Poe illustrates possible reason why fundamentalists dread Halloween.

[brainshrub]

Poe's "A Tell-Tale Heart" illustrates possible reason why fundamentalist Christians dread Halloween.

To gain insight into the subconscious reasons why fundamentalist Christians loathe Halloween, read Edgar Allan Poe's classic psychological thriller: The Tell-Tale Heart. The Tell-Tale Heart is the short story about a murderer who is tormented, and eventually exposed, by the the beating heart of the man he killed.

At the start of the story, Poe's character tries to explain why he was driven to his heinous crime:

"I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I think it was his eye! yes, it was this! He had the eye of a vulture --a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees --very gradually --I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever."

Just as the main character of Poe's tale grew to hate the eye of the old man, the medieval church grew to hate polytheistic views which competed with it's power. The animosity torward this nature-based worship eventually led Christians to murder every druid, wise-woman and heathen they could get their hands on. It was a genocide of such vast proportions, that it would not be matched again until Europeans started focusing their energies on killing Jews. So zealous was the church's desire to stamp out paganism, that they re-wrote the very symbology of the old religion so that the five-pointed star would be taken as a symbol of evil, instead of an insight into the divinity of man.

While at first it may seem like Christianity was able to get away with the mass murder of pagans, as Poe illustrates, sometimes our past actions have a way of catching up with us in unexpected ways. In The Tell-Tale Heart the murderer starts to hear the thumping of his dead victim's heart as he attempts to deceive police:

"No doubt I now grew very pale; --but I talked more fluently, and with a heightened voice. Yet the sound increased --and what could I do? It was a low, dull, quick sound --much such a sound as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton. I gasped for breath --and yet the officers heard it not. I talked more quickly --more vehemently; but the noise steadily increased. I arose and argued about trifles, in a high key and with violent gesticulations; but the noise steadily increased."

To the fundamentalist's mind, the celebration and acceptance of Halloween by the popular culture is like hearing the still-beating heart of your victim under the floorboards. Where you or I see an innocent little girl dressed like a witch asking for candy on Halloween night; To the radical Christian's perspective, this is akin to having the man you murdered knock on your door once a year and demand recognition.

Such a blatant reminder is to much to bear! The main character in Poe's short story was driven to confession despite his best efforts at being nonchalant:

""Villains!" I shrieked, "dissemble no more! I admit the deed! --tear up the planks! here, here! --It is the beating of his hideous heart!""

Just as the murderer in The Tell-Tale Heart is driven by his own guilt and insanity to rip open the floor to show the authorities the heart of his victim, Christians now spend Halloween frothing at the mouth and warning their flocks about the "hidden" meanings of Halloween. In the old days, the church tried to hide the holiday by giving it a new name and dedicating it to a sanctioned saint; But the beating heart of the old-religion has forced the hand of the church.

No wonder fundamentalists dread Halloween so much! To radical Christians, this holiday subconsciously forces them to face up to their worst fears that someday another belief-system might do unto them what they did unto others.

If the traditions of the old religion are still strong enough to make people in a post-industrial, technologically advanced society carve pumpkins, it begs the question: What else can the old spirits still do?

Boo!

Happy Halloween!

www.brainshrub.com/poe-halloween

[beam me up scottie]

1. Outstanding post!

Bravo!
:applause:


edited to add: Recommended!

[applegrove]

2. Anyone got "masks" of the neocons? I would send my kids out

as Cheney, Wolfie, Bush, Rummy, Pearl, Rove, Libby, Grover, & all the rest if I had that many kids!

BOO!

[ClayZ]

3. They need " Wash Away Your Sins Soap"

While other soaps merely skim the surface, this biblical blend of Somalian frankincense and Indonesian nutmeg and ginger (in a 100 per cent vegetable oil base) lathers your soul and drives those troublesome sin blots down the plughole. Make "cleanliness is next to godliness" a reality: only $8.00 for seven ounces of creamy righteousness from the oldest soap makers in New England.

