Ghanima Atreides (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
atreideslioness) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomhigh2019-01-14 12:06 pm
atreideslioness) wrote in fandomhigh2019-01-14 12:06 pm
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Hubris from Revelation: the Social Engineering of Ultimate Truths [Monday, Period 3]
Ghanima was sitting seiza on one of the cushions, completely absorbed in her book. But the moment that everyone was seated, she snapped to attention.
"Like the definition of religion, the construction of religious history is a task fraught with ideological implications," Ghanima said crisply, setting her text aside and getting up to wander the room. "Early studies of religions were often written to imply that the author's own religion was the most accurate. Even in a secular history, to imply that religion "progresses" towards better understanding of reality makes a value judgment about past religions; likewise, to consider religion an essentially social construction with no transcendent meaning denies the claims of every religious authority."
"It is important to note that here is no time or place in human history where religious movements are not being founded, and religious practice is not merely a matter of founding prophets but also of local traditions and reforms. There is not even a single era when the Abrahamic religions were developed; the Jewish prophets lived some centuries before Jesus, Muhammad came six centuries after him, and Bahá'u'lláh founded the Bahá'í Faith over a millennium later."
"Religion was the dominant ideology behind many conflicts of the Middle Ages. Muslims were in conflict with Zoroastrians during the Islamic conquest of Persia; Christians were in conflict with Muslims during the Byzantine-Arab Wars, Crusades, Spanish Reconquista and Ottoman wars in Europe; Christians were in conflict with Jews during the Crusades, Reconquista and Inquisition; Shamans were in conflict with Buddhists, Taoists, Muslims and Christians during the Mongol invasions; and Muslims were in conflict with Hindus during Muslim conquest in the Indian subcontinent."
"European colonization during the 15th to 19th centuries resulted in the spread of Christianity to Sub-Saharan Africa, the Americas, Australia and the Philippines. The 18th century saw the beginning of secularization in Europe, rising to notability in the wake of the French Revolution. By the 20th century, religion was no longer -- usually -- the dominant ideological force behind international wars, but had generally been unseated by political ideals such as democracy and communism. However, it is still a driving factor in regional conflicts, especially in areas where a minority religion has a natural resource that the majority desires. Unfortunately, however, 'because our religion is the right one and they are bad and wrong' has been creeping back into international conflicts in a more obvious manner with current US policy."
"You may be asking, 'why is this important?' After all, isn't this a class about religions? What does the politics matter?" Ghanima continued wander, gesturing as she spoke. "To understand a religion, you cannot simply accept the theological and mythical history of it. You must understand how it was shaped, what shaped it, and how it influenced the world around it. A religion is not a thing set in stone, but a living, breathing, creation. One which must be carefully tended and raised, least it all prey to those around it."
"To you, this may sound misanthropic at best. After all, isn't religion about divine revelation? To the lay-person, yes, of course, it may well be. But it is also a method of validation, of control, of imposing something upon the surroundings, and attempting to force the world to fit the mold created for it."
"And believe me when I say that the use of religion as a weapon and a tool for control is not an obscure idea. I possess the training of the Bene Gesserit; a key social, religious and political force in my universe. The Bene Gesserit have chosen to use indirect methodologies to further their goals, rather than wield overt power themselves. They have noted the Taoist principle that whatever rises must fall; and so rather than taking direct control of the human race, instead manipulate the social and political order with subtlety and insinuation, often using extraordinarily long-term stratagems spanning generations."
"One method that the Sisterhood practices "religious engineering" is through a faction called the Missionaria Protectiva, which spreads contrived myths, prophecies and superstition among the populations of the Empire. A Bene Gesserit may then later take advantage of the prophecies, casting herself as a guide, protector, or some other figure in fulfillment of the prophecy, in order to manipulate the religious subjects for protection or other purposes. These myths also exploit religion as a powerful force in human society; by controlling the particulars of religion, the Bene Gesserit have a manipulative lever on society in general," she said calmly. "It is not something done lightly, but it is done often and efficiently. Entire planets have had their philosophies re-engineered to suit the desires of the Sisterhood, with no one the wiser. This can take years, decades, even centuries, but the Sisterhood can afford to be patient, so long as it serves their purpose."
