The Portrait of Zool

"Sorry for the small reception - We rather expected you to come into the Recruiter's office by way of the main gate. However, since it is you, the others are on their way here to greet you," spoke the voice again. Tamaranis was neither fooled nor startled, however. He was a creature of the night, with senses far beyond mere sight and sound. His attention was instantly drawn to the large painting above the fireplace.

The door to the Mighty keep of the Pen is Mightier than the Sword was disapointingly small. Only after looking around did Tamaranis notice he was standing at the side entrance. As he took this in it opened. Tamaranis stood ready to confront whoever it was that had opened the door, but as it slowly swung open he realized that mysteriously no one was there. The open portal quietly waited for him as he peered into the cool darkness. "Welcome!" said a voice, shattering the silence. "It's about time you arrived. Come in, come in! We've been waiting for you." The voice spoke but no one appeared. So urgently were the words spoken, and with such warmth, that Tamaranis stepped in. The room was a small tavern. Looking around he saw it looked deserted. The door closed with a slam behind him. ~Zool~

2000 Elves - Ah, the infamous 'wicker' stacking... Great stuff Tzim - You rock! ~Zool~ Not defined by his animal, nor the lack of one.

LOL! See what I miss when I don't stick around? Well done! ~Zool~ Not defined by his animal, nor the lack of one.

Yah, Scorn could get pretty ate up. So, where's the next installment? *Zool sits in his seat, claps his hands and bangs his feet as he shouts,* "GIVE - US - MORE! GIVE - US - MORE! ~Zool~ Not defined by his animal, nor the lack of one. Edited by: Zool47 at: 9/29/02 7:19:58 pm

This is wonderful Canid. Very good.

I like it. Honest. Short, but honest.

LOL! I think it's awesome! It could use some editing, but the syrup of wahoo pours from every sentence! Kin... I mean Pered, you weren't blasted - but you can read it that way if you want. I've seen great stuff from LotG before, and I can't wait for the next installment! ~Zool~ Not defined by his animal, nor the lack of one.

It's the words. The author shows an innate feeling for the rythm of words, which he uses to good effect, often counterpoising themes and sounds simultaneously, thus harmoniously. Were he to work a little harder at it, he could even be an artist. Edited by: Zool47 at: 9/26/02 6:46:00 am

I thought this interesting; www.freep.com/voices/colu...011221.htm

Are you Psimon previously (or currently?) of the Legion? If so - we meet again! In any case, well met. I look forward to further writings of yours. It looks like it could be very, very interesting.

I suppose it comes down to knowledge of the passage to set the context. I must be unedimicated, for I do not recognize the passage, nor without the reference to the 'Nazis' would I have any idea what it referred to at all. Great for every member of the audience who has read the source material and recognizes it, I suppose. In any case (once I know what it's about) great work.

(conversion confusion, this is actually the second post in this thread) Welcome back HW.

Wow! That's great too J! I love the way it addresses, conceptually if not directly, those who think they own God by 'knowing his mind', rather than by simply being in the heart of God, as I believe Meeks is leading. I feel less fear already...

www.project-aristotle.com...on-01.html ROTFL!! That's awesome Rev - Thanks!!

