Forum Replies Created
-
AuthorPosts
-
Ben S.MemberRosicrucianism is essentially occultism through a Christian focus, and particularly derives from spiritual alchemy, magic and Qabbalah. It started with the release of three manifestoes by unknown authors in Germany in about 1610. These proclaimed the existence of a secret brotherhood devoted to Christ who were behind the great events of Europe, and were peppered with alchemical and Qabbalist references. Probably no such society existed, the idea being to encourage those of a scientific and philosophical bent to join to fight the Counter-Reformation. No one ever owned up to being a member of the Brotherhood. At the time it was sincerely believed that scientific endeavour would enable man to directly access God, an intriguing ‘road less travelled’ that the Enlightenment of the West did not ultimately take and which Rosicrucians still examine today. Rosicrucian ‘lodges’ formed in response to the manifestoes, taking on a character rather like Freemasonry, to which Rosicrucianism is strongly related, although the two are quite different in aims. There are many Rosicrucian groups today, most deriving from the resurgence in occult values-‘The Age of Aquarius’ that started in the 1860s. Most groups do not go back further in time than this, though some colourful and spurious claims are made for ancient Egyptian origins from the beliefs of the monotheist Pharaoh Aknaton. If you’re in the USA and want to see an influence of this elusive sect, one is right in your pocket. Have a look at a one dollar bill,the pyramid-with-an-eye symbol is a Rosicrucian one.
User Detail :
Name : Ben S., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : New Age/Metaphysical, Age : 35, City : Melbourne, State : NA, Country : Australia, Occupation : corrections officer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class,
Ben S.MemberI would guess the rate of substance use in the gay community is a bit higher than the norm. This may be due to persecution of gay people – obviously some are going to seek relief in substance use. Also, a community told that its sexual expression is illegal or frowned upon is probably not going to care too much about similar prohibitions on substances. Drug use is certainly implicitly encouraged in some commercial gay scenes. In some cases there is even a strong message that use of drugs is essential to effective participation in those scenes – eg. parties that go on all night and have particular music and lighting designed to be appreciated by someone who’s used a particular substance. I would say too, that because of the high rate of substance use, there is likely to be a higher rate of abuse. Gay newspapers depend on advertising revenue from the commercial scene, so it’s in their interest to portray that scene as vibrant, exciting and new. This image is often maintained to the extent of excluding stories about the human cost of participation in that scene. I do not know any statistics giving an ethnic breakdown of substance abuse figures. I would imagine the type of substance abuse depends at least partly on whether members of the ethnic group participate in the commercial gay scene.
User Detail :
Name : Ben S., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : New Age/Metaphysical, Age : 35, City : Melbourne, State : NA, Country : Australia, Occupation : corrections officer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class,
Ben S.MemberNot the same issue but along similar lines, I once had a boss who opined that gays were ‘sick.’ I asked him if I could take a few sick days off work, as I was homosexual. As I recall, he didn’t seem to think it was that funny…
Seriously, the ‘Don’t ask, Don’t tell’ policy is a bit of a lame compromise and open to abuse in the way you suggest. Of course, it’s well known that men with homosexual proclivities make terrible soldiers. Like Alexander the Great. Or Lord Kitchener. In the Australian defense forces, there isn’t any legal prohibition any more, and once the prohibition was dropped, the issue just died – the culture hasn’t changed overnight, and there’s inevitably victimization, but not, I think, on a great scale.
It also made me feel a bit more comfortable about the idea of volunteering when it seemed that Australia might go to war with Indonesia over the East Timor issue.
User Detail :
Name : Ben S., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : New Age/Metaphysical, Age : 35, City : Melbourne, State : NA, Country : Australia, Occupation : corrections officer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class,
Ben S.MemberMy experience is that most prefer to do both. If you get a ticket to the funpark, you don’t limit yourself to going on only one ride. Some gay men prefer giving or receiving, but will do either if their partner wants. Only a few limit themselves entirely to either ‘topping’ or ‘bottoming.’ These comments also apply to bisexual and even straight men who have sex with men, though some men who identify as straight may have more of a problem with bottoming.
User Detail :
Name : Ben S., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : New Age/Metaphysical, Age : 35, City : Melbourne, State : NA, Country : Australia, Occupation : corrections officer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, -
AuthorPosts
Dare To Ask Talk And News About Our Differences