"Your activity for today is to take a religion that you are familiar with, and look at it with a critical eye. Who benefits from its laws? Who does not? How could you leverage it to your own advantage if you were stuck somewhere with no money and no allies? If you would like to pair up with a friend or two, please feel free, or you may work on your own."
"And the gods of fortune have struck; Miss Beniko. I have a key to the TA lounge for you."
"Like the definition of religion, the construction of religious history is a task fraught with ideological implications," Ghanima said crisply, setting her text aside and getting up to wander the room. "Early studies of religions were often written to imply that the author's own religion was the most accurate. Even in a secular history, to imply that religion "progresses" towards better understanding of reality makes a value judgment about past religions; likewise, to consider religion an essentially social construction with no transcendent meaning denies the claims of every religious authority."
"It is important to note that here is no time or place in human history where religious movements are not being founded, and religious practice is not merely a matter of founding prophets but also of local traditions and reforms. There is not even a single era when the Abrahamic religions were developed; the Jewish prophets lived some centuries before Jesus, Muhammad came six centuries after him, and Bahá'u'lláh founded the Bahá'í Faith over a millennium later."
"Religion was the dominant ideology behind many conflicts of the Middle Ages. Muslims were in conflict with Zoroastrians during the Islamic conquest of Persia; Christians were in conflict with Muslims during the Byzantine-Arab Wars, Crusades, Spanish Reconquista and Ottoman wars in Europe; Christians were in conflict with Jews during the Crusades, Reconquista and Inquisition; Shamans were in conflict with Buddhists, Taoists, Muslims and Christians during the Mongol invasions; and Muslims were in conflict with Hindus during Muslim conquest in the Indian subcontinent."
"European colonization during the 15th to 19th centuries resulted in the spread of Christianity to Sub-Saharan Africa, the Americas, Australia and the Philippines. The 18th century saw the beginning of secularization in Europe, rising to notability in the wake of the French Revolution. By the 20th century, religion was no longer -- usually -- the dominant ideological force behind international wars, but had generally been unseated by political ideals such as democracy and communism. However, it is still a driving factor in regional conflicts, especially in areas where a minority religion has a natural resource that the majority desires. Unfortunately, however, 'because our religion is the right one and they are bad and wrong' has been creeping back into international conflicts in a more obvious manner with current US policy."
"You may be asking, 'why is this important?' After all, isn't this a class about religions? What does the politics matter?" Ghanima continued wander, gesturing as she spoke. "To understand a religion, you cannot simply accept the theological and mythical history of it. You must understand how it was shaped, what shaped it, and how it influenced the world around it. A religion is not a thing set in stone, but a living, breathing, creation. One which must be carefully tended and raised, least it all prey to those around it."
"To you, this may sound misanthropic at best. After all, isn't religion about divine revelation? To the lay-person, yes, of course, it may well be. But it is also a method of validation, of control, of imposing something upon the surroundings, and attempting to force the world to fit the mold created for it."
"And believe me when I say that the use of religion as a weapon and a tool for control is not an obscure idea. I possess the training of the Bene Gesserit; a key social, religious and political force in my universe. The Bene Gesserit have chosen to use indirect methodologies to further their goals, rather than wield overt power themselves. They have noted the Taoist principle that whatever rises must fall; and so rather than taking direct control of the human race, instead manipulate the social and political order with subtlety and insinuation, often using extraordinarily long-term stratagems spanning generations."