One thing I love about open, accepting sites, such as our beloved Pen, is we're not afraid to talk directly about sensitive matters. NOPE - no dancing around sensitive subjects by raw neurotic ego types around here, since we all know we only have each other's best interests at heart and we never feel threatened by others opinions. It sure is refreshing. So keep your eyes off my can Jechum (The worms shall sort themselves out, I'm sure). Now, even though LSE has fizzed over like the head of a cheap beer I really don't have much to reply. I've checked three other on-line definitions of 'fear', and they all give the 'fear of God' or code-word 'fear of Supreme Power' as a special case, used only in conjunction with divinity, and it equates to 'reverence', not 'alarm', 'anxiety', 'impending dread', or any other real and direct definition having to do with true fear. But if the definition has always been the same, and that's your story and you're sticking to it, (even with the usage of 'fear' biblically connected with jellousy and anger, pointing to a very frightening fear originally) then I guess there's not much I can say. Now, this is probably my fault, as I was first to raise the 'damnation' card (of course, I raised the 'being against something is ALWAYS a position of fear' position - now we have RESPECTING something is a position of fear, he he he) but it IS the Christian ace in the hole, so to speak, and blammo; Quote: "...you need not worry of getting vengeance on them for they will answer to God when they stand before Him on judgment day; just pray that you, too, are not in the wrong." I have to hand it to you, you didn't threaten me directly, but you don't seem worried about getting vengeance on me either. All you need do is invoke the spectre of 'JUDGEMENT DAY' - which is weighted in your favor, of course, as you have true knowledge of the nature of God, unlike me, being a person of ignorant opinions. And I am an ignorant person. My knowledge, compared to the sum total knowledge of the universe is, shall we say, so small as to be infinitesimally small? I am but a lay person, a schmoe, a fakir of the worst variety. But, I can weigh the words of men, usually being one myself, and I can read a sentence and detect the meanings with a fair degree of accuracy, especially with one or two additional adjectives thrown in to focus my death-fearing IRS-frazzled consciousness. And I can say when someone else says "No, this means something else," that it is, in fact, what it says, modern definitions be damned. Further, I'll just say directly that I think you are a good person. I like you, and I think you have nothing to fear in the afterlife dept. Of course, I'm no judge. Actually, judging by the difference between our two dispositions (I am a judge!), I am an orange (I yam what I yam, piped Popeye). I DO think man will last 5000 more years. Actually, I think he will last as long as he lasts - I really don't have much preconcieved, but I see no reason to throw him in the toilet and pull the little handle of my opinion just yet. So I guess that makes your paradyme, my good man, an apple (is that an innapropriate symbology?) while mine is an orange. Is an apple better than an orange? Some would say it is a difficult thing to weigh - though weighing is a great way to measure produce. Speaking of which, every 'proof' you quote to me is from the book of apple, which, while a wonderful book, and I am certainly not against Jesus, is not definitive of oranges. Or grapefruits. Or kumquats. Or evergreens. Or any other variation of vine or fruit. You may think my analogy silly, but take a look, it's a jungle out there. And now look - I've quite run on. My apologies. Edited by: Zool47 at: 9/6/02 4:10:12 am

Exactly.

It seems there are some very deep feelings on the subject of fear - of death, of pain, of not being In-the-know or in control. Interestingly (to me, presumably, or more likely, most likely), when this subject came up, the first thing I did was go to m-w.com and look up 'fear'. I often do that - just seems prudent. Here is what I found; Main Entry: 1fear Pronunciation: 'fir Date: before 12th century transitive senses 1 archaic : FRIGHTEN 2 archaic : to feel fear in (oneself) 3 : to have a reverential awe of fear God> 4 : to be afraid of : expect with alarm intransitive senses : to be afraid or apprehensive - fear·er noun Definition 3 caught my eye, but I did not feel compelled to comment on it - until someone else mentioned the fear of God we should all posess. I apologise, but I then decided to have some fun. You see, I really am not a nice person at all. End of story. So I commenced to display the contradiction of the old testament God with the new Christian ideal. As the dictionary shows, old testament 'fear of God' has morphed into something which isn't truly 'fear' at all. The phrase 'fear of God' has become a word unto itself, with it's own idiom and usage, it's own definition, migrating from FRIGHTEN and dread to the more REVERENTIAL AWE combining veneration and wonder. Funny though, when one reads the old words directly, isn't it? Quite honestly, I was hoping for some enlightening conversation about the evolution of God, but other than overtly stating the modern sentiment with the words blazing out openly in contradiction, that didn't happen. Heh, I guess you can take the old time religion out of fear, but you can't take the fear out of the old time religion. At any rate, it seems taboo to broach the subject, thus some peoples reactions. God can be both handed? We have established that the definition can extend to both hands, but is this truly the nature of God or merely the wishful thinking of those who are afraid of death, of pain, of not being In-the-know or in control? They will get theirs is but an extension of 'An eye for an eye', a biblical quote extolling the competition of rival agendas, which seems to have fallen out of favor over time - no doubt due to our old stand-by belief of eternal damnation for our enemies - which is only taking the fight to the next level. Or perhaps it was simply our inability to twist the meaning of the original words to something more contemporary? Anyway, as has been shown, the definition of God has changed through the ages, right down to changing the definition of the very words that described him, where we have the original words. I wonder what we will think about God in, say, another 5000 years? ...and what language we will use to describe him? Absolutely fascinating.

