WHO IS THIS GUY CALLED ARIEL?

By ariel70 - About Me - E-mail this page - Add to My Favorites - Add to Blog List - See other blogs in Journal

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

THE SPANISH INQUISITION, PART FOUR

The Roman Inquisition was without parallel in human history. In the Roman empire, for example, ædiles (magistrates ) hunted down and persecuted Christians and other perceived dissidents, but only as part of their general duties. But the Roman Inquisition was the first organisation to be established, maintained and funded expressly for the purposes of rooting out heresy, and punishing the heretic. The Spanish Inquisition was to build upon this foundation a vast edifice of power that was to be... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, November 21, 2005

A CATHOLIC BOY'S LONG JOURNEY INTO ATHEISM. PART ONE

n.b. at the risk of offending feminists, I use the words ‘man’ ‘men’ and ‘mankind’ in the Biblical sense of encompassing women and men alike, for the alternative usages are cumbersome, tedious and modish. My mother was Irish, and Catholic, and she saw to it that we were brought up as Catholics; although she herself rarely went to Mass. Which was not surprising, given her endless struggle to feed and clothe such a large family, in the poverty-stricken London of the 1930s. None of the... Sign in to see full entry.

Sunday, November 20, 2005

THE SPANISH INQUISITION, PART 3

Innocent was outraged at the affront to the Papacy of the assassination of de Castelnau, and he determined to avenge it with sword and fire; but popes have no armies at their command. However, a weapon lay ready to hand, and Innocent was quick to use it against Raymond V1 Toulouse. For, in 1170, Henry 11 of England’s alleged words “ Who will rid me of this turbulent priest?” were held by the Church to be incitement to murder: and although not personally present, he was held to be guilty by... Sign in to see full entry.

Saturday, November 19, 2005

THIS ONE'S FOR GIGIMAEOODDAY JUNIOR. ( AND FOR US OLDER KIDS ON THE BLOG!)

As a little break from all this serious stuff, I thought I'd post this. The Spanish Inquisition continues its dire work tomorrow THE MUMMY The sky was dark, the clouds all grainy: the day was dismal, cold and rainy; my mum had threatened me with doom, so I went for a stroll in the catacomb. As I sat down there at my ease, revising for my coming G.C.S.E.s* there, 'midst many a curious feature, I espied a beauteous young creature. As into her face I took a peek, I said" Don't think I've got a... Sign in to see full entry.

Friday, November 18, 2005

THE SPANISH INQUISITION. PART TWO

In the 12 th century, numerous heretical sects ( some originating in the 3 rd and 4 th centuries ), flourished; particularly in the south of France. These were the Arians, Manichæans, Catharists, Waldenses and Gnostics. ( Space does not permit of an exhaustive analysis of the deviations from orthodoxy of these Christian sects. ) And then there was Peter Abélard thundering forth from the pulpits of Mont Sainte Geneviéve, and The Paraclete in Paris, posing scientific-religious questions that the... Sign in to see full entry.

A REBUTTAL OF AN IMPLIED ANTI-CHRISTIAN BIAS ON MY PART

I received a comment in which there was an implicit, unspoken assumption of anti-Christianity on my part in writing this series of posts about the Spanish Inquisition. It was suggested by the person who left this comment that for the sake of impartiality, I ought also to write about the persecution of Christians by Muslims of Spain. He/she was clearly unaware that I had already posted a series of pieces on the enslavement of the Christians of Spain and other countries by North African Muslim... Sign in to see full entry.

Thursday, November 17, 2005

TABLES, MAKES YOU WONDER WHAT KIDS GET UP TO AT SCHOOL!

Sorry about the erratic format! Miss Nugent sat at her desk in the orphanage, her fingers beating time to the distant chanting of the children reciting their tables. There was a nice rhythm to it: a gentle adagio ma non troppo to begin with, becoming slightly more presto, and ending on a swift, rushing, descending allegro vivace. Not for her the newfangled notions of modern so-called educationists – she would just like to see them try and put their crackpot ideas into practice with the thugs and... Sign in to see full entry.

