religion

October 29, 2004 10:46 AM

Life is hard and then you die.
posted by semmi (18 comments total)

"18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war; but one sinner destroyeth much good."

I offer this as man made literature.
posted by semmi at 10:49 AM on October 29, 2004

up all night drinking again semmi?
posted by quonsar at 10:52 AM on October 29, 2004

Great bulwarks.
posted by Pretty_Generic at 10:58 AM on October 29, 2004

I absolutely love the Japanese. They’re creative, lyrical, analytical, polite, and at semi-regular intervals, completely insane. Take for example “Wonderful Shot,” a time delay camera you stick on a dog’s collar. Your dog just wears it around, and eveery now and then, it takes a picture. Then you come home, download the photos, and wonder at a dog’e eye view. “Hmm… dog scrotum… so that’s what the underside of the couch looks like… ”
posted by Perigee at 11:03 AM on October 29, 2004

Highlights:

"madness is in their heart while they live"
Self diagnosed mental disorders: good stuff for the dust jacket.

"Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no oil. "
It's a popular fundamentalist lunacy to take as the word of God only the parts of the bible they like. I, for one, welcome our new fashion overlords.

"The words of the wise spoken in quiet are more acceptable than the cry of a ruler among fools."
This wisdom is clearly at least 2000 B.T. (Before Television)
posted by ewkpates at 11:07 AM on October 29, 2004

Come down from your pulpit and GYOB.
posted by mkultra at 11:09 AM on October 29, 2004

I always liked A Rose for Ecclesiastes, which was a story by Roger Zelazny about this linguist who goes to an alien planet to learn their language, and preserve it because they are all going to commit suicide. Or something. Then he translates the book of Ecclesiastes into their language and reads it to them. I don't remember it well enough to describe it, I guess. But I say unto you it was rad.
posted by Hildago at 11:09 AM on October 29, 2004 [1 favorite]

"the race may not always be to the swift, or the battle to the strong, but that's sure the way to bet"

-- damon runyon
posted by pyramid termite at 11:11 AM on October 29, 2004

"Life is hard and so am I
you better give me something
so I dont die
Novocaine for the soul
before I sputter out
Life is white and I am black
Jesus and his lawyer
are coming back"

eels, Novocaine for the Soul
posted by yerfatma at 11:25 AM on October 29, 2004

Ecclesiastes, the freaky existential step child poet of the Old Testament, has always been a personal favorite. I'm continually amazed that it made it into the final edit.
posted by gwint at 11:29 AM on October 29, 2004

The link is, incidentally, to the best Hebrew-English Tanakh/Bible out there on the internets.
posted by Zurishaddai at 11:33 AM on October 29, 2004

Greatest book ever written (should be read in conjunction with 2nd greatest: Matthew). Also inspired greatest Bible-based song ever written by an atheist, "Turn, Turn, Turn" (Pete Seeger), which inspired the greatest single of the 1960s, the Byrds version of "Turn, Turn, Turn," which was produced by Terry Melcher, who was the previous owner of the house occupied by Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski, in which the notorious Charles Manson killings were carried out -- and who was the actual target of "the Family's" murderous intent (they didn't know he'd moved).
posted by Faze at 11:35 AM on October 29, 2004

The bible says no life after death:

"...there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest."
posted by eperker at 11:48 AM on October 29, 2004

semmi probably thinks it's a self-link.
posted by oaf at 11:59 AM on October 29, 2004

Foil, n. : anything that serves by contrast to call attention to another thing's good qualities

The author doesn't mean for most of the book to be conclusive wisdom.
posted by aaronshaf at 11:59 AM on October 29, 2004

Thanks a lot, semmi. I'll take pie in the sky when I die for 12, please.

I was actually thinking the other day about Ursula Le Guin's The Farthest Shore. The villain is a man named Cob who goes about Earthsea spreading a gospel of life after death, and in doing so causes the whole spiritual cloth of the place to unravel. Healing comes when death is accepted as the end... really The End. There's this fantastic description of the land of the dead through which the heroes must travel, where 'those who had died for love passed each other in the streets'. As this is supposedly a children's book, it never struck my until recently just what an indictment of Christian doctrine the book is.

In other news, the new dsl plan my isp sold me on is supposed to be ten times faster, but dang if I can see a difference.
posted by jokeefe at 12:02 PM on October 29, 2004

You can read A Rose for Eccclesiastes here.
posted by daHIFI at 12:04 PM on October 29, 2004

That's why many Jews don't believe in Heaven/Hell, eperker.

Ecclesiastes is really good, and has had more lasting impact than the other parts, i think.
posted by amberglow at 12:04 PM on October 29, 2004