Feels seen. But I disagree with the contention that atheists dismiss God like Santa Claus. Many do spend considerable time pondering concepts like the incarnate word of god, or at least deserve credit for knowing religious texts better than believers. I don't really consider myself among the latter, but it's funny how often it is proved otherwise.
Agreed: that’s not what I’m referring to. With the analogy I only meant to clarify that they’re referring, *linguistically*, to a being they believe does not exist. I could’ve used a movie character etc. If I diss Santa by saying he ought to trim his beard I don’t think I’m actually insulting a person. Even if Santa does (God forbid!) happen to exist, I’ve not been referring to him really. Similarly for an atheist “blaspheming” God. That’s all the analogy was for. Maybe the choice of Santa is distracting though as it has other associations to do with belief.
Tzaraat is so fascinating, enjoying this read of it. There are two references in gaming to it that I've found interesting before:
1. In Disco Elysium lore, the "Antecentennial revolution," an attempted communist world revolt, is blamed by some historians on "a pandemic of tzaraat, a particularly virulent prion disease, which the authorities in Graad proved unable to contain." Which is I think a funny "communist mind control" joke and reference to material crises being taken advantage of/laying the ground for irl revolutions, but also to the "stickiness" of the "infection" (which was suppressed with overwhelming firepower).
2. In Pathologic, as districts becoming "infected" houses start to literally scab over (seemingly diegetically). I actually haven't found anyone analyzing the use of tzaraath imagery in the game but it was the first thing I thought of when I first read about the Biblical concept.
In either case, it occurs to me now that you could see the metaphorical tzaraat as almost an anti-infection - because its presence forces fastidious and total treatment, it's almost purifying in an accelerationist kinda way. But now I'm rambling far from your point (unless there's someone framing the presence of atheists as itself a plague!)
Wow, I did not realise pop culture had taken to tzaraat! Everyone’s allegedly least fav Torah portion does apparently have some appeal. And I agree that in a paradoxical way it ends purifying, especially if taken as a metaphor for other things called “houses.” I do wonder how many people would rather try to deal with the tzaraat in secret (if it’s only on the home’s interior) than tell the priest.
This is awesome, thanks for the Disco reference. I was wondering where I knew tzaraat from and now I think it is both Disco and historical articles on the origin of leprosy.
Feels seen. But I disagree with the contention that atheists dismiss God like Santa Claus. Many do spend considerable time pondering concepts like the incarnate word of god, or at least deserve credit for knowing religious texts better than believers. I don't really consider myself among the latter, but it's funny how often it is proved otherwise.
Agreed: that’s not what I’m referring to. With the analogy I only meant to clarify that they’re referring, *linguistically*, to a being they believe does not exist. I could’ve used a movie character etc. If I diss Santa by saying he ought to trim his beard I don’t think I’m actually insulting a person. Even if Santa does (God forbid!) happen to exist, I’ve not been referring to him really. Similarly for an atheist “blaspheming” God. That’s all the analogy was for. Maybe the choice of Santa is distracting though as it has other associations to do with belief.
Tzaraat is so fascinating, enjoying this read of it. There are two references in gaming to it that I've found interesting before:
1. In Disco Elysium lore, the "Antecentennial revolution," an attempted communist world revolt, is blamed by some historians on "a pandemic of tzaraat, a particularly virulent prion disease, which the authorities in Graad proved unable to contain." Which is I think a funny "communist mind control" joke and reference to material crises being taken advantage of/laying the ground for irl revolutions, but also to the "stickiness" of the "infection" (which was suppressed with overwhelming firepower).
2. In Pathologic, as districts becoming "infected" houses start to literally scab over (seemingly diegetically). I actually haven't found anyone analyzing the use of tzaraath imagery in the game but it was the first thing I thought of when I first read about the Biblical concept.
In either case, it occurs to me now that you could see the metaphorical tzaraat as almost an anti-infection - because its presence forces fastidious and total treatment, it's almost purifying in an accelerationist kinda way. But now I'm rambling far from your point (unless there's someone framing the presence of atheists as itself a plague!)
Wow, I did not realise pop culture had taken to tzaraat! Everyone’s allegedly least fav Torah portion does apparently have some appeal. And I agree that in a paradoxical way it ends purifying, especially if taken as a metaphor for other things called “houses.” I do wonder how many people would rather try to deal with the tzaraat in secret (if it’s only on the home’s interior) than tell the priest.
which ofc is exactly what leads to its "stickiness"
*sigh* FINE I'll tell my therapist about it...
This is awesome, thanks for the Disco reference. I was wondering where I knew tzaraat from and now I think it is both Disco and historical articles on the origin of leprosy.