Re: Boom! and you go to Heaven

From: Wade T.Smith (wade_smith@harvard.edu)
Date: Sun May 19 2002 - 23:51:55 BST

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Date: Sun, 19 May 2002 18:51:55 -0400
Subject: Re: Boom! and you go to Heaven
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From: "Wade T.Smith" <wade_smith@harvard.edu>
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    On Sunday, May 19, 2002, at 06:17 , Lawrence DeBivort wrote:

    > The matter of 'going to heaven and finding virgins, of whatever gender,
    > is a
    > western oerception and preoccupation--not a Muslim one. IIRC, the Bible
    > suggests that someone martyred for Christendom is rewarded with heaven,
    > but
    > I doubt many western soldiers leap to arms with that hope in mind....
    > Is
    > there a Christian or Christian scholar on the list who can fill in this
    > idea?

    It's not 'not even' a Muslim one- the mention of houri's in the paradise
    of the afterlife is apocryphal in the q'uran according to many islamic
    scholars.

    But, serving one's god and country, and the giving up of one's life for
    those authorities, is an old and perhaps ageless, and perhaps culturally
    non-isolated property of society. It is certainly not just a xian or an
    islamic hero that offers his life in battle.

    Posthumous awards are given to the family of the hero- land, or riches,
    or position, in many and sundry lands.

    The priests and the kings are the sources of many of these fables and
    tricks. The old men do not go to war.

    - Wade

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