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Larry is Gorean Goreans are people that agree with philosophy of professor John Lange, that writes his philosophy in porn books with pen name John Norman What

by speeder 10y ago

Larry is Gorean Goreans are people that agree with philosophy of professor John Lange, that writes his philosophy in porn books with pen name John Norman What got Larry kicked out is that similarly to Abrahamic religions, Goreans believe there is an inherent hierarchy between men and women. Or at least it is what Dries (Drupal leader) wrote as explanation for the incident. So Larry is being punished literally for "wrong-think", having beliefs that are shared with billions of Abrahamic religion followers around the world. But Goreanism is not a religion, so probably doesn't count as religious discrimination. Also according to a blog lost by Larry, the "proof" used against him was a transcription of a discourse he made in a private wedding.

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noir_lord 10y ago
> Goreanism is not a religion, so probably doesn't count as religious discrimination. I've often wondered what the difference between a Cult and a Religion is and my best answer seems to be "4 orders of magnitude". 1000 is a cult, 10,000,000 is a Religion. If it's a numbers game then everyone religion went through a stage where it was a cult (and indeed if you look at the history of religion lots of them where treat that way, Roman treatment of Christianity is a well documented one).
- humanrebar 10y ago
  "Cult" is perjorative. It implies an unhealthy worldview and probably abusive leadership. People would infer that people in the "religions are just big cults" camp see those properties in all religions. If you care to espouse that viewpoint, you're on the right track.
- Bartweiss 10y ago
  > 1000 is a cult, 10,000,000 is a Religion. I don't think this holds. There are about 1,000 practicing Samaritans left in the world. They practice a faith very similar to Judaism with a comparably long history, and I think hardly anyone would call them a cult. There are >50,000 self-described Scientologists worldwide. Many different people, including some government bodies, have referred to that organization as a cult. If we're talking about formal definition, there are detailed lists of what constitutes a cult - size isn't a factor, but segregation from non-members, active indoctrination, and public shaming are. If we're talking common usage, it appears to be respectability or 'kookiness'. Size is a factor, but age, similarity to other traditions, and behavior of members and leaders all count too.
  - ng12 10y ago
    I would call Samaritanism a cult. I think calling Scientology a cult is misappropriation which grew from a perceived relationship between small religions and esoteric beliefs.
humanrebar 10y ago
Thanks for the info! Be careful about the Abrahamic religions thing, though. There's a lot of diversity of thought in that space, ranging from conservative Muslim ideas to ideas that are indistinguishable from any given form of feminism. And in that space, I would guess that "billions" is an overestimate unless you are speaking in the broadest sense, like "gender roles exist".

by speeder 10y ago

deleted 10y ago

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noir_lord 10y ago

> Goreanism is not a religion, so probably doesn't count as religious discrimination. I've often wondered what the difference between a Cult and a Religion is and my best answer seems to be "4 orders of magnitude". 1000 is a cult, 10,000,000 is a Religion. If it's a numbers game then everyone religion went through a stage where it was a cult (and indeed if you look at the history of religion lots of them where treat that way, Roman treatment of Christianity is a well documented one).

humanrebar 10y ago
"Cult" is perjorative. It implies an unhealthy worldview and probably abusive leadership. People would infer that people in the "religions are just big cults" camp see those properties in all religions. If you care to espouse that viewpoint, you're on the right track.
Bartweiss 10y ago
> 1000 is a cult, 10,000,000 is a Religion. I don't think this holds. There are about 1,000 practicing Samaritans left in the world. They practice a faith very similar to Judaism with a comparably long history, and I think hardly anyone would call them a cult. There are >50,000 self-described Scientologists worldwide. Many different people, including some government bodies, have referred to that organization as a cult. If we're talking about formal definition, there are detailed lists of what constitutes a cult - size isn't a factor, but segregation from non-members, active indoctrination, and public shaming are. If we're talking common usage, it appears to be respectability or 'kookiness'. Size is a factor, but age, similarity to other traditions, and behavior of members and leaders all count too.
- ng12 10y ago
  I would call Samaritanism a cult. I think calling Scientology a cult is misappropriation which grew from a perceived relationship between small religions and esoteric beliefs.

humanrebar 10y ago

Thanks for the info! Be careful about the Abrahamic religions thing, though. There's a lot of diversity of thought in that space, ranging from conservative Muslim ideas to ideas that are indistinguishable from any given form of feminism. And in that space, I would guess that "billions" is an overestimate unless you are speaking in the broadest sense, like "gender roles exist".