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Politics : Ask Michael Burke -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Knighty Tin who wrote (69866)	11/1/1999 10:31:00 AM
From: Don Lloyd	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 132070

MB - well.com "...The typical mithraeum was a small rectangular subterranean chamber, on the order of 75 feet by 30 feet with a vaulted ceiling. An aisle usually ran lengthwise down the center of the temple, with a stone bench on either side two or three feet high on which the cult's members would recline during their meetings. On average a mithraeum could hold perhaps twenty to thirty people at a time. At the back of the mithraeum at the end of the aisle was always found a representation-- usually a carved relief but sometimes a statue or painting-- of the central icon of Mithraism: the so-called tauroctony or "bull-slaying scene" in which the god of the cult, Mithras, accompanied by a dog, a snake, a raven, and a scorpion, is shown in the act of killing a bull. Other parts of the temple were decorated with various scenes and figures. There were many hundreds-- perhaps thousands-- of Mithraic temples in the Roman empire. The greatest concentrations have been found in the city of Rome itself, and in those places in the empire (often in the most distant frontiers) where Roman soldiers-- who made up a major segment of the cult's membership-- were stationed..." "...This, I propose, is the origin and nature of Mithras the cosmic bull-slayer. His killing of the bull symbolizes his supreme power: namely, the power to move the entire universe, which he had demonstrated by shifting the cosmic sphere in such a way that the spring equinox had moved out of Taurus the Bull..." Some futilities are ageless. -g- Regards, Don

To: Knighty Tin who wrote (69866)	11/1/1999 3:57:00 PM
From: re3	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 132070

newsflash <vbg> MICROSOFT Bids to Acquire Catholic Church > >By Hank Vorjes > >VATICAN CITY (AP) -- In a joint press conference in St. Peter's Square >this morning, MICROSOFT Corp. and the Vatican announced that the >Redmond software giant will acquire the Roman Catholic Church in >exchange for an unspecified number of shares of MICROSOFT common stock. >If the deal goes through, it will be the first time a computer software >company has acquired a major world religion. > >With the acquisition, Pope John Paul II will become the senior >vice-president of the combined company's new Religious Software >Division, while MICROSOFT senior vice-presidents Michael Maples and >Steven Ballmer will be invested in the College of Cardinals, said >MICROSOFT Chairman Bill Gates. > >"We expect a lot of growth in the religious market in the next five to >ten years," said Gates. "The combined resources of MICROSOFT and the >Catholic Church will allow us to make religion easier and more fun for >a broader range of people." > >Through the MICROSOFT Network, the company's new on-line service, "we >will make the sacraments available on-line for the first time" and >revive the popular pre-Counter-Reformation practice of selling >indulgences, said Gates. "You can get Communion, confess your sins, >receive absolution -- even reduce your time in Purgatory -- all without >leaving your home." > >A new software application, MICROSOFT Church, will include a macro >language which you can program to download heavenly graces >automatically while you are away from your computer. > >An estimated 17,000 people attended the announcement in St Peter's >Square, watching on a 60-foot screen as comedian Don Novello -- in >character as Father Guido Sarducci -- hosted the event, which was >broadcast by satellite to 700 sites worldwide. > >Pope John Paul II said little during the announcement. When Novello >chided Gates, "Now I guess you get to wear one of these pointy hats," >the crowd roared, but the pontiff's smile seemed strained. > >The deal grants MICROSOFT exclusive electronic rights to the Bible and >the Vatican's prized art collection, which includes works by such >masters as Michelangelo and Da Vinci. But critics say MICROSOFT will >face stiff challenges if it attempts to limit competitors' access to >these key intellectual properties. > >"The Jewish people invented the look and feel of the holy scriptures," >said Rabbi David Gottschalk of Philadelphia. "You take the parting of >the Red Sea -- we had that thousands of years before the Catholics came >on the scene." > >But others argue that the Catholic and Jewish faiths both draw on a >common Abrahamic heritage. "The Catholic Church has just been more >successful in marketing it to a larger audience," notes Notre Dame >theologian Father Kenneth Madigan. Over the last 2,000 years, the >Catholic Church's market share has increased dramatically, while >Judaism, which was the first to offer many of the concepts now touted >by Christianity, lags behind. > >Historically, the Church has a reputation as an aggressive competitor, >leading crusades to pressure people to upgrade to Catholicism, and >entering into exclusive licensing arrangements in various kingdoms >whereby all subjects were instilled with Catholicism, whether or not >they planned to use it. Today Christianity is available from several >denominations, but the Catholic version is still the most widely used. >The Church's mission is to reach "the four corners of the earth," >echoing MICROSOFT's vision of "a computer on every desktop and in every >home". > >Gates described MICROSOFT's long-term strategy to develop a scalable >religious architecture that will support all religions through >emulation. A single core religion will be offered with a choice of >interfaces according to the religion desired -- "One religion, a couple >of different implementations," said Gates. > >The MICROSOFT move could spark a wave of mergers and acquisitions, >according to Herb Peters, a spokesman for the U.S. Southern Baptist >Conference, as other churches scramble to strengthen their position in >the increasingly competitive religious market. > >