"One method that the Sisterhood practices "religious engineering" is through a faction called the Missionaria Protectiva, which spreads contrived myths, prophecies and superstition among the populations of the Empire. A Bene Gesserit may then later take advantage of the prophecies, casting herself as a guide, protector, or some other figure in fulfillment of the prophecy, in order to manipulate the religious subjects for protection or other purposes. These myths also exploit religion as a powerful force in human society; by controlling the particulars of religion, the Bene Gesserit have a manipulative lever on society in general," she said calmly. "It is not something done lightly, but it is done often and efficiently. Entire planets have had their philosophies re-engineered to suit the desires of the Sisterhood, with no one the wiser. This can take years, decades, even centuries, but the Sisterhood can afford to be patient, so long as it serves their purpose."
"Your activity for today is to take a religion that you are familiar with, and look at it with a critical eye. Who benefits from its laws? Who does not? How could you leverage it to your own advantage if you were stuck somewhere with no money and no allies? If you would like to pair up with a friend or two, please feel free, or you may work on your own."
"And the gods of fortune have struck; Miss Beniko. I have a key to the TA lounge for you."
Sign-In
Re: Sign-In
Re: Sign-In
Re: Sign-In
Re: Sign-In
Re: Sign-In
Re: Sign-In
During the Lecture
Re: During the Lecture
Discussion
Re: Discussion
Talk to the TA
Re: Talk to the TA
Talk to Ghanima
Re: Talk to Ghanima
Re: Talk to Ghanima
"I would, perhaps, say that their goals are multifaceted, but for the longest time their main goal was their breeding program. The Bene Gesserit can access the inner lives of all their female ancestors, which makes them excellent long-range planners and able to see patterns in time. While the breeding program started out as a way to improve upon their own telekinetic and telepathic abilities, it evolved to create a male who could access both the female and male lines of genetic memory, and also see the future. They would then present that male as a messiah figure, and thus control the Known Universe through him."
"They wished to ensure that never again would humanity face an extinction-level event, and the best way to make that happen is to control the future."
Re: Talk to Ghanima
Re: Talk to Ghanima
"To become a Reverend Mother, you must undergo the Spice Agony," she continued, "--which opens up your Other Memory, the genetic imprints of all your female ancestors. When they are also Bene Gesserit... well, you can see how breaking away from your training can become difficult. It literally becomes part of your genetic structure. A male, with so many obedient Bene Gesserit female ancestors in his Other Memory and raised to obey and believe the Sisterhood, would most likely be amenable and easy to control."
Re: Talk to Ghanima
"There are other probabilities, though," Lana protested. "They can't control every being in the galaxy, can they?"
Re: Talk to Ghanima
You don't like her because she understands power, and you never did, Ghanima replied silently, to Chani's uproarious laughter, before drawing the curtain between herself and her Other Memory. Her great-grandmother could sit and stew silently for a bit, forced to silently watch as Ghanima laid bare the Sisterhood's secrets to a girl (with powers) beyond their control.
"Every single nobleman in the Known Universe had a Bene Gesserit bride, or one taught by them, for thousands of years," Ghanima said dryly. "Every noble house was under their sway, one way or another. A Bene Gesserit can control her body on a molecular level, including influencing the gender of their offspring. Any child that was not acceptable was killed discreetly. They had enough control to prevent the Emperor from ever having a male child, legal or by-blow, and to force him to agree to name one of his daughters as heir. It worked well enough, until the final stages."
"Then, well, when you have a woman of suitable genetic material to be the grandmother of your messiah, you really ought not be shocked when she's intelligent and willful enough to decide she'll follow your orders, just... later. And you get a boy child with almost the perfect genetic template for what you wanted a generation early, instead of the girl you intended to breed to create the finished product. And completely outside your control..."
Because when she was younger, Jessica would have tried the Voice on God, were she given the chance, and expected to win.
"Do not mistake me, they are still dangerous, and plotting, even with their breeding program now under my brother's control. But they have their uses, when it comes to shaping the future."
Re: Talk to Ghanima
ooc