty" to alleviate tensions from rigid social class constraints before reverting to normal, hierarchical life.
The Celebrity of Crowd Mimesis - Just Fake It 'til You Make IT, Peter!
Melville's Anti-Mimesis... Bartleby: Rejecting the Scapegoat...
Choosing the Lamb
Mocking the New Religion
from Google AI:
Apuleius' 2nd-century novel The Golden Ass (Metamorphoses) is sometimes interpreted by scholars as a pagan counter-narrative to rising Christianity, showcasing the mystery cult of Isis as a superior, rival saving religion. It features satire of "only God" worship, likely mocking early Christian practices, and highlights themes of divine transformation.
Connections to Christianity and Religion:
- Anti-Christian Satire: Scholar Warren S. Smith proposes that Apuleius, a pagan intellectual, used the novel to mock Christianity, reflecting a, "contemptuous" view of the new, popular religion.
- The "Only God" Mockery: A female character in the novel is portrayed negatively, rejecting traditional gods in favor of a "blasphemous" cult of a single "Only God," which some interpret as a dig at early Christians.
- Rival Saviour Religion: The novel's conclusion features the protagonist Lucius being saved by the goddess Isis, presenting her cult as a direct, and arguably better, alternative to Christian salvation.
- Themes of Redemption: Similar to Christianity, the narrative centers on a dramatic transformation from sinful, beastly life (as an ass) to a pure existence, redeemed through dedication to a divine being.
- Academic Interpretation: While some see it as a straight religious conversion, others view the final conversion to the cult of Isis as satirical or a, "parody".
The Golden Ass is a unique source of info on 2nd-century religious experiences in the Roman empire, including, "the mysteries of Isis" and, "the cult of Isiac".
33 comments:
Empire Christianity stole much from Pagan traditions. And it still holds them holy today. Wonder why.
Read history, dude.
At first there was attempts to banish Xtians in Rome.
But then, politicians saw how much more effective Xtian brainwashing was with turning slaves into submission.
Everything else... is technicality.
And now they see that Buddist's brainwashing -- even more effective. ;-p
That's why our US politicians be so "woke", and Putin be so "Orthodox" now. Duganism... and the 3rd Roman Empire... and the Greater Trumpian Technofeudal State
Byzantium vs Rome...
I'm for getting back to original Hellenism (Doric style)!
The cult of Isaac... religion puts you in "the box"... (OT- binding of Isaac)
Buddhism is more... Internalized Guilt... manifesting as the "demon" or "lamb" versions of himself, representing his belief that he is evil, and must "repent
Lambs don't eat other animals. They are only deserving of empathy... so be the lamb!
Byung-Chul Han's "Psychopolitics" on steroids!
from Google AI:
Psychopolitics: Neoliberalism and New Technologies of Power by Byung-Chul Han critiques how neoliberalism uses psychological techniques, rather than overt force, to control individuals by exploiting their freedom, emotions, and desire for self-optimization, turning them into productive, self-exploiting subjects. Han argues this new form of power, which he calls "psychopolitics," extends Foucault's biopolitics by focusing on the psyche, using digital technologies and the "achievement-subject" to create a system where individuals believe they are free while being constantly monitored and driven to perform, blurring the lines between work, leisure, and self-management.
Key Concepts
Shift from Biopolitics to Psychopolitics: While Foucault's biopolitics focused on controlling the body, neoliberal psychopolitics controls the psyche, turning the individual's inner life into a site of production.
The Achievement-Subject: Individuals are no longer disciplined subjects but "achievement-subjects" who are compelled to constantly improve themselves, leading to burnout and anxiety, as they are both the exploiter and the exploited.
Exploitation of Freedom: Neoliberalism maximizes profit by exploiting freedom itself, turning activities like communication, play, and emotion into tools for data collection and consumption, often through social media and gamification.
Digital Panopticon: Social media creates a "digital panopticon" where individuals willingly provide data and surveillance, driven by the desire for likes, followers, and social validation, making them productive for the system.
Emotion as a Resource: Emotions are no longer just personal feelings but are treated as a resource to be managed and exploited for economic gain, with self-help culture encouraging the projection of a "good image" for success.
