Quote:
Originally Posted by kool maudit
there were a lot of ancient religions in which the gods openly hated us. the idea that god loves us and is the source of love is quite modern.
i don't know why maltheism went out of fashion - it has tremendous explanatory power.
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There is still a strong tradition in Taiwan of not saying nice things to your spouse or your kids for fear of making the gods and the spirits of dead relatives jealous and spiteful. Parents are essentially "protecting" their families when they insult and belittle their kids. People there still use terms like "my worthless wife" when talking to others.
I'll never forget a sincere discussion I once had about religion with the mother of an ESL student. "So, you Westerners don't believe your dead relatives are up there watching everything you do?"
"No," I said.
"You don't have to buy ghost money and burn it at the temple to keep them economically flush in the afterlife? You don't have to be careful all the time for fear of offending them?
"That's right."
This was a revelation to her. "Things must be a lot simpler that way," she said.
Uh, yeah. Simpler and...not insane.