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The Feast of the Assumption commemorates, according to the
Catholic Encyclopedia "(1) the happy departure of Mary from this
life; (2) the assumption of her body into heaven." It's also the
occasion for parades, street fairs, & so on <link 1>.
I propose a secular alternative, modeled on North
American
Thanksgiving. On that (fairly secular) holiday, extended families
gather for a festive meal, and remind themselves of things which,
at other times of year, they take too much for granted (good
health, friends, loving family, the wide availability of cheap,
effective means of suicide, whatever ....)
On the Alternative Feast of the Assumption, extended families
would gather for a festive meal, and remind themselves of
unquestioned assumptions they'd do well to re-examine (I'm good
at X. I'd never vote for Y. My spouse loves me....)
I'd rather this be simply secular, but I think it's most likely to
succeed as anti-religious. To keep out of WIBNI territory, I have in
mind a small organization using a website both to promote the
idea, and to raise money (by sales of FOTA-themed mugs, tee-
shirs, & so on).
That means FOTA needs a logo. By analogy with the legged-fish
DARWIN/ICThY logo, I propose something which, at first glance,
appears to be religious: specifically, a Lorraine cross <link 2>. On
closer examination, the two shorter cross-bars, while
parallel to each other, don't quite make a right angle with the
long bar:
It's actually a diagram of Euclid's 5th postulate <link 3> -- one of
the most
productively questioned unquestioned assumptions in human
intellectual history.
Feast of the Assumption
http://query.nytime...5C1A96E9C94689ED7CF
[mouseposture, Jun 12 2010]
Lorraine Cross
http://www.google.c...m=4&ved=0CDUQsAQwAw
[mouseposture, Jun 12 2010]
(?) Euclid's 5th
http://escholarship...tations/AAI9605385/
[mouseposture, Jun 12 2010]
[link]
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could call it something like "Giving Thanks Day" |
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Any processions on this day should involve representations of you, me, and an ass - because that's what happens when you assume. |
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On the word "assumption" - it does rather seem to have two very different connotations in the logical and religious senses - but beyond that, working on the construction of the word itself - if the word-ending '-tion' normally suggests a nounification of an act - a cementisation of some verb - it follows then that both the Parrallel line, and Mary were assumped. |
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Perhaps it would be less confusing if the secular event was known as "Feast of the Presumption". |
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[jurist]
You're joking, I presume? Everybody knows the Feast of
the Presumption is the occasion on which the title of Heir
Presumptive is bestowed by the College of Heralds. A very
_large_ feast, and it's considered a good omen for the
coming reign if the Heir manages to eat everything that's
put in front of him. |
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George IV, when he was Prince of
Wales, was on notoriously bad terms with his father --
essentially the head of a rival court faction -- and his
enemies managed to get particularly large portions put on
his plate. He was, however, a gifted eater, and their
scheme came to naught. He did find it necessary to
unbutton the last button on his waistcoat, but carried it
off with such panache, that it's considered de rigeur to
this day. |
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Edit: I think I'd better point out that this is mostly
bollocks. |
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I thought that was the Feast of the Apparent. My "heir-ror", apparently. |
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