Re: Ritual | Forum — The Modern Antiquarian

PeterH Jan 13, 2006 22:01:15

Replying to gyrus

So I'm a "pedant" now simply because I have taken the trouble to try to understand what you mean when using a word that I do not use.

You misunderstand me when you say that my concern with the sacred is about "being above criticism".

Perhaps I can make my view clear now - not that it is of the slightest importance to you, Paulus or anyone else.

I can say that the most important and precious thing in my life is the life of my child.

I cannot say that the life of my child is sacred.

I could only say that the life of my child is sacred if I were to dedicate or appropriate it to a God of a religion that I believed in.

If you separate the word "sacred" from religion then you are mis-using it. Ditto "numinous" . That is up to you, but it doesn't take a pedant to say that if you are careless about the meanings of words, no one will understand you.

morfe Jan 13, 2006 22:09:18

Replying to PeterH

numinous

/nyoominss/

• adjective having a strong religious or spiritual quality.

— ORIGIN from Latin numen

Maybe, Peter, you detach personal 'spirituality' from 'organised religion', and henceforth personally object to the word 'sacred' being used by someone who you deem (by your standards) irreligious or 'without meaning'?

Is that possible?

gyrus Jan 13, 2006 22:28:05

Replying to PeterH

There's a lot of complexity here, and I completely appreciate your point about "misuse" of words that are traditionally associated with religion. However, it's a bit redundant to point out that more and more people today are grappling with the realms of experience traditionally bound to religion, but outside of a religious context. There's going to be a lot of overlaps and misunderstanding here as we try to find new language - or new configurations of old language - to express this.

In the end, the immediate context here is that we're discussing things on a forum set up by Julian Cope - and I thought there would be a little more leeway for non-religious use of religious language than is usual in the mainstream. If we can't talk about it here, where can we?