h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Yeah, sorry. I was flicking between Wikipedia and the Asian Times.

* No reference, that is, aside from the wikipedia article itself:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literacy#Examples_of_highly_literate_cultures_in_the_past

I just noticed where you posted the reference, immediately after the post.

Read the whole thread before posting, Jordan!

Following that logic would lead an outside believer to think Europe was highly literate in Latin throughout the Dark Ages. However, it was a literacy limited to monks and a highly select priviledged few.

Not quite, SWL. The article only mentions an edict specific to Islam.

If I recall, during the Dark Ages and beyond, Christian holy texts were considered suitable only for those well-educated enough to understand them. That was the very reason they used the Latin (even if the Vulgate was so-called "common" Latin).

I seem to remember something about St. Columba running a Bible College during his pennance on Iona; so far as I am aware, this was the only significant attempt in that period to introduce the common people to the book they were supposed to be following.

—Jordan

Here's a little something for both sides of this discussion to have a look at: http://www.muslimrefusenik.com/index.html

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if your 'morals' allow you to dump all these things together; i'm all for immorality. let us destroy each other and be off with it if we're incapable of being more sensible.

This post has been removed.

<< Some feel that 'traditional' marriage is either (or both) rape and prostitution. Should books glorifying marriage be banned?>>

What an odd opinion! Marriage can be either very good or very bad, but it needn't involve rape, or prostitution!

I guess that was about marriages built on financial concerns [not too rare unfortunately] or against the wish of bride.

By the way i'm puzzled as to why my post disappeared. How do i find out? I'm sorry but i don't remember anything offensive in it.

I would also like people who yikes something to post just afterwards some kind of explanation of what was deemed offensive. It may turn out that offense was only caused by some awkward phrasing after all (and in any case, the original poster can also rephrase his opinion in some amended way).

Indeed. Because i genuinely am sorry if it was offensive and am curiuos as to why exactly it was.

Sure, Della, the feeling that marriage is either slavery or prostitution is, as you put it, an odd opinion, in the sense that it is not the majority opinion. It's not my opinion, either, BTW.

I refuse to believe, however, that New Zealand is such a backwater as to leave you unaware that such 'opinions' are not terribly far out of the mainstream of feminist thought.

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Of course I knew about that, I just can't agree...

Hello all,

We've become increasingly concerned about many of the posts in this thread, which seem closer to religious baiting than informed debate.

As a result, we have taken the decision to lock the thread in order that we can consider the situation over the weekend.

h2g2 Editors