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

THE SPANISH WAY OF DEATH a repost

The more affluent modern societies become; and the more its members become obsessed with their own health and beauty, the more they seem to look upon death as an infliction of a cruel and uncaring God or Nature. But the Spanish seem to me to have a more natural acceptance of death than do we present-day British; although in my youth our attitudes to death were very similar to theirs. They, and most people of my generation, view death not as the ultimate insult of God, or Nature, but as an... Sign in to see full entry.

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

HEY! LET'S START GIVING NEW BLOGGERS THE SUPPORT THAT THEY DESERVE!

This is a comment that I sent to Ariala earlier today, and she agrees with the sentiments expressed. I agree fully with your post; but I have to say a few things that other bloggers may find a little offensive or patronising. But they need to be said. I make a point of seeking out new bloggers to give them some support, and help them up the popularity chart, and what I see, so depressingly often, is post after post with that horrid (0) at the bottom of each. Yes, I know that absence of comments... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, November 14, 2005

THE SPANISH INQUISITION ~ PART ONE

If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him; and always and everywhere people have created their gods in their own image. It was inevitable that the militaristic theocracies of Babylon and Assyria in ancient times; and those of the Incas and Aztecs of Meso-America should invent cruel gods, placated only by constant human sacrifice. Inevitable too that pagan Nazis should worship the concept of the Aryan superman; and Islamic fundamentalists worship a retributive Allah in modern... Sign in to see full entry.

Sunday, November 13, 2005

TODAY IS REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY. HONOUR THE FALLEN

They sound again, those bugles, and skirl again the pipes: long plangent notes, which haunt the air like a mourning woman’s cry. They sound in sad and misty shires: in villages quiet and cities loud; there where the graven crosses stand. We stand in silent homage, in the damp November air, while the silent minute passes; honouring our dead. We pay homage to the dead, and the shattered limbs and ruined minds of those who did not die. Gazing on the awful lists of names long gone, here in these... Sign in to see full entry.

SOME TYPICAL VIEWS OF OUR PART OF SPAIN

These photos are taken from our website for our holiday home in the tiny village of Los Marines, which is about five miles from where we live. ( There is a link to our website in my sidebar. ) The scenery shown here is typical of this area. This is lake Vinuela, visible from Casa Golondrina, our holiday home. This is a typical sunset in autumn, spring and winter. These are almond blossoms, of which one sees countless millions in late Decemebr and January, for almonds are a major crop in this... Sign in to see full entry.

SOME PHOTOS OF ALHAMA DE GRANADA, SPAIN

This is the gorge at Alhama de Granada This is a basket and trinket shop, close by the Main church, its rear perched directly on the edge of the gorge. Not recommened for sleepwalkers! This is a view of the Sierra Nevada. It's crowned with snow for most of the year. This is the sort of view that one sees on at Ventas de Zafarraya, on the way to Alhama de Granada. Although you can't see it through the haze, the Mediterranean lis on the horizon. Sign in to see full entry.

Saturday, November 12, 2005

A TRIP TO ALHAMA DE GRANADA #3(Possibly with a photo or two to follow )

Alhama de Granada is, a former Moorish town to the north of where we live in Málaga Province. Many Spanish towns are quite tatty and squalid looking, but Alhama is one of those places that are instantly attractive to the visitor, and many foreigners are making their home now. I has a nice feel to it, and like most other Spanish, the inhabitants are very friendly and welcoming. If I were forty years younger, I would just love to buy one particular house, in a shady avenue beside the main square,... Sign in to see full entry.

Friday, November 11, 2005

VETERAN'S DAY. HONOUR THE FALLEN

That grim year of 1941 was the most perilous and dismal year in the entire history of the world; fraught with the shock of bitter and humiliating defeat; of setbacks, alarms and unexpected incursions it was truly the hinge of fate year. It was a year in which the world stood trembling upon the brink of an abyss; a chasm that entirely new to human history, for once fallen into there could be no scrambling out until many generations had passed. It stood poised at the fringe of new Dark Age, this... Sign in to see full entry.

