World Religions, Wednesday, 2nd Period [11/22]

[preacher-custer.livejournal.com]

One might wonder why the religion teacher has a busted lip and what looks to be the beginning of a black eye. From the forbidding look on said religion teacher's face, one might want to keep one's questions to oneself on that particular matter.

Jesse is awake. He has no coffee. He doesn't have his feet propped on his desk, and there are no handouts to go with today's class.

Instead he watches the class file in, and stands up when everyone is settled in.

"Mornin'. So, tomorrow's Turkey Day. If you're an American, you know it's a secular celebration of food. They'll tell you in grade school that it's somethin' else. Honoring the pilgrims and all that happy horseshit.

"It's about the food."

He rests his hip against his desk and tousles his already tousled hair. "Since I've already shot the syllabus to shit, and I've had a long coupla weeks, we're gonna throw it out for now. I'll save Christianity for near the end, when we're comin' up on one of the religion's big days.

"Instead, what I want you to do today is to think waaaay back to the beginnin' of the year when y'all made up your own religions and tried to sell your buddy on it.

"Today you're gonna come up with a high holy day for your religion. Food? The first grape stompin' of the year? Holy day of the great beatdown? I want your holy day, how it's celebrated, what colors, sacred items, or clothes are associated with it. You can do that with someone and I'll come by and listen in, or you can do it on your own and give me a report, your choice.

"There's a point to this. Really."

Comments

Re: Class Activity

[nadiathesaint]

"That's what religions are for! They divide up the power, and the person who made it gets all the power and the people who follow it are the person who made it's pawns, and it's like world domination only more subtle."

Re: Class Activity

[sogothcally.livejournal.com]

"And... dumb," Cally said.

Re: Class Activity

[nadiathesaint]

"Oh come on. People like to be told what to do. That's why we have governments and cultural rules and religions and all the other social institutions that give us rules."

Re: Class Activity

[sogothcally.livejournal.com]

"But oppression is bad," Cally said. "Really, really bad."

Re: Class Activity

[preacher-custer.livejournal.com]

Jesse had been listening in on his students' exchanges and had to interject on this one. "Yeah. Religion's oppressive. God wants you to love him and then sets you up in a universe that's filled with reasons to hate him. What are you gonna do about it?"

Re: Class Activity

[nadiathesaint]

Nadia blinked, surprised to hear that Jesse agreed with her. "Well, there are two ways to go, I guess. You could let other people know so that they can decide for themselves whether they want to be oppressed by it, or not, or you could monopolize on it."

Re: Class Activity

[sogothcally.livejournal.com]

Cally blinked at Nadia.

"Please tell me you wouldn't monopolize on it."

Re: Class Activity

[nadiathesaint]

Nadia shrugged. "I'm just saying what you could do. I haven't said that I've decided or anything."

Re: Class Activity

[sogothcally.livejournal.com]

"...It's an up in the air issue?"

Re: Class Activity

[nadiathesaint]

"Hey, you can get a lot of good done when you manipulate people. . . ."

Re: Class Activity

[sogothcally.livejournal.com]

Cally stared at Nadia.

Re: Class Activity

[nadiathesaint]

"What?"

Re: Class Activity

[sogothcally.livejournal.com]

"You think it's okay to manipulate people?"

Re: Class Activity

[nadiathesaint]

"If you're doing something good, yeah. Why not?"

Re: Class Activity

[sogothcally.livejournal.com]

"Because it's manipulating people?" Cally said.

Re: Class Activity

[sogothcally.livejournal.com]

"Well, that'd require believing in one god," Cally said. "Which I don't?"

Re: Class Activity

[preacher-custer.livejournal.com]

"So a bunch of gods are less oppressive than one god?" Jesse challenged, smirking slightly. Let's see if she remembered anything he'd taught in this class.

Re: Class Activity

[sogothcally.livejournal.com]

"Well, it's like having a parliament instead of a dictator," Cally said. "Not neccessarily better, but it seems nicer?"

Re: Class Activity

[preacher-custer.livejournal.com]

Jesse shook his head. "There's always one in charge. You got the one whose ass all the other gods end up kissin'. So then he's got gods kissing his ass and you know how he's going to treat us lowly humans. Read your Greek myths and have a look at Zeus, that horndog. You know what they say about absolute power."

Re: Class Activity

[sogothcally.livejournal.com]

"It's fun and comes with free beverages?" Cally joked.

Re: Class Activity

[preacher-custer.livejournal.com]

Jesse raised an eyebrow. "What would you do if anyone had to do anything you said as though God himself had said it?"

Re: Class Activity

[sogothcally.livejournal.com]

"I'd be very very careful what I said," Cally said. "Because you gotta pick your words careful, and you don't want to make anyone do anything wrong... heck, you don't wanna make most people do anything against their will."

Re: Class Activity

[preacher-custer.livejournal.com]

"Might be hope for some kids yet," Jesse said approvingly. "So you'd never want to use it to get a kiss you've always wanted or make someone stand on his head for shits 'n' giggles?"

Re: Class Activity

[sogothcally.livejournal.com]

"Okay, making someone kiss you is kinda... no. Against their will? That's really, really wrong," Cally said. "Plus, like, the person I want to kiss all I have to do is ask, anyhows."

Re: Class Activity

[preacher-custer.livejournal.com]

"But makin' someone stand on their head's okay?"