Heh - I'll buy it.

Excellent.

Kind of Doctor Seussian. I like it too.

*Afraid he will lose his point, Zool has to go against Canid's.*

Well Gyr, you may very well be correct, this current turn of discussion would be better having it's own thread. And yes it can be a touchy subject, depending on how tightly we cling to our opinions. The title of the thread, however, is "NO FEAR". So, what are we afraid of? But to say a few points on yours... All of your examples are irrational. That is not to say they don't make sense, they certainly do. Many fears are based on exactly what you say. My point is that your stated fears are all behavioural, wether learned from personal experience, from the experience of others, or outright instinct. There is no thought involved with your examples. So, let's go further on your 'specifics' and add what could only be called 'rational' fears. That is not to say they make sense, for they certainly need not, except to their owner. Let's say, as an example, that someone proposes a change in the ranking structure of the Pen. Everyone will have opinions. There will be those who are for it, and those who are against it. Being against ANYTHING is always a position of fear. That's not to say you necessarily must support every idea. You can, for example, be more FOR one proposal than another. It's a different way of thinking - but I submit we're all a lil irregular here and there. Oh, and as far as my example, what are we afraid of there? Just as Gwaihir put it before, I'll say it again. "...Things that change their state without their permission" But interestingly, any proposal only exists in the imagination, until it is passed. So, then, we are actually only afraid of what we imagine it might do. That is a very good example of rational fear. Edited by: Zool47 at: 8/29/02 1:25:09 pm

"Now, I'm not saying that God is some vicious tyrant who will smite you if you do not follow his commands." " ...for the Lord your God, who is amoung you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land." And I have a slightly confused perception of things?? Look, to try to avoid another point counter point argument, what we have here in that definition of God is a two handed entity. One (I'll call it the 'right' hand of God) who is kind, loving and merciful to those who, shall we say, take up his word, and then we have a jealous, angry, and I'll add vengeful God for his detractors (which I shall call his 'left' hand). It's a mirror image of complete incompatibility. I'm sure it's been asked many times and explained away in myriad ways, but how can a God described in so many 'right' handed ways pretend to remain so when his left hand persona is dealt out? But those contradictions are not even my point. I'm even going to outright agree that a person who leads a 'sinful' life (definitions will vary by religion) will suffer - I'm just saying isn't it a bit of overkill to profess to ultimate love when in 'fact' when 'tested' He supposedly metes out punishment with extreme prejudice - that's it's not enough to promise Heaven to the righteous, you have to threaten with the promise of EVERLASTING Hell to those who 'test' him? Doesn't He have a dictionary? Or perhaps those who claim to know his mind... That's all I'm saying.

An interesting artifact of some religions is the 'Fear of God'. How bizarre. How arcane. How passe. Frankly, it comes straight out of the fear Gwaihir has just posited, the fear of "...Things that change their state without their permission". I'd like to paraphrase that as 'against one's will'. On the flip side is the view that it a matter of pure hubris. To think that one who does not fear God, must place themselves above God - like that would be possible. So why fear God? Is it merely taking all unseen forces we cannot control and pigeon holing them under the label 'God' and sentencing our perception with perpetual fear? FEAR THESE THINGS, FOR WE KNOW NOT WHAT HORRIBLE FATE WILL LEAP OUT AT US. Does God have it in for us? Is God merely a stern parent, with a whip in one hand and a velvet glove on the other - a manipulator? If not, then why fear him? Is He not just? Is He not fair? Must we fear justice and fairness? Of all the things to fear, you would think the Divine could be excluded.