Also available: matching bubble bath. This baptism in a bottle is "Bishop tested and Cardinal approved" – a snip at $12.00.



http://ship-of-fools.com/Gadgets/Health/102.html

[beam me up scottie]

5. "Bishop tested and Cardinal approved"

:spray:
:rofl:

[ClayZ]

7. I just love their "Wash Away Your SINS Conversion Kit"

This is the perfect kit for those in need of an overall redemption and conversion. The kit includes 4 towelettes (kills Sin on contact), Merciful Mint Breath Spray (to commune with confidence) sample size Body Wash (in the shower cleansing power)and purse size Hand Cream (annointed oil to soomth on salvation - with vitamin E). As usual these are all top notch splendid and luxurious products.




http://www.evolvefish.com/fish/SinCleanerProducts.html

:kick:

[beam me up scottie]

8. These are wickedly funny!

Sins Lip Balm
$5.50
Just the thing for a young student trying to convince a desired partner that they shouldn't worry about an imaginary god. Just a little of this balm and the sin of a kiss is wiped away. We taste-tested it and it truely is "cheap red wine flavor" just like the package promises!

"Cheap red wine flavor"!

[Richard D]

4. Excellent Analysis

Recommended.

Also, you might send this to a few online publications for inclusion. It's a great way of understanding a bit more this disease of fundamentalism.

[kwassa]

6. There is a problem with this analysis

quoting from the article:
"No wonder fundamentalists dread Halloween so much! To radical Christians, this holiday subconsciously forces them to face up to their worst fears that someday another belief-system might do unto them what they did unto others."

The fundamentalists didn't do anything to any pagans because the fundamentalist movement didn't exist in the early Christian world.
It has only been around for about 150 years.

And, considering how ahistorical and poorly educated they generally are, they are probably completely unaware of the pagan origins of many Christian traditions.

There is a great deal of projection on the part of the author of this article into his imagined notion of the thoughts and psychology of fundamentalists that is unsupported by much of anything. Short stories by Poe do not evidence make.

[brainshrub]

9. Modern fundamentalists are the inheritors of the church's legacy.

The fundamentalists didn't do anything to any pagans because the fundamentalist movement didn't exist in the early Christian world. It has only been around for about 150 years.

Modern fundamentalist Christians are the inheritors of the church's bloody legacy against pagans. The same cultural attitude that allowed the medieval church burn witches, is shared by today's fundamentalist.

I agree that there were no "Baptists" or even "Protestants" as we understand them today; but back then, there was only one monolithic Church. (Eastern Orthodox notwithstanding.)

And, considering how ahistorical and poorly educated they generally are, they are probably completely unaware of the pagan origins of many Christian traditions.

The whole point of this article is to explore the subconscious reasons for their fear for Halloween.

Just because you are ignorant of history, does not mean that it does not deeply influence you. Ask any black American.

There is a great deal of projection on the part of the author of this article into his imagined notion of the thoughts and psychology of fundamentalists that is unsupported by much of anything. Short stories by Poe do not evidence make.

This is a work of cultural analysis. I used Poe as an analogy as to why so many Christians get uptight at the mere mention of Halloween.

I do not pretend to be an expert on this topic, which is why I titled it:

Poe's "A Tell-Tale Heart" illustrates possible reason why fundamentalist Christians dread Halloween.

ON EDIT: Your criticism was constructive and appreciated.

[kwassa]

11. I think fundamentalists here are a little different

"Modern fundamentalist Christians are the inheritors of the church's bloody legacy against pagans. The same cultural attitude that allowed the medieval church burn witches, is shared by today's fundamentalist"

I think we need to appreciate a more nuanced approach to the fundamentalist movement in this country. As some one much more knowledgeable than I on the actual views of different groups within the fundamentalist movement put it, virtually none of them are interested in a theocracy, except for a tiny percentage known as the dominionists. The rest all support democracy. The fundamentalists have not advocated the death or torture of anyone. Outside of certain specific social policies, such as attitudes towards gay people, women, and abortion, they don't seem to want to impose their views on others. They aren't blowing people up with bombs (except for that one nut recently captured) and they aren't shooting people.

I find most of their views repulsive, but I think it behooves us to be a little more knowledgeable towards what they really are all about.

[BiggJawn]

22. Here we go with the "No True Scotsman" argument again.....

"The fundamentalists didn't do anything to any pagans ...has only been around for about 150 years"..

Could you allow that the "Early Christians" were fairly fundamental in their beliefs?

If so, consider that in the year 415 C.E. or there abouts, what has been described as "Fanatical followers" of Cyril, Archbishop of Alexandria, seized, stripped naked, and skinned alive Hypatia, mathematician and curator of the Library of Alexandria.
Then they used the books in the library for ass-wipe and reefer-roller, thus launching what came to be known as "The Dark Ages".

