Hubris from Revelation: the Social Engineering of Ultimate Truths [Monday, Period 3]

[atreideslioness]

It was another Monday, the start of another semester, and Ghanima was sitting on a table as the students filed in, feet swinging slightly as she waited. As per what had become her usual standard, all desks had been banished from her classroom, in favor of divans, large cushions, and a variety of low tables with coffee and tea services scattered around.

The moment the bell rang, her eyes snapped from the door to the children seated around the room. "Good afternoon and welcome," she said in a clear voice that carried effortlessly. "This is Hubris from Revelation, and I am Lady Ghanima Atreides. Those of you have not taken one of my classes before may address me as Lady Ghanima, Miss Ghanima, or some variation thereof. Preferably not Lady Atreides as that is technically my grandmother, but I will answer to it if you are not comfortable with another title."

"I would apologize for missing last week, except I do not feel bad about it, because I was at home and I lost track of what days this world considers holiday or not."

"If you are in the wrong class, please feel free to leave at this time. For those of you whom I have had in class before," she smiled suddenly, looking far less severe. "Welcome back."

"First, we will start by defining religion, or at least attempting to," Ghanima said, grinning. "A religion is an organized approach to human spirituality which usually encompasses a set of narratives, symbols, beliefs and practices, often with a supernatural or transcendent quality, that give meaning to the practitioner's experiences of life through reference to a higher power, God or gods, or ultimate truth. It may be expressed through prayer, ritual, meditation, music and art, among other things. It may focus on specific supernatural, metaphysical, and moral claims about reality, the cosmos and/or human nature, which may yield a set of religious laws, ethics, and a particular lifestyle. Religion also encompasses ancestral or cultural traditions, writings, history, and mythology, as well as personal faith and religious experience."

"For this class, will be be looking at some of the religions of this planet and time period, since trying to incorporate every religion of every universe is a bit daunting, even for me."

"Now, since most religions do believe in some sort of divine being, today we're putting your fate, and faith, in whatever god or gods you may worship," she said, returning to her desk and holding up a bronze bowl. "Those of you who would like to be a TA please put your name in here by the end of class today. But first, I see new faces."

"So why don't we do the usual first-day introductions? Thrilling, I know, but necessary for our new students. I would like your name, class, and what, if any, religion you follow and why. We don't need a theological lecture, even something as simple as 'I like it' would suffice just fine."

Comments

Sign-In

[atreideslioness]

Devotedly!

Re: Sign-In

[white_oleander]

Astrid Magnussen

Re: Sign-In

[unusual_sith]

Lana Beniko

Re: Sign-In

[onefootoutthedoor]

Peebee

Re: Sign-In

[midichlorianfail]

Theron Shan

Re: Sign-In

[revengenotebook]

Paris Geller

During the Lecture

[atreideslioness]

Take notes, pass notes, wonder what you've gotten yourself into...

Re: During the Lecture

[unusual_sith]

Lana shrugged and put her name into the bowl. She was curious where it might lead.

Introductions & Discussion

[atreideslioness]

"I suppose it's only fair that I go first," Ghanima continued. "My family has a rather...unusual relationship with religion. My father was revered as the Lisan al-Gaib, the Mahdi, a savior-figure out of religious legend, who swept across the known universe with jihad and brought it to its knees and became Emperor. My aunt Alia was his high priestess and was viewed as a living goddess because of her gifts. My grandmother and step-mother were both trained by the Bene Gesserit, a key social, religious and political force in my universe. Politics and religion are so tightly entwined in the Imperium at this point, that it may be impossible to separate the two completely."

"I myself do not follow any of the faiths of the Imperium religiously as a result, for I find it hard to have faith in that which I can manipulate. I do, however, follow some of the spiritual traditions of my mother's people, as they have a special place in my heart, even if I do not completely share their faith."

"Next."

[Feel free to tag off each other and chat. Ghanima wants to promote curiosity today.]

Re: Introductions & Discussion

[unusual_sith]

Lana nodded when it was her turn. "Lady Ghanima. I'm Lana Beniko. I suppose Sith would be considered my religion, though it isn't generally referred to that way. It's more a way of thinking and acting than a following of the divine. I come from the Sith Empire, and all Force-sensitive beings are brought to be trained as Sith." She thought about it. "I suppose I follow the Sith code because it works and I believe in it."

Re: Introductions & Discussion

[white_oleander]

And just as Astrid had suspected from the name of the class, this had her mother's fingerprints all over it.

"I'm Astrid Magnussen," she said, when her turn came up, nodding slightly and half-tempted to add that she was also a fat stupid cow. "I'm a freshman. Raised an atheist, but my mom liked to study a lot of the Eastern religions, especially Buddhism. Hinduism. Zoroastrianism."

And while Astrid threw that last one in there mostly facetiously, it was also not untrue.

Talk to Ghanima

[atreideslioness]

She's around, both before and after class.

ooc

[atreideslioness]

I was confused last week as to what day it was. Oops. SORREE!!!!