Some thoughts

[wicked_danu]

I might be working at the EdUKEx [Education UK Exhibition] at the end of this month. It's organized by the British Council. Hoorah!

Mr Paul gave us a free period today. The last period was his, but since we begged so much, he didn't teach anything. We're such lazy schmucks.

During and after iftar, I was watching this documentary sort of thing on

Comments

[layla1188]

Aw, man! Eid won't start for us until the 3rd or 4th, depending on when the moon decides to show itself.

So...what religious arguments did you have THIS time?!? :-P

I remember when the shuttle explosion happened. :-( I'd just woken up on February 1st and was horrified to see it on the news. It reminded me of the Challenger explosion in January 1986, when I was 8 years old, and I remember that quite distinctly as well.

I was reading about the Israeli astronaut, Ilan Ramon, who was on the shuttle, and how he took with him a little Torah scroll that had survived the Holocaust into space. I remember reading how some people were bringing up the story in the Midrash of the rabbi put to death by the Romans for studying and teaching the Torah: they wrapped a Torah scroll around him and set him on fire. One of his students approached and asked, "Rabbi, what is it that you see at this terrible moment?" . . .to which the Rabbi replied, "I see that the parchment is burning, but the Holy Letters, are wafting up to Heaven, intact." :-(

[wicked_danu]

Eid's on Thursday here.. but my mom's celebrating a day earlier because the Bohris go by a set calendar and stick their tongues out to the moon

[layla1188]

They actually flagellate themselves on Laylat al-Qadr? *boggles* Then again, standing for 1 1/2 hours of Taraweeh prayers could be considered self-flagellation...

[wicked_danu]

Bohris flagellate themselves [do the rhythmic maatam] at any given occasion.. they're crazy about it. Sometimes they use weapons like swords and chains to hit themselves. It's a big bloody mess.

[layla1188]

Well, I've heard about the Ashura flagellations, but I guess they just like to do it all the time. Sounds a bit like (some) Catholics, don't you think?

[wicked_danu]

I dunno, I haven't seen any Catholics flagellate themselves. But yeah, they do it all the time.

[layla1188]

I've seen footage of some Catholics in the Philippines CRUCIFY THEMSELVES during Good Friday, right before Easter. Of course they take them down before they die, but jeez. Then there's a long tradition of self-flagellation and punishing yourself in medieval Catholicism, like wearing crowns of thorns, hair shirts, and so on. Plus some of those crucifixes are brightly colored and very gory, and tales of the martyrs are widely told, along with long descriptions of their tortures. All of this USED to be more common than it is now, but still. That's why Shi'a kinda remind me of Catholics, or vice versa!

[wicked_danu]

I do remember reading about some really devout Christians who crucified themselves or carried replicas of Jesus' cross for long distances, to go through what Jesus underwent. Some people even drank poison and survived.. trying to prove that there was truth in the miracles mentioned in the Christian Bible.