Oh, I know, those followers of Cyril weren't "Real Chrisitans", were they?

No, they were just the spiritual ancestors of today's Flat Earth/Intelligent Design/Creation Science/Hallowe'en is the DEVIL's holiday fanatics.

[salvorhardin]

24. Did I just hear a loud smack!

Sounded like a clue-by-four up aside a head?

No? Must have been just me.

[beam me up scottie]

27. Yeah, but it won't work.

They develop callouses after a while.

[kwassa]

36. Fundamentalism is different than early Christianity

That's historical fact.

Your analogy doesn't hold.

[BiggJawn]

39. Please see Post #33.

And do you have any other illustration that Fundamentalism is "different" from Early Christianity other than "Because I say so"?

As Lared points out, 100 years ago, they ALL were "Fundamentalist"

[LARED]

33. Christian Fundamentalists

were the norm a little over a 100 years ago. There were not called Fundamentalist becasue nearly all American churches held to the fundamental doctines now held by modern day Fundamentalist.

Fundamentalism was a response to the mainline churches moving away from historical Chrisitian doctrine towards a more liberal theology.

[mpendragon]

35. I think they are being given too much credit

I agree.

Here are my thoughts on the matter:
There are plenty of reasons to join or participate in a religion but one big reason is to be apart of a group. Most groups exists, in part, with an "us vs. this or them" mentality and Christianity doesn't have a real "them" to fight. People are wired to identify with groups and associate good qualities to the group or groups to which they are a member. Opposing groups are vilified because they threaten one's group and if *your* group is good then their group must be bad. If there isn't an appropriate opposition group then sometimes people in the group make them out of other groups. It's human nature.

Some Christian groups strengthen their internal support by finding things to fight like sex on TV, or gays, or women's groups, or halloween. Good works don't bring people together like a good enemy. They need a villain and to some extent we all do.

[jonnyblitz]

10. HA..great post, brainshrub! nominated...

I hope all is well with you and yours..:hi:

[trotsky]

12. Now that's a good post.

Had never thought of it that way. But Poe's character seems to be wracked with guilt over the deed, which causes him to hallucinate the heartbeat. Today's fundamentalists and certainly the genocidal Christians of long ago have no such guilt over their deeds, in fact view them as entirely justified in the pursuit of pleasing their war god.

Yet that heart beats to this day. :)

[catbert836]

15. It's possible that

Years and years ago, when the cultural genocide against the old religions was near completion, that there were some people who felt remorse about wiping out entire cultures. frankly, I'd be surprised if there weren't at least someone who thought of that way back when. But now the old relgion has been dead for so long, the Xians have managed to delude themselves into believing that it was trhe right thing to do.

[tomreedtoon]

13. Not too far from what Disney did in "Hunchback."

Back when Disney was still writing good movies...before they had to rely on Pixar to tell them how to tell a story...this was suggested in "Hunchback of Notre Dame."

Don't get into arguments about the Victor Hugo original, folks. More people saw this than will ever read the original book. The point is the message in the film, which relates strongly to this issue as well as anti-gay prejudice. The central villain of the movie, Judge Frollo, burns and slaughters the gypsies. The film makes clear that the Church itself doesn't hate the gypsies (Esmarelda is treated kindly by the bishop of Notre Dame). Only Frollo does.

Two nice songs, that deserve to be seen in the video; "God Bless the Outcasts" and "Hellfire." Compare and contrast the two. And I expect those papers on my desk by Wednesday. C'mon, no griping. You can watch this Halloween night...better than that misogynist slasher crap you were going to watch.

[catbert836]

14. Excellent.

The church not only commited cultural genocide against pagans, but it stole their ideas to make themselves a succesful religion. Here's hoping that they will start hearing the heartbeat, louder, and louder, and louder...

[oregonindy]

16. nothing is ever new...specially for christians

http://home.earthlink.net/~pgwhacker/ChristianOrigins/

[salvorhardin]

17. Excellent essay!

You should submit it to the Carnival of the Godless!

[brainshrub]

21. Thanks for the suggestion.

I hadn't heard about them before, but I have done so on your suggestion. Feel free to submit this yourself to wherever you think it will be appreciated.

ON EDIT: I sent it here: www.carnivalofthegodless.com Is that the correct URL?

