On Wed, 03 Oct 2007 23:07:32 +0100, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: >George Neuner wrote: >> Symbolism over substance has become the mantra >> of the young. > >"Symbolism: The practice of representing things by means of symbols or >of attributing symbolic meanings or significance to objects, events, or >relationships." > >One might even suggest that all written language is based on the use of >words as symbols. > >"Substance: (2) > a. Essential nature; essence. > b. Gist; heart." > >"Mantra: A sacred verbal formula repeated in prayer, meditation, or >incantation, such as an invocation of a god, a magic spell, or a >syllable or portion of scripture containing mystical potentialities." > >Perhaps the young people you're referring to are not the same young >people that I know, because I've never even heard of a religion whose >object of reverence is meta-level analysis of language.
The Christian Bible says "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John 1:1. Theologians and philosophers have been writing about it for quite a few centuries. Or, how about politics? Another example from the Judeo-Christian Bible (that is, from the Old Testament), politicking was the sin that resulted in Lucifer's fall from God's grace. [Yeah, I know the official story is that Lucifer's sin was envy. Trust me ... I was there. God didn't have a clue until Lucifer went and organized the rally to protest God's policy on human souls (back then God trusted his angels and was not in the habit of reading their minds). He didn't find out that Lucifer was behind the protests until after Michael's police units had put down the riots. When it was all over, God didn't care that Lucifer had been envious or prideful or lustful ... He was simply pissed that Lucifer had protested His policies. Shortly after He outlawed beer in Heaven because many of the rioters had been drunk. Then He started a program of wire-tapping without warrants to spy on innocent angels. I was ready to leave when He closed the pubs, the illegal wire-taps just clinched it.] >Tell me, do you know what "hyperbole" means? Yes I do. George -- for email reply remove "/" from address -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
