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Purity and Danger: An Analysis of the Concepts of Pollution and Taboo by Mary Douglas is an interesting (older, but much reprinted) book on the essence of ceremonial cleanliness. Far from being based in fear, she re-frames it in the light of chaos vs. order.
She sums it up with an illustration: our aversion to dirt, for instance, she says is not (usually) fear of disease and such, but an attempt to organize and make sense of the area around us.
It's also a refreshing read because while it deals with theological constructs, it's not really a theology book. She's an anthropologist and approaches from that direction.
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I haven't read it, but I have read quotes from it in other books which made me want to read it.
Posts: 9866 | Registered: Apr 2002
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I am going to have to track that book down and read it. The anthropology of religion is one of my special areas of interest.
Posts: 2454 | Registered: Jan 2003
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It's really pretty fascinating so far - and not that long (200 pages?). I bought my copy on half.com for about $2, I think. ^_~ It was worth it, though. It's explored a new perspective on the cultic attitudes of purity and taboo.
I'm having to read it in snatches, unfortunately, to break up some of my other research. I'm only now encountering her perspective on Deuternomic/Levitical ritual uncleanliness as relates to women.
My grandmother is frantically devoted to cleanliness. She and my grandpa locked up the house for a year while they were in Ohio, and when they came back, there was no dust. She'd rid the house of dust and dirt so thoroughly, there was none in the air to settle on the furniture. It's a marvel. And a source of pride. I wonder if she'd appreciate the book?
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
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Ahem. That perspective being? (This sounds fascinating)
So...you ARE including some heretical scholarly material in my package, right? My eyes are nearly crossing with jealousy reading about all you're reading. Posts: 2762 | Registered: Sep 1999
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As I've been coming to terms with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder it seems that in times before germ theory was known, it probably did help one's chances of survival. In Feng Shui, dirt is thought to trap Chi and block the flow of energy in an area.
Posts: 11017 | Registered: Apr 2003
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Oh, gee. Useful and interesting are my only criteria? All right. I'll send you a manual on avoiding trenchmouth and salmanella (useful) and I'll send you the invisible Elmo that Laura wants you to have. He's not particularly interesting (yet), but he'll have to do.
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His diet is mainly humans once he's full-grown, right? I'll ask the guys to keep him at their apartment. He likes Slovak, I hope?
Posts: 2762 | Registered: Sep 1999
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At first, I thought you'd misunderstood because I read, "His diet is mainly hummus, right?" Which, of course, is wrong.
He's a little picky. He may not like heretical slavakian. He does, however, salivate uncontrolably whenever I mention heretical missionaries in the Czech republic who never check/respond to their e-mail. . .
posted
I check my email. And I'm not a heretical missionary. Who is it you're talking about again? And it's a good thing Elmo doesn't eat hummus, because that's way more effort than I'm willing to go to for an invisible pet. Allowing him access to edible slovakanians is about as far as it goes. Posts: 2762 | Registered: Sep 1999
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