[salvorhardin]

23. Yeah, Brent Rasmussen organizes the CotG

The submission address is: [e-mail]

On edit: I just e-mailed Brent.

[muriel_volestrangler]

18. Yet your link about witch burning says it wasn't a pogrom

by churches against another religion, but local courts using the accusation of witchcraft to find a scapegoat for violent crimes.

Despite the involvement of church authorities, "The vast majority of witches were condemned by secular courts," with local courts especially noted for their persecutory zeal (Gibbons, Recent Developments). The standard procedure in most countries was for accused witches to be brought before investigating tribunals and interrogated. In some parts of Europe (e.g., England), torture was rarely used; but where the witch-hunts were most intensive, it was a standard feature of the interrogations. Obviously, a large majority of accused who "confessed" to witchcraft did so as a result of the brutal tortures to which they were exposed. About half of all convicted witches were given sentences short of execution. The unluckier half were generally killed in public, often en masse, by hanging or burning.

And from the Gibbons reference:

Christianity's Role in the Persecution

For years, the responsibility for the Great Hunt has been dumped on the Catholic Church's door-step. 19th century historians ascribed the persecution to religious hysteria. And when Margaret Murray proposed that witches were members of a Pagan sect, popular writers trumpeted that the Great Hunt was not a mere panic, but rather a deliberate attempt to exterminate Christianity's rival religion.

Today, we know that there is absolutely no evidence to support this theory. When the Church was at the height of its power (11th-14th centuries) very few witches died. Persecutions did not reach epidemic levels until after the Reformation, when the Catholic Church had lost its position as Europe's indisputable moral authority. Moreover most of the killing was done by secular courts. Church courts tried many witches but they usually imposed non-lethal penalties. A witch might be excommunicated, given penance, or imprisoned, but she was rarely killed. The Inquisition almost invariably pardoned any witch who confessed and repented.
...
The vast majority of witches were condemned by secular courts. Ironically, the worst courts were local courts. Some authors, like Anne Llewellyn Barstow (Witchcraze), blame the death toll on the decline of the "community-based" medieval court, and the rise of the centralized "national" court. Nothing could be further from the truth. "Community-based" courts were often virtual slaughterhouses, killing 90% of all accused witches. National courts condemned only about 30% of the accused.

Why were the execution rates so vastly different? Civil courts tended to handle "black" witchcraft cases, trials involving charges of magickal murder, arson, and other violent crimes. Church courts tried more "white" witchcraft: cases of magickal healing, divination, and protective magick. Trial evidence shows that courts always treated healing more leniently than cursing. Additionally, secular and religious courts served two different purposes. Civil courts "protected" society by punishing and killing convicted criminals. In theory, the Church's court system was designed to "save" the criminal -- to make him or her a good Christian once more. Only unrepentant sinners were to be executed. The differences between local and national courts are also easy to explain. Witchcraft cases were usually surrounded by general fear and public protests. "Community-based" courts drew their officials from the community, the group of people affected by this panic. National courts had more distance from the hysteria. Moreover national courts tended to have professional, trained staff -- men who were less likely to discard important legal safeguards in their haste to see "justice" done.

Recent Developments in the Study
of The Great European Witch Hunt>

[brainshrub]

20. Of course it wasn't a pogrom:

A pogrom was an organized persecution of an ethnic group, especially Jews. The witch-hunts were a systemic attempt at eradicating a polytheistic world-view, not a race.

Perhaps I used the word "genocide" in the wrong context? My favorite term for the witch-hunts is a "gendercide"; However, I felt that explaining the word "gendercide" went beyond the scope of this essay.

It is true that local courts were largely responsible for condemning witches, but I think you are imposing the modern concept of the separation of church and state. Churches condoned and set up the framework, while the local authorities would actually do the burning.

To disconnect the church from the gendercide is like disconnecting Nazis from genocide. One simply could not have happened without the other.

In Medieval Europe, cannon law was used primarily for clergy and church affairs with the state. An accused witch would not usually have been put in front of a church court, unless church property was at stake.

Wow! It seems like my Catholic education is paying off! :D

[salvorhardin]

25. About 25% of those convicted of witchcraft were men

Not arguing against your use of the term "gendercide" in this context. I agree that women were the primary target of the witch hunts. Just wanted to point out that a large percentage of the victims were men, something that is not generally known.

