Intergalactic Summit

Well let us take a few steps back for a moment and look at it this way.

If the scriptures are true anyone who is deviating from them would be spreading lies and causing decent. Therefor stopping this would be the best course of action.

Maybe you should walk a mile in Amarrian shoes and see the burden of truth many of us carry before you look at it only from your perspective.

More importantly there's no where in scripture that says you HAVE to use one method or another to keep your charges. As long as your following the scriptures those things are tools at your disposal to use for your work. I personally find it distasteful and point less but that is my choice as a holder Lord. As long as I do my duty within God grace that's what matters.

If you want to argue Vitoc argue the merits and flaws of Vitoc don't make this about our faith making us use it because it doesn't. It was a tool created to help with the work. If you want it stopped create a better solution and argue to its flaws or merits. It is just one method out of many to keep slaves in line.

Now I'm completely aware of you saying 'Well then just end slavery so you don't have to use it.' There will always be criminals and like in the Empire who will be enslaved for their crimes. As for your people again I turn your attention to the wisdom of the Empress.

I shouldn't have to explain to any of the the logic of realities. You can't join an argument and say, 'well simply do this' unless it really is that simple to like throwing a switch. Such statements are a flawed premise based on the illusion of perspective and colored by propaganda which do not take into account simple physics.

Change doesn't happen over night in the way you want it to. Sure you can apply overwhelming force to an object it hopes of changing it but the act of doing so may brake it resulting in a lengthily clean up and redistribution. Then you have naysayers who are tired of waiting after the promised clean world they wanted is taking to long to come about and you have a new rebellion.

Argue Vitoc if you must, argue the scriptures if you must in fact I encourage you to do so if only so you think about what your asking but for the love of God just think! Don't give into propaganda and false whispers. Those are only spreading hear-say to topple someone because they are either jealous or want power for themselves. Such people don't care about the truth and they care even less about you if you were the person in charge.

Khanid still have our art and out own language, that I can attest to. The Ni-Kunni still have theirs as well. As for that incident with the Starkmanir that was done because of the death of an heir at the hands of a member of the race not because it was on the original agenda of the day.

as for the rest of randomly naming races we have interacted with it shows just by those three examples right there the Amarr don't care for cultural differences. You only get half an argument with the Starkmanir and even then its flimsy at best if you even read the story.

Well, there's a difference between 'qualified to talk about Scripture' and 'qualified to talk about Scripture as the basis of Amarrian religion'. While you might be qualified to do the former without taking the exegetical tradition of Amarr into consideration, it's not the basis of the Amarrian religion you're discussing then. To discuss the Scripture as basis of the Amarrian religion you need indeed be able to have thought processes 'along the same lines as ours'. Because the basis of Amarrian religion is Scripture as interpreted along these lines.

It's a quite trivial fact that the basis of Amarrian religion isn't the Scriptures interpreted along the lines of thought of a Federal or Republician. Go figure.
Not taking that into consideration - the fact that Scripture has been written for reading it from an Amarrian perspective and with a certain exegetical tradition in mind - leads to something which one can hardly understand as 'thoughtful analysis of Scripture'. It's not that heathens or heretics try to analyize it, it's their disregard for the exegetical tradition that makes their attempts doomed to failure from the start.

And no, you're not a heretic. You're an uneducated heathen, Cpt. Marellus.

Are you guys still trying to debate with these delusional slavers? You realize that you'd have better success talking to a wall, right? At least the wall would have the decency to remain silent and not keep spouting the same crap over and over.

Actually, it mainly refers to people who trade in slaves. I think the common usage on this fine forum has extended to include those who own slaves, too. (And, for some, to those who simply support those who own slaves; I'm not sure that's a useful extension of the term, though.)

So you concede, by refusing to address any of my other points, that they are true and valid?

The Khanid have some minor differences by dint of having isolated themselves from the rest of the Empire for a time. This does not invalidate my point about what was done to the various other cultures. I have never seen unique Ni-Kunni clothing, or tasted unique Ealur cuisine, or heard unique Udor music. A vast amount of Minmatar technology and culture was lost during the Empire's illegal occupation of their planets and enslavement of their people. That, in addition, was only one of the points that I made.

That's the nicest thing anyone's called me all week. Though my heretic comment was aimed at people who have been deemed "qualified" who suddenly start having an opinion of their own and are swiftly denounced.

Also on a side note I'd say it's more the fact that I am educated that makes me a heathen by choice, but I digress.

My point still stands, the only people the Theology Council deem suitable to discuss scripture are those who agree to their never-changing point of view. Any attempt to question or offer an alternative is seen as a threat to the system. If the Amarrian Empire wasn't a Theocracy that is so damn dependant on people's unquestioning faith in a select committee's definition of old pieces of text then alternative theories might be more acceptable. As it stands any slight change may cause people to question the faith, but more importantly the system that it's protecting.

To refocus this debate back to the original question of whether or not the Scripture gives the use of Vitoc it's blessing. If you re-read the original section of scripture used to declare Vitoc to be righteous, there is no specific method described. Apart from the part outlining that to become closer to God we must go forward with stripping man to his foundations and removing distractions, there is little to point to specific methodology; and definately no specific mention of biochemicals used. There is little doubt that this section does clearly identify that the Amarr shall rule over all other peoples in a natrual order, however the use of drugs such as Vitoc, or other methods is not specifically identified.

I would suggest that Vitoc is just one method of the Amarr race carrying forward that which is clearly identified in scripture, that we shall rule the heavens. So long as that end is met, the means to acheive it is left to the discretion of the chosen people, our religious leaders and how we interpret the scripture.

The others adapt and evolve with the times, the Republic, State and Federation have all undergone significant change in recent years. Yet there is no modernising or alternative to adapt stance when it comes to the Theology Council. When something is wrong in the other Empires change has come about, when something is wrong in the Amarrian Empire it is merely ignored and to complain is going against the faith.

Stubborn, I believe is the word.