Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uwm.edu!cs.utexas.edu!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: gilham@csl.sri.com (Fred Gilham) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Hereditary positions of power Message-ID: Date: 9 Jun 90 02:42:07 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Lines: 23 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu Dennis Kriz writes: ---------------------------------------- The Catholic Church's history is *long* ... It passed through a period where just about every other POSITION OF POWER was deemed hereditary. (Kings, lords and what-not). I think that it was a good thing that the Bishops were not allowed to become both "pope and ceasar" ---------------------------------------- My question is why being a bishop or pope or whatever should ever have BECOME a position of power. When I read this thread of discussion I can't help being reminded of Dostoyevsky's chapter in THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV, called ``The Grand Inquisitor.'' For those who don't know it, the plot is that Christ reappears during the Spanish inquisition, and the Grand Inquisitor arrests him as a heretic. Much of the rest of it involves the Grand Inquisitor pointing out the mistake Christ made in refusing the three temptations, and how the Church had rectified that mistake. It is a wonderful passage and I think everyone ought to read it. -- Fred Gilham gilham@csl.sri.com Are Saturday morning cartoons proof that adults hate kids? Answer: Yes. (From "Life in Hell")