[muriel_volestrangler]

29. OK, I meant 'pogrom' to mean an organized persecution

If you restrict that to ethnic groups, fair enough, but the point is that the links do not see the witch-hunts as a systematic attempt at eradicating a religion. They do show that women were a large majority of victims, but that doesn't point to a religious attack. They say the trials were very common is some regions, and almost unheard of in others. They were concentrated in border regions, especially where control between Protestant and Catholic states was disputed. This is an indication it was a matter of the local environment, rather than anything systematic.

The Gibbons article explains that the church courts were used for accusations of healing through magic, and rarely killed the accused. If the churches were attempting 'gendercide', then they would have kileld more. It was local civil courts, caught up in hysteria, that executed lots of people. She (a neopagan) explicitly says: "And when Margaret Murray proposed that witches were members of a Pagan sect, popular writers trumpeted that the Great Hunt was not a mere panic, but rather a deliberate attempt to exterminate Christianity's rival religion. Today, we know that there is absolutely no evidence to support this theory."

And Gibbons says the records do not show a systematic persecution:

Court records showed that there was no such thing as an "average" witch: there was no characteristic that the majority of witches shared, in all times and places. Not gender. Not wealth. Not religion. Nothing. The only thing that united them was the fact that they were accused of witchcraft. The diversity of witches is one of the strongest arguments against the theory that the Great Hunt was a deliberate pogrom aimed at a specific group of people. If that was true, then most witches would have something in common.

We can isolate certain factors that increased a person's odds of being accused. Most witches were women. Many were poor or elderly; many seem to be unmarried. Most were alienated from their neighbors, or seen as "different" and disliked. But there is no evidence that one group was targeted. Traditional magick users might have a slightly higher chance of being accused of witchcraft, but the vast majority of known "white" witches were never charged.

[Joanne98]

19. The Evil Eye... Thankyou.........

[Pooka Fey]

26. Lovely post and analysis. Happy Halloween and Blessed Samhain.

[madeline_con]

28. I thought All Hallow's Eve was about driving out evil spirits...

by dressing in scary stuff. The fundies should be happy about it.

I could be wrong. :shrug:

[brainshrub]

30. Depends upon who you ask.

I'm not wiccan, so lest I offend an ancient earth-spirit, I'll have to defer this question to someone more involved in sacred pagan holidays.

However on a subconscious level, the most popular costumes represent what fundamentalists fear most and fought hardest against:

Witch: Wicca
Mummy: Egyptian Pharaoh worship.
Frankenstein: Modern science.
Zombie: The concept of raising the dead without accepting Jesus.

[madeline_con]

37. "The concept of raising the dead without accepting Jesus."

Interesting that you mention that...

Some Eastern philosophical schools of thought teach that Jesus was not supposed to have raised Lazarus from the dead.

Note he was next found in the desert (of the soul), being tempted to turn stone to bread. IOW, as punishment for doing the forbidden, his soul was put back to "stone consciousnes" and had to be reincarnated numerous times to reach its previous plane of consciousness.

[NMMNG]

31. Excellent post, nominated! eom

[roguevalley]

32. Bless the old spirits. May they NEVER be forgotten by those of us

who love them.

[FizzFuzz]

34. Marvelous analysis!

really enjoyed that! :thumbsup:

[shrike]

38. The five-pointed star is a symbol of evil?

When did this happen?

I grew up in the proverbial god-fearing family, and the five-pointed star was always atop our Christmas tree. Same for everyone else we knew. Saw more than a few depictions of a five-pointed "Nativity" star.

Postscript: Just read a little account of the history of Halloween, may or may not be complete. Associated with the Celtic festival of the dead. The Druids were conquered by the Romans in 43 A.D. The Romans layered the Druid festivals with their own.
The Romans were not Christian at that time. Christianity did not come for another 750 years.

[onager]

40. Good new book on the subject

Charles Freeman's "The Closing of the Western Mind." Freeman clears up a number of misconceptions that have been generally spouted by Christian historians.

One deals with the "triumph" of Xianity in Rome, often presented as a fairly sudden event with all the pagans converting to the New And Improved Xian Myth.

Recent research proves this wasn't the case. The power elites in Rome, the ancient senatorial families, stayed pagan long after Xianity became the official state religion.

