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Sects Without Sex
By bk | April 20, 2008 19:42
In the irregular, but still interesting theme of “Rituals and Practices” that began with Dai-ajari, we have a little venture off in to some of the more interesting Christian sects in recent memory.
First we have the Skoptsy, and Eastern Orthodox sect which began in Russia in the late 18th century. The group is honored here for the preference for castration of males and females, including the removal of the breasts for women, as well as a preference for not having children, since that would require sex. Not surprisingly, the sect has died out through persecution, but presumably also due to the fact the ideas are not being handed down to children through families.
And here’s another good one from Russia, the Old Believers, who where willing to go through arrests, torture and even execution due to some relatively minor points of difference between earlier and updated points of Orthodoxy, including the number of fingers that should be used when making the sign of the cross (2 versus 3). It appears few if any of the changes are major points of theology.
It will never cease to amaze me what religion will do to people.
Topics: Rituals and Practices |
One of the most famous American xian eunuchs is Boston Corbett, the man who killed John Wilkes Booth.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Corbett
“He became a born-again evangelical Christian and changed his name to Boston. Trying to imitate Jesus, he began to wear his hair very long. On July 16, 1858, in order to avoid the temptation of prostitutes, Corbett castrated himself with a pair of scissors. Afterward, he ate a meal and went to a prayer meeting, before going for medical treatment.”
Posted by: bernarda on May 14th, 2008 at 6:04