Apparently some works of Archimedes have been rediscovered after 800 years. A Christian monk, scrubbed out his work, his ideas and replaced them with prayers.
Now I'm not anti religious, but doesn't that seem a little disrespectful?
2006-08-06 23:20:08 · 17 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Guys please read the details and comment as appropriate, thanks
2006-08-06 23:24:56 · update #1
Not at all. At the time, it wasn't uncommon to write over other works that were not considered important at the time. It was only later that his mathematical explanations became relevant. Also, Christianity has nothing to do with it. It had to do with saving the goatskin parchments that things were written on, not vandalism. Hope that helps.
2006-08-06 23:25:14 · answer #1 · answered by Greg 5 · 4⤊ 0⤋
When did the monk make the changes?
If it was today I would say yes a very bad behavior but if it was in the dim recesses of history I'd have to go a lot easier on the brother.
In the past the world was an even more superstitious place where a challenging idea could have been seen as disrespectful to the glory of god. Archimedes was no Christian and that would have devalued the works even further.
Too, writing tools like paper were at a premium in the past and very expensive so it could have simply been the monk needing to write something down that was,in his perspective,more important.
2006-08-07 18:51:06 · answer #2 · answered by Ragdollfloozie is Pensive! 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hmm...but the monk wouldn't have seen it as vandalism - they'd have seen it in the light of writing a will on an old bank statement . the monk wouldn't have necessarily believed anything written by Archimedes - a pagan philosopher and mathematician, and would have been eager to write a prayer to his God - surely, in his mind, a more fitting purpose for the parchment than some 'probably-wrong' and godless writings.
2006-08-07 07:02:23 · answer #3 · answered by mdfalco71 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Every religion has always been willing to destroy the property of its competitors except where they couldn't get away with it.
- The taliban destroyed buddhist statues carved into rock.
- Korean christians vandalized and destroyed buddhist temples and artifacts dating back a thousand years.
- de Gama and all Europeans who invaded North America and South America killed and burned anything and everything while stealing gold along the way.
- The christians burned the library of Alexandria.
Etc. etc. etc. ad infinitum.
2006-08-07 06:59:30 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The same can be said of Catholic priests who accompanied the Spanish invasion of central America. They, in their zeal, destroyed the art and astronomy of the Aztecs. Very little remains.
Their reasons for doing so was apparently "to save souls", and was very misguided and Biblicly incorrect. But vandalism is destruction for its own sake. There are no ulterior moral reasons for vandalism.
2006-08-07 07:28:29 · answer #5 · answered by pugjw9896 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No vandalism is certaily not acceptable Christian behaviour!
2006-08-07 06:23:28 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Definately not.
Not acceptable behaviour for Non-Christians either
2006-08-07 06:24:49 · answer #7 · answered by witchfromoz2003 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The winners write the history.
2006-08-07 06:24:48 · answer #8 · answered by D 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes it is disrespectful...but that is what christians have been doing forever - vandalising temples and holy places of other than christian origin---killing people that dared to believe in nonchristian stuff - remember Kopernicus?
2006-08-07 06:25:30 · answer #9 · answered by snowwings 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If killing, raping and pillaging is okay to do in the name of Christ (Crusades) then vandalism shouldn't even be on the radar.
2006-08-07 16:02:30 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