One anecdote about the sack of Rome in 410 CE tickled my Belligerent Atheist funnybone. Rome was sacked by the Goths under Alaric, who were all baptized Xians (though not exactly "orthodox" Xians in the eyes of the Roman hierarchy).

The pagans said their Old Gods had sent the Goths because they were tired of being ignored and slandered by the upstart Xians.

The Xians, naturally, had a somewhat different view.

This book is a good, if somewhat difficult, read. The "difficult" part is the brain-numbing and incredibly nit-picking debate over the nature of the Trinity, which was never completely settled. Even the...cough, cough...Xian intellectuals finally gave up and said it was all just a matter of faith.

Reading about the roaring debates over this issue, which often ended with people being exiled, tortured or killed, was a great reinforcement to my Belligerent Atheism (tm).

Freeman points out that the whole squabble became moot when the Muslims took Jerusalem. They issued an edict saying that the Xians had better just forget that Trinitarian nonsense. There was only one God, not three-in-one, and his name was Allah.

I'm reading the book in Alexandria, Egypt, where Coptic Xians and Muslims have been exhibiting the Benefits Of Religion by publicly battling in the streets for a couple of weeks now.

[shrike]

41. Shows how complicated it all really was

People sure like things simple, don't they? It also annoys me when people assume pagans were simple, peace-loving folk -- t'weren't so. No slam against paganism -- it's a very old faith, much older than Christianity, so I'll give it its props. I rather like modern-day pagans: they don't seem to bother anybody.
I always found it interesting the number of Pacific island tribes who were essentially deists -- God created the world, but left it to its own devices; no divine intervention in anything. Some of these tribes were peaceful, but many fought constantly -- for every reason BUT religion.
Most organized religions (and I'm differentiating between faith and religion; I believe they're different things) were begun with good intentions, in most cases -- they were meant to control man's baser nature. (If you don't think man has a baser nature, consider that science considers us another breed of animal, albeit an intelligent one. Think of what animals do: lions are three times as likely to kill each other as human beings. Nature can be very hard and very brutish: it ain't Bambi. And I'm speaking as someone who loves the out-of-doors) They were meant to create and negotiate a civil society -- and they've failed miserably at it. That, I'll freely admit. But if it all disappeared tomorrow, something would have to replace it (faith and spirituality is an emotional, indefinable response among those inclined to be spiritual, though you may disagree.) Because we would be left with our nasty, brutish selves, and then what ...
Always nice talking with you, Onager.

[darkmaestro019]

42. Found this before and didn't reply

Glad I stumbled into it again so I could give you some (applause)

You've put into words something of the warm-fuzzy smug so-there glee that makes me so enjoy Halloween. Repress a thing, and you only make that thing stronger (not to mention more alluring)

The refusal of Christianity to accept the world as both light and dark, and both polarities as good and natural has always been one of my major complaints with their meme. Unrestrained, unlimited growth (light, creation, pick a word) is called...cancer.

As long as children and children-at-heart carve pumpkins and dress up as anything their imagination can provide, Christianity has NOT succeeded in its clearly stated purpose of Christianizing the life, breath, sex, fear, and fun out of everything.

Nyah nyah, fundies. So there, and I hope you have tantrums over it until you Rumpelstiltskin through the floor. I'm not real keen on most of YOUR holidays but I'd never try to stop you celebrating them.

[kwassa]

43. The dark night of the soul

darkmaestro019:
"The refusal of Christianity to accept the world as both light and dark, and both polarities as good and natural has always been one of my major complaints with their meme."

I think Christians accept the world as light and dark, but seek to increase the light and decrease the darkness, not deny the darkness. The concept that there is great value in contemplating the darkness is a more recent concept, but dealing with that darkness has long been a theme in Christianity.

[trotsky]

44. Most Christians believe that Satan (darkness) will be ultimately defeated.

I think that's more than just "decreasing" the darkness.

[darkmaestro019]

45. And that's utterly unnatural--

I view light/dark as forces of creation/destruction--by extension if they want all darkness ENDED, I arrive at a terrifying Akira-sort of uncontrolled growth....any totality of ANY kind strikes me as the real "evil"

The world is a wheel--a cycle--summer requires winter, birth requires death, and both are necessary and good.


...it makes me think of, oh, what happens when species are transported to new and enclosed-environments without any natural predators. Or of how boring and ultimately unsatisfying it is to play any video-game with a "god mode"

: )