[geeks] Socialized medicine [was Re: nVidia 8800GT for Apple Mac Pro]

[Mike Meredith]

On Tue, 27 May 2008 09:36:18 -0400, Patrick Giagnocavo wrote:
> IN the context of why the Pilgrims and others left at that point in 
> English histroy, it is a perfectly valid phrase - they left because
> they were considered heretics and traitors to the Crown.
> 
> "In 1593, the English parliament outlawed independent congregations. 
> Attendance of English (Anglican) church services was made obligatory."


And what has that got to do with England being a theocracy ? All that
act did was effectively re-sanction a state religion ... something that
was almost universal at the time and before that time. Nothing to do
with the wielding of civil power by the priesthood. The later is the
key ... a society is only theocratic if civil power is wielded by the
priesthood.

Whilst the English monarchs were heads of both church and state, the
apparatus of church and state were completely separate all the way down
to village level. The priest would counter-balance excesses of the lord
of the manor, and visa-versa.

It's interesting that the BBC chose the 1593 act because it was pretty
much outlawed before that date anyway, and the 1660 Act of Uniformity
had a greater impact on non-conformists. After all the Puritans were
an essential part of the government after Charlie had his hair cut;
those 'seditious and heretical' puritans who left for the new world
(all 102 of them!!) were probably objectionable trouble-makers.  

And even the 1660 Act didn't really make things bad enough to cause a
mass evacuation of non-conformists. Many of those who started the
industrial revolution were non-conformists

> Whistling past the graveyard again it seems.

Or perhaps making an educated decision which can be revised at any time
that merely differs from yours. You haven't mentioned anything I don't
already know.

The 'corrupting' influence of western life is quite effective;
although it's probably more the booze, and loose women rather than
higher minded things :) Whilst it refers to a different era, "East is
East" is apparently very accurate on what happens to the 'next
generation'. 


-- 
Mike Meredith (http://zonky.org/)
  One test is worth a thousand opinions.