Core Argument
Han's central argument is that neoliberalism has created a more insidious form of control. Instead of being forced, people are motivated by an internal pressure to be productive, happy, and successful, making them complicit in their own domination. This leads to a crisis of freedom, where the self becomes a project to be optimized, and the soul itself becomes a tool for capital.
Etymology of "religion" from Google AI:
The word "religion" is widely believed to originate from the Latin verb religare, which means "to bind fast," "tie," or "re-tie" (re-, meaning again; ligare, meaning to bind). This suggests the concept of tying or binding a human back to the divine or holding communities together through shared obligation.
Key Aspects of the Etymology:
Religare (Most Common Interpretation): Many interpret the root religare as "to bind back" (re- + ligare), often used in theological contexts to describe the re-binding of a broken relationship between humanity and God.
Religio & Obligation: The Latin noun religio generally refers to obligation, bond, reverence, or a deep sense of duty.
Other Interpretations: While religare (to bind) is widely cited, other ancient interpretations exist, such as Cicero's suggestion of relegere ("to read over" or "go over again"), indicating a careful study or observation of rituals.
Metaphorical Link: The root syllable liga is connected to the concept of a "ligature"—a bond used for holding things together, symbolizing a connection that overcomes separation.
The term evolved from the Latin religio into Old French and eventually entered English in the 14th century, initially relating to the gathering of followers before evolving into its current sense of faith and devotion.
Technofeudalism represent the emergence of "the Achievement Society" in the Trump World Order.
btw - There will be no Saturnalia's in the Trumpian calendar in the future to "give away the re-ligare" game.
...as Joker would say, "Why so serious?"
,,,the Innocent (vs. experienced). Favor "justice" over :wisdom"... NOT meden agan (balance the two virtues)... "wrestle with better angels" as the Israelites did.
Israel" (Yisrael) is a Hebrew name meaning "one who struggles with God" or "God strives," derived from sara (to struggle) and el (God). It originates from the Book of Genesis, where Jacob is renamed Israel after wrestling with a divine being. The term refers to Jacob, his descendants (the Jewish people), and the modern state established in 1948. .
Then... you need a tech to make ordinary people gardners in their own gardens. AGAIN
Yawn.
Mortality?
Just don't succumb to the 3 temptations...
Based on 1 John 2:16, the three primary kinds of temptation are the lust of the flesh (physical desires), the lust of the eyes (material greed), and the pride of life (ego and self-sufficiency). These categories represent the core enticements to sin, often described as temptations of pleasure, possession, and position.
But yeah, mind your garden, but also OWN your garden!
btw - I'm all FOR both Ego AND self-sufficiency. That's what it means to OWN your garden.
...like the Desert de Ritz... ;)
...may YOUR follies one day be as grand!
...cuz no one's getting back into Eden!
We're April Fools 24/7/365.
Cause the garden never was physical thing.
Then... you are ready for big war... yawn.
Next World War
And who said it to you? Jews? ;-p
Nope
Yeah.
Cause Old Testament not written on the base of Torab.)))))
You are hilariously stupid, dude.)))
\\Mortality?
You know my answer to it, isn't you?
That our mortality is *direct* result of technology called Evolution, which doesn't care.
And our inability to create *better* tech == because we too stupid(and do not want to part up with it)
Genes don't care. Just look at what "altruism" is doing to the woke liberals...
Altruism is for your own gene pool, not someone else's...
...and tech is like adding "external genes" exploitable as cybernetics ;)
On the opera from Grok...
Each tale mirrors Lem's originals but incorporates operatic twists, such as amplified absurdity through choral interjections and balletic sequences that visualize mechanical folly. The chorus often amplifies the satire, echoing the machines' voices in polyphonic chaos, while ballet scenes depict the tales' surreal elements, like dream-induced orgies or glitch-ridden rescues. In the finale, these narratives converge back to the frame story, resolving in a philosophical meditation where Trull realizes that wisdom, not endless innovation, offers true salvation—tying the nested structure into a unified critique of cybernetic utopianis.
Yeah...anthropomorphic hubris is the real obstacle.
We'll always be too stupid to make the right "tech" decisions.
Can I bring a rake for my post-apocalyptic Zen rock garden? les will bring the rocks...
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