Thursday, November 10, 2005

THE COMRADESHIP OF DEATH. REMEMBER THE FALLEN

We have a busy day tomorrow, so I’m posting this story today, to mark the 87 th anniversary of the end of the First World War, which ended at 11a.m. on the 11 th of November 1918. THE COMRADESHIP OF DEATH It was a curse, yet a blessing that the torrential Flanders rain had ceased some weeks before, and the heavy clay had dried to the consistency of weak concrete under the hot sun. It was a curse in that the shell had struck the hard clay and exploded with full force: riddling him with splinters,... Sign in to see full entry.

Wednesday, November 9, 2005

THE PARTY. A REPOST, 'COS I STILL CAN'T SIT FOR TOO LONG AT MY COMPUTER

The Andalucian moon seemed to warm the air of the spring night, as they walked, in singles and couples and strung out groups: amoeba like as they moved from moon-glow to tenebrous shadow to the beehive hum of talk, and the flood of mellow light from the house. The old hands strode along the dusty track in hiking boots and “ sensible ” shoes, while those newly come to this magic place teetered perilously along the deep ruts in high heels and fragile town shoes. There was much hugging and kissing... Sign in to see full entry.

Tuesday, November 8, 2005

A TRIP TO ALHAMA BY LADY ARIELA, ARIEL, ONE SON AND TWO GRANDCHILDREN, #2

The following morning, we piled into Lady Ariela’s truck for our trip to Alhama de Granada, Lady Ariela and our eldest son, Guy, in front, and me squeezed into the narrow back with Amber and Cameron, our two grandchildren. Our way took us along that disused railway track perched high on the side of a towering mountain above and behind our house, that I wrote about in a previous post ( “ La Matanza ”, somewhere down in the depths of my blog ). The views from up there are some of the best around... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, November 7, 2005

a SHORT POST TONIGHT ' COS IT'S TOO PAINFUL TO SIT AT MY COMPUTER. THE CAT

Furry creature, sleek and feline: kith of panther, kin of lion, on my couch in slumber lying half in your world, half in mine. In my world, you defer to my reproving voice and watchful eye: your feral instincts grudgingly to my authority bend the knee. But when Night o’er Day casts its pall, ancient voices from the darkness call: and when the dusk beyond my panes and I am lying in Morpheus’ chains, what fearsome creature do you become? Gazing at one slitted golden eye, I sense your atavistic... Sign in to see full entry.

Sunday, November 6, 2005

LET'S GIVE A WARM WELCOME TO A NEW BLOGGER, LES LEGOVER!!!

Welcome to Blogit, Les. I called on you today, but unfortunately you weren’t at home. That rather intimidating lady neighbour of yours was, though: you know the one I mean; Big Mama Ballcrusher, I think she said her name was. What a strange occupation, I thought! Was she employed in some local factory, or was she self-employed? We have various balls about the place, and I did wonder if I ought to offer them to her for this crushing process of hers. I enquired when you might return, and she said... Sign in to see full entry.

About this Blog

Fiction, poetry, articles and a whole lot of other Ariel's stuff ; musings and ponderings ; they're all here, and i hope you'll find something here that you like. But I have a deeper purpose in mind. See, reading the papers and watching TV, it's so easy to think that the whole world's motivated by racial and religious hatreds of various kinds. Well most of us aren't, are we? We ordinary people are moved by love and compassion for our fellow humans ; and respect and tolerance for their differences. It's true that all that it takes for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing, so we who are motivated by love have a duty speak out against the evils of the world ; not to be ashamed of our histories, nor embarrassed about being and saying clearly what we are and what we believe. If we don't learn to love each other, we'll perish. Although I am an atheist, my guiding principle is, and always has been, Christ's adjuration to " Love thy neighbour as thyself"

People

Blogs

Links

Headlines (What is this?)