MachineMachine /stream - tagged with sacred http://machinemachine.net/stream/feed en-us http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Sweetcron therourke@gmail.com Sacred Contagion http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_Contagion Sacred contagion is the belief that spiritual properties within an object, place, or person may be passed to another object, place, or person, usually by direct contact or physical proximity. While the concept of sacred contagion has existed in numerous cultures since before recorded history, the term "sacred contagion" originated with French sociologist Émile Durkheim, who introduced it in his book The Elementary Forms of Religious Life.

An example of sacred contagion is chapters 11 through 15 in the Book of Leviticus found in the Bible and Torah. Leviticus specifies which animals are considered spiritually clean and… ]]> Fri, 12 Aug 2011 08:08:43 -0700 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_Contagion Profanity http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Profanity The original meaning of the adjective profane (Latin: "in front of", "outside the temple") referred to items not belonging to the church, e.g. "The fort is the oldest profane building in the town, but the local monastery is older, and is the oldest building," or "besides designing churches, he also designed many profane buildings". As a result, "profane" and "profanity" has therefore come to describe a word, expression, gesture, or other social behavior which is socially constructed or interpreted as insulting, rudeness, vulgarism, desecrating, or showing disrespect. Other words commonly used to describe profane language or its use include: cuss,… ]]> Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:12:00 -0700 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Profanity The Unveiled Divide http://machinemachine.net/text/ideas/the-unveiled-divide

The Wall Comes DownThe object holds within itself a series of meanings and values, both imminent and latent. The Berlin Wall, long standing as a symbol of closure, restriction and confinement, came down as a symbol of movement, release and freedom. The Berlin Wall embodies each and every one of these meanings, whilst latent within it stir the possibility of yet more, as now, unseen symbolic possibilities.

In Roman law objects belonging to the Gods were ascribed as sacred. Sacred objects exist removed from the world of… ]]> Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:50:00 -0700 http://machinemachine.net/text/ideas